Effects of Differently Processed Tea on the Gut Microbiota.

Tea is a highly popular beverage, primarily due to its unique flavor and aroma as well as its perceived health benefits. The impact of tea on the gut microbiome could be an important means by which tea exerts its health benefits since the link between the gut microbiome and health is strong. This review provided a discussion of the bioactive compounds in tea and the human gut microbiome and how the gut microbiome interacts with tea polyphenols.

Identification and Evaluation of Olive Phenolics in the Context of Amine Oxidase Enzyme Inhibition and Depression: In Silico Modelling and In Vitro Validation.

The Mediterranean diet well known for its beneficial health effects, including mood enhancement, is characterised by the relatively high consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), which is rich in bioactive phenolic compounds. Over 200 phenolic compounds have been associated with , and of these, only a relatively small fraction have been characterised. Utilising the OliveNet library, phenolic compounds were investigated as potential inhibitors of the epigenetic modifier lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1).

Optimization of Ultrasonic Extraction Parameters for the Recovery of Phenolic Compounds in Brown Seaweed: Comparison with Conventional Techniques.

Seaweed, in particular, brown seaweed, has gained research interest in the past few years due to its distinctive phenolic profile that has a multitude of bioactive properties. In order to obtain the maximum extraction efficiency of brown seaweed phenolic compounds, Response Surface Methodology was utilized to optimize the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) conditions such as the amplitude, time, solvent:solid ratio, and NaOH concentration. Under optimal conditions, UAE had a higher extraction efficiency of free and bound phenolic compounds compared to conventional extraction (stirred 16 h at 4 °C).

Selenosugar, selenopolysaccharide, and putative selenoflavonoid in plants.

Selenium (Se) is a naturally occurring essential micronutrient that is required for human health. Selenium supports cellular antioxidant defense and possesses bioeffects such as anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and cardiovascular and liver protective effects arising from Se-enhanced cellular antioxidant activity. Past studies on Se have focused on elucidating Se speciation in foods, biofortification strategies to produce Se-enriched foods to address Se deficiency in the population, and the biochemical activities of Se in health.

Selenoproteins in Health.

Selenium (Se) is a naturally occurring essential micronutrient that is required for human health. The existing form of Se includes inorganic and organic. In contrast to the inorganic Se, which has low bioavailability and high cytotoxicity, organic Se exhibits higher bioavailability, lower toxicity, and has a more diverse composition and structure.

Unraveling the bioactive interplay: seaweed polysaccharide, polyphenol and their gut modulation effect.

Seaweed is rich in many unique bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and sulfated polysaccharides that are not found in terrestrial plant. The discovery of numerous biological activities from seaweed has made seaweed an attractive functional food source with the potential to be exploited for human health benefits. During food processing and digestion, cell wall polysaccharide and polyphenols commonly interact, and this may influence the nutritional properties of food.

Electrospray alginate microgels co-encapsulating degraded Konjac glucomannan and quercetin modulate human gut microbiota in vitro.

Alginate microgels co-encapsulating degraded Konjac glucomannan (KGM60) underwent in vitro fecal fermentation and their effects on human microbiota and metabolites were investigated. KGM60 delayed quercetin release and enhanced phenolic metabolites production. Microgels co-encapsulating KGM60 and quercetin increased linear short chain fatty acid but decreased branched chain fatty acid production.

Pediatric Drug-Associated Pancreatitis Reveals Concomitant Risk Factors and Poor Reliability of Causality Scoring: Report From INSPPIRE.

Objectives: Drug-associated acute pancreatitis (DAP) studies typically focus on single acute pancreatitis (AP) cases. We aimed to analyze the (1) characteristics, (2) co-risk factors, and (3) reliability of the Naranjo scoring system for DAP using INSPPIRE-2 (the INternational Study group of Pediatric Pancreatitis: In search for a cuRE-2) cohort study of acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) in children.

Methods: Data were obtained from ARP group with ≥1 episode of DAP and CP group with medication exposure ± DAP.

Hydrolysis of pea protein differentially modulates its effect on iron bioaccessibility, sulfur availability, composition and activity of gut microbial communities .

Both plant proteins and iron supplements can demonstrate high susceptibility to escape small intestinal digestion and absorption, hence are often present throughout colonic fermentation. Whilst colonic iron delivery may adversely affect the gut microbiota and epithelial integrity, nascent evidence suggests that pea proteins may possess beneficial prebiotic and antioxidant effects during gut fermentation. This study investigated the interaction between exogenously added iron and pea protein isolate (PPI) or pea protein hydrolysate (PPH) during gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation.

Alginate-inulin-chitosan based microspheres alter metabolic fate of encapsulated quercetin, promote short chain fatty acid production, and modulate pig gut microbiota.

Quercetin loaded alginate microspheres, fabricated with the inclusion of inulin as a prebiotic source and chitosan as protective coating (ALINCH-Q), were subjected to in vitro colonic fermentation using pig fecal microbiota, with empty microspheres ALINCH-E, unencapsulated quercetin UQ and media only Blank as parallel studies. ALINCH-Q altered quercetin biotransformation towards higher production of 3-hydroxyphenylpropionic acid and 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, and further metabolism of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid compared to UQ. In addition, ALINCH-Q but not ALINCH-E or UQ significantly promoted SCFAs production compared to Blank.

Fibre fermentation and pig faecal microbiota composition are affected by the interaction between sugarcane fibre and (poly)phenols .

We investigated the effects of (poly)phenol-rich sugarcane extract (PRSE), sugarcane fibre (SCFiber), and the combination of them (PRSE + SCFiber) on the gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) production using digestion and pig faecal fermentation. Measuring total phenolic content and antioxidant activity through the digestion stages showed that PRSE + SCFiber increased the delivery of (poly)phenols to the colonic fermentation stage compared to PRSE alone. The PRSE + SCFiber modulated the faecal microbiota profile by enhancing the relative abundances of , , and , and reducing the relative abundance of .

Application of cellulose- and chitosan-based edible coatings for quality and safety of deep-fried foods.

Excessive oil uptake and formation of carcinogens, such as acrylamide (AA), heterocyclic amines (HCAs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), during deep-frying are a potential threat for food quality and safety. Cellulose- and chitosan-based edible coatings have been widely applied to deep-fried foods for reduction of oil uptake because of their barrier property to limit oil ingress, and their apparent inhibition of AA formation. Cellulose- and chitosan-based edible coatings have low negative impacts on sensory attributes of fried foods and are low cost, nontoxic, and nonallergenic.

Flavones interact with fiber to affect fecal bacterial communities in vitro.

This study investigated the effects of the sugarcane flavones diosmin, diosmetin, luteolin, and tricin, and their interactions with sugarcane fiber on the modulation of gut microbiota using in vitro batch fermentation. The alteration of fecal fermentation bacterial profile was analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing data, while the bioavailability of fiber was indicated by short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production and metabolism of polyphenols was measured directly by phenolic metabolites. Application of diosmin, diosmetin, luteolin, and tricin without fiber had no significant effect on the overall microbiota profile after 24 h of fermentation.

The effectiveness of dietary polyphenols in obesity management: A systematic review and meta-analysis of human clinical trials.

Dietary polyphenols have been postulated to be effective in preventing obesity through various multitargeted mechanisms of weight loss. A meta-analysis of recent clinical trials was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of polyphenols in obesity management in adults through assessing obesity-related anthropometric measures. Forty-four articles with 40 randomised clinical trials published between 2010 and 2021 met the eligibility trial criteria.

Stenoparib, an inhibitor of cellular poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs), blocks in vitro replication of SARS-CoV-2 variants.

We recently published a preliminary assessment of the activity of a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, stenoparib, also known as 2X-121, which inhibits viral replication by affecting pathways of the host. Here we show that stenoparib effectively inhibits a SARS-CoV-2 wild type (BavPat1/2020) strain and four additional variant strains; alpha (B.1.

Incorporating inulin and chitosan in alginate-based microspheres for targeted delivery and release of quercetin to colon.

Colon targeted delivery of quercetin by encapsulation has the potential to manage colonic diseases due to quercetin's pharmacological effects. To strengthen the functionalities of commonly used alginate microspheres for quercetin encapsulation, inulin was added as filling material and chitosan as coating material. Empty/quercetin-loaded alginate (AL-E/Q), alginate + inulin (ALIN-E/Q), alginate + inulin + chitosan (ALINCH-E/Q) microspheres were fabricated, with particle sizes ranging from 25.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 VOC-Omicron using commercial sample-to-answer real-time RT-PCR platforms and melting curve-based SNP assays.

Objectives: The World Health Organization (WHO) had designated the SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.

Outbreak investigation of airborne transmission of Omicron (B.1.1.529) - SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern in a restaurant: Implication for enhancement of indoor air dilution.

Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has been increasingly recognized in the outbreak of COVID-19, especially with the Omicron variant. We investigated an outbreak due to Omicron variant in a restaurant. Besides epidemiological and phylogenetic analyses, the secondary attack rates of customers of restaurant-related COVID-19 outbreak before (Outbreak R1) and after enhancement of indoor air dilution (Outbreak R2) were compared.

Analytical sensitivity of the Rapid Antigen Test kits for detection of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant BA.2 sublineage.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron was classified as a variant of concern in November 2021. The sublineage BA.2 spreads rapidly worldwide.

Evaluation of rapid antigen detection kits for detection of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 virus.

Currently, there is lack of data regarding rapid antigen detection (RAD) kits to detect SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.

Phytochemical profile of differently processed tea: A review.

Fresh tea leaves (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) are processed by various techniques to produce different types of tea.

Sugarcane polyphenol and fiber to affect production of short-chain fatty acids and microbiota composition using in vitro digestion and pig faecal fermentation model.

This study aimed to examine the effects of sugarcane polyphenol and fiber (Phytolin + Fiber) on gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production and phenolic metabolites production using in vitro digestion and fermentation model. Microbial profiling by 16S rRNA sequencing was used to analyze the pig faecal microbiota profile. SCFAs were identified and quantified by GC-FID, and phenolic metabolites were characterized by LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS.

Early detection of community acquired of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.351 in Hong Kong.

Background: Prior to this report, variants of concern for SARS-CoV-2 were only detected from imported cases in Hong Kong.

Objective: Multiple cases of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.