Differential regulation of brain microvessel transcriptome and brain metabolome by western and heart-healthy dietary patterns in Ossabaw pigs.

Diet is a potentially modifiable neurodegenerative disease risk factor. We studied the effects of a typical Western diet (WD; high in refined carbohydrates, cholesterol and saturated fat), relative to a heart-healthy diet (HHD; high in unrefined carbohydrates, polyunsaturated fat and fiber, and low in cholesterol) on brain microvessel transcriptomics and brain metabolomics of the temporal region in Ossabaw minipigs. Thirty-two pigs (16 male and 16 females) were fed a WD or HHD starting at the age of 4 months for a period of 6 months.

From Good Citizens to Bad Apples? The Effect of Boredom Proneness: A Moral Licensing Perspective.

Although boredom proneness has been well-studied, there is still an ongoing scholarly debate about whether boredom can move individuals to act counterproductively or productively. Drawing from a moral licensing perspective, this study empirically investigates how boredom proneness influences interpersonal citizenship behavior (ICB), moral meaningfulness, and interpersonal deviance over time. Utilizing a total of 328 three-wave panel data obtained via Amazon Mechanical Turk during a three-month period, we find the following results.

Perspectives on Using Race in Pulmonary Function Testing: A National Survey Fellows and Program Directors.

Background: Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) have historically used race-specific prediction equations. The recent American Thoracic Society guidelines recommend the use of a race-neutral approach in prediction equations. There are limited studies centering the opinions of practicing pulmonologists on the use of race in spirometry.

Optimized Properties and Synthesis of Photoactivatable Diazoketorhodamines Facilitate and Enhance High-Throughput Single-Molecule Tracking.

Photoactivatable (PA) rhodamine dyes are widely used in single-molecule tracking (SMT) and a variety of other fluorescence-based imaging modalities. One of the most commonly employed scaffolds uses a diazoketone to lock the rhodamine in the nonfluorescent closed form, which can be activated with 405 nm light. However, poor properties of previously reported dyes require significant washing, which can be resource- and cost-intensive, especially when performing microscopy in a large scale and high-throughput fashion.

Calcium Sulfate Microparticle Size Modification for Improved Alginate Hydrogel Fabrication and Its Application in 3D Cell Culture.

Calcium ion-crosslinked alginate hydrogels are widely used as a materials system for investigating cell behavior in 3D environments . Suspensions of calcium sulfate particles are often used as the source of Ca to control the rate of gelation. However, the instability of calcium sulfate suspensions can increase chances of reduced homogeneity of the resulting gel and requires researcher's proficiency.

Validation of the Malay-Version of Recovery Knowledge Inventory among mental health providers in Malaysia.

Background: The Recovery Knowledge Inventory (RKI) is a widely used self-report instrument that assesses recovery-oriented knowledge among mental health professionals. The purpose of this study is to translate the RKI into the Malay language (RKI-M) and to examine its psychometric properties among Malaysian health care workers.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 143 participants was conducted at an urban teaching hospital, an urban government hospital, and a rural government hospital.

Yield stability and economic heterosis analysis in newly bred sunflower hybrids throughout diverse agro-ecological zones.

Exploration of heterosis is a strategy for enhancing sunflower yield and productivity. In India, the greatest constraints on sunflower production are stagnant and inconsistent yields. By raising them in a variety of ecological conditions, stable per-se performance with the highest yielding potential sunflower hybrids were selected.

Correction: Solano-Aguilar et al. Fruit and Vegetable Supplemented Diet Modulates the Pig Transcriptome and Microbiome after a Two-Week Feeding Intervention. 2021, , 4350.

There was an error in the original publication [...

Coronary Atherosclerosis in an Asymptomatic U.S. Population: Miami Heart Study at Baptist Health South Florida.

Background: The burden of total coronary plaque, plaque subtypes, and high-risk plaque features was unknown in asymptomatic individuals from the general U.S. primary prevention population.

Fruit and Vegetable Supplemented Diet Modulates the Pig Transcriptome and Microbiome after a Two-Week Feeding Intervention.

A study was conducted to determine the effects of a diet supplemented with fruits and vegetables (FV) on the host whole blood cell (WBC) transcriptome and the composition and function of the intestinal microbiome. Nine six-week-old pigs were fed a pig grower diet alone or supplemented with lyophilized FV equivalent to half the daily recommended amount prescribed for humans by the Dietary Guideline for Americans (DGA) for two weeks. Host transcriptome changes in the WBC were evaluated by RNA sequencing.

The Effects of Consuming White Button Mushroom on the Brain and Liver Metabolome Using a Targeted Metabolomic Analysis.

A targeted metabolomic analysis was performed on tissues derived from pigs fed diets supplemented with white button mushrooms (WBM) to determine the effect on the liver and brain metabolome. Thirty-one pigs were fed a grower diet alone or supplemented with either three or six servings of freeze-dried WBM for six weeks. Tissue metabolomes were analyzed using targeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) combined with chemical similarity enrichment analysis (ChemRICH) and correlated to WBM-induced changes in fecal microbiome composition.

Colon transcriptome is modified by a dietary pattern/atorvastatin interaction in the Ossabaw pig.

Optimizing diet quality in conjunction with statin therapy is currently the most common approach for coronary artery disease (CAD) risk management. Although effects on the cardiovascular system have been extensively investigated, little is known about the effect of these interventions in the colon and subsequent associations with CAD progression. To address this gap, Ossabaw pigs were randomly allocated to receive, for a six-month period, isocaloric amounts of either a heart healthy-type diet (HHD; high in unrefined carbohydrate, unsaturated fat, fiber, supplemented with fish oil, and low in cholesterol) or a Western-type diet (WD; high in refined carbohydrate, saturated fat and cholesterol, and low in fiber), without or with atorvastatin therapy.

Western and heart healthy dietary patterns differentially affect the expression of genes associated with lipid metabolism, interferon signaling and inflammation in the jejunum of Ossabaw pigs.

Diet quality and statin therapy are established modulators of coronary artery disease (CAD) progression, but their effect on the gastrointestinal tract and subsequent sequelae that could affect CAD progression are relatively unexplored. To address this gap, Ossabaw pigs (N = 32) were randomly assigned to receive isocaloric amounts of a Western-type diet (WD; high in saturated fat, refined carbohydrate, and cholesterol, and low in fiber) or a heart healthy-type diet (HHD; high in unsaturated fat, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, supplemented with fish oil, and low in cholesterol), with or without atorvastatin, for 6 months. At the end of the study, RNA sequencing with 100 base pair single end reads on NextSeq 500 platform was conducted in isolated pig jejunal mucosa.

5-(Hydroxyphenyl)-γ-Valerolactone-Sulfate, a Key Microbial Metabolite of Flavan-3-ols, Is Able to Reach the Brain: Evidence from Different in , In Vitro and In Vivo Experimental Models.

Phenolic compounds have been recognized as promising compounds for the prevention of chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative ones. However, phenolics like flavan-3-ols (F3O) are poorly absorbed along the gastrointestinal tract and structurally rearranged by gut microbiota, yielding smaller and more polar metabolites like phenyl-γ-valerolactones, phenylvaleric acids and their conjugates. The present work investigated the ability of F3O-derived metabolites to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), by linking five experimental models with increasing realism.

Prospective, Randomized, Phase II, Non-Inferiority Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Topical Thrombin (Human) Grifols as Adjunct to Hemostasis During Vascular, Hepatic, Soft Tissue, and Spinal Open Surgery.

Background: Thrombin-based formulations have been used for topical hemostasis in surgery for decades. However, the number of randomized clinical trials comparing bovine vs human thrombin is limited.

Study Design: A randomized, double-blind, non-inferiority phase II study evaluated the hemostatic efficacy and safety of plasma-derived topical thrombin (human) Grifols (TTH-Grifols; Instituto Grifols SA) vs bovine THROMBIN JMI (BT-JMI; GenTrac Inc) (2:1 ratio) in vascular, hepatic, soft tissue, and spinal operations.

Dietary patterns influence epicardial adipose tissue fatty acid composition and inflammatory gene expression in the Ossabaw pig.

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) inflammation is implicated in the development and progression of coronary atherosclerosis. Dietary saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (SFAs and PUFA) can influence adipose tissue inflammation. We investigated the influence of dietary patterns, with emphasis on dietary fat type, and statin therapy, on EAT fatty acid (FA) composition and inflammatory gene expression.

A Western-Type Dietary Pattern Induces an Atherogenic Gene Expression Profile in the Coronary Arteries of the Ossabaw Pig.

Background: Current cardiovascular risk reduction guidance focuses on shifts in dietary patterns, rather than single foods or nutrients. Experimental studies are needed to identify the mechanisms by which food-based diets affect the development and progression of atherosclerosis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 2 food-based dietary patterns and statin therapy on the transcriptome of the left anterior descending coronary artery of the Ossabaw pig.

A Western-type dietary pattern and atorvastatin induce epicardial adipose tissue interferon signaling in the Ossabaw pig.

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) inflammation is thought to potentiate the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). Overall diet quality and statin therapy are important modulators of inflammation and CAD progression. Our objective was to examine the effects and interaction of dietary patterns and statin therapy on EAT gene expression in the Ossabaw pig.

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of a new hemostatic powder using a quantitative surface bleeding severity scale.

Aims Of The Study: The safety and efficacy of a hemostatic powder (HP) versus a control agent, absorbable gelatin sponge and thrombin (G + T), were assessed, using a validated, quantitative bleeding severity scale.

Methods: Subjects were randomized to receive HP (256 subjects) or G + T (132 subjects) for treatment of minimal, mild, or moderate bleeding at 20 investigational sites. The primary efficacy endpoint was non-inferiority of HP relative to G + T for success at achieving hemostasis within 6 minutes.

The Effect of Dietary Mushroom on Intestinal Microbiota Composition and Host Immunological Function.

A study was designed to determine the potential prebiotic effect of dietary mushrooms on the host immune response, and intestinal microbiota composition and function. Thirty-one six-week-old pigs were fed a pig grower diet alone or supplemented with either three or six servings of freeze-dried white button (WB)-mushrooms for six weeks. Host immune response was evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and alveolar macrophages (AM) after stimulation with -Lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

A Prospective, Single-Blind, Randomized, Phase III Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Fibrin Sealant Grifols as an Adjunct to Hemostasis During Soft Tissue Open Surgery.

Background/purpose: Rapid hemostasis, an essential prerequisite of good surgical practice during surgical bleeding, including soft tissue open surgery, often requires adjunctive treatment. We evaluated the safety and hemostatic effectiveness of a human plasma-derived fibrin sealant (FS Grifols) in soft tissue open surgery.

Methods: Patients with moderate soft tissue bleeding during open, urologic, gynecologic or general surgery were studied.

Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis modulates the local immune response and glucose uptake in the small intestine of juvenile pigs infected with the parasitic nematode Ascaris suum.

An evaluation of a localized intestinal allergic type-2 response concomitant with consumption of probiotic bacteria is not well documented. This study investigated the effect of feeding probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis (Bb12) or a placebo in weaned pigs that were also inoculated with Ascaris suum (A. suum) eggs to induce a strong Th2-dependent allergic type 2 immune response.

The Effect of Feeding Cocoa Powder and on the Composition and Function of Pig Intestinal Microbiome.

Background: Dietary habits have been linked with variability of gut microbiota composition and disease risk.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding a cocoa powder with or without a probiotic on the composition and function of the fecal microbiome of pigs.

Methods: Four groups of 8 pigs each were fed a standard growth diet supplemented with cocoa powder, (LGG), cocoa powder + LGG, or an equal amount of fiber similar to that found in cocoa powder (control group).

The Ossabaw Pig Is a Suitable Translational Model to Evaluate Dietary Patterns and Coronary Artery Disease Risk.

Background: Animal models that mimic diet-induced human pathogenesis of chronic diseases are of increasing importance in preclinical studies. The Ossabaw pig is an established model for obesity-related metabolic disorders when fed extreme diets in caloric excess.

Objective: To increase the translational nature of this model, we evaluated the effect of diets resembling 2 human dietary patterns, the Western diet (WD) and the Heart Healthy Diet (HHD), without or with atorvastatin (-S or +S) therapy, on cardiometabolic risk factors and atherosclerosis development.