Age, sex, and mitochondrial-haplotype influence gut microbiome composition and metabolites in a genetically diverse rat model.

We evaluated the impact of sex and mitochondrial-haplotype on the age-related changes in the fecal gut microbiome of the genetically heterogeneous rodent model, the OKC-HET rat. Alpha-diversity, measuring richness and evenness of gut microbiome composition, did not change with age or mitochondrial-haplotype. However, beta-diversity, a measure of microbial differences among samples, was significantly modulated by age in male and female rats in both mitochondrial-haplotypes.

Dietary Nitrate from Plant Foods: A Conditionally Essential Nutrient for Cardiovascular Health.

Under specific conditions, such as catabolic stress or systemic inflammation, endogenous nutrient production becomes insufficient and exogenous supplementation (for example, through dietary intake) is required. Herein, we propose consideration of a dietary nitrate from plant foods as a conditionally essential nutrient for cardiovascular health based on its role in nitric oxide homeostasis. Nitrate derived from plant foods may function as a conditionally essential nutrient, whereas nitrate obtained from other dietary sources, such as drinking water and cured/processed meats, warrants separate consideration because of the associated health risks.

Accuracy of Parent-Measured Weight and Height of Preschool Children at Home With Increasing Levels of Instruction.

The purpose of this study was to determine how accurately parents measure their preschool child's weight and height with increasing levels of instruction. Parents measured their child's ( = 30 dyads) weight (own weight scale) and height (soft tape measure) using three levels of instruction: instructional guide (level 1); guide, demonstration video (level 2); and guide, video, and virtual monitoring (level 3), which were compared to researcher measurements (electronic weight scale, Stadiometer). Paired -tests were used to determine differences between researcher and parent measurements and between the three parent levels.

A Genetically Heterogeneous Rat Model with Divergent Mitochondrial Genomes.

We generated a genetically heterogenous rat model by a 4-way cross strategy using 4 inbred strains (Brown Norway [BN], Fischer 344 [F344], Lewis [LEW], and Wistar Kyoto [KY]) to provide investigators with a highly genetically diverse rat model from commercially available inbred rats. We made reciprocal crosses between males and females from the 2 F1 hybrids to generate genetically heterogeneous rats with mitochondrial genomes from either the BN (OKC-HETB, a.k.

Dietary nitrate biochemistry and physiology. An update on clinical benefits and mechanisms of action.

It is now more than 35 years since endothelium derived relaxing factor was identified as nitric oxide (NO). The last few decades have seen an explosion around nitric oxide biochemistry, physiology and clinical translation. The science reveals that all chronic disease is associated with decreased blood flow to the affected organ which results in increased inflammation, oxidative stress and immune dysfunction.

Nitrate exposure reprograms hepatic amino acid and nutrient sensing pathways prior to exercise: A metabolomic and transcriptomic investigation in zebrafish .

Nitrate supplementation is a popular ergogenic aid that improves exercise performance by reducing oxygen consumption during exercise. We investigated the effect of nitrate exposure and exercise on metabolic pathways in zebrafish liver. Fish were exposed to sodium nitrate (606.

Long Term Survivals in Aggressive Primary Brain Malignancies Treated With an Adjuvant Ketogenic Diet.

Aggressive primary brain tumors (APBT) glioblastoma multiforme and grade IV astrocytoma are treated with multimodality treatments that include surgery to remove as much tumor as possible without sacrificing neurological function followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy usually temozolomide. Survivals in adults are in the range of 8-16 months. The addition of a ketogenic diet (KD) to rodents with transplanted brain tumors increased survival in nine of 11 animals to over 299 days compared to survival in untreated controls of 33 days and radiation only controls of 38 days.

Nitrate-induced improvements in exercise performance are coincident with exuberant changes in metabolic genes and the metabolome in zebrafish () skeletal muscle.

Dietary nitrate supplementation improves exercise performance by reducing the oxygen cost of exercise and enhancing skeletal muscle function. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in skeletal muscle energy metabolism associated with exercise performance in a zebrafish model.

Nitrate and nitrite exposure leads to mild anxiogenic-like behavior and alters brain metabolomic profile in zebrafish.

Dietary nitrate lowers blood pressure and improves athletic performance in humans, yet data supporting observations that it may increase cerebral blood flow and improve cognitive performance are mixed. We tested the hypothesis that nitrate and nitrite treatment would improve indicators of learning and cognitive performance in a zebrafish (Danio rerio) model. We utilized targeted and untargeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis to examine the extent to which treatment resulted in changes in nitrate or nitrite concentrations in the brain and altered the brain metabolome.

Coffee Consumption and C-Reactive Protein Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Coffee contains bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory properties, and its consumption may reduce c-reactive protein (CRP) levels, a biomarker of chronic inflammation. A previous meta-analysis reported no overall association between blood CRP level and coffee consumption by modeling the coffee consumption in categories, with substantial heterogeneity. However, the coffee cup volume was not considered.

Treatment with Nitrate, but Not Nitrite, Lowers the Oxygen Cost of Exercise and Decreases Glycolytic Intermediates While Increasing Fatty Acid Metabolites in Exercised Zebrafish.

Background: Dietary nitrate improves exercise performance by reducing the oxygen cost of exercise, although the mechanisms responsible are not fully understood.

Objectives: We tested the hypothesis that nitrate and nitrite treatment would lower the oxygen cost of exercise by improving mitochondrial function and stimulating changes in the availability of metabolic fuels for energy production.

Methods: We treated 9-mo-old zebrafish with nitrate (sodium nitrate, 606.

Increasing dietary nitrate has no effect on cancellous bone loss or fecal microbiome in ovariectomized rats.

Scope: Studies suggest diets rich in fruit and vegetables reduce bone loss, although the specific compounds responsible are unknown. Substrates for endogenous nitric oxide (NO) production, including organic nitrates and dietary nitrate, may support NO production in age-related conditions, including osteoporosis. We investigated the capability of dietary nitrate to improve NO bioavailability, reduce bone turnover and loss.

Aging and serum MCP-1 are associated with gut microbiome composition in a murine model.

Introduction. Age is the primary risk factor for major human chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disorders, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. Chronic, low-grade, systemic inflammation is associated with aging and the progression of immunosenescence.

Treatment of glioma patients with ketogenic diets: report of two cases treated with an IRB-approved energy-restricted ketogenic diet protocol and review of the literature.

Background: Based on the hypothesis that cancer cells may not be able to metabolize ketones as efficiently as normal brain cells, the ketogenic diet (KD) has been proposed as a complementary or alternative therapy for treatment of malignant gliomas.

Case Presentation: We report here our experience in treating two glioma patients with an IRB-approved energy-restricted ketogenic diet (ERKD) protocol as monotherapy and review the literature on KD therapy for human glioma patients. An ERKD protocol was used in this pilot clinical study.

Immunomodulation by dietary long chain omega-3 fatty acids and the potential for adverse health outcomes.

Recommendations to consume fish for prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), along with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status for long chain omega-3 fatty acids, may have had the unanticipated consequence of encouraging long-chain omega-3 (ω-3) fatty acid [(eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] supplementation and fortification practices.

Exploration of a symptoms experience in people with obesity-related nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a highly prevalent condition strongly associated with obesity that can result in premature death. Little is known about the symptoms experience in this progressive disease, preventing health care providers from intervening in the early stages.

Purpose: This study explicated symptoms in persons with NAFLD at higher risk of disease progression defined as the presence of one or two copies of the PNPLA3 (rs738409)-G allele.

Concentration- and stage-specific effects of nitrite on colon cancer cell lines.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Nitrite in cured meats is thought to contribute to increased incidence of colon cancer. We sought to determine the effect of nitrite on human colon cancer cell lines at different stages.

Dietary nitrates, nitrites, and cardiovascular disease.

Dietary nitrate (NO(3)), nitrite (NO(2)), and arginine can serve as sources for production of NO(x) (a diverse group of metabolites including nitric oxide, nitrosothiols, and nitroalkenes) via ultraviolet light exposure to skin, mammalian nitrate/nitrite reductases in tissues, and nitric oxide synthase enzymes, respectively. NO(x) are responsible for the hypotensive, antiplatelet, and cytoprotective effects of dietary nitrates and nitrites. Current regulatory limits on nitrate intakes, based on concerns regarding potential risk of carcinogenicity and methemoglobinemia, are exceeded by normal daily intakes of single foods, such as soya milk and spinach, as well as by some recommended dietary patterns such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet.

Nitrate and nitrite content of human, formula, bovine, and soy milks: implications for dietary nitrite and nitrate recommendations.

Background: Estimation of nitrate and nitrite concentrations of milk sources may provide insight into potential health risks and benefits of these food sources for infants, children, and adults. The World Health Organization and American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive consumption of human milk for the first 6 months of life. Human milk is known to confer significant nutritional and immunological benefits for the infant.

Food sources of nitrates and nitrites: the physiologic context for potential health benefits.

The presence of nitrates and nitrites in food is associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer and, in infants, methemoglobinemia. Despite the physiologic roles for nitrate and nitrite in vascular and immune function, consideration of food sources of nitrates and nitrites as healthful dietary components has received little attention. Approximately 80% of dietary nitrates are derived from vegetable consumption; sources of nitrites include vegetables, fruit, and processed meats.

Eukaryotic-microbiota crosstalk: potential mechanisms for health benefits of prebiotics and probiotics.

The ability to link dietary consumption of prebiotic food ingredients and probiotic microorganisms to health benefits rests, in part, on our ability to identify both the extent to which these factors alter human microbiome activity and/or structure and the ability to engage eukaryotic cells necessary to transduce signals originating from the microbiome. The human microbiome consists of bacterial, archaeal, and fungal components that reside in mucosal surfaces of the gut, the airways, and the urogenital tract. Characterization of the symbiotic nature of the relationship between eukaryotic cells and the bacterial and archaeal components of the microbiota has revealed significant contributions in energy balance, bowel function, immunologic function, sensory perception, glycemic control, and blood pressure regulation.

Adiponectin blocks multiple signaling cascades associated with leptin-induced cell proliferation in Apc Min/+ colon epithelial cells.

We previously demonstrated that leptin, an adipose-derived hormone, induces cell proliferation in a model of preneoplastic (IMCE (Apc(Min/+)), but not normal (YAMC (Apc(+/+)), colon epithelial cells by inducing autocrine IL-6 production and trans-IL-6 signaling. Low serum adiponectin is associated with colon, prostate and breast cancer. Adiponectin is secreted by white adipose tissue; the levels of adiponectin in the blood decrease as body mass index (and leptin) increases.

Microarray analysis reveals that leptin induces autocrine/paracrine cascades to promote survival and proliferation of colon epithelial cells in an Apc genotype-dependent fashion.

The imbalance in systemic mediators of inflammation, such as leptin, is thought to be involved in obesity-associated cancers. In addition, systemic endocrine signals can influence the local autocrine/paracrine factors produced within this microenvironment to influence epithelial cell fate. We previously demonstrated that leptin preferentially promotes the survival and proliferation of colon epithelial cells possessing an Apc mutation (IMCE) but not model normal cells (YAMC).