Publications by authors named "Ruisong Pei"

Background: Inflammation is an underlying mechanism for the development of obesity-related health complications. Yogurt consumption inhibits obesity-associated inflammation, but the tissue-specific mechanisms have not been adequately described.

Objectives: We aimed to determine the tissue-specific responses by which yogurt supplementation inhibits inflammation.

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Faba bean is a protein-rich, sustainable, but understudied legume. Faba bean protein isolates (FBPIs) can serve as promising emulsifiers. This review aims to summarize the research on FBPIs as emulsifiers and various modification methods to improve the emulsifying functionalities.

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Flavonoids are dietary non-nutrient bioactives with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and tea are rich in flavonoids. After consumption, flavonoids are extensively metabolized by the gut microbiota and host tissues.

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Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis and progression of inflammatory bowel disease. Consumption of aronia berry inhibits T cell transfer colitis, but the antioxidant mechanisms pertinent to immune function are unclear. We hypothesized that aronia berry consumption could inhibit inflammation by modulating the antioxidant function of immunocytes and gastrointestinal tissues.

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Scope: Increased fruit consumption is associated with reduced risk of colitis. It has been investigated whether the anti-colitic effects of the polyphenol-rich aronia berry (Aronia mitschurinii 'Viking') are mediated through Th17 and Treg.

Methods And Results: Colitis is induced in recombinase activating gene-1 deficient mice injected with syngeneic CD4 CD62L naïve T cells.

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Triclosan (TCS) is a high-volume chemical used as an antimicrobial ingredient in more than 2000 consumer products, such as toothpaste, cosmetics, kitchenware, and toys. We report that brief exposure to TCS, at relatively low doses, causes low-grade colonic inflammation, increases colitis, and exacerbates colitis-associated colon cancer in mice. Exposure to TCS alters gut microbiota in mice, and its proinflammatory effect is attenuated in germ-free mice.

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Background: Metabolic endotoxemia is associated with obesity and contributes to postprandial inflammation.

Objective: We aimed to determine if low-fat yogurt consumption prevents postprandial inflammation and dysmetabolism in healthy women by inhibiting biomarkers of metabolic endotoxemia.

Methods: Premenopausal women defined as obese and nonobese [body mass index (BMI, in kg/m2) 30-40 and 18.

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The anti-inflammatory mechanisms of low-fat dairy product consumption are largely unknown. The objective of this study was to determine whether low-fat yogurt reduces biomarkers of chronic inflammation and endotoxin exposure in women. Premenopausal women (BMI 18·5-27 and 30-40 kg/m2) were randomised to consume 339 g of low-fat yogurt (yogurt non-obese (YN); yogurt obese (YO)) or 324 g of soya pudding (control non-obese; control obese (CO)) daily for 9 weeks (n 30/group).

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Chronic inflammation disrupts intestinal barrier function and may contribute to the pathology of obesity and other diseases. The goal of this study was to determine the mechanism by which yogurt improves intestinal barrier function. Caco-2 cells were differentiated on Transwell inserts and used as a model of intestinal barrier permeability.

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The goal of this work was to characterize how the date of harvest of 'Viking' aronia berry impacts juice pigmentation, sugars, and antioxidant activity. Aronia juice anthocyanins doubled at the fifth week of the harvest, and then decreased. Juice hydroxycinnamic acids decreased 33% from the first week, while proanthocyanidins increased 64%.

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γ-Tocopherol (γ-T) scavenges reactive nitrogen species (RNS) to form 5-NO2-γ-T (NGT). However, α-T supplementation decreases circulating γ-T, which could limit its RNS scavenging activities. We hypothesized that α-T supplementation would mitigate NGT accumulation by impairing γ-T status.

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Obesity is associated with increased risk for chronic diseases, and affects both developed and developing nations. Yogurt is a nutrient-dense food that may benefit individuals with lactose intolerance, constipation and diarrheal diseases, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Emerging evidence suggests that yogurt consumption might also improve the health of obese individuals.

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Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) improves the long-term success rate of smoking cessation, but induces oxidative stress and inflammatory responses that may delay the restoration of vascular endothelial function (VEF). No studies have examined co-therapy of NRT-assisted smoking abstinence with γ-tocopherol (γ-T), a vitamin E form with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, on improvements in VEF. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, healthy smokers (25 ± 1 y old; mean ± SEM) received NRT and abstained from smoking for 24 h with placebo (n = 12) or oral administration of γ-T-rich mixture of tocopherols (γ-TmT; n = 11) that provided 500 mg γ-T.

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Oxidative stress and inflammation persist years after smoking cessation thereby limiting the restoration of vascular endothelial function (VEF). Although short-term smoking cessation improves VEF, no studies have examined co-therapy of antioxidants in combination with smoking cessation to improve VEF. We hypothesized that improvements in γ-tocopherol (γ-T) status during smoking cessation would improve VEF beyond that from smoking cessation alone by decreasing oxidative stress and proinflammatory responses.

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Objective: Foods incorporating plant sterols (PS) consistently decrease serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), although results vary depending on the PS form and food matrix. The objective was to study the effect of a novel triglyceride-recrystallized phystosterol (TRP) incorporated into fat-free milk on markers of cardiovascular risk compared to unmodified free sterols alone in the same fat-free milk.

Methods: Hypercholesterolemic men and women (n = 13 males/7 females; 56 ± 10 years; body mass index 27.

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Greater intakes of low-fat dairy foods are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. The objective of this study was to examine whether acute low-fat milk ingestion would limit postprandial impairments in vascular endothelial function by limiting oxidative stress responses that decrease nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. A randomized, double-blind, cross-over study was conducted in adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS) who ingested low-fat milk (475 mL) or an isocaloric volume of rice milk after an overnight fast.

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Methylglyoxal (MGO) is a dicarbonyl that reacts with amino acids and nucleic acids to form advanced glycation endproducts, which may contribute to diabetes and its cardiovascular complications. MGO detoxification through the glyoxalase (GLO) pathway is glutathione (GSH)-dependent, but no studies have investigated whether acute depletion of GSH regulates MGO accumulation in vivo. We therefore administered a single intraperitoneal injection of the specific GSH biosynthesis inhibitor l-buthionine-(RS)-sulfoximine (BSO; 4 mmol/kg) or phosphate-buffered saline vehicle to six-week-old Sprague Dawley rats (n = 48) prior to sacrificing at 0, 6, 12 and 48 h (n = 6/time point/treatment).

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In this study, the antibacterial activities of eugenol, cinnamaldehyde, thymol, carvacrol, and their combinations against E. coli were investigated separately. First, broth macro-dilution assay was adopted to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the 4 components.

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