Urinary TMAO Levels Are Associated with the Taxonomic Composition of the Gut Microbiota and with the Choline TMA-Lyase Gene (cutC) Harbored by Enterobacteriaceae.

Gut microbiota metabolization of dietary choline may promote atherosclerosis through trimethylamine (TMA), which is rapidly absorbed and converted in the liver to proatherogenic trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). The aim of this study was to verify whether TMAO urinary levels may be associated with the fecal relative abundance of specific bacterial taxa and the bacterial choline TMA-lyase gene cutC. The analysis of sequences available in GenBank grouped the cutC gene into two main clusters, cut-Dd and cut-Kp. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) protocol was developed to quantify cutC and was used with DNA isolated from three fecal samples collected weekly over the course of three consecutive weeks from 16 healthy adults. The same DNA was used for 16S rRNA gene profiling. Concomitantly, urine was used to quantify TMAO by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). All samples were positive for cutC and TMAO. Correlation analysis showed that the cut-Kp gene cluster was significantly associated with Enterobacteriaceae. Linear mixed models revealed that urinary TMAO levels may be predicted by fecal cut-Kp and by 23 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Most of the OTUs significantly associated with TMAO were also significantly associated with cut-Kp, confirming the possible relationship between these two factors. In conclusion, this preliminary method-development study suggests the existence of a relationship between TMAO excreted in urine, specific fecal bacterial OTUs, and a cutC subgroup ascribable to the choline-TMA conversion enzymes of Enterobacteriaceae.

The BFMNU method as an alternative to the methods in use based on energy: study of the correlation between food energy and body mass.

INTRODUCTION: to establish slimming guidelines and any other changing treatments is useful to know the individual's energy expenditure due to the fact that, nowadays, the incidence of many diseases related to the loss of lean mass and the accumulation of adipose tissue has increased. The dietary treatments are carried out on calculating the energy contained in food, and then put in relation to the total energy expended by the body in order to produce changes in body mass. OBJECTIVE: the aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the food energy and body mass of different subjects in various pathophysiological conditions. METHODS: one hundred and twenty subjects (male and female, aged 7-78 years old) were studied in various pathophysiological conditions and previously treated with the BFMNU (Biologia e Fisiologia Modellistica della Nutrizione Umana)method. RESULTS: a correlation coefficient R2 of 0.1256 was found between food energy of the diet usually followed by the subjects and their body mass. The correlation between food energy and food mass was with R2 of 0.211. The correlation between Δ% of food energy and Δ% of body mass of the subjects, obtained through dietary treatment with the BFMNU method, was 95.77 percent. CONCLUSIONS: the correlation between food energy and body mass is not significant, being a critical point about the diets designed on an energy basis. However, the body mass of an individual is determined by mass balance, regulated by corresponding metabolic rate, calculated by the BFMNU method, thanks to which the macronutrients in the diet are absorbed, redistributed and eliminated. A significant correlation, although not straight, is demonstrated between Δ% of food energy, supplied after processing through the dietary BFMNU method, and the Δ% of body mass, obtained following the dietetic path.

The BFMNU method as an alternative to the methods in use based on energy: study of the correlation between food energy and body mass / El método BFMNU como alternativa a los métodos en uso basados en energía: estudio de la correlación entre la energía alimentaria y la masa corporal

Introduction: to establish slimming guidelines and any other changing treatments is useful to know the individual’s energy expenditure due to the fact that, nowadays, the incidence of many diseases related to the loss of lean mass and the accumulation of adipose tissue has increased. The dietary treatments are carried out on calculating the energy contained in food, and then put in relation to the total energy expended by the body in order to produce changes in body mass. Objective: the aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the food energy and body mass of different subjects in various pathophysiological conditions. Methods: one hundred and twenty subjects (male and female, aged 7-78 years old) were studied in various pathophysiological conditions and previously treated with the BFMNU (Biologia e Fisiologia Modellistica della Nutrizione Umana) method. Results: a correlation coefficient R2 of 0.1256 was found between food energy of the diet usually followed by the subjects and their body mass. The correlation between food energy and food mass was with R2 of 0.211. The correlation between Δ% of food energy and Δ% of body mass of the subjects, obtained through dietary treatment with the BFMNU method, was 95.77 percent. Conclusions: the correlation between food energy and body mass is not significant, being a critical point about the diets designed on an energy basis. However, the body mass of an individual is determined by mass balance, regulated by corresponding metabolic rate, calculated by the BFMNU method, thanks to which the macronutrients in the diet are absorbed, redistributed and eliminated. A significant correlation, although not straight, is demonstrated between Δ% of food energy, supplied after processing through the dietary BFMNU method, and the Δ% of body mass, obtained following the dietetic path

Introducción: con el fin de establecer pautas de adelgazamiento es necesario conocer el gasto energético del individuo, sobre todo porque hoy en día la incidencia de muchas enfermedades relacionadas con la pérdida de masa magra y la acumulación de tejido adiposo ha aumentado. Por lo tanto, los tratamientos dietéticos se basan en el cálculo de la energía contenida en los alimentos y luego se ponen en relación con la energía total gastada por el cuerpo para producir cambios en la masa corporal. Objetivo: el objetivo del estudio fue analizar la correlación entre la energía alimentaria y la masa corporal de diferentes sujetos en diversas condiciones fisiopatológicas. Métodos: la muestra consistió en 120 sujetos, varones y mujeres, de 7 a 78 años de edad, en diversas condiciones fisiopatológicas, previamente tratados con el método BFMNU (Biología e Fisiología Modellistica della Nutrizione Umana). Resultados: se encontró un coeficiente de correlación R2 de 0,1256 entre la energía alimentaria de la dieta habitualmente seguida por los sujetos y su masa corporal. La correlación entre la energía alimentaria y la masa alimentaria fue de R2 de 0,211. La correlación entre el Δ% de la energía alimentaria y Δ% de la masa corporal de los sujetos, obtenida con el tratamiento dietético por el método BFMNU, ascendió a 95,77%. Conclusiones: la correlación no significativa entre la energía alimentaria y la masa corporal plantea una gran pregunta sobre las dietas diseñadas sobre una base energética. En su lugar, la masa corporal de un individuo está determinada por el balance de masa, regulado por la tasa metabólica correspondiente, calculado por el método BFMNU, gracias al cual los macronutrientes en la dieta son absorbidos, redistribuidos y eliminados. Se demuestra una correlación significativa, aunque no lineal, entre Δ% de la energía alimentaria, suministrada después del procesamiento a través del método BFMNU de la dieta, y el Δ% de la masa corporal, obtenido siguiendo la pauta dietética

White grape pomace extracts, obtained by a sequential enzymatic plus ethanol-based extraction, exert antioxidant, anti-tyrosinase and anti-inflammatory activities.

The present work aimed at optimizing a two-step enzymatic plus solvent-based process for the recovery of bioactive compounds from white grape (Vitis vinifera L., mix of Trebbiano and Verdicchio cultivars) pomace, the winemaking primary by-product. Phenolic compounds solubilised by water enzyme-assisted and ethanol-based extractions of wet (WP) and dried (DP) pomace were characterised for composition and tested for antioxidant, anti-tyrosinase and anti-inflammatory bioactivities. Ethanol treatment led to higher phenol yields than water extraction, while DP samples showed the highest capacity of releasing polyphenols, most probably as a positive consequence of the pomace drying process. Different compositions and bioactivities were observed between water and ethanol extracts and among different treatments and for the first time the anti-tyrosinase activity of V. vinifera pomace extracts, was here reported. Enzymatic treatments did not significantly improve the total amount of solubilised compounds; Celluclast in DP led to the recovery of extracts enriched in specific compounds, when compared to control. The best extracts (enzymatic plus ethanol treatment total levels) were obtained from DP showing significantly higher amounts of polyphenols, flavonoids, flavanols and tannins and exerted higher antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase activities than WP total extracts. Conversely, anti-inflammatory capacity was only detected in water (with and without enzyme) extracts, with WP samples showing on average a higher activity than DP. The present findings demonstrate that white grape pomace constitute a sustainable source for the extraction of phytochemicals that might be exploited as functional ingredients in the food, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical or cosmetic industries.

The vaginal isolate Lactobacillus paracasei LPC-S01 (DSM 26760) is suitable for oral administration.

Bacterial vaginosis is one of the most common urogenital diseases affecting women in reproductive age. The administration of probiotics as vaginal suppository has been proposed as a strategy to cure this condition and reduce its recurrence. Nonetheless, also oral consumption of probiotics, which is a more practical route of administration, proved to be an efficient strategy. In this perspective, we studied Lactobacillus paracasei LPC-S01 (DSM 26760), a human vaginal isolate included in commercial probiotic preparations for topical use, in order to assess if this bacterium can also perform as gastrointestinal probiotic. Comparative genomics revealed the presence of several accessory genes suggesting that LPC-S01 is a niche-generalist member of its species. According to a procedure conventionally used to predict the probiotic potential, we demonstrated that the probiotic properties of strain LPC-S01, with respect to those of the well-known probiotic references L. paracasei Shirota and DG, are equal for the bile tolerance and the reduction of NF-κB activation in Caco-2 cells, or superior for the tolerance to gastric juice and the adhesion to Caco-2 epithelial cells. We then demonstrated that LPC-S01 is susceptible to antibiotics indicated by EFSA and does not produce biogenic amines. Finally, a double-blind cross-over pilot intervention trial on healthy human volunteers showed that, after a 7-days oral consumption of capsules containing about 24 billion live cells, the fecal cell concentrations of strains LPC-S01 and DG (evaluated by qPCR) were not dissimilar. Specifically, both probiotics' cell concentrations were above the detection limit for an average of 5 days from the end of the treatment, corresponding to a mean number of evacuations of 7 ± 2. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the vaginal isolate L. paracasei LPC-S01 possesses safety and functional properties that may support its use as probiotic to be administered per os for potential intestinal as well as vaginal applications.