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Nutrition & Metabolism Oct 2023The gut microbiome is a salient contributor to the development of obesity, and diet is the greatest modifier of the gut microbiome, which highlights the need to better...
BACKGROUND
The gut microbiome is a salient contributor to the development of obesity, and diet is the greatest modifier of the gut microbiome, which highlights the need to better understand how specific diets alter the gut microbiota to impact metabolic disease. Increased dietary fiber intake shifts the gut microbiome and improves energy and glucose homeostasis. Dietary fibers are found in various plant-based flours which vary in fiber composition. However, the comparative efficacy of specific plant-based flours to improve energy homeostasis and the mechanism by which this occurs is not well characterized.
METHODS
In experiment 1, obese rats were fed a high fat diet (HFD) supplemented with four different plant-based flours for 12 weeks. Barley flour (BF), oat bran (OB), wheat bran (WB), and Hi-maize amylose (HMA) were incorporated into the HFD at 5% or 10% total fiber content and were compared to a HFD control. For experiment 2, lean, chow-fed rats were switched to HFD supplemented with 10% WB or BF to determine the preventative efficacy of flour supplementation.
RESULTS
In experiment 1, 10% BF and 10% WB reduced body weight and adiposity gain and increased cecal butyrate. Gut microbiota analysis of WB and BF treated rats revealed increases in relative abundance of SCFA-producing bacteria. 10% WB and BF were also efficacious in preventing HFD-induced obesity; 10% WB and BF decreased body weight and adiposity, improved glucose tolerance, and reduced inflammatory markers and lipogenic enzyme expression in liver and adipose tissue. These effects were accompanied by alterations in the gut microbiota including increased relative abundance of Lactobacillus and LachnospiraceaeUCG001, along with increased portal taurodeoxycholic acid (TDCA) in 10% WB and BF rats compared to HFD rats.
CONCLUSIONS
Therapeutic and preventative supplementation with 10%, but not 5%, WB or BF improves metabolic homeostasis, which is possibly due to gut microbiome-induced alterations. Specifically, these effects are proposed to be due to increased concentrations of intestinal butyrate and circulating TDCA.
PubMed: 37858106
DOI: 10.1186/s12986-023-00767-8 -
Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases Nov 2023Precise data about ATTR-CM incidence rates at national level are scarce. Consequently, this study aimed to estimate the annual incidence and survival of transthyretin...
BACKGROUND
Precise data about ATTR-CM incidence rates at national level are scarce. Consequently, this study aimed to estimate the annual incidence and survival of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) in France between 2011 and 2019 using real world data. We used the French nationwide exhaustive data (SNDS database) gathering in- and out-patient claims. As there is no specific ICD-10 marker code for ATTR-CM, diagnosis required both amyloidosis (identified by E85. ICD-10 code or a tafamidis meglumine delivery) and a cardiovascular condition (identified by ICD-10 or medical procedure codes related to either heart failure, arrhythmias, conduction disorders or cardiomyopathies), not necessarily reported at the same visit. Patients with probable AL-form of amyloidosis or probable AA-form of amyloidosis were excluded.
RESULTS
Between 2011 and 2019, 8,950 patients with incident ATTR-CM were identified. Incidence rates increased from 0.6 / 100,000 person-years in 2011 to 3.6 / 100,000 person-years in 2019 (p < 0.001), reaching 2377 new cases in 2019. Sex ratios (M/F) increased from 1.52 in 2011 to 2.23 in 2019. In 2019, median age at diagnosis was 84.0 years (85.5 for women and 83.5 for men). Median survival after diagnosis was 41.9 months (95% CI [39.6, 44.1]).
CONCLUSIONS
This is the first estimate of nationwide ATTR-CM incidence in France using comprehensive real-world databases. We observed an increased incidence over the study period, consistent with an improvement in ATTR-CM diagnosis in recent years.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Amyloid Neuropathies, Familial; Cardiomyopathies; Incidence; Outpatients; Prealbumin; Aged; France
PubMed: 37926810
DOI: 10.1186/s13023-023-02933-w -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2023It is important to clarify the effects of starch fine structure and protein components on the eating quality of rice. In this study, seven rice varieties with similar...
It is important to clarify the effects of starch fine structure and protein components on the eating quality of rice. In this study, seven rice varieties with similar apparent amylose content (AAC) and protein content (PC) but different sensory taste values were selected and compared systematically. It was found that except for AAC and PC, these varieties showed significant differences in starch molecular structure and protein components. Compared with rice varieties with a low sensory taste value, varieties with a higher sensory taste value showed significantly lower amylose and higher amylopectin short chains (degree of polymerization 6-12) content; the protein component showed that the varieties with good taste value had higher albumin and lower globulin and glutelin content ( < 0.05). Rice varieties with lower AC, globulin, and glutelin content, as well as a higher content of albumin and amylopectin short chains, resulted in a higher swelling factor, peak viscosity, breakdown value, and ratio of hardness to stickiness, in which condition cooked rice showed a higher sensory taste value. Moreover, this study indicated that rice varieties with a higher content of albumin and amylopectin short chains were conducive to the good appearance of cooked rice. This study lays the foundation for the taste evaluation of good-tasting rice.
PubMed: 37835188
DOI: 10.3390/foods12193535 -
Impact of Variation in Amylose Content on Durum Wheat cv. Svevo Technological and Starch Properties.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2023Reserve starch, the main component of durum wheat semolina, is constituted of two glucan homopolymers (amylose and amylopectin) that differ in their chemical structure....
Reserve starch, the main component of durum wheat semolina, is constituted of two glucan homopolymers (amylose and amylopectin) that differ in their chemical structure. Amylose is mainly a linear structure formed of α-1,4-linked glucose units, with a lower polymerization degree, whereas amylopectin is a highly branched structure of α-1,4-chains linked by α-1,6-bonds. Variation of the amylose/amylopectin ratio has a profound effect on the starch properties which may impact the wheat technological and nutritional characteristics and their possible use in the food and non-food sector. In this work a set of genotypes, with a range of amylose from 14.9 to 57.8%, derived from the durum wheat cv. Svevo was characterised at biochemical and rheological level and used to produce pasta to better understand the role of amylose content in a common genetic background. A negative correlation was observed between amylose content and semolina swelling power, starch peak viscosity, and pasta stickiness. A worsening of the firmness was observed in the low amylose pasta compared to the control (cv. Svevo), whereas no difference was highlighted in the high amylose samples. The resistant starch was higher in the high amylose (HA) pasta compared to the control and low amylose (LA) pasta. Noteworthy, the extent of starch digestion was reduced in the HA pasta while the LA genotypes offered a higher starch digestion, suggesting other possible applications.
PubMed: 38002170
DOI: 10.3390/foods12224112 -
Carbohydrate Polymers Jul 2023Starches can adsorb on and depress copper-activated pyrite desirably during flotation, an important process in ore mineral extraction. In order to develop...
Starches can adsorb on and depress copper-activated pyrite desirably during flotation, an important process in ore mineral extraction. In order to develop structure/function relationships, adsorption on and depression properties of copper-activated pyrite at pH 9 by normal wheat starch (NWS) and high-amylose wheat starch (HAW), dextrin, and a range of oxidized normal wheat starches (peroxide and hypochlorite treated) were investigated. Adsorption isotherms and bench flotation performance were compared with kinematic viscosity, molar mass distribution, surface coverage, and substituted functional groups assay. The differences in molar mass distribution and substituted functional groups among oxidized starches had little influence on the depression of copper-activated pyrite. However, the introduction of -C=O and -COOH substituents, combined with depolymerization, improved solubility and dispersibility, reduced aggregated structures, and strengthened surface binding of oxidized polymers, compared with NWS and HAW. At high concentrations, HAW, NWS, and dextrin were adsorbed onto the pyrite surface more than oxidized starches. However, at the low concentrations of depressant used in flotation, oxidized starches were more effective at selectively masking copper sites. This study suggests that a stable chelation between Cu(I) and starch ligands is necessary for depression of copper-activated pyrite at pH 9, which can be achieved with oxidized wheat starch.
Topics: Copper; Dextrins; Starch; Amylose
PubMed: 37059566
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.120841 -
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics Dec 2024We conducted a national in-depth analysis including pharmacovigilance reports and clinical study to assess the reporting rate (RR) and to determine the clinical profile...
We conducted a national in-depth analysis including pharmacovigilance reports and clinical study to assess the reporting rate (RR) and to determine the clinical profile of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA) in COVID-19-vaccinated individuals. First, based on the French pharmacovigilance database, we estimated the RR of PMR and GCA cases in individuals aged over 50 who developed their initial symptoms within one month of receiving the BNT162b2 mRNA, mRNA-1273, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, and Ad26.COV2.S vaccines. We then conducted a nationwide survey to gather clinical profiles, therapeutic management, and follow-up data from individuals registered in the pharmacovigilance study. A total of 70 854 684 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered to 25 260 485 adults, among which, 179 cases of PMR (RR 7. 1 cases/1 000 000 persons) and 54 cases of GCA (RR 2. 1 cases/1 000 000 persons) have been reported. The nationwide survey allowed the characterization of 60 PMR and 35 GCA cases. Median time to the onset of first symptoms was 10 (range 2-30) and 7 (range 2-25) days for PMR and GCA, respectively. Phenotype, GCA-related ischemic complications and -large vessel vasculitis as well as therapeutic management and follow-up seemed similar according to the number of vaccine shots received and when compared to the literature data of unvaccinated population. Although rare, the short time between immunization and the onset of first symptoms of PMR and GCA suggests a temporal association. Physician should be aware of this potential vaccine-related phenomenon.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Middle Aged; Giant Cell Arteritis; Polymyalgia Rheumatica; COVID-19 Vaccines; Ad26COVS1; BNT162 Vaccine; ChAdOx1 nCoV-19; COVID-19; Vaccination
PubMed: 38563792
DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2334084 -
International Journal of Biological... Dec 2023Starch is a branched polymer of glucose with two components, both of which have (1 → 4)-α linear links and (1 → 6)-α branch points: amylopectin, of high...
Starch is a branched polymer of glucose with two components, both of which have (1 → 4)-α linear links and (1 → 6)-α branch points: amylopectin, of high molecular weight with many short branches, and amylose, of lower molecular weight and only a few long-chain branches. Granule-bound starch synthase I (GBSSI) is one of the main enzymes controlling amylose synthesis and chain-length distribution. As production of different GBSSI mutants is time-consuming and laborious, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used here to predict the binding of different GBSSI mutants to a representative amylose fragment. The simulations were atomistic, with explicit solvent and docking, a method successfully used to understand the binding of wild-type GBSSI to amylose fragments. The binding of GBSSI to G5 (a pentasaccharide amylose fragment) is combined with free-energy calculations employing a thermodynamic integration method to predict the effects of mutations on enzyme activity. Ten GBSSI mutants with different enzyme activities were analyzed to find the structural and energy changes among different single amino-acid mutants and their possible relationship to starch characteristics. Comparing the structural changes and the relative binding free energy of G5 to the wild type GBSSI and GBSSI mutants, it was found that mutants with negative binding energy (lower than -2.0 kcal/mol) are more likely to have higher enzyme activity and amylose content compared to the wild type. This theoretical paper used simulations and robust free energy calculations to interpret in planta data with potential predictions as to what mutants might be generated to give desired properties. This study can be used to help develop grains with improved functional properties.
Topics: Amylose; Starch Synthase; Starch; Amylopectin
PubMed: 37871724
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127589 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2023'Seolgaeng', an opaque-endosperm rice () mutant, is used to prepare high-quality dry-milled rice flour. The mutation causing its opaque-endosperm phenotype was unknown....
'Seolgaeng', an opaque-endosperm rice () mutant, is used to prepare high-quality dry-milled rice flour. The mutation causing its opaque-endosperm phenotype was unknown. Map-based cloning identified a missense mutation in the gene () in Seolgaeng. Transfer DNA insertion and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated nuclease 9 (Cas9)-induced mutants exhibited opaque endosperm. Rice harbors another gene, . CRISPR/Cas9-induced double mutants of and () possessed more opaque endosperm compared to single mutants, whereas the endosperm of the single mutant was normal. Grain hardness and damaged starch content were significantly reduced in mutants compared to the wild type and . Amylose content was lower than normal in mutants but not . Grain hardness and amylose content were much lower in than in . Starch polymerization analysis revealed altered amylopectin structure in and mutants. F2KP activity was lower in and much lower in the double mutants when compared to the wild types, but showed no significant difference. In coleoptiles, hypoxia induced expression but downregulated . These results suggest that OsF2KP2 functions as the main F2KP isoform in endosperm experiencing hypoxia, but OsF2KP1 may partially compensate for the absence of OsF2KP2. We propose that F2KP has a crucial role in inorganic pyrophosphate-utilizing energy metabolism for starch biosynthesis in rice endosperm.
PubMed: 37636104
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1231914 -
Rice (New York, N.Y.) Mar 2024Sakuranetin plays a key role as a phytoalexin in plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and possesses diverse health-promoting benefits. However, mature rice...
Sakuranetin plays a key role as a phytoalexin in plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and possesses diverse health-promoting benefits. However, mature rice seeds do not contain detectable levels of sakuranetin. In the present study, a transgenic rice plant was developed in which the promoter of an endosperm-specific glutelin gene OsGluD-1 drives the expression of a specific enzyme naringenin 7-O-methyltransferase (NOMT) for sakuranetin biosynthesis. The presence of naringenin, which serves as the biosynthetic precursor of sakuranetin made this modification feasible in theory. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) validated that the seeds of transgenic rice accumulated remarkable sakuranetin at the mature stage, and higher at the filling stage. In addition, the panicle blast resistance of transgenic rice was significantly higher than that of the wild type. Specially, the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) imaging was performed to detect the content and spatial distribution of sakuranetin and other nutritional metabolites in transgenic rice seeds. Notably, this genetic modification also did not change the nutritional and quality indicators such as soluble sugars, total amino acids, total flavonoids, amylose, total protein, and free amino acid content in rice. Meanwhile, the phenotypes of the transgenic plant during the whole growth and developmental periods and agricultural traits such as grain width, grain length, and 1000-grain weight exhibited no significant differences from the wild type. Collectively, the study provides a conceptual advance on cultivating sakuranetin-rich biofortified rice by metabolic engineering. This new breeding idea may not only enhance the disease resistance of cereal crop seeds but also improve the nutritional value of grains for human health benefits.
PubMed: 38430431
DOI: 10.1186/s12284-024-00697-w -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2023As an important characteristic crop in China, sweetpotato plays an important role in the intake and supplement of nutrients. The saccharification characteristics of...
As an important characteristic crop in China, sweetpotato plays an important role in the intake and supplement of nutrients. The saccharification characteristics of sweetpotato determine the edible quality and processing type. Exploring the saccharification characteristics of sweetpotato is of great significance to the selection of processing materials and the formation mechanism of service quality, but there are few relevant studies. A comparison study of two high saccharification varieties (Y25 and Z13) and one low saccharification variety (X27) was conducted to analyze their storage roots physical and chemical properties. The results show that the dry matter content, starch, and amylose content of Y25 and Z13 were significantly different from those of X27. Furthermore, the total amylase activity was significantly higher than that of X27. On the other hand, the starch gelatinization temperature was significantly lower than that of X27. The starch reduction in Y25 and Z13 is four times more than that in X27, and the maltose content of Y25 and Z13 is more than two times that of X27. Finally, the scores of sensory evaluation and physiological sweetness were significantly higher than those of X27. The results provide a theoretical basis for understanding the saccharification characteristics of sweetpotato varieties and are of guiding significance for the selection of sweetpotato parents.
PubMed: 37893678
DOI: 10.3390/foods12203785