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Journal of Clinical Medicine Mar 2024: To examine the longitudinal association between frailty criteria and depression (DEP) in a large sample of older Europeans using decision tree models, and to examine...
: To examine the longitudinal association between frailty criteria and depression (DEP) in a large sample of older Europeans using decision tree models, and to examine complex relationships between frailty criteria and DEP symptomatology. : Data come from waves six and eight of the Population Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. DEP was assessed using the EURO-D scale (wave 8) and frailty (wave 6). We included 27,122 people (56.9% women), aged 50 or over. : Women indicated a higher rate of DEP (29.0%), as well as a higher prevalence of pre-frailty (21.6%) and frailty (10.8%) than men. For both sexes, fatigue, weight loss, and slowness indicated an increased chance of DEP 5 years later. MPA (moderate physical activity) and grip strength were considered longitudinally protective factors for DEP. The highest prevalence of DEP symptomatology 5 years later was 50.3%, pointing to those with fatigue and slowness. Among women, the highest incidence of DEP was 66.8%, identified through fatigue, slowness, and low MPA. : Strategies to reduce frailty and DEP in older European adults may include the creation of policies that encourage the promotion of physical capacity to reach MPA levels, as well as an improvement in muscular strength.
PubMed: 38541921
DOI: 10.3390/jcm13061697 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2024The (Mol.) Stuntz, also known as Maqui, is an endemic berry native to southern Chile. It is a very popular berry for its nutritional attributes and health benefits,... (Review)
Review
The (Mol.) Stuntz, also known as Maqui, is an endemic berry native to southern Chile. It is a very popular berry for its nutritional attributes and health benefits, provided mainly by its polyphenols. This review aims to investigate the Maqui and its nutritional characteristics, its health benefits, and the application of Maqui in the food industry. This fruit provides 150 calories per 100 g of product and has a low protein content and a high fiber content. Its seeds contain monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs); however, its most outstanding feature is its high value of bioactive compounds, mainly anthocyanins, indole alkaloids and flavonoids, coumarins, caffeic and ferulic acids, and delphinidin 3-O-β-glucoside, the latter being the most representative, providing Maqui with high antioxidant activity. Maqui is considered a fruit of high interest as a nutraceutical product for the control and prevention of ongoing diseases, and among its benefits, we can highlight glycemic and metabolic control; the control and prevention of obesity, cancer, cognitive decline, and dementia; the prevention and treatment of bone structure alterations; prevention against oxidative stress, particularly in cigarette smoke-induced stress. In addition to its nutraceutical use, Maqui has been used in the food industry to improve the shelf life (by controlling lipid oxidation) and nutritional value of food products and as a substitute for synthetic additives. In addition, the inclusion of Maqui improves the organoleptic and sensory characteristics of foods. The incorporation of this fruit has been observed mainly in drinks, meat products, bakery products, and milk products. Evidence has shown that Maqui consumption, as well as products with Maqui added, have a good acceptability and exert benefits on people's health. Knowledge about the application of Maqui in food will allow us to create new nutraceutical and food products that improve their nutritional and functional value.
PubMed: 38540828
DOI: 10.3390/foods13060838 -
Insects Mar 2024The blowfly, (Diptera: Calliphoridae), is a well-known forensically important insect. Basic data related to have been well documented; but despite the pivotal role of...
The blowfly, (Diptera: Calliphoridae), is a well-known forensically important insect. Basic data related to have been well documented; but despite the pivotal role of gut microbes in various facets of insect biology, little is known about its gut microbiome. To investigate the gut bacterial community of and explore its stability, diet and developmental stage were selected as the two variables. Larvae were reared on bovine liver, swine manure, and chicken manure, and high-throughput sequencing of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd instar larvae and the newly emerged adults was performed. According to our results, the alpha diversity of the gut bacterial community did not significantly vary among different diets and developmental stages. Principal coordinate analysis revealed that the gut microbiome of clustered together among different diets and developmental stages. The main phyla in the gut microbial community of were Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, and the dominant genera were , , , and . These findings characterized the gut microbiome of and demonstrated that the gut bacterial community is fairly stable. The dominant genera , , , and have the potential to serve as core microbiomes within the gut microbial community of .
PubMed: 38535376
DOI: 10.3390/insects15030181 -
Journal of Global Antimicrobial... Mar 2024
PubMed: 38521552
DOI: 10.1016/j.jgar.2024.01.001 -
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution Jun 2024The tribe Astereae (Asteraceae) includes 36 subtribes and 252 genera, and is distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical regions. One of the subtribes, Celmisiinae...
The tribe Astereae (Asteraceae) includes 36 subtribes and 252 genera, and is distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical regions. One of the subtribes, Celmisiinae Saldivia, has been recently circumscribed to include six genera and ca. 160 species, and is restricted to eastern Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea. The species show an impressive range of growth habit, from small herbs and ericoid subshrubs to medium-sized trees. They live in a wide range of habitats and are often dominant in subalpine and alpine vegetation. Despite the well-supported circumscription of Celmisiinae, uncertainties have remained about their internal relationships and classification at genus and species levels. This study exploited recent advances in high-throughput sequencing to build a robust multi-gene phylogeny for the subtribe Celmisiinae. The target enrichment Angiosperms353 bait set and the hybpiper-nf and paragone-nf pipelines were used to retrieve, infer, and assemble orthologous loci from 75 taxa representing all the main putative clades within the subtribe. Because of the diploidised ploidy level in Celmisiinae, as well as missing data in the assemblies, uncertainty remains surrounding the inference of orthology detection. However, based on a variety of gene-family sets, coalescent and concatenation-based phylogenetic reconstructions recovered similar topologies. Paralogy and missing data in the gene-families caused some problems, but the estimated phylogenies were well-supported and well-resolved. The phylogenomic evidence supported Celmisiinae and three main clades: the Pleurophyllum clade (Pleurophyllum, Macrolearia and Damnamenia), mostly in the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands, Celmisia of mainland New Zealand and Australia, and Shawia (including 'Olearia pro parte' and Pachystegia) of New Zealand, Australia and New Guinea. The results presented here add to the accumulating support for the Angiosperms353 bait set as an efficient method for documenting plant diversity.
Topics: Humans; Phylogeny; Asteraceae; Biological Evolution; Australia; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
PubMed: 38508479
DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108064 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2024Acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea syndrome (AHDS) in dogs is a condition of unknown aetiology. is suspected to play a role in the disease as it was commonly found in dogs...
INTRODUCTION
Acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea syndrome (AHDS) in dogs is a condition of unknown aetiology. is suspected to play a role in the disease as it was commonly found in dogs suffering from AHDS during a Norwegian outbreak in 2019. The role of this bacterium as a constituent of the canine gut microbiota is unknown, hence this study set out to investigate its occurrence in healthy dogs using metagenomics.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
To decrease the likelihood of false detection, we established a metagenomic threshold for by spiking culture-negative stool samples with a range of bacterial dilutions and analysing these by qPCR and shotgun metagenomics. The detection limit for was determined and used to establish a metagenomic threshold. The threshold was validated on naturally contaminated faecal samples with known cultivation status for . Finally, the metagenomic threshold was used to determine the occurrence of in shotgun metagenomic datasets from canine faecal samples (n=362) collected in the HUNT One Health project.
RESULTS
The metagenomic assay and qPCR had a detection limit of 1.1x10 CFU per faecal sample, which corresponded to a Cq value of 31.4 and 569 unique mer counts by shotgun metagenomics. Applying this metagenomic threshold to 362 faecal metagenomic datasets from healthy dogs, was found in only 1.1% (95% CI [0.0, 6.8]) of the samples, and then in low relative abundances (median: 0.04%; range: 0.00 to 0.81%). The sensitivity of the qPCR and shotgun metagenomics assay was low, as only 40% of culture-positive samples were also positive by qPCR and metagenomics.
DISCUSSION
Using our detection limit, the occurrence of in faecal samples from healthy dogs was low. Given the low sensitivity of the metagenomic assay, these results do not rule out a significantly higher occurrence of this bacterium at a lower abundance.
Topics: Dogs; Animals; Diarrhea; Feces; Metagenome; Providencia; Bacteria; Metagenomics
PubMed: 38481663
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1305742 -
Scientific Reports Mar 2024Changes in water availability have a substantial impact on the sustainability and maintenance of agriculture, with water footprint (WF) being a robust methodology to...
Changes in water availability have a substantial impact on the sustainability and maintenance of agriculture, with water footprint (WF) being a robust methodology to assess these transformations. The Guadalupe Valley is one of the places with the highest agricultural production in Mexico. Despite its semi-arid climatic conditions, it provides high-quality crops that are well-positioned in the world. The historical trend of rainfall and temperatures between 1987 and 2017 was analyzed to identify climatic patterns in the territory. Through the calculations of the water footprint of Grapevine and Olive crops, the sensitivity of the crops to recurrent water deficit and their adaptation in their yields to drought episodes was identified. The reduction in precipitation and occurrence of extreme temperatures have contributed significantly towards augmenting crop evapotranspiration and, consequently, intensifying crop irrigation demands. As a result, there has been an apparent increase in the consumption of WF since 2007. Thus, the period of highest WF consumption was 2014 (Extremely dry), as opposed to 2011 (Very wet). In particular, the lowest WF consumptions were observed in extremely dry years, that is, > 20% of the WF intensifying drought events. Therefore, these periods were compensated with higher uses of WF and WF, which are inversely correlated with precipitation, where vine crops consume 73% more WF compared to olive plantations, showing greater interannual variability. These results contribute to analyzing the temporal evolution of water consumption for agriculture, providing a basis for rational water use strategies.
PubMed: 38480739
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56407-5 -
Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia 2024
PubMed: 38477765
DOI: 10.36660/abc.20230834 -
Nutrients Mar 2024Assessing dietary inadequacies can contribute to understanding the nutritional vulnerabilities of a country. This study aimed to investigate nutrient intakes and...
Assessing dietary inadequacies can contribute to understanding the nutritional vulnerabilities of a country. This study aimed to investigate nutrient intakes and micronutrient inadequacies in the Brazilian adult population, with an interest in different age subgroups. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 1812 individuals aged 19 to 65 years from a population-based study with a representative sample of Brazilian adults. Dietary intake was assessed by two 24 h food recalls, and the probabilities of inadequate intake were estimated using the Dietary Reference Intake targets. Adequate macronutrient intake was over 99% for proteins, 84.7% for carbohydrates, and 80.7% for total fats. There was a high probability of inadequacy (above 90%) for vitamins D and E, but vitamin D inadequacy was very similar between the sexes. In contrast, vitamin E was more likely to be inadequately consumed among women. A high probability of inadequacies (above 85%) of calcium and magnesium were found in the population, regardless of age group. Except for iron, the probability of an inadequacy of other minerals increased with age. The results showed a relevant proportion of nutrient inadequacies, with those most at risk being women and older individuals, helping with the better targeting and monitoring of public-health policies that address nutritional problems in the population.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Female; Male; Cross-Sectional Studies; Brazil; Energy Intake; Nutritional Requirements; Diet; Vitamins; Micronutrients
PubMed: 38474878
DOI: 10.3390/nu16050750 -
Nutrients Feb 2024Regular exercise has been described to modify both the diversity and the relative abundance of certain bacterial taxa. To our knowledge, the effect of a cycling stage...
BACKGROUND
Regular exercise has been described to modify both the diversity and the relative abundance of certain bacterial taxa. To our knowledge, the effect of a cycling stage race, which entails extreme physiological and metabolic demands, on the gut microbiota composition and its metabolic activity has not been analysed.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this cohort study was to analyse the dynamics of faecal microbiota composition and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) content of professional cyclists over a Grand Tour and their relationship with performance and dietary intake.
METHODS
16 professional cyclists competing in La Vuelta 2019 were recruited. Faecal samples were collected at four time points: the day before the first stage (A); after 9 stages (B); after 15 stages (C); and on the last stage (D). Faecal microbiota populations and SCFA content were analysed using 16S rRNA sequencing and gas chromatography, respectively. A principal component analysis (PCA) followed by Generalised Estimating Equation (GEE) models were carried out to explore the dynamics of microbiota and SCFAs and their relationship with performance.
RESULTS
, , , and dynamics showed a strong final performance predictive value (r = 0.83, ranking, and r = 0.81, accumulated time). Positive correlations were observed between with acetate (r = 0.530) and isovalerate (r = 0.664) and between with isobutyrate (r = 0.682). No relationship was observed between SCFAs and performance. The abundance of at the beginning of La Vuelta was directly related to the previous intake of complex-carbohydrate-rich foods (r = 0.956), while during the competition, the abundance of was negatively affected by the intake of simple carbohydrates from supplements (r = -0.650).
CONCLUSIONS
An ecological perspective represents more realistically the relationship between gut microbiota composition and performance compared to single-taxon approaches. The composition and periodisation of diet and supplementation during a Grand Tour, particularly carbohydrates, could be designed to modulate gut microbiota composition to allow better performance.
Topics: Humans; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Cohort Studies; Fatty Acids, Volatile; Feces; Eating; Exercise; Carbohydrates
PubMed: 38474789
DOI: 10.3390/nu16050661