Transparency in Cognitive Training Meta-analyses: A Meta-review

Meta-analyses often present flexibility regarding their inclusion criteria, outcomes of interest, statistical analyses, and assessments of the primary studies. For this reason, it is necessary to transparently report all the information that could impact the results. In this meta-review, we aimed to assess the transparency of meta-analyses that examined the benefits of cognitive training, given the ongoing controversy that exists in this field. Ninety-seven meta-analytic reviews were included, which examined a wide range of populations with different clinical conditions and ages. Regarding the reporting, information about the search of the studies, screening procedure, or data collection was detailed by most reviews. However, authors usually failed to report other aspects such as the specific meta-analytic parameters, the formula used to compute the effect sizes, or the data from primary studies that were used to compute the effect sizes. Although some of these practices have improved over the years, others remained the same. Moreover, examining the eligibility criteria of the reviews revealed a great heterogeneity in aspects such as the training duration, age cut-offs, or study designs that were considered. Preregistered meta-analyses often specified poorly how they would deal with the multiplicity of data or assess publication bias in their protocols, and some contained non-disclosed deviations in their eligibility criteria or outcomes of interests. The findings shown here, although they do not question the benefits of cognitive training, illustrate important aspects that future reviews must consider.

Effect of pine bark extract and its phenolic compounds on selected pathogenic and probiotic bacterial strains

Introduction

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises a heterogeneous group of chronic diseases as ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). IBD is the result of a dysregulation of intestinal homeostasis with a host's loss of tolerance toward normal enteric microflora. Plant-based extracts as phenolic compounds can play a role by modulating the intestinal inflammation response.

Methods

The in vitro antimicrobial activity of French maritime pine bark extract (PBE) and its phenolic constituents has been investigated in this study. Furthermore, the ability of PBE and phenolic compounds (caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, gallic acid and taxifolin) to modulate the microbiota has been assessed.

Results

Phenolic compounds and PBE showed a great inhibitory effect on the pathogens growth at the highest concentration assessed (1.25 mg/mL). The growth of E. sakazakii and E. faecalis were affected by the effect of caffeic acid and ferulic acid. Taxifolin showed a very strong activity against Listeria sp. (with a reduction ~98%). Gallic acid revealed antibacterial effect on S. aureus at different concentrations. The inhibitory effect of PBE was highly significant on the growth of E. coli O157:H7. PBE, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid seem to provide the greatest beneficial effect on the probiotic bacteria. However, the highest concentrations of taxifolin may have impaired the growth of beneficial microbiota.

Conclusion

Present findings could be of interest for considering PBE and/or its phenolic constituents as protectors against gastrointestinal disturbances which lead to ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

The Iron and Calcium Availability and the Satiating Effect of Different Biscuits

Biscuits are bakery products made with wheat flour. Wheat is a good source of minerals and dietary fibre, although the presence of phytate or other components could modify mineral availability. In addition, cereal-based products are usually characterised by high fibre content that can influence satiety. The objectives of this study were to evaluate both the iron and calcium availability and the satiety effect of different types of biscuits (traditional recipe vs. "Digestive") sold in the Spanish market, identifying whether the biscuit type could have effects on these parameters. Nutritional composition and the use of the generic descriptor "Digestive" of biscuits were collected from labels. Phytate and mineral contents were also measured. All samples were previously digested by a simulated process of the gastrointestinal conditions. The satiating effect of biscuits was evaluated according to VAS questionnaires. Results indicated that the mineral content and availability were different between types of biscuits (the traditional recipe showed the highest calcium concentration, while iron was higher in the "Digestive" type). However, mineral availability showed the highest percentages for both minerals, calcium and iron, in the Maria-type samples. Regardless of the different fibre content of both types of biscuits, and despite being higher in the Digestive type than in the Maria type, the satiety measures indicated that the Maria type had more effect on the food intake control. Thus, the descriptor "Digestive¨ in biscuits does not seem to be a marker of better nutritional quality, including parameters of effects on health such as mineral availability or satiety.

A multi-centre peptidomics investigation of food digesta: current state of the art in mass spectrometry analysis and data visualisation

Mass spectrometry has become the technique of choice for the assessment of a high variety of molecules in complex food matrices. It is best suited for monitoring the evolution of digestive processes in vivo and in vitro. However, considering the variety of equipment available in different laboratories and the diversity of sample preparation methods, instrumental settings for data acquisition, statistical evaluations, and interpretations of results, it is difficult to predict a priori the ideal parameters for optimal results. The present work addressed this uncertainty by executing an inter-laboratory study with samples collected during in vitro digestion and presenting an overview of the state-of-the-art mass spectrometry applications and analytical capabilities available for studying food digestion. Three representative high-protein foods - skim milk powder (SMP), cooked chicken breast and tofu - were digested according to the static INFOGEST protocol with sample collection at five different time points during gastric and intestinal digestion. Ten laboratories analysed all digesta with their in-house equipment and applying theirconventional workflow. The compiled results demonstrate in general, that soy proteins had a slower gastric digestion and the presence of longer peptide sequences in the intestinal phase compared to SMP or chicken proteins, suggesting a higher resistance to the digestion of soy proteins. Differences in results among the various laboratories were attributed more to the peptide selection criteria than to the individual analytical platforms. Overall, the combination of mass spectrometry techniques with suitable methodological and statistical approaches is adequate for contributing to the characterisation of the recently defined digestome.

The Inventory of Problems-29 (IOP-29): A systematic review and bivariate diagnostic test accuracy meta-analysis

The Inventory of Problems-29 (IOP-29) is a 29-item self-administered symptom validity test (SVT) that assesses the credibility of clinical presentations related to posttraumatic stress disorder, depression/anxiety, psychosis, cognitive impairment and combination thereof. To date, no publications have summarized the classification accuracy of the IOP-29 using a bivariate meta-analytical approach that preserves the two-dimensional nature of the estimators. Our objective was to conduct a systematic review and bivariate diagnostic test accuracy meta-analysis of the IOP-29 according to the relevant guidelines. Twenty-one independent samples were included, with a total sample size of 4,163 participants. The results indicated that the IOP-29 is able to discriminate adequately between instructed simulators and healthy controls/clinical patients. Using the recommended cutoff (False Disorder Probability Score [FDS], ≥ .50), a sensitivity of 82% was achieved, maintaining specificity at 93% (false positive rate of 7%). The language of the test and the type of comparison group have been identified as possible sources of heterogeneity. Specificity decreases for the non-English version of the IOP-29, for the FDS ≥ .30, and also decreases for studies using clinical controls, for all three cutoff scores. In general, our findings support the usefulness of the IOP-29 as an SVT; however, most of the included studies use a simulation design and have been coauthored by the test authors. Likewise, about half of the studies did not include bona fide patient controls but only nonclinical controls. The results obtained are highly promising, but further research, especially that using the criterion group paradigm, is recommended. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Florida Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory and Children's Florida Obsessive Compulsive Inventory: A reliability generalization meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The Florida Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (FOCI) and its pediatric version, the Children's Florida Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (C-FOCI), are instruments for evaluating obsessive-compulsive symptomatology.

METHOD

A reliability generalization meta-analysis was conducted to estimate an average reliability of the scores and to identify study characteristics that explained the heterogeneity among scores. Using Kuder-Richardson 20 (KR-20) and Cronbach's α, a total of 23 and 20 independent samples were included in the meta-analysis for the FOCI and C-FOCI.

RESULTS

We found an average KR-20 of 0.826 for the FOCI's Symptom Checklist and an α of 0.882 FOCI's Symptom Severity. An average KR-20 of 0.740 was found for the C-FOCI's Symptom Checklist, while an average α of 0.794 was found for the C-FOCI's Symptom Severity. Moderator analyses showed that the source of the coefficients (i.e., whether they were reported by the authors of the primary study or estimated by the meta-analysts) was an important variable for the FOCI Symptom Severity, and that the focus of the study (i.e., whether it was psychometric or applied) and the sample size were relevant for the C-FOCI Symptom Checklist.

CONCLUSIONS

Considering that the FOCI and C-FOCI are scales characterized by their brevity and ease of use, and the reliabilities obtained here, both scales are well suited for screening purposes.

Deciphering the Role and Signaling Pathways of PKCα in Luminal A Breast Cancer Cells

Protein kinase C (PKC) comprises a family of highly related serine/threonine protein kinases involved in multiple signaling pathways, which control cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation. The role of PKCα in cancer has been studied for many years. However, it has been impossible to establish whether PKCα acts as an oncogene or a tumor suppressor. Here, we analyzed the importance of PKCα in cellular processes such as proliferation, migration, or apoptosis by inhibiting its gene expression in a luminal A breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Differential expression analysis and phospho-kinase arrays of PKCα-KD vs. PKCα-WT MCF-7 cells identified an essential set of proteins and oncogenic kinases of the JAK/STAT and PI3K/AKT pathways that were down-regulated, whereas IGF1R, ERK1/2, and p53 were up-regulated. In addition, unexpected genes related to the interferon pathway appeared down-regulated, while PLC, ERBB4, or PDGFA displayed up-regulated. The integration of this information clearly showed us the usefulness of inhibiting a multifunctional kinase-like PKCα in the first step to control the tumor phenotype. Then allowing us to design a possible selection of specific inhibitors for the unexpected up-regulated pathways to further provide a second step of treatment to inhibit the proliferation and migration of MCF-7 cells. The results of this study suggest that PKCα plays an oncogenic role in this type of breast cancer model. In addition, it reveals the signaling mode of PKCα at both gene expression and kinase activation. In this way, a wide range of proteins can implement a new strategy to fine-tune the control of crucial functions in these cells and pave the way for designing targeted cancer therapies.

Association between attitudes toward violence and violent behavior in the school context: A systematic review and correlational meta-analysis

Background/Objective

Both theoretical proposals and empirical work point to a common concurrence between attitudes toward school violence and violent behavior. Studies often address this issue superficially or within intervention programs. Our objective is to describe the results of a systematic review and to conduct a meta-analysis exploring these associations.

Method

A systematic review was conducted in the main databases. Effect sizes were calculated and synthesized using random-effects meta-analysis to estimate the relationship between attitudes toward violence and school violence. A meta-regression was performed for the moderator analysis of sex and age.

Results

The literature search strategy produced 12,293 articles. The review process produced a final result of 23 studies. Our results estimate a significant positive relationship (r =.368 p < .001; 95% CI [.323, .412]) between attitudes toward violence and school violence in children and adolescents.

Conclusions

This study allows us to quantify with an adequate degree of specificity the attitude-behavior relationship in the school context. These results may facilitate future researchers to design programs that address this specificity in order to improve school climate. More research is needed using validated instruments to further specify the type of attitudes that have the greatest influence on the manifestation of school violence.

Improving the reporting quality of reliability generalization meta-analyses: The REGEMA checklist

Reliability generalization (RG) is a meta-analytic approach that aims to characterize how reliability estimates from the same test vary across different applications of the instrument. With this purpose RG meta-analyses typically focus on a particular test and intend to obtain an overall reliability of test scores and to investigate how the composition and variability of the samples affect reliability. Although several guidelines have been proposed in the meta-analytic literature to help authors improve the reporting quality of meta-analyses, none of them were devised for RG meta-analyses. The purpose of this investigation was to develop REGEMA (REliability GEneralization Meta-Analysis), a 30-item checklist (plus a flow chart) adapted to the specific issues that the reporting of an RG meta-analysis must take into account. Based on previous checklists and guidelines proposed in the meta-analytic arena, a first version was elaborated by applying the nominal group methodology. The resulting instrument was submitted to a list of independent meta-analysis experts and, after discussion, the final version of the REGEMA checklist was reached. In a pilot study, four pairs of coders applied REGEMA to a random sample of 40 RG meta-analyses in Psychology, and results showed satisfactory inter-coder reliability. REGEMA can be used by: (a) meta-analysts conducting or reporting an RG meta-analysis and aiming to improve its reporting quality; (b) consumers of RG meta-analyses who want to make informed critical appraisals of their reporting quality, and (c) reviewers and editors of journals who are considering submissions where an RG meta-analysis was reported for potential publication.

Effect of Gazpacho, Hummus and Ajoblanco on Satiety and Appetite in Adult Humans: A Randomised Crossover Study

Nowadays, overweight and obesity has reached an epidemic level around the world. With the aim to tackle them, an interesting strategy is the study of food and ingredients with satiety properties. In addition to reducing food and/or calorie intake, this type of foods must be included as part of a healthy diet. With regard to this, it is well known that the Mediterranean Diet (MD) is a feeding pattern that helps us to maintain good health, providing an adequate intake of micronutrients and active compounds. With this background, the main aim of this research was to identify MD foods with a high satiating potential capacity. For this purpose, three typical foods of the Mediterranean region, mainly based on vegetables, were selected: hummus, ajoblanco and gazpacho. As a control, white bread was used. Twenty-four human healthy volunteers consumed a standard breakfast followed by the different typical Mediterranean foods, and then the subjective sensation of hunger and satiety for each food was assessed by visual analogue scales (VAS) during 3 h. Subsequently, volunteers had ad libitum access to a standard meal. The results indicate that gazpacho showed the highest satiating scores, despite the fact that it was not the food that provided the highest protein or fibre amount. More studies of this type are needed to determine the proportion and/or combination of ingredients from these classical Mediterranean recipes that could enhance human satiety.

Screening ultrafiltration membranes to separate lactose and protein from sheep whey: application of simplified model

Several studies demonstrated that protein from whey milk could be a new strategy to reduce energy intake and increase satiety. Sheep whey has high protein content, but it is also rich in lactose. The aim of this study was to screening different ultrafiltration membranes to separate protein and lactose from sheep whey in one step. Protein was recovered in the concentrate feed, and lactose passed through three membranes and was recovered in the permeate feed. Membranes with different chemical composition and molecular weight cut-offs were assayed, and the influence of operating pressure and lactose concentration feed in the permeate flux and lactose rejection coefficients were studied. Lactose separation was not affected by pressure in GR60PP or GR90PP, and 85% and 80%, respectively of the lactose was separated into permeate feed. When the feed concentration increased, lactose separation remained stable in all three membranes, being GR60PP the most efficient, as 90% of the disaccharides were separated. In all cases 100% of the protein was recovered. Finally, the Spiegler-Kedem-Katchalsky model perfectly fitted the results obtained about lactose rejection coefficients.

Milk whey from different animal species stimulates the in vitro release of CCK and GLP-1 through a whole simulated intestinal digestion

Milk whey is effective in enhancing satiety mainly due to its protein composition. Peptides and amino acids derived from digestion of whey protein can act as suppressants of appetite by stimulation of receptors of satiety gut hormones. But, the protein fraction of whey can vary depending on species of animal, season, lactation period, etc. The aim of this study is to evaluate the satiety effect of milk whey from different species of ruminants (cow, sheep, goat and a mixture of them) through a simulated in vitro digestion, which performed the whole gastrointestinal process, from oral digestion to colonic fermentation. The satiety effect of each sample was measured by the production of satiating hormones (CCK and GLP-1) secreted by enteroendocrine cell line (STC-1) after 2 hours of incubation with non-digested, digested and fermented whey. Digested samples have shown to be potent CCK and GLP-1 secretagogues followed by fermented and non-digested samples, showing that the last one showed a weak hormone stimulation. Digested goat whey was the most efficient stimulator of GLP-1 (86.33 ± 4.55 pg mL^-1) and fermented mixture whey produced the major release of CCK (80.78±1.81 pg mL^-1). This study demonstrates that milk whey is a suitable ingredient to stimulate satiety through the effect of peptides, amino acids produced from digestion, and metabolites released by fermentation.

In Vitro Modulation of Gut Microbiota and Metabolism by Cooked Cowpea and Black Bean

Legumes are a rich source of a wide range of compounds that may represent an important tool to overcome gut dysbiosis. In this work, the prebiotic potential of two cooked legumes (cowpea and black bean) was investigated in comparison with potato:beef mixture, as substrates in batch faecal culture fermentation. Prior to the fermentation, all the samples were in vitro digested, passing through three phases, namely mouth, gastric and small intestine simulation, and then in vitro fermented for 6, 24 and 48 h. The shift of pH, production of gas and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and changes in gut microbiota were evaluated along the fermentation time. The pH decreased significantly over time in all media with fermentable sources when compared with the negative control. Gas production was higher in the media containing fermentable source than in the negative control and decreased with fermentation time. The concentration of SCFAs increased over time and it was significantly higher for both legumes than in inulin (positive control) and potato:beef meal. Acetate was the major SCFAs produced during fermentation, particularly in media containing legumes. Both legumes presented a strong prebiotic effect on gut microbiota, showing a significant increase in Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. These results suggest that consumption of cooked cowpea and black bean, used alone or as an ingredient of novel functional foods, may contribute to improving intestinal health and therefore human health promotion.

Fe and Zn in vitro bioavailability in relation to antinutritional factors in biofortified beans subjected to different processes

The present work evaluated the effect of different processes in relation to mineral content and its bioavailability, as well as the effect of phytate and oxalate contents in biofortified beans. The following treatments were evaluated: raw beans (RB), cooked and oven-dried soaked beans (BOS), cooked and freeze-dried soaked beans (BFS), cooked and oven-dried beans without soaking (BOWS) and cooked and freeze-dried beans without soaking (BFWS). The mineral contents (mg per 100 g) varied between 3.56 and 5.80 (iron), 20.26 and 89.32 (calcium) and 1.56 and 2.38 (zinc). The oxalate content varied from 3.74 to 10.54 mg per 100 g. The total phytate content ranged from 1803.23 to 2.301 mg per 100 g. Regarding mineral bioavailability in Caco-2 cells, iron retention ranged from 8.89 to 17.85% and uptake was from 12.07 to 13.74 μg. On the other hand, the zinc retention was from 92.27 to 98.6% and uptake ranged from 24.68 to 36.26 μg. The different forms of bean processing can contribute to the mineral profile of this legume, in addition to increasing the bioavailability of some minerals, such as iron and zinc.

In vitro effect of green tea and turmeric extracts on GLP-1 and CCK secretion: the effect of gastrointestinal digestion

Plant extract activity can be modified by the digestion process. In order to assess the satiety effect of green tea and turmeric extracts, an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion process was performed and the STC-1 cell line was used. The enteroendocrine cell line was incubated (for 30, 60 and 120 minutes) with the digested and non-digested extracts measuring the secretion of cholecystokinin (CCK) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The release of satiety hormones by the STC-1 cells showed similar or higher results for plant extracts compared to the positive controls reported as satiatogenic (proteins and short chain fatty acids). For the non-digested samples, the largest amount of CCK and GLP-1 was found for turmeric, with 379 ± 46 pg ml-1 (60 min) and 347 ± 125 pg ml-1 (120 min) respectively. For the digested samples, the highest level of CCK was found for turmeric at 30 minutes (43.3 ± 11) and for GLP-1 by green tea at 120 minutes (165.7 ± 52). The in vitro gastrointestinal digestion process affects the satiety of plant extracts, increasing for green tea and decreasing for turmeric. Green tea showed the most stable satiating capacity after the in vitro digestion process and this may be useful for using it as a stable food supplement to reduce hunger associated with overweight and obesity.

Effects of different thickening agents on infant gut microbiota

Infant microbiota has to progress from an almost sterile to a complex and varied community, so the main objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of three thickening ingredients on infant microbiota, as well as their in vitro gut fermentability. Experiments were performed using fresh faecal samples from healthy donors of 2-3 months of age. Stabilised stool samples were injected into Wheaton serum bottles containing pre-reduced MBM and 1% (w/v) fermentation substrates (locust bean gum, LBG; maize hydroxypropylated distarch phosphate, Mhdp; and pre-gelatinized rice starch, gRS). Samples were taken during fermentation, and pH, gas pressure, SCFA and bacterial population were analysed. The addition of thickeners resulted in a significant negative correlation (p < 0.05) between time and pH, showing significantly lower (p < 0.01) pH values for Mhdp and gRS than for LBG. Modified starches showed significantly higher values (p < 0.05) of total gas production than did LBG. Total SCFA molar concentrations for LBG, as well as propionate production, were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than for Mhdp and gRS. Regarding bacterial population, LBG promoted a more varied microbiota enhancing the growth of Atopobium and Bacteroidetes, whereas Mhdp and gRS induced higher Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria at the beginning of fermentation. LBG induced moderate gas production and a slow drop of pH, and caused a decreasing acetate : propionate ratio, enhancing the development of a varied faecal microbiota. In contrast, Mhdp and gRS induced high gas production, a sudden drop of pH and a greater production of acetate, which promoted a less varied faecal microbiota.

In vitro modulation of gut microbiota by whey protein to preserve intestinal health

The effect of several types of whey milk - cow, sheep, goat and a mixture of them (60 : 20 : 20, respectively) - was assessed in the human gut microbiota. The prebiotic potential of these substrates was evaluated through in vitro gastrointestinal digestion following faecal batch culture fermentations (mimicking colonic fermentation) for 48 hours, using faeces from normal-weight (NW) and obese (OB) donors. Throughout the fermentation process, pH, gas production, short chain and branched fatty acids (SCFA-BCFA) were measured, as well as the changes of microbiota using qPCR. The pH decreased in all whey samples during the fermentation process. Gas production was higher in all whey samples than in controls, especially at 12 hours (p < 0.05). The diversity of SCFA and BCFA production was significantly different between the donors, in particular cow and mixed whey. Whey milk had a strong prebiotic effect on the gut microbiota of NW and OB donors, showing a significant increase of Bifidobacterium (p < 0.05) with cow, sheep and mixed whey and increase in the Lactobacillus group, particularly in OB donors. Bacteria associated with obesity did not show an increase in any of the groups of donors. Therefore, supplementing a diet with these types of whey can selectively stimulate the growth of probiotic bacteria, enhancing SCFA production, which could improve intestinal disorders. In addition, it may be an interesting approach to the prevention of overweight and obesity and related diseases. Whey milk has a potent prebiotic effect. It can selectively stimulate desirable bacteria and SCFA profile, in both OB and NW donors, contributing to improved intestinal health and reducing obesity.

In vitro effectiveness of recombinant human lactoferrin and its hydrolysate in alleviating LPS-induced inflammatory response

This study aimed to evaluate the potential anti-inflammatory role of the most produced form of lactoferrin expressed in various expression systems (Fe-saturated recombinant human Lf, rhLf) and its hydrolysate in concentrations resembles that found in mature human milk. Co-culture model consisted of CaCo-2 and RAW 246.7 cell lines was used to evaluate the potential anti-inflammatory activity of rhLf and its hydrolysate. During this experiment, CaCo-2 monolayer permeability and integrity was assayed through the measurement of transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER values). Also, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO) and different cytokines (IL-8, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p70, and TNF-α) were measured. The treatment with rhLf and its hydrolysate protected the monolayer integrity against LPS effect and reduced IL-8 and ROS production. This effect was dependent on the dose and 2mgmL^-1 of rhLf hydrolysate was more effective. The addition of rhLf and its hydrolysate to infant formula is a prominent step towards improving both infant formula functionality and newborn health. Thus, these functional ingredients could be incorporated in infant foods. In this context, ongoing researches are conducted to clarify this effect whether by using synthetic peptides or by using LPS-sepsis animal.

Cultivation of Solanum tuberosum in a former mining district for a safe human consumption integrating simulated digestion

BACKGROUND

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a global crop and by far the most important non-cereal crop in the world. Therefore, it is necessary to assure its safe consumption. This is especially relevant in the case of its cultivation in abandoned mining areas, where the population tends to return to agriculture. In the present work, the objective is to evaluate the contribution to the diet of nutrients and contaminants of potato grown in soils from the Almadén area (mining district) by studying the intestinal absorption (in vitro) of the tuber, taking into account the preparation methods for its consumption.

RESULTS

The results of contaminant and nutrient contents show that the potato peel retains significantly more elements (mainly in the case of toxic elements) than the flesh. Furthermore, potato (peel and flesh) is a good source of iron.

CONCLUSION

It is recommended to boil potatoes with the peel in order to minimize nutrient loss and, before consumption, peeling them to eliminate possible risks due to contaminants. In addition, to minimize the risk due of mercury and to improve the levels of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium, it is recommended to add salt during the boiling process. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of in Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion on Encapsulated and Nonencapsulated Phenolic Compounds of Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) Pulp Extracts and Their Antioxidant Capacity

To determine the effect of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the release and antioxidant capacity of encapsulated and nonencapsulated phenolics carob pulp extracts, unripe and ripe carob pulp extracts were microencapsulated with polycaprolactone via double emulsion/solvent evaporation technique. Microcapsules' characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry analysis. Total phenolics and flavonoids content and antioxidant activities (ORAC, DPPH, and FRAP) were evaluated after each digestion step. The release of phenolic acids and flavonoids was measured along the digestion process by HPLC-MS/MS analysis. The most important phenolics and flavonoids content as well as antioxidant activities were observed after gastric and intestinal phases for nonencapsulated and encapsulated extracts, respectively. The microencapsulation of carob polyphenols showed a protective effect against pH changes and enzymatic activities along digestion, thereby promoting a controlled release and targeted delivery of the encapsulated compound, which contributed to an increase in its bioaccessibility in the gut.

Folic Acid Production by Engineered Ashbya gossypii

Folic acid (vitamin B₉) is the common name of a number of chemically related compounds (folates), which play a central role as cofactors in one-carbon transfer reactions. Folates are involved in the biosynthesis and metabolism of nucleotides and amino acids, as well as supplying methyl groups to a broad range of substrates, such as hormones, DNA, proteins, and lipids, as part of the methyl cycle. Humans and animals cannot synthesize folic acid and, therefore, need them in the diet. Folic acid deficiency is an important and underestimated problem of micronutrient malnutrition affecting billions of people worldwide. Therefore, the addition of folic acid as food additive has become mandatory in many countries thus contributing to a growing demand of the vitamin. At present, folic acid is exclusively produced by chemical synthesis despite its associated environmental burdens. In this work, we have metabolically engineered the industrial fungus Ashbya gossypii in order to explore its potential as a natural producer of folic acid. Overexpression of FOL genes greatly enhanced the synthesis of folates and identified GTP cyclohydrolase I as the limiting step. Metabolic flux redirection from competing pathways also stimulated folic acid production. Finally, combinatorial engineering synergistically increased the production of different bioactive forms of the folic vitamin. Overall, strains were constructed which produce 146-fold (6595µg/L) more vitamin than the wild-type and by far represents the highest yield reported.

Satiety Innovations: Food Products to Assist Consumers with Weight Loss, Evidence on the Role of Satiety in Healthy Eating: Overview and In Vitro Approximation

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing globally, driven by the availability of energy-dense palatable foods. Most dietary strategies fail because of hunger generated by calorie restriction, and interventions that specifically control hunger and/or promote fullness may aid success. Current consumers have a limited choice of satiety-enhancing products with proven health benefits, and innovative ways to produce new foods (as structural modification) to enhance satiety/satiation may provide new opportunities. However, this potential is hindered by the cost of product testing. Within the SATIN-SATiety INnovation project-an in vitro platform has been developed to offer a cost-effective means of assessing the potential satiation/satiety effect of novel foods. This combines in vitro technologies to assess changes in colonic bacteria metabolism, appetite hormone release and the stability and bioavailability of active compounds in the new products/ingredients. This article provides a brief review of nutrients for which an impact on short-term appetite regulation has been demonstrated, and a summary of the changes to food structure which can be used to produce a change in appetite expression. Furthermore, the SATIN in vitro platform is discussed as a means of assessing the impact of nutritional and structural manipulations on appetite.

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet by nursing students of Murcia (Spain)

INTRODUCTION

The Mediterranean diet is recognized as one with the healthiest dietary patterns; however, this diet is deteriorating and being abandoned even in the Mediterranean countries themselves. Generally speaking, dietary habits get fixed during adolescence although during the college phase, students may experience important changes in their lifestyles. The KIDMED index is recognized as a good tool to assess adherence to the Mediterranean diet (AMD).

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess AMD in college students and to evidence possible variations throughout the college period assessing differences between the college years.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study with 213 alumni in first grade and 105 in fourth grade was carried out. The students were classified by gender, type of residence (parents' home or out of the parents' house) and body mass index (BMI) (< 25 or > 25).

RESULTS

The BMI for the whole sample was 24.35 ± 2.71 in men and 22.54 ± 3.25 in women (p < 0.001). The mean score in AMD was 7.0 ± 1.9, with 43% of the students showing good adherence. In general, a low intake of fruits, vegetables, rice or pasta was observed, foods that are included in the base of the dietary pyramid. Consumption of olive oil and legumes was very high and a direct relationship was observed between overweighed people (BMI > 25) and the habit of not having breakfast usually. No significant differences were observed between the student of first and fourth grades although those students in the fourth grade living away from the parental house had higher AMD level than the other students (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Educational programs promoting the intake of the different groups of food are recommended, was well as strategies promoting the consumption of fruits and vegetables within the university area and the healthy habit of having breakfast.

Influence of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of fruit juices enriched with pine bark extract on intestinal microflora

The selective antimicrobial effect of fruit juices enriched with pine bark extract (PBE) (0.5 g/L) has been studied before and after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. PBE (a concentrate of water-soluble bioflavonoids, mainly including phenolic compounds) has been proven to have high stability to the digestion process. Pure phenolic compounds such as gallic acid had a high antimicrobial effect on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, maintaining the lactic acid bacteria population (≈100%). Otherwise, E. coli O157:H7 only growth 50% when PBE was added to the culture media, while a slight increase on the growth of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria was observed after exposition to the bark extract. Fresh fruit juices enriched with PBE showed the highest inhibitory effect on pathogenic intestinal bacterial growth, mainly E. coli and Enterococcus faecalis. The in vitro digestion process reduced the antibacterial effect of juices against most pathogenic bacteria in approximately 10%. However, the beneficial effect of fruit juices enriched with PBE (0.5 g/L) on gut microbiota is still considerable after digestion.

Molecular Mechanisms of PKCα localization and Activation by Arachidonic Acid. The C2 Domain also Plays a Role

Arachidonic acid, one of the major unsaturated fatty acids released during cell stimulation, participates in the signaling necessary for activation of different enzymes, including protein kinase C (PKC). Here, we demonstrate that arachidonic acid is a direct activator of PKCalpha, but needs the cooperation of Ca(2+) to exert its function. By using several mutants of the C2 and C1 domains, we were able to determine the molecular mechanism of this activation. More specifically, site-directed mutagenesis in key residues found in the C2 domain showed that the Ca(2+)-binding region was essential for the arachidonic acid-dependent localization and activation of PKCalpha. However, the lysine-rich cluster, also located in the C2 domain, played no relevant role in either the membrane localization or activation of the enzyme. Moreover, site-directed mutagenesis in key residues placed in the C1A and C1B subdomains, which are responsible for the diacylglycerol/phorbil ester interaction, demonstrated that the C1A subdomain was involved in the membrane localization and activation mechanism. Taken together, these data suggest a very precise mechanism for PKCalpha activation by arachidonic acid, involving a sequential model of activation in which an increase in intracytosolic Ca(2+) leads to the interaction of arachidonic acid with the Ca(2+)-binding region; only after this step, does the C1A subdomain interact with arachidonic acid, leading to full activation of the enzyme.