Supraclavicular skin temperature and BAT activity in lean healthy adults

The 'gold standard' for measuring brown adipose tissue (BAT) in humans is [(18)F]FDG-PET/CT-imaging. With this technique subjects are exposed to ionizing radiation and are therefore limited in the number of scans that can be performed. We investigated the relation between supraclavicular skin temperatures and BAT activity values using a strictly temperature-controlled air-cooling protocol. Data of 36 male subjects was analyzed. BAT activity was evaluated by [(18)F]FDG-PET/CT-imaging and skin temperature was measured by means of wireless temperature sensors. Supraclavicular skin temperature dropped less compared to skin temperatures at other sites (all P values <0.01). A significant positive correlation was found between the change in supraclavicular skin temperature with BAT activity (R (2) 0.23), and the change in supraclavicular skin temperature and non-shivering thermogenesis (R (2) 0.18, both P values <0.01). The correlations indicate that supraclavicular skin temperature (changes) can potentially be used as a qualitative measure of BAT activity and BAT thermogenesis.

Evaluation of the effect of Lactobacillus reuteri V3401 on biomarkers of inflammation, cardiovascular risk and liver steatosis in obese adults with metabolic syndrome: a randomized clinical trial (PROSIR)

BACKGROUND

Obesity is characterized by increased fat mass and is associated with the development of insulin resistance syndrome (IRS), usually known as metabolic syndrome. The alteration of the intestinal microbiota composition has a role in the development of IRS associated with obesity, and probiotics, which are live microorganisms that confer a health benefit to the host, contribute to restore intestinal microbiota homeostasis and lower peripheral tissue insulin resistance. We aim to evaluate the effects of the probiotic strain Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) V3401 on the composition of intestinal microbiota, markers of insulin resistance and biomarkers of inflammation, cardiovascular risk, and hepatic steatosis in patients with overweight and obesity exhibiting IRS.

METHODS/DESIGN

We describe a randomized, double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled, and single-centre trial. Sixty participants (aged 18 to 65 years) diagnosed with IRS will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either a daily dose of placebo or 5 × 109 colony-forming units of L. reuteri V3401. The study will consist of two intervention periods of 12 weeks separated by a washout period of 6 weeks and preceded by another washout period of 2 weeks. The primary outcome will be the change in plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels at 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes will include anthropometric parameters, lipid profile, glucose metabolism, microbiota composition, hepatic steatosis, and inflammatory and cardiovascular biomarkers. Blood and stool samples will be collected at baseline, at the midpoint (only stool samples) and immediately after each intervention period. Luminex technology will be used to measure interleukins. For statistical analysis, a mixed ANOVA model will be employed to calculate changes in the outcome variables.

DISCUSSION

This is the first time that L. reuteri V3401 will be evaluated in patients with IRS. Therefore, this study will provide valuable scientific information about the effects of this strain in metabolic syndrome patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial has been retrospectively registered in ClinicalTrials.gov on the 23rd November 2016 (ID: NCT02972567 ), during the recruitment phase.

Intracellular invasion ability of Streptococcus agalactiae among non-invasive isolates from human adults and companion animals in Japan

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the cell invasion ability (CIA) of Streptococcus agalactiae isolates from humans and companion animals and clarified the relationship between CIA populations and their microbiological features.

METHODS

Human-origin and companion animal-origin isolates were collected along with host information. We measured CIA using human-lineage colon cancer epithelium (Caco-2) and keratinocyte (HaCaT) cell lines, via virulence-associated gene profiling (bca-rib-bac-lmb-cylE-hylB-pavA-pilB-spb1-srtC1-brpA), capsular genotyping, multilocus sequence typing, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) phenotyping/genotyping. Significant differences in data regarding CIA into epithelium and keratinocytes and those of isolates from different hosts were assessed. We analyzed the association of CIA populations with the virulence genotypes, capsular genotypes, sequence types/clonal complexes, and AMR phenotypes/genotypes.

RESULTS

A comparative analysis was performed between human (n = 15) and canine (n = 17) non-invasive isolates. There was a difference in CIA data between Caco-2 and HaCaT cells using human and animal isolates. For percent invasion ability into Caco-2 cells, we designated values ≥ 0.1 as high-frequency CIA and values < 0.1 as low-frequency CIA. Fourteen isolates harbored high-frequency and 18 isolates harbored low-frequency strains. There was no association between the high-frequency population and the virulence genotypes, capsular genotypes, sequence types/clonal complexes, and AMR phenotypes/genotypes.

CONCLUSION

This is the first report assessing the invasion ability of S. agalactiae into HaCaT and Caco-2 cells. Our observations suggest that S. agalactiae is more capable of entering Caco-2 rather than HaCaT.

The influence of expectations and attention on conditioned pain modulation: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) is a psychophysical experimental measure of endogenous pain inhibition in humans. Within this paradigm, one noxious stimulus, the conditioning stimulus (CS), reduces the pain perception from another heterotopic noxious stimulus, the test stimulus (TS). Cognitive processes are known to influence pain perception and might impact the underlying mechanisms of CPM. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesizes the existing scientific literature addressing the influence of cognitive factors, namely, expectations and attention on CPM. Four electronic databases were searched to identify relevant literature. Risk of bias and quality of evidence were assessed according to two modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scales and the GRADE approach, respectively. Twenty-four articles were included. Qualitative analysis showed more efficient CPM when pain relief is expected, and an association between intrinsic attention to pain and reduced CPM. Although the evidence is not unanimous, meta-analyses showed that CPM is more efficient when attention is directed towards the CS versus the TS, and is not influenced by distraction. In conclusion, while CPM seems robust to attentional distraction, expectations and attentional focus appear to influence CPM. However, the evidence is limited and conflicting and warrants further study in order to prevent cognitive confounding and enhance mechanistic understanding.

Facial and dental arch shape in individuals with different bite force levels : A pilot study using geometric morphometrics

PURPOSE

This pilot study aimed to assess the relationship between bite force variation and dental arch and facial shape using geometric morphometrics, an advanced method of statistical analysis that provides a detailed shape analysis of a structure considering the spatial relationship of its parts.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 16 German adult men and women. For each individual, maximum bite force was recorded in four positions: maximum intercuspation, protrusion, laterotrusion to the right and to the left. Facial and three-dimensional (3D) dental reconstructions were obtained from 3D facial photographs and 3D scans of dental stone models. A total of 51 landmarks were placed. General shape variation was assessed by principal component analysis. Partial least squares analyses were performed to evaluate the covariation between bite force, facial shape, and dental shape.

RESULTS

There was no clear pattern or statistically significant covariation between our variables.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest a weak relationship between bite force, dental arch, and facial shape. Considering previous work in this field, we propose that low masticatory loads, characteristic in Western urban populations, may explain this. Further studies should, therefore, address this issue, taking into account effect size, the mechanical properties of the diet, and other relevant variables.

The use of population pharmacokinetics to extrapolate food effects from human adults and beagle dogs to the pediatric population illustrated with ibuprofen as a case

Oral drug administration is the most convenient route of administration in the pediatric population. However, children are often not fasted when drugs are orally administered, hence potential food-drug interactions might occur. Most of these interactions are extrapolated from studies performed in human adults where a recommended high-fat, high-calorie meal is administered prior to drug dosing. As the recommended protocols are based on studies in support of adult drug development, these studies do not mimic the meal composition administered to the pediatric population, especially the very young ones, which renders food-drug interactions in this population understudied. Therefore, it was evaluated to what extent population pharmacokinetics could reliably extrapolate food effects from human adults and beagle dogs to mimic the real-life situation in the pediatric population. Eight human adults and six beagle dogs received ibuprofen under different dosing conditions (fasted, reference meal fed condition, infant formula fed condition). Population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed to derive the pharmacokinetic parameters to be scaled to pediatric ages. For both species, a one-compartment model best described the data, where in human adults a dual-input function to capture the double absorption peak significantly improved the model fit. Simulations for a virtual pediatric population demonstrated that the predictive ability of human adults and beagle dogs to inform absorption effects under different dosing conditions using population pharmacokinetic modeling appeared to be reasonable. However, to be able to fully validate the predictability of both species for ibuprofen, additional studies in the pediatric population are required to generate more informative data.