scholarly journals The Impact of Polyphenol on General Nutrient Metabolism in the Monogastric Gastrointestinal Tract

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Sharif Swallah ◽  
Hongling Fu ◽  
He Sun ◽  
Raïfatou Affoh ◽  
Hansong Yu
Keyword(s):  
Systemic Circulation ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Nutrient Metabolism ◽  
Effective Utilization ◽  
Food Structure ◽  
Bioactive Component ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Phenolic Metabolite ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Small And Large Intestine

Polyphenols are bioactive compounds occurring in plant foods, which are considered significant owing to their contribution to human health and the prevention of chronic diseases. Phenolic compounds mainly depend on plant food structure and the interaction with other food constituents, mostly proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. The interaction with the food matrices can obstruct or enhance nutrient accessibility and availability and even impair others. Food digestion is a complex process where ingested foods are converted to nutrients via mechanical and enzymatic alterations. The absorption of nutrients predominantly occurs in the small and large intestine, respectively. The metabolised product, however, is the main bioactive component due to their ability to enter the systemic circulation and reach the targeted organs. There is limited knowledge on the cellular uptake, phenolic metabolite, and polyphenolic effect in the gastrointestinal ecosystem. Therefore, improved understanding of the biological properties and stages of dietary phenols is essential for the effective utilization of their therapeutic potentials. This review will explore, summarise, and collate current information on how polyphenols influence nutrient metabolism, bioavailability, and the biotransformation stages.

scholarly journals Histological, Biomechanical, and Biological Properties of Genipin-Crosslinked Decellularized Peripheral Nerves

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 674
Author(s):  
Óscar Darío García-García ◽  
Marwa El Soury ◽  
David González-Quevedo ◽  
David Sánchez-Porras ◽  
Jesús Chato-Astrain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Nerve Repair ◽  
Wistar Rat ◽  
Biomechanical Properties ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Suitable Alternative ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Histological Pattern ◽  
The Impact

Acellular nerve allografts (ANGs) represent a promising alternative in nerve repair. Our aim is to improve the structural and biomechanical properties of biocompatible Sondell (SD) and Roosens (RS) based ANGs using genipin (GP) as a crosslinker agent ex vivo. The impact of two concentrations of GP (0.10% and 0.25%) on Wistar rat sciatic nerve-derived ANGs was assessed at the histological, biomechanical, and biocompatibility levels. Histology confirmed the differences between SD and RS procedures, but not remarkable changes were induced by GP, which helped to preserve the nerve histological pattern. Tensile test revealed that GP enhanced the biomechanical properties of SD and RS ANGs, being the crosslinked RS ANGs more comparable to the native nerves used as control. The evaluation of the ANGs biocompatibility conducted with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells cultured within the ANGs confirmed a high degree of biocompatibility in all ANGs, especially in RS and RS-GP 0.10% ANGs. Finally, this study demonstrates that the use of GP could be an efficient alternative to improve the biomechanical properties of ANGs with a slight impact on the biocompatibility and histological pattern. For these reasons, we hypothesize that our novel crosslinked ANGs could be a suitable alternative for future in vivo preclinical studies.

scholarly journals Earthworms as an Ecological Indicator of Soil Recovery after Mechanized Logging Operations in Mixed Beech Forests

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Hadi Sohrabi ◽  
Meghdad Jourgholami ◽  
Mohammad Jafari ◽  
Farzam Tavankar ◽  
Rachele Venanzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Ecological Indicator ◽  
Traffic Intensity ◽  
Soil Biological Properties ◽  
Density And Biomass ◽  
Soil Recovery ◽  
The Impact

Soil damage caused by logging operations conducted to obtain and maximize economic benefits has been established as having long-term effects on forest soil quality and productivity. However, a comprehensive study of the impact of logging operations on earthworms as a criterion for soil recovery has never been conducted in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran. The aim of this study was to determine the changes in soil biological properties (earthworm density and biomass) and its recovery process under the influence of traffic intensity, slope and soil depth in various intervals according to age after logging operations. Soil properties were compared among abandoned skid trails with different ages (i.e., 3, 10, 20, and 25 years) and an undisturbed area. The results showed that earthworm density and biomass in the high traffic intensity and slope class of 20–30% at the 10–20 cm depth of the soil had the lowest value compared to the other treatments. Twenty-five years after the logging operations, the earthworm density at soil depth of 0–10 and 10–20 cm was 28.4% (0.48 ind. m−2) and 38.6% (0.35 ind. m−2), which were less than those of the undisturbed area, respectively. Meanwhile, the earthworm biomass at a soil depth of 0–10 and 10–20 cm was 30.5% (2.05 mg m−2) and 40.5% (1.54 mg m−2) less than the values of the undisturbed area, respectively. The earthworm density and biomass were positively correlated with total porosity, organic carbon and nitrogen content, while negatively correlated with soil bulk density and C/N ratio. According to the results, 25 years after logging operations, the earthworm density and biomass on the skid trails were recovered, but they were significantly different with the undisturbed area. Therefore, full recovery of soil biological properties (i.e., earthworm density and biomass) takes more than 25 years. The conclusions of our study reveal that the effects of logging operations on soil properties are of great significance, and our understanding of the mechanism of soil change and recovery demand that harvesting operations be extensively and properly implemented.

scholarly journals Circadian clock control of eIF2α phosphorylation is necessary for rhythmic translation initiation

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (20) ◽  
pp. 10935-10945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanta Karki ◽  
Kathrina Castillo ◽  
Zhaolan Ding ◽  
Olivia Kerr ◽  
Teresa M. Lamb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Clock ◽  
Translation Initiation ◽  
Translation Initiation Factor ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Nutrient Metabolism ◽  
Eif2α Phosphorylation ◽  
Eif2α Kinase ◽  
The Impact

The circadian clock in eukaryotes controls transcriptional and posttranscriptional events, including regulation of the levels and phosphorylation state of translation factors. However, the mechanisms underlying clock control of translation initiation, and the impact of this potential regulation on rhythmic protein synthesis, were not known. We show that inhibitory phosphorylation of eIF2α (P-eIF2α), a conserved translation initiation factor, is clock controlled in Neurospora crassa, peaking during the subjective day. Cycling P-eIF2α levels required rhythmic activation of the eIF2α kinase CPC-3 (the homolog of yeast and mammalian GCN2), and rhythmic activation of CPC-3 was abolished under conditions in which the levels of charged tRNAs were altered. Clock-controlled accumulation of P-eIF2α led to reduced translation during the day in vitro and was necessary for the rhythmic synthesis of select proteins in vivo. Finally, loss of rhythmic P-eIF2α levels led to reduced linear growth rates, supporting the idea that partitioning translation to specific times of day provides a growth advantage to the organism. Together, these results reveal a fundamental mechanism by which the clock regulates rhythmic protein production, and provide key insights into how rhythmic translation, cellular energy, stress, and nutrient metabolism are linked through the levels of charged versus uncharged tRNAs.

Innovation Failure: Losing Sight of the Big Picture

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Fortoul Obermöller
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Passenger Car ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Significant Step ◽  
Big Picture ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities ◽  
The Impact

The Case Study section of the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation serves two purposes. First, the case studies presented are concerned with problematical issues that are pertinent to students of entrepreneurship. Thus they constitute appropriate teaching and learning vehicles on a variety of postgraduate and undergraduate programmes. Each case study is accompanied by a set of guidelines for the use of tutors. Second, it is envisaged that those engaged in entrepreneurial activities will find the cases both interesting and useful. The case of PSA Peugeot Citroën's electric passenger car is an example of an innovation perceived as a failure because of its disappointing sales volume. Yet, by limiting our assessment of the electric passenger car to a short-term perspective, we may miss out on an essential part of its value. As part of a wider innovation process, the electric passenger car project is a significant step for PSA in its expertise regarding electric vehicles. Key learning outcomes: (a) to understand that innovation is a complex process with fuzzy frontiers, both in time and space; (b) to understand that innovation is a long-term investment with spillovers into other projects; (c) to be aware of the multiple perspectives that may be adopted when examining innovation; and (d) to be aware of the impact of labelling a project a failure.

scholarly journals The Microbiotic Highway to Health—New Perspective on Food Structure, Gut Microbiota, and Host Inflammation

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Hansen ◽  
Anette Sams
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Gut Hormones ◽  
Host Immune System ◽  
Inflammatory Conditions ◽  
Food Structure ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Impact

This review provides evidence that not only the content of nutrients but indeed the structural organization of nutrients is a major determinant of human health. The gut microbiota provides nutrients for the host by digesting food structures otherwise indigestible by human enzymes, thereby simultaneously harvesting energy and delivering nutrients and metabolites for the nutritional and biological benefit of the host. Microbiota-derived nutrients, metabolites, and antigens promote the development and function of the host immune system both directly by activating cells of the adaptive and innate immune system and indirectly by sustaining release of monosaccharides, stimulating intestinal receptors and secreting gut hormones. Multiple indirect microbiota-dependent biological responses contribute to glucose homeostasis, which prevents hyperglycemia-induced inflammatory conditions. The composition and function of the gut microbiota vary between individuals and whereas dietary habits influence the gut microbiota, the gut microbiota influences both the nutritional and biological homeostasis of the host. A healthy gut microbiota requires the presence of beneficial microbiotic species as well as vital food structures to ensure appropriate feeding of the microbiota. This review focuses on the impact of plant-based food structures, the “fiber-encapsulated nutrient formulation”, and on the direct and indirect mechanisms by which the gut microbiota participate in host immune function.

scholarly journals Assessing the Potential of Nontraditional Water Sources for Landscape Irrigation

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 436-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raul I. Cabrera ◽  
James E. Altland ◽  
Genhua Niu
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Aesthetic Quality ◽  
The Impact

Scarcity and competition for good quality and potable water resources are limiting their use for urban landscape irrigation, with several nontraditional sources being potentially available for these activities. Some of these alternative sources include rainwater, stormwater, brackish aquifer water, municipal reclaimed water (MRW), air-conditioning (A/C) condensates, and residential graywater. Knowledge on their inherent chemical profile and properties, and associated regional and temporal variability, is needed to assess their irrigation quality and potential short- and long-term effects on landscape plants and soils and to implement best management practices that successfully deal with their quality issues. The primary challenges with the use of these sources are largely associated with high concentrations of total salts and undesirable specific ions [sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), boron (B), and bicarbonate (HCO3−) alkalinity]. Although the impact of these alternative water sources has been largely devoted to human health, plant growth and aesthetic quality, and soil physicochemical properties, there is emergent interest in evaluating their effects on soil biological properties and in natural ecosystems neighboring the urban areas where they are applied.

scholarly journals A Markov model of urban evolution: Neighbourhood change as a complex process

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0245357
Author(s):  
Daniel Silver ◽  
Thiago H. Silva
Keyword(s):  
Markov Model ◽  
Markov Models ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Hierarchical Approach ◽  
Evolutionary Trajectory ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Trajectories Of Change ◽  
Neighbourhood Change ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Complexity Theories

This paper seeks to advance neighbourhood change research and complexity theories of cities by developing and exploring a Markov model of socio-spatial neighbourhood evolution in Toronto, Canada. First, we classify Toronto neighbourhoods into distinct groups using established geodemographic segmentation techniques, a relatively novel application in this geographic setting. Extending previous studies, we pursue a hierarchical approach to classifying neighbourhoods that situates many neighbourhood types within the city’s broader structure. Our hierarchical approach is able to incorporate a richer set of types than most past research and allows us to study how neighbourhoods’ positions within this hierarchy shape their trajectories of change. Second, we use Markov models to identify generative processes that produce patterns of change in the city’s distribution of neighbourhood types. Moreover, we add a spatial component to the Markov process to uncover the extent to which change in one type of neighbourhood depends on the character of nearby neighbourhoods. In contrast to the few studies that have explored Markov models in this research tradition, we validate the model’s predictive power. Third, we demonstrate how to use such models in theoretical scenarios considering the impact on the city’s predicted evolutionary trajectory when existing probabilities of neighbourhood transitions or distributions of neighbourhood types would hypothetically change. Markov models of transition patterns prove to be highly accurate in predicting the final distribution of neighbourhood types. Counterfactual scenarios empirically demonstrate urban complexity: small initial changes reverberate throughout the system, and unfold differently depending on their initial geographic distribution. These scenarios show the value of complexity as a framework for interpreting data and guiding scenario-based planning exercises.

scholarly journals Impact of sewage water irrigation on agricultural soil

2021 ◽  
pp. 141-148
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Development ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Sewage Water ◽  
Viable Count ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Available Nitrogen ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Flooded Field

The rapidly increasing population growth and the steady increase in water requirements for agricultural and industrial development have placed severe stress on the water resources available and the long term use of sewage water for irrigation highly affects soil properties. In this study soil samples were collected from a cauliflower field prior and after sewage water irrigation, and the impact of sewage water irrigation on physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil was compared. For this, tested were pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Organic Carbon, available Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Iron, Copper, Manganese, and microbial activity. Soil microbial biomass carbon, basal soil respiration, total viable count of bacteria, coliform population, Pseudomonas species, and Azotobacter significantly increased after sewage water irrigation as compared to prior to irrigation. Nevertheless, the bulk density and Rhizobium species of the soil flooded with sewage water was decreased relative to the same characteristics prior to irrigation. Cauliflower yield was significantly increased when sewage water flooded field as compared to the tube well water flooded field (i.e., water delivered via an iron pipe). Escherichia coli contamination was greater in sewage water and groundwater that can pose health risks for the nearby communities, to farmers and consumer of farm products. Hence, the efficient use of sewage and municipal wastewater successfully increase water resource for irrigation and may help in expanding agricultural production. But excessive use of sewage water may also affect the soil flora and fertility.

scholarly journals Using bio-manipulation to optimise nutrient management within intensive farm systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vito Abbruzzese
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Availability ◽  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Retention Capacity ◽  
Know How ◽  
System P ◽  
Livestock Farms ◽  
Farm System ◽  
The Impact

The research project aims to enhance organic nutrient management in livestock farms using microbial and enzyme inoculations, with a particular focus on the phosphorus biogeochemical cycle. In order to do this the first approach consists of characterising the chemical and biological properties of farm slurries as a baseline to evaluate possible amendments of the intrinsic properties of the slurry. Consequently, it is pivotal to consider properties such as plant nutrients, i.e., phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium, as well as the microbial community within the slurry. Likewise, attention needs to be paid to soil chemical and biological properties, e.g. pH, salinity and organic matter, as well as to the variety of organisms inhabiting the soil, in order to determine the impact of inoculation on phosphorus cycling and nutrient availability for plant use. Furthermore, it is important to know how soil and its productivity may be influenced by the addition of the inoculated slurry. Of particular interest are also the soil properties which have an effect on plant growth. The pH of soil and, notably, nutrient availability and retention capacity are some of the features on which to direct the research in order to assess the quality of soil and, as a result, the production of a grass crop in livestock farms. The characterisation of these properties will be performed using a variety of approaches, beginning with analysis at laboratory- and mesocosm-scales and progressing to a fieldwork approach in order to evaluate the results directly in a farm system.

scholarly journals Combination of in vivo phage therapy data with in silico model highlights key parameters for treatment efficacy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphaelle Delattre ◽  
Jeremy Seurat ◽  
Feyrouz Haddad ◽  
Thu-Thuy Nguyen ◽  
Baptiste Gaborieau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phage Therapy ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
General Strategy ◽  
In Vivo Experiments ◽  
Bacterial Dynamics ◽  
Optimal Dosing ◽  
Dosing Regimens ◽  
The Impact

The clinical (re)development of phage therapy to treat antibiotic resistant infections requires grasping specific biological properties of bacteriophages (phages) as antibacterial. However, identification of optimal dosing regimens is hampered by the poor understanding of phage-bacteria interactions in vivo. Here we developed a general strategy coupling in vitro and in vivo experiments with a mathematical model to characterize the interplay between phage and bacterial dynamics during pneumonia induced by a pathogenic strain of Escherichia coli. The model estimates some key parameters for phage therapeutic efficacy, in particular the impact of dose and route of administration on phage dynamics and the synergism of phage and the innate immune response on the bacterial clearance rate. Simulations predict a low impact of the intrinsic phage characteristics in agreement with the current semi-empirical choices of phages for compassionate treatments. Model-based approaches will foster the deployment of future phage therapy clinical trials.

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