Xylo-Oligosaccharides in Prevention of Hepatic Steatosis and Adipose Tissue Inflammation: Associating Taxonomic and Metabolomic Patterns in Fecal Microbiomes with Biclustering

We have shown that prebiotic xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) increased beneficial gut microbiota (GM) and prevented high fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis, but the mechanisms associated with these effects are not clear. We studied whether XOS affects adipose tissue inflammation and insulin signaling, and whether the GM and fecal metabolome explain associated patterns. XOS was supplemented or not with high (HFD) or low (LFD) fat diet for 12 weeks in male Wistar rats (n = 10/group). Previously analyzed GM and fecal metabolites were biclustered to reduce data dimensionality and identify interpretable groups of co-occurring genera and metabolites. Based on our findings, biclustering provides a use…

”Mä kertakaikkiaan löydän jonkun konstin, että nousen täältä” - Kroonista väsymysoireyhtymää (ME/CFS) sairastavien toimijuuden modaliteetit

Krooninen väsymysoireyhtymä (ME/CFS [myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome]; G93.3) on pitkäkestoinen, harvinainen ja vaikeasti diagnosoitava sairaus, jolle on tyypillistä voimakas pitkäaikainen väsymys, joka ei selity millään muulla fyysisellä tai psykiatrisella sairaudella. Valtakunnalliset Hyvä käytäntö konsensussuositukset sairauden hoitoon julkaistiin helmikuussa 2021.  Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan viiden kroonista väsymysoireyhtymää sairastavan toimijuuden kokemuksia. Erityisenä tarkastelun kohteena ovat terveydenhuollon palvelu- ja hoitojärjestelmän vaikutukset sairastuneiden toimijuuteen. Aineisto on kerätty ennen konsensussuositusten julkaisemista. Tutkimus on la…

Effects of caffeine on neuromuscular function in a non‐fatigued state and during fatiguing exercise

New findings What is the central question of the study? What are the effects of caffeine on neuromuscular function in a non-fatigued state and during fatiguing exercise? What is the main finding and its importance? In a non-fatigued state, caffeine decreased the duration of the silent period evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation. Caffeine-induced reduction of inhibitory mechanisms in the central nervous system before exercise was associated with an increased performance. Individuals who benefit from caffeine ingestion may experience lower perception of effort during exercise and an accelerated recovery of M-wave amplitude postfatigue. This study elucidates the mechanisms of action of …

Inflammatory Biomarkers in Elite Cross-Country Skiers After a Competition Season : A Case-Control Study

Abstract Purpose Whether elite athletes, who have been exposed to vigorous-intensity exercise combined with other stressors, have elevated systemic low-grade inflammation, remains largely unclear. To address this question, we studied the levels of six inflammatory cytokines as potential biomarkers of a low-grade inflammatory state in elite athletes after an 11-month training and competition season. Methods We collected sera from 27 Finnish elite cross-country skiers and 27 gender- and age-matched, moderately-exercising controls. The serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), glycoprotein acetyls (GlycA), interleukin 10 (IL-10…

Associations of resting and peak fat oxidation with sex hormone profile and blood glucose control in middle-aged women.

Background and Aims Menopause may reduce fat oxidation. We investigated whether sex hormone profile explains resting fat oxidation (RFO) or peak fat oxidation (PFO) during incremental cycling in middle-aged women. Secondarily, we studied associations of RFO and PFO with glucose regulation. Method and Results We measured RFO and PFO of 42 women (age 52–58 years) with indirect calorimetry. Seven participants were pre- or perimenopausal, 26 were postmenopausal, and nine were postmenopausal hormone therapy users. Serum estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone, progesterone, and testosterone levels were quantified with immunoassays. Insulin sensitivity (Matsuda index) and glucose tolerance (…

Identification of Gut Microbial Lysine and Histidine Degradation and CYP-Dependent Metabolites as Biomarkers of Fatty Liver Disease

Numerous studies have described specific metabolites as biomarkers ofsevere liver diseases, but very few have measured gut microbiota (GM)-produced metab-olites in fatty liver disease. We aimed atfinding GM signatures and metabolite markersin plasma and feces related to high liver fat content. Based on imaging, we dividedstudy participants into low (,5%, LF,n= 25) and high (.5%, HF,n= 39) liver fatgroups. Fecal (LFn= 14, HFn= 25) and plasma (LFn= 11, HFn= 7) metabolomes ofsubsets of participants were studied using liquid chromatography/high resolution massspectrometry. The GM were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Additionally,blood clinical variables and diet were studied. Dyslipide…

Serum cytokines in elite skiing athletes associate with triglyceride metabolism