Search results for "FUNCTIONAL"
showing 10 items of 4822 documents
Targeting aging with functional food: Pasta with opuntia single-arm pilot study
2018
Interventions to extend life span represent the new perspective in aging investigation. Healthy dietary habits are important modifiable factors that can favor a healthy aging phenotype. Many studies have demonstrated benefits for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus resulting from the traditional Mediterranean foods. Opuntia Ficus Indica (OFI), widespread in the Mediterranean basin, belongs to the Cactaceae family. It is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Moreover, products containing extracts from OFI fruits or cladodes have been used to control obesity and other metabolic parameters, such as glycemia and lipid profile. The aim of this study was to analy…
Obstacles and opportunities in the functional analysis of extracellular vesicle RNA - an ISEV position paper
2017
The release of RNA-containing extracellular vesicles (EV) into the extracellular milieu has been demonstrated in a multitude of different in vitro cell systems and in a variety of body fluids. RNA-containing EV are in the limelight for their capacity to communicate genetically encoded messages to other cells, their suitability as candidate biomarkers for diseases, and their use as therapeutic agents. Although EV-RNA has attracted enormous interest from basic researchers, clinicians, and industry, we currently have limited knowledge on which mechanisms drive and regulate RNA incorporation into EV and on how RNA-encoded messages affect signalling processes in EV-targeted cells. Moreover, EV-R…
Overview of the interaction of helminth extracellular vesicles with the host and their potential functions and biological applications.
2021
Helminth Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) have emerged as important mediators in host-parasite communications, participating in the parasite survival and its pathogenic effects. In the last decade, a growing amount of information reporting the isolation and characterization of EVs from different helminth species has appeared, but unfortunately, few reports have focused on functional studies of helminth EVs in different cell lines, organoids or animal models. We here review these in vitro and in vivo studies, which clearly demonstrate that helminths secrete EVs, which affect their environment. Helminth EVs are actively internalized by different cell lines, modulating cellular functions important…
Analysis of substrate binding in individual active sites of bifunctional human ATIC
2018
Aminoimidazolecarboxamide ribonucleotide formyl transferase (AICARFT): Inosine monophosphate cyclohydrolase (IMPCH, collectively called ATIC) is a bifunctional enzyme that catalyses the penultimate and final steps in the purine de novo biosynthesis pathway. The bifunctional protein is dimeric and each monomer contains two different active sites both of which are capable of binding nucleotide substrates, this means to a potential total of four distinct binding events might be observed. Within this work we used a combination of site-directed and truncation mutants of ATIC to independently investigate the binding at these two sites using calorimetry. A single S10W mutation is sufficient to blo…
Uterine disorders affecting female fertility: what are the molecular functions altered in endometrium?
2020
[EN]: Objective:To determine the molecular functions of genes exhibiting altered expression in the endometrium of women with uterine disorders affecting fertility. Design: Retrospective analysis integrating case and control data from multiple cohorts with endometrium gene expression in women with uterine disorders. Setting: Infertility research department affiliated with a university hospital. Patient(s): Two hundred and forty women, 121 of whom were controls, 119 of whom had endometrial adenocarcinoma (ADC), recurrent implantation failure (RIF), recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), or stage II–IV endometriosis. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Genomewide gene expression and alter…
Fibres as functional foods and the effects on gut hormones: The example of β-glucans in a single arm pilot study
2018
Abstract Nutritional styles as Mediterranean and DASH diets are associated with lower incidences of certain chronic diseases and long life expectancy. The reason lays on their different contribution in fibers, polyphenols (from vegetables and fruit) and proteins. Barley is high fiber cereal that contains high amount of β-glucans and insoluble fibers that it was recognized having healthy benefits. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of β-glucans intake on glycaemic response, cholesterol and intestinal hormones levels. A single arm pilot study was performed with ten healthy individual which, consumed pasta enriched with 6% β-glucans for 30 days. Blood was collected at fasting and…
Bifunctional viscous nanovesicles co-loaded with resveratrol and gallic acid for skin protection against microbial and oxidative injuries.
2017
Resveratrol and gallic acid were co-loaded in phospholipid vesicles aiming at protecting the skin from external injuries, such as oxidative stress and microbial infections. Liposomes were prepared using biocompatible phospholipids dispersed in water. To improve vesicle stability and applicability, the phospholipids and the phenols were dispersed in water/propylene glycol or water/glycerol, thus obtaining PEVs and glycerosomes, respectively. The vesicles were characterized by size, morphology, physical stability, and their therapeutic efficacy was investigated in vitro. The vesicles were spherical, unilamellar and small in size: liposomes and glycerosomes were around 70nm in diameter, while …
Exploring the neural correlates of the reversed letter effect: Evidence from left and right parietal patients.
2019
To investigate the hemispheric lateralization of attentional processes during visual search tasks depending on the stimulus material embedding the target, twelve patients with unilateral left (n = 7) or right (n = 5) parietal lesions and 20 age and education matched healthy controls (HC) were recruited. We used a visual search task for a uniquely tilted oblique bar embedded in an object shape 'N' or in its mirror reversal 'И'. The accuracy and the averaged reaction times (RTs) in each stimulus type ('N' or 'И') were analysed.\ud \ud HC presented significantly longer RTs when the target bar was embedded in 'N' among its mirror reversed 'И' (p < .05). This “reversed letter effect” was also…
Litchi chinensis as a Functional Food and a Source of Antitumor Compounds: An Overview and a Description of Biochemical Pathways.
2017
Litchi is a tasty fruit that is commercially grown for food consumption and nutritional benefits in various parts of the world. Due to its biological activities, the fruit is becoming increasingly known and deserves attention not only for its edible part, the pulp, but also for its peel and seed that contain beneficial substances with antioxidant, cancer preventive, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory functions. Although literature demonstrates the biological activity of Litchi components in reducing tumor cell viability in in vitro or in vivo models, data about the biochemical mechanisms responsible for these effects are quite fragmentary. This review specifically describes, in a comprehe…
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) as a functional food additive in egg pasta: Enrichment and bioaccessibility of Lutein and β-carotene
2018
Abstract The use of stinging nettles as an ingredient in egg pasta has been evaluated with respect to food enrichment with carotenoids. Bioaccessibility of lutein and β-carotene has been estimated by dynamic simulation of the digestion process, with particular attention to duodenum and colon stages. Higher bioaccessibility for the two carotenoids occurs between 2 and 24 h of colonic fermentation and it is around 35% for lutein and 10% for β-carotene. However, the results reveal that the food matrix has a significant role in carotenoid release during the digestion process. In general, nettle enriched pasta has a lower carotenoid bioaccessibility than dietary supplement at duodenum and after …