Solarplast®-An Enzymatically Treated Spinach Extract.

In the modern world we are constantly bombarded by environmental and natural stimuli that can result in oxidative stress. Antioxidant molecules and enzymes help the human body scavenge reactive oxygen species and prevent oxidative damage. Most organisms possess intrinsic antioxidant activity, but also benefit from the consumption of antioxidants from their diet. Leafy green vegetables such as spinach are a well-researched rich source of dietary antioxidant molecules. However, plant cell walls are difficult to digest for many individuals and the bio-accessibility of nutrients and antioxidants from these sources can be limited by the degree of digestion and assimilation. Through a specific enzymatic process, Solarplast® contains organic spinach protoplasts without the cell wall, which may facilitate higher yield and efficacy of beneficial antioxidant molecules. In this study, analytical techniques coupled to in vitro bioassays were used to determine the potential antioxidant activity of Solarplast® and determine its antioxidant enzymatic capabilities. Solarplast® demonstrated superior antioxidant activity when compared to frozen spinach leaves in TOC, FRAP and TEAC antioxidant assays. Several antioxidant enzymes were also increased in Solarplast®, when compared to frozen spinach. As a functional readout, Solarplast® attenuated hydrogen peroxide-, ethanol- and acetaminophen-induced increases in oxidative stress and cytotoxicity in both intestinal (HT-29) and liver (HepG2) cell lines. These findings suggest that Solarplast® may represent a non-GMO, plant-based food supplement to help reduce oxidative stress in the human body.

Bacillus megaterium Renuspore® as a potential probiotic for gut health and detoxification of unwanted dietary contaminants.

Exposure to diverse environmental pollutants and food contaminants is ever-increasing. The risks related to the bioaccumulation of such xenobiotics in the air and food chain have exerted negative effects on human health, such as inflammation, oxidative stress, DNA damage, gastrointestinal disorders, and chronic diseases. The use of probiotics is considered an economical and versatile tool for the detoxification of hazardous chemicals that are persistent in the environment and food chain, potentially for scavenging unwanted xenobiotics in the gut. In this study, Bacillus megaterium MIT411 (Renuspore®) was characterized for general probiotic properties including antimicrobial activity, dietary metabolism, and antioxidant activity, and for the capacity to detoxify several environmental contaminants that can be found in the food chain. In silico studies revealed genes associated with carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolism, xenobiotic chelation or degradation, and antioxidant properties. Bacillus megaterium MIT411 (Renuspore®) demonstrated high levels of total antioxidant activities, in addition to antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, and Campylobacter jejuni in vitro. The metabolic analysis demonstrated strong enzymatic activity with a high release of amino acids and beneficial short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Moreover, Renuspore® effectively chelated the heavy metals, mercury and lead, without negatively impacting the beneficial minerals, iron, magnesium, or calcium, and degraded the environmental contaminants, nitrite, ammonia, and 4-Chloro-2-nitrophenol. These findings suggest that Renuspore® may play a beneficial role in supporting gut health metabolism and eliminating unwanted dietary contaminants.

Immunomodulatory and Antioxidant Properties of a Novel Potential Probiotic Bacillus clausii CSI08.

Spore-forming bacteria of the Bacillus genus have demonstrated potential as probiotics for human use. Bacillus clausii have been recognized as efficacious and safe agents for preventing and treating diarrhea in children and adults, with pronounced immunomodulatory properties during several in vitro and clinical studies. Herein, we characterize the novel strain of B. clausii CSI08 (Munispore®) for probiotic attributes including resistance to gastric acid and bile salts, the ability to suppress the growth of human pathogens, the capacity to assimilate wide range of carbohydrates and to produce potentially beneficial enzymes. Both spores and vegetative cells of this strain were able to adhere to a mucous-producing intestinal cell line and to attenuate the LPS- and Poly I:C-triggered pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression in HT-29 intestinal cell line. Vegetative cells of B. clausii CSI08 were also able to elicit a robust immune response in U937-derived macrophages. Furthermore, B. clausii CSI08 demonstrated cytoprotective effects in in vitro cell culture and in vivo C. elegans models of oxidative stress. Taken together, these beneficial properties provide strong evidence for B. clausii CSI08 as a promising potential probiotic.

In vitro safety and functional characterization of the novel Bacillus coagulans strain CGI314.

Introduction: Bacillus coagulans species have garnered much interest in health-related functional food research owing to their desirable probiotic properties, including pathogen exclusion, antioxidant, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and food fermentation capabilities coupled with their tolerance of extreme environments (pH, temperature, gastric and bile acid resistance) and stability due to their endosporulation ability. Methods: In this study, the novel strain Bacillus coagulans CGI314 was assessed for safety, and functional probiotic attributes including resistance to heat, gastric acid and bile salts, the ability to adhere to intestinal cells, aggregation properties, the ability to suppress the growth of human pathogens, enzymatic profile, antioxidant capacity using biochemical and cell-based methods, cholesterol assimilation, anti-inflammatory activity, and attenuation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced disruption of the intestinal-epithelial barrier. Results: B. coagulans CGI314 spores display resistance to high temperatures (40°C, 70°C, and 90°C), and gastric and bile acids [pH 3.0 and bile salt (0.3%)], demonstrating its ability to survive and remain viable under gastrointestinal conditions. Spores and the vegetative form of this strain were able to adhere to a mucous-producing intestinal cell line, demonstrated moderate auto-aggregation properties, and could co-aggregate with potentially pathogenic bacteria. Vegetative cells attenuated LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression in HT-29 intestinal cell lines and demonstrated broad antagonistic activity toward numerous urinary tract, intestinal, oral, and skin pathogens. Metabolomic profiling demonstrated its ability to synthesize several amino acids, vitamins and short-chain fatty acids from the breakdown of complex molecules or by de novo synthesis. Additionally, B. coagulans CGI314's strong antioxidant capacity was demonstrated using enzyme-based methods and was further supported by its cytoprotective and antioxidant effects in HepG2 and HT-29 cell lines. Furthermore, B. coagulans CGI314 significantly increased the expression of tight junction proteins and partially ameliorated the detrimental effects of H2O2 induced intestinal-epithelial barrier integrity. Discussion: Taken together these beneficial functional properties provide strong evidence for B. coagulans CGI314 as a promising potential probiotic candidate in food products.

In vitro and in silico assessment of probiotic and functional properties of Bacillus subtilis DE111®.

Bacillus subtilis DE111® is a safe, well-tolerated commercially available spore-forming probiotic that has been clinically shown to support a healthy gut microbiome, and to promote digestive and immune health in both adults and children. Recently it was shown that this spore-forming probiotic was capable of germinating in the gastrointestinal tract as early as 3 h after ingestion. However, a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the efficacy of DE111® is required. Therefore, the present investigation was undertaken to elucidate the functional properties of DE111® through employing a combination of in vitro functional assays and genome analysis. DE111® genome mining revealed the presence of several genes encoding acid and stress tolerance mechanisms in addition to adhesion proteins required to survive and colonize harsh gastrointestinal environment including multi subunit ATPases, arginine deiminase (ADI) pathway genes (argBDR), stress (GroES/GroEL and DnaK/DnaJ) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) biosynthesis genes (pgsBCA). DE111® harbors several genes encoding enzymes involved in the metabolism of dietary molecules (protease, lipases, and carbohyrolases), antioxidant activity and genes associated with the synthesis of several B-vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxin, biotin, and folate), vitamin K2 (menaquinone) and seven amino acids including five essential amino acids (threonine, tryptophan, methionine, leucine, and lysine). Furthermore, a combined in silico analysis of bacteriocin producing genes with in vitro analysis highlighted a broad antagonistic activity of DE111® toward numerous urinary tract, intestinal, and skin pathogens. Enzymatic activities included proteases, peptidases, esterase's, and carbohydrate metabolism coupled with metabolomic analysis of DE111® fermented ultra-high temperature milk, revealed a high release of amino acids and beneficial short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Together, this study demonstrates the genetic and phenotypic ability of DE111® for surviving harsh gastric transit and conferring health benefits to the host, in particular its efficacy in the metabolism of dietary molecules, and its potential to generate beneficial SCFAs, casein-derived bioactive peptides, as well as its high antioxidant and antimicrobial potential. Thus, supporting the use of DE111® as a nutrient supplement and its pottential use in the preparation of functional foods.

Presence and Germination of the Probiotic Bacillus subtilis DE111® in the Human Small Intestinal Tract: A Randomized, Crossover, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Study.

Spore-based probiotics offer important advantages over other probiotics as they can survive the harsh gastric conditions of the stomach and bile salts in the small intestine, ultimately germinating in the digestive tract. A novel clinical trial in 11 ileostomy participants was conducted to directly investigate the presence and germination of the probiotic strain Bacillus subtilis DE111® in the small intestine. Three hours following ingestion of DE111®, B. subtilis spores (6.4 × 104 ± 1.3 × 105 CFU/g effluent dry weight) and vegetative cells (4.7 × 104 ± 1.1 × 105 CFU/g effluent dry weight) began to appear in the ileum effluent. Six hours after ingestion, spore concentration increased to 9.7 × 107 ± 8.1 × 107 CFU/g and remained constant to the final time point of 8 h. Vegetative cells reached a concentration of 7.3 × 107 ± 1.4 × 108 CFU/g at 7 h following ingestion. These results reveal orally ingested B. subtilis DE111® spores are able to remain viable during transit through the stomach and germinate in the small intestine of humans within 3 h of ingestion.

Anesthesia in a child operated for cleft lip associated with Patau's syndrome / Anestesia em criança operada para lábio leporino associado à síndrome de Patau

Abstract Patients with Patau's syndrome (Trisomy 13) have multiple craniofacial, cardiac, neurological and renal anomalies with very less life expectancy. Among craniofacial anomalies cleft lip and palate are common. These craniofacial and cardiac anomalies present difficulties with anesthesia. We therefore describe the anesthetic management in the case of a Trisomy 13 child for operated for cleft lip at 10 months of age.

Resumo Os pacientes com síndrome de Patau (trissomia 13) apresentam várias anomalias craniofaciais, cardíacas, neurológicas e renais, com expectativa de vida bem menor. Entre as anomalias craniofaciais, o lábio leporino e a fenda palatina são comuns. Essas anomalias craniofaciais e cardíacas apresentam dificuldades na anestesia. Portanto, descrevemos o manejo anestésico em uma criança de 10 meses com trissomia 13 submetida à cirurgia de lábio leporino.

[Anesthesia in a child operated for cleft lip associated with Patau's syndrome]. / Anestesia em criança operada para lábio leporino associado à síndrome de Patau.

Patients with Patau's syndrome (Trisomy 13) have multiple craniofacial, cardiac, neurological and renal anomalies with very less life expectancy. Among craniofacial anomalies cleft lip and palate are common. These craniofacial and cardiac anomalies present difficulties with anesthesia. We therefore describe the anesthetic management in the case of a Trisomy 13 child for operated for cleft lip at 10 months of age.

Thermal expansion, polarization and phase diagrams of Ba(1-y)Bi(2y/3)Ti(1-x)Zr(x)O(3) and Ba(1-y)La(y)Ti(1-y/4)O(3) compounds.

The thermal expansion properties of the ceramic compositions Ba(1-y)La(y)Ti(1-y/4)O(3) (y = 0.0, 0.026, 0.036, 0.054) and Ba(1-y)Bi(2y/3)Ti(1-x)Zr(x)O(3) (y = 0.10; x = 0.0, 0.04, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) were determined in the temperature range 120-700 K. We report the temperature-dependent measurements of the strain, thermal expansion coefficient and the magnitude of root mean square polarization. The results obtained are discussed together with the data on the structure and dielectric properties.