Dairy products and inflammation: A review of the clinical evidence

Inflammation is a major biological process regulating the interaction between organisms and the environment, including the diet. Because of the increase in chronic inflammatory diseases, and in light of the immune-regulatory properties of breastfeeding, the ability of dairy products to modulate inflammatory processes in humans is an important but unresolved issue. Here, we report a systematic review of 52 clinical trials investigating inflammatory markers in relation to the consumption of dairy products. An inflammatory score (IS) was defined to quantitatively evaluate this interaction. The IS was significantly positive for the entire data set, indicating an anti-inflammatory activity in humans. When the subjects were stratified according to their health status, the IS was strongly indicative of an anti-inflammatory activity in subjects with metabolic disorders and of a pro-inflammatory activity in subjects allergic to bovine milk. Stratifying the data by product categories associated both low-fat and high-fat products, as well as fermented products, with an anti-inflammatory activity. Remarkably, the literature is characterized by a large gap in knowledge on bioavailability of bioactive nutrients. Future research should thus better combine food and nutritional sciences to adequately follow the fate of these nutrients along the gastrointestinal and metabolic axes.     

Comparison of the effects of a 24-hour nicotine patch and a 16-hour nicotine patch on smoking urges and sleep.

This randomized, open-label, crossover study was conducted to compare the effects of a 24-hr nicotine patch and a 16-hr nicotine patch on morning smoking urges and sleep quality of dependent smokers during a short period of cigarette abstinence. A total of 20 smokers (9 women and 11 men) smoking at least 20 cigarettes/day completed the two smoke-free study periods. For each period, cigarette abstinence started on the first evening and a nicotine patch was applied the next morning (for 16 or 24 hr), after baseline measures; a second patch was applied the next morning, 1 hr before the end of the experimental period. Smoking urges, mood and behavior self-reports, psychomotor performance, and polysomnographic recordings were compared between the two types of nicotine patch according to changes from baseline. Both patches decreased morning smoking urges, although results were significantly superior for the 24-hr patch. Furthermore, the 24-hr patch was more effective than the 16-hr patch in reducing the positive reinforcing dimension of smoking urges. Regarding polysomnographic recordings, the proportion of slow wave sleep was significantly increased from baseline with the 24-hr patch compared with the 16-hr patch. As for psychomotor performance measured through the critical flicker fusion test, significant improvement in morning alertness was observed in the 24-hr patch group. In conclusion, the 24-hr nicotine patch formulation is more effective than the 16-hr formulation in alleviating morning smoking urges and more specifically the positive reinforcing factor. The present findings do not support the idea that nicotine delivery during bedtime might disturb sleep, but rather it improves restorative sleep and postwaking arousal.     

Effect of oligofructose supplementation on gut microflora and well-being in young children attending a day care centre

The effect of daily administration of oligofructose (OF) on 7-19 months old healthy children intestinal microflora, intestinal tolerance and well-being was assessed in a double blind placebo controlled study. The study comprised 8 days of observation, 21 days of supplementation, and 15 days of post-supplementation. Exclusion criteria included antibiotic use and intake of other prebiotic and probiotic at any time following enrolment. Faecal flora was analysed by culture methods, and health information was recorded daily. Bifidobacteria, tended to slightly increase with OF supplementation, but not with placebo (p=0.095). Simultaneously, a decrease in potential pathogens, significant for clostridia (p=0.05) but not for staphylococci (p=0.09) was observed in the OF group. These modifications did not persist during the post-supplementation period. OF supplementation were accompanied by less flatulence, diarrhoea, vomiting (p<0.001), and fever (p<0.05) events.     

Involvement of plasma adipokines in metabolic and reproductive parameters in Holstein dairy cows fed with diets with differing energy levels

This study aimed to investigate the association between plasma adipokine concentrations and metabolic and reproductive parameters in Holstein dairy cows fed diets with different energy levels during the peripartum period. The experiment started 1 mo before first calving and was maintained for 2 lactations. Dry matter intake and energy balance in animals fed a low-energy (LE) diet were significantly lower than that of animals fed a high-energy (HE) diet in the first lactation. Body weight, milk production, back fat thickness, and plasma concentrations of fatty acids, glucose, and insulin were not affected by diet, whereas plasma leptin and adiponectin concentrations were lower and plasma resistin concentrations higher in animals fed the LE diet. Unlike concentrations of adiponectin, plasma resistin concentrations were positively correlated with back fat thickness and plasma fatty acids concentrations and negatively correlated with dry matter intake and plasma leptin concentrations. No effect of diet was found on reproductive variables; that is, pregnancy rates at 35 or 90 d after artificial insemination (AI); numbers of small (3–5 mm), medium (>5 and ≤7 mm), and large (>7 mm) follicles; calving-to-AI and calving-to-calving intervals; and magnitude and duration of the LH surge. However, the commencement of luteal activity after first calving occurred sooner and the frequency of LH pulses was higher in the HE group than in the LE group. A significant positive correlation was found between the number of follicles (of any size) and the area under the curve of plasma resistin concentrations. The number of small follicles was also positively correlated with the nadir of plasma resistin concentrations. Taken together, these results suggest that dietary energy content in the range applied here can alter the resumption of ovarian activity and LH pulsatility without affecting fat mobilization. Plasma adipokine profiles (leptin, resistin, and adiponectin) were significantly altered by diet and negative energy balance but relationships with reproductive variables were limited to follicular growth characteristics and plasma resistin concentrations.     

The relationship of dietary fats to prostaglandin biosynthesis

The direct and indirect evidence that the fatty acid composition of dietary fat is involved in the regulation of prostaglandin biosynthesis was reviewed. Direct evidence included effects of essential fatty acid deficiencies and excesses on endogenous tissue levels and production rates of prostaglandins by several tissues. Indirect evidence included lipolytic, platelet aggregatory, hypertensive, inflammatory and immune responses. In general, composition of dietary fat did not affect prostaglandin biosynthesis unless a biochemical essential fatty acid deficiency was induced or the linoleate to saturated fatty acids ratio of the dietary fat was greater than 5. Most results were interpreted in light of changing fatty acid composition; however, very few direct measurements have been made.     

Comparative efficiency of shear,elongation and turbulent droplet breakup mechanisms: Review and application

The study of phase dispersion of two immiscible fluids in different flows requires identifying the relevant breakup mechanisms. We propose here a detailed investigation of droplet breakup in a multifunctional exchanger-reactor of the vortex generator type in which transfer intensification is due to longitudinal vortical structures. We compare the efficiency of the mean gradients and turbulent mechanisms in droplet breakup in this industrial reactor. This efficiency is essentially characterized by the resulting distribution of droplet diameters. Then, the roles of the mean flow and the turbulent field, intensity, energy spectrum, and turbulence scales are examined in relation to the liquid/liquid dispersion in order to explore the governing mechanisms of drop breakup. In the complex flow considered here – nonhomogeneous and anisotropic turbulence at moderate Reynolds numbers (<15,000) – with weak turbulence intensity (about 10%), it can be demonstrated that turbulent breakup mechanisms largely dominate mean flow effects; elongation and shear effects are shown to have minor effects on the breakup mechanisms. Moreover, the global characteristic scales of the flow are not the relevant parameters in predicting the final size of the emulsion, but instead the Kolmogorov microscale, implying that the residence time in the reactor is not a limiting factor. Hence, the local dissipation rate governs the performance of the actual multifunctional reactor. This study provides some insight in the design and scaling-up of multiphase reactors.     

Lithium storage in amorphous TiNi hydride: Electrode for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries

In this study, amorphous TiNi phase was successfully prepared using mechanically milling for a very short time of 8 h. HRTEM confirms the formation of amorphous phase with the presence of nanocrystalline Fe particles. After hydrogenation (30 bars of H₂ for a duration of 2 h), the electrochemical reaction shows that TiNi hydride/Li cell discharges at a current of one Li for 10 h between 3 V and 0.005 V. The discharge of TiNiH electrode around x = 1 Li corresponds to a capacity of 251 mAh g⁻¹ and a hydride composition of TiNiH_1.0 at an average voltage of 0.4 V. Ex-situ X-ray diffraction pattern collected at the end of the discharge shows a mixture of amorphous TiNi compound and LiH. A general mechanism for the electrochemical reaction is then proposed: α-TiNiH + Li⁺ + e⁻ → α-TiNi + LiH. The results from DFT calculations yield an average cell voltage of 0.396 V, which is in good agreement with the experimental pseudo-plateau occurring at 0.4 V.