Hydroxytyrosol supplementation improves antioxidant and anti-inflammatory status in individuals with overweight and prediabetes: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel trial.

Background & Aim: Hydroxytyrosol (HT), an olive-derived phenolic compound, possesses well-known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. While its benefits in healthy individuals and as part of extra virgin olive oil are well studied, its preventive role as a dietary supplement in at-risk populations remains less explored. This study investigates the potential of HT supplementation in preventing aging-related diseases in overweight individuals with prediabetes.

Determinants of mechanical restraint and the role of verbal de-escalation techniques in patients with schizophrenia during involuntary hospital transfer.

Mechanical restraint (MR) is a significant ethical and clinical concern in psychiatric care and should be avoided whenever possible. A commonly recommended strategy to avoid MR, which is not yet strongly evidence-based, is verbal de-escalation (VD). This naturalistic observational study included individuals with schizophrenia who were involuntarily transferred from their homes to the emergency room by a specialized psychiatric home care team between 2008 and 2020.

Optilume® for Urethral Strictures: A Comprehensive Review.

Urethral stricture disease treatment presents significant challenges due to high recurrence rates and limited minimally invasive options. This review evaluates the efficacy, safety, and clinical applicability of the Optilume® drug-coated balloon, which combines mechanical urethral dilation with paclitaxel delivery, as an innovative alternative to traditional treatments.  A narrative review was conducted using PubMed, focusing on studies published in the last decade addressing the use of Optilume® for urethral strictures.

Cocoa-carob blend acute intake modifies miRNAs related to insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic subjects: a randomised controlled nutritional trial.

Postprandial metabolic disturbances are exacerbated in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Cocoa and carob, despite showing promising effects on these alterations in preclinical studies, have not yet been jointly tested in a clinical trial. Therefore, this acute, randomised, controlled, crossover nutritional trial evaluated the postprandial effects of a cocoa-carob blend (CCB) in participants with T2D ( = 20) and overweight/obesity.

Protective Effects of Flavonoids in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy: A Comprehensive Review on the Mechanistic Insights.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the leading causes of mortality among diabetic patients. Flavonoid are the most abundant group of phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables, and have received increasing interest as potential chemopreventive antidiabetic agents. Flavonoids might contribute to prevent or delay DCM by regulating the cardiac metabolism, insulin signaling, oxidative stress, apoptosis, autophagy, and inflammation.

Variation in wood density across South American tropical forests.

Wood density is a critical control on tree biomass, so poor understanding of its spatial variation can lead to large and systematic errors in forest biomass estimates and carbon maps. The need to understand how and why wood density varies is especially critical in tropical America where forests have exceptional species diversity and spatial turnover in composition. As tree identity and forest composition are challenging to estimate remotely, ground surveys are essential to know the wood density of trees, whether measured directly or inferred from their identity.

Effects of Phytochemicals on Metabolic Diseases and Human Health.

Metabolic diseases constitute a worldwide health concern because of their increasing prevalence and associated mortality [...

Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of and spp. Isolates from Pigs at Slaughterhouse and from Commercial Pork Meat in Portugal.

Foodborne diseases are a serious public health concern, and food-producing animals are a major source of contamination. The present study analysed and spp. isolated from faecal samples of 100 fattening pigs and from 52 samples of pork meat.

Cocoa and Carob Supplementation, Alone or in Combination with Metformin, Protects against Hepatorenal Injury in Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats.

The liver and kidneys are crucial for glucose homeostasis and are seriously damaged in diabetes. Cocoa and carob possess antidiabetic activity, but their hepatorenal protective effects, especially when combined with antidiabetic drugs, are unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of a cocoa-carob-supplemented diet (CC), either alone or in combination with metformin, on liver and kidney damage in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats, a type 2 diabetes model.

Inhibition of ALK3-mediated signalling pathway protects against acetaminophen-induced liver injury.

Acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury is one of the most prevalent causes of acute liver failure (ALF). We assessed the role of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) type I receptors ALK2 and ALK3 in APAP-induced hepatotoxicity. The molecular mechanisms that regulate the balance between cell death and survival and the response to oxidative stress induced by APAP was assessed in cultured human hepatocyte-derived (Huh7) cells treated with pharmacological inhibitors of ALK receptors and with modulated expression of ALK2 or ALK3 by lentiviral infection, and in a mouse model of APAP-induced hepatotoxicity.

(-)-Epicatechin and colonic metabolite 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid, alone or in combination with metformin, protect cardiomyocytes from high glucose/high palmitic acid-induced damage by regulating redox status, apoptosis and autophagy.

(-)-Epicatechin (EC) and a main colonic phenolic acid derived from flavonoid intake, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHBA), display antioxidant and antidiabetic activities. Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the main causes of mortality in patients with diabetes, lacking a suitable treatment. Hyperglycaemia and dyslipidaemia are mainly responsible for oxidative stress and altered apoptosis and autophagy in cardiomyocytes during DCM.

Synergistic Effect of a Flavonoid-Rich Cocoa-Carob Blend and Metformin in Preserving Pancreatic Beta Cells in Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats.

The loss of functional beta-cell mass in diabetes is directly linked to the development of diabetic complications. Although dietary flavonoids have demonstrated antidiabetic properties, their potential effects on pancreatic beta-cell preservation and their synergistic benefits with antidiabetic drugs remain underexplored. We have developed a potential functional food enriched in flavonoids by combining cocoa powder and carob flour (CCB), which has shown antidiabetic effects.

Dietary Supplementation with a Cocoa-Carob Blend Modulates Gut Microbiota and Prevents Intestinal Oxidative Stress and Barrier Dysfunction in Zucker Diabetic Rats.

We have recently developed a cocoa-carob blend (CCB) rich in polyphenols with antidiabetic properties. In this study, we investigated whether its benefits could be related to gut health and gut microbiota (GM) composition and the likely phenolic metabolites involved. Zucker diabetic fatty rats were fed on a standard or a CCB-rich diet for 12 weeks.

Urinary Metabolomics Study on the Protective Role of Cocoa in Zucker Diabetic Rats via H-NMR-Based Approach.

Cocoa constitutes one of the richest sources of dietary flavonoids with demonstrated anti-diabetic potential. However, the metabolic impact of cocoa intake in a diabetic context remains unexplored. In this study, metabolomics tools have been used to investigate the potential metabolic changes induced by cocoa in type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Assessment of the Microbiological Quality and Safety in Takeaway Sushi Meals in Portugal.

Being a food product that contains perishable ingredients and involves a significant degree of manual handling during preparation, sushi is regarded as a potentially hazardous food, which may lead to foodborne disease outbreaks. In Portugal, consumption of takeaway sushi meals has strongly increased throughout the past few years; however, there is limited information regarding its compliance with food quality standards. Under this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality and safety of take-away ready-to-eat sushi meals in Lisbon, Portugal.

Metabolic regulation of (-)-epicatechin and the colonic metabolite 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid on the glucose uptake, lipid accumulation and insulin signalling in cardiac H9c2 cells.

Epicatechin (EC) and main colonic phenolic acids derived from flavonoid intake have been suggested to exert healthful effects, although their mechanism of action remains unknown. Heart damage is highly prevalent in metabolic diseases, and the failure of this organ is a major cause of death worldwide. In this study, the modulation of the energy metabolism and insulin signalling by the mentioned compounds in cardiac H9c2 cells was evaluated.

Satisfaction with testicular prosthesis: a Portuguese questionnaire-based study in testicular cancer survivors.

Radical orchiectomy in testicular cancer patients can have a negative impact on body image and self-esteem. Reconstructive surgery with testicular prosthesis might mitigate this burden. We conducted a questionnaire-based study aiming to evaluate our patients' satisfaction with testicular prosthesis.

Supplementation with a Cocoa-Carob Blend, Alone or in Combination with Metformin, Attenuates Diabetic Cardiomyopathy, Cardiac Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Zucker Diabetic Rats.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the main causes of mortality among diabetic patients, with oxidative stress and inflammation major contributors to its development. Dietary flavonoids show strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, although their potential additive outcomes in combination with antidiabetic drugs have been scarcely explored. The present study investigates the cardioprotective effects of a cocoa-carob blend (CCB) diet, rich in flavonoids, alone or in combination with metformin, in the development of DCM.

Antimicrobial Resistance Genes and Diversity of Clones among Faecal ESBL-Producing Isolated from Healthy and Sick Dogs Living in Portugal.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the prevalence and genetic characteristics of ESBL and acquired-AmpC (qAmpC)-producing isolates from healthy and sick dogs in Portugal. Three hundred and sixty-one faecal samples from sick and healthy dogs were seeded on MacConkey agar supplemented with cefotaxime (2 µg/mL) for cefotaxime-resistant (CTX) recovery. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing for 15 antibiotics was performed and the ESBL-phenotype of the isolates was screened.

Dietary Flavonoids and Insulin Signaling in Diabetes and Obesity.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity are relevant worldwide chronic diseases. A common complication in both pathologies is the dysregulation of the insulin-signaling pathway that is crucial to maintain an accurate glucose homeostasis. Flavonoids are naturally occurring phenolic compounds abundant in fruits, vegetables and seeds.

Impact of Dietary Flavanols on Microbiota, Immunity and Inflammation in Metabolic Diseases.

Flavanols are natural occurring polyphenols abundant in fruits and vegetables to which have been attributed to beneficial effects on health, and also against metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome. These positive properties have been associated to the modulation of different molecular pathways, and importantly, to the regulation of immunological reactions (pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules, nuclear factor-κB [NF-κB], inducible enzymes), and the activity of cells of the immune system. In addition, flavanols can modulate the composition and function of gut microbiome in a prebiotic-like manner, resulting in the positive regulation of metabolic pathways and immune responses, and reduction of low-grade chronic inflammation.

Antimicrobial Resistance Genes and Diversity of Clones among ESBL- and Acquired AmpC-Producing Isolated from Fecal Samples of Healthy and Sick Cats in Portugal.

The aim of the study was to analyze the mechanisms of resistance in extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)- and acquired AmpC (qAmpC)-producing isolates from healthy and sick cats in Portugal. A total of 141 rectal swabs recovered from 98 sick and 43 healthy cats were processed for cefotaxime-resistant (CTX) recovery (in MacConkey agar supplemented with 2 µg/mL cefotaxime). The matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) method was used for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility was performed by a disk diffusion test.

Impact of cocoa flavanols on human health.

Cocoa is a source of flavanols, and these phenolic compounds exert beneficial effects on health and aging, and reduce the risk of suffering chronic diseases (cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, cancer). An increasing body of evidence has emerged to suggest that cocoa flavanols potentially are important chemopreventive natural agents. This review summarizes human studies from the past two decades, providing data related to the effects derived from cocoa intake on health and disease.