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PurposeExosomes are extracellular vesicles secreted by cells, which can transport different molecules, including nucleic acids. Dietary habits may induce gene regulation through the modulation of exosomal RNAs. We aimed at characterizing exosomal lncRNAs, mRNA and miRNAs modulation after a 1-year adherence to a low-fat diet (LFD) or to Mediterranean-based diets enriched in extra-virgin olive oil (MedDiet + EVOO) or in a mixture of nuts (MedDiet + Nuts).MethodsPlasma samples were collected, at baseline and after 1 year of dietary interventions, from 150 participants included in the PREDIMED study (Reus Center). LncRNAs, mRNAs and miRNAs were isolated from plasma exosomes and screened. RT-qPCR validation was performed for miRNAs.ResultsCompared with LFD, 413 lncRNAs and 188 mRNAs, and 476 lncRNAs and 235 mRNAs were differentially modulated in response to the MedDiet + EVOO and MedDiet + Nuts interventions, respectively. In addition, after 1 year of dietary interventions, 26 circulating miRNAs were identified as differentially expressed between groups. After 1 year of intervention, 11 miRNAs significantly changed in LFD group, while 8 and 21 were modulated in response to the MedDiet enriched with EVOO or nuts, respectively. Bioinformatic analyses of differentially expressed miRNAs and their validated target genes suggest certain metabolic pathways are modulated by LFD (PI3K-Akt and AMPK), MedDiet + EVOO (PI3K-Akt, NF-kappa B, HIF-1, and insulin resistance), and MedDiet-Nuts (FoxO, PI3K-Akt, AMPK, p53 and HIF-1) interventions.ConclusionResults show that 1-year MedDiet + Nuts and MedDiet + EVOO dietary interventions modulate exosomal RNA content, with the former affecting a higher number of miRNAs. The modulation of exosomal RNAs could help explain how the adherence to a Mediterranean diet may lead to beneficial effects and deserves further investigation.

The Mediterranean diet has been long associated with improved cardiovascular prognosis, chemoprevention, and lower incidence of neurodegeneration. Of the multiple components of this diet, olive oil stands out because its use has historically been limited to the Mediterranean basin. The health benefits of olive oil and some of its components are being rapidly decoded. In this paper we review the most recent pharma-nutritional investigations on olive oil biophenols and their health effects, chiefly focusing on recent findings that elucidate their molecular mechanisms of action.

The goal of this study is to examine the suitability of three plants, Typha spp., Phragmites spp. and Iris pseudacorus, in a free-water surface constructed wetland created to treat eutrophic water from Lake Albufera (Valencia, Spain), a wetland of international importance. The growth, coverage and nutrient content of the three plants were studied, and chemical analyses were performed according to standard methods. The maximum standing crops measured for each plant were 1.9, 18.2 and 3.3 kg m⁻², respectively, and their average nutrient concentrations were 2.1, 1.2 and 1.7 g P kg⁻¹ and 12.1, 11.7 and 10.1 g N kg⁻¹, respectively. A multiple harvest of Iris pseudacorus revealed that the removal of nutrients could be increased up to 50% for N and 100% for P compared with a single harvest. Biomass decomposition assays showed high values for five-day biochemical oxygen demand (115–207 mg O₂ g⁻¹, depending on the plant and its age) and a substantial release of phosphorus, up to 100% of that contained in the biomass, highlighting the need to remove the litter fall. This study provides key aspects for vegetation selection and management (planting and harvesting) in a novel application of constructed wetlands to enhance water quality and biodiversity.

Impaired glucose metabolism and mitochondrial decay greatly increase with age, when cognitive decline becomes rampant. No pharmacological or dietary intervention has proven effective, but proper diet and lifestyle do postpone the onset of neurodegeneration and some nutrients are being investigated. We studied insulin signaling, mitochondrial activity and biogenesis, and synaptic signaling in the hippocampus and cortex following dietary supplementation with bioactive phospholipid concentrates of krill oil (KOC), buttermilk fat globule membranes (BMFC), and a combination of both in aged rats. After 3 months of supplementation, although all groups of animals showed clear signs of peripheral insulin resistance, the combination of KOC and BMFC was able to improve peripheral insulin sensitivity. We also explored brain energy balance. Interestingly, the hippocampus of supplemented rats—mainly when supplemented with BMFC or the combination of KOC and BMFC—showed an increase in intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, whereas no difference was observed in the cerebral cortex. Moreover, we found a significant increase of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus of BMFC+KO animals. In summary, dietary supplementation with KOC and/or BMFC improves peripheral and central insulin resistance, suggesting that their administration could delay the onset of these phenomena. Moreover, n-3 fatty acids (FAs) ingested as phospholipids increase BDNF levels favoring an improvement in energy state within neurons and facilitating both mitochondrial and protein synthesis, which are necessary for synaptic plasticity. Thus, dietary supplementation with n-3 FAs could protect local protein synthesis and energy balance within dendrites, favoring neuronal health and delaying cognitive decline associated to age-related disrepair.

Asthma is the leading source of unscheduled hospitalisation in Australian children, with a high burden placed upon children, their parents/families, and the healthcare system. In Australia, there are widening disparities in paediatric asthma care including inequitable access to comprehensive ongoing and planned asthma care for children. The Asthma Care from Home Project is a comprehensive virtually enabled asthma model of care that aims to a. supports families, communities and healthcare providers, b. flexible and locally acceptable, and c. allow for adoption of innovations such as digital technologies so that asthma care can be provided \"from home\", reduce potentially preventable asthma hospitalisation, and ensure satisfaction at a patient, family, and healthcare provider level. The model of care includes standardisation of discharge care through provision of an asthma discharge resource pack containing individual asthma action plan, follow-up letters for the child's general practitioner (GP) and school/child care, and access to online asthma educational sessions and resource; post-discharge care coordination through text message reminders for families for regular GP review, email correspondence with their child's GP and school/childcare; and virtual home visits to discuss home environmental triggers, provide personalised asthma education and respond to parental concerns relating to their child's asthma. This study is comprised of three components: 1) a quasi-experimental pre/post impact evaluation assessing the impact of the model on healthcare utilisation and asthma control measures; 2) a mixed-methods implementation evaluation to understand how and why our intervention was effective or ineffective in producing systems change; 3) an economic evaluation to assess the cost-effectiveness of the proposed model of care from a family and health services perspective. This study aims to improve access to asthma care for children in rural and remote areas. Implementation evaluation and economic evaluation will provide insights into the sustainability and scalability of the asthma model of care.

The role of miRNAs in intestinal lipid metabolism is poorly described. The small intestine is constantly exposed to high amounts of dietary lipids, and it is under conditions of stress that the functions of miRNAs become especially pronounced. Approaches consisting in either a chronic exposure to cholesterol and triglyceride rich diets (for several days or weeks) or an acute lipid challenge were employed in the search for intestinal miRNAs with a potential role in lipid metabolism regulation. According to our results, changes in miRNA expression in response to fat ingestion are dependent on factors such as time upon exposure, gender and small intestine section. Classic and recent intestinal in vitro models (i.e. differentiated Caco-2 cells and murine organoids) partially mirror miRNA modulation in response to lipid challenges in vivo. Moreover, intestinal miRNAs might play a role in triglyceride absorption and produce changes in lipid accumulation in intestinal tissues as seen in a generated intestinal Dicer1 -deletion murine model. Overall, despite some variability between the different experimental cohorts and in vitro models, results show that some miRNAs analysed here are modulated in response to dietary lipids, hence likely to participate in the regulation of lipid metabolism, and call for further research.

This research was funded by grants from the Fundación Ramón Areces (CIVP18A3888) to A.D., F.V., J.T.-C., M.C.C., J.G.-Z. and R.M.-H.; by the Spanish “Agencia Estatal de Investigación” to A.D. and R.M.-H. (AGL2016-78922-R) and to M.A.L. (SAF2015-70747-R). Also supported by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) European funds. This research was also supported by the Nicolas Monardes program (C-0032-2016) from Consejería de Salud, co-funded by FEDER European funds (Madrid, Spain) to F.C. Also supported by grant PI17/01104 from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III to F. C.; and partly funded by POR FESR 3S4H to F.V. D.C.M.-E. is a fellow of “Centro de Estudios Interdisciplinarios Básicos y Aplicados” (CEIBA), Colombia, through the program “Bolívar Gana con Ciencia”. M.-C.L.d.l.H and L.d.P.-A were recipients of a contract supported by Consejería de Educación, Juventud y Deporte de la Comunidad de Madrid, Fondo Social Europeo, and Iniciativa de Empleo Juvenil YEI (PEJD-2016/BIO-2781 and PEJD-2017-PRE/BIO-5100, respectively). A.G.-R. acknowledges the Marie Curie AMAROUT-II Europe Program (Grant Agreement No. 291803). We would also like to thank the COST Action CA16120 Epitran for networking.

The present study offers several management strategies in order to improve the performance of a free water surface constructed wetland that treats mainly eutrophic water and which is also designed to improve and increase the biodiversity of habitat and wildlife. To attain these goals, it has been necessary to analyze the influence of certain operational parameters and environmental factors on the mass removal rates (MRRs) and the mass removal efficiencies (MREs), depending on if the objective is to maximize nutrient removal or to achieve low effluent concentrations. The system, referred to as FG, operated in a range of hydraulic loading rates (HLRs) from 7 to 58 m year −1 and removed phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) at an average rate of 7.15 g P m −2 year −1 and 60.07 g N m −2  year −1 . P and N removal varied seasonally, mainly due to input concentrations ( C in ), but inlet mass loading and HLRs also strongly influenced MRRs. Based on these results, we propose to maintain a mean HLR of 58 m year −1 in winter and 25 m year −1 in summer to increase annual nutrient removal and thereby barely affecting pumping costs.

The increasing incidence of age-induced cognitive decline justifies the search for complementary ways of prevention or delay. We studied the effects of concentrates of phospholipids, sphingolipids, and/or 3-n fatty acids on the expression of genes or miRNAs related to synaptic activity and/or neurodegeneration, in the hippocampus of aged Wistar rats following a 3-month supplementation. The combination of two phospholipidic concentrates of krill oil (KOC) and buttermilk (BMFC) origin modulated the hippocampal expression of 119 miRNAs (11 were common to both BMFC and BMFC + KOC groups). miR-191a-5p and miR-29a-3p changed significantly only in the BMFC group, whereas miR-195-3p and miR-148a-5p did so only in the combined-supplemented group. Thirty-eight, 58, and 72 differentially expressed genes (DEG) were found in the groups supplemented with KOC, BMFC and BMFC + KOC, respectively. Interaction analysis unveiled networks of selected miRNAs with their potential target genes. DEG found in the KOC and BMFC groups were mainly involved in neuroactive processes, whereas they were associated with lysosomes and mRNA surveillance pathways in the BMFC + KOC group. We also report a significant reduction in hippocampal ceramide levels with BMFC + KOC. Our results encourage additional in-depth investigations regarding the potential beneficial effects of these compounds.

Elite athletes are an under-represented population in scientific studies, and there are no works analysing the influence of hypoxia in elite triathletes. The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of different methods of normobaric hypoxia on repeated sprint ability (RSA) performance. This study was a case study with an elite triathlete who has won nine triathlon world championships. The study used a combination of different methods of normobaric hypoxia. The three methods combined were as follows: live high-train low interspersed; intermittent hypoxic training; and intermittent hypoxic exposure. This study analysed the influence of these methods on RSA performance in variables such as power output, saturation of muscular oxygen, heart rate and ventilatory variables (VO2 and VCO2). The triathlete was measured before the training protocol (PRE), just after (POST-D3) and 21 days after the end of the protocol (POST-D21). This type of protocol has shown that it can lead to an improvement in RSA performance in the number of sprints (PRE vs. POST-D3 vs. POST-D21: 19 vs. 24 vs. 28), power output (PRE 615 W vs. POST-D3 685 W vs. POST-D21 683W) and efficiency of the triathlete. This work may be useful in improving power output and repeated sprint ability for elite triathletes.