Search

A Mediterranean lifestyle may prevent and mitigate cardiometabolic disorders. We explored whether adherence to a Mediterranean lifestyle was prospectively associated with risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among coronary heart disease (CHD) patients.The CORDIOPREV study was an interventional diet study to compare a Mediterranean diet with a low-fat diet, in 1002 CHD patients. The Mediterranean lifestyle (MEDLIFE) index was used to assess adherence to a Mediterranean lifestyle at baseline, and after five years, in 851 participants from the CORDIOPREV study. Subjects were classified as having high (13 points), moderate (12-13 points), and low (12 points) adherence to the Mediterranean lifestyle. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine the association between MEDLIFE adherence and the risk of MetS development or reversal.During the five-year follow-up, CORDIOPREV participants with high adherence to MEDLIFE had a lower risk of MetS development (odds ratio [OR] 0.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.19-0.75, p0.01) and a higher likelihood of reversing pre-existing MetS (OR 2.08 CI 95% 1.11-3.91, p = 0.02) compared with participants in the low MEDLIFE adherence group. Each additional one-point increment in the MEDLIFE index was associated with a 24% lower risk of MetS development (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.64-0.90, p0.01) and a 21% higher likelihood of reversing pre-existing MetS (OR 1.21 CI 95% 1.04-1.41, p = 0.01).Our results showed that greater adherence to a Mediterranean lifestyle reduced the risk of subsequent MetS development and increased the likelihood of reversing pre-existing MetS among patients with CHD at baseline. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The search for vegetable-origin probiotic microorganisms is a recent area of interest. This study conducted a phase I clinical trial to assess the effects of oral administration of Lactiplantibacillus pentosus LPG1, a natural strain with probiotic potential isolated from table olive fermentations, on the gut microbiota. The trial was a randomised, placebo-controlled, single-blind study involving 39 healthy volunteers. Group A (n = 20) ingested one capsule/day of L. pentosus LPG1 containing 1 × 1010 UFC/capsule, while Group B (n = 19) received one capsule/day containing only dextrose (placebo). The capsules were taken during breakfast for 30 consecutive days. Human stool samples were collected from all volunteers at the beginning (baseline) and at the end of the study (post-intervention) and were subjected to 16S rRNA metataxonomic analysis using Illumina MiSeq. Sequencing data at the genus level were statistically analysed using traditional methods and compositional data analysis (CoDA). After treatment, the alpha diversity in Group B (placebo) decreased according to an increase in the Berger and Parker dominance index (p-value < 0.05); moreover, dominance D increased and Simpson 1-D index decreased (p-value < 0.10). The Lactobacillus genus in the faeces was included in the CoDA signature balances (selbal and coda4microbiome) and played a notable role in distinguishing samples from baseline and post-intervention in Group A (LPG1). Additionally, ingesting L. pentosus LPG1 modified the gut microbiota post-intervention, increasing the presence of Parabacteroides and Agathobacter, but reducing Prevotella. These findings suggest that L. pentosus LPG1 is a potentially beneficial gut microbiota modulator in healthy persons.

Trichoderma is a fungus commonly used as a biocontrol agent under field conditions. The biocontrol capacity seems to rely mainly on the expression of hydrolytic enzymes e.g, chitinases and glucanases, which affect cell wall degradation of fungal pathogens. Transformation of agronomically important crops such as potato and apple with Trichoderma-derived genes increases the fungal tolerance of transgenic material. In this investigation, strawberry plants, cv. Camarosa, were transformed with either a chitinase, chit-42, or a β-1,3-glucanase gene, both from Trichoderma, under the control of the 35S constitutive promoter. Six chit-42-transgenic lines were selected showing different chitinase activity; however, only three of them showed a significantly lower number of lesions in the crown than the non transformed control plants, following controlled infection with Colletotrichum acutatum. Moreover, no correlation could be found between the level of chitinase activity and the tolerance to this fungus. In relation to the plants transformed with the β-1,3-glucanase gene, out of 8 transgenic lines evaluated, 3 of them showed a lower degree of anthracnose crown rot and 2 of them had a significantly lower number of lesions in infected petioles than in non transformed controls. Evaluation of the transgenic lines is now in progress under screenhouse conditions.

Important losses in strawberry production are caused by species of the fungus Colletotrichum, the causal agent of anthracnose. However, very limited studies at molecular level exist of the mechanisms related to strawberry susceptibility against this pathogen. We have analysed a moderately resistant cultivar (cv. Andana) together with a very susceptible one (cv. Camarosa) during the process of infection with Colletotrichum acutatum at a molecular level. To gain insight into this interaction we have identified a large number of strawberry genes involved in signalling, transcriptional control, defence and many genes with unknown function with altered expression in response to C. acutatum infection. Spatial and temporal gene expression profiles after infection showed that the response was dependant on the tissue and cultivar analysed and also quicker and/or stronger in the moderately resistant cultivar (cv. Andana) than in the susceptible one (cv. Camarosa). Interestingly, we found that genes described as being induced during pathogen infection such as g-thionins, peroxidases, chitinases and b-1-3-glucanases were downregulated in fruit and/ or crown tissues of the very susceptible cultivar. Our results yielded a first insight on some of the genes responding to this plant–pathogen interaction at molecular level and suggest that pathogen progression can be dependent upon a reduction of the active defences of strawberry and this is genotype and tissue dependent.