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Interest in Metschnikowia ( M. ) pulcherrima is growing in the world of winemaking. M. pulcherrima is used both to protect musts from microbial spoilage and to modulate the aromatic profile of wines. Here, we describe the isolation, characterization, and use of an autochthonous strain of M. pulcherrima in the vinification of Chasselas musts from the 2022 vintage. M. pulcherrima was used in co-fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae at both laboratory and experimental cellar scales. Our results showed that M. pulcherrima does not ferment sugars but has high metabolic activity, as detected by flow cytometry. Furthermore, sensory analysis showed that M. pulcherrima contributed slightly to the aromatic profile when compared to the control vinifications. The overall results suggest that our bioprospecting strategy can guide the selection of microorganisms that can be effectively used in the winemaking process.

Background: Metabolic programming of glucose homeostasis in the first 1,000 days of life may impact lifelong metabolic and cardiovascular health. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices may help measure the impact of dietary intake on glucose rhythms and metabolism in infants during the complementary feeding period., Objectives: Demonstrate the feasibility of CGM to measure and quantify glucose variability in response to infant feeding and to evaluate associations between macronutrient meal composition and glucose variability., Methods: The "FreeStyle Libre Pro ® " device interstitial glucose meter was applied to the anterior thigh of 10 healthy 6-12-month-old infants. Parents recorded food intake, time of feeding, and used daily dairies to record sleep time and duration. Descriptive statistics were employed for food intake, sleep and key glycemic parameters over three full days. Mixed linear models were used to assess glycemic changes., Results: Mid-day, afternoon, and evening feeds contained >30 g carbohydrate and induced higher 2-h iAUC (3.42, 3.41, and 3.50 mmol/L*h respectively) compared to early and mid-morning feedings with ≤25 g carbohydrates (iAUC 2.72 and 2.81 mmol/L*h, p  < 0.05). Early morning and evening milk feedings contained approximately 9 g of fat and induced a longer time to reach maximal glucose value (Tmax; 75 and 68 min, respectively) compared to lower fat feedings (2.9-5.9 g; Tmax range: 34-60 min; p  < 0.05). Incremental glucose value at time of food intake (C0) increased significantly from 0.24 ± 0.39 mM in early morning to 1.07 ± 0.57 mM in the evening ( p  < 0.05). Over the day, 70% of glucose values remained within the normal range (3.5-5.5 mmol/L), 10% were between 5.5-10 mmol/L, and 20% were < 3.5 mmol/L., Conclusion: Our data support the feasibility of using CGM to measure glucose in 6-12-month-old infants. The observation of possible diurnal glucose variability and typical glucose values may have implications for future studies investigating metabolic adaptation to nutritional intake in early life., Competing Interests: CM, AE, AR, and CD are employed by Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Hauschild, Monnard, Eldridge, Antoniou, Bouthors, Hansen, Dwyer, Rytz and Darimont.)

Designing cereal-based products with appropriate metabolic responses is of high interest to the food industry in view of the potential health impact of the product. The objective of this study was to test whether a model that used the nutrient composition of breakfast cereals to predict their glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) could also accurately predict the GI and GL for complete (containing protein, reconstituted in water) infant cereal prototypes. Four independent studies measured the postprandial glucose response of 20 complete infant cereal prototypes (51−76 g/100 g glycemic carbohydrates) in healthy adults. The predictions were strongly correlated with the measured values for both the GI (r = 0.93, p-value < 0.01) and GL (r = 0.98, p-value < 0.01). The in vivo incremental area under the curve (iAUC) for glucose showed a strong linear relationship with the predicted GL (r = 0.99, p < 0.01). In summary, the model previously developed to predict the GI and GL of breakfast cereals was both accurate and precise for infant cereals and could be considered a simple tool to support nutritionally responsible product development., Competing Interests: C.M., A.R., C.M.T., G.L.F., T.A.L.D., K.M. and Y.S. are/were employees of Soci&eacute;t&eacute; des Produits Nestl&eacute; S.A.

Purpose: Human milk (HM) composition is influenced by factors, like maternal diet and body stores, among other factors. For evaluating the influence of maternal fatty acid (FA) status on milk FA composition, the correlation between FA content in HM and in maternal plasma, erythrocytes, and adipose tissue was investigated., Methods: 223 European women who delivered at term, provided HM samples over first four months of lactation. Venous blood and adipose tissue (only from mothers who consented and underwent a C-section delivery) were sampled at delivery. FAs were assessed in plasma, erythrocytes, adipose tissue, and HM. Evolution of HM FAs over lactation and correlations between FA content in milk and tissues and between mother's blood and cord blood were established., Results: During lactation, arachidonic acid (ARA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) significantly decreased, while linoleic acid (LA), alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) remained stable. Positive correlations were observed between HM and adipose tissue for palmitic, stearic, oleic, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Correlations were found between milk and plasma for oleic, LA, ARA, ALA, DHA, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and PUFAs. No correlation was observed between erythrocytes and HM FAs. LA and ALA were more concentrated in maternal blood than in infant blood, contrary to ARA and DHA, supporting that biomagnification of LCPUFAs may have occurred during pregnancy., Conclusions: These data show that maternal adipose tissue rather than erythrocytes may serve as reservoir of PUFAs and LCPUFAs for human milk. Plasma also supplies PUFAs and LCPUFAs to maternal milk. If both, adipose tissue and plasma PUFAs, are reflection of dietary intake, it is necessary to provide PUFAs and LCPUFAs during pregnancy or even before conception and lactation to ensure availability for mothers and enough supply for the infant via HM., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

This work reviews available data on dietary intakes of total fat, saturated fatty acids (SFA) and individual polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in children in different countries worldwide and for the first time, compares them with recent international recommendations. Studies published before June 2021 reporting total fat, total SFA and individual PUFA intakes in children aged 1-7 y were included. Observed intakes were evaluated against FAO/WHO and EFSA recommendations. 65 studies from 33 countries were included. Fat intake was too low in 88% of studies in young children (1-3 y). SFA intake was >10%E in 69-73% of children, especially in Europe. Linoleic acid intake was <3%E in 24% of studies in 1-2 y olds and within FAO/WHO recommendations among all other ages. Alpha-linolenic acid intake was <0.5%E in almost half of studies. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or eicosapentaenoic acid + DHA intakes were below recommendations in most studies. In summary, while total fat intake was too low among younger children, SFA intake was above, especially in Europe and n-3 PUFA intake, especially DHA, were below recommendations for all ages. Intake of n-3 PUFA, especially DHA, is generally suboptimal. More data, particularly from developing countries, are required to refine these findings and guide implementation of adapted nutrition policies.

Background/objectives: Different infant formulas, varying in protein type and quantity, are available for infants who are not breastfed or are partially breastfed. Postprandial insulinemic and glycemic responses to intact vs partially hydrolyzed protein in infant formula are unclear. To compare the effect of different forms (partially hydrolyzed vs non-hydrolyzed) and levels of protein in infant formula compared with a human milk reference subgroup on insulin response in adults., Subjects/methods: In a randomized, double-blinded, cross-over study, 35 healthy adults consumed 600 ml of three different infant formulas: Intact protein-based formula (INTACT) (1.87 g protein/100 kcal; whey/casein ratio of 70/30; 63 kcal/100 ml), partially hydrolyzed whey-based formula (PHw) (1.96 g protein/100 kcal; 100% whey; 63 kcal/100 ml), a high-protein partially hydrolyzed whey-based formula (HPPHw) (2.79 g protein/100 kcal; 100%whey; 73 kcal/100 ml) and a subgroup also consumed human milk (HM) (n = 11). Lipid and carbohydrate (lactose) contents were similar (5.1-5.5 and 10.5-11.6 g/100 kcal, respectively). Venous blood samples were taken after overnight fasting and at different intervals for 180 min post-drink for insulin, glucose, blood lipids, GLP-1, glucagon, and C-peptide., Results: Twenty-nine subjects (eight consuming HM) adhered to the protocol. INTACT and PHw groups had similar postprandial insulinemia and glycaemia (C max and iAUC) that were not different from those of the HM subgroup. HPPHw resulted in higher postprandial insulin responses (iAUC) relative to all other groups (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.002 for the comparison with INTACT, PHw, HM, respectively). HPPHw resulted in a higher glucose response compared to INTACT and PHw (iAUC: p = 0.003, p = 0.001, respectively), but was not different from HM (p = 0.41)., Conclusion: This study in adults demonstrates similar postprandial insulinemia and glycaemia between INTACT and PHw, close to that of HM, but lower than HPPHw, which had a higher protein content compared to the other test milks. The findings remain to be confirmed in infants., Clinical Trial Registration: This study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT04332510.

The impact of early life protein source (whey vs. casein) on short- and long-term glucose homeostasis and adiposity is unknown and was investigated in this study. At the end of the suckling period, non-IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) and IUGR pups were separated from dams and were randomized into four groups. From age 21-49 days, non-IUGR and IUGR pups were fed ad-libitum chow or a semi-synthetic diet (20% from protein; casein or whey) and from age 50-199 days, all groups were fed ad-libitum chow. Food intake, body composition, glucose, and insulin homeostasis were assessed. Among the chow groups, IUGR had slower growth and higher fasting glucose at age 42 days, as well as higher fasting and AUC glucose at age 192 days relative to non-IUGR. The whey IUGR group had a slower growth rate and higher fasting glycemia in early life (age 21-49 days) and higher HOMA-IR later in life (age 120-122 and 190-192 days) relative to casein IUGR. This study shows the potential advantage of casein relative to whey during weaning on short term energy intake, growth, and glucose homeostasis in an IUGR model and reveals, for the first time, its long term impact on insulin sensitivity, which may have implications for later metabolic health, particularly in small-for-gestational-age populations at risk of type 2 diabetes.

It is increasingly recognised that the use of BMI cut-off points for diagnosing obesity (OB) and proxy measures for body fatness in a given population needs to take into account the potential impact of ethnicity on the BMI-fat % relationship in order to avoid adiposity status misclassification. This relationship was studied here in 377 Mauritian schoolchildren (200 boys and 177 girls, aged 7-13 years) belonging to the two main ethnic groups: Indian (South Asian descent) and Creole (African/Malagasy descent), with body composition assessed using an isotopic 2H dilution technique as reference. The results indicate that for the same BMI, Indians have more body fat (and less lean mass) than Creoles among both boys and girls: linear regression analysis revealed significantly higher body fat % by 4-5 units (P < 0·001) in Indians than in Creoles across a wide range of BMI (11·6-34·2 kg/m2) and body fat % (5-52 %). By applying Deurenberg's Caucasian-based equation to predict body fat % from WHO-defined BMI thresholds for overweight (OW) and OB, and by recalculating the equivalent BMI values using a Mauritian-specific equation, it is shown that the WHO BMI cut-offs for OB and OW would need to be lowered by 4·6-5·9 units in Indian and 2·0-3·7 units in Creole children in the 7-13-year-old age group. These results have major implications for ethnic-based population research towards improving the early diagnosis of excess adiposity in this multi-ethnic population known to be at high risk for later development of type 2 diabetes and CVD.

Steady hematopoiesis is essential for lifelong production of all mature blood cells. Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) found in the bone marrow ensure hematopoietic homeostasis in an organism. Failure of this complex process, which involves a fine balance of self-renewal and differentiation fates, often result in severe hematological conditions such as leukemia and lymphoma. Several molecular and metabolic programs, internal or in close interaction with the bone marrow niche, have been identified as important regulators of HSPC function. More recently, nutrient sensing pathways have emerged as important modulators of HSC homing, dormancy, and function in the bone marrow. Here we describe a method for reliable measurement of various amino acids and minerals in different rare bone marrow (BM) populations, namely HSPCs. We found that the amino acid profile of the most primitive hematopoietic compartments (KLS) did not differ significantly from the one of their direct progenies (common myeloid progenitor CMP), while granulocyte-monocyte progenitors (GMPs), on the opposite of megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitors (MEPs), have higher content of the majority of amino acids analyzed. Additionally, we identified intermediates of the urea cycle to be differentially expressed in the KLS population and were found to lower mitochondrial membrane potential, an established readout on self-renewal capability. Moreover, we were able to profile for the first time 12 different minerals and detect differences in elemental contents between different HSPC compartments. Importantly, essential dietary trace elements, such as iron and molybdenum, were found to be enriched in granulocyte-monocyte progenitors (GMPs). We envision this amino acid and mineral profiling will allow identification of novel metabolic and nutrient sensing pathways important in HSPC fate regulation.

We developed and validated a reliable, robust, and easy-to-implement quantitative method for multielemental analysis of low-volume samples. Our ICP-MS-based method comprises the analysis of 20 elements (Mg, P, S, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Mo, I, Cs, and Ba) in 10 μL of serum and 12 elements (Mg, S, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn Se, Br, Rb, Mo, and Cs) in less than 250 000 cells. As a proof-of-concept, we analyzed the elemental profiles of serum and sorted immune T cells derived from naı̈ve and tumor-bearing mice. The results indicate a tumor systemic effect on the elemental profiles of both serum and T cells. Our approach highlights promising applications of multielemental analysis in precious samples such as rare cell populations or limited volumes of biofluids that could provide a deeper understanding of the essential role of elements as cofactors in biological and pathological processes.

The intake of adequate amounts and types of nutrients is key for sustaining health and a good quality of life, particularly in the elderly population. There is considerable evidence suggesting that physiological changes related to age and sex modify nutritional needs, and this may be related to age-associated changes in body composition (BC), specifically in lean and fat body mass. However, there is a clear lack of understanding about the association of nutrients in blood and BC parameters in the elderly. This study investigated the relationships among blood nutrients (amino acids, fatty acids, major elements, trace-elements, and vitamins), BC and nutrient intake in a population of 176 healthy male and female Italian adults between the ages of 65 and 79 years. 89 blood markers, 77 BC parameters and dietary intake were evaluated. Multivariate data analysis was applied to infer relationships between datasets. As expected, the major variability between BC and the blood nutrient profile (BNP) observed was related to sex. Aside from clear sex-specific differences in BC, female subjects had higher BNP levels of copper, copper-to-zinc ratio, phosphorous and holotranscobalamin II and lower concentrations of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and proline. Fat mass, percentage of fat mass, percentage of lean mass and the skeletal muscle index (SMI) correlated the most with BNP in both sexes. Our data showed positive correlations in male subjects among ethanolamine, glycine, albumin, and sulfur with SMI, while palmitoleic acid and oleic acid exhibited negative correlations. This differed in female subjects, where SMI was positively associated with albumin, folic acid and sulfur, while CRP, proline and cis -8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid were negatively correlated. We investigated the influence of diet on the observed BNP and BC correlations. Intriguingly, most of the components of the BNP, except for folate, did not exhibit a correlation with nutrient intake data. An understanding of the physiological and biochemical processes underpinning the observed sex-specific correlations between BNP and BC could help in identifying nutritional strategies to manage BC-changes in aging. This would contribute to a deeper understanding of aging-associated nutritional needs with the aim of helping the elderly population to maintain metabolic health.

Unlabelled: OBJECTIVE/PROBLEM: Evaluation of the early phase of an ENT outpatient surgery programme., Study Design: Between May 1995 and December 1996, 452 ENT outpatient operations were carried out on 416 patients. In order to determine the patients' satisfaction as well as the types and frequency of complications associated with ambulatory procedures, an 18 item multiple choice questionnaire was sent to all patients., Results: Replies were received from almost 80% of the patients. The great majority of patients were satisfied with their operation and would recommend it to friends and relatives. Ten percent of the patients had to be hospitalised for longer than originally expected. The reasons for these prolonged stays are described., Conclusions: Our results show that procedures performed on an outpatient basis do not differ from similar in patient procedures with regard to the types and frequency of complications. Medical expenses are reduced from 200-400% depending on the type of operation. In the present climate of tighter economic controls, the feasibility of lowering medical costs substantially without compromising patient care deserves our utmost attention.

For the determination of lactoferrin in human plasma we describe a double-sandwich immunoenzymatic assay in 3 steps using tubes as the solid phase. The analytical performances are acceptable. Within-run and between-run CVs are respectively 4% and 13%, the lower limit of detection is 8 micrograms/l. Sensitivity and specificity are good. The influence on lactoferrin concentration of time elapsing from blood sampling to separation of plasma from cells was studied in order to define the optimal conditions of storage and centrifugation. The range of concentration obtained on 22 healthy adults lies between 59 and 345 micrograms/l.

Lactoferrin and transferrin exhibit very similar structure and biochemical properties but they behave as two distinct antigens and their affinity for ferric ions is not of the same magnitude. The biological functions of lactoferrin are not all well understood. It has strong bacteriostatic properties, it plays a role as a regulator of human granulopoiesis and it is probably involved in the hyposideremia of acute inflammation. Measurement of lactoferrin was first applied in pancreatic juice or duodenal fluid as a diagnostic tool for pancreatic diseases. More recently plasma lactoferrin has been used as an index of total circulating neutrophil pool in hematological disorders and in uremic patients during hemodialysis. Its clinical usefulness is still discussed for the early diagnostic of infectious diseases.