HPLC analysis of 20 commercial espresso coffees revealed 6-fold differences in caffeine levels, a 17-fold range of caffeoylquinic acid contents, and 4-fold differences in the caffeoylquinic acid : caffeine ratio. These variations reflect differences in batch-to-batch bean composition, possible blending of arabica with robusta beans, as well as roasting and grinding procedures, but the predominant factor is likely to be the amount of beans used in the coffee-making/barista processes. The most caffeine in a single espresso was 322 mg and a further three contained >200 mg, exceeding the 200 mg day À1 upper limit recommended during pregnancy by the UK Food Standards Agency. This snap-shot of high-street expresso coffees suggests the published assumption that a cup of strong coffee contains 50 mg caffeine may be misleading. Consumers at risk of toxicity, including pregnant women, children and those with liver disease, may unknowingly ingest excessive caffeine from a single cup of espresso coffee. As many coffee houses prepare larger volume coffees, such as Latte and Cappuccino, by dilution of a single or double shot of expresso, further study on these products is warranted. New data are needed to provide informative labelling, with attention to bean variety, preparation, and barista methods.

Several studies have indicated potential health benefits associated with coffee consumption. These benefits might be ascribed in part to the chlorogenic acids (CGAs), the main (poly)phenols in coffee. The impact of these dietary (poly)phenols on health depends on their bioavailability. As they pass along the gastrointestinal tract, CGAs are metabolized extensively and it is their metabolites rather than the parent compounds that predominate in the circulatory system. This article reports on a study in which after incubation of espresso coffee with human fecal samples, high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to monitor CGA breakdown and identify and quantify the catabolites produced by the colonic microflora. The CGAs were rapidly degraded by the colonic microflora and over the 6-h incubation period, 11 catabolites were identified and quantified. The appearance of the initial degradation products, caffeic and ferulic acids, was transient, with maximum quantities at 1 h. Dihydrocaffeic acid, dihydroferulic acid, and 3-(3'-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid were the major end products, comprising 75-83% of the total catabolites, whereas the remaining 17-25% consisted of six minor catabolites. The rate and extent of the degradation showed a clear influence of the composition of the gut microbiota of individual volunteers. Pathways involved in colonic catabolism of CGAs are proposed and comparison with studies on the bioavailability of coffee CGAs ingested by humans helped distinguish between colonic catabolites and phase II metabolites of CGAs.

There is a lack of focus on the protective health effects of phytochemicals in dietary guidelines. Although a number of chemical libraries and databases contain dietary phytochemicals belonging to the plant metabolome, they are not entirely relevant to human health because many constituents are extensively metabolized within the body following ingestion. This is especially apparent for the highly abundant dietary (poly)phenols, for which the situation is compounded by confusion regarding their bioavailability and metabolism, partially because of the variety of nomenclatures and trivial names used to describe compounds arising from microbial catabolism in the gastrointestinal tract. This confusion, which is perpetuated in online chemical/metabolite databases, will hinder future discovery of bioactivities and affect the establishment of future dietary guidelines if steps are not taken to overcome these issues. In order to resolve this situation, a nomenclature system for phenolic catabolites and their human phase II metabolites is proposed in this article and the basis of its format outlined. Previous names used in the literature are cited along with the recommended nomenclature, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry terminology, and, where appropriate, Chemical Abstracts Service numbers, InChIKey, and accurate mass.

IntroductionTransforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) has a crucial role in collagen synthesis and fibrosis. TGF-β1 can be antagonized and/or reduced by the action of certain agents. We propose to identify the role of decorin in treatment of tubular and interstitial fibrosis and in the inhibition of TGF-β1 in an acute ischaemic kidney.Material and methodsWe grouped 34 female Sprague Dawley type rats into 3 groups as 9 sham, 9 ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) and 16 I/R + decorin respectively. The rats in the I/R + decorin group had decorin administered intraperitoneally at the dose of 0.1 mg/kg for 9 days after reperfusion. After 9 days, all the rats in the 3 groups were unilaterally nephrectomized. The TGF-β1 level was measured immunohistochemically in the nephrectomized material.ResultsThe TGF-β1 level was lower in the I/R + decorin group. Evaluation of apoptotic activity level by caspase staining showed a statistically significant difference between the 3 groups. The number of caspase stained cells was lower in the I/R + decorin group. The amount of collagen in interstitial tissue was higher in the I/R group than in the I/R + decorin group, but this difference was not statistically significant.ConclusionsWe found that the TGF-β1 level – the so-called initiator of fibrotic activity – and apoptotic activity were low in the I/R + decorin group. Additional studies must be performed to understand the role of decorin in inhibition of TGF-β1 and to assess decorin’s routine use in acute renal ischaemia.

Objectives:To evaluate the analgesic effect of transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block administered before varicocele surgery.Methods:This study was completed at the Faculty of Medicine, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Turkey, between January 2011 and April 2013. In a prospective, double blind, randomized, placebo controlled clinical study, 40 male patients scheduled for elective varicocele operations were randomized to group T (treatment group) or group C (controls). After receiving general anesthesia, group T received a TAP block using 20 mL 0.25% bupivacaine on the operation side, whereas group C received a control block using 20 mL 0.9% Sodium chloride. During the first 24 hours after surgery, the patient pain was evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS) at rest and while coughing. Postoperative patient controlled analgesia morphine consumption, VAS scores, and side effects were recorded.Results:Of 34 patients, Group T (n=18) had significantly lower VAS pain scores than Group C (n=16) both at rest and while coughing. The total morphine consumed was lower (7.7 ± 4.0) versus 21.6 ± 12.4 mg, p<0.001) in the 24 hours after surgery.Conclusion:As part of a multimodal analgesic regime after varicocelectomy surgery, morphine consumption and VAS pain scores were significantly lower among those receiving 20 mL 0.25% bupivacaine administered for a TAP block than among controls.

Observational studies indicate that the intake of polyphenol-rich foods improves vascular health, thereby significantly reducing the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the remained potential of grape by-products from important Rhône Valley red wine cultivars: Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Mourvèdre and Alicante. For that, six different extracts from grape pomaces, selected by their antioxidant activity, were studied in vivo during six weeks with spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Extracts used in SHR1, SHR2 and SHR6 groups presented a « rebound effect » on systolic blood pressure, whereas the other extracts do not change it significantly. The bioavailability of Grenache (GRE1) (EA70) seed pomace extract (SHR1 group), Mouvendre (MOU) (EA70) skin pomace extract (SHR5 group) and Alicante (ALI) (EA70) skin pomace extract (SHR6 group) was studied by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Photodiode Array detector and Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometer (HPLC-PDA-ESI-MSn) in urine, plasma and tissues to search differences on the metabolism of the different extracts intake.

A. (2020) Plasma pharmacokinetics of (poly)phenol metabolites and catabolites after ingestion of orange juice by endurance trained men.

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