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Purpose: To compare the effects of consuming a 16% maltodextrin+fructose+pectin alginate (MAL+FRU+PEC+ALG) drink against a nutrient matched maltodextrin-fructose (MAL+FRU) drink on enterocyte damage and gastrointestinal permeability after cycling in hot and humid conditions. Methods: Fourteen recreational cyclists (7 men) completed three experimental trials in a randomized placebo-controlled design. Participants cycled for 90 min (45% VO2max) and completed a 15 min time-trial in hot (32°C) humid (70% relative humidity) conditions. Every 15-minutes cyclists consumed 143 mL of either (1) water; (2) MAL+FRU+PEC+ALG (90g CHO.hr/16% w/v), (3) – a ratio-matched MAL+FRU drink also (90g CHO.hr/16% w/v). Blood was sampled before and after exercise and gastrointestinal (GI) permeability determined by serum measurements of intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (IFABP) and the percent ratio of lactulose (5g) to rhamnose (2g) recovered in post-exercise urine. Results: Compared to WATER, IFABP decreased by 349±67pg.mL-1 with MAL+FRU+PEC+ALG (p=0.007), and by 427±56pg.mL-1 with MAL+FRU (p=0.02). GI permeability was reduced in both the MAL+FRU+PEC+ALG (by 0.019±0.01, p = 0.0003) and MAL+FRU (by 0.014±0.01, p = 0.002) conditions relative to WATER. Conclusion. Both CHO beverages attenuated GI barrier damage to a similar extent relative to water. No metabolic, cardiovascular, thermoregulatory or performance differences were observed between the CHO beverages. Novelty bullets • Consumption of multiple-transportable CHO, with or without hydrogel properties, preserves GI barrier integrity and reduces enterocyte damage during prolonged cycling in hot-humid conditions.

The research deals with new scanning electron microscopic evaluations of the interface between blood and explanted temporary vena cava filters from patients affected by blood disorders. The biological tissues adherent to the filter and the small thrombi formed in vivo were detached from the metallic structure of the device, fixed, dehydrated and prepared for the histological and the electron microscopy. The analyses showed that both samples (thrombus and newly formed tissue) contained foreign, in some cases nano-sized, bodies. The chemistry of these particles was different and varied, and unusual compounds containing non-biocompatible elements like bismuth, lead, wolfram, tungsten were also detected. The interaction between these debris travelling in the blood stream and the blood itself leads to suspect that the formation of the thrombus can originate from these inorganic and inert foreign bodies that act as triggering agent of the blood coagulation.

A European project called "Nanopathology" allowed to develop a new diagnostic tool through which the presence of inorganic particulate matter in pathological human tissues of the digestive tract could be shown. This unexpected evidence induced the authors to put forward the hypothesis that that sort of contamination was present in ingested food. In order to demonstrate this hypothesis, 86 samples of wheat bread and 49 of wheat biscuits from 14 different countries were analyzed by means of an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy to detect inorganic, micro-, and nano-scaled contaminants. The X-ray microprobe of an Energy Dispersion Spectroscope was employed to identify their chemical composition. The results indicate that 40% of the samples analyzed contained foreign bodies as ceramic and metallic debris of probable environmental or industrial origin. Because of the great variety of chemical composition of the particulate matter, those contaminants were listed according to the most expressed element. The majority of these debris are not biodegradable, some are chemically toxic, and none of them have any nutritive value. The work discusses the possible origin of such a pollution and the role that it can play on human life.

Anthocyanin supplements are receiving attention due to purported benefits to physiological, metabolic, and exercise responses in trained individuals. However, the efficacy of anthocyanin intake over multiple testing days is not known. We compared a placebo and two doses of anthocyanin-rich New Zealand blackcurrant (NZBC) extract (300 and 600 mg·day−1) on plasma lactate, substrate oxidation, and 16.1 km time trial (TT) performance on three occasions over 7-days in a fed state (day 1 (D1), D4, and D7). Thirteen male cyclists participated in a randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled double-blind design. There was no difference in plasma lactate and substrate oxidation between conditions and between days. A time difference was observed between D1 (1701 ± 163 s) and D4 (1682 ± 162 s) for 600 mg (p = 0.05), with an increment in average speed (D1 = 34.3 ± 3.4 vs. D4 = 34.8 ± 3.4 km·h−1, p = 0.04). However, there was no difference between the other days and between conditions. Overall, one week of intake of NZBC extract did not affect physiological and metabolic responses. Intake of 600 mg of NZBC extract showed inconsistent benefits in improving 16.1 km time trial performance over a week period in trained fed cyclists.