Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a constellation of risk factors including abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), elevated blood pressure, and elevated fasting glucose. In Spain, according to WHO criteria, the MetS prevalence is shown to be 32% in men and 29% in women. The role of dietary habits is one of the main therapeutic strategies for the management of MetS but the most effective dietary pattern has not been established yet. This study aimed to analyze the effect of on body composition, serum lipids, and MetS components of a high-MUFA and high-fiber diet (HMFD). A case-control study was performed considering 40 cohabiting women. Participants were randomly assigned to HMFD group or high mono-unsaturated diet (HMD) group to receive one of the two proposed dietary interventions. All data (serum lipids, blood pressure, height, weight, body composition, and waist circumference) were collected fasting at baseline, 55, 98, and 132 days. The HMFD group showed higher decrease in waist circumference than in the HMD group. LDL-C dropped in both groups. Triglycerides in the HMFD group dropped during the intervention, but once the intervention was over, they returned to baseline values. The mean systolic blood pressure was lower in HMFD group. A HMFD from a weekly consumption of processed meat (Torrezno de Soria) deeply fried in extra virgin olive oil in combination with vegetables logged in a Mediterranean diet can improve MetS risk factors in healthy overweight women.

In pre-disposed individuals, a reprogramming of the hepatic lipid metabolism may support liver cancer initiation. We conducted a high-resolution mass spectrometry based untargeted lipidomics analysis of pre-diagnostic serum samples from a nested case-control study (219 liver cancer cases and 219 controls) within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study. Out of 462 annotated lipids, 158 (34.2%) were associated with liver cancer risk in a conditional logistic regression analysis at a false discovery rate (FDR) <0.05. A chemical set enrichment analysis (ChemRICH) and co-regulatory set analysis suggested that 22/28 lipid classes and 47/83 correlation modules were significantly associated with liver cancer risk (FDR <0.05). Strong positive associations were observed for monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), triacylglycerols (TAGs) and phosphatidylcholines (PCs) having MUFA acyl chains. Negative associations were observed for sphingolipids (ceramides and sphingomyelins), lysophosphatidylcholines, cholesterol esters and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) containing TAGs and PCs. Stearoyl-CoA desaturase enzyme 1 (SCD1), a rate limiting enzyme in fatty acid metabolism and ceramidases seems to be critical in this reprogramming. In conclusion, our study reports pre-diagnostic lipid changes that provide novel insights into hepatic lipid metabolism reprogramming may contribute to a pro-cell growth and anti-apoptotic tissue environment and, in turn, support liver cancer initiation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between dietary replacement of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and their sources and odds of developing breast cancer (BC).
METHODS: This hospital-based large-scale case-control study recruited 464 women with confirmed BC within the past year and 500 apparently healthy controls matched in terms of age and residential place. Dietary data as well as other variables were collected by trained interviewers.
RESULTS: After adjustment for all possible confounders, substituting every 50 kcal of energy from dietary carbohydrates for the same amount of energy from total fats was associated with lower odds for developing BC among all participants [odds ratio (OR) 0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.95-0.99] as well as premenopausal women (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.94-0.99). Replacing protein intake with fat was associated with a higher likelihood of BC among postmenopausal women (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.03-1.20). Replacement of carbohydrates with MUFAs might be associated with a decreased odds of BC and replacement of dietary carbohydrates with PUFAs might be associated with an increased odds of BC in all participants as well as postmenopausal women (P < 0.05). The same association was shown for protein only in postmenopausal women. Substituting MUFAs for saturated (SFAs) and PUFAs was associated with a significant decreased odds of BC in the whole population (P < 0.05). The same association was observed for replacing MUFAs for PUFAs in postmenopausal women.
CONCLUSIONS: Substitution of dietary carbohydrates for total fats and PUFAs might reduce the odds of breast cancer. Also, substituting MUFAs for carbohydrates, SFAs and PUFAs might lower the disease risk. Future prospective investigations are highly recommended.

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is a complication during pregnancy characterised by new-onset hypertension and proteinuria that develops after 20 weeks of gestation. Dyslipidemia in pregnancy is correlated with an increased risk of preeclampsia. However, the dynamic changes in lipid metabolic product, particularly fatty acid fraction, in preeclampsia maternal circulation, are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate fatty acid fraction in preeclampsia maternal blood compared with normotensive normal pregnancy.
METHODS: A total of 34 women who developed preeclampsia and 32 women with normotensive normal pregnancy were included in our case-control study. Maternal blood samples were collected for serum fatty acid fractions analysis and other biochemical parameters. Serum fatty acid fractions included long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA), monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), saturated fatty acid, and total fatty acid, measured with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The mean difference of fatty acid level was analysed using parametric and non-parametric bivariate analysis based on normality distributed data, while the risk of preeclampsia based on fatty acid fraction was analysed using a logistic regression model.
RESULTS: Women with preeclampsia have lower high-density lipoprotein (53.97 ± 12.82 mg/dL vs. 63.71 ± 15.20 mg/dL, p = 0.006), higher triglyceride (284.91 ± 97.68 mg/dL vs. 232.84 ± 73.69 mg/dL, p = 0.018) than that in the normotensive group. Higher palmitoleic acid was found in women with preeclampsia compared to normotensive normal pregnancy (422.94 ± 195.99 vs. 325.71 ± 111.03 μmol/L, p = 0.037). The binary logistic regression model showed that pregnant women who had total omega-3 levels within the reference values had a higher risk of suffering preeclampsia than those with the higher reference value (odds ratio OR (95% CI): 8,5 (1.51-48.07), p = 0.015). Pregnant women who have saturated fatty acid within reference values had a lower risk for suffering preeclampsia than those in upper reference value (OR (95% CI): 0.21 (0.52-0.88), p = 0.032).
CONCLUSIONS: Overall, palmitoleic acid was higher in women with preeclampsia. Further analysis indicated that reference omega-3 in and high saturated fatty acid serum levels are characteristics of women with preeclampsia.

Two different analytical methods for the determination of polycyclic musk fragrances (PMFs) in wastewater and in activated sludge were developed. PMFs in filtered water samples were determined by gas chromatography coupled with a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. Activated sludge samples were extracted using an ultrasonic bath and analysed using a GC-Ion trap. The developed methods respected a linear model (R2 > 0.995). Detection limits of selected compounds (Celestolide, Galaxolide, Galaxolidone, Phantolide and Tonalide) varied from 1.7 to 80 ng L-1 for water and from 0.1 ng g-1 to 210 ng g-1 for activated sludge considering laboratory contamination for each PMF. Recovery studies were performed on spiked water samples and, for sludges, on procedural blanks, showing recoveries above 70% for all the considered compounds, while recovery of the internal standard was always above limit of acceptance (30%). Proposed methods were used to determine PMFs concentrations in wastewaters and activated sludges of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) located in Northern Italy. Concentrations in the range of μg L-1 of Galaxolide and of its metabolite Galaxolidone were detected even in the WWTP effluent. Biotransformation of Galaxolide into Galaxolidone occurred during biological treatment with the consequent release of this compound through WWTP effluents. In activated sludges, concentrations of all PMFs except Galaxolidone were one order of magnitude higher than wastewaters, as expected according to their physicochemical properties. Present wastewater treatment technologies were confirmed to not be efficient in removing PMFs from influent wastewaters since with only ≃ 30% of Celestolide and Tonalide were removed.

OBJECTIVE: Data on the association between the antioxidant capacity of a diet and the risk of ulcerative colitis (UC) are scarce. This study aimed to assess whether a relationship exists between dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and the odds of UC in Iranian adults.
METHODS: In this case-control study, patients with UC and age-matched healthy controls were recruited from a hospital clinic. All participants completed a validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire, the results of which were subsequently used to generate dietary TAC. Ferric reducing-antioxidant power values were used to calculate dietary TAC.
RESULTS: Altogether 62 patients with UC and 124 healthy controls were enrolled. UC patients had a higher calorific intake (P < 0.01), and consumed more monounsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.01), vitamin B9 (P < 0.01) and calcium (P = 0.02) compared with healthy controls, while the control group had a higher vitamin C intake than the participants with UC (P < 0.01). In a fully adjusted model, participants who were in the highest quartile of dietary TAC had a lower risk of UC (odds ratio 0.11, 95% confidence interval 0.01-0.73).
CONCLUSIONS: A higher dietary TAC score was associated with lower odds of UC in this case-control study. Further elucidation of the role of key dietary elements is now warranted.

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) given its association with obesity and diabetes may perhaps exert distinct free fatty acids (FFA) pattern, but the understanding of this phenomenon is limited. To this effect, we evaluated FFA profiles among healthy subjects and NAFLD patients stratified by body weight, to identify FFA valuable for early diagnosis of NAFLD.
METHODS: Serum FFA profiles of healthy and NAFLD (lean, overweight and obese) subjects was determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and distinctions in FFA patterns were evaluated using one-way ANOVA while Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and logistic regression models were used to explore FFA significant for diagnosing NAFLD.
RESULTS: NAFLD patients presented significantly higher (P < 0.05) serum FFA profiles compared to healthy controls (HC). While total FFA profiles were insignificantly different between lean (2093.33 ± 558.11 μg/ml) and overweight (2420.81 ± 555.18 μg/ml) NAFLD patients, obese NAFLD (2739.01 ± 810.35 μg/ml) presented most significantly elevated (P < 0.05) total FFA profiles compared with HC. Of the four FFA; myristic acid (14:0), palmitoleic acid (16:1), γ-linolenic acid (γ-18:3) and cis-7,10,13,16,19-docosapentaenoic acid (22:5), selected in ROC analysis given their high Youden\'s index and AUC, only 14:0; 5.58(1.37, 22.76) and 16:1; 4.36(1.34, 14.13) had statistical significant odd ratios.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest 14:0 and 16:1 are promising for early diagnosis of NAFLD.

Zeta potential is often used to approximate a nanoparticle\'s surface charge, i.e., cationic, anionic, or neutral character, and has become a standard characterization technique to evaluate nanoparticle surfaces. While useful, zeta potential values provide only very general conclusions about surface charge character. Without a thorough understanding of the measurement parameters and limitations of the technique, these values can become meaningless. This case study attempts to explore the sensitivity of zeta potential measurement using specifically formulated cationic, anionic, and neutral liposomes. This study examines zeta potential dependence on pH and ionic strength, resolving power, and highlights the sensitivity of zeta potential to charged liposomes. Liposomes were prepared with cholesterol, 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC), and varying amounts of 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP) or 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-L-serine (DOPS). A strong linear relationship was noted between zeta potential values and the mole percentage of charged lipids within a liposome (e.g., cationic DOTAP or anionic DOPS). This finding could be used to formulate similar liposomes to a specific zeta potential, potentially of importance for systems sensitive to highly charged species. In addition, cationic and anionic liposomes were titrated with up to two mole percent of the neutral lipid 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000] (lipid-PEG; LP). Very small amounts of the lipid-PEG (<0.2 mol%) were found to impart stability to the DOTAP- and DOPS-containing liposomes without significantly affecting other physicochemical properties of the formulation, providing a simple approach to making stable liposomes with cationic and anionic surface charge.

Personal care products, an important class of emerging contaminants, have been frequently detected in different environmental matrices. Included in this category are synthetic musks compounds (SMCs) and UV-filters. Their occurrence in the coastal environment has been poorly studied. Therefore, this work aimed to verify whether five coastline plant species (Carpobrotus edulis, Cakile maritima, Medicago marina, Elymus farctus borealis-atlanticus and Euphorbia paralias) have the ability to accumulate 11 SMCs (cashmeran, celestolide, phantolide, galaxolide, tonalide, exaltolide, musk moskene, tibetene, ambrette, xylene and ketone) and 2 organic UVB filters (3-(4\'-methylbenzylidene) camphor and octocrylene), functioning as biosamplers. To accomplish this task, a QuEChERS technique (\"Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe\") was employed to extract the target compounds from the plant material collected in 15 beaches of Matosinhos and Vila Nova de Gaia (Portugal). The resulting extracts were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Limits of detection ranged from 0.02 ng g-1 for celestolide and tonalide to 1.32 ng g-1 for musk ambrette. The obtained recoveries were around 93% and relative standard deviation was generally less than 15%. SMCs were detected at levels ranging from 1.56 to 350 ng g-1 dw and UV-filters from 2.9 to 264 ng g-1 dw. Galaxolide and 3-(4\'-methylbenzylidene) camphor were the synthetic musk and UV-filter detected in higher concentrations, respectively. Plants with higher water content accumulate better SMCs (hottentot-fig), while those with higher lipid content retain better the UV-filters (sea spurge).

Synthetic musk compounds are widely used in the formulation of several cosmetics, personal care and household products. Due to their massive and widespread use, together with some health concerns, they are considered emerging pollutants and have been detected in different environmental compartments. This study focused on the evaluation of the concentration of synthetic musks (five nitro, five polycyclic and one macrocyclic musks) in beach sands, from Oporto coastal area (Portugal), contributing to the enhancement of the knowledge of levels, trends and behaviour of these compounds in this particular matrix. To accomplish this task, a QuEChERS methodology (\"Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe\") coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was successfully used to determine synthetic musks from beach sand. The chosen methodology proved to be suitable, achieving satisfactory results for precision (relative standard deviation values below 15%), accuracy (average recovery of 97%) and limits of detection (below 38 pg g-1). Synthetic musks were detected in all 45 analysed samples, in concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 27 ng g-1dw. Tonalide (93%), exaltolide (89%) and galaxolide (76%) were the most commonly detected compounds, but also those detected in higher concentrations (up to 27 ng g-1dw). Musk ambrette, moskene, tibetene and xylene were not detected in any of the samples. Higher concentrations were as expected detected in the Summer (total average concentration of 9.21 ng g-1dw), namely in samples from Valadares Sul (29 ng g-1dw), Francelos (25 ng g-1dw) and Castelo do Queijo (25 ng g-1dw). The preliminary environmental risk assessment study based on the determination of hazard quotients revealed that the presence of analysed compounds (tonalide, galaxolide and musk ketone) seems to pose no risk to the studied environmental compartment.