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Title:
Oxidized low-density lipoprotein as a biomarker of cardiovascular diseases
Authors:
Trpkovic, Andreja; Resanovic, Ivana; Stanimirovic, Julijana; Radak, Djordje; Mousa, Shaker A.; Cenic-Milosevic, Desanka; Jevremovic, Danimir; Isenovic, Esma R.
Abstract:
Atherosclerosis is a life-long illness that begins with risk factors, which in turn contribute to the development of subclinical disease, followed by the establishment of overt cardiovascular disease (CVD). Thrombotic-occlusive complications of atherosclerosis are among the most widespread and costly health problems. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) plays an important role in atherogenesis by promoting an inflammatory environment and lipid deposition in the arterial wall. As cardiovascular events occur in individuals without common risk factors, there is a need for additional tools that may help in CVD risk assessment and management. The use of biomarkers has improved diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic outcome in cardiovascular medicine. This review elaborates on the value of circulating OxLDL as a biomarker of CVD. Three enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (4E6, DLH3 and E06) using murine monoclonal antibodies for determination of OxLDL blood levels have been developed. However, none of these assays are currently approved for routine clinical practice. We identified studies investigating OxLDL in CVD (measured by 4E6, DLH3 or E06 assay) by searching the PubMed database. Circulating OxLDL was found to be associated with all stages of atherosclerosis, from early atherogenesis to hypertension, coronary and peripheral arterial disease, acute coronary syndromes and ischemic cerebral infarction. The results of studies investigating the usefulness of OxLDL for CVD prediction were also summarized. Furthermore, OxLDL was found to be associated with pathologic conditions linked to CVD, including diabetes mellitus, obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS). In addition, we have addressed the mechanisms by which OxLDL promotes atherogenesis, and the effects of antiatherogenic treatments on circulating OxLDL. Finally, we highlight the evidence suggesting that lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] is the preferential carrier of oxidized phospholipids (OxPL) in human plasma. A strong association between OxPL/apoB level (representing the content of OxPL on apolipoprotein B-100 particles, measured by E06 assay) and Lp(a) has been determined.
Published:
March 3, 2015
Title:
Assessment and management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia
Authors:
Kales, H. C.; Gitlin, L. N.; Lyketsos, C. G.
Abstract:
Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia include agitation, depression, apathy, repetitive questioning, psychosis, aggression, sleep problems, wandering, and a variety of inappropriate behaviors. One or more of these symptoms will a ect nearly all people with dementia over the course of their illness. These symptoms are among the most complex, stressful, and costly aspects of care, and they lead to a myriad of poor patient health outcomes, healthcare problems, and income loss for family care givers. The causes include neurobiologically related disease factors; unmet needs; care giver factors; environmental triggers; and interactions of individual, care giver, and environmental factors. The complexity of these symptoms means that there is no “one size ts all solution,” and approaches tailored to the patient and the care giver are needed. Non-pharmacologic approaches should be used rst line, although several exceptions are discussed. Non-pharmacologic approaches with the strongest evidence base involve family care giver interventions. Regarding pharmacologic treatments, antipsychotics have the strongest evidence base, although the risk to bene t ratio is a concern. An approach to integrating non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic treatments is described. Finally, the paradigm shi needed to fully institute tailored treatments for people and families dealing with these symptoms in the community is discussed.
Published:
March 1, 2015
Title:
How do you kill 86 mammoths? Taphonomic investigations of mammoth megasites
Authors:
Shipman, Pat
Abstract:
A series of Eurasian archaeological sites formed between about 40 – 15 ka feature unusually large numbers of mammoth remains with abundant artefacts and, often, mammoth bone dwellings. None of these mammoth megasites is dated prior to the appearance of modern humans in Eurasia. This unusual type of site begs for taphonomic explanation. The large number of individual mammoths and the scarcity of carnivore toothmarks and gnawing suggest a new ability to retain kill mammoths and control of carcasses. Age profiles of such mammoth-dominated sites with a large minimum number of individuals differ statistically at the p
Published:
March 1, 2015
Title:
Reconstruction of the Gravettian food-web at Předmostí I using multi-isotopic tracking (13C, 15N, 34S) of bone collagen
Authors:
Bocherens, Hervé; Drucker, Dorothée G.; Germonpré, Mietje; Lázničková-Galetová, Martina; Naito, Yuichi I.; Wissing, Christoph; Brůžek, Jaroslav; Oliva, Martin
Abstract:
The Gravettian site of Předmostí I in the central Moravian Plain has yielded a rich and diverse large mammal fauna dated around 25–27,000 14C years BP (ca. 29,500–31,500 cal BP). This fauna includes numerous carnivores (cave lion, wolf, brown bear, polar fox, wolverine) and herbivores (reindeer, large bovine, red deer, muskox, horse, woolly rhinoceros, woolly mammoth) whose trophic position could be reconstructed using stable isotopic tracking (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S) of bone collagen (n = 63). Among large canids, two morphotypes, “Pleistocene wolves” and “Palaeolithic dogs”, were considered, and two human bones attributed to the Gravettian assemblage of Předmostí I were also sampled. The trophic system around the Gravettian settlement of Předmostí I showed the typical niche partitioning among herbivores and carnivores seen in other mammoth-steppe contexts. The contribution of the analyzed prey species to the diet of the predators, including humans, was evaluated using a Bayesian mixing model (SIAR). Lions included great amounts of reindeer/muskox and possibly bison in their diet, while Pleistocene wolves were more focused on horse and possibly mammoth. Strong reliance on mammoth meat was found for the human of the site, similarly to previously analyzed individuals from other Gravettian sites in Moravia. Interestingly, the large canids interpreted as “Palaeolithic dogs” had a high proportion of reindeer/muskox in their diet, while consumption of mammoth would be expected from the availability of this prey especially in case of close interaction with humans. The peculiar isotopic composition of the Palaeolithic dogs of Předmostí I may indicate some control of their dietary intake by Gravettian people, who could have use them more for transportation than hunting purpose.
Published:
March 1, 2015
Title:
Successful treatment of a patient with obesity, type 2 diabetes and hypertension with the paleolithic ketogenic diet
Authors:
Tóth, Csaba; Clemens, Zsofia
Abstract:
Introduction: Metabolic syndrome is a major public health problem affecting at least 20% of the world’s adult population. Components of the metabolic syndrome include obesity, impaired glucose metabolism, hypertension and altered lipid profile. Currently, medical treatment relies on drugs. A major problem is that patients with long-standing disease are excessively medicated because of an increase in the number of symptoms over time. A few clinical studies indicate that low-carbohydrate diets, including the paleolithic as well as the ketogenic diet, may be beneficial in the treatment of conditions associated with the metabolic syndrome. Case Report: Herein, we present a case of patient with metabolic syndrome successfully treated with the paleolithic ketogenic diet. While on the diet the patient was able to discontinue eight medicines, lost weight, showed a continuous improvement in glucose parameters and her blood pressure normalized. Currently, the patient is on the paleolithic ketogenic diet for 22 months, free of symptoms and side effects. Conclusion: We conclude that the paleolithic ketogenic diet was safe, feasible and effective in the treatment of this patient with metabolic syndrome.
Published:
February 28, 2015
Title:
The effects of eating marine- or vegetable-fed farmed trout on the human plasma proteome profiles of healthy men
Authors:
Rentsch, Maria L.; Lametsch, René; Bügel, Susanne; Jessen, Flemming; Lauritzen, Lotte
Abstract:
Most human intervention studies have examined the effects on a subset of risk factors, some of which may require long-term exposure. The plasma proteome may reflect the underlying changes in protein expression and activation, and this could be used to identify early risk markers. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of regular fish intake on the plasma proteome. We recruited thirty healthy men aged 40 to 70 years, who were randomly allocated to a daily meal of chicken or trout raised on vegetable or marine feeds. Blood samples were collected before and after 8 weeks of intervention, and after the removal of the twelve most abundant proteins, plasma proteins were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Protein spots 4·3 visualised by silver staining were matched by two-dimensional imaging software. Within-subject changes in spots were compared between the treatment groups. Differentially affected spots were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight/time of flight MS and the human Swiss-Prot database. We found 23/681 abundant plasma protein spots, which were up- or down-regulated by the dietary treatment (P < 0·05, q
Published:
February 27, 2015
Title:
Biomarkers: background, classification and guidelines for applications in nutritional epidemiology
Authors:
Corella, Dolores; Ordovás, José M.
Abstract:
One of the main problems in nutritional epidemiology is to assess food intake as well as nutrient/food component intake to a high level of validity and reliability. To help in this process, the need to have good biomarkers that more objectively allow us to evaluate the diet consumed in a more standardized, valid and precise way has often been commented upon. There are various definitions of biomarkers and also different classifications of the same. In general a biomarker can be defined as a characteristic that can objectively measure different biological samples and that can be evaluated as an exposure marker of normal or pathogenic biological processes or of responses to a certain intervention. The biological samples most commonly used in nutritional epidemiology are blood, red blood cells, plasma, serum, urine, nails, saliva, faeces and samples of different tissues. Exposure biomarkers (dietary intake), biomarkers of effects and biomarkers of disease status can be determined from these samples. In turn, exposure biomarkers can be temporarily categorized into markers of acute, medium term or chronic effects. Many difficulties arise in identifying good biomarkers. Currently, advances in omics are opening up new possibilities for obtaining new biomarkers of various kinds, using genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, lipidomics, proteomics and metabolomics. We shall review the present situation of biomarkers in nutritional epidemiology as well as the future trends of the new omic biomarkers.
Published:
February 25, 2015
Title:
Effect of Treatment Modality on Long-Term Outcomes in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review
Authors:
Arnold, L. Eugene; Hodgkins, Paul; Caci, Hervé; Kahle, Jennifer; Young, Susan
Abstract:
Background Evaluation of treatments for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) previously focused on symptom control, but attention has shifted to functional outcomes. The effect of different ADHD treatment periods and modalities (pharmacological, non-pharmacological, and combination) on long-term outcomes needs to be more comprehensively understood.
Published:
February 24, 2015
Title:
[Is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder associated with other prevalent pathologies of early childhood?]
Authors:
Cardo, Esther; Amengual-Gual, Marta
Abstract:
AIM: To determine whether attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with other prevalent medical pathologies of the paediatric age. DEVELOPMENT: Several paediatric pathologies were selected with the aim of reviewing their association with ADHD: in paediatric pulmonology, asthma and other allergic processes; in paediatric neurology, headache and febrile seizures; in paediatric gastroenterology, diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal pain, gastroesophageal reflux and infection by Helicobacter pylori; in paediatric nephrology, enuresis; in paediatric cardiology, bruits and congenital heart disease; in paediatric endocrinology, thyroid disorders and obesity; and in paediatric ophthalmology, ametropia and strabismus. CONCLUSIONS: Several studies were found that related ADHD with allergic processes, overweight/obesity, peripheral resistance to thyroid hormone, enuresis, febrile seizures, headache, congenital heart disease, ophthalmic disorders and tooth decay, with some controversial issues and details still to be defined. It can be concluded that further interdisciplinary studies are needed to clarify the associations and underlying mechanisms involved, so as to be able to gain a deeper understanding of the complex entity of ADHD and to suggest preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions with regard to its comorbidities.
Published:
February 24, 2015
Title:
Chronic Superantigen Exposure Induces Systemic Inflammation, Elevated Bloodstream Endotoxin, and Abnormal Glucose Tolerance in Rabbits: Possible Role in Diabetes
Authors:
Vu, Bao G.; Stach, Christopher S.; Kulhankova, Katarina; Salgado-Pabón, Wilmara; Klingelhutz, Aloysius J.; Schlievert, Patrick M.
Abstract:
Published:
February 23, 2015
Title:
The sexual dimorphism of obesity
Authors:
Palmer, Biff F.; Clegg, Deborah J.
Abstract:
The NIH has recently highlighted the importance of sexual dimorphisms and has mandated inclusion of both sexes in clinical trials and basic research. In this review we highlight new and novel ways sex hormones influence body adiposity and the metabolic syndrome. Understanding how and why metabolic processes differ by sex will enable clinicians to target and personalize therapies based on gender. Adipose tissue function and deposition differ by sex. Females differ with respect to distribution of adipose tissues, males tend to accrue more visceral fat, leading to the classic android body shape which has been highly correlated to increased cardiovascular risk; whereas females accrue more fat in the subcutaneous depot prior to menopause, a feature which affords protection from the negative consequences associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome. After menopause, fat deposition and accrual shift to favor the visceral depot. This shift is accompanied by a parallel increase in metabolic risk reminiscent to that seen in men. A full understanding of the physiology behind why, and by what mechanisms, adipose tissues accumulate in specific depots and how these depots differ metabolically by sex is important in efforts of prevention of obesity and chronic disease. Estrogens, directly or through activation of their receptors on adipocytes and in adipose tissues, facilitate adipose tissue deposition and function. Evidence suggests that estrogens augment the sympathetic tone differentially to the adipose tissue depots favoring lipid accumulation in the subcutaneous depot in women and visceral fat deposition in men. At the level of adipocyte function, estrogens and their receptors influence the expandability of fat cells enhancing the expandability in the subcutaneous depot and inhibiting it in the visceral depot. Sex hormones clearly influence adipose tissue function and deposition, determining how to capture and utilize their function in a time of caloric surfeit, requires more information. The key will be harnessing the beneficial effects of sex hormones in such a way as to provide ‘healthy’ adiposity.
Published:
February 14, 2015
Title:
Vitamins Hide the Low Quality of Our Food
Authors:
Price, Catherine
Abstract:
Our staples have been fortified for years, allowing us to eat badly.
Published:
February 13, 2015
Title:
Plant ferritin--a source of iron to prevent its deficiency
Authors:
Zielińska-Dawidziak, Magdalena
Abstract:
Iron deficiency anemia affects a significant part of the human population. Due to the unique properties of plant ferritin, food enrichment with ferritin iron seems to be a promising strategy to prevent this malnutrition problem. This protein captures huge amounts of iron ions inside the apoferritin shell and isolates them from the environment. Thus, this iron form does not induce oxidative change in food and reduces the risk of gastric problems in consumers. Bioavailability of ferritin in human and animal studies is high and the mechanism of absorption via endocytosis has been confirmed in cultured cells. Legume seeds are a traditional source of plant ferritin. However, even if the percentage of ferritin iron in these seeds is high, its concentration is not sufficient for food fortification. Thus, edible plants have been biofortified in iron for many years. Plants overexpressing ferritin may find applications in the development of bioactive food. A crucial achievement would be to develop technologies warranting stability of ferritin in food and the digestive tract.
Published:
February 11, 2015
Title:
Incongruity between Affinity Patterns Based on Mandibular and Lower Dental Dimensions following the Transition to Agriculture in the Near East, Anatolia and Europe
Authors:
Pinhasi, Ron; Eshed, Vered; Cramon-Taubadel, Noreen von
Abstract:
While it has been suggested that malocclusion is linked with urbanisation, it remains unclear as to whether its high prevalence began 8,000 years earlier concomitant with the transition to agriculture. Here we investigate the extent to which patterns of affinity (i.e., among-population distances), based on mandibular form and dental dimensions, respectively, match across Epipalaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic samples from the Near East/Anatolia and Europe. Analyses were conducted using morphological distance matrices reflecting dental and mandibular form for the same 292 individuals across 21 archaeological populations. Thereafter, statistical analyses were undertaken on four sample aggregates defined on the basis of their subsistence strategy, geography, and chronology to test for potential differences in dental and mandibular form across and within groups. Results show a clear separation based on mandibular morphology between European hunter-gatherers, European farmers, and Near Eastern transitional farmers and semi-sedentary hunter-gatherers. In contrast, the dental dimensions show no such pattern and no clear association between the position of samples and their temporal or geographic attributes. Although later farming groups have, on average, smaller teeth and mandibles, shape analyses show that the mandibles of farmers are not simply size-reduced versions of earlier hunter-gatherer mandibles. Instead, it appears that mandibular form underwent a complex series of shape changes commensurate with the transition to agriculture that are not reflected in affinity patterns based on dental dimensions. In the case of hunter-gatherers there is a correlation between inter-individual mandibular and dental distances, suggesting an equilibrium between these two closely associated morphological units. However, in the case of semi-sedentary hunter-gatherers and farming groups, no such correlation was found, suggesting that the incongruity between dental and mandibular form began with the shift towards sedentism and agricultural subsistence practices in the core region of the Near East and Anatolia.
Published:
February 3, 2015
Title:
Is fat the sixth taste primary? Evidence and implications
Authors:
Keast, Russell SJ; Costanzo, Andrew
Abstract:
Taste is the chemical sense responsible for the detection of non-volatile chemicals in potential foods. For fat to be considered as one of the taste primaries in humans, certain criteria must be met including class of affective stimuli, receptors specific for the class of stimuli on taste bud cells (TBC), afferent fibres from TBC to taste-processing regions of the brain, perception independent of other taste qualities and downstream physiological effects. The breakdown products of the macronutrients carbohydrates (sugars) and proteins (amino acids) are responsible for the activation of sweet and umami tastes, respectively. Following the same logic, the breakdown products of fat being fatty acids are the likely class of stimuli for fat taste. Indeed, psychophysical studies have confirmed that fatty acids of varying chain length and saturation are orally detectable by humans. The most likely fatty acid receptor candidates located on TBC are CD36 and G protein-coupled receptor 120. Once the receptors are activated by fatty acids, a series of transduction events occurs causing the release of neurotransmitters towards afferent fibres signalling the brain. Whether fatty acids elicit any direct perception independent of other taste qualities is still open to debate with only poorly defined perceptions for fatty acids reported. Others suggest that the fatty acid taste component is at detection threshold only and any perceptions are associated with either aroma or chemesthesis. It has also been established that oral exposure to fat via sham feeding stimulates increases in blood TAG concentrations in humans. Therefore, overall, with the exception of an independent perception, there is consistent emerging evidence that fat is the sixth taste primary. The implications of fatty acid taste go further into health and obesity research, with the gustatory detection of fats and their contributions to energy and fat intake receiving increasing attention. There appears to be a coordinated bodily response to fatty acids throughout the alimentary canal; those who are insensitive orally are also insensitive in the gastrointestinal tract and overconsume fatty food and energy. The likely mechanism linking fatty acid taste insensitivity with overweight and obesity is development of satiety after consumption of fatty foods.
Published:
February 2, 2015
Title:
Cardiovascular Adverse Reactions During Antidepressant Treatment: A Drug Surveillance Report of German-Speaking Countries Between 1993 and 2010
Authors:
Spindelegger, C. J.; Papageorgiou, K.; Grohmann, R.; Engel, R.; Greil, W.; Konstantinidis, A.; Agelink, M. W.; Bleich, S.; Ruether, E.; Toto, S.; Kasper, S.
Abstract:
Background: Antidepressants (ADs) are known to have the potential to cause various cardiovascular adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) were first revealed to be a possible source of cardiovascular ADRs. In recent years, newer classes of ADs were also suggested to have a higher risk of cardiovascular adverse effects. In particular, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were suspected to have the potential to induce QTc interval prolongation, and therefore increase the risk of ventricular arrhythmia. This descriptive study is based on the continuous pharmacovigilance program of German-speaking countries (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland), the Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie (AMSP), which assesses severe ADRs occurring in clinical routine situations. Methods: Of 169 278 psychiatric inpatients treated with ADs between 1993 and 2010, 198 cases of cardiovascular ADRs (0.12%) were analyzed. Results: Our study showed that the incidence rates of cardiovascular ADRs were highest during treatment with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (0.27%), TCAs (0.15%), and serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (0.14%); the risk of occurring during treatment with SSRIs (0.08%) was significantly lower. The noradrenergic and specific serotonergic AD mirtazapine (0.07%) had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular ADRs than all other ADs. Severe hypotension was the most frequent ADR, followed by hypertension, arrhythmia, and in some rare cases heart failure. Conclusions: Despite certain limitations due to the AMSP study design, our observations on cardiovascular ADRs can contribute to a better knowledge of the cardiovascular risk profiles of antidepressants in the clinical routine setting. However, prospective studies are needed to verify our findings.
Published:
January 31, 2015
Title:
Comparative physiology of digestion
Authors:
Furness, John; Cottrell, Jeremy; Bravo, David
Abstract:
The digestive systems of all species have been shaped by environmental pressures over long evolutionary time spans. Nevertheless, all digestive systems must achieve the same end points, the ingestion of biological material and its conversion to molecules that serve as energy substrates and structural components of tissues. A range of strategies to extract nutrients, including for animals reliant primarily on foregut fermentation, hindgut fermentation, and enzymatic degradation, have evolved. Moreover, animals have adapted to different foodstuffs as herbivores (including frugivores, folivores, granivores, etc.), carnivores, and omnivores. We present evidence that humans have diverged from other omnivores because of the long history of consumption of cooked or otherwise prepared food. We consider them to be cucinivores. We present examples to illustrate that the range of foodstuffs that can be efficiently assimilated by each group or species is limited and is different from that of other groups or species. Differences are reflected in alimentary tract morphology. The digestive systems of each group and of species within the groups are adaptable, with constraints determined by individual digestive physiology. Although overall digestive strategies and systems differ, the building blocks for digestion are remarkably similar. All vertebrates have muscular tubular tracts lined with a single layer of epithelial cells for most of the length, use closely related digestive enzymes and transporters, and control the digestive process through similar hormones and similarly organized nerve pathways. Extrapolations among species that are widely separated in their digestive physiologies are possible when the basis for extrapolation is carefully considered. Divergence is greatest at organ or organismal levels, and similarities are greatest at the cell and molecular level.
Published:
January 31, 2015
Title:
Dietary Intake of Saturated Fat Is Not Associated with Risk of Coronary Events or Mortality in Patients with Established Coronary Artery Disease
Authors:
Puaschitz, Nathalie Genevieve; Strand, Elin; Norekvål, Tone Merete; Dierkes, Jutta; Dahl, Lisbeth; Svingen, Gard Frodahl Tveitevåg; Assmus, Jörg; Schartum-Hansen, Hall; Øyen, Jannike; Pedersen, Eva Kristine Ringdal; Drevon, Christian Andrè; Tell, Grethe Seppola; Nygård, Ottar
Abstract:
Abstract. Background: Data from recent meta-analyses question an association between dietary intake of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and risk of cardiovascular
Published:
January 31, 2015
Title:
Impact of Language Barriers on Complications and Mortality Among Immigrants With Diabetes: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors:
Okrainec, Karen; Booth, Gillian L.; Hollands, Simon; Bell, Chaim M.
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE Our objective was to examine the effect of language barriers on the risk of acute and chronic complications of diabetes and on mortality among immigrants. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Linked health and immigration databases were used to identify 87,707 adults with diabetes who immigrated to Ontario, Canada, between 1985 and 2005. These individuals were included in our cohort and stratified by language ability at the time of their immigration application. Primary end points included: one or more emergency department visit or hospitalization for 1) hypo- or hyperglycemia, skin and soft tissue infection, or foot ulcer and 2) a cardiovascular event or death between April 1, 2005, and February 29, 2012. RESULTS Our cohort was followed up for a median of 6.9 person-years. Immigrants with language barriers were older (mean age, 49 ± 15 vs. 42 ± 13 years; P < 0.001), more likely to have immigrated for family reunification (66% vs. 38%, P < 0.001), had less education (secondary school or less and no education, 82% vs. 53%; P < 0.001), and a higher use of health care (mean visits, 8.6 ± 12.1 vs. 7.8 ± 11.2; P
Published:
January 31, 2015
Title:
Nutrition Education Intervention for Women With Breast Cancer: Effect on Nutritional Factors and Oxidative Stress
Authors:
Schiavon, Cecilia C.; Vieira, Francilene G. K.; Ceccatto, Vanessa; de Liz, Sheyla; Cardoso, Alyne L.; Sabel, Cristiane; Gonzalez-Chica, David A.; da Silva, Edson L.; Galvan, Daisy; Crippa, Carlos G.; Di Pietro, Patricia F.
Abstract:
Published:
January 31, 2015
Title:
Optimising foods for satiety
Authors:
Chambers, Lucy; McCrickerd, Keri; Yeomans, Martin R.
Abstract:
Foods that generate strong satiety sensations have obvious benefits for weight management. This review builds on the understanding that a food's satiating power is dependent on the amount of protein, carbohydrate, fat and fibre it contains by examining evidence that the consumer's sensory and cognitive appraisal of the food is also important. It is concluded that numerous features of a food product can be manipulated to enhance the consumer's experience of satiety but the combination of these features will ultimately determine its effect on appetite control. Taking this integrated approach to satiety will optimise the development of high satiety foods.
Published:
January 31, 2015
Title:
Natural environments, ancestral diets, and microbial ecology: is there a modern “paleo-deficit disorder”? Part I
Authors:
Logan, Alan C; Katzman, Martin A; Balanzá-Martínez, Vicent
Abstract:
Famed microbiologist René J. Dubos (1901–1982) was an early pioneer in the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) construct. In the 1960s, he conducted groundbreaking experimental research concerning the ways in which early-life experience with nutrition, microbiota, stress, and other environmental variables could influence later-life health outcomes. He also wrote extensively on potential health consequences of a progressive loss of contact with natural environments (now referred to as green or blue space), arguing that Paleolithic experiences have created needs, particularly in the mental realm, that might not be met in the context of rapid global urbanization. He posited that humans would certainly adapt to modern urban landscapes and high technology, but there might be a toll to be paid in the form of higher psychological distress (symptoms of anxiety and depression) and diminished quality of life. In particular, there might be an erosion of humanness, exemplified by declines in altruism/empathy. Here in the first of a two-part review, we examine contemporary research related to natural environments and question to what extent Dubos might have been correct in some of his 50-year-old assertions.
Published:
January 30, 2015
Title:
Evidence from randomised controlled trials did not support the introduction of dietary fat guidelines in 1977 and 1983: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors:
Harcombe, Zoë; Baker, Julien S; Cooper, Stephen Mark; Davies, Bruce; Sculthorpe, Nicholas; DiNicolantonio, James J; Grace, Fergal
Abstract:
Objectives National dietary guidelines were introduced in 1977 and 1983, by the US and UK governments, respectively, with the ambition of reducing coronary heart disease (CHD) by reducing fat intake. To date, no analysis of the evidence base for these recommendations has been undertaken. The present study examines the evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) available to the US and UK regulatory committees at their respective points of implementation. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis were undertaken of RCTs, published prior to 1983, which examined the relationship between dietary fat, serum cholesterol and the development of CHD. Results 2467 males participated in six dietary trials: five secondary prevention studies and one including healthy participants. There were 370 deaths from all-cause mortality in the intervention and control groups. The risk ratio (RR) from meta-analysis was 0.996 (95% CI 0.865 to 1.147). There were 207 and 216 deaths from CHD in the intervention and control groups, respectively. The RR was 0.989 (95% CI 0.784 to 1.247). There were no differences in all-cause mortality and non-significant differences in CHD mortality, resulting from the dietary interventions. The reductions in mean serum cholesterol levels were significantly higher in the intervention groups; this did not result in significant differences in CHD or all-cause mortality. Government dietary fat recommendations were untested in any trial prior to being introduced. Conclusions Dietary recommendations were introduced for 220 million US and 56 million UK citizens by 1983, in the absence of supporting evidence from RCTs.
Published:
January 28, 2015
Title:
Metabolic therapy: a new paradigm for managing malignant brain cancer
Authors:
Seyfried, Thomas N.; Flores, Roberto; Poff, Angela M.; D'Agostino, Dominic P.; Mukherjee, Purna
Abstract:
Little progress has been made in the long-term management of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), considered among the most lethal of brain cancers. Cytotoxic chemotherapy, steroids, and high-dose radiation are generally used as the standard of care for GBM. These procedures can create a tumor microenvironment rich in glucose and glutamine. Glucose and glutamine are suggested to facilitate tumor progression. Recent evidence suggests that many GBMs are infected with cytomegalovirus, which could further enhance glucose and glutamine metabolism in the tumor cells. Emerging evidence also suggests that neoplastic macrophages/microglia, arising through possible fusion hybridization, can comprise an invasive cell subpopulation within GBM. Glucose and glutamine are major fuels for myeloid cells, as well as for the more rapidly proliferating cancer stem cells. Therapies that increase inflammation and energy metabolites in the GBM microenvironment can enhance tumor progression. In contrast to current GBM therapies, metabolic therapy is designed to target the metabolic malady common to all tumor cells (aerobic fermentation), while enhancing the health and vitality of normal brain cells and the entire body. The calorie restricted ketogenic diet (KD-R) is an anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic metabolic therapy that also reduces fermentable fuels in the tumor microenvironment. Metabolic therapy, as an alternative to the standard of care, has the potential to improve outcome for patients with GBM and other malignant brain cancers.
Published:
January 27, 2015
Title:
Mineral, fiber, and total phenolic retention in eight fruits and vegetables: a comparison of refrigerated and frozen storage
Authors:
Bouzari, Ali; Holstege, Dirk; Barrett, Diane M.
Abstract:
Minerals, total phenolics, and fiber were analyzed in several fruit and vegetable commodities to evaluate the differences between fresh and frozen produce. Magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, and copper were evaluated in corn, carrots, broccoli, spinach, peas, green beans, strawberries, and blueberries. Each commodity was harvested fresh and split into two batches. Half of each commodity was kept fresh, and the other half was frozen. The nutrient content was analyzed over three storage times per treatment. The retention of nutrients was highly dependent on the commodity, but the majority of the commodities showed no significant difference between fresh and frozen for all analytes (p ≤ 0.05).
Published:
January 27, 2015
Title:
The Warburg effect in tumor progression: mitochondrial oxidative metabolism as an anti-metastasis mechanism
Authors:
Lu, Jianrong; Tan, Ming; Cai, Qingsong
Abstract:
Compared to normal cells, cancer cells strongly upregulate glucose uptake and glycolysis to give rise to increased yield of intermediate glycolytic metabolites and the end product pyruvate. Moreover, glycolysis is uncoupled from the mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in cancer cells. Consequently, the majority of glycolysis-derived pyruvate is diverted to lactate fermentation and kept away from mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. This metabolic phenotype is known as the Warburg effect. While it has become widely accepted that the glycolytic intermediates provide essential anabolic support for cell proliferation and tumor growth, it remains largely elusive whether and how the Warburg metabolic phenotype may play a role in tumor progression. We hereby review the cause and consequence of the restrained oxidative metabolism, in particular in the context of tumor metastasis. Cells change or lose their extracellular matrix during the metastatic process. Inadequate/inappropriate matrix attachment generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and causes a specific type of cell death, termed anoikis, in normal cells. Although anoikis is a barrier to metastasis, cancer cells have often acquired elevated threshold for anoikis and hence heightened metastatic potential. As ROS are inherent byproducts of oxidative metabolism, forced stimulation of glucose oxidation in cancer cells raises oxidative stress and restores cells' sensitivity to anoikis. Therefore, by limiting the pyruvate flux into mitochondrial oxidative metabolism, the Warburg effect enables cancer cells to avoid excess ROS generation from mitochondrial respiration and thus gain increased anoikis resistance and survival advantage for metastasis. Consistent with this notion, pro-metastatic transcription factors HIF and Snail attenuate oxidative metabolism, whereas tumor suppressor p53 and metastasis suppressor KISS1 promote mitochondrial oxidation. Collectively, these findings reveal mitochondrial oxidative metabolism as a critical suppressor of metastasis and justify metabolic therapies for potential prevention/intervention of tumor metastasis.
Published:
January 27, 2015
Title:
Sex-Specific Differences in Lipid and Glucose Metabolism
Authors:
Varlamov, Oleg; Bethea, Cynthia L.; Roberts, Charles T.
Abstract:
Energy metabolism in humans is tuned to distinct sex-specific functions that potentially reflect the unique requirements in females for gestation and lactation, whereas male metabolism may represent a default state. These differences are the consequence of the action of sex chromosomes and sex-specific hormones, including estrogens and progesterone in females and androgens in males. In humans, sex-specific specialization is associated with distinct body-fat distribution and energy substrate-utilization patterns; i.e., females store more lipids and have higher whole-body insulin sensitivity than males, while males tend to oxidize more lipids than females. These patterns are influenced by the menstrual phase in females, and by nutritional status and exercise intensity in both sexes. This minireview focuses on sex-specific mechanisms in lipid and glucose metabolism and their regulation by sex hormones, with a primary emphasis on studies in humans and the most relevant pre-clinical model of human physiology, non-human primates.
Published:
January 18, 2015
Title:
Metabolomic pattern analysis after mediterranean diet intervention in a nondiabetic population: a 1- and 3-year follow-up in the PREDIMED study
Authors:
Vázquez-Fresno, Rosa; Llorach, Rafael; Urpi-Sarda, Mireia; Lupianez-Barbero, Ascension; Estruch, Ramón; Corella, Dolores; Fitó, Montserrat; Arós, Fernando; Ruiz-Canela, Miguel; Salas-Salvadó, Jordi; Andres-Lacueva, Cristina
Abstract:
The Mediterranean diet (MD) is considered a dietary pattern with beneficial effects on human health. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of an MD on urinary metabolome by comparing subjects at 1 and 3 years of follow-up, after an MD supplemented with either extra-virgin olive oil (MD + EVOO) or nuts (MD + Nuts), to those on advice to follow a control low-fat diet (LFD). Ninety-eight nondiabetic volunteers were evaluated, using metabolomic approaches, corresponding to MD + EVOO (n = 41), MD + Nuts (n = 27), or LFD (n = 30) groups. The (1)H NMR urinary profiles were examined at baseline and after 1 and 3 years of follow-up. Multivariate data analysis (OSC-PLS-DA and HCA) methods were used to identify the potential biomarker discriminating groups, exhibiting a urinary metabolome separation between MD groups against baseline and LFD. Results revealed that the most prominent hallmarks concerning MD groups were related to the metabolism of carbohydrates (3-hydroxybutyrate, citrate, and cis-aconitate), creatine, creatinine, amino acids (proline, N-acetylglutamine, glycine, branched-chain amino acids, and derived metabolites), lipids (oleic and suberic acids), and microbial cometabolites (phenylacetylglutamine and p-cresol). Otherwise, hippurate, trimethylamine-N-oxide, histidine and derivates (methylhistidines, carnosine, and anserine), and xanthosine were predominant after LFD. The application of NMR-based metabolomics enabled the classification of individuals regarding their dietary pattern and highlights the potential of this approach for evaluating changes in the urinary metabolome at different time points of follow-up in response to specific dietary interventions.
Published:
January 1, 2015
Title:
Bioanalytical Chemistry of Cytokines-A Review
Authors:
Stenken, Julie A.; Poschenrieder, Andreas J.
Abstract:
Cytokines are bioactive proteins produced by many different cells of the immune system. Due to their role in different inflammatory disease states and maintaining homeostasis, there is enormous clinical interest in the quantitation of cytokines. The typical standard methods for quantitation of cytokines are immunoassay-based techniques including enzyme-linked immusorbent assays (ELISA) and bead-based immunoassays read by either standard or modified flow cytometers. A review of recent developments in analytical methods for measurements of cytokine proteins is provided. This review briefly covers cytokine biology and the analysis challenges associated with measurement of these biomarker proteins for understanding both health and disease. New techniques applied to immunoassay-based assays are presented along with the uses of aptamers, electrochemistry, mass spectrometry, optical resonator-based methods. Methods used for elucidating the release of cytokines from single cells as well as in vivo collection methods are described.
Published:
December 31, 2014
Title:
Chapter 18 - Accessory Sex Glands in the Male
Authors:
Prins, Gail S.; Lindgren, Mark
Abstract:
The accessory reproductiveorgans in the male consist of the continuous series of paired ducts that transport sperm from the testis to the urethra (epididymis and ductus deferens, also known as vas deferens) as well as the accessory sex glands—the prostate, seminal vesicles, bulbourethral glands, and glands of Littre. The main functions of the sex accessory tissues collectively are the transport of sperm and the creation of seminal plasma, the medium in which sperm are delivered in the ejaculate. This product of the sex accessory glands, seminal plasma, is a unique mixture with high concentrations of zinc, fructose, citric acid, prostaglandins, polyamines, proteases, and acid phosphatases. The physiologic role of many of these substances is yet to be understood, but it is widely believed that these constituents play an essential role in male fertility by optimizing conditions for sperm transport and increasing their chance of fertilization. Both the development and homeostatic function of the sex accessory tissues are vitally linked to androgen signaling. Androgens and the androgen receptor, although necessary for normal physiology, are also an integral part of disease processes in the prostate including prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Far more attention has been given to the prostate compared to the other relatively disease-free sex accessory tissues because of its highly prevalent diseases and the enormous impact it has on public health. In addition to androgens, other hormones such as estrogen, prolactin, and growth hormone contribute to both physiologic and pathophysiologic processes in the prostate. Environmental substances that disrupt endocrine signaling have also been implicated as a contributing factor in prostate disease. Additional key areas of research include the prostate stem cell as well as the complex signaling that occurs between stroma and epithelia, and how these aspects contribute to development, normal homeostasis, as well as disease. This review of the accessory sex glands will encompass their function, anatomy, hormonal regulation, and development including emerging evidence for perturbations by endocrine disrupting chemicals, all with an emphasis on the prostate gland where most information is available. We will also summarize diseases of the prostate and provide an overview of future directions and research needs.
Published:
December 31, 2014
Title:
Very Low-Carbohydrate Ketogenic Diet Before Bariatric Surgery: Prospective Evaluation of a Sequential Diet
Authors:
Leonetti, Frida; Campanile, Fabio Cesare; Coccia, Federica; Capoccia, Danila; Alessandroni, Laura; Puzziello, Alessandro; Coluzzi, Ilenia; Silecchia, Gianfranco
Abstract:
We evaluated the effectiveness of a sequential diet regimen termed the obese preoperative diet (OPOD) in morbidly obese patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) scheduled for laparoscopic bariatric surgery.
Published:
December 31, 2014
Title:
What’s for dinner? Processed food in the coastal area of the northern Netherlands in the Late Neolithic
Authors:
Kubiak-Martens, Lucy; Brinkkemper, Otto; Oudemans, Tania
Abstract:
In the coastal area of the northwestern part of the Netherlands, dozens of sites dating to the Single Grave culture (or Corded Ware culture; 2850–2450 cal BC) have been located. Some of the sites have been excavated in the last decades of the 20th century. Within the framework of the Odyssey project of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, the excavated materials from three sites (Keinsmerbrug, Mienakker and Zeewijk) could be fully analysed. The results of archaeobotanical research, including the combined botanical and chemical analyses of organic residues (crusts) in ceramics, as well as the study of isolated remains of processed plant food and charred remains of parenchymatous tissue are presented. It is extremely challenging to find out what kind of food people prepared in the past and to determine actual prehistoric vessel use, to understand what kind of meals people prepared in ceramic vessels, what pots they used for what kind of foods, and if they used the same types of pots for the same foods all the time. The results obtained for the three sites are compared to the existing, dichotomous model developed for habitation of the Single Grave culture in the area, with small special activity sites and large permanent settlements.
Published:
December 31, 2014
Title:
Lean-non-alcoholic fatty liver disease increases risk for metabolic disorders in a normal weight Chinese population
Authors:
Feng, Ren-Nan; Du, Shan-Shan; Wang, Cheng; Li, Yan-Chuan; Liu, Li-Yan; Guo, Fu-Chuan; Sun, Chang-Hao
Abstract:
AIM: To study the prevalence and clinical biochemical, blood cell and metabolic features of lean-non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (lean-NAFLD) and its association with other diseases. METHODS: Demographic, biochemical and blood examinations were conducted in all the subjects in this study. We classified the subjects into four groups according to their weight and NAFLD status: lean-control, lean-NAFLD [body mass index (BMI)
Published:
December 20, 2014
Title:
Understanding Prostate Changes
Authors:
Abstract:
Prostate changes and symptoms that are not cancer. Learn about symptoms, risk factors, and treatment for prostatitis, enlarged prostate (BPH), prostate cancer. Talk with doctor about prostate cancer screening tests (DRE, PSA), biopsy, and Gleason score.
Published:
December 17, 2014
Title:
Comparative characteristics of carotid atherosclerosis in patients with hypertension concurrent with chronic coronary heart disease among the indigenous and non-indigenous population of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomic District
Authors:
Gapon, L; Sereda, T; Leont'eva, A; Gyl'tiaeva, E
Abstract:
To evaluate the degree of carotid artery (CA) atherosclerotic lesion and lipid metabolic disturbances in patients with hypertension and in those with hypertension concurrent with coronary heart disease (CHD) in the indigenous and non-indigenous population living in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomic District. Two hundred men and women aged 21 to 55 years (mean age 48.2 ± 0.7 years), who resided in the Far North, were examined. The patients were divided into 4 gender-and age-matched groups of 50 persons in each: 1) natives; 2) newcomers with hypertension only; 3) natives with CHD and hypertension; 4) non-natives with the above conditions. To study CA involvement, all the patients underwent duplex scanning of the brachiocephalic arteries at the extracranial level and blood lipid analysis in an outpatient setting (Salekhard). In all the patients, common CA intima-media thickness was significantly greater than the upper limit of the normal range defined in the Guidelines, this indicator proved to be highest in the groups of indigenous people (p
Published:
December 14, 2014
Title:
Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene Vegetation History and Use of Plant Foods in the Middle Vistula River Valley at Całowanie
Authors:
Kubiak-Martens, Lucy; Tobolski, Kazimierz
Abstract:
Published:
December 14, 2014
Title:
Saliva as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for inflammation and insulin-resistance
Authors:
Desai, Gauri S.; Mathews, Suresh T.
Abstract:
Saliva has been progressively studied as a non-invasive and relatively stress-free diagnostic alternative to blood. Currently, saliva testing is used for clinical assessment of hormonal perturbations, detection of HIV antibodies, DNA analysis, alcohol screening, and drug testing. Recently, there has been increasing interest in evaluating the diagnostic potential of saliva in obesity, inflammation, and insulin-resistance. Current literature has demonstrated elevated levels of inflammatory biomarkers including C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and interferon-γ in saliva of obese/overweight children and adults. Salivary antioxidant status has also been studied as a measure of oxidative stress in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Further, several studies have demonstrated correlations of salivary markers of stress and insulin resistance including cortisol, insulin, adiponectin, and resistin with serum concentrations. These findings suggest the potential diagnostic value of saliva in health screening and risk stratification studies, particularly in the pediatric population, with implications for inflammatory, metabolic and cardiovascular conditions. However, additional studies are required to standardize saliva collection and storage procedures, validate analytical techniques for biomarker detection, and establish reference ranges for routine clinical use. The purpose of this review is to summarize and evaluate recent advancements in using saliva as a diagnostic tool for inflammation and insulin-resistance.
Published:
December 14, 2014
Title:
The molecular evolutionary dynamics of the vomeronasal receptor (class 1) genes in primates: a gene family on the verge of a functional breakdown
Authors:
Yoder, Anne D.; Larsen, Peter A.
Abstract:
Olfaction plays a critical role in both survival of the individual and in the propagation of species. Studies from across the mammalian clade have found a remarkable correlation between organismal lifestyle and molecular evolutionary properties of receptor genes in both the main olfactory system (MOS) and the vomeronasal system (VNS). When a large proportion of intact (and putatively functional) copies is observed, the inference is made that a particular mode of chemoreception is critical for an organism’s fit to its environment and is thus under strong positive selection. Conversely, when the receptors in question show a disproportionately large number of pseudogene copies, this contraction is interpreted as evidence of relaxed selection potentially leading to gene family extinction. Notably, it appears that a risk factor for gene family extinction is a high rate of nonsynonymous substitution. A survey of intact vs. pseudogene copies among primate vomeronasal receptor Class one genes (V1Rs) appears to substantiate this hypothesis. Molecular evolutionary complexities in the V1R gene family combine rapid rates of gene duplication, gene conversion, lineage-specific expansions, deletions, and/or pseudogenization. An intricate mix of phylogenetic footprints and current adaptive landscapes have left their mark on primate V1Rs suggesting that the primate clade offers an ideal model system for exploring the molecular evolutionary and functional properties of the VNS of mammals. Primate V1Rs tell a story of ancestral function and divergent selection as species have moved into ever diversifying adaptive regimes. The sensitivity to functional collapse in these genes, consequent to their precariously high rates of nonsynonymous substitution, confer a remarkable capacity to reveal the lifestyles of the genomes that they presently occupy as well as those of their ancestors.
Published:
December 11, 2014
Title:
Food choices and practices during pregnancy of immigrant women with high-risk pregnancies in Canada: a pilot study
Authors:
Higginbottom, Gina M. A.; Vallianatos, Helen; Forgeron, Joan; Gibbons, Donna; Mamede, Fabiana; Barolia, Rubina
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Immigrant women may be regarded as a vulnerable population with respect to access and navigation of maternity care services. They may encounter difficulties when accessing culturally safe and appropriate maternity care, which may be further exacerbated by language difficulties and discriminatory practices or attitudes. The project aimed to understand ethnocultural food and health practices and how these intersect in a particular social context of cultural adaptation and adjustment in order to improve the care-giving capacities of health practitioners working in multicultural perinatal clinics. METHODS: This four-phase study employed a case study design allowing for multiple means of data collection and different units of analysis. Phase one consists of a scoping review of the literature. Phases two and three incorporate pictorial representations of food choices with semi-structured photo-elicited interviews. This study was undertaken at a Prenatal and Obstetric Clinic, in an urban Canadian city. In phase four, the research team will inform the development of culturally appropriate visual tools for health promotion. RESULTS: Five themes were identified: (a) Perceptions of Health, (b) Social Support (c) Antenatal Foods (d) Postnatal Foods and (e) Role of Health Education. These themes provide practitioners with an understanding of the cultural differences that affect women's dietary choices during pregnancy. The project identified building collaborations between practitioners and families of pregnant immigrant women to be of utmost importance in supporting healthy pregnancies, along with facilitating social support for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. CONCLUSION: In a multicultural society that contemporary Canada is, it is challenging for health practitioners to understand various ethnocultural dietary norms and practices. Practitioners need to be aware of customary practices of the ethnocultural groups that they work with, while simultaneously recognizing the variation within-not everyone follows customary practices, individuals may pick and choose which customary guidelines they follow. What women choose to eat is also influenced by their own experiences, access to particular foods, socioeconomic status, family context, and so on. The pilot study demonstrated the efficacy of the employed research strategies and we subsequently acquired funding for a national study.
Published:
December 2, 2014
Title:
Effect of neighborhood factors on diabetes self-care behaviors in adults with type 2 diabetes
Authors:
Smalls, Brittany L.; Gregory, Chris M.; Zoller, James S.; Egede, Leonard E.
Abstract:
Objective The objective of this study was to identify latent variables for neighborhood factors and diabetes self-care and examine the effect of neighborhood factors on diabetes self-care in adults with type 2 diabetes. Research design and methods 615 subjects were recruited from an academic medical center and a Veterans affairs medical center in the southeastern United States. Validated scales were used to assess neighborhood factors and diabetes-related self-care. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine the latent constructs. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was then used to assess the relationship between neighborhood factors and diabetes self-care. Results Based on a theoretical framework, CFA yielded four latent variables for neighborhood factors (neighborhood violence, access to healthy food, social support, and neighborhood esthetics) and one latent variable diabetes self-care (including diet, exercise, foot care, blood sugar testing and medication adherence). SEM showed that social support (r=0.28, p<0.001) and access to healthy foods (r=−0.16, p=0.003) were significantly associated with self-care behaviors, while neighborhood violence (r=−0.06, p<0.001) and esthetics (r=−0.07, p=0.278) were not χ2 (180, N=611)=192, p=0.26, RMSEA=0.01, CFI=0.999). In the final trimmed model, social support (r=0.31, p<0.001) and access to healthy foods (r=−0.20, p
Published:
November 30, 2014
Title:
Energetic and nutritional constraints on infant brain development: Implications for brain expansion during human evolution
Authors:
Cunnane, Stephen C.; Crawford, Michael A.
Abstract:
The human brain confronts two major challenges during its development: (i) meeting a very high energy requirement, and (ii) reliably accessing an adequate dietary source of specific brain selective nutrients needed for its structure and function. Implicitly, these energetic and nutritional constraints to normal brain development today would also have been constraints on human brain evolution. The energetic constraint was solved in large measure by the evolution in hominins of a unique and significant layer of body fat on the fetus starting during the third trimester of gestation. By providing fatty acids for ketone production that are needed as brain fuel, this fat layer supports the brain's high energy needs well into childhood. This fat layer also contains an important reserve of the brain selective omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), not available in other primates. Foremost amongst the brain selective minerals are iodine and iron, with zinc, copper and selenium also being important. A shore-based diet, i.e., fish, molluscs, crustaceans, frogs, bird's eggs and aquatic plants, provides the richest known dietary sources of brain selective nutrients. Regular access to these foods by the early hominin lineage that evolved into humans would therefore have helped free the nutritional constraint on primate brain development and function. Inadequate dietary supply of brain selective nutrients still has a deleterious impact on human brain development on a global scale today, demonstrating the brain's ongoing vulnerability. The core of the shore-based paradigm of human brain evolution proposes that sustained access by certain groups of early Homo to freshwater and marine food resources would have helped surmount both the nutritional as well as the energetic constraints on mammalian brain development.
Published:
November 30, 2014
Title:
Everyday Discrimination, Diabetes-Related Distress, and Depressive Symptoms Among African Americans and Latinos with Diabetes
Authors:
LeBron, Alana M. W.; Valerio, Melissa A.; Kieffer, Edith; Sinco, Brandy; Rosland, Ann-Marie; Hawkins, Jaclynn; Espitia, Nicolaus; Palmisano, Gloria; Spencer, Michael
Abstract:
It is not known how discrimination might affect diabetes-related distress (DRD), an important correlate of diabetes outcomes. We examined correlates of discrimination and the influence of discrimination on DRD and depressive symptoms (DS) for African Americans and Latinos with type 2 diabetes. We analyzed survey data (n = 157) collected at enrollment into a diabetes management intervention. Using multiple linear regression, we examined correlates of discrimination and the association between discrimination and DRD and DS. Discrimination was significantly associated with higher DRD for Latinos (b 1.58, 95 % CI 1.08, 2.31, p < 0.05), but not significant for African Americans (b 0.96, 95 % CI 0.59, 1.57). Discrimination was marginally significantly associated with more DS for Latinos (b 1.43, 95 % CI 0.97, 2.12, p
Published:
November 30, 2014
Title:
Mixed food dishes in Corded Ware ceramics. Botanical and chemical study of charred organic residues.
Authors:
Oudemans, Tania; Kubiak-Martens, Lucy
Abstract:
Even though ceramic vessels are frequently discovered in archaeological excavations, much remains unclear about the actual daily use of ancient pottery. It is often assumed, without further presentation of evidence, that ceramic vessels were used for the preparation, storage or consumption of food. Since the 1980s renewed interest in the functional aspects of vessels has encouraged specialists from different fields to pay more attention to organic residues found in association with ceramics. It is extremely challenging to determine actual prehistoric vessel use, to find out what mixtures of edible materials people prepared in ceramics, what pots they used for what kind of foods, or whether they used the same pots for the same foods all the time. Recently, botanists and chemists have started to join forces in order to identifying remaining traces of the original vessel contents preserved after thousands of years of burial. It was exactly this kind of combined botanical and chemical organic residue analysis that was performed on Zeewijk ceramics in order to identify what foods or non-foods were prepared in the vessels found at this site. Each discipline used its own highly sensitive technique to identify informative characteristics in the remaining crusts. Archaeobotanical analysis combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) facilitated the study of anatomical features of very small fragments of plant tissues preserved in organic residues. Chemical analysis using direct temperature- resolved mass spectrometry (DTMS) enabled the identification of a wide range of chemical components (e.g. lipids, proteins, polysaccharides, plant waxes) in the residues. By combining the two disciplines it was possible to obtain an insight into the Neolithic food preparation methods practised at Zeewijk. Such a combined analysis had been successfully applied earlier to a number of pottery assemblages from various archaeological sites,298 including two other sites from the Single Grave Culture (Keinsmerbrug and Mienakker).299 The combined archaeobotanical and chemical approach aims to afford a more detailed insight into the practices of food preparation and cooking in the Single Grave Culture in general, and into the subsistence at Zeewijk in particular.
Published:
November 30, 2014
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