sábado, 3 de março de 2018
Usos e curiosidades sobre as plantas espontâneas. Picão-branco ou fazendeiro
De origem andina mas naturalizado brasileiro, o picão branco, botão-de-ouro ou fazendeiro (Galinsoga parviflora) se desenvolve com facilidade em praticamente todo território nacional. É ainda mais comum em áreas antrópicas, sendo encontrado com frequência em calçadas, hortas, jardins e outros locais cujo solo possivelmente têm nitrogênio suficiente e deficiência de outros micronutrientes, principalmente cobre.
As pequenas flores com pétalas brancas dentadas lhe conferem aparência delicada e, apesar de ser considerado "daninha" por muitos, o picão-branco esconde (principalmente em suas folhas) propriedades medicinais e que podem também servir como alimento.
Alguns usos e curiosidades sobre Galinsoga parviflora
1. É comum encontrar em grande quantidade nas hortas. Este pode ser um indicativo de que o solo da horta é rico em matéria orgânica, mas está desequilibrado quanto alguns dos micronutrientes. Geralmente é uma horta que só recebe adubação de esterco, por exemplo. Por isso, pode ser utilizada como planta indicadora.
2. Sua ocorrência maior no Brasil é nas regiões Sul e Sudeste. Mas é possível encontrar em boa parte do país.
3. Não raro, é colocada em rações com o picão-preto (Bidens pilosa) com o objetivo de desintoxicar animais que recebem muitos medicamentos sintéticos.
4. No Brasil ainda não é muito consumida como alimento. Mas já há referências de consumo das partes aéreas não na fase de produção de sementes, em saladas e em refogados.
5. No entanto, em países como a Colômbia, é utilizada como alimento há séculos.
6. Em alguns países também é utilizada como condimento.
7. Se propaga facilmente por suas inúmeras sementes liberadas.
8. Em 2007 na Universidade de Kwa-Zulu (África do Sul), 16 ervas foram estudadas como possíveis inibidoras da ECA (enzima conversora de angiotensina, que está relacionada ao controle e aumento da pressão arterial). Estes inibidores são comumente sintetizados por empresas farmacêuticas para tratar a hipertensão arterial, ajudando a prevenir a hipertensão e as doenças cardiovasculares. Uma das ervas que teve efeito comprovado como inibidora da ECA, foi a Galinsoga parviflora.
9. Seu gênero foi designado em homenagem a um botânico e físico espanhol chamado Mariano Martinez Galinsoga que, no século 18, identificou a planta e transportou diversas espécies do gênero do Peru para a Espanha.
10. Já o epíteto "parviflora", significa "planta pequena" tendo em vista que, em latim, parvus quer dizer "pequeno".
Referências
Texto:
Giovanna Brito Lins - Graduanda em Ciência e Tecnologia e Ciências Biológicas na Universidade Federal do ABC
Marcos Roberto Furlan - Engenheiro Agrônomo - Professor na Faculdade Cantareira e na Universidade de Taubaté
sexta-feira, 2 de março de 2018
Resenha do artigo - Efeito dos alimentos na biodisponibilidade de medicamentos antirretrovirais: revisão sistemática
Autoria da resenha:
Ana Carolina Vaz - Acadêmica de Nutrição da Universidade de Taubaté - UNITAU
Referência:
SOUZA, Daiane Spitz et al. Efeito dos alimentos na biodisponibilidade de medicamentos antirretrovirais: Revisão Sistemática. Nutrire, v. 39, n. 2, p. 243-251, 2014. Disponível em: <http://sban.cloudpainel.com.br/files/revistas_publicacoes/429.pdf>. Acesso em: 02.03.2018
Uma revisão sistemática foi desenvolvida em Agosto de 2014 e conduzida por cinco integrantes da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Foram selecionados 11 artigos, sendo: seis nos Estados Unidos, dois na Espanha, um na Austrália, um na Alemanha e um na Suíça. O objetivo foi avaliar a interação dos alimentos com os medicamentos em pacientes que utilizam a terapia antirretroviral.
Os medicamentos antirretrovirais são destinados à terapia que impede a multiplicação de vírus no organismo, em específico o HIV. Eles não matam este vírus, mas impedem que o sistema imune seja enfraquecido e traga outras diversas complicações ocasionadas por essa imunossupressão.
Estes medicamentos são divididos em três classes. Os inibidores da transcriptase reversa análogos de nucleosídeos (ITRN), os inibidores da transcriptase reversva não análogos de nucleosídeos (ITRNN) e os inibidores de proteases (IP’s). Os autores observam que os medicamentos e os nutrientes ocupam o mesmo espaço para o processo de absorção, digestão, metabolismo e excreção, ambos utilizando do sistema de biotransformação que é por meio do citrocomo P450.
Dentre os medicamentos pertencentes às classes de antirretrovirais, alguns são mais utilizados, como, por exemplo, Tenofovir, Lamivudina e Efavirenz. Cada um deles apresenta suas interações com os alimentos. O que tem maior suscetibilidade é o ritonavir (IP’s), e o que não sofre alterações significativas é o Efavirenz (ITRNN). Os que melhoram seus efeitos quando administrados com alimento são o Saquinavir e o Nelfinavir, segundo o Kupferschmidt et al., autor citado na revisão. Já em contra partida outro autor citado, o Nettles, defende que a biodisponibilidade do Ritonavir, do Nelfinavir e do Saquinavir é alterada pelos alimentos.
Esta revisão tem grande contribuição para o nicho que depende do tratamento e anseia sempre por melhoras efetivas da terapia. Por esta razão, os profissionais da saúde devem desenvolver outras análises com pacientes em tratamento para trazer novas descobertas.
Por fim, é importante ressaltar que estas interações direcionadas a terapia antirretroviral devem ser estudas mais profundamente, mesmo que já existam documentos que descrevam se os medicamentos devem ou não ser administrados em conjunto com a alimentação.
De modo geral, é imprescindível um acompanhamento nutricional crítico para este público, pois muitas das interações resultam na falha terapêutica e já é estabelecido que a dieta destes indivíduos devem ser monitoradas e não deve ser hipoproteica, porque a queda deste nutriente afeta os mecanismos do citrocomo P450 e a dieta deve conter um percentual significativo de gordura, para que por meio desta sejam reguladas as atividades do CYP P450 e otimize o efeito da terapia antirretroviral.
Bibliografia
1- http://sban.cloudpainel.com.br/files/revistas_publicacoes/429.pdf
2- http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publicacoes/06consenso.pdf4
3- http://giv.org.br/HIV-e-AIDS/Medicamentos/index.html
quinta-feira, 1 de março de 2018
Curcumina se revela efetiva no combate à colite de exclusão
07.02.2018
Pigmento ativo do açafrão-da-índia tem baixa toxidade e efeitos colaterais desprezíveis
O médico Antonio José Tibúrcio Alves Júnior: a curcumina aumenta o conteúdo de mucinas ácidas no cólon excluso
A colite de exclusão é uma doença inflamatória que acomete o segmento do intestino grosso desprovido de trânsito intestinal. Ela se manifesta quando o órgão sofre uma interrupção desse fluxo – processo que é adotado em uma cirurgia quando, por razões diversas, o intestino seccionado não pode ser novamente unido, mesmo que temporariamente. No caso, a porção isolada do órgão, onde não circula mais o conteúdo intestinal, deixa de receber nutrientes que lhe são essenciais, como ácidos graxos de cadeia curta. Essa carência modifica o metabolismo energético das células, acentuando a produção de radicais livres, o que determina lesão tecidual devido à quebra de diferentes mecanismos de barreira existentes na mucosa cólica. Essa inflamação promove alterações das concentrações de sulfomucinas e sialomucinas na camada que recobre o epitélio do intestino.
Como a curcumina (Curcuma L.) – um pigmento que faz parte de um componente ativo do açafrão-da-índia – é uma das substâncias naturais com grande potencial antioxidante, de baixa toxidade e de efeitos colaterais desprezíveis, teoricamente está credenciada a ser utilizada para o tratamento da colite de exclusão. Essa possibilidade orientou a pesquisa de mestrado do médico coloproctologista Antonio José Tibúrcio Alves Júnior, que estudou a ação da curcumina no combate a esse processo inflamatório, avaliando seu efeito nas mucinas ácidas – sulfomucinas e sialomucinas – no segmento colônico excluso. Na pesquisa com animais, o autor concluiu que a aplicação da curcumina aumenta o conteúdo de mucinas ácidas no cólon excluso e que o grau de ação sobre a inflamação depende da dose e do tempo de intervenção medicamentosa.
Estudos mostram que a mucosa cólica desprovida de suprimento de ácidos graxos de cadeia curta desenvolve colite de exclusão, uma vez que as células do epitélio cólico, sem o fornecimento nutricional adequado, têm modificado seu metabolismo oxidativo mitocondrial, produzindo altos níveis de radicais livres. Isto quebra o mecanismo de barreira e induz o processo inflamatório. Caberia verificar se a curcumina, a exemplo de outros antioxidantes de ações já devidamente comprovadas, poderia contribuir para a reversão do processo, com a vantagem de se constituir em uma terapêutica de baixíssimo custo.
O trabalho com animais foi realizado no Laboratório de Investigação Médica da Universidade de São Francisco, em Bragança, onde o orientador da dissertação, professor Carlos Augusto Real Martinez, mantém uma linha de pesquisa em colite de exclusão – na Unicamp, ele é docente associado do Departamento de Cirurgia da Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM) e coordenador do Ambulatório de Neoplasias Colorretais. O estudo foi coorientado pelo professor Claudio Saddy Rodrigues Coy, do Departamento de Cirurgia e coordenador do Grupo de Coloproctologia da Disciplina de Moléstias do Aparelho Digestivo.
Procedimentos e conclusões
O trabalho teve como objetivo quantificar o conteúdo tecidual das sulfomucinas e sialomucinas na mucosa cólica desprovida de trânsito fecal e inflamada, submetida à intervenção com curcumina, e avaliar a importância da dose utilizada e do tempo de intervenção proposto.
Para tanto, o pesquisador induziu a colite de exclusão em 36 ratos, fazendo a derivação do trânsito intestinal por colostomia proximal, parte do intestino em que chegam as fezes, excluindo a porção do cólon distal, desprovido de trânsito. Dividiu-os então em três grupos de 12 animais. Cada um deles passou a receber, pela porção distal da colostomia, injeções diárias, respectivamente, de solução fisiológica 0,9% e de curcumina nas concentrações de 50 mg/kg/dia e de 200 mg/kg/dia. Por sua vez, cada um desses grupos foi subdividido em dois outros para eutanásia, após 2 e 4 semanas, períodos que se determinou as proporções de sulfomucinas e sialomucinas na mucosa. O conteúdo tecidual dessas mucinas foi mensurado por análises de imagens assistidas por computador.
Os resultados mostraram que o conteúdo de sulfomucinas e sialomucinas na mucosa cólica submetida à intervenção com curcumina aumenta, quando comparado com a mucosa cólica que recebeu apenas soro fisiológico, sendo maior quando usada concentração de 200 mg/kg.dia durante quatro semanas.
A curcumina faz parte de um componente ativo do açafrão-da-índia e tem grande potencial antioxidante
Mecanismo e importância
As sulfomucinas e as sialomucinas são proteínas do muco, principal componente da defesa intestinal. As células maduras são capazes de produzi-las na quantidade adequada. Com o processo inflamatório, as células mais jovens, além de não atingirem a maturidade, produzem pequena quantidade de sulfomicinas e nenhuma de sialomucinas, levando a um desequilíbrio na distribuição apropriada dessas proteínas no muco.
A curcumina combate o efeito oxidativo dos radicais livres permitindo que células mais jovens consigam envelhecer e se mantenham, garantindo a reposição da sialomucina, que é usada como marcador da inflamação. Em consequência, o efeito da medicação pode ser comprovado com a medição das proporções de sulfomucinas e sialomucinas. A recuperação tecidual dessas mucinas é dimensionada através de sua quantificação por imagens computacionais.
A importância da pesquisa ressalta quando se sabe que cerca de 50% de pacientes que precisam ser submetidos à colostomia não conseguem, por vários motivos, ter os dois segmentos intestinais religados e, portanto, precisam conviver com os sintomas decorrentes da colite de exclusão. Entre eles mencionam-se sangramentos, dores abdominais, tenesmo (vontade de evacuar sem ter o quê), produção de muco (uma secreção espessa e esbranquiçada) liberado pelo ânus.
Imagem de capa JU-online
quarta-feira, 28 de fevereiro de 2018
Red wine proves good for the heart (again)
Antioxidants found in wine have advanced stents
Date: February 1, 2018 Source: Louisiana State University Summary: Antioxidant compounds found in red wine are advancing the treatment of heart disease -- the leading cause of death for both men and women in the US. Researchers have developed drug-eluting stents with red wine antioxidants.
Antioxidant compounds found in red wine are advancing the treatment of heart disease -- the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S.
Heart disease occurs when plaque builds up within artery walls blocking the blood flow through tissues in the body, increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke. About 630,000 people die each year from heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While there is no singular cure for heart disease, there are numerous forms of treatment including lifestyle changes and surgical procedures. In one procedure called a coronary angioplasty, a surgeon inserts and inflates a tiny balloon inside a blocked or narrow artery to widen it and allow blood to flow through to the heart thereby decreasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke. This procedure often includes inserting a permanent small mesh tube to support the blood vessel called a stent.
Commercial stents can release chemotherapy agents that are toxic and can cause the blood vessel to narrow again. LSU Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences Professor Tammy Dugas is developing a new stent that releases red wine antioxidants slowly over time that promotes healing and prevents blood clotting and inflammation. The two antioxidant compounds are resveratrol and quercetin.
"By delivering red wine antioxidants during conventional angioplasty, it may be possible to prevent excess tissue from building up and the blood vessel from narrowing again as it heals," Dr. Dugas said.
In addition to the stent, Dugas and colleagues are developing a balloon coated with the same compounds to treat blood flow blockages throughout the body called peripheral artery disease. This disease which can limit the blood flow to kidneys, the stomach, arms or legs affects about 8 to 12 million Americans. However, less than 20 percent are diagnosed by a physician. Drug-coated balloons are a relatively new product, and are being developed to help interventional cardiologists treat arteries that are difficult to target with traditional angioplasty and stent treatments.
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Louisiana State University. "Red wine proves good for the heart (again): Antioxidants found in wine have advanced stents." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180201115711.htm>.
Antioxidant compounds found in red wine are advancing the treatment of heart disease -- the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S.
Heart disease occurs when plaque builds up within artery walls blocking the blood flow through tissues in the body, increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke. About 630,000 people die each year from heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While there is no singular cure for heart disease, there are numerous forms of treatment including lifestyle changes and surgical procedures. In one procedure called a coronary angioplasty, a surgeon inserts and inflates a tiny balloon inside a blocked or narrow artery to widen it and allow blood to flow through to the heart thereby decreasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke. This procedure often includes inserting a permanent small mesh tube to support the blood vessel called a stent.
Commercial stents can release chemotherapy agents that are toxic and can cause the blood vessel to narrow again. LSU Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences Professor Tammy Dugas is developing a new stent that releases red wine antioxidants slowly over time that promotes healing and prevents blood clotting and inflammation. The two antioxidant compounds are resveratrol and quercetin.
"By delivering red wine antioxidants during conventional angioplasty, it may be possible to prevent excess tissue from building up and the blood vessel from narrowing again as it heals," Dr. Dugas said.
In addition to the stent, Dugas and colleagues are developing a balloon coated with the same compounds to treat blood flow blockages throughout the body called peripheral artery disease. This disease which can limit the blood flow to kidneys, the stomach, arms or legs affects about 8 to 12 million Americans. However, less than 20 percent are diagnosed by a physician. Drug-coated balloons are a relatively new product, and are being developed to help interventional cardiologists treat arteries that are difficult to target with traditional angioplasty and stent treatments.
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Louisiana State University. "Red wine proves good for the heart (again): Antioxidants found in wine have advanced stents." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180201115711.htm>.
Vitamin D3 could help heal or prevent cardiovascular damage
Date: January 30, 2018 Source: Ohio University Summary: A new study shows that Vitamin D3 could help restore damage to the cardiovascular system caused by diseases like hypertension and diabetes.
A new study conducted by Ohio University scientists suggests that a little more sunlight might help restore damage to your cardiovascular system.
The study shows that Vitamin D3 -- which is made by the body naturally when skin is exposed to the sun -- can significantly restore the damage to the cardiovascular system caused by several diseases, including hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerosis. Vitamin D3 supplements are also available over-the-counter.
The study, by Marvin and Ann Dilley White Chair and Distinguished Professor Dr. Tadeusz Malinski and two graduate students, Alamzeb Khan and Hazem Dawoud, has been published in the International Journal of Nanomedicine.
"Generally, Vitamin D3 is associated with the bones. However, in recent years, in clinical settings people recognize that many patients who have a heart attack will have a deficiency of D3. It doesn't mean that the deficiency caused the heart attack, but it increased the risk of heart attack," Malinski said. "We use nanosensors to see why Vitamin D3 can be beneficial, especially for the function and restoration of the cardiovascular system."
Malinski's team has developed unique methods and systems of measurements using nanosensors, which are about 1,000 times smaller in diameter than a human hair, to track the impacts of Vitamin D3 on single endothelial cells, a vital regulatory component of the cardiovascular system. A major discovery from these studies is that vitamin D3 is a powerful stimulator of nitric oxide (NO), which is a major signaling molecule in the regulation of blood flow and the prevention of the formation of clots in the cardiovasculature. Additionally, vitamin D3 significantly reduced the level of oxidative stress in the cardiovascular system.
Most importantly, these studies show that treatment with vitamin D3 can significantly restore the damage to the cardiovascular system caused by several diseases, including hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes, while also reducing the risk of heart attack. These studies, performed on cells from Caucasian Americans and African Americans, yielded similar results for both ethnic groups.
"There are not many, if any, known systems which can be used to restore cardiovascular endothelial cells which are already damaged, and Vitamin D3 can do it," Malinski said. "This is a very inexpensive solution to repair the cardiovascular system. We don't have to develop a new drug. We already have it."
These studies, performed at Ohio University, are the first to identify the molecular mechanism of vitamin D3-triggered restoration of the function of damaged endothelium in the cardiovasculature. While these studies were performed using a cellular model of hypertension, the implication of vitamin D3 on dysfunctional endothelium is much broader. The dysfunction of endothelium is a common denominator of several cardiovascular diseases, particularly those associated with ischemic events.
Therefore, the authors suggest that vitamin D3 may be of clinical importance in the restoration of dysfunctional cardiac endothelium after heart attack, capillary endothelium after brain ischemia (stroke), hypovolemia, vasculopathy, diabetes and atherosclerosis. This suggestion is strongly supported by several clinical studies which indicate that vitamin D3 at doses higher than those currently used for the treatment of bone diseases, may be highly beneficial for the treatment of the dysfunctional cardiovascular system.
"Professor Malinksi has an international reputation for outstanding and innovative research related to the cardiovascular system," Ohio University Dean of Arts and Sciences Robert Frank said. "This latest work is yet another example of his impact on this field."
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Ohio University. "Vitamin D3 could help heal or prevent cardiovascular damage." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 January 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180130140242.htm>.
A new study conducted by Ohio University scientists suggests that a little more sunlight might help restore damage to your cardiovascular system.
The study shows that Vitamin D3 -- which is made by the body naturally when skin is exposed to the sun -- can significantly restore the damage to the cardiovascular system caused by several diseases, including hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerosis. Vitamin D3 supplements are also available over-the-counter.
The study, by Marvin and Ann Dilley White Chair and Distinguished Professor Dr. Tadeusz Malinski and two graduate students, Alamzeb Khan and Hazem Dawoud, has been published in the International Journal of Nanomedicine.
"Generally, Vitamin D3 is associated with the bones. However, in recent years, in clinical settings people recognize that many patients who have a heart attack will have a deficiency of D3. It doesn't mean that the deficiency caused the heart attack, but it increased the risk of heart attack," Malinski said. "We use nanosensors to see why Vitamin D3 can be beneficial, especially for the function and restoration of the cardiovascular system."
Malinski's team has developed unique methods and systems of measurements using nanosensors, which are about 1,000 times smaller in diameter than a human hair, to track the impacts of Vitamin D3 on single endothelial cells, a vital regulatory component of the cardiovascular system. A major discovery from these studies is that vitamin D3 is a powerful stimulator of nitric oxide (NO), which is a major signaling molecule in the regulation of blood flow and the prevention of the formation of clots in the cardiovasculature. Additionally, vitamin D3 significantly reduced the level of oxidative stress in the cardiovascular system.
Most importantly, these studies show that treatment with vitamin D3 can significantly restore the damage to the cardiovascular system caused by several diseases, including hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes, while also reducing the risk of heart attack. These studies, performed on cells from Caucasian Americans and African Americans, yielded similar results for both ethnic groups.
"There are not many, if any, known systems which can be used to restore cardiovascular endothelial cells which are already damaged, and Vitamin D3 can do it," Malinski said. "This is a very inexpensive solution to repair the cardiovascular system. We don't have to develop a new drug. We already have it."
These studies, performed at Ohio University, are the first to identify the molecular mechanism of vitamin D3-triggered restoration of the function of damaged endothelium in the cardiovasculature. While these studies were performed using a cellular model of hypertension, the implication of vitamin D3 on dysfunctional endothelium is much broader. The dysfunction of endothelium is a common denominator of several cardiovascular diseases, particularly those associated with ischemic events.
Therefore, the authors suggest that vitamin D3 may be of clinical importance in the restoration of dysfunctional cardiac endothelium after heart attack, capillary endothelium after brain ischemia (stroke), hypovolemia, vasculopathy, diabetes and atherosclerosis. This suggestion is strongly supported by several clinical studies which indicate that vitamin D3 at doses higher than those currently used for the treatment of bone diseases, may be highly beneficial for the treatment of the dysfunctional cardiovascular system.
"Professor Malinksi has an international reputation for outstanding and innovative research related to the cardiovascular system," Ohio University Dean of Arts and Sciences Robert Frank said. "This latest work is yet another example of his impact on this field."
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Ohio University. "Vitamin D3 could help heal or prevent cardiovascular damage." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 January 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180130140242.htm>.
Viruses prefer cultivated areas to natural areas
Date: January 30, 2018 Source: Cirad Summary: Cultivated areas are more affected by viral epidemics than non-cultivated areas.
Agriculture has a considerable influence on the distribution and prevalence of plant viruses in the environment. In cultivated areas, viral infections are significantly more frequent than in natural areas. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by a team of international scientists in the Camargue (France) and in the Western Cape regions (South Africa), the results of which were published in January in The ISME Journal. "The clustering and concentration of genetically similar organisms, as with crop varieties, fuel epidemics," explains Philippe Roumagnac, a researcher in plant virology at CIRAD. This study also indicates that the "natural compartment," which is still largely unexplored in terms of the biodiversity of microorganisms, contains a large number of viruses. "The areas adjacent to agricultural land could enable us to better understand the emergence of plant diseases," he says.
Exploring the diversity of plant viruses and understanding their emergence
Although 50% of emerging plant diseases are viral, knowledge of the diversity of plant viruses is still dramatically lacking. Officially, to date, around 1 400 species of plant viruses have been characterised and taxonomically assigned. This figure is probably well below the true diversity of plant viruses, as shown by recent explorations of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Moreover, this count is undoubtedly distorted on two levels. First, the description of viruses has been conducted almost exclusively based on a very small number of cultivated plant species and, second, most of the viruses were only characterised further to the appearance of symptoms in their hosts. "Our knowledge of the world of plant viruses therefore remains extremely partial in terms of diversity, but also in terms of distribution at the agroecosystem level," says Denis Filloux, a researcher in plant virology at CIRAD. "This lack of knowledge is an obstacle to our understanding of the global functioning of agroecosystems, and to the definition and quantification of risk factors in the emergence of new plant viral diseases or the design of strategies to tackle these diseases" . The majority of the viruses remaining to be identified are found in areas with little human activity.
A France-South Africa collaboration within the framework of European funding
This research, initially financed by CIRAD, the Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversité (FRB -- Foundation for Research on Biodiversity), the INRA metaprogramme Meta-omics and Microbial Ecosystems and the French Directorate General of Armaments, took on an international dimension thanks to European Union funding and a Marie Curie grant. The sampling and high-throughput sequencing data analysis work was achieved through a partnership with the University of Cape Town.
New viral metagenomics approaches
To achieve this result, the team of international scientists adopted a new viral metagenomics approach. "Metagenomics is a method that conducts high-throughput sequencing on all genomes of the microbes populating a given environment" , explains Philippe Roumagnac. "It enables us, for example, to access the virome, in other words all of the viral sequences contained in a host organism or in a sample containing several potential hosts." Since 2009, a new generation of metagenomics research has emerged in plant pathology, making it possible to not only analyse the overall genome of an ecosystem or organism, but also to directly link sequences of pathogenic agents to their host and/or to a geographical position. This original research in spatial metagenomics has revolutionised our view of plant virus distribution by revealing that many of the plants analysed were virus-infected.
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Cirad. "Viruses prefer cultivated areas to natural areas." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 January 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180130134244.htm>.
Agriculture has a considerable influence on the distribution and prevalence of plant viruses in the environment. In cultivated areas, viral infections are significantly more frequent than in natural areas. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by a team of international scientists in the Camargue (France) and in the Western Cape regions (South Africa), the results of which were published in January in The ISME Journal. "The clustering and concentration of genetically similar organisms, as with crop varieties, fuel epidemics," explains Philippe Roumagnac, a researcher in plant virology at CIRAD. This study also indicates that the "natural compartment," which is still largely unexplored in terms of the biodiversity of microorganisms, contains a large number of viruses. "The areas adjacent to agricultural land could enable us to better understand the emergence of plant diseases," he says.
Exploring the diversity of plant viruses and understanding their emergence
Although 50% of emerging plant diseases are viral, knowledge of the diversity of plant viruses is still dramatically lacking. Officially, to date, around 1 400 species of plant viruses have been characterised and taxonomically assigned. This figure is probably well below the true diversity of plant viruses, as shown by recent explorations of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Moreover, this count is undoubtedly distorted on two levels. First, the description of viruses has been conducted almost exclusively based on a very small number of cultivated plant species and, second, most of the viruses were only characterised further to the appearance of symptoms in their hosts. "Our knowledge of the world of plant viruses therefore remains extremely partial in terms of diversity, but also in terms of distribution at the agroecosystem level," says Denis Filloux, a researcher in plant virology at CIRAD. "This lack of knowledge is an obstacle to our understanding of the global functioning of agroecosystems, and to the definition and quantification of risk factors in the emergence of new plant viral diseases or the design of strategies to tackle these diseases" . The majority of the viruses remaining to be identified are found in areas with little human activity.
A France-South Africa collaboration within the framework of European funding
This research, initially financed by CIRAD, the Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversité (FRB -- Foundation for Research on Biodiversity), the INRA metaprogramme Meta-omics and Microbial Ecosystems and the French Directorate General of Armaments, took on an international dimension thanks to European Union funding and a Marie Curie grant. The sampling and high-throughput sequencing data analysis work was achieved through a partnership with the University of Cape Town.
New viral metagenomics approaches
To achieve this result, the team of international scientists adopted a new viral metagenomics approach. "Metagenomics is a method that conducts high-throughput sequencing on all genomes of the microbes populating a given environment" , explains Philippe Roumagnac. "It enables us, for example, to access the virome, in other words all of the viral sequences contained in a host organism or in a sample containing several potential hosts." Since 2009, a new generation of metagenomics research has emerged in plant pathology, making it possible to not only analyse the overall genome of an ecosystem or organism, but also to directly link sequences of pathogenic agents to their host and/or to a geographical position. This original research in spatial metagenomics has revolutionised our view of plant virus distribution by revealing that many of the plants analysed were virus-infected.
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Breastfeeding reduces hypertension risk
Date: January 30, 2018 Source: Oxford University Press USA Summary: A new study indicates that women who breastfeed more children, and for longer periods of time, are less likely to suffer from hypertension after they reach menopause. This is less true of obese women, however.
A study published in the American Journal of Hypertension indicates that women who breastfeed more children, and for longer periods of time, are less likely to suffer from hypertension after they reach menopause. This is less true of obese women, however.
Elevated blood pressure is the greatest single risk factor for disease and mortality. Evidence from epidemiologic data has also shown the beneficial effects of breastfeeding on the health of infants and their mothers. It has been well documented that long-term breastfeeding is associated with reduced children's allergies, celiac disease, obesity, and diabetes mellitus. However, the effects of breastfeeding on maternal health have been little studied compared with the effects on the children.
Several studies consistently found that absent breastfeeding or premature discontinuation was associated with increased risks of diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular diseases. However few studies have established a clear relationship between breastfeeding and hypertension.
This study population comprised 3,119 non-smoking postmenopausal women aged 50 years or older in the 2010-2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
More children breastfed and longer duration of breastfeeding were associated with lower risk of hypertension in postmenopausal women, and degree of obesity and insulin resistance moderated the breastfeeding-hypertension association. In particular, the highest quintile of number of children breastfed (5 to 11) showed a 51% lower risk of hypertension compared with the lowest quintile (0 to 1). The highest quintile of duration of breastfeeding (96 to 324 months) showed a 45% lower risk of hypertension.
Although a broad range of chronic diseases are not associated with breastfeeding, some common mechanisms have been proposed to underlie the relationships between breastfeeding and these diseases. First, maternal metabolism (e.g., fat accumulation and insulin resistance) may be "reset" by breastfeeding after pregnancy, which decreases the risk of obesity-related diseases. Second, oxytocin release stimulated by breastfeeding may be associated with the decreased risk of these diseases.
"Our findings endorsed the current recommendations for breastfeeding for the benefit of maternal health in mothers' later lives," said the paper's lead researcher, Nam-Kyong Choi.
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Sangshin Park, Nam-Kyong Choi. Breastfeeding and Maternal Hypertension. American Journal of Hypertension, 2018; DOI: 10.1093/ajh/hpx219
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Oxford University Press USA. "Breastfeeding reduces hypertension risk." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 January 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180130090834.htm>
A study published in the American Journal of Hypertension indicates that women who breastfeed more children, and for longer periods of time, are less likely to suffer from hypertension after they reach menopause. This is less true of obese women, however.
Elevated blood pressure is the greatest single risk factor for disease and mortality. Evidence from epidemiologic data has also shown the beneficial effects of breastfeeding on the health of infants and their mothers. It has been well documented that long-term breastfeeding is associated with reduced children's allergies, celiac disease, obesity, and diabetes mellitus. However, the effects of breastfeeding on maternal health have been little studied compared with the effects on the children.
Several studies consistently found that absent breastfeeding or premature discontinuation was associated with increased risks of diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular diseases. However few studies have established a clear relationship between breastfeeding and hypertension.
This study population comprised 3,119 non-smoking postmenopausal women aged 50 years or older in the 2010-2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
More children breastfed and longer duration of breastfeeding were associated with lower risk of hypertension in postmenopausal women, and degree of obesity and insulin resistance moderated the breastfeeding-hypertension association. In particular, the highest quintile of number of children breastfed (5 to 11) showed a 51% lower risk of hypertension compared with the lowest quintile (0 to 1). The highest quintile of duration of breastfeeding (96 to 324 months) showed a 45% lower risk of hypertension.
Although a broad range of chronic diseases are not associated with breastfeeding, some common mechanisms have been proposed to underlie the relationships between breastfeeding and these diseases. First, maternal metabolism (e.g., fat accumulation and insulin resistance) may be "reset" by breastfeeding after pregnancy, which decreases the risk of obesity-related diseases. Second, oxytocin release stimulated by breastfeeding may be associated with the decreased risk of these diseases.
"Our findings endorsed the current recommendations for breastfeeding for the benefit of maternal health in mothers' later lives," said the paper's lead researcher, Nam-Kyong Choi.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Oxford University Press USA. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Sangshin Park, Nam-Kyong Choi. Breastfeeding and Maternal Hypertension. American Journal of Hypertension, 2018; DOI: 10.1093/ajh/hpx219
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Oxford University Press USA. "Breastfeeding reduces hypertension risk." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 January 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180130090834.htm>
Birds and beans: Study shows best coffee for bird diversity
Date: February 16, 2018 Source: Wildlife Conservation Society Summary: It's an age-old debate for coffee lovers. Which is better: Arabica beans with their sweeter, softer taste, or the bold, deep flavor of Robusta beans? A new study has taken the question to unlikely coffee aficionados: birds.
Coffee lovers include IUCN Red-Listed species such as the Alexandrine parakeet (Psittacula eupatria).
Credit: Manish Kumar
It's an age-old debate for coffee lovers. Which is better: Arabica beans with their sweeter, softer taste, or the bold, deep flavor of Robusta beans? A new study by WCS, Princeton University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison appearing in the journal Scientific Reports has taken the question to unlikely coffee aficionados: birds.
The researchers, led by WCS Associate Conservation Scientist Dr. Krithi Karanth, surveyed for bird diversity in coffee agroforests in India's Western Ghats region. Previous research has demonstrated that shade-grown coffee (typically Arabica) can harbor substantial levels of biodiversity. But coffee production is globally shifting toward Robusta, which uses a more intensive full-sun agricultural systems, which may pose deleterious impacts for forest wildlife.
What the researchers found was surprising: although Arabica avian assemblages were more species rich, Robusta nevertheless offered substantial biodiversity benefits, and supported higher densities of several sensitive avian populations such as frugivores. In addition, farmers use less pesticides in the more disease-resistant Robusta farmlands.
The authors found a total of 79 forest dependent species living in the coffee plantations they surveyed, including three IUCN Red-Listed species: Alexandrine parakeet (Psittacula eupatria), grey-headed bulbul (Pycnonotus priocephalus) and the Nilgiri wood pigeon (Columba elphinstonii). Plantations can harbor a diversity of mammals, amphibians and tree species, too.
The study has important implications as coffee production is an increasingly important driver of landscape transformation, and shifts between different coffee bean species are a major dimension of agroforestry trends. The authors say that coffee certification efforts should prioritize maintaining native canopy shade trees to ensure that coffee landscapes can continue providing biodiversity benefits.
Said Dr. Karanth "Coffee farms already play a complementary role to protected areas in a country like India where less than four percent of land is formally protected. Therefore, building partnerships with largely private individual and corporate land holders will provide much needed safe-passage and additional habitats for birds and other species."
Indian robusta has relatively high "cup scores" (i.e. flavor ratings) by coffee experts, is disease-resistant, and commands a price premium.
Said lead author Charlotte Chang, who analyzed the data while a graduate student at Princeton University and is now a postdoctoral researcher at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (University of Tennessee, Knoxville): "An encouraging result of the study is that coffee production in the Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot, can be a win-win for birds and farmers."
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Materials provided by Wildlife Conservation Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Charlotte H. Chang, Krithi K. Karanth, Paul Robbins. Birds and beans: Comparing avian richness and endemism in arabica and robusta agroforests in India’s Western Ghats. Scientific Reports, 2018; 8 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-21401-1
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Wildlife Conservation Society. "Birds and beans: Study shows best coffee for bird diversity." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180216084808.htm>.
Coffee lovers include IUCN Red-Listed species such as the Alexandrine parakeet (Psittacula eupatria).
Credit: Manish Kumar
It's an age-old debate for coffee lovers. Which is better: Arabica beans with their sweeter, softer taste, or the bold, deep flavor of Robusta beans? A new study by WCS, Princeton University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison appearing in the journal Scientific Reports has taken the question to unlikely coffee aficionados: birds.
The researchers, led by WCS Associate Conservation Scientist Dr. Krithi Karanth, surveyed for bird diversity in coffee agroforests in India's Western Ghats region. Previous research has demonstrated that shade-grown coffee (typically Arabica) can harbor substantial levels of biodiversity. But coffee production is globally shifting toward Robusta, which uses a more intensive full-sun agricultural systems, which may pose deleterious impacts for forest wildlife.
What the researchers found was surprising: although Arabica avian assemblages were more species rich, Robusta nevertheless offered substantial biodiversity benefits, and supported higher densities of several sensitive avian populations such as frugivores. In addition, farmers use less pesticides in the more disease-resistant Robusta farmlands.
The authors found a total of 79 forest dependent species living in the coffee plantations they surveyed, including three IUCN Red-Listed species: Alexandrine parakeet (Psittacula eupatria), grey-headed bulbul (Pycnonotus priocephalus) and the Nilgiri wood pigeon (Columba elphinstonii). Plantations can harbor a diversity of mammals, amphibians and tree species, too.
The study has important implications as coffee production is an increasingly important driver of landscape transformation, and shifts between different coffee bean species are a major dimension of agroforestry trends. The authors say that coffee certification efforts should prioritize maintaining native canopy shade trees to ensure that coffee landscapes can continue providing biodiversity benefits.
Said Dr. Karanth "Coffee farms already play a complementary role to protected areas in a country like India where less than four percent of land is formally protected. Therefore, building partnerships with largely private individual and corporate land holders will provide much needed safe-passage and additional habitats for birds and other species."
Indian robusta has relatively high "cup scores" (i.e. flavor ratings) by coffee experts, is disease-resistant, and commands a price premium.
Said lead author Charlotte Chang, who analyzed the data while a graduate student at Princeton University and is now a postdoctoral researcher at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (University of Tennessee, Knoxville): "An encouraging result of the study is that coffee production in the Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot, can be a win-win for birds and farmers."
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Materials provided by Wildlife Conservation Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Charlotte H. Chang, Krithi K. Karanth, Paul Robbins. Birds and beans: Comparing avian richness and endemism in arabica and robusta agroforests in India’s Western Ghats. Scientific Reports, 2018; 8 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-21401-1
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Wildlife Conservation Society. "Birds and beans: Study shows best coffee for bird diversity." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180216084808.htm>.
More than a well-balanced breakfast: Scientists use egg whites for clean energy production
Date: February 14, 2018 Source: Osaka City University Summary: Eggs may soon fuel more than people in the morning. Researchers in Japan have developed a way to potentially use egg whites as a substrate to produce a carbon-free fuel.
Eggs may soon fuel more than people in the morning. Researchers from the Osaka City University in Japan have developed a way to potentially use egg whites as a substrate to produce a carbon-free fuel.
They published their results on February 2nd in Applied Catalysis B.
"Hydrogen is a promising fuel and energy storage medium because hydrogen emits no global warming gas when used. Nevertheless, hydrogen generation reactions usually require fossil fuels and emit carbon dioxide," said Hiroyasu Tabe, a special appointment research associate at the Graduate School of Engineering at Osaka City University in Japan.
According to Tabe, it would be extremely efficient to use a photocatalyst to speed the reaction of hydrogen generation from a renewable source, such as solar power. Called hydrogen evolution, the gas must be stored and kept from recombining into more common molecules that aren't useful for producing clean fuel.
"Precise accumulation of molecules acting as catalytic components are important to construct a photocatalytic system," Tabe said. "When the molecular components are randomly distributed in the solution or formless compounds, the catalytic reactions cannot proceed."
One promising way to precisely accumulate these catalytic molecules is through the production of pure proteins by cultivated bacteria, but they require special lab equipment. Chicken eggs, however, are well-known vessels of protein-based chemicals, according to Tabe.
The whites of chicken eggs, which are inexpensive and inexhaustible, consist of porous lysozyme crystals.
"Lysozyme crystals have a highly ordered nanostructure and, thus, we can manipulate the molecular components when they accumulate in the crystals," Tabe said, noting that the crystal structure can be easily analyzed with X-ray technology.
This analysis is of particular importance, according to Tabe, because the molecular components within the crystals must be manipulated precisely through what is called cooperative immobilization. This is achieved by the application of rose bengal, which is commonly used as a dye in eye drops to identify damage. In this case, it entered the solvent channels in the lysozyme crystals and accelerated the hydrogen evolution reaction, since the functional molecules and nanoparticles can be accumulated within the crystals' inner spaces.
"These results suggest that porous protein crystals are promising platforms to periodically and rationally accumulate catalytic components by using molecular interactions," Tabe said.
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Materials provided by Osaka City University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Hiroyasu Tabe, Hikaru Takahashi, Takuya Shimoi, Satoshi Abe, Takafumi Ueno, Yusuke Yamada. Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution systems constructed in cross-linked porous protein crystals. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2018.01.046
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Osaka City University. "More than a well-balanced breakfast: Scientists use egg whites for clean energy production." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180214111058.htm>.
Eggs may soon fuel more than people in the morning. Researchers from the Osaka City University in Japan have developed a way to potentially use egg whites as a substrate to produce a carbon-free fuel.
They published their results on February 2nd in Applied Catalysis B.
"Hydrogen is a promising fuel and energy storage medium because hydrogen emits no global warming gas when used. Nevertheless, hydrogen generation reactions usually require fossil fuels and emit carbon dioxide," said Hiroyasu Tabe, a special appointment research associate at the Graduate School of Engineering at Osaka City University in Japan.
According to Tabe, it would be extremely efficient to use a photocatalyst to speed the reaction of hydrogen generation from a renewable source, such as solar power. Called hydrogen evolution, the gas must be stored and kept from recombining into more common molecules that aren't useful for producing clean fuel.
"Precise accumulation of molecules acting as catalytic components are important to construct a photocatalytic system," Tabe said. "When the molecular components are randomly distributed in the solution or formless compounds, the catalytic reactions cannot proceed."
One promising way to precisely accumulate these catalytic molecules is through the production of pure proteins by cultivated bacteria, but they require special lab equipment. Chicken eggs, however, are well-known vessels of protein-based chemicals, according to Tabe.
The whites of chicken eggs, which are inexpensive and inexhaustible, consist of porous lysozyme crystals.
"Lysozyme crystals have a highly ordered nanostructure and, thus, we can manipulate the molecular components when they accumulate in the crystals," Tabe said, noting that the crystal structure can be easily analyzed with X-ray technology.
This analysis is of particular importance, according to Tabe, because the molecular components within the crystals must be manipulated precisely through what is called cooperative immobilization. This is achieved by the application of rose bengal, which is commonly used as a dye in eye drops to identify damage. In this case, it entered the solvent channels in the lysozyme crystals and accelerated the hydrogen evolution reaction, since the functional molecules and nanoparticles can be accumulated within the crystals' inner spaces.
"These results suggest that porous protein crystals are promising platforms to periodically and rationally accumulate catalytic components by using molecular interactions," Tabe said.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Osaka City University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Hiroyasu Tabe, Hikaru Takahashi, Takuya Shimoi, Satoshi Abe, Takafumi Ueno, Yusuke Yamada. Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution systems constructed in cross-linked porous protein crystals. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2018.01.046
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Osaka City University. "More than a well-balanced breakfast: Scientists use egg whites for clean energy production." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180214111058.htm>.
Drinking hot tea associated with a 5-fold increased risk for esophageal cancer for some
Date: February 5, 2018 Source: American College of Physicians Summary: Consuming hot tea at high temperatures is associated with an increased risk for esophageal cancer in those who also drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes, a new study finds.
Consuming hot tea at high temperatures is associated with an increased risk for esophageal cancer in those who also drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes. The findings, based on long-term follow-up in more than 450,000 participants, are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Esophageal cancer is increasing in prevalence and has poor survival rates, particularly in less-developed regions and for men. China is among the countries with the highest esophageal cancer incidence. Tea drinkers, especially Chinese men, are more likely to also smoke and drink alcohol. Tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption, as well as the chemical compounds and adverse thermal effect of hot tea, considerably complicate the association between tea drinking and cancer risk.
Researchers for the National Natural Science Foundation of China and National Key Research and Development Program surveyed participants enrolled in the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) study, excluding those previously diagnosed with cancer or who reduced their tea drinking, alcohol intake, or cigarette smoking, to determine if high-temperature tea drinking was associated with increased risk for esophageal cancer. The authors followed 456,155 participants aged 30 to 79 for a median follow-up period of 9.2 years. They found a synergistic association between hot tea drinking with excessive alcohol consumption or smoking and the risk for esophageal cancer. Participants who drank high-temperature tea, consumed alcohol excessively, and smoked had an esophageal cancer risk more than 5 times greater than those who had none of those 3 habits. However, the absence of both excessive alcohol consumption and smoking, daily tea drinking was not associated with esophageal cancer risk.
According to the study authors, these findings suggest that abstaining from hot tea may be beneficial for persons who drink alcohol excessively or smoke.
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Materials provided by American College of Physicians. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal References:
Canqing Yu, Haijing Tang, Yu Guo, Zheng Bian, Ling Yang, Yiping Chen, Aiyu Tang, Xue Zhou, Xu Yang, Junshi Chen, Zhengming Chen, Jun Lv, Liming Li. Effect of Hot Tea Consumption and Its Interactions With Alcohol and Tobacco Use on the Risk for Esophageal Cancer. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2018; DOI: 10.7326/M17-2000
Farin Kamangar, Neal D. Freedman. Hot Tea and Esophageal Cancer. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2018; DOI: 10.7326/M17-3370
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American College of Physicians. "Drinking hot tea associated with a 5-fold increased risk for esophageal cancer for some." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180205195627.htm>.
Consuming hot tea at high temperatures is associated with an increased risk for esophageal cancer in those who also drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes. The findings, based on long-term follow-up in more than 450,000 participants, are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Esophageal cancer is increasing in prevalence and has poor survival rates, particularly in less-developed regions and for men. China is among the countries with the highest esophageal cancer incidence. Tea drinkers, especially Chinese men, are more likely to also smoke and drink alcohol. Tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption, as well as the chemical compounds and adverse thermal effect of hot tea, considerably complicate the association between tea drinking and cancer risk.
Researchers for the National Natural Science Foundation of China and National Key Research and Development Program surveyed participants enrolled in the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) study, excluding those previously diagnosed with cancer or who reduced their tea drinking, alcohol intake, or cigarette smoking, to determine if high-temperature tea drinking was associated with increased risk for esophageal cancer. The authors followed 456,155 participants aged 30 to 79 for a median follow-up period of 9.2 years. They found a synergistic association between hot tea drinking with excessive alcohol consumption or smoking and the risk for esophageal cancer. Participants who drank high-temperature tea, consumed alcohol excessively, and smoked had an esophageal cancer risk more than 5 times greater than those who had none of those 3 habits. However, the absence of both excessive alcohol consumption and smoking, daily tea drinking was not associated with esophageal cancer risk.
According to the study authors, these findings suggest that abstaining from hot tea may be beneficial for persons who drink alcohol excessively or smoke.
Story Source:
Materials provided by American College of Physicians. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal References:
Canqing Yu, Haijing Tang, Yu Guo, Zheng Bian, Ling Yang, Yiping Chen, Aiyu Tang, Xue Zhou, Xu Yang, Junshi Chen, Zhengming Chen, Jun Lv, Liming Li. Effect of Hot Tea Consumption and Its Interactions With Alcohol and Tobacco Use on the Risk for Esophageal Cancer. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2018; DOI: 10.7326/M17-2000
Farin Kamangar, Neal D. Freedman. Hot Tea and Esophageal Cancer. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2018; DOI: 10.7326/M17-3370
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American College of Physicians. "Drinking hot tea associated with a 5-fold increased risk for esophageal cancer for some." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180205195627.htm>.
Low magnesium levels make vitamin D ineffective
Up to 50 percent of US population is magnesium deficient
Date: February 26, 2018 Source: American Osteopathic Association Summary: Vitamin D can't be metabolized without sufficient magnesium levels, meaning Vitamin D remains stored and inactive for as many as 50 percent of Americans. In addition, Vitamin D supplements can increase a person's calcium and phosphate levels even while they remain Vitamin D deficient. People may suffer from vascular calcification if their magnesium levels aren't high enough to prevent the complication.
There is a caveat to the push for increased Vitamin D: Don't forget magnesium.
A review published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association found Vitamin D can't be metabolized without sufficient magnesium levels, meaning Vitamin D remains stored and inactive for as many as 50 percent of Americans.
"People are taking Vitamin D supplements but don't realize how it gets metabolized. Without magnesium, Vitamin D is not really useful or safe," says study co-author Mohammed S. Razzaque, MBBS, PhD, a professor of pathology at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Razzaque explains that consumption of Vitamin D supplements can increase a person's calcium and phosphate levels even if they remain Vitamin D deficient. The problem is people may suffer from vascular calcification if their magnesium levels aren't high enough to prevent the complication.
Patients with optimum magnesium levels require less Vitamin D supplementation to achieve sufficient Vitamin D levels. Magnesium also reduces osteoporosis, helping to mitigate the risk of bone fracture that can be attributed to low levels of Vitamin D, Razzaque noted.
Deficiency in either of these nutrients is reported to be associated with various disorders, including skeletal deformities, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic syndrome.
While the recommended daily allowance for magnesium is 420 mg for males and 320 mg for females, the standard diet in the United States contains only about 50 percent of that amount. As much as half of the total population is estimated to be consuming a magnesium-deficient diet.
Researchers say the magnesium consumption from natural foods has decreased in the past few decades, owing to industrialized agriculture and changes in dietary habits. Magnesium status is low in populations who consume processed foods that are high in refined grains, fat, phosphate, and sugar.
"By consuming an optimal amount of magnesium, one may be able to lower the risks of Vitamin D deficiency, and reduce the dependency on Vitamin D supplements," says Razzaque.
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body after calcium, potassium, and sodium. Foods high in magnesium include almonds, bananas, beans, broccoli, brown rice, cashews, egg yolk, fish oil, flaxseed, green vegetables, milk, mushrooms, other nuts, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, soybeans, sunflower seeds, sweet corn, tofu, and whole grains.
Story Source:
Materials provided by American Osteopathic Association. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Anne Marie Uwitonze, Mohammed S. Razzaque. Role of Magnesium in Vitamin D Activation and Function. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 2018; 118 (3): 181 DOI: 10.7556/jaoa.2018.037
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American Osteopathic Association. "Low magnesium levels make vitamin D ineffective: Up to 50 percent of US population is magnesium deficient." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180226122548.htm>.
Date: February 26, 2018 Source: American Osteopathic Association Summary: Vitamin D can't be metabolized without sufficient magnesium levels, meaning Vitamin D remains stored and inactive for as many as 50 percent of Americans. In addition, Vitamin D supplements can increase a person's calcium and phosphate levels even while they remain Vitamin D deficient. People may suffer from vascular calcification if their magnesium levels aren't high enough to prevent the complication.
There is a caveat to the push for increased Vitamin D: Don't forget magnesium.
A review published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association found Vitamin D can't be metabolized without sufficient magnesium levels, meaning Vitamin D remains stored and inactive for as many as 50 percent of Americans.
"People are taking Vitamin D supplements but don't realize how it gets metabolized. Without magnesium, Vitamin D is not really useful or safe," says study co-author Mohammed S. Razzaque, MBBS, PhD, a professor of pathology at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Razzaque explains that consumption of Vitamin D supplements can increase a person's calcium and phosphate levels even if they remain Vitamin D deficient. The problem is people may suffer from vascular calcification if their magnesium levels aren't high enough to prevent the complication.
Patients with optimum magnesium levels require less Vitamin D supplementation to achieve sufficient Vitamin D levels. Magnesium also reduces osteoporosis, helping to mitigate the risk of bone fracture that can be attributed to low levels of Vitamin D, Razzaque noted.
Deficiency in either of these nutrients is reported to be associated with various disorders, including skeletal deformities, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic syndrome.
While the recommended daily allowance for magnesium is 420 mg for males and 320 mg for females, the standard diet in the United States contains only about 50 percent of that amount. As much as half of the total population is estimated to be consuming a magnesium-deficient diet.
Researchers say the magnesium consumption from natural foods has decreased in the past few decades, owing to industrialized agriculture and changes in dietary habits. Magnesium status is low in populations who consume processed foods that are high in refined grains, fat, phosphate, and sugar.
"By consuming an optimal amount of magnesium, one may be able to lower the risks of Vitamin D deficiency, and reduce the dependency on Vitamin D supplements," says Razzaque.
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body after calcium, potassium, and sodium. Foods high in magnesium include almonds, bananas, beans, broccoli, brown rice, cashews, egg yolk, fish oil, flaxseed, green vegetables, milk, mushrooms, other nuts, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, soybeans, sunflower seeds, sweet corn, tofu, and whole grains.
Story Source:
Materials provided by American Osteopathic Association. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Anne Marie Uwitonze, Mohammed S. Razzaque. Role of Magnesium in Vitamin D Activation and Function. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 2018; 118 (3): 181 DOI: 10.7556/jaoa.2018.037
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American Osteopathic Association. "Low magnesium levels make vitamin D ineffective: Up to 50 percent of US population is magnesium deficient." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180226122548.htm>.
Plants evolve away from obsolete defenses when attacked by immune herbivores, study shows
Date: February 26, 2018 Source: Drexel University Summary: A new study shows that plants can evolve out of their obsolete defense mechanisms when facing an immune enemy, an illustration of the 'defense de-escalation' evolution theory.
Do you know what caused soldiers to stop wearing chainmail and steel plate armor? Evolution.
Really, guns made armies drop steel gauntlets and breastplates. Bullets that could punch through armor quickly made it obsolete. So, armies evolved away from armor because it wasn't working any longer and there was no point in spending the resources on it. "Adapt or die," as the saying goes.
Now, new research out of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University shows that plants similarly adapt away from obsolete defenses.
The study, published in New Phytologist and led by Tatyana Livshultz, PhD, assistant curator of Botany at the Academy and an assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, found genetic evidence that multiple lineages of plants, whose ancestors produced a chemical that may deter herbivores, evolved to stop producing it, potentially as a response to a prime foe's immunity.
Livshultz and her team traced the evolution of a gene that is involved in the production of a class of chemicals that are highly toxic to humans and other mammals, called pyrrolizidine alkaloids, in Apocynaceae, a flowering plant family commonly known as the dogbanes and milkweeds. By tracing the gene back, they were able to find out when production of the chemicals first evolved and how many times it was discontinued.
After identifying a single origin of the gene (and, by inference, the chemicals) in the most recent common ancestor of more than 75 percent of current Apocynaceae species, the researchers found evidence that the gene became nonfunctional (and the chemicals "lost" to evolution) at least four different times among that plant's descendants.
Looking for a correlation between the gene's distribution in the plants and interactions with animals unfazed by the defense alkaloids, Livshultz and her team found a significant connection with Danainae (milkweed and clearwing) butterflies.
Almost every species of Apocynaceae eaten by larvae of Danainae is descended from that alkaloid-producing ancestor. Knowing that most species of this lineage of butterflies actually seek out pyrrolizidine alkaloids, it appears that some species in this branch of Apocynaceae may have stopped producing the alkaloids because they were actually attracting milkweed butterflies, not repelling them.
"Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are likely an ineffective defense against Danainae. Furthermore, they are actually beneficial to them since they take in these chemicals for their own defense against their predators," Livshultz explained.
These findings support the "defense de-escalation" hypothesis, which posits that organisms will evolve to stop using precious resources on defense mechanisms if they're not working anymore.
One benefit of defense de-escalation is potentially diverting resources to defenses that do work.
"Apocynaceae species of this lineage produce a number of different classes of defensive chemicals, including cardenolides and other types of alkaloids," Livshultz explained. "It has been shown that cardenolides are at least partially effective defenses against adapted herbivores such as the monarch butterfly, the most familiar species of Danainae to Americans."
Why do any Apocynaceae species still produce pyrrolizidine alkaloids? -- "perhaps because they suffer more from other insects that are deterred by these chemicals," Livshultz offered.
Livshultz and her colleagues will further test the hypothesis by reconstructing a very detailed history of the pattern of retention and loss of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in this lineage and ask if exploitation by Danainae is a good predictor of loss.
A better understanding of the dynamics of defense de-escalation is important to understanding co-evolution, the theory that associated species driving each other's adaptations.
"Co-evolution explains how interactions between species can drive the origin of novelty and diversity," Livshultz said.
Additionally, implications from these theories extend beyond plants to humans.
"Understanding the evolution of plant defenses is of practical importance to people, whether we focus on agriculture -- herbivorous insects can cause 15 percent reductions in crop yields; medicine -- plant secondary metabolites (pyrrolizidine alkaloids are one variety) are an important source of medicinal compounds; or environmental protection -- such as developing control strategies for invasive plants," Livshultz said.
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Materials provided by Drexel University. Original written by Frank Otto. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Tatyana Livshultz, Elisabeth Kaltenegger, Shannon C. K. Straub, Kevin Weitemier, Elliot Hirsch, Khrystyna Koval, Lumi Mema, Aaron Liston. Evolution of pyrrolizidine alkaloid biosynthesis in Apocynaceae: revisiting the defence de-escalation hypothesis. New Phytologist, 2018; DOI: 10.1111/nph.15061
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Drexel University. "Plants evolve away from obsolete defenses when attacked by immune herbivores, study shows." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180226085815.htm>.
Do you know what caused soldiers to stop wearing chainmail and steel plate armor? Evolution.
Really, guns made armies drop steel gauntlets and breastplates. Bullets that could punch through armor quickly made it obsolete. So, armies evolved away from armor because it wasn't working any longer and there was no point in spending the resources on it. "Adapt or die," as the saying goes.
Now, new research out of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University shows that plants similarly adapt away from obsolete defenses.
The study, published in New Phytologist and led by Tatyana Livshultz, PhD, assistant curator of Botany at the Academy and an assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, found genetic evidence that multiple lineages of plants, whose ancestors produced a chemical that may deter herbivores, evolved to stop producing it, potentially as a response to a prime foe's immunity.
Livshultz and her team traced the evolution of a gene that is involved in the production of a class of chemicals that are highly toxic to humans and other mammals, called pyrrolizidine alkaloids, in Apocynaceae, a flowering plant family commonly known as the dogbanes and milkweeds. By tracing the gene back, they were able to find out when production of the chemicals first evolved and how many times it was discontinued.
After identifying a single origin of the gene (and, by inference, the chemicals) in the most recent common ancestor of more than 75 percent of current Apocynaceae species, the researchers found evidence that the gene became nonfunctional (and the chemicals "lost" to evolution) at least four different times among that plant's descendants.
Looking for a correlation between the gene's distribution in the plants and interactions with animals unfazed by the defense alkaloids, Livshultz and her team found a significant connection with Danainae (milkweed and clearwing) butterflies.
Almost every species of Apocynaceae eaten by larvae of Danainae is descended from that alkaloid-producing ancestor. Knowing that most species of this lineage of butterflies actually seek out pyrrolizidine alkaloids, it appears that some species in this branch of Apocynaceae may have stopped producing the alkaloids because they were actually attracting milkweed butterflies, not repelling them.
"Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are likely an ineffective defense against Danainae. Furthermore, they are actually beneficial to them since they take in these chemicals for their own defense against their predators," Livshultz explained.
These findings support the "defense de-escalation" hypothesis, which posits that organisms will evolve to stop using precious resources on defense mechanisms if they're not working anymore.
One benefit of defense de-escalation is potentially diverting resources to defenses that do work.
"Apocynaceae species of this lineage produce a number of different classes of defensive chemicals, including cardenolides and other types of alkaloids," Livshultz explained. "It has been shown that cardenolides are at least partially effective defenses against adapted herbivores such as the monarch butterfly, the most familiar species of Danainae to Americans."
Why do any Apocynaceae species still produce pyrrolizidine alkaloids? -- "perhaps because they suffer more from other insects that are deterred by these chemicals," Livshultz offered.
Livshultz and her colleagues will further test the hypothesis by reconstructing a very detailed history of the pattern of retention and loss of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in this lineage and ask if exploitation by Danainae is a good predictor of loss.
A better understanding of the dynamics of defense de-escalation is important to understanding co-evolution, the theory that associated species driving each other's adaptations.
"Co-evolution explains how interactions between species can drive the origin of novelty and diversity," Livshultz said.
Additionally, implications from these theories extend beyond plants to humans.
"Understanding the evolution of plant defenses is of practical importance to people, whether we focus on agriculture -- herbivorous insects can cause 15 percent reductions in crop yields; medicine -- plant secondary metabolites (pyrrolizidine alkaloids are one variety) are an important source of medicinal compounds; or environmental protection -- such as developing control strategies for invasive plants," Livshultz said.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Drexel University. Original written by Frank Otto. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Tatyana Livshultz, Elisabeth Kaltenegger, Shannon C. K. Straub, Kevin Weitemier, Elliot Hirsch, Khrystyna Koval, Lumi Mema, Aaron Liston. Evolution of pyrrolizidine alkaloid biosynthesis in Apocynaceae: revisiting the defence de-escalation hypothesis. New Phytologist, 2018; DOI: 10.1111/nph.15061
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Drexel University. "Plants evolve away from obsolete defenses when attacked by immune herbivores, study shows." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180226085815.htm>.
Beetroot juice supplements may help certain heart failure patients
Date: February 22, 2018 Source: Indiana University Summary: Beetroot juice supplements may help enhance exercise capacity in patients with heart failure, according to a new proof-of-concept study. Exercise capacity is a key factor linked to these patients' quality of life and even survival.
Beetroot juice supplements may help enhance exercise capacity in patients with heart failure, according to a new proof-of-concept study. Exercise capacity is a key factor linked to these patients' quality of life and even survival.
The study examined the impact of dietary nitrate in the form of beetroot juice supplements on the exercise capacity of eight heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction, a condition in which the heart muscle doesn't contract effectively and can't get enough oxygen-rich blood to the body.
Tens of millions of people suffer from heart failure. In about half of all such people, the ejection fraction of the heart is reduced.
Because of their condition, these patients exhibit labored breathing, have diminished peak oxygen uptake and use more energy while exercising than would otherwise be the case.
Researchers found that the beetroot supplement resulted in significant increases in exercise duration, peak power and peak oxygen uptake while exercising.
Those improvements were not accompanied by any changes in the breathing responses of the patients, and there was no change in their exercise efficiency, a measure of how much external work a person gets for a certain input of energy.
The study, titled "Dietary Nitrate Increases V02 peak and Performance but Does Not Alter Ventilation or Efficiency in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction," was published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure.
"Abnormalities in aerobic exercise responses play a major role in the disability, loss of independence and reduced quality of life that accompany heart failure," said Andrew Coggan, an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology in the School of Physical Education and Tourism Management at IUPUI and one of the researchers who conducted the study. "Perhaps more importantly, elevations in ventilatory demand and decreases in peak oxygen uptake are highly predictive of mortality in patients with heart failure."
A second important aspect of the study is there were no untoward side effects from the dietary nitrate, Coggan said: "In this case, lack of any significant changes is good news."
The data suggests that dietary supplementation may be a valuable addition to treatment for exercise intolerance among heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction, Coggan said. Multi-center trials are needed to confirm the proof-of-concept findings and to determine whether longer-term dietary nitrate treatment improves physical activity levels, quality of life and perhaps even survival in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.
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Materials provided by Indiana University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Andrew R. Coggan, Seth R. Broadstreet, Kiran Mahmood, Deana Mikhalkova, Michael Madigan, Indra Bole, Soo Park, Joshua L. Leibowitz, Ana Kadkhodayan, Deepak P. Thomas, Dakkota Thies, Linda R. Peterson. Dietary Nitrate Increases VO 2 peak and Performance but Does Not Alter Ventilation or Efficiency in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction. Journal of Cardiac Failure, 2018; 24 (2): 65 DOI: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2017.09.004
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Indiana University. "Beetroot juice supplements may help certain heart failure patients." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 22 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180222162119.htm>.
Beetroot juice supplements may help enhance exercise capacity in patients with heart failure, according to a new proof-of-concept study. Exercise capacity is a key factor linked to these patients' quality of life and even survival.
The study examined the impact of dietary nitrate in the form of beetroot juice supplements on the exercise capacity of eight heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction, a condition in which the heart muscle doesn't contract effectively and can't get enough oxygen-rich blood to the body.
Tens of millions of people suffer from heart failure. In about half of all such people, the ejection fraction of the heart is reduced.
Because of their condition, these patients exhibit labored breathing, have diminished peak oxygen uptake and use more energy while exercising than would otherwise be the case.
Researchers found that the beetroot supplement resulted in significant increases in exercise duration, peak power and peak oxygen uptake while exercising.
Those improvements were not accompanied by any changes in the breathing responses of the patients, and there was no change in their exercise efficiency, a measure of how much external work a person gets for a certain input of energy.
The study, titled "Dietary Nitrate Increases V02 peak and Performance but Does Not Alter Ventilation or Efficiency in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction," was published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure.
"Abnormalities in aerobic exercise responses play a major role in the disability, loss of independence and reduced quality of life that accompany heart failure," said Andrew Coggan, an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology in the School of Physical Education and Tourism Management at IUPUI and one of the researchers who conducted the study. "Perhaps more importantly, elevations in ventilatory demand and decreases in peak oxygen uptake are highly predictive of mortality in patients with heart failure."
A second important aspect of the study is there were no untoward side effects from the dietary nitrate, Coggan said: "In this case, lack of any significant changes is good news."
The data suggests that dietary supplementation may be a valuable addition to treatment for exercise intolerance among heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction, Coggan said. Multi-center trials are needed to confirm the proof-of-concept findings and to determine whether longer-term dietary nitrate treatment improves physical activity levels, quality of life and perhaps even survival in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Indiana University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Andrew R. Coggan, Seth R. Broadstreet, Kiran Mahmood, Deana Mikhalkova, Michael Madigan, Indra Bole, Soo Park, Joshua L. Leibowitz, Ana Kadkhodayan, Deepak P. Thomas, Dakkota Thies, Linda R. Peterson. Dietary Nitrate Increases VO 2 peak and Performance but Does Not Alter Ventilation or Efficiency in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction. Journal of Cardiac Failure, 2018; 24 (2): 65 DOI: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2017.09.004
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Indiana University. "Beetroot juice supplements may help certain heart failure patients." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 22 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180222162119.htm>.
Tomatoes of the same quality as normal, but using only half the water
Some farmers have already expressed their interested in these water-sustainable products that can produce more compound health benefits than traditional crops
Date: February 21, 2018 Source: University of Seville Summary: When reducing the water used to water cherry tomato crops by more than 50%, the product not only maintains its quality, both commercially and nutritionally, but it also even increases the level of carotenoids, compounds of great interest in the food-processing industry. In addition to being natural colorings, some are Vitamin-A precursors, which are beneficial for the health and have cosmetic uses.
These are tomatoes grown using half the water.
Credit: University of Seville
Experts from the Pharmacy Faculty and the Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineering (Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica -- ETSIA) of the University of Seville have published a study that shows that when reducing the water used to water cherry tomato crops by more than 50%, the product not only maintains its quality, both commercially and nutritionally, but it also even increases the level of carotenoids, compounds of great interest in the food-processing industry. In addition to being natural colourings, some are Vitamin-A precursors, which are beneficial for the health and have cosmetic uses.
These findings, published in the important international review Food Chemistry, are the result of a three-year study, during which the researchers analysed two varieties of cherry tomatoes and other new types of tomatoes, in both autumn and spring cycles in ETSIA's own fields.
The "controlled watering deficit," which is what this technique is called, consists of reducing watering as much as possible during the most resistant phase of cultivation and to increase the supply of water at the start of the phase of cultivation that is most sensitive to stress.
"This is not about using half the water for no reason, but rather studying the water status of the plants and, knowing their needs, watering the crop in the right way and at the best time," explains the Agroforestry Sciences teacher Mireia Corell.
This methodology benefits the farmer, opening a new area in the line of water-sustainable products that are differentiated in the market by reduced consumption of both water and energy. And, on the other hand, it brings added value to the consumer who buys a better quality product in terms of nutrition and environmental sustainability.
"Consumers demand healthier food so that they can live longer and better. But it's not only a matter of increasing life expectancy. It's also about making sure that we are healthy in our old age," says Antonio J. Meléndez, a teacher in the Pharmacy Faculty at the University of Seville.
Meléndez leads a European research network called European network to advance carotenoid research and applications in agro-food and health, whose main objective is to advance research and innovation in the area of carotenoids via interaction and cooperation between scientists, technicians, business and other interested parties. Also, he work closely with the Ibero-American Science and Technology for Development Programme (Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo -- CYTED.
Carotenoids are highly versatile compounds that are very important in areas such as agriculture, food, nutrition, health and cosmetics, among others. Therefore, the market for these compounds as food ingredients, for both humans and animals, is continually growing. On the other hand, many studies conclude that appropriate carotenoid levels in the diet can play a positive role in protecting against ocular and cardiovascular diseases and different types of cancer, among others.
These results are the fruit of the doctoral thesis "A study of the contents of carotenoids and the phenolic compounds in tomatoes and flowers in the context of functional diet," by the researcher Elena Coyago Cruz from the Salesian Polytechnic University in Quito (Ecuador), under the direction of Corell and Meléndez. The study also had the help of experts from Miguel Hernández University in Alicante, the Polytechnic of Madrid, the Seville Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology (IRNAS) and the Segura Centre of Edaphology and Advanced Biology (CEBAS) in Murcia.
This technique can be extrapolated to other crops like olives and almonds. Crops in which this technique is used commercially with good results.
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Materials provided by University of Seville. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Elena Coyago-Cruz, Mireia Corell, Alfonso Moriana, Dolores Hernanz, Ana M. Benítez-González, Carla M. Stinco, Antonio J. Meléndez-Martínez. Antioxidants (carotenoids and phenolics) profile of cherry tomatoes as influenced by deficit irrigation, ripening and cluster. Food Chemistry, 2018; 240: 870 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.08.028
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University of Seville. "Tomatoes of the same quality as normal, but using only half the water: Some farmers have already expressed their interested in these water-sustainable products that can produce more compound health benefits than traditional crops." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180221131917.htm>
Wine polyphenols could fend off bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease
Date: February 21, 2018 Source: American Chemical Society Summary: Evidence suggests that sipping wine may be good for your colon and heart, possibly because of the beverage's abundant and structurally diverse polyphenols. Now researchers report that wine polyphenols might also be good for your oral health.
Red wine.
Credit: © natashaphoto / Fotolia
Evidence suggests that sipping wine may be good for your colon and heart, possibly because of the beverage's abundant and structurally diverse polyphenols. Now researchers report in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that wine polyphenols might also be good for your oral health.
Traditionally, some health benefits of polyphenols have been attributed to the fact that these compounds are antioxidants, meaning they likely protect the body from harm caused by free radicals. However, recent work indicates polyphenols might also promote health by actively interacting with bacteria in the gut. That makes sense because plants and fruits produce polyphenols to ward off infection by harmful bacteria and other pathogens. M. Victoria Moreno-Arribas and colleagues wanted to know whether wine and grape polyphenols would also protect teeth and gums, and how this could work on a molecular level.
The researchers checked out the effect of two red wine polyphenols, as well as commercially available grape seed and red wine extracts, on bacteria that stick to teeth and gums and cause dental plaque, cavities and periodontal disease. Working with cells that model gum tissue, they found that the two wine polyphenols in isolation -- caffeic and p-coumaric acids -- were generally better than the total wine extracts at cutting back on the bacteria's ability to stick to the cells. When combined with the Streptococcus dentisani, which is believed to be an oral probiotic, the polyphenols were even better at fending off the pathogenic bacteria. The researchers also showed that metabolites formed when digestion of the polyphenols begins in the mouth might be responsible for some of these effects.
Story Source:
Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Adelaida Esteban-Fernández, Irene Zorraquín-Peña, Maria D. Ferrer, Alex Mira, Begoña Bartolomé, Dolores González de Llano, M. Victoria Moreno-Arribas. Inhibition of Oral Pathogens Adhesion to Human Gingival Fibroblasts by Wine Polyphenols Alone and in Combination with an Oral Probiotic. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2018; DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.7b05466
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American Chemical Society. "Wine polyphenols could fend off bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180221091326.htm>.
Red wine.
Credit: © natashaphoto / Fotolia
Evidence suggests that sipping wine may be good for your colon and heart, possibly because of the beverage's abundant and structurally diverse polyphenols. Now researchers report in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that wine polyphenols might also be good for your oral health.
Traditionally, some health benefits of polyphenols have been attributed to the fact that these compounds are antioxidants, meaning they likely protect the body from harm caused by free radicals. However, recent work indicates polyphenols might also promote health by actively interacting with bacteria in the gut. That makes sense because plants and fruits produce polyphenols to ward off infection by harmful bacteria and other pathogens. M. Victoria Moreno-Arribas and colleagues wanted to know whether wine and grape polyphenols would also protect teeth and gums, and how this could work on a molecular level.
The researchers checked out the effect of two red wine polyphenols, as well as commercially available grape seed and red wine extracts, on bacteria that stick to teeth and gums and cause dental plaque, cavities and periodontal disease. Working with cells that model gum tissue, they found that the two wine polyphenols in isolation -- caffeic and p-coumaric acids -- were generally better than the total wine extracts at cutting back on the bacteria's ability to stick to the cells. When combined with the Streptococcus dentisani, which is believed to be an oral probiotic, the polyphenols were even better at fending off the pathogenic bacteria. The researchers also showed that metabolites formed when digestion of the polyphenols begins in the mouth might be responsible for some of these effects.
Story Source:
Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Adelaida Esteban-Fernández, Irene Zorraquín-Peña, Maria D. Ferrer, Alex Mira, Begoña Bartolomé, Dolores González de Llano, M. Victoria Moreno-Arribas. Inhibition of Oral Pathogens Adhesion to Human Gingival Fibroblasts by Wine Polyphenols Alone and in Combination with an Oral Probiotic. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2018; DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.7b05466
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American Chemical Society. "Wine polyphenols could fend off bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 February 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180221091326.htm>.
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