QUINTAIS IMORTAIS

Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research. "How plants decide between growth or defense." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 August 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190827123543.htm>.

Hand- versus machine-harvested juice and cider apples: A comparison of phenolic profiles

Machine-harvested apples offer cost-effective option for growers and cider makers

Date: August 30, 2019 Source: American Society for Horticultural Science Summary: Study conducted to determine if there is a measurable impact of harvest method on the phenolic profile of 'Brown Snout' juice and cider to better inform equipment adoption. Over-the-row machine harvesting resulted in a final product of similar quality at reduced labor costs, and thus shows potential for increasing the commercial sustainability of cider apple operations.

A study out of Washington State University sought to determine if there is a measurable impact of harvest method on the phenolic profile of 'Brown Snout' juice and cider to better inform equipment adoption.

Travis Alexander, Thomas Collins, and Carol Miles also evaluated whether different extraction methods would yield differing output in either quantity or quality of 'Brown Snout' apple juice and cider. Their comprehensive findings are illustrated in their article, "Comparison of the Phenolic Profiles of Juice and Cider Derived from Machine- and Hand-Harvested 'Brown Snout' Specialty Cider Apples in Northwest Washington" as found in the open-access journal HortTechnology, published by the American Society for Horticultural Science.

Phenolics are secondary metabolites that have attracted increasing interest in science and industry in recent years due to their beneficial health effects, primarily for their antioxidant properties. They have been proven to act as reducing agents to free radicals. Phenolics contribute significantly to the sensory profile of fermented cider, especially in those made from cider apple fruit. "Phenolics can impact the pressing of fruit, the clarification of juice, the maturation of cider, and final cider quality, including the attributes of aroma, color, taste, and mouthfeel. And so, we wanted to determine if there was a change in phenolics due to harvest method" stated Collins.

"The 'Brown Snout' specialty cider apple is desired by cider makers for its relatively high levels of phenolics, and over-the-row machine harvesting of 'Brown Snout' has been demonstrated to provide similar yield to hand harvest at a significantly lower cost" says Alexander.

To carry out their research, Miles said they planted a block of 'Brown Snout' apple trees on a low trellis system so that trees were a suitable size to fit the over-the-row small fruit harvester. Each of the eight main plots consisted of an average of nine trees. When the fruit was fully ripe, harvesting was divided equally between hand harvesting by four relatively unskilled agricultural workers and machine harvest by an over-the-row small fruit harvester. When application of the two harvest methods was complete, equal qualities of 'Brown Snout' apples were randomly selected from each yield supply for further evaluation.

The selected fruit were pressed separately and fermented and allowed to mature for 5 months before final assessments were conducted. At that time, the researchers determined that harvest method and duration of storage were nonsignificant for all parameters measured on juice and cider samples.

Over-the-row machine harvesting resulted in a final product of similar quality at reduced labor costs, and thus shows potential for increasing the commercial sustainability of cider apple operations.

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Materials provided by American Society for Horticultural Science. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Travis R. Alexander, Thomas S. Collins, Carol A. Miles. Comparison of the Phenolic Profiles of Juice and Cider Derived from Machine- and Hand-harvested ‘Brown Snout’ Specialty Cider Apples in Northwest Washington. HortTechnology, 2019; 29 (4): 423 DOI: 10.21273/HORTTECH04342-19

Cite This Page:

American Society for Horticultural Science. "Hand- versus machine-harvested juice and cider apples: A comparison of phenolic profiles: Machine-harvested apples offer cost-effective option for growers and cider makers." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 August 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190830162305.htm>.

There is more to kombucha than meets the eye -- literally

Date: September 4, 2019 Source: Arizona State University Summary: In today's health-conscious community, kombucha is all the rave. Its appeal comes from its accessibility and alleged health benefits, which range from introducing probiotics to killing deleterious bacteria in the human body.

In today's health-conscious community, kombucha is all the rave. Its appeal comes from its accessibility and alleged health benefits, which range from introducing probiotics to killing deleterious bacteria in the human body.

But as is the case for many things in science, there is more to kombucha than meets the eye -- literally. The microscopic microbes inhabiting this fermented concoction could offer insight into how microbial communities interact, more specifically on how symbiotic relationships form within complex microbial models.

Athena Aktipis, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and associate faculty in the Biodesign Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society, was a fan of kombucha herself, before delving deeper.

"Honestly, I started working on kombucha because I really liked the taste of it. I started brewing it in my kitchen for my own consumption. After brewing it for a couple of months, I would come home from work and just stare at it, asking, 'how do you work.' Being a scientist, I got on google scholar to learn more, but I didn't find much."

In response to this, Aktipis teamed up with other researchers to take all the pieces of the puzzle she had found in pre-existing literature and put them together see the bigger picture on how kombucha operates and how the different species of microbes interact and cooperate within.

Alexander May, a prior researcher in Aktipis's lab, led the efforts to expand on this knowledge in a review paper published in PeerJ (The Journal of Life and Environmental Sciences). Arvind Varsani, an associate professor in the Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics and associate faculty in the Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, and Carlo Maley, faculty in the School of Life Sciences and an associate professor in the Biodesign Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society, served as collaborators on the review paper.

The paper deconstructed each component of the microbial system, offering insight into how the microbes interact and what resources they utilize as a by-product of the fermentative processes used for making kombucha.

"We think kombucha is important as a model system because it's an easy-to-grow microbial community that can potentially answer interesting questions about cooperation between different species," May said. "Microbes (including the bacteria and yeast in kombucha) actually have a lot of complex social behaviors that scientists are only really starting to learn about. We think that by understanding what's going on at the small scale, we can get clues as to what happens at the larger scale and see if the same patterns even hold true in human societies. People have been eating fermented foods like kombucha for centuries, but it's only recently that scientists have started digging into the systems themselves to understand how and why they can benefit humans."

Kombucha is made by first introducing sucrose to black or green tea, followed by the addition of kombucha liquid from a previous batch. A biofilm, also from a previous batch of kombucha, is then placed on top of the liquid, and the concoction is allowed to ferment for 10 to 14 days.

Although this may seem nothing more than a straightforward recipe for making a tasty refreshment, these fermentative steps actually sustain a wide variety of microbes, illustrating various ecological concepts we usually only see in real-time with non-microscopic organisms.

For example, the yeast found in the kombucha liquid produces invertase, an enzyme that bacteria and yeast use to metabolize sugars, as a public good. Similarly, bacteria produce a biofilm at the top of the batch that protects microbes from outside invaders, provides oxygen and offers space for the storage of resources. Ethanol and acid, the by-products of fermentation, also keep invaders at bay.

However, there are many systems that have various microbial species at play, so why pick kombucha to illustrate these relationships?

"There is an ease of management that comes from it (because it is easy to make), but it also has a sort of complexity because it contains so many species, and in that way, it is similar to a microbial system you would see in nature," Aktipis said. "It is at this really nice boundary between simplicity and complexity."

Kombucha has proven to be an efficient way to study interspecies interactions on the microbial scale, but it has much more to offer. From this study, Aktipis and collaborators are working on using kombucha as a model to develop interventions for bettering human health.

It has been recently brought into light how important the human microbiome is -- the balance of microbes in our bodies, which we have co-evolved with since the dawn of humankind, is pivotal to human health. Throwing that balance off could have significant adverse effects, but treating humans with microbes could restore that balance.

"Right now, we are trying to develop kombucha as a system that could allow us to create new antimicrobial products, which are based on multiple species," Aktipis said. "Whereas drugs are used to kill organisms, we want to ask, 'how can we cultivate a diverse microbial community that can outcompete pathogens.'"

To do this, researchers are taking kombucha and introducing new invaders or removing some chemical or microbial component.

"We are trying to figure out which parts of cooperation in kombucha are most important," Aktipis said. "This paper is the tip of the iceberg of a whole research program we are designing."

These researchers are the first to look into kombucha as a model system -- Aktipis says this is a good reminder to be aware of the world around and to never stop asking 'why.'

"There is this tendency in science to only look at things that are already being studied. A lot of what we did with this kombucha project is coming back to the importance of observation, observing the natural world. I think that's been a little bit lost, and it's also much more fun to be aware of your world and to try to understand it."

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Materials provided by Arizona State University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Alexander May, Shrinath Narayanan, Joe Alcock, Arvind Varsani, Carlo Maley, Athena Aktipis. Kombucha: a novel model system for cooperation and conflict in a complex multi-species microbial ecosystem. PeerJ, 2019; 7: e7565 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7565

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Arizona State University. "There is more to kombucha than meets the eye -- literally." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 September 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190904090309.htm>.

Eating nuts linked with lower risk of fatal heart attack and stroke

Date: August 31, 2019 Source: European Society of Cardiology Summary: Eating nuts at least twice a week is associated with a 17% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

Eating nuts at least twice a week is associated with a 17% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, according to research presented today at ESC Congress 2019 together with the World Congress of Cardiology.

"Nuts are a good source of unsaturated fat and contain little saturated fat," said study author Dr Noushin Mohammadifard of Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Institute, Iran. "They also have protein, minerals, vitamins, fibre, phytosterols, and polyphenols which benefit heart health. European and US studies have related nuts with cardiovascular protection but there is limited evidence from the Eastern Mediterranean Region."

This study examined the association between nut consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease and death in the Iranian population. A total of 5,432 adults aged 35 and older with no history of cardiovascular disease were randomly selected from urban and rural areas of the Isfahan, Arak and Najafabad counties. Intake of nuts including walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, and seeds was assessed in 2001 with a validated food frequency questionnaire.

Participants or family members were interviewed every two years until 2013 for the occurrence of cardiovascular events and death. The specific outcomes investigated were coronary heart disease, stroke, total cardiovascular disease, death from any cause, and death from cardiovascular disease.

During a median 12-year follow-up, there were 751 cardiovascular events (594 coronary heart disease and 157 stroke), 179 cardiovascular deaths, and 458 all-cause deaths.

Eating nuts two or more times per week was associated with a 17% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality compared to consuming nuts once every two weeks. The connection was robust even after adjusting for factors that could influence the relationship such as age, sex, education, smoking, and physical activity. Nut intake was inversely associated with the other outcomes but lost significance after adjustment.

ESC guidelines list 30 grams of unsalted nuts per day as one of the characteristics of a healthy diet, while noting that the energy density of nuts is high.(1)

"Raw fresh nuts are the healthiest," added Dr Mohammadifard. "Nuts should be fresh because unsaturated fats can become oxidised in stale nuts, making them harmful. You can tell if nuts are rancid by their paint-like smell and bitter or sour taste."

References and notes

(1)Piepoli MF, Hoes AW, Agewall S, et al. 2016 European Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice. Eur Heart J. 2016;37:2315-2381.

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European Society of Cardiology. "Eating nuts linked with lower risk of fatal heart attack and stroke." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 31 August 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190831155847.htm>.

Diet's effect on gut bacteria could play role in reducing Alzheimer's risk

Date: September 3, 2019 Source: Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Summary: Could following a certain type of diet affect the gut microbiome -- the good and bad bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal tract -- in ways that decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease? According to researchers, that is a fair possibility.

Could following a certain type of diet affect the gut microbiome -- the good and bad bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal tract -- in ways that decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease?

According to researchers at Wake Forest School of Medicine, that is a fair possibility.

In a small pilot study, the researchers identified several distinct gut microbiome signatures -- the chemicals produced by bacteria -- in study participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) but not in their counterparts with normal cognition, and found that these bacterial signatures correlated with higher levels of markers of Alzheimer's disease in the cerebrospinal fluid of the participants with MCI.

Through cross-group dietary intervention, the study also showed that a modified Mediterranean-ketogenic diet produced changes in the gut microbiome and its metabolites that correlated with reduced levels of Alzheimer's markers in the members of both study groups.

The study appears in the current issue of EBioMedicine, a journal published by The Lancet.

"The relationship of the gut microbiome and diet to neurodegenerative diseases has recently received considerable attention, and this study suggests that Alzheimer's disease is associated with specific changes in gut bacteria and that a type of ketogenic Mediterranean diet can affect the microbiome in ways that could impact the development od dementia," said Hariom Yadav, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine, who co-authored the study with Suzanne Craft, Ph.D., professor gerontology and geriatric medicine at the medical school and director of Wake Forest Baptist Health's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.

The randomized, double-blind, single-site study involved 17 older adults, 11 with diagnosed MCI and six with normal cognition. These participants were randomly assigned to follow either the low-carbohydrate modified Mediterranean-ketogenic diet or a low-fat, higher carbohydrate diet for six weeks then, after a six-week "washout" period, to switch to the other diet. Gut microbiome, fecal short-chain fatty acids and markers of Alzheimer's, including amyloid and tau proteins, in cerebrospinal fluid were measured before and after each dieting period.

The study's limitations include the subject group's size, which also accounts for the lack of diversity in terms of gender, ethnicity and age.

"Our findings provide important information that future interventional and clinical studies can be based on," Yadav said. "Determining the specific role these gut microbiome signatures have in the progression of Alzheimer's disease could lead to novel nutritional and therapeutic approaches that would be effective against the disease."

The research was supported by grant P30 AG049638 and award R01 AG055122 from the National Institute on Aging, Department of Defense grant W81XWH-18-1-0118, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences grant UL1 TR001420 and a grant from the Hartman Family Foundation.

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Journal Reference:

Ravinder Nagpal, Bryan J. Neth, Shaohua Wang, Suzanne Craft, Hariom Yadav. Modified Mediterranean-ketogenic diet modulates gut microbiome and short-chain fatty acids in association with Alzheimer's disease markers in subjects with mild cognitive impairment. EBioMedicine, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.08.032

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Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. "Diet's effect on gut bacteria could play role in reducing Alzheimer's risk." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 3 September 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190903120514.htm>.

Vitamin D: How much is too much of a good thing?

High doses of vitamin D may result in a decrease in bone density

Date: September 3, 2019 Source: University of Calgary Summary: A three-year study has shown that there is no benefit in taking high doses of vitamin D. More research is required to determine if high doses may actually compromise bone health.

When bare skin is exposed to sunlight, it makes Vitamin D, which is needed by our bodies to absorb calcium and ensure strong, healthy bones. With bathing suit skin exposure, it only takes about 10-15 minutes of sun exposure during the summer to generate all the vitamin D your body needs for the day. Unfortunately, for Canadians, exposure to sunlight is diminished during the long winter months. This results in many turning to supplements to get the required vitamin D.

For normal, healthy adults, Health Canada recommends a total daily intake of 600 international units (IU) up to age 70, and 800 IU after age 70. Other sources, like Osteoporosis Canada, suggest adults at risk of osteoporosis, a condition characterized by bone loss, should take 400 -- 2,000 IU of Vitamin D. However, some people may be taking up to 20 times the recommended daily dose to prevent or treat a variety of medical conditions that might be related to having not enough vitamin D. So, what is the correct dose? And, how much is too much?

"Although vitamin D may be involved in regulating many of the body's systems, it is the skeleton that is most clearly affected by vitamin D deficiency," says Dr. David Hanley, MD, an endocrinologist in the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM), and one of the principal investigators of the study. "Current Health Canada recommendations were set to prevent the bone diseases caused by vitamin D deficiency for the vast majority of healthy Canadians. But it has been more difficult to clearly establish the optimal dose of vitamin D. When we designed this study, there remained a question whether there's more benefit in taking a higher dose."

A three-year study by researchers at the Cumming School of Medicine's McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), showed there is no benefit in taking high doses of vitamin D. The study followed 300 volunteers between the ages of 55 and 70 in a double-blind, randomized clinical trial to test the hypothesis that with increasing doses of vitamin D, there would be a dose-related increase in bone density and bone strength. A third of the study participants received 400 IU of vitamin D per day, a third received 4,000 IU per day, and a third received 10,000 IU per day.

Volunteers had both their bone density and bone strength measured using a new, high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scan of bone at the wrist and ankle, called an XtremeCT, used only for research. The XtremeCT, located in the McCaig Institute's new Centre for Mobility and Joint Health, is the first of its kind in the world, and allows researchers to look at bone microarchitecture in detail never seen before. Standard dual-X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) bone density was also obtained. Participants received scans at the start of the study and at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months. To assess vitamin D and calcium levels, researchers also collected fasting blood samples at the beginning of the study and at 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months as well as urine collections annually.

Bone mineral density (BMD) is determined by measuring the amount of calcium and other minerals in a defined segment of bone. The lower the bone density, the greater the risk for bone fracture.

Adults slowly lose BMD as they age, and the DXA results showed a modest decrease in BMD over the duration of the study, with no differences detected between the three groups. However, the more sensitive measurement of BMD with high resolution XtremeCT showed significant differences in bone loss among the three dose levels.

Total BMD decreased over the three-year period by 1.4 per cent in the 400 IU group, 2.6 in the 4,000 IU group and 3.6 in the 10,000 IU group. The conclusion was that, contrary to what was predicted, vitamin D supplementation at doses higher than those recommended by Health Canada or Osteoporosis Canada were not associated with an increase in bone density or bone strength. Instead, the XtremeCT detected a dose-related decrease in bone density, with the largest decrease occurring in the 10,000 IU per day group. More research is required to determine if high doses may actually compromise bone health.

"We weren't surprised that using DXA we found no difference among the treatment arms, whereas with XtremeCT, the latest in bone imaging technology, we were able to find dose-dependent changes over the three years. However, we were surprised to find that instead of bone gain with higher doses, the group with the highest dose lost bone the fastest," says Steve Boyd, a professor in the CSM and one of the principal investigators of the study. "That amount of bone loss with 10,000 IU daily is not enough to risk a fracture over a three-year period, but our findings suggest that for healthy adults, vitamin D doses at levels recommended by Osteoporosis Canada (400-2000 IU daily) are adequate for bone health."

A secondary outcome of the study indicated a potential safety concern with taking high levels of vitamin D. Although there were incidents in all three arms of the study, the investigators found that participants assigned to receive higher doses of daily vitamin D supplementation (4000 IU and 10,000 IU) over the three years were more likely to develop hypercalciuria (elevated levels of calcium in the urine), compared to those receiving a lower daily dose. Hypercalciuria is not uncommon in the general population, but is associated with increased risk of kidney stones and may contribute to impaired kidney function.

Hyperalciuria occurred in 87 participants. Incidence varied significantly between the 400 IU (17%) 4000 IU (22%) and 10,000 IU (31%) study groups. If hypercalciuria was detected in study participants, calcium intake was reduced. After repeat testing, the hypercalciuria usually resolved.

"What we can see in this study is that large doses of vitamin D don't come with a benefit to the skeleton," says Dr. Emma Billington, MD, one of the authors of the study. "For healthy adults, 400 IU daily is a reasonable dose. Doses of 4,000 IU or higher are not recommended for the majority of individuals."

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Journal Reference:

Lauren A. Burt, Emma O. Billington, Marianne S. Rose, Duncan A. Raymond, David A. Hanley, Steven K. Boyd. Effect of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation on Volumetric Bone Density and Bone Strength. JAMA, 2019; 322 (8): 736 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2019.11889

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University of Calgary. "Vitamin D: How much is too much of a good thing? High doses of vitamin D may result in a decrease in bone density." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 3 September 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190903134738.htm>.

Cannabis may hold promise to treat PTSD but evidence lags behind use

Date: September 3, 2019 Source: University College London Summary: As growing numbers of people are using cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study reports that prescriptions are not backed up by adequate evidence.

As growing numbers of people are using cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new UCL study reports that prescriptions are not backed up by adequate evidence.

The systematic review, published in the Journal of Dual Diagnosis, finds that the active components of cannabis, called cannabinoids, may hold promise as a treatment for PTSD, particularly for reducing nightmares and helping people sleep, but more research is needed to determine whether these drugs should be used in routine clinical practice.

"There has been a recent surge of interest in the use of cannabinoids to treat PTSD, particularly from military veterans, many of whom are already self-medicating or obtaining prescriptions in some American states," said the study's lead author, Dr Chandni Hindocha (UCL Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit).

"The lack of evidence supporting cannabis as a PTSD treatment is striking given the vast interest in it, and the large unmet need for better PTSD treatments," she said.

PTSD is a potentially debilitating condition affecting roughly 1% of the UK population, typically consisting of re-experiencing a traumatic event through intrusive memories, flashbacks or nightmares, and often involves hyper-reactivity (a state of constant vigilance) and insomnia.

Psychotherapies (talking therapies) including trauma-focussed cognitive-behavioural therapy have been shown to be effective for PTSD. However, not everyone can access talking therapies and they do not work for everyone, so many people still need to take prescribed medications. Existing drugs approved for PTSD do not work for everyone, and can have side effects, so researchers say there is an urgent need to identify new treatments.

A growing number of people have turned to cannabinoids, which is an approved treatment for PTSD in most states in the USA that permit medical cannabis.

Cannabinoids, the active ingredients of cannabis, which include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), may be helpful at treating PTSD as they can change how the brain processes memories. The cannabinoids act on the brain's in-built endocannabinoid system which also regulates other brain functions that are affected by PTSD.

The research team conducted a systematic review of all studies where someone with a PTSD diagnosis has been using a cannabinoid to reduce their symptoms, and they assessed the quality of each study.

They found 10 studies that met their criteria, which cover a range of products including smoked cannabis, THC or CBD separately in oil or pill form, and a synthetic cannabinoid called nabilone.

Every study had medium to high risk of bias and all were assessed as low in quality due to limitations such as small sample size, retrospective study design, lack of a control group or placebo, short follow-up periods, and not reporting other medication use or addiction. Only one study was a randomised controlled trial, investigating nabilone, but it was in a small sample over a relatively short period of time.

The researchers say there are still many unanswered questions about the safety and efficacy of cannabis-based medications for PTSD, and potential long-term effects such as addiction or a risk of psychosis.

The existing evidence shows promise, however, as some studies showed that cannabis products appeared to reduce PTSD symptoms such as insomnia and nightmares.

"Based on the evidence, we cannot yet make any clinical recommendations about using cannabinoids to treat PTSD. Current prescribing of cannabinoids for PTSD is not backed up by high quality evidence, but the findings certainly highlight the need for more research, particularly long-term clinical trials," said the study's senior author, Dr Michael Bloomfield (UCL Psychiatry and the Traumatic Stress Clinic, St Pancras Hospital).

"Many of these studies have been conducted in military veterans, but we also need to be looking at other groups, as PTSD can vary depending on the nature of the trauma so different approaches may benefit different groups," he added.

Dr Hindocha added: "Unfortunately, medicinal uses of cannabis have historically been difficult to study due to legal restrictions, so it could take a long time before there is enough evidence to support clinical recommendations. New approaches are needed to make the most of existing evidence in the meantime."

The study was conducted by researchers at UCL and the University of Amsterdam, and was supported by the National Institute for Health Research UCLH Biomedical Research Centre.

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Journal Reference:

C. Hindocha, J. Cousijn, M. Rall, M. A. P. Bloomfield. The Effectiveness of Cannabinoids in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A Systematic Review. Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1080/15504263.2019.1652380

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University College London. "Cannabis may hold promise to treat PTSD but evidence lags behind use." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 3 September 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190903194249.htm>.

Coffee may protect against gallstones

Date: September 5, 2019 Source:Wiley Summary: Drinking more coffee may help reduce the risk of developing gallstones, according to a new study.

Drinking more coffee may help reduce the risk of developing gallstones, according to a new study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Among 104,493 individuals, those who drank more than six cups of coffee per day had a 23% lower risk of developing symptomatic gallstones compared with individuals who did not drink coffee.

Drinking one extra cup of coffee per day was associated with 3% lower risk. Also, individuals with certain genetic variants that have been linked to increased coffee consumption had a lower risk of gallstones.

Although the study only uncovered correlations, the authors highlighted several mechanisms by which coffee consumption might help prevent gallstones from forming.

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Journal Reference:

A. T. Nordestgaard, S. Stender, B. G. Nordestgaard, A. Tybjærg‐Hansen. Coffee intake protects against symptomatic gallstone disease in the general population: a Mendelian randomization study. Journal of Internal Medicine, 2019; DOI: 10.1111/joim.12970

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Wiley. "Coffee may protect against gallstones." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 September 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190905080059.htm>.

Eating mushrooms may help lower prostate cancer risk

Date: September 5, 2019 Source: Wiley Summary: A new study found an inverse relationship between mushroom consumption and the development of prostate cancer among middle-aged and elderly Japanese men, suggesting that regular mushroom intake might help to prevent prostate cancer.

A new study published in the International Journal of Cancer found an inverse relationship between mushroom consumption and the development of prostate cancer among middle-aged and elderly Japanese men, suggesting that regular mushroom intake might help to prevent prostate cancer.

A total of 36,499 men, aged 40 to 79 years who participated in the Miyagi Cohort Study in 1990 and in the Ohsaki Cohort Study in 1994 were followed for a median of 13.2 years. During follow-up, 3.3% of participants developed prostate cancer. Compared with mushroom consumption of less than once per week, consumption once or twice a week was associated with an 8% lower risk of prostate cancer and consumption three or more times per week was associated with a 17% lower risk.

"Since information on mushroom species was not collected, it is difficult to know which specific mushroom(s) contributed to our findings. Also, the mechanism of the beneficial effects of mushrooms on prostate cancer remains uncertain," said lead author Shu Zhang, PhD, of the Tohoku University School of Public Health, in Japan.

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Journal Reference:

Shu Zhang, Yumi Sugawara, Shiuan Chen, Robert B. Beelman, Tsuyoshi Tsuduki, Yasutake Tomata, Sanae Matsuyama, Ichiro Tsuji. Mushroom consumption and incident risk of prostate cancer in Japan: A pooled analysis of the Miyagi Cohort Study and the Ohsaki Cohort Study. International Journal of Cancer, 2019; DOI: 10.1002/ijc.32591

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Wiley. "Eating mushrooms may help lower prostate cancer risk." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 September 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190905080106.htm>.

Plant research could benefit wastewater treatment, biofuels and antibiotics

Duckweed genome discovery reveals how aquatic plants cope in challenging environments

Date: September 5, 2019 Source: Rutgers University Summary: Scientists have discovered how aquatic plants cope with water pollution, a major ecological question that could help boost their use in wastewater treatment, biofuels, antibiotics and other applications.

Chinese and Rutgers scientists have discovered how aquatic plants cope with water pollution, a major ecological question that could help boost their use in wastewater treatment, biofuels, antibiotics and other applications.

The study is in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers used a new DNA sequencing approach to study the genome of Spirodela polyrhiza, one of 37 species of duckweed, which are small, fast-growing aquatic plants found worldwide.

The scientists discovered how the immune system of Spirodela polyrhiza adapts to a polluted environment in a way that differs from land plants. They identified the species' powerful genes that protect against a wide range of harmful microbes and pests, including waterborne fungi and bacteria.

The study could help lead to the use of duckweed strains for bioreactors that recycle wastes, and to make drugs and other products, treat agricultural and industrial wastewater and make biofuels such as ethanol for automobiles. Duckweed could also be used to generate electricity.

"The new gene sequencing approach is a major step forward for the analysis of entire genomes in plants and could lead to many societal benefits," said co-author Joachim Messing, Distinguished University Professor and director of the Waksman Institute of Microbiology at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.

Duckweed can also serve as protein- and mineral-rich food for people, farmed fish, chickens and livestock, especially in developing countries, according to Eric Lam, a Distinguished Professor in Rutgers' School of Environmental and Biological Sciences who was not part of this study. Lam's lab is at the vanguard of duckweed farming research and development. His team houses the world's largest collection of duckweed species and their 900-plus strains.

The lead author was in Messing's laboratory and now has her own laboratory at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. Scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences contributed to the study.

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Materials provided by Rutgers University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Dong An, Yong Zhou, Changsheng Li, Qiao Xiao, Tao Wang, Yating Zhang, Yongrui Wu, Yubin Li, Dai-Yin Chao, Joachim Messing, Wenqin Wang. Plant evolution and environmental adaptation unveiled by long-read whole-genome sequencing of Spirodela. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019; 201910401 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1910401116

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Rutgers University. "Plant research could benefit wastewater treatment, biofuels and antibiotics: Duckweed genome discovery reveals how aquatic plants cope in challenging environments." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 September 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190905080134.htm>.

Key enzyme found in plants could guide development of medicines and other products

How plants are able to efficiently manufacture the compounds they use to adapt to stress

Date: September 6, 2019 Source: Salk Institute Summary: Researchers studying how plants evolved the abilities to make natural chemicals, which they use to adapt to stress, have uncovered how an enzyme called chalcone isomerase evolved to enable plants to make products vital to their own survival. The researchers' hope is that this knowledge will inform the manufacture of products that are beneficial to humans, including medications and improved crops.

Plants can do many amazing things. Among their talents, they can manufacture compounds that help them repel pests, attract pollinators, cure infections and protect themselves from excess temperatures, drought and other hazards in the environment.

Researchers from the Salk Institute studying how plants evolved the abilities to make these natural chemicals have uncovered how an enzyme called chalcone isomerase evolved to enable plants to make products vital to their own survival. The researchers' hope is that this knowledge will inform the manufacture of products that are beneficial to humans, including medications and improved crops. The study appeared in the print version of ACS Catalysis on September 6, 2019.

"Since land plants first appeared on earth approximately 450 million years ago, they have developed a sophisticated metabolic system to transform carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into a myriad of natural chemicals in their roots, shoots and seeds," says Salk Professor Joseph Noel, the paper's senior author. "This is the culmination of work we've been doing in my lab for the past 20 years, trying to understand plant chemical evolution. It gives us detailed knowledge about how plants have developed this unique ability to make some very unusual but important molecules."

Previous research in the Noel lab looked at how these enzymes evolved from non-enzyme proteins, including studying more primitive versions of them that appear in organisms such as bacteria and fungi.

As an enzyme, chalcone isomerase acts as a catalyst to accelerate chemical reactions in plants. It also helps to ensure the chemicals that are made in the plant are the proper form, since molecules with the same chemical formula can take two different variations that are mirror images of each other (called isomers).

"In the pharmaceutical industry, it's important that the drugs being made are the correct version, or isomer, because using the wrong one can lead to unintended side effects," says Noel, who is director of Salk's Jack H. Skirball Center for Chemical Biology and Proteomics and holds the Arthur and Julie Woodrow Chair. "By studying how chalcone isomerase works, we can learn more about how to accelerate the manufacture of the correct isomers of pharmaceuticals and other products that may be important to human health."

In the current study, the investigators used several structural biology techniques to investigate the enzyme's unique shape and how its shape changes as it interacts with other molecules. They pinpointed the part of chalcone isomerase's structure that allowed it to catalyze reactions incredibly fast while also ensuring it makes the proper, biologically active isomer. These reactions lead to a host of activities in plants, including converting primary metabolites like phenylalanine and tyrosine into vital specialized molecules called flavonoids.

It turned out that one particular amino acid, arginine, that was one of many amino acids linked together in chalcone isomerase sat in a location, shaped by evolution, that allowed it to play the key role in how chalcone isomerase reactions were catalyzed.

"By doing structural studies and computer modeling, we could see the very precise positions of arginine within the enzyme's active site as the reaction proceeded," says first author Jason Burke, a former postdoctoral research in Noel's lab who is now an assistant professor at California State University San Bernardino. "Without that arginine, it doesn't work the same way."

Burke adds that this type of catalyst has been long sought by organic chemists. "This is an example of nature already solving a problem that chemists have been looking at for a long time," he adds.

"By understanding chalcone isomerase, we can create a new toolset that chemists will be able to use for the reactions they're studying," Noel says. "It's absolutely vital to have this kind of foundational knowledge to be able to design molecular systems that can carry out a particular task even in the next generation of nutritionally dense crops capable of transforming the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into molecules essential for life."

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Materials provided by Salk Institute. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Jason R. Burke, James J. La Clair, Ryan N. Philippe, Anna Pabis, Marina Corbella, Joseph M. Jez, George A. Cortina, Miriam Kaltenbach, Marianne E. Bowman, Gordon V. Louie, Katherine B. Woods, Andrew T. Nelson, Dan S. Tawfik, Shina C.L. Kamerlin, Joseph P. Noel. Bifunctional Substrate Activation via an Arginine Residue Drives Catalysis in Chalcone Isomerases. ACS Catalysis, 2019; 9 (9): 8388 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.9b01926

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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190905161410.htm

Salk Institute. "Key enzyme found in plants could guide development of medicines and other products: How plants are able to efficiently manufacture the compounds they use to adapt to stress." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 September 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190906134026.htm>.

Temps up, blood pressures down in hot yoga study

Date: September 5, 2019

Source: American Heart Association

Summary:

Adults taking hot yoga had lower blood pressure measurements after three months of classes, in a small study examining hot yoga's impact on blood pressure. Hot yoga is typically a vigorous workout practiced under hot and humid conditions. Study researchers say this is one of the first studies of hot yoga's benefits in lowering blood pressure and more research is needed to determine if the practice has true blood pressure lowering power.

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Disrupting the gut microbiome may affect some immune responses to flu vaccination

Date: September 6, 2019

Source: NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Summary:

The normal human gut microbiome is a flourishing community of microorganisms, some of which can affect the human immune system. Researchers have now found that oral antibiotics, which can kill gut microorganisms, can alter the human immune response to seasonal influenza vaccination.

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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190906172413.htm

Offering children a variety of vegetables increases acceptance

Date: September 9, 2019 Source: Elsevier Summary: Although food preferences are largely learned, dislike is the main reason parents stop offering or serving their children foods like vegetables. A new study has demonstrated that repeatedly offering a variety of vegetables increased acceptance and consumption by children.

Child with fresh vegetables (stock image).

Although food preferences are largely learned, dislike is the main reason parents stop offering or serving their children foods like vegetables. A new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier, demonstrated that repeatedly offering a variety of vegetables increased acceptance and consumption by children.

"In Australia, dietary guidelines for vegetable consumption by young children have increased although actual consumption is low," said lead author Astrid A.M. Poelman, PhD, CSIRO Agriculture & Food, Sensory, Flavour and Consumer Science, North Ryde, Australia. "This study introduces an effective strategy for parents wanting to address this deficiency."

This study recruited 32 families with children between the ages of four and six where low consumption of vegetables was reported. Parents completed an online survey and attended an information meeting prior to participating. Three groups were created: children introduced to a single vegetable; children to receive multiple vegetables; and a group where eating habits were not changed.

Study data were collected in several ways: two dinner meals served at the research facility during which children could eat as much of the broccoli, cauliflower and green beans as they wished; changes to actual vegetables consumed at home, childcare or school recorded through food diaries; and parents reporting on usual vegetable consumption.

Strategies of offering vegetables were parent led and home based. Families introducing one vegetable served broccoli and families trying multiple vegetables served broccoli, zucchini and peas. Parents were provided with a voucher to purchase the vegetables and given instructions on portion size and cooking instructions along with tips on how to offer the vegetables. Children were served a small piece of vegetable three times a week for five weeks. A sticker was given as a reward to children trying a vegetable.

There was no difference between groups at the start of the study for any of the methods measured. The dinner meal, during which the children ate without parents present, did not increase consumption perhaps due to an unfamiliar setting. Vegetable acceptance increased for both the single and multiple vegetable groups during the intervention. Families that offered multiple vegetables recorded an increase in consumption from .6 to 1.2 servings, while no change in consumption was observed in families serving a single vegetable or families that did not change their eating habits. Increased acceptance for multiple vegetables was noted during the five weeks of the study and sustained at three-month followup. Following the study parents reported that offering the vegetables was "very easy" or "quite easy" with the majority following the instructions provided by the study.

Dr. Poelman recommended, "While the amount of vegetables eaten increased during the study, the amount did not meet dietary guidelines. Nonetheless, the study showed the strategy of offering a variety of vegetables was more successful in increasing consumption than offering a single vegetable."

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Materials provided by Elsevier. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Astrid A.M. Poelman, Conor M. Delahunty, Maeva Broch, Cees de Graaf. Multiple vs Single Target Vegetable Exposure to Increase Young Children's Vegetable Intake. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2019; 51 (8): 985 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2019.06.009

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Elsevier. "Offering children a variety of vegetables increases acceptance." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 9 September 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190909123713.htm>.

Dietary supplement may help with schizophrenia

Date: September 9, 2019 Source: University College London Summary: A dietary supplement, sarcosine, may help with schizophrenia as part of a holistic approach complementing antipsychotic medication, according to a researcher.

A dietary supplement, sarcosine, may help with schizophrenia as part of a holistic approach complementing antipsychotic medication, according to a UCL researcher.

In an editorial published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, Professor David Curtis (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment and QMUL Centre for Psychiatry) suggests the readily available product could easily be incorporated into treatment plans, while calling for clinical trials to clarify the benefit and inform guidelines.

"Sarcosine represents a very logical treatment and the small number of clinical trials so far do seem to show that it can be helpful. It certainly seems to be safe and some patients report feeling better on it," he said.

"Sarcosine may be a helpful treatment for schizophrenia but we should be carrying out further studies in order to find out for sure."

Sarcosine naturally occurs in foods such as egg yolks, turkey and legumes, and can be bought as a dietary supplement, sometimes promoted as a 'brain health supplement', with various claims being made that are not all backed up by adequate evidence.

Professor Curtis writes that there is now good evidence from multiple lines of study that some patients with schizophrenia may have defects in the functioning of receptors for glutamate, a common neurotransmitter in the brain, and that sarcosine can help glutamate receptors to work better.

Researchers have been accumulating evidence that if these glutamate receptors did not function properly then people could develop psychosis and other symptoms of schizophrenia.

Professor Curtis and colleagues have recently added to the evidence, showing that genetic variants which damage this receptor increase the risk of schizophrenia.

The only risk identified so far seems to be that some people taking sarcosine to treat schizophrenia who are also on antidepressants may experience hypomania (disinhibition and euphoria), which Professor Curtis says highlights the importance of consulting with health professionals before taking sarcosine.

"Some studies have used it on its own as a treatment but I think the obvious thing to try first would be for patients to take it alongside their regular antipsychotic medication, in order to produce further improvement," said Professor Curtis.

He says that health professionals need to be aware of sarcosine so that they know how to respond if a patient asks them about it, given that it's increasingly being used as an alternative therapy.

"I would encourage psychiatrists to review the evidence, and while they may reach different conclusions, it seems reasonable to conclude that suggesting sarcosine to a patient with schizophrenia would be defensible and evidence-based.

"Because it is freely available and fairly cheap, there is nothing to stop somebody with schizophrenia from buying it and trying it themselves, which underscores the need for health professionals to get our heads around it. I would certainly warn them not to stop their regular medication and to continue following the advice of their psychiatrist," he said.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University College London. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

David Curtis. A possible role for sarcosine in the management of schizophrenia. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2019.194

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University College London. "Dietary supplement may help with schizophrenia." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 9 September 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190909193217.htm>.

Drinking tea improves brain health, study suggests

Date: September 12, 2019 Source: National University of Singapore Summary: A recent study revealed that regular tea drinkers have better organized brain regions compared to non-tea drinkers.

A recent study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) revealed that regular tea drinkers have better organised brain regions -- and this is associated with healthy cognitive function -- compared to non-tea drinkers. The research team made this discovery after examining neuroimaging data of 36 older adults.

"Our results offer the first evidence of positive contribution of tea drinking to brain structure, and suggest that drinking tea regularly has a protective effect against age-related decline in brain organisation," explained team leader Assistant Professor Feng Lei, who is from the Department of Psychological Medicine at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

The research was carried out together with collaborators from the University of Essex and University of Cambridge, and the findings were published in scientific journal Aging on 14 June 2019.

Benefits of regular intake of tea

Past studies have demonstrated that tea intake is beneficial to human health, and the positive effects include mood improvement and cardiovascular disease prevention. In fact, results of a longitudinal study led by Asst Prof Feng which was published in 2017 showed that daily consumption of tea can reduce the risk of cognitive decline in older persons by 50 per cent.

Following this discovery, Asst Prof Feng and his team further explored the direct effect of tea on brain networks.

The research team recruited 36 adults aged 60 and above, and gathered data about their health, lifestyle, and psychological well-being. The elderly participants also had to undergo neuropsychological tests and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The study was carried out from 2015 to 2018.

Upon analysing the participants' cognitive performance and imaging results, the research team found that individuals who consumed either green tea, oolong tea, or black tea at least four times a week for about 25 years had brain regions that were interconnected in a more efficient way.

"Take the analogy of road traffic as an example -- consider brain regions as destinations, while the connections between brain regions are roads. When a road system is better organised, the movement of vehicles and passengers is more efficient and uses less resources. Similarly, when the connections between brain regions are more structured, information processing can be performed more efficiently," explained Asst Prof Feng.

He added, "We have shown in our previous studies that tea drinkers had better cognitive function as compared to non-tea drinkers. Our current results relating to brain network indirectly support our previous findings by showing that the positive effects of regular tea drinking are the result of improved brain organisation brought about by preventing disruption to interregional connections."

Next step in research

As cognitive performance and brain organisation are intricately related, more research is needed to better understand how functions like memory emerge from brain circuits, and the possible interventions to better preserve cognition during the ageing process. Asst Prof Feng and his team plan to examine the effects of tea as well as the bioactive compounds in tea can have on cognitive decline.

Story Source:

Materials provided by National University of Singapore. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Junhua Li, Rafael Romero-Garcia, John Suckling, Lei Feng. Habitual tea drinking modulates brain efficiency: evidence from brain connectivity evaluation. Aging, 2019; 11 (11): 3876 DOI: 10.18632/aging.102023

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