Inhibition of protein synthesis induced by adenine nucleotides requires their metabolism into adenosine

Adverse reactions to food may be mediated by immunological or non immunological mechanisms. The term "food allergy" describes an event in which a definite immunopathological process can be demonstrated and a cause and effect relationship must be present. Symptoms and signs of food allergy may appear in any organ system, depending in part on the age of the subject and on the allergen involved. At present it is generally agreed that the only effective therapy for food allergy is strict elimination of the offending food antigen. Institution of a food elimination diet should be considered comparable to prescribing a medication, which carries along definite risk-benefit ratio. Consequently, appropriate diagnostic measures base on history, skin test, or radioallergosorbent test (Rast) and blind food challenges, must be utilized before implementing special diets. The allergist and other health care professionals must recognize the advantages of elimination diets (improvement of symptoms) as well as disadvantages (increase of the time required to purchase food and prepare meals, impossibility to eat at restaurants, at friends' houses or at school with consequent possible social isolation, nutritional disorders) and choose the most appropriate elimination diet.     

Strategies to improve the nutritive value of rice bran in poultry diets. IV. Effects of addition of fish meal and a microbial phytase to duckling diets on bird performance and amino acid digestibility

1. Ducklings were given diets with vegetable protein (VP) and 0 or 600 g rice bran/kg; fish meal (60 g/kg) and a phytase (+, -) were added to the diets (VP + AP). An additional 40 g soyabean meal/kg was added to the diet with rice bran (VP ++). Amino acid digestibility and mineral retention were measured in the lower ileum of ducklings killed at 23 d of age. Acid insoluble ash was used as an inert marker. Trypsin and amylase activities were also measured and weights of the pancreas and small intestine recorded at slaughter. 2. Addition of soyabean meal (VP ++) to the diet with rice bran improved growth rate and food intake compared to the diet without (VP) and gave the same food intake and growth rate as the comparable basal diet (VP) without rice bran. Fish meal improved growth rate on the diets without rice bran and improved food intake on this diet (VP + AP). Rice bran depressed growth rate and food conversion ratio (FCR); protein source affected growth rate, food intake and FCR; phytase increased food intake only. There were several interactions. 3. Determined total amino acid composition of the diets appeared to meet the essential amino acid requirements of ducklings. Rice bran depressed the ileal digestibility of virtually all amino acids and phytase had no direct effect, although there were interactions. Fish meal addition to diets with rice bran improved the apparent digestibility of several essential amino acids as well as that of dry matter and crude protein. 4. Ileal retention of some minerals and tibia ash content were reduced by rice bran. Fish meal and phytase inclusion increased P retention and ash in tibia. 5. Higher intestinal trypsin activity and increased pancreas size were seen in ducklings on diets with rice bran compared to those without. Intestinal amylase activity was reduced in ducklings given rice bran, probably because of its low starch content. 6. The stimulating effect of fish meal on duckling performance was probably caused in part by the improvement in the digestibility of some amino acids. The addition of small amounts of minerals in fish meal may have increased mineral retention. Phytase gave benefits anticipated from our previous work, but also improved lysine and threonine digestibility in diets containing vegetable protein only.     

Pass the sugar, pass the salt: Experience dictates preference.

How children acquire preferences for added sugar and salt was examined by investigating the effects of repeated exposure to 1 of 3 versions of a novel food (sweetened, salty, or plain tofu) on children's preference for those and other similar foods. Participants were 39 4- and 5-yr-olds assigned to taste only 1 of 3 flavored versions 15 times over several weeks. Preferences for all versions were obtained before, during, and after the exposure series. Preference increased for the exposed version only. Experience with 1 flavored version did not produce generalized liking for all 3 versions of the food. Experience with 1 version (flavored or plain) actually produced a decline in preference for the other version. This was true whether children had experience with plain or flavored versions of the food. The acquired preference was restricted to the particular food/flavor complex; through exposure, children seemed to learn whether it was appropriate to add salt or sugar to a particular food. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unsaturated fatty acids omega-3. I. Structure, sources, determination, metabolism in the organism]

Fats covered approximately 22% of energy requirements in diets of ancient human being, and simultaneously the value of ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to saturated (SFA) was estimated as 1.4 and the proportion of PUFA omega 6 to PUFA omega 3 was 1:1. During the last twenty thousands years the composition of human diets was changing dramatically due to economical, culture and social changes. However, there are indicators that the ratio of PUFA omega 6 to PUFA omega 3 in human diet was unchanging until beginning of XIX century. Dramatic technological breakthrough in food technology during last 100 years caused radical changes in the structure and quality of food consumption. It is estimated that at present fats cover about 40% of energy requirements in diets of people in developed countries, and the value of ratio of dietary PUFA omega 6 to PUFA omega 3 is 25:1 and even 50:1. Epidemiological nutritional studies indicate that in populations which consume inadequate amount of PUFA omega 3 most often occur the disorders on atherosclerotic and immunological background as compared to populations which consume diets with appropriate covering the requirements of dietary PUFA omega 3. Therefore, it could be supposed that increased occurrence so-called civilization disorders is the result of increased consumption of highly manufactured food with changed composition (and also to increased fats consumption and decreased consumption of PUFA omega 3). This hypothesis is confirmed by the observations that the supplementation of diets with PUFA omega 3 gives the desirable results in the treatment of many disorders. The main objective of this two parts paper is to characterize the polyunsaturated fatty acids, their metabolic path ways as well as the possibilities of the use of the diet supplementation with PUFA omega 3 in the treatment and prophylaxis of some metabolic disorders. The structure, sources, determination and pathways in organism are discussed in part I, and the role of eicosanoids originating from respective PUFA omega 3 and advantages of the supplementation the diet with PUFA are discussed in part II.     

Disposition of ampicillin in honeybees and hives

Disposition profile of ampicillin (ABPC) among honeybees, larvae, honey and royal jelly in a hive after oral dosing to adult bees was studied. Four honeybee colonies were administered the single dose of ABPC at the rate of 30 mg/hive by addition to sugar syrup or pollen substitute (paste) for 1 day intake. The colonies received ABPC in syrup showed high drug residue levels in honey and it lasted over 14 days beyond the detection limit of residual analysis. In the hives given ABPC in paste, relatively low honey residues were found, however, the distributions of the drug in young larvae and jelly which was the food of the larvae were very low. ABPC was considered to be a promising drug for the control of American foulbrood, an important bacterial disease of honeybee larvae, because of its high antibacterial activity to the pathogen, Paenibacillus larvae, and instability of residue in honey as human food. The low distribution in young larvae, the target of the disease, threw a doubt on the efficacy of ABPC for American foulbrood control.     

Effect of a high-beef diet on the fecal bacterial flora of humans

Ten human volunteers completed a 4-month diet series consisting of 1 month each of a control diet, a meatless diet, a high-beef diet, and the same control diet. Fat and fiber contents were essentially the same in all four diets, but protein content was doubled during the high-beef diet. During the 4th week on each diet, three stool specimens collected from each volunteer were analyzed for chemical composition and content of facultative, aerobic, and anaerobic bacteria. The bacteriological data are presented in this paper. High beef protein consumption had little effect on the composition of the intestinal flora. There were no significant differences in total counts of facultative and aerobic or anaerobic organisms in the feces when volunteers were on meatless or high-beef diets. At the species level, when counts during the two control diets were comparable, in only three instances did the change from the meatless to a high-beef diet significantly influence the bacterial numbers. The ratio of mean counts of anaerobic to facultative and aerobic organisms was approximately 15:1 during the meatless diet and 34:1 during the high-meat diet. The data indicate that animal protein consumption has little effect on the fecal bacterial profile in humans.     

Recent research on calculus

This paper discusses the different types of calcium phosphate in calculus and the role of plaque pH in controlling calcium phosphate precipitation (calculus) or dissolution (caries). There is great site-specificity of deposition of supragingival but not subgingival calculus, with highest amounts of the former being present on the lingual aspects of the mandibular anterior teeth. This may be because the plaque there is most alkaline as that region has the highest salivary film velocity and the lowest salivary sugar concentration during consumption of sugar-containing food and drinks. The importance of calculus removal for good gingival health is emphasised.     

Body mass index and alcohol consumption: Family history of alcoholism as a moderator.

Recent research suggests that excess food consumption may be conceptualized as an addictive behavior. Much of the evidence comes from neurobiological similarities between drug and food consumption. In addition, an inverse relation between alcohol consumption and body mass index (BMI) has been observed. Previous research has hypothesized that this inverse relation is attributable to competition between food and alcohol for similar neurotransmitter receptors. The current study explored this neurobiological hypothesis further by examining the influence of an indicator of biological risk associated with alcohol problems (family history of alcoholism) on the relationship between alcohol and food intake. Data from 37,259 participants in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) were included in the study. BMI, family history of alcoholism, gender, and race/ethnicity were assessed as predictors of typical drinking frequency and estimated blood alcohol concentration (BAC). An inverse relationship between alcohol consumption and BMI was demonstrated. An attenuation of family history effects on drinking behavior was evident for obese compared to nonobese participants. The results suggest a neurobiological link between alcohol use and food consumption, consistent with theories characterizing excess food consumption as an addictive behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of diet pellet hardness and particle size on food utilization by mice, rats and hamsters

Increasing hardness of diet pellets reduced food wastage by each species. Also, less wastage occurred when pellets made from finely ground materials were given, an effect that was not related to hardness. The hardest diet reduced growth of the mice by reducing true food consumption and a poorer food conversion efficiency (true food consumption/growth) was obtained. Apparent food consumption increased with the softness of the diet and food utilization (apparent food consumption/growth) of the softest diets was less efficient than those of the others. Grinding of the raw materials prior to pelleting had no effect on food conversion, but food utilization was less efficient because of the greater wastage of pellets from coarsely ground materials and consequent apparent food comsumption.     

Decrease in insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) binding to erythrocytes from patients with cystic fibrosis

Guidelines for a healthy diet often recommend limiting dietary sugars and fats. Some researchers have called these aims mutually incompatible, suggesting that fat and sugar intakes, when expressed as percent dietary energy, are inversely linked. Others have argued that sugar, more specifically sucrose, acts as a vehicle for dietary fat and serves to suppress the overall quality of the diet. This study examined the relationship between age, sucrose and fat intakes, body mass index (BMI), and measures of dietary diversity and variety in a community-based sample of 837 French adults. Consistent with other studies, high consumption of added sucrose (in g/day or g/1000 kcal per day) was associated with higher consumption of energy and fat and lower consumption of vegetables and fruit. However, eating patterns were strongly influenced by age. High-sucrose consumers were significantly younger and had lower BMI values than did low-sucrose consumers, who were both older and had higher BMIs. High-sucrose diets had minimal effect on the diet diversity score and were associated with more varied diets, as evidenced by a higher dietary variety score.     

Gender differences in food-related concerns, beliefs and behaviours of north Queensland adolescents

OBJECTIVE: To describe the beliefs, attitudes, behaviours and knowledge of North Queensland adolescents about food and nutrition. METHODOLOGY: A questionnaire surveyed 791 Year 8 students from private schools. RESULTS: More girls than boys felt guilt about food, sometimes ate from boredom, reported trying to select foods that were good for them and were concerned about the fat content of food; 30% of boys and 17% of girls thought they should be concerned about their food intake only when overweight. Low daily dietary intakes were reported for bread, fruit, vegetables and dairy products with only 24% eating at least one fruit, one vegetable, one dairy product and one core cereal food daily. Fat and sugar intake was high: 41% students ate high fat savoury foods and 53% ate high sugar foods at least seven times during the week. Parents, television and school provided information about food and nutrition to 70-80% of these students, followed by friends and magazines with doctors and teachers providing information on weight and weight loss to 10% of students. CONCLUSIONS: Doctors should be aware of the low intake of recommended foods as well as the high intakes of fat and sugar among adolescents and the gender differences in food related beliefs and behaviours when treating nutrition related diseases and providing guidance for their prevention.     

Cell-associated pentosidine as a marker of aging in human diploid cells in vitro and in vivo

The current study aggregated methods from the cardiovascular reactivity and dietary restraint paradigms in an attempt to advance our understanding of stress-induced eating behavior. Seventy-seven female subjects completed a protocol consisting of distinct baseline, stress-induction, and recovery phases during which we monitored blood pressure, heart rate, and self-reported affect. Food was inconspicuously made available to participants during the recovery phase. Our results replicated the restraint x affect level interaction observed in the restraint literature, while showing that physiological measures could further explain distressed eating behavior. Physiological arousal was found reliably to predict reduced food consumption, but only among unrestrained eaters. Analysis of the recovery data showed that food consumption was associated with impaired physiological recovery rates for restrained but not for unrestrained participants. We believe that our results help to reconcile findings in the stress, eating, and dietary restraint fields and offer support for recently developed theories of stress-induced overeating.     

Characterization of recombinant type II collagen: arthritogenicity and tolerogenicity in DBA/1 mice

Using new nonisotopic and isotopic methods, we showed previously that fatty acid synthesis was markedly stimulated in weight-stable normal volunteers by a very-low-fat formula diet with 10% of energy as fat and 75% as short glucose polymers. In this study, we determined whether fatty acid synthesis was equally stimulated by a very-low-fat solid diet made with foods consumed typically. Four normal volunteers consumed the same very-low-fat formula diet for 25 d and then an isoenergetic solid food diet with 10% of energy as fat and 75% as starch, simple sugars, and fiber for 25 d. To measure fatty acid synthesis, the fatty acid compositions of the diets were matched to the composition of each subject's adipose tissue and compared with the composition of VLDL-triacylglycerol. In all subjects, the large increases in newly formed palmitate and decreases in linoleate in VLDL-triacylglycerol were quickly reversed by the solid food diet, and the fraction of de novo synthesized fatty acids in fasting VLDL-triacylglycerol decreased from 30-54% to 0-1%. In a second group of subjects, the stimulation of fatty acid synthesis by the formula diet with 75% glucose polymers was similarly reduced by a formula diet with amounts of fat, starch, and sugar chosen to mimic those of the solid food diet, but persisted after the addition of fiber or a diet with 75% sugar. In conclusion, an increase in fatty acid synthesis and palmitaterich, linoleate-poor VLDL-triacylglycerol induced by very-low-fat, high-sugar diets may be reduced by the substitution of dietary starch for sugar with potentially beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.     

Dental caries in pre-school children: associations with social class, toothbrushing habit and consumption of sugars and sugar-containing foods. Further analysis of data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of children aged 1.5-4.5 years

This project examined the relative significance of dietary sugars, toothbrushing frequency and social class as predictors of caries experience (caries vs. no caries) among 1,450 British pre-school children who took part in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey. This cross-sectional survey was based on a representative sample of children aged 1.5-4.5 years studied in 1992/3. Children were classified into four groups according to social class and toothbrushing habit. Diet/caries associations were examined for biscuits and cakes, sugar confectionery, chocolate confectionery and soft drinks, and the percentage of energy from non-milk extrinsic sugars, using data on amount and frequency of consumption from 4-day weighed dietary records. In stepwise logistic regressions, the strength of the association between social class and caries experience was twice that between toothbrushing and caries, and nearly three times that between sugar confectionery and caries (other dietary variables were not significant). The association of caries with sugar confectionery (both in amount and frequency) was only present among children whose teeth were brushed less than twice a day. Toothbrushing frequency appeared to have a stronger impact on caries prevention in non-manual compared with manual children. Household expenditure on confectionery was associated with caries only among children from the manual group. The findings suggest the hypothesis that regular brushing (twice a day) with a fluoride toothpaste may have greater impact on caries in young children than restricting sugary foods.     

Strategies to improve the nutritive value of rice bran in poultry diets. III. The addition of inorganic phosphorus and a phytase to duck diets

1. In the first of 2 experiments ducklings grown from 2 to 19 d were given diets with 0, 200 or 400 g rice bran, with or without a phytase and with 1 or 3 g inorganic phosphorus (Pi) per kg for rice bran-based diets only. In the 2nd experiment rice bran concentrations were 0, 300 or 600 g rice bran per kg with or without a phytase and 1 g Pi/kg. Ducks were grown from 19 to 40 d of age. 2. In experiment 1, a response to phytase was observed for weight gain and food intake on most diets except those with 200 g rice bran (3 g Pi) and 4.00 g rice bran (1 g P)i/kg. Main effects showed that 400 g rice bran depressed growth rate and food conversion ratio (FCR); increasing Pi depressed food intake, while food phytase increased food intake and growth rate over 2 to 19 d. There were several interactions. Dry matter and P retention were reduced but N digestibility improved when rice bran was increased from 200 g to 400 g/kg at 2 to 10 d of age; apparent metabolisable energy (AME) and calcium retentions were improved, similar results being seen at 10 to 19 d of age. Calcium and P retentions increased with the addition of food phytase and, at 10 to 19 d of age, phytase increased dry matter digestibility. Increasing Pi improved calcium and P retention, but only at 2 to 10 d of age. 3. Tibia ash (g or g/kg) content of bone was lowest on the diet without rice bran and without phytase; Pi concentration had no effect but phytase increased tibia ash on diets with 0 and 200 g rice bran and 1 g Pi/kg. Retention of several minerals in tibia ash declined at the highest rice bran inclusion rate; Pi level and phytase both increased Mg retention. 4. In experiment 2, food intake and growth rate of ducks, but not FCR, declined as rice bran inclusion increased from 0 to 600 g/kg. Phytase improved growth rate but not food intake and FCR on all 3 diets. Dry matter digestibility declined with increasing rice bran inclusion, but AME increased; retention of P and Mg declined but those of Ca and Fe increased. Phytase improved dry matter digestibility and retention of N and P. AME also increased but this was only on diets with 0 and 600 g rice bran/kg. There were reductions of 8% and 10% in P excreted in experiments 1 and 2 respectively when food phytase was added. 5. Tibia ash declined with increasing dietary inclusion of rice bran. Zn and Mn in ash tended to decline and Mg to increase; Ca and P showed no change in concentration in tibia ash. Again, phytase increased tibia ash content in bone. 6. It was concluded that there were a number of unexpected benefits from adding a food phytase to these diets, which resulted in improved nutrient yield and bird performance, although several of the diets appeared to be adequate in available P.     

Color as a factor in food choice

From birth, nature teaches us to make judgements on our environment based in large measure on color. As such, it plays a key role in food choice by influencing taste thresholds, sweetness perception, food preference, pleasantness, and acceptability. Its role is elusive and difficult to quantify, however, which at times has placed color in a secondary role to the other sensory characteristics, a position not entirely consistent with the facts. Color, in a quantitative sense, has been shown to be able to replace sugar and still maintain sweetness perception in flavored foods. It interferes with judgments of flavor intensity and identification and in so doing has been shown to dramatically influence the pleasantness and acceptability of foods. Studies in the literature have used cross-sectional population panels to study these effects, but a recent investigation of color-sensory interactions in beverages has compared the response of a college age group with the response of a panel consisting of a more mature population. Interestingly, the older group showed significant differences from the college age group in their response to the effects of color on several sensory parameters as well as showing a direct correlation between beverage consumption and color. Color is often taken for granted, but this position must be reevaluated in view of such studies and the need to create more appealing foods for different segments of our society.     

Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis Award lecture. Many tumors and many genes: genetics of uterine leiomyomata

We examined social influences on food choices of Norway rats choosing between pairs of diets that differed in their relative palatabilities. We found in two experiments that prior interaction with a demonstrator rat fed either a cayenne-flavoured diet (experiment 1) or a cinnamon-flavoured diet (experiment 2) significantly affected the observer rats' intake of their respective demonstrators' diets. However, as the amount of cayenne pepper in the cayenne-flavoured diet was increased, so that it became increasingly unpalatable relative to a cinnamon-flavoured alternative diet (experiment 1), the effects of demonstrator rats on their observers' intake of the cayenne-flavoured diet diminished. Similarly, as we added sugar to a cinnamon-flavoured diet, so that it became increasingly palatable relative to an alternative cocoa-flavoured diet (experiment 2), the effects of demonstrator rats on their observers' choices between the cinnamon- and cocoa-flavoured diets diminished. Taken together with findings in the literature, the present results suggest that the greater the difference in a subject's affective responses to two stimuli, the less the effect that social influences have on its responses to those stimuli. Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.     

Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among respiratory tract isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae in North America: 1997 results from the SENTRY antimicrobial surveillance program

Rabies is a widespread zoonosis that recently reached epidemic proportions in gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in central Texas. The objectives of this study were to determine bait and attractant preferences among captive gray foxes, to determine the behavioral responses of gray foxes to selected bait-attractant combinations, and to evaluate baits as a delivery mechanism of oral rabies vaccines. Trials were conducted to determine bait preferences of captive gray foxes to selected baits and attractants. Tested baits consisted of a polymer-bound cube made of either dog food meal or fish meal, a polymer-bound cylinder made of dog food meal, and a wax-lard cake that was enhanced with marshmallow or chicken flavoring. Attractants were additives to baits that exuded sweet, sulfurous, fruity, fatty, cheesy, honey, and fishy odors and flavors. Captive gray foxes (n = 31) exhibited a preference for marshmallow wax cakes and polymer dog food baits with a lard interior and granulated sugar exterior. However, gray foxes exhibited chewing behaviors consistent with ingesting an oral vaccine only with the wax cake baits.     

Natural honey prevents ischaemia-reperfusion-induced gastric mucosal lesions and increased vascular permeability in rats

OBJECTIVE: It has been proposed that natural honey may contain a 'sucralfate-like' substance. Recent studies have shown that sucralfate affords protection against ischaemia-reperfusion-induced injuries in the rat stomach. Therefore, the effect of honey was studied on ischaemia-reperfusion-induced gastric lesions, intraluminal bleeding, vascular permeability and non-protein sulphhydryls (NP-SH) in the rat stomach. METHODS: Rats were subjected to 30 min of gastric ischaemia in the presence of 100 mM HCl and reperfusion period of 60 min. Intraluminal bleeding was assessed macroscopically and the gastric lesions were graded microscopically under an inverted microscope. Vascular permeability was quantified by measuring spectrophotometrically the extravasated Evans blue dye in the stomach. NP-SH levels were measured spectrophotometrically. A luminol-dependent chemiluminescence method was used to assess antioxidant effects of honey in vitro. RESULTS: There were significantly more gastric lesions, more severe intraluminal bleeding, more leakage of Evans blue and depletion of NP-SH during the reperfusion period as compared to controls. Pre-treatment with honey (0.078-0.625 g/kg, orally) or dimethyl sulphoxide (0.02-0.08 g/kg, intraperitoneally) 30 min before the ischaemia-reperfusion dose-dependently reduced the gastric lesions and intraluminal bleeding and decreased the vascular permeability. Furthermore, honey reversed the ischaemia-reperfusion-induced depletion of NP-SH levels and inhibited the luminol-dependent chemiluminescence induced in a cell-free xanthine-xanthine oxidase system. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that gastric protection by honey may be a result of its antioxidant effect. It is suggested that this property of honey may be due to the presence of a 'sucralfate-like' substance.     

"Nutrition": a program to facilitate the calculations of the composition of menus and diets

The methodology used to build a software program to compute the nutrient composition of menus and diets is discussed. Topics as the variability of food composition, the scarcity of local food composition data, the bias that may be incurred in nutrient data of food consumption studies are extensively discussed and also the possible solution through the software program. All of these topics must be taken into account in epidemiological studies as well as in computing diet composition.