Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factor analysis of fatty acids in serum lipids as a measure of dietary fat quality in relation to the metabolic syndrome in men.

BACKGROUND A specific fatty acid (FA) composition in plasma lipid esters is related to the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and may influence the development of the MetS. OBJECTIVE The objective was to define and study FA factors as measures of dietary fat quality and endogenous FA metabolism in relation to MetS. DESIGN Principal factor analysis was performed to define specific FA factors in men participating in a population-based cohort study-the Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men. The factors were generated at ages 50 (n = 2009) and 70 (n = 576) y, and relations between FA factors and MetS (National Cholesterol Education Program) were studied in cross-sectional and prospective (20 y) analyses. RESULTS The factor analysis generated 3 major FA factors: a low-linoleic acid (LA) factor, a dietary saturated FA factor, and an n-3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) factor. All factors differed between those subjects with MetS (n = 281 of 2009) and those without MetS at age 50 y; only the low-LA factor differed at age 70 y, which suggests an association between MetS and fat quality. The low-LA factor (odds ratio: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.28, 1.79; P < 0.0001) and the n-3 PUFA factor (0.76; 0.64, 0.90; P < 0.001) predicted MetS development over 20 y, independent of smoking habits, physical activity, and BMI. CONCLUSIONS The generated FA factors, which presumably represent dietary fat quality and endogenous FA metabolism, may be important in the development of MetS. This finding supports current dietary recommendations to increase PUFA intakes and restrict saturated FA intakes.
Canthaxanthin biosynthesis by Dietzia natronolimnaea HS-1: effects of inoculation and aeration rate

The interest in production of natural colorants by microbial fermentation has been currently increased. The effects of D-glucose concentration (3.18–36.82 g/L), inoculum size (12.5 × 109–49.5 × 109 cfu cells/mL) and air-flow rate (1.95–12.05 L/L min) on the biomass, total carotenoid and canthaxanthin (CTX) accumulation of Dietzia natronolimnaea HS-1 in a batch bioreactor was scrutinized using a response surface methodology-central composite rotatable design (RSM-CCRD). Second-order polynomial models with high R2 values ranging from 0.978 to 0.990 were developed for the studied responses using multiple linear regression analysis. The models showed the maximum cumulative amounts of biomass (7.85 g/L), total carotenoid (5.48 mg/L) and CTX (4.99 mg/L) could be achieved at 23.38 g/L of D-glucose, 31.2 × 109 cfu cells/mL of inoculation intensity and air-flow rate of 7.85 L/L min. The predicted values for optimum conditions were in good agreement with experimental data.
Influence of prenatal iron and zinc supplements on supplemental iron absorption, red blood cell iron incorporation, and iron status in pregnant Peruvian women.

BACKGROUND It is estimated that 60% of pregnant women worldwide are anemic. OBJECTIVE We aimed to examine the influence of iron status on iron absorption during pregnancy by measuring supplemental iron absorption, red blood cell iron incorporation, and iron status in pregnant women. DESIGN Subjects were 45 pregnant Peruvian women (33+/-1 wk gestation), of whom 28 received daily prenatal supplements containing 60 mg Fe and 250 microg folate without (Fe group, n = 14) or with (Fe+Zn group, n = 14) 15 mg Zn, which were were consumed from week 10 to 24 of gestation until delivery. The remaining 17 women (control) received no prenatal supplementation. Iron status indicators and isotopes were measured in maternal blood collected 2 wk postdosing with oral (57Fe) and intravenous (58Fe) stable iron isotopes. RESULTS Maternal serum ferritin and folate concentrations were significantly influenced by supplementation (P < 0.05). Serum iron was also significantly higher in the Fe than in the Fe+Zn (P < 0.03) or control (P < 0.001) groups. However, the supplemented groups had significantly lower serum zinc concentrations than the control group (8.4+/-2.3 and 10.9+/-1.8 micromol/L, respectively, P < 0.01). Although percentage iron absorption was inversely related to maternal serum ferritin concentrations (P = 0.036), this effect was limited and percentage iron absorption did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS Because absorption of nonheme iron was not substantially greater in pregnant women with depleted iron reserves, prenatal iron supplementation is important for meeting iron requirements during pregnancy.
Novel multidisciplinary approach to monitor and treat fetuses with gastroschisis using the Svetliza Reducibility Index and the EXIT-like procedure

ABSTRACT Objective To describe our initial experience with a novel approach to follow-up and treat gastroschisis in “zero minute” using the EXITlike procedure. Methods Eleven fetuses with prenatal diagnosis of gastroschisis were evaluated. The Svetliza Reductibility Index was used to prospectively evaluate five cases, and six cases were used as historical controls. The Svetliza Reductibility Index consisted in dividing the real abdominal wall defect diameter by the larger intestinal loop to be fitted in such space. The EXIT-like procedure consists in planned cesarean section, fetal analgesia and return of the herniated viscera to the abdominal cavity before the baby can fill the intestines with air. No general anesthesia or uterine relaxation is needed. Exteriorized viscera reduction is performed while umbilical cord circulation is maintained. Results Four of the five cases were performed with the EXIT-like procedure. Successful complete closure was achieved in three infants. The other cases were planned deliveries at term and treated by construction of a Silo. The average time to return the viscera in EXIT-like Group was 5.0 minutes, and, in all cases, oximetry was maintained within normal ranges. In the perinatal period, there were significant statistical differences in ventilation days required (p = 0.0169), duration of parenteral nutrition (p=0.0104) and duration of enteral feed (p=0.0294). Conclusion The Svetliza Reductibility Index and EXIT-like procedure could be new options to follow and treat gastroschisis, with significantly improved neonatal outcome in our unit. Further randomized studies are needed to evaluate this novel approach.
Limitation of arteriolar myogenic activity by local nitric oxide: segment-specific effect of dietary salt.

The purpose of this study was to determine if local nitric oxide (NO) activity attenuates the arteriolar myogenic response in rat spinotrapezius muscle. We also investigated the possibility that hypertension, dietary salt, or their combination can alter any influence of local NO on the myogenic response. Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) fed low-salt (0.45%, LS) or high-salt (7%, HS) diets were enclosed in a ventilated airtight box with the spinotrapezius muscle exteriorized for intravital microscopy. Mean arterial pressure was unaffected by dietary salt in WKY but was significantly higher and augmented by dietary salt in SHR. In all experiments, elevation of microvascular pressure by box pressurization caused a 0-30% decrease in the diameter of large (arcade bridge) arterioles and a 21-27% decrease in the diameter of intermediate (arcade) arterioles. Inhibition of NO synthase with N G-monomethyl-l-arginine (l-NMMA) significantly enhanced myogenic responsiveness of arcade bridge arterioles in WKY-LS and SHR-LS but not in WKY-HS and SHR-HS.l-NMMA significantly enhanced the myogenic responsiveness of arcade arterioles in all four groups. Excess l-arginine reversed this effect of l-NMMA in all cases, and arteriolar responsiveness to the NO donor sodium nitroprusside was not different among the four groups. High-salt intake had no effect on the passive distension of arterioles in either strain during box pressurization. We conclude that 1) local NO normally attenuates arteriolar myogenic responsiveness in WKY and SHR, 2) dietary salt impairs local NO activity in arcade bridge arterioles of both strains, and 3) passive arteriolar distensibility is not altered by a high-salt diet in either strain.
Dairy food consumption, blood pressure and stroke.

Recent clinical and biochemical evidence supporting the hypothesis that consumption of dairy products may be associated with reduced blood pressure and risk of stroke is reviewed. The two prospective studies of dairy food consumption and stroke incidence both indicate that a higher intake of dairy foods reduces risk. It is difficult to associate any one mineral in dairy products to reduction in blood pressure or stroke incidence because an appropriate metabolic balance of all three is important and because of the strong correlations among Ca, Mg and K intakes when dairy products are consumed. In fact, the evidence reviewed indicates that although K apparently has the greatest effect, all three minerals potentially contribute to blood pressure and stroke reduction, i.e., a dietary balance of all three is recommended. Milk and food products such as yogurt made from milk, which retain substantial amounts of K, Ca and Mg, are important dietary sources of all three of these minerals. In addition, milk is a low Na food, which, as seen in Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) II, provides further benefit in blood pressure reduction. New studies have associated dairy food consumption with other potential mechanisms affecting stroke, mainly reduction of platelet aggregation and insulin resistance. Further research is required to explore the relationship of dairy food consumption and stroke.
Prevalence and characteristics of hair plucking in captive bonobos (Pan paniscus) in North American zoos

When primates exhibit hair loss and are observed to engage in self or social hair plucking (a rapid jerking away of the hair shaft and follicle by the hand or mouth, often accompanied by inspection, and consumption) the altered appearance, and behavior patterns are thought to reflect individual physiological, and psychological well‐being. Hair loss and hair plucking occur in many captive primate species, including all of the great apes. We present the first survey of this behavior among captive bonobos (N = 88; 50 females and 38 males) in seven zoos in the United States. We found that 43% of the population engaged in this behavior pattern and discounting youngsters (who are not observed to hair pluck until the age of five), 58% of individuals hair plucked. Of the individuals who hair plucked, 97% engaged in social plucking, whereas 46% engaged in self‐directed plucking. We regressed the occurrence of hair plucking with multiple predictor variables using binary logistic regression and multimodel inference to determine which predictors best explained the prevalence of self‐directed and social plucking. We also analyzed publicly available data on hair plucking in captive chimpanzees. We found that the occurrence of another abnormal behavior, age, origin, and pelage condition best explained self‐directed plucking in bonobos. Social plucking was explained by age, origin, pelage, and sex. Our analysis of chimpanzee hair plucking revealed that plucking is strongly influenced by rearing and sex. This study demonstrates that hair plucking is more prevalent in captive bonobos compared to captive chimpanzees and gorillas, however, the covariates associated with hair plucking for each species are different. Our data suggest a potential link between self‐directed plucking and well‐being. However, the higher prevalence and etiology of social hair plucking is more difficult to explain.
Association between dietary factors and plasma adiponectin concentrations in men.

BACKGROUND Adiponectin, an adipocyte-derived peptide, improves insulin sensitivity, has antiinflammatory and antiatherogenic effects, and is associated with a lower risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and type 2 diabetes. However, little is known about dietary predictors of plasma adiponectin concentrations in humans. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to examine cross-sectionally the association between dietary factors and plasma adiponectin in men. DESIGN Our study included 532 male participants of the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study who were selected as control subjects for an investigation of biological predictors of IHD. Diet, lifestyle, and anthropometric data were assessed by questionnaires. RESULTS After multivariable adjustment, adiponectin was significantly inversely related to glycemic load (-1.3 mg/L per 1-SD increase; P = 0.02) and tended to be positively associated with total fat intake (0.7 mg/L per 0.5% of energy from fat instead of carbohydrates; P = 0.06). We also found a significant nonlinear association between plasma adiponectin concentrations and alcohol intake (P for quadratic trend = 0.01). Thus, whereas nondrinkers had mean plasma adiponectin concentrations of 16.48 mg/L, those who consumed 0.1-4.9, 5.0-14.9, 15.0-29.9, or >/=30 g alcohol/d had mean concentrations of 16.79 (P = 0.77 compared with nondrinkers), 18.97 (P = 0.02), 19.11 (P = 0.01), and 18.39 (P = 0.10) mg/L, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Moderate alcohol intake is associated with higher adiponectin concentrations, whereas a carbohydrate-rich diet with a high glycemic load is associated with lower adiponectin concentrations in men with no history of cardiovascular disease. Although the strength of these associations was modest, our observations highlight the hypothesis that dietary factors may modulate plasma adiponectin concentrations-a potential mediator related to a reduced IHD risk.
Clinical utility of asthma biomarkers: from bench to bedside

Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by airway inflammation, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and recurrent episodes of reversible airway obstruction. The disease is very heterogeneous in onset, course, and response to treatment, and seems to encompass a broad collection of heterogeneous disease subtypes with different underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. There is a strong need for easily interpreted clinical biomarkers to assess the nature and severity of the disease. Currently available biomarkers for clinical practice – for example markers in bronchial lavage, bronchial biopsies, sputum, or fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) – are limited due to invasiveness or lack of specificity. The assessment of markers in peripheral blood might be a good alternative to study airway inflammation more specifically, compared to FeNO, and in a less invasive manner, compared to bronchoalveolar lavage, biopsies, or sputum induction. In addition, promising novel biomarkers are discovered in the field of breath metabolomics (eg, volatile organic compounds) and (pharmaco)genomics. Biomarker research in asthma is increasingly shifting from the assessment of the value of single biomarkers to multidimensional approaches in which the clinical value of a combination of various markers is studied. This could eventually lead to the development of a clinically applicable algorithm composed of various markers and clinical features to phenotype asthma and improve diagnosis and asthma management.
Malonyl-CoA, fuel sensing, and insulin resistance.

Malonyl-CoA is an allosteric inhibitor of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) I, the enzyme that controls the transfer of long-chain fatty acyl (LCFA)-CoAs into the mitochondria where they are oxidized. In rat skeletal muscle, the formation of malonyl-CoA is regulated acutely (in minutes) by changes in the activity of the β-isoform of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCβ). This can occur by at least two mechanisms: one involving cytosolic citrate, an allosteric activator of ACCβ and a precursor of its substrate cytosolic acetyl-CoA, and the other involving changes in ACCβphosphorylation. Increases in cytosolic citrate leading to an increase in the concentration of malonyl-CoA occur when muscle is presented with insulin and glucose, or when it is made inactive by denervation, in keeping with a diminished need for fatty acid oxidation in these situations. Conversely, during exercise, when the need of the muscle cell for fatty acid oxidation is increased, decreases in the ATP/AMP and/or creatine phosphate-to-creatine ratios activate an isoform of an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which phosphorylates ACCβ and inhibits both its basal activity and activation by citrate. The central role of cytosolic citrate links this malonyl-CoA regulatory mechanism to the glucose-fatty acid cycle concept of Randle et al. (P. J. Randle, P. B. Garland. C. N. Hales, and E. A. Newsholme. Lancet 1: 785-789, 1963) and to a mechanism by which glucose might autoregulate its own use. A similar citrate-mediated malonyl-CoA regulatory mechanism appears to exist in other tissues, including the pancreatic β-cell, the heart, and probably the central nervous system. It is our hypothesis that by altering the cytosolic concentrations of LCFA-CoA and diacylglycerol, and secondarily the activity of one or more protein kinase C isoforms, changes in malonyl-CoA provide a link between fuel metabolism and signal transduction in these cells. It is also our hypothesis that dysregulation of the malonyl-CoA regulatory mechanism, if it leads to sustained increases in the concentrations of malonyl-CoA and cytosolic LCFA-CoA, could play a key role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance in muscle. That it may contribute to abnormalities associated with the insulin resistance syndrome in other tissues and the development of obesity has also been suggested. Studies are clearly needed to test these hypotheses and to explore the notion that exercise and some pharmacological agents that increase insulin sensitivity act via effects on malonyl-CoA and/or cytosolic LCFA-CoA.
Sacubitril and valsartan protect from experimental myocardial infarction by ameliorating oxidative damage in Wistar rats

ABSTRACT Background: Sacubitril (SAC), a neprilysin inhibitor prevent degradation of neprilysin and activate cGMP signaling pathways leading to rise in blood volume concurrent to blood pressure by means of vasoactive peptides, adrenomedullin, and bradykinin. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-ischemic effects of SAC through inhibiting neprilysin in isoproterenol (ISO) induced myocardial infarction (MI) in Wistar albino rats. ISO (85 mg/kg) was injected subcutaneously at the end of 14 days pre-treatment with SAC and valsartan (VAL). Result: Biochemical investigation revealed that SAC along with VAL significantly prevented the antioxidant enzymes (SOD, Catalase, GR, GPx, GST, and GSH) degradation and malondialdehyde (MDA) induced by ISO intoxication in Wistar rats. Along with this, cardiac biomarkers (LDH, CK-MB, ALT, AST, and ALP) were also significantly ameliorated by SACand VAL in ISO-treated rats. Concurrently, decreased infarction area (IA)and marked reduction in myofibril damage by SACand VAL further supported its protective benefits in MI. Conclusion: Taken together, the results suggest that inhibition of enzyme neprilysin alleviated the ISO induces myocardial damage mediated by its strong antioxidant potential.
Perioperative insulin and glucose infusion maintains normal insulin sensitivity after surgery.

Elective surgery was performed after overnight fasting, a routine that may affect the metabolic response to surgery. We investigated the effects of insulin and glucose infusions before and during surgery on postoperative substrate utilization and insulin sensitivity. Seven patients were given insulin and glucose infusions 3 h before and during surgery (insulin group), and a control group of six patients underwent surgery after fasting overnight. Insulin sensitivity and glucose kinetics (d-[6,6-2H2]glucose) were measured before and immediately after surgery using a hyperinsulinemic, normoglycemic clamp. Glucose infusion rates and whole body glucose disposal decreased after surgery in the control group (-40 and -29%, respectively), whereas no significant change was found in the insulin group (+16 and +25%). Endogenous glucose production remained unchanged in both groups. Postoperative changes in cortisol, glucagon, fat oxidation, and free fatty acids were attenuated in the insulin group (vs. control). We conclude that perioperative insulin and glucose infusions minimize the endocrine stress response and normalize postoperative insulin sensitivity and substrate utilization.
Ab initio construction of polypeptide fragments: Efficient generation of accurate, representative ensembles

We describe a novel method to generate ensembles of conformations of the main‐chain atoms {N, Cα, C, O, Cβ} for a sequence of amino acids within the context of a fixed protein framework. Each conformation satisfies fundamental stereo‐chemical restraints such as idealized geometry, favorable ϕ/ψ angles, and excluded volume. The ensembles include conformations both near and far from the native structure. Algorithms for effective conformational sampling and constant time overlap detection permit the generation of thousands of distinct conformations in minutes. Unlike previous approaches, our method samples dihedral angles from fine‐grained ϕ/ψ state sets, which we demonstrate is superior to exhaustive enumeration from coarse ϕ/ψ sets. Applied to a large set of loop structures, our method samples consistently near‐native conformations, averaging 0.4, 1.1, and 2.2 Å main‐chain root‐mean‐square deviations for four, eight, and twelve residue long loops, respectively. The ensembles make ideal decoy sets to assess the discriminatory power of a selection method. Using these decoy sets, we conclude that quality of anchor geometry cannot reliably identify near‐native conformations, though the selection results are comparable to previous loop prediction methods. In a subsequent study (de Bakker et al.: Proteins 2003;51:21–40), we demonstrate that the AMBER forcefield with the Generalized Born solvation model identifies near‐native conformations significantly better than previous methods. Proteins 2003;51:41–55. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dietary patterns and blood pressure change over 5-y follow-up in the SU.VI.MAX cohort.

BACKGROUND Although short-term effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on blood pressure have been shown in intervention studies, less is known about the long-term effects. OBJECTIVE The aim was to study the relation between dietary patterns based on DASH diet characteristics and blood pressure (BP) and BP change in a clinical trial of antioxidants conducted in France from 1994 to 2002. DESIGN Repeated 24-h dietary records were collected during the first year of follow-up. Dietary variables studied included fruit and vegetables, dairy products and fat (defined by Keys score), and two hypothesis-oriented scores based on the DASH diet. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of BP measured at the first clinical examination (1995-1996) in 4652 participants aged 35-63 y and a longitudinal analysis of BP change over a median follow-up of 5.4 y (n = 2341). RESULTS The mean increases in systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) BPs were 9.3 and 4.5 mm Hg, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, higher fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with lower SBP and DBP at first clinical examination (P for trend < 0.02 for both) and a lower 5-y increase in SBP (-2.1 mm Hg in the 4th compared with the 1st quartile; P for trend < 0.004) and DBP (-0.7 mm Hg in the 4th compared with the 1st quartile; P for trend < 0.03). The 2 DASH scores also were significantly associated with a lower BP at the first clinical examination and a lower BP increase. No significant relations were observed with dairy products or Keys score in either analyses. CONCLUSION These results suggest that high fruit and vegetable intakes may be associated with a lower increase in BP with aging.