bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The validity of predicted body composition in Chinese adults from anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance in comparison with densitometry
Authors: Wang Jingzhong , Deurenberg Paul
Published: June 2005

Abstract Body composition was measured by densitometry in a group of eighty-one healthy Chinese males and 124 healthy Chinese females, aged 18–67 years. Biceps, triceps, subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds were measured as well as total body bioelectrical impedance at 50 kHz. Mean heights were 1·71 (SD 0·05) and 1·61 (SD 0·06) m, body weights 66·1 (SD 9·1) and 57·2 (SD 9·4) kg and BMI 22·7 (SD 3·0) and 22·0 (SD 3·3) kg/m2 in males and females respectively. Body fat values from body density were 20·1 (SD 6·2) and 29·7 (SD 7·5)% in males and females respectively. Mean predicted body-fat values from skinfolds, bioelectrical impedance and BMI, using prediction formulas developed in Western populations, did not differ or differed only slightly from body-fat values estimated from body density. The SD of the difference for each method was 5% body fat or 3·3 kg fat-free mass (CV 6%), which is approximately equal to the accuracy level of each predictive method. Compared with densitometry the predictive methods overestimated body fat at the lower levels of body fatness, whereas at the higher levels of body fat the predictive methods tended to underestimate body fatness. It is concluded that prediction formulas for estimating body fat from skinfolds, impedance or BMI developed in Western populations are applicable and valid in the adult Chinese population. However, in very lean subjects the predictive methods overestimate body fat compared with values obtained from body density
The influence of dietary vitamin A on triiodothyronine, retinoic acid, and glucocorticoid receptors in liver of hypothyroid rats
Authors: Coustaut M. , Pallet V. , Garcin H. , Higueret P.
Published: June 2005

The properties of nuclear receptors belonging to the superfamily of receptors acting as transcription factors are modulated by nutritional and hormonal conditions. We showed recently that retinoic acid (RA) restored to normal the expression of receptors attenuated by hypothyroidism. The present study was designed to find out whether dietary vitamin A (as retinol) had the same effect. Propylthiouracil in drinking water induced both hypothyroidism and a vitamin A-deficient status in rats. The maximum binding capacity (Cmax) of triiodothyronine nuclear receptors (TR) was unchanged, while that of nuclear RA receptors (RAR) and nuclear glucocorticoid hormone receptors (GRn) was reduced in the liver of these hypothyroid rats. The reduced Cmaxof RAR stemmed from a lower level of RAR mRNA, while the reduced Cmaxof GRnwas assumed to be due to reduced translocation of the receptor from the cytosol to the nucleus. Feeding the hypothyroid rats with a vitamin A-rich diet did not restore the Cmaxof either RAR or GRnto normal. The lack of effect of dietary retinol on RAR expression may be attributed to either genomic (unoccupied TR block the expression of RAR genes) and/or extragenomic (hypothyroidism decreases the availability of retinol and/or its metabolism to RA) mechanisms. Triiodothyronine is thought to favour the translocation of glucocorticoid hormone receptors from cytosol to nucleus. These findings provide more information on the relationship between vitamin A and hormonal status, showing that a vitamin A-rich diet is without apparent effect on the expression of nuclear receptors in hypothyroid rats.
The effect of condensed tannins from heated and unheated cottonseed on the ileal digestibility of amino acids for the growing rat and pig
Authors: Yu Feng , Moughant P. J. , Barry T. N. , McNabb W. C.
Published: June 2005

The effect of condensed tannins (CT) from heated and unheated cottonseed on the apparent ileal digestibility of amino acids for the growing rat and pig was determined. In Expt 1, twenty-four rats were allocated to four semi-purified diets which contained cottonseed kernel and hulls as the only protein source. Two of the diets contained unheated solvent-extracted cottonseed kernel and hulls, while the remaining two diets contained similar material but which had been heat-treated by autoclaving at 110° for 120 min. In Expt 2, twelve rats and twelve pigs were fed on four semi-purified diets containing commercial cottonseed meal (CSM) as the only protein source. Cr2O3, was added to all diets as an indigestible marker. For each pair of diets in both experiments, PEG was either included or excluded. The effect of CT was assessed by comparing control animals (-PEG; CT acting) with PEG supplemented animals (+ PEG; CT inactivated). Ileal contents from the terminal 150 and 450 mm of ileum were collected at slaughter, 7 h from the start of feeding, for the rats and pigs respectively. Apparent ileal amino acid digestibility for rats fed on the diet containing cottonseed kernel and hulls was significantly depressed by the heat treatment, particularly for lysine and threonine. On average, apparent ileal amino acid digestibility in the diets without PEG was decreased from 0·80 to 0·70 by heat treatment. Dietary cottonseed CT depressed apparent ileal protein digestibility in the pig and in the rat. The addition of PEG to the diets significantly increased the apparent ileal digestibility of N and some amino acids for the pigs and the rats. The mean increase in apparent ileal digestibility due to PEG addition for the fourteen amino acids was 2 percentage units in both species fed on the commercial CSM diets, and 2 or 4 percentage units in rats fed on the unheated or the heated cottonseed kernel and hull diets respectively. The effect of PEG was similar in the heated and unheated cottonseed kernel and hulls for most amino acids, but apparent ileal digestibilities of threonine, tyrosine and lysine were increased more by PEG in heated than in unheated CSM. Apparent ileal N digestibility was lower in the pig than in the rat. For several of the amino acids there were significant animal species differences in apparent ileal digestibility. Studies into the effects of cottonseed CT should be carried out in the target animal species. The commercial CSM had a low apparent ileal amino acid digestibility overall, particularly for the essential amino acids lysine and threonine. It was concluded that effects of heating did not eliminate the reversible reactivity of cottonseed CT on amino acid digestion in rats and pigs but rather appeared to increase it for threoniw, tyrosine and lysine in Expt 1, causing large reductions in apparent ileal digestibility of these amino acids.
Modification of the fatty acid composition of dietary oils and fats on incorporation into chylomicrons and chylomicron remnants
Authors: Lambert Marc S. , Botham Kathleen M. , Mayes Peter A.
Published: June 2005

Possible changes in the fatty acid composition of dietary fats and oils which might occur during digestion, absorption and formation of chylomicrons and chylomicron remnants were investigated. Chylomicrons were collected from the thoracic duct of rats tube-fed with olive, maize, palm or fish oil or butter fat, and their fatty acid composition was determined and compared with that of their parent lipids. In turn, these lipoproteins were converted to chylomicron remnants infunctionally hepatectomized rats and their composition re-determined. The predominant fatty acids in each of the oils and fats also predominated in their respective chylomicrons, but their proportions were reduced during the processes leading to their formation. Endogenous contributions of linoleic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids were particularly noted when these fatty acids were not well-represented in the original oils and fats, suggesting that they may be obligatory constituents in the formation of chylomicrons. The conversion of chylomicrons to remnants further attenuated the extremes in fatty acid composition of the dietary oils and fats. These results indicate that following an acute intake of oil or fat, the resulting chylomicrons and chylomicron remnants presented to the tissues contain a more balanced distribution of saturated, mono-and polyunsaturated fatty acids than the oils and fats from which they were derived.
The effect of condensed tannins inLotus pedunculatuson the solubilization and degradation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (EC4.1.1.39; Rubisco) protein in the rumen and the sites of Rubisco digestion
Authors: Mcnabb W. C. , Waghorn G. C. , Peters J. S. , Barry T. N.
Published: June 2005

Three experiments were undertaken to determine the effect of condensed tannin (CT)in Lotuspedunculutus(45–55 g extractable CT/kg DM) on the digestion of the principal leaf protein, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylaseEC4.1.1.39; Rubisco; fraction 1 leaf protein). In two of the experimentsLotus pedunculutuswas fed to sheep, with one group receiving a continuous intraruminal infusion (per fistulum) of PEG (molecular weight 3500) to bind and inactivate the CT (PEG group). The other group, which did not receive PEG, was termed the control sheep (CT acting). Expt 3 involvedin vitvoincubations ofLotus pedunculutusin buffered rumen fluid, with and without PEG added. In all experiments the results have been interpreted in terms of the effects of CT on Rubisco solubilization and degradation. Disappearance of N and Rubisco fromLotus pedunculutussuspended in polyester bags in the rumen was used as a measure of solubilization. Degradation was defined as the disappearance of Rubisco fromin vitroincubations ofLotus pedunculatusinrumen fluid. In Expt 1, CT reduced the digestion of Rubisco in the rumen from 0.96 to 0.72 of intake (P < 0.01). Rubisco digestion in the small intestine was 0.27 of intake in control sheep and 0.04 of intake in PEG sheep. In Expt 2, PEG had no effect on the loss of Rubisco fromLotus pehneulatuscontained in polyester bags which were incubated in the rumen, hence CT did not affect the solubilization of Rubisco. Observations in Expt 1 were confirmed byin vitroincubations in Expt 3, where PEG addition substantially increased the rate of degradation of plant protein to NH2. Addition of PEG decreased the period of time taken to degrade 50% of the Rubisco from about 13.8 h to about 3.0 h. It was concluded that the action of CT reduced the digestion of Rubisco in the rumen of sheep fed on freshLotus pedunculutus, and that this was primarily due to the ability of CT to slow its degradation by rumen micro-organisms, without affecting its solubilization. Both fresh-minced, and freeze-dried and ground lotus were used for insaccoandin vitroincubations; however, fresh-minced lotus was more suitable for the evaluation of protein solubilization and degradation in fresh forages.
Morphological changes in hepatocytes of rats deprived of dietary nucleotides
Authors: Lopez-Navarro Ana T. , Bueno Juan D. , Gil Angel , Sánchez-Pozo Antonio
Published: June 2005

The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of dietary nucleotides on liver morphology. Adult rats were fed for 21 d on a nucleotide-containing diet or the same diet free of nucleotides. Liver sections were examined by light and transmission electron microscopy, as well as for nucleic acid and protein contents. Morphometric analysis was performed for different variables. Deprivation of dietary nucleotides resulted in a reduction in hepatocyte nuclear and nucleolar areas as well as in nuclear chromatin condensation. In addition, the rough endoplasmic reticulum was reduced, as were ribosome association and abundance, whereas fat accumulated. These findings portray dietary nucleotides as required nutrients for the liver under normal physiological conditions and suggest that an inadequate supply of nucleotides for a certain period of time has transient negative effects on liver ultrastructure and function.
Body composition in female anorexia nervosa patients
Authors: Probst M. , Goris M. , Vandereycken W. , Van Coppenolle H.
Published: June 2005

For the first time, body composition has been studied in a very large sample of female anorexia nervosa patients (n200) using two methods: anthropometry (skinfold thickness) and densitometry (underwater weighing). The concurrent validity of both methods appeared to be good (r0·84). Although the mean percentage of body fat (13·5) in our sample corresponds with most of the previous reports, the range (4·3–24·8) is great. Our study shows that BMI is not a good measure of fatness. Age and duration of illness were not related to body fat. Percentage fat was found to be different (t2·76, P <0·01) according to the diagnostic subtype of anorexia nervosa: restricters (12·9)v. bingers and/or purgers (14·7).
Substrates available for colonic fermentation from oat, barley and wheat bread diets. A study in ileostomy subjects
Authors: Lia Ågot , Sundberg Birgitta , Åman Per , Sandberg Ann-Sofie , Hallmans Göran , Andersson Henrik
Published: June 2005

Nutrients not absorbed in the small bowel will form substrates for microbial growth in the colon which may have implications for the development of colon cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether fibre-rich oat and barley diets increase the excretion of energy-supplying nutrients from the small bowel compared with a low-fibre wheat diet, and whether a possible. increase could be related to the β-glucan content. Nine ileastomy subjects were served four types of bread together with a low-fibre basal diet (12 g dietary fibre/d). The breads were based on either wheat flour (W diet, 7 g dietary fibre/d), oat bran (OB diet, 29 g dietary fibre/d), the same amount of oat bran with addition of β-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.4) (OBE diet, 19 g dietary fibre/d) or a fibre-rich barley fraction (B diet, 35 g dietary fibre/d). An increased ileal excretion of starch was observed with the barley diet but no effect of the oat β-glucan on starch recovery was found. The NSP + Klason lignin in the ileostomy effluents accounted only for 24, 31, 24 and 35% of the gross energy excretion in the W, OB, OBE and B diet periods respectively. A large part of the dry weight and energy (30, 21, 28 and 27%, in the W, OB, OBE and B diets respectively) in the effluents could not be identified as fat, protein, total starch or NSP + Klason lignin. This unidentified part was probably made up of oligosaccbarides, endogenous losses and nutrient complexes. Methods for identifying and analysing these components should be developed and their role as substrates for colonic fermentation and colon cancer development ought to be investigated.
Effects of a mixture of organisms,Lactobacillus acidophilusorStreptococcus faecalison cholesterol metabolism in rats fed on a fat- and cholesterol-enriched diet
Authors: Fukushima Michihiro , Nakano Masuo
Published: June 2005

The effect of a mixture of organisms (a probiotic mixture) comprisingBacillus, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Clostridium, SaccharomycesandCandida(107–8colony-forming units/g rice bran of each component) on lipid metabolism was compared with that ofL. acidophilusand that ofS. faecalis. There were four treatment groups: rice bran (control), the mixture of organisms,L. acihphifusorS. faecds(30g/kg) were given to rats in a fat- and cholesterol-enriched diet for 4 weeks. The serum total cholesterol concentration of the group fed on the mixture of organisms was reduced by 15–33% compared with the other groups at the end of the 4week feeding period (P< 0·05). This group also had a lower hepatic cholesterol concentration (36–44%) than the two single-bacteria groups (P< 0·05). 3-Hydmxy-3-methylglutaryl-Co A reductase (NADPH; EC 1.1.1.34) activities of the mixed-organism andL. acidophifusgroups were significantly lower (61–63%) than those of the other groups (P< 0·05); the activity of the S. faecalis group was also signikantly lower (42%) than that of the control group (P< 0·05). The faecal cholesterol and bile acid concentrations of the mixed-organism group increased compared with those of theL. acidophilusandS. faecalisgroups (P< 0·05). The capacity of the mixed- organism cells to bind bile saltin vitrowas significantly higher (approximately 50%) than that of the singlebacteria cells (P< 0·05). On the other hand, cholesterol micelle formation for the mixed-organism cells was significantly (approximately 9%) lower than that of the singlebacteria cells (P< 0·05). These results indicate that the mixture of organisms decreased the synthesis of cholesterol in the liver and increased the loss of steroids from the intestine, in rats. Thus, the mixture of organisms had a hypocholeaterolaemic role
Involvement of lipogenesis in the lower VLDL secretion induced by oligofructose in rats
Authors: Kok N. , Roberfroid M. , Robert A. , Delzenne N.
Published: June 2005

Dietary supplementation with oligofructose (OFS; 100 g/kg), a non-digestibleoligomer of β-D-fructose, decreases serum triacylglycerols in serum and VLDL of rats. In order to investigate the role of hepatic metabolism in the hypolipidaemic effect of OFS, male Wistar rats were fed on a standard diet with or without 1OOg Raftilose® P95/kg as OFS source for 30 d. OFS feeding (1) significantly decreased triacylglycerol and phospholipid concentrations in both blood and liver, (2) increased the glycerol-3-phosphate liver content but decreased the hepatic activity of glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (EC2.3.1.15), suggesting a decrease in acylglycerol synthesis, (3) did not affect the blood non-caterified fatty acid concentrations, but (4) reduced by 54% the capacity of isolated hepatocytesto synthesize and secrete triacylglycerols from labelled acetate; the activity of fatty acid synthase, a key lipogenic enzyme was also significantly decreased. These findings suggest that OFS decreases serum triacylglycerols by reducingde novafatty acid synthesis in the liver; the lower insulin level in the serum of OFS-fed rats could explain, at least partly, the metabolic effect induced by such nondigestible carbohydrates.
Measurement of rapidly available glucose (RAG) in plant foods: a potentialin vitropredictor of the glycaemic response
Authors: Englyst Hans N , Veenstra Jan , Hudson Geoffrey J
Published: June 2005

The glycaemic index (GI) is anin vivomeasurement based on the glycaemicresponse to carbohydrate-containing foods, and allows foods to be ranked on the basis of the rate of digestion and absorption of the carbohydrates that they contain. GI values are normalizedto a reference amount of available carbohydrate and do not reflect the amounts of carbohydrate normally present in foods; for example, a food with a low content of carbohydrates will have a high GI value if that carbohydrate is digested and absorbed rapidly in the human small intestine. This is potentially confusing for a person wishing to control his or her blood glucoselevels by the choice of foods. The rate and extent of starch digestionin vitrohas been measured using a technique that classifies starch into three major fractions: rapidly digestible starch (RDS), slowly digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS). In addition, thistechnique gives a value for rapidly available glucose (RAG), which includes RDS, free glucose and the glucose moiety of sucrose. When the values for thirty-nine foods were expressed on the basis ofthe available carbohydrate content of these foods, highly significant (P<0·001) positive correlations were observed between GI and both RDS and RAG. The measurement of RAGin vitroprovides values for direct calculation of the amount of glucose likely to be rapidly absorbed in the human small intestine and,thus, to influence blood glucose and insulin levels. These values can be used to compare foods, as eaten,on an equal-weight basis. Food-table RAG values would allow simple calculation of the total amount of RAG provided by single foods, by whole meals and by whole diets. Studies are planned in which RAG and the glycaemic response in man will be measured for identical food products.
Expansion of the humoral effector cell compartment of both systemic and mucosal immune systemsin a weanling murine model which duplicates critical features of human protein-energy malnutrition
Authors: Ha C.-L. , Paulino L.E. , Woodward B.D.
Published: June 2005

A direct comparison of systemic (spleen) and mucosal (intestine) antibody-producing systems was made in weanling male C57BL/6J mice subjected to wasting protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) by means of a low-protein protocol known to duplicate immunological and physiological features of human malnutrition. ELISA revealed low concentrations of biliary and gut lumen immunoglobulin (Ig) A in malnourished mice concomitantly with a high concentration of blood IgA. The low-protein model, therefore, exhibited fidelity to human protein-energy malnutrition in its influence on the concentrations of the mucosal Ig, IgA, in critical biological fluids. The number of IgA-, IgM- and IgG-containing cells was estimated morphometrically on a per organ basis. The low-protein protocol supported expansion in numbers of mucosal IgA-containing cells (18 x relative to a zero-time control group) and of splenic IgG- containing cells (135 x ), albeit an attenuated expansion in comparison with that of well-nourished control animals (132x and 571x respectively relative to zero-time controls). Up to terminal differentiation of Ig-containing cells, systemic and mucosal antibody-producing systems exhibited similarly remarkable resistance to wasting malnutrition. Epithelial transport of IgA may be an aspect of the mucosal antibody response which is particularly sensitive to PEM.
Cholesterol-lowering effect of soyabean lecithin in normolipidaemic rats by stimulation of biliary lipid secretion
Authors: Polichetti Elisabeth , Diaconescu Nicolas , Porte Paulette Lechene De La , Malli Lina , Portugal Henri , Pauli Anne-Marie , Lafond Huguette , Tuchweber Beatriz , Yousef Ibrahim , Chanussot Francoise
Published: June 2005

The purpose of the present study was to assess the role of the liver in the plasma-cholesterol-lowering effect of soyabean lecithin. Normolipidaemic rats were fed on lecithin-enriched or control diets with the same amount of protein. The lecithin diets contained 200 g/kg high-fat commercial semi-purified soyabean lecithin (230 g/kg total lipids as soyabean phosphatidylcholine) or 200 g/kg high-fat purified soyabean lecithin (930 g/kg total lipids as soyabean phosphatidylcholine). The control diets were a low-fat diet (40 g fat/kg) and a high-fat triacylglycerol-rich diet (200 g fat/kg). The high-fat diets were isoenergetic. The cholesterol-lowering effect of the lecithin-enriched diets was associated with significantly lower levels of plasma total- and HDL-cholesterol and significantly higher levels of bile phosphatidylcholine (PC), bile salts and cholesterol. These findings suggest that the liver plays a major role in the reduction of plasma cholesterol, the increased biliary lipid being provided by both HDL and the hepatic microsomal pools of PC and cholesterol.
Apolipoprotein E genotype modulates the effect of black tea drinking on blood lipids and blood coagulation factors: a pilot study
Authors: Loktionov Alexandre , Bingham Sheila A. , Vorster Hester , Jerling Johann C. , Runswick Shirley A. , Cummings John H.
Published: June 2005

Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype was determined in sixty-five subjects who had taken part in a 4-week randomized crossover trial to compare the effect of six mugs of black tea per dayv. placebo on blood lipids and blood coagulation factors. Four ApoE genotype variants (seven E2/E3, forty-five E3/E3, twelve E3/E4 and one E4/E4) were found. ApoE allele frequency was within the range typical for Caucasian populations (ApoE-E2 5·4 %; ApoE-E3 83·8 %; ApoE-E4 10·8 %). Individuals bearing at least one E4 allele had substantially higher levels of serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triacylglycerols. Mean plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) activity was higher in ApoE-E4 allele-bearing individuals (E3/E4 + E4/E4, 11·89 (SE 1·27) U/ml; E3/E3, 9·19 (SE 0·80) U/ml; E2/E3, 7·21 (SE 1·04) U/ml,Pvalues of E4-group v. E3 and E2 being respectively 0·093 and 0·030). These unexpected findings imply that elevated PAI-1 activity may be a hitherto unrecognized additional factor involved in the increased cardiovascular disease risk associated with apoE-E4 allele. The interactions between tea drinking and genotype were also examined. In the E3/E3 homozygotes, HDL-cholesterol was significantly reduced in the tea period (mean placebo 1·54 mmol/lv. mean tea 1·50 mmol/l,P= 0·027). In the E2/E3 group, triacylglycerol concentration was significantly reduced (mean placebo 1·18 mmol/lv. mean tea 1·09 mmol/l,P= 0·039). Tea also caused a significant decrease of PAI-1 activity in the subjects with E2/E3 genotype (mean placebo 7·21 U/mlv. mean tea 5.88 U/ml,P= 0·007). In the other two genotype groups, there was no significant effect of tea. The results indicate that tea drinking has a beneficial effect on some cardiovascular disease risk-associated factors, especially in E2 allele-bearing individuals. Dietary intervention may be particularly effective in population groups with certain genetic characteristics.
Intestinal absorption of β-carotene, lycopene and lutein in men and women following a standard meal: response curves in the triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein fraction
Authors: O'Neill M. E. , Thurnham D. I.
Published: June 2005

A high intake of fruit and vegetables is believed to be protective against heart disease and cancer. β-Carotene has been closely examined for evidence of these protective properties but evidence is still conflicting and there are many other carotenoids in plant foods which deserve attention. This paper reports studies on the concentrations of lutein and lycopene in the triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein (TRL) fraction of plasma in comparison with β-carotene following a large dose of the respective carotenoids fed with a standard meal after an overnight fast. β-Carotene (40 mg) was given to twelve volunteers (six men and six women) and six of the same volunteers (three men and three women) also received 31·2mg lutein or 38 mg lycopene. Plasma was collected at hourly intervals for 8 h and the TRL fraction was separated and subsequently analysed for the respective carotenoids and retinyl palmitate in the case of β-carotene. Intestinal uptake of the three carotenoids was estimated using the ‘area under the curve’ method and apparent absorption was calculated from these results. The response curves in the TRL fraction for β-carotene and retinyl palmitate occurred maximally over the fourth to fifth hour postprandially. There was a correlation between the TRL concentrations of β-carotene and retinyl palmitate (malesr0·62,P< 0·001; femalesr0·52,P< 0·001) and there was no significant difference between men and women either in the total amount of β-carotene appearing in the TRL fraction or in the amount converted to retinol. On estimation, approximately l·4 mg of the 40 mg β-carotene dose was absorbed and this was not significantly different from the amount of lycopene (l·0 mg) but significantly different (P< 0·05) from the amount of lutein (0·8 mg) absorbed, after correction for the smaller doses administered. There was approximately a twofold difference between subjects in the uptake of β-carotene into the TRL fraction, a two- to threefold variation in lycopene and a two- to threefold variation in lutein. Despite these inter-subject differences, in three volunteers between whom there was a threefold difference in β-carotene in the TRL fraction and a twofold difference in retinol formation, repeat experiments with β-carotene 4 months later found differences of only 3–6 % in the TRL β-carotene content and 4–9% for the TRL retinol formed. In conclusion, large inter-subject variation in TRL carotene uptake precluded any differences between sexes but surprising intra-subject consistency was observed in TRL β-carotene uptake of three subjects.
The effect of different dietary fatty acids on lipoprotein metabolism: concentration-dependent effects of diets enriched in oleic, myristic, palmitic and stearic acids
Authors: Salter Andrew M. , Mangiapane E. Heather , Bennett Andrew J. , Bruce Jennifer S. , Billett Michael A. , Anderton Kay L. , Marenah Christine B. , Lawson Nigel , White David A.
Published: June 2005

While it is well established that the fatty acid composition of dietary fat is important in determining plasma lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, the effects of changing the absolute quantities of the individual fatty acids are less clear. In the present study Golden Syrian hamsters were fed on isoenergetic, low cholesterol (0·05 g/kg) diets containing 100, 150 or 200 g added fat/kg. This consisted of triolein (TO) alone, or equal proportions of TO and either trimyristin (TM), tripalmitin (TP) or tristearin (TS). Each trial also included a control group fed on a diet containing 50g TO/kg. As the mass of TO in the diet increased, plasma VLDL-cholesterol concentrations rose. The TM-rich diets produced a concentration-dependent increase in total plasma cholesterol which was a result of significant increases in both VLDL and HDL levels. The TP-rich diets increased plasma LDL- and HDL-cholesterol levels in a concentration-dependent manner. TS-containing diets did not increase the cholesterol content of any of the major lipoprotein fractions. Hepatic LDL-receptor mRNA concentrations were significantly decreased in animals fed on TP, while apolipoprotein B mRNA concentrations were significantly increased. Thus, on a low-cholesterol diet, increasing the absolute amount of dietary palmitic acid increases LDL-cholesterol more than either myristic or stearic acid. These effects on lipoprotein metabolism may be exerted through specific modulation of the expression of the LDL receptor and apolipoprotein B genes.
Periodic fluctuations of gut regulatory peptides in phase with the duodenal migrating myoelectric complex in preruminant calves: effect of different sources of dietary protein
Authors: Zabielski Romuald , Dardillat Claude , Huërou-Luron Isabelle Le , Bernard Christine , Chayvialle Jean Alain , Guilloteau Paul
Published: June 2005

Four preruminant calves with implanted electrodes in the duodenum and a catheter in the external jugular vein were used for investigation of plasma gut regulatory peptide profiles during different phases of migrating myoelectric complex (MMC) in the small intestine. The effects of different dietary proteins on the rhythmic activity of gut peptides and gastrointestinal motility were compared. In particular, the effects of skimmed-milk protein (retaining physiological patterns of abomasal clotting, and abomaso-intestinal digesta flow)v.fish protein (devoid of clotting activity and modifying the digesta flow) were studied. In calves fed on the milk diet, plasma concentrations of pancreatic polypeptide, motilin, secretin, cholecystokinin (CCK) and somatostatin, but not vasoactive intestinal polypeptide or gastrin, fluctuated in phase with the duodenal MMC in the preprandial period. Feeding transiently affected the intestinal MMC and abolished the peptide fluctuations in a specimen-specific manner. In contrast, calves fed on the fish-protein diet showed more profound changes in intestinal MMC. In these animals the MMC-related fluctuations were significant only for plasma CCK. In conclusion, the source of dietary protein has an impact on the physiological endocrine function of the small intestine. Observed fluctuations of plasma gut regulatory peptides seem to be secondary to duodenal motility cycles.
Mutational Decay and Age of Chloroplast and Mitochondrial Genomes Transferred Recently to Angiosperm Nuclear Chromosomes
Authors: Huang Chun Y. , Grünheit Nicole , Ahmadinejad Nahal , Timmis Jeremy N. , Martin William
Published: June 2005

Transfers of organelle DNA to the nucleus established several thousand functional genes in eukaryotic chromosomes over evolutionary time. Recent transfers have also contributed nonfunctional plastid (pt)- and mitochondrion (mt)-derived DNA (termed nupts and numts, respectively) to plant nuclear genomes. The two largest transferred organelle genome copies are 131-kb nuptDNA in rice (Oryza sativa) and 262-kb numtDNA in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). These transferred copies were compared in detail with their bona fide organelle counterparts, to which they are 99.77% and 99.91% identical, respectively. No evidence for purifying selection was found in either nuclear integrant, indicating that they are nonfunctional. Mutations attributable to 5-methylcytosine hypermutation have occurred at a 6- to 10-fold higher rate than other point mutations in Arabidopsis numtDNA and rice nuptDNA, respectively, revealing this as a major mechanism of mutational decay for these transferred organelle sequences. Short indels occurred preferentially within homopolymeric stretches but were less frequent than point mutations. The 131-kb nuptDNA is absent in the O. sativa subsp. indica or Oryza rufipogon nuclear genome, suggesting that it was transferred within the O. sativa subsp. japonica lineage and, as revealed by sequence comparisons, after its divergence from the indica chloroplast lineage. The time of the transfer for the rice nupt was estimated as 148,000 (74,000–296,000) years ago and that for the Arabidopsis numtDNA as 88,000 (44,000–176,000) years ago. The results reveal transfer and integration of entire organelle genomes into the nucleus as an ongoing evolutionary process and uncover mutational mechanisms affecting organelle genomes recently transferred into a new mutational environment.
Balancing business process with business practice for organizational advantage
Authors: Lock Lee Laurence
Published: June 2005

Purpose

To provide an argument and a practical approach for achieving a balance between business process optimization and the use of human‐centred business practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The concepts of business process and business practice are positioned in the academic literature with related concepts like tacit and explicit knowledge, routine work, codification and bounded rationality. Process and practice are compared and contrasted prior to the development of a model for their co‐existence and interaction.

Research limitations/implications

This research builds on the separate research streams supporting business process management and business practice development. The argument for their co‐existence still requires further field research to support the organizational advantages claimed.

Practical implications

A framework and approach are presented which can be applied directly as part of new field research or practical application.

Originality/value

This paper makes two original contributions. First, it anchors the modern concepts of business process and business practice to foundation concepts from the academic literature. Second, it provides a practical framework and approach for balancing business process and business practice, that can be practically applied by the reader.
The “global” and the “local” in knowledge management
Authors: Davis Joseph G. , Subrahmanian Eswaran , Westerberg Arthur W.
Published: June 2005

Purpose

This paper aims to unravel the complexities associated with knowledge sharing in large global organizations through a field study carried out in a large, multinational company (Du Pont), focusing on the critical issues, concrete practices, bottle‐necks, and constraints in knowledge sharing. The tension between “local” production of much of the knowledge and its globalizing is specifically addressed.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative analysis based on a detailed case study of the knowledge‐sharing practices in two business units, two functional areas (R&D and engineering project management) in four countries.

Findings

Focus on certain types of organizational knowledge to the exclusion of others can be counter‐productive. Knowledge management (KM) systems need to be integrative and flexible enough to facilitate the dynamic interplay between different forms of knowledge across the space and time.

Research limitations/implications

The results of a case study are somewhat limited in terms of their generalizablity.

Practical implications

The insights from the study offer useful guidelines for designing systems and processes for sharing and managing knowledge in large, diversified organizations.

Originality/value

Most field‐based investigations into knowledge management tend to focus on specific KM projects. This is one of the few comprehensive studies that analyzed knowledge‐sharing practices and constraints at both local and global level in large organizations. It elucidates the key facilitators and inhibitors of knowledge sharing in such organizations.
Education, markets, and an audit culture
Authors: Apple Michael W.
Published: June 2005

In this article I discuss some of the ways in which certain elements of conservative modernisation have had an impact on higher education and education in general. I point to the growth of commodifying logics and the audit culture that accompanies them. In the process, I highlight a number of dangers that we currently face. However, I also urge us not to assume that these conditions can be reduced to the automatic workings out of simple formulas. We need a much more nuanced and complex picture of class relations and class projects to understand what is happening. Finally, I point to the importance of not simply defending existing institutions, since there may be elements of good sense as well as bad sense in the neo‐liberal and neo‐conservative criticisms. The issue is not whether or not we need accountability, but the kinds of logics of accountability, and the question of accountability to whom, that tend now to guide the process of higher education. An alternative to the external imposition of targets, performance criteria and quantifiable outcomes ‐ but one that still takes the issue of public accountability seriously ‐ can be built. I point to some criteria that can be used to judge it.
Callicles' challenge
Authors: Gaita Raimond
Published: June 2005

Callicles challenged Socrates to show that a lifelong devotion to the life of the mind could be worthy of a human being who has more than mediocre aspirations. Academics in universities, I argue in this essay, are under a defining obligation to try to make authoritatively living in their practice an adequate response to Callicles' challenge. That distinguishes universities from other institutions of higher education and it should be part of a deepened understanding of what it can mean to pursue a subject for its 'intrinsic worth'. A failure on the part of academics to articulate the intrinsic value of university study as something deeper than a higher pleasure is one reason why universities have been unable to resist the pressures to justify themselves in vocational terms. Those pressures, and the acquiescence of academics in a managerial newspeak, have debased the ways academics speak of what they do, deny students the means to identify the treasures that a university education can give them, and make it almost impossible for students and their teachers to resist becoming children of their times.
Complicity and modularisation: how universities were made safe for the market
Authors: Brecher Bob
Published: June 2005

The article opens with a summary critique of modularisation and its effects in the university. Its ideological nature as a vehicle of neo‐liberalism is then examined; and this introduces some reflections on our complicity in this element of the neo‐liberal effort to ensure that the university is made safe for its 'vision' of the world. It closes with a brief suggestion about what we might yet do to overturn that effort.
Academic labour and the politics of quality in higher education: a critical evaluation of the conditions of possibility of resistance
Authors: Worthington Frank , Hodgson Julia
Published: June 2005

This paper examineslooks at the implications of quality auditing in Hhigher Eeducation in the UK from a labour process perspective. It examines and questions the idea that quality is a panoptic mode of managerial control and surveillance over the academic labour process from which there is no escape. The paper shows how conditions of possibility of resistance to quality auditing do exist, but that, unfortunately, these include 'peer exploitation'. This term reveals the ways in which academics avoid responsibility for, or significant involvement in, quality to protect their personal research and career interests at the expense of others who are left to shoulder their share of responsibility.
Thinking about (going to) the university
Authors: Glendinning Simon
Published: June 2005

Focusing on the possibility of posing questions concerning the essence of the university, the discussion critically explores two traditional shibboleths: the idea of pure learning (the idea that a university education is to be valued not as a means to an end but an end in itself) and the idea of pure inquiry (the idea that research at a university is to be valued not as a means to an end but an end in itself). It is shown that even the most classical conceptions of the idea of a university acknowledged that a state interest in state ‐funded university activity is not inappropriate. The discussion concludes by proposing that we should understand our reponsibility to the essence of the university through a commitment to negotiating legitimate economic interests that seek quick answers with the possibility of keeping discussions open, the possibility for thought to take its time.
Four‐year follow‐up of imprisoned male heroin users and methadone treatment: mortality, re‐incarceration and hepatitis C infection
Authors: Dolan Kate A. , Shearer James , White Bethany , Zhou Jialun , Kaldor John , Wodak Alex D.
Published: June 2005

Aims  To examine the long‐term impact of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) on mortality, re‐incarceration and hepatitis C seroconversion in imprisoned male heroin users.

Design, setting and participants  The study cohort comprised 382 imprisoned male heroin users who had participated in a randomized controlled trial of prison‐based MMT in 1997/98. Subjects were followed‐up between 1998 and 2002 either in the general community or in prison.

Measurements  All‐cause mortality, re‐incarceration, hepatitis C and HIV serostatus and MMT retention.

Findings  There were no deaths recorded while subjects were enrolled in MMT. Seventeen subjects died while out of MMT, representing an untreated mortality rate of 2.0 per 100 person‐years (95% CI, 1.2–3.2). Re‐incarceration risk was lowest during MMT episodes of 8 months or longer (adjusted hazard ratio 0.3 (95% CI, 0.2–0.5; P < 0.001), although MMT periods 2 months or less were associated with greatest risk of re‐incarceration (P < 0.001). Increased risk of hepatitis C seroconversion was significantly associated with prison sentences of less than 2 months [adjusted hazard ratio 20 (95% CI, 5–76; < P = 0.001)] and MMT episodes less than 5 months [adjusted hazard ratio 4.2 (95% CI, 1.4–12.6; P = 0.01)]. Subjects were at greatest risk of MMT dropout during short prison sentences of 1 month or less (adjusted hazard ratio 10.4 (95% CI, 7.0–15.7; P < 0.001). HIV incidence was 0.3 per 100 person‐years (95% CI, 0.03–0.99).

Conclusions  Retention in MMT was associated with reduced mortality, re‐incarceration rates and hepatitis C infection. Prison‐based MMT programmes are integral to the continuity of treatment needed to ensure optimal outcomes for individual and public health.
Angiotensin-(1–7) inhibits growth of cardiac myocytes through activation of themasreceptor
Authors: Tallant E. Ann , Ferrario Carlos M. , Gallagher Patricia E.
Published: June 2005

Peptide hormones such as ANG II and endothelin contribute to cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction by stimulating myocyte hypertrophy and myofibroblast proliferation. In contrast, angiotensin-(1–7) [ANG-(1–7)] infusion after myocardial infarction reduced myocyte size and attenuated ventricular dysfunction and remodeling. We measured the effect of ANG-(1–7) on protein and DNA synthesis in cultured neonatal rat myocytes to assess the role of the heptapeptide in cell growth. ANG-(1–7) significantly attenuated either fetal bovine serum- or endothelin-1-stimulated [3H]leucine incorporation into myocytes with no effect on [3H]thymidine incorporation. [d-Ala7]-ANG-(1–7), the selective ANG type 1–7 (AT1–7) receptor antagonist, blocked the ANG-(1–7)-mediated reduction in protein synthesis in cardiac myocytes, whereas the AT1and AT2angiotensin peptide receptors were ineffective. Serum-stimulated ERK1/ERK2 mitogen-activated protein kinase activity was significantly decreased by ANG-(1–7) in myocytes, a response that was also blocked by [d-Ala7]-ANG-(1–7). Both rat heart and cardiac myocytes express the mRNA for the mas receptor, and a 59-kDa immunoreactive protein was identified in both extracts of rat heart and cultured myocytes by Western blot hybridization with the use of an antibody to mas, an ANG-(1–7) receptor. Transfection of cultured myocytes with an antisense oligonucleotide to the mas receptor blocked the ANG-(1–7)-mediated inhibition of serum-stimulated MAPK activation, whereas a sense oligonucleotide was ineffective. These results suggest that ANG-(1–7) reduces the growth of cardiomyocytes through activation of the mas receptor. Because ANG-(1–7) is elevated after treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or AT1receptor blockers, ANG-(1–7) may contribute to their beneficial effects on cardiac dysfunction and ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction.
GH-releasing peptides improve cardiac dysfunction and cachexia and suppress stress-related hormones and cardiomyocyte apoptosis in rats with heart failure
Authors: Xu Xiang-Bin , Pang Jin-Jiang , Cao Ji-Min , Ni Chao , Xu Rong-Kun , Peng Xiao-Zhong , Yu Xiao-Xia , Guo Shu , Chen Meng-Chin , Chen Chen
Published: June 2005

Growth hormone (GH)-releasing peptides (GHRP), a class of synthetic peptidyl GH secretagogues, have been reported to exert a cardioprotective effect on cardiac ischemia. However, whether GHRP have a beneficial effect on chronic heart failure (CHF) is unclear, and the present work aims to clarify this issue. At 9 wk after pressure-overload CHF was created by abdominal aortic banding in rats, one of four variants of GHRP (GHRP-1, -2, and -6 and hexarelin, 100 μg/kg) or saline was injected subcutaneously twice a day for 3 wk. Echocardiography and cardiac catheterization were performed to monitor cardiac function and obtain blood samples for hormone assay. GHRP treatment significantly improved left ventricular (LV) function and remodeling in CHF rats, as indicated by increased LV ejection fraction, LV end-systolic pressure, and diastolic posterior wall thickness and decreased LV end-diastolic pressure and LV end-diastolic dimension. GHRP also significantly alleviated development of cardiac cachexia, as shown by increases in body weight and tibial length in CHF rats. Plasma CA, renin, ANG II, aldosterone, endothelin-1, and atrial natriuretic peptide were significantly elevated in CHF rats but were significantly decreased in GHRP-treated CHF rats. GHRP suppressed cardiomyocyte apoptosis and increased cardiac GH secretagogue receptor mRNA expression in CHF rats. GHRP also decreased myocardial creatine kinase release in hypophysectomized rats subjected to acute myocardial ischemia. We conclude that chronic administration of GHRP alleviates LV dysfunction, pathological remodeling, and cardiac cachexia in CHF rats, at least in part by suppressing stress-induced neurohormonal activations and cardiomyocyte apoptosis.