Foods that are commonly consumed in the diet are considered to provide more than 40 different carotenoids. However, the content in carotenoids varies considerably in both qualitative and quantitative ...terms as a consequence of different genotypes, climatic conditions of the production area, and agronomic factors, among others. In this paper, analytical data, obtained by HPLC or UHPLC, of carotenoids in fruits and vegetables produced in Ibero-America have been compiled from peer-reviewed journals, organized in food categories, and documented in relation to the sampling and analytical quality system used. In addition to common products of the diet of the Ibero-American countries, other wild or little used fruit and vegetables have been included with the aim of contributing to promote and to value species and local varieties. The importance of the commodities containing carotenoids in food, health, agriculture, and biodiversity, and the need of their preservation, was evidenced in this work namely by the large differences in carotenoid content related to the locals of production and varieties, and the high levels of carotenoids in native fruits and vegetables. The contribution of these compounds to meet the needs of vitamin A as well as the necessity of establishing recommendation for the daily intakes of theses bioactive compounds were also discussed.
This guideline provides recommendations for the diagnosis and management of suspected cow's-milk protein allergy (CMPA) in Europe. It presents a practical approach with a diagnostic algorithm and is ...based on recently published evidence-based guidelines on CMPA.
If CMPA is suspected by history and examination, then strict allergen avoidance is initiated. In certain circumstances (eg, a clear history of immediate symptoms, a life-threatening reaction with a positive test for CMP-specific IgE), the diagnosis can be made without a milk challenge. In all other circumstances, a controlled oral food challenge (open or blind) under medical supervision is required to confirm or exclude the diagnosis of CMPA.
In breast-fed infants, the mother should start a strict CMP-free diet. Non-breast-fed infants with confirmed CMPA should receive an extensively hydrolyzed protein-based formula with proven efficacy in appropriate clinical trials; amino acids-based formulae are reserved for certain situations. Soy protein formula, if tolerated, is an option beyond 6 months of age. Nutritional counseling and regular monitoring of growth are mandatory in all age groups requiring CMP exclusion. REEVALUATION: Patients should be reevaluated every 6 to 12 months to assess whether they have developed tolerance to CMP. This is achieved in >75% by 3 years of age and >90% by 6 years of age. Inappropriate or overly long dietary eliminations should be avoided. Such restrictions may impair the quality of life of both child and family, induce improper growth, and incur unnecessary health care costs.
Personalizing non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) therapy toward oncogene addicted pathway inhibition is effective. Hence, the ability to determine a more comprehensive genotype for each case is ...becoming essential to optimal cancer care.
We developed a multiplexed PCR-based assay (SNaPshot) to simultaneously identify >50 mutations in several key NSCLC genes. SNaPshot and FISH for ALK translocations were integrated into routine practice as Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-certified tests. Here, we present analyses of the first 589 patients referred for genotyping.
Pathologic prescreening identified 552 (95%) tumors with sufficient tissue for SNaPshot; 51% had ≥1 mutation identified, most commonly in KRAS (24%), EGFR (13%), PIK3CA (4%) and translocations involving ALK (5%). Unanticipated mutations were observed at lower frequencies in IDH and β-catenin. We observed several associations between genotypes and clinical characteristics, including increased PIK3CA mutations in squamous cell cancers. Genotyping distinguished multiple primary cancers from metastatic disease and steered 78 (22%) of the 353 patients with advanced disease toward a genotype-directed targeted therapy.
Broad genotyping can be efficiently incorporated into an NSCLC clinic and has great utility in influencing treatment decisions and directing patients toward relevant clinical trials. As more targeted therapies are developed, such multiplexed molecular testing will become a standard part of practice.
Aims/hypothesis
A high-fat dietary intake induces obesity and subclinical inflammation, which play important roles in insulin resistance. Recent studies have suggested that increased concentrations ...of circulating lipopolysaccharide (LPS), promoted by changes in intestinal permeability, may have a pivotal role in insulin resistance. Thus, we investigated the effect of gut microbiota modulation on insulin resistance and macrophage infiltration.
Methods
Swiss mice were submitted to a high-fat diet with antibiotics or pair-feeding for 8 weeks. Metagenome analyses were performed on DNA samples from mouse faeces. Blood was collected to determine levels of glucose, insulin, LPS, cytokines and acetate. Liver, muscle and adipose tissue proteins were analysed by western blotting. In addition, liver and adipose tissue were analysed, blinded, using histology and immunohistochemistry.
Results
Antibiotic treatment greatly modified the gut microbiota, reducing levels of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, overall bacterial count and circulating LPS levels. This modulation reduced levels of fasting glucose, insulin, TNF-α and IL-6; reduced activation of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), inhibitor of κ light polypeptide gene enhancer in B cells, kinase β (IKKβ) and phosphorylated IRS-1 Ser307; and consequently improved glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance and action in metabolically active tissues. In addition, there was an increase in portal levels of circulating acetate, which probably contributed to an increase in 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation in mice. We observed a striking reduction in crown-like structures (CLS) and F4/80
+
macrophage cells in the adipose tissue of antibiotic-treated mice.
Conclusions/interpretation
These results suggest that modulation of gut microbiota in obesity can improve insulin signalling and glucose tolerance by reducing circulating LPS levels and inflammatory signalling. Modulation also appears to increase levels of circulating acetate, which activates AMPK and finally leads to reduced macrophage infiltration.
This paper presents an overview of the results from the first major mesoscale atmospheric campaign of the Large‐Scale Biosphere‐Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) Program. The campaign, ...collocated with a Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite validation campaigns, was conducted in southwest Rondônia in January and February 1999 during the wet season. Highlights on the interaction between clouds, rain, and the underlying landscape through biospheric processes are presented and discussed.
The consumption of psychoactive substances is considered a growing problem in many communities. Moreover, new psychoactive substances (NPS) designed as (legal) substitutes to traditional illicit ...drugs are relatively easily available to the public through e-commerce and retail shops, but there is little knowledge regarding the extent and actual use of these substances. This study aims to gain new and complementary information on NPS and traditional illicit drug use at six music festivals across Europe by investigating wastewater and pooled urine. Samples were collected, between 2015 and 2018, at six music festivals across Europe with approximately 465.000 attendees. Wastewater samples were also collected during a period not coinciding with festivals. A wide-scope screening for 197 NPS, six illicit drugs and known metabolites was applied using different chromatography-mass spectrometric strategies. Several illicit drugs and in total 21 different NPS, mainly synthetic cathinones, phenethylamines and tryptamines, were identified in the samples. Ketamine and the traditional illicit drugs, such as amphetamine-type stimulants, cannabis and cocaine were most abundant and/or frequently detected in the samples collected, suggesting a higher use compared to NPS.
The analyses of urine and wastewater is quick and a high number of attendees may be monitored anonymously by analysing only a few samples which allows identifying the local profiles of use of different drugs within a wide panel of psychoactive substances. This approach contributes to the development of an efficient surveillance system which can provide timely insight in the trends of NPS and illicit drugs use.
Display omitted
•Substance use was assessed at music festivals across six European countries.•Urine and wastewater analyses can provide timely complementary information.•Wastewater-based epidemiology provides information on the pattern of drug use at festivals.•Specific local patterns of substance use were identified.•NPS were identified but cocaine, MDMA, cannabis and ketamine were most frequently detected.
BACKGROUND
Efforts have been made to correctly characterize the role of the immune response in endometriosis. The objective of this study was to analyse the interaction between Th1 and Th2 immune ...response patterns and endometriosis by evaluating a panel of cytokines.
METHODS
Between January 2004 and November 2005, 98 patients, classified into two groups according to the histologically confirmed presence (Group A) or absence of endometriosis (Group B), were evaluated. Interleukins (IL) 2, 4 and 10, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were measured by flow cytometry in the peripheral blood and peritoneal fluid of all patients.
RESULTS
IFN-gamma and IL-10 levels were significantly higher in the peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis compared to those without endometriosis (P < 0.05). There was a significant alteration in the IL-4/IFN-gamma (P < 0.001), IL-4/IL-2 (P = 0.006), IL-10/IFN-gamma (P < 0.001) and the IL-10/IL-2 ratios (P < 0.001) in the peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis, with a predominance of IL-4 and IL-10, reflecting a shift towards Th2 immune response despite the increase in IFN-gamma concentrations.
CONCLUSIONS
Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease involving a possible shift towards Th2 immune response component, as demonstrated by the relative increase in cytokines characteristic of this pattern of immune response.
We present here the design and fabrication of a self-powered and autonomous fringing field capacitive sensor to measure soil water content. The sensor is manufactured using a conventional printed ...circuit board and includes a porous ceramic. To read the sensor, we use a circuit that includes a 10 kHz triangle wave generator, an AC amplifier, a precision rectifier and a microcontroller. In terms of performance, the sensor's capacitance (measured in a laboratory prototype) increases up to 5% when the volumetric water content of the porous ceramic changed from 3% to 36%, resulting in a sensitivity of S = 15.5 pF per unity change. Repeatability tests for capacitance measurement showed that the θ v sensor's root mean square error is 0.13%. The average current consumption of the system (sensor and signal conditioning circuit) is less than 1.5 μ A, which demonstrates its suitability for being powered by energy harvesting systems. We developed a complete irrigation control system that integrates the sensor, an energy harvesting module composed of a microgenerator installed on the top of a micro sprinkler spinner, and a DC/DC converter circuit that charges a 1 F supercapacitor. The energy harvesting module operates only when the micro sprinkler spinner is irrigating the soil, and the supercapacitor is fully charged to 5 V in about 3 h during the first irrigation. After the first irrigation, with the supercap fully charged, the system can operate powered only by the supercapacitor for approximately 23 days, without any energy being harvested.
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