Since the beginning of honey production, certain honey types have been favored because they taste better, are better for cooking or do not rapidly crystallize. Thus, they are preferred over others, ...are in high demand and are sold at higher prices. The pollen of 37 honey samples from East Texas was examined. Pollen was recovered from the honey by using an alcohol-dilution method. Overall, 431 taxa identified into 61 families, 104 genera and 85 species were found in the samples. The number of taxa per sample varied from 17–52. Half of the samples contained 31–40 taxa, indicating a high diversity in botanical origin. Three taxa were found in >50% of the samples and are the most important: Berchemia scandens, Salix nigra and Toxicodendron radicans. Berchemia scandens was found in 89% of the samples and was a predominant type in three samples and an important secondary type in 14. Both Salix nigra and Toxicodendron radicans pollen occurred in 83% of the samples and neither occurred as a predominant or secondary type. Three samples were Berchemia scandens unifloral honey. By examining the pollen in honey, it can determined which habitats honeybees visit, which plants honeybees use as food, if they visit row crops and orchards and their role in pollination. In order to differentiate honey from the United States of America (USA) from honey produced in other countries, the honey from each state must be analyzed. Only by analyzing the pollen in the honey of the USA can it be reliably differentiated from foreign honey that is being sold as produced in the USA.
Gathering information on the bee foraging plants in a given area is of primary importance in the development of any apiculture industry. Analysis of the honey produced in hives as well as the stored ...pollen loads help to evaluate the sources of nectar and pollen used by honey bees and their behavioural pattern in the selection of preferences for certain plants as food. Our previous melissopalynology study focused on the analysis of the Omani honey from hives in 14 locations of Muscat and the Al Batinah regions. Our current study examines the pollen pellets collected from those same areas. A total of 249 pollen pellets from 22 honeycombs that were collected by Apis florea and Apis mellifera honeybees were processed and the pollen types were identified using light and scanning electron microscopy. Each pollen load was designated as a unifloral, bifloral or multifloral type. Each plant taxon identified was categorized as being utilized by honeybees for pollen only, nectar only or for both pollen and nectar. A pollen reference collection of 105 local flowering plants was prepared that enabled us to identify most of the pollen types. The quantification of 94 pollen types revealed that 67 of them belonged to 39 plant families, all of which are represented in both the pollen loads and the honey samples. Seven pollen genera were found in the pollen loads only and suggest that those plants were visited by bees just for pollen. Twenty pollen types appear only in the honey samples and suggest that bees visited them only for nectar. Major bee foraging plant species include: Ziziphus spinachristi, Acacia tortilis, Prosopis cineraria, Prosopis juliflora, Maerua crassifolia, Citrus spp., Zygophyllum spp. and Fagonia spp. These data provide a guide to the optimal utilization of floral resources by honeybees in these regions.
Pollen analysis from Paisley Cave 2 (35LK3400), in Oregon has produced a record of climate change affecting the Summer Lake Sub-basin during a 7000-year period beginning at roughly 14,500 cal. yr. ...These sediments provide an opportunity to examine questions concerning human—environmental interaction at the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, during the Younger Dryas climatic event. The sediment deposits show a relatively unchanging early Holocene environment of predominantly xeric conditions with subalpine and marsh communities nearby. Additionally, there is little evidence of culturally significant use of any specific plant species. The data shows that the overall climatic conditions in the region were slightly cooler and perhaps wetter, just prior to the end of the Late Glacial, than today. These results provide important perspective on early settlement patterns and human ecology in the far western region of North America.
The microbiome-gut-brain axis, or the various interactions between the gut microbiome and the brain, has been of recent interest in the context of precision medicine research for a variety of disease ...states. Persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) experience higher degrees of neurocognitive decline than the general population, correlating with a disruption of the normal gut microbiome composition (i.e. dysbiosis). While the nature of this correlation remains to be determined, there is the potential that the microbiome-gut-brain axis contributes to the progression of this disease. Previous research has established that the pathology associated with HIV induces alterations in the composition of gut microbiome, including a shift from Bacteroides to Prevotella dominance, and compromises gut barrier integrity, which may promote microbial translocation and consequent systemic inflammation and exacerbation of neuroinflammation. Further, though the use of antiretroviral therapy has been found to partially counteract HIV-related dysbiosis, it may also induce its own dysbiosis patterns, presenting a unique challenge for this research.
More recent research has suggested the gut microbiome as a target for therapeutic interventions to improve symptoms associated with a variety of disease states, including HIV. Early findings are promising and warrant further research regarding the gut microbiome as a potential modifiable factor to improve health outcomes for PLWH. This review will discuss the current knowledge concerning the neuropathogenesis of HIV in the brain, role of the gut microbiome in neuroinflammation, and the relationship between HIV-status and the gut microbiome, followed by a conclusion that synthesizes this information within the context of the microbiome-gut-brain axis among PLWH. This review will also highlight the limitations of existing studies and propose future directions of this research.
•The microbiome-gut-brain axis has been of recent interest as a potential novel target for precision medicine.•Individuals with HIV experience considerable neurocognitive decline and disruption of the normal gut microbiome composition.•Probiotic supplementation has been found to reduce neuroinflammation and improve neurocognition in individuals with HIV.•Future research controlling for confounders, using diverse samples, and evaluating long-term interventions is needed.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of smoking (past and current) on multiple domains of cognitive functioning in a sample of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). We hypothesized ...that among PLWHA, current smokers would demonstrate poorer cognitive functioning when compared to non-smokers, specifically in the cognitive domains of auditory-verbal learning and memory, visuospatial memory, overall cognitive efficiency, executive skills, processing speed, and working memory. Results suggest that in patients being treated for HIV infection, current smoking is negatively associated with learning, memory, and global cognitive functioning. There was also some evidence that cognitive deficits in learning associated with smoking were more pronounced among men compared to women. However, the cause of these effects is not at all clear. In multivariate models, the differences associated with smoking were non-significant when adjusting for education and hepatitis C virus infection. Therefore, smoking may simply reflect a general tendency to more widespread deficits and comorbidities rather than directly impacting cognitive function. Future studies should attempt to examine a priori cognitive factors which contribute to smoking debut and other associated risk factors in order to understand why smoking may be a marker for other risk factors and may ultimately influence neurocognitive functioning critical to daily activities and adherence.
Depression and apathy are common among people living with HIV (PLWH). However, in PLWH, it is unclear whether depression and apathy are distinct conditions, which contribute to different patterns of ...disruption to cognitive processing and brain systems. Understanding these conditions may enable the development of prognostic indicators for HIV associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). The present study examined substance use behavior and cognitive deficits, associated with depression and apathy, in 120 PLWH, using hierarchical regression analyses. Higher levels of depression were associated with a history of alcohol dependence and greater deficits in processing speed, motor and global cognitive functioning. Higher levels of apathy were associated with a history of cocaine dependence. It is recommended that PLWH get screened appropriately for apathy and depression, in order to receive the appropriate treatment, considering the comorbidities associated with each condition. Future research should examine the neurological correlates of apathy and depression in PLWH.
The advent of combination antiretroviral therapy(cART) has lead to a significant reduction in morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV(PLWH). However, HIV-associated neurocognitive ...disorders (HAND) still remain a significant problem. One possible mechanism for the persistence of these disorders is through the effect of HIV on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is influenced by various factors including hazardous alcohol use (HAU), which is prevalent among PLWH. This study attempts to elucidate the relationships between HAU, BDNF and HAND.
Cross-sectional analyses were conducted on a sample of 199 hazardous alcohol users and 198 non-HAU living with HIV. Members of each group were matched according to sociodemographic characteristics and CD4 count. Research procedures included validated questionnaires, neuropsychological assessments and a blood sample to obtain BDNF and immune measurements.
Hazardous alcohol users showed either significantly lower or significantly higher BDNF levels compared to the Non-hazardous (OR=1,4; 95% CI: 1-2.1, p = 0.003). Therefore, for additional analyses, subjects were categorized based on BDNF values in: Group 1 < 4000, Group 2: 4001-7,999 (reference group), and Group 3 for those >8,000 pg/mL. Groups 1 and 3 performed significantly worse than those in Group 2 in the domains of processing speed, auditory-verbal and visuospatial learning and memory. Multivariate analyses confirmed that HAU and BDNF are significant contributors of HAND.
Our findings offer novel insights into the relationships between BDNF, and alcohol use among PLWH. Our results also lend support to expanding clinical movement to use BDNF as an intervention target for PLWH, in those with evidence of deficiencies, and highlight the importance of including HAUat the inception of clinical trials.
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