Germplasm evaluation to obtain inulin with high degree of polymerization in Mediterranean environment.

Long-chain length (DP) inulin-type fructans show pronounced beneficial effects to colon microbiota. In the past, cardoon roots for inulin production to fortify spaghetti gave very good results, but their harvest requires high costs. The aim of the work was to evaluate different types of inulin, extracted from cardoon roots and buds, topinambur tubers and chicory roots local populations in order to identify crops more suitable for high DP inulin production in Mediterranean environment. The inulin amount resulted in 115 (chicory), 390 (cardoon) and 550 g kg-1 of d.m. (topinambur). Both in cardoon roots and in topinambur tubers the DP was very high. With the aim to produce a functional food, substituting inulin in staple food tubers of topinambur could be a good alternative to cardoon roots, due to the biological cycle of the plant (annual vs poliennal), the lowest costs of harvest and the good amounts of high DP inulin.

Heat transfer in the tank-inflorescence of Nidularium innocentii (Bromeliaceae): Experimental and finite element analysis based on X-ray microtomography.

In Bromeliaceae, various traits have evolved for the uptake and storage of water; however, their roles in bromeliad inflorescences remain unresolved. This study investigates the role of water in the flowers and inflorescences of Nidularium innocentii, and describes water as a protection mechanism. Individuals were divided into groups with and without water provision in inflorescences. Both groups were maintained with water in soil and leaves under the same environmental conditions. During anthesis, individuals were collected, and inflorescences were measured. Another specimen was prepared and scanned using X-ray microtomography (µCT), generating a high-resolution 3D model that was converted into a discretized geometry. Heat transfer finite element analysis (FEA) of the µCT-based geometry was then performed to simulate external temperature dissipation with the presence and absence of water in 3D. Flower size in the control group was significantly larger, and many injuries were observed in the drought group. FEA data indicated that the water environment led to lower temperature variation when compared to the air environment by significantly alleviating thermal amplitude. Water acted as a temperature stabilizer for the inflorescence, while its absence initiated physiological stress responses.

FAO/WHO GIFT (Global Individual Food consumption data Tool): a global repository for harmonised individual quantitative food consumption studies.

Knowing who eats what, understanding the various eating habits of different population groups, according to the geographical area, is critical to develop evidence-based policies for nutrition and food safety. The FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (FAO/WHO GIFT) is a novel open-access online platform, hosted by FAO and supported by WHO, providing access to harmonised individual quantitative food consumption (IQFC) data, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). FAO/WHO GIFT is a growing repository, which will serve as the global FAO/WHO hub to disseminate IQFC microdata. Currently five datasets from LMIC are available for dissemination, and an additional fifty datasets will be made available by 2022. To facilitate the use of these data by policy makers, ready-to-use food-based indicators are provided for an overview of key data according to population segments and food groups. FAO/WHO GIFT also provides an inventory of existing IQFC data worldwide, which currently contains detailed information on 188 surveys conducted in seventy-two countries. In order for end-users to be able to aggregate the available data, all datasets are harmonised with the European Food Safety Authority's food classification and description system FoodEx2 (modified for global use). This harmonisation is aimed at enhancing the consistency and reliability of nutrient intake and dietary exposure assessments. FAO/WHO GIFT is developed in synergy with other global initiatives aimed at increasing the quality, availability and use of IQFC data in LMIC to enable evidence-based decision-making and policy development for better nutrition and food safety.

Assessing environmental impacts of constructed wetland effluents for vegetable crop irrigation.

The objective of this study was to monitor and assess environmental impacts of reclaimed wastewater (RW), used for irrigation of vegetable crops, on soil, crop quality and irrigation equipment. During 2013, effluents of a horizontal sub-surface flow constructed treatment wetland (TW) system, used for tertiary treatment of sanitary wastewater from a small rural municipality located in Eastern Sicily (Italy), were reused by micro-irrigation techniques to irrigate vegetable crops. Monitoring programs, based on in situ and laboratory analyses were performed for assessing possible adverse effects on water-soil-plant systems caused by reclaimed wastewater reuse. In particular, experimental results evidenced that Escherichia coli content found in RW would not present a risk for rotavirus infection following WHO (2006) standards. Irrigated soil was characterized by a certain persistence of microbial contamination and among the studied vegetable crops, lettuce responds better, than zucchini and eggplants, to the irrigation with low quality water, evidencing a bettering of nutraceutical properties and production parameters.

Comparative evaluation of ultrasound scanner accuracy in distance measurement.

The aim of the present study is to develop and compare two different automatic methods for accuracy evaluation in ultrasound phantom measurements on B-mode images: both of them give as a result the relative error e between measured distances, performed by 14 brand new ultrasound medical scanners, and nominal distances, among nylon wires embedded in a reference test object. The first method is based on a least squares estimation, while the second one applies the mean value of the same distance evaluated at different locations in ultrasound image (same distance method). Results for both of them are proposed and explained.

Etiology of bronchiolitis in a hospitalized pediatric population: prospective multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: In 2006, bronchiolitis due to adenovirus nosocomial infections resulted in the closure of a pediatric department in northern Portugal. OBJECTIVES: To determine the etiology of bronchiolitis in northern Portugal. STUDY DESIGN: It was a prospective multicenter study on the etiology of bronchiolitis during the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season (November-April). Children < or = 24 months of age admitted for a first wheezing episode were included. Nasopharyngeal specimens were analyzed by an indirect immunofluorescent-antibody assay (IFA) for RSV, adenovirus (HAdV), parainfluenza (PIV) 1-3 and influenza (IV) A and B and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or reverse transcription-PCR for the same viruses and for human metapneumovirus (hMPV), bocavirus (HBoV), rhinovirus (HRV), coronaviruses (229/E; NL63; OC43; HKU1) and enterovirus. RESULTS: During this period, 253 children were included, 249 IFA analyses and 207 PCRs were performed. IFA detected RSV in 58.1%; PCR increased it to 66.7%. IFA detected HAdV in 3.2%, PCR 10.0%. PCR detected IV A in 5; IV B in 2; PIV 1 in 6, PIV 2 in 4 and PIV 3 in 11 cases. HBoV, as single agent in 2 cases, and HRV were positive in 8 samples and hMPV in 11. With this virus panel, 19.7% remained without etiology. CONCLUSIONS: The most frequent agent was RSV, followed by HAdV. PCR can be cost-effective and more accurate than IFA, which is crucial for HAdV that may be associated with significant mortality (IFA alone did not detect 2/3 of the cases).

Evidence for associations between common polymorphisms of estrogen receptor beta gene with homocysteine and nitric oxide.

BACKGROUND: Homocysteine and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) affect nitric oxide (NO) concentration, thereby contributing to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Both amino acids can be reduced in vivo by estrogen. Variation in the estrogen receptor (ER) may influence homocysteine and ADMA, yet no information is available on associations with single nucleotide polymorphisms in the estrogen receptor genes ERalpha (PvuII and XbaI) and ERbeta (1730G-->A and cx + 56 G-->A). OBJECTIVE: To find relationships between common polymorphisms associated with cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors homocysteine and ADMA. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study with healthy postmenopausal women (n = 89), homocysteine, ADMA, nitric oxide metabolites (NOx), plasma folate and ERalpha and beta polymorphisms ERalpha PvuII, ERalpha XbaI; ERbeta 1730G-->A (AluI), ERbeta cx + 56 G-->A (Tsp509I) were analyzed. RESULTS: Women who are homozygotic for ERbetacx + 56 G-->A A/A exhibited higher homocysteine (p = 0.012) and NOx (p = 0.056) levels than wildtype or heterozygotes. NOx concentration was also significantly affected by ERbeta 1730 G -->A polymorphism (p = 0.025). The ERbeta (p < 0.001) and ERalpha (p < 0.001) polymorphisms were in linkage disequilibrium. CONCLUSIONS: Women who are homozygotic for ERbetacx + 56 G-->A A/A may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease due to higher homocysteine levels.

The acceptability of isoflavones as a treatment of menopausal symptoms: a European survey among postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate determinants of the acceptability of isoflavone products among postmenopausal women with regard to social and lifestyle factors, dietary habits, health concerns, food beliefs, menopausal symptoms and therapies, and to elucidate preferences for specific products. METHODS: A consumer survey was conducted among postmenopausal women in four European countries (Germany, Denmark, Italy and the UK), including a total of 465 respondents. RESULTS: The declared acceptability of isoflavones was highest in Germany (80%), followed by Italy (75%), the UK (59%) and Denmark (55%; p < 0.001). Among other factors, prior information about isoflavones (odds ratio (OR) 2.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.54-4.51, p < 0.001) and belief that foods can be used to treat medical conditions (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.17-4.05, p = 0.014) were the strongest predictors of potential acceptability. The preferred forms in which isoflavones might be taken differed markedly between countries. CONCLUSIONS: Information about the health effects of isoflavones and health-diet links should be considered the most important factors in attempts to influence the potential acceptability of isoflavone products. Foods enriched with isoflavones need to be developed with regard to specific cultural demands in order to assure consumer acceptance on the marketplace.

Nutrition and prevention of ischemic stroke: present knowledge, limitations and future perspectives.

Stroke, particularly ischemic stroke, has a major impact on public health due to its high incidence, prevalence and rate of subsequent disability in Italy as in most industrialised countries. Apart from age, many modifiable factors, such as hypertension, smoking, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol abuse and hyperhomocysteinemia, have been recognised as playing a role in the pathogenesis of this disease. While appropriate pharmacological therapy has proven effective in the prevention of stroke in particular categories of patients, most of the above mentioned predisposing conditions are amenable to be affected by nutrition. Unequivocal demonstration of a protective or adverse role of single foods and nutrients against the risk of stroke has been however difficult to achieve due to confounding by biological variability, methodological inadequacies in the assessment of individual nutritional habits and difficulty to carry out long-term randomised controlled trials in the nutritional area. Notwithstanding, in several cases, causal relationships could be inferred from case-control and cohort studies in the presence of plausible and reproducible associations, evidence of dose-dependent effects and consistency in the results of different studies. The aim of this paper was to review present knowledge and highlight limitations and future perspectives about the role of nutrition in the prevention of ischemic stroke.

Bone resorption in anorexia nervosa and rehabilitated patients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of anorexia nervosa and that of nutritional rehabilitation on bone resorption. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, observational study. SETTING: Rome, Italy SUBJECTS: Twenty-eight female patients affected by anorexia nervosa (AN, BMIor=18.5 kg/m(2)) and 34 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (CO, BMI >or=18.5 kg/m(2)). Among AN patients, 16 were affected by the 'restrictive' (ANr) and 12 by the 'purging' type (ANp) of anorexia nervosa. METHOD: Body weight, height and skeletal diameters were measured on each individual. The skeletal mass (SKM) was predicted from the skeletal diameters of the elbow, wrist, knee and ankle, using the equation of Martin. Twenty-four-hour urinary excretion of pyridinium crosslinks of collagen (pyridinoline (Pyd) and deoxypyridinoline (Dpd)) and creatinine was assessed by reversed-phase HPLC with fluorimetric detection after solid-phase extraction and by the Jaffé-method with deproteinization, respectively. RESULTS: Twenty-four-hour urinary output of Pyd and Dpd was not significantly different between AN and CO when expressed in absolute values, but AN showed higher bone resorption than CO when Pyd and Dpd excretion was adjusted by either creatinine (P<0.0000) or the SKM (P<0.05). Within the AN group, urinary excretion of both cross-links was significantly and consistently higher in ANp compared with ANr (P<0.05). However, these differences disappeared when crosslink output was adjusted either by urinary creatinine or SKM. RE subjects showed no differences in bone resorption with the AN group despite weight gain, being crosslink excretion consistently elevated compared to controls (Pyd: P<0.01 by creatinine and P<0.05 by SKM; Dpd: P<0.01 by creatinine and P<0.05 by SKM). CONCLUSION: Bone resorption is elevated in anorexia nervosa and different strategies for low-weight maintenance do not seem to have a differential impact. Increased bone resorption persists in subjects with past diagnosis of anorexia nervosa despite rehabilitation lasting more than 6 months. This finding indicates that bone mass and turnover should be monitored in anorexia nervosa patients and ex-patients well beyond recovery of normal body mass. Further investigation is warranted to examine the long-term effect of such prolonged increase in bone turnover at a young age.

Impact of micronutrient deficiencies on growth: the stunting syndrome.

Stunting is a process that can affect the development of a child from the early stages of conception and until the third or fourth year of life, when the nutrition of the mother and the child are essential determinants of growth. Failure to meet micronutrient requirements, a challenging environment and the inadequate provision of care, are all factors responsible for this condition that affects almost 200 million children under 5 years of age. The timing and duration of the nutritional insult leads to different physiological consequences. Growth retardation is however just one feature of a complex syndrome including developmental delay, impaired immune function, reduced cognitive function and metabolic disturbances leading to increased prospective risk of obesity and hypertension. Prevention is possible by undertaking interventions at all stages of the life cycle, and mainly involves the promotion of exclusive breast-feeding until the age of 6 months and the provision of complementary foods and family foods with adequate micronutrient density. Treatment is possible, at least until the age of 5, and can lead to reversal of all the symptoms, although further research is required to clarify whether accelerating growth velocity might also lead to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome.

Urinary excretion of pyridinium crosslinks in short children treated with growth hormone.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of growth hormone (GH) treatment on bone resorption in children with GH deficiency and those with idiopathic short stature. The study population included seven children with subnormal spontaneous GH secretion and 13 children with idiopathic short stature, all of them pre-pubertal. Anthropometric measurements, free, protein-bound and total urinary pyridinoline (Pyd) and deoxypyridinoline (Dpd), serum GH, and serum immunoreactive PTH were measured at baseline and months 1, 3, 6 and 12 of GH treatment. The urinary excretion of total Pyd and Dpd, standardized by the cube of height (m3) in overnight, 24-hour urine collections was not different from age-matched healthy controls at baseline in either group of patients. During treatment with human recombinant GH, both pyridinium crosslinks increased above normal values, reaching a peak after one month in children with GH deficiency and later (after 3-6 months) in children with short stature. Free and total crosslink forms were correlated, and GH treatment did not affect the proportion of free to bound crosslinks. Serum concentrations of iPTH showed a moderate but not statistically significant increase. This study provides no evidence of reduced bone resorption in untreated GH deficiency or in idiopathic short stature. GH treatment induced a marked, but temporary, increase of bone resorption in both groups of patients.

The role of fermented milk in complementary feeding of young children: lessons from transition countries.

Probiotic bacteria are used for production of fermented dairy products. The use of probiotic bacteria has the potential to replenish the natural intestinal flora of the body. These bacteria competitively inhibit the growth and colonization of pathogenic bacteria. Breastmilk is the best food for babies, also from a probiotic point of view. Human milk, in fact, contains many substances that stimulate the growth of bifidobacteria in vitro and in the small intestine of infants. Improvement of lactose digestion and avoidance of symptoms of intolerance in lactose malabsorbers are the most profoundly studied health-relevant effects of fermented milk. In fact fermented milks are nutritionally similar to unfermented milk, except that some of lactose is broken down to glucose and galactose. The role of fermented milk in complementary feeding and in particular for the prevention of anaemia is an innovative theme, recently focused. Iron deficiency in infants and young children is widespread and has serious consequences for child health. Prevention of iron deficiency should therefore be given high priority. The too-early introduction of unmodified cow's milk and milk products is an important nutritional risk factors for the development of iron-deficiency anaemia. Fermented milks represent an excellent source of nutrients such as calcium, protein, phosphorus and riboflavin. During the fermentation of milk, lactic acid and other organic acids are produced and these increase the absorption of iron. If fermented milk is consumed at mealtimes, these acids are likely to have a positive effect on the absorption of iron from other foods.

Biomarkers in disease and health.

Biomarkers have considerable potential in aiding the understanding of the relationship between diet and disease or health. However, to assess the role, relevance and importance of biomarkers on a case by case basis it is essential to understand and prioritise the principal diet and health issues. In the majority of cases, dietary compounds are only weakly biologically active in the short term, have multiple targets and can be both beneficial and deleterious. This poses particular problems in determining the net effect of types of foods on health. In principle, a biomarker should be able to contribute to this debate by allowing the measurement of exposure and by acting as an indicator either of a deleterious or of an enhanced health effect prior to the final outcome. In this review, the examples chosen - cancer (stomach, colon/rectal, breast); coronary heart disease and osteoporosis - reflect three major diet-related disease issues. In each case the onset of the disease has a genetic determinant which may be exacerbated or delayed by diet. Perhaps the most important factor is that in each case the disease, once manifest, is difficult to influence in a positive way by diet alone. This then suggests that the emphasis for biomarker studies should focus on predictive biomarkers which can be used to help in the development of dietary strategies which will minimise the risk and be of greater benefit.