The Association between Dietary Inflammatory Index and Aging Biomarkers/Conditions: A Systematic Review and Dose-response Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: We performed a current study to examine the association between dietary inflammatory index (DII) score and older age-related muscle conditions, including sarcopenia, low muscle mass, low muscle strength, frailty, and/or disability. DESIGN: Systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. SETTING: A systematic literature search was performed using Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, and ISI Web of Science without limitation until October 04, 2022. Relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were pooled by applying a random-effects model, while validated methods examined assess quality and publication bias via Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, Egger's regression asymmetry, and Begg's rank correlation tests respectively. A dose-response meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the RRs per 1-unit increment in DII scores. PARTICIPANTS: Adults (≥18 years). MEASURES: The risk of older age-related muscle conditions (sarcopenia, low muscle mass, low muscle strength, frailty, and/or disability). RESULTS: Data were available from 19 studies with 68079 participants. Results revealed that a higher DII score was significantly related to an increased risk of sarcopenia (RR=1.50; 95% CI: 1.26, 1.79; I2=53.3%; p<0.001; n=10; sample size =43097), low muscle strength (RR=1.47; 95% CI: 1.24, 1.74; I2=6.6%; p<0.001; n=4; sample size =9339), frailty (RR=1.61; 95% CI: 1.41, 1.84; I2=0.0%; p<0.001; study=5; participant=3882) and disability (RR=1.41; 95% CI: 1.16, 1.72; I2=58.4%; p=0.001; n=5; sample size =13760), but not low muscle mass (RR=1.24; 95% CI: 0.98, 1.56; I2=49.3%; p=0.069; n=4; sample size =11222). Additionally, results of the linear dose-response indicated that an increase of one point in the DII score was related to a 14% higher risk of sarcopenia, 6% higher risk of low muscle mass, 7% higher risk of low muscle strength, and a 7% higher risk of disability in adults. Non-linear dose-response relationships also revealed a positive linear association between the DII score and the risk of sarcopenia (Pnonlinearity = 0.097, Pdose-response<0.001), frailty (Pnonlinearity = 0.844, Pdose-response=0.010) and disability (Pnonlinearity = 0.596, Pdose-response=0.007). CONCLUSION: Adherence to a pro-inflammatory diet was significantly associated with a higher risk of sarcopenia and other age-associated adverse effects such as low muscle strength, disability, and frailty. These results indicate a necessity to prioritize the reduction of pro-inflammatory diets to help promote overall older age-related muscle conditions.

Effects of nanoparticles treatments and salinity stress on the genetic structure and physiological characteristics of Lavandula angustifolia Mill.

Lavandula angustifolia Mill. is an aromatic herb of the Lamiaceae family, which has been widely used by humans for many centuries. In the current study, we treated L. angustifolia samples with various concentrations of ZnO and Fe2O3 nanoparticles in the presence/ absence of NaCl salinity stress to evaluate the composition of essential oils, genetic structure, glandular trichome density and cellular Zn2+ and Fe2+ contents. We used Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) molecular markers to investigate the parameters of genetic diversity among the treated samples. Furthermore, the hydro-distilled essential oil from the aerial parts of the samples was subjected to GC and GC / MS analyses. SPSS ver. 15, PAST, PopGene, and GenAlex software were employed for statistical analyses. Intracellular concentrations of Fe2+ and Zn2+ differed under various concentrations of nanoparticles and salinity treatments, and a significant negative correlation was observed between these elements, however, nanoparticles treatment significantly increased intracellular concentrations of iron and zinc ions. We found four types of glandular trichomes on the surface of the leaf of the treated plants, and the ANOVA test revealed a significant variation for most of them. Meanwhile, the short-stalked capitate trichomes were the most frequent in most of the evaluated samples. The main and trace essential oil compounds were the same among the treated plants, meanwhile, their percentages varied among the samples. The percentages of 1,8- cineole and camphor decreased in treated plants, which affects the quality of essential oils. Parameters of genetic diversity differed among the treated samples. Furthermore, the AMOVA test demonstrated a significant genetic variation that its substantial part belonged to among treated samples. These findings revealed that the treatment of nanoparticles and salinity stress strongly influenced the genetic diversity, trichomes density, iron and zinc ions content in lavender plants.

A review of salty waste stream management in the Australian dairy industry.

Saline wastewater is a by-product of cheese manufacturing and whey processing that can have serious environmental and economic consequences. Salty streams originating from dairy processing operations include chromatography wastes, clean-in-place wastewater, acid whey, salty whey and waste generated from whey demineralization processes such as nanofiltration, electrodialysis and ion exchange. With the participation of the major dairy companies in Australia, an industry wide survey was conducted to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the management strategies for these salty waste streams. High salinity waste streams are commonly directed to evaporation ponds. However, environmental impacts from land degradation, odour and dust have prevented the construction of further evaporation ponds in some areas of Australia. The survey results also show that disposal to municipal trade waste is not always effective, as the current levels of some salinity-related parameters are significantly higher than the levels allowed by the local water/environmental authorities. For high salinity streams, salt removal can lead to more substantial savings in trade waste charges compared to wastewater volume reduction. Thus, salt removal and recovery from salty waste streams has become a major focus of the sustainability agenda of the Australian dairy industry.

Three novel Bacillus strains from a traditional lacto-fermented pickle as potential probiotics.

AIMS: Bacillus probiotics recently gained attention due to the production of resistant cells. The in vitro probiotic potentials and safety assessment were evaluated for three Bacillus strains obtained from traditional pickle. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three bacterial strains designated as 437F, 1630F and 1020G were isolated from a traditional pickle and identified as members of the genus Bacillus. The novel strains showed high acid and bile tolerance. They exhibited antagonistic activity against various pathogens. Antioxidant activity, auto- and co-aggregation ability as well as their surface hydrophobicity and attachment capacity to the Caco-2 cells were in the range of other well-known probiotic strains. They were susceptible to various antibiotics. The enterotoxin (HBl and NHe), cytotoxin (Cytk1) and emetic (Ces) genes were not detected based on PCR assay. They were not toxic against HT-29 cells. CONCLUSION: With respect to their characteristics and safety aspect, these Bacillus species may have potential to consider as probiotics for animal and/or human applications. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Nondairy-fermented foods are interesting sources for isolation of novel probiotics. Identification of novel Bacillus strains with remarkable probiotic potentials would increase their contribution in food/feed and pharmaceutical industries.

In vitro expression of HPV16 E7 linked to HMGB1 immunoadjuvant in mammalian cells.

BACKGROUND: E7 is the major transforming protein of human papillomavirus (HPV) that plays important role in maintaining the proliferative state in HPV-infected cells. Furthermore, high mobility group 1 protein (HMGB1) is a highly conserved component of chromatin that can be secreted by macrophages and activated monocytes and thus functions as an inflammation mediator. METHODS: In the current study, cloning of HMGB1 gene and also HPV16E7-HMGB1 was performed in pEGFP-N1 eukaryotic expression vector in order to evaluate their expression in mammalian cells. For this purpose, the HEK-293T cells were transfected by pEGFP-E7, pEGFP-HMGB1 and pEGFP-E7-HMGB1 using TurboFect delivery system. The levels of protein expression were assessed by flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy at 48 hr after transfection, as well as by western blot analysis using anti-GFP polyclonal antibody. RESULTS: Our data showed a clear band of ~ 684 bp and ~ 981 bp related to HMGB1 and E7-HMGB1 genes in agarose gel, respectively. The expression of HMGB1-GFP and E7-HMGB1-GFP proteins was confirmed for the bands of ~ 53 kDa and ~ 64 kDa in the transfected cells using western blot analysis, respectively. The linkage of HMGB1 gene to E7 could likely neutralize the negative charges of E7, thus a clear band of 64 kDa was detected instead of 76 kDa in western blot analysis. Moreover, the percentage of expression for E7-GFP, HMGB1-GFP and E7-HMGB1-GFP was 76 %, 55 %, and 52 %, in comparison with pEGFP-N1 (~82 %) as a positive control. Indeed, HMGB1 linked to HPV16 E7 gene decreased transfection efficiency of E7 DNA in HEK-293T cells. CONCLUSION: Generally, the electrophoretic mobility of HPV16 E7 was changed due to the linkage of HMGB1 gene. Furthermore, the fusion protein could be efficiently expressed in mammalian cells for the next use in immunotherapy (Fig. 3, Ref. 51).

Regulation of luteinizing hormone receptor in hippocampal neurons following different long-lasting treatments of castrated adult rats.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different Luteinizing hormone (LH) and steroid hormones levels on LH receptor (LHR) expression in the hippocampal cells. Rats (24 males and 24 females) were assigned to four groups: one control and three experimental [gonadectomy (GDX), gonadectomy + gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue (GDX+GnRHa) and GDX+GnRHa+estradiol (E2) or testosterone (T)] independently for each gender. All experimental rats were gonadectomized; then GnRHa was administrated to GDX+GnRHa group, and GnRHa plus steroid hormone to GDX+GnRHa+E2 or T group in both genders for four-month. LHR mRNA expression and its protein level in hippocampal cells were measured using QRT-PCR and Western blotting. Quantification of mRNA revealed a decrease in LHR transcripts level in GDX+GnRHa group of females. A significant change was observed between GDX groups and GDX+GnRHa+E2 or T versus GDX+GnRHa group in females. High levels of LH decreased significantly the immature isoform of LHR in GDX group compared to control group in both genders, but low LH concentrations in GDX+GnRHa group induced immature LHR isoform production only in females. Therefore increased LH concentration induces production of incomplete LHR transcripts in hippocampal cells and decreases immature LHR at the protein level. This implies that LH decreases the efficiency of translation through either producing non-functional LHR molecules or preventing their translation.

Haplotypes across the human caveolin 1 gene upstream purine complex significantly alter gene expression: implication in neurodegenerative disorders.

We have previously reported a polymorphic purine complex at the 1.5 kb upstream region of the human caveolin 1 (CAV1) gene that is conserved across several species in respect with sequence motifs and the location of the complex. The IRF and Ets transcription factors have common binding sites for this region across those species. We have also shown skew in the homozygote haplotype compartment of this complex in two neurodegenerative disorders, sporadic late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD), and multiple sclerosis (MS), versus disease-free controls (p<0.0000001). In the current study, we analyze the functional implication of the disease homozygote haplotypes (i.e. 102-bp and 142-bp) vs. control homozygote haplotype (110-bp) in three neuronal cell lines, LAN-5, U-87 MG, and N2A, using dual luciferase reporter system. A significant increase in gene expression was observed in the cell lines with the disease haplotype constructs vs. control haplotype in the three cell lines (t-test p<4 × 10(-4), 1 × 10(-6), and 3 × 10(-4)), respectively. We conclude that the human CAV1 upstream purine complex modifies gene expression. An additive effect of the haplotypes in the homozygous status is speculated based on the skew in the homozygote haplotypes in neurodegenerative disorders.

Sorption of Pb(ll) by poly(hydroxamic acid) grafted oil palm empty fruit bunch.

This paper describes the sorption of Pb(ll) from aqueous solution. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber was first grafted with poly(methylacrylate) and then treated with hydroxylammonium chloride in alkaline medium to produce hydroxamic acid (PHA) grafted OPEFB. Sorption of Pb(ll) by PHA-OPEFB was maximum at pH 5. The sorption followed the Langmuir model with maximum capacityof 125.0 mg g-1 at 25 degrees C. The sorption process was exothermic, as shown by the negative value of enthalpy change, Delta H0. The free energy change (DeltaG0) for the sorption was negative, showing that the sorption process was spontaneous. A kinetic study showed that the Pb(ll) sorption followed a second order kinetic model.

Structural, magnetic, and electrical studies on polycrystalline transition-metal-doped BiFeO(3) thin films.

We have synthesized a range of transition-metal-doped BiFeO(3) thin films on conducting silicon substrates using a spin-coating technique from metal-organic precursor solutions. Bismuth, iron and transition-metal-organic solutions were mixed in the appropriate ratios to produce 3% transition-metal-doped samples. X-ray diffraction studies show that the samples annealed in a nitrogen atmosphere crystallize in a rhombohedrally distorted BiFeO(3) structure with no evidence for any ferromagnetic secondary phase formation. We find evidence for the disappearance of the 404 cm(-1) Raman mode for certain dopants indicative of structural distortions. The saturation magnetization of these BiFeO(3) films has been found to increase on doping with transition metal ions, reaching a maximum value of 8.5 emu cm(-3) for the Cr-doped samples. However, leakage current measurements find that the resistivity of the films typically decreases with transition metal doping. We find no evidence for any systematic variation of the electric or magnetic properties of BiFeO(3) depending on the transition metal dopant, suggesting that these properties are determined mainly by extrinsic effects arising from defects or grain boundaries.

Simultaneous determination of trace heavy metals in ambient aerosols by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry after pre-concentration with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate.

The simultaneous determination of heavy metals associated with airborne particulate matter in the atmosphere of the city Isfahan (Iran) was performed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) after pre-concentration with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate. The preconcentration procedure developed found instrumental to determine the trace heavy metals associated with ambient aerosols collected at a short sampling period or collected from rural areas where the concentrations of these metals are much less than those in urban areas. Several samples were analyzed by both flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) as a conventional method and the proposed method. The results obtained by the two methods were found in good agreement. The method was applied to the determination of atmospheric level of heavy metals in rural area and also for study of variation in levels of heavy metals in urban atmosphere during the days and nights.

Determination of arsenic in air particulates and diesel exhaust particulates by spectrophotometry.

A method was developed for the determination of trace arsenic by spectrophotometry. The proposed method is rapid, simple, and inexpensive. This method can be used for sensitive determination of trace arsenic in environmental samples and especially in air particulates. The results obtained by this method as a proposed method were compared with those obtained by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry as a popular reported method for the determination of arsenic and an excellent agreement was found between them. The method was also used for determination of arsenic associated with airborne particulate matter and diesel exhaust particulates. The results showed that considerable amount of arsenic are associated with diesel engine particulates. The variation in concentration of arsenic was also investigated. The atmospheric concentration of arsenic was different in different sampling stations was dependent to the traffic density.

Determination of total and hexavalent chromium concentrations in the atmosphere of the city of Isfahan.

Airborne particulate matter was collected from the atmosphere of the city of Isfahan by a high-volume air sampler. Determination of the concentration of total chromium was carried out by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry after acid digestion. The determination of hexavalent chromium was carried out by ion chromatography following the collection of Cr(vi) in an impinger. Day-to-day variations in concentrations of total and hexavalent chromium were investigated and an excellent similarity was found between them. Atmospheric levels of total and hexavalent chromium were also investigated in different months of the year, and maximum concentrations were found in October.