Safety assessment of methanolic extract of Terminalia chebula fruit, Terminalia arjuna bark and its bioactive constituent 7-methyl gallic acid: In vitro and in vivo studies.

Terminalia chebula and Terminalia arjuna were widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of memory impairment, inflammatory disorders and as an anti-aging agent. However, reports regarding their safety aspects are lacking. Hence, the present study was carried out to investigate the toxicity of methanolic extracts of Terminalia chebula fruit (TCF), Terminalia arjuna bark (TAB) and its bioactive constituent 7- Methyl gallic acid (7MG) under in vitro and in vivo conditions. In vitro toxicity profile of TCF, TAB and 7MG (250-2000 µg/ml) were assessed through cytotoxicity, hemolytic activity, mutagenicity and genotoxicity assays. Results of Ames test, comet assay, MTT and hemolytic assays illustrated that TCF, TAB and 7MG exhibited neither cytotoxic and genotoxic effect in PBMC nor hemolytic activity in RBC and no mutagenic effect in TA 98 and TA 100 up to a limited dose of 2000 µg/ml. Acute and subacute toxicity studies showed no significant change in body weight, behavior, hematology, biochemical parameters, organ weight and histopathology. Over all the results of acute and subacute toxicity studies conclude that oral administration of TCF, TAB and 7MG were observed to be relatively non-toxic and affords practical guidance for selecting safe dose for further clinical trials.

The role of wild fruits and vegetables in delivering a balanced and healthy diet.

Without a doubt, fruits and vegetables are important components of a balanced and healthy diet. However, their consumption is very low in the world, with the lowest figures being reported in sub-Saharan Africa. The low consumption of fruits and vegetables means unbalanced and unhealthy diets, which has been linked to various diseases and conditions associated with increased mortality rates in worst cases. Poverty is the major contributor to the low consumption of fruits and vegetables in the majority of cases. However, the world, including sub-Saharan Africa, is endowed with numerous wild fruit and vegetable species which can be exploited and incorporated into the diets and help solve some nutrition related concerns. Therefore, in this review, we explore literature on wild fruits and vegetables with a special emphasis on some of the poorest regions of the world and where the lowest consumption figures are reported; their nutritional compositions; the status of their consumption and their role in the diet with a view to uncover their possible role in delivering a healthy and balanced diet as well as helping lower food and nutrition insecurity. A total of 396 articles were downloaded and analysed but only 213 were considered for this review. The results of the search indicate that wild fruits and vegetables are nutritionally rich and high in phytochemicals, especially antioxidants and therefore can possibly play a significant and positive role in delivering a healthy and balanced diet. However, the major challenge is the acceptability, accessibility as well as a lack of interest in wild fruits and vegetables and sheer neglect. People need to be educated using various forms of media on the nutritional and health benefits of these wild food plants with a view to bring them from the forest to the plate. Researchers need to channel more efforts towards domesticating them for ease of access, among other reasons. Governments need to incentivise the subsistence or commercial production of wild fruits and vegetables in order to encourage farmers to cultivate them. However, seeds and/or seedlings need to be made available and affordable to the farmers. The 'hidden treasures' in the forests in the form of edible plants could easily play a positive and huge role in delivering a balanced and healthy diet, especially in poor parts of the world.

Cumulative dietary exposure of the population of Denmark to pesticides.

We used the Hazard Index (HI) method to carry out a cumulative risk assessment after chronic dietary exposure to all monitored pesticides in fruit, vegetables and cereals for various consumer groups in Denmark. Residue data for all the pesticides were obtained from the Danish monitoring programme during the period 2004-2011. Food consumption data were obtained from DANSDA (the DAnish National Survey of Diet and physical Activity) for the period 2005-2008. The calculations were made using three different models to cope with residues below the limit of reporting (LOR). We concluded that a model that included processing factors and set non-detects to ½ LOR, but limited the correction (Model 3), gave the most realistic exposure estimate. With Model 3 the HI was calculated to be 0.44 for children and 0.18 for adults, indicating that there is no risk of adverse health effects following chronic cumulative exposure to the pesticides found in fruit, vegetables and cereals on the Danish market. The HI was below 1 even for consumers who eat more than 550 g of fruit and vegetables per day, corresponding to 1/3 of the population. Choosing Danish-produced commodities whenever possible could reduce the HI by a factor of 2.

Public attitudes to GM foods. The balancing of risks and gains.

In the paper we study the variables influencing attitudes to the use of two biotechnologies related to gene transfer within apples. Using Eurobarometer 73.1 survey data on biotechnology, science and technology, with 15,650 respondents, we study the extent these attitudes are determined by socio-economic and other variables. We found that attitudes to the risks and gains are determined by socio-economic variables and also by the individual's knowledge, scientific background, their parent's education in science and their religion. Perceptions of naturalness and of environmental impact combined with perceived risks and gains in determining overall approval, proxied by views on whether the technologies should be encouraged, for GMTs. However there are substantial differences in attitudes to transgenesis and cisgenesis.

Historical review of clinical vaccine studies at Oswaldo Cruz Institute and Oswaldo Cruz Foundation - technological development issues

This paper presents, from the perspective of technological development and production, the results of an investigation examining 61 clinical studies with vaccines conducted in Brazil between 1938-2013, with the participation of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC) and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). These studies have been identified and reviewed according to criteria, such as the kind of vaccine (viral, bacterial, parasitic), their rationale, design and methodological strategies. The results indicate that IOC and Fiocruz have accumulated along this time significant knowledge and experience for the performance of studies in all clinical phases and are prepared for the development of new vaccines products and processes. We recommend national policy strategies to overcome existing regulatory and financing constraints.

An exploration and comparison of food and drink availability in homes in a sample of families of White and Pakistani origin within the UK.

OBJECTIVE: Knowledge of the types and quantities of foods and drinks available in family homes supports the development of targeted intervention programmes for obesity prevention or management, or for overall diet improvement. In the UK, contemporary data on foods that are available within family homes are lacking. The present study aimed to explore home food and drink availability in UK homes. DESIGN: An exploratory study using researcher-conducted home food availability inventories, measuring all foods and drinks within the categories of fruits, vegetables, snack foods and beverages. SETTING: Bradford, a town in the north of the UK. SUBJECTS: Opportunistic sample of mixed ethnicity families with infants approximately 18 months old from the Born in Bradford birth cohort. RESULTS: All homes had at least one type of fruit, vegetable and snack available. Fresh fruits commonly available were oranges, bananas, apples, satsumas and grapes. Commonly available fresh vegetables included potatoes, cucumber, tomatoes and carrots. The single greatest non-fresh fruit available in homes was raisins. Non-fresh vegetables contributing the most were frozen mixed vegetables, tinned tomatoes and tinned peas. Ethnic differences were found for the availability of fresh fruits and sugar-sweetened beverages, which were both found in higher amounts in Pakistani homes compared with White homes. CONCLUSIONS: These data contribute to international data on availability and provide an insight into food availability within family homes in the UK. They have also supported a needs assessment of the development of a culturally specific obesity prevention intervention in which fruits and vegetables and sugar-sweetened beverages are targeted.

Policy improves what beverages are served to young children in child care.

BACKGROUND: During 2008, we conducted a statewide survey on beverages served to preschool-aged children in California child care that identified a need for beverage policy. During 2011, the US Department of Agriculture began requiring that sites participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) make drinking water available throughout the day and serve only low-fat or nonfat milk to children aged 2 years and older. During 2012, the California Healthy Beverages in Childcare law additionally required that all child-care sites eliminate all beverages with added sweetener and limit 100% juice to once daily. DESIGN: To assess potential policy effects, we repeated the statewide survey in 2012. During 2008 and 2012, a cross-sectional sample of ∼1,400 licensed child-care sites was randomly selected after stratifying by category (ie, Head Start, state preschool, other CACFP center, non-CACFP center, CACFP home, and non-CACFP home). RESULTS: Responses were obtained from 429 sites in 2008 and 435 in 2012. After adjustment for child-care category, significant improvements in 2012 compared with 2008 were found; more sites served water with meals/snacks (47% vs 28%; P=0.008) and made water available indoors for children to self-serve (77% vs 69%; P=0.001), and fewer sites served whole milk usually (9% vs 22%; P=0.006) and 100% juice more than once daily (20% vs 27%; P=0.038). During 2012, 60% of sites were aware of beverage policies and 23% were judged fully compliant with the California law. CONCLUSIONS: A positive effect occurred on beverages served after enactment of state and federal policies. Efforts should continue to promote beverage policies and support their implementation.

Characterization of the allergenic potential of proteins: an assessment of the kiwifruit allergen actinidin.

Assessment of the potential allergenicity (IgE-inducing properties) of novel proteins is an important challenge in the overall safety assessment of foods. Resistance to digestion with pepsin is commonly measured to characterize allergenicity, although the association is not absolute. We have previously shown that specific IgE antibody production induced by systemic [intraperitoneal (i.p.)] exposure of BALB/c strain mice to a range of proteins correlates with allergenic potential for known allergens. The purpose of the present study was to explore further the utility of these approaches using the food allergen, actinidin. Recently, kiwifruit has become an important allergenic foodstuff, coincident with its increased consumption, particularly as a weaning food. The ability of the kiwifruit allergen actinidin to stimulate antibody responses has been compared with the reference allergen ovalbumin, and with the non-allergen bovine haemoglobin. Haemoglobin was rapidly digested by pepsin whereas actinidin was resistant unless subjected to prior chemical reduction (reflecting intracellular digestion conditions). Haemoglobin stimulated detectable IgG antibody production at relatively high doses (10%), but failed to provoke detectable IgE. In contrast, actinidin was both immunogenic and allergenic at relatively low doses (0.25% to 1%). Vigorous IgG and IgG1 antibody and high titre IgE antibody responses were recorded, similar to those provoked by ovalbumin. Thus, actinidin displays a marked ability to provoke IgE, consistent with allergenic potential. These data provide further encouragement that in tandem with analysis of pepsin stability, the induction of IgE after systemic exposure of BALB/c strain mice provides a useful approach for the prospective identification of protein allergens.

Analysis of the neurotoxin anisatin in star anise by LC-MS/MS.

The aim of this work was to develop an analytical method capable of determining the presence of anisatin in star anise. This neurotoxin may induce severe side effects such as epileptic convulsions. It is therefore of prime importance to have rapid and accurate analytical methods able to detect and quantify anisatin in samples that are purportedly edible star anise. The sample preparation combined an automated accelerated solvent extraction with a solid-supported liquid-liquid purification step on EXtrelut®. Samples were analysed on a porous graphitic carbon HPLC column and quantified by tandem mass spectrometry operating in the negative ionisation mode. The quantification range of anisatin was between 0.2 and 8 mg kg⁻¹. The applicability of this validated method was demonstrated by the analysis of several Illicium species and star anise samples purchased on the Swiss market. High levels of anisatin were measured in Illicium lanceolatum, I. majus and I. anisatum, which may cause health concerns if they are misidentified or mixed with edible Illicium verum.

Pesticide residues in raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) and dietary risk assessment.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the residues of 140 pesticides in raspberries from north-eastern Poland (2005-2010). Gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC-ECD) and nitrogen phosphorous detector (GC-NPD) was used. Among the 128 samples, 66 (51.6%) were found to detect residues: 14.1% contained one pesticide and around 38% multiple pesticide residues. The most frequently detected were pyrimethanil residues (36.0%). Twenty-seven (21.1%) raspberry samples exceeded the maximum residue limits. The estimated daily intakes ranged from 0.003% to 3.183% of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for adults 0.008% and 9.7% for toddlers, respectively. The most critical case is procymidone, the acute risk was 180.9% of acute reference dose (ARfD) for toddlers and for adults (83% of ARfD) which is high.

Eating from the wild: Turumbu indigenous knowledge on noncultivated edible plants, Tshopo District, DRCongo.

Documenting and revalorizing the rapidly disappearing indigenous knowledge on wild edible plants is essential to promote health and preserve diversity. Focus group discussions were organized within three Turumbu villages to document wild foods known, availability, preparation methods, and uses. Preferences in taste and commercial, nutritional, and cultural value were discussed during participatory ranking exercises. Results show 85 species within 70 genera and 44 families. Fruits of Anonidium manni and Landolphia owariensis, and (unfolded) leaves of Megaphrynium macrostachyum and Talinum triangulare are most appreciated. Inventories and preference rankings should be completed with nutritional analyses and market studies to set priorities for participatory domestication.

Comparison of food consumption frequencies among NHANES and CPES children: implications for dietary pesticide exposure and risk assessment.

Characterizing food consumption patterns among children is critical to dietary pesticide exposure assessment. We have used public release data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the longitudinal Children's Pesticide Exposure Study (CPES) to illustrate the magnitude of potential error introduced by using national-scale, cross-sectional data to estimate the consumption frequencies for smaller cohorts. We focused on foods commonly consumed by children in the target CPES age and income group (3-11 years; annual household income >$75,000) and foods likely to contain organophosphorus or pyrethroid pesticide residues. We defined "percent eaters" as the percentage of study participants who reported eating a particular food in a 24-h period. We computed the weighted percent eaters and 95% confidence limits (CL) for the target age/income group using the NHANES 24-h dietary recall data and compared these with the CPES percent eaters by sampling day and season. For certain foods, particularly the seasonally available produce (for example, apples, peaches/nectarines, melon, grapes, pears, strawberries), soy milk, and peanut butter, the CPES percent eaters fell outside the NHANES 95% CLs on many sampling days. For other foods (for example, orange juice and cow's milk), differences were not readily apparent. Although the differences we observed for certain foods may be, in part, because of measurement error, they also likely reflect seasonal and geographic patterns among the CPES data that the public release NHANES data do not capture. Using NHANES data to estimate pesticide intakes from strawberries, for example, may underestimate the exposure of the CPES children, as significantly more CPES than NHANES children ate strawberries on many sampling days. For other sampling days or other foods, overestimation is also possible.

[Toxicological assessment on safety of water and 70% ethanolic extracts of nearly ripe fruit of Evodia rutaecarpa].

OBJECTIVE: To study the acute toxicity and mutagenic risk of the water extracts (ERWE) and 70% ethanol extracts (EREE) from the nearly ripe fruit of Evodia rutaecarpa, and provide experimental basis for safety evaluation of ones. METHOD: The ERWE and EREE were prepared from the nearly ripe fruit of E. rutaecarpa by reflux extraction with H2O and 70% ethanol aqueous solution for three times, respectively. According to the terms from "technical standards for test & toxicological assessment of health food" issued by Healthy Ministry of PRC, acute toxicity, and Ames, mouse marrow cell micronucleus and mouse sperm aberration test were performed. Acute toxicity test of ERWE and EREE in mice was studied by the method of Horn to give the median lethal dose (LD50). Forty healthy Kunming strain male and female mice were used and their body weights ranged from 17-22 g. All of them were distributed randomly to 4 different dose groups which each had 10 mice. The ERWE or EREE was administered at the doses of 1.00, 2.15, 4.64 and 10.00 g x kg(-1), respectively, via intragastrical route. The number of animals poisoned and died in each group were noted daily for 7 consecutive days. The Ames test was carried out using the Salmonella typhimurium strain TA97, TA98, TA100 and TA102. In the sperm abnormalities test, 25 healthy adult male Kunming strain mice with a body weights ranged from 25-35 g were distributed randomly to 5 different groups (1 positive control, 1 negative control and 3 treated groups) which each had 5 mice. A single dose of 60 g x kg(-1) of cyclophosphamide was intragastrically administered to mice in a positive control group, and the mice in the negative control group were administered with the same volume of distilled water. In the treated groups, the ERWE or EREE was intragastrically administered at the doses of 1.25, 250 and 5.00 g x kg(-1), respectively, via the same route with the positive control group. The administration was carried out once daily for 5 consecutive days. The sperm suspension was prepared from caudal epididymis of male mice at 35th day after treatment with different doses of the extract. The suspension was stained with Eosin-Y and air-dried smears were prepared. One thousand sperms per animal were analysed for abnormal shapes and the rates of sperm aberration was calculated. In the mouse bone marrow micronucleus assay, 50 healthy adult male and female Kunming mice, weighing 25 to 30 g, were randomly assigned to five groups (1 positive control, 1 negative control and 3 treated groups) which each had 10 mice, five males and five females. The mice were intragastrically administered twice at intervals of 24 h with the ERWE or EREE at doses of 1.25, 2.50 and 5.00 g x kg(-1) in the positive control group. A single dose of 60 g x kg(-1) of cyclophosphamide in a positive control group and the same volume of distilled water in a negative control groups were intragastrically administered, respectively. Mouse bone marrow was obtained from 10 animals for each group at 6 h after the last dose administration. Smears were stained with Giemsa and analysed for the presence of mouse bone marrow micronucleus from 1 000 cells. RESULT: The oral acute toxicity study in mice revealed that the LD50 of the both ERWE and EREE was more than 10.0 g x kg(-1). The mice with both the poisoned sign or died had not been observed after intragastrical administration of ERWE or EREE at the doses of 1.00, 2.15, 4.64 and 10.00 g x kg(-1). The results of genotoxicity tests were all negative, including Ames, mouse marrow cell micronucleus and mouse sperm aberration test. In the all assay in vivo, the mice showed a normally progressive increase in body weight from the start to the end of the experiment. CONCLUSION: The oral LD50 of the ERWE and EREE in mice was more than 10.0 g x kg(-1) belonging to non-toxicity on the acute toxicity rating criteria. The both ERWE and EREE showed no genotoxicity in the experimental condition.

An in vitro assessment of the erosive potential of conventional and white ciders.

The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate the erosive potential of a range of traditional and white ciders using standard laboratory tests. It measured the pH, 'neutralisable acidity' and the amount of surface enamel lost following immersion over a period of 4 hours. The pH was measured with a digital pH meter and the 'neutralisable acidity' was measured as the volume of 0.1 M sodium hydroxide required to increase the pH to neutrality. Surface enamel loss was measured at 1, 2, 3 and 4 hours using profilometry. The pH on opening ranged from 2.96 to 4.04 and the 'neutralisable acidity' ranged from 14.54 to 21.47 mls. The amount of surface enamel lost following four hours immersion ranged from 8.60-23.95 microns, compared to 12.85 microns for an orange juice control. All the ciders tested were acidic and had considerable erosive potential in vitro which was broadly similar to that of orange juice. A wide variation was found between different commercial brands and this information should be useful when counselling patients with tooth surface loss.

An in vitro assessment of the erosive potential of some designer drinks.

The aim of this study was to establish the amount of surface enamel lost following immersion in a number of designer drinks using surface profilometry. Orange juice was used as a positive control. Twenty four designer drinks were tested and it was found that 18 out of 24 of these drinks produced surface enamel loss that was significantly greater by between two and six times than the orange juice control. It was concluded that many of the commercially available designer drinks had considerable erosive potential.

Diet and health of people with an ileostomy. 1. Dietary assessment.

1. People with an ileostomy experience digestive problems with some foods. Why those foods are avoided is not known nor is it certain whether this interferes with the nutritional adequacy of their diet. 2. A detailed dietary assessment has therefore been made of thirty-seven subjects with ileostomies and a similar number of age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All food and drink eaten over 1 week was weighed and recorded. In addition. A larger group of seventy-nine ileostomy subjects and seventy matched controls answered a questionnaire designed to identify foods which upset them and which they avoided. 3. Total nutrient and energy intakes were similar in the two groups but the subjects with an ileostomy ate less dietary fibre (g/d; mean + SD: ileostomy subjects 18.0 +/- 5.9, controls 20.9 +/- 5.5; P less than 0.05) mainly due to lower fruit and vegetable intakes. Iron and vitamins A and C intakes were also less. 4. A majority of ileostomy subjects had a pattern of food intake different from the controls, taking more of their energy in the morning and less at night. A variety of food items upset more than half of them including nuts, pips, seeds, skins, onions, beetroot, lettuce, raw cabbage and carrot, peas, sweetcorn, mushrooms and dried fruit. 5. On the basis of the results it is possible to formulate general dietary advice for people with an ileostomy.