Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) Undetected in Endangered Key Largo Woodrat (Neotoma floridana smalli) Endemic Range.

Raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) negatively affects woodrat (Neotoma spp.) populations but is not known to occur in the endemic range of endangered Key Largo woodrats (Neotoma floridana smalli). Rectal swabs from 23 raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Key Largo were screened for raccoon roundworm by PCR. All tests were negative, suggesting continued absence.

What Are We Putting in Our Food That Is Making Us Fat? Food Additives, Contaminants, and Other Putative Contributors to Obesity.

The "chemical obesogen" hypothesis conjectures that synthetic, environmental contaminants are contributing to the global epidemic of obesity. In fact, intentional food additives (e.g., artificial sweeteners and colors, emulsifiers) and unintentional compounds (e.g., bisphenol A, pesticides) are largely unstudied in regard to their effects on overall metabolic homeostasis. With that said, many of these contaminants have been found to dysregulate endocrine function, insulin signaling, and/or adipocyte function. Although momentum for the chemical obesogen hypothesis is growing, supportive, evidence-based research is lacking. In order to identify noxious synthetic compounds in the environment out of the thousands of chemicals that are currently in use, tools and models from toxicology should be adopted (e.g., functional high throughput screening methods, zebrafish-based assays). Finally, mechanistic insight into obesogen-induced effects will be helpful in elucidating their role in the obesity epidemic as well as preventing and reversing their effects.

Effects of thiol antioxidant ß-mercaptoethanol on diet-induced obese mice.

AIMS: Obesity and insulin resistance are associated with increased oxidant stress. However, treatments of obese subjects with different types of antioxidants often give mixed outcomes. In this work, we sought to determine if long-term supplementation of a thiol antioxidant, ß-mercaptoethanol, to diet-induced obese mice may improve their health conditions. MAIN METHODS: Middle-age mice with pre-existing diet-induced obesity were provided with low concentration ß-mercaptoethanol (BME) in drinking water for six months. Animals were assessed for body composition, gripping strength, spontaneous physical and metabolic activities, as well as insulin and pyruvate tolerance tests. Markers of inflammation were assessed in plasma, fat tissue, and liver. KEY FINDINGS: BME-treated mice gained less fat mass and more lean mass than the control animals. They also showed increased nocturnal locomotion and respiration, as well as greater gripping strength. BME reduced plasma lipid peroxidation, decreased abdominal fat tissue inflammation, reduced fat infiltration into muscle and liver, and reduced liver and plasma C-reactive protein. However, BME was found to desensitize insulin signaling in vivo, an effect also confirmed by in vitro experiments. SIGNIFICANCE: Long-term supplementation of low dose thiol antioxidant BME improved functional outcomes in animals with pre-existing obesity. Additional studies are needed to address the treatment impact on insulin sensitivity if a therapeutic value is to be explored.

Fibroblasts from type 1 diabetics exhibit enhanced Ca(2+) mobilization after TNF or fat exposure.

The effects of cytokine and fatty acid treatment on signal transduction in dermal fibroblasts from type 1 diabetics and matched controls were compared. Chronic exposure to TNF, accentuated Ca(2+) mobilization in response to bradykinin (BK) in cells from both controls and diabetics; responses were three-fold greater in cells from diabetics than in controls. Similarly, with chronic exposure to IL-1ß, BK-induced Ca(2+) mobilization was accentuated in cells from type 1 diabetics compared to the controls. Pretreatment with the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide or the protein kinase C inhibitor calphostin C prior to the addition of TNF completely abrogated the TNF-induced increment in peak bradykinin response. Ca(2+) transients induced by depleting endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca(2+) with thapsigargin were also greater in TNF treated fibroblasts than in untreated cells, with greater increases in cells from diabetics. Exposing fibroblasts for 48 hours to 2 mM oleate also increased both the peak bradykinin response and the TNF-induced increment in peak response, which were significantly greater in diabetics than controls. These data indicate that cells from diabetic patients acquire elevated ER Ca(2+) stores in response to both cytokines and free fatty acids,and thus exhibit greater sensitivity to environmental inflammatory stimuli and elevated lipids.

Type and amount of lipids influence the molecular and textural properties of a soy soft pretzel.

Altering baked goods by the addition of nutrient-rich ingredients, such as soy and ground almonds, affects the water and lipid distribution of the product and, subsequently, its final quality. Here, we studied how three lipid sources, shortening, canola oil, and ground almonds, affected texture and water distribution in a baked soy pretzel and the molecular mobility in the dough. Pretzel crumb from all formulations exhibited 40-43% moisture with a little more than half present as "freezable" water. Firmness and chewiness decreased with increased shortening and canola oil, whereas firmness and chewiness increased with additional almonds. In contrast, neither springiness nor cohesiveness was affected by the lipid quantity or source. Finally, magnetic resonance imaging of the soy pretzel dough revealed two or three populations of dough components that have distinct molecular mobilities. With increased lipid content, the mobility of each population increased in magnitude and heterogeneity. Interestingly, almonds had the smallest effect on the molecular mobility of the dough but had the largest effect on textural properties. These results provide quantitative insight into the mechanisms by which the lipid source can influence molecular properties that have textural implications for bakery products.

Isoflavone retention during processing, bioaccessibility, and transport by Caco-2 cells: effects of source and amount of fat in a soy soft pretzel.

The impact of source and amount of lipid used to prepare a soy soft pretzel on the bioaccessibility and transport of isoflavones was investigated using the coupled in vitro digestion/Caco-2 human cell model. Pretzels were prepared without or with 2.9 or 6.0% exogenous lipid from either shortening, canola oil, ground almond, or ground hazelnut. The isoflavone backbone structure was stable during pretzel production, although there was partial conversion from malonyl and acetyl glucosides to simple glucosides and aglycones. Endogenous ß-glucosidase activity in ground almond facilitated partial conversion of simple glucosides to aglycones during proofing, resulting in a slight decrease in bioaccessibility of isoflavones as compared with other sources of lipid. Amount and source of lipid did not affect bioaccessibility or uptake and metabolism of isoflavones by Caco-2 cells, although transport across the monolayer was greater with the lesser amount of shortening. These results suggest that the isoflavone structure, but not source or amount of lipid in a soy pretzel, may affect bioavailability of isoflavones.

The effects of soy on freezable bread dough: a magnetic resonance study.

Hygroscopic soy ingredients were hypothesised to slow the rate of water migration in unleavened bread dough during frozen storage. Thawed soy (18% dry weight) and wheat dough samples were assessed using non-destructive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for up to 8 wks frozen storage time. MRI suggested a spatially homogeneous, net increase in proton mobility with frozen storage and, with solution state proton NMR, distinct "free" and "bound" states were discerned. T(2) relaxation times of the majority proton population suggested increased mobility with frozen storage time, and statistical difference from the fresh sample was seen later for the soy samples than the wheat samples. As seen by (13)C-solid state NMR, the crystallinity of the starch was not affected by either soy addition or frozen storage. In conclusion, addition of soy to bakery products led to slightly enhanced preservation of "fresh" characteristics of the dough during frozen storage.

A comparison of satiety, glycemic index, and insulinemic index of wheat-derived soft pretzels with or without soy.

The consumption of nutrient-poor snack foods in Western diets is thought to be contributing to the increasing prevalence of obesity and diabetes. Soy offers unique potential to provide high quality protein, dietary fiber, and phytochemicals to snack foods to produce a more healthful nutritional profile. In this study, 27.3% of wheat flour was replaced with soy ingredients in a soft pretzel and evaluated for impact on satiety, glycemic index (GI), and insulinemic index (II). We first tested the soy pretzel for consumer acceptability by 51 untrained sensory panelists on a 9-point hedonic scale. Second, in a crossover trial, 20 healthy adults consumed soy and traditional pretzels (1000 kJ or 239 kcal each) after an overnight fast. They reported their levels of satiety on a 10 cm visual analog scale (VAS) for 2 h postprandially. Third, 12 healthy, non-diabetic subjects consumed soy or traditional pretzels (50 ± 2 g available carbohydrates) to determine the GI and II of both products. Blood glucose and insulin responses were monitored for 2 h after consumption and compared to a glucose reference. It was found that a consumer-acceptable soy soft pretzel had a lower mean (±SD) GI than its traditional counterpart: 39.1 (±20.4) for soy and 66.4 (±15.3) for wheat, (p = 0.002). However, soy addition did not statistically affect II (p = 0.15), or satiety (p = 0.91). In conclusion, a nutrient-dense soy pretzel formulation with 27.3% of wheat flour replaced by soy ingredients had attenuated postprandial glycemia without significantly affecting insulinemia or satiety in healthy adults.