Do the contemporary dietary patterns of children align with national food and nutrient recommendations?

BACKGROUND: Childhood nutrition is important in optimising growth, development and future health. The present study compared dietary intakes of Australian children aged 4-8 years with (i) Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) food group recommendations and (ii) age-specific Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs), in addition to (iii) describing food group intakes of children meeting key NRVs. METHODS: Data were obtained from a representative sample of children (n = 789) from the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey between May 2011 and June 2012. Parent-reported 24-h recall dietary data were disaggregated into five core food groups, along with energy-dense, nutrient-poor (EDNP) foods, with intakes being compared with AGHE recommendations. Food group intakes were compared for children meeting the NRVs for 10 nutrients used for the development of AGHE food groups. Chi-squared and t-tests were performed to determine differences in food group intakes with P < 0.05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Only one child met the recommended daily servings for all AGHE core food groups and none met both core and energy-dense, nutrient-poor (EDNP) food group recommendations. The lowest level of alignment (percentage meeting recommendations) was for vegetables (4.6%) and the highest was for fruit (47.7%). Mean (SD) daily intake of EDNP foods [4.7 (3.2) serves day-1 ] accounted for 38.4% of total energy intakes. Children meeting key NRVs (n = 395) consumed greater daily servings of fruit [2.2 (1.7)], dairy [2.2 (1.2)] and EDNP foods [5.0 (3.4)] compared to the total sample (n = 789). CONCLUSIONS: Significant discrepancies exist between contemporary dietary patterns of Australian children and national recommendations. Future AGHE revisions should incorporate greater diversity of consumption patterns, including sub-categories of EDNP foods.

Murine hematopoietic cells with pre-B or pre-B/myeloid characteristics are generated by in vitro transformation with retroviruses containing fes, ras, abl, and src oncogenes.

In vitro infection of bone marrow or fetal liver cells with retroviruses containing fes, abl, ras, or src oncogenes resulted in the transformation of early B lineage cells. All cell lines tested possessed rearrangements at the Ig heavy chain locus and some had rearrangements at the K chain locus. The majority of the lines corresponded phenotypically to Lyb-2+, Ly-5(B220)+, ThB- large pre-B cells, although some were classified as pro-B cells because of their Lyb-2+, Ly-17+, Ly-5(B220)- phenotype. We identified two cell lines that contained subpopulations of cells that coexpressed the B lineage antigens Lyb-2 and Ly-5(B220) and the myeloid lineage antigen Mac-1. Single-cell FMF cloning of these subpopulations showed that Mac-1+ cells were derived from Mac-1- cells and that these Mac-1+-cloned cells further differentiated into cells with phenotypic and functional characteristics of mature macrophages.

Expression of the 6C3 antigen on murine hematopoietic neoplasms. Association with expression of abl, ras, fes, src, erbB, and Cas NS-1 oncogenes but not with myc.

The monoclonal antibody 6C3 was used to test a wide variety of murine hematopoietic neoplasms for cell surface expression of a 160 kD glycoprotein (gp160(6C3)) previously shown to be expressed by neoplastic pre-B and some B lymphocytes transformed by Abelson murine leukemia virus (A-MuLV). This antigen was expressed on many pre-B and B cell lymphomas, but not on A-MuLV-transformed fibroblasts, T cell lymphomas, or myelomonocytic leukemias, gp160(6C3) was expressed by most early B-lineage spontaneous tumors, and early B tumors induced by replication-defective MuLV-containing oncogenes the products of which are associated with the cytoplasmic aspect of the plasma membrane, i.e., fes, abl, H-ras, bas, src, erbB, and Cas NS-1. By comparison, none of the early B lineage lymphomas induced by the "nuclear" oncogene avian v-myc MuLV, or arising in mice transgenic for a murine c-myc gene, or later B cell lineage stages bearing translocations of the c-myc locus expressed this antigen.

Allelic exclusion in transgenic mice that express the membrane form of immunoglobulin mu.

Antibody-producing cells display a special form of regulation whereby each cell produces immunoglobulin from only one of its two sets of antibody genes. This phenomenon, called allelic exclusion, is thought to be mediated by the product of one heavy chain allele restricting the expression of the other. Heavy chains are synthesized in two molecular forms, secreted and membrane bound. In order to determine whether it is specifically the membrane-bound form of the immunoglobulin M (IgM) heavy chain (mu) that mediates this regulation, transgenic mice were created that carry a human mu chain gene altered so that it can only direct the synthesis of the membrane-bound protein. The membrane-bound form of the human mu chain was made by most of the B cells in these animals as measured by assays of messenger RNA and surface immunoglobulins. Further, the many B cells that express the human gene do not express endogenous mouse IgM, and the few B cells that express endogenous mouse mu do not express the transgene. Thus, the membrane-bound form of the mu chain is sufficient to mediate allelic exclusion. In addition, the molecular structures recognized for this purpose are conserved between human and mouse systems.

Infection of immune mast cells by Harvey sarcoma virus: immortalization without loss of requirement for interleukin-3.

Cells from adult mouse spleens were cultured in WEHI-3 cell-conditioned medium, which contains the lymphokine interleukin-3 (IL-3). Under these conditions, cells grow well for 4 to 8 weeks; the cultures contain a variety of cell types for the first 1 to 2 weeks but are subsequently composed largely of immune mast cells. We found that infection of these cultures with Harvey sarcoma virus (HaSV) profoundly enhanced the growth potential of the cells, resulting in the reproducible isolation of long-term cell lines. These HaSV-infected cells appeared to be phenotypically identical to the immune mast cells found in uninfected cultures as determined by biochemical, immunological, and cytological tests. Although the cells expressed protein p21Ha-ras at levels similar to those in HaSV-transformed fibroblasts, they continued to require IL-3 for growth in vitro. Similar IL-3-dependent, long-term mast cell lines were also cultured from the enlarged spleens present in HaSV-infected mice. These results suggest that high-level expression of an activated Ha-ras oncogene enhances growth in these cells, perhaps by stimulating the progression of the cells into S, without affecting differentiation or altering the requirements for normal growth factor.

Transformation of murine bone marrow cells with combined v-raf-v-myc oncogenes yields clonally related mature B cells and macrophages.

Murine bone marrow cells infected with replication-defective retroviruses containing v-raf alone or v-myc alone yielded transformed pre-B cell lines, while a retroviral construct containing both v-raf and v-myc oncogenes produced clonally related populations of mature B cells and mature macrophages. The genealogy of these transformants demonstrates that mature myeloid cells were derived from cells with apparent B-lineage commitment and functional immunoglobulin rearrangements. This system should facilitate studies of developmental relationships in hematopoietic differentiation and analysis of lineage determination.

Measurement of molecular interactions in living cells by fluorescence resonance energy transfer between variants of the green fluorescent protein.

Many signal transduction pathways operate through oligomerization of proteins into multi-subunit complexes. Although biochemical assays can identify potential protein-protein interactions, studying these interactions in living cells is more challenging. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) has been used as a "spectroscopic ruler" to measure molecular proximity, but these methods have been limited by the need for chemical labeling of target proteins or labeled antibodies. We present methods for examining interactions between target proteins molecularly fused to cyan and yellow variants of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) by FRET in living cells. Flow cytometric and microscope-based methods are described that have been applied to a variety of interacting proteins.

The effect of age on antigen retention in lymphoid follicles and in collagenous tissue of mice.

Our major objectives were to determine (1) when mice develop the cellular mechanisms necessary to trap and retain immune complexes in lymphoid follicles, (2) whether the ability to trap and retain immune complexes in lymphoid and collagenous tissues was maintained in old animals, and (3) whether the pattern of antigen localization in lymphoid follicles was altered as a consequence of ageing. Mice were passively immunized with a standardized amount of specific antibody and then challenged in the foot pads with radioactive antigen. The results indicated that newborn, and 1- and 2-week-old BALB/c mice lacked the cells or cellular mechanism necessary for trapping, localizing, and retaining immune complexes in lymphoid follicles. By 3 weeks, however, this ability to trap, retain, and localize antigen became apparent. The ability to trap and retain immune complexes on tendons and in lymphoid tissues was maintained as long as 27-30 months. A comparison of the quantity of antigen retained per mg of tissue in young-adult (6 months of age) and in old (27-30 months of age) mice indicated that old mice retained slightly more antigen in lymphoid tissues and substantially more on tendons. Antigen retained in spleens of both young-adult and old mice was localized in follicles by 24 h. However, the antigen retained in lymph nodes of old mice remained in the subcapsular sinus and adjacent superficial cortex and was not localized in follicles even after a full week. The cellular mechanisms necessary to trap and retain immune complexes in lymphoid tissue appear to develop in BALB/c mice a few weeks after birth and persist throughout life. However, localization of antigen in the lymphoid follicles of lymph nodes diminishes in old mice. The antigen trapping capability of collagenous tissues was not only maintained in old mice but was substantially increased.

Long-term lymphoid reconstitution of SCID mice suggests self-renewing B and T cell populations in peripheral and mucosal tissues.

Peyer's patch, peripheral lymph node, and mesenteric lymph node cells were transferred to immunodeficient SCID mice to assess the long-term (150-300 days) potential of these cells to repopulate the host's immune system. Results demonstrate that, irrespective of donor population, total serum Ig and isotype distribution appear normal within 4 weeks of reconstitution and remain at normal levels for up to one year following cell transfer. At the cellular level, each donor population reconstitutes splenic T and B cell compartments in a progressive and quantitatively indistinguishable manner. Immunohistological analyses of reconstituted mice indicate that, although some qualitative differences are evident, normal splenic composition and architecture are observed. In contrast, gut reconstitution varies significantly with donor population. Peyer's patch cells yield normal-appearing gut tissue with extensive infiltration of the lamina propria and intraepithelial compartments by T cells and IgA-secreting plasma cells. Peripheral lymph node cells give rise to T cells found almost exclusively in the lamina propria, while IgA secreting plasma cells are rarely detected. The course and extent of reconstitution further suggest that all donor populations contain long-lived T and B cells as well as self-renewing lymphocytes capable of extensive expansion. This latter observation has potentially important implications for both transplantation biology and gene therapy applications.

Migration of chicken yolk sac cells to bursa of fabricius supernatants.

Investigators have suggested that a bursal chemotactic factor exists that selectively attracts hemopoietic stem cells. This theory was investigated by determining the ability of embryonic (10- through 14-day) bursal supernatants to cause migration of age-matched yolk sac cells using blind well chambers. Supernatants of 10, 11, 13 and 14-day bursae caused specific migration of yolk sac cells whereas 12-day bursal supernatants inhibited migration of 12-day yolk sac cells. Ten-day migrating cells consisted of pro- and basophilic erythroblasts and hemopoietic stem cells which formed erythroid colonies in a chorioallantoic membrane-colony forming unit (CAM-CFU) assay.

Characteristics of a murine gammaherpesvirus infection immunocompromised mice.

BACKGROUND-MATERIALS: Mice with normal or impaired immune function were studied for responses to intranasal infection with MHV68, a gammaherpesvirus that acutely infects lung epithelial cells and establishes latency in B cells. Infection of normal mice induced a vigorous pulmonary inflammatory response composed of T, B, and NK cells and macrophages and stimulated activation and proliferation of T and B cells in spleen. METHODS-RESULTS-CONCLUSIONS: Resolution of the infection was associated with induction of MHV68-specific antibodies, but virus-specific cytotoxic T cells were not detected. Mice inoculated with retroviruses that induce severe immunodeficiency unexpectedly cleared MHV68 from lung in the same time-frame as controls and failed to develop latency as determined by infectious center tests of spleen cells. In contrast, control of MHV68 infection in spleen and/or lung was impaired in mice deficient in CD4+ or CD8+ T cells or both T cell subsets, B cells, IFN-gamma, or inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Infection was uniformly lethal in nude and iNOS-deficient mice and killed one-third of IFN-gamma-deficient mice. These results indicate that resistance to MHV68 is markedly influenced by expression of IFN-gamma from T cells leading to induction of iNOS and generation of nitric oxide.

Perceived self-care information needs and information--seeking behaviors before and after elective spinal procedures.

Patients undergoing elective lumbar spinal surgical procedures pose a challenge to nurses who provide discharge instruction, because the decreased length of stay (LOS) severely limits time for comprehensive discharge instruction. The perspectives of 15 adult patients on their perceived self-care information needs and information seeking behaviors following elective spinal surgical procedures were examined. Content analytic techniques were used to categorize responses. Preoperatively, a majority of the subjects (93.3%) indicated that the neurosurgeon rather than the nurse, was anticipated to be the sole source of information related to self-care needs. Postdischarge, more than half of the subjects reported that they had difficulty describing the teaching session because they were either too sedated due to the analgesia, or were experiencing extreme pain at the time the discharge instruction was being delivered. Results substantiate the importance of supplementing oral discharge instruction with comprehensive written discharge instruction and of increasing public awareness of the teaching expertise of nurses.