Protective mechanism of Wnt4 gene on Parkinson’s disease (PD) transgenic Drosophila

Objective: The main pathological change of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is progressive degeneration and necrosis of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain, forming a Lewy body in many of the remaining neurons. Studies have found that in transgenic Drosophila, mutations in the PTEN-inducible kinase 1 (PINK1) gene may cause indirect flight muscle defects in Drosophila, and mitochondrial structural dysfunction as well.

Methods: In this study, Wnt4 gene overexpression and knockdown were performed in PINK1 mutant PD transgenic Drosophila, and the protective effect of Wnt4 gene on PD transgenic Drosophila and its possible mechanism were explored. The Wnt4 gene was screened in the previous experiment; And by using the PD transgenic Drosophila model of the MHC-Gal4/UAS system, the PINK1 gene could be specifically activated in the Drosophila muscle tissue.

Results: In PINK1 mutation transgenic fruit flies, the Wnt4 gene to study its implication on PD transgenic fruit flies’ wing normality and flight ability. We found that overexpression of Wnt4 gene significantly reduced abnormality rate of PD transgenic Drosophila and improved its flight ability, and then, increased ATP concentration, enhanced mitochondrial membrane potential and normalized mitochondrial morphology were found. All of these findings suggested Wnt4 gene may have a protective effect on PD transgenic fruit flies. Furthermore, in Wnt4 gene overexpression PD transgenic Drosophila, down-regulation autophagy and apoptosis-related proteins Ref(2)P, Pro-Caspase3, and up-regulation of Beclin1, Atg8a, Bcl2 protein were confirmed by Western Blotting.

Conclusion: The results imply that the restoring of mitochondrial function though Wnt4 gene overexpression in the PINK1 mutant transgenic Drosophila may be related to autophagy and/or apoptosis.     

A survey of the occurrence of α-dicarbonyl compounds and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in dried fruits,fruit juices,puree and concentrates

The aim of this study is to survey the content of α-dicarbonyl compounds and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in different processed fruit products. For this purpose, different commercial fruit products including dried fruits, fruit purees, puree concentrates, juices, and juice concentrates, as the examples of solid, semi-solid and liquid samples of sugar-rich and acidic food systems were analyzed. Among the α-dicarbonyl compounds, 3-deoxyglucosone, glucosone, 1-deoxyglucosone, 3-deoxypentosone, threosone, diacetyl, methylglyoxal, and glyoxal were monitored. 3-deoxyglucosone formation, which was the dominant dicarbonyl compound in fruit products, varied between 21.9–4117.0 mg/kg, was the highest in dried fruits. 5-hydroxymethylfurfural could not be detected in fruit puree concentrates, whereas the highest concentration of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural with the median level ranging between not detectable and 2136.5 mg/kg was found in dried fruits. The results confirmed that lower pH and moisture promoted the formation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in fruit products. Accordingly, the concentrations of dicarbonyl compounds were found significantly higher than the levels of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in all types of fruit products.     

类叶牡丹果实超临界提取物成分分析及其抗菌活性研究

目的:超临界提取黑龙江类叶牡丹果实中脂溶性性化学成分,GC-MS分析其组成,并对其进行抗菌活性研究。方法:应用超临界-CO2法提取类叶牡丹果实,采用气质联用(GC-MS)技术进行成分分析测定,对类叶牡丹果实超临界提取物采用微量二倍连续梯度稀释法测定最小抑菌浓度(MIC),平板转种法测定最小杀菌浓度(MBC)。结果:利用峰面积归一化法,共鉴定出了40个化学成分,相对百分含量占总离子流成分的94.24%,脂肪酸酯类占38.707%,其中甲酸异戊酯(isopentyl formate)相对含量最高,达到了22.536%,脂肪酸类化合物占36.88%,脂肪醇占8.005%,烷烃占5.51%,尚含醚、酮类、烯烃类、生物碱类和芳香族化合物。类叶牡丹果实超临界提取物对各菌株均有很好的抗菌活性。结论:类叶牡丹果实超临界-CO2提取的脂溶性成分脂肪酸酯和脂肪酸含量较高。本方法为类叶牡丹果实脂溶性成分的提取分析提供了一种选择,且提取物对4种菌株均有抑制和灭活作用。     

Edentulism, use of dentures and consumption of fruit and vegetables in south Brazilian community-dwelling elderly

There is evidence suggesting that edentulous older persons modify their diet, avoiding foods that are difficult to chew, such as fruit and vegetables; meanwhile, the consumption of these foods is associated with prevention of chronic diseases. However, few studies evaluated whether a poor oral status without prosthetic rehabilitation is associated with a reduction in the consumption of fruit and vegetables in community-dwelling older persons. We evaluated the association of oral status with emphasis on complete dentures use with the daily consumption of at least 400 g of fruit and vegetables, following the recommendations of the WHO. A random sample of 282 south Brazilians ≥60 years of age was evaluated. Measurements included a questionnaire to assess sociodemographic, behaviour, and health data; consume of fruit and vegetables by means of a 24-h diet recall, and oral status assessment, by means of oral examinations assessing the number of teeth and use of dental prosthesis. Multivariate Poisson regression showed that the only variable significantly associated with inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetables was edentulism with the use of only one denture [PR=1·75 (1·11-2·74)]. Edentulous participants wearing only one denture were less likely to consume at least 400 g day(-1) of fruit and vegetables. These results indicate that, in edentulous community-dwelling elderly, oral health rehabilitation might play an important role in the maintenance of consumption of adequate amounts of fruit and vegetables, which is an important component of a healthy diet and also in the prevention of chronic diseases.     

Impact of a Pilot School-Based Nutrition Intervention on Fruit and Vegetable Waste at School Lunches

ObjectiveTo determine the preliminary impact of the Brighter Bites nutrition intervention on decreasing fruit and vegetable (F&V) waste at school lunches among fourth- and fifth-grade children.MethodThis was a nonrandomized pre–post-controlled study in Houston and Dallas, TX. Two schools received the Brighter Bites intervention (n = 76), and 1 comparison school (n = 39), during the 2017-2018 school year. Brighter Bites is a 16-week school-based nutrition intervention providing weekly distribution of fresh F&V plus nutrition education. Main outcome measures were direct observation and weights to measure the number of F&V dishes selected at school lunches, amount of F&V wasted (gm), and related nutrient waste (4 time points/child). Mixed-effects linear regression analysis was used to determine change in F&V selection and waste over time.ResultsThere was a significant decrease over time in proportion of F&V selected among those in the comparison school, but not the intervention schools (P < .001). Compared with children in the comparison group, those receiving Brighter Bites showed a significant decrease in the amount of F&V wasted at each meal (P < .001) and per item (P < .05) at the end of both 8 and 16 weeks of intervention. There were significant decreases in waste of energy (kcal); dietary fiber (gm); vitamins B₁, B₃, and B₆ (mg); total folate (µg); and B₁₂ (µg) among those receiving Brighter Bites (P < .05).Conclusions and ImplicationsAlthough absolute food or nutrient changes were small even when significant, programs such as Brighter Bites may contribute to a healthy intake. Future studies are warranted that include a larger sample size with a stringent, cluster-randomized control trial design and consideration for other covariates.     

Dual effects of a mixture of grape pomace (Campbell Early) and Omija fruit ethanol extracts on lipid metabolism and the antioxidant defense system in diet-induced obese mice

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

We investigated the effects of a combination of grape pomace (Vitis labrusca, Campbell Early) and Omija fruit (Schizandra chinensis, Baillon) ethanol extracts on lipid metabolism and antioxidant defense system in diet-induced obese mice.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Forty male C57BL/6J mice were divided into four groups and fed high-fat diet (control group, CON) or high-fat diet added 0.5% grape pomace extract (GPE), 0.05% Omija fruit extract (OFE) or 0.5% GPE plus 0.05% OFE (GPE+OFE) for 12 weeks.

RESULTS

In contrast to the GPE- or OFE-supplemented groups, the GPE+OFE group showed significantly lower body weight and white adipose tissue weights than the CON group. Moreover, GPE+OFE supplementation significantly decreased plasma total cholesterol and increased the plasma HDL-cholesterol/total-cholesterol ratio (HTR) compared to the control diet. The hepatic triglyceride level was significantly lower in the GPE+OFE and GPE groups by increasing β-oxidation and decreasing lipogenic enzyme compared to the CON group. Furthermore, GPE+OFE supplementation significantly increased antioxidant enzyme activities with a simultaneous decrease in liver H₂O₂ content compared to the control diet.

CONCLUSIONS

Together our results suggest that supplementation with the GPE+OFE mixture may be more effective in improving adiposity, lipid metabolism and oxidative stress in high-fat diet-fed mice than those with GPE and OFE alone.