The impact of food branding on children's eating behavior and obesity

Branding is a technique used by the food industry to create a recognizable image to attract consumers and hopefully boost sales of the product. Children recognize food brands from a young age, but their impact on the development of eating behaviors and obesity is unclear. In addition, the notion that some branding techniques may be used to increase intake of healthful foods, like fruits and vegetables, has not been rigorously investigated. Three laboratory-based intake studies designed to test the impact of common food brands on children's eating habits are presented. In the first study, four to six year-old children (n=43) were exposed to ad libitum test-meals where foods were presented either with or without their associated branding. In the second study, a novel food brand based Stroop task was developed and tested to assess children's cognitive response to food brands, and following this procedure, seven to nine year-old children (n=41) ate ad libitum test-meals consisting of foods packaged with or without a logo from a popular fast food restaurant. Finally, a pilot intervention was conducted with four to five year-old children (n=16) to demonstrate the efficacy of using licensed (spokes) characters to package and promote intake of fruits and vegetables. These studies demonstrate that branding is an important influence on what and how much children eat, but some children may be more susceptible to these influences than others. Future studies are needed to better understand the influence that child age, sex, and obesity has on response to food branding and marketing.     

Efficacy of eculizumab in a patient with factor-H-associated atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare, chronic, life-threatening disease due to complement dysregulation. The use of early-onset plasma therapy is recommended, but optimal long-term treatment regimen is not well defined. Eculizumab, a monoclonal humanized anti-C5 antibody, has shown success in patients with aHUS. We report a 7-year-old girl with aHUS associated with factor H mutations successfully treated with eculizumab. Weekly plasma infusion (PI) of 25–30 ml/kg with short-term intensified PI during aHUS exacerbations was effective for 4.3 years. Progressive mild renal failure (stage 2) was attributed to chronic glomerular lesions. Subsequently, she exhibited aHUS exacerbation unresponsive to intensified PI. Eculizumab was initiated at 600 mg, resulting in immediate and complete inhibition of terminal complement activation. During the week following treatment, we observed a complete reversal of aHUS activity. She has been receiving 600 mg eculizumab every 2 weeks for the last 12 months. She had no aHUS exacerbation, and serum creatinine level returned to normal. In this patient, eculizumab led to control of PI-resistant aHUS exacerbation and chronic microangiopathic hemolytic activity. Clinical trials are ongoing to assess the safety and efficacy of this drug in the management of aHUS.     

Assessment of clarithromycin susceptibility in strains belonging to the Mycobacterium abscessus group by erm(41) and rrl sequencing

Clarithromycin was the drug of choice for Mycobacterium abscessus infections until inducible resistance due to erm(41) was described. Because M. abscessus was split into M. abscessus sensu stricto, Mycobacterium massiliense, and Mycobacterium bolletii, we looked for erm(41) in the three species and determined their clarithromycin susceptibility levels. Ninety strains were included: 87 clinical strains from cystic fibrosis patients (61%) and others (39%), representing 43 M. abscessus, 30 M. massiliense, and 14 M. bolletii strains identified on a molecular basis, and 3 reference strains. Clarithromycin and azithromycin MICs were determined by broth microdilution and Etest with a 14-day incubation period. Mutations in rrl (23S rRNA gene) known to confer acquired clarithromycin resistance were also sought. erm(41) was detected in all strains but with two deletions in all M. massiliense strains. These strains were indeed susceptible to clarithromycin (MIC(90) of 1 μg/ml) except for four strains with rrl mutations. M. abscessus strains harbored an intact erm(41) but had a T/C polymorphism at the 28th nucleotide: T28 strains (Trp10 codon) demonstrated inducible clarithromycin resistance (MIC(90) of >16 μg/ml), while C28 strains (Arg10) were susceptible (MIC(90) of 2 μg/ml) except for two strains with rrl mutations. M. bolletii strains had erm(41) sequences similar to the sequence of the T28 M. abscessus group, associated with inducible clarithromycin resistance (MIC(90) of >16 μg/ml). erm(41) sequences appeared species specific within the M. abscessus group and were fully concordant with clarithromycin susceptibility when erm(41) sequencing was associated with detection of rrl mutations. Clarithromycin-resistant strains, including the six rrl mutants, were more often isolated in cystic fibrosis patients, but this was not significantly associated with a previous treatment.     

Algae extract-mediated stimulation and protection of proteasome activity within human keratinocytes exposed to UVA and UVB irradiation

Sun exposure is the major environmental influence for epidermal cells; the harmful effect of UV radiation on skin is related to the generation of reactive oxygen species that alter cellular components including proteins. It is now well established that the proteasome is responsible for the degradation of most of oxidized proteins and that impairment of proteasome function is a hallmark of cellular aging. In a previous study, we investigated the effects of UV irradiation on proteasomes in human keratinocyte cultures and showed that all three peptidase activities were decreased 24 h after irradiation of the cells. Increased levels of oxidatively modified proteins were observed in irradiated cells and were found to act as endogenous inhibitors of the proteasome. We report here on the stimulating and protective effects of an algae extract, prepared from Phaeodactylum tricornutum, on proteasome peptidase activities of human keratinocytes exposed to UVA and UVB irradiation. In addition, preserving proteasome function resulted in lowering the extent of the irradiation-induced protein oxidative damage, opening up new strategies for protection of epidermal cells against the detrimental effects of UV irradiation.     

A redox-regulated chloroplast protein phosphatase binds to starch diurnally and functions in its accumulation

Starch is the ultimate storage molecule formed in the photosynthetic fixation of carbon dioxide by chloroplasts. Starch accumulates during the day and is degraded at night to intermediates that are exported to heterotrophic organs. The mechanism by which diurnal cycles control the transitory biosynthesis and degradation of chloroplast starch has long remained a mystery. We now report evidence that a dual-specificity protein phosphatase, DSP4, binds to starch granules during the day and dissociates at night. Disruption of the DSP4 gene resulted in a dramatic increase in the level of starch in mutant Arabidopsis plants. Moreover, although composition was apparently unchanged, the morphology of the starch granule was significantly altered compared to the wild type counterpart. Two regulatory factors linked to light (i.e., pH and redox status) changed both the activity and the starch-binding capacity of DSP4. The results further revealed that DSP4 represents a major fraction of granule-bound phosphatase activity during the day but not at night. Our study suggests that DSP4 acts as a bridge between light-induced redox changes and protein phosphorylation in the regulation of starch accumulation.     

Rose spring dwarf-associated virus has RNA structural and gene-expression features like those of Barley yellow dwarf virus

We determined the complete nucleotide sequence of the Rose spring dwarf-associated virus (RSDaV) genomic RNA (GenBank accession no. EU024678) and compared its predicted RNA structural characteristics affecting gene expression. A cDNA library was derived from RSDaV double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) purified from infected tissue. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the cloned cDNAs, plus for clones generated by 5'- and 3'-RACE showed the RSDaV genomic RNA to be 5808 nucleotides. The genomic RNA contains five major open reading frames (ORFs), and three small ORFs in the 3'-terminal 800 nucleotides, typical for viruses of genus Luteovirus in the family Luteoviridae. Northern blot hybridization analysis revealed the genomic RNA and two prominent subgenomic RNAs of approximately 3 kb and 1 kb. Putative 5' ends of the sgRNAs were predicted by identification of conserved sequences and secondary structures which resembled the Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) genomic RNA 5' end and subgenomic RNA promoter sequences. Secondary structures of the BYDV-like ribosomal frameshift elements and cap-independent translation elements, including long-distance base pairing spanning four kb were identified. These contain similarities but also informative differences with the BYDV structures, including a strikingly different structure predicted for the 3' cap-independent translation element. These analyses of the RSDaV genomic RNA show more complexity for the RNA structural elements for members of the Luteoviridae.     

Histone deacetylase inhibitors impair antibacterial defenses of macrophages

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) control gene expression by deacetylating histones and nonhistone proteins. HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) are powerful anticancer drugs that exert anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities. We recently reported a proof-of-concept study demonstrating that HDACi increase susceptibility to bacterial infections in vivo. Yet, still little is known about the effects of HDACi on antimicrobial innate immune defenses. Here we show that HDACi belonging to different chemical classes inhibit at multiple levels the response of macrophages to bacterial infection. HDACi reduce the phagocytosis and the killing of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus by macrophages. In line with these findings, HDACi decrease the expression of phagocytic receptors and inhibit bacteria-induced production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species by macrophages. Consistently, HDACi impair the expression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase subunits and inducible nitric oxide synthase. These data indicate that HDACi have a strong impact on critical antimicrobial defense mechanisms in macrophages.     

Morphological and functional stasis in mycorrhizal root nodules as exhibited by a Triassic conifer

Mycorrhizal root nodules occur in the conifer families Araucariaceae, Podocarpaceae, and Sciadopityaceae. Although the fossil record of these families can be traced back into the early Mesozoic, the oldest fossil evidence of root nodules previously came from the Cretaceous. Here we report on cellularly preserved root nodules of the early conifer Notophytum from Middle Triassic permineralized peat of Antarctica. These fossil root nodules contain fungal arbuscules, hyphal coils, and vesicles in their cortex. Numerous glomoid-type spores are found in the peat matrix surrounding the nodules. This discovery indicates that mutualistic associations between conifer root nodules and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi date back to at least the early Mesozoic, the period during which most of the modern conifer families first appeared. Notophytum root nodules predate the next known appearance of this association by 100 million years, indicating that this specialized form of mycorrhizal symbiosis has ancient origins.     

Parent artery occlusion is not obsolete in giant aneurysms of the ICA. Experience with very-long-term follow-up

Introduction  

The purpose of this study was to present the long-term clinical and angiographic follow-up (FU) in 26 consecutive patients with giant/large aneurysms (G/LAs) of the internal carotid artery (ICA) treated by parent artery occlusion (PAO).