Assessing the SAIN,LIM nutrient profile of foods sold by fast food restaurants in Tunisia: Exploring ways for improvement

ObjectivesNon-communicable diseases have increased in Tunisia after the epidemiological transition. That is why the national strategy to prevent and control obesity was elaborated and implemented. Improving the quality of foods is one axis of this strategy. The purpose of this paper was to estimate and evaluate the nutritional profiles of Tunisian foods sold by fast food restaurants, and explore ways for improvement.Material and methodsNutritional quality of 35 average recipes or items was assessed by 70 recipes of dishes sold by fast food restaurants. The SAIN,LIM French scoring system was used. Foods were classified into the four SAIN,LIM classes, i.e. from the healthiest (class 1) to the least healthy (class 4). The recipes were then reformulated and improved by deleting or reducing some unfavorable ingredients like salt.ResultsBefore reformulation, the items were spread over the 4 SAIN,LIM classes (class 1: 42.9%; class 2: 8.6%; class 3: 20.0% and class 4: 28.6%). After reformulation, the items were spread over class 1 (85.7%) and class 3 (14.3%), showing clear improvement of their nutritional quality.ConclusionIn Tunisia, an important percentage of foods sold by fast food restaurant have a good nutrient profile (43%). After reformulation, most items were in the healthiest class. This study is the first to show that it is possible to improve the nutritional quality of foods sold by fast food restaurants, and that the SAIN,LIM system can help to that end.     

Hsa-miR-218靶向调控LASP1对宫颈癌HeLa细胞生长的影响

目的:探讨人微小RNA-218(Homo sapiens microRNA-218,hsa-miR-218)对宫颈癌HeLa细胞生长的影响及分子机制。方法:构建hsa-miR-218的重组慢病毒表达载体pmiR-218,并将pmiR-218感染至HeLa细胞,台盼蓝拒染法检测细胞数量的变化,WST-8法检测细胞活力,构建萤光素酶报告基因载体验证miR-218与LIM和SH3蛋白1(LASP1)的相互结合作用,real-time PCR检测LASP1的mRNA相对表达水平,Western blot检测LASP1蛋白的表达水平。结果:经DNA测序证实与设计完全一致,测序结果显示成功构建了重组慢病毒表达载体pmiR-218。pmiR-218转染HeLa细胞72 h后HeLa细胞存活数量为176±9,对HeLa细胞活力的抑制率具有时间效应关系,较空白对照组比较,差异显著(P0.05);萤光素酶活性结果显示,克隆LASP1-3’UTR的质粒与miR-218 mimics共转染293T细胞,引起萤光素酶活性的减低;real-time PCR结果显示转染pmiR-218后,miR-218表达水平增加;过表达miR-128能下调LASP1 mRNA及蛋白的相对表达水平,与空白对照组及阴性对照组比较,差异显著(P0.01)。结论:pmiR-218有效抑制HeLa细胞的生长,并具有时间-效应关系,其机制可能是miR-218通过靶向结合LASP1的3’UTR,从而下调其在HeLa细胞的表达有关。     

MK2 plays an important role for the increased vascular permeability that follows thermal injury

We previously reported Rho kinase is involved in vessel hyper-permeability caused by burns. Here we further explore the Rho kinase downstream signaling, it is found that its specific inhibitor Y27632 significantly diminishes the activation of JNK and p38 MAPKs but not ERK that induced by serum from burned rats (burn-serum). JNK activation was found involved in the expression of HUVEC adhesion molecules following thermal injury, although not in the process of stress fiber formation. Inhibition of various MAPKs by specific inhibitors showed that SB203580 (inhibitor of p38), but neither SP600125 (inhibitor of JNK) nor PD98059 (inhibitor of ERK), abolish activation of the p38 downstream kinase MK2. Demonstration of stress fibers by fluorescent-labeled phalloidin showed that inhibition of MK2, either by its specific inhibitor or by dominant negative adeno-viral-carried constructs, significantly reduced burn-serum-induced HUVEC stress-fiber formation, while inhibition of another downstream p38 MAPK kinase, PRAK, had no such effects. Transfection of dominant negative adeno-viral MK2 (Ad-MK2(A)) significantly inhibited thermal injury-induced blood vessel hyper-permeability in rats and, moreover, prolonged the survival of burned rats beyond 72 h following thermal injury. One of the mechanisms behind these phenomena is that Ad-MK2(A) causes a significant depression of burn-serum-induced HSP27-phosphorylation, while the adeno-viral transported dominant negative PRAK (Ad-PRAK(A)) does not block. Although the effect of blockade of MK2 through its adeno-viral approach requires further study and investigation of alternatives to know for sure, we may have found a new pathway behind thermal-injury-induced blood vessel hyper-permeability, namely: Rho kinase > p38 > MK2 > HSP27.     

LIM矿化蛋白1在大鼠牙髓损伤修复中的时空表达

目的:探讨LIM矿化蛋白1(LIM mineralization protein 1,LMP-1)在大鼠磨牙牙髓损伤修复中的表达.方法:建立大鼠磨牙牙髓损伤修复动物模型,用免疫组织化学染色方法观察LMP-1在大鼠牙髓损伤修复中的表达,并用Image-Pro Plus 6.0图像分析软件及单因素方差分析比较各组间的差异.结果:在正常大鼠牙髓组织中LMP-1表达阴性;在大鼠牙髓损伤后1d,LMP-1表达于成牙本质细胞及部分牙髓成纤维细胞;术后3 d,LMP-1表达于坏死牙髓下方的细胞增殖层;术后7d,LMP-1显著表达于增殖活跃的牙髓细胞及部分成牙本质细胞中.结论:LMP-1在牙髓损伤修复过程中呈时空特异性表达,可能参与成牙本质细胞及牙髓细胞的增殖、分化及修复性牙本质的形成.     

hLMO1编码基因重组质粒的构建及蛋白的表达和定位

目的 构建hLMO1真核表达载体并证实融合蛋白在细胞内的表达及定位.方法 以人胎脑文库cDNA为模板,PCR扩增hLMO1基因cDNA全长,亚克隆至pEGFP表达载体中.将构建的重组质粒进行酶切测序鉴定,并转染到人上皮细胞---HEK293细胞中,提取细胞蛋白进行Western blot检测.利用激光扫描共聚焦显微镜观察pEGFP-hLMO1在HEK293细胞内的定位.结果 hLMO1基因cDNA全长克隆到了真核表达载体pEGFP中,酶切鉴定片段为471 bp.Western blot检测到了融合蛋白表达,分子量约为45 kDa.pEGFR-LMO1在人HEK293细胞核与细胞质均有表达.结论 成功构建了hLMO1基因cDNA全长的真核表达载体,pEGFP-LMO1蛋白定位于HEK293细胞的细胞质和细胞核内.     

Mechanical stress-induced sarcomere assembly for cardiac muscle growth in length and width

A ventricular myocyte experiences changes in length and load during every beat of the heart and has the ability to remodel cell shape to maintain cardiac performance. Specifically, myocytes elongate in response to increased diastolic strain by adding sarcomeres in series, and they thicken in response to continued systolic stress by adding filaments in parallel. Myocytes do this while still keeping the resting sarcomere length close to its optimal value at the peak of the length-tension curve. This review focuses on the little understood mechanisms by which direction of growth is matched in a physiologically appropriate direction. We propose that the direction of strain is detected by differential phosphorylation of proteins in the costamere, which then transmit signaling to the Z-disc for parallel or series addition of thin filaments regulated via the actin capping processes. In this review, we link mechanotransduction to the molecular mechanisms for regulation of myocyte length and width.     

RBPJ与KyoT2真核表达载体的构建与鉴定

目的：构建含有myc—RBPJ（R218H）（recombination binding protein—J）、myc—KyoT2融合基因片段的质粒，并在真核细胞中表达、鉴定。方法：由本科室保存质粒酶切分别得到RBPJ（R218H）和myc—Ky0T2基因片段，将RBPJ（R218H）基因插入载体PCMV—myc中，获得融合基因myc—RBP—J（R218H），将myc—RBPJ（R218H）和myc—KyoT2插入真核表达载体pIRES2-EGFP，构建真核表达载体myc—RBPJ（R218H）-IRES2-EGFP、myc—KyoT2-IRES2-EGFP。以其瞬时转染HEK293细胞，应用免疫印迹与流式细胞术检测融合蛋白与绿色荧光蛋白的表达。结果：正确获得myc—RBPJ（R218H）融合基因，DNA序列分析表明所构建的含myc—RBPJ（R218H）、myc—KyoT2融合基因的质粒与设计相同，myc—RBPJ（R218H）、myc—Ky0T2融合蛋白与绿色荧光蛋白均正确表达。结论：成功构建了含有myc—RBPJ（R218H）、myc—KyoT2融合基因的真核表达载体，并在真核细胞中正确表达，为进一步研究慢性粒细胞白血病与Notch信号转导通路之间的关系奠定了基础。     

Neurosecretory identity conferred by the apterous gene: lateral horn leucokinin neurons in Drosophila

The LIM-HD protein Apterous has been shown to regulate expression of the FMRFamide neuropeptide in Drosophila neurons (Benveniste et al. [1998] Development 125:4757-4765). To test whether Apterous has a broader role in controlling neurosecretory identity, we analyzed the expression of several neuropeptides in apterous (ap) mutants. We show that Apterous is necessary for expression of the Leucokinin neuropeptide in a pair of brain neurons located in the lateral horn region of the protocerebrum (LHLK neurons). ap null mutants are depleted of Leucokinin in these cells, whereas hypomorphic mutants show reduced Leucokinin expression. Other Leucokinin-containing neurons are not affected by mutations in ap gene. Co-expression of apterous and Leucokinin is observed exclusively in the LHLK neurons, from larval stages to adulthood. Rescue assays performed in null ap mutants, by expressing Apterous protein under apGAL4 and elavGAL4 drivers, demonstrate the recovery of Leucokinin in the LHLK neurons. These results reinforce the emerging role of the LIM-HD proteins in determining neuronal identity. They also clarify the neuroendocrine phenotype of apterous mutants.     

LIM-homeodomain genes as territory markers in the brainstem of adult and developing Xenopus laevis

We investigated expression patterns of the LIM-homeodomain (LIM-hd) genes x-Lhx1, x-Lhx2, x-Lhx5, and x-Lhx9 in the brainstem of Xenopus laevis during larval development and in the adult. The two groups of paralogous genes, x-Lhx1/x-Lhx5 and x-Lhx2/x-Lhx9, showed fundamentally different expression patterns, being expressed in ventral versus dorsal territories of the midbrain and hindbrain, respectively. Indeed, prominent expression of x-Lhx1/5 was found in the mesencephalic tegmentum and the hindbrain reticular formation, whereas conspicuous x-Lhx2/9 expression was observed in the torus semicircularis and isthmic nucleus. A few shared expression domains for the two pairs of paralogs included the optic tectum and the anterodorsal and pedunculopontine nuclei. In each structure, expression of the two paralogs was almost identical, indicating that the regulation of their expression in this part of the brain has evolved slightly since gene duplication occurred. Notable exceptions included the expression of x-Lhx1 but not x-Lhx5 in the Purkinje cells and the expression of x-Lhx9 but not x-Lhx2 in the lateral line nucleus. The analysis of LIM-hd expression patterns throughout development allowed the origin of given structures in early embryos to be traced back. x-Lhx1 and x-Lhx5 were relevant to locate the cerebellar anlage and to follow morphogenesis of the cerebellar plate and cerebellar nuclei. They also highlighted the rhombomeric organization of the hindbrain. On the other hand, x-Lhx2 and x-Lhx9 showed a dynamic spatiotemporal pattern relative to tectal development and layering, and x-Lhx9 was useful to trace back the origin of the isthmus in early development.