Biological Status and Dietary Intakes of Iron,Zinc and Vitamin A among Women and Preschool Children in Rural Burkina Faso

Background

Food-based approaches such as biofortification are meant to sustainably address micronutrient deficiencies in poor settings. Knowing more about micronutrient intakes and deficiencies is a prerequisite to designing and evaluating interventions.

Objective

The objectives of the study were to assess biological status and dietary intakes of iron, zinc and vitamin A among women and children aged 36–59 months in rural Burkina Faso and to study relationships between intake and status to better inform future food-based interventions.

Design

A cross-sectional survey was carried out in two rural provinces of Burkina Faso on a random cluster sample of 480 mother-child pairs. Dietary data was obtained by 24-hour recalls repeated on a random sub-selection of 37.5% of subjects to allow calculation of nutrient’s probability of adequacy (PA). Biomarkers were measured on a sub-sample of 180 mother-child pairs. Blood samples were analyzed for hemoglobin, serum ferritin, soluble transferrin receptors (sTfR), C-reactive protein, alpha-1-glycoprotein, serum zinc concentration (SZnC) and retinol. For each micronutrient the relationship between biomarker and dietary intake was investigated by multiple linear regression models accounting for inflammatory biomarkers.

Results

Mean PA for iron, zinc and vitamin A was 0.49, 0.87 and 0.21 among women and 0.61, 0.95 and 0.33 among children, respectively. Prevalence of anemia, corrected low serum ferritin and high sTfR was 37.6%, 4.0% and 77.5% among women and 72.1%, 1.5% and 87.6% among children, respectively. Prevalence of low SZnC and corrected low serum retinol was 39.4% and 12.0% among women and 63.7% and 24.8% among children, respectively. There was a tendency for a positive relationship between vitamin A intakes and serum retinol among women (β = 0.0003, P = 0.06). Otherwise, no link was found between micronutrients biomarkers and intakes.

Conclusion

Our study depicted different images of micronutrient deficiencies when based on dietary intakes or biomarkers results, thus highlighting the need for more suitable biomarkers and more precise measures of absorbable micronutrient intakes at the individual level. It thus points to challenges in the design and evaluation of future biofortification or other food-based interventions in rural areas of Burkina Faso.     

FXR-deficiency confers increased susceptibility to torpor

The role of the nuclear receptor FXR in adaptive thermogenesis was investigated using FXR-deficient mice. Despite elevated serum bile acid concentrations and increased mRNA expression profiles of thermogenic genes in brown adipose tissue, FXR-deficiency did not alter energy expenditure under basal conditions. However, FXR-deficiency accelerated the fasting-induced entry into torpor in a leptin-dependent manner. FXR-deficient mice were also extremely cold-intolerant. These altered responses may be linked to a more rapid decrease in plasma concentrations of metabolic fuels (glucose, triglycerides) thus impairing uncoupling protein 1-driven thermogenesis. These results identify FXR as a modulator of energy homeostasis.     

The Arabidopsis thaliana trehalase is a plasma membrane-bound enzyme with extracellular activity

The lack of trehalose accumulation in most plant species has been partly attributed to the presence of an active trehalase. Although trehalose synthesis enzymes are thought to be cytosolic, and previous studies have indicated that trehalase activity is extracellular, the exact location of the enzyme has not yet been established in plant cell. We present evidence that the yet uncharacterised full-length Arabidopsis trehalase is a plasma membrane-bound protein, probably anchored to the membrane through a predicted N-terminal membrane spanning domain. The full-length AtTRE1, when expressed in yeast can functionally substitute for the extracellularly active trehalase Ath1p, by sustaining the growth of an ath1 null mutant strain on trehalose and at pH 4.8. We further demonstrate that AtTRE1 expressed in yeast is plasma membrane-bound as in plant cell. In light of these findings, the regulation of plant cell endogenous trehalose by trehalase is discussed.     

Inhibition of the dopamine D1 receptor signaling by PSD-95

Dopamine D1 receptors play an important role in movement, reward, and learning and are implicated in a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders. These receptors are concentrated in dendritic spines of neurons, including the spine head and the postsynaptic density. D1 within spines is thought to modulate the local channels and receptors to control the excitability and synaptic properties of spines. The molecular mechanisms mediating D1 trafficking, anchorage, and function in spines remain elusive. Here we show that the synaptic scaffolding protein PSD-95 thought to play a role in stabilizing glutamate receptors in the postsynaptic density, interacts with D1 and regulates its trafficking and function. Interestingly, the D1-PSD-95 interaction does not require the well characterized domains of PSD-95 but is mediated by the carboxyl-terminal tail of D1 and the NH(2) terminus of PSD-95, a region that is recognized only recently to participate in protein-protein interaction. Co-expression of PSD-95 with D1 in mammalian cells inhibits the D1-mediated cAMP accumulation without altering the total expression level or the agonist binding properties of the receptor. The diminished D1 signaling is mediated by reduced D1 expression at the cell surface as a consequence of an enhanced constitutive, dynamin-dependent endocytosis. In addition, genetically engineered mice lacking PSD-95 show a heightened behavioral response to either a D1 agonist or the psychostimulant amphetamine. These studies demonstrate a role for a glutamatergic scaffold in dopamine receptor signaling and trafficking and identify a new potential target for the modulation of abnormal dopaminergic function.     

The ecology of the banded civet (Hemigalus derbyanus) in Southeast Asia with implications for mesopredator release,zoonotic diseases,and conservation

Habitat loss and degradation threaten forest specialist wildlife species, but some generalist mesopredators exploit disturbed areas and human‐derived food, which brings them into closer contact with humans. Mesopredator release is also important for human health for known zoonotic disease reservoirs, such as Asian civets (Viverridae family), since this group includes the intermediator species for the SARS‐CoV‐1 outbreak. Here we use camera trapping to evaluate the habitat associations of the widespread banded civet (Hemigalus derbyanus) across its range in Southeast Asia. At the regional scale, banded civet detections among published studies were positively associated with forest cover and negatively associated with human population. At the local scale (within a landscape), hierarchical modeling of new camera trapping showed that abundance was negatively associated with forest loss and positively associated with distance to rivers. These results do not support mesopredator release and suggest a low likelihood overlap with humans in degraded habitats and, therefore, a low risk of zoonotic disease transmission from this species in the wild. We also estimate that banded civet distribution has contracted to under 21% of its currently recognized IUCN Red List range, only 12% of which falls within protected areas, and a precipitous recent decline in population size. Accordingly, we suggest the banded civet''s Red List status should be re‐evaluated in light of our findings.     

Synthesis of novel fluorescent probes for the molecular chaperone Hsp90

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone necessary for maintaining oncogenic transformation. There is substantial interest in developing novel agents that bind to the N-terminal of the chaperone. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of two fluorescent Hsp90 inhibitors and probe their use in an Hsp90 fluorescent polarization assay.     

Séquences tripeptidiques typiques du collagène: étude conformationnelle quantique

Theoretical and experimental investigations on the conformations of synthetic polytripeptides, with Gly-R₂-R₃ general repetitive sequence, are of great interest for the comprehension of the factors wich contribute to the triple helix stabilization.Using appropriate molecules as models, we have investigated by the PCILO method the intrinsic conformational possibilities of each « in situresidue for the following cases: Gly-imino-imino, Gly-amino-imino and Gly-imino-amino which represent the most important sequences occuring in the primary structure of collagen. The computations were carried out taking into account the two pyrrolidine ring puckerings and the preferential side-chains orientations.Extending our previous work concerning the isomeric polytripeptides Gly-X-Pro and Gly-Pro-X with X {Pro, Phe} we have studied the cases of X {Ala, Ser}. In this brief communication, we present a preliminary synthesis of these recent results.     

Towards a Molecular Taxonomy for Protists: Benefits,Risks, and Applications in Plankton Ecology

The increasing use of genetic information for the development of methods to study the diversity, distributions, and activities of protists in nature has spawned a new generation of powerful tools. For ecologists, one lure of these approaches lies in the potential for DNA sequences to provide the only immediately obvious means of normalizing the diverse criteria that presently exist for identifying and counting protists. A single, molecular taxonomy would allow studies of diversity across a broad range of species, as well as the detection and quantification of particular species of interest within complex, natural assemblages; goals that are not feasible using traditional methods. However, these advantages are not without their potential pitfalls and problems. Conflicts involving the species concept, disagreements over the true (physiological/ecological) meaning of genetic diversity, and a perceived threat by some that sequence information will displace knowledge regarding the morphologies, functions and physiologies of protistan taxa, have created debate and doubt regarding the efficacy and appropriateness of some genetic approaches. These concerns need continued discussion and eventual resolution as we move toward the irresistible attraction, and potentially enormous benefits, of the application of genetic approaches to protistan ecology.