The metabolism of structured triacylglycerols

The triacylglycerol (TAG) structure in addition to the overall fatty acid profile is of importance when considering the nutritional effect of a dietary fat. This review aims at summarizing our current knowledge of the digestion, absorption, uptake, and transport of structured TAGs, with particular emphasis on the following aspects: gastric emptying, specificity of pancreatic lipase, lymphatic transport and clearance of chylomicrons, effects of lipid structure on tissue lipid compositions and the fecal loss of fats. So an overview will be provided for how the structure and fatty acid composition of TAGs affect their absorption and the distribution of the fatty acids in the body following digestion and absorption.     

Presence of multiple sites containing polar material in spherical Escherichia coli cells that lack MreB

In rod-shaped bacteria, certain proteins are specifically localized to the cell poles. The nature of the positional information that leads to the proper localization of these proteins is unclear. In a screen for factors required for the localization of the Shigella sp. actin assembly protein IcsA to the bacterial pole, a mutant carrying a transposon insertion in mreB displayed altered targeting of IcsA. The phenotype of cells containing a transposon insertion in mreB was indistinguishable from that of cells containing a nonpolar mutation in mreB or that of wild-type cells treated with the MreB inhibitor A22. In cells lacking MreB, a green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion to a cytoplasmic derivative of IcsA localized to multiple sites. Secreted full-length native IcsA was present in multiple faint patches on the surfaces of these cells in a pattern similar to that seen for the cytoplasmic IcsA-GFP fusion. EpsM, the polar Vibrio cholerae inner membrane protein, also localized to multiple sites in mreB cells and colocalized with IcsA, indicating that localization to multiple sites is not unique to IcsA. Our results are consistent with the requirement, either direct or indirect, for MreB in the restriction of certain polar material to defined sites within the cell and, in the absence of MreB, with the formation of ectopic sites containing polar material.     

Division frequency of pea protoplasts in relation to starch accumulation

Division frequency of alginate-embedded pea (Pisum sativum var. Belman) protoplasts derived from embryonic shoot tips was studied quantitatively by image analysis in relation to starch accumulation and protoplast size. Protoplast divisions were observed from day 4 on and the number of protoplasts undergoing division increased in a stepwise manner to 70% the following days. The starch content increased rapidly during the first 3 days of culture prior to the onset of division and resulted a 4.2-fold increase in the intracellular starch area and a 3.0-fold increase (from 27% to 80%) in the number of protoplasts containing starch. Subsequent periods with rapid increases the number of dividing protoplasts were preceded by further starch accumulation. Dividing protoplasts were 33–60% smaller and contained 8–42% less starch than non-dividing protoplasts. However, calculations showed that, in the dividing protoplasts, the relative area covered by starch was 6–12% higher than in non-dividing protoplasts. These data suggest that starch accumulation precedes division of pea protoplasts.     

Status,trends and drivers of kelp forests in Europe: an expert assessment

A comprehensive expert consultation was conducted in order to assess the status, trends and the most important drivers of change in the abundance and geographical distribution of kelp forests in European waters. This consultation included an on-line questionnaire, results from a workshop and data provided by a selected group of experts working on kelp forest mapping and eco-evolutionary research. Differences in status and trends according to geographical areas, species identity and small-scale variations within the same habitat where shown by assembling and mapping kelp distribution and trend data. Significant data gaps for some geographical regions, like the Mediterranean and the southern Iberian Peninsula, were also identified. The data used for this study confirmed a general trend with decreasing abundance of some native kelp species at their southern distributional range limits and increasing abundance in other parts of their distribution (Saccharina latissima and Saccorhiza polyschides). The expansion of the introduced species Undaria pinnatifida was also registered. Drivers of observed changes in kelp forests distribution and abundance were assessed using experts’ opinions. Multiple possible drivers were identified, including global warming, sea urchin grazing, harvesting, pollution and fishing pressure, and their impact varied between geographical areas. Overall, the results highlight major threats for these ecosystems but also opportunities for conservation. Major requirements to ensure adequate protection of coastal kelp ecosystems along European coastlines are discussed, based on the local to regional gaps detected in the study.     

Biallelic Mutations in UNC80 Cause Persistent Hypotonia,Encephalopathy, Growth Retardation,and Severe Intellectual Disability

Ion channel proteins are required for both the establishment of resting membrane potentials and the generation of action potentials. Hundreds of mutations in genes encoding voltage-gated ion channels responsible for action potential generation have been found to cause severe neurological diseases. In contrast, the roles of voltage-independent “leak” channels, important for the establishment and maintenance of resting membrane potentials upon which action potentials are generated, are not well established in human disease. UNC80 is a large component of the NALCN sodium-leak channel complex that regulates the basal excitability of the nervous system. Loss-of-function mutations of NALCN cause infantile hypotonia with psychomotor retardation and characteristic facies (IHPRF). We report four individuals from three unrelated families who have homozygous missense or compound heterozygous truncating mutations in UNC80 and persistent hypotonia, encephalopathy, growth failure, and severe intellectual disability. Compared to control cells, HEK293T cells transfected with an expression plasmid containing the c.5098C>T (p.Pro1700Ser) UNC80 mutation found in one individual showed markedly decreased NALCN channel currents. Our findings demonstrate the fundamental significance of UNC80 and basal ionic conductance to human health.     

Exercise Training and Weight Gain in Obese Pregnant Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial (ETIP Trial)

BackgroundThe effectiveness of exercise training for preventing excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is still uncertain. As maternal obesity is associated with both GWG and GDM, there is a special need to assess whether prenatal exercise training programs provided to obese women reduce the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Our primary aim was to assess whether regular supervised exercise training in pregnancy could reduce GWG in women with prepregnancy overweight/obesity. Secondary aims were to examine the effects of exercise in pregnancy on 30 outcomes including GDM incidence, blood pressure, blood measurements, skinfold thickness, and body composition.ConclusionsIn this trial we did not observe a reduction in GWG among overweight/obese women who received a supervised exercise training program during their pregnancy. The incidence of GDM in late pregnancy seemed to be lower in the women randomized to exercise training than in the women receiving standard maternity care only. Systolic blood pressure in late pregnancy was also apparently lower in the exercise group than in the control group. These results indicate that supervised exercise training might be beneficial as a part of standard pregnancy care for overweight/obese women.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT01243554","term_id":"NCT01243554"}}NCT01243554     

Clinical Impact of a Novel MicroRNA Chemo-Sensitivity Predictor in Gastrooesophageal Cancer

Background

miRNAs might be potentially useful biomarkers for prediction of response to chemotherapeutic agents, radiotherapy and survival. The aim of this retrospective study was to validate miRNA response predictors in a cohort of patients with gastrooesophageal cancer in order to predict overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS).

Material and Methods

The study population encompassed 53 patients treated with curative intend for loco-regional gastrooesophageal cancer. miRNA expression was quantified from pre-therapeutic and diagnostic, formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tumour specimens using Affymetrix GeneChip miRNA 1.0 Array. Based on growth inhibition of the NCI60 panel in the presence of cisplatin, epirubicine and capecitabine, a miRNA based response predictor was developed. The Cox proportional hazards model was applied to assess the correlations of the response predictor with OS and DSS.

Results

A univariate analysis demonstrated a statistical significant improvement of OS for patients who had undergone surgical resection with prediction scores above the median prediction score (HR: 0.41 (95% CI: 0.17–0.96). Adjusting for surgery and stage, this predictor was identified to be independently associated with both OS (HR: 0.37 (95% CI: 0.16–0.87)) and DSS (HR: 0.32 (0.12–0.87)).

Conclusion

The miRNA profile predictive for sensitivity to cisplatin, epirubicine and capecitabine was shown to be independently associated with OS and DSS in patients with gastrooesophageal cancer.     

In vivo estimation of elastic heterogeneity in an infarcted human heart

In myocardial infarction, muscle tissue of the heart is damaged as a result of ceased or severely impaired blood flow. Survivors have an increased risk of further complications, possibly leading to heart failure. Material properties play an important role in determining post-infarction outcome. Due to spatial variation in scarring, material properties can be expected to vary throughout the tissue of a heart after an infarction. In this study we propose a data assimilation technique that can efficiently estimate heterogeneous elastic material properties in a personalized model of cardiac mechanics. The proposed data assimilation is tested on a clinical dataset consisting of regional left ventricular strains and in vivo pressures during atrial systole from a human with a myocardial infarction. Good matches to regional strains are obtained, and simulated equi-biaxial tests are carried out to demonstrate regional heterogeneities in stress–strain relationships. A synthetic data test shows a good match of estimated versus ground truth material parameter fields in the presence of no to low levels of noise. This study is the first to apply adjoint-based data assimilation to the important problem of estimating cardiac elastic heterogeneities in 3-D from medical images.