Glycemic responses to sweetened dried and raw cranberries in humans with type 2 diabetes

This study assessed the metabolic response to sweetened dried cranberries (SDC), raw cranberries (RC), and white bread (WB) in humans with type 2 diabetes. Development of palatable cranberry preparations associated with lower glycemic responses may be useful for improving fruit consumption and glycemic control among those with diabetes. In this trial, type 2 diabetics (n= 13) received WB (57 g, 160 cal, 1 g fiber), RC (55 g, 21 cal, 1 g fiber), SDC (40 g, 138 cal, 2.1 g fiber), and SDC containing less sugar (SDC-LS, 40 g, 113 cal, 1.8 g fiber + 10 g polydextrose). Plasma glucose (mmol/L) peaked significantly at 60 min for WB, and at 30 min for RC, SDC, and SDC-LS at 9.6 ± 0.4, 7.0 ± 0.4, 9.6 ± 0.5, and 8.7 ± 0.5, respectively, WB remained significantly elevated from the other treatments at 120 min. Plasma insulin (pmol/mL) peaked at 60 min for WB and SDC and at 30 min for RC and SDC-LS at 157 ± 15, 142 ± 27, 61 ± 8, and 97 ± 11, respectively. Plasma insulin for SDC-LS was significantly lower at 60 min than either WB or SDC. Insulin area under the curve (AUC) values for RC and SDC-LS were both significantly lower than WB or SDC. Phenolic content of SDC and SDC-LS was determined following extraction with 80% acetone prior to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electronspray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and found to be rich in 5-caffeoylquinic cid, quercetin-3-galactoside, and quercetin-3-galactoside, and the proanthocyanidin dimer epicatechin. In conclusion, SDC-LS was associated with a favorable glycemic and insulinemic response in type 2 diabetics. Practical Application: This study compares phenolic content and glycemic responses among different cranberry products. The study seeks to expand the palatable and portable healthy food choices for persons with type 2 diabetes. The novel use of polydextrose as a bulking agent making possible a reduction in caloric content and potential glycemic response is also characterized in this study.     

Characterization of volatile compounds in different dried sea cucumber cultivars

Sea cucumber is one of the most well-known and precious seafood in Asian countries. To better understand the sensory properties of dried sea cucumber products, volatile compounds of 8 dried sea cucumber cultivars were analyzed by using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Forty-two volatile compounds comprising aldehydes (13), alcohols (13), aromatic compounds (9), furans (3), and others (4) were identified. Quantitative results revealed that volatile composition in all tested sea cucumbers were similar, but the variation existed in both the composition and the concentrations of some compounds. The concentration of hexanal, heptanal, 1-heptanol and benzaldehyde varied the most among different sea cucumber cultivars. Besides, 2-methyl-butanal, acetophenone, 2-methyl-furan, benzoic acid methyl ester and dimethyl sulfide were only detected in S. japonicus, a Chinese domestic sea cucumber cultivar, which was the main difference in volatile compounds compared with the other cultivars. There were 17 identified compounds which were considered to be odor-active compounds as their concentrations exceeded their odor detection thresholds in water.     

Assessment of contraceptive vaccines based on recombinant mouse sperm protein PH20

Mouse PH20 (mPH20), the mouse homologue to guinea pig hyaluronidase protein PH20 (gpPH20), was used to produce contraceptive vaccines that target both sexes of mice. Previously, immunization with a female gamete antigen (the zona pellucida subunit 3 protein) delivered in a recombinant murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV), or as a purified recombinant protein, has been shown to induce infertility in female mice. There is evidence, however, that sperm protein antigens could provide broader contraceptive coverage by affecting both males and females, and the most promising has been gpPH20 when tested in a guinea pig model. Mice were therefore either inoculated with a recombinant MCMV expressing mPH20 or immunized directly with purified recombinant mPH20 protein fused to maltose-binding protein. Mice treated with either vaccine formulation developed serum antibodies that cross-reacted to a protein band of 55 kDa corresponding to mPH20 in Western blots of mouse sperm. However, there was no significant reduction in the fertility of males or females compared with control animals with either formulation. We conclude from our data that recombinant mPH20 is not a useful antigen for inclusion in immunocontraceptive vaccines that target mice.     

A pilot investigation into associations between indoor airborne fungal and non-biological particle concentrations in residential houses in Brisbane,Australia

Indoor air contains a complex mixture of bioaerosols such as fungi, bacteria and allergens, as well as non-biological particles including products from various combustion processes. To date little work has been done to investigate the interactions and associations between particles of biological and non-biological origin, however, any occurring interactions could affect pollutant behaviour in the air and ultimately the effect they have on health. The aim of this work was to examine associations between the concentration levels of airborne particles and fungi measured in 14 residential suburban houses in Brisbane. The most frequently isolated fungal genus was Cladosporium, Curvularia, Alternaria, Fusarium and Penicillium. The average outdoor and indoor (living room) concentrations of fungal colony forming units were 1133+/-759 and 810+/-389, respectively. Average outdoor and indoor (normal ventilation) concentrations of submicrometre and supermicrometre particles were 23.8 x 10(3) and 21.7 x 10(3) (particles/cm(3)), 1.78 and 1.74 (particles/cm(3)), respectively. The study showed that no statistically significant associations between the fungal spore and submicrometre particle concentrations or PM(2.5) were present, while a weak but statistically significant relationship was found between fungal and supermicrometre particle concentrations (for the outdoors R(2)=0.4, P=0.03 and for a living room R(2)=0.3, P=0.04). A similarity in behaviour between the submicrometre particle and fungal spore concentrations was that the fungal spore concentrations were related directly to the distance from the source (a nearby park), in a very similar way in which the submicrometre particles originating from vehicle emissions from a road, were dependent on the distance to the road. In the immediate proximity to the park, fungal concentrations rose up to approximately 3100 CFU/m(3), whereas for houses more than 150 m away from the park the concentrations of fungi were below 1000 CFU/m(3). Recommendations have been provided as the future study designs to gain a deeper insight into the relationships between biological and non-biological particles.     

Problematic internet use among older adolescents: A conceptual framework

Problematic internet use (PIU) is of growing significance to adolescent health, but lacks a strong conceptual framework to guide ongoing work. We used Concept Mapping methodology to construct a theoretical framework describing PIU. This validated approach includes five steps: preparation, generation (brainstorming), structuring (sort and rank), representation (statistical analysis) and interpretation (focus groups). Analysis included hierarchical cluster analysis over the overall square similarity matrix to determine a cluster map. A total of 193 college students participated in one or more phases of the study. Students were from 13 universities across 10 states, had an average age of 19.4 years (SD = 1.8), were 67% female and 77% Caucasian. A total of 20 health professionals participated. The seven clusters depicted on the PIU Concept Map include: psychosocial risk factors, physical impairment, emotional impairment, social/functional impairment, risky internet use, impulsive internet use and internet use dependence. The stress value for the fit of the multidimensional solution to the structuring data was 0.28, indicating adequate fit. The concept map may be used towards development of a future comprehensive model of PIU as well as scale development efforts.     

Phytochemical Combination Is More Effective than Individual Components in Reducing Stress Signaling in Rat Hippocampal Neurons and Microglia In Vitro

Age-related decrements in the central nervous system (CNS) are thought to result from: (1) increased susceptibility to and accumulating effects of free radicals and inflammation; and (2) dysregulation in Ca²⁺ homeostasis, which affects numerous signaling pathways. Certain bioactive phytochemicals exhibit potent anti-inflammatory activities which may mitigate these age-related CNS decrements. This study investigated the individual and combination effects of green tea catechin (epigallocatechin gallate, EGCG), curcumin from turmeric, and broccoli sprouts which contain the isothiocyanate sulforaphane on inflammation and dysregulation in Ca²⁺ homeostasis to determine if the individual compounds were working synergistically and/or through independent mechanisms. Rat hippocampal neurons or highly aggressive proliferating immortalized (HAPI) microglial cells were pre-treated for a week with either the individual components or all in combination before inducing Ca²⁺ buffering deficits with dopamine (DA, 0.1 µM for 2 h) or inflammation using lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 100 ng/mL for 18 h), respectively. The EGCG (3 µM) and combination protected against DA-induced deficits in Ca²⁺ buffering (both % of cells that recovered and recovery time, p < 0.05). Additionally, the EGCG and combination reduced stress-mediated inflammation in HAPI rat microglial cells by attenuating LPS-induced nitrite release, inducible nitrous oxide synthase (iNOS) expression, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) release (p < 0.05), but not cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression. Overall, broccoli sprouts (2 µM) and curcumin (1 µM) were not as effective as the EGCG or combination. Further research is needed to determine if dietary intervention with a variety of foods containing compounds such as those found in green tea, turmeric, or broccoli sprouts can play a role in reducing age-related CNS inflammation, microglial activation, and downstream signaling pathways that can lead to neuronal dysfunction.     

A 3D,Compartmental Tumor-Stromal Microenvironment Model of Patient-Derived Bone Metastasis

Bone is a frequent site of tumor metastasis. The bone–tumor microenvironment is heterogeneous and complex in nature. Such complexity is compounded by relations between metastatic and bone cells influencing their sensitivity/resistance to chemotherapeutics. Standard chemotherapeutics may not show efficacy for every patient, and new therapeutics are slow to emerge, owing to the limitations of existing 2D/3D models. We previously developed a 3D interface model for personalized therapeutic screening, consisting of an electrospun poly lactic acid mesh activated with plasma species and seeded with stromal cells. Tumor cells embedded in an alginate-gelatin hydrogel are overlaid to create a physiologic 3D interface. Here, we applied our 3D model as a migration assay tool to verify the migratory behavior of different patient-derived bone metastasized cells. We assessed the impact of two different chemotherapeutics, Doxorubicin and Cisplatin, on migration of patient cells and their immortalized cell line counterparts. We observed different migratory behaviors and cellular metabolic activities blocked with both Doxorubicin and Cisplatin treatment; however, higher efficiency or lower IC50 was observed with Doxorubicin. Gene expression analysis of MDA-MB231 that migrated through our 3D hybrid model verified epithelial–mesenchymal transition through increased expression of mesenchymal markers involved in the metastasis process. Our findings indicate that we can model tumor migration in vivo, in line with different cell characteristics and it may be a suitable drug screening tool for personalized medicine approaches in metastatic cancer treatment.     

A comparison of pendulum experiments and discrete-element simulations of oblique collisions of wet spheres

Oblique collisions of two spherical particles coated with a thin layer of viscous liquid are considered. Experimental measurements are performed using particle tracking velocimetry and the results are compared to viscous force and capillary force models via numerical simulation using the discrete-element method. Comprehensive experimental data for collisions with an impact angle between 0° and 60° are presented to ensure future models can be rigorously validated. Collisions are characterized by the normal Stokes' number (a dimensionless ratio of normal inertial forces to normal viscous forces), and the normal coefficient of restitution (a dimensionless ratio of postcollisional normal velocity to precollisional normal velocity). Good agreement was found between the models and the experiments at high Stokes' number, where the models are dominated by the normal components. As the tangential forces become more significant (i.e., at low to medium Stokes' number, and high collision angle), agreement between the simulations and experiments is poorer. Furthermore, the models predict a decreasing rotational velocity with increasing Stokes' number past some critical Stokes' number. A coefficient of friction term was implemented and found to improve agreement for the rotational velocity postcollision.     

At-a-station hydraulic geometry for reaches with bridge collapse events

This study explores the at-a-station hydraulic geometry (AHG) for reaches with bridge collapse events. Eighteen reaches in Eastern United States, thirteen reaches in Appalachian Highland, and five reaches in Coastal Plain are examined. The methodology applied for retrieving AHG uses LiDAR (Light detection and ranging) data, and the study results are checked for both hydraulic and geomorphic consistency. The resulting data set is composed of five to thirty-five measurements of water surface width, mean depth, and mean velocity at each of the 181 cross-sections. The exponents of the AHG relationships vary considerably. Nonetheless, for most of the cross-sections, width responds more rapidly to changing discharge, and velocity exponents are less than the width and depth exponents combined. Wide shallow channels with highly erodible beds and/or banks, the ability to transport large bed materials, and the ability to attain a super-critical condition—are the common profile extracted for most of the cross-sections across all sites. A definitive AHG configuration is found for the sites with the least human interference. Comparatively low variation of bank-full geometry is also found for the sites with the least human interference. The prevalence of low flows and/or lower return periods of heavy-tail flows are also exhibited for most of the sites. The study results suggest that the stream channel instability can be reasonably understood and predicted from AHG particularly if human interference is limited within the watershed. These findings have implications not only for the study of the risk of bridge collapse and bridge design but also to characterize instability in a more rigorous and practical way.     

Sticking the Landing: Enhancing Liposomal Cell Delivery using Reversible Covalent Chemistry and Caged Targeting Groups

Liposomes are highly effective nanocarriers for encapsulating and delivering a wide range of therapeutic cargo. While advancements in liposome design have improved several pharmacological characteristics, an important area that would benefit from further progress involves cellular targeting and entry. In this concept article, we will focus on recent progress utilizing strategies including reversible covalent bonding and caging groups to activate liposomal cell entry. These approaches take advantage of advancements that have been made in complementary fields including molecular sensing and chemical biology and direct this technology toward controlling liposome cell delivery properties. The decoration of liposomes with groups including boronic acids and cyclic disulfides is presented as a means for driving delivery through reaction with functional groups on cell surfaces. Additionally, caging groups can be exploited to activate cell delivery only upon encountering a target stimulus. These approaches provide promising new avenues for controlling cell delivery in the development of next-generation liposomal therapeutic nanocarriers.