The Impact of Dietary Interventions on the Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review

Diet may be a successful part of the treatment plan for improving outcome in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study aimed to systematically review all published clinical trials evaluating the effects of a regular diet on symptoms of IBD. Three medical databases were searched for clinical trials evaluating an intervention that involved dietary manipulation using a regular diet on adults with IBD whose symptoms were objectively measured before and after the intervention. The most common types of regular diet interventions that we observed in the literature fell into the following three categories: low residue/low fiber diets, exclusion diets, or other specific diets. Of all included studies, the few that were of higher quality and that observed a statistically significant improvement in symptoms in the diet group compared to the control group fell under the exclusion diet group or the other specific diet group. We were able to identify several high quality clinical trials evaluating dietary manipulations on symptoms of IBD. Exclusion diets and the low FODMAP diet are two areas identified in this review that show promise for having therapeutic benefits for patients with IBD.     

Secretome Survey of Human Plexiform Neurofibroma Derived Schwann Cells Reveals a Secreted form of the RARRES1 Protein

To bring insights into neurofibroma biochemistry, a comprehensive secretome analysis was performed on cultured human primary Schwann cells isolated from surgically resected plexiform neurofibroma and from normal nerve tissue. Using a combination of SDS-PAGE and high precision LC-MS/MS, 907 proteins were confidently identified in the conditioned media of Schwann cell cultures combined. Label free proteome profiling revealed consistent release of high levels of 22 proteins by the four biological replicates of NF1 Schwann cell cultures relative to the two normal Schwann cell cultures. Inversely, 9 proteins displayed decreased levels in the conditioned media of NF1 relative to normal Schwann cells. The proteins with increased levels included proteins involved in cell growth, angiogenesis and complement pathway while proteins with decreased levels included those involved in cell adhesion, plasminogen pathway and extracellular matrix remodeling. Retinoic acid receptor responder protein-1 (RARRES1), previously described as an integral membrane tumor suppressor, was found exclusively secreted by NF1 Schwann cells but not by normal Schwann cells. All-trans retinoic acid modulated secretion of RARRES1 in a dose dependent manner. This study shows altered secretion of key proteins in NF1 derived Schwann cells. The potential implication of these proteins in neurofibroma biology is discussed.     

Improving on SUVA 254 using fluorescence-PARAFAC analysis and asymmetric flow-field flow fractionation for assessing disinfection byproduct formation and control

Several challenges with disinfection byproduct (DBP) control stem from the complexity and diversity of dissolved organic matter (DOM), which is ubiquitous in natural waters and reacts with disinfectants to form DBPs. Fluorescence parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis and asymmetric flow-field flow fractionation (AF4) were used in combination with free chlorine DBP formation potential (DBPFP) tests to study the physicochemical DOM properties and DBP formation in raw- and alum-coagulated waters. Enhanced coagulation with alum became more effective at removing DBP-precursors as the pH decreased from 8 to 6. AF4-UV₂₅₄ fractograms indicated enhanced coagulation at pH 6 preferentially removed larger DOM, whereas no preferential size removal occurred at pH 8. Fluorescence-PARAFAC analysis revealed the presence of one protein-like and three humic-like fluorophore groups; stronger linear correlations were found between chloroform and the maximum intensity (F_MAX) of a humic-like fluorophore (r² = 0.84) than with SUVA₂₅₄ (r² = 0.51). This result indicated that the fluorescence-PARAFAC approach used here was an improvement on SUVA₂₅₄, i.e., fluorescence-based measurements were stronger predictors of chloroform formation.     

Molecular characterization of dissolved organic matter in glacial ice: coupling natural abundance 1H NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy

Glaciers and ice sheets are the second largest freshwater reservoir in the global hydrologic cycle, and the onset of global climate warming has necessitated an assessment of their contributions to sea-level rise and the potential release of nutrients to nearby aquatic environments. In particular, the release of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from glacier melt could stimulate microbial activity in both glacial ecosystems and adjacent watersheds, but this would largely depend on the composition of the material released. Using fluorescence and (1)H NMR spectroscopy, we characterize DOM at its natural abundance in unaltered samples from a number of glaciers that differ in geographic location, thermal regime, and sample depth. Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) modeling of DOM fluorophores identifies components in the ice that are predominantly proteinaceous in character, while (1)H NMR spectroscopy reveals a mixture of small molecules that likely originate from native microbes. Spectrofluorescence also reveals a terrestrial contribution that was below the detection limits of NMR; however, (1)H nuclei from levoglucosan was identified in Arctic glacier ice samples. This study suggests that the bulk of the DOM from these glaciers is a mixture of biologically labile molecules derived from microbes.     

How many mountains can we mine? Assessing the regional degradation of central appalachian rivers by surface coal mining

Surface coal mining is the dominant form of land cover change in Central Appalachia, yet the extent to which surface coal mine runoff is polluting regional rivers is currently unknown. We mapped surface mining from 1976 to 2005 for a 19,581 km(2) area of southern West Virginia and linked these maps with water quality and biological data for 223 streams. The extent of surface mining within catchments is highly correlated with the ionic strength and sulfate concentrations of receiving streams. Generalized additive models were used to estimate the amount of watershed mining, stream ionic strength, or sulfate concentrations beyond which biological impairment (based on state biocriteria) is likely. We find this threshold is reached once surface coal mines occupy >5.4% of their contributing watershed area, ionic strength exceeds 308 μS cm(-1), or sulfate concentrations exceed 50 mg L(-1). Significant losses of many intolerant macroinvertebrate taxa occur when as little as 2.2% of contributing catchments are mined. As of 2005, 5% of the land area of southern WV was converted to surface mines, 6% of regional streams were buried in valley fills, and 22% of the regional stream network length drained watersheds with >5.4% of their surface area converted to mines.     

Dried plum products as a substitute for phosphate in chicken marinade

In order to address the growing demand for more natural poultry products, alkaline phosphates commonly used in chicken breast meat marinades were replaced with plum ingredients and evaluated. For initial sensory evaluation, 200 consumers of chicken were served a small portion of the chicken breast on a plate and were asked to evaluate the product for overall impression, flavor, and texture on a 9-point hedonic scale with 1 = "dislike extremely" and 9 = "like extremely." Also, a 5-point just-about-right (JAR) scale was used on questions about tenderness, juiciness, overall flavor, and saltiness. Both hedonic and JAR demonstrated that the marinades of plum concentrate and the blend of plum fiber and powder were not distinguishable from the control (P > 0.05). Using two different percentages of fiber/powder blend, two different percentages of concentrate, sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), and no marinade, measurements were made for marinade per cent pickup, thaw loss, and cook loss. Plum concentrate at 1.1% was most similar to STPP in marinade per cent pickup, thaw loss, drip loss, and cook loss. These results show that plum ingredients can potentially be used as a substitute in standard phosphate marinades. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Consumers are increasingly demanding more natural foods with less artificial additives. This research presents the results of experiments using dried plum ingredients as a substitute for phosphates commonly used in marinades for chicken. Results indicate that dried plum ingredients may be a suitable substitute for phosphates in marinades.     

A system for seismocardiography-based identification of quiescent heart phases: implications for cardiac imaging

Seismocardiography (SCG), a representation of mechanical heart motion, may more accurately determine periods of cardiac quiescence within a cardiac cycle than the electrically derived electrocardiogram (EKG) and, thus, may have implications for gating in cardiac computed tomography. We designed and implemented a system to synchronously acquire echocardiography, EKG, and SCG data. The device was used to study the variability between EKG and SCG and characterize the relationship between the mechanical and electrical activity of the heart. For each cardiac cycle, the feature of the SCG indicating Aortic Valve Closure was identified and its time position with respect to the EKG was observed. This position was found to vary for different heart rates and between two human subjects. A color map showing the magnitude of the SCG acceleration and computed velocity was derived, allowing for direct visualization of quiescent phases of the cardiac cycle with respect to heart rate.     

Moderators and mediators of the stress-aggression relationship: Executive function and state anger.

The present study examined the effects of executive function (i.e., EF) and anger/hostility on the relationship between stress (across individual stress domains, as well as at the aggregate level) and aggression. Two independent groups of participants—a college sample and a low-income community sample—were administered a battery of self-report measures concerning the subjective experience of stress, aggressive behaviors, and feelings of state anger and hostility in the last month, along with a battery of well-validated neuropsychological tests of EF. Across both samples, the stress domains that demonstrated the strongest associations with aggression were those involving chronic strains of daily living (e.g., job, financial, health) versus interpersonal stressors (e.g., family, romantic). In the community sample, analyses also revealed a significant interaction between perceived stress (aggregated across domains) and EF in predicting aggressive behavior. Specifically, participants with relatively low EF abilities, across different EF processes, showed a stronger relationship between different domains of stress and aggression in the last month. Similar effects were demonstrated in the college sample, although the interaction was not significant. In both samples, experiences of anger and hostility in the last month mediated the relationship between perceived stress (aggregate) and aggressive behavior among those low, but not high, in EF. These findings highlight the importance of higher-order cognitive processes in regulating appropriate affective and behavioral responses across different types of individuals, particularly among those experiencing high levels of stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)