Daily Enteral DHA Supplementation Alleviates Deficiency in Premature Infants

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an essential fatty acid (FA) important for health and neurodevelopment. Premature infants are at risk of DHA deficiency and circulating levels directly correlate with health outcomes. Most supplementation strategies have focused on increasing DHA content in mother's milk or infant formula. However, extremely premature infants may not reach full feedings for weeks and commercially available parenteral lipid emulsions do not contain preformed DHA, so blood levels decline rapidly after birth. Our objective was to develop a DHA supplementation strategy to overcome these barriers. This double‐blind, randomized, controlled trial determined feasibility, tolerability and efficacy of daily enteral DHA supplementation (50 mg/day) in addition to standard nutrition for preterm infants (24–34 weeks gestational age) beginning in the first week of life. Blood FA levels were analyzed at baseline, full feedings and near discharge in DHA (n = 31) or placebo supplemented (n = 29) preterm infants. Term peers (n = 30) were analyzed for comparison. Preterm infants had lower baseline DHA levels (p < 0.0001). Those receiving DHA had a progressive increase in circulating DHA over time (from 3.33 to 4.09 wt% or 2.88 to 3.55 mol%, p < 0.0001) while placebo‐supplemented infants (receiving standard neonatal nutrition) had no increase over time (from 3.35 to 3.32 wt% or 2.91 to 2.87 mol%). Although levels increased with additional DHA supplementation, preterm infants still had lower blood DHA levels than term peers (4.97 wt% or 4.31 mol%) at discharge (p = 0.0002). No differences in adverse events were observed between the groups. Overall, daily enteral DHA supplementation is feasible and alleviates deficiency in premature infants.     

Lymphatic Transport of α-Linolenic Acid and Its Conversion to Long Chain n-3 Fatty Acids in Rats Fed Microemulsions of Linseed Oil

In the present study we evaluated the uptake of ALA and its conversion to EPA + DHA in rats given linseed oil (LSO) in native form or as a microemulsion in whey protein or in lipoid. In a single oral dose study in which rats maintained on rodent pellets deficient in ω-3 fatty acids were intubated with 0.35 g LSO in lipoid, the amount of ALA present in lymph was increased reaching a maximum concentration of 16.23 mg/ml at 2.5 h. The amount of ALA present in lymph was increased to a maximum level of 10.95 mg/ml at 4 h in rats given LSO as a microemulsion in whey protein. When LSO was given without emulsification, the amount of ALA present in lymph was found to reach a maximum level of 7.08 mg/ml at 6 h. A similar result was observed when weaning rats were intubated with 0.15 g of LSO per day for a period of 60 days. Higher levels of ALA by 41 and 103 % were observed in lymph lipids of rats given microemulsions of LSO in whey protein and in lipoid respectively as compared to rats given LSO without pre-emulsification. Very little conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA was observed in lymph lipids but higher amounts of EPA + DHA was observed in liver and serum of rats given LSO in microemulsion form. This study indicated that ALA concentration in lymph lipids was increased when LSO was given in microemulsion form in lipoid and further conversion to EPA and DHA was facilitated in liver and serum.     

Effect of Heat Treatment Upon the Chemical Composition of Cottonseed Meal and Upon the Reactivity of Cottonseed Condensed Tannins

The effects of heat treatment on the chemical composition of cottonseed meal (CSM), with or without the addition of cottonseed hulls (containing condensed tannins; CT), and upon reactivity of the CT were studied. Heat was applied in a forced draught oven at 100°C for 2 h. Fluorodinitrobenzene (FDNB)-available lysine, free gossypol, extractable- and bound-CT concentrations, in vitro total nitrogen (N) solubility and the in vitro rumen degradation of the two major seed proteins (52 and 48 kDa) present in cottonseed kernel (which does not contain CT) were determined. The reactivity of CT was assessed by determining N solubility and rumen degradation of cottonseed kernel proteins in the presence or absence of polyethylene glycol (PEG; molecular weight (MW) 3500), which binds and inactivates CT. Heat treatment reduced the concentrations of free gossypol and FDNB-available lysine by small amounts, reduced measurable total CT content by 13%, reduced the solubility of total N, and reduced potential degradability of the 52 and 48 kDa cottonseed storage proteins by mixed rumen microorganisms. Addition of hulls further depressed solubility of total N and ruminal degradation of the two major storage proteins in cottonseed kernel. The action of PEG in vitro indicated that only part of the depression caused by hull addition could be explained by the presence of CT in the hulls, and that the effects of CT upon N solubility and potential degradability in heated CSM were similar to that in unheated CSM. Addition of hulls also substantially reduced FDNB-available lysine. In commercially produced materials, CSM from the Brisbane mill had a lower total CT content, lower N solubility and lower ruminal protein degradation rate than CSM from the Narrabri mill, but a similar level of FDNB-available lysine. Although application of heat inactivated 13% of the total CT, such that it could no longer be extracted and detected with butanol/HCl, it did not seem to change the overall effects produced by CT in reducing N solubility and protein degradation. The effect of hull addition in reducing available lysine has considerable relevance for feeding CSM to monogastric livestock. Interactions involving heat, hulls and CT need to be further studied.     

Intrinsic 42Ca-Labelling of Green Bean Pods for Use in Human Bioavailability Studies

A hydroponic growth procedure which enables the intrinsic ⁴²Ca-labelling of green beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L) has been developed. Whole-plant Ca influx was measured from planting through the period of pod expansion for a crop of 60 plants grown hydroponically in a 3m²area. Total Ca influx was 10·1mmol per plant; 35% of this influx occurred during the period of pod growth. Plants were labelled with ⁴²Ca via the nutrient solution during the period of pod expansion; isotopic composition of harvested pods was nearly identical to that of the administered solution. Recovery of isotopic tracer at harvest was as follows: pods 8·4%; leaves, 61·1%; stems, 17·1%, roots, 9·0%. Pod yield was 98·8g FW per plant. ⁴²Ca-labelled green beans can be used safely to investigate Ca bioavailability in humans.     

Effect of Oral and Parenteral N Nutrition vs N-Free Nutrition on the Endogenous Amino Acid Flow at the Ileum of the Pig*

Two methods were tested for suppressing the depressive effect of N-free diets on the digestive secretions in pigs: the blood perfusion of amino acids (AA) or the peptide alimentation method. In the latter, enzymically hydrolysed casein (EHC), composed of oligopeptides and free AA, was used as the source of nitrogen. The unabsorbed dietary N molecules were discarded from the ileal digesta by ultrafiltration or gel filtration, assuming that the endogenous fraction did not contain significant amounts of small molecules. The AA supply by blood perfusion had no effect on the ileal endogenous AA losses (8·0 g AA kg⁻¹ DM intake) in growing pigs (±50 kg), compared with the N-free diet alone (8·3 g), whereas the EHC supplementation significantly increased them (18·0 g). The increase was due to both endogenous and dietary N. The presence of unabsorbed dietary AA in the ileal digesta was confirmed by the AA profile of the soluble molecules with a very low molecular mass (<3 kDa), which was close to that of EHC. Both ultrafiltration (cut-offs of 3 or 10 kDa) and gel filtration methods, utilised to discard the remaining dietary molecules, also eliminated a significant proportion of endogenous AA.     

小麦胚芽油化学组成与功能特性研究进展

小麦胚芽油是经小麦胚芽加工得到的食用油,其多不饱和脂肪酸含量60%左右,生育酚含量高达2573.69 mg/kg,远高于其他植物油,总植物甾醇含量为8512.06 mg/kg,其中β-谷甾醇高达5812.76 mg/kg。小麦胚芽油因具有丰富的营养价值以及抗氧化、抗疲劳等功能特性而被广泛应用于医疗保健、美容等领域。因此,本文主要对小麦胚芽油理化性质、营养特性进行总结,同时对比分析不同的制备工艺小麦胚芽油品质,旨在为小麦胚芽油及其副产物的开发利用提供参考。     

Kinome-Wide Profiling Identifies Human WNK3 as a Target of Cajanin Stilbene Acid from Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.

Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) is a common food crop used in many parts of the world for nutritional purposes. One of its chemical constituents is cajanin stilbene acid (CSA), which exerts anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo. In an effort to identify molecular targets of CSA, we performed a kinome-wide approach based on the measurement of the enzymatic activities of 252 human kinases. The serine-threonine kinase WNK3 (also known as protein kinase lysine-deficient 3) was identified as the most promising target of CSA with the strongest enzymatic activity inhibition in vitro and the highest binding affinity in molecular docking in silico. The lowest binding affinity and the predicted binding constant pKi of CSA (−9.65 kcal/mol and 0.084 µM) were comparable or even better than those of the known WNK3 inhibitor PP-121 (−9.42 kcal/mol and 0.123 µM). The statistically significant association between WNK3 mRNA expression and cellular responsiveness to several clinically established anticancer drugs in a panel of 60 tumor cell lines and the prognostic value of WNK3 mRNA expression in sarcoma biopsies for the survival time of 230 patients can be taken as clues that CSA-based inhibition of WNK3 may improve treatment outcomes of cancer patients and that CSA may serve as a valuable supplement to the currently used combination therapy protocols in oncology.     

Impact of Rutin and Other Phenolic Substances on the Digestibility of Buckwheat Grain Metabolites

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn.) is grown in eastern and central Asia (the Himalayan regions of China, Nepal, Bhutan and India) and in central and eastern Europe (Luxemburg, Germany, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina). It is known for its high concentration of rutin and other phenolic metabolites. Besides the grain, the other aboveground parts of Tartary buckwheat contain rutin as well. After the mixing of the milled buckwheat products with water, the flavonoid quercetin is obtained in the flour–water mixture, a result of rutin degradation by rutinosidase. Heating by hot water or steam inactivates the rutin-degrading enzymes in buckwheat flour and dough. The low buckwheat protein digestibility is due to the high content of phenolic substances. Phenolic compounds have low absorption after food intake, so, after ingestion, they remain for some time in the gastrointestinal tract. They can act in an inhibitory manner on enzymes, degrading proteins and other food constituents. In common and Tartary buckwheat, the rutin and quercetin complexation with protein and starch molecules has an impact on the in vitro digestibility and the appearance of resistant starch and slowly digestible proteins. Slowly digestible starch and proteins are important for the functional and health-promoting properties of buckwheat products.     

68例非住院高龄卧床管饲患者营养状况调查

目的:评价非住院高龄卧床管饲患者营养状况。方法:以驻沈干休所68名长期卧床高龄休干为调查对象,记录被调查对象每天摄入的所有食物的种类和数量,计算每人每天摄入的热能、蛋白质、脂肪、碳水化合物等供能营养素以及膳食纤维数量,采集人体测量指标及实验室指标综合评价高龄患者的营养状况。结果:老年患者管饲匀浆中食物种类比较齐全,但在数量上有个别品种不能达到建议值;能量摄入偏低(16.2kcal/kg),三大供能营养素中碳水化合物供能比36%,而蛋白质和脂肪供能比分别为26%、35%;膳食纤维摄入9.2g(8.4g/1 000kcal),是RNI的60%。血清白蛋白和前白蛋白降低者最多,有48.5%患者的BMI处于低限值以下。结论:高龄患者管饲饮食配方中有不尽合理之处,营养不良发生率较高,高龄患者的肠内营养支持不仅要保证能量摄入,尚需维持三大供能营养素的合理比例。     

螠蛏的营养及活性成分研究进展

螠蛏作为一种海洋双贝壳类软体动物具有较高的营养价值和许多功能性成分.这些活性物质成为了功能性食品、保健品等的开发热点.对蜢蛏的营养和功能性成分的研究现状及其前景进行概述.