Dietary fat composition and cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes coronary heart disease and stroke, remains the major killer in the EU, being responsible for 42% of total mortality. The amount and composition of dietary fat is arguably the most important dietary factor contributing to disease risk. A significant body of consistent evidence indicates that a decrease in dietary saturated fat:unsaturated (polyunsaturated + monounsaturated) ratio and an increased intake of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) found in fish, is cardioprotective. Furthermore, although the evidence is currently less convincing, such a strategy is also likely to improve insulin sensitivity, the central metabolic defect in diabetes. Currently in the UK only 12% of men, 17% of women and 8% of children have an SFA intakes <10% of energy. The average intake of LC n-3 PUFA is <0.2 g/day, which is less than half the current conservative recommendation of a minimum of 0.45 g/day. Public health strategies to reverse these dietary fatty acid imbalances, aimed at educating and motivating the consumer and making affordable and acceptable food products with an ‘enhanced’ fatty acid profile more widely available, must remain a public health priority in the ‘fight’ against CVD.

Safety evaluation of oligofructose: 13 Week rat study and in vitro mutagenicity

Oligofructose (OF), comprised of fructose oligomers with a terminal glucose unit, is a family Of oligosaccharides derived from the hydrolysis of inulin. Consumption of OF in animals and humans increases colonic bifidobacteria levels. The present study evaluates the safety of OF in both a 13 week rat feeding Study and Using in Vitro mutagenicity tests. Fecal bifidobacteria levels were also determined by in situ hybridization to assess a biological function of OF. Rats received either a control diet OF diets containing one of four doses of OF. Total, HDL, and LDL-cholesterol levels were significantly lower at several time points during the study in groups receiving OF compared to controls with the largest effects Occurring in the high dose male animals. Weight gain in the male high dose group was significantly lower at early time points compared to controls but]lot Significantly different at the end of study. As expected, cecal weights increased in a dose-related manner and fecal bifidobacteria levels also demonstrated a dose-related increase. There were no consistent differences in gross pathology or histopathology related to dietary OF. OF did not induce a positive response in the Ames test or chromosomal aberration test with CHO cells. These results demonstrate no adverse effects of OF. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pricing inefficiencies in private real estate markets using total return swaps

Efficient markets should guarantee the existence of zero spreads for total return swaps. However, real estate markets have recorded values that are significantly different from zero in both directions. Possible explanations might suggest non-rational behaviour by inexperienced market players or unusual features of the underlying asset market. We find that institutional characteristics in the underlying market lead to market inefficiencies and, hence, to the creation of a rational trading window with upper and lower bounds within which transactions do not offer arbitrage opportunities. Given the existence of this rational trading window, we also argue that the observed spreads can substantially be explained by trading imbalances due to the limited liquidity of a newly formed market and/or to the effect of market sentiment, complementing explanations based on the lag between underlying market returns and index returns.

Asymmetric response of demand-supply mismatch to investor's sentiment

We look through both the demand and supply side information to understand dynamics of price determination in the real estate market and examine how accurately investors’ attitudes predict the market returns and thereby flagging off extent of any demand-supply mismatch. Our hypothesis is based on the possibility that investors’ call for action in terms of their buy/sell decision and adjustment in reservation/offer prices may indicate impending demand-supply imbalances in the market. In the process, we study several real estate sectors to inform our analysis. The timeframe of our analysis (1995-2010) allows us to observe market dynamics over several economic cycles and in various stages of those cycles. Additionally, we also seek to understand how investors’ attitude or the sentiment affects the market activity over the cycles through asymmetric responses. We test our hypothesis variously using a number of measures of market activity and attitude indicators within several model specifications. The empirical models are estimated using Vector Error Correction framework. Our analysis suggests that investors’ attitude exert strong and statistically significant feedback effects in price determination. Moreover, these effects do reveal heterogeneous responses across the real estate sectors. Interestingly, our results indicate the asymmetric responses during boom, normal and recessionary periods. These results are consistent with the theoretical underpinnings.

Identification of genetic and phenotypic differences associated with prevalent and non-prevalent Salmonella Enteritidis phage types: analysis of variation in amino acid transport

In this study, differences at the genetic level of 37 Salmonella Enteritidis strains from five phage types (PTs) were compared using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) to assess differences between PTs. There were approximately 400 genes that differentiated prevalent (4, 6, 8 and 13a) and sporadic (11) PTs, of which 35 were unique to prevalent PTs, including six plasmid-borne genes, pefA, B, C, D, srgC and rck, and four chromosomal genes encoding putative amino acid transporters. Phenotype array studies also demonstrated that strains from prevalent PTs were less susceptible to urea stress and utilized L-histidine, L-glutamine, L-proline, L-aspartic acid, gly-asn and gly-gln more efficiently than PT11 strains. Complementation of a PT11 strain with the transporter genes from PT4 resulted in a significant increase in utilization of the amino acids and reduced susceptibility to urea stress. In epithelial cell association assays, PT11 strains were less invasive than other prevalent PTs. Most strains from prevalent PTs were better biofilm formers at 37 degrees C than at 28 degrees C, whilst the converse was true for PT11 strains. Collectively, the results indicate that genetic and corresponding phenotypic differences exist between strains of the prevalent PTs 4, 6, 8 and 13a and non-prevalent PT11 strains that are likely to provide a selective advantage for strains from the former PTs and could help them to enter the food chain and cause salmonellosis.

Dynamic analysis of house price diffusion across Asian financial centres

The aim of this paper is to explore effects of macroeconomic variables on house prices and also, the lead-lag relationships of real estate markets to examine house price diffusion across Asian financial centres. The analysis is based on the Global Vector Auto-Regression (GVAR) model estimated using quarterly data for six Asian financial centres (Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Bangkok) from 1991Q1 to 2011Q2. The empirical results indicate that the global economic conditions play significant roles in shaping house price movements across Asian financial centres. In particular, a small open economy that heavily relies on international trade such as – Singapore and Tokyo - shows positive correlations between economy’s openness and house prices, consistent with the Balassa-Samuelson hypothesis in international trade. However, region-specific conditions do play important roles as determinants of house prices, partly due to restrictive housing policies and demand-supply imbalances, as found in Singapore and Bangkok.

Enhanced levels of cold shock proteins in Listeria monocytogenes LO28 upon exposure to low temperature and high hydrostatic pressure

Listeria monocytogenes is a psychrotrophic food-borne pathogen that is problematic for the food industry because of its ubiquitous distribution in nature and its ability to grow at low temperatures and in the presence of high salt concentrations. Here we demonstrate that the process of adaptation to low temperature after cold shock includes elevated levels of cold shock proteins (CSPs) and that the levels of CSPs are also elevated after treatment with high hydrostatic pressure (HHP). Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis combined with Western blotting performed with anti-CspB of Bacillus subtilis was used to identify four 7-kDa proteins, designated Csp1, Csp2, Csp3, and Csp4. In addition, Southern blotting revealed four chromosomal DNA fragments that reacted with a csp probe, which also indicated that a CSP family is present in L. monocytogenes LO28. After a cold shock in which the temperature was decreased from 37°C to 10°C the levels of Csp1 and Csp3 increased 10- and 3.5-fold, respectively, but the levels of Csp2 and Csp4 were not elevated. Pressurization of L. monocytogenes LO28 cells resulted in 3.5- and 2-fold increases in the levels of Csp1 and Csp2, respectively. Strikingly, the level of survival after pressurization of cold-shocked cells was 100-fold higher than that of cells growing exponentially at 37°C. These findings imply that cold-shocked cells are protected from HHP treatment, which may affect the efficiency of combined preservation techniques.

The SEF14 fimbrial antigen of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis is encoded within a pathogenicity islet

The DNA sequence of the chromosomal gene cluster encoding the SEF14 fimbriae of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis was determined. Five contiguous open reading frames, sefABCDE, were identified. The sefE gene shared significant homology with araC-like positive regulators. Serovar-associated virulence plasmid (SAP) genes orf7,8,9 and pefI were identified immediately adjacent to the sef operon. The pefI gene encoded a putative regulator of the Plasmid-encoded fimbrial antigen (PEF) expression. The entire sef-pef region, Ranked by two IS-like elements, was inserted adjacent to leuX that encoded a transfer RNA molecule. The organisation of this region was suggestive of a classic pathogenicity islet. Southern hybridisation confirmed two copies of the SAP derived orf7,8,9 and pefI region in S. Enteritidis, one in the chromosome and one on the SAP. Of other group D Salmonella, only S. Blegdam and S. Moscow harboured both chromosomal and plasmid copies of pefI-orf9 region although polymorphism was evident. Crown Copyright (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative genomic indexing reveals the phylogenomics of Escherichia coli pathogens

The Escherichia coli O26 serogroup includes important food-borne pathogens associated with human and animal diarrheal disease. Current typing methods have revealed great genetic heterogeneity within the O26 group; the data are often inconsistent and focus only on verotoxin (VT)-positive O26 isolates. To improve current understanding of diversity within this serogroup, the genomic relatedness of VT-positive and -negative O26 strains was assessed by comparative genomic indexing. Our results clearly demonstrate that irrespective of virulence characteristics and pathotype designation, the O26 strains show greater genomic similarity to each other than to any other strain included in this study. Our data suggest that enteropathogenic and VT-expressing E. coli O26 strains represent the same clonal lineage and that W-expressing E. coli O26 strains have gained additional virulence characteristics. Using this approach, we established the core genes which are central to the E. coli species and identified regions of variation from the E. coli K-12 chromosomal backbone.

Identification of core and variable components of the Salmonella enterica subspecies I genome by microarray

We have performed microarray hybridization studies on 40 clinical isolates from 12 common serovars within Salmonella enterica subspecies I to identify the conserved chromosomal gene pool. We were able to separate the core invariant portion of the genome by a novel mathematical approach using a decision tree based on genes ranked by increasing variance. All genes within the core component were confirmed using available sequence and microarray information for S. enterica subspecies I strains. The majority of genes within the core component had conserved homologues in Escherichia coli K-12 strain MG1655. However, many genes present in the conserved set which were absent or highly divergent in K-12 had close homologues in pathogenic bacteria such as Shigella flexneri and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Genes within previously established virulence determinants such as SPI1 to SPI5 were conserved. In addition several genes within SPI6, all of SPI9, and three fimbrial operons (fim, bcf, and stb) were conserved within all S. enterica strains included in this study. Although many phage and insertion sequence elements were missing from the core component, approximately half the pseudogenes present in S. enterica serovar Typhi were conserved. Furthermore, approximately half the genes conserved in the core set encoded hypothetical proteins. Separation of the core and variant gene sets within S. enterica subspecies I has offered fundamental biological insight into the genetic basis of phenotypic similarity and diversity across S. enterica subspecies I and shown how the core genome of these pathogens differs from the closely related E. coli K-12 laboratory strain.

Genetic analysis of potassium use efficiency in Brassica oleracea

Potassium (K) fertilizers are used in intensive and extensive agricultural systems to maximize production. However, there are both financial and environmental costs to K-fertilization. It is therefore important to optimize the efficiency with which K-fertilizers are used. Cultivating crops that acquire and/or utilize K more effectively can reduce the use of K-fertilizers. The aim of the present study was to determine the genetic factors affecting K utilization efficiency (KUtE), defined as the reciprocal of shoot K concentration (1/K(shoot)), and K acquisition efficiency (KUpE), defined as shoot K content, in Brassica oleracea. Genetic variation in K(shoot) was estimated using a structured diversity foundation set (DFS) of 376 accessions and in 74 commercial genotypes grown in glasshouse and field experiments that included phosphorus (P) supply as a treatment factor. Chromosomal quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with K(shoot) and KUpE were identified using a genetic mapping population grown in the glasshouse and field. Putative QTL were tested using recurrent backcross substitution lines in the glasshouse. More than two-fold variation in K(shoot) was observed among DFS accessions grown in the glasshouse, a significant proportion of which could be attributed to genetic factors. Several QTL associated with K(shoot) were identified, which, despite a significant correlation in K(shoot) among genotypes grown in the glasshouse and field, differed between these two environments. A QTL associated with K(shoot) in glasshouse-grown plants (chromosome C7 at 62 center dot 2 cM) was confirmed using substitution lines. This QTL corresponds to a segment of arabidopsis chromosome 4 containing genes encoding the K(+) transporters AtKUP9, AtAKT2, AtKAT2 and AtTPK3. There is sufficient genetic variation in B. oleracea to breed for both KUtE and KUpE. However, as QTL associated with these traits differ between glasshouse and field environments, marker-assisted breeding programmes must consider carefully the conditions under which the crop will be grown.

In vitro batch cultures of gut microbiota from healthy and ulcerative colitis (UC) subjects suggest that sulphate-reducing bacteria levels are raised in UC and by a protein-rich diet.

Imbalances in gut microbiota composition during ulcerative colitis (UC) indicate a role for the microbiota in propagating the disorder. Such effects were investigated using in vitro batch cultures (with/without mucin, peptone or starch) inoculated with faecal slurries from healthy or UC patients; the growth of five bacterial groups was monitored along with short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. Healthy cultures gave two-fold higher growth and SCFA levels with up to ten-fold higher butyrate production. Starch gave the highest growth and SCFA production (particularly butyrate), indicating starch-enhanced saccharolytic activity. Sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were the predominant bacterial group (of five examined) for UC inocula whereas they were the minority group for the healthy inocula. Furthermore, SRB growth was stimulated by peptone presumably due to the presence of sulphur-rich amino acids. The results suggest raised SRB levels in UC, which could contribute to the condition through release of toxic sulphide.

Prediction of Staphylococcus aureus antimicrobial resistance by whole-genome sequencing

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) could potentially provide a single platform for extracting all the information required to predict an organism’s phenotype. However, its ability to provide accurate predictions has not yet been demonstrated in large independent studies of specific organisms. In this study, we aimed to develop a genotypic prediction method for antimicrobial susceptibilities. The whole genomes of 501 unrelated Staphylococcus aureus isolates were sequenced, and the assembled genomes were interrogated using BLASTn for a panel of known resistance determinants (chromosomal mutations and genes carried on plasmids). Results were compared with phenotypic susceptibility testing for 12 commonly used antimicrobial agents (penicillin, methicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, trimethoprim, gentamicin, fusidic acid, rifampin, and mupirocin) performed by the routine clinical laboratory. We investigated discrepancies by repeat susceptibility testing and manual inspection of the sequences and used this information to optimize the resistance determinant panel and BLASTn algorithm. We then tested performance of the optimized tool in an independent validation set of 491 unrelated isolates, with phenotypic results obtained in duplicate by automated broth dilution (BD Phoenix) and disc diffusion. In the validation set, the overall sensitivity and specificity of the genomic prediction method were 0.97 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.95 to 0.98) and 0.99 (95% CI, 0.99 to 1), respectively, compared to standard susceptibility testing methods. The very major error rate was 0.5%, and the major error rate was 0.7%. WGS was as sensitive and specific as routine antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods. WGS is a promising alternative to culture methods for resistance prediction in S. aureus and ultimately other major bacterial pathogens.

British working-class household composition, labour supply, and commercial leisure participation during the 1930s

The early twentieth century constituted the heyday of the ‘breadwinner–homemaker’ household, characterized by a high degree of intra-household functional specialization between paid and domestic work according to age, gender, and marital status. This article examines the links between formal workforce participation and access to resources for individualized discretionary spending in British working-class households during the late 1930s, via an analysis of household leisure expenditures. Leisure spending is particularly salient to intra-household resource allocation, as it constitutes one of the most highly prioritized areas of individualized expenditure, especially for young, single people. Using a database compiled from surviving returns to the Ministry of Labour's national 1937/8 working-class expenditure survey, we examine leisure participation rates for over 600 households, using a detailed set of commercial leisure activities together with other relevant variables. We find that the employment status of family members other than the male breadwinner was a key factor influencing their access to commercial leisure. Our analysis thus supports the view that the breadwinner–homemaker household was characterized by strong power imbalances that concentrated resources—especially for individualized expenditures—in the hands of those family members who engaged in paid labour.

AmalgamScope: merging annotations data across the human genome

The past years have shown an enormous advancement in sequencing and array-based technologies, producing supplementary or alternative views of the genome stored in various formats and databases. Their sheer volume and different data scope pose a challenge to jointly visualize and integrate diverse data types. We present AmalgamScope a new interactive software tool focusing on assisting scientists with the annotation of the human genome and particularly the integration of the annotation files from multiple data types, using gene identifiers and genomic coordinates. Supported platforms include next-generation sequencing and microarray technologies. The available features of AmalgamScope range from the annotation of diverse data types across the human genome to integration of the data based on the annotational information and visualization of the merged files within chromosomal regions or the whole genome. Additionally, users can define custom transcriptome library files for any species and use the file exchanging distant server options of the tool.