Zinc metabolism in pregnant and lactating rats and the effect of varying iron: Zn in the diet

Pregnant rats were given control (46 mg iron/kg, 61 mg zinc/kg), low-Zn (6.9 mg Zn/kg) or low-Zn plus Fe (168 mg Fe/kg) diets from day 1 of pregnancy. The animals were allowed to give birth and parturition times recorded. Exactly 24 h after the end of parturition the pups were killed and analysed for water, fat, protein, Fe and Zn contents and the mothers' haemoglobin (Hb) and packed cell volume (PCV) were measured. There were no differences in weight gain or food intakes throughout pregnancy. Parturition times were similar (mean time 123 (SE 15) min) and there were no differences in the number of pups born. Protein, water and fat contents of the pups were similar but the low-Zn Fe-supplemented group had higher pup Fe than the low-Zn unsupplemented group, and the control group had higher pup Zn than both the low-Zn groups. The low-Zn groups had a greater incidence of haemorrhaged or deformed pups, or both, than the controls. Pregnant rats were given diets of adequate Zn level (40 mg/kg) but with varying Fe:Zn (0.8, 1.7, 2.9, 3.7). Zn retention from the diet was measured using 65Zn as an extrinsic label on days 3, 10 and 17 of pregnancy with a whole-body gamma-counter. A group of non-pregnant rats was also included as controls. The 65Zn content of mothers and pups was measured 24-48 h after birth and at 14, 21 and 24 d of age. In all groups Zn retention was highest from the first meal, fell in the second meal and then rose in the third meal of the pregnant but not the non-pregnant rats. There were no differences between the groups given diets of varying Fe:Zn level. Approximately 25% of the 65Zn was transferred from the mothers to the pups by the time they were 48 h old, and a further 17% during the first 14 d of lactation. The pup 65Zn content did not significantly increase after the first 20 d of lactation but the maternal 65Zn level continued to fall gradually.

Age-related changes in the functional neuroanatomy of overt speech production

Alterations of existing neural networks during healthy aging, resulting in behavioral deficits and changes in brain activity, have been described for cognitive, motor, and sensory functions. To investigate age-related changes in the neural circuitry underlying overt non-lexical speech production, functional MRI was performed in 14 healthy younger (21–32 years) and 14 healthy older individuals (62–84 years). The experimental task involved the acoustically cued overt production of the vowel /a/ and the polysyllabic utterance /pataka/. In younger and older individuals, overt speech production was associated with the activation of a widespread articulo-phonological network, including the primary motor cortex, the supplementary motor area, the cingulate motor areas, and the posterior superior temporal cortex, similar in the /a/ and /pataka/ condition. An analysis of variance with the factors age and condition revealed a significant main effect of age. Irrespective of the experimental condition, significantly greater activation was found in the bilateral posterior superior temporal cortex, the posterior temporal plane, and the transverse temporal gyri in younger compared to older individuals. Significantly greater activation was found in the bilateral middle temporal gyri, medial frontal gyri, middle frontal gyri, and inferior frontal gyri in older vs. younger individuals. The analysis of variance did not reveal a significant main effect of condition and no significant interaction of age and condition. These results suggest a complex reorganization of neural networks dedicated to the production of speech during healthy aging.

Investigation of the faecal microbiota of kittens: monitoring bacterial succession and effect of diet

Weaning is a stressful process for kittens, and is often associated with diarrhoea and the onset of infectious diseases. The gastrointestinal microbiota plays an essential role in host well-being, including improving homeostasis. Composition of the gastrointestinal microbiota of young cats is poorly understood, and the impact of diet on the kitten microbiota unknown. The aims of this study were to monitor the faecal microbiota of kittens and determine the effect(s) of diet on its composition. Bacterial succession was monitored in two groups of kittens (at 4 and 6 weeks, and 4 and 9 months of age) fed different foods. Age-related microbial changes revealed significantly different counts of total bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, Desulfovibrionales, Clostridium cluster IX and Bacteroidetes between 4-week- and 9-month-old kittens. Diet-associated differences in the faecal microbiota of the two feeding groups were evident. In general, fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis demonstrated bifidobacteria, Atopobium group, Clostridium cluster XIV and lactic acid bacteria were dominant in kittens. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profiling showed highly complex and diverse faecal microbiotas for kittens, with age- and/or food-related changes seen in relation to species richness and similarity indices. Four-week-old kittens harboured more diverse and variable profiles than those of weaned kittens.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms at the ADIPOQ gene locus interact with age and dietary intake of fat to determine serum adiponectin in subjects at risk of the metabolic syndrome

Background: Adiponectin gene expression is modulated by peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ, which is a transcription factor activated by unsaturated fatty acids. Objective: We investigated the effect of the interaction between variants at the ADIPOQ gene locus, age, sex, body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, and the replacement of dietary saturated fatty acids (SFAs) with monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) or carbohydrates on serum adiponectin concentrations. Design: The RISCK (Reading, Imperial, Surrey, Cambridge, and Kings) study is a parallel-design, randomized controlled trial. Serum adiponectin concentrations were measured after a 4-wk high-SFA (HS) diet and a 24-wk intervention with reference (HS), high-MUFA (HM), and low-fat (LF) diets. Single nucleotide polymorphisms at the ADIPOQ locus −11391 G/A (rs17300539), −10066 G/A (rs182052), −7734 A/C (rs16861209), and +276 G/T (rs1501299) were genotyped in 448 participants. Results: In white Europeans, +276 T was associated with higher serum adiponectin concentrations (n = 340; P = 0.006) and −10066 A was associated with lower serum adiponectin concentrations (n = 360; P = 0.03), after adjustment for age, BMI, and sex. After the HM diet, −10066 G/G subjects showed a 3.8% increase (95% CI: −0.1%, 7.7%) and G/A+A/A subjects a 2.6% decrease (95% CI: −5.6%, 0.4%) in serum adiponectin (P = 0.006 for difference after adjustment for the change in BMI, age, and sex). In −10066 G/G homozygotes, serum adiponectin increased with age after the HM diet and decreased after the LF diet. Conclusion: In white −10066 G/G homozygotes, an HM diet may help to increase adiponectin concentrations with advancing age. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as ISRCTN29111298.

Harvesting fruit of equivalent chronological age and fruit position shows individual effects of UV radiation on aspects of the strawberry ripening process

The effect of UV radiation on fruit secondary compounds of strawberry cv ‘Elsanta’ was recorded taking chronological age and fruit position on the truss into account. When fruit of similar age post-anthesis, and truss position were compared, we found that the concentration of secondary compounds differed according to fruit position on the truss. UV radiation hastened the rate of colour development and resulted in an increase in fruit anthocyanin (14–31%), flavonoid (9–21%) and phenolic (9–20%) contents at harvesting; but it had no effect on fruit soluble solid content, pH and volatile composition. It did, however, increase leaf flavonoid (16%) and phenolic (8%) concentrations. Fruit ripened under a UV transparent film were firmer, smaller but greater in number than fruit ripened under a UV opaque film. Overall, the results indicate that UV radiation does not affect all aspects of strawberry ripening but independently alters rate of colour development and fruit firmness

A randomised crossover study investigating the effects of galacto-oligosaccharides on the faecal microbiota in men and women over 50 years of age

Faecal microbial changes associated with ageing include reduced bifidobacteria numbers. These changes coincide with an increased risk of disease development. Prebiotics have been observed to increase bifidobacteria numbers within humans. The present study aimed to determine if prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) could benefit a population of men and women of 50 years and above, through modulation of faecal microbiota, fermentation characteristics and faecal water genotoxicity. A total of thirty-seven volunteers completed this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. The treatments – juice containing 4 g GOS and placebo – were consumed twice daily for 3 weeks, preceded by 3-week washout periods. To study the effect of GOS on different large bowel regions, three-stage continuous culture systems were conducted in parallel using faecal inocula from three volunteers. Faecal samples were microbially enumerated by quantitative PCR. In vivo, following GOS intervention, bifidobacteria were significantly more compared to post-placebo (P = 0·02). Accordingly, GOS supplementation had a bifidogenic effect in all in vitro system vessels. Furthermore, in vessel 1 (similar to the proximal colon), GOS fermentation led to more lactobacilli and increased butyrate. No changes in faecal water genotoxicity were observed. To conclude, GOS supplementation significantly increased bifidobacteria numbers in vivo and in vitro. Increased butyrate production and elevated bifidobacteria numbers may constitute beneficial modulation of the gut microbiota in a maturing population.

Effect of prebiotics on the human gut microbiota of elderly persons

The colonic microbiota undergoes certain age related changes that may affect health. For example, above the age of 55–65 y, populations of bifidobacteria are known to decrease markedly. Bifidobacteria are known inhibitors of pathogenic microbes and a decrease in their activities may increase susceptibility to infections. There is therefore interest in trying to reverse their decline in aged persons. As the gut microbiota responds to dietary intervention, both probiotics and prebiotics have been tested in this regard. Probiotics are live microbes in the diet, whereas prebiotics are fermentable ingredients that specifically target components of the indigenous microbiota seen to be beneficial. We have published a recent paper demonstrating that prebiotic galactooligosaccharides can exert power effects upon bifidobacteria in the gut flora of elderly persons (both in vivo and in vitro). This addendum summarizes research that led up to this study and discusses the possible impact of prebiotics in impacting upon the gut health of aged persons.

Age related changes in speed and mechanism of adult skeletal muscle stem cell migration

Skeletal muscle undergoes a progressive age-related loss in mass and function. Preservation of muscle mass depends in part on satellite cells, the resident stem cells of skeletal muscle. Reduced satellite cell function may contribute to the age-associated decrease in muscle mass. Here we focused on characterising the effect of age on satellite cell migration. We report that aged satellite cells migrate at less than half the speed of young cells. In addition, aged cells show abnormal membrane extension and retraction characteristics required for amoeboid based cell migration. Aged satellite cells displayed low levels of integrin expression. By deploying a mathematical model approach to investigate mechanism of migration, we have found that young satellite cells move in a random ‘memoryless’ manner whereas old cells demonstrate superdiffusive tendencies. Most importantly, we show that nitric oxide, a key regulator of cell migration, reversed the loss in migration speed and reinstated the unbiased mechanism of movement in aged satellite cells. Finally we found that although Hepatocyte Growth Factor increased the rate of aged satellite cell movement it did not restore the memoryless migration characteristics displayed in young cells. Our study shows that satellite cell migration, a key component of skeletal muscle regeneration, is compromised during aging. However, we propose clinically approved drugs could be used to overcome these detrimental changes.

Effect on components of the intestinal microflora and plasma neuropeptide levels of feeding Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Bifidobacterium lactis, and inulin to adult and elderly rats

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of the mixture of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. rhamnosus strain GG, Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12, and inulin on intestinal populations of lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, and enterobacteria in adult and elderly rats fed the same (in quality and quantity) diet. The portal plasma levels of two neuropeptides, neuropeptide Y (NPY) and peptide YY (PYY), were also evaluated to assess the physiological consequences of the synbiotic treatment for the gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of rats of different ages. Adult (n = 24) and elderly (n = 24) male rats were fed the AIN-93 M maintenance diet. After 2 weeks of adaptation, the diet of 12 rats of each age group was supplemented with 8% inulin and with strains GG and Bb12 to provide 2.2 x 10(9) CFU of each strain g(-1) of the diet. Blood and different regions of the GI tract were sampled from all rats after 21 days of the treatment. Treatment with the mixture of strain GG, strain BB12, and inulin induced significantly different changes in the numbers of lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, and enterobacteria of the stomach, small intestine, cecum, and colon microflora. Moreover, the GG, BB12, and inulin mixture increased the concentrations of NPY and PYY for adult rats. For the elderly animals, the PYY concentration was not changed, while the NPY concentration was decreased by treatment with the GG, BB12, and inulin mixture. The results of the present study indicate that the physiological status of the GI tract, and not just diet, has a major role in the regulation of important groups of the GI bacteria community, since even the outcome of the dietary modification with synbiotics depends on the ages of the animals.

The effect of cruciferous and leguminous sprouts on genotoxicity, in vitro and in vivo

Vegetable consumption is associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, which is the second most common cancer after lung/breast cancer within Europe. Some putative protective phytochemicals are found in higher amounts in young sprouts than in mature plants. The effect of an extract of mixed cruciferous and legume sprouts on DNA damage induced by H(2)O(2) was measured in HT29 cells using single cell microgelelectrophoresis (comet). Significant antigenotoxic effect (P < or = 0.05) was observed when HT29 cells were pre-incubated with the extract (100 and 200 microL/mL) for 24 hours and then challenged with H(2)O(2). A parallel design intervention study was carried out on 10 male and 10 female healthy adult volunteers (mean age = 25.5 years) fed 113 g of cruciferous and legume sprouts daily for 14 days. The effect of the supplementation was measured on a range of parameters, including DNA damage in lymphocytes (comet), the activity of various detoxifying enzymes (glutathione S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase), antioxidant status using the ferric reducing ability of plasma assay, plasma antioxidants (uric acid, ascorbic acid, and alpha-tocopherol), blood lipids, plasma levels of lutein, and lycopene. A significant antigenotoxic effect against H(2)O(2)-induced DNA damage was shown in peripheral blood lymphocytes of volunteers who consumed the supplemented diet when compared with the control diet (P = 0.04). No significant induction of detoxifying enzymes was observed during the study, neither were plasma antioxidant levels or activity altered. The results support the theory that consumption of cruciferous vegetables is linked to a reduced risk of cancer via decreased damage to DNA.

What happens to precocious readers’ performance by the age of 11 years?

This paper reports on the progress made by a group of fourteen 11-year-old children who had been originally identified as being precocious readers before they started primary school at the age of 5-years. The data enable comparisons to be made with the performance of the children when they were younger so that a six year longitudinal analysis can be made. The children who began school as precocious readers continued to make progress in reading accuracy, rate and comprehension, thereby maintaining their superior performance relative to a comparison group. However, their progress appeared to follow the same developmental trajectory as that of the comparison group. Measures of phonological awareness showed that there are long term, stable individual differences which correlated with all measures of reading. The children who were reading precociously early showed significantly higher levels of phonological awareness than the comparison children. In addition, they showed the same levels of performance on this task as a further group of high achieving young adults. A positive effect of being able to read at precociously early age was identified in the significantly higher levels of receptive vocabulary found amongst the these children. The analyses indicated that rises in receptive vocabulary resulted from reading performance rather than the other way round

Amygdala functional connectivity with medial prefrontal cortex at rest predicts the positivity effect in older adults’ memory

As people get older, they tend to remember more positive than negative information. This age-by-valence interaction has been called “positivity effect.” The current study addressed the hypotheses that baseline functional connectivity at rest is predictive of older adults' brain activity when learning emotional information and their positivity effect in memory. Using fMRI, we examined the relationship among resting-state functional connectivity, subsequent brain activity when learning emotional faces, and individual differences in the positivity effect (the relative tendency to remember faces expressing positive vs. negative emotions). Consistent with our hypothesis, older adults with a stronger positivity effect had increased functional coupling between amygdala and medial PFC (MPFC) during rest. In contrast, younger adults did not show the association between resting connectivity and memory positivity. A similar age-by-memory positivity interaction was also found when learning emotional faces. That is, memory positivity in older adults was associated with (a) enhanced MPFC activity when learning emotional faces and (b) increased negative functional coupling between amygdala and MPFC when learning negative faces. In contrast, memory positivity in younger adults was related to neither enhanced MPFC activity to emotional faces, nor MPFC–amygdala connectivity to negative faces. Furthermore, stronger MPFC–amygdala connectivity during rest was predictive of subsequent greater MPFC activity when learning emotional faces. Thus, emotion–memory interaction in older adults depends not only on the task-related brain activity but also on the baseline functional connectivity.

Psychopathology in Williams Syndrome: the effect of individual differences across the life span

The present research aimed to comprehensively explore psychopathology in Williams syndrome (WS) across the lifespan and evaluate the relationship between psychopathology and age category (child or adult), gender and cognitive ability. The parents of 50 participants with WS, aged 6-50 years, were interviewed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS-PL). The prevalence of a wide range of Axis I DSM-IV disorders was assessed. In addition to high rates of anxiety and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (38% and 20% respectively), 14% of our sample met criteria for a depressive disorder and 42% of participants were not experiencing any significant psychopathological difficulties. There was some evidence for different patterns of psychopathology between children and adults with WS and between males and females. These relationships were largely in keeping with those found in the typically developing population, thus supporting the validity of applying theory and treatment approaches for psychopathology in the typically developing population to WS.

Overall and income specific effect on prevalence of overweight and obesity of 20% sugar sweetened drink tax in UK: econometric and comparative risk assessment modelling study

Objective To model the overall and income specific effect of a 20% tax on sugar sweetened drinks on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the UK. Design Econometric and comparative risk assessment modelling study. Setting United Kingdom. Population Adults aged 16 and over. Intervention A 20% tax on sugar sweetened drinks. Main outcome measures The primary outcomes were the overall and income specific changes in the number and percentage of overweight (body mass index ≥25) and obese (≥30) adults in the UK following the implementation of the tax. Secondary outcomes were the effect by age group (16-29, 30-49, and ≥50 years) and by UK constituent country. The revenue generated from the tax and the income specific changes in weekly expenditure on drinks were also estimated. Results A 20% tax on sugar sweetened drinks was estimated to reduce the number of obese adults in the UK by 1.3% (95% credible interval 0.8% to 1.7%) or 180 000 (110 000 to 247 000) people and the number who are overweight by 0.9% (0.6% to 1.1%) or 285 000 (201 000 to 364 000) people. The predicted reductions in prevalence of obesity for income thirds 1 (lowest income), 2, and 3 (highest income) were 1.3% (0.3% to 2.0%), 0.9% (0.1% to 1.6%), and 2.1% (1.3% to 2.9%). The effect on obesity declined with age. Predicted annual revenue was £276m (£272m to £279m), with estimated increases in total expenditure on drinks for income thirds 1, 2, and 3 of 2.1% (1.4% to 3.0%), 1.7% (1.2% to 2.2%), and 0.8% (0.4% to 1.2%). Conclusions A 20% tax on sugar sweetened drinks would lead to a reduction in the prevalence of obesity in the UK of 1.3% (around 180 000 people). The greatest effects may occur in young people, with no significant differences between income groups. Both effects warrant further exploration. Taxation of sugar sweetened drinks is a promising population measure to target population obesity, particularly among younger adults.

Effect of polymorphisms in the PPARGC1A gene on body fat in Asian Indians

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether polymorphisms in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PPARGC1A) gene were related to body fat in Asian Indians. METHODS: Three polymorphisms of PPARGC1A gene, the Thr394Thr, Gly482Ser and +A2962G, were genotyped on 82 type 2 diabetic and 82 normal glucose tolerant (NGT) subjects randomly chosen from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study using PCR-RFLP, and the nature of the variants were confirmed using direct sequencing. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) was estimated from the estimates of haplotypic frequencies using an expectation-maximization algorithm. Visceral, subcutaneous and total abdominal fat were measured using computed tomography, whereas dual X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure central abdominal and total body fat. RESULTS: None of the three polymorphisms studied were in LD. The genotype (0.59 vs 0.32, P=0.001) and allele (0.30 vs 0.17, P=0.007) frequencies of Thr394Thr polymorphism were significantly higher in type 2 diabetic subjects compared to those in NGT subjects. The odds ratio for diabetes (adjusted for age, sex and body mass index) for the susceptible genotype, XA (GA+AA) of Thr394Thr polymorphism, was 2.53 (95% confidence intervals: 1.30-5.04, P=0.009). Visceral and subcutaneous fat were significantly higher in NGT subjects with XA genotype of the Thr394Thr polymorphism compared to those with GG genotype (visceral fat: XA 148.2+/-46.9 vs GG 106.5+/-51.9 cm(2), P=0.001; subcutaneous fat: XA 271.8+/-167.1 vs GG 181.5+/-78.5 cm(2), P=0.001). Abdominal (XA 4521.9+/-1749.6 vs GG 3445.2+/-1443.4 g, P=0.004), central abdominal (XA 1689.0+/-524.0 vs GG 1228.5+/-438.7 g, P<0.0001) and non-abdominal fat (XA 18763.8+/-8789.4 vs GG 13160.4+/-4255.3 g, P<0.0001) were also significantly higher in the NGT subjects with XA genotype compared to those with GG genotype. The Gly482Ser and +A2962G polymorphisms were not associated with any of the body fat measures. CONCLUSION: Among Asian Indians, the Thr394Thr (G --> A) polymorphism is associated with increased total, visceral and subcutaneous body fat.