Zusammenhang zwischen dem Val66Met-Polymorphismus im Neurotrophin BDNF und metabolischen Faktoren im Kindes- und Jugendalter

Background: The exonic variant rs6265 in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has repeatedly been linked to obesity. Objective: To discern the factors by which this effect is conveyed we aimed to investigate its correlation with obesity and metabolic parameters as well as with serum levels of BDNF and measures of energy intake in children. Secondly, we aimed to compare levels of circulating BDNF with metabolic parameters. Methods: We genotyped the variant in 2131 obese and lean children and adolescents (age 6-18 years). In 177 subjects, we determined BDNF serum levels by ELISA and assessed the association with metabolic parameters and data on eating habits from self-reported food diaries. Results: The minor Met-allele was associated with lower body weight (p=0.002). In the entire study cohort none of the investigated metabolic parameters was associated with the variant. When looking at postpubertal subjects, we observed decreased postprandial glucose levels and a decreased HbA1c in Met-allele-carriers after adjusting for BMI (p=0.046 and p=0.012, respectively). Serum BDNF did not differ between homozygous Val/Val-individuals and carriers of the Met-allele. We neither found a correlation of serum BDNF with different genotypes nor with any of the metabolic parameters. Conclusion: We confirmed the association of the minor Met-allele with decreased body weight in children and additionally observed alterations in postprandial glucose metabolism in postpubertal subjects. However, variations in serum levels of BDNF were neither related to the genotype nor to the phenotype of food intake or glucose metabolism.:Inhaltsverzeichnis 2 Abkürzungsverzeichnis 3 1 Einführung in die Thematik 4 1.1 Genetische Ursachen von Adipositas 4 1.2 Der neuronale Wachstumsfaktor BDNF 5 1.3 BDNF und Regulation von Nahrungsaufnahme und Glukosemetabolismus 6 1.4 Der exonisch gelegene Val66Met-Polymorphismus in BDNF 7 1.5 Oraler Glukosetoleranztest und HbA1c als Marker des Glukosestoffwechsels 9 1.5.1 Physiologische Grundlagen der Glukosehomöostase 9 1.5.2 OGTT und Insulinsensitivitätsindizes 10 1.5.3 HbA1c – das „Langzeitgedächtnis“ des Blutzuckerspiegels 10 1.6 Basisdiagnostik des Fettstoffwechsels 11 1.7 Einschätzung der Nährstoffaufnahme mittels Ernährungstagebuch 11 2 Überleitung zur Publikation 13 2.1 Ziel der Arbeit, Rationale und Fragestellung 13 2.2 Charakterisierung der Kohorten 14 2.3 Kurzbeschreibung der Methoden 15 2.4 Ergebnisse 15 2.5 Fazit 16 3 Originalpublikation 17 4 Zusammenfassung 30 5 Literaturverzeichnis 35 6 Anlagen 39 6.1 Erklärung über die eigenständige Abfassung der Arbeit 39 6.2 Spezifizierung des eigenen wissenschaftlichen Beitrages 40 6.3 Danksagung 4

Mechanisms of genotypic differences in tolerance of iron toxicity in field-grown rice

Iron (Fe) toxicity is a major constraint to rice yields in much of the world due to the greater solubility of reduced ferrous Fe in paddy soils compared with ferric Fe in aerobic soils and resulting excess uptake into the plants. There is genotypic variation in tolerance in Oryza gene pools, but so far only weak-effect alleles have been identified, largely because multiple critical physiological processes determine the tolerance. Most past research has been done in nutrient solution screens at the seedling stage, and not under field conditions over the full life cycle. We investigated tolerance mechanisms in a diverse set of genotypes under field conditions in a highly iron toxic soil in the Central Highlands of Madagascar. We made repeated plant samplings of young and old tissues throughout the growth period until maturity. Multiple mechanisms were involved, and the importance of different mechanisms changed between growth stages. Higher grain yields were mainly due to healthy vegetative growth, achieved either by reducing Fe uptake (exclusion) or by minimizing the effect of excess uptake through compartmentalization in older tissues and tissue tolerance. Exclusion mechanisms were relaxed during reproductive growth, leading to increased Fe accumulation in shoots. But tolerant genotypes were nonetheless able to grow well through a combination of Fe compartmentalization and tissue tolerance, so that grain filling could proceed relatively unimpeded. Tissue phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) concentrations were close to or below deficiency limits throughout growth. Exclusion by ferrous Fe oxidation in the rhizosphere will impede access of P and K ions to roots, but the differences in their tissue concentrations were much smaller than differences in growth rates, so growth rates evidently drove the uptake differences and responses to Fe toxicity were the more important constraints. There was no relation between grain yield and visual symptoms. To identify useful donors and markers for breeding it is important to develop screening protocols that capture the individual tolerance mechanisms, allowing for the effects of growth stage on their relative importance and expression, and possible interactions with other factors such as mineral nutrition. Selection for tolerance based on visual symptoms, particularly at the seedling stage, is overly simplistic, though it can be useful in the study of specific tolerance mechanisms

Compostos fenólicos, capacidade antioxidante e minerais em cascas de melancias ‘manchester’ e ‘smile’ provenientes de resíduos de processamento

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Nutrição, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Nutrição Humana, 2017.A melancia, Citrullus lanatus Schrad., é um fruto rico em fitonutrientes como licopeno, ácidos fenólicos e carotenóides, os quais lhe atribui uma alta capacidade antioxidante, além de vitaminas, minerais e fibras. Está entre as curcubitáceas mais consumidas no mundo e também mais visadas pela indústria de minimamente processados, porém o seu processamento está ligado à grande quantidade de resíduos gerados pelas partes consideradas não comestíveis da fruta, como as cascas e sementes. As partes usualmente consideradas não comestíveis de frutas e hortaliças como a melancia apresentam, na sua maioria, uma maior quantidade de compostos funcionais comparadas com o restante do fruto, além de uma abundante fonte de compostos antioxidantes como os polifenóis, o que justificaria o uso desses resíduos como aditivos alimentares além de diminuir o dano ambiental causado pela quantidade de resíduo orgânico produzido. Este estudo visou quantificar os compostos fenólicos e minerais além de avaliar a capacidade antioxidante das cascas das cultivares de melancia Manchester, mais cultivada no Brasil, e Smile, recém introduzida no mercado nacional. Os experimentos foram conduzidos em delineamento inteiramente casualizados, com 2 tratamentos e 30 repetições. As análises foram feitas em triplicata. Os resultados foram submetidos à análise de variância (ANOVA) e as médias foram testadas pelo teste de Tukey ao nível de significância de 5%. As cascas das cultivares de melancias apresentaram diferenças significativas nos valores de pH, sólidos solúveis, % de inibição e fenólicos e sem diferença significativa nos valores de acidez titulável. A cultivar Manchester apresentou valores superiores de pH (5,88), sólidos solúveis (4,17 ˙Brix) e de acúcares totais (2,09 g kg -1) comparada com a cultivar Smile que obteve valor de 5,72, 1,98 e 1,55 para pH, sólidos solúveis e açúcares totais, respectivamente. Os teores de fenólicos totais na cultivar Manchester foram 10,7 vezes maior ao encontrado na cultivar Smile e a capacidade antioxidante da cultivar Smile foi significativamente inferior à Manchester, correspondendo à 20,53% e 31, 78% de proteção, respectivamente. Quanto ao conteúdo de minerais, a cultivar Smile obteve maiores concentrações nos teores de Fe (52,32 mg kg-1), Mn (23,98 mg kg -1), P (5,85 mg kg-1) e Na (1,07 mg kg-1) e a cultivar Manchester com concentrações superiores de K (81,87 g kg -1), Ca (5, 00 g kg -1) e Mg (2,34 g kg-1). Não houve diferenças significativas entre as cultivares quanto ao teor de Zn. A cultivar Manchester destacou-se em relação a cultivar Smile na maioria dos parâmetros analisados. Apenas no conteúdo de acidez e zinco não houve diferença estatística entre os tratamentos. O conteúdo de minerais de ambas as cultivares foram superiores ao encontrado em outras frutas e corresponde a um percentual considerável das Recomendações Dietéticas de Referência.The watermelon, Citrullus lanatus Schrad., is a fruit rich in phytonutrients such as lycopene, phenolic acids and carotenoids, which gives it a high antioxidant capacity, as well as vitamins, minerals and fibers. It is among the most consumed curcubitáceas in the world and also more targeted by the minimally processed industry, but its processing is linked to the large amount of waste generated by the parts considered inedible of the fruit, such as peels and seeds. The parts usually considered inedible of fruits and vegetables like the watermelon present, in the majority, a greater amount of functional compounds compared with the rest of the fruit, in addition to an abundant source of antioxidant compounds as the polyphenols, what would justify the use of these Waste as food additives in addition to reducing the environmental damage caused by the amount of organic waste produced. This study aimed to quantify the phenolic and mineral compounds in addition to evaluating the antioxidant capacity of the bark of the most cultivated Manchester watermelon cultivars in Brazil and Smile, recently introduced in the national market. The experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design with 2 treatments and 30 replicates. The analyzes were done in triplicate. The results were submitted to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the means were tested by the Tukey test at a significance level of 5%. The bark of the watermelon cultivars presented significant differences in pH, soluble solids, % inhibition and phenolics, with no significant difference in the values of titratable acidity. The highest values of pH (5.88), soluble solids (4.17 ˙Brix) and total sugars (2.09 g kg -1) were found in the Manchester cultivar, compared to the Smile cultivar, which obtained a value of 5.72, 1 , 98 and 1.55 for pH, soluble solids and total sugars, respectively. The total phenolic content in the Manchester cultivar was 10.7 times higher than that found in the Smile cultivar and the antioxidant capacity of the Smile cultivar was significantly lower than Manchester, corresponding to 20.53% and 31, 78% protection, respectively. As regards mineral content, Smile showed higher concentrations of Fe (52.32 mg kg-1), Mn (23.98 mg kg -1), P (5.85 mg kg-1) and Na 1.07 mg kg-1) and Manchester cultivar with higher concentrations of K (81.87 g kg -1), Ca (5.00 g kg -1) and Mg (2.34 g kg -1). There were no significant differences between the cultivars regarding the Zn content. The cultivar Manchester was distinguished in relation to the cultivar Smile in the majority of the analyzed parameters. Only in the acidity and zinc content there was no statistical difference between the treatments. The mineral content of both cultivars was higher than that found in other fruits and corresponds to a considerable percentage of the Dietary Reference Recommendations

Winona Currents Annual Report 2016

Winona Currents Annual Report for 2016.https://openriver.winona.edu/winonacurrents/1028/thumbnail.jp

Pasturas y Forrajes

Pasturas y Forraje

University of Montana Commencement Program, 2006

Commencement program from the University of Montana.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/um_commencement_programs/1108/thumbnail.jp

A prosopographical analysis of society in East Central Scotland, circa 1100 to 1260, with special reference to ethnicity

This thesis seeks to examine the Europeanizing themes of the spread of charters, the adoption of common European names and the interaction of the chivalric ‘aristocratic diaspora’ with local landholding society through the methodology of prosopography. The role of aristocratic landholders as grantor, witnesses and recipients of charters was studied, based on an analysis of the texts of over 1500 aristocratic, royal and ecclesiastical documents relating to Scotland north of Forth, dating from circa 1100 to circa 1260. The Appendix is a list of all non-royal, non-ecclesiastical (or ‘private’) charters, agreements, brieves and similar documents, catalogued herein for the first time. The results of this study are two-fold. First, the thesis involves a degree of reappraisal, in which phenomena which were seen previously as pertaining to either ‘native’ or ‘Norman’ trends are instead examined as part of a single Scottish society. Second, this thesis offers several new findings based on the prosopographical analysis of the charter material, which help to hone our understanding for how Europeanization worked in Scotland. It is now clear that, while the adoption of charters should certainly be seen as a Europeanizing trend, their use by aristocratic landholders followed several stages, none of which adhered to any ethnic bias. This study reveals the prominence of networks in spreading charter use, including one focused around Countess Ada and other related countesses, in the early stages of aristocratic charter use. Furthermore, the important component of Europeanization, whereby ‘peripheral’ peoples took up common European personal names, can be qualified in the case of Scotland north of Forth, where the society was already characterised by a diverse intermixing of Gaelic, Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon names, and where certain Gaelic names were not only maintained by ‘native’ families, but also adopted by immigrant knights. This thesis shows that the practice of using personal names as evidence for ethnicity does not hold up to close scrutiny. Moreover, the aristocratic diaspora for Scottish earls was a two-way street, and some earls and other Scottish nobles married into some of the most powerful families in western Europe. On the other hand, immigration of knights into Scotland north of Forth resulted in the creation of a new baronial class, one which also incorporated various types of ‘native’ Scottish landholder. Indeed, even in regions like the Mearns, where the king had a free hand, landholding was balanced between local and immigrant families. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, this study has verified that the notion that Scotland had ‘no institutionalised apartheid’ was not merely a legal technicality, but a fundamental characteristic of the society. Landholding patterns reveal no evidence of ethnic separation; neither does analysis of assemblies, courts, civil legal proceedings and processes of perambulation. Instead, power was exercised by a diverse aristocratic class. The nature of Europeanization in Scotland is distinct and special, and serves as a fascinating case study of an aristocratic society that was transformed, but in some ways on its own terms