Analysis of nutrition and nutritional status of haemodialysis patients

Background. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common disease of civilization where nutrition is part of the treatment. Diet therapy is difficult as it is necessary to control the intake of: energy, protein and minerals – Na, K, Ca and P in the daily food rations (DFR). Objective. The aim of the study was to assess the nutritional status and diets of haemodialysis (HD) patients. Material and methods. The study involved 141 haemodialysis patients, at the average age of 65.9. The patients were divided into groups taking into consideration their sex and diagnosis for diabetes. The information on the diets were collected using a 7-day dietary recall. In the DFRs the amount of energy and 22 nutrients were calculated. Obtained results were compared with requirements for HD patients. Results. Appropriate nutritional status (measured with BMI) was reported for majority of women (70.6%) and almost half of men, however, excessive weight was recognized in every third female patient and more than half male patients, and type I obesity was noted in 7.8% of men. The analysis of the results showed that diets of all examined patients were deficient in energy and protein (except women with diabetes), whereas the consumption of fat was appropriate in both groups of women. The recommendations with respect to the amount of cholesterol were met but dietary fibre was too low. Intake of vitamins B1, D, C, folates and Ca and Mg was lower and intake of vitamin B12 was higher than recommended. Conclusions. Assessment of the coverage of the demand on nutrients in HD patients should not be based on the analysis of their nutritional status (BMI) only but also on the analysis of diets, especially in case of diabetes

Two common, often coexisting grassland plant species differ in their evolutionary potential in response to experimental drought

Abstract For terrestrial plant communities, the increase in frequency and intensity of drought events is considered as one of the most severe consequences of climate change. While single‐species studies demonstrate that drought can lead to relatively rapid adaptive genetic changes, the evolutionary potential and constraints to selection need to be assessed in comparative approaches to draw more general conclusions. In a greenhouse experiment, we compare the phenotypic response and evolutionary potential of two co‐occurring grassland plant species, Bromus erectus and Trifolium pratense, in two environments differing in water availability. We quantified variation in functional traits and reproductive fitness in response to drought and compared multivariate genetic variance–covariance matrices and predicted evolutionary responses between species. Species showed different drought adaptation strategies, reflected in both their species‐specific phenotypic plasticity and predicted responses to selection indicating contrasting evolutionary potential under drought. In T. pratense we found evidence for stronger genetic constraints under drought compared to more favourable conditions, and for some traits plastic and predicted evolutionary responses to drought had opposing directions, likely limiting the potential for adaptive change. Our study contributes to a more detailed understanding of the evolutionary potential of species with different adaptive strategies in response to climate change and may help to inform future scenarios for semi‐natural grassland ecosystems

Lysophosphatidylcholines Enriched with <i>cis</i> and <i>trans</i> Palmitoleic Acid Regulate Insulin Secretion via GPR119 Receptor

Among lipids, lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) with various fatty acyl chains have been identified as potential agonists of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Recently, targeting GPCRs has been switched to diabetes and obesity. Concomitantly, our last findings indicate the insulin secretagogue properties of cis and trans palmitoleic acid (16:1, n-7) resulting from GPCR activation, however, associated with different signaling pathways. We here report the synthesis of LPCs bearing two geometrical isomers of palmitoleic acids and investigation of their impact on human pancreatic β cells viability, insulin secretion, and activation of four GPCRs previously demonstrated to be targeted by free fatty acids and LPCs. Moreover, molecular modeling was exploited to investigate the probable binding sites of tested ligands and calculate their affinity toward GPR40, GPR55, GPR119, and GPR120 receptors