Knowledge and opinions of dietetics and pharmacy students about sugar substitutes

Na świecie wzrasta liczba osób otyłych oraz z nadwagą, dlatego w ostatnim czasie rośnie również popularność substytutów cukru stosowanych do produkcji żywności niskoenergetycznej. Istnieje więc potrzeba monitorowania oraz limitowania substancji słodzących, przeprowadzania badań, które wykluczą szkodliwość tych środków i zapewnią konsumentom bezpieczną żywność. W celu oceny wiedzy i opinii studentów Farmacji oraz Dietetyki przeprowadzono badanie ankietowe z użyciem kwestionariusza. Większość ankietowanych obu analizowanych kierunków zna budowę chemiczną najbardziej popularnego substytutu cukru jakim jest aspartam. Dalej, respondenci nie potrafią interpretować oznaczeń, które wedle ustanowień prawnych powinny znajdować się na produktach zawierających w składzie polialkohole oraz aspartam. Zdaniem większości studentów Dietetyki dostęp do informacji na temat substytutów cukru jest niewystarczający, natomiast studenci Farmacji częściej wyrażali brak zainteresowania tematem. Studenci Dietetyki częściej deklarowali sprawdzanie etykiet produktów spożywczych i częściej deklarowali zakup produktu niezawierającego sztucznych substancji słodzących. Substancje słodzące są obecne zarówno w żywności jak i w produktach farmaceutycznych, dlatego ważne jest przekazywanie studentom ankietowanych kierunków wiarygodnych informacji na ten temat.The increasing number of obese and overweight people is the reason for the usage of sugar substitutes in low calorie food production. The monitoring of usage, limitation and research is necessary to ensure the safety of food for millions of people. The aim of the study was to access the students' opinions about sugar substitutes and their usage on the basis of a questionnaire study. The majority of respondents knew the chemical construction of aspartame. The students surveyed did not correctly interpret the labels which should be included on products containing polyalcohols and aspartame. In the opinion of the dietetics students, access to information about sugar substitutes is insufficient, while pharmacy students more often declared a lack of interest in the subject. Dietitians more often check labels on food products, and they usually do not buy products containing aspartame. Sweetening substances are present both in food and pharmaceutical products, and this is the reason why dietetic and pharmacy students should have reliable information on this subject

Thyroid functioning, adipocytokines, bone turnover and vitamin D - review of literature

The most common public health problems include, among others, overweight, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the number of people with thyroid disturbances is still growing. Thyroid abnormalities can lead to many metabolic dysfunctions, including secondary osteoporosis, alterations in body mass, lipid profile, and insulin resistance. Recently, the studies have been focused on the connections between thyroid gland function, obesity, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases, as well as bone turnover. Fatty tissue plays an important role in whole body homeostasis. Adipose tissue hormones, such as leptin, resistin and adiponectin are proteins having immunomodulatory lproperties, and their balance is needed to control immune response, as well as inflammation processes. The following article constitutes a review of literature concerning thyroid function with regard to adipocytokines and vitamin D, as well as the influence of this gland on the skeletal system. For this purpose, Medline Pub Med base and Google Scholar were used. All the citied studies in this review article underline how much should be done to achieve more efficient treatment of thyroid disorders, specifically, how to prevent its complications, for instance, osteoporosis, over-weight, obesity or cardiovascular diseases

Opioid-Like Activity of Naltrexone on Natural Killer Cell Cytolytic Activity and Cytokine Production in Splenocytes: Effects of Alcohol

Chronic alcohol consumption has been shown to decrease the activity of natural killer (NK) cell cytolytic function and the production of various cytokines from the spleen. We have recently shown that naltrexone, an opiate receptor antagonist, when administered for a period of 2 weeks suppresses µ-opiate receptor binding but increases ∂-opiate receptor activity in rat splenocytes. However, the effects of long-term naltrexone treatment on alcohol-induced alteration of NK cell cytolytic activity and cytokines production in splenocytes have not been determined. Male rats were pair-fed an isocaloric liquid diet or fed an ethanol-containing liquid diet for a period of 3 weeks. These rats were additionally treated after a week with a subcutaneous implant of either a naltrexone pellet or placebo pellet for 2 weeks. Splenocytes were isolated and used for determination of various cytokines interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, and IL-6, and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the basal and IL-2-, IL-12-, or IL-18-induced NK cytolytic activity was measured using a standard 4-h 51Cr release assay against YAC-1 lymphoma target cells. Ethanol consumption resulted in a reduction of the production of IL-2, IL-4, and IL-6 as well as the basal and cytokine-activated NK cell cytolytic activity and IFN-γ production in splenocytes. Naltrexone administration increased the production of IL-2, IL-4, and IL-6 and the basal and cytokine-activated NK cell cytolytic activity and IFN-γ production in the splenocytes of pair-fed and alcohol-fed rats. These results indicated that naltrexone treatment increases NK cell cytolytic activity and cytokine production in the spleen in vivo. Furthermore, these results identify the potential of the use of naltrexone in the treatment of immune deficiency in alcoholic and non-alcoholic patients

The effect of morphine upon DNA methylation in ten regions of the rat brain

Morphine is one of the most effective analgesics in medicine. However, its use is associated with the development of tolerance and dependence. Recent studies demonstrating epigenetic changes in the brain after exposure to opiates have provided insight into mechanisms possibly underlying addiction. In this study, we sought to identify epigenetic changes in ten regions of the rat brain following acute and chronic morphine exposure. We analyzed DNA methylation of six nuclear-encoded genes implicated in brain function (Bdnf, Comt, Il1b, Il6, Nr3c1 and Tnf) and three mitochondrially-encoded genes (Mtco1, Mtco2 and Mtco3), and measured global 5-methylcytosine (5-mc) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmc) levels. We observed differential methylation of Bdnf and Il6 in the pons, Nr3c1 in the cerebellum, and Il1b in the hippocampus in response to acute morphine exposure (all p<0.05). Chronic exposure was associated with differential methylation of Bdnf and Comt in the pons, Nr3c1 in the hippocampus and Il1b in the medulla oblongata (all p<0.05). Global 5-mc levels significantly decreased in the superior colliculus following both acute and chronic morphine exposure, and increased in the hypothalamus following chronic exposure. Chronic exposure was also associated with significantly increased global 5-hmc levels in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus, but significantly decreased in the midbrain. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, highly localized epigenetic changes in the rat brain following acute and chronic morphine exposure. Further work is required to elucidate the potential role of these changes in the formation of tolerance and dependence