Dietary Intake of Natural Sources of Docosahexaenoic Acid and Folate in Pregnant Women of Three European Cohorts

Background: Folic acid plays a fundamental role in cell division and differentiation. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been associated with infantile neurological and cognitive development. Thus, optimal intrauterine development and growth requires adequate supply of these nutrients during pregnancy. Methods: Healthy pregnant women, aged 18-41 years, were recruited in Granada (Spain; n = 62), Munich (Germany; n = 97) and Pecs (Hungary; n = 152). We estimated dietary DHA and folate intake in weeks 20 (w20) and 30 of gestation (w30) using a food frequency questionnaire with specific focus on the dietary sources of folate and DHA. Results: Both w20 and w30 Spanish participants had significantly higher daily DHA intakes (155 +/- 13 and 161 +/- 9 mg/1,000 kcal) than the German (119 +/- 9 and 124 +/- 12 mg/1,000 kcal; p = 0.002) and Hungarian participants (122 +/- 8 and 125 +/- 10 mg/1,000 kcal; p = 0.005). Hungarian women had higher folate intakes in w20 and w30 (149 +/- 5 and 147 +/- 6 mu g/1,000 kcal) than Spanish (112 +/- 2 and 110 +/- 2 mu g/1,000 kcal; p < 0.001) and German participants (126 +/- 4 and 120 +/- 6 mu g/1,000 kcal; p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusion: Dietary DHA and folate intake of pregnant women differs significantly across the three European cohorts. Only 7% of the participants reached the recommended folate intake during pregnancy, whereas nearly 90% reached the DHA recommended intake of 200 mg per day. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Base

Estudio faunístico del macizo de Quinto Real. II. Moluscos (Mollusca)

Se estudia en este trabajo la fauna de Moluscos de Quinto Real. Se han recolectado 516 ejemplares pertenecientes a 23 especies diferentes. Solo tres especies viven en ambientes acuáticos, las demás son te rrestres. Todas las especies terrestres viven en los bosques de hayasT En los habitats fuera del hayedo, que tienen una fuerte influencia antropógena, la fauna de moluscos es muy pobre

Approximate Prediction of Gas-Solid Conversion in Fluidized Bed Reactors

A simple method is proposed to evaluate the performance of fluidized bed reactors where an nth-order gas-solid reaction occurs. The method takes into account the fluid dynamics of the fluidized bed by a two-phase flow model and the rates of diffusion in the solid reactant particles (internal and external) by a simple particle model. Approximate analytical expressions are derived in terms of three effectiveness factors: interphasic, external and intraparticle. These account for the contribution of fluid-dynamic and diffusional resistances to the overall mass-transfer resistance. Gas conversion is expressed in terms of four dimensionless governing quantities and the reaction order, in this way facilitating computations. Limiting cases of the general solution are discussed by comparison with analytical solutions found in literature. The methodology can be applied to catalytic or non-catalytic systems under isothermal conditions, where one heterogeneous reaction is involved

Kinetics and thermodynamics of the protein-ligand interactions in the riboflavin kinase activity of the FAD synthetase from Corynebacterium ammoniagenes

Enzymes known as bifunctional and bimodular prokaryotic type-I FAD synthetase (FADS) exhibit ATP:riboflavin kinase (RFK) and FMN:ATP adenylyltransferase (FMNAT) activities in their C-Terminal and N-Terminal modules, respectively, and produce flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). These act as cofactors of a plethora of flavoproteins in all organisms. Therefore, regulation of their production maintains the cellular flavoproteome homeostasis. Here, we focus on regulation of the FMN synthesis in Corynebacterium ammoniagenes (Ca) by the inhibition of its RFK activity by substrates and products of the reaction. We use a truncated CaFADS variant consisting in the isolated C-Terminal RFK module, whose RFK activity is similar to that of the full-length enzyme. Inhibition of the RFK activity by the RF substrate is independent of the FMNAT module, and FMN production, in addition to being inhibited by an excess of RF, is also inhibited by both of the reaction products. Pre-steady-state kinetic and thermodynamic studies reveal key aspects to the substrates induced fit to produce the catalytically competent complex. Among them, the role of Mg2+ in the concerted allocation of substrates for catalysis and the ensemble of non-competent complexes that contribute to the regulated inhibition of the RFK activity are particularly relevant