The sugar content of children’s and lunchbox beverages sold in the UK before and after the soft drink industry levy

Background: Childhood obesity is associated with an increased intake of sugary soft drinks and juice drinks. The aims of this study were (1) to report the sugar and energy content in commercial fruit juice (FJ), juice drinks (JD) and smoothies (S) specifically targeted at children in the UK, (2) to identify beverages liable for the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) and (3) to compare the amount of sugar in these beverages before and after the levy. Methods: The beverages were retrieved using the online shopping tool my Supermarket, websites of nine major supermarket in the UK and manufacturers webpages. Comparisons of sugar content were taken before and after the introduction of the SDIL. Results: 131 FJJDS fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The mean sugar content of all the beverages was 6.3g±4.5/100mL. There was large variation in the sugar content from 0.1g/100mL to 15.2g/100mL, with smoothies found to contain the most sugar (11.55±1.62 g/mL). The beverages were reanalysed in September 2018 to determine their eligibility for the SDIL. Of the 131 products only 7 JD were eligible for the levy. Four of these beverages had reformulated their ingredients since the initial analysis resulting in a sugar content of <5g/100mL. Conclusions: The majority of the beverages targeted at children and children’s lunch boxes were not eligible for the SDIL. This study suggests the necessity to adapt the SDIL to include all FJJDS aimed at children as the total sugar content of these beverages are still above the recommended quantities for this age group

New GOLD classification: longitudinal data on group assignment

Rationale: Little is known about the longitudinal changes associated with using the 2013 update of the multidimensional GOLD strategy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objective: To determine the COPD patient distribution of the new GOLD proposal and evaluate how this classification changes over one year compared with the previous GOLD staging based on spirometry only. Methods: We analyzed data from the CHAIN study, a multicenter observational Spanish cohort of COPD patients who are monitored annually. Categories were defined according to the proposed GOLD: FEV1%, mMRC dyspnea, COPD Assessment Test (CAT), Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ), and exacerbations-hospitalizations. One-year follow-up information was available for all variables except CCQ data. Results: At baseline, 828 stable COPD patients were evaluated. On the basis of mMRC dyspnea versus CAT, the patients were distributed as follows: 38.2% vs. 27.2% in group A, 17.6% vs. 28.3% in group B, 15.8% vs. 12.9% in group C, and 28.4% vs. 31.6% in group D. Information was available for 526 patients at one year: 64.2% of patients remained in the same group but groups C and D show different degrees of variability. The annual progression by group was mainly associated with one-year changes in CAT scores (RR, 1.138; 95%CI: 1.074-1.206) and BODE index values (RR, 2.012; 95%CI: 1.487-2.722). Conclusions: In the new GOLD grading classification, the type of tool used to determine the level of symptoms can substantially alter the group assignment. A change in category after one year was associated with longitudinal changes in the CAT and BODE index

New GOLD classification: longitudinal data on group assignment

In the new GOLD grading classification, the type of tool used to determine the level of symptoms can substantially alter the group assignment. A change in category after one year was associated with longitudinal changes in the CAT and BODE index

Quality of life and social support of the patients of continued care units of Algarve

This study assessed the relations between quality of life and social support network of patients in continuing care units in Algarve, using WHOQOL-BREF and ASSIS. Participants were 92 users of ages between 34-101 years: very elderly (40.2%), female (58.7%), widows (40.2%), upper-middle class (46.8%), cohabiting with spouse (43.2%), and partly dependent (72.5%). Emotional, tangible and informational support networks were mainly composed by family. We found significant associations between informative social support and physical domains, social relations and environment of quality of life (p< 0.05). The results suggest middle levels in self-perception and satisfaction with health, and lower levels in physical domain. Informational support needs were negatively associated with psychological and social relations dimensions of quality of life

Gliadin nanoparticles for oral administration of bioactives: Ex vivo and in vivo investigations

This study aims to provide a thorough characterization of Brij O2-stabilized gliadin nanoparticles to be used for the potential oral administration of various compounds. Different techniques were used in order to evaluate their physico-chemical features and then in vivo studies in rats were performed for the investigation of their biodistribution and gastrointestinal transit profiles. The results showed that the gliadin nanoparticles accumulated in the mucus layer of the bowel mucosa and evidenced their ability to move along the digestive systems of the animals. The incubation of the nanosystems with Caenorhabditis elegans, used as an additional in vivo model, confirmed the intake of the particles and evidenced their presence along the entire gastrointestinal tract of these nematodes. The gliadin nanoparticles influenced neither the egg-laying activity of the worms nor their metabolism of lipids up to 10 μg/mL of nanoformulation. The systems decreased the content of the age-related lipofuscin pigment in the nematodes in a dose-dependent manner, demonstrating a certain antioxidant activity. Lastly, dihydroethidium staining showed the absence of oxidative stress upon incubation of the worms together with the formulations, confirming their safe profile. This data paves the way for the future application of the proposed nanosystems regarding the oral delivery of various bioactives

The regulon of the RNA chaperone CspA and its auto-regulation in Staphylococcus aureus

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are essential to fine-tune gene expression. RBPs containing the cold-shock domain are RNA chaperones that have been extensively studied. However, the RNA targets and specific functions for many of them remain elusive. Here, combining comparative proteomics and RBP-immunoprecipitation-microarray profiling, we have determined the regulon of the RNA chaperone CspA of Staphylococcus aureus. Functional analysis revealed that proteins involved in carbohydrate and ribonucleotide metabolism, stress response and virulence gene expression were affected by cspA deletion. Stress-associated phenotypes such as increased bacterial aggregation and diminished resistance to oxidative-stress stood out. Integration of the proteome and targetome showed that CspA post-transcriptionally modulates both positively and negatively the expression of its targets, denoting additional functions to the previously proposed translation enhancement. One of these repressed targets was its own mRNA, indicating the presence of a negative post-transcriptional feedback loop. CspA bound the 5'UTR of its own mRNA disrupting a hairpin, which was previously described as an RNase III target. Thus, deletion of the cspA 5'UTR abrogated mRNA processing and auto-regulation. We propose that CspA interacts through a U-rich motif, which is located at the RNase III cleavage site, portraying CspA as a putative RNase III-antagonist

The regulon of the RNA chaperone CspA and its auto-regulation in Staphylococcus aureus

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are essential to fine-tune gene expression. RBPs containing the cold-shock domain are RNA chaperones that have been extensively studied. However, the RNA targets and specific functions for many of them remain elusive. Here, combining comparative proteomics and RBP-immunoprecipitation-microarray profiling, we have determined the regulon of the RNA chaperone CspA of Staphylococcus aureus. Functional analysis revealed that proteins involved in carbohydrate and ribonucleotide metabolism, stress response and virulence gene expression were affected by cspA deletion. Stress-associated phenotypes such as increased bacterial aggregation and diminished resistance to oxidative-stress stood out. Integration of the proteome and targetome showed that CspA post-transcriptionally modulates both positively and negatively the expression of its targets, denoting additional functions to the previously proposed translation enhancement. One of these repressed targets was its own mRNA, indicating the presence of a negative post-transcriptional feedback loop. CspA bound the 5'UTR of its own mRNA disrupting a hairpin, which was previously described as an RNase III target. Thus, deletion of the cspA 5'UTR abrogated mRNA processing and auto-regulation. We propose that CspA interacts through a U-rich motif, which is located at the RNase III cleavage site, portraying CspA as a putative RNase III-antagonist

Clinical Application of the COPD Assessment Test: Longitudinal Data From the COPD History Assessment in Spain (CHAIN) Cohort

OBJECTIVE: The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) has been proposed for assessing health status in COPD, but little is known about its longitudinal changes. The objective of this study was to evaluate 1-year CAT variability in patients with stable COPD and to relate its variations to changes in other disease markers. METHODS: We evaluated the following variables in smokers with and without COPD at baseline and aft er 1 year: CAT score, age, sex, smoking status, pack-year history, BMI, modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale, 6-min walk distance (6MWD), lung function, BODE (BMI, obstruction, dyspnea, exercise capacity) index, hospital admissions, Hospital and Depression Scale, and the Charlson comorbidity index. In patients with COPD, we explored the association of CAT scores and 1-year changes in the studied parameters. R ESULTS: A total of 824 smokers with COPD and 126 without COPD were evaluated at baseline and 441 smokers with COPD and 66 without COPD 1 year later. At 1 year, CAT scores for patients with COPD were similar ( ± 4 points) in 56%, higher in 27%, and lower in 17%. Of note, mMRC scale scores were similar ( ± 1 point) in 46% of patients, worse in 36%, and better in 18% at 1 year. One-year CAT changes were best predicted by changes in mMRC scale scores ( β -coefficient, 0.47; P<, .001). Similar results were found for CAT and mMRC scale score in smokers without COPD. CONCLUSIONS: One-year longitudinal data show variability in CAT scores among patients with stable COPD similar to mMRC scale score, which is the best predictor of 1-year CAT changes. Further longitudinal studies should confirm long-term CAT variability and its clinical applicability. © 2014 AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CHEST PHYSICIANS.The authors have reported to CHEST the follow ing conflicts of interest: Dr de Torres received fees for speaking activities for GlaxoSmithKline plc, AstraZeneca, Novartis AG, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH and received consultancy fees for participating on advisory boards for Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH and Novartis AG between 2010 and 2013. Dr Martinez-Gonzalez received fees for speaking activities for Almirall, SA; AstraZeneca; Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH; Pfi zer Inc; GlaxoSmithKline plc; and Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA between 2010 and 2013. Dr de Lucas-Ramos received fees for speaking activities for Almirall, SA; Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH; Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH; and GlaxoSmithKline plc and received grants from Almirall, SA, and Foundation Vital Aire between 2010 and 2013. Dr Cosio received fees for speaking activities for Almirall, SA; Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH; The Menarini Group; Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH; Pfizer Inc; GlaxoSmithKline plc; and Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA between 2010 and 2013. Dr Peces-Barba received fees for speaking activities for Almirall, SA; Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH; Novartis AG; Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH; AstraZeneca; Esteve; GlaxoSmithKline plc, and Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA; received consultancy fees for participating in advisory boards of Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH, Novartis AG, and Ferrer Internacional; and received grants from GlaxoSmithKline plc between 2010 and 2013. Dr Solanes-García received fees for speaking activities for Esteve; AstraZeneca; Th e Menarini Group; Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH; Pfizer Inc; GlaxoSmithKline plc, Biodatos Investigación SL, and Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA between 2010 and 2013. Dr Agüero Balbin received fees for speaking activities for Almirall, SA; AstraZeneca; Novartis AG; Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH; Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH; GlaxoSmithKline plc; and Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA between 2010 and 2013. Dr de Diego-Damia received fees for speaking activities for Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, AstraZeneca, Pfizer Inc, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp, GlaxoSmithKline plc, and Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA between 2010 and 2013. Dr Alfageme Michavila received fees for speaking activities for Almirall, SA; Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH; and Pfizer Inc between 2010 and 2013. Dr Irigaray received fees for speaking activities for Novartis AG, Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH, GlaxoSmithKline plc, and Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA between 2010 and 2013. Dr Llunell Casanovas received fees for speaking activities for AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Co, and Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA between 2010 and 2013. Dr Galdiz Iturri received fees for speaking activities for Almirall, SA; Novartis AG; AstraZeneca; Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH; GlaxoSmithKline plc; and Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA between 2010 and 2013. Dr Soler-Cataluña participated in speaking activities, on an industry advisory committee, or with other related activities sponsored by Almirall, SA; AstraZeneca; Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH; Pfizer Inc; Ferrer Internacional; GlaxoSmithKline plc; Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp; Novartis AG; and Grupo Uriach between 2010 and 2013. Dr Soriano received grants from GlaxoSmithKline plc in 2011 and Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA in 2012 through his home institution and participated in speaking activities, on an industry advisory committee, or with other related activities sponsored by Almirall, SA; Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH; Pfizer Inc; Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA; GlaxoSmithKline plc; and Novartis AG between 2010 and 2013. Dr Casanova participated in speaking activities for Almirall, SA; Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH; Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA; GlaxoSmithKline plc; and Novartis AG between 2010 and 2013. Drs Marin, Mir-Viladrich, CalleRubio, Feu-Collado, Balcells, Marín Royo, and Lopez-Campos have reported that no potential conflicts of interest exist with any companies/organizations whose products or services may be discussed in this article