Evolución de los ácidos grasos en el mesocarpo del níspero (Mespilus germanica. L.) a diferentes estados de maduración

The fatty acid composition of medlar (Mespilus germanica L.) varied significantly among the ripening stages sampled at 157, 172 and 187 DAFs (days after full bloom). Twenty-one different fatty acids were detected in preclimacteric fruit and 17 when the climacteric began. Principal fatty acids, determined in medlar fruit harvested from October (157 and 172 DAFs) to November (187 DAF) were mainly palmitic acid (16:0), linoleic acid (18:2n-6), and a-linolenic acid (18:3n-3). While the content of saturated fatty acids [palmitic acid (16:0) and stearic acid (18:0)] increased, the content of the essential polyunsaturated fatty acids [linoleic acid (18:2n-6) and linolenic acid (18:3n-3)] decreased through ripening, in parallel with pulp darkening. The percentage of linoleic acid and a-linolenic acid in ripe, hard fruits was 60.0 and 13.5 % of dry wt at 157 DAF which decreased throughout ripening, remaining at 28.7 and 5.6 % of dry wt, respectively, in the fully softened and darkened pulp. A marked decreases in the double bond index, percentage of unsaturation and the ratio of unsaturation/saturation were also seen throughout the medlar ripening. The contribution of unsaturated fatty acid to the total fatty acid content decreased markedly as the medlar fruit became progressively softer and darkened.La composición en ácidos grasos del níspero (Mespilus germanica L.) varió significativamente entre los estados de maduración muestreados a los 157, 172 y 187 DAFs (días después de la floración). Veinte y un ácidos grasos diferentes fueron detectados en el fruto preclimatérico y 17 cuando comenzó el climaterio. Los ácidos grasos principales encontrados en nísperos, recolectados desde Octubre (157 y 172 DAFs) hasta Noviembre (187 DAF), fueron principalmente ácido palmítico (16:0), ácido linoléico (18:2n-6), y ácido a-linolénico (18:3n-3). En tanto que el contenido en ácidos grasos saturados (ácido palmítico (16:0) y ácido esteárico (18:0)) aumentó, el contenido en ácidos grasos esenciales (ácido linoleico (18:2n-6) y ácido linolénico (18:3n-6)) disminuyó durante la maduración, en paralelo con el oscurecimiento de la pulpa. El porcentaje de ácido linoleico y de ácido a-linolénico en frutos maduros sin reblandecer fue de 60.0 y 13.5 % del peso seco a 157 DAF, disminuyendo durante la maduración, y permaneciendo a 28.7 y 56 % del peso seco, respectivamente, en la pulpa completamente blanda y oscura. También se observó durante la maduración del níspero una marcada disminución en el número de dobles enlaces, en el tanto por ciento de instauración y en la relación instauración / saturación. La contribución de los ácidos grasos insaturados al contenido de ácidos grasos totales disminuyó marcadamente cuando el níspero comenzó progresivamente a reblandecerse y oscurecerse

Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease and Diet of Urban and Rural Dwellers in Northern Nigeria

Over the last 30 years, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including stroke and myocardial infarction, have increased in developing countries. Serum lipids and diet of the Fulani, a rural Nigerian population, were previously studied. Despite their consumption of a diet rich in saturated fat, the overall blood lipid profiles of Fulani men and women are generally favourable. However, Fulani males in the same study had mean serum levels of homocysteine, an emerging risk factor for CVD, that exceeded the upper limit of the homocysteine reference range. The authors were interested in knowing if these findings in the Fulani nomads were representative of the biochemical parameters of CVD risk in other ethnic groups in the same region of Nigeria. To address this question, the nutrient content of diets of 55 men, aged 20-75 years, and 77 women, aged 20-70 years, who were inhabitants of a large urban centre in northern Nigeria, was assessed, and their serum levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and homocysteine were determined. These data were compared with those of the same rural Fulani population studied previously. Urban subjects consumed more calories than rural subjects (men: 2,061 vs 1,691 kcal; women: 1,833 vs 1,505 kcal) and had a significantly higher mean body mass index (BMI) and percentage of body fat than rural subjects. Both urban males and females had carbohydrate intakes that were greater than those of Fulani pastoralists (men: 56% vs 33% total calories; women: 51% vs 38% total calories), but had a significantly lower dietary intake of total fat and saturated fat (men: 36% vs 51% of total calories; women: 40% vs 51% of total calories). With the exception of HDL-cholesterol levels, which were significantly lower in the rural population, the blood lipid profiles of rural subjects were more favourable compared to those of urban subjects. Both urban and rural males had homocysteine levels above the upper limit of the reference range for healthy adults (urban males-12.7\u3bcmol/L; rural males-15.2 \u3bcmol/L). The dietary intakes of folate and vitamin B12 were lower for rural Fulani subjects, and this was reflected in their significantly lower serum concentrations of these two vitamins. Results of this study suggest that, although the lipid profiles of urban and rural men and women in northern Nigeria indicate a relatively low risk for CVD, their elevated serum homocysteine levels are a cause for concern. The high homocysteine levels among rural men and women could be explained in part at least by their marginal status with respect to folate and vitamin B12

Reliability of Rapid Diagnostic Tests in Diagnosing Pregnancy-Associated Malaria in North-Eastern Tanzania.

Accurate diagnosis and prompt treatment of pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM) are key aspects in averting adverse pregnancy outcomes. Microscopy is the gold standard in malaria diagnosis, but it has limited detection and availability. When used appropriately, rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) could be an ideal diagnostic complement to microscopy, due to their ease of use and adequate sensitivity in detecting even sub-microscopic infections. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is even more sensitive, but it is mainly used for research purposes. The accuracy and reliability of RDTs in diagnosing PAM was evaluated using microscopy and PCR. A cohort of pregnant women in north-eastern Tanzania was followed throughout pregnancy for detection of plasmodial infection using venous and placental blood samples evaluated by histidine rich protein 2 (HRP-2) and parasite lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) based RDTs (Parascreen™) or HRP-2 only (Paracheck Pf® and ParaHIT®f), microscopy and nested Plasmodium species diagnostic PCR. From a cohort of 924 pregnant women who completed the follow up, complete RDT and microscopy data was available for 5,555 blood samples and of these 442 samples were analysed by PCR. Of the 5,555 blood samples, 49 ((proportion and 95% confidence interval) 0.9% [0.7 -1.1]) samples were positive by microscopy and 91 (1.6% [1.3-2.0]) by RDT. Forty-six (50.5% [40.5 - 60.6]) and 45 (49.5% [39.4 - 59.5]) of the RDT positive samples were positive and negative by microscopy, respectively, whereas nineteen (42.2% [29.0 - 56.7]) of the microscopy negative, but RDT positive, samples were positive by PCR. Three (0.05% [0.02 - 0.2]) samples were positive by microscopy but negative by RDT. 351 of the 5,461 samples negative by both RDT and microscopy were tested by PCR and found negative. There was no statistically significant difference between the performances of the different RDTs. Microscopy underestimated the real burden of malaria during pregnancy and RDTs performed better than microscopy in diagnosing PAM. In areas where intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy may be abandoned due to low and decreasing malaria risk and instead replaced with active case management, screening with RDT is likely to identify most infections in pregnant women and out-performs microscopy as a diagnostic tool

Reduced Quantitative Ultrasound Bone Mineral Density in HIV-Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Senegal

Background: Bone status in HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral treatment (ART) is poorly documented in resource-limited settings. We compared bone mineral density between HIV-infected patients and control subjects from Dakar, Senegal. Methods: A total of 207 (134 women and 73 men) HIV-infected patients from an observational cohort in Dakar (ANRS 1215) and 207 age-and sex-matched controls from the general population were enrolled. Bone mineral density was assessed by quantitative ultrasound (QUS) at the calcaneus, an alternative to the reference method (i.e. dual X-absorptiometry), often not available in resource-limited countries. Results: Mean age was 47.0 (+/- 8.5) years. Patients had received ART for a median duration of 8.8 years; 45% received a protease inhibitor and 27% tenofovir; 84% had undetectable viral load. Patients had lower body mass index (BMI) than controls (23 versus 26 kg/m(2), P<0.001). In unadjusted analysis, QUS bone mineral density was lower in HIV-infected patients than in controls (difference: -0.36 standard deviation, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.59;-0.12, P = 0.003). Adjusting for BMI, physical activity, smoking and calcium intake attenuated the difference (-0.27, CI: -0.53; -0.002, P = 0.05). Differences in BMI between patients and controls explained a third of the difference in QUS bone mineral density. Among patients, BMI was independently associated with QUS bone mineral density (P<0.001). An association between undetectable viral load and QUS bone density was also suggested (beta = 0.48, CI: 0.02; 0.93; P = 0.04). No association between protease inhibitor or tenofovir use and QUS bone mineral density was found. Conclusion: Senegalese HIV-infected patients had reduced QUS bone mineral density in comparison with control subjects, in part related to their lower BMI. Further investigation is needed to clarify the clinical significance of these observations

Relationships of low serum vitamin D3 with anthropometry and markers of the metabolic syndrome and diabetes in overweight and obesity

Low serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D3 (vitamin D3) is known to perturb cellular function in many tissues, including the endocrine pancreas, which are involved in obesity and type II diabetes mellitus (TIIDM). Vitamin D3 insufficiency has been linked to obesity, whether obesity is assessed by body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference (waist). Central obesity, using waist as the surrogate, is associated with the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn), insulin resistance, TIIDM and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). We tested how vitamin D3 was related to measures of fat mass, MetSyn markers, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and MetSyn in a cross-sectional sample of 250 overweight and obese adults of different ethnicities. There were modest inverse associations of vitamin D3 with body weight (weight) (r = -0.21, p = 0.0009), BMI (r = -0.18, p = 0.005), waist (r = -0.14, p = 0.03), [but not body fat % (r = -0.08, p = 0.24)], and HbA1c (r = -0.16, p = 0.01). Multivariable regression carried out separately for BMI and waist showed a decrease of 0.74 nmol/L (p = 0.002) in vitamin D3 per 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI and a decrease of 0.29 nmol/L (p = 0.01) per 1 cm increase in waist, with each explaining approximately 3% of the variation in vitamin D3 over and above gender, age, ethnicity and season

Total antioxidant activity and trace elements in human milk: the first 4 months of breast-feeding

The content of many nutrients in breast milk are dependent on the nutritional status of the lactating woman. This is particularly true for fat and water-soluble vitamins, some of which have antioxidant properties. The aim of the study entertained herein was to evaluate the changes in total antioxidant status of human milk during the first 4 months of lactation, and to correlate such changes with the contents in specific antioxidant oligoelements (Cu, Zn, Mn and Se). Milk samples were collected from (31) lactating women recruited at the Service of Obstetrics of the Hospital de São João in Porto, after 1, 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks after birth. The total antioxidant status (TAS) of human milk was measured by the Randox® commercial kit and trace metals by ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry). The results found for TAS and oligoelements under study show a decrease in the concentration of these parameters from 7 days to 4 months of breast-feeding and significant correlations (p < 0.05) were found between TAS and Cu, Zn and Se (not Mn). The decreases of Cu, Zn and Se were also correlated, but not proportional between them, suggesting diverse excretion mechanisms for all. Between primipara and multipara women, a significant difference was found only for Cu and Zn concentrations at 7 days of lactation, but not for the other metals or TAS. With respect to the mother’s age, no correlation was found, either for trace metal concentrations or TAS