Flavonoid-rich orange juice is associated with acute improvements in cognitive function in healthy middle-aged males

Purpose: Epidemiological evidence suggests that chronic consumption of fruit-based flavonoids is associated with cognitive benefits; however, the acute effects of flavonoid-rich (FR) drinks on cognitive function in the immediate postprandial period require examination. The objective was to investigate whether consumption of FR orange juice is associated with acute cognitive benefits over 6 h in healthy middle-aged adults. Methods: Males aged 30–65 consumed a 240-ml FR orange juice (272 mg) and a calorie-matched placebo in a randomized, double-blind, counterbalanced order on 2 days separated by a 2-week washout. Cognitive function and subjective mood were assessed at baseline (prior to drink consumption) and 2 and 6 h post consumption. The cognitive battery included eight individual cognitive tests. A standardized breakfast was consumed prior to the baseline measures, and a standardized lunch was consumed 3 h post-drink consumption. Results: Change from baseline analysis revealed that performance on tests of executive function and psychomotor speed was significantly better following the FR drink compared to the placebo. The effects of objective cognitive function were supported by significant benefits for subjective alertness following the FR drink relative to the placebo. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that consumption of FR orange juice can acutely enhance objective and subjective cognition over the course of 6 h in healthy middle-aged adults

Temporal Networks

A great variety of systems in nature, society and technology -- from the web of sexual contacts to the Internet, from the nervous system to power grids -- can be modeled as graphs of vertices coupled by edges. The network structure, describing how the graph is wired, helps us understand, predict and optimize the behavior of dynamical systems. In many cases, however, the edges are not continuously active. As an example, in networks of communication via email, text messages, or phone calls, edges represent sequences of instantaneous or practically instantaneous contacts. In some cases, edges are active for non-negligible periods of time: e.g., the proximity patterns of inpatients at hospitals can be represented by a graph where an edge between two individuals is on throughout the time they are at the same ward. Like network topology, the temporal structure of edge activations can affect dynamics of systems interacting through the network, from disease contagion on the network of patients to information diffusion over an e-mail network. In this review, we present the emergent field of temporal networks, and discuss methods for analyzing topological and temporal structure and models for elucidating their relation to the behavior of dynamical systems. In the light of traditional network theory, one can see this framework as moving the information of when things happen from the dynamical system on the network, to the network itself. Since fundamental properties, such as the transitivity of edges, do not necessarily hold in temporal networks, many of these methods need to be quite different from those for static networks

Modern temporal network theory: A colloquium

The power of any kind of network approach lies in the ability to simplify a complex system so that one can better understand its function as a whole. Sometimes it is beneficial, however, to include more information than in a simple graph of only nodes and links. Adding information about times of interactions can make predictions and mechanistic understanding more accurate. The drawback, however, is that there are not so many methods available, partly because temporal networks is a relatively young field, partly because it more difficult to develop such methods compared to for static networks. In this colloquium, we review the methods to analyze and model temporal networks and processes taking place on them, focusing mainly on the last three years. This includes the spreading of infectious disease, opinions, rumors, in social networks; information packets in computer networks; various types of signaling in biology, and more. We also discuss future directions.Comment: Final accepted versio

Structure and expression of genes coding for structural proteins of the plant cell wall

25 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables.The best-known protein components of the plant cell wall have highly repetitive, proline-rich sequences. The use of recombinant DNA approaches has enabled complete sequences of these proteins to be determined and features of the expression of the corresponding genes to be examined. These results, coupled with the use of immunological techniques, have shown that proline-rich proteins are interesting probes to study developmental and defence processes in plants. In this review, the sequence and expression of different groups of proline-rich proteins in plants are presented. These groups include hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGP) or extensins, proline-rich proteins (PRP) and glycine-rich proteins (GRP). The specific features of each group and the possible functions of these proteins are discussed, as well as the data available on the mechanisms controlling the expression of their corresponding genes.Peer reviewe

Aquatic exercise associated or not with grape juice consumption-modulated oxidative parameters in Parkinson disease patients: A randomized intervention study

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with significant motor disabilities and cognitive decline. Importantly, the imbalance of oxidative stress is related to PD physiopathology and progression. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of grape juice consumption associated with an aquatic exercise protocol on oxidative stress parameters and cognitive function in individuals with PD. The participants were randomized into two groups: grape juice group (GJG) and control group (CG) and were submitted to 4 weeks of an aquatic intervention (twice a week, approximately 60 minutes/session). The GJG also consumed 400 ml of grape juice per day (integral and conventional) during this period. Cognitive function was assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCa) questionnaire. For the analysis of oxidative stress markers, specifically lipid oxidative damage (TBARS), proteins (Carbonil), acid uric and the activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase), blood collection were done before and after intervention. No changes were observed in cognitive function after intervention in both groups. Regarding biomarkers, a reduction of antioxidant enzymes, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and uric acid was observed in both groups. However, only the GJG showed a significant reduction on protein oxidation levels after intervention. In conclusion, the consumption of grape juice associated with an aquatic exercise protocol might be consider an effective alternative to reduce the oxidative damage in PD, reinforcing the importance of this intervention in promoting beneficial impact in this population