EURRECA nutritional planning and dietary assessment software tool: NutPlan

Background/Objectives: 'NutPlan' is developed within the EURRECA Network of Excellence (EURopean micronutrient RECommendations Aligned (http://www.eurreca.org). It is a user-friendly software programme with multiple functions: individual and group nutrition planning, recipe calculation, creating food labels, diet planning and nutrient intake assessment. This paper describes the newly developed software and its features. Subjects/Methods: 'NutPlan' contains the following databases: foods, dish recipes, meals, menus, average menus and glossary. These databases enable diet planning and diet analysis by comparing foods, dishes, meals or menus with currently available nutritional recommendations accessible by a link to EURRECA tool Nutri-RecQuest to meet individual/group nutritional needs. The software is upgraded by inserting new items (for example, foods, dishes, meals) and for a connection to other software programmes, thus allowing more advanced calculations to be completed. Conclusion: 'NutPlan' might be the software of choice for individual and group diet planning. It is aimed particularly at Eastern European and West Balkan countries, which currently lack dietary software. It is envisaged for use by small and medium enterprises in the food industry, as well as by health professionals, researchers and policy makers, and can be recommended for educational purposes. Given its characteristics of being upgraded to include new country-specific food data/database, it can be recognized as an important tool in nutritional capacity development in the Central Eastern European and other regions. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2010) 64, S38-S42; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2010.5

Exploring the anti-proliferative activity of Pelargonium sidoides DC with in silico target identification and network pharmacology

Pelargonium sidoides DC (Geraniaceae) is a medicinal plant indigenous to Southern Africa that has been widely evaluated for its use in the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections. In recent studies, the anti-proliferative potential of P. sidoides was shown, and several phenolic compounds were identified as the bioactive compounds. Little, however, is known regarding their anti-proliferative protein targets. In this study, the anti-proliferative mechanisms of P. sidoides through in silico target identification and network pharmacology methodologies were evaluated. The protein targets of the 12 phenolic compounds were identified using the target identification server PharmMapper and the server for predicting Drug Repositioning and Adverse Reactions via the Chemical–Protein Interactome (DRAR-CPI). Protein–protein and protein–pathway interaction networks were subsequently constructed with Cytoscape 3.4.0 to evaluate potential mechanisms of action. A total of 142 potential human target proteins were identified with the in silico target identification servers, and 90 of these were found to be related to cancer. The protein interaction network was constructed from 86 proteins involved in 209 interactions with each other, and two protein clusters were observed. A pathway enrichment analysis identified over 80 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways enriched with the protein targets and included several pathways specifically related to cancer as well as various signaling pathways that have been found to be dysregulated in cancer. These results indicate that the anti-proliferative activity of P. sidoides may be multifactorial and arises from the collective regulation of several interconnected cell signaling pathways.https://link.springer.com/journal/110302018-11-18hj2017AnatomyBiochemistr

C-terminal truncation of IFN-γ\gamma inhibits proinflammatory macrophage responses and is deficient in autoimmune disease

International audienceControlled macrophage differentiation and activation in the initiation and resolution of inflammation is crucial for averting progression to chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Here we show a negative feedback mechanism for proinflammatory IFN-$\gamma$ activation of macrophages driven by macrophage-associated matrix metalloproteinase 12 (MMP12). Through C-terminal truncation of IFN-$\gamma$ at 135Glu↓Leu136 the IFN-$\gamma$ receptor-binding site was efficiently removed thereby reducing JAK-STAT1 signaling and IFN-$\gamma$ activation of proinflammatory macrophages. In acute peritonitis this signature was absent in Mmp12$^{–/–}$ mice and recapitulated in Mmp12$^{+/+}$ mice treated with a MMP12-specific inhibitor. Similarly, loss-of-MMP12 increases IFN-$\gamma$–dependent proinflammatory markers and iNOS$^+$/MHC class II$^+$ macrophage accumulation with worse lymphadenopathy, arthritic synovitis and lupus glomerulonephritis. In active human systemic lupus erythematosus, MMP12 levels were lower and IFN-$\gamma$ higher compared to treated patients or healthy individuals. Hence, macrophage proteolytic truncation of IFN-$\gamma$ attenuates classical activation of macrophages as a prelude for resolving inflammation