Taste sensitivity to NaCl is associated with liking of salty foods and BMI

Background &ndash; It is widely acknowledged that sodium is consumed in excess in most developed countries. Sodium (Na) consumption has been a target of public health interventions in recent years due to its link to numerous adverse health affects such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. While much of the current research is directed at strategies to reduce sodium in foods and the diet, little is known about the factors which determine salt consumption and preference. Currently, there is no research relating NaCl taste sensitivity and liking of food, or if NaCl taste sensitivity may manifest in changes in BMI.Objective &ndash; Establish whether a relationship exists between NaCl taste sensitivity, preference for salty foods and BMI.Design &ndash; Taste sensitivity to NaCl was determined for 119 subjects (104 female) according to the procedure laid out by &ldquo;ISO 3972:1991 &ndash; Method of investigating sensitivity of taste&rdquo;. In a separate session subjects rated their liking of generic biscuit with 2 levels of added NaCl [low (2.9g/100g) &amp; high (19.1g/100g)] using the 9-point hedonic scale. BMI was calculated from self reported height and weight data collected. Spearman&rsquo;s rank order correlation was used to determine whether an association existed between NaCl taste sensitivity, preference for salty foods and BMI.Outcomes &ndash; A significant positive correlation was found between BMI and NaCl taste sensitivity (r=0.204, p&lt;0.05). In addition there was a significant positive correlation between BMI and liking of low NaCl biscuits (r=0.267, p&lt;0.01). No significant associations were identified between the high NaCl cracker and NaCl taste sensitivity or BMI. A paired t-test showed there was no significant difference in liking of the low and commercial NaCl crackers (p=0.078).Conclusion &ndash; This study revealed that individuals with a higher BMI have a greater liking of low NaCl biscuits, and this may be due to their increased NaCl taste sensitivity. The results suggest that NaCl taste sensitivity may be a factor in foods consumed by an individual which in turn may influence weight status.<br /

Functionalization-dependent effects of cellulose nanofibrils on tolerogenic mechanisms of human dendritic cells

Sergej Tomić,1,2 Nata&scaron;a Ilić,1 Vanja Kokol,3 Alisa Gruden-Movsesijan,1 Du&scaron;an Mihajlović,2 Marina Bekić,1 Ljiljana Sofronić-Milosavljević,1 Miodrag Čolić,1,2,4 Dragana Vučević2 1Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia; 2Institute for Medical Research, Medical Faculty of the Military Medical Academy, University of Defense, Belgrade, Serbia; 3Institute of Engineering Materials and Design, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia; 4Medical Faculty Foča, University of East Sarajevo, Foča, Bosnia and Herzegovina Background: Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) are attractive nanomaterials for various biomedical applications due to their excellent biocompatibility and biomimetic properties. However, their immunoregulatory properties are insufficiently investigated, especially in relation to their functionalization, which could cause problems during their clinical application. Methods: Using a model of human dendritic cells (DC), which have a central role in the regulation of immune response, we investigated how differentially functionalized CNF, ie, native (n) CNF, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl radical-oxidized (c) CNF, and 3-aminopropylphosphoric acid-functionalized (APAc) CNF, affect DC properties, their viability, morphology, differentiation and maturation potential, and the capacity to regulate T cell-mediated immune response. Results: Nontoxic doses of APAcCNF displayed the strongest inhibitory effects on DC differentiation, maturation, and T helper (Th) 1 and Th17 polarization capacity, followed by cCNF and nCNF, respectively. These results correlated with a specific pattern of regulatory cytokines production by APAcCNF-DC and their increased capacity to induce suppressive CD8+CD25+IL-10+ regulatory T cells in immunoglobulin-like transcript (ILT)-3- and ILT-4-dependent manner. In contrast, nCNF-DC induced predominantly suppressive CD4+CD25hiFoxP3hi regulatory T cells in indolamine 2,3-dioxygenase-1-dependent manner. Different tolerogenic properties of CNF correlated with their size and APA functionalization, as well as with different expression of CD209 and actin bundles at the place of contact with CNF. Conclusion: The capacity to induce different types of DC-mediated tolerogenic immune responses by functionalized CNF opens new perspectives for their application as well-tolerated nanomaterials in tissue engineering and novel platforms for the therapy of inflammatory T cell-mediated pathologies. Keywords: cellulose nanofibrils, biocompatibility, tolerogenic dendritic cells, regulatory T-cell subsets, immunomodulatio

Characterization of the carbohydrate components of Taenia solium oncosphere proteins and their role in the antigenicity

This study examines the carbohydrate composition of Taenia solium whole oncosphere antigens (WOAs), in order to improve the understanding of the antigenicity of the T. solium. Better knowledge of oncosphere antigens is crucial to accurately diagnose previous exposure to T. solium eggs and thus predict the development of neurocysticercosis. A set of seven lectins conjugates with wide carbohydrate specificity were used on parasite fixations and somatic extracts. Lectin fluorescence revealed that D-mannose, D-glucose, D-galactose and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine residues were the most abundant constituents of carbohydrate chains on the surface of T. solium oncosphere. Lectin blotting showed that post-translational modification with N-glycosylation was abundant while little evidence of O-linked carbohydrates was observed. Chemical oxidation and enzymatic deglycosylation in situ were performed to investigate the immunoreactivity of the carbohydrate moieties. Linearizing or removing the carbohydrate moieties from the protein backbones did not diminish the immunoreactivity of these antigens, suggesting that a substantial part of the host immune response against T. solium oncosphere is directed against the peptide epitopes on the parasite antigens. Finally, using carbohydrate probes, we demonstrated for the first time that the presence of several lectins on the surface of the oncosphere was specific to carbohydrates found in intestinal mucus, suggesting a possible role in initial attachment of the parasite to host cells