Nutritional Status and GI Symptoms in Pediatric Patients with Cystic Fibrosis

BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder that affects many organ systems including the lungs and the gastrointestinal tract. Children with CF often suffer from exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), causing many issues including poor digestion and poor nutrient absorption. It is imperative that children with CF consume greater amounts of calories, fat, protein, and fat-soluble vitamins to maintain healthy BMI. Studies have shown that adequate nutritional status leads to less severe symptoms and increased ability to fight off infection. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the nutritional intake and frequency of GI symptoms in CF participants compared to their non-CF siblings. METHODS: Participants with CF and their siblings without CF were recruited for this study. Each participant completed a food frequency questionnaire and a GI symptom questionnaire. Data from the food frequency questionnaire was analyzed to determine the approximate composition of each food or drink that was reported. These values were then compared to published dietary reference intakes (DRIs) specific to healthy individuals and children with CF. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed in macronutrient intake between CF and non-CF participants. Our CF participants were deficient in non-fermentable fiber (52%), vitamin A (48%), vitamin E (96%), and vitamin K (100%). CF participants consumed excessive calcium (87%), zinc (87%), sodium (87%), iron (91%), and magnesium (83%). Significant differences were observed between CF and non-CF nutrient intakes of zinc (p=0.05), iron (p=0.04), vitamin A (p=0.03), vitamin E (p=0.003), vitamin C (p=0.05), and vitamin B-12 (p=0.03). CF participants experienced more frequent GI symptoms than non-CF participants. Among CF participants, individuals with the homozygous f508del mutation experienced more frequent GI symptoms than those with the heterozygous f508del mutation. CONCLUSIONS: All participants were eating well and meeting their macronutrient goals. Some dietary deficiencies existed in CF participants, including non-fermentable fiber, and vitamins A, E, and K. Exploring their clinical effects will be a future area of focus. GI symptoms were common in participants with CF, highlighting the need for interventions in this area. Also, GI symptoms in homozygous f508del patients were more frequent than in heterozygous f508del patients. These findings will be used in larger analyses to assess links between dietary intake and composition of the gut microbiome.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/surp2021/1009/thumbnail.jp

Online Monitoring of the Osiris Reactor with the Nucifer Neutrino Detector

Originally designed as a new nuclear reactor monitoring device, the Nucifer detector has successfully detected its first neutrinos. We provide the second shortest baseline measurement of the reactor neutrino flux. The detection of electron antineutrinos emitted in the decay chains of the fission products, combined with reactor core simulations, provides an new tool to assess both the thermal power and the fissile content of the whole nuclear core and could be used by the Inter- national Agency for Atomic Energy (IAEA) to enhance the Safeguards of civil nuclear reactors. Deployed at only 7.2m away from the compact Osiris research reactor core (70MW) operating at the Saclay research centre of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), the experiment also exhibits a well-suited configuration to search for a new short baseline oscillation. We report the first results of the Nucifer experiment, describing the performances of the 0.85m3 detector remotely operating at a shallow depth equivalent to 12m of water and under intense background radiation conditions. Based on 145 (106) days of data with reactor ON (OFF), leading to the detection of an estimated 40760 electron antineutrinos, the mean number of detected antineutrinos is 281 +- 7(stat) +- 18(syst) electron antineutrinos/day, in agreement with the prediction 277(23) electron antineutrinos/day. Due the the large background no conclusive results on the existence of light sterile neutrinos could be derived, however. As a first societal application we quantify how antineutrinos could be used for the Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement.Comment: 22 pages, 16 figures - Version

Analysis of Safety from a Human Clinical Trial with Pterostilbene

Objectives. The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the safety of long-term pterostilbene administration in humans. Methodology. The trial was a prospective, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled intervention trial enrolling patients with hypercholesterolemia (defined as a baseline total cholesterol ≥200 mg/dL and/or baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥100 mg/dL). Eighty subjects were divided equally into one of four groups: (1) pterostilbene 125 mg twice daily, (2) pterostilbene 50 mg twice daily, (3) pterostilbene 50 mg + grape extract (GE) 100 mg twice daily, and (4) matching placebo twice daily for 6–8 weeks. Safety markers included biochemical and subjective measures. Linear mixed models were used to estimate primary safety measure treatment effects. Results. The majority of patients completed the trial (91.3%). The average age was 54 years. The majority of patients were females (71%) and Caucasians (70%). There were no adverse drug reactions (ADRs) on hepatic, renal, or glucose markers based on biochemical analysis. There were no statistically significant self-reported or major ADRs. Conclusion. Pterostilbene is generally safe for use in humans up to 250 mg/day

Optimal foraging and community structure: implications for a guild of generalist grassland herbivores

A particular linear programming model is constructed to predict the diets of each of 14 species of generalist herbivores at the National Bison Range, Montana. The herbivores have body masses ranging over seven orders of magnitude and belonging to two major taxa: insects and mammals. The linear programming model has three feeding constraints: digestive capacity, feeding time and energy requirements. A foraging strategy that maximizes daily energy intake agrees very well with the observed diets. Body size appears to be an underlying determinant of the foraging parameters leading to diet selection. Species that possess digestive capacity and feeding time constraints which approach each other in magnitude have the most generalized diets. The degree that the linear programming models change their diet predictions with a given percent change in parameter values (sensitivity) may reflect the observed ability of the species to vary their diets. In particular, the species which show the most diet variability are those whose diets tend to be balanced between monocots and dicots. The community-ecological parameters of herbivore body-size ranges and species number can possibly be related to foraging behavior.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47765/1/442_2004_Article_BF00377109.pd

An easy route toward enantio-enriched polycyclic derivatives via an asymmetric domino conjugate reduction-aldol cyclization catalyzed by a chiral Cu(I) complex

A highly efficient reductive-aldol cyclization mediated by a chiral Cu(I) complex and an organosilane yielded to cyclic or polycyclic derivatives. An excellent control of the selectivities was reached in most cases (dr up to 100:0 and ee up to 95%). After developing the enantioselective intramolecular reductive-aldol methodology, this strategy was successfully used for the synthesis of a key intermediate of a natural diterpene in few steps. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Highly diastereo- and enantioselective copper-catalyzed domino reduction/aldol reaction of ketones with methyl acrylate

International audienceA good choice: A new catalytic method was found for the construction of stereogenic quaternary carbon centers through a copper-catalyzed domino conjugated reduction/aldol reaction of methyl acrylate with various alkyl aryl ketones. The proper choice of the chiral diphosphine ligand leads to high chemo-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivity

Optical properties and electronic band structure of BiMg2PO6, BiMg2VO6, BiMg2VO6:Pr3+ and BiMg2VO6:Eu3+.

International audienceThe luminescence properties of the yellow pigment BiMg2VO6 are revisited and those of BiMg2PO6, BiMg2VO6:Pr3+ and BiMg2VO6:Eu3+ are described. It is shown that the undoped systems exhibit broad band emission in the green or orange spectral regions, but only upon UV or near UV excitation. In contradiction with a previous report, we found that the blue, host absorbed, photons are lost non-radiatively and do not contribute to the luminescence processes in BiMg2VO6. To understand these experimental results, the optical properties of BiMg2VO6 and BiMg2PO6 are theoretically analysed on the basis of electronic structure diagrams calculated by the DFT method. It is found that the optical transitions are mostly localised within [VO4]3− units or non-regular Bi3+ ions and occur in the UV or near UV regions. The luminescence of the trivalent lanthanide dopants is weak (Eu3+) or unobserved (Pr3+) in BiMg2VO6 which is explained by inefficient energy migration in the host lattice to the impurity sites