From sugar to liver fat and public health: Systems biology driven studies in understanding non-alcoholic fatty liver disease pathogenesis

Non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) disease is now a major public health concern with an estimated prevalence of 25-30% of adults in many countries. Strongly associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome, the pathogenesis of NAFLD is dependent on complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors that are not completely understood. Weight loss through diet and lifestyle modification underpins clinical management; however, the roles of individual dietary nutrients (e.g. saturated and omega-3 fatty acids; fructose, vitamin D, vitamin E) in the pathogenesis or treatment of NAFLD are only partially understood. Systems biology offers valuable interdisciplinary methods that are arguably ideal for application to the studying of chronic diseases such as NAFLD, and the roles of nutrition and diet in their molecular pathogenesis. Although current in silico models are incomplete, computational tools are rapidly evolving and human metabolism can now be simulated at the genome scale. This article will review NAFLD and its pathogenesis, including the roles of genetics and nutrition in the development and progression of disease. In addition, the article introduces the concept of systems biology and reviews recent work utilising genome-scale metabolic networks (GSMNs) and developing multi-scale models of liver metabolism relevant to NAFLD. A future is envisioned where individual genetic, proteomic and metabolomic information can be integrated computationally with clinical data, yielding mechanistic insight into the pathogenesis of chronic diseases such as NAFLD, and informing personalized nutrition and stratified medicine approaches for improving prognosis

Letters to Andrew Inglis Clark, Tasmania from John B. Moore, 6 Nov 1899, 22 Feb 1902 and 16 Mar 1907

Letters to Andrew Inglis Clark, Tasmania from John B. Moore, 6 Nov 1899, 22 Feb 1902 and 16 Mar 1907, from Columbia University, New York regarding the American law on ancillary administration, Clark's 'Australian Constitutional Law' for review, American politics and the election of judges. C4/C235-23

Tackling childhood food poverty in the UK

Actions are needed from national government and local authorities to reduce reliance on emergency food provision, improve take-up of eligible financial support, and develop sustainable food system resilience in diverse communities. Reducing childhood poverty brings life-long benefits to health and wellbeing with economic benefits to society

Letter to Andrew Inglis Clark, Tasmania from John B. Moore, New York, 16 Mar 1907

Hopes Clark has recovered from his late illness. Sees Clark's son Conway quite often. Mr Strauss left New York for Washington when he was appointed to the Cabinet so haven't been able to take Conway to meet him. Strauss and his three brothers are all strong Democrats, although Oscar is now a Republican due to his relations with Mr Roosevelt. Talks about the process of electing judges in America and how it impairs the independence of the bench. C4/C237.....Letter transcribed by Jeffrey Gilbert, University of Tasmania

RAMAN CHARACTERIZATION STUDIES OF SYNTHETIC AND NATURAL MGAL2O4 CRYSTALS

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Ergothioneine: an underrecognised dietary micronutrient required for healthy ageing?

Ergothioneine is a naturally occurring amino acid and thiol antioxidant found in high amounts in mushrooms and fermented foods. Humans and animals acquire ergothioneine from the diet through the pH-dependent activity of a membrane transporter, the large solute carrier 22A member 4 (SLC22A4), expressed on the apical membrane of the small intestine. The SLC22A4 transporter also functions in the renal reabsorption of ergothioneine in the kidney, with avid absorption and retention of ergothioneine from the diet observed in both animals and humans. Ergothioneine is capable of scavenging a diverse range of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, has metal chelation properties, and is predicted to directly regulate nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activity. Although not lethal, the genetic knockout of the SLC22A4 gene in multiple organisms increases susceptibility to oxidative stress, damage and inflammation; in agreement with a large body of preclinical data suggesting the physiological function of ergothioneine is as a cellular antioxidant and cytoprotectant agent. In humans, blood levels of ergothioneine decline after the age of 60 years, and lower levels of ergothioneine are associated with more rapid cognitive decline. Conversely, high plasma ergothioneine levels have been associated with significantly reduced cardiovascular mortality and overall mortality risks. In this horizon’s manuscript, we review evidence suggesting critical roles for dietary ergothioneine in healthy ageing and the prevention of cardiometabolic disease. We comment on some of the outstanding research questions in the field and consider the question of whether or not ergothioneine should be considered a conditionally essential micronutrient

Online Pre-Order Systems for School Lunches: Insights from a Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Schools

Schools are increasingly using online pre-order systems for children to select school meals in advance. This study aimed to explore how children use and interact with these systems. Using a combination of direct observation and an online questionnaire, the operation of these systems in four UK primary schools was examined. This included how the menu options were displayed, how these were selected by children (4–11 years), and the interactions between children and others when making food selections. Where possible, most children pre-ordered their school lunch in the classroom, and differences in the food choice process among children were observed. These apparently related to children’s ages; older children (8–11 years) showed more independence when making food selections, whereas younger children were often supported by others. Most parents reported that their child was the decision maker when pre-ordering the school lunch, and the role of children in the selection of school lunches was evident. This may be accentuated by the online pre-order systems, and given the likely expansion of these systems in schools, there is an opportunity to implement interventions to influence children towards specific or different meal options from the school menu

Evaluation of the nutrient content of yogurts: a comprehensive survey of yogurt products in the major UK supermarkets

Objectives; To comprehensively survey the sugar and nutrient contents of yogurt products available in UK supermarkets, in particular those marketed to children. Design; A cross-sectional survey of yogurt products available in the UK’s supermarkets in November 2016. Methods; Data were collected from five major online UK supermarkets and a process flow strategy was used to place yogurts into eight categories: children’s, dairy alternatives, dessert, drinks, fruit, flavoured, natural/Greek style and organic. A comprehensive database of product information for 921 unique products was created and analysed. Results; The total sugar, fat, protein, calcium and energy contents were highly variable across categories, and the ranges were extremely broad. Although lower than the dessert category, the medians (range) of the total sugar content of children’s (10.8 g/100 g (4.8–14.5)), fruit (11.9 g/100 g (4.6–21.3)), flavoured (12.0 g/100 g (0.1–18.8)) and organic (13.1 g/100 g (3.8–16.9)) yogurt products were all well above 10 g/100 g, and represented >45% of total energy. Only two out of 101 children’s yogurt and fromage frais products surveyed qualified as low sugar (≤5 g/100 g). Natural/Greek yogurts had dramatically lower sugar contents (5.0 g/100 g (1.6, 9.5), largely lactose) than all other categories. While low-fat (<3 g/100 g) products had less sugar and energy than higher fat yogurts, nonetheless 55% (285 of 518 low-fat yogurts) contained between 10 and 20 g sugar/100 g. Within the children’s category, fromage frais had higher protein (5.3 g/100 g (3.3, 8.6) vs 3.2 (2.8, 7.1); p<0.0001) and calcium contents (150 mg/100 g (90, 240) vs 130.5 mg/100 g (114, 258); p=0.0015) than yogurts. Conclusions; While there is good evidence that yogurt can be beneficial to health, products on the market vary widely in total sugars. Fewer than 9%, and only 2% of the children’s, products surveyed were low enough in sugar to earn ‘green’ in UK front of the pack labelling. Reformulation for the reduction of free sugars in yogurts is warranted