Physicochemical and biochemical properties of pepsin-solubilized collagen isolated from the integument of Sea Cucumber (Stichopus vastus)

The integument (high collagen content) of sea cucumber Stichopus vastus is generally wasted after harvesting, whereas only its stomach and intestines are eaten in few Asian countries. Amino acid composition, thermal transition temperature (Tm), zeta potential, solubility, moisture absorption and retention capacities, proximate composition and morphology of pepsin-solubilized collagen (PSC) isolated from the integument of S. vastus were studied. Amino acid composition revealed that glycine was dominant in the isolated collagen. PSC was found to have an isoelectric pH of 4.67, good moisture absorption and retention capacity at higher humidity, a sharp effect of pH and NaCl concentration on solubility, and an inverse relationship between temperature and viscosity. PSC also showed the maximum Tm to be 37.3C, very high protein content and ultrastructural characteristics. Hence, the PSC has the potential to be used as a functional ingredient in food, cosmetics and nutraceutical products

Crystallization of Ranasmurfin, a blue-coloured protein from Polypedates leucomystax

A novel blue protein from frog nests has been crystallized

Mutations in KIF27, GNAS and IFT140 genes in a patient with VACTERL association: a case report

VACTERL association is a rare genetic disorder involving at least three of the following congenital malformations: vertebral defects (V), anal atresia (A), cardiac defects (C), trachea-oesophageal fistula with or without oesophageal atresia (TE), renal anomalies (R) and limb abnormalities (L). Until now, the aetiology of VACTERL association is unknown, particularly at the molecular level. Here, we performed whole exome sequencing (WES) of an infant with VACTERL association. The patient was delivered prematurely at 30 weeks and had 4/6 of the VACTERL malformations. Trio-WES analysis was performed using Torrent Suite and ANNOVAR. Polymorphisms with an allele frequency of >0.01 were excluded, and the remaining variants were filtered based on de novo mutations, autosomal recessive, X-linked and di-genic inheritance traits. In this patient, no homozygous, compound heterozygous or X-linked mutations was associated with VACTERL. However, we identified two heterozygous mutations; KIF27 (ENST00000297814: c.3004A> C:p.N1002H) and GNAS (ENST00000371098: c.205C>A:p.H69N) genes that were inherited from her father and mother respectively. A de novo, IFT140 gene mutation (ENST00000426508: c.683C>G:p.S228C) was also identified in this patient. The VACTERL phenotype in this patient may due to heterozygous mutations affecting KIF27 and GNAS genes, inherited via autosomal recessive trait. In addition, the IFT140 gene mutation may also be involved. These genes are known to be directly or non-directly involved in the sonic hedgehog signalling that is known to be implicated in VACTERL. This is the first report of these genetic mutations in association with VACTERL

Dioxin/furan level in the Malaysian oil palm environment

Environmental samples collected from oil palm premises were evaluated for dioxins/furans contamination. The samplings were carried out at oil palm premises located in Banting (Premise A) and in Teluk Intan (Premise B), involving two environmental matrices namely ambient air and soil. The soil samples were collected in the plantations while ambient air samples were collected in the vicinity of the mills and refineries. The results of the analyses showed that the level of dioxins/furans in ambient air were generally higher in oil palm premise located adjacent to industrial establishments. The concentration levels at premise A mill and refinery located adjacent to industrial establishments, ranged from 64.14 WHO–TEQ fg m-3 to 131.87 WHO–TEQ fg m-3, while for premise B mill and refinery located in the rural area, ranged from 9.93 WHO–TEQ fg m-3 to 16.66 WHO–TEQ fg m-3. Meanwhile for soil samples, the highest concentrations were recorded in soil collected near roads used heavily by vehicles. The concentration levels of soil samples collected at premise A and premise B plantations ranged from 1.910 WHO-TEQ pg g-1 dry weight to 3.305 WHO-TEQ pg g-1 dry weight

Isolation and characterization of pepsin-solubilized collagen from the integument of sea cucumber (Stichopus vastus)

BACKGROUND: Sea cucumber (Stichopus vastus) is considered an underutilized resource, since only its stomach and intestines are eaten raw as salad in a few countries and the remaining parts, especially the integument rich in collagen, is discarded.Hence a valuable by-product having potential nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications is wasted. In the present investigation, pepsin-solubilized collagen (PSC) from the integument of S. vastus was isolated, purified and characterized. RESULTS: Sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis showed that the purified collagen was of type I, consisting of three α1 chains of approximately 122 kDa each. The peptide map of PSC digested by V8 protease was different from that of calf skin type I collagen. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the triple helical structure was well preserved in isolated collagen. The denaturation temperature of PSC was 21.23 ◦C and showed good gel-forming capability at pH 6.5 and 300 mmol L−1 NaCl. CONCLUSION: It is inferred that the collagen isolated from S. vastus integument has potential for use as an alternative to land-based mammalian collagen in food, nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical industries. �c 2012 Society of Chemical Industry Keywords: integument collagen; sea cucumber; ge

Triglyceride profiling in adipose tissues from obese insulin sensitive, insulin resistant and type 2 diabetes mellitus individuals

Abstract Background Lipid intermediates produced during triacylglycerols (TAGs) synthesis and lipolysis in adipocytes interfere with the intracellular insulin signaling pathway and development of insulin resistance. This study aims to compare TAG species and their fatty acid composition in adipose tissues from insulin sensitive (IS), insulin resistant (IR) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) obese individuals. Methods Human subcutaneous and omental adipose tissue biopsies were obtained from 64 clinically characterized obese individuals during weight reduction surgery. TAGs were extracted from the adipose tissues using the Bligh and Dyer method, then were subjected to non-aqueous reverse phase ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and full scan mass spectrometry acquisition and data dependent MS/MS on LTQ dual cell linear ion trap. TAGs and their fatty acid contents were identified and compared between IS, IR and T2DM individuals and their levels were correlated with metabolic traits of participants and the adipogenic potential of preadipocyte cultures established from their adipose tissues. Results Data revealed 76 unique TAG species in adipose tissues identified based on their exact mass. Analysis of TAG levels revealed a number of TAGs that were significantly altered with disease progression including C46:4, C48:5, C48:4, C38:1, C50:3, C40:2, C56:3, C56:4, C56:7 and C58:7. Enrichment analysis revealed C12:0 fatty acid to be associated with TAGs least abundant in T2DM whereas C18:3 was found in both depleted and enriched TAGs in T2DM. Significant correlations of various adipose tissue-derived TAG species and metabolic traits were observed, including age and body mass index, systemic total cholesterol, TAGs, and interleukin-6 in addition to adipogenic potential of preadipocytes derived from the same adipose tissues. Conclusion Pilot data suggest that adipose tissues from obese IR and T2DM individuals exhibit TAG-specific signatures that may contribute to their increased risk compared to their IS counterparts. Future experiments are warranted to investigate the functional relevance of these specific lipidomic profiles

Relationship between total vitamin D metabolites and complications in patients with type 2 diabetes

In our previous study, it was shown that endogenous vitamin D3 and its metabolites are associated with diabetic microvascular complications and cardiovascular risk factors. The aim of the present study was to determine if the relationship between total vitamin D (vitamin D2 supplements plus endogenous vitamin D3) was a better predictor of complications in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). A total of 460 patients with T2DM participated in the present cross-sectional study. Plasma levels of total vitamin D and its metabolites (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)D), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (24,25(OH)D) were measured by isotope-dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 were associated with diabetic retinopathy and coronary artery disease, but total 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and total 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were not statistically associated with any complications. Total 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D showed the same positive association as 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 for hypertension and dyslipidemia, and total 25-hydroxyvitamin D showed the same positive association as 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 for dyslipidemia. Total 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D showed the same positive association only with dyslipidemia as did 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. However, total 25-hydroxyvitamin D was associated with hypertension, whereas 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 was not. Vitamin D3 metabolites were associated with diabetic retinopathy, whereas total vitamin D levels were not, suggesting that endogenous vitamin D3 metabolites are a better measure of diabetic microvascular complications. However, both total vitamin D and vitamin D3 metabolites were associated with cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes.<br

Biochemical and Radical-Scavenging Properties of Sea Cucumber (Stichopus vastus) Collagen Hydrolysates

The molecular mass distribution, amino acid composition and radical-scavenging activity of collagen hydrolysates prepared from collagen isolated from the sea cucumber Stichopus vastus were investigated. β and α1 chains of the collagen were successfully hydrolysed by trypsin. The molecular mass distribution of the hydrolysates ranged from 5 to 25 kDa, and they were rich in glycine, alanine, glutamate, proline and hydroxyproline residues. The hydrolysates exhibited excellent radical-scavenging activity. These results indicate that collagen hydrolysates from S. vastus can be used as a functional ingredient in food and nutraceutical products

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with paediatric cancer in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, observational cohort study

OBJECTIVES: Paediatric cancer is a leading cause of death for children. Children in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) were four times more likely to die than children in high-income countries (HICs). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the delivery of healthcare services worldwide, and exacerbated the disparity in paediatric cancer outcomes between LMICs and HICs. DESIGN: A multicentre, international, collaborative cohort study. SETTING: 91 hospitals and cancer centres in 39 countries providing cancer treatment to paediatric patients between March and December 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Patients were included if they were under the age of 18 years, and newly diagnosed with or undergoing active cancer treatment for Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, Wilms' tumour, sarcoma, retinoblastoma, gliomas, medulloblastomas or neuroblastomas, in keeping with the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All-cause mortality at 30 days and 90 days. RESULTS: 1660 patients were recruited. 219 children had changes to their treatment due to the pandemic. Patients in LMICs were primarily affected (n=182/219, 83.1%). Relative to patients with paediatric cancer in HICs, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 12.1 (95% CI 2.93 to 50.3) and 7.9 (95% CI 3.2 to 19.7) times the odds of death at 30 days and 90 days, respectively, after presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 15.6 (95% CI 3.7 to 65.8) times the odds of death at 30 days (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected paediatric oncology service provision. It has disproportionately affected patients in LMICs, highlighting and compounding existing disparities in healthcare systems globally that need addressing urgently. However, many patients with paediatric cancer continued to receive their normal standard of care. This speaks to the adaptability and resilience of healthcare systems and healthcare workers globally