Effect of calcium phosphate and vitamin D3supplementation on bone remodelling and metabolism of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of calcium phosphate and/or vitamin D(3) on bone and mineral metabolism. METHODS: Sixty omnivorous healthy subjects participated in the double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel designed study. Supplements were tricalcium phosphate (CaP) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D(3)). At the beginning of the study (baseline), all subjects documented their normal nutritional habits in a dietary record for three successive days. After baseline, subjects were allocated to three intervention groups: CaP (additional 1 g calcium/d), vitamin D(3) (additional 10 μg/d) and CaP + vitamin D(3). In the first two weeks, all groups consumed placebo bread, and afterwards, for eight weeks, the test bread according to the intervention group. In the last week of each study period (baseline, placebo, after four and eight weeks of intervention), a faecal (three days) and a urine (24 h) collection and a fasting blood sampling took place. Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron were determined in faeces, urine and blood. Bone formation and resorption markers were analysed in blood and urine. RESULTS: After four and eight weeks, CaP and CaP + vitamin D(3) supplementations increased faecal excretion of calcium and phosphorus significantly compared to placebo. Due to the vitamin D(3) supplementations (vitamin D(3), CaP + vitamin D(3)), the plasma 25-(OH)D concentration significantly increased after eight weeks compared to placebo. The additional application of CaP led to a significant increase of the 25-(OH)D concentration already after four weeks. Bone resorption and bone formation markers were not influenced by any intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Supplementation with daily 10 μg vitamin D(3) significantly increases plasma 25-(OH)D concentration. The combination with daily 1 g calcium (as CaP) has a further increasing effect on the 25-(OH)D concentration. Both CaP alone and in combination with vitamin D(3) have no beneficial effect on bone remodelling markers and on the metabolism of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT0129702

Nutritional Value of the Duckweed Species of the Genus Wolffia (Lemnaceae) as Human Food

Species of the genus Wolffia are traditionally used as human food in some of the Asian countries. Therefore, all 11 species of this genus, identified by molecular barcoding, were investigated for ingredients relevant to human nutrition. The total protein content varied between 20 and 30% of the freeze-dry weight, the starch content between 10 and 20%, the fat content between 1 and 5%, and the fiber content was ~25%. The essential amino acid content was higher or close to the requirements of preschool-aged children according to standards of the World Health Organization. The fat content was low, but the fraction of polyunsaturated fatty acids was above 60% of total fat and the content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was higher than that of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in most species. The content of macro- and microelements (minerals) not only depended on the cultivation conditions but also on the genetic background of the species. This holds true also for the content of tocopherols, several carotenoids and phytosterols in different species and even intraspecific, clonal differences were detected in Wolffia globosa and Wolffia arrhiza. Thus, the selection of suitable clones for further applications is important. Due to the very fast growth and the highest yield in most of the nutrients, Wolffia microscopica has a high potential for practical applications in human nutrition

Printed circuit boards as platform for disposable Lab-on-a-Chip applications

An increasing demand in performance from electronic devices has resulted in continuous shrinking of electronic components. This shrinkage has demanded that the primary integration platform, the printed circuit board (PCB), follow this same trend. Today, PCB companies offer ~100 micron sized features (depth and width) which mean they are becoming suitable as physical platforms for Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) and microfluidic applications. Compared to current lithographic based fluidic approaches; PCB technology offers several advantages that are useful for this technology. These include: Being easily designed and changed using free software, robust structures that can often be reused, chip layouts that can be ordered from commercial PCB suppliers at very low cost (1 AUD each in this work), and integration of electrodes at no additional cost. Here we present the application of PCB technology in connection with microfluidics for several biomedical applications. In case of commercialization the costs for each device can be even further decreased to approximately one tenth of its current cost.6 page(s

Recovery of Mediterranean steppe vegetation after cultivation: legacy effects on plant composition, soil properties and functional traits

International audienc

Temporal and spatial trade-offs between resistance and performance traits in herbaceous plant species

Frost resistance (FR) is a highly adaptive trait and important for plant performance, survival and distribution. While overall seasonal changes in the frost resistance of herbaceous species are well documented, knowledge of the variability during the growth period is scarce. Responses could be expected due to differences in temperature yet investment in frost resistance might be at the expense of plant performance. To analyse temporal and spatial (i.e. same date but differing temperatures) variability, FR of leaves of six herbaceous species on five sampling dates were assessed along an elevational gradient in the northern limestone Alps. We used chlorophyll fluorescence techniques to calculate the lethal temperature of 90% of the population (LT90) thereof. To test the association with plant performance, we measured eco-morphological leaf traits (specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content, leaf phosphorous and magnesium content as well as stomatal pore area index (SPI)) in parallel. We found that FR as well as leaf traits exhibit a strong temporal variation whereas spatial variability was low. When analysing the relationship of FR to leaf traits we found that SLA as a proxy of growth rate was negatively associated with FR indicating a trade-off between growth and resistance, whereas SPI showed a positive relationship to FR. This finding gives further insight into the variability of traits and will help to improve predictions concerning plant performance and distribution under changing climate regimes

Nutritional value of duckweeds (Lemnaceae) as human food

Duckweeds have been consumed as human food since long. Species of the duckweed genera, Spirodela, Landoltia, Lemna, Wolffiella and Wolffia were analysed for protein, fat, and starch contents as well as their amino acid and fatty acid distribution. Protein content spanned from 20% to 35%, fat from 4% to 7%, and starch from 4% to 10% per dry weight. Interestingly, the amino acid distributions are close to the WHO recommendations, having e.g. 4.8% Lys, 2.7% Met + Cys, and 7.7% Phe + Tyr. The content of polyunsaturated fatty acids was between 48 and 71% and the high content of n3 fatty acids resulted in a favourable n6/n3 ratio of 0.5 or less. The phytosterol content in the fastest growing angiosperm, W. microscopica, was 50 mg g−1 lipid. However, the content of trace elements can be adjusted by cultivation conditions. Accordingly, W. hyalina and W. microscopica are recommended for human nutrition.</p