Decaffeinated Coffee and Glucose Metabolism in Young Men

OBJECTIVE The epidemiological association between coffee drinking and decreased risk of type 2 diabetes is strong. However, caffeinated coffee acutely impairs glucose metabolism. We assessed acute effects of decaffeinated coffee on glucose and insulin levels. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a randomized, cross-over, placebo-controlled trial of the effects of decaffeinated coffee, caffeinated coffee, and caffeine on glucose, insulin, and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) levels during a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in 11 young men. RESULTS Within the first hour of the OGTT, glucose and insulin were higher for decaffeinated coffee than for placebo (P \u3c 0.05). During the whole OGTT, decaffeinated coffee yielded higher insulin than placebo and lower glucose and a higher insulin sensitivity index than caffeine. Changes in GIP could not explain any beverage effects on glucose and insulin. CONCLUSIONS Some types of decaffeinated coffee may acutely impair glucose metabolism but less than caffeine

Application of isotope dilution mass spectrometry: determination of ochratoxin A in the Canadian Total Diet Study

Analytical methods are generally developed and optimized for specific commodities. Total Diet Studies, representing typical food products ‘as consumed’, pose an analytical challenge since every food product is different. In order to address this technical challenge, a selective and sensitive analytical method was developed suitable for the quantitation of ochratoxin A (OTA) in Canadian Total Diet Study composites. The method uses an acidified solvent extraction, an immunoaffinity column (IAC) for clean-up, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for identification and quantification, and a uniformly stable isotope-labelled OTA (U-[13C20]-OTA) as an internal recovery standard. Results are corrected for this standard. The method is accurate (101% average recovery) and precise (5.5% relative standard deviation (RSD)) based on 17 duplicate analysis of various food products over 2 years. A total of 140 diet composites were analysed for OTA as part of the Canadian Total Diet Study. Samples were collected at retail level from two Canadian cities, Quebec City and Calgary, in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The results indicate that 73% (102/140) of the samples had detectable levels of OTA, with some of the highest levels of OTA contamination found in the Canadian bread supply

Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers and chiral signatures of α-HCH in the arctic marine food web of the Northwater Polynya

Concentrations of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers (α,β, and γ) and enantiomer fractions (EFs) of α-HCH were determined in the Northwater Polynya Arctic marine food web. Relative food web structure was established using trophic level models based on organic δ15N values. Concentrations of HCH in the samples collected, including water, sediment, benthic invertebrates (four species), pelagic zooplankton (six species), Arctic cod, seabirds (seven species), and ringed seal, were in the range previously reported for the Canadian Arctic. The relative proportion of the HCH isomers varied across the food web and appeared to be related to the biotransformation capacity of each species. For invertebrates and fish the biomagnification factors (BMFs) of the three isomers were \u3e1 and the proportion of each isomer and the EFs of α-HCH were similar to water, suggesting minimal biotransformation. Seabirds appear to readily metabolize γ- and α-HCH based on low BMFs for these isomers, high proportions of β-HCH (62-96%), and high EFs (0.65-0.97) for α-HCH. The α- and β-HCH isomers appear to be recalcitrant in ringed seals based on BMFs \u3e1 and near racemic EFs for α-HCH. The β isomer appears to be recalcitrant in all species examined and had an overall food web magnification factor of 3.9. EFs of α-HCH and the proportion of β-HCH in Σ-HCH in the food web were highly correlated (r2 = 0.92) suggesting that EFs were a good indicator of a species capability to biotransform α-HCH

Chlordane components and metabolites in seven species of Arctic seabirds from the Northwater Polynya: Relationships with stable isotopes of nitrogen and enantiomeric fractions of chiral components

The Northwater Polynya (NOW) is a large area of year-round open water found in the high Arctic between Ellesmere Island and Greenland. NOW has high biological productivity compared with other arctic marine areas, and supports large populations of several seabird species. Seven species of seabirds, dovekie (Alle alle, DOVE), thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia, TBMU), black guillemot (Cepphus grylle, BLGU), black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla, BLKI), ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea, IVGU), glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus, GLGU) and northern fulmar (Fulmaris glacialis, NOFU) were collected in May and June 1998 to determine chlordane concentrations in liver and fat and to examine species differences, relationships with stable isotopes of nitrogen, and enantiomeric fractions (EFs) of chiral components. ΣCHLOR concentrations varied over an order of magnitude among species, from a low of 176±19 ng/g (lipid corrected) in TMBU liver to a high of 3190±656 ng/g (lipid corrected) in NOFU liver. Lipid-corrected concentrations of chlordane did not vary between sex for any species or between fat and liver except for the DOVE, that had fat concentrations that were significantly greater than the liver. δ15N values described a significant percentage of the variability of concentrations for most chlordane components, although less than what has been reported for whole food chains. Slopes of δ15N versus concentration of chlordane components and ΣCHLOR were similar with the exception of those which were metabolized (trans-chlordane) or formed through biotransformation (oxychlordane). The relative proportions of chlordane components in seabirds were related to phylogeny; the procellariid (NOFU) had the greatest percentage of oxychlordane (\u3e70%), followed by the larids (BLKI, IVGU and GLGU; 40-50%) and the alcids (DOVE and BLGU; 10-20%). The exception was TBMU, an alcid, where oxychlordane made up \u3e40% of its chlordane. EFs of chiral components failed to predict concentration or trophic level, but did identify biotransformation differences between species and chlordane components. TBMU appeared to have a greater capacity to metabolize and eliminate chlordane, based on high proportions of oxychlordane, the highest EFs for oxychlordane and heptachlor epoxide, and a δ15N-ΣCHLOR value which was well below the relationships developed for all seabird species. Copyright © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd

Persistent organochlorine contaminants and enantiomeric signatures of chiral pollutants in ringed seals (Phoca hispida) collected on the east and west side of the Northwater Polynya, Canadian Arctic

To examine the influence of diet and age on organochlorine contaminant (OC) concentrations in two closely related ringed seal (Phoca hispida) populations enantiomeric fractions (EFs) of chiral contaminants and stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) were measured along with OCs in ringed seals collected from the east and west side of the Northwater Polynya. Seals from these two locations were feeding at the same trophic level based on δ15N values in muscle but had slightly different sources of carbon based on δ13C measurements in muscle. After removing the influence of age, sex, and blubber thickness, OC concentrations did not vary between ringed seals from the east and west side of the polynya. ΣPCB, ΣDDT, and Σchlordane were found to increase with age for both male and female seals. The inclusion of older (\u3e20 years) female seals, which may have a reduced reproductive effort, may influence the relationships in females. Stable isotopes failed to describe OC concentrations in ringed seals suggesting that diet was not a major factor in variation of OC concentrations within this ringed seal population. Cis- and trans-chlordane, oxychlordane, and heptachlor epoxide were all nonracemic in the ringed seal blubber but did not vary with age, sex, or collection site. α-HCH appeared racemic (enantiomeric fraction = 0.50 ± 0.01) in the seals, although this EF is different than those previously observed in their prey species, and was found to vary significantly with age. EF values in the ringed seals varied considerably from other Arctic marine mammals and seabirds, providing addition evidence that the type(s) and characteristic(s) of the enzymes involved in biotransformation of chiral OCs vary between these organisms

DNA damage response at telomeres contributes to lung aging and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Cellular senescence has been associated with the structural and functional decline observed during physiological lung ageing and in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Airway epithelial cells are the first line of defense in the lungs and are important to COPD pathogenesis. However, the mechanisms underlying airway epithelial cell senescence, and particularly the role of telomere dysfunction in this process, are poorly understood. We aimed to investigate telomere dysfunction in airway epithelial cells from patients with COPD, in the ageing murine lung and following cigarette smoke exposure. We evaluated co-localization of γH2A.X and telomeres and telomere length in small airway epithelial cells from patients with COPD, during murine lung ageing and following cigarette smoke exposure in vivo and in vitro. We found that telomere-associated DNA damage foci increase in small airway epithelial cells from patients with COPD, without significant telomere shortening detected. With age, telomere-associated foci increase in small airway epithelial cells of the murine lung, which is accelerated by cigarette smoke exposure. Moreover, telomere-associated foci predict age-dependent emphysema; and late-generation Terc null mice, which harbour dysfunctional telomeres, show early-onset emphysema. We found that cigarette smoke accelerates telomere dysfunction via reactive oxygen species in vitro and may be associated with ATM-dependent secretion of inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8. We propose that telomeres are highly sensitive to cigarette smoke-induced damage and telomere dysfunction may underlie decline of lung function observed during ageing and in COPD