Antioxidant effect of garlic and aged black garlic in animal model of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Hyperglycemia in the diabetic state increases oxidative stress and antioxidant therapy can be strongly correlated with decreased risks for diabetic complications. The purpose of this study is to determine antioxidant effect of garlic and aged black garlic in animal model of type 2 diabetes. The antioxidant activity of garlic and aged black garlic was measured as the activity in scavenging free radicals by the trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay. Three week-old db/db mice were fed AIN-93G diet or diet containing 5% freeze-dried garlic or aged black garlic for 7 weeks after 1 week of adaptation. Hepatic levels of lipid peroxides and activities of antioxidant enzymes were measured. TEAC values of garlic and aged black garlic were 13.3 ± 0.5 and 59.2 ± 0.8 µmol/g wet weight, respectively. Consumption of aged black garlic significantly decreased hepatic thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) level compared with the garlic group which showed lower TBARS level than control group (p<0.05). Activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) of garlic and aged black garlic group were significantly elevated compared to the control group. Catalase (CAT) activity of aged black garlic group was increased compared with the control group. These results show that aged black garlic exerts stronger antioxidant activity than garlic in vitro and in vivo, suggesting garlic and aged black garlic, to a greater extent, could be useful in preventing diabetic complications

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Fuel Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Offshore Fisheries of the Republic of Korea.

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from the offshore fisheries industry in the Republic of Korea (Korea) were examined in response to growing concerns about global warming and the contribution of emissions from different industrial sectors. Fuel usage and GHG emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O) were analysed using the 'Tier 1' method provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from the offshore fishery, which is the primary domestic seafood production sector in Korea. In 2013, fuel usage in the offshore fishery accounted for 59.7% (557,463 KL) of total fuel consumption of fishing vessels in Korea. Fuel consumption and thus GHG emissions were not stable through time in this industry, increasing by 2.4% p.a. for three consecutive years, from 2011 to 2013, despite a decrease in the number of vessels operating. GHG emissions generated in offshore fisheries also changed through time and increased from 1,442,975 tCO2e/year in 2011 to 1,477,279 tCO2e/year in 2013. Changes in both fuel use and GHG emissions per kg offshore fish production appeared to be associated with decreasing catch rates by the fleet, which in turn were a reflection of decrease in fish biomass. Another important feature of GHG emissions in this industry was the high variation in GHG emission per kg fish product among different fishing methods. The long line fishery had approximately three times the emissions of the average production while the jigging fishery was more than two times higher than the average. Lowest emissions were from the trawl sector, which is regarded as having greatest environmental impact using traditional biodiversity metrics although had lowest environmental impact in terms of fuel and GHG emission metrics used in this study. The observed deterioration in fuel efficiency of the offshore fishery each year is of concern but also demonstrates that fuel efficiency can change, which shows there is opportunity to improve efficiency with changes to fishery management and harvesting operations

Characterization of a Novel Amylolytic Enzyme Encoded by a Gene from a Soil-Derived Metagenomic Library

It has been estimated that less than 1% of the microorganisms in nature can be cultivated by conventional techniques. Thus, the classical approach of isolating enzymes from pure cultures allows the analysis of only a subset of the total naturally occurring microbiota in environmental samples enriched in microorganisms. To isolate useful microbial enzymes from uncultured soil microorganisms, a metagenome was isolated from soil samples, and a metagenomic library was constructed by using the pUC19 vector. The library was screened for amylase activity, and one clone from among approximately 30,000 recombinant Escherichia coli clones showed amylase activity. Sequencing of the clone revealed a novel amylolytic enzyme expressed from a novel gene. The putative amylase gene (amyM) was overexpressed and purified for characterization. Optimal conditions for the enzyme activity of the AmyM protein were 42°C and pH 9.0; Ca(2+) stabilized the activity. The amylase hydrolyzed soluble starch and cyclodextrins to produce high levels of maltose and hydrolyzed pullulan to panose. The enzyme showed a high transglycosylation activity, making α-(1, 4) linkages exclusively. The hydrolysis and transglycosylation properties of AmyM suggest that it has novel characteristics and can be regarded as an intermediate type of maltogenic amylase, α-amylase, and 4-α-glucanotransferase

Indole-3-acetic acid/horseradish peroxidase-induced apoptosis involves cell surface CD95 (Fas/APO-1) expression

Recently, we showed that a combination of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) produces hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and that this leads to the apoptosis of G361 human melanoma cells. In the present study, flow cytometric analysis confirmed that H2O2 is involved the IAA/HRP-induced apoptotic process. We also found that IAA/HRP increases cell surface CD95 (Fas/APO-1) expression, and that this is blocked by catalase treatment. Furthermore, blocking CD95 with a neutralizing antibody significantly restored IAA/HRP-induced apoptosis. In addition, the IAA/HRP-induced activations of CD95 downstream molecules, i.e., caspase-8, Bid, and caspase-3, were also inhibited by catalase. Moreover, a caspase-8 inhibitor significantly blocked IAA/HRP-induced apoptosis. These results indicate that IAA/HRP-induced apoptosis involves a CD95-initiated death receptor signaling pathway initiated by hydrogen peroxide