Consumers and Food Choice: Quality, Nutrition and Genes

The quantity and quality of food needed for reproduction differs from nutritional needs for health and longevity. The choice of food type and amount is driven by our genetic need for growth and reproduction, not for long term health. So, fast digestible food, rich in energy is searched for. We humans share that drive with almost all animals. The energy carrying nutrients in processed food are more accessible than in the same unprocessed food. That leads to an ever increasing level of processing, and an ever decreasing consumption of raw fruits/vegetables and home cooked meals. In the past, with alternating conditions of food shortage and food abundance, overeating in times of prosperity was a reproductive advantage. However, high energy food becomes a severe nuisance in the age of permanent food abundance. Obesity and heart diseases spread through the developed world. That behaviour is rooted in our genetic instincts. Cultural based sensorial preferences, induced mostly in childhood by an epigenetic mechanism, present a variation around the instinctive rooted preferences. Food choice based on reflective decisions appears of minor importance. Nevertheless, all government campaigns against over-eating appeal to reason, not to instinct. We are faced with a permanent dichotomy between what is good for reproduction and what is good for health. This occurs not only in what and how we eat, but also in all neighbouring areas on the edges of food science, biology, social science, medicine and ethics

Synthesis and characterization of metal oxides supported keggin type polyoxometalate Rb2K2[-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O

Synthesis of material based on polyoxometalate Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O with SiO2, TiO2, ZrOCl2, and TaCl­5 was carried out to form Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O-SiO2, Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O-TiO2 Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O-ZrOCl2 and Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O-TaCl5. Materials from preparation were characterized through functional group analysis using FT-IR spectrophotometer, crystallinity analysis using XRD and surface photograph analysis using SEM. The results show that material Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O was successfully loaded with SiO2, ZrOCl2 and TaCl5.  Based on SEM photo Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O-TiO2 and Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O-ZrOCl2 were the best material from preparation base on the homogeneity particle distribution. The FT-IR spectrum shows specific wavenumber for nanomaterial Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O-TiO2 in the range 455-910 cm­-1 and Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O - ZrOCl2 in the range 393.48-1404 cm-1. XRD pattern for material Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O-TiO2 and Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O-ZrOCl2 show there is a difference between polyoxometalate Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O, TiO2 and ZrOCl2. SEM photo analysis of Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O-TiO2 and Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O-ZrOCl2 showed that material polyoxometalate with support has a diameter size of particle above 100 nm. Keywords: Rb2K2[γ-H2SiV2W10O40].nH2O, polyoxometalate, SiO2, TaCl5, TiO2, ZrOCl2

Motivations for Healthy Lifestyle in Railroad Employees

The aim of the paper is to present the results of a survey of railroad employees’ motivation for a healthy lifestyle. For this purpose a specific questionnaire was developed. The study was performed on 245 Slovene railroad workers (168 of them blue-collar ones). The great majority (66.9%) were found to be overweight or obese (BMI 25 or more), with no significant difference between blue- and white-collar workers. The great majority of them were in general aware of having unhealthy nutrition and an unhealthy lifestyle. Most of the employees felt the need to improve (at least in part) their nutrition (74.7%) and lifestyle (78.0%); the majority (67.8%) also declared that they could adopt a healthier lifestyle despite the constraints of everyday life and work conditions; however, 57.6% said that they had been already putting considerable effort into a healthier nutrition and lifestyle. Thus the effort needed to overcome constraints toward a healthier lifestyle seems to be the key problem: the majority (54.3%) would rather choose walking than running or other intensive forms of exercise; they are not ready to do it for more than one hour per day (60%), and they are not ready to give up permanently food that they like and that is considered unhealthy. The differences in motivations for a healthy lifestyle between blue- and white-collar workers were not significant at the 0.05 level. Further research in this field is needed; however, it seems that the methods of efficient marginal modifications of lifestyle are required. KEYWORDS human resources management, railroad, blue-collar workers, white-collar workers, healthy lifestyle, motivations</p

Zinco, invecchiamento e sistema immunitario: effetti sull'apoptosi e sulla proliferazione dei linfociti

Immunosenescence is characterized by a complex remodelling of the immune system, mainly driven by lifelong antigenic burden. Cells of the immune system are constantly exposed to a variety of stressors capable of inducing apoptosis, including antigens and reactive oxygen species continuously produced during immune response and metabolic pathways. The overall homeostasis of the immune system is based on the balance between antigenic load, oxidative stress, and apoptotic processes on one side, and the regenerative potential and renewal of the immune system on the other. Zinc is an essential trace element playing a central role on the immune function, being involved in many cellular processes, such as cell death and proliferation, as cofactor of enzymes, nuclear factors and hormones. In this context, the age associated changes in the immune system may be in part due to zinc deficiency, often observed in aged subjects and able to induce impairment of several immune functions. Thus, the aim of this work was to investigate the role of zinc in two essential events for immunity during aging, i.e. apoptosis and cell proliferation. Spontaneous and oxidative stress-induced apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry in presence of a physiological concentration of zinc in vitro on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from healthy subjects of different age: a group of young subjects, a group of old subjects and a group of nonagenarians. In addition, cell cycle phases were analyzed by flow cytometry in PBMCs, obtained from the subjects of the same groups in presence of different concentration of zinc. We also analyzed the influence of zinc in these processes in relation to p53 codon 72 polymorphism, known to affect apoptosis and cell cycle in age-dependent manner. Zinc significantly reduces spontaneous apoptosis in all age-groups; while it significantly increases oxidative stress-induced late apoptosis/necrosis in old and nonagenarians subjects. Some factors involved in the apoptotic pathway were studied and a zinc effect on mitochondrial membrane depolarization, cytochrome C release, caspase-3 activation, PARP cleavage and Bcl-2 expression was found. In conclusion, zinc inhibits spontaneous apoptosis in PBMCs contrasting the harmful effects due to the cellular culture conditions. On the other hand, zinc is able to increase toxicity and induce cell death in PBMCs from aged subjects when cells are exposed to stressing agents that compromise antioxidant cellular systems. Concerning the relationship between the susceptibility to apoptosis and p53 codon 72 genotype, zinc seems to affect apoptosis only in PBMCs from Pro- people suggesting a role of this ion in strengthening the mechanism responsible of the higher propensity of Pro- towards apoptosis. Regarding cell cycle, high doses of zinc could have a role in the progression of cells from G1 to S phase and from S to G2/M phase. These effect seems depend on the age of the donor but seems to be unrelated to p53 codon 72 genotype. In order to investigate the effect of an in vivo zinc supplementation on apoptosis and cell cycle, PBMCs from a group of aged subjects were studied before and after six weeks of oral zinc supplementation. Zinc supplementation reduces spontaneous apoptosis and it strongly reduces oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. On the contrary, no effect of zinc was observed on cell cycle. Therefore, it’s clear that in vitro and in vivo zinc supplementation have different effects on apoptosis and cell cycle in PBMCs from aged subjects. Further experiments and clinical trials are necessary to clarify the real effect of an in vivo zinc supplementation because this preliminary data could encourage the of this element in all that disease with oxidative stress pathogenesis. Moreover, the expression of metallothioneins (MTs), proteins well known for their zinc-binding ability and involved in many cellular processes, i.e. apoptosis, metal ions detoxification, oxidative stress, differentiation, was evaluated in total lymphocytes, in CD4+ and in CD8+ T lymphocytes from young and old healthy subjects in presence of different concentration of zinc in vitro. Literature data reported that during ageing the levels of these proteins increase and concomitantly they lose the ability to release zinc. This fact induce a down-regulation of many biological functions related to zinc, such as metabolism, gene expression and signal transduction. Therefore, these proteins may turn from protective in young-adult age to harmful agents for the immune function in ageing following the concept that several genes/proteins that increase fitness early in life may have negative effects later in life: named “Antagonistic Pleyotropy Theory of Ageing”. Data obtained in this work indicate an higher and faster expression of MTs with lower doses of zinc in total lymphocytes, in CD4+ and in CD8+ T lymphocytes from old subjects supporting the antagonistic pleiotropic role of these proteins