Tomorrow's healthy society - Research priorities for foods and diets

Health promotion and disease prevention through provision and consumption of healthy diets are increasingly recognised as crucial, both socially and economically, in the face of strained healthcare systems, an ageing population, and the high individual and economic costs of diseases.The Foresight study ‘Tomorrow's healthy society – research priorities for foods and diets’ was initiated to inform the selection of research challenges to receive funding under the Horizon 2020 programme. The exploratory scenario-building approach focused on the European consumer with the year 2050 as a long-term time horizon. Four different future scenarios were developed using the extremes of two main drivers – agricultural commodity prices (low or high) and societal values (community spirit or individualistic society). The scenarios provided the basis for the identification and prioritisation of research needs to address the challenges and opportunities arising from the different scenarios. The resulting ten research priorities fall into four thematic areas: Towards healthier eating: integrated policy-making; Food, nutrients and health: cross-interactions and emerging risks; Making individualised diets a reality; and Shaping and coping with the 2050 food system.JRC.DDG.02-Foresight and Behavioural Insight

Certification of C-reactive Protein in Reference Material ERM-DA472/IFCC

The production and certification of ERM-DA472/IFCC, a new reference material certified for C-reactive protein (CRP), is described. ERM-DA472/IFCC was characterised using the reference material ERM-DA470 as calibrant. This achieved using a value transfer protocol that can be considered as a reference procedure. the principles used to measure the CRP concentration were immunonephelometry and immunoturbidimetry. The measurements were performed with different platform/reagent combinations (Abbott, Beckmann Immage, BN II, different Hitachi instruments, and Olympus AU640). In total 8 laboratories participated in the value assignment. The certified CRP mass concentration is 41.8 mg/L, the expanded uncertainty (k = 2) 2.5 mg/L.JRC.D.2-Reference material

Modes of inhibition of cysteine proteases

Cysteine proteases are involved in many physiological processes and their hyperactivity may lead to severe diseases. Nature has developed various strategies to protect cells and whole organisms against undesired proteolysis. One of them is the control of proteolytic activity by inhibition. This paper presents the mechanisms underlying the action of proteinaceous inhibitors of cysteine proteinases and covers propeptides binding backwards relative to the substrate or distorting the protease catalytic centre similarly to serpins, the p35 protein binding covalently to the enzyme, and cystatins that are exosite binding inhibitors. The paper also discusses tyropins and chagasins that, although unrelated to cystatins, inhibit cysteine proteinases by a similar mechanism, as well as inhibitors of the apoptosis protein family that bind in a direction opposite to that of the substrate, similarly to profragments. Special attention is given to staphostatins, a novel family of inhibitors acting in an unusual manner

NMR Structure of Lipoprotein YxeF from Bacillus subtilis Reveals a Calycin Fold and Distant Homology with the Lipocalin Blc from Escherichia coli

The soluble monomeric domain of lipoprotein YxeF from the Gram positive bacterium B. subtilis was selected by the Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium (NESG) as a target of a biomedical theme project focusing on the structure determination of the soluble domains of bacterial lipoproteins. The solution NMR structure of YxeF reveals a calycin fold and distant homology with the lipocalin Blc from the Gram-negative bacterium E.coli. In particular, the characteristic β-barrel, which is open to the solvent at one end, is extremely well conserved in YxeF with respect to Blc. The identification of YxeF as the first lipocalin homologue occurring in a Gram-positive bacterium suggests that lipocalins emerged before the evolutionary divergence of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. Since YxeF is devoid of the α-helix that packs in all lipocalins with known structure against the β-barrel to form a second hydrophobic core, we propose to introduce a new lipocalin sub-family named ‘slim lipocalins’, with YxeF and the other members of Pfam family PF11631 to which YxeF belongs constituting the first representatives. The results presented here exemplify the impact of structural genomics to enhance our understanding of biology and to generate new biological hypotheses

Mechanical and creep properties of Mg-4Y-3RE and Mg-3Nd-1Gd magnesium alloy

AbstractA study has been undertaken to reveal the microstructure, mechanical and creep properties of two Mg-4Y-3RE and Mg-3Nd-1Gd magnesium alloys. The relationship between the ageing parameters, microstructure, mechanical and creep properties was specified. Structure investigations showed that the mechanical properties maximum during the ageing at 200°C/16h (Mg-3Nd-1Gd alloy) and at 250°C/16h (Mg-4Y-3RE alloy) resulted from the formation of fine beta;ldquo; and β” precipitates in the α-Mg solid solution. Further ageing led to decrease of the mechanical properties due to formation of β1 and β phases in Mg-4Y-3RE alloy or only β phase in Mg-3Nd-1Gd. The creep tests of the Mg-3Nd-1Gd alloy at temperature 200°C in the stress range 90-150MPa show the larger creep strain and steady-state creep rate than the Mg-4Y-3RE alloy