3-Hydroxypropionaldehyde: applications and perspectives of biotechnological production

3-Hydroxypropionaldehyde (3-HPA) forms, together with HPA-hydrate and HPA-dimer, a dynamic, multi-component system (HPA system) used in food preservation, as a precursor for many modern chemicals such as acrolein, acrylic acid, and 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO), and for polymer production. 3-HPA can be obtained both through traditional chemistry and bacterial fermentation. To date, 3-HPA has been produced from petrochemical resources as an intermediate in 1,3-PDO production. In vivo, glycerol is converted in one enzymatic step into 3-HPA. The 3-HPA-producing Lactobacillus reuteri is used as a probiotic in the health care of humans and animals. The biotechnological production of 3-HPA from renewable resources is desirable both for use of 3-HPA in foods and for the production of bulk chemicals. The main challenge will be the efficient production and recovery of pure 3-HP

Production of 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde using a two-step process with Lactobacillus reuteri

3-Hydroxypropionaldehyde (3-HPA) produced by Lactobacillus reuteri is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial substance of glycerol conversion. The aim of the present work was to optimize 3-HPA production by Lb. reuteri ATCC 53608 using a two-step process. The first step was the production of Lb. reuteri cells in optimal conditions. Cells were then harvested by centrifugation and suspended in glycerol solution, which the resting cells bioconverted to 3-HPA. The effect of biomass concentration, temperature, glycerol concentration, anaerobic/micro-aerophilic conditions, and incubation time was studied for high 3-HPA production. 3-HPA accumulation was limited by the death of cells in contact with high concentrations of 3-HPA. However, a very high 3-HPA concentration of 235±3mM was obtained after 45min of incubation at 30°C in 400mM glycerol for an initial free-cell concentration of 1.6±0.3×1010 viablecells/ml. A high viability was maintained at low temperatures in the range 5-15°C, but with a slightly lower yield of 3-HPA at 5°C compared with higher temperatures, up to 37°C. Successive 1-h incubations of Lb. reuteri cells in 200mM glycerol at 15°C to tentatively reuse the cells resulted in decreasing 3-HPA concentrations at the end of each cycle, with two successful production cycles yielding high 3-HPA concentrations of 147±1mM and 128±2m

Sociodemographic and Behavioural Determinants of a Healthy Diet in Switzerland.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The determinants of a healthy diet have not been studied in Switzerland. This study aimed at assessing the individual and behavioural factors associated with a healthy diet in a Swiss city. METHODS: Cross-sectional, population-based study conducted between 2009 and 2013 (n = 4,439, 2,383 women, mean age 57.5 ± 10.3 years) in Lausanne. Food consumption was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Two Mediterranean diet scores (classic score and specific for Switzerland) and the Harvard School of Public Health alternate healthy eating index were computed. RESULTS: For all three dietary scores considered, living in couple or having a high education were associated with a healthier diet. An unhealthy lifestyle (smoking, sedentary behaviour) or a high body mass index were associated with an unhealthier diet. Participants born in Italy, Portugal and Spain had healthier diets than participants born in France or Switzerland. Women and elderly participants had healthier diets than men and young participants according to 2 scores, while no differences were found for the Swiss-specific Mediterranean score. CONCLUSIONS: In Switzerland, healthy eating is associated with high education, a healthy lifestyle, marital status and country of origin. The associations with gender and age depend on the dietary score considered

Association of socioeconomic status with inflammatory markers: a two cohort comparison.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and inflammatory markers using two different European population samples. METHODS: We used data from the CoLaus (N=6412, Lausanne, Switzerland) and EPIPorto (N=1205, Porto, Portugal) studies. Education and occupational position were used as indicators of socioeconomic status (SES). High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was available for both cohorts. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were available in CoLaus; leukocyte count and fibrinogen in EPIPorto. RESULTS: We showed that low SES was significantly associated with high inflammation in both studies. We also showed that behavioural factors contributed the most to SES differences in inflammation. In both studies the larger difference between the lowest and the highest SES was observed for hs-CRP. In the Swiss sample, a linear association between education and hs-CRP persisted after adjustment for all mediating factors and confounders considered (p for linear trend <0.001). CONCLUSION: Large social differences exist in inflammatory activity, in part independently from demographic and behavioural factors, chronic conditions and medication use. SES differences in inflammation are also similar in countries with different underlying socioeconomic conditions

Sex-specific differences in the impact of heavier body armour worn by law enforcement officers completing occupational tasks: a pilot study

Aim: to assess sex-specific impacts of heavier body armour in law enforcement officers completing occupational tasks.Design: A randomized counter-balanced study.Method: Ten qualified police officers of which six were female (mean height = 167.97 ± 3.67 cm, mean mass= 65.30 ± 10.57 kg) and four were male (mean height = 82.15 ± 6.98 cm, mean weight = 85.55 ± 9.96 kg) completed a functional movement screen for mobility and three occupational tasks wearing a law enforcement (2.1 kg) or military (6.4 kg) body armour system. Following paired samples t-tests, effect sizes(d) were calculated for the between-body armour type comparisons. Bond University Human Research Ethics Committee provided ethics approval (RO15803).Results: When military body armour was worn, female officers experienced a greater impact on their car exit and victim drag (d = 0.37, 0.02 respectively) when compared to males (d = 0.12, -0.41 respectively).Alternatively, male officers experienced a greater impact on their mobility and agility (d = -1.29, 0.57 respectively) when compared to females (d = -0.98, 0.31 respectively).Conclusion: Wearing heavier body armour had a greater effect on female officers in the car exit and victim drag measures and on male officers in the functional movement screen and agility measures. The impacts of wearing heavier body armour should not be considered the same between the sexes.Key Practice Points:• Heavy body armour systems may impede the sexes differently warranting consideration when rehabilitating and reconditioning police officers to return-to-work following injury

Sex-specific differences in fit between two different types of body armour: A pilot study

Aim: to assess sex-specific differences in wearability and comfort when wearing body armour.Design: A randomized counter-balanced study.Method: Ten participants (females n = 6, mean height = 167.97 ± 3.67 cm, mean mass = 65.30 ± 10.57 kg: males n = 4, mean height = 82.15 ± 6.98 cm, mean weight = 85.55 ± 9.96 kg) were included following eligibility criteria and assessed against occupational tasks for which they gave subjective feedback when wearing a law enforcement (2.1 kg) and military (6.4 kg) body armour system. Subjective feedback was provided on mannequin sketches and compared between sexes and body armour types. Bond University Human Research Ethics Committee provided ethics approval (RO15803).Results: Greater negative feedback was received, subjectively, from both sexes regarding the military body armour. Female participants recorded areas of most discomfort to include the neck, shoulder, chest, and hip, whilst males recorded areas to be the neck, shoulder, and abdomen. Females reported greater subjective concerns than males regarding body armour fit.Conclusion: With levels of discomfort associated with injury in police officers wearing body armour, the comfort and fit of body armour and differences between sexes must be considered. These differences require consideration when returning injured officers back to work, especially following brachial plexus palsy and meralgia paresthetica injuries.</div

Insulin resistance in mice lacking neuronal nitric oxide synthase is related to an alpha-adrenergic mechanism.

BACKGROUND: nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in the regulation of cardiovascular and glucose homeostasis. Mice lacking the gene encoding the neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) are insulin-resistant, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. nNOS is expressed in skeletal muscle tissue where it may regulate glucose uptake. Alternatively, nNOS driven NO synthesis may facilitate skeletal muscle perfusion and substrate delivery. Finally, nNOS dependent NO in the central nervous system may facilitate glucose disposal by decreasing sympathetic nerve activity. METHODS: in nNOS null and control mice, we studied whole body glucose uptake and skeletal muscle blood flow during hyperinsulinaemic clamp studies in vivo and glucose uptake in skeletal muscle preparations in vitro. We also examined the effects of alpha-adrenergic blockade (phentolamine) on glucose uptake during the clamp studies. RESULTS: as expected, the glucose infusion rate during clamping was roughly 15 percent lower in nNOS null than in control mice (89 (17) vs 101 (12) [-22 to -2]). Insulin stimulation of muscle blood flow in vivo, and intrinsic muscle glucose uptake in vitro, were comparable in the two groups. Phentolamine, which had no effect in the wild-type mice, normalised the insulin sensitivity in the mice lacking the nNOS gene. CONCLUSIONS: insulin resistance in nNOS null mice was not related to defective insulin stimulation of skeletal muscle perfusion and substrate delivery or insulin signaling in the skeletal muscle cell, but to a sympathetic alpha-adrenergic mechanism

Remineralization of demineralized dentin using a dual analog system.

ObjectiveImproved methods are needed to remineralize dentin caries in order to promote conservation of dentin tissue and minimize the surgical interventions that are currently required for clinical treatment. Here, we test the hypothesis that bulk substrates can be effectively mineralized via a dual analog system proposed by others, using a tripolyphosphate (TPP) "templating analog" and a poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) or poly(aspartic acid) (pAsp) "sequestration analog," the latter of which generates the polymer-induced liquid-precursor (PILP) mineralization process studied in our laboratory.Material &amp; methodsDemineralized human dentin slices were remineralized with and without pre-treatment with TPP, using either PAA or pAsp as the PILP process-directing agent. A control experiment with no polymer present was used for comparison.ResultsNo mineralization was observed in any of the PAA groups. In both the pAsp and no polymer groups, TPP inhibited mineralization on the surfaces of the specimens but promoted mineralization within the interiors. Pre-treatment with TPP enhanced overall mineralization of the pAsp group. However, when analysed via TEM, regions with little mineral were still present.ConclusionPoly(acrylic acid) was unable to remineralize demineralized dentin slices under the conditions employed, even when pre-treated with TPP. However, pre-treatment with TPP enhanced overall mineralization of specimens that were PILP-remineralized using pAsp

Persistent spatial clusters of high body mass index in a Swiss urban population as revealed by the 5-year GeoCoLaus longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: Body mass index (BMI) may cluster in space among adults and be spatially dependent. Whether and how BMI clusters evolve over time in a population is currently unknown. We aimed to determine the spatial dependence of BMI and its 5-year evolution in a Swiss general adult urban population, taking into account the neighbourhood-level and individual-level characteristics. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Swiss general urban population. PARTICIPANTS: 6481 georeferenced individuals from the CoLaus cohort at baseline (age range 35-74 years, period=2003-2006) and 4460 at follow-up (period=2009-2012). OUTCOME MEASURES: Body weight and height were measured by trained healthcare professionals with participants standing without shoes in light indoor clothing. BMI was calculated as weight (kg) divided by height squared (m(2)). Participants were geocoded using their postal address (geographic coordinates of the place of residence). Getis-Ord Gi statistic was used to measure the spatial dependence of BMI values at baseline and its evolution at follow-up. RESULTS: BMI was not randomly distributed across the city. At baseline and at follow-up, significant clusters of high versus low BMIs were identified and remained stable during the two periods. These clusters were meaningfully attenuated after adjustment for neighbourhood-level income but not individual-level characteristics. Similar results were observed among participants who showed a significant weight gain. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report longitudinal changes in BMI clusters in adults from a general population. Spatial clusters of high BMI persisted over a 5-year period and were mainly influenced by neighbourhood-level income

Psilocybin Induces Aberrant Prediction Error Processing of Tactile Mismatch Responses—A Simultaneous EEG–FMRI Study

As source of sensory information, the body provides a sense of agency and self/non-self-discrimination. The integration of bodily states and sensory inputs with prior beliefs has been linked to the generation of bodily self-consciousness. The ability to detect surprising tactile stimuli is essential for the survival of an organism and for the formation of mental body representations. Despite the relevance for a variety of psychiatric disorders characterized by altered body and self-perception, the neurobiology of these processes is poorly understood. We therefore investigated the effect of psilocybin (Psi), known to induce alterations in self-experience, on tactile mismatch responses by combining pharmacological manipulations with simultaneous electroencephalography-functional magnetic resonance imaging (EEG-fMRI) recording. Psi reduced activity in response to tactile surprising stimuli in frontal regions, the visual cortex, and the cerebellum. Furthermore, Psi reduced tactile mismatch negativity EEG responses at frontal electrodes, associated with alterations of body- and self-experience. This study provides first evidence that Psi alters the integration of tactile sensory inputs through aberrant prediction error processing and highlights the importance of the 5-HT2A system in tactile deviancy processing as well as in the integration of bodily and self-related stimuli. These findings may have important implications for the treatment of psychiatric disorders characterized by aberrant bodily self-awareness