Variation and Distribution of Glucosinolates in 42 Cultivars of Brassica oleracea Vegetable Crops

Brassica vegetables are known to contain glucosinolates that are precursors for bioactive compounds like isothiocyanates that have been shown to play an important role in human health. This study reports the results of a screening of 11 Brassica oleracea crops consisting of 42 cultivars (6 white cabbage, 5 red cabbage, 7 Brussels sprouts, 2 kale, 1 tronchuda, 3 oxheart cabbage, 2 kohlrabi, 6 broccoli, 5 cauliflower, 3 romanesco and 2 Savoy cabbage). All these cultivars were cultivated under the same conditions on a single location in the same season. The variation found in the level of glucosinolates is expected to be mainly due to the genetic variation. A large variation was observed in the level and profile of glucosinolates. Total glucosinolates varied from 14 to 625 µmol/100 g fresh weight. Glucoraphanin, the precursor of the isothiocyanate sulforophane, varied from 0 to 141 µmol/100 g fresh weight. Within broccoli glucoraphanin varied from 27 to 141 µmol/100 g fresh weight. Glucoiberin that is structurally related to glucoraphanin varied from 6 to 397 µmol/100 g fresh weight. Within broccoli glucoiberin varied from 21 to 397 µmol/100 g fresh weigh

Differences in Thermal Stability of Glucosinolates in Five Brassica Vegetables

The thermal stability of individual glucosinolates within five different Brassica vegetables was studied at 100°C for different incubation times up to 120 minutes. Three vegetables that were used in this study were Brassica oleracea (red cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts) and two were Brassica rapa (pak choi and Chinese cabbage). To rule out the influence of enzymatic breakdown, myrosinase was inactivated prior to the thermal treatments. The stability of three glucosinolates that occurred in all five vegetables (gluconapin, glucobrassicin and 4-methoxyglucobrassicin) varied considerably between the different vegetables. The degradation could be modeled by first order kinetics. The rate constants obtained varied between four to twenty fold between the five vegetables. Brussels sprouts showed the highest degradation rates for all three glucosinolates. The two indole glucosinolates were most stable in red cabbage, while gluconapin was most stable in broccoli. These results indicate the possibilities for plant breeding to select for cultivars in which glucosinolates are more stable during processin

Evaluation of glucosinolate levels throughout the production chain of Brassica vegetables towards a novel predictive modelling approach

Glucosinolates are a group of plant secondary metabolites, that can have important implications for human health. Vegetables of the Brassica genus, including cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and kohlrabi contribute almost exclusively to our intake of glucosinolates. Their added value towards vegetable quality can be ascribed to their health promoting properties by a role in the prevention of various cancers. The research described in this thesis was done to evaluate how levels of glucosinolates and their health-protective breakdown products are affected by various factors within the production chain of Brassica vegetables towards a better understanding of the alleged health effects of glucosinolates in Brassica vegetables. The research focused specifically on the effects of processing, namely chopping and cooking, on the content of glucosinolates.It was demonstrated that chopping of raw Brassica vegetables resulted in unexpected, increased levels of indolyl glucosinolates after chopping and storage of cabbage and broccoli under ambient conditions. In white cabbage a 15-fold increase of 4-methoxy- and 1-methoxy-3-indolylmethyl glucosinolates was noted after 48 h of storage of chopped cabbage. Chopping and storage of broccoli vegetables resulted in a strong reduction of most glucosinolates, except for 4-hydroxy- and 4-methoxy-3-indolylmethyl glucosinolates, which increased 3.5- and 2-fold respectively. In this study we showed that the well-known and accepted breakdown mechanism of glucosinolates (hydrolysis by the endogenous enzyme myrosinase) appeared to be counteracted by a yet unknown mechanism causing an increase of some indolyl glucosinolates. It is postulated that chopping, by mimicking pest damage, triggers a defence mechanism in harvested Brassica vegetables.Microwave cooking of red cabbage showed to be an interesting alternative for conventional cooking. In general, high total glucosinolate levels were observed for various microwave treatments due to the absence of leaching of glucosinolates into cooking water that takes place in conventional cooked vegetables. An increase in glucosinolate levels appeared to be associated with the time/energy input applied resulting in levels exceeding the total glucosinolate content of the untreated cabbage. This was probably caused by an increased extractability of glucosinolates from the vegetable matrix after the microwave treatment. Furthermore, at low (180 Watt) and intermediate microwave powers (540 Watt) substantial myrosinase activity was retained in cabbage. Thus, microwave prepared Brassica vegetables can offer a higher retention of glucosinolates and controllable amounts of active myrosinase, thereby increasing the health-promoting potential of the product.Overall it was demonstrated that many steps in the food production chain of Brassica vegetables or vegetable products can have a large impact on the glucosinolate content and thus affect the final intake of health-protective glucosinolates and breakdown products for humans. A novel predictive modelling approach is proposed (and elaborated in a case study on cooking) to handle the variations in the production chain and to provide a tool that can be used to assist product and process development. This model provides us with more insight in the behaviour and fate of glucosinolates and protective derivatives and may lead to options for improvement of investigations aimed at understanding the role of dietary glucosinolates and breakdown products in the protection against various cancers. Furthermore, predictive modelling can be helpful in enhancing the sensitivity of epidemiological studies and eventually provide solid evidence for assessment of the risks and benefits of glucosinolate consumption.</p

Intra- and interspecific variation of root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp., with regard to resistance in wild tuber-bearing Solanum species

Des génotypes appartenant à des espèces sauvages de #Solanum ont été testés pour déterminer leur niveau de résistance aux nématodes #Meloidogyne et pour détecter la présence de populations virulentes chez #Meloidogyne chitwoodi, #M. fallax et #M. hapla. Une résistance élevée de toutes les populations testées appartenant à #M. chitwoodi et #M. fallax est observée chez des génotypes de #Solanum bulbocastanum, #S. hougasii, #S. cardiophyllum et #S. fendleri. Quelques génotypes de #S. chacoense et #S. stoloniferum font montre d'une résistance modérée envers #M. fallax, mais non, ou à moindre degré, envers #M. chitwoodi. Il n'y a que peu de différence dans la virulence observée chez les plantes résistantes entre les populations de #M. chitwoodi et #M. fallax. Par contre, des différences notables sont observées entre populations de #M. hapla pour leur virulence envers des génotypes résistants de #S. bulbocastanum, #S. hougasii, #S. chacoensse, #S. gourlayi, #S. sparsipilum et #S. spegazzinii. Il a été observé que la résistance à #M. chitwoodi, #M. fallax et/ou #M. hapla ne correspond pas à la résistance des espèces adaptées aux températures élevées #M. arenaria, #M. incognita et #M. javanica. (Résumé d'auteur

Coxsackie and adenovirus receptor is a modifier of cardiac conduction and arrhythmia vulnerability in the setting of myocardial ischemia.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the modulatory effect of the coxsackie and adenovirus receptor (CAR) on ventricular conduction and arrhythmia vulnerability in the setting of myocardial ischemia. BACKGROUND: A heritable component in the risk of ventricular fibrillation during myocardial infarction has been well established. A recent genome-wide association study of ventricular fibrillation during acute myocardial infarction led to the identification of a locus on chromosome 21q21 (rs2824292) in the vicinity of the CXADR gene. CXADR encodes the CAR, a cell adhesion molecule predominantly located at the intercalated disks of the cardiomyocyte. METHODS: The correlation between CAR transcript levels and rs2824292 genotype was investigated in human left ventricular samples. Electrophysiological studies and molecular analyses were performed using CAR haploinsufficient (CAR(+/-)) mice. RESULTS: In human left ventricular samples, the risk allele at the chr21q21 genome-wide association study locus was associated with lower CXADR messenger ribonucleic acid levels, suggesting that decreased cardiac levels of CAR predispose to ischemia-induced ventricular fibrillation. Hearts from CAR(+/-) mice displayed slowing of ventricular conduction in addition to an earlier onset of ventricular arrhythmias during the early phase of acute myocardial ischemia after ligation of the left anterior descending artery. Expression and distribution of connexin 43 were unaffected, but CAR(+/-) hearts displayed increased arrhythmia susceptibility on pharmacological electrical uncoupling. Patch-clamp analysis of isolated CAR(+/-) myocytes showed reduced sodium current magnitude specifically at the intercalated disk. Moreover, CAR coprecipitated with NaV1.5 in vitro, suggesting that CAR affects sodium channel function through a physical interaction with NaV1.5. CONCLUSIONS: CAR is a novel modifier of ventricular conduction and arrhythmia vulnerability in the setting of myocardial ischemia. Genetic determinants of arrhythmia susceptibility (such as CAR) may constitute future targets for risk stratification of potentially lethal ventricular arrhythmias in patients with coronary artery disease

From evidence based bioethics to evidence based social policies

In this issue, Norwegian authors demonstrate that causes of early expulsion out the workforce are rooted in childhood. They reconstruct individual biographies in administrative databases linked by an unique national identification number, looking forward 15 years in early adulthood and looking back 20 years till birth with close to negligible loss to follow up. Evidence based bioethics suggest that it is better to live in a country that allows reconstructing biographies in administrative databases then in countries that forbid access by restrictive legislation based on privacy considerations. The benefits of gained knowledge from existing and accessible information are tangible, particularly for the weak and the poor, while the harms of theoretical privacy invasion have not yet materialised. The study shows once again that disadvantage runs in families. Low parental education, parental disability and unstable marital unions predict early disability pensions and premature expulsion out gainful employment. The effect of low parental education is mediated by low education of the index person. However, in a feast of descriptive studies of socio-economic causes of ill health we still face a famine of evaluative intervention studies. An evidence based social policy should be based on effective interventions that are able to break the vicious circles of disability handed down from generation to generation

The Genetics of Atypical Femur Fractures—a Systematic Review

Purpose of Review: Atypical femur fractures (AFFs) are rare subtrochanteric or diaphyseal fractures regarded as side effects of bisphosphonates (BPs), possibly with a genetic background. Here, we summarize the most recent knowledge about genetics of AFFs. Recent Findings: AFF has been reported in 57 patients with seven different monogenic bone disorders including hypophosphatasia and osteogenesis imperfecta; 56.1% had never used BPs, while 17.5% were diagnosed with the disorder only after the AFF. Gene mutation finding in familial and sporadic cases identified possible AFF-related variants in the GGPS1 and ATRAID genes respectively. Functional follow-up studies of mutant proteins showed possible roles in AFF. A recent small genome-wide association study on 51 AFF cases did not identify significant hits associated with AFF. Summary: Recent findings have strengthened the hypothesis that AFFs have underlying genetic components but more studies are needed in AFF families and larger cohorts of sporadic cases to confirm previous results and/or find novel gene variants involved in the pathogenesis of AFFs

Sneutrino Mixing Phenomena

In any model with nonzero Majorana neutrino masses, the sneutrino and antisneutrino of the supersymmetric extended theory mix. We outline the conditions under which sneutrino-antisneutrino mixing is experimentally observable. The mass-splitting of the sneutrino mass eigenstates and sneutrino oscillation phenomena are considered.Comment: 12 pages, revtex + axodraw, 1 figure included. Minor change

Evidence of two viscous relaxation processes in the collective dynamics of liquid lithium

New inelastic X-ray scattering experiments have been performed on liquid lithium in a wide wavevector range. With respect to the previous measurements, the instrumental resolution, improved up to 1.5 meV, allows to accurately investigate the dynamical processes determining the observed shape of the the dynamic structure factor, $S(Q,\omega)$. A detailed analysis of the lineshapes shows the co-existence of relaxation processes with both a slow and a fast characteristic timescales, and therefore that pictures of the relaxation mechanisms based on a simple viscoelastic model must be abandoned.Comment: 5 pages, 4 .PS figure

Current limiting and negative differential resistance in indium oxide based ceramics

Indium oxide based ceramics with bismuth oxide addition were sintered in air in the temperature range 800-1300 ºC. Current-voltage characteristics of In2O3-Bi2O3 ceramics sintered at different temperatures are weakly nonlinear. After an additional heat treatment in air at about 200 ºC samples sintered at a temperature within the narrow range of about 1050-1100 ºC exhibit a current-limiting effect accompanied by low-frequency current oscillations. It is shown that the observed electrical properties are controlled by the grain-boundary barriers and the heat treatment in air at 200 ºC leads to the decrease in the barrier height. Electrical measurements, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results suggest that the current-limiting effect observed in In2O3-Bi2O3 may be explained in terms of a modified barrier model; the observed current-limiting effect is the result of an increase of barrier height with increasing electric field, due to additional oxygen absorption. It is found that In2O3-Bi2O3-Co3O4-Cr2O3 ceramic exhibits current-voltage characteristics with negative differential resistance due to Joule micro heating.This study was performed in part in the frames of the project SEP-2003-C02-42821, CONACYT, México. Funding from the Royal Society, United Kingdom (2007R1/R26999) is gratefully acknowledged