Update of the Scientific Opinion on opium alkaloids in poppy seeds

The CONTAM Panel wishes to thank the hearing experts: Pavel Cihlar, Daniel Doerge and Vaclav Lohr for the support provided to this scientific output. The CONTAM Panel acknowledges all European competent institutions and other stakeholders that provided occurrence data on opium alkaloids in food, and supported the data collection for the Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database. Adopted: 22 March 2018 Reproduction of the images listed below is prohibited and permission must be sought directly from the copyright holder:Figure A.1 in Appendix A: © Elsevier.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Metabolic Syndrome-Induced Cardiac Fibrosis

Recent studies support the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors, and diastolic dysfunction. Disproportionate collagen accumulation, particularly cross-linking of collagen, plays a key role in translating interstitial fibrosis into mechanical chamber stiffness and diastolic dysfunction. Characteristic changes in the expression and activity of myocardial lysyl oxidase (LOX), a matrix modifying enzyme that catalyzes cross-linked collagen, are unclear in MetS. We established a diet-induced MetS model to study diastolic dysfunction by treating male C57BL/6 mice a high-fat high-simple carbohydrate (HFHSC) diet for 6 months. Despite blunted gene expression of LOX isoforms, MetS mice demonstrated significant increase in the ratio of protein expression of mature to proenzyme LOX, enhanced LOX activity, and increased cardiac cross-linked collagen compared with controls. This fibrotic response coincided with marked increase in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and stiffness and impaired diastolic filling pattern. Our data demonstrate that diet-induced MetS alters the remodeling enzyme LOX, thereby increasing the amount of crosslinking and inducing diastolic dysfunction.Furthermore we examined the role of T-lymphocytes in myocardial LOX regulation in diet-induced fibrotic hearts. Female SCID mice which are devoid of functional T-lymphocytes and C57BL/6 mice were treated with HFHSC diet for 12 months. Similar to male C67BL/6, female HFHSC-fed C57BL/6 mice demonstrated significant increase in maturation and catalytic activity of myocardial LOX, cross-linking, ventricular stiffness and diastolic dysfunction. Whereas induction of LOX protein was minimal in SCID mice compared with wild-type counterparts. Correspondingly fibrillar cross-linked collagen formation and diastolic dysfunction were less prominent in SCID mice. Our results suggest a potential role of T-lymphocytes in induction of myocardial stiffness and diastolic dysfunction through modulation of LOX-dependent collagen maturation.Moreover we studied the role of leptin, an adipokine over-produced in MetS with fibrotic effects in non-cardiac tissues, as a key mediator of profibrogenic responses in the heart by administrating leptin to C57BL/6 and leptin-deficient ob/ob mice. With exogenous leptin administration ob/ob mice displayed passive diastolic filling dysfunction that coincided with increase in myocardial collagen compared with ob/ob controls. Our findings suggest profibrotic effects of leptin in the heart, primarily through predominance of collagen synthesis over degradation

Bioactive Dietary Factors and Plant Extracts in Dermatology

XXV, 544 p. 89 illus., 38 illus. in color.online

Chocolate in Health and Nutrition

XXI, 553 p. 82 illus.online resource

Alcohol, Nutrition, and Health Consequences

XXI, 578 p. 70 illus., 8 illus. in color.online r

Magnesium in Human Health and Disease

XVI, 309 p. 29 illus., 15 illus. in color.online