Searching for a sensory vocabulary for Swedish vegetables

Flavour is an important aspect in the consumption of fruits and vegetables. However, the current regulatory context within EU for the quality of fruit and vegetables involve standards that lay primary emphasis on visual properties but limited focus on flavour and nutrition. Despite its importance to consumers, the flavour aspect of quality is commonly overlooked. The limited availability and use of a vocabulary hinder a consensus concerning flavour quality within the supply chain as well as to consumers. The present thesis presents the outcomes of the project A culinary roadmap to Swedish vegetables. The project was initiated by top chef Daniel Berlin by reason of his experienced challenges to find exceptional and consistent flavour quality in local horticultural products and communicating this aspect of quality with colleagues and suppliers. A sensory language for fruits and vegetables could be a helpful tool to describe flavour variations. By identifying variations in flavour, the chance to attain customer satisfaction as well as contribute to a consensus within the supply chain may be increased. The main objectives of the present thesis were to a) examine the flavour and aroma characteristics of cultivars of vegetables which are commonly used in restaurant cuisines, being carrot, cabbage and onion and b) investigate whether consensus can be obtained by a sensory panel with limited training, on the characteristics of the chosen vegetables. Achieving consensus indicates that the perceptions by the panel could act as a guidance of the sensory descriptions. Using a descriptive sensory method, the characteristics and differences in flavour and aroma of heat-treated varieties of carrot, cabbage and onion were examined. Previous studies indicate that the genetic material is one of the most decisive factors for sensory characteristics, which motivated the current study to explore the differences between varieties of vegetables. The samples were cooked through sous vide technique, which is commonly used in restaurant kitchens. Cooking instructions were given by a chef at the restaurant of Daniel Berlin. This study demonstrated that the chosen method was successful in generating sensory attributes describing flavour and aroma. The results show significant variations in characteristics such as sweetness, nuttiness, perfuminess and fruitiness in cultivars of carrot and within bitterness, freshness, fruitiness in the cultivars of cabbage. Between onion cultivars prominent variations appeared within the characteristics of sweetness, bitterness, freshness, pungency, sulfurous flavour and aftertaste. The key outcome of the study is that significant variations within a part of the attributes in the evaluation was found. This in turn suggests that the perceptions within the panel were partly similar, which in turn implies that a partly consensus was achieved. The common perceptions by the panel on the sensory attributes implies that there is potential for developing a sensory vocabulary for these vegetables

Redox pioneer : Professor Arne Holmgren

Dr. Arne Holmgren (Ph.D., 1968) is recognized here as a redox pioneer, because he has published at least one article on redox biology that has been cited over 1000 times and has published at least 10 articles, each cited over 100 times. He is widely known for his seminal discoveries and in-depth studies of thioredoxins, thioredoxin reductases, and glutaredoxins. Dr. Holmgren, active throughout his career at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, has led the field of research about these classes of proteins for more than 45 years, continuously building upon his sequence determination of Escherichia coli thioredoxin in the late 1960s and discovery of the thioredoxin fold in the 1970s. He discovered and named glutaredoxin and he determined the structure and function of several members of these glutathione-dependent disulfide oxidoreductases. He still continues to broaden the frontiers of knowledge of thioredoxin and glutaredoxin systems. The thioredoxin fold is today recognized as one of the most common protein folds and the intriguing complexity of redox systems, redox signaling, and redox control of cellular function is constantly increasing. The legacy of Dr. Holmgren's research is therefore highly relevant and important also in the context of present science. In a tribute to his work, questions need to be addressed toward the physiological importance of redox signaling and the impact of glutaredoxin and thioredoxin systems on health and disease. Dr. Holmgren helped lay the foundation for the redox biology field and opened new vistas in the process. He is truly a redox pioneer.NonePublishe

Specific inhibition of TRPV4 enhances retinal ganglion cell survival in adult porcine retinal explants

Signaling through the polymodal cation channel Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) has been implicated in retinal neuronal degeneration. To further outline the involvement of this channel in this process, we here explore modulation of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) activity on neuronal health and glial activation in an in vitro model of retinal degeneration. For this purpose, adult porcine retinal explants were cultured using a previously established standard protocol for up to 5 days with specific TRPV4 agonist GSK1016790A (GSK), or specific antagonist RN-1734, or culture medium only. Glial and neuronal cell health were evaluated by a battery of immunohistochemical markers, as well as morphological staining. Specific inhibition of TRPV4 by RN-1734 significantly enhanced ganglion cell survival, improved the maintenance of the retinal laminar architecture, reduced apoptotic cell death and attenuated the gliotic response as well as preserved the expression of TRPV4 in the plexiform layers and ganglion cells. In contrast, culture controls, as well as specimens treated with GSK, displayed rapid remodeling and neurodegeneration as well as a downregulation of TRPV4 and the Müller cell homeostatic mediator glutamine synthetase. Our results indicate that TRPV4 signaling is an important contributor to the retinal degeneration in this model, affecting neuronal cell health and glial homeostasis. The finding that pharmacological inhibition of the receptor significantly attenuates neuronal degeneration and gliosis in vitro, suggests that TRPV4 signaling may be an interesting pharmaceutical target to explore for treatment of retinal degenerative disease

In vitro biomechanical modulation-retinal detachment in a box.

To illustrate the importance of biomechanical impact on tissue health within the central nervous system (CNS), we herein describe an in vitro model of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in which disruption and restoration of physical tissue support can be studied in isolation

A risk assessment of patulin in home-made apple must

Patulin is a mycotoxin produced by several filamentous fungi, which has been the object of a number of surveys in recent decades, due to its frequent occurrence in apple products made from decayed fruit. The legislated limit in apple products is 50 µg/kg and a provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) of 0.4 μg/kg bodyweight/day has been set. It is of concern that the risk reducing practices adopted in large scale commercial apple juice production do not apply to the Swedish home producers of apple must. Potentially risky practices include incorrect storage conditions and not discarding bad apples. Home producers are presumed to consume large volumes and are thereby exposed to potential patulin. This study presents a chemical risk assessment of patulin in home-made apple must, including a minor study on the routines of eight Swedish apple must processors. Previous studies have focused on commercial and clear juice products, but there is no risk assessment available regarding small scale produced apple must. It became apparent that not all processors are considered as food sale operations, but offer instead a service, which may put them outside current food inspection regimes and thus entail less responsibility for the final product. Based on concentrations of patulin found in a previous study of raw cloudy apple juice, made from apples with 0% or 30% rot, intake for average and high consumers were estimated to be 0.009-2.04 μg/kg/bw/day and 0.003-0.65 μg/kg/bw/day among 4-year olds and adults, respectively. However, the simulated exposure calculations were based on patulin concentrations that may not fully represent the situation in Sweden. Sources of uncertainty in the exposure assessment are discussed. The main gaps in knowledge to perform a more accurate risk assessment for patulin in Swedish home-made apple juice include: concentrations of patulin in similar products; consumption data on home-made apple must; and patulin occurrence in Swedish apple cultivars. From the overview of apple must production gained during this study, suggested measures to reduce patulin risk in this product are to avoid storage of bruised and ground harvested fruit and remove rotten fruit and parts thereof before processing.Patulin är ett mykotoxin som produceras av ett flertal filamentösa svampar och som har studerats de senaste åren på grund av dess förekomst i äppelprodukter gjorda av dålig frukt. Det högsta tillåtna gränsvärdet i äppelprodukter är 50 μg/kg medan tolerabelt intag, PMTDI, är 0,4 μg/kg kroppsvikt/dag. Småskaliga musterier som pressar äppelmust av privatodlares skörd förmodas att inte ha samma kontroll eller kunskap kring risken för patulinkontaminering så som storskaliga industriella producenter. Exempel på faktorer som ökar risken för patul-inkontaminering är felaktiga lagringsförhållanden samt att använda skadad fallfrukt i produktionen. De personer som levererar sin skörd för pressning förväntas dricka stora volymer och kan på så sätt eventuellt exponeras för patulin. En kemisk riskbe-dömning av patulin i äppelmust pressad av privatpersoners egen frukt presenteras här tillsammans med resultatet från en intervjustudie med åtta småskaliga musterier. Tidigare forskning har fokuserat på patulin i storskaligt producerad äppeljuice av annan karaktär, men det finns ingen riskbedömning gjord på äppelmust producerad småskaligt. Intervjustudien visade att inte alla musterier klassificeras som livsmedelsföretag, utan anses erbjuda en tjänst. I och med det undantas musterierna kommunala livs-medelskontroller samt fullständigt ansvar för den färdiga produkten, likt en indust-riell producent. Tidigare funna koncentrationer av patulin i råpressad äppeljuice gjord på 0 % re-spektive 30 % rutten frukt applicerades i riskbedömningen för att simulera olika-scenarier. Den estimerade exponeringshalten hos medel- och högkonsumenter upp-skattades till 0,009-2,04 μg/kg/kv/dag bland 4-åringar samt 0,003-0,65 μg/kg/kv/dag bland vuxna. Omständigheterna i originalstudien är inte likvärdiga de som råder hos privatodlare i Sverige, osäkerhet kring detta, samt de antaganden som har gjorts, diskuteras i rapporten. För att kunna göra en förbättrad exponeringsupp-skattning i Sverige krävs en kartläggning av förekomsten av patulin i svenska äp-pelsorter, konsumtionsdata på hemgjord äppelmust samt uppdaterade uppgifter av patulinkoncentrationer i äppelmust eller liknande produkter. Privata odlare och äppelmusterier rekommenderas att vidta riskreducerande åtgärder, så som att und-vika att plocka fallfrukt och skadad frukt för lagring samt att göra en noggrann kvalitetsbedömning, för att sortera bort ruttna äpplen, innan mustning

Cytosolic thioredoxin reductase 1 is required for correct disulfide formation in the ER

Folding of proteins entering the secretory pathway in mammalian cells frequently requires the insertion of disulfide bonds. Disulfide insertion can result in covalent linkages found in the native structure as well as those that are not, so‐called non‐native disulfides. The pathways for disulfide formation are well characterized, but our understanding of how non‐native disulfides are reduced so that the correct or native disulfides can form is poor. Here, we use a novel assay to demonstrate that the reduction in non‐native disulfides requires NADPH as the ultimate electron donor, and a robust cytosolic thioredoxin system, driven by thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1 or TXNRD1). Inhibition of this reductive pathway prevents the correct folding and secretion of proteins that are known to form non‐native disulfides during their folding. Hence, we have shown for the first time that mammalian cells have a pathway for transferring reducing equivalents from the cytosol to the ER, which is required to ensure correct disulfide formation in proteins entering the secretory pathway

Vilken effekt har MET behandling av m. Iliopsoas på cyklisters prestation?

Bakgrund Litteraturen säger att det är viktigt för en utövare att sitta bra på cykeln för att kunna prestera optimalt och få ut maximal effekt. (2, 3) Det finns ingen forskning som beskriver m. Iliopsoas betydning och inverka på sittställning och därigenom effektutbytet på cyklister. Studier tillsäger att muskelhypertoni inte är optimalt för muskelfunktion. (4) Forskningen förebrår att antagna verkningsmekanismer för MET är många, däribland reduktion i muskeltonus, förbättrad cirkulatorisk förmåga och ökat ledutslag. (5, 6) Problemställning Vilken effekt har MET behandling av m. Iliopsoas på cyklisters prestation? Metod Sju cyklister från ett cykellag blev randomiserade till antingen att få MET behandling (n=4) eller inte (n=3). En baslinje FTP test blev utfört på Wattbike Pro för alla cyklisterna under en 4-dagars period. Alla deltagarna följde samma träningsprogram över en period på två månader varpå en ny FTP test blev utfört på samma wattcyklar. Före den andra FTP testet fick cyklisterna i behandlingsgruppen MET behandling av m. Iliopsoas medans kontrollgruppen inte fick behandling. Förändringen i FTP över träningsperioden på två månader blev sammanliknat mellan grupperna. Resultat Baslinje mätningen och resultaten efter behandling har visat en liten genomsnittlig ändring i effekt hos båda grupperna. Tilltagsgruppen hade en genomsnittlig ökning med 0,5 W (0,32 %). Kontrollgruppen visade en genomsnittlig ökning på 1,67 W (0,59 %). Resultaten är analyserat i SPSS med Mann-Whitney U test som ger ett P-värde på 0,857. Konklusion Resultaten i denna pilotstudien visar att det inte är någon signifikant skillnad mellan tilltagsgruppen och kontrollgruppen (P<0,05). Eftersom teststyrka och urval är för låg kan det inte konkluderas en signifikant ändring, mätt i watt, som påverkar de fysiologiska faktorer som är med på att skapa en ökad effekt hos cyklister genom osteopatisk behandling på m. Iliopsoas

Skillnader hos autonomier som faktor för våld i självständighetsrörelser : En komparativ analys av Katalonien och Baskien

Katalonien och Baskien blev egna autonomier efter hundratals år av kamp, det skedde i samband med Spaniens demokratisering 1978, då Francisco Francos 36 åriga diktatur upphörde i samband med hans bortgång 1975. Denna studie har undersökt och analyserat de båda regionerna utifrån teorier om territoriell, icke-territoriell samt kulturell och ekonomisk autonomi för att se varför Baskien men inte Katalonien upplevt närvaro av våld under respektive självständighetsrörelse, vilka skett på senare delen av 1900-talet och fram tills idag. Denna studie har visat att stadgarna för de politiska möjligheterna hos de två autonomierna skiljer sig åt, framförallt gällande autonomiernas ekonomiska möjligheter, där Baskien är ensam om att kunna hantera sin egen ekonomi i stor utsträckning, då framförallt gällande regleringen av skatter. Studien finner inga konkreta resultat, men i analysen framställs en hypotes om att Baskiens självständighetsrörelse haft närvaro av våld på grund av att deras större politiska möjligheter. Dessa möjligheter skulle för Baskien kunna tänkas ha skapat en känsla av att självständighet känts som ett närmre, mer realistiskt mål i jämförelse med Katalonien som varit mer begränsade i sin autonoma politik, och att Baskien därmed sett våld som ett medel som kan helga målet

Thioredoxin reductase 1 suppresses adipocyte differentiation and insulin responsiveness

Recently thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1), encoded by Txnrd1, was suggested to modulate glucose and lipid metabolism in mice. Here we discovered that TrxR1 suppresses insulin responsiveness, anabolic metabolism and adipocyte differentiation. Immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) lacking Txnrd1 (Txnrd1−/−) displayed increased metabolic flux, glycogen storage, lipogenesis and adipogenesis. This phenotype coincided with upregulated PPARγ expression, promotion of mitotic clonal expansion and downregulation of p27 and p53. Enhanced Akt activation also contributed to augmented adipogenesis and insulin sensitivity. Knockdown of TXNRD1 transcripts accelerated adipocyte differentiation also in human primary preadipocytes. Furthermore, TXNRD1 transcript levels in subcutaneous adipose tissue from 56 women were inversely associated with insulin sensitivity in vivo and lipogenesis in their isolated adipocytes. These results suggest that TrxR1 suppresses anabolic metabolism and adipogenesis by inhibition of intracellular signaling pathways downstream of insulin stimulationThis study was supported by funding to ESJA from Karolinska Institutet, The Swedish Research Council, The Swedish Cancer Society, to MR from the Strategic Research Program in Diabetes and to ACG from Diabetesfonden and a “Ramón y Cajal” fellowship (RYC-2014-15792) from Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitivida

Induction of Cell Membrane Protrusions by the N-terminal Glutaredoxin Domain of a Rare Splice Variant of Human Thioredoxin Reductase 1

18 páginas, 5 figuras, 1 esquema, 1 película.The human thioredoxin system has a wide range of functions in cells including regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation, immune system modulation, antioxidant defense, redox control of transcription factor activity, and promotion of cancer development. A key component of this enzymatic system is the selenoprotein thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1), encoded by the TXNRD1 gene. Transcription of TXNRD1 involves alternative splicing, leading to a number of transcripts also encoding isoforms of TrxR1 that differ from each other at their N-terminal domains. Here we have studied the TXNRD1_v3 isoform containing an atypical N-terminal glutaredoxin (Grx) domain. Expression of the transcript of this isoform was found predominantly in testis but was also detected in ovary, spleen, heart, liver, kidney, and pancreas. By immunohistochemical analysis in human testis with antibodies specific for the Grx domain of TXNRD1_v3, the protein was found to be predominantly expressed in the Leydig cells. Expression of the TXNRD1_v3 transcript was also found in several cancer cell lines (HCC1937, H23, A549, U1810, or H157), and in HeLa cells, it was induced by estradiol or testosterone treatments. Surprisingly, green fluorescent protein fusions with the complete TXNRD1_v3 protein or with only its Grx domain localized to distinct cellular sites in proximity to actin, and furthermore, had a potent capacity to rapidly induce cell membrane protrusions. Analyses of these structures suggested that the Grx domain of TXNRD1_v3 localizes first in the emerging protrusion and is then followed into the protrusions by actin and subsequently by tubulin. The results presented thus reveal that TXNRD1_v3 has a unique and distinct expression pattern in human cells and suggest that the protein can guide actin polymerization in relation to cell membrane restructuring.This study was supported by grants from the Swedish Cancer Society, the Swedish Research Council (Medicine), the Åke Wibergs Foundation and Karolinska Institutet.Peer reviewe