Perspective: Essential Study Quality Descriptors for Data from Nutritional Epidemiologic Research.

Pooled analysis of secondary data increases the power of research and enables scientific discovery in nutritional epidemiology. Information on study characteristics that determine data quality is needed to enable correct reuse and interpretation of data. This study aims to define essential quality characteristics for data from observational studies in nutrition.

Occurrence, Prevalence and Dynamics of Parasitoids during Recurrent Blooms of the Toxic Dinoflagellate .

Dinoflagellate blooms are natural phenomena that often occur in coastal areas, which in addition to their large number of nutrient-rich sites are characterized by highly restricted hydrodynamics within bays, marinas, enclosed beaches, and harbors. In these areas, massive proliferations of dinoflagellates have harmful effects on humans and the ecosystem. However, the high cell density reached during blooms make them vulnerable to parasitic infections.

Genomic dissection of conserved transcriptional regulation in intestinal epithelial cells.

The intestinal epithelium serves critical physiologic functions that are shared among all vertebrates. However, it is unknown how the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms underlying these functions have changed over the course of vertebrate evolution. We generated genome-wide mRNA and accessible chromatin data from adult intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) in zebrafish, stickleback, mouse, and human species to determine if conserved IEC functions are achieved through common transcriptional regulation.

Intake of Fat-Soluble Vitamins in the Belgian Population: Adequacy and Contribution of Foods, Fortified Foods and Supplements.

A key challenge of public health nutrition is to provide the majority of the population with a sufficient level of micronutrients while preventing high-consumers from exceeding the tolerable upper intake level. Data of the 2014 Belgian food consumption survey ( = 3200) were used to assess fat-soluble vitamin (vitamins A, D, E and K) intake from the consumption of foods, fortified foods and supplements. This study revealed inadequate intakes for vitamin A, from all sources, in the entire Belgian population and possible inadequacies for vitamin D.

Quantification of egg ovalbumin hydrolysate-derived anti-hypertensive peptides in an in vitro model combining luminal digestion with intestinal Caco-2 cell transport.

Food-derived peptides can impact blood pressure through several mechanisms. However, their fate in the gastro-intestinal tract and bioavailability are difficult to assess because of their fast degradation and challenging analysis in physiologically relevant matrices. The aim of this study was to construct an in vitro bioavailability methodology in which luminal digestion is combined with Caco-2 cell transport.

The Effectiveness of Nurse Residency Programs on Retention: A Systematic Review.

New graduates account for the highest numbers of nurses entering and exiting the profession. Turnover is costly, especially in specialty settings. Nurse residency programs are used to retain new graduates and assist with their transition to nursing practice.

Protein hydrolysate from canned sardine and brewing by-products improves TNF-α-induced inflammation in an intestinal-endothelial co-culture cell model.

Purpose: The anti-inflammatory activity of sardine protein hydrolysates (SPH) obtained by hydrolysis with proteases from brewing yeast surplus was ascertained.

Methods: For this purpose, a digested and desalted SPH fraction with molecular weight lower than 10 kDa was investigated using an endothelial cell line (EA.hy926) as such and in a co-culture model with an intestinal cell line (Caco-2).

Biocatalytic Synthesis of the Rare Sugar Kojibiose: Process Scale-Up and Application Testing.

Cost-efficient (bio)chemical production processes are essential to evaluate the commercial and industrial applications of promising carbohydrates and also are essential to ensure economically viable production processes. Here, the synthesis of the naturally occurring disaccharide kojibiose (2-O-α-d-glucopyranosyl-d-glucopyranoside) was evaluated using different Bifidobacterium adolescentis sucrose phosphorylase variants. Variant L341I_Q345S was found to efficiently synthesize kojibiose while remaining fully active after 1 week of incubation at 55 °C.

Gastrointestinal Simulation Model TWIN-SHIME Shows Differences between Human Urolithin-Metabotypes in Gut Microbiota Composition, Pomegranate Polyphenol Metabolism, and Transport along the Intestinal Tract.

A TWIN-SHIME system was used to compare the metabolism of pomegranate polyphenols by the gut microbiota from two individuals with different urolithin metabotypes. Gut microbiota, ellagitannin metabolism, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), transport of metabolites, and phase II metabolism using Caco-2 cells were explored. The simulation reproduced the in vivo metabolic profiles for each metabotype.

Multilineage communication regulates human liver bud development from pluripotency.

Conventional two-dimensional differentiation from pluripotency fails to recapitulate cell interactions occurring during organogenesis. Three-dimensional organoids generate complex organ-like tissues; however, it is unclear how heterotypic interactions affect lineage identity. Here we use single-cell RNA sequencing to reconstruct hepatocyte-like lineage progression from pluripotency in two-dimensional culture.

A Role for Neutrophils in Viral Respiratory Disease.

Neutrophils are immune cells that are well known to be present during many types of lung diseases associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and may contribute to acute lung injury. Neutrophils are poorly studied with respect to viral infection, and specifically to respiratory viral disease. Influenza A virus (IAV) infection is the cause of a respiratory disease that poses a significant global public health concern.

Fat-soluble vitamin intake from the consumption of food, fortified food and supplements: design and methods of the Belgian VITADEK study.

Background: The adequacy of micronutrient intake is a public health concern, as both insufficient and excessive intake levels may result in adverse health effects. Data on dietary intake are needed to evaluate potential problems regarding inadequate intake at population level and to formulate effective public health and food safety recommendations. Assessing the intake of micronutrients in population subgroups such as infants, toddlers, pregnant and lactating women is challenging and requires specific approaches.

Morphological and molecular characterization of Bysmatrum subsalsum (Dinophyceae) from the western Mediterranean Sea reveals the existence of cryptic species.

Bysmatrum subsalsum is a cosmopolitan dinoflagellate species that inhabits marine and transitional habitats. Despite its wide distribution, information on the morphological variability, phylogeny and ecology of B. subsalsum is scarce.

Human organomics: a fresh approach to understanding human development using single-cell transcriptomics.

Innovative methods designed to recapitulate human organogenesis from pluripotent stem cells provide a means to explore human developmental biology. New technologies to sequence and analyze single-cell transcriptomes can deconstruct these 'organoids' into constituent parts, and reconstruct lineage trajectories during cell differentiation. In this Spotlight article we summarize the different approaches to performing single-cell transcriptomics on organoids, and discuss the opportunities and challenges of applying these techniques to generate organ-level, mechanistic models of human development and disease.

Use of Fitness and Nutrition Apps: Associations With Body Mass Index, Snacking, and Drinking Habits in Adolescents.

Background: Efforts to improve snacking and drinking habits are needed to promote a healthy body mass index (BMI) in adolescents. Although commercial fitness and nutrition mobile phone apps are widely used, little is known regarding their potential to improve health behaviors, especially in adolescents. In addition, evidence on the mechanisms through which such fitness and nutrition apps influence behavior is lacking.

Creating a Future for Occupational Health.

Objectives: Economic, social, technical, and political drivers are fundamentally changing the nature of work and work environments, with profound implications for the field of occupational health. Nevertheless, researchers and practitioners entering the field are largely being trained to assess and control exposures using approaches developed under old models of work and risks.

Methods: A speaker series and symposium were organized to broadly explore current challenges and future directions for the occupational health field.

Ferulic acid-4-O-sulfate rather than ferulic acid relaxes arteries and lowers blood pressure in mice.

Consumption of foods rich in ferulic acid (FA) such as wholegrain cereals, or FA precursors such as chlorogenic acids in coffee, is inversely correlated with risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. As a result of digestion and phase II metabolism in the gut and liver, FA is converted predominantly into ferulic acid-4-O-sulfate (FA-sul), an abundant plasma metabolite. Although FA-sul is the main metabolite, very little has been reported regarding its bioactivities.

Directional Limits on Persistent Gravitational Waves from Advanced LIGO's First Observing Run.

We employ gravitational-wave radiometry to map the stochastic gravitational wave background expected from a variety of contributing mechanisms and test the assumption of isotropy using data from the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory's (aLIGO) first observing run. We also search for persistent gravitational waves from point sources with only minimal assumptions over the 20-1726 Hz frequency band. Finding no evidence of gravitational waves from either point sources or a stochastic background, we set limits at 90% confidence.

Upper Limits on the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background from Advanced LIGO's First Observing Run.

A wide variety of astrophysical and cosmological sources are expected to contribute to a stochastic gravitational-wave background. Following the observations of GW150914 and GW151226, the rate and mass of coalescing binary black holes appear to be greater than many previous expectations. As a result, the stochastic background from unresolved compact binary coalescences is expected to be particularly loud.

Adding a reward increases the reinforcing value of fruit.

Adolescents' snack choices could be altered by increasing the reinforcing value (RV) of healthy snacks compared with unhealthy snacks. This study assessed whether the RV of fruit increased by linking it to a reward and if this increased RV was comparable with the RV of unhealthy snacks alone. Moderation effects of sex, hunger, BMI z-scores and sensitivity to reward were also explored.

Violent trauma recidivism: Does all violence escalate?

Purpose: Rates of trauma patients presenting with history of prior trauma range from 25 to 44%. Outcomes involving recidivists in the setting of intentional trauma, especially penetrating trauma, are conflicting. We hypothesized that if violence does escalate with successive incidence, then injuries due to successive violence should escalate or become increasingly severe with successive admissions.

Charge-transfer dynamics at the dye-semiconductor interface of photocathodes for solar energy applications.

This article describes a comparison between the photophysical properties of two charge-transfer dyes adsorbed onto NiO via two different binding moieties. Transient spectroscopy measurements suggest that the structure of the anchoring group affects both the rate of charge recombination between the dye and NiO surface and the rate of dye regeneration by an iodide/triiodide redox couple. This is consistent with the performance of the dyes in p-type dye sensitised solar cells.

Oxidation During Digestion of Meat: Interactions with the Diet and Helicobacter pylori Gastritis, and Implications on Human Health.

The last decade has seen epidemiological evidence of a positive association between high consumption of red meat and processed meat and the risk of developing a range of chronic diseases, such as colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. Oxidative stress is potentially involved in this association; however, oxidative stress is likely limited if red meat and processed meat are consumed in moderation, and combined with high intake of fruits and vegetables and low intake of refined sugars. In addition, it appears that some subgroups of the population are more prone to developing oxidative stress-related diseases as a consequence of high red and processed meat consumption.