Interaction between Sulfate and Selenate in Tetraploid Wheat ( L.) Genotypes.

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient of fundamental importance to human health and the main Se source is from plant-derived foods. Plants mainly take up Se as selenate (SeO), through the root sulfate transport system, because of their chemical similarity. The aims of this study were (1) to characterize the interaction between Se and S during the root uptake process, by measuring the expression of genes coding for high-affinity sulfate transporters and (2) to explore the possibility of increasing plant capability to take up Se by modulating S availability in the growth medium.

Enrichment of provitamin A content in durum wheat grain by suppressing β-carotene hydroxylase 1 genes with a TILLING approach.

The suppression of the HYD-1 gene by a TILLING approach increases the amount of β-carotene in durum wheat kernel. Vitamin A deficiency is a major public health problem that affects numerous countries in the world. As humans are not able to synthesize vitamin A, it must be daily assimilated along with other micro- and macronutrients through the diet.

Is There Something Else Beyond Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Public Health Decision Making?

Healthcare costs are a concern for the sustainability of health systems in both rich and poor countries. Achieving a balance between the aspirations of payers and the manufacturers of new technologies is a challenge for democratic societies. Evidence about the efficacy and effectiveness of a new intervention is a fundamental aspect for its inclusion, but additional information about organization, implementation, and feasibility is required.

Provitamin A Biofortification of Durum Wheat through a TILLING Approach.

Macro- and micronutrients, essential for the maintenance of human metabolism, are assimilated daily through the diet. Wheat and other major cereals are a good source of nutrients, such as carbohydrates and proteins, but cannot supply a sufficient amount of essential micronutrients, including provitamin A. As vitamin A deficiency (VAD) leads to several serious diseases throughout the world, the biofortification of a major staple crop, such as wheat, represents an effective way to preserve human health in developing countries.

Gluten Free Wheat: Are We There?

Gluten proteins, major determinants of the bread-making quality of wheat, are related to several digestive disorders. Advances in plant genetic breeding have allowed the production of wheat lines with very low gliadin content through the use of RNAi and gene editing technologies. In this review, we carried out a comprehensive study of the application of these cutting-edge technologies towards the development of wheat lines devoid of immunogenic gluten, and their genetic, nutritional and clinical characterization.

The Dietary Intervention of Transgenic Low-Gliadin Wheat Bread in Patients with Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) Showed No Differences with Gluten Free Diet (GFD) but Provides Better Gut Microbiota Profile.

The study evaluated the symptoms, acceptance, and digestibility of bread made from transgenic low-gliadin wheat, in comparison with gluten free bread, in Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) patients, considering clinical/sensory parameters and gut microbiota composition. This study was performed in two phases of seven days each, comprising a basal phase with gluten free bread and an E82 phase with low-gliadin bread. Gastrointestinal clinical symptoms were evaluated using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) questionnaire, and stool samples were collected for gluten immunogenic peptides (GIP) determination and the extraction of gut microbial DNA.

Anchoring bias in face-to-face Time-Trade-Off valuations of health states.

Objective: To test whether anchoring (a cognitive bias) occurs during face-to-face interviews to value health states by Time-Trade-Off.

Methods: 147 Colombian subjects (111 males, 36 females) valued five EQ-5D health states better than death during a face-to-face interview. Subjects were randomly assigned to two different starting points.

[Cost-effectiveness of risk stratification tests for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia in pediatric patients].

Objective: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of risk-stratification tests for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in pediatric patients.

Methods: A decision-tree model was built using Life Years Gained as a measure of effectiveness. Costs were estimated considering the perspective of the Colombian health system.

Comparative proteomic analysis of two transgenic low-gliadin wheat lines and non-transgenic wheat control.

Unlabelled: Gluten proteins are major determinants of the bread making quality of wheat, but also of important wheat-related disorders, including coeliac disease (CD), and allergies. We carried out a proteomic study using the total grain proteins from two low-gliadin wheat lines, obtained by RNAi, and the untransformed wild type as reference. The impact of silencing on both target and on non-target proteins was evaluated.

[Cost effectiveness of calcium supplement in reducing preeclampsia-related maternal mortality in Colombia].

Objectives To estimate the cost-effectiveness of administering calcium (1200 mg per day) starting in week 14 of pregnancy to all pregnant women compared to not supplying it to reduce the incidence of preeclampsia. Methods A decision tree was built in TreeAge® with outcome measured in life years gained (LYG) associated with the reduction in maternal deaths. Costs were included from the perspective of the health system in Colombia and expressed in Colombian pesos in 2014 (COP).

Characterization of Changes in Gluten Proteins in Low-Gliadin Transgenic Wheat Lines in Response to Application of Different Nitrogen Regimes.

Gluten proteins are major determinants of the bread making quality of wheat but also of important gluten-related disorders. The gluten protein accumulation during grain filling is strongly influenced by nitrogen fertilization. We have characterized the gluten proteins in low-gliadin wheat lines as influenced by nitrogen treatments in two experiments.

Characterization of celiac disease related oat proteins: bases for the development of high quality oat varieties suitable for celiac patients.

Some studies have suggested that the immunogenicity of oats depends on the cultivar. RP-HPLC has been proposed as a useful technique to select varieties of oats with reduced immunogenicity. The aim of this study was to identify both the avenin protein patterns associated with low gluten content and the available variability for the development of new non-toxic oat cultivars.

Effective Identification of Low-Gliadin Wheat Lines by Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS): Implications for the Development and Analysis of Foodstuffs Suitable for Celiac Patients.

Scope: The aim of this work was to assess the ability of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to distinguish wheat lines with low gliadin content, obtained by RNA interference (RNAi), from non-transgenic wheat lines. The discriminant analysis was performed using both whole grain and flour. The transgenic sample set included 409 samples for whole grain sorting and 414 samples for flour experiments, while the non-transgenic set consisted of 126 and 156 samples for whole grain and flour, respectively.

Targeting of prolamins by RNAi in bread wheat: effectiveness of seven silencing-fragment combinations for obtaining lines devoid of coeliac disease epitopes from highly immunogenic gliadins.

Gluten proteins are responsible for the viscoelastic properties of wheat flour but also for triggering pathologies in susceptible individuals, of which coeliac disease (CD) and noncoeliac gluten sensitivity may affect up to 8% of the population. The only effective treatment for affected persons is a strict gluten-free diet. Here, we report the effectiveness of seven plasmid combinations, encompassing RNAi fragments from α-, γ-, ω-gliadins, and LMW glutenin subunits, for silencing the expression of different prolamin fractions.

[THE CASE OF ENTERAL NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT TUBE IN COLOMBIA: INSTITUTIONAL COORDINATION PROBLEMS].

Introduction: this paper examines the case of prescription enteral nutritional support tube in Colombia, analyzed from the perspective of the Social Security System in Health, and explained as the result of a problem of institutional coordination. The role and incentives of different actors are identified and shown how the interaction of these discourages the use of enteral nutrition in cases where it is necessary, with corresponding clinical effect for the patient and increased cost for the system.

Methods: analysis of the effects it may have in clinical practice the problem of institutional coordination of regulators in the country, analyze their origin and the incentives and interests of the various stakeholders, prior synthesis of the relevant literature review.

Identification of p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, tyrosol, phloretin and its derivate phloridzin as tyrosinase substrates.

In recent years, the hydroxyalkylphenols p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol and tyrosol, and the compound phloretin and its derivate phloridzin have been described as inhibitors of the enzyme tyrosinase. When the monophenolase and the diphenolase activities of tyrosinase on its physiological substrates l-dopa and/or l-tyrosine are measured in the presence of these compounds, the rate of action of the enzyme decreases. These findings led to the identification of these compounds as inhibitors.

Discrimination between alternative substrates and inhibitors of tyrosinase.

Many phenolic compounds have been described in the scientific literature as inhibitors of tyrosinase. In this work a test is proposed that allows us to distinguish whether a molecule is an enzyme inhibitor or substrate. The test has several stages.

ErbB2+ metastatic breast cancer treatment after progression on trastuzumab: a cost-effectiveness analysis for a developing country.

Objective: Breast cancer (BC) and metastatic breast cancer (MBC) are significant causes of deaths amongst women worldwide, including developing countries. The cost of treatment in the latter is even more of an issue than in higher income countries. ErbB2 overexpression is a marker of poor prognosis and the goal for targeted therapy.

[18FDG-PET/CT cost-effectiveness compared to CT at the end of treatment in pediatric Hodgkin's lymphoma patients].

Objective: Estimating the cost-effectiveness of 18FDG-PET/CT (positron emission tomography) compared to computer tomography (CT) followed by 18FDG-PET/CT as a confirmatory test for a positive case at the end of treatment in Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) patients under 18 years-old.

Methods: A decision tree was built for comparing 18FDG-PET/CT to CT followed by 18FDG-PET/CT as a confirmatory test for a positive case in detecting residual lesions; outcome was measured in life years gained (LYG). The cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated; the threshold was 3 times the per capita GDP per LYG.