Associations between serum taurine concentrations in mothers and neonates and the children's anthropometrics and early neurodevelopment: Results from the Seychelles Child Development Study, Nutrition Cohort 2.

Background: High concentrations of taurine are present in the developing human brain and maternal breast milk. Taurine is thought to influence fetal growth and brain development based on experimental rodent studies. As fish is an important dietary source of taurine, we investigated associations between taurine concentrations and child outcomes in a high fish consuming population.

Sub-arctic mosses and lichens show idiosyncratic responses to combinations of winter heatwaves, freezing and nitrogen deposition.

Arctic ecosystems are increasingly exposed to extreme climatic events throughout the year, which can affect species performance. Cryptogams (bryophytes and lichens) provide important ecosystem services in polar ecosystems but may be physiologically affected or killed by extreme events. Through field and laboratory manipulations, we compared physiological responses of seven dominant sub-Arctic cryptogams (three bryophytes, four lichens) to single events and factorial combinations of mid-winter heatwave (6°C for 7 days), re-freezing, snow removal and summer nitrogen addition.

Commercially available kelp and seaweed products - valuable iodine source or risk of excess intake?

Background: Seaweeds and kelps, also known as macroalgae, have long been common in the East-Asian diet. During recent years, macroalgae have entered the global food market, and a variety of macroalgae products are now available for consumers. Some macroalgae species are known to be particularly rich in iodine, but little data regarding the iodine content of macroalgae-containing foods exists.

An Update on the Content of Fatty Acids, Dioxins, PCBs and Heavy Metals in Farmed, Escaped and Wild Atlantic Salmon ( L.) in Norway.

In this paper, we present updated data on proximate composition, amino acid, and fatty acid composition, as well as concentrations of dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and selected heavy metals, in fillets from farmed ( = 20), escaped ( = 17), and wild ( = 23) Atlantic salmon ( L.). The concentrations of dioxins (0.

Impact of Multiple Ecological Stressors on a Sub-Arctic Ecosystem: No Interaction Between Extreme Winter Warming Events, Nitrogen Addition and Grazing.

Climate change is one of many ongoing human-induced environmental changes, but few studies consider interactive effects between multiple anthropogenic disturbances. In coastal sub-arctic heathland, we quantified the impact of a factorial design simulating extreme winter warming (WW) events (7 days at 6-7°C) combined with episodic summer nitrogen (+N) depositions (5 kg N ha) on plant winter physiology, plant community composition and ecosystem CO fluxes of an dominated heathland during 3 consecutive years in northern Norway. We expected that the +N would exacerbate any stress effects caused by the WW treatment.

Protein Determination-Method Matters.

The reported protein content of foods depends on the analytical method used for determination, making a direct comparison between studies difficult. The aim of this study was to examine and compare protein analytical methods. Some of these methods require extraction preceding analysis.

Contrasting survival and physiological responses of sub-Arctic plant types to extreme winter warming and nitrogen.

Evergreen plants are more vulnerable than grasses and birch to snow and temperature variability in the sub-Arctic. Most Arctic climate impact studies focus on single factors, such as summer warming, while ecosystems are exposed to changes in all seasons. Through a combination of field and laboratory manipulations, we compared physiological and growth responses of dominant sub-Arctic plant types to midwinter warming events (6 °C for 7 days) in combination with freezing, simulated snow thaw and nitrogen additions.

The effect of algae diets (Skeletonema costatum and Rhodomonas baltica) on the biochemical composition and sensory characteristics of Pacific cupped oysters (Crassostrea gigas) during land-based refinement.

Oyster refinement, a common practice in France, is aimed at increasing the weight of oyster tissue and influencing the taste properties of the refined oysters. Refinement usually takes place in land-based systems where the oysters are fed with relatively high concentrations of microalgae. In this study the impact of feeding Skeletonema costatum and Rhodomonas baltica on the biochemical composition and sensory characteristics of Pacific cupped oysters (Crassostrea gigas) from the Eastern Scheldt during land-based refinement was studied.

Preclinical and Clinical Studies on Antioxidative, Antihypertensive and Cardioprotective Effect of Marine Proteins and Peptides-A Review.

High seafood consumption has traditionally been linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, mainly due to the lipid lowering effects of the long chained omega 3 fatty acids. However, fish and seafood are also excellent sources of good quality proteins and emerging documentation show that, upon digestion, these proteins are sources for bioactive peptides with documented favorable physiological effects such as antioxidative, antihypertensive and other cardioprotective effects. This documentation is mainly from in vitro studies, but also animal studies are arising.

Enzymatic Pre-Treatment Increases the Protein Bioaccessibility and Extractability in Dulse (Palmaria palmata).

Several common protein extraction protocols have been applied on seaweeds, but extraction yields have been limited. The aims of this study were to further develop and optimize existing extraction protocols and to examine the effect of enzymatic pre-treatment on bioaccessibility and extractability of seaweed proteins. Enzymatic pre-treatment of seaweed samples resulted in a three-fold increase in amino acids available for extraction.

ω-3 Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Diseases: Effects, Mechanisms and Dietary Relevance.

ω-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA) have, since the 1970s, been associated with beneficial health effects. They are, however, prone to lipid peroxidation due to their many double bonds. Lipid peroxidation is a process that may lead to increased oxidative stress, a condition associated with adverse health effects.

L-Ornithine phenylacetate reduces ammonia in pigs with acute liver failure through phenylacetylglycine formation: a novel ammonia-lowering pathway.

Glycine is an important ammoniagenic amino acid, which is increased in acute liver failure (ALF). We have previously shown that L-ornithine phenylacetate (OP) attenuates ammonia rise and intracranial pressure in pigs suffering from ALF but failed to demonstrate a stoichiometric relationship between change in plasma ammonia levels and excretion of phenylacetylglutamine in urine. The aim was to investigate the impact of OP treatment on the phenylacetylglycine pathway as an alternative and additional ammonia-lowering pathway.

Characterization of protein, lipid and mineral contents in common Norwegian seaweeds and evaluation of their potential as food and feed.

Background: The objectives of this study were to examine protein and amino acid composition, lipid and fatty acid composition, along with a range of essential minerals in common Norwegian seaweed species representing the red (Palmaria palmata and Vertebrata lanosa), green (Cladophora rupestris, Enteromorpha intestinalis and Ulva lactuca) and brown (Alaria esculenta, Laminaria digitata, Laminaria hyperborea, Fucus vesiculosus and Pelvetia canaliculata) classes and assess their potential as alternatives to cereals in food and feed. As macroalgae accumulate heavy metals, arsenic, cadmium and mercury were also analyzed.

Results: Proteins ranged from 34 to 123 g kg(-1) dry weight (DW) and the essential amino acid levels may cover both human and salmonid requirements.

Detection of tropomyosin and determination of proteins in crustacean oils.

Tropomyosin is known to be the main allergen in crustaceans and the objective of this study was to investigate if this protein could be detected in commercial crustacean oils from Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and the zooplankton Calanus finmarchicus. We also examined the possibility of determining the protein content in the oils by direct amino acid analysis. Western blotting showed that a commercial antibody against shrimp tropomyosin cross-reacted with a protein of similar size in Antarctic krill and C.

A wax ester and astaxanthin-rich extract from the marine copepod Calanus finmarchicus attenuates atherogenesis in female apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with an oil extracted from the zooplankton copepod Calanus finmarchicus [calanus oil (CO)] on atherosclerosis in apoE-deficient (apoE(-/-)) mice. Thirty 6-wk-old female apoE(-/-) mice (n = 10/group) were fed: 1) a Western-type, high-fat diet (HFD); 2) HFD supplemented with 1% (wt:wt) CO; or 3) HFD supplemented with 0.88% (wt:wt) corn oil + 0.

Composition and some quality characteristics of the longissimus muscle of reindeer in Norway compared to farmed New Zealand red deer.

Norwegian reindeer of Finnmark county live under harsh conditions on extensive feed sources. Thus the meat may have special qualities. M.

Dietary enrichment of apolipoprotein E-deficient mice with extra virgin olive oil in combination with seal oil inhibits atherogenesis.

Background: In this study we investigated the antiatherogenic effect of dietary enrichment of a combination of extra virgin olive oil (EVO) and seal oil on apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE-/-).

Methods: Six-week-old female and male apoE-/- mice were for 12 weeks fed a lipid rich diet containing 19.5% fat and 1.

Changes in antioxidative capacity of saithe (Pollachius virens) and shrimp (Pandalus borealis) during in vitro digestion.

The health effects of seafood have primarily been linked to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3). These omega-3 fatty acids are highly susceptible to oxidation. Peptides exhibiting antioxidative capacity (AOC) are encrypted in seafood muscle proteins.

L-ornithine phenylacetate attenuates increased arterial and extracellular brain ammonia and prevents intracranial hypertension in pigs with acute liver failure.

Unlabelled: Hyperammonemia is a feature of acute liver failure (ALF), which is associated with increased intracranial pressure (ICP) and brain herniation. We hypothesized that a combination of L-ornithine and phenylacetate (OP) would synergistically reduce toxic levels of ammonia by (1) L-ornithine increasing glutamine production (ammonia removal) through muscle glutamine synthetase and (2) phenylacetate conjugating with the ornithine-derived glutamine to form phenylacetylglutamine, which is excreted into the urine. The aims of this study were to determine the effect of OP on arterial and extracellular brain ammonia concentrations as well as ICP in pigs with ALF (induced by liver devascularization).

Impact of processing on the taurine content in processed seafood and their corresponding unprocessed raw materials.

Processing of foods can lead to losses of water-soluble components, and some of these may have beneficial health effects. Taurine has lately attracted attention due to its suggested strong contribution to the health-promoting effects of seafood. The lack of systematic information on the content of conditionally essential nutrients, such as taurine, has led to this study.

Cathepsin D from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) liver. Isolation and comparative studies.

The isolated cathepsin D-like enzyme from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) liver was shown to be a monomer with a molecular mass of approximately 40 kDa. It was inhibited by Pepstatin A and had an optimum for degradation of haemoglobin at pH 3.

Tissue distribution, inhibition and activation of gelatinolytic activities in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua).

Gelatinolytic activities in fish tissues with properties like matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been paid little attention. However, they have been proposed to participate in post mortem degradation during storage and the disintegration of pericellular connective tissue during spawning. In this paper the distribution of gelatinolytic activities in liver, heart, muscle, gill, and male and female gonad of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) was studied by using gelatin SDS-PAGE, proteinase inhibitors, gelatin and lentil lectin Sepharose affinity chromatography.