Protocol for a 24-Week Randomized Controlled Study of Once-Daily Oral Dose of Flax Lignan to Healthy Older Adults.

Background: Increased oxidative stress and inflammation are associated with aging, and contribute to an increased risk of chronic disease in older adults. Flaxseed lignans demonstrate antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, but their ability to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation markers in older adult populations has received limited investigation.

Objective: This is a chronic intervention trial of community-dwelling healthy older adults to examine the effects of a flaxseed lignan (secoisolariciresinol diglucoside; SDG) enriched supplement (BeneFlax) compared to a placebo.

Blood concentrations of remifentanil during and after infusion in horses anesthetized with isoflurane and dexmedetomidine.

Objective: To determine blood remifentanil concentration in isoflurane-anesthetized horses during and after a 1h remifentanil and dexmedetomidine infusion.

Study Design: Prospective study.

Animals: Six adult mixed breed horses with (mean±SD) bodyweight of 507±61kg and 14±4years of age.

Challenges in planning long-term care menus that meet dietary recommendations.

Purpose: Long-term care (LTC) homes plan menus based on Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide (CFG) recommendations for older adults. To determine whether recommended CFG servings and nutrients were being provided, we analyzed the menu of a large LTC facility in a metropolitan area and compared our analysis with a similar one conducted in 2000.

Methods: A full week's menu from a large Saskatoon LTC facility was analyzed and compared with CFG and recent Dietary Recommended Intake nutrient recommendations.

Use of vitamin and mineral supplements in long-term care home residents.

Vitamin-mineral supplementation may offer older adults health and cognition-related benefits but overuse may contribute to polypharmacy. We examined the prevalence of supplement usage in long-term care facility (LTC) residents (≥ 65 years of age). As cognition may be affected by nutrition, we also examined use in those with diagnosis of dementia and those with no dementia diagnosis.

Nordihydroguaiaretic acid autoxidation produces a schisandrin-like dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan.

The lignan meso-nordihydroguaiaretic acid is known to undergo spontaneous oxidation in alkaline solution. In the presence of the trapping agent glutathione, the major oxidation products are consistent with the formation of a meso-nordihydroguaiaretic acid ortho-quinone. In the absence of a trapping agent however, the major oxidation product of meso-nordihydroguaiaretic acid in aqueous solution is a unique, stable schisandrin-like dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan that may be responsible for some of the biological effects of nordihydroguaiaretic acid.

Oxidation of the lignan nordihydroguaiaretic acid.

The naturally occurring antioxidant lignan nordihydroguaiaretic acid has been used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of conditions and more recently has been investigated for its anticancer and antimicrobial properties. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid has also been shown to cause kidney toxicity in rats and there is evidence to suggest that chronic nordihydroguaiaretic acid consumption may cause liver toxicity in humans. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid likely undergoes biotransformation to a reactive quinone species, either an ortho-quinone or a para-quinone methide, which is responsible for its toxicity.

Steady-state kinetics and molecular evolution of Escherichia coli MenD [(1R,6R)-2-succinyl-6-hydroxy-2,4-cyclohexadiene-1-carboxylate synthase], an anomalous thiamin diphosphate-dependent decarboxylase-carboligase.

(1R,6R)-2-Succinyl-6-hydroxy-2,4-cyclohexadiene-1-carboxylate (SHCHC) synthase, or MenD, catalyzes the thiamin diphosphate- (ThDP-) dependent decarboxylation of 2-oxoglutarate, the subsequent addition of the resulting succinyl-ThDP moiety to isochorismate, and the delta-elimination of pyruvate to yield SHCHC, pyruvate, and carbon dioxide. The enzyme is part of a superfamily of ThDP-dependent 2-oxo acid decarboxylases that includes pyruvate decarboxylase, benzoylformate decarboxylase, and acetohydroxy acid synthase, among others. However, this is the only enzyme known to catalyze a Stetter-like 1,4-addition of a ThDP adduct to the beta-carbon of an unsaturated carboxylate.