Prevention of Vascular Calcification by Magnesium and Selected Polyphenols.

Arterial vascular calcification (VC) represents formation of calcium phosphate deposits on the interior of arteries, which could restrict blood flow leading to heart health problems, including morbidity and mortality. VC is a complex and tightly regulated process that involves transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to bone-like cells and subsequent deposition of calcium as hydroxyapatite. Natural bioactives, including quercetin (Q), curcumin (C), resveratrol (R), and magnesium (Mg), have been reported to inhibit VC.

A multiple-micronutrient-fortified beverage affects hemoglobin, iron, and vitamin A status and growth in adolescent girls in rural Bangladesh.

Adolescent girls have high nutrient needs and are susceptible to micronutrient deficiencies. The objective of this study was to test the effect of a multiple-micronutrient-fortified beverage on hemoglobin (Hb) concentrations, micronutrient status, and growth among adolescent girls in rural Bangladesh. A total of 1125 girls (Hb > or = 70 g/L) enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial and were allocated to either a fortified or nonfortified beverage of similar taste and appearance.

Effect of a multiple-micronutrient-fortified fruit powder beverage on the nutrition status, physical fitness, and cognitive performance of schoolchildren in the Philippines.

This study aimed to determine the effect of a multiple-micronutrient-fortified beverage on the micronutrient status, physical fitness, and cognitive performance of schoolchildren. The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of schoolchildren assigned to receive either the fortified or nonfortified beverage with or without anthelmintic therapy. Data on hemoglobin level, urinary iodine excretion (UIE) level, physical fitness, and cognitive performance were collected at baseline and at 16 weeks post-intervention.

Efficacy trials of a micronutrient dietary supplement in schoolchildren and pregnant women in Tanzania.

Traditionally, the main strategies used to control micronutrient deficiencies have been food diversification, consumption of medicinal supplements, and food fortification. In Tanzania, we conducted efficacy trials using a dietary supplement as a fourth approach. These were randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled efficacy trials conducted separately first in children and later in pregnant women.

Multiple-micronutrient fortification technology development and evaluation: from lab to market.

At the World Summit for Children (New York, 1990), a resolution was passed to eliminate vitamin A and iodine deficiencies and significantly reduce iron-deficiency anemia by the year 2000. In responding to this urgent call, we developed a unique multiple-micronutrient fortification delivery system called "GrowthPlus/CreciPlus." Using this technology, a fortified powder fruit drink has been formulated and extensively evaluated.

Iron fortification technology development: new approaches.

The objective of our fortification technology development has been to deliver meaningful levels of bioavailable iron via commonly consumed foods and beverages without compromising taste, appearance, and stability. However, fortification of foods is accompanied with unsolved problems such as unacceptable taste, color, stability, and bioavailability. To solve these problems, we developed a fortification technology that prevents the iron-mediated undesirable taste and appearance of the final product while preserving stability and bioavailability.

A micronutrient-fortified beverage prevents iron deficiency, reduces anemia and improves the hemoglobin concentration of pregnant Tanzanian women.

Maternal malnutrition continues to be a major contributor to adverse reproductive outcomes in developing countries, despite longstanding efforts to fortify foods or to distribute medicinal supplements to pregnant women. The objective of this study was to test the effect of a micronutrient-fortified beverage containing 11 micronutrients (iron, iodine, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, folate, vitamin B-12, vitamin B-6 and vitamin E) on the hemoglobin, iron and vitamin A status of pregnant women in Tanzania. A group of 259 pregnant women with gestational ages of 8 to 34 wk were enrolled in a randomized double-blind controlled trial in which study women received 8 wk of supplementation.

The role of iron and the factors affecting off-color development of polyphenols.

Iron deficiency affects over two billion people worldwide (Lotfi, M.; Venkatesh Mannar, M. G.

Eradication of iron deficiency anemia through food fortification: the role of the private sector.

Delivering iron fortified foods that provide meaningful levels of bioavailable iron without altering the accepted appearance and taste of the product presents multiple challenges. Issues relating to food technology, product formulation, acceptance and efficacy evaluation, marketing and quality control must all be addressed. Procter & Gamble Company has developed a unique technology that stabilizes iron in an aqueous system.

Micronutrient dietary supplements--a new fourth approach.

Currently the three main widely used strategies to control micronutrient deficiencies are food diversification, fortification, and consumption of medicinal supplements. In Tanzania a fourth strategy has been evaluated in school children, and is to be studied in pregnant and lactating women. The dietary supplement comes in the form of a powder used to prepare a fruit flavored drink.

Evaluation of the effect of vitamin A-fortified margarine on the vitamin A status of preschool Filipino children.

Objectives: This study assessed the effects of consuming a highly hydrogenated, vitamin A (VA)-fortified margarine not requiring refrigeration on VA status of preschool children.

Design: A double-masked randomized community trial.

Setting: Six rural villages in Cavite, Southern Luzon, the Philippines.

Calcium bioavailability and iron-calcium interaction in orange juice.

We have determined the effects of orange juice on calcium bioavailability from CCM (a combination of CaCO3, citric acid, malic acid, 5:1:1, mol/mol/mol) and iron-calcium interaction by using whole body isotope retention techniques in rats. The mean calcium retention values from CCM were 42.8% from orange juice and 33.

Induction of proline-rich proteins in hamster salivary glands by isoproterenol treatment and an unusual growth inhibition by tannins.

Treatment of hamsters with the beta-agonist isoproterenol caused a dramatic increase in a series of unusual proteins in the parotid and submandibular glands. These proteins are acid soluble and they contain high amounts (mol%) of glutamate plus glutamine (30-35), proline (23-30), and glycine (12-25). Three proteins (HP45, HP43a, and HP43b) were isolated from trichloroacetic acid extracts of parotid glands of isoproterenol-treated hamsters.

Novel multigene families encoding highly repetitive peptide sequences. Sequence analyses of rat and mouse proline-rich protein cDNAs.

Multigene families encode the proline-rich proteins that are so prominent in human saliva and are dramatically induced in mouse and rat salivary glands by isoproterenol treatment and by feeding tannins. A cDNA encoding an acidic proline-rich protein of rat has been sequenced (Ziemer, M. A.

Induction of proline-rich glycoprotein synthesis in mouse salivary glands by isoproterenol and by tannins.

Glycoproteins which contain about 45 mol% proline were dramatically induced in mouse parotid and submandibular glands by isoproterenol treatment, but these unusual proteins were not detected in control animals. These acid-soluble substances were obtained by extracting tissues with 10% trichloroacetic acid, as reported previously for isolating proline-rich proteins from rat submandibular glands (Mehansho, H., and Carlson, D.

Modulation of proline-rich protein biosynthesis in rat parotid glands by sorghums with high tannin levels.

Feeding of sorghum with a high level of tannin (high-tannin sorghum) to rats caused changes in gene expression in parotid glands similar to isoproterenol treatment. Within 3 days the parotid glands were enlarged about 3-fold and a series of proline-rich proteins were increased about 12-fold. Unlike isoproterenol treatment, no changes were observed in the submandibular glands, and a Mr 220,000 glycoprotein in parotid glands was not induced.

Induction of protein and glycoprotein synthesis in rat submandibular glands by isoproterenol.

A family of proline-rich proteins which contain over 40% proline and a glycoprotein were isolated from submandibular glands of isoproterenol-treated rats by extraction with 10% trichloroacetic acid and fractionation of the acid-soluble portion on Bio-Gel A-1.5m. The proline-rich proteins were subsequently separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

The binding of pyridoxal to hemoglobin.

Concentrative uptake of pyridoxal by human erythrocytes has been investigated using a rapid mixing technique with 3H-labeled pyridoxal. A nonsaturable, initial influx of [3H]pyridoxal into the erythrocyte indicated passive diffusion. Since pyridoxal will form Schiff bases reversibly with amino acids, the possibility of binding to intracellular proteins was examined.

Transport and accumulation of pyridoxine and pyridoxal by erythrocytes.

The mechanisms of transport of pyridoxine (PN) and pyridoxal (PL) into erythrocytes have been investigated using the rapid-mixing technique with 3H-labeled substrates. Erythrocytes take up PN by passive diffusion as indicated by the fact that the initial influx process is nonsaturable and is not affected by pyridoxamine (PM), PL, or 4'-deoxypyridoxine. Transport of PL has the same characteristics.

Transport and metabolism of pyridoxine in the perfused small intestine and the hind limb of the rat.

The vascularly perfused small intestine and hind limb muscle of the rat were utilized to study the transport and metabolism of pyridoxine (PN), independent of other tissues, including erythrocytes. The transport of PN both into the mucosal tissue and transmurally into the perfusate was proportional to the dose over a 10,000-fold range of concentrations. The only labeled compound formed from [3H]-PN in the mucosa was PNP which accounted for 30.

Transport and metabolism of pyridoxine in rat liver.

Evidence, obtained with in situ perfused rat liver, indicated that pyridoxine is taken up from the perfusate by a non-concentrative process, followed by metabolic trapping. These conclusions were reached on the basis of the fact that at low concentrations (0.125 microM), the 3H of [3H]pyridoxine accumulated against a concentration gradient, but high concentrations (333 microM) of pyridoxine or 4-deoxypyridoxine prevented this apparent concentrative uptake.