Oxidative stress and food as medicine.

There has been a sea of change in our understanding of the contribution of food to both our well-being and disease states. When one addresses "food as medicine," the concept of oxidative stress needs to be included. This review interconnects the basic science findings of oxidative stress and redox balance with the medicinal use of food, emphasizing optimization of the redox balance.

Selective synthesis of germasila-adamantanes through germanium-silicon shift processes.

The regioselective synthesis of germasila-adamantanes with the germanium atoms in the bridgehead positions is described starting from cyclic precursors by a cationic sila-Wagner-Meerwein (SWM) rearrangement reaction. The SWM rearrangement allows also a deliberate shift of germanium atoms from the periphery and within the cage structures into the bridgehead positions. This opens the possibility for a synthesis of germasila-adamantanes of defined germanium content and controlled regiochemistry.

Suppression of food intake by Glp1r/Lepr-coexpressing neurons prevents obesity in mouse models.

The adipose-derived hormone leptin acts via its receptor (LepRb) in the brain to control energy balance. A potentially unidentified population of GABAergic hypothalamic LepRb neurons plays key roles in the restraint of food intake and body weight by leptin. To identify markers for candidate populations of LepRb neurons in an unbiased manner, we performed single-nucleus RNA-Seq of enriched mouse hypothalamic LepRb cells, identifying several previously unrecognized populations of hypothalamic LepRb neurons.

Swim Bladder of Farmed : A Source of Value-Added Collagen.

Finding strategies to use the swim bladder of farmed totoaba () is of the utmost need to reduce waste. Fish swim bladders are rich in collagen; hence, extracting collagen is a promising alternative with benefits for aquaculture of totoaba and the environment. The elemental biochemical composition of totoaba swim bladders, including their proximate and amino acid compositions, was determined.

Cross-species analysis defines the conservation of anatomically segregated VMH neuron populations.

The ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) controls diverse behaviors and physiologic functions, suggesting the existence of multiple VMH neural subtypes with distinct functions. Combing translating ribosome affinity purification with RNA-sequencing (TRAP-seq) data with single-nucleus RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq) data, we identified 24 mouse VMH neuron clusters. Further analysis, including snRNA-seq data from macaque tissue, defined a more tractable VMH parceling scheme consisting of six major genetically and anatomically differentiated VMH neuron classes with good cross-species conservation.

Individual and combined effects of 5-year exposure to hyperandrogenemia and Western-style diet on metabolism and reproduction in female rhesus macaques.

Study Question: What is the impact of prolonged exposure to hyperandrogenemia (T), Western-style diet (WSD) and the combination on metabolic and reproductive function in female rhesus macaques, particularly in the post-partum period?

Summary Answer: Combined T + WSD worsened measures of insulin sensitivity and parameters of cyclicity following prolonged (5 years) exposure, but there was no effect on post-partum metabolic function.

What Is Known Already: Women with hyperandrogenemia due to polycystic ovary syndrome are at higher risk for gestational diabetes and Type 2 diabetes post-partum, but it is unknown if this is related to hyperandrogenemia. Hyperandrogenemia in the presence of a WSD worsens metabolic function in female nonhuman primates.

Equine Oral Endoscopy.

Oral endoscopy is a valuable addition to the equine dental examination process. It enables veterinarians to visualize subtle oral disorders and is a useful client education tool. There are several commercially available oral endoscopic systems on the market.

Synergistic Effects of Hyperandrogenemia and Obesogenic Western-style Diet on Transcription and DNA Methylation in Visceral Adipose Tissue of Nonhuman Primates.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a major reproductive disorder that is responsible for 80% of anovulatory infertility and that is associated with hyperandrogenemia, increased risk of obesity, and white adipose tissue (WAT) dysfunction. We have previously demonstrated that the combination of chronic testosterone (T) treatment and an obesogenic Western-style diet (WSD) exerts synergistic functional effects on WAT, leading to increased lipid accumulation in visceral adipocytes by an unknown mechanism. In this study, we examined the whole-genome transcriptional response in visceral WAT to T and WSD, alone and in combination.

Reelin is modulated by diet-induced obesity and has direct actions on arcuate proopiomelanocortin neurons.

Objective: Reelin (RELN) is a large glycoprotein involved in synapse maturation and neuronal organization throughout development. Deficits in RELN signaling contribute to multiple psychological disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Nutritional stress alters RELN expression in brain regions associated with these disorders; however, the involvement of RELN in the neural circuits involved in energy metabolism is unknown.

Central and Peripheral Administration of Fibroblast Growth Factor 1 Improves Pancreatic Islet Insulin Secretion in Diabetic Mouse Models.

Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) has been shown to reverse hyperglycemia in diabetic rodent models through peripheral and central administration routes. Previous studies demonstrated that insulin is required for central and peripheral FGF1 metabolic improvements; however, it is unknown if FGF1 targets insulin secretion at the islet level. Here we show for the first time that FGF1 increases islet insulin secretion in diabetic mouse models.

Early High-Fat Diet Exposure Causes Dysregulation of the Orexin and Dopamine Neuronal Populations in Nonhuman Primates.

Maternal obesity and consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) during pregnancy has a negative impact on offspring, including an increased risk for the development of obesity in adolescence. The mechanism for this transferred metabolic risk is unclear, but many studies have focused on the brain due to its important role in appetite and body-weight regulation. Two main pathways regulate appetite in the brain; homeostatic regulation that occurs predominantly in hypothalamic circuits and hedonic regulation of feeding that occurs via dopaminergic pathways.

Maternal High-Fat Diet Effects on Adaptations to Metabolic Challenges in Male and Female Juvenile Nonhuman Primates.

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether maternal high-fat diet (HFD) consumption in nonhuman primates alters the ability of offspring to adapt metabolically to nutrient and caloric challenges.

Methods: Offspring from Japanese macaque dams fed either a control (CTR) diet or HFD were weaned onto a CTR diet creating two groups: maternal HFD (mHFD, n = 18) and maternal CTR (mCTR) diet (n = 12). Male and female offspring were exposed to a 5-day 30% calorie restriction and to a 35-day HFD challenge (HFDC), at 16 and 24 months of age, respectively.

Chronic hyperandrogenemia and western-style diet beginning at puberty reduces fertility and increases metabolic dysfunction during pregnancy in young adult, female macaques.

Study Question: What are the impacts of elevated testosterone (T) and an obesogenic western-style diet (WSD), either independently or together, on fertility and metabolic adaptations of pregnancy in primates?

Summary Answer: Testosterone increases the time to achieve pregnancy, while a WSD reduces overall fertility, and the combination of testosterone and WSD additionally impairs glucose tolerance and causes pregnancy loss.

What Is Known Already: Both hyperandrogenemia and obesity are hallmarks of polycystic ovary syndrome, which is a leading cause of infertility among women worldwide. Female macaques receiving T and WSD beginning at puberty show increased metabolic, ovarian and uterine dysfunction in the non-pregnant state by 3 years of treatment.

Sex Differences in Androgen Regulation of Metabolism in Nonhuman Primates.

The in-depth characterization of sex differences relevant to human physiology requires the judicious use of a variety of animal models and human clinical data. Nonhuman primates (NHPs) represent an important experimental system that bridges rodent studies and clinical investigations. NHP studies have been especially useful in understanding the role of sex hormones in development and metabolism and also allow the elucidation of the effects of pertinent dietary influences on physiology pertinent to disease states such as obesity and diabetes.

Chronic hyperandrogenemia in the presence and absence of a western-style diet impairs ovarian and uterine structure/function in young adult rhesus monkeys.

Study Question: Does chronic hyperandrogenemia beginning at menarche, in the absence and presence of a western-style diet (WSD), alter ovarian and uterine structure-function in young adult rhesus monkeys?

Summary Answer: Phenotypic alterations in ovarian and uterine structure/function were induced by exogenous testosterone (T), and compounded in the presence of a WSD (T+WSD).

What Is Known Already: Hyperandrogenemia is a well-established component of PCOS and is observed in adolescent girls, indicating a potential pubertal onset of disease symptoms. Obesity is often associated with hyperandrogenemia and it is hypothesized that metabolic dysfunction exacerbates PCOS symptoms.

Chronic combined hyperandrogenemia and western-style diet in young female rhesus macaques causes greater metabolic impairments compared to either treatment alone.

Study Question: Does developmental exposure to the combination of hyperandrogenemia and western-style diet (WSD) worsen adult metabolic function compared to either treatment alone?

Summary Answer: Young female rhesus macaques treated for 3 years, beginning at menarche, with combined testosterone (T) and WSD have increased weight gain and insulin resistance compared to controls and animals treated with either T or WSD alone.

What Is Known Already: Hyperandrogenemia is a well-established component of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and can be observed in peripubertal girls, indicating a potential pubertal onset of the disease. Obesity is often associated with hyperandrogenemia in peripubertal girls, and overweight girls appear to be at higher risk for the development of PCOS later in life.

Arcuate nucleus neuropeptide coexpression and connections to gonadotrophin-releasing hormone neurones in the female rhesus macaque.

The underlying hypothalamic neurocircuitry by which metabolism and feeding regulates reproductive function has been well-studied in the rodent; however, recent data have demonstrated significant neuroanatomical differences in the human brain. The present study had three objectives, centred on arcuate nucleus neuropeptides regulating feeding and reproduction: (i) to characterise coexpression patterns in the female nonhuman primate; (ii) to establish whether these neuronal populations make potential contacts with gonadotophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurones; and (iii) to determine whether these contacts differ between the low and high GnRH-releasing states of pre-puberty and adulthood, respectively. Female nonhuman primates have several coexpression patterns of hypothalamic neuropeptides that differ from those reported in rodents.

Maternal and postnatal high-fat diet consumption programs energy balance and hypothalamic melanocortin signaling in nonhuman primate offspring.

Maternal high-fat-diet (HFD) consumption during pregnancy decreased fetal body weight and impacted development of hypothalamic melanocortin neural circuitry in nonhuman primate offspring. We investigated whether these impairments during gestation persisted in juvenile offspring and examined the interaction between maternal and early postnatal HFD consumption. Adult dams consumed either a control diet (CTR; 15% calories from fat) or a high-saturated-fat diet (HFD; 37% calories from fat) during pregnancy.

GLP-1R Signaling Directly Activates Arcuate Nucleus Kisspeptin Action in Brain Slices but Does not Rescue Luteinizing Hormone Inhibition in Ovariectomized Mice During Negative Energy Balance.

Kisspeptin (Kiss1) neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) are key components of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, as they regulate the basal pulsatile release of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). ARC Kiss1 action is dependent on energy status, and unmasking metabolic factors responsible for modulating ARC Kiss1 neurons is of great importance. One possible factor is glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), an anorexigenic neuropeptide produced by brainstem preproglucagon neurons.

Digestive system development and study of acid and alkaline protease digestive capacities using biochemical and molecular approaches in totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) larvae.

The present study aimed to describe and understand the development of the digestive system in totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) larvae from hatching to 40 days post-hatch (dph) from morphological and functional perspectives. At hatch, the digestive system of totoaba was undifferentiated. The anus and the mouth opened at 4 and 5 dph, respectively.

Effect of fishmeal replacement by soy protein concentrate with taurine supplementation on growth performance, hematological and biochemical status, and liver histology of totoaba juveniles (Totoaba macdonaldi).

The effect of dietary inclusion of soy protein concentrate (SPC) and simultaneous supplementation with taurine on the growth, hematology, blood biochemistry, and liver histology of totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) juveniles was assessed. Four isoproteic and isolipidic diets were formulated containing either 30 or 60% of SPC (diets S30 and S60), supplemented or not with 1% of taurine (diets S30T and S60T). A fishmeal-based diet formulated for totoaba nutritional requirements, without SPC and taurine supplementation, was used as a reference diet.

Neurokinin B is critical for normal timing of sexual maturation but dispensable for adult reproductive function in female mice.

Humans carrying mutations in neurokinin B (NKB) or the NKB receptor fail to undergo puberty due to decreased secretion of GnRH. Despite this pubertal delay, many of these patients go on to achieve activation of their hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in adulthood, a phenomenon termed reversal, indicating that NKB signaling may play a more critical role for the timing of pubertal development than adult reproductive function. NKB receptor-deficient mice are hypogonadotropic but have no defects in the timing of sexual maturation.

The integrated hypothalamic tachykinin-kisspeptin system as a central coordinator for reproduction.

Tachykinins are comprised of the family of related peptides, substance P (SP), neurokinin A (NKA), and neurokinin B (NKB). NKB has emerged as regulator of kisspeptin release in the arcuate nucleus (ARC), whereas the roles of SP and NKA in reproduction remain unknown. This work explores the roles of SP and NKA in the central regulation of GnRH release.