Recent research directions on functional royal jelly: highlights prospects in food, nutraceutical, and pharmacological industries.

The food and pharmaceutical industries have utilized royal jelly, an alternative medicinal food, as a natural pharmaceutical product since ancient times. Royal jelly has a unique remarkable composition containing lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, hormones, and phenolic compounds. The rapidly expanding functional food market has coincided with the increasing consumer demand for royal jelly.

Current perspectives on fenugreek bioactive compounds and their potential impact on human health: A review of recent insights into functional foods and other high value applications.

Despite long-standing uses in several food and medicine traditions, the full potential of the leguminous crop fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) remains to be realized in the modern diet. Not only its seeds, which are highly prized for their culinary and medicinal properties, but also its leaves and stems abound in phytochemicals with high nutritional and health promoting attributes.

Designing novel industrial and functional foods using the bioactive compounds from Nigella sativa L. (black cumin): Biochemical and biological prospects toward health implications.

Nigella sativa is one of the nutraceuticals that has gained popularity and studied extensively in recent decades as it is considered a safe medicinal plant for use as a dietary supplement. N. sativa contains a wide variety of bioactive substances, which include polyphenols, volatile oils (thymoquinone and p-cymene), proteins, and peptides.

Functional and Bioactive Properties of Wheat Protein Fractions: Impact of Digestive Enzymes on Antioxidant, α-Amylase, and Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibition Potential.

This research aimed to determine the biofunctional properties of wheat flour (WF) protein fractions and modifications to the antioxidant, anti-α-amylase and anti-angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) activities induced by the action of digestive endopeptidases in vitro. A molecular characterization of the most abundant protein fractions, i.e.

A mediation analysis on the relationship between dietary glycemic load, obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in children.

Background/objective: Adiposity may mediate the effect of dietary glycemic load (GL) on lipid profiles in children, as studies have shown an association between dietary GL and adiposity and between adiposity and lipid profiles. Our objective was to evaluate the role of adiposity as a mediator in the association between dietary GL and lipid profiles after 2 years.

Subjects/methods: The Quebec Adipose and Lifestyle InvesTigation in Youth study included 630 children, 8-10 years old at recruitment with at least one parent with overweight or obesity with 2-year follow-up.

Development of a nutrition management software based on selected Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes to support personalized diet and weight management.

The nutrient composition of 50 commonly consumed Jordanian food dishes was determined to support the development of a novel nutrition management system designed to assist with dietary intake assessment and diet management. Composite dishes were selected by interviewing households located in the northern region of Jordan. For each dish, five different recipes were collected from experienced chefs and the typical recipe was formulated based on the average weights of ingredients and net weight of the dish.

Phylogenetic and biochemical analysis of calsequestrin structure and association of its variants with cardiac disorders.

Calsequestrin is among the most abundant proteins in muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum and displays a high capacity but a low affinity for Ca binding. In mammals, calsequestrin is encoded by two genes, CASQ1 and CASQ2, which are expressed almost exclusively in skeletal and cardiac muscles, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that calsequestrin is an ancient gene in metazoans, and that the duplication of the ancestral calsequestrin gene took place after the emergence of the lancelet.

The Association Between Dietary Pattern Adherence, Cognitive Stimulating Lifestyle, and Cognitive Function Among Older Adults From the Quebec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Successful Aging.

Objectives: This study examined the effect of dietary patterns and engagement in cognitive stimulating lifestyle (CSL) behaviors on the trajectory of global cognition, executive function (EF), and verbal episodic memory (VEM).

Methods: Western and prudent dietary patterns were empirically derived using food frequency questionnaire responses from 350 community-dwelling older adults (mean age: 73.7 years) participating in the Quebec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Successful Aging.

Electrochemical Biosensors for Determination of Colorectal Tumor Biomarkers.

The accurate determination of specific tumor markers associated with cancer with non-invasive or minimally invasive procedures is the most promising approach to improve the long-term survival of cancer patients and fight against the high incidence and mortality of this disease. Quantification of biomarkers at different stages of the disease can lead to an appropriate and instantaneous therapeutic action. In this context, the determination of biomarkers by electrochemical biosensors is at the forefront of cancer diagnosis research because of their unique features such as their versatility, fast response, accurate quantification, and amenability for multiplexing and miniaturization.

Pre-pregnancy iodized salt improved children's cognitive development in randomized trial in Ethiopia.

The overarching Ethiopia project examined the effects of early market introduction of iodized salt on the growth and mental development of young children. Sixty districts were randomly assigned to intervention (early market access to iodized salt) or control (later access through market forces), and one community per district was randomly chosen as the sampling unit. For this project, 22 of the districts were included.

Molecular changes of phenolic-protein interactions in isolated proteins from flaxseed and soybean using Native-PAGE, SDS-PAGE, RP-HPLC, and ESI-MS analysis.

The effects of protein-phenolic interactions on the molecular characteristics of soybean and flaxseed proteins were investigated. Proteins were isolated from soybean and flaxseed using isoelectric precipitation, followed by extraction of free and bound phenolics. The effects of elimination of the phenolic compounds on molecular characteristics of the protein isolates were studied using reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), Native and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and electron spray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS).

Growth environment and organ specific variation in in-vitro cytoprotective activities of Picea mariana in PC12 cells exposed to glucose toxicity: a plant used for treatment of diabetes symptoms by the Cree of Eeyou Istchee (Quebec, Canada).

Background: The Cree of Eeyou Istchee (James Bay area of northern Quebec) suffer from a high rate of diabetes and its complications partly due to the introduction of the western lifestyle within their culture. As part of a search for alternative medicine based on traditional practice, this project evaluates the biological activity of Picea mariana (Mill.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.

The Cardiometabolic Risk Profile of Underreporters of Energy Intake Differs from That of Adequate Reporters among Children at Risk of Obesity.

Background: Misreporting of energy intake (EI) in nutritional epidemiology is a concern because of information bias, and tends to occur differentially in obese compared with nonobese subjects.

Objective: We examined characteristics of misreporters within a cohort of children with a parental history of obesity and the bias introduced by underreporting.

Methods: The QUebec Adipose and Lifestyle InvesTigation in Youth (QUALITY) cohort included 630 Caucasian children aged 8-10 y at recruitment with ≥1 obese parent [body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) >30 or waist circumference >102 cm (men), >88 cm (women)] and free of diabetes or severe illness.

[Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) in Colombia, Guatemala, and México.].

Objective: To compare the psychometric characteristics of the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) and the grade of similitude or difference among Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico during three years.

Materials And Methods: Psychometric comparison using the Rasch model to calculate the relative severity of each item in FIES, INFIT and contrast in the Differential Functioning of Items (c-DIF).

Results: The majority of items showed a relative severity corresponding to the theoretical construct and acceptably fit the model (INFIT=0.

Selenium inadequacy hampers thyroid response of young children after iodine repletion.

Selenium (Se) is an integral component of iodothyronine deiodinase, glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase enzymes and thus is important for normal thyroid function. This study investigated the influence of Se inadequacy on thyroid response of iodine-replete young children. Serum thyroxine (T), triiodothyronine (T), thyroglobulin (Tg), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and Se were analyzed in 54-60 mo old children (n = 628) from the Amhara region of Ethiopia before salt iodization was commenced; analyses were repeated (n = 555) 15 mo after iodized salt became available.

Accuracy of two Generic Prediction Equations and One Population-Specific Equation for Resting Energy Expenditure in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury.

Purpose: The primary aim was to assess the accuracy of common prediction equations, the Harris-Benedict (HB) and the Mifflin St. Jeor (MSJ) equations, for estimating resting energy expenditure (REE) among people with spinal cord injury (SCI) against actual REE measurements. The secondary aim was to cross-validate the Buchholz et al.

Blood and hair mercury concentrations among Cree First Nations of Eeyou Istchee (Quebec, Canada): time trends, prenatal exposure and links to local fish consumption.

To describe exposure to methylmercury among Cree, focusing on women of childbearing age, we used data from 2 studies. Multiple regression was employed to examine associations between blood and hair mercury concentrations and consumption of locally harvested fish. Approximately 9.

Determinants of child anthropometric indicators in Ethiopia.

Background: Malnutrition is one of the major contributors to child mortality in Ethiopia. Currently established, child nutrition status is assessed by four anthropometric indicators. However, there are other factors affecting children's anthropometric statuses.

Detection of NEO in muskmelon fruits inoculated with Fusarium sulphureum and its control by postharvest ozone treatment.

Fusarium rot of muskmelon, caused by Fusarium spp., is one of the most important postharvest decays, that not only causes economic losses but leads to trichothecenes contamination. A rapid and sensitive method was developed for neosolaniol (NEO) analysis in muskmelon inoculated with F.

Reliability of length measurements collected by community nurses and health volunteers in rural growth monitoring and promotion services.

Background: Length measurements are important in growth, monitoring and promotion (GMP) for the surveillance of a child's weight-for-length and length-for-age. These two indices provide an indication of a child's risk of becoming wasted or stunted, and are more informative about a child's growth than the widely used weight-for-age index (underweight). Although the introduction of length measurements in GMP is recommended by the World Health Organization, concerns about the reliability of length measurements collected in rural outreach settings have been expressed by stakeholders.

Plasma Amino Acids vs Conventional Predictors of Insulin Resistance Measured by the Hyperinsulinemic Clamp.

Context: Specific plasma amino acid (AA) profiles including elevated postabsorptive branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) have been associated with insulin resistance (IR), mostly estimated by homeostatic model assessment. This study assessed the associations of postabsorptive AAs with IR directly measured by insulin-mediated glucose disposal and determined the quantitative value of AAs and conventional IR predictors.

Design: Fifty-one healthy, 31 overweight or obese (Ow/Ob), and 52 men and women with type 2 diabetes (T2D) were studied retrospectively.

Sociodemographic associations of the dietary proportion of ultra-processed foods in First Nations peoples in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta and Ontario.

We investigated the food types consumed by 3276 First Nations citizens from the First Nations Food Nutrition and Environment Study (FNFNES) living on-reserve in Canada. Data from 24-h dietary recalls were classified into NOVA categories: fresh or minimally processed foods (MPF), processed culinary ingredients, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods (UPF). Individuals were classified as traditional food (TF) eaters if they ate MPF of their First Nations culture.

Study protocol for a phase II dose evaluation randomized controlled trial of cholecalciferol in critically ill children with vitamin D deficiency (VITdAL-PICU study).

Background: Clinical research has recently demonstrated that vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is highly prevalent in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and associated with worse clinical course. Multiple adult ICU trials have suggested that optimization of vitamin D status through high-dose supplementation may reduce mortality and improve other clinically relevant outcomes; however, there have been no trials of rapid normalization in the PICU setting. The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an enteral weight-based cholecalciferol loading dose regimen in critically ill children with VDD.