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Segregation analysis.

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Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase↗

Drinking of high concentrations of ethanol versus palatable fluids in alcohol-preferring (P) rats: valid animal model of alcoholism.

A genetically based animal model of alcoholism has been characterized in Wistar-derived rats in terms of their preference (P rats) or lack of preference (NP rats) for 10% ethanol over water. The present experiments were designed to determine: 1) whether a 10% solution of ethanol is the optimal concentration for differentiation of these lines; 2) what concentrations of ethanol are maximally preferred by P and NP rats; and 3) whether highly palatable fluids presented simultaneously with each rat's preferred solution of ethanol would alter the patterns of drinking by either the P or NP or both lines of rats. A three-bottle procedure was used to establish preference for ethanol in the presence of water as well as highly palatable solutions. The results showed that, when concentrations ranging from 3-30% were presented over a 12-day test interval, the mean absolute intake of ethanol of the P rats was 6.7 g/kg per day, with a maximum intake of 10.9 g/kg per day at the 25% concentration. These levels of intake were significantly higher than the 4.3 g/kg per day consumed during the presentation of the commonly used constant concentration of 10%. Similarly, the mean absolute intake of ethanol by the NP rats was also elevated significantly at concentrations of 15-30% (2.0 g/kg per day) above that consumed at the 10% concentration (0.4 g/kg).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Alcohol Drinking↗

Protective mechanisms of the Mediterranean diet in obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The prevalence of obesity has grown to an alarming level of at least 300 million people worldwide. Additionally, a diabetes epidemic is underway, with an estimate of 217 million people with diabetes worldwide. There are many links between excessive body weight and type 2 diabetes, and one common and fundamental cause of both epidemics is an unhealthy diet. Research to identify and promote diets that protect individuals from obesity and type 2 diabetes is urgently needed. The Mediterranean diet, a concept developed in the 1950s, refers to dietary habits of individuals from the Mediterranean basin. The Mediterranean diet is an eating pattern that successfully combines pleasant taste and positive health effects. The Mediterranean diet does not stand for a homogenous and exclusive model among the Mediterranean basin population but rather represents a set of healthy dietary habits, including high consumption of vegetables and fresh fruits and the use of olive oil as the main source of fat. Evidence from epidemiological studies supports a protective effect of this dietary pattern on weight gain and the development of type 2 diabetes. Several mechanistic explanations link characteristic components of the Mediterranean diet with obesity and type 2 diabetes. This review will discuss potential mechanisms by which the Mediterranean diet protects individuals from both diseases.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Interpretation of quantitative structure-property and -activity relationships.

The potential utility of data reduction methods (e.g. principal component analysis) for the analysis of matrices assembled from the related properties of large sets of compounds is discussed by reference to results obtained from solvent polarity scales, ongoing work on solubilities and sweetness properties, and proposed general treatments of toxicities and gas chromatographic retention indices.

Chemical Phenomena↗

Threshold-based structure-activity relationships of pyrazines with bell-pepper flavor.

Quantitative structure activity relationships (QSAR) and comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) are applied in order to explain the aroma of 46 bell-pepper aroma compounds. Biological activities log(1/c) values are used, where c stands for the detection threshold value of the aroma compound in water. Results of conventional QSAR and CoMFA are both satisfactory in statistical significance and predictive ability. We construct a qualitative model using the graphic features of CoMFA together with the results of "classical" QSAR analysis, which is performed by multiple linear regression. Finally, the human olfactory detection threshold values of excluded pyrazines are successfully predicted. This makes CoMFA and QSAR two important tools for designing new aroma compounds and in elucidating the mechanism of odor-receptor interaction.

Humans↗

Arabinoxylan fiber, a byproduct of wheat flour processing, reduces the postprandial glucose response in normoglycemic subjects.

BACKGROUND: Arabinoxylan (AX) is the major component of dietary fiber in the cereal grains that make up a large proportion of our diet. However, the physiologic effect of AX is unknown. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether AX improves postprandial glucose and insulin responses in healthy humans. DESIGN: AX-rich fiber was extracted from the byproduct of wheat-flour processing. Three isoenergic breakfasts, comprising bread, margarine, and jam, had 75 g available carbohydrate, 10 g protein, and 14 g fat and contained 0, 6, and 12 g AX-rich fiber, respectively. Fourteen healthy subjects consumed the 3 breakfast meals in random order on 3 mornings >/=3 d apart after an overnight fast. Blood was taken from the subjects at regular intervals over 2 h and was analyzed for glucose and insulin. The palatability of bread containing AX-rich fiber was compared with that of a control bread. RESULTS: Compared with the control meal containing 0 g AX-rich fiber, the peak postprandial glucose concentration after meals containing 6 and 12 g AX-rich fiber was significantly lower (6. 3 +/- 1.3 compared with 7.2 +/- 1.0 mmol/L, P < 0.01; 5.9 +/- 0.9 compared with 7.2 +/- 1.0 mmol/L, P < 0.001, respectively). The incremental area under the curve (IAUC) for glucose was 20.2% (95% CI: 5.8%, 34.7%; P < 0.01) and 41.4% (25.9%, 56.8%; P < 0.001) lower, whereas IAUC for insulin was 17.0% (2.0%, 32.1%; P < 0.05) and 32. 7% (18.8%, 46.6%; P < 0.001) lower, respectively. Bread containing AX-rich fiber was as pala as 50% whole-wheat bread when evaluated with sensory analysis by 30 volunteers. CONCLUSIONS: Postprandial glucose and insulin responses were improved by ingestion of AX-rich fiber. Further research is required to determine whether AX-rich fiber is of benefit to people with type 2 diabetes.

Adult↗

Comparison of USDA quality grade with tendertec for the assessment of beef palatability.

Carcasses (n = 265) selected to differ in USDA yield grade were evaluated by expert graders and assessed for tenderness with the Tendertec Mark III Beef Grading Instrument. Tendertec measurements were collected on longissimus lumborum muscles in both sides of each carcass. During fabrication of each left carcass side, a rib section (later converted into three steaks) was removed for aging and subsequent sensory panel evaluation at 14 d and for Warner-Bratzler shear force measurements at 14 and 28 d. Correlation coefficients for repeatability of Tendertec output variables, between left and right carcass sides, were .57, .44, .70, and .65 for Area-2, Area-2B, Power-2, and Power-2B, respectively. Correlations between Tendertec output variables and Warner-Bratzler shear force evaluations performed on steaks aged 14 or 28 d were not different from zero. Sensory panel ratings for amount of connective tissue were correlated (P < .01) with Tendertec output variables Area-2 and Area-2B (r = -.168 and -.154, respectively), and ratings for overall tenderness were correlated (P < .05) with the Area-2 output variable (r = -.131) but the coefficients were very low. Segregation analysis, using Tendertec output variables Area-2 and Power-2, significantly (P < .05) stratified sensory panel ratings for connective tissue amount and overall tenderness. Even though the Tendertec probe detected some differences in connective tissue contributions to rib steak tenderness, it was not better than USDA quality grade at segmenting A-maturity carcasses into anticipated tenderness outcomes, and thus its applicability as a grading instrument may be limited to use on more mature beef carcasses.

Analysis of Variance↗

Aversive properties of opiate withdrawal studied in rats.

Preference conditioning models were applied to the study of the motivational properties of opiate withdrawal. Conditioned place and taste aversions were produced by a single injection of an opiate antagonist in rats implanted with a morphine but not a placebo pellet. The hypothesis that withdrawal-produced jumping reflects the aversive properties of withdrawal was not confirmed. The use of central and peripheral administration of antagonists suggest that the aversive effects reflect antagonist activity in the brain.

Animals↗

Taste receptors in the gastrointestinal tract. IV. Functional implications of bitter taste receptors in gastrointestinal chemosensing.

Changes in the luminal contents of the gastrointestinal tract modulate gastrointestinal functions, including absorption of nutrients, food intake, and protection against harmful substances. The current notion is that mucosal enteroendocrine cells act as primary chemoreceptors by releasing signaling molecules in response to changes in the luminal environment, which in turn activate nerve terminals. The recent discovery that taste receptors and G protein subunits alpha-gustducin and alpha-transducin, involved in gustatory signal transduction, are expressed in the gastrointestinal mucosa supports the concept of a chemosensory machinery in the gastrointestinal tract. An understanding of luminal sensing processes responsible for the generation of the appropriate functional response to specific nutrients and nonnutrients is of clinical importance since aberrant or unsteady responses to changes in luminal contents might result in disease states ranging from intoxication to feeding disorders and inflammation. The purpose of this theme article is to discuss the functional implications of bitter taste signaling molecules in the gastrointestinal tract deduced by their localization in selected populations of epithelial cells and their relationship with neural pathways responsible for the generation of specific responses to luminal contents.

Animals↗

Maxillary palps can mediate taste rejection of plant allelochemicals by caterpillars.

All caterpillars possess a pair of maxillary palps that "drum" the surface of foods during feeding. These chemosensory organs contain over 65% of a caterpillar's taste receptor cells, but their functional significance remains largely unknown. We examined their role in rejection of plant allelochemicals, using the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) as a model insect and an extract from a plant species (Grindelia glutinosa) as a model stimulus. We selected this system because hornworms reject foods containing Grindelia extract, and because preliminary studies indicated that their maxillary palps respond to this extract. We hypothesized that Grindelia extract elicits rejection through stimulating: (1) olfactory receptor cells, (2) taste receptor cells, (3) oral mechanoreceptors, and/or (4) a postingestive response mechanism. Our results were consistent only with hypothesis 2: caterpillars approached Grindelia-treated diets without apparent hesitation, but rejected it within 6 s of initiating biting; Grindelia-treated solutions stimulated taste receptor cells in the maxillary palp, but not the other gustatory chemosensilla; and ablating the maxillary palps eliminated rejection of Grindelia-treated diets. Our results demonstrate that taste receptor cells in the maxillary palps mediate rejection of Grindelia extract, and provide the first direct evidence for the role of maxillary palps in rejection of plant allelochemicals.

Action Potentials↗

Bilateral lesions of the insular cortex or of the prefrontal cortex block the association between taste and odor in the rat.

The neural basis for the association between taste and odor was investigated in the rat. First, behavioral procedures to study the mechanisms underlying the association between qualitative aspects of the odor and taste in rats were developed. Rats were presented with several pairings of the 0.3 mol/L NaCl solution and a flavor, and pairings of distilled water and another flavor. Then the rats received an IP injection of a furosemide to develop sodium deficiency. On the next day, the rats were presented with either of two types of odor-flavored water: water in which the flavor had been paired with NaCl, or water in which the flavor (grape or coffee) had been paired with distilled water. Normal rats avoided ingesting the water flavored with the odor previously paired with NaCl. Sodium-deprived rats, however, ingested the water flavored with that odor. Rats with lesions in either the insular cortex or in the prefrontal cortex neither preferred nor avoided the water flavored with the odor paired with NaCl. It was concluded that rats acquire association between taste and odor, and that the insular and the prefrontal cortices of the rats were involved in this association.

Animals↗

Estradiol accelerates extinction of lithium chloride-induced conditioned taste aversions through its illness-associated properties.

Estradiol accelerates extinction of LiCl-induced conditioned taste aversions when it is present during a period that starts 2-3 days after acquisition and extends throughout extinction (before and during extinction). It has been suggested that estradiol acts before, not during, extinction and that its effect on extinction is associated with its illness-inducing properties. This hypothesis is based on previous work which shows an attenuation of conditioned taste aversion learning when rats are exposed to illness-inducing agents during a period that starts 2 days after acquisition and ends 2 days before extinction trials are initiated. Four experiments were designed to test elements of this hypothesis. The first two experiments demonstrated that if an estradiol-filled Silastic capsule is implanted before extinction of a LiCl-induced aversion, when the conditioned taste is not present, it accelerates extinction, but if it is implanted during extinction, when the conditioned taste is present, it prolongs extinction. The third experiment showed that the same dose of estradiol that accelerates extinction of a LiCl-induced aversion was effective in producing a conditioned taste aversion when it was present for 18 h after consumption of a novel sucrose solution. The fourth experiment indicated that serum levels of estradiol were elevated during the 18 h. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the acceleration of extinction by estradiol is associated with its illness-inducing properties. It is suggested that estradiol acts on neural areas that mediate illness information and that one of these areas, the area postrema is necessary for estradiol to accelerate extinction of a LiCl-induced aversion.

Analysis of Variance↗

Molecular mechanisms of ligand binding, signaling, and regulation within the superfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors: molecular modeling and mutagenesis approaches to receptor structure and function.

The superfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) could be subclassified into 7 families (A, B, large N-terminal family B-7 transmembrane helix, C, Frizzled/Smoothened, taste 2, and vomeronasal 1 receptors) among mammalian species. Cloning and functional studies of GPCRs have revealed that the superfamily of GPCRs comprises receptors for chemically diverse native ligands including (1) endogenous compounds like amines, peptides, and Wnt proteins (i.e., secreted proteins activating Frizzled receptors); (2) endogenous cell surface adhesion molecules; and (3) photons and exogenous compounds like odorants. The combined use of site-directed mutagenesis and molecular modeling approaches have provided detailed insight into molecular mechanisms of ligand binding, receptor folding, receptor activation, G-protein coupling, and regulation of GPCRs. The vast majority of family A, B, C, vomeronasal 1, and taste 2 receptors are able to transduce signals into cells through G-protein coupling. However, G-protein-independent signaling mechanisms have also been reported for many GPCRs. Specific interaction motifs in the intracellular parts of these receptors allow them to interact with scaffold proteins. Protein engineering techniques have provided information on molecular mechanisms of GPCR-accessory protein, GPCR-GPCR, and GPCR-scaffold protein interactions. Site-directed mutagenesis and molecular dynamics simulations have revealed that the inactive state conformations are stabilized by specific interhelical and intrahelical salt bridge interactions and hydrophobic-type interactions. Constitutively activating mutations or agonist binding disrupts such constraining interactions leading to receptor conformations that associates with and activate G-proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Illness-alone exposure as a source of interference with the acquisition and retention of a taste aversion.

Four studies were conducted to explore the effects of unpaired lithium chloride (LiCl) injections, the unconditioned stimulus (US), on the acquisition and retention of a taste aversion. In Experiment 1, subjects were preexposed to a US; for one group the US was paired with a distinctive taste, whereas for a second group it was not. Following this preparation, both groups received the US paired with a novel taste. Only the US-alone group showed a retardation of subsequent taste-aversion conditioning. Experiment 2 indicated that an exposure to LiCl without a specific gustatory cue will interfere with the avoidance of a specific taste, regardless of whether the US experience occurs before or after a single taste-LiCl pairing. Following sucrose-LiCl pairings in Experiment 3A, LiCl-alone exposures retroactively interfered with the retention of the prior aversion to sucrose, with the level of post-US interference becoming an increasing function of the number of US-alone experiences. In Experiment 3B, the association of sucrose with LiCl did not interfere with the development of an almond aversion, whereas LiCl-alone exposures following the acquisition of a sucrose aversion proactively interfered with the development of a second taste aversion (almond). It is suggested that a physiological explanation will not adequately account for the present results of these experiments. The results are discussed within the framework of alternative associative models.

Animals↗