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[Environment, nutrition and intellectual development].

The differential effects of malnutrition and psychosocial cultural deprivation (PSAC) upon intellectual performance and psychomotor development were studied in 52 preschool children attending nursery schools in urban Santiago (Chile). Nutritional status was evaluated according to Gómez, intellectual performance according to Weschler's scale (WISP and WISC tests), psychomotor development according to the Denver Developmental Screening Test and PSAC according to a numerical scale constructed from maternal I.Q.; socioeconomic status (Graffar) and a psychological questionnaire the correlational analysis, undernutrition was assigned a single value calculated from the severity and duration of the disease. An inverse correlation of - 0.36 existed between malnutrition and intellectual performance, and of - 0.39 between malnutrition and psychomotor development. Also, there was an inverse and significant correlation of - 0.73 between PSAC and psychomotor development; there was no correlation between PSAC and intellectual performance. Verbal I.Q. was more affected (r = - 0.52) than manual I.Q. (r = - 0.18) and children malnourished during the first 6 months of life attained lower scores of I.Q. than normals. The duration of malnutrition (mild in all cases) had no influence upon subsequent I.Q. This study was the basis for a rehabilitation program (educational-nutritional) to be applied in preschool children from nonprivileged areas.

Affective Symptoms

Nutrition, environment and physical performance of preschool children in Italy.

While overt malnutrition is known to interfere with several bodily functions and to cause a deterioration of the level of physical performance, little or no information is available on the effect of marginal nutrition on functional development, particularly at earlier ages. A cross-sectional study of the diet, somatic development and functional response to exercise of 2,241 children, aged 1-6 years, representing contrasting socioeconomic environments, has been carried out. The findings indicate that the upper socioeconomic urban child from Central Italy consumes a better diet and is larger than the underprivileged Southern child. While a greater proportion of the latter group experience a considerable degree of growth retardation, the better efficiency of their heart responses to exercise indicates that the level of nutrition of these children is still good enough to be compatible with a more satisfactory degree of physical fitness. The body fat content and skinfold thickness of the child from the Center have found to be significantly higher than those of the children from the poorer sections of the population, suggesting that at least part of the extra energy available to him for physical activity is being deposited as fat. This raises the question of the desirability of changes in somatic development characteristic of upward social mobility, when accompanied by increased adiposity without a proportional increase in the functional capacity.

Child

Ultrastructural features of human galactosaemic fibroblasts: effects of different nutritional environments.

The ultrastructural characteristics of galactosaemic human fibroblasts exposed to media with various sugars were compared. Considerations of known biochemical pathways suggested that cells without the galactokinase enzyme and exposed to galactose would be functionally equivalent to cells in a medium without any sugar source. We found the ultrastructural characteristics of such cells to be consistent with that hypothesis. In addition, we unexpectedly found that homozygous galactosaemic fibroblasts, exposed to medium with glucose as the energy source, showed evidence of degeneration, such as autophagic vacuoles. Degenerative changes were not found in fibroblasts heterozygous for the galactokinase enzyme exposed to glucose. The implications and uses of these findings are discussed.

Autolysis

How mind, body, and environment influence nutrition in the elderly.

Eating habits, food preferences, and attitudes affecting nutrition in the elderly are the result of the interaction of numerous interpersonal and intrapersonal forces. The physiologic changes that accompany aging must be understood by the clinician and accepted by the elderly person. Social stress and other environmental factors can adversely affect nutritional status.

Aged

['Our future selves'. Comments on "Human services and delivery systems'].

A description is given of the recommended research topics on Human Services and Delivery Systems for the Aging. Fifteen different fields of research attention are described. It is stated that there is a lack of a frame of reference for the different attention fields. This frame of reference is necessary for a more systematic approach towards the age specific problems and the age specific services, needed to solve those problems. The systematic approach can be found in a three-dimensional scheme in which the fifteen attention fields have their logical place. The recommanded research topics have to be assessed in this frame: 1. Socio-cultural aspects. Culture, religion, ethics, communication, education, recreation, civic participation. 2. Socio-economic aspects. Economic support, employment, legal services, commerce. 3. Physical environment. Physical Environment, nutrition, transportation. 4. Human environment. This aspect is not mentioned in the report. 5. Psychological aspects. 6. Physical aspects. These aspects are not explicitly mentioned in the report, but implicitly in the chapter about Health. Some of the recommendations are also relevant for the situation in the Netherlands. The recommended research on the health care system is critisized, because the items are too complex. For the Netherlands it is more worthwhile to do fundamental research on the age-specific vulnerability in relation to social, psychological and physical aspects. The results of that research can be used for a reconstruction of the whole health care system for the aged.

Aged

Realized and potential neutralization of mutant genes in man by nutritional selection.

Inborn errors of metabolism are examples of monogenic disease in man that, more often than not, impair adaptation. Appropriate modification of the nutritional environment has been used in several instances to offset the phenotypic effects of the mutant allele, with resultant relaxation of selection. Despite an impressive, if brief, record of its efficacy, nutritional treatment of inborn errors of metabolism remains suboptimal in the absence of relevant and superior food technology and well-established systems for its application to the patient. Some of the more commonly encountered multifactorial diseases are likely to yield in the future to the type of genetic analysis that has been effective for monogenic disease. Delineation of various monogenic subsets in a multifactorial disease profile may permit the application of specific treatment to persons in the universal population at particular risk with the disease. Coronary heart disease is an example of a major disease burden now undergoing such delineation, which may benefit from the assignment of specific nutritional and pharmacological treatment for particular forms of the disease.

Genetic Engineering

Time-resolved transcriptomics of S. cerevisiae and S. pastorianus in response to plasma membrane stresses.

Yeasts are beneficial microorganisms for human society and are utilized for academic and industrial purposes. For academic purposes, S. cerevisiae is a well-investigated model for studying eukaryotic cellular processes. For industrial purposes, S. pastorianus, which has a hybrid genome of S. cerevisiae and S. eubayanus, has been served for lager beer production. During fermentation, S. pastorianus produces ~7% of EtOH, which induces plasma membrane (PM)/cell wall stress in yeast. Therefore, S. pastorianus may experience PM stress and adapt to the self-forming environment during fermentation. However, how yeast adapts to PM stress remains unclear. Here, we investigated the temporal cellular responses of S. cerevisiae and S. pastorianus during adaptation to PM stresses by time-resolved mRNA-seq analysis. Our data showed different transcriptional phenotypes between S. cerevisiae and S. pastorianus during adaptation. The results may reflect the distinct nature of the two yeasts that have evolved in different nutritional environments. The dataset presented here would provide a promising resource for studying the characteristic nature of these differentially domesticated yeasts upon PM stresses.

Cell Membrane

Evaluation and management of the child with delayed pubertal development.

The physical and hormonal changes of puberty are presented and the wide range of ages at which the pubertal process may begin is emphasized. The great variability in the timing of onset of adolescence, its rate of progression, and the age of completion are detailed. The causes of delayed adolescence in males and females are considered. The most common form of delayed adolescent development is termed constitutional delay in growth and development, which may occur sporadically, or may be the familial pattern of growth and development or may reflect a suboptimal nutritional environment. The evaluation of such children, including appropriate historical review, physical examination, and laboratory assessment, is outlined. In most patients with constitutional delay in growth and development, strong reassurance is sufficient therapy. In other subjects, treatment with androgens (boys) or estrogens (girls) may be indicated. In patients with primary systemic diseases accociated with delayed maturation, specific treatment which eradicates the illness will often be followed by resumption of growth and development. In subjects with primary disorders of the hypothalamus, pituitary, or gonads, replacement therapy with androgens or estrogens is indicated. If gonadal function is intact, these patients may eventually become fertile with appropriate use of hypothalamic and/or pituitary hormones.

Adolescent

Perinatal malnutrition and early handling: interactive effects on the development of the pituitary-adrenal system.

The preweaning development of the pituitary-adrenal system was investigated in perinatally malnourished rodents. Malnourished pups that were routinely handled displayed an earlier plasma corticosterone stress response to electric shock and an accelerated development of feedback inhibition of the stress response by exogenously elevated steroid levels. Although malnourished pups displayed elevated basal corticosterone levels compared to well-fed controls, the post-stress levels were also higher in these malnourished young. Thus, the corticosterone response to stress was not impaired in malnourished pups. The influence of the early handling of malnourished young on pituitary-adrenal activity was also studied. Whereas the accelerated development of the stress response and the elevated post-shock levels were not the result of early handling, the elevated basal corticosterone levels displayed by handled malnourished pups were not present in nonhandled malnourished pups. Thus, the early non-nutritional environment interacts with malnutrition to alter the development of the pituitary-adrenal system.

Animals

The effect of cortisone acetate on the metabolism of Hymenolepis microstoma (cestoda:cyclophyllidea).

Hymenolepis microstoma grown in mice, treated with 1.25 mg cortisone acetate every second day, are heavier and have a significantly higher glycogen content than those in control mice. The dry/wet weight ratio and protein content however are unaffected. It is suggested that the increase in glycogen reserve and weight in H. microstoma from cortisone-treated mice is due to an immunosuppressive effect and better nutritional environment rather than hormonal action. Inclusion of 0.1 mg of cortisone per 100 ml of culture medium produces no change in worm weight in vitro. Single worm infections result in 100% recovery, but 30 worm infections provoke a rejection process which can be suppressed partially by administration of cortisone acetate.

Animals

Diverse methyl-end desaturases enable LC-PUFA biosynthesis across Annelida.

Recent studies have demonstrated that annelids possess front-end desaturases and elongases involved in the biosynthesis of physiologically important long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA). However, methyl-end desaturases (ωx desaturases), enzymes that play a central role in the de novo biosynthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids and their subsequent conversion into LC-PUFA, have so far been reported in only a limited number of polychaete species. To advance our understanding of ωx desaturases across the phylum Annelida, this study performed a comprehensive molecular and functional characterisation of these enzymes in the major annelid taxa Polychaeta, Clitellata and Sipuncula, encompassing species from diverse taxonomic groups and ecological niches. A total of 110 ωx desaturase sequences were retrieved from available genomes and transcriptomes. The number of ωx desaturase genes varied among species, ranging from zero to four copies. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that annelid ωx desaturases are classified into two major clades, designated Cluster A and Cluster B. Analyses of histidine-box motifs and exon-intron organisation revealed conserved patterns within each clade. Functional characterisation of ωx desaturases from Eisenia fetida (Clitellata) and Sipunculus nudus (Sipuncula), together with previously published data from polychaetes, demonstrated that annelids generally possess two ωx desaturases, one with Δ12 desaturase activity and another with ω3 desaturase activity. Collectively, these results demonstrate that annelids possess a phylogenetically and functionally diverse ωx desaturase repertoire that underpins their LC-PUFA biosynthetic capacity and may reflect adaptation to different ecological and nutritional environments.

Animals

Helical Bacillus subtilis macrofibers: morphogenesis of a bacterial multicellular macroorganism.

Helical bacterial macroorganisms have been produced by the selection of appropriate Bacillus subtilis mutants and the establishment of specific growth conditions. Threadlike fibers ranging in length to approximately 1 cm are produced in fluid culture by the parallel association of many division-suppressed filaments in helical arrangement. A more open ball-like structure of complicated woven architecture may also be produced. Macrostructure morphology is regulated by genetic, physiological, and nutritional factors. The pitch angle of surface filaments in helical macrofibers varies as a function of macrofiber diameter, indicating a flexible response of individual cell surfaces to the forces responsible for helical morphology. Three classes of mutants have been obtained that are concerned with helix directionality: (i) mutants that form only left-handed helix macrofibers, (ii) mutants that form only right-handed helix macrofibers, and (iii) conditional mutants able to form either left- or right-handed helix macrofibers depending upon nutritional environment. Aggregate structures containing both left- and right-handed macrofibers have been obtained by coculturing appropriate mutants. In addition to providing information on the organization of the bacterial cell surface, this new system offers unique and unusual opportunities to study cell-cell interactions, primitive morphogenesis, and the properties of a multicellular bacterial form.

Bacillus subtilis

Effect of starvation on protein synthesis in neonatal rat liver.

Hepatic protein synthesis was measured in vivo and in vitro (liver slice) in 6- and 19-day-old rats. Fed and 15-hour starved rats were compared in each individual experiment. The study demonstrated that in the 6-day-old rat, hepatic protein synthesis is very sensitive to restrictions in dietary influx. In contrast, no significant differences in protein synthesis were detected when 19-day-old rats were fasted for 15 hours. In the fed state, the protein synthetic activity of the tissue unit was the same irrespective of age. Thus, it appears that it is not the maximal capacity for protein synthesis that changes with age, but rather the extent to which the system can adapt to the changing nutritional environment.

Age Factors

Deficiency of joining of Okazaki-type fragments in absence of cellular protein synthesis.

The dependence of integration of newly formed DNA chain ( less than 10 S) into larger DNA on concomitant protein synthesis was studied in a special cellular system. Exponentially growing Ehrlich ascites tumor cells in vivo show decreasing rated and finally complete cessation of protein and DNA synthesis upon transfer into an isotonic but non-nutritive environment (Hanks' balanced salt solution). Both protein and DNA synthesis is stimulated in these cells for a period of 30 min when they are placed into fresh Hanks' balanced salt solution; however, stimulation of protein synthesis is completely prevented in Hanks' balanced salt solution containing cycloheximide. This system allowed us to investigate the formation and fate of newly formed DNA chains ( less than 10 S) in dependence of protein synthesis. Analysis of DNA produced in [3H]thymidine pulses showed that DNA chains smaller than 18 S were still formed during the phase of totally delayed protein synthesis and in the presence of cycloheximide, but they were not converted into DNA molecules sedimenting faster than 18 S under these conditions. Stimulation of protein synthesis for a period of 30 min allowed the short DNA pieces to be chased into larger DNA 30 min post stimulation of protein synthesis. The results clearly indicate that DNA chain growth, by sealing of DNA chains smaller than 18 S, is strongly dependent of concomitant protein synthesis. Direct chain elongation by addition of new deoxyribonucleotides is less dependent on concomitant cellular protein synthesis.

Amino Acids

Carbon catabolite regulation of cephalosporin production in Streptomyces clavuligerus.

Cephalosporin production by Streptomyces clavuligerus is regulated by some type of carbon catabolite control. Increasing concentrations of preferred carbon sources, such as glycerol and maltose, decreased production of the antibiotics. Poorer carbon sources, such as alpha-ketoglutarate and succinate, led to high specific production of cephalosporins and shifted the dynamics of fermentation to a greater degree of association with growth. The results support the concept that the phase in which a product is made by a microorganism is not a function of the particular molecule produced, but rather of the nutritional environment presented to the organism.

Amino Acids

Recovery of Streptococcus mutans after amino acid deprivation.

The recovery of Streptococcus mutans FA-1 in a complete, chemically defined medium was examined after 1, 3, and 6 h of essential amino acid deprivation. Amino acids could be divided into two groups based on their effect on the relative rates of recovery: those amino acids (leucine and cystine) that are precursors of protein only, and amino acids (glutamate/glutamine or lysine) that are incorporated into both protein and cell wall peptidoglycan. Culture turbidity, deoxyribonucleic acid, ribonucleic acid, protein and cell wall peptidoglycan measurements indicated rapid recovery after leucine/cystine starvation periods. However, a 6-h leucine/cystine deprivation resulted in a slower exponential rate of growth (180-min doubling time compared to the normal doubling time of 85 to 90 min) after recovery. Glutamate/glutamine starvation, on the contrary, resulted in greatly extended recovery periods, especially after 3- and 6-h amino acid deprivations. Macromolecular synthesis was most severely affected by 6-h glutamate/glutamine starvation and required 6 to 10 h for recovery of an exponential rate. A delay in the recovery of deoxyribonucleic acid and cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis beyond that of the other macromolecules was observed after 1 and 3 h of deprivation with either leucine/cystine or glutamate/glutamine. However, after a 6-h amino acid deprivation, deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis recovered more rapidly than that of the other macromolecules studied. The results are discussed in terms of the nutritional environment of the oral cavity and its effect on the growth and survival of S. mutans.

Amino Acids

Calcium dependency of glucagon release: its modulation by nutritional factors.

The calcium dependency of glucagon release by the perfused rat pancreas was investigated in the presence of different nutrients: glucose, arginine, and a mixture of "fumarate + glutamate + pyruvate" (FGP, 5 mM of each salt). At a 3.3 mM glucose concentration, FGP-induced glucagon release was inhibited by the removal of calcium or addition of verapamil. At a higher glucose concentration (16.6 mM), the glucagonotropic action of FGP was again inhibited by verapamil, but the removal of extracellular calcium enhanced transiently glucagon release. Comparable results were obtained when arginine (10 mM) instead of FGP was used to stimulate the alpha cell. These findings suggest that the glucagonotropic effect of FGP or arginine depends on the availability and inward transport of calcium, whereas extracellular calcium per se may be required for glucose to be sensed by the alpha cell as an inhibitor of glucagon secretion. Thus, the nutritional environment offered to the alpha cell may condition the expression of the different mechanisms involved in the control of glucagon release by calcium.

Animals