Nutrition
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Comparative Study
Availabilities of calcium, iron, and zinc from dairy infant formulas is affected by soluble dietary fibers and modified starch fractions.
Insoluble dietary fiber is a known inhibitor of mineral absorption, whereas the effects of soluble dietary fibers (including prebiotics) are less known. The aim was to study calcium, iron, and zinc availabilities from dairy infant formulas supplemented with soluble dietary fibers and modified starches in vitro. ⋯ This study showed that addition of soluble dietary fiber affects calcium, iron, and zinc availabilities in positive (inulin) and negative ways, depending on the type of the dietary fiber used.
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Comparative Study
Inhibition of oxidative stress in blood platelets by different phenolics from Yucca schidigera Roezl. bark.
We investigated the comparative effects of resveratrol (trans-3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene), trans-3,3',5,5'tetrahydroxy-4'-methoxystilbene, and yuccaols A and C isolated from the bark of Yucca schidigera on oxidative stress in resting blood platelets and blood platelets activated by different agonists (thrombin or thrombin receptor activating peptide). ⋯ Resveratrol and other phenolic compounds from the bark of Yucca schidigera inhibiting free radical generation in blood platelets may be beneficial in protecting against cardiovascular diseases when hyperactivity of platelets is observed.
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The purposes of this study were to study the effects of folate and vitamins B6 and B12 on plasma homocysteine concentration and to estimate the risks for coronary artery disease (CAD) according to quartiles of plasma homocysteine concentration. ⋯ Serum folate, but not vitamin B6 or B12, was a strong predictor of plasma homocysteine; while all subjects had adequate B-vitamin status. Folate should be considered as a routine supplementation for individuals who have risk factors for CAD, even for individuals with adequate folate status.
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We report a sensitive and selective method for the simultaneous determination of vitamin K1 and K2 analogs (VKs) with high-performance liquid chromatography in which a platinum catalyst reduction column and an electrochemical detector operated in the oxidation mode are incorporated into the detection system. We also applied this trace analysis method to the simultaneous determination of VKs in human serum to investigate the physiologic and pathophysiologic roles of VKs in the bone metabolism. ⋯ This method was sensitive and selective for detection of VKs and was satisfactory in the simultaneous determination of VKs in small volumes of human serum.
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The non-invasive (13)C-octanoic acid breath test ((13)C-OABT) has recently been used to monitor gastric emptying. We evaluated (13)C-OABT as a method for assessing gastric emptying in relation to the amount of milk ingested in preterm neonates during their first days of life. ⋯ In the first hours of gastric feeding, neither the age of the neonate nor the amount of administered (13)C-primed breast milk had any effect on t(1/2)GE. The gastric emptying rate and the evacuation curve shape for individual neonates were similar and independent of milk amount.