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Nutrients Mar 2024Zinc, magnesium, and vitamin K are important nutrients for humans. There are various factors that contribute to the development of their deficiency, which might result... (Review)
Review
Zinc, magnesium, and vitamin K are important nutrients for humans. There are various factors that contribute to the development of their deficiency, which might result in or exacerbate various diseases. These nutrients can also interact with vitamin D metabolism and activity. This review discusses the main aspects of zinc, magnesium and vitamin K metabolism and action in the body, their clinical significance, and the "crosstalk" with vitamin D, as well as providing general suggestions for clinical practice when supplementation with these nutrients might be useful, in addition to vitamin D supplementation.
Topics: Humans; Magnesium; Zinc; Vitamin K; Dietary Supplements; Vitamin D; Vitamin D Deficiency
PubMed: 38542745
DOI: 10.3390/nu16060834 -
The New Phytologist Jul 2023Foliar anthocyanins, as well as other secondary metabolites, accumulate transiently under nutritional stress. A misconception that only nitrogen or phosphorus deficiency...
Foliar anthocyanins, as well as other secondary metabolites, accumulate transiently under nutritional stress. A misconception that only nitrogen or phosphorus deficiency induces leaf purpling/reddening has led to overuse of fertilizers that burden the environment. Here, we emphasize that several other nutritional imbalances induce anthocyanin accumulation, and nutrient-specific differences in this response have been reported for some deficiencies. A range of ecophysiological functions have been attributed to anthocyanins. We discuss the proposed functions and signalling pathways that elicit anthocyanin synthesis in nutrient-stressed leaves. Knowledge from the fields of genetics, molecular biology, ecophysiology and plant nutrition is combined to deduce how and why anthocyanins accumulate under nutritional stress. Future research to fully understand the mechanisms and nuances of foliar anthocyanin accumulation in nutrient-stressed crops could be utilized to allow these leaf pigments to act as bioindicators for demand-oriented application of fertilizers. This would benefit the environment, being timely due to the increasing impact of the climate crisis on crop performance.
Topics: Anthocyanins; Fertilizers; Plant Leaves; Crops, Agricultural
PubMed: 36810736
DOI: 10.1111/nph.18833 -
The New Phytologist Oct 2023In recent years, single-cell genomics, coupled to imaging techniques, have become the state-of-the-art approach for characterising biological systems. In plant sciences,... (Review)
Review
In recent years, single-cell genomics, coupled to imaging techniques, have become the state-of-the-art approach for characterising biological systems. In plant sciences, a variety of tissues and species have been profiled, providing an enormous quantity of data on cell identity at an unprecedented resolution, but what biological insights can be gained from such data sets? Using recently published studies in plant sciences, we will highlight how single-cell technologies have enabled a better comprehension of tissue organisation, cell fate dynamics in development or in response to various stimuli, as well as identifying key transcriptional regulators of cell identity. We discuss the limitations and technical hurdles to overcome, as well as future directions, and the promising use of single-cell omics to understand, predict, and manipulate plant development and physiology.
Topics: Plant Cells; Genomics; Cell Differentiation; Plants
PubMed: 37483019
DOI: 10.1111/nph.19153 -
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders Jan 2024We aimed to assess the associations of vitamins intake with osteoporosis based on a national sample from US adults.
BACKGROUND
We aimed to assess the associations of vitamins intake with osteoporosis based on a national sample from US adults.
METHODS
A total of 1536 participants were included in this cross-sectional study to investigate the relationship between vitamins intake and osteoporosis from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, including vitamin A, C, D. Logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between dietary vitamin intake and osteoporosis.
RESULTS
We found that vitamins intake were negatively associated with osteoporosis. For vitamin A, compared with the first tertile, the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidential intervals (CIs) were 0.93 (0.81-1.04) for the second tertile and 0.85 (0.78-0.96) for the third tertile (P < 0.01). For vitamin C, compared with the first tertile, the ORs and 95% CIs were 0.89 (0.78-1.05) for the second tertile and 0.79 (0.67-0.93) for the third tertile (P < 0.01). For vitamin D, compared with the first tertile, the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidential intervals (CIs) were 0.94 (0.82-1.07) for the second tertile and 0.88 (0.75-0.98) for the third tertile (P < 0.01). And the negative association between vitamins intake and osteoporosis were more evident for female, aged ≥ 60, and BMI > 30, including vitamin A, C and D.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings provide evidence that vitamins intake is linked with decreased prevalence of osteoporosis, including vitamin A, C, D. Further large-scale prospective cohort studies are needed to verify our findings.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Bone Density; Vitamins; Absorptiometry, Photon; Cross-Sectional Studies; Vitamin A; Nutrition Surveys; Prospective Studies; Osteoporosis; Vitamin K
PubMed: 38233761
DOI: 10.1186/s12891-024-07173-y -
Marine Drugs Jul 2023was harvested once a month during its growing season (from May to August) from the Adriatic Sea. Algal volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were obtained by headspace...
was harvested once a month during its growing season (from May to August) from the Adriatic Sea. Algal volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were obtained by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and hydrodistillation (HD) and analysed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The effects of air drying and growing season on VOCs were determined. Two different extraction methods (ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE)) were used to obtain ethanolic extracts of . In addition, the seasonal antioxidant potential of the extracts was determined, and non-volatile compounds were identified from the most potent antioxidant extract. Aliphatic compounds (e.g., pentadecane) were predominantly found by HS-SPME/GC-MS. Hydrocarbons were more than twice as abundant in the dry samples (except in May). Aliphatic alcohols (e.g., hexan-1-ol, octan-1-ol, and oct-1-en-3-ol) were present in high percentages and were more abundant in the fresh samples. Hexanal, heptanal, nonanal, and tridecanal were also found. Aliphatic ketones (octan-3-one, 6-methylhept-5-en-2-one, and (,)-octa-3,5-dien-2-one) were more abundant in the fresh samples. Benzene derivatives (e.g., benzyl alcohol and benzaldehyde) were dominant in the fresh samples from May and August. ()-Verbenol and -cymen-8-ol were the most abundant in dry samples in May. HD revealed aliphatic compounds (e.g., heptadecane, pentadecanal, ()-heptadec-8-ene, ()-heptadec-3-ene), sesquiterpenes (germacrene D, epi-bicyclosesquiphellandrene, gleenol), diterpenes (phytol, pachydictyol A, ()-geranyl geraniol, cembra-4,7,11,15-tetraen-3-ol), and others. Among them, terpenes were the most abundant (except for July). Seasonal variations in the antioxidant activity of the ethanolic extracts were evaluated via different assays. MAE extracts showed higher peroxyl radical inhibition activity from 55.1 to 74.2 µM TE (Trolox equivalents). The highest reducing activity (293.8 µM TE) was observed for the May sample. Therefore, the May MAE extract was analysed via high-performance liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry and electrospray ionisation (UHPLC-ESI-HRMS). In total, 17 fatty acid derivatives, 9 pigments and derivatives, and 2 steroid derivatives were found. The highest content of pheophorbide and fucoxanthin, as well as the presence of other pigment derivatives, could be related to the observed antioxidant activity.
Topics: Antioxidants; Seasons; Terpenes; Plant Extracts; Phaeophyceae; Volatile Organic Compounds
PubMed: 37504946
DOI: 10.3390/md21070415 -
The New Phytologist Dec 2023Although intrinsic postzygotic reproductive barriers can play a fundamental role in speciation, their underlying evolutionary causes are widely debated. One hypothesis... (Review)
Review
Although intrinsic postzygotic reproductive barriers can play a fundamental role in speciation, their underlying evolutionary causes are widely debated. One hypothesis is that incompatibilities result from genomic conflicts. Here, I synthesize the evidence that conflict generates incompatibilities in plants, thus playing a creative role in plant biodiversity. While much evidence supports a role for conflict in several classes of incompatibility, integrating knowledge of incompatibility alleles with natural history can provide further essential tests. Moreover, comparative work can shed light on the relative importance of conflict in causing incompatibilities, including the extent to which their evolution is repeatable. Together, these approaches can provide independent lines of evidence that conflict causes incompatibilities, cementing its role in plant speciation.
Topics: Plants; Genome; Genomics; Reproduction; Biodiversity; Hybridization, Genetic; Genetic Speciation
PubMed: 37667567
DOI: 10.1111/nph.19233 -
The New Phytologist Jun 2024Plant water uptake from the soil is a crucial element of the global hydrological cycle and essential for vegetation drought resilience. Yet, knowledge of how the... (Review)
Review
Plant water uptake from the soil is a crucial element of the global hydrological cycle and essential for vegetation drought resilience. Yet, knowledge of how the distribution of water uptake depth (WUD) varies across species, climates, and seasons is scarce relative to our knowledge of aboveground plant functions. With a global literature review, we found that average WUD varied more among biomes than plant functional types (i.e. deciduous/evergreen broadleaves and conifers), illustrating the importance of the hydroclimate, especially precipitation seasonality, on WUD. By combining records of rooting depth with WUD, we observed a consistently deeper maximum rooting depth than WUD with the largest differences in arid regions - indicating that deep taproots act as lifelines while not contributing to the majority of water uptake. The most ubiquitous observation across the literature was that woody plants switch water sources to soil layers with the highest water availability within short timescales. Hence, seasonal shifts to deep soil layers occur across the globe when shallow soils are drying out, allowing continued transpiration and hydraulic safety. While there are still significant gaps in our understanding of WUD, the consistency across global ecosystems allows integration of existing knowledge into the next generation of vegetation process models.
Topics: Water; Trees; Soil; Seasons; Plant Roots; Ecosystem; Geography
PubMed: 38649790
DOI: 10.1111/nph.19762 -
Current Research in Toxicology 2023Phytanic acid (PA: 3,7,11,15-tetramethylhexadecanoic acid) is an important biometabolite of the chlorophyll-derived diterpenoid phytol. Its biological sources...
Phytanic acid (PA: 3,7,11,15-tetramethylhexadecanoic acid) is an important biometabolite of the chlorophyll-derived diterpenoid phytol. Its biological sources (occurrence) and ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination) profile are well-discussed in the literature. Cumulative literature suggests that PA has beneficial as well as harmful biological roles in humans and other animals. This study aimed to sketch a brief summary of PA's beneficial and harmful pharmacological effects in test systems on the basis of existing literature reports. Literature findings propose that PA has anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, anti-obesity, anticancer, and oocyte maturation effects. Although a high plasma PA-level mediated SLS remains controversial, it is evident to link it with Refsum's disease and other peroxisomal enzyme deficiency diseases in humans, including RCDP and LD; ZHDA and Alzheimer's disease; progressive ataxia and dysarthria; and an increased risk of some lymphomas such as LBL, FL, and NHL. PA exerts toxic effects on different kinds of cells, including neuronal, cardiac, and renal cells, through diverse pathways such as oxidative stress, mitochondrial disturbance, apoptosis, disruption of Na/K-ATPase activity, Ca homeostasis, alteration of AChE and MAO activities, etc. PA is considered a cardiac biomarker in humans. In conclusion, PA may be one of the most important biometabolites in humans.
PubMed: 37744206
DOI: 10.1016/j.crtox.2023.100120 -
Hepatology Communications Oct 2023HCC is a major cause of cancer death worldwide. Serum biomarkers such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), protein induced by vitamin K absence-II, and the Gender, Age, AFP-L3,...
BACKGROUND
HCC is a major cause of cancer death worldwide. Serum biomarkers such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), protein induced by vitamin K absence-II, and the Gender, Age, AFP-L3, AFP, Des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (GALAD) score have been recommended for HCC surveillance. However, inconsistent recommendations in international guidelines limit their clinical utility.
METHODS
In this multicenter study, over 2000 patient samples were collected in 6 Latin American and 2 European countries. The performance of the GALAD score was validated in cirrhotic cases, and optimized versions were tested for early-stage HCC and prediagnostic HCC detection.
RESULTS
The GALAD score could distinguish between HCC and cirrhosis in Latin American patients with an AUC of 0.76, sensitivity of 70%, and specificity of 83% at the conventional cutoff value of -0.63. In a European cohort, GALAD had an AUC of 0.69, sensitivity of 66%, and specificity of 72%. Optimizing the score in the 2 large multicenter cohorts revealed that AFP-L3 contributed minimally to early-stage HCC detection. Thus, we developed a modified GALAD score without AFP-L3, the ASAP (age, sex, AFP, and protein induced by vitamin K absence-II), which showed promise for early-stage HCC detection upon validation. The ASAP score also identified patients with cirrhosis at high risk for advanced-stage HCC up to 15 months before diagnosis (p < 0.0001) and differentiated HCC from hemangiomas, with a specificity of 100% at 71% sensitivity.
CONCLUSION
Our comprehensive analysis of large sample cohorts validates the GALAD score's utility in Latin American, Spanish, and Dutch patients for early-stage HCC detection. The optimized GALAD without AFP-L3, the ASAP score, is a good alternative and shows greater promise for HCC prediction.
Topics: Humans; alpha-Fetoproteins; Latin America; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Liver Neoplasms; Europe; Liver Cirrhosis; Biomarkers; Vitamin K
PubMed: 37708457
DOI: 10.1097/HC9.0000000000000264 -
BMC Cancer Sep 2023Abelson (ABL) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are effective against chronic myeloid leukemia (CML); however, many patients develop resistance during ABL TKI therapy....
BACKGROUND
Abelson (ABL) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are effective against chronic myeloid leukemia (CML); however, many patients develop resistance during ABL TKI therapy. Vitamin K2 (VK2) is a crucial fat-soluble vitamin used to activate hepatic coagulation factors and treat osteoporosis. Although VK2 has demonstrated impressive anticancer activity in various cancer cell lines, it is not known whether VK2 enhances the effects of asciminib, which specifically targets the ABL myristoyl pocket (STAMP) inhibitor.
METHOD
In this work, we investigated whether VK2 contributed to the development of CML cell lines. We also investigated the efficacy of asciminib and VK2 by using K562, ponatinib-resistant K562 (K562 PR), Ba/F3 BCR-ABL, and T315I point mutant Ba/F3 (Ba/F3 T315I) cells.
RESULTS
Based on data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, gamma-glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX) and vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1) were elevated in imatinib-resistant patients (GSE130404). UBIA Prenyltransferase Domain Containing 1 (UBIAD1) was decreased, and K562 PR cells were resistant to ponatinib. In contrast, asciminib inhibited CML cells and ponatinib resistance in a dose-dependent manner. CML cells were suppressed by VK2. Caspase 3/7 activity was also elevated, as was cellular cytotoxicity. Asciminib plus VK2 therapy induced a significantly higher level of cytotoxicity than use of each drug alone. Asciminib and VK2 therapy altered the mitochondrial membrane potential.
CONCLUSIONS
Asciminib and VK2 are suggested as a novel treatment for ABL-TKI-resistant cells since they increase treatment efficacy. Additionally, this treatment option has intriguing clinical relevance for patients who are resistant to ABL TKIs.
Topics: Humans; Vitamin K 2; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive; Leukemia, Myeloid; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Tyrosine; Vitamin K Epoxide Reductases
PubMed: 37670241
DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-11304-4