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Frontiers in Nutrition 2022Nutritious foods are essential for human health and development. However, malnutrition and hidden hunger continue to be a challenge globally. In most developing... (Review)
Review
Nutritious foods are essential for human health and development. However, malnutrition and hidden hunger continue to be a challenge globally. In most developing countries, access to adequate and nutritious food continues to be a challenge. Although hidden hunger is less prevalent in developed countries compared to developing countries where iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) deficiencies are common. The United Nations (UN) 2nd Sustainable Development Goal was set to eradicate malnutrition and hidden hunger. Hidden hunger has led to numerous cases of infant and maternal mortalities, and has greatly impacted growth, development, cognitive ability, and physical working capacity. This has influenced several countries to develop interventions that could help combat malnutrition and hidden hunger. Interventions such as dietary diversification and food supplementation are being adopted. However, fortification but mainly biofortification has been projected to be the most sustainable solution to malnutrition and hidden hunger. Plant-based foods (PBFs) form a greater proportion of diets in certain populations; hence, fortification of PBFs is relevant in combating malnutrition and hidden hunger. Agronomic biofortification, plant breeding, and transgenic approaches are some currently used strategies in food crops. Crops such as cereals, legumes, oilseeds, vegetables, and fruits have been biofortified through all these three strategies. The transgenic approach is sustainable, efficient, and rapid, making it suitable for biofortification programs. Omics technology has also been introduced to improve the efficiency of the transgenic approach.
PubMed: 36570169
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1043655 -
Veterinary Research Forum : An... 2023The purpose of this review was to assess the use of plant essential oils and extracts (PEOE) in the development of antimicrobial edible films for dairy application... (Review)
Review
The purpose of this review was to assess the use of plant essential oils and extracts (PEOE) in the development of antimicrobial edible films for dairy application through a systematic review and meta-analysis. All studies published in multiple databases were explored via PRISMA protocol on November 1, 2022. According to the results, the interquartile range of pathogen reduction potential of essential oil (EO) in dairy products, irrespective of EO, film and product type, was 0.10 - 4.70 log CFU g per % concentration. The findings from 38 articles indicate that among all EOs or their compounds, Boiss in protein film, thyme in protein film, Boiss EO in protein film, -cinnamaldehyde in carbohydrate film and lemongrass EO in protein film had extraordinary pathogen reduction potential on important foodborne pathogens. In the case of plant extract, fish gelatin film with extract, whey protein isolate film loaded with oregano EO and carboxymethyl cellulose film with clove EOs had the highest antimicrobial effect on mesophilic bacteria (9.50 log CFU g per % concentration), yeast-mold (2.63 log CFU g per % concentration) and mesophilic/ psychrophilic counts (> 9.06 log CFU g per % concentration), respectively. is the primary species of interest; whereas, mesophiles and mold-yeast populations were the most investigated microbiota/mycobiota in cheese with PEOE-incorporated film. In light of these findings, the choice of PEOE at appropriate concentrations with the selection of appropriate edible film may improve the safety, sensory, and shelf life of dairy products.
PubMed: 37181858
DOI: 10.30466/vrf.2022.1986122.3730 -
Journal of Genetics and Genomics = Yi... Mar 2024Protein post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as ubiquitination, phosphorylation, and small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)ylation, are crucial for regulating...
Protein post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as ubiquitination, phosphorylation, and small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)ylation, are crucial for regulating protein stability, activity, subcellular localization, and binding with cofactors. Such modifications remarkably increase the variety and complexity of proteomes, which are essential for regulating numerous cellular and physiological processes. The regulation of auxin signaling is finely tuned in time and space to guide various plant growth and development. Accumulating evidence indicates that PTMs play critical roles in auxin signaling regulations. Thus, a thorough and systematic review of the functions of PTMs in auxin signal transduction will improve our profound comprehension of the regulation mechanism of auxin signaling and auxin-mediated various processes. This review discusses the progress of protein ubiquitination, phosphorylation, histone acetylation and methylation, SUMOylation, and S-nitrosylation in the regulation of auxin signaling.
Topics: Indoleacetic Acids; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Signal Transduction; Sumoylation; Ubiquitination
PubMed: 37451336
DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2023.07.002 -
Viruses Mar 2021Plant viral diseases are the foremost threat to sustainable agriculture, leading to several billion dollars in losses every year. Many viruses infecting several crops... (Review)
Review
Plant viral diseases are the foremost threat to sustainable agriculture, leading to several billion dollars in losses every year. Many viruses infecting several crops have been described in the literature; however, new infectious viruses are emerging frequently through outbreaks. For the effective treatment and prevention of viral diseases, there is great demand for new techniques that can provide accurate identification on the causative agents. With the advancements in biochemical and molecular biology techniques, several diagnostic methods with improved sensitivity and specificity for the detection of prevalent and/or unknown plant viruses are being continuously developed. Currently, serological and nucleic acid methods are the most widely used for plant viral diagnosis. Nucleic acid-based techniques that amplify target DNA/RNA have been evolved with many variants. However, there is growing interest in developing techniques that can be based in real-time and thus facilitate in-field diagnosis. Next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based innovative methods have shown great potential to detect multiple viruses simultaneously; however, such techniques are in the preliminary stages in plant viral disease diagnostics. This review discusses the recent progress in the use of NGS-based techniques for the detection, diagnosis, and identification of plant viral diseases. New portable devices and technologies that could provide real-time analyses in a relatively short period of time are prime important for in-field diagnostics. Current development and application of such tools and techniques along with their potential limitations in plant virology are likewise discussed in detail.
Topics: Crops, Agricultural; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Plant Diseases; Plant Viruses; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Virus Diseases
PubMed: 33807625
DOI: 10.3390/v13030412 -
Journal of the American Heart... Dec 2023Cardiovascular calcification, characterized by deposition of calcium phosphate in the arterial wall and heart valves, is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and...
BACKGROUND
Cardiovascular calcification, characterized by deposition of calcium phosphate in the arterial wall and heart valves, is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and is commonly seen in aging, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. Whether evidence-based interventions could significantly attenuate cardiovascular calcification progression remains uncertain.
METHODS AND RESULTS
We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials involving interventions, compared with placebo, another comparator, or standard of care, to attenuate cardiovascular calcification. Included clinical trials involved participants without chronic kidney disease, and the outcome was cardiovascular calcification measured using radiological methods. Quality of evidence was determined by the Cochrane risk of bias and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations assessment. Forty-nine randomized controlled trials involving 9901 participants (median participants 104, median duration 12 months) were eligible for inclusion. Trials involving aged garlic extract (n=6 studies) consistently showed attenuation of cardiovascular calcification. Trials involving 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (n=14), other lipid-lowering agents (n=2), hormone replacement therapies (n=3), vitamin K (n=5), lifestyle measures (n=4), and omega-3 fatty acids (n=2) consistently showed no attenuation of cardiovascular calcification with these therapies. Trials involving antiresorptive (n=2), antihypertensive (n=2), antithrombotic (n=4), and hypoglycemic agents (n=3) showed mixed results. Singleton studies involving salsalate, folate with vitamin B6 and 12, and dalcetrapib showed no attenuation of cardiovascular calcification. Overall, Cochrane risk of bias was moderate, and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations assessment for a majority of analyses was moderate certainty of evidence.
CONCLUSIONS
Currently, there are insufficient or conflicting data for interventions evaluated in clinical trials for mitigation of cardiovascular calcification. Therapy involving aged garlic extract appears most promising, but evaluable studies were small and of short duration.
Topics: Humans; Antioxidants; Diabetes Mellitus; Disease Progression; Hypoglycemic Agents; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Vascular Calcification; Garlic; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts
PubMed: 38014685
DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.123.031676 -
International Journal of Cosmetic... Aug 2023Sweating is the human body's thermoregulation system but also results in unpleasant body odour which can diminish the self-confidence of people. There has been continued... (Review)
Review
Sweating is the human body's thermoregulation system but also results in unpleasant body odour which can diminish the self-confidence of people. There has been continued research in finding solutions to reduce both sweating and body odour. Sweating is a result of increased sweat flow and malodour results from certain bacteria and ecological factors such as eating habits. Research on deodorant development focuses on inhibiting the growth of malodour-forming bacteria using antimicrobial agents, whereas research on antiperspirant synthesis focuses on technologies reducing the sweat flow, which not only reduces body odour but also improves people's appearance. Antiperspirant's technology is based on the use of aluminium salts which can form a gel plug at sweat pores, obstructing the sweat fluid from arising onto the skin surface. In this paper, we perform a systematic review on the recent progress in the development of novel antiperspirant and deodorant active ingredients that are alcohol-free, paraben-free, and naturally derived. Several studies have been reported on the alternative class of actives that can potentially be used for antiperspirant and body odour treatment including deodorizing fabric, bacterial, and plant extracts. However, a significant challenge is to understand how the gel-plugs of antiperspirant actives are formed in sweat pores and how to deliver long-lasting antiperspirant and deodorant benefits.
Topics: Humans; Antiperspirants; Deodorants; Body Odor; Sweating; Sweat Glands
PubMed: 36896776
DOI: 10.1111/ics.12852 -
Nutrients Mar 2022Many studies that use food containing Panax genus plants (PGPs) have been conducted but most of them have not mentioned the effective compounds ginsenosides and their... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Many studies that use food containing Panax genus plants (PGPs) have been conducted but most of them have not mentioned the effective compounds ginsenosides and their composition. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of time to exhaustion as an index of exercise endurance with ingestion of PGPs or ginsenosides to reveal their effects.
METHODS
We performed a systematic review with a comprehensive and structured literature search using seven literature databases, four clinical trial databases, and three general web search engines during 15-22 March 2021. A random-effects model was applied to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) as the difference between the mean in the treatment and placebo groups. We evaluated the risk of bias of individual studies along with the risk of bias tool in the Cochrane handbook. This study was funded by Maruzen Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (Hiroshima, Japan). The protocol for this study was registered with the UMIN-CTR (No. UMIN000043341).
RESULTS
Five studies met the inclusion criteria. The number of total participants was 90, with 59 in the ingestion-PGPs group and 64 in the control group, because three studies were crossover-design trials. We found that ingestion of PGPs or ginsenosides significantly improved exercise endurance (SMD [95% CI]: 0.58 [0.22-0.95], I = 0%). It was suggested that ginsenoside Rg (Rg) and PGPs extract containing Rg were significantly effective in improving exercise endurance (SMD [95% CI]: 0.70 [0.14-1.27], I = 30%) by additional analysis.
CONCLUSIONS
This systematic review suggests that the ingestion of PGPs or ginsenosides, especially Rg, is effective in improving exercise endurance in healthy adults. However, further high-quality randomized controlled trials are required because imprecision and publication bias cannot be ignored in this systematic review.
Topics: Adult; Eating; Exercise; Humans; Japan; Nutritional Status; Panax
PubMed: 35334841
DOI: 10.3390/nu14061185 -
Annals of Internal Medicine Sep 2017Cannabis is available from medical dispensaries for treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in many states of the union, yet its efficacy in treating PTSD symptoms... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Cannabis is available from medical dispensaries for treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in many states of the union, yet its efficacy in treating PTSD symptoms remains uncertain.
PURPOSE
To identify ongoing studies and review existing evidence regarding the benefits and harms of plant-based cannabis preparations in treating PTSD in adults.
DATA SOURCES
MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, and other sources from database inception to March 2017.
STUDY SELECTION
English-language systematic reviews, trials, and observational studies with a control group that reported PTSD symptoms and adverse effects of plant-based cannabis use in adults with PTSD.
DATA EXTRACTION
Study data extracted by 1 investigator was checked by a second reviewer; 2 reviewers independently assessed study quality, and the investigator group graded the overall strength of evidence by using standard criteria.
DATA SYNTHESIS
Two systematic reviews, 3 observational studies, and no randomized trials were found. The systematic reviews reported insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about benefits and harms. The observational studies found that compared with nonuse, cannabis did not reduce PTSD symptoms. Studies had medium and high risk of bias, and overall evidence was judged insufficient. Two randomized trials and 6 other studies examining outcomes of cannabis use in patients with PTSD are ongoing and are expected to be completed within 3 years.
LIMITATION
Very scant evidence with medium to high risk of bias.
CONCLUSION
Evidence is insufficient to draw conclusions about the benefits and harms of plant-based cannabis preparations in patients with PTSD, but several ongoing studies may soon provide important results.
PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development, Quality Enhancement Research Initiative. (PROSPERO: CRD42016033623).
Topics: Humans; Medical Marijuana; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
PubMed: 28806794
DOI: 10.7326/M17-0477 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2021Animal protein provides unique sensory and textural properties to foods that are not easily replicated when replaced with plant-based alternatives. Food scientists and... (Review)
Review
Animal protein provides unique sensory and textural properties to foods that are not easily replicated when replaced with plant-based alternatives. Food scientists and researchers are currently developing innovative approaches to improve their physical and sensory characteristics in plant-based analogs. In terms of plant-based cheese substitutes (PBCS), soy is the most commonly used plant-based protein but is associated with undesirable sensory attributes (i.e., beany and gritty). In order to determine if the approaches result in a significant improvement in sensory quality and liking, sensory evaluation is employed. The aim of this review is to summarize the original literature ( = 12) relating to 100% PBCS which utilizes sensory evaluation methods. Overall, a major theme identified in this review is the innovative strategies used to increase acceptance of PBCS, whether products are aimed at improving existing non-dairy-based cheese formulations or to more closely mimic a conventional dairy-based cheese product. Studies demonstrate processing and fermentation of soybeans and blending of non-dairy milks are potential ways to improve consumer liking of PBCS. A secondary focus is to discuss the current sensory methodology carried out in the reviewed literature. Future studies should consider using more specific measures of flavor and mouthfeel, integrate evaluation of consumer liking with instrumental textural methods, and use a larger more diverse group of consumers. The outcome of this review is to highlight the importance of integrating sensory science in order to help facilitate the improvement of the sensory and quality attributes of PBCS and streamline product development.
PubMed: 33808105
DOI: 10.3390/foods10040725 -
Frontiers of Medicine Jun 2017In traditional Chinese medicine, Lonicerae Japonicae Flos is commonly used as anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antipyretic herbal medicine, and geo-authentic herbs are... (Review)
Review
In traditional Chinese medicine, Lonicerae Japonicae Flos is commonly used as anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antipyretic herbal medicine, and geo-authentic herbs are believed to present the highest quality among all samples from different regions. To discuss the current situation and trend of geo-authentic Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, we searched Chinese Biomedicine Literature Database, Chinese Journal Full-text Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Full-text Database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Wanfang, and PubMed. We investigated all studies up to November 2015 pertaining to quality assessment, discrimination, pharmacological effects, planting or processing, or ecological system of geo-authentic Lonicerae Japonicae Flos. Sixty-five studies mainly discussing about chemical fingerprint, component analysis, planting and processing, discrimination between varieties, ecological system, pharmacological effects, and safety were systematically reviewed. By analyzing these studies, we found that the key points of geo-authentic Lonicerae Japonicae Flos research were quality and application. Further studies should focus on improving the quality by selecting the more superior of all varieties and evaluating clinical effectiveness.
Topics: Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Ecosystem; Lonicera; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Plant Extracts; Plants, Medicinal; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 28425044
DOI: 10.1007/s11684-017-0504-0