Synthesis of highly fluorescent carbon dots from lemon and onion juices for determination of riboflavin in multivitamin/mineral supplements / 药物分析学报

In this work, lemon and onion biomasses commonly found in street markets are for the first time used to develop a facile, fast and low-cost one-step microwave-assisted carbonization method for synthesis of highly fluorescent carbon dots (CDs). The structure and optical properties of CDs were investigated by TEM, XRD, XRF, UV-Vis, FTIR, and fluorescence spectroscopy. CDs displayed satisfactory optical pro-prieties, a high quantum yield of 23.6％, and excellent water solubility, and the particle size was 4.23-8.22 nm with an average diameter of 6.15 nm. An efficient fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the CDs and riboflavin was achieved with CDs acting as donor and riboflavin as acceptor. A linear relationship between FRET and the riboflavin concentration from 0.10 to 3.0 μg/mL was observed, allowing the development of an accurate and fast analytical method to determine this vitamin in multivitamin/mineral supplements. Despite the potential interferences in these supplements, CDs were selective for riboflavin under optimized conditions. A paired t-test at a 95％ confidence level indicated no statistically significant difference between the proposed and the reference methods. Recovery test presented values ranged from 96.0％ to 101.4％. The limit of detection and relative standard deviation were estimated at 1.0 ng/mL and <2.6％ (n = 3), respectively. CDs were successfully synthesized in a domestic microwave oven (1450 W, 6 min), presenting satisfactory parameters when compared with results of other studies reported in the literature, suggesting that the proposed method is a potentially useful method for the synthesis of CDs and determination of riboflavin.

Nutrient Composition and Content of Vitamin and Mineral Supplements and Their Appropriateness for Pregnant and Lactating Women in Korea / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: Use of dietary supplements containing vitamins and minerals is growing in Korean adults, especially in pregnant and lactating women. Vitamin and mineral supplements are available in different composition and in a wide range of contents. The purposes of the study were to examine nutrient composition and content of vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant and lactating women and assess their appropriateness as dietary supplements. METHODS: Information on the name, manufacturer, nutrient composition, and usage of vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant and lactating women were obtained from the homepage of the Food Safety Information Portal managed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and Korean Index of Medical Specialties. A total of 264 products were identified. RESULTS: Among 264 products, 26.1% were single nutrient products, and 73.9% were multinutrient products. The most commonly included nutrient was iron (70.1%), folic acid (66.3%), vitamin B12 (45.8%), vitamin C (38.6%), and vitamin B6 (38.6%). Although more than 50% of products contained nutrients less than 150% of Recommended Nutrient Intakes or Adequate Intakes for daily use, some products contained inappropriately high amounts of nutrients. When a maximum daily dose of supplements was taken as described on the label, iron in 73 products (39.5%), folic acid in 14 products (8.0%) were likely to be consumed in amounts greater than Tolerable Upper Intake Levels. Most products were assessed as inappropriate for pregnant women due to the possibility of excessive intake of vitamins or minerals when compared with Dietary Reference Intakes. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant and lactating women need to carefully select dietary supplements containing adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals. Nutritionists should provide guidelines regarding selection of appropriate vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant and lactating women.

Nutrient Composition and Content of Vitamin and Mineral Supplements and Their Appropriateness for Pregnant and Lactating Women in Korea / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: Use of dietary supplements containing vitamins and minerals is growing in Korean adults, especially in pregnant and lactating women. Vitamin and mineral supplements are available in different composition and in a wide range of contents. The purposes of the study were to examine nutrient composition and content of vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant and lactating women and assess their appropriateness as dietary supplements. METHODS: Information on the name, manufacturer, nutrient composition, and usage of vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant and lactating women were obtained from the homepage of the Food Safety Information Portal managed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and Korean Index of Medical Specialties. A total of 264 products were identified. RESULTS: Among 264 products, 26.1% were single nutrient products, and 73.9% were multinutrient products. The most commonly included nutrient was iron (70.1%), folic acid (66.3%), vitamin B12 (45.8%), vitamin C (38.6%), and vitamin B6 (38.6%). Although more than 50% of products contained nutrients less than 150% of Recommended Nutrient Intakes or Adequate Intakes for daily use, some products contained inappropriately high amounts of nutrients. When a maximum daily dose of supplements was taken as described on the label, iron in 73 products (39.5%), folic acid in 14 products (8.0%) were likely to be consumed in amounts greater than Tolerable Upper Intake Levels. Most products were assessed as inappropriate for pregnant women due to the possibility of excessive intake of vitamins or minerals when compared with Dietary Reference Intakes. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant and lactating women need to carefully select dietary supplements containing adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals. Nutritionists should provide guidelines regarding selection of appropriate vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant and lactating women.

Níveis dos elementos fósforo e flúor nos suplementos comercializados em Londrina-PR / Phosphorus and fluorine levels in supplements commercialized in Londrina - PR / Niveles de los elementos fósforo y flúor en suplementos comercializados en Londrina ­ PR

Uma formulação mineral de qualidade para bovinos precisa ser isenta de metais tóxicos e ter em sua composição a correta relação dos elementos fósforo e flúor. Além da obediência a legislação brasileira, é importante primar pela pureza das matérias-primas que compõem qualquer suplemento mineral, para que na cadeia trófica alimentar não haja vulnerabilidade ao consumo de carne e leite pelo ser humano. Para tanto, se faz necessário monitorar os suplementos minerais disponíveis no amplo mercado bovino pecuário, investigando os componentes e suas respectivas relações. Nesta finalidade, a presente pesquisa quantificou os elementos fósforo e flúor em formulações minerais comercializadas na cidade de Londrina, estado do Paraná, onde há expressivo comércio de insumos para a pecuária. Em oito importantes marcas comerciais, os autores encontraram algumas formulações com níveis elevados de flúor, promovendo alteração na relação com o elemento fósforo, caracterizando produtos com padrões fora das normas brasileiras vigentes.

A quality mineral formulation for cattle must be free of toxic metals in their composition and have the correct ratio of phosphorus and fluoride. As well as complying with the Brazilian law, it is important to strive for the purity of the raw materials that make up any mineral supplement, so that the food chain has no vulnerability to the consumption of meat and milk by humans. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor mineral supplements available on the large livestock cattle market, investigating the components and their relationships. With this purpose, the present study quantified phosphorus and fluoride found in mineral formulations marketed in the city of Londrina, Parana, where there is significant trade of inputs for livestock. In eight important brands, the authors found some formulations with high levels of fluoride, promoting change in relation to phosphorus, featuring products with patterns that are not compliant with the current Brazilian standards.

Una formulación mineral de calidad para bovinos necesita ser exenta de metales tóxicos y tener en su composición la correcta relación de los elementos fósforo y flúor. Además de obediencia a la legislación brasileña, es importante preciar por la pureza de las materias primas que componen cualquier suplemento mineral, para que en la cadena trófica alimentar no haya vulnerabilidad al consumo de carne y leche por el ser humano. Por lo tanto, se hace necesario monitorear los suplementos minerales disponibles en el amplio mercado bovino pecuario, investigando los componentes y sus respectivas relaciones. Así, esa investigación cuantificó los elementos fósforo y flúor en formulaciones minerales comercializadas en la ciudad de Londrina, estado de Paraná, donde hay expresivo comercio de insumos para la ganadería. En ocho marcas comerciales importantes, los autores encontraron algunas formulaciones con niveles elevados de flúor, promoviendo alteración en la relación con el elemento fósforo, caracterizando productos con estándares fuera de las normas brasileñas vigentes.

Dietary maximum exposure assessment of vitamins and minerals from various sources in Korean adolescents / 한국영양학회지

Dietary supplement use is prevalent and represents an important source of nutrition. This study was conducted in order to assess the dietary maximum exposure of vitamins and minerals from various sources including regular diet, vitamin.mineral supplements for non-prescription drug (VMS-NPD), vitamin.mineral supplements for health functional foods (VMS-HFF), and fortified foods (FF). A total of 1,407 adolescent boys and girls attending middle or high schools were chosen from various cities and rural communities in Korea. Users of vitamin and mineral supplements (n = 60, 15-18 years of age) were chosen from the above 1,407 students. Intake of vitamins and minerals from a regular diet and FF was assessed by both food record method and direct interview for three days of two weekdays and one weekend, and those from VMS-NPD and VMS-HFF were assessed by both questionnaire and direct interview, and compared with the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) and the tolerable upper intake level (UL) for Korean adolescents. Daily average exposure range of vitamins and minerals from a regular diet was 0.3 to 4.4 times of the RNI. Some subjects had an excessive exposure to the UL in the following areas: from regular diets, vitamin A (1.7%) and niacin (5.0%); from only VMS-NPD, vitamin C (9.1%) and iron (5.6%); and from only VMS-HFF, niacin (8.6%) > vitamin B6 (7.5%) > folic acid (2.9%) > vitamin C (2.3%). Nutrients of daily total intake from regular diet, VMS-NPD, VMS-HFF, and FF higher than the UL included nicotinic acid for 33.3% of subjects, and, then, in order, vitamin C (26.6%) > vitamin A (13.3%), iron (13.3%) > zinc (11.7%) > calcium (5.0%) > vitamin E (1.7%), vitamin B6 (1.7%). Thus, findings of this study showed that subjects may potentially be at risk due to overuse of supplements, even though most of them took enough vitamins and minerals from their regular diet. Therefore, we should encourage adolescents to have sound health care habits through systematic and educational aspects.

Prevalence of vitamin, mineral supplement use and its related factors among Korean adolescents / 한국영양학회지

This study is conducted in order to investigate the prevalence of vitamin, mineral (VM) supplement use and its related factors among Korean adolescents. Using a cross-sectional study design, information was obtained by questionnaires from adolescents selected by stratified sampling in large, small and middle-size cities, as well as rural areas of the whole country, followed by convenience sampling. The total number of participants in this study was 1,407 adolescents (15.2 +/- 1.6 years) attending middle or high schools, chosen from various cities and rural areas in Korea. The prevalence of VM supplement use was 65.5%, and there was no significant difference between the genders. City dwellers took VM supplements more frequently than those adolescents from rural areas (p < 0.01). The VM supplement users tended to have higher family income, parents' academic background, and socioeconomic status, respectively (p < 0.001). The greater part of VM supplement users replied that they acquired their nutritional information from their parents, relatives and friends, while many nonusers replied that they did it from school classes (p < 0.05). Compared to nonusers, VM supplement users had greater 'self concern about health' (p < 0.05), 'parents' concern about child's health, growth, and nutritional intake' (p < 0.001), and 'parents' concern about child's grade point' (p < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference between users and nonusers when it came to 'self perception of body shape' or 'BMI'. In addition, users significantly had greater nutritional beliefs concerning VM supplements than nonusers (p < 0.001). These results showed that VM supplement use has been common among adolescents in Korea, and supplement use of subjects has been related with various factors. Among them, it was shown that especially parents great influence the use of VM supplements by adolescents. Thus, not only education for adolescents, but also that for parents is needed to help adolescents take VM supplements properly.

Características do sistema produtivo da pecuária no município de Santarém, Pará / Characterization of cattle production systems in Santarém, Pará, Brazil

Com o objetivo de identificar as principais falhas no sistema de produção que limitam a pecuária em Santarém, Pará, foram entrevistados, ao acaso, 21 pecuaristas (90,5 por cento de corte - cria, recria e engorda; 9,5 por cento de leite), proprietários de 10 por cento da população de bovinos do município. 71,4 por cento das propriedades tinham currais para manejo do gado, entretanto apenas 38,1 por cento possuíam balança e 23,8 por cento tronco de contenção. A Brachiaria brizantha estava presente em todas as fazendas, sendo usada exclusivamente em 42,9 por cento das propriedades. A disseminação de plantas invasoras (61,9 por cento) foi considerada a principal dificuldade no manejo das pastagens. Constatou-se que 76,2 por cento dos pecuaristas utilizam misturas minerais com macro e micro-elementos, geralmente de formulações comerciais, enquanto que 19 por cento utilizam apenas sal comum, enriquecido com micro-elementos. A concentração de fósforo (P) na mistura mineral estava abaixo do recomendado para bovinos de corte em 76,9 por cento das propriedades e apenas 19 por cento das propriedades possuía cochos para suplementação mineral adequada.

With the objective of identifying the main problems of cattle nutrition in the production systems of Santarém, Pará, Brazil, ranchers in different regions of the municipality and who owned 10 percent of the municipality's animals were interviewed at random. The ranchers raised mostly beef cattle; only 9.5 percent had dairy cattle. The infrastructure conditions are inappropriate; only 23.8 percent of the ranches have adequate facilities for beef cattle management and 61.9 percent of the ranchers do not consider weight control. Weed invasion was considered the main problem of the pastures (61.9 percent). The most common forage was Brachiaria brizantha, used exclusively in 42.9 percent of the ranches. 76.2 percent of the ranchers used a complete mineral supplement, with macro and micro elements, while 19 percent used only salt (NaCl) with micro elements; the other 5 percent did not use mineral supplements at all. The phosphorus concentration in the mineral supplement at 76.9 percent of the ranches was less than the minimum level suggested for beef cattle and only 19 percent of the ranches had appropriate mineral feeders.

Multivitamin and Mineral Supplements on the Quality of Llife of Healthy Persons / 中国心理卫生杂志

Objective: To explore the effects of multivitamin and mineral supplements on self-evaluation of mood and health status in healthy volunteers.Methods:149 healthy volunteers took multi-nutrient supplements or placeboes for 8 weeks, and self-evaluation of mood and health status was evaluated by Profile of Mood States and 36-item short-form health survey.Results:Self-comparing POMS scores, active group's scores of vigor were significantly increased, from 14.2? 4.6 to 15.5 ? 4.9(t=2.74,P37)were significantly improved. But the placebo group and young volunteers were not significantly improved. Conclusion: The intervention of multivitamin and mineral supplements can improve elderly healthy persons' mood and healthy status.