Neonatal and regressive forms of autism: Diseases with similar symptoms but a different etiology.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can be a debilitating, life-long neurocognitive disease. ASD is caused by genetic and epigenetic factors and largely unknown and poorly understood environmental triggers. Signs and symptoms of ASD often appear in the first year of life while the disease strikes other infants who had previously been developing normally at around 2years of age. Ozonoff and her colleagues recently suggested that there are three different pathways or trajectories for the development of ASD in infants 6-24months of age. I hypothesize that pathway 1 is caused by in utero insult/injury, pathway 2 by obstetric complications at birth, and pathway 3 by environmental triggers of ASD affecting infants 0-3years of age. Faster progress can be made in elucidating the underlying causes of neonatal and regressive forms of ASD if the diseases are investigated separately, instead of being part of the same disorder.

What is the key environmental trigger in type 1 diabetes--is it viruses, or wheat gluten, or both?

Prevention and treatment of type 1 diabetes is hampered by the fact that the key environmental trigger(s) of the disease is still unknown. Much of the data on this subject points to two possibilities, viruses and wheat gluten. Viruses appear to be involved as an etiological agent in some cases of type 1 diabetes, particularly in fulminant type 1 diabetes. Further analysis of the data suggests that viruses are not the sole trigger of type 1 diabetes in humans, and that wheat gluten may play a role in initiating the disease. Viruses may be the key environmental trigger in some cases of type 1 diabetes, and wheat gluten in others. Conceivably, some cases of type 1 diabetes might be caused by viruses and wheat gluten acting together as disease triggers.

African americans may have to consume more than 12 grams a day of resistant starch to lower their risk for type 2 diabetes.

African Americans have a high prevalence rate of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). High-maize 260 (National Starch and Chemical Co., Bridgewater, NJ, USA) resistant starch (RS) is a promising food ingredient to reduce risk factors for type 2 DM. A 14-week, double-blind, crossover design study was conducted with African American male (n = 8) and female (n = 7) subjects at risk for type 2 DM. All subjects consumed bread containing 12 g of added RS or control bread (no added RS) for 6 weeks, separated by a 2-week washout period. There were no significant differences in the subjects' fasting plasma glucose levels due to the consumption of the RS bread versus the control bread. Fructosamine levels were significantly lower after consumption of both RS and control bread than at baseline. However, we found no significant difference in fructosamine levels due to treatment effects, i.e., RS bread intake versus the control bread. There were no significant differences in insulin or C-reactive protein levels due to treatment, gender, or sequence effects. Mean homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance decreased to normal values (>2.5) at the end of the 14-week study, although there were no significant treatment effects. The results of this study suggest that African Americans may need to consume more than 12 g/day of RS to lower their risk for type 2 DM.

Putting the pieces of the puzzle together - a series of hypotheses on the etiology and pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes.

This paper presents a series of 10 hypotheses on the etiology of type 1 diabetes. We begin with the hypothesis that wheat gluten is one of the elusive environmental triggers in type 1 diabetes. Habitual consumption of wheat gluten increases the intestinal synthesis of dipeptidyl peptidase IV. This enzyme helps to shape the repertoire of peptides released into the small intestine following the ingestion of wheat gluten by catalyzing the release of X-Pro dipeptides from the N-terminus of the proline-rich glutenins and gliadins in wheat gluten. The release of gluten-derived peptides causes the tight junctions of the small intestine to open through a zonulin-dependent mechanism, which allows these peptides to enter the lamina propria where they get presented as antigens by HLA-DQ, -DR and CD1d molecules. Binding of one or more gluten peptides by CD1d leads to abrogation of oral tolerance, and a marked increase in peripheral immune responses to wheat proteins. Furthermore, it is our contention, that in response to beta cell apoptosis during normal remodeling of the pancreas and CCL19/CCL21 expression within the pancreatic lymph nodes (PLNs), gluten-loaded dendritic cells migrate from the small intestine to the PLNs. These dendritic cells present gluten-derived antigens on the surface of the PLNs, which leads to migration of CD4(-)CD8(-) gammadelta and CD4(-)CD8(+) alphabeta T cells to the pancreas where they mediate Fas and perforin dependent cytotoxicity. We also hypothesize that at least one of the type 1 diabetes associated HLA-DR molecules that bind and present wheat-derived peptide(s) also bind and present an islet cell antigen(s), activating plasma cell synthesis of islet cell autoantibodies and irrevocable, complement-dependent destruction of islet cells. Our final two hypotheses state that type 1 diabetes morbidity is reduced in those areas of globe where genetically susceptible individuals get adequate amounts of vitamin D, in the diet and/or through exposure to sunlight, and in areas where people are exposed to bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections in early childhood.

Women's access to food-processing technology at the household level is associated with improved diets at the pre-harvest lean season in The Gambia.

BACKGROUND: Women's access to food processing technology at the household level may have positive dietary benefits during the pre-harvest lean season when households are most stressed from food shortages and higher energy expenditures from agricultural work. OBJECTIVE: This study in rural Gambia was conducted to determine if women's access to small manually operated oil presses (ram) for sesame oil extraction had any significant effects on seasonal fluctuations of household oil supply and on dietary intakes of women and children. METHODS: Participants were 40 women and children with access to community-based motorized oil press expellers (Expeller-control), 37 women and children with access to village-based ram presses (Press-experiment), and 43 women and children with access to both ram press and motorized expeller (Combination). Dietary data were collected at baseline, at peak oil-pressing, at pre-harvest lean, and at the post-harvest seasons. RESULTS: Households in the Press-experiment and Combination groups consumed 37 and 51 percent more oil, respectively, than those in the Expeller-control group during the pre-harvest lean season. Women from the Press-experiment and Combination groups consumed more energy at the lean season than those in the Expeller-control group. Similarly, children from the Press-experiment and Combination groups consumed more protein at peak oil-processing season than those from the Expeller-control group. At the pre-harvest season children from these two groups also consumed more protein, however, only the consumption of the Combination children was statistically significant compared with that of the Expeller-control group (p < .05). Press-experiment children consumed more nutrient-dense weaning foods during the pre-harvest lean season than Expeller-control children. CONCLUSIONS: Women's access to appropriate technology can provide the means to "add value" to their agriculture product, which may serve as an economic stabilizer with potential to increase dietary intakes and incomes, especially during the pre-harvest lean season.

Stability of natamycin and its cyclodextrin inclusion complexes in aqueous solution.

Aqueous solutions of natamycin and its beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD), hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin, and gamma-cyclodextrin (gamma-CD) inclusion complexes were completely degraded after 24 h of exposure to 1000 lx fluorescent lighting at 4 degrees C. After 14 days of storage in darkness at 4 degrees C, 92.2% of natamycin remained in active form. The natamycin:beta-CD complex and natamycin:gamma-CD complex were significantly more stable (p < 0.05) than natamycin in its free state in aqueous solutions stored in darkness at 4 degrees C. Clear poly(ethylene terephthalate) packaging with a UV light absorber allowed 85.0% of natamycin to remain after 14 days of storage under 1000 lx fluorescent lighting at 4 degrees C. Natamycin:cyclodextrin complexes can be dissociated for analysis in methanol/water/acetic acid, 60:40:5, v/v/v. Natamycin and its complexes in dissociated form were quantified by reverse phase HPLC with detection by photodiode array at 304 nm.