Case report: Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder after tonsillectomy.

Background: Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a newly classified eating disorder that requires further understanding of its presentation. There is no previous report of ARFID in a child post-tonsillectomy. ARFID may be a potential negative outcome for children following oropharyngeal surgery. Case presentation: A female child aged 10 years and 2 months presented with ARFID associated with depression, anxiety and nutritional deficiency following tonsillectomy. She had more difficulty in swallowing solids than fluids and had repeated vomiting and spitting food after chewing it. She became dehydrated and malnourished with a BMI of 10.5 and was misdiagnosed with myasthenic gravis. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first case report of ARFID in a child post-tonsillectomy. We discuss the pathophysiology of ARFID, which remains elusive, and recommend psychiatric assessment when evaluating children post operative tonsillectomy.

The effect of acute and chronic nicotine consumption on intra-cortical inhibition and facilitation: A transcranial magnetic stimulation study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to explore the impact of acute and chronic nicotine consumption on measures of intracortical inhibition and facilitation. METHODS: This study involved 50 chronic heavy cigarette smokers and 40 healthy subjects matched for age, sex and educational level, with no history of chronic nicotine intake. Intracortical inhibition and facilitation were assessed using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) measures of motor threshold (MT), short- and long-interval intra-cortical inhibition (SICI, LICI), cortical silent period (CSP) and intra-cortical facilitation (ICF). Basal serum levels of cotinine were measured in the healthy group and at ½ and 2 h after smoking a single cigarette in the chronic smokers. RESULTS: There was enhanced SICI and reduced ICF in smokers (independent of time after smoking) compared with non-smokers. The former suggests a chronic effect of increased nicotine levels on GABA-A neurotransmission whereas the latter suggests an additional effect on glutamatergic transmission. There were no significant differences between smokers and non-smokers in other TMS parameters. There was a significant negative correlation between cotinine levels at ½â€¯h after smoking and SICI at 3 ms ISI (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in any of the neurophysiological measures between smokers at ½â€¯h versus 2 h after smoking a single cigarette. CONCLUSION: Chronic nicotine consumption enhances SICI, and reduces ICF, supporting the hypothesis that nicotine acts as a neuromodulator of GABA-A and glutamate neurotransmission.

A double-blind randomized clinical trial of high frequency rTMS over the DLPFC on nicotine dependence, anxiety and depression.

High frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) is a widely applied treatment protocol for chronic smoking and major depressive disorder. However, no previous study has measured the effects of rTMS on both nicotine consumption and anxiety/depression in the same volunteers despite the relationship between them. The aim of this work was to evaluate the efficacy of 10 daily sessions of HF-rTMS over the L-DLPFC in chronic cigarette smokers' addiction and investigate the possible beneficial effects of this treatment procedure on symptoms of depression and anxiety in the same subjects. The study included 40 treatment-seeking nicotine-dependent cigarette smokers. Onset/duration of smoking, number of cigarettes/day, Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND), Tobacco Craving Questionnaire-Short Form (TCQ-SF), Hamilton depression and anxiety scales (HAM-D and HAM-A) were recorded. Participants were randomly assigned to the active or the sham treatment group. Those in the active group received 10 trains of 20 Hz stimulation, at 80% of the resting motor threshold (rMT) for 10 consecutive working days over L-DLPFC. Participants were reassessed immediately after treatment, and then 3 months later using all rating scales. There were no differences between active and sham groups at baseline. The cigarette consumption/day, and scores on FTND, and TCQ decreased significantly in both groups (p = 0.0001 for each) immediately after treatment. However, improvement persisted to 3 months in the active group but not in the sham group. Moreover, there was a significant reduction in HAM-D and HAM-A scores immediately after treatment in the active but not the sham group. Subjects with a longer history of smoking had a lower percent improvement in FTND (p = 0.005). Our findings revealed that HF-rTMS over L-DLPCF for 10 days reduced cigarette consumption, craving, dependence, and improved associated symptoms of anxiety and depression.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03264755 registered at 29/08/2017.

Total mineralization of sulfamethoxazole and aromatic pollutants through Fe2+-montmorillonite catalyzed ozonation.

The catalytic activity and selectivity of montmorillonite exchanged with Na(+), Fe(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+) and Cu(2+) cations were comparatively investigated in the ozonation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX). Chlorobenzene, benzoic acid, 4-nitrobenzoic acid, 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 4-nitrophenol and phenol were used as probe molecules having structural similarity with SMX oxidation intermediates. UV-vis spectrophometry and chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurements showed that Fe(II)-Mt and, to a lesser extent, Co(II)-Mt produce total mineralization of all organic substrates in less than 40 min. Combined HPLC-mass spectrometry revealed a reverse proportionality between the degradation time and molecular size of the organic substrates. Oxalic acid was recognized as a common bottleneck in the ozonation of any organic substrates. Ozonation initially obeyed a first order kinetics, but adsorption took place after 3-5 min, inducing changes in the mechanisms pathways. These findings may be useful for tailoring optimum oxidative treatment of waters without accumulation of hazardous derivatives.

Transcriptome analysis of an mvp mutant reveals important changes in global gene expression and a role for methyl jasmonate in vernalization and flowering in wheat.

The einkorn wheat mutant mvp-1 (maintained vegetative phase 1) has a non-flowering phenotype caused by deletions including, but not limited to, the genes CYS, PHYC, and VRN1. However, the impact of these deletions on global gene expression is still unknown. Transcriptome analysis showed that these deletions caused the upregulation of several pathogenesis-related (PR) and jasmonate-responsive genes. These results suggest that jasmonates may be involved in flowering and vernalization in wheat. To test this hypothesis, jasmonic acid (JA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) content in mvp and wild-type plants was measured. The content of JA was comparable in all plants, whereas the content of MeJA was higher by more than 6-fold in mvp plants. The accumulation of MeJA was also observed in vernalization-sensitive hexaploid winter wheat during cold exposure. This accumulation declined rapidly once plants were deacclimated under floral-inductive growth conditions. This suggests that MeJA may have a role in floral transition. To confirm this result, we treated vernalization-insensitive spring wheat with MeJA. The treatment delayed flowering with significant downregulation of both TaVRN1 and TaFT1 genes. These data suggest a role for MeJA in modulating vernalization and flowering time in wheat.

Winter wheat hull (husk) is a valuable source for tricin, a potential selective cytotoxic agent.

The flavone, tricin (5,7,4'-trihydroxy-3',5'-dimethoxyflavone) has great potential as an anticancer agent, due to its specific chemopreventive activity. In spite of these characteristics, its use in preclinical studies is still limited, mainly because of its limited availability and high production cost. Tricin is found mainly in cereal grains, such as wheat, rice, barley, oat and maize. However, its concentration in these plants is not sufficient for commercial use. To find a reliable, rich source of tricin, we investigated its distribution in different parts of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and designed an efficient method for its isolation and purification. The highest amount (770 ± 157 mg/kg dry weight) was found in the husks of winter wheat. This concentration is one of the highest in any plant species and is considered as a cheap source of natural tricin. The purified wheat husks tricin was found to be a selective potent inhibitor of two cancer cell lines of liver and pancreas, while having no side effects on normal cells. This selective action suggests that tricin could be considered as a potential candidate for pre-clinical trials as a chemopreventive agent. In addition, fibre-rich crude wheat husk could be used as a natural chemopreventive agent in food supplement.

Tricin biosynthesis during growth of wheat under different abiotic stresses.

In plants, O-methylation is mediated by an enzyme family of O-methyltransferases (OMTs) that transfer the methyl groups from the methyl donor, S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) to suitable phenolic acceptor molecules. In a previous study [1], a flavonoid OMT (TaOMT2) was isolated and characterized from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves. Its novel gene product catalyzes three sequential O-methylations of the flavone tricetin (5,7,3',4',5'-pentahydroxyflavone) to its 3'-monomethyl-(selgin)→3',5'-dimethyl-(tricin)→3',4',5'-trimethyl (TMT) ether derivatives, with tricin being the major product of the reaction. In this report, the biological significance of tricetin methylation was investigated by measuring the OMT activity, its expression level, and the accumulation of its major product (tricin) at different stages of development of wheat plants exposed to different abiotic stresses such as cold, salt and drought. The results showed that tricin accumulates mostly in wheat inflorescences under normal conditions compared to leaves and other developmental stages. Tricin accumulation was associated with increased TaOMT2 expression level and its enzyme activity, suggesting a possible de novo synthesis of the enzyme at this important developmental stage. This phenomenon may be attributed to the putative role of tricin in protecting seeds against biotic and abiotic stresses. The functions of tricin during growth and development of wheat and the importance of tricetin methylation during abiotic stresses are discussed.

Daphnetin methylation stabilizes the activity of phosphoribulokinase in wheat during cold acclimation.

The methylation of daphnetin (7,8-dihydroxycoumarin) to its 8-methyl derivative is catalyzed by a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) O-methyltransferase (TaOMT1). This enzyme is regulated by cold and photosystem II excitation pressure (plastid redox state). Here, we investigated the biological significance of this methylation and its potential role in modulating the activity of kinases in wheat. To identify the potential kinases that may interact with daphnetin in wheat, the soluble protein extract from aerial parts of cold-acclimated wheat was purified by DEAE-cellulose separation and affinity chromatography on a daphnetin derivative (7,8-dihydroxy-4-coumarin acetic acid)-EAH sepharose column. Mass spectrometric analysis indicated that wheat phosphoribulokinase (TaPRK) is the major kinase that binds to daphnetin. This TaPRK plays an important role in regulating the flow of carbon through the Calvin cycle, by catalyzing the final step in the regeneration of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate from ribulose-5-phosphate (Ru5P) and ATP. The activities of TaPRK, endogenous or recombinant, are inhibited by daphnetin in a specific and dose-dependent manner, but not by its monomethyl derivative (7-methyl, 8-hydroxycoumarin). Furthermore, HPLC-MS analysis of wheat extracts reveals that 7,8-dimethoxycoumarin is more abundant than its monomethyl derivative. The results also show that cold acclimation does not alter the level of TaPRK mRNA or its enzyme activity, and thus ensures the stable generation of ribulose 1,5-biphosphate.

Changes in wheat leaf phenolome in response to cold acclimation.

A study of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves phenolome was carried out during cold acclimation of the winter (Claire) and spring (Bounty) varieties using a combination of HPLC-ESI-MS techniques. A total of 40 phenolic and flavonoid compounds were identified, and consisted mainly of two coumarin derivatives, eight simple phenolic derivatives, 10 hydroxycinnamoyl amides and 20 flavonoid derivatives. Identification and quantification of individual compounds were performed using an HPLC system coupled with a photodiode array detector and two different ESI-MS systems, in combination with a multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) technique. The analyses indicated that, although there were no qualitative differences in their profiles, the winter variety exhibited a higher phenolic content compared to the spring variety when both were grown under non-acclimated (control) conditions. Cold acclimation, on the other hand, resulted in a significant differential accumulation of phenolic compounds in both varieties: mostly as luteolin C-glycosides and their O-methyl derivatives in the winter variety (Claire) and a derivative of hydroxycinnamoyl amide in the spring variety (Bounty). These compounds accumulated in relatively large amounts in the apoplastic compartment. The accumulation of the O-methylated derivatives was associated with a marked increase in O-methyltransferase (OMT) activity. In addition, the trimethylated flavone, 3',4',5'-trimethyltricetin was identified for the first time in the native extracts of both control and cold-acclimated wheat leaves. The accumulation of a mixture of beneficial flavonoids, such as iso-orientin, vitexin and tricin in cold acclimated wheat leaves, attests for its potential as an inexpensive source of a health-promoting supplement to the human diet.