Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 4, Issue 3, 2008

Current Nutrition and Food Science (CNF) has now achieved considerable visibility in the scientific circles. It is clear that this success is due to the quality of papers that are being published by reputed scientists from all over the world. From time to time, CNF encourages publication of special issues devoted to a particular theme or topics that could be of interest to scientists, clinicians, nutritionists, biochemists, food technologi Read More

Insulin resistance syndrome is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease (CAD). Endothelial dysfunction due to reduced nitric oxide generation is seen in both insulin resistance syndrome and CAD. Endothelial dysfunction also occurs in obesity, diabetes mellitus, and other cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, we employed multiple sequence alignment using Clustal W tool and constructed a p Read More

A significant suppression of lipid and inflammatory biomarkers in breast-fed subjects was noted suggesting a long-term protective effect of breast-milk on future heart disease.

The amount and type of dietary fats represent risk factors for several cancers. Essential PUFAs serve as precursors of several biologically active molecules, mainly endocannabinoids and eicosanoids, which participate in tumorigenic processes. However, their mechanisms still remain unclear. This article reviews the current knowledge and experimental results on the effects of dietary manipulation of n-3, n-6 essential fatty acid Read More

The prediction of functions of proteins in living organisms can be made based on its domain analysis, proteinprotein interactions, sequence comparisons, structure comparisons, and phylogenetic tree analysis. Domain analysis and protein-protein interactions are important tools of bioinformatics based on which annotation of conserved domain footprints on protein sequences can be ascertained which could serve a Read More

Bladder tumors predominantly occur in high-income countries. However, South America deserves particular attention since is it is made up of countries with striking differences in their GNP per capita, representing a “chessboard” field for the study of tumor risk related to the environment. In recent times, a so-called “healthy” culture has emerged with people beginning to be conscious of the effects of food and nutrition on Read More

It is widely known that Amaranth is a highly nutritious plant, and contains all the essential amino acids. It provides an amazing amount of magnesium, calcium and dietary fiber for general health. The literature provides that there are numerous citations about the quality and composition of amaranth seeds, but not much information about amaranth protein in the green mass. Furthermore, amaranth's green Read More

Both obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus are common. In a gene expression profile study, it was noted that genes concerned with carbohydrate, lipid and amino acid metabolism, and signal transduction pathways are upregulated, while genes involved in cell adhesion, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, insulin signaling, immune system pathways, and inflammatory pathway are differentially expressed both in obesity Read More

The aim of the research was to analyze the chemical composition of Lithuanian propolis and to compare it with the chemical composition of propolis in neighboring countries (Latvia and Poland) according to the predominant flora in the collecting places and the quality of raw material collecting process. The article describes the qualitative analysis of phenolic acids in propolis using the high-performance liquid chromato Read More

There is increasing evidence that diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer's disease occur more often than by chance. Recently, we proposed that increase in the activity of the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase could be a common link between these two conditions. Acetylcholine is an anti-inflammatory molecule. Butyrylcholinesterase by inactivating acetylcholine may enhance inflammation and induce decline in cognitive function. In the Read More

Albumin is a complex molecule that is a principal transporter of plasma fatty acids and binds to majority of the drugs ingested. Albumin traps oxygen radicals and has anti-oxidant actions that exceed that of vitamin E. Vascular endothelial cells express specific binding sites for albumin that may aid in its ability to prevent endothelial cell apoptosis. Albumin regulates the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase in astrocytes and thus Read More

Resveratrol is a natural polyphenolic compound containing antioxidant property found in red wine, grapes, berries and peanuts. In vitro and in vivo studies suggest that trans-resveratrol is more effective in reducing platelet aggregation, improving endothelial function, inhibiting LDL oxidation and have antiatherogenic properties. However, clinical studies were not conducted nor reported on any beneficial effects on CHD in humans. Read More