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Journal Article 2011; 32(Suppl 2): 13-16 PubMed PMID: 22101875 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Alcoholic Beverages:statistics & numerical data, Animals, Beer:statistics & numerical data, Beverages, Coffee, Czech Republic:epidemiology, Diet Surveys, Energy Intake, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Milk, Sex Factors, Surveys.   

BACKGROUND: Food intake is a commonly monitored issue in many studies. In contrast, almost no information has been published on beverage intake in adults.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: To evaluate beverage intake, we studied a population of 1, 200 adults (656 males and 544 females, aged 18-54 years). The volumes and types of beverages were obtained from self-reported questionnaires.

RESULTS: The mean beverage intake was highly variable, with a minimum of 450 mL/day and a maximum of 5,330 mL/day. A mean of 1,575 mL/day was found in the entire population (2,300 mL in males and 840 mL in females). Different patterns in the consumption of beverage types were observed between the males and females. For both males and females, the most common beverage consumed was water followed by tea. The next preferable beverages were alcoholic beer, coffee, and non-alcoholic beer in males and coffee, milk, and alcoholic beer in females. The estimated caloric intake from beverages covers, in most individuals, 10-30% of the recommended daily caloric intake.

CONCLUSIONS: There is substantial variation among individuals, both in beverage intake and in caloric intake through beverages. The caloric intake from beverages reaches, in some individuals, one-third of the recommended daily caloric rate....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(Suppl 1): 143-147 PubMed PMID: 20027161 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Colostrum:chemistry, Diet, Dietary Supplements, Female, Liver:chemistry, Milk:chemistry, Muscle, Skeletal:chemistry, Myocardium:chemistry, Pregnancy, Selenium:administration & dosage, Species Specificity, Swine:metabolism,.   

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this trial was to determine selenium status in pure bred duroc sows and their progeny and to compare it to Czech Large White x Landrace breed.

DESIGN: The pregnant duroc sows (n=12) and pregnant Czech Large White x Landrace sows (n=12) were fed identical diets supplemented with sodium selenite.

RESULTS: During lactation significantly higher serum Se concentrations (p<0.001) were found in duroc piglets. Also significantly higher serum GSH-Px activities (p<0.001) were found in duroc sows and piglets. No differences in concentrations of Se in colostrums and milk were found between the two breeds.

CONCLUSION: Our findings support the hypothesis that there may be breed differences in indices of selenium status in pigs....

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Clinical Trial 2005; 26(6): 657-661 PubMed PMID: 16380706 Citation  Keywords:  Bottle Feeding, Breast Feeding, Circadian Rhythm:physiology, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Melatonin:analogs & derivatives, Milk, Human:metabolism, Reference Values, Sleep:physiology, Statistics, Nonparametric, Tryptophan:metabolism,.   

INTRODUCTION: The hormone melatonin regulates the sleep and this pineal hormone is synthesized in the organism from the amino acid tryptophan. It is known that breast-fed babies have better sleep patterns and a better entrained sleep/wake cycle than bottle-fed babies (adapted formula).

OBJECTIVE: To compare the circadian rhythm of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s)--the metabolite of melatonin excreted in the urine--in urine of bottle-fed and breast-fed children, and relate it to the circadian rhythm of tryptophan in breast milk, also evaluating the possible effects on the baby's night-time rest.

METHODS: 16 infants of 12 weeks of age were studied, divided into two groups depending on their exclusively natural or artificial feeding. The circadian rhythm of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin in urine was measured for the two groups of infants and for the breast-feeding mothers. In the breast milk, the circadian rhythm of the amino acid tryptophan was measured. The rest of the infants was tested by wrist actimeters for a week and the sleep parameters of the infants were measured and evaluated.

RESULTS: The tryptophan in the breast milk presented a circadian rhythm with acrophase at around 03:00. This affected the 6-sulfatoxymelatonin circadian rhythm with acrophase at 06:00 in the breast-fed infants, and also promoted nocturnal sleep. Assumed sleep, actual sleep, and sleep efficiency were significantly increased in the breast fed infants with respect the formula fed infants.

CONCLUSION: A temporal relationship was observed between the circadian rhythm of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin of the exclusively breast-fed babies and that of tryptophan in the mother's milk. Acting this amino acid as a zeitgeber entrainment of the biological rhythms in the breast-fed infant....

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Comparative Study 2005; 26(2): 125-130 PubMed PMID: 15855883 Citation  Keywords:  Action Potentials:physiology, Animals, DNA-Binding Proteins:metabolism, Electrophysiology, Hypothalamus:cytology, In Vitro Techniques, Male, Milk Proteins:metabolism, Neurons:metabolism, Prolactin:physiology, Rats, Rats, Wistar, Receptors, Prolactin:metab.   

OBJECTIVES: The study investigated the role of prolactin (PRL) in modulating STAT5 and electrical activity of magnocellular neurones in the supraoptic (SO) nucleus of male rats.

METHODS: Evidence of expression of STAT5 in the SO nucleus was investigated by immunocytochemical methods. Effect of blocking prolactin receptors on STAT 5 expression was investigated by Western blotting following transfection of SO neurones with a dominant negative mutant form of the PRL receptor. Prolactin-induced changes in electrical activity were investigated by extracellular recording in hypothalamic slices.

RESULTS: A high proportion of SO neurones in male rats expressed immunoreactive STAT5. Levels of activated STAT5 within the SO nucleus of PRL-treated rats was reduced following transfection with a dominant negative mutant form of the PRL receptor, as compared to rats transfected with wild type PRL receptor. Electrophysiological recordings from the SO nucleus in horizontal brain slices showed that approximately 25% of neurones were responsive to PRL, with both inhibitory and excitatory effects being observed. Cells displaying PRL responses included pharmacologically-identified oxytocinergic neurones.

CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, the results suggest that central PRL targets neurones of the SO nucleus, influencing both activation of the JAK-STAT signalling pathway and neuronal excitability. Whilst the functional significance of this interaction remains to be established, it might be important in co-ordinating oxytocin secretion with physiological events associated with changes in plasma PRL, or in mediating a feedback loop in the oxytocinergic regulation of lactotrophs....

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Journal Article 2018; 39(4): 325-330 PubMed PMID: 30531702 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Diet, Dietary Exposure, Female, Humans, Meat, Milk, Human:chemistry, Trichothecenes:analysis, Turkey, Young Adult, Zearalenone:analysis,.   

INTRODUCTION: Zearalenone (ZEA) and deoxynivalenol (DON) are toxic fungal secondary metabolites, found mainly in contaminated food, that are associated with serious health problems. It is important to identify undesirable toxins and metabolites that may be present in human milk. The aim of this study was to evaluate human milk ZEA and DON levels, total daily intake of ZEA and DON; and their possible relationship with maternal dietary habits. METHODS: We enrolled 90 lactating mothers who had 7- to 90-day-old babies. A dietary questionnaire was completed by each of the mothers. Human milk samples were obtained from 90 mothers, and human milk ZEA and DON levels were evaluated with the solid-phase direct enzyme immunoassay. The total daily intake (TDI) was calculated for the 63 exclusively breastfed infants. RESULTS: ZEA was detected in all human milk samples; median was 173.8 ng/L (35.7-682 ng/L). The calculated median TDI for ZEA was 33.0 ng/kg body weight (bw) (10.4-120.5 ng/kg) among exclusively breast-fed infants, none of them had a TDI that was above the previously defined threshold levels. Human milk ZEA levels were associated with the maternal consumption of meat, fish, dry fig, dried apricot, flaked red spice and spice. The median DON levels was 3924 ng/L (400-14997 ng/L). The median TDI of DON was 750 ng/kg (240-2774 ng/kg) among exclusively breastfed infants and 36% out of them, the TDI for DON was above the previously defined threshold level. Human milk DON levels were associated with the maternal meat consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are indicative of dietary exposure to mycotoxins during the pregnancy and lactation periods in nursing mothers. Further, the excessive TDI values for DON observed in 36% of the exclusively breastfed infants point to the need for further regulations and recommendations on the dietary habits of pregnant/nursing mothers in order to avoid exposure to potential mycotoxins....

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