Trophic migrations of the brown bear in the forest landscapes of the Vostochny Nature Reserve on Sakhalin Island

The article deals with trophic migrations of the brown bear in the characteristic forest landscapes of the Vostochny Nature Reserve. Active life of a bear in the reserve begins after hibernation and is directly related to foraging in different seasons of the year. In the spring-early summer period, bears concentrate in valley forest complexes and coastal-marine landscapes, where, along with plant food, they obtain various products of animal origin thrown out of the sea. During the summer period, from the beginning of the course of salmon and until the end of their spawning, the animals mainly live in the mouths of rivers, and as the fish move, they go upstream and are distributed among their numerous tributaries. During the autumn period, bears concentrate mainly in mountainous forest landscapes and high-altitude natural complexes of the reserve, where they eat ripe berries and pine nuts, their trophic migrations are significantly reduced.

Utilization of specific primers in legume allergens based polymorphism screening

Different types of allergies became a part of life of many people around the world. The research activities connecting to allergens are actually not oriented only for protein and immunological interactions, but to the genomic and transcriptomic background of them, too. Analysis and description of genomic variability of allergens in plant food resources will help to manage the allergen based strategies in the future. Here, the bioinformatic approach was used to develop and validate the specific primers for genomic screening of polymorphism of profilins (Profilin Based Amplicon Polymorphism; PBAP) and vicilins (Vicilin Based Amplicon Polymorphism; VBAP) among the legumes. The alignment of existing public databases data for these allergens in the group of legumes was performed. Subsequently, specific primers were designed and their ability to generate polymorphic amplicons were tested for three legumes – bean, lentil and chickpeas. In all cases, amplicons were generated and polymorphism was detected in all three species for profilin as well as for vicilin.

Effects of Different Allotments of Avocados on the Nutritional Status of Families: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Avocados are a nutrient-dense plant-food, but limited trial-derived evidence exists about the effects of avocado intake on family nutritional status. We investigated the impact of two levels of avocado allotment, plus a standard nutrition education intervention on the nutritional status of Hispanic/Latino families. Seventy-two families consisting of at least three members of ≥5 years of age and residing in the same home, free of severe chronic disease, not on specific diets, and self-identified of Hispanic heritage, were randomized to one of two levels of avocado allotment (low = 3/week/family or high = 14/week/family) for 6 months plus 12 bi-weekly nutrition education sessions. The primary outcomes included change in a family’s total energy and macro- and micronutrient intakes. Primary analysis was intention-to-treat with unpaired, two-sided t-tests to assess mean changes between groups at 6 months. At 6 months, the high avocado allotment group had a significant reduction in energy intake, carbohydrate, animal and vegetable protein, saturated and polyunsaturated fat, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, and vitamin D intakes (all p < 0.05). A high allotment of avocados significantly reduced self-reported energy intake by 29% kcal/family/day, compared to a 3% kcal/family/day reduction in families who received a low allotment. Culturally-appropriate plant-food interventions may alter the nutritional status of at-risk families.

Is Nut Consumption Related to a Sustainable Diet? A Pilot Study on Italian Male Consumers

(1) Background: In recent years, the EAT-Lancet Commission has suggested the inclusion of nuts among proteins from vegetable sources, but this inclusion would imply a higher consumption of nuts compared with a healthy Mediterranean diet. (2) Objective: In this work, we sought to provide a comparison between the macronutrient intakes and environmental impacts of two different types of diet: a diet including nuts and a diet without nuts. (3) Methods: In this pilot study, we recruited 89 Italians divided into two groups: nut consumers (44 individuals) and non-consumers (45 individuals). Food consumption was monitored by a seven-day diary, while the Mediterranean diet scores, habitual physical activity scores, and orthorexia nervosa scores were evaluated through standardized questionnaires. (4) Results: We found that nut consumers had higher physical activity and energy intake levels. High consumption of fat (p < 0.001) and protein (p < 0.001) was observed among nut consumers compared with the levels observed among non-consumers. Moreover, a higher environmental impact of total dietary intake was observed among nut consumers, in terms of carbon (p < 0.05) and land (p < 0.05) footprints; impacts on the water footprint was almost significant (p = 0.06). (5) Conclusions: We suggest that, among plant food proteins, the consumption of complementary proteins from legumes and cereals should be preferred to the consumption of proteins from nuts.

Plant Food Allergy Improvement after Grass Pollen Sublingual Immunotherapy: A Case Series

Background: Cross-reactivity between pollens and plant food has been widely described. Pollen extract subcutaneous immunotherapy in patients with pollens and plant food allergy has been shown to improve tolerance not only to inhalant allergens but also to reduce symptoms in patients with various food allergies. Methods: We retrospectively report our experience with 15 female patients with a positive history for moderate, persistent allergic rhinitis due to grass pollen and oropharyngeal symptoms after ingestion of different plant food. These patients followed a five-grass pollen sublingual tablet immunotherapy for three years in a discontinuous pre-co-seasonal scheme. Results: All 15 patients treated with the 5-grass pollen sublingual tablet immunotherapy, taken once daily for 3 years on a 7-month course, showed improved ocular/nasal symptoms, with a reduction in the use of symptomatic drugs (e.g., nasal corticosteroids and H1 antihistamines). After the first seven-month course of immunotherapy, all patients declared a good tolerance to the intake of fruits and vegetables, and in particular, good tolerance to the offending foods. Conclusions: In conclusion, we have observed improvement of both respiratory and plant food allergies after sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with a five-grass pollen tablet.

Medically Supervised, Water-Only Fasting Followed by a Whole-Plant-Food Diet Reduces Visceral Adipose Tissue

Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is associated with chronic metabolic and inflammatory disorders. Normal weight, overweight, and obese people can all be overfat with visceral adipose tissue (VAT). In this case series, we describe the total body composition of three male patients with excess VAT after undergoing prolonged medically supervised water-only fasting followed by an exclusively whole-plant-food diet free of added salt, oil, and sugar. All patients lost a substantially higher percentage of VAT mass than total fat mass. These clinical observations warrant further observation into the efficacy of fasting and diet to reduce VAT.