The Association between Fat Taste Sensitivity, Eating Habits, and Metabolic Health in Menopausal Women

The aim of our study was to evaluate the associations between sensitivity to fat taste, eating habits and BMI value in a sample of menopausal Polish women. In a population of 95 women, fat taste thresholds with oleic acid were determined, allowing us to classify each woman as a hypersensitive or hyposensitive taster. Eating habits were assessed using a validated KomPAN questionnaire for food frequency. Dietary intake was evaluated based on a food diary. Selected biochemical parameters were measured using a Konelab20i biochemical analyzer. Anthropometric parameters and blood pressure were also measured. Twenty-two menopausal women were classified as hyposensitive to fat taste and 73 as hypersensitive. The hyposensitive tasters were significantly older (p = 0.006), with the majority of them (92%) being postmenopausal (p < 0.001); this group had significantly higher BMI values (p < 0.001) and other adiposity indicators compared to their hypersensitive counterparts. The hyposensitive tasters had higher blood pressure (systolic blood pressure; SBP p = 0.030; diastolic blood pressure; DBP p = 0.003), glucose (p = 0.011) and triacylglycerols levels than the hypersensitive tasters (p = 0.031). Almost half of them had diagnosed metabolic syndrome. Daily eating occasions were associated with low oral fatty acid sensitivity, irrespective of age (p = 0.041) and BMI value (p = 0.028). There were also significant associations between frequency of consumption of meats and eggs, as well as snacks and fast foods and low oral fatty acid sensitivity before adjustment for potential confounders (both associations p < 0.05), which remained after adjustment for age (both associations p < 0.05), but not after adjustment for BMI. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher BMI value (p = 0.003), along with postmenopausal status (p = 0.003), were associated with low fat taste sensitivity irrespective of age and consumed percentage energy from fat. Postmenopausal status and BMI are associated with low fat taste sensitivity. Fat hyposensitivity may also play a role in eating habits, leading to increased eating occasions and favoring certain types of food. These eating habits may determine increased body weight and the occurrence of metabolic syndrome in mid-life women, especially those who have undergone menopause and have been exposed to the physiological changes which are conducive to these relationships.

Characterization of Haemophilus influenzae Strains with Non-Enzymatic Resistance to β-Lactam Antibiotics Caused by Mutations in the PBP3 Gene in the Czech Republic in 2010–2018

The surveillance data on antibiotic resistance of Haemophilus influenzae have shown that strains with non-enzymatic resistance to β-lactam antibiotics have been on the rise in the Czech Republic over the last decade. This type of resistance is more difficult to detect than β-lactamase production. Analysis of 228 H. influenzae strains revealed that isolates with non-enzymatic resistance to β-lactams due to mutations in the ftsI gene could be reliably demonstrated by single run testing of susceptibility to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (sensitivity of detection is 84.6%), cefuroxime (92.6%), ampicillin and penicillin (both 95.7%). Thirty-seven different amino acid substitution combinations were detected in the PBP3 protein at 23 positions (V329I, D350N, S357N, A368T, M377I, S385T, A388V, L389F, P393L, A437S, I449V, G490E, I491V, R501L, A502S, A502T, A502V, V511A, R517H, I519L, N526K, A530S, and T532S). The most common combination (35%) of amino acid substitutions was the combination D350N, M377I, A502V, N526K. Epidemiological typing does not indicate a clonal spread of a particular MLST type. Altogether there has been detected 74 STs. The most prevalent ST 1034 was associated mainly with a combination D350N, M377I, A502V, N526K. Clonal analysis revealed six clonal complexes (CCs) with the founder found, eight CCs without founder and 33 singletons.

Increased Abscisic Acid Sensitivity And Drought Stress By Overexpression of Abscisic Acid Receptors In Arabidopsis Thaliana

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a key plant hormone that regulates plant growth development and stress response. ABA is recognized and bound by ABA Receptor PYR/PYL/RCAR (referred to as PYLs). However, little is known about the PYLs gene family in Populus euphratica. Here, we identified 12 PYLs in P. euphratica and named PePYL1-12. Phylogenetic analysis divided the 12 PePYLs into three subfamilies. Subcellular localization showed that PePYL2, PePYL4, PePYL5, PePYL6, and PePYL9 were located in the cytoplasm and nucleus, PePYL10 localized in the nucleus. The promoter of 12 PePYLs contains hormones- and abiotic stress-related cis-acting elements. Moreover, ABA and drought significantly up-regulation the expression of PePYL6 and PePYL9. To study the performance of PePYLs under ABA and drought stress, we generated transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing PePYL6 and PePYL9. Compared with wild type, transgenic Arabidopsis enhanced ABA sensitivity during seed germination and root growth, improved water use efficiency and drought resistance. Taken together, our results confirmed that PePYL6 and PePYL9 play a positive role in ABA-mediated stress responses in P. euphratica.

Requirement for an Otopetrin-Like protein for acid taste in Drosophila

Many of the Drosophila receptors required for bitter, sugar and other tastes have been identified. However, the receptor required for the taste of acid has been elusive. In Drosophila, the major families of taste receptors, such as Gustatory Receptors and Ionotropic Receptors are unrelated to taste receptors in mammals. Previous work indicated that members of these major families do not appear to be broadly required acid sensors. Here, to identify the enigmatic acid taste receptor, we interrogated three genes encoding proteins distantly related the mammalian Otopertrin1 proton channel. We found that RNAi knockdown or mutation of Otopetrin-Like A (OtopLA) by CRISPR/Cas9, severely impairs the behavioral rejection of sugary foods laced with HCl or carboxylic acids. Mutation of OtopLA also greatly reduces acid-induced action potentials. We identified an isoform of OtopLA that was expressed in the proboscis and was sufficient to restore acid sensitivity to OtopLA mutant flies. OtopLA functioned in acid taste in a subset of bitter-activated gustatory receptor neurons that senses protons. This work highlights an unusual functional conservation of a receptor required for a taste modality in flies and mammals.

#13: Respiratory and Intestinal Epithelial Cells Exhibit Differential Susceptibility and Innate Immune Responses to Contemporary EV-D68 Isolates

Background Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) has been implicated in outbreaks of severe respiratory illness and associated with acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a disease which causes paralysis in previously healthy patients, mostly children. AFM peaked in even numbered years, at least 2014–2018. While 2020 was expected to be a peak AFM year, few cases were seen, likely due to non-specific social distancing measures due to SARS-CoV-2. EV-D68 is primarily described as a respiratory pathogen, in contrast to ‘classic’ enteroviruses that are spread via the fecal-oral route. However, similar to other enteroviruses, EV-D68 has been detected in wastewater, suggesting it might also have an enteric route of transmission. Methods We used a panel of EV-D68 isolates, including a historic isolate from 2009 and multiple contemporary isolates from AFM peak years to define dynamics of viral replication and host response to infection. We performed comparative studies in primary human bronchial epithelial cells grown at an air-liquid interface and in primary human stem-cell derived intestinal enteroids. These human primary cell-based models more accurately reflect the cells targeted by EV-D68 in vivo. We defined growth characteristics, temperature sensitivity, infection polarity, and acid sensitivity in these parallel models. We used unbiased Luminex-based multianalyte profiling and bulk RNA-sequencing to define the innate immune response in each model. Results Conclusions Our findings suggest that a subset of contemporary isolates of EV-D68 have the potential to target both the human airway and gastrointestinal tracts as a potential route of infection, identifying a previously unrecognized potential route of infection as well as defining, for the first time, the innate immune response to infection in multiple relevant primary epithelial models. These findings are highly significant and are the first to characterize the viral replication and host innate immune response to a diverse panel of historic and contemporary EV-D68 isolates in both the respiratory and intestinal tracts.

Investigations on the general properties of biomass-based aldehyde tanned sheep fur for its selective post-tanning processing

Dialdehyde sodium alginate (DSA) is an alternative chrome-free tanning material for fur production. To obtain satisfactory resultant fur and provide suggestions for the usage of DSA in fur making, the general properties of DSA tanned sheep fur were systematically investigated. The tanning mechanism of DSA was analyzed and it was verified that DSA was mainly combined with collagen fiber by forming Schiff base covalent bonds while supplemented by a small number of hydrogen bonds and ionic bonds. Due to the acid sensitivity of Schiff base structure, DSA tanned fur had poor resistance to acid rinsing but had excellent resistance to washing and good fatliquoring performance. Also, it had good resistances to yellowing and reductant. After being retanned by chrome tanning agent, the fur was capable of enduring a high-temperature dyeing process (68 °C for 8 h). Overall, DSA tanned sheep fur had favorable properties under appropriate post-tanning processing conditions to manufacture light-colored or dark-colored fur products with desirable physical properties. Graphical abstract