Vitamin B12, cobalamin, is indispensable for humans owing to its participation in two biochemical reactions: the conversion of l-methylmalonyl coenzyme A to succinyl coenzyme A, and the formation of methionine by methylation of homocysteine. Eukaryotes, encompassing plants, fungi, animals and humans, do not synthesise vitamin B12, in contrast to prokaryotes. Humans must consume it in their diet. The most important sources include meat, milk and dairy products, fish, shellfish and eggs. Due to this, vegetarians are at risk to develop a vitamin B12 deficiency and it is recommended that they consume fortified food. Vitamin B12 behaves differently to most vitamins of the B complex in several aspects, e.g. it is more stable, has a very specific mechanism of absorption and is stored in large amounts in the organism. This review summarises all its biological aspects (including its structure and natural sources as well as its stability in food, pharmacokinetics and physiological function) as well as causes, symptoms, diagnosis (with a summary of analytical methods for its measurement), prevention and treatment of its deficiency, and its pharmacological use and potential toxicity.
- MeSH
- Diet, Vegetarian MeSH
- Diet MeSH
- Food, Fortified MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Vitamin B 12 Deficiency * diagnosis prevention & control drug therapy etiology MeSH
- Vitamin B 12 * pharmacokinetics chemistry metabolism therapeutic use physiology adverse effects administration & dosage pharmacology MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Review MeSH
Saxitoxins (STXs) are potent neurotoxins produced by marine dinoflagellates or freshwater cyanobacteria known to cause acute and eventually fatal human intoxications, which are classified as paralytic shellfish poisonings (PSPs). Rapid analysis of STXs in blood plasma can be used for a timely diagnosis and confirmation of PSPs. We developed a fast and simple method of STX extraction based on plasma sample acidification and precipitation by acetonitrile, followed by quantification using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). Our approach provides the results ≤30 min, with a limit of detection of 2.8 ng/mL and a lower limit of quantification of 5.0 ng/mL. Within-run and between-run precision experiments showed good reproducibility with ≤15% values. Standard curves for calibration were linear with correlation coefficients ≥0.98 across the assay calibration range (5-200 ng/mL). In an interlaboratory analytical exercise, the method was found to be 100% accurate in determining the presence or absence of STX in human plasma specimens, with recovery values of 86-99%. This simple method for STX determination in animal or human plasma can quickly and reliably diagnose STX exposures and confirm suspected PSP cases to facilitate patient treatment or expedite necessary public health or security actions.
Uváděná kazuistika a přehled aktuálních znalostí o problematice se dotýkají tématu v současnosti poměrně okrajového – inhalačních projevů časné přecitlivělosti vůči akvaristickému krmivu, konkrétně vůči krilu, drobnému korýši žijícímu v obrovských hejnech v polárních oblastech oceánu. Je možné, že do budoucna bude význam alergií vůči korýšům a jiným bezobratlým narůstat spolu s rozvojem využití těchto alergenových zdrojů v jídelníčku lidí a také jejich využitím ve výrobě zdravotních potravinových doplňků. Potenciálně by mohla nabývat na významu potravinová alergie vůči alergenům bezobratlých, dnes i ve střední Evropě už poměrně dostupným mořským plodům, dále vůči nežádoucí kontaminaci nesprávně skladovaných potravin (mouční červi, švábi, Anisakis simplex, červ kontaminující rybí maso aj.) a možná i v nedaleké budoucnosti cílené konzumaci některých druhů hmyzu („jedlý hmyz“ – mouční červi, cvrček, saranče stěhovavé). Vedle projevů potravinové alergie u konzumentů lze očekávat i projevy profesionální inhalační, případně kontaktní alergie u pracovníků v potravinářském průmyslu a v gastronomii.
The case report and overview of up to date background knowledge relates to a topic, which is currently relatively marginal – inhalation allergy to fish food – specifically to kril, a small-sized crustacean living in massive swarms in polar regions of the world ocean. However, in the future, the significance of allergy to crustacean and other invertebrates is likely to increase with the rising usage of these allergen sources in people’s diet and in health food supplements. Food allergy is likely to become more frequent to invertebrates – nowadays even in central Europe readily available seafood or allergy to undesirable contamination of improperly stored food (mealworm, cockroach, anisakis simplex – a worm parasite of fish etc.) and even deliberate consumption of certain insect species („edible insect“ – mealworm, cricket, locust). Apart from food allergy to these allergen sources, it is likely to observe more cases of occupational allergy (both inhalation and contact form) in the workers in food industry and in gastronomy.
- MeSH
- Shellfish Hypersensitivity * diagnosis etiology MeSH
- Arginine Kinase toxicity MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Euphausiacea * pathogenicity MeSH
- Myosin Light Chains toxicity MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Risk Factors MeSH
- Tropomyosin toxicity MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Case Reports MeSH
The sediment pollution of the aquatic environment by waste due to anthropogenic activity is of an increasing concern. The contaminants coming from the aquatic environment can enter the aquatic food chain and accumulate in the tissues of fish and shellfish used for human consumption. The aim of this study was to sum up the current level of knowledge concerning the pollution of aquatic sediments and its transfer to aquatic foods as well as to indicate whether such contamination has the potential to affect the health and welfare of aquatic organisms as well as the quality and safety of the species intended for human consumption. Based on the results of scientific studies, the European Food Safety Authority, and the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, contamination of fish and seafood occurs predominantly through their diet and the levels of bioaccumulative contaminants are higher in fish which rank higher in the food chain. Contamination of aquatic habitats can not only significantly affect behavior, development, and welfare of aquatic organisms, but it can also affect the safety of fish and seafood for human consumption.
Syndrom enterokolitidy navozené potravinovými proteiny (Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome, FPIES) je heterogenní, imunologicky podmíněné onemocnění, které postihuje převážně kojence a malé děti. Dosavadní znalosti z patofyziologie této non IgE potravinové alergie jsou velice omezené. Převažující lokalizací imunitní reakce a klinického projevu je gastrointestinální trakt, avšak dnes je známo, že reakce má i systémový charakter a provází ji systémová aktivace buněk vrozené imunity. Charakteristickým projevem akutního FPIES je opakované zvracení s typickým zpožděním (1–4 hodin) od konzumace vyvolávající potraviny, apatie, případně hypotenze. V některých případech je zvra-cení v dalších hodinách následováno profúzním průjmem. Dítě je ohroženo dehydratací, metabolickým rozvratem a hypovolemickým šokem. Průběh FPIES může být chronický, a to v případech, kde vyvolávající potravina zůstává nepoznána a je dítěti podávána kontinuálně, obvykle jako hlavní nutriční formule. Syndrom FPIES je v rámci diferenciální diagnózy často přehlédnut, nejčastěji je zaměňován s virovou gastroente-ritidou či sepsí. Vyvolávající potravinou může být jakákoliv bílkovina, tradičně byly celosvětově na prvních příčkách uváděny čtyři nejčastější potraviny – mléko, rýže, sója a vejce. V posledních letech je v Evropě, zejména ve Španělsku, Itálii a Řecku, druhou nejčastější potravinou související s akutním FPIES rybí maso. Ryby a mořské plody jako spouštěče FPIES zřejmě dlouhá léta unikaly pozornosti.
Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES) is a heterogeneous disorder that predominantly affects infants and small children. Pathophysiology is poorly understood. The syndrome is classified as a non-IgE food allergy. Dominant localization of immunopathology reaction and clinical manifestation is gastrointestinal, but also the cellular innate immune system appears to be activated during the systemic FPIES reaction. Acute FPIES is typically represented by repetitive vomiting delayed 1–4 hours after the ingestion of the trigger food, as well as lethargy and eventually hypotension. In a few hours it can be followed by profuse diarrhea. Infants are endangered by dehydration, metabolic disorder and hypovolemic shock. Chronic FPIES emerge when formula feeding is continuous and trigger food is not recognized. FPIES is often misdiagnosed as gastroenteritis or sepsis. Any food protein can trigger FPIES. Globally the most common FPIES triggers are cow milk, rice, soya and egg. Fish has been reported as a frequent trigger for FPIES in Europe recent few years, especially in Spain, Italy and Greece. Fish and shellfish triggers have been overlooked for a long time.
- MeSH
- Hypersensitivity, Immediate MeSH
- Dietary Proteins adverse effects MeSH
- Child MeSH
- Enterocolitis * diagnosis epidemiology physiopathology therapy MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Infant, Newborn MeSH
- Food Hypersensitivity * diagnosis epidemiology physiopathology therapy MeSH
- Fishes * MeSH
- Check Tag
- Child MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Infant, Newborn MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Case Reports MeSH
Safety and quality of water are significant matters for agriculture, animals and human health. Microcystins, as secondary metabolite of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and cyclic heptapeptide cyanotoxin, are one of the main marine toxins in continental aquatic ecosystems. More than 100 microcystins have been identified, of which MC-LR is the most important type due to its high toxicity and common detection in the environment. Climate change is an impressive factor with effects on cyanobacterial blooms as source of microcystins. The presence of this cyanotoxin in freshwater, drinking water, water reservoir supplies and food (vegetable, fish and shellfish) has created a common phenomenon in eutrophic freshwater ecosystems worldwide. International public health organizations have categorized microcystins as a kind of neurotoxin and carcinogen. There are several conventional methods for detection of microcystins. The limitations of traditional methods have encouraged the development of innovative methods for detection of microcystins. In recent years, the developed sensor techniques, with advantages, such as accuracy, reproducibility, portability and low cost, have attracted considerable attention. This review compares the well-known of biosensor types for detection of microcystins with a summary of their analytical performance.
Prevalence potravinové alergie na ryby a mořské plody v Evropě narůstá. Tyto potraviny obsahují vysoce stabilní alergeny, které mohou způ-sobovat závažné IgE mediované alergické reakce. Je tedy třeba dbát na správnou diagnostiku, která vzhledem ke zkřížené reaktivitě vyžaduje komplexní přístup. K přesnější diagnostice senzibilizace může výrazně přispět vyšetření hladin specifických IgE protilátek (sIgE). Nabídka extraktů a molekulárních komponent na stanovení sIgE se v posledních letech značně rozšířila.
The prevalence of food allergy to fish and seafood has been increasing in Europe. These kinds of foods contain highly stable allergens that can cause severe IgE-mediated allergic reactions. It is therefore necessary to pay attention to the precise diagnosis, which requires a comprehensive approach due to cross-reactivity. Testing of specific IgE antibodies (sIgE) levels may significantly contribute to the accurate diagnosis of sen-sitization. The range of extracts and molecular components for the determination of sIgE has expanded considerably in recent years.
- MeSH
- Allergens MeSH
- Shellfish Hypersensitivity * diagnosis immunology blood MeSH
- Anisakis immunology MeSH
- Arginine Kinase immunology MeSH
- Phosphopyruvate Hydratase immunology MeSH
- Insect Proteins immunology adverse effects MeSH
- Immunoglobulin E blood MeSH
- Collagen immunology MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Parvalbumins immunology blood MeSH
- Food Hypersensitivity diagnosis immunology blood MeSH
- Fish Proteins * immunology adverse effects MeSH
- Tropomyosin immunology MeSH
- Vitellogenins immunology blood MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
Origanum sp. is a very common genus of aromatic plants worldwide distributed around the Mediterranean area and O. vulgare (oregano) is the most important species of this genus throughout the world. Due the known medicinal properties of oregano, the effect of diets enriched with 0% (control), 0.5% and 1% oregano leaves powder was studied on the growth, immune and antioxidant status of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.). Fish fed with oregano 0.5% and 1% enriched diets improved both humoral (IgM and bactericidal activity in skin mucus and protease activity in serum) and cellular (head kidney leucocytes phagocytic ability) immunity at 15 and 30 days. Furthermore, the addition of oregano did not provoke any significant effect neither in the growth promotion nor in the liver antioxidant enzymes activity studied in the serum and skin mucus. The possibility of using O. vulgare as a functional additive to fish diet is discussed.
- MeSH
- Antioxidants physiology MeSH
- Origanum * MeSH
- Phagocytosis MeSH
- Head Kidney cytology immunology MeSH
- Liver MeSH
- Animal Feed analysis MeSH
- Plant Leaves chemistry MeSH
- Sea Bream immunology physiology MeSH
- Dietary Supplements analysis MeSH
- Aquaculture MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is an important protein which plays a key role in regulating the innate immunity, so exploring its molecular characterization is helpful in understanding the resistance against microbial infections in cultured fish. Here, a full-length cDNA of p38 MAPK was cloned from liver of blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) which covered 2419 bp with an open reading frame of 1086 bp encoding 361 amino acids. p38 MAPK contained the characteristic structures of Thr-Gly-Tyr (TGY) motif and substrate binding site Ala-Thr-Arg-Trp (ATRW), which are conserved in MAPK family. To investigate p38 MAPK functions, two in vivo experiments were carried out to examine its expression following ammonia exposure and bacterial challenge. Also, an in vitro experiment was conducted to assess the role of p38 MAPK in inflammation of primary hepatocytes induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The results showed the ubiquitous expression of p38 MAPK in all the tested tissues with varying levels. p38 MAPK mRNA expression was significantly up-regulated by ammonia stress and Aeromonas hydrophila challenge, and altered in a time-dependent manner. Moreover, the results indicated that the inflammatory response induced by LPS in hepatocytes is p38 MAPK dependent as knockdown of p38 MAPK using siRNA technology depressed the expression of IL-1β and IL-6. The findings in this study showed that p38 MAPK has anti-stress property, and plays key role in protection against bacterial infection and inflammation in blunt snout bream.
- MeSH
- Aeromonas hydrophila physiology MeSH
- Ammonia adverse effects MeSH
- Immunity, Cellular genetics MeSH
- Cyprinidae genetics immunology MeSH
- Phylogeny MeSH
- Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections immunology MeSH
- Lipopolysaccharides pharmacology MeSH
- p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases chemistry genetics immunology MeSH
- Random Allocation MeSH
- Fish Diseases immunology MeSH
- Immunity, Innate genetics MeSH
- Gene Expression Regulation immunology MeSH
- Fish Proteins chemistry genetics immunology MeSH
- Amino Acid Sequence MeSH
- Base Sequence MeSH
- Sequence Alignment veterinary MeSH
- Gene Expression Profiling veterinary MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Pelvic organ disorders affect up to one in four women in the United States. The prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is increasing with each year, particularly in the setting of prolonged life expectancy and an aging population. Current treatment approaches, including polypropylene monofilaments are associated with numerous painful and worrisome side-effects. Therefore, scientists are looking for new solutions. A promising alternative to the current treatment is tissue engineering, which can be utilized to re-create support to the vagina and pelvic organs. Tissue engineering requires the use of three-dimensional scaffolds, derived from biocompatible materials. Chitosan is a natural polymer, obtained from shellfish exoskeletons. It is known for its biodegradability, lack of cytotoxicity and non-pyrogenicity. Due to the presence of free hydroxyl and amino groups, it may undergo various modifications. In this paper, we describe a new type of chitosan-based biomaterials, which can be used as a new alternative scaffold that may provide support to prolapse organs. The chitosan scaffold was obtained under microwave radiation using multifunctional amino and organic acids. We discuss the scaffold's characteristics, with an emphasis on its chemical structure and morphology. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis confirmed cross-linking processes with preservation of free amino groups. Moreover, mechanical durability, the stability and swelling ability of the scaffolds in a simulated body fluid were investigated. All of the prepared scaffolds demonstrated very good antioxidant activity and biodegradability. Importantly, the biocompatibility of chitosan scaffolds was examined on human vaginal VK2/E6E7 cell line. No evidence of toxicity was documented, and the cells maintained their presence on the studied materials. These results allude to the lack of toxicity of the scaffolds, and indicate that chitosan-based scaffold should be further investigated in in vivo studies as they may be a promising alternative treatment to pelvic organ prolapse.
- MeSH
- Antioxidants chemistry pharmacology MeSH
- Biocompatible Materials chemistry pharmacology MeSH
- Cell Line MeSH
- Chitosan chemistry MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Microwaves MeSH
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse drug therapy MeSH
- Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared methods MeSH
- Tissue Engineering methods MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
