Search

Abstract Background Brassicas (Brassicaceae) are recognized as excellent sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds. Among these, wild turnip (Brassica rapa L.), holds significant promising nutritional properties owed to its abundant glucosinolates and phenolic compounds. To enhance its potential values, the application of elicitors is crucial and good strategy prompting an enrichment in the concentration of phytochemicals, as well established in other relevant Brassicas, such as broccoli. While the responses triggered by certain elicitors such as salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, or chitosan are widely documented, little is known about the impact of electrolyzed water, an economically viable elicitor. Through elicitation strategies, the aim of this work was to unravel insights into enhancing the phytochemical content of wild turnip sprouts for potential use as healthy food, comparing with well-studied broccoli as control of the experiments. Results Our findings revealed that wild turnip exhibited a notable higher glucosinolate (GSL) contents (487–712 mg 100 g−1 D.W.), than in broccoli sprouts. Furthermore, the use of electrolyzed water (2 vol.) boosted the accumulation of glucosinolates with significant increase up to twofolds the content. Specifically, treatments with salicylic acid (250 μM) and electrolyzed water (2 vol.) favored the significant increase of mainly aliphatic GSL (progoitrin, PRO; gluconapin, GNA; glucobrassicin, GBN). On the other hand, natural antioxidants such as of the characteristic acylated cyanidins present in wild turnip sprouts were not affected by the elicitor treatments, indicative of higher tolerance to oxidative stress in wild turnip. Conclusions These observations underlined the potential of using electrolyzed water in wild turnips as elicitor for GSL-enriched food ingredients. Further studies will be necessary to align with the broader goal of evaluating abiotic and biotic factors affecting the phytochemical composition in mature organs not only in germinating seeds and sprouts, for agricultural performance for quality and healthy foods purposes. Graphical Abstract

We developed a set of solar zenith angle, latitude- and altitude-dependent scaling factors to account for the diurnal variability in ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) when comparing Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) III/ISS observations to observations from other times of day. The scaling factors are calculated as a function of solar zenith angle from the four-dimensional output of a global atmospheric chemistry model simulation of 2017–2020 that shows good agreement with observed vertical profiles. Using a global atmospheric chemistry model allows us to account for both chemically and dynamically driven variability. Both year-specific scale factors and a multi-year monthly climatology are available to decrease the uncertainty in inter-instrument comparisons and allow consistent comparisons between observations from different times of day. We describe the variability in the diurnal scale factors as a function of space and time. The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) appears to be a contributing factor to interannual variability in the NO2 scaling factors, leading to differences between years that switch sign with altitude. We show that application of these scaling factors improves the comparison between SAGE III/ISS and OSIRIS NO2 and between SAGE III/ISS and OMPS LP, OSIRIS, and ACE-FTS O3 observations. The comparisons between SAGE III/ISS O3 for sunrise or sunset vs. Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) daytime or nighttime observations are also more consistent when we apply the diurnal scaling factors. There is good agreement between SAGE III/ISS V5.2 ozone and correlative measurements, with differences within 5 % between 20 and 50 km when corrected for diurnal variability. Similarly, the SAGE III/ISS V5.2 NO2 agreement with correlative measurement is mostly within 10 %. While the scale factors were designed for use with SAGE III/ISS observations, they can easily be applied to other observation intercomparisons as well.

The 21 June 2019 eruption of the Raikoke volcano (Kuril Islands, Russia; 48∘ N, 153∘ E) produced significant amounts of volcanic aerosols (sulfate and ash) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas that penetrated into the lower stratosphere. The dispersed SO2 and sulfate aerosols in the stratosphere were still detectable by multiple satellite sensors for many months after the eruption. For this study of SO2 and aerosol clouds we use data obtained from two of the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite sensors on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite: total column SO2 from the Nadir Mapper and aerosol extinction profiles from the Limb Profiler as well as other satellite data sets. We evaluated the limb viewing geometry effect (the “arch effect”) in the retrieval of the LP standard aerosol extinction product at 674 nm. It was shown that the amount of SO2 decreases with a characteristic period of 8–18 d and the peak of stratospheric aerosol optical depth recorded at a wavelength of 674 nm lags the initial peak of SO2 mass by 1.5 months. Using satellite observations and a trajectory model, we examined the dynamics of an unusual atmospheric feature that was observed, a stratospheric coherent circular cloud of SO2 and aerosol from 18 July to 22 September 2019.

Objective: Hypercortisolism in endogenous Cushing's syndrome (CS) results in decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and increased fracture risk. Although after remission BMD improves, fracture rate remains elevated, suggesting that BMD may not adequately reflect fracture risk in this group. The aim was to evaluate bone material properties, another component of bone quality, using Impact Microindentation (IMI) in patients with CS in remission., Methods: Cross-sectional study in 60 patients and 60 age-, sex-, and BMD-matched controls at a tertiary referral center between 2019 and 2021. Bone material strength index (BMSi) was measured by IMI using the OsteoProbe® device at the tibia. In addition, laboratory investigation, BMD, and vertebral fracture assessment were performed., Results: By design, patients and controls were comparable for age (median age 56.5 years), sex (48 women), BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck. They were also comparable regarding the number of fragility fractures (21 vs. 27, p=0.22). Median time of remission in patients was 6 years (range 1 to 41). Despite comparable BMD, BMSi was significantly lower in patients compared to controls (76.2±6.7 vs 80.5±4.9, p<0.001). In patients, BMSi was negatively correlated with BMI (r= -0.354, p=0.01), but not related to the presence of fracture, physiological hydrocortisone replacement use, other pituitary insufficiencies, or time since remission., Conclusion: Bone material properties remain altered in patients with endogenous CS, even after long-term remission. These abnormalities, known to be associated with fractures in other populations, may play a role in the persistent bone fragility of steroid excess., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com. See the journal About page for additional terms.)

Impact microindentation (IMI) is a technique to assess bone material properties of the cortical bone at the tibia in a transcutaneous, microinvasive, way. IMI is increasingly used in studies evaluating the contribution of tissue material properties to bone fragility in humans, and is approved for use in the clinic in Europe and the United States. Previous data show that IMI is well tolerated during and immediately after the procedure. The aim of this prospective observational study was to evaluate the longer-term safety and acceptability of an IMI measurement using the handheld OsteoProbe device®. Included were patients who were scheduled for a measurement at the Leiden University Medical Center from September 2019 to December 2020 and willing to participate. Patients were asked to review the procedure right after the measurement, and by telephone interviews 1 week and 1 month thereafter. The primary outcome was the 30-day complication rate after the measurement. Included were 106 patients (71 women) with a median age of 59 years (range, 20 to 86 years). Only three minor events were reported by 1-week follow-up, with an overall 30-day event rate of 2.8%. These were a very small hematoma in two patients, and a small bruise in one patient, all of which resolved without medical intervention. No other safety-related concerns were observed, and all 106 patients would undergo the measurement again if needed. The vast majority had no pain at baseline, 1-week and 1-month follow-up (80.2%, 88.4% and 94.3%, respectively). In this first and large longitudinal study we demonstrated that although minimally-invasive, IMI using the OsteoProbe® device at the tibia did not lead to any complications, and was well accepted by patients. Results strongly suggest that IMI can be safely used in studies as well as in the clinic in the hands of an experienced operator. © 2023 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research., (© 2023 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.)

Bone material properties were assessed using impact microindentation in patients with high-energy trauma fractures. Compared to patients with low-energy trauma fractures, bone material strength index was significantly higher in patients with high-energy trauma fractures, and did not differ between patients with osteopenia and those with osteoporosis within each trauma group., Introduction: Impact microindentation (IMI) is a technique to assess tissue-level properties of bone at the tibia. Bone material strength index (BMSi), measured by IMI, is decreased in patients with low-energy trauma fractures, independently of areal bone mineral density (aBMD), but there is no information about BMSi in patients with high-energy trauma fractures. In the present study, we evaluated tissue-level properties of bone with IMI in patients with high-energy trauma fractures., Methods: BMSi was measured 3.0 months (IQR 2.0-5.8) after the fracture in 40 patients with high-energy trauma and 40 age- and gender-matched controls with low-energy trauma fractures using the OsteoProbe® device., Results: Mean age of high- and low-energy trauma patients was 57.7 ± 9.1 and 57.2 ± 7.7 years, respectively (p = 0.78). Fracture types were comparable in high- vs low-energy trauma patients. Lumbar spine (LS)-aBMD, but not femoral neck (FN)-aBMD, was higher in high- than in low-energy trauma patients (LS 0.96 ± 0.13 vs 0.89 ± 0.13 g/cm 2 , p = 0.02; FN 0.75 ± 0.09 vs 0.72 ± 0.09 g/cm 2 , p = 0.09). BMSi was significantly higher in high- than in low-energy trauma patients (84.4 ± 5.0 vs 78.0 ± 4.6, p = 0.001), also after adjusting for aBMD (p = 0.003). In addition, BMSi did not differ between patients with osteopenia and those with osteoporosis within each trauma group., Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that BMSi and LS-aBMD, but not FN-aBMD, are significantly higher in high-energy trauma patients compared to matched controls with similar fractures from low-energy trauma. Further studies of non-osteoporotic patients with high-energy trauma fracture with measurements of BMSi are warranted to determine whether IMI might help in identifying those with reduced bone strength., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Context: In primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) bone mineral density (BMD) is typically decreased in cortical bone and relatively preserved in trabecular bone. An increased fracture rate is observed however not only at peripheral sites but also at the spine, and fractures occur at higher BMD values than expected. We hypothesized that components of bone quality other than BMD are affected in PHPT as well., Objective: To evaluate bone material properties using impact microindentation (IMI) in PHPT patients., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the Bone Material Strength index (BMSi) was measured by IMI at the midshaft of the tibia in 37 patients with PHPT (28 women), 11 of whom had prevalent fragility fractures, and 37 euparathyroid controls (28 women) matched for age, gender, and fragility fracture status., Results: Mean age of PHPT patients and controls was 61.8 ± 13.3 and 61.0 ± 11.8 years, respectively, P = .77. Calcium and PTH levels were significantly higher in PHPT patients but BMD at the lumbar spine (0.92 ± 0.15 vs 0.89 ± 0.11, P = .37) and the femoral neck (0.70 ± 0.11 vs 0.67 ± 0.07, P = .15) were comparable between groups. BMSi however was significantly lower in PHPT patients than in controls (78.2 ± 5.7 vs 82.8 ± 4.5, P < .001). In addition, BMSi was significantly lower in 11 PHPT patients with fragility fractures than in the 26 PHPT patients without fragility fractures (74.7 ± 6.0 vs 79.6 ± 5.0, P = .015)., Conclusion: Our data indicate that bone material properties are altered in PHPT patients and most affected in those with prevalent fractures. IMI might be a valuable additional tool in the evaluation of bone fragility in patients with PHPT., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society.)

Effects on bone material properties of two-year antiosteoporotic treatment were assessed using in vivo impact microindentation (IMI) in patients with low bone mineral density (BMD) values. Antiresorptive treatment, in contrast to vitamin D ± calcium treatment alone, induced BMD-independent increases in bone material strength index, measured by IMI, the magnitude of which depended on pretreatment values., Introduction: Bone material strength index (BMSi), measured by IMI in vivo, is reduced in patients with fragility fractures, but there is no information about changes in values during long-term therapy. In the present study, we assessed changes in BMSi in patients receiving antiosteoporotic treatments for periods longer than 12 months., Methods: We included treatment-naive patients with low bone mass who had a BMSi measurement with OsteoProbe® at presentation and consented to a repeat measurement after treatment., Results: We studied 54 patients (34 women), median age 58 years, of whom 30 were treated with bisphosphonates or denosumab (treatment group) and 24 with vitamin D ± calcium alone (control group). There were no differences in clinical characteristics between the two groups with the exception of a higher number of previous fragility fractures in the treatment group. Baseline hip BMD and BMSi values were lower in the treatment group. After 23.1 ± 6.6 months, BMSi increased significantly in the treatment group (82.4 ± 4.3 vs 79.3 ± 4.1; p < 0.001), but did not change in the control group (81.5 ± 5.2 vs 82.2 ± 4.1; p = 0.35). Changes in BMSi with antiresorptives were inversely related with baseline values (r = - 0.43; p = 0.02) but not with changes in BMD. Two patients in the control group with large decreases in BMSi values sustained incident fractures., Conclusion: In patients at increased fracture risk, antiresorptive treatments induced BMD-independent increases in BMSi values, the magnitude of which depended on pretreatment values.

Background: Iron deficiency is a common finding in patients with previous bariatric surgery, and parenteral supplementation is frequently required. Ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) is among the preferred compounds used but may be associated with new-onset hypophosphatemia. This study was undertaken to study the prevalence of hypophosphatemia following FCM in patients with previous bariatric surgery, a population that may be at particular risk due to highly prevalent secondary hyperparathyroidism., Methods: Patients with previous bariatric surgery and iron depletion scheduled for FCM infusion were prospectively studied before and one week after FCM application. The primary endpoint was new-onset hypophosphatemia. Patients were followed until plasma phosphate had normalized without replacement., Results: Fifty-two patients (40 females) following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (n = 50) or sleeve gastrectomy (n = 2), with a median age of 46 years (range 22-68) and a BMI of 32.2 kg/m 2 (27.5-37.3), were analyzed. Fifteen patients (29%) developed new-onset hypophosphatemia, with 11 (21%) requiring oral phosphate supplementation for a median duration of 14 days (14-25). The plasma phosphate decreased by 0.3 mmol/l (-0.5--0.2; p < 0.001) secondary to a 56% increase in the fractional urinary phosphate excretion (p < 0.001). This was associated with a significant increase in serum intact FGF23 (+30%; p < 0.001) and a decrease in serum 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 concentrations (-37.6%; p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Patients with previous bariatric surgery receiving FCM are at considerable risk of developing significant hypophosphatemia secondary to increased renal phosphate wasting through a mechanism involving FGF23. Monitoring plasma phosphate should be considered following FCM in patients with previous bariatric surgery., Clinical Trial Registration: ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN12291677, https://www.isrctn.com.

The current gold standard for the diagnosis of osteoporosis and the prediction of fracture risk is the measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). A low BMD is clearly associated with increased fracture risk, but BMD is not the only determinant of bone strength, particularly in secondary osteoporosis and metabolic bone disorders in which components other than BMD are affected and DXA often underestimates true fracture risk. Material properties of bone which significantly contribute to bone strength have become evaluable in vivo with the impact microindentation (IMI) technique using the OsteoProbe® device. The question arises whether this new tool is of added value in the evaluation of bone fragility. To this effect, we conducted a systematic review of all clinical studies using IMI in vivo in humans also addressing practical aspects of the technique and differences in study design, which may impact outcome. Search data generated 38 studies showing that IMI can identify patients with primary osteoporosis and fractures, patients with secondary osteoporosis due to various underlying systemic disorders, and scarce longitudinal data also show that this tool can detect changes in bone material strength index (BMSi), following bone-modifying therapy including use of corticosteroids. However, this main outcome parameter was not always concordant between studies. This systematic review also identified a number of factors that impact on BMSi outcome. These include subject- and disease-related factors such as the relationship between BMSi and age, geographical region and the presence of fractures, and technique- and operator-related factors. Taken together, findings from this systematic review confirm the added value of IMI for the evaluation and follow-up of elements of bone fragility, particularly in secondary osteoporosis. Notwithstanding, the high variability of BMSi outcome between studies calls for age-dependent reference values, and for the harmonization of study protocols. Prospective multicenter trials using standard operating procedures are required to establish the value of IMI in the prediction of future fracture risk, before this technique is introduced in routine clinical practice., (Copyright © 2020 Schoeb, Hamdy, Malgo, Winter and Appelman-Dijkstra.)

Introduction. Acute exposure to high altitude induces inflammation. However, the relationship between inflammation and high altitude related illness such as high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and acute mountain sickness (AMS) is poorly understood. We tested if soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) plasma concentration, a prognostic factor for cardiovascular disease and marker for low grade activation of leukocytes, will predict susceptibility to HAPE and AMS. Methods. 41 healthy mountaineers were examined at sea level (SL, 446 m) and 24 h after rapid ascent to 4559 m (HA). 24/41 subjects had a history of HAPE and were thus considered HAPE-susceptible (HAPE-s). Out of the latter, 10/24 HAPE-s subjects were randomly chosen to suppress the inflammatory cascade with dexamethasone 8 mg bid 24 h prior to ascent. Results. Acute hypoxic exposure led to an acute inflammatory reaction represented by an increase in suPAR (1.9 ± 0.4 at SL versus 2.3 ± 0.5 at HA, p < 0.01), CRP (0.7 ± 0.5 at SL versus 3.6 ± 4.6 at HA, p < 0.01), and IL-6 (0.8 ± 0.4 at SL versus 3.3 ± 4.9 at HA, p < 0.01) in all subjects except those receiving dexamethasone. The ascent associated decrease in PaO2 correlated with the increase in IL-6 (r = 0.46, p < 0.001), but not suPAR (r = 0.27, p = 0.08); the increase in IL-6 was not correlated with suPAR (r = 0.16, p = 0.24). Baseline suPAR plasma concentration was higher in the HAPE-s group (2.0 ± 0.4 versus 1.8 ± 0.4, p = 0.04); no difference was found for CRP and IL-6 and for subjects developing AMS. Conclusion. High altitude exposure leads to an increase in suPAR plasma concentration, with the missing correlation between suPAR and IL-6 suggesting a cytokine independent, leukocyte mediated mechanism of low grade inflammation. The correlation between IL-6 and PaO2 suggests a direct effect of hypoxia, which is not the case for suPAR. However, suPAR plasma concentration measured before hypoxic exposure may predict HAPE susceptibility.

We have previously demonstrated that prophylactic intake of dexamethasone improves maximal oxygen uptake (Vo(2)max) in high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) susceptible subjects 4 to 6 h after a 2-day climb to 4559 m. However, since with this ascent protocol HAPE usually develops after the first night at 4559 m or later, we hypothesized that a continued dexamethasone prophylaxis would result in an even more pronounced improvement of Vo(2)max after an additional night at high altitude. Vo(2)max of 24 HAPE susceptibles was evaluated on a bicycle ergometer at an altitude of 490 m and at 24 h after rapid ascent to 4559 m. Subjects were divided into two groups: The control group (n=14) performed both tests without dexamethasone, whereas the dexamethasone group (n=10) received dexamethasone 8 mg twice a day (b.i.d), starting 24 h prior to ascent. At 4559 m, Vo(2)max was 61% ± 6% of the baseline value in the control group and 70% ± 9% in the dexamethasone group (p=0.025). Similarly, O(2) pulse (Vo(2)/heart rate) was 68% ± 7% and 77% ± 11% of baseline, respectively (p=0.043). Arterial O(2) saturation at maximal exercise did not differ between groups, whereas at rest it was 83% ± 10% in the control group and 91% ± 4% in the dexamethasone group (p=0.009). Dexamethasone prophylaxis increased Vo(2)max of HAPE-susceptible individuals after the first night at 4559 m without affecting arterial O(2) saturation at maximal exercise. This might be explained by a sustained effect of dexamethasone on maximal cardiac output and pulmonary O(2) diffusion, both resulting in enhanced convectional O(2) transport to the locomotor muscles., (© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)

2-Chloro-4,6-diamino-s-triazine (CAAT) is a metabolite of atrazine biodegradation in soils. Atrazine chlorohydrolase (AtzA) catalyzes the dechlorination of atrazine but is unreactive with CAAT. In this study, melamine deaminase (TriA), which is 98% identical to AtzA, catalyzed deamination of CAAT to produce 2-chloro-4-amino-6-hydroxy-s-triazine (CAOT). CAOT underwent dechlorination via hydroxyatrazine ethylaminohydrolase (AtzB) to yield ammelide. This represents a newly discovered dechlorination reaction for AtzB. Ammelide was subsequently hydrolyzed by N-isopropylammelide isopropylaminohydrolase to produce cyanuric acid, a compound metabolized by a variety of soil bacteria.