Periodontitis is an infective disease caused predominantly by gram negative anaerobic bacteria. However it is apparent that alveolar bone loss, which characterises periodontitis, is a result of the host inflammatory response to pathogenic bacteria, not the infectious agents directly. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (O-3 PUFAs) are recognised, and used widely, for their anti-inflammatory effects. Evidence is emerging that their oxygenated derivatives are key chemical mediators in the resolution of inflammation. We hypothesised that dietary supplementation with fish oil rich in the O-3 PUFA docosahexaenoic acid would modify inflammatory reactions within the periodontium and thus reduce alveolar bone loss in mice infected with periodontopathic bacteria. Eighty mice were fed experimental diets containing either 10% tuna oil (40) or a sunola oil (40) which contained no traceable O-3 PUFAs for 57 days. After two weeks each dietary set was split into four groups of ten mice, with these groups being inoculated with either a) Porphyromas gingivalis b) P. gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum (combined inoculum) c) Carboxymethylcellulose (control) or d) No inoculations (control). Of the twenty mice which received no inoculations, half were sacrificed after fifteen days and half at the end of the experiment to enable comparative fatty acid analysis of the oral soft tissues. Results demonstrated that eicosapentoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were found in significantly higher proportions in the oral soft tissues of mice fed a tuna oil diet, and that animals receiving this diet exhibited an average of 54 - 72% less alveolar bone resorption in response to the different bacterial infections. Irrespective of diet, the combined inoculum resulted in slightly more alveolar resorption than P. gingivalis alone. The findings of this study suggest that fish oil dietary supplementation may have potential benefits as a host modulatory agent in the adjunctive management of periodontitis. Given its advantages in terms of safety, cost effectiveness and widespread availability, this dietary supplement warrants further research in human trials to assess its ability to modulate alveolar bone loss in individuals with periodontitis. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1313252 / Thesis (D.Clin.Dent.) - University of Adelaide, School of Dentistry (Periodontics), 2008

<p>Persons suffering from Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) struggle with complications within the functions that regulate and control the brain activities, due to deficiencies in these functions within the affected nerve-paths. ADHD is a cognitive function impairment characterised by inattention, impulsiveness and over activity. According to Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders, American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV), certain diagnostic criteria of ADHD must be fulfilled in order for a person to be diagnosed with ADHD. The everyday problems caused by ADHD are individual and medication can have positive effects relieving the person’s impairing behaviour. The study is based on scientific literature, three quantitative scientific articles and preview material from the last study by Johnson, Fransson, Kadesjö & Gillberg, presently being scrutinised. Swedish as well as English literature has been used. The purpose of this study is to shed some light upon whether medication facilitates the child’s school situation. The result deals with the ADHD diagnosis and pharmacological therapy involving drugs that stimulate the central nervous system, as well as naturopathic medicine like Omega-3/6. The pedagogical aspect for children with ADHD in school has been observed and evaluated. In this matter it is important for the pedagogue to encourage the child by letting it find out that it can manage more than it thinks.</p>

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) enriched eggs are an increasingly important contributor to the egg industry due to the health benefits of n-3 PUFA. During storage and cooking, n-3 PUFA could undergo oxidation and further cause cholesterol oxidation. This study examined stability of n-3 PUFA enriched eggs fortified with antioxidants (vitamin E or organic Selenium [Sel-Plex] or both) following storage and cooking. Total n-3 PUFA was not affected by cooking and storage, although long chain n-3 PUFA concentration decreased. Overall, both vitamin E and Sel-Plex decreased oxidation of yolk lipids and cholesterol. Cooking increased the lipid and cholesterol oxidation. Four weeks of storage did not affect the cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) content, but increased lipid oxidation. It is possible to make the n-3 PUFA in enriched eggs more stable with dietary antioxidants. / Food Science and Technology

Persons suffering from Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) struggle with complications within the functions that regulate and control the brain activities, due to deficiencies in these functions within the affected nerve-paths. ADHD is a cognitive function impairment characterised by inattention, impulsiveness and over activity. According to Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders, American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV), certain diagnostic criteria of ADHD must be fulfilled in order for a person to be diagnosed with ADHD. The everyday problems caused by ADHD are individual and medication can have positive effects relieving the person’s impairing behaviour. The study is based on scientific literature, three quantitative scientific articles and preview material from the last study by Johnson, Fransson, Kadesjö &amp; Gillberg, presently being scrutinised. Swedish as well as English literature has been used. The purpose of this study is to shed some light upon whether medication facilitates the child’s school situation. The result deals with the ADHD diagnosis and pharmacological therapy involving drugs that stimulate the central nervous system, as well as naturopathic medicine like Omega-3/6. The pedagogical aspect for children with ADHD in school has been observed and evaluated. In this matter it is important for the pedagogue to encourage the child by letting it find out that it can manage more than it thinks.

Currently, the labeling of functional food products is highly regulated in Canada. Although certain nutrient content claims and five generic health claims have been allowed, the inability to make additional nutrient content and health claims decreases functional food firms incentives to produce and commercialize new and healthy food products. This, in turn, has consequences for functional food demand, consumer welfare, and health care costs. The primary objective of this thesis is to examine the potential welfare implications of functional food labeling for Canadian society.<p>A benefit cost analysis is conducted to examine a specific case study of omega-3 enriched eggs. The benefit cost analysis evaluates the welfare effects of functional food labeling policy and helps realize the magnitude of potential benefits that could be gained if not for restrictive and complicated labeling regulations. Based on a range of assumptions and using three different scenarios to cover a range of estimates, the health benefits from the reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease due to the current consumption of omega-3 enriched eggs, and the production and labeling-related costs are estimated. By comparing the estimated benefits and costs, the results indicate that the current consumption of omega-3 enriched eggs provides a considerable net economic gain. Therefore, labeling information on health components can contribute to facilitating a healthy lifestyle with reduced medical costs, stimulating agricultural innovation, and increasing economic welfare.<p>Realizing the positive overall impact that the current consumption of omega-3 enriched eggs has on consumers health and economy in Canada, a possible policy that could regulate all eggs to be enriched with omega-3 fatty acids is proposed. This policy could potentially be used to correct not only information asymmetry but also the negative externalities that are created by health and disability insurances. The benefit cost analysis show that the health benefits would be greatly increased while costs would slightly increase due to reduced labeling-related costs. Therefore, the results indicate that the net economic gain is even stronger if the mandatory development of omega-3 enriched eggs were required.

The growing interest among consumers in the link between diet and health makes functional food one of the fastest growing sectors in the global food industry, especially functional dairy products. Understanding consumer choices with respect to functional food is an important and relatively new research area. Given the credence nature of functional food attributes, labelling plays a key role in allowing consumers to make informed choices about foods with enhanced health attributes. In 2007, Canada launched a review of the regulatory system for health claims on functional foods, which included rules concerning the approval, labelling and verification of health claims. In 2010 two new health claims related to oat products and plant sterols were approved by Health Canada. An analysis of how consumers respond to health claim information is therefore timely. This thesis focuses on examining the effects of different types of labelling and verification of health claims on consumers stated preferences for a specific functional food product, Omega-3 milk. The analysis incorporates reference-dependent effects. This study improves the knowledge of Canadian consumer understanding of health claims and the impact of health claims on consumer choice. This research is one of the first studies to simultaneously examine the effects of different types of health claims (e.g. function claims, risk reduction claims and disease prevention claims) and other ways of signalling or implying health benefits (e.g. symbols) on Canadian consumers' functional food choices. This study contributes to the knowledge in this domain by providing a comparative analysis of different types of labelling strategies. The extant knowledge of labelling effects in the formats of risk reduction claims, disease prevention claims and symbols or imagery on functional foods is limited. One of the primary contributions of this study is addressing this gap in the literature. The theoretical framework of this thesis is based on random utility theory. A stated preference choice experiment is designed to examine consumers' response to Omega-3 milk under different labelling scenarios. Using data from an online survey of 740 Canadians conducted in summer 2009, discrete choice models, including Conditional Logit, Random Parameter Logit and Latent Class models, and Willingness-To-Pay (WTP) values are estimated. The results suggest that full labelling (function claims, risk reduction claims and disease prevention claims) is preferred over partial labelling (e.g. the use of a heart symbol to imply a health claim), but primarily for risk reduction claims. There is no significant difference between a function claim, such as "good for your heart" and partial labelling in the form of a red heart symbol. The results also suggest that consumers on average respond positively to verification of health claims by government and the third party agencies, however, the Latent Class models reveal considerable heterogeneity in consumer attitudes toward the source of verification. The influences of key-socio-demographic (e.g. income, education and health status) and attitudinal factors (e.g. attitude, trust and knowledge) provide further insights into consumer responses in the choice experiment to identify different consumer segments. Moreover, the results reveal reference-dependent effects where perceived losses of ingredient or price attributes have a greater influence on consumer choice than perceived gains. In terms of industry and public policy implications, this study suggests that food manufacturers in Canada would benefit from the ability to make more precise health claims. The implications derived from the Latent Class Models could help the Canadian functional food industry to identify target consumer segments with different characteristics for the purpose of developing marketing strategies. Furthermore, the results of this study suggest that Canadian consumers are receptive to both full labelling and partial labelling. It indicates that public policy makers need to pay attention to effectively regulating health claims for functional foods so as to balance the need for credible health claims to facilitate the development of the functional food sector with the imperative of protecting consumers from misleading health claims. Public policy makers should also be aware that the verification of health claims plays an important role in reducing consumers' uncertainty and making health claims more credible.

The nutritional value of flaxseed meal (FSM), a by-product of the flax crushing industry, has not been evaluated properly for use within swine rations. A series of experiments were conducted to determine the nutritional profile of this novel feed ingredient for pigs.<p>The analysis of FSM revealed that it contains, on a dry matter (DM) basis, 133 g/kg ether extract (EE), 345 g/kg crude protein (CP), 60 g/kg ash, 164 g/kg ADF, 250 g/kg NDF, 102 g/kg crude fibre, 14 g/kg starch and 9 g/kg phosphorus. The gross energy (GE) content of the meal was 5.2 Mcal/kg DM. The ether extract fraction was characterized by, as a percent of total fat, 46.6% á-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid. Palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids accounted for 9.5, 4.8, 20.7 and 18.4% of the total fat content respectively. The crude protein content was well balanced for all amino acids with the exception of lysine (4.1% of CP), the level of which falls below that of the requirements for growing pigs (5.3% of CP for pigs 20-50 kg). The apparent digestibility of DM, nitrogen, ash, EE and GE as well as determination of the DE and NE content of FSM was determined for both growing pigs (32 pigs, initial weight 70 ± 3 kg) and gestating sows (26 pigs, parities 2 4). Animals were fed wheat/barley based diets containing 0, 10, 20 or 30% FSM. Faecal grab samples were collected for 3 days after a dietary adaptation period. The apparent digestibility of nutrients in FSM was determined both by regression and by difference calculations. As calculated by difference, the apparent digestibility coefficients for DM, nitrogen, ash, and GE were 63.0, 60.8, 22.3 and 60.5% respectively for growing pigs. The values obtained for sows were 64.1, 58.8, 20.8, 94.9 and 65.4% for DM, nitrogen, ash, EE and GE respectively. The DE content was 3.37 Mcal/kg for growing pigs and 3.52 Mcal/kg for sows. Net energy was then estimated by use of a prediction equation to be 2.34 and 2.44 Mcal/kg for growing pigs and sows. <p>An experiment was conducted to evaluate the growth performances and carcass fatty acid profiles of pigs fed with graded levels of FSM. A total of 200 pigs (100 barrows, 100 gilts; initial weight 32 ± 4 kg) were blocked by gender and housed in groups of 5 pigs per pen. The experiment was divided into three phases for pigs 32-60 kg, 60-85 kg and 85-115 kg. Each group was assigned to one of four dietary treatments containing 0, 5, 10 or 15% FSM at the expense of wheat and soybean meal. At the time of market, 6 pigs per treatment group were randomly selected for carcass fatty acid analysis, and backfat and rib-end loin samples were collected. The average daily gains, average daily feed intakes and gain to feed ratios were not affected by dietary treatment (P > 0.05). Inclusion of 15% dietary FSM increased the ALA content from 11 to 47 (± 0.8) mg/g of backfat (P < 0.001) and from 5 to 10 (± 0.4) mg/g of loin tissue (P < 0.001). Increasing dietary FSM decreased the saturated fatty acid content of backfat (P < 0.01). <p> The final experiment was designed to determine the availability of phosphorus in semi-synthetic diets containing FSM, and to determine the effects of microbial phytase inclusion of this availability. Five treatment groups, 8 barrows (45 ± 4 kg initial weight) each, were fed a diet containing 30% FSM with increasing levels of phytase (0, 575, 1185, 2400 and 2570 FTU/kg). Apparent P digestibility increased from 20.6 to 61.3% with the inclusion of up to 2570 FTU/kg microbial phytase (P < 0.001), and followed a quadratic response pattern with an R2 value of 0.96. A broken-line analysis estimated the optimal phytase inclusion level to be 1415 FTU/kg of diet. Inclusion of just 575 FTU/kg accounted for half of the response, improving the apparent P digestibility by 20% and reducing P excretion by 850 mg/kg dry matter intake.

The growing interest among consumers in the link between diet and health makes functional food one of the fastest growing sectors in the global food industry, especially functional dairy products. Understanding consumer choices with respect to functional food is an important and relatively new research area. Given the credence nature of functional food attributes, labelling plays a key role in allowing consumers to make informed choices about foods with enhanced health attributes. In 2007, Canada launched a review of the regulatory system for health claims on functional foods, which included rules concerning the approval, labelling and verification of health claims. In 2010 two new health claims related to oat products and plant sterols were approved by Health Canada. An analysis of how consumers respond to health claim information is therefore timely. This thesis focuses on examining the effects of different types of labelling and verification of health claims on consumers stated preferences for a specific functional food product, Omega-3 milk. The analysis incorporates reference-dependent effects. This study improves the knowledge of Canadian consumer understanding of health claims and the impact of health claims on consumer choice. This research is one of the first studies to simultaneously examine the effects of different types of health claims (e.g. function claims, risk reduction claims and disease prevention claims) and other ways of signalling or implying health benefits (e.g. symbols) on Canadian consumers' functional food choices. This study contributes to the knowledge in this domain by providing a comparative analysis of different types of labelling strategies. The extant knowledge of labelling effects in the formats of risk reduction claims, disease prevention claims and symbols or imagery on functional foods is limited. One of the primary contributions of this study is addressing this gap in the literature. The theoretical framework of this thesis is based on random utility theory. A stated preference choice experiment is designed to examine consumers' response to Omega-3 milk under different labelling scenarios. Using data from an online survey of 740 Canadians conducted in summer 2009, discrete choice models, including Conditional Logit, Random Parameter Logit and Latent Class models, and Willingness-To-Pay (WTP) values are estimated. The results suggest that full labelling (function claims, risk reduction claims and disease prevention claims) is preferred over partial labelling (e.g. the use of a heart symbol to imply a health claim), but primarily for risk reduction claims. There is no significant difference between a function claim, such as "good for your heart" and partial labelling in the form of a red heart symbol. The results also suggest that consumers on average respond positively to verification of health claims by government and the third party agencies, however, the Latent Class models reveal considerable heterogeneity in consumer attitudes toward the source of verification. The influences of key-socio-demographic (e.g. income, education and health status) and attitudinal factors (e.g. attitude, trust and knowledge) provide further insights into consumer responses in the choice experiment to identify different consumer segments. Moreover, the results reveal reference-dependent effects where perceived losses of ingredient or price attributes have a greater influence on consumer choice than perceived gains. In terms of industry and public policy implications, this study suggests that food manufacturers in Canada would benefit from the ability to make more precise health claims. The implications derived from the Latent Class Models could help the Canadian functional food industry to identify target consumer segments with different characteristics for the purpose of developing marketing strategies. Furthermore, the results of this study suggest that Canadian consumers are receptive to both full labelling and partial labelling. It indicates that public policy makers need to pay attention to effectively regulating health claims for functional foods so as to balance the need for credible health claims to facilitate the development of the functional food sector with the imperative of protecting consumers from misleading health claims. Public policy makers should also be aware that the verification of health claims plays an important role in reducing consumers' uncertainty and making health claims more credible.

Genetic epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+) is associated with a wide range of neurological dysfunction caused in part by limited function in voltage-gated sodium channels (Escayg & Goldin, 2010; Gambardella & Marini, 2009; Mulley et al., 2005). The seizure and behavioral phenotypes, as well as use of non-pharmacologic agents as neuroprotectants in GEFS+, are not well-understood. An experimental design used an animal model of GEFS+ to 1. explore the effects of stress on seizure phenotype, 2. examine behavioral phenotypes, and 3. study the effects of an omega 3 fatty acid on abnormal behaviors noted in the various paradigms. This study used C57BL/6J mice with the R1648H missense mutation on the Scn1a gene (engineered in the Escayg lab) (Martin, M. S. et al., 2010). The three specific aims used separate groups of animals for experimentation, and all paradigms were performed under strict laboratory conditions. Data were analyzed using either an independent t-tests, two-way ANOVA or repeated measures two-way ANOVA. Results showed that stress worsens seizure phenotype in both the Scn1aR1648H (RH) mutants and wild-type (WT) group with the RH mutants more severely impacted. In addition, there was clear and consistent evidence for hyperactive locomotor behavior. Lastly, no evidence was found for use of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, an omega 3 fatty acid) as a neuroprotectant for hyperactivity (DHA was given subcutaneously for two weeks starting at weaning). Outcomes from this study implicate that stress worsens the seizure phenotype in animals with Scn1aR1648H. This study is also the first to report hyperactive locomotor behavior in animals with Scn1aR1648H. Results from this study may broaden beyond GEFS+ in that we may also be able to apply the findings to other disorders with SCN1A dysfunction. In addition, it may be that genetic variants affecting SCN1A, but not necessarily in epilepsy, may contribute to hyperactivity. This could mean that SCN1A is a candidate gene for hyperactivity. The main goal of nursing care is to reduce and prevent disease morbidity, and knowledge gained from the current study will guide clinical nursing practice, such as targeted behavioral assessment and education, as well as nursing research focusing on children with this genetic disorder.

Currently, the labeling of functional food products is highly regulated in Canada. Although certain nutrient content claims and five generic health claims have been allowed, the inability to make additional nutrient content and health claims decreases functional food firms incentives to produce and commercialize new and healthy food products. This, in turn, has consequences for functional food demand, consumer welfare, and health care costs. The primary objective of this thesis is to examine the potential welfare implications of functional food labeling for Canadian society.<p>A benefit cost analysis is conducted to examine a specific case study of omega-3 enriched eggs. The benefit cost analysis evaluates the welfare effects of functional food labeling policy and helps realize the magnitude of potential benefits that could be gained if not for restrictive and complicated labeling regulations. Based on a range of assumptions and using three different scenarios to cover a range of estimates, the health benefits from the reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease due to the current consumption of omega-3 enriched eggs, and the production and labeling-related costs are estimated. By comparing the estimated benefits and costs, the results indicate that the current consumption of omega-3 enriched eggs provides a considerable net economic gain. Therefore, labeling information on health components can contribute to facilitating a healthy lifestyle with reduced medical costs, stimulating agricultural innovation, and increasing economic welfare.<p>Realizing the positive overall impact that the current consumption of omega-3 enriched eggs has on consumers health and economy in Canada, a possible policy that could regulate all eggs to be enriched with omega-3 fatty acids is proposed. This policy could potentially be used to correct not only information asymmetry but also the negative externalities that are created by health and disability insurances. The benefit cost analysis show that the health benefits would be greatly increased while costs would slightly increase due to reduced labeling-related costs. Therefore, the results indicate that the net economic gain is even stronger if the mandatory development of omega-3 enriched eggs were required.