A dexametasona (DEXA) é um potente agente imunossupressor e antiinflamatório, mas apresenta importantes efeitos colaterais, tais como a atrofia muscular e a resistência à ação da insulina nos músculos esqueléticos. Neste contexto, a suplementação com leucina poderia representar uma estratégia nutricional terapêutica capaz de limitar os efeitos colaterais do tratamento com DEXA. Neste estudo, foram investigados os efeitos da suplementação com leucina em baixas e altas doses sobre a massa muscular, força muscular, assim como vários marcadores metabólicos que estão sob controle da insulina em ratos com restrição calórica e em ratos tratados com DEXA. Como a resposta da suplementação com leucina pode também estar ligada à forma de administração desse aminoácido, realizamos experimentos com leucina administradas via gavagem (bolus) versus leucina diluída no bebedouro dos animais. A suplementação com leucina demonstrou preservar a massa muscular, a força muscular voluntária média e a homeostasia da glicose em animais sob restrição calórica, mas este efeito foi observado apenas com a leucina suplementada em baixas concentrações/doses. Este efeito da leucina sobre a massa muscular esteve associado com a expressão de genes envolvidos no remodelamento da musculatura esquelética. Quanto ao efeito da leucina sobre a homeostasia da glicose, um efeito benéfico do aminoácido foi observado com a suplementação em baixas doses, o qual foi evidenciado pelos dados metabólicos avaliados. No entanto, sob tratamento com DEXA, a suplementação com leucina agravou o estado \"diabetogênico\" dos animais. Por último, a via de administração da leucina influenciou significativamente a resposta a este aminoácido, onde a suplementação via gavagem mostrou-se menos prejudicial do que a suplementação com leucina diluída nos bebedouros, ao menos em relação ao aspecto diabetogênico causado pelo tratamento concomitante com DEXA / Dexamethasone (DEXA) is a potent immunosupressor and anti-inflammatory agent but presents side effects such as muscle atrophy and insulin resistance in skeletal muscles. In this context, leucine supplementation may represent a way to limit the DEXA side effects. In this study, we investigated the effects of a low and a high dose of leucine on muscle mass, on muscle strength as well as on several metabolic markers that are under insulin control in energy-restricted and DEXA-treated rats. Since leucine response may also be linked to the way of administration of this amino acid, we performed experiments with leucine given in a gavage versus leucine given in drinking water way. Leucine supplementation was found to spare muscle mass, voluntary medium strength and glucose homeostasis in energy restricted animals but the effect was observed only with the low dose/concentration of leucine. The leucine effect on muscle mass was associated with expression of genes involved in muscle remodeling. However, under DEXA treatment, leucine supplementation was found to aggravate the diabetogenic state. Lastly, the route of leucine administration was found to significantly influence this variable to this amino acid, where leucine supplemented via gavage demonstrated to be less deleterious than supplemented diluted in the water drink, concomitantly with DEXA treatment

Orientador: Giuseppina Pace Pereira Lima / Resumo: O mercado de suco de uva está em crescimento, principalmente pelos benefícios do consumo a saúde. Várias soluções tecnológicas foram propostas para melhorar a cadeia produtiva, como a combinação de uvas e até mesmo o aproveitamento do resíduo do processo de produção, contribuindo na qualidade funcional, econômica e ambiental. No Brasil, uvas Vitis labrusca e híbridas representam a maioria daquelas destinadas aos sucos. A uva híbrida 'Niagara Rosada' que apresenta alta produtividade e aceitabilidade, com excedente de produção, pode ser uma opção para a produção de suco e utilização do resíduo para suplementação alimentar. Dessa forma, o perfil de compostos fenólicos e nitrogenados, bem como capacidade antioxidante e bioativa, coloração e sensorial foram realizadas com o objetivo de verificar a qualidade dos sucos de uva e seus resíduos produzidos a partir de combinações de 'Niagara Rosada'. Os sucos foram elaborados com 'Bordo', 'BRS Violeta', 'IAC 138-22 Máximo', separadamente e em blends com 'Niagara Rosada'. Os sucos foram produzidos por prensagem a quente, engarrafados (vidro âmbar) e pasteurizados. Um controle comercial (C) de 'Niagara Rosada' também foi analisado junto aos sucos. Os resíduos da produção do suco (bagaços) foram secos, moídos, embalados e armazenados para as análises. Treze misturas foram produzidas independentemente usando 100, 75, 50 e 25% de cada cultivar e em combinação com 'Niagara Rosada'. O perfil de polifenóis e compostos nitrogenados foram analisa... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The he grape juice market is growing, mainly due to the health benefits of consumption. Various technological solutions have been proposed to improve the production chain, such as the combination of grapes and even the use of the residue of the production process, contributing to functional, economic and environmental quality. In Brazil, Vitis labrusca and hybrid grapes represent the majority of those destined for juices. The hybrid grape 'Niagara Rosada', which presents high productivity and acceptability, with surplus production, can be an option for the production of juice and use of the residue for food supplementation. Thus, the profile of phenolic and nitrogen compounds, as well as antioxidant and bioactive capacity, coloring and sensory were carried out with the aim of verifying the quality of grape juices and their residues produced from 'Niagara Rosada' combinations. The juices were made with 'Bordo', 'BRS Violeta', 'IAC 138-22 Máximo', separately and in blends with 'Niagara Rosada'. The juices were produced by hot pressing, bottled (amber glass) and pasteurized. A commercial control (C) of 'Niagara Rosada' was also analyzed with the juices. The juice production residues (bagasse) were dried, ground, packaged and stored for analysis. Thirteen mixtures were produced independently using 100, 75, 50 and 25% of each cultivar and in combination with 'Niagara Rosada'. The profile of polyphenols and nitrogen compounds were analyzed via HPLC. Total phenolic compounds, total ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Magister Public Health - MPH / Periodic high doses of vitamin A supplementation has been demonstrated to have a dramatic impact on vitamin A status and general health of children, significantly improving child survival. The Eastern Cape Department of Health has therefore adopted a provincial policy on vitamin A supplementation to improve the high child mortality and vitamin A deficiency rates experienced in the province. This study outlines a participatory approach to designing, developing and evaluating the implementation of a management information system (MIS) that will support district level Maternal, Women and Child Health programme managers in problem identification, planning and decision-making when implementing the Eastern Cape policy on vitamin A supplementation. It is an iterative process that: • Begins with a situational analysis • Uses this situational analysis for the conceptualisation of the MIS • Develops this MIS as a part of the vitamin A supplementation programme, embedding the MIS in the management structure and operational systems and • Evaluates the implementation of this MIS The study introduces the concept of trace tables, an integral part of the MIS. It is a unique tool that the researcher has developed to assist programme managers to monitor the implementation of the various elements of a primary health care programme like vitamin A supplementation. The researcher discusses the key findings of the study, the participatory nature of this action research, and elements unique to this study in terms of the vitamin A supplementation programme, the development of a MIS, an action research approach and the context within which the development of the MIS occurred. The study is concluded with key lessons to be learnt from this research and the postulation of a model on a participatory approach to the development of a MIS for Primary Health Care programmes.

Introduction : La majorité des enfants ayant l’anémie falciforme (AF) sont déficients en vitamine D. Cette déficience causerait ou exacerberait possiblement les complications de l’AF telles que les crises de douleur et les complications osseuses. Nous avons récemment publié que près de 70% des enfants suivis à notre clinique d’AF étaient déficients en vitamine D (<50 nmol/L), que ceux-ci avaient de faibles apports alimentaires en vitamine D et prenaient peu de suppléments. Cliniquement, les enfants déficients en vitamine D avaient un moins bon profil hématologique que les enfants suffisants en vitamine D. Ces résultats nous ont amené à proposer une intervention pour résoudre ces problèmes. Objectifs : Primaires : Évaluer la faisabilité, l’acceptabilité et la sécurité d’un bolus oral de 300 000 UI de vitamine D3, chez les enfants ayant l’AF, combiné à une supplémentation quotidienne de 1 000 UI de vitamine D3 pour 3 mois. Secondaires : Évaluer le changement des taux sériques de 25(OH)D après 3 mois ainsi que les impacts cliniques d’une telle supplémentation. Méthode : Des enfants avec AF (5 à 17 ans, tous les génotypes) ont été randomisés à un bolus oral de vitamine D3 (300 000 UI) ou à un placebo. Tous les enfants ont également reçu une prescription pour des comprimés de 1 000 UI vitamine D3 à prendre quotidiennement. La 25(OH)D sérique a été mesurée au début de l’étude et 3 mois post-bolus (efficacité de l’intervention). Les autres paramètres mesurés lors de l’étude étaient le ratio calcium/créatinine urinaire et le calcium sérique (sécurité), la douleur musculosquelettique, la qualité de vie, l’hématologie et les marqueurs osseux (paramètres cliniques exploratoires). Résultats : Trente-huit enfants ont participé à l’étude (âge moyen de 10,1 +/- 3,6 ans; 63% HbSS, 29% HbSC et 8% S/β thal+) : 18 ont reçu le bolus de vitamine D et 20 le placebo. Au début de l’étude, les niveaux moyens de 25(OH)D étaient de 75 +/- 27 nmol/L et 50% des enfants étaient insuffisants en vitamine D (<75 nmol/L). Chez les enfants ayant pris le bolus, les taux de 25(OH)D se sont élevés à 94 nmol/L après 3 mois et le taux d’insuffisance en vitamine D est descendu à 17%, alors que pour le placebo, les taux de 25(OH)D post 3 mois étaient de 74 +/- 19 nmol/L et le taux d’insuffisance en vitamine D était de 45% (p=0,001). Aucun épisode d’hypercalcémie, d’hypercalciurie ou d’hypervitaminose D (>250 nmol/L) n’a eu lieu durant l’étude, mais les enfants du groupe bolus ont expérimenté plus de symptômes gastro-intestinaux dans le premier mois suivant l’ingestion du bolus, comparativement au groupe placebo. Le décompte de réticulocytes était plus faible à la fin de l’étude pour les enfants du groupe bolus. Aucun autre effet clinique de l’intervention n’a été observé. Conclusion : L’utilisation d’un bolus de vitamine D à haute dose combiné à une supplémentation quotidienne en vitamine D chez des enfants ayant l’AF était plus efficace à élever les taux de 25(OH)D à des taux supérieurs à 75 nmol/L que la supplémentation quotidienne seule. Des études multicentriques à plus grande échelle et de plus longue durée sont nécessaires afin d’évaluer les effets cliniques d’une telle supplémentation. / Background: Most children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are vitamin D deficient. This deficiency could possibly cause or exacerbate SCD complications such as pain crisis and bone complications. We previously showed that nearly 70% of children followed in our SCD Clinic were vitamin D deficient (<50 nmol/L) with low vitamin intake and poor use of supplements. Clinically, worse hematological profile was seen in vitamin D-deficient children compared to vitamin D-sufficient children. This study was designed to overcome these issues. Objectives: Primary objectives were to assess feasibility, acceptability, and safety of a single oral bolus of 300,000 IU of vitamin D3 combined to daily 1,000 IU vitamin D3 for 3 months in children with SCD. Secondary objectives were to asses the mean change in serum 25(OH)D from baseline to 3 months post-bolus and its clinical impact. Procedure: A randomized controlled trial was carried out in children with SCD (5-17 years, all genotypes). Children were randomized to a single bolus of vitamin D3 (300,000 IU) or placebo and also received prescription for daily 1,000 IU vitamin D3. Serum 25OHD (efficacity outcome) was measured at baseline and 3 months post-bolus. Other outcomes measured were urinary calcium/creatinine ratio and serum calcium (safety), musculoskeletal pain, quality of life as well as hematology and bone markers (exploratory outcomes). Results: Thirty-eight children were randomized to received the vitamin D bolus (n=18) or the placebo (n=20) (mean age 10.1 +/- 3.6 years; 63% HbSS, 29% HbSC and 8% S/β thal+). At baseline, 50% of the children were vitamin D insufficient (<75 nmol/L) and mean serum 25(OH)D levels were 75 +/- 27 nmol/L. In the vitamin D bolus group, insufficiency dropped to 17% post 3 months and mean 25(OH)D levels raised to 94 nmol/L. In children who took the placebo, rates of vitamin D insufficiency were 45% and mean 25(OH)D levels were 74 +/-19 nmol/L post 3 months (p=0.001). The vitamin D bolus caused no hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria nor hypervitaminosis D (>250 nmol/L). However compared to the placebo group, more children in the bolus group experienced gastro-intestinal symptoms within the first month following the vitamin D bolus. As for the hematology parameters, only a slight difference in reticulocytes counts was observed with lower reticulocytes count the end of the study in children from the bolus group. No other clinical effects of the intervention were observed. Conclusions: High-dose vitamin D bolus combined to daily supplementation in children with SCD is more efficient than daily supplementation alone to raise 25(OH)D levels ≥75 nmol/L. Large-scale multicenter studies of longer duration are needed to assess whether this intervention can improve clinical outcomes of children with SCD.

Einleitung: Verschiedene Erkrankungen gehen bei Pferden mit einer erhöhten Entzündungsbereitschaft einher. Das entzündliche Geschehen kann dabei in engem Zusammenhang mit dem Auftreten von Stress des endoplasmatischen Retikulums (ER) stehen. Im Zuge der Immunantwort entsteht eine Signalkaskade, die über Entzündungsmarker quantifiziert werden kann. Bei der Expression verschiedener Entzündungsmediatoren rückt insbesondere die Leber in den Fokus. Die anti-inflammatorische und ER-Stress-modifizierende Wirkung von oralen Polyphenolen aus einem Grüntee-Kurkuma-Extrakt (GKE) wurde bereits in anderen Tierspezies, wie z.B. Wiederkäuern oder Schweinen nachgewiesen. Ziel der Studie: Das Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war die Überprüfung der Effekte einer GKE-Supplementierung auf eine Lipopolysaccharid (LPS)-induzierte Entzündung bei Pferden und Ponys. Die Hypothese war, dass die Supplementierung des GKE zu einer Reduktion der entzündlichen Reaktion und des Zellstresses bei Pferden und Ponys führt. Tiere, Material und Methoden: In einer randomisierten, placebo-kontrollierten Studie wurden fünf gesunde adulte Warmblutpferde (Angaben in Mittelwert ± Standardabweichung, Alter 19 ± 5 Jahre; Körpermasse (KM) 589 ± 81 kg) und sechs gesunde adulte Shetlandponys (Angaben in Mittelwert ± Standardabweichung, Alter 9 ± 3 Jahre; KM 126 ± 8 kg) einbezogen. Die tägliche Basisration bestand aus Heu (2 kg/100 kg KM). Im Cross-over erhielten die Tiere für 21 Tage 10 g eines GKE (20% Polyphenolgehalt) nach Angaben des Herstellers, oder alternativ ein Placebo (Kalziumcarbonat) zusammen mit 1 kg (Pferde) oder 0,2 kg (Ponys) eines kommerziellen Ergänzungsfuttermittels für Pferde. Nach der 21-tägigen Supplementierungsphase wurde bei allen Tieren zur Induktion eines moderaten, generalisierten Entzündungsgeschehens LPS (10 ng/kg KM) intravenös appliziert. 24 Stunden vor und 12 Stunden nach der LPS-Challenge wurden Blutproben und Lebergewebe entnommen. Die Entnahme des Lebergewebes erfolgte minimalinvasiv unter Ultraschallkontrolle. Während der anschließenden 3-monatigen Wash-out Phase erhielten alle Tiere ausschließlich Heu zur freien Aufnahme. Hiernach fand im Cross-over Verfahren ein Wechsel der Fütterungsgruppen statt. Eine erneute LPS-Challenge und die anschließende Probennahme wurden nach den oben genannten Kriterien durchgeführt. In allen Blutproben wurden die Parameter Serum Amyloid A (SAA), Haptoglobin (Hp) und Retinol-bindendes Protein 4 (RBP4) gemessen. Mittels RT-qPCR wurden in allen Leberbioptaten die mRNA-Level ausgewählter Entzündungsmarker bestimmt (Hp, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, CD68, FGF21, NF-kB, ATF4). Zusätzlich erfolgte eine histologische Untersuchung auf entzündliche Reaktionen im Gewebe. Die Daten, mit Ausnahme der immunhistochemischen Auswertungen, wurden unter Verwendung der kommerziellen Software Statistica® statistisch ausgewertet. Die Daten wurden mittels des Shapiro-Wilks-Testes auf Normalverteilung überprüft. Da die Daten nicht normalverteilt waren, wurde der Wilcoxon-Test für nicht-parametrische Daten angewendet. Das Signifikanzniveau lag bei p < 0,05. Die Darstellung der Daten erfolgt als Median und dem 25./75. Perzentil. Ergebnisse: Vor der LPS-Challenge lagen alle Werte für SAA ≤ 2,6 mg/l. Nach der LPS-Challenge stiegen die Werte signifikant an (Angabe Median und in Klammern 25./75. Perzentil, Placebo-Gruppe: 98,4 (70,2/118) μg/ml, Zeit p = 0,008; GKE-Gruppe: 70,7 (46,8/111) μg/ml, Zeit p = 0,003). Innerhalb der GKE-Gruppe stieg der Wert für Hp im Serum nach der LPS-Challenge signifikant an (Zeit p = 0,005). Es konnten keine weiteren signifikanten Unterschiede in den Blutparametern im Vergleich der GKE-Gruppe zur Placebogruppe nach LPS Stimulation gefunden werden. Im Lebergewebe zeigte sich nach der LPS-Challenge für die GKE-Gruppe eine 2,6-fach geringere mRNA-Expression für das pro-inflammatorische Zytokin IL-1β im Vergleich zur Placebogruppe (Supplementierung p = 0,04). Die mRNA-Level von CD68 (Zeit p = 0,04) und Hp (Zeit p = 0,03) zeigten nach der LPS-Challenge im Lebergewebe einen signifikanten Anstieg innerhalb der Placebogruppe. Innerhalb der GKE-Gruppe zeigten sich keine Veränderungen durch die LPS-Challenge. Ein signifikanter Unterschied zwischen der Placebo- und der GKE Gruppe nach LPS wurde nicht gefunden. Andere Parameter im Lebergewebe, wie z.B. Transkriptionsfaktor NF-κB und die Zytokine IL-6 und TNF-α, zeigten keine signifikanten Veränderungen nach der LPS-Challenge in beiden Fütterungsgruppen. Für die Ergebnisse der Immunhistochemie konnten keine signifikanten Unterschiede in Abhängigkeit zur LPS-Challenge oder der Fütterung gezeigt werden. Schlussfolgerung: Die LPS-Challenge induzierte eine generalisierte Entzündung bei Pferden und Ponys. Die Supplementierung eines GKE für 21 Tage zeigte über die Reduktion des Entzündungsmarkers IL-1β in der Leber ein anti-inflammatorisches Potential. Andere Blut- und Leberparameter zeigten keinen Supplementierungseffekt. Somit konnte kein umfassender anti-inflammatorischer Effekt der GKE Supplementierung festgestellt werden.:1 Introduction 2 Literature review 2.1 Inflammation 2.1.1 Acute phase reaction 2.1.1.1 Serum amyloid A 2.1.1.2 Haptoglobin 2.1.1.3 Retinol-binding protein 4 2.1.2 Transcription factor NF-κB 2.1.2.1 Pro-inflammatory cytokines (Il-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) 2.1.3 Macrophages 2.1.3.1 Cluster of differentiation 68 2.2 Stress of the endoplasmic reticulum 2.2.1 Fibroblast growth factor 21 2.2.2 Activating transcription factor 4 2.3 Oxidative stress 2.4 Polyphenols 2.4.1 Green tea 2.4.2 Curcuma 2.4.3 Bioavailability 2.4.4 Anti-inflammatory effects 2.4.5 Antioxidative effects 3 Publication 3.1 Effects of a blend of green tea and curcuma extract supplementation on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in horses and ponies 4 Discussion 4.1 Effects of the LPS challenge 4.1.1 Induction of inflammation by LPS 4.1.2 Induction of ER stress and oxidative stress by LPS 4.2 Effects of the GCE supplementation 4.2.1 Anti-inflammatory effects 4.2.2 Reduction of ER stress and oxidative stress 4.2.3 Comparison of in vivo effects in equines and farm animals 4.3 Daily dosages of polyphenols 4.4 Conclusion 5 Zusammenfassung 6 Summary 7 References 8 Appendix 8.1 List of presentations as part of this thesis 8.2 Further publications 8.2.1 Published articles 8.2.2 Published conference contributions 9 Acknowledgement / Introduction: Different medical conditions are linked with an inflammatory status in horses and ponies. Inflammation can be induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, leading to an immune response which can be measured by several markers of the signalling cascade. The liver plays an important role as production site of these inflammatory markers. The influence of feeding a polyphenol-rich supplement consisting of green tea and curcumin extract (GCE) on ER stress and inflammation has been already described in several species such as cattle and pigs. Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of a GCE supplementation on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in horses and ponies. It was hypothesized that the GCE supplementation will reduce inflammatory reactions and cell stress compared to the placebo group. Animals, material and methods: In a randomized, placebo controlled study, five healthy adult warmblood horses (mean (±SD) age 19 ± 5 years, mean (±SD) body weight (BW) 589 ± 81 kg) and six healthy adult Shetland ponies (mean (±SD) age 9 ± 3 years and mean (±SD) BW 126 ± 8 kg) were included. Animals were fed daily with meadow hay (2 kg/ 100 kg BW). In a cross-over design, animals were supplemented for 21 days with 10 g of a GCE (20% total polyphenol content) according to manufacturer’s instructions or a placebo (calcium carbonate) in a mixture with 1 kg (horses) or 0.2 kg (ponies) of a commercial feed for horses. After supplementation for 21 days, all animals underwent an intravenous LPS (10 ng/kg BW) challenge to induce a moderate systemic inflammation. 24 hours before and 12 hours after the LPS challenge, blood and liver samples were collected. Liver tissue was taken transcutaneously under ultrasound control. Subsequently, a 3-months-lasting wash-out period was conducted where the animals were fed with meadow hay ad libitum. A change of feeding groups according to the cross-over design was performed. A second LPS challenge and sample collection were performed according to the above-mentioned protocol. All blood samples were analysed for serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp) and Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4). RT-qPCR was used to analyse liver mRNA levels of selected markers of inflammation (Hp, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, CD68, FGF21, NF-kB, ATF4). In addition, liver tissue was histologically examined for inflammatory responses. All data except for immunohistochemical results were statistically assessed with a commercial software package (Statistica). Data were checked for normal distribution using the Shapiro-Wilks test. As data set was not normally distributed the Wilcoxon test for non-parametric data was used for analyses. Level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Data are presented as median and 25./75. percentile. Results: All SAA values before LPS were ≤ 2.6 mg/L. After LPS challenge, all SAA values were significantly higher compared to baseline (data expressed as medians and 25./75. Percentile in brackets, placebo group: 98.4 (70.2/118) μg/mL, time P = 0.008; GCE group: 70.7 (46.8/111) μg/mL, time P = 0.003). GCE group showed a significant increase for serum Hp after LPS challenge (time P = 0.005). Other significant differences in blood parameters comparing placebo and GCE group after LPS could not be found. In the liver, the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β showed a 2.6-fold lower mRNA level after LPS challenge in the GCE group compared to placebo group (supplementation P = 0.04). Hepatic mRNA levels of CD68 (time P = 0.04) and Hp (time P = 0.03) increased significantly in the placebo group, but not in the GCE supplementation group. A significant difference between the two feedings groups after LPS could not be found. Other liver parameters, such as transcription factor NF-κB and the cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α, were not different after LPS challenge in both feeding groups. Immunohistochemical results showed no difference between GCE and placebo group after LPS challenge. Conclusion: The LPS challenge induced inflammation in the horses and ponies. Feeding a GCE for 21 days showed some potential to alter LPS-induced systemic inflammatory responses by reducing mRNA levels of the inflammatory marker IL-1β in liver tissue. Nevertheless, an overall anti-inflammatory effect by GCE was missing, since other blood and liver parameters were not affected by the GCE supplementation.:1 Introduction 2 Literature review 2.1 Inflammation 2.1.1 Acute phase reaction 2.1.1.1 Serum amyloid A 2.1.1.2 Haptoglobin 2.1.1.3 Retinol-binding protein 4 2.1.2 Transcription factor NF-κB 2.1.2.1 Pro-inflammatory cytokines (Il-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) 2.1.3 Macrophages 2.1.3.1 Cluster of differentiation 68 2.2 Stress of the endoplasmic reticulum 2.2.1 Fibroblast growth factor 21 2.2.2 Activating transcription factor 4 2.3 Oxidative stress 2.4 Polyphenols 2.4.1 Green tea 2.4.2 Curcuma 2.4.3 Bioavailability 2.4.4 Anti-inflammatory effects 2.4.5 Antioxidative effects 3 Publication 3.1 Effects of a blend of green tea and curcuma extract supplementation on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in horses and ponies 4 Discussion 4.1 Effects of the LPS challenge 4.1.1 Induction of inflammation by LPS 4.1.2 Induction of ER stress and oxidative stress by LPS 4.2 Effects of the GCE supplementation 4.2.1 Anti-inflammatory effects 4.2.2 Reduction of ER stress and oxidative stress 4.2.3 Comparison of in vivo effects in equines and farm animals 4.3 Daily dosages of polyphenols 4.4 Conclusion 5 Zusammenfassung 6 Summary 7 References 8 Appendix 8.1 List of presentations as part of this thesis 8.2 Further publications 8.2.1 Published articles 8.2.2 Published conference contributions 9 Acknowledgement

The effect of shared enemies between invasive and native species has been argued to facilitate biological invasions (i.e., the apparent competition hypothesis or ACH). This study investigated a previously untested possibility: whether granivorous small mammals facilitate cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion by driving food-mediated apparent competition between cheatgrass and native grasses. Specifically, we tested three predictions that must be true if such apparent competition occurs. First, cheatgrass invasion augments total seeds available to granivorous small mammals. Second, density of granivorous small mammals increases in response to increased seed availability (simulated with experimental additions of cheatgrass seeds). Third, granivorous small mammals prefer seeds from native grasses over cheatgrass seeds. We tested these predictions in the Great Basin Desert of Utah, USA. Cheatgrass invasion augmented total yearly seed production. Granivorous small mammals preferred native seeds over cheatgrass seeds. However, neither abundance, richness, nor diversity of granivorous small mammals increased in response to experimental additions of cheatgrass seed. We therefore conclude that granivorous small mammals did not drive food-mediated apparent competition during the study period. The lack of support for the ACH in this study may suggest that the role of small mammal-driven apparent competition is either unimportant in the Great Basin, or that the appropriate indirect interactions between small mammals, cheatgrass, and native grasses have yet to be evaluated. Testing the third prediction required the separation of seeds from the soil matrix. We employed a chemical flotation methodology to recover target seeds from soil, and developed a novel method of decanting target material from the flotation solution. We compared the utility of the novel method to that of a traditional decantation method. Specifically, we compared effectiveness (the proportion of seeds recovered from a known sample), rapidity (the time required to decant that sample), efficiency (the number of seeds decanted per second), and recovery bias (the effect of relative density on seed recovery) between methods. Our proposed method was more effective, more rapid, more efficient, and less biased than the traditional method. Therefore, any future work relying on flotation to analyze seed banks should clearly describe how samples are decanted and should consider the proposed method as a potential means of enhancing the efficiency of chemical flotation.

Captive insectivores may consume invertebrates as all, or part of their overall diet. The challenge with feeding captive insectivores involves the limited number of invertebrate species that are commercially available, and the lack of key nutrients provided by these insects. Among these insects, a naturally occurring low concentration of calcium and an inverse calcium to phosphorus ratio may put insectivores at the risk of developing hypocalcemia. A strategy to correct this nutrient imbalance involves supplementing the insect diet with high concentrations of targeted nutrients – a term referred to as gut-loading. Current industry guidelines recommend feeding a supplemented diet for 48 to 72 h before offering the insect to an insectivore. In the present study, the mineral profile of adult crickets (Acheta domesticus) offered a maintenance diet (1.58% Ca, DMB) are compared to crickets offered a supplemented diet (11.32% Ca, DMB) over 120 h. The supplemented diet produced a cricket with significantly higher calcium concentration compared to the maintenance diet. The calcium concentration of crickets offered the supplemented diet was highest at 48 h (0.63%), but did not achieve a 1:1 Ca:P ratio nor meet the lowest reported nutrient requirements of carnivorous reptiles, omnivorous reptiles, or an insectivorous bird at various life stages. Although the supplemented diet improved the whole body calcium concentration in feeder crickets, the crickets do not provide adequate calcium, iron, or manganese to meet the requirement of insectivores. As evidenced by the current study, the supplemented crickets are not recommended to serve as the sole source of nutrition for an insectivore.

Many companies implemented remote work procedures during the pandemic and for many organizations video meetings have since remained a staple. Remote working has enabled employees to be more flexible with their schedules and technical solutions such as live captioning has been identified as potentially enabling deaf/hard-of-hearing employees during meetings. However with new procedures comes concern about how we potentially can be affected by the changes. Some earlier research has shown that speech intelligibility can be improved by the inclusion of text support, but they also raised the possibility that it could have unwanted adverse effects on cognitive abilities (Zhong, Noud et al., 2022). This study was conducted with this focus, studying the effects of text support on specifically listening effort and comprehension during normal as well as adverse conditions (featuring added noise). To investigate the effects of text support a 2 (Noise, No Noise) x 2 (Text Support, No Text Support) design was used. The participants were shown 16 short videos simulating video meetings and after each video were asked to rate their perceived listening effort as well as a comprehension question about the contents of the discussion. Each of the four conditions were equally represented but the order of the specific video files and conditions that applied were randomised for each participant to mitigate undue effects. The results of the study indicate that the presence of captions decrease effort and raise comprehension in both normal and adverse conditions. Noise was found to strongly effect the listening effort required by participants but no significant effect was found upon comprehension. Some concerns regarding the ecological validity were identified during the course of the study such as only studying energetic noise and unrealistic presentation of captions. However the results are nonetheless believed to be generalizable in most regards and showcase that captions can have a positive influence during video meetings.

Malgré le rôle important joué par les comportements alimentaires durant la grossesse, et de leurs implications pour la santé de la mère et de l’enfant à naître, plusieurs études soulignent que les besoins d’informations des femmes enceintes à faible revenu ou issues de minorités ethniques n’ont pas été comblés. Le comportement de recherche d’informations de femmes enceintes immigrantes maghrébines à faible revenu sera donc abordé via le modèle d’Engel, Kollat et Blackwell. L’objectif général est l’exploration de ce comportement de recherche d’informations en lien avec des thématiques associées à leur alimentation au cours de la grossesse. La thèse propose quatre questions spécifiques de recherche visant l’exploration des facteurs d’ordre individuel et d’environnement susceptibles d’influencer une recherche active d’informations, des sources auprès desquelles des informations sont recherchées, et de la nature de l’information recueillie. Un total de 28 femmes enceintes volontaires (14 primigestes et 14 secondigestes) ont été recrutées via le Dispensaire diététique de Montréal entre les mois d’août 2010 et 2011. Des entrevues semi-structurées de 60 à 90 minutes ont été réalisées par l’étudiante au doctorat. Les données ont été soumises à une analyse de contenu via le logiciel NVivo. Des facteurs d’ordre individuel susceptibles d’influencer le comportement de recherche active d’informations furent identifiés: perspective idéologique à l’égard de la grossesse, présence de malaises de grossesse, perception du caractère contradictoire des informations reçues, perceptions liées au caractère adéquat de l’information reçue, perceptions liées au caractère suffisant de l’information détenue, variation du poids corporel, valorisation du bien-être du bébé, attitudes à l’égard de la supplémentation prénatale, valorisation d’une saine alimentation et motivation à apprendre. Des facteurs d’environnement susceptibles d’influencer le comportement de recherche active d’informations ont été identifiés: culture (habitudes alimentaires, croyances alimentaires, croyances religieuses, perte de repères culturels traditionnels quant aux soins de santé et conseils offerts durant la grossesse) et interactions avec les membres de l’environnement social. Des sources d’informations significatives en lien avec la nutrition prénatale se sont avérées être pour les primigestes: diététiste, mère, amies, mari et Internet. Pour les secondigestes, ces sources d’informations étaient: diététiste, médecin, amies et mari. Une source d’informations professionnelle significative concernant la supplémentation prénatale et le gain de poids durant la grossesse, tant pour les primigestes que secondigestes, s’est révélée être la diététiste. Peu de femmes ont rapporté avoir reçu des professionnels de l’information à propos de la salubrité alimentaire et des risques de gagner trop de poids. Les résultats soulèvent une réflexion à l’égard de l’implication des professionnels en période prénatale et quant à la révision de leurs approches de counseling nutritionnel. Les résultats amènent également à réfléchir quant à l’amélioration des activités ayant pour objectif de répondre aux besoins d’informations des femmes enceintes immigrantes maghrébines à faible revenu en lien avec des thématiques liées à l’alimentation durant la grossesse. Pour terminer, il serait utile que de futures recherches s’attardent à mieux comprendre le comportement de recherche d’informations en lien avec des thématiques associées à l’alimentation de femmes enceintes de différents horizons culturels ou de celle de l’enfant à venir. / Despite the important role played by healthy behaviours during pregnancy, and their health implications for both mother and baby, several studies have highlighted that health information needs of low-income and ethnic minority pregnant women have not been met. Thus, the information-seeking behaviour of low-income pregnant Maghrebian women has been studied in this thesis by using the Engel, Kollat and Blackwell (EKB) model. The main objective of this thesis’s research is to explore information-seeking behaviours regarding nutrition-related topics during pregnancy in order to determine whether decisional processes regarding information-seeking behaviour differ among primigravid and secundigravid women. This thesis proposes four specific research questions aiming at the exploration of individual and environmental factors likely to influence the active information-seeking behaviour, the type of information and the sources from which such information is collected. Data has been collected among 28 low-income voluntary women (14 primigravid and 14 secundigravid) mainly referred by the Montreal Diet Dispensary between August 2010 and 2011. Semi-structured interviews lasting 60 to 90 minutes were conducted by the doctoral student. Data were analyzed using content analysis with NVivo software. On one hand, individual factors likely to influence the active information-seeking behaviour have been found to be: the ideological examination of pregnancy, presence of pregnancy discomforts, perception of conflicting information from providers, perceived adequacy of received nutrition information, perceived sufficiency of information, body weight changes, recognition of the baby’s well-being, attitudes toward prenatal supplementation, importance given to healthy eating, and motivation to learn. On the other hand, environmental factors likely to influence the active information-seeking behaviour have been identified to be: culture (eating habits, food beliefs, religious beliefs, loss of cultural markers regarding health care and counseling during pregnancy) and interactions with individuals from the social environment. Significant information sources consulted by primigravid women for topics regarding prenatal nutrition were as follows: the registered dietitian, mother, friends, husband, and Internet. For secundigravid women, significant information sources were as follows: the dietitian, doctor, friends and husband. A significant professional information source, both for primigravid and secundigravid women, about prenatal vitamin and mineral supplementation and pregnancy weight gain was the registered dietitian. Internet was a significant public information source from which primigravid women got information regarding prenatal nutrition-related topics. Few women reported having received, during their follow-up examinations, professional information related to food safety issues and risks of gaining too much weight during pregnancy. Overall, results presented in this thesis highlight the importance of improving communicating strategies in order to better address the information needs of low-income pregnant Maghrebian women. Results raise a number of questions with regards to improving the participation of professionals to prenatal education and their nutritional counseling. Moreover, results from this thesis suggest means to improve activity planning to better address the nutrition-related information needs of pregnant Maghrebian women during pregnancy. It would be useful for researchers to get involved in studies aimed at a better understanding of the information-seeking behaviour of expectant mothers from different cultural backgrounds regarding nutrition-related topics during pregnancy as well as the baby’s nutrition.

A homocisteína plasmática é considerada marcador de risco para doenças cardiovasculares e sua associação com a hipertensão arterial essencial parece ser importante no agravamento desta doença. O exercício físico tem mostrado eficácia na redução da pressão arterial e o ácido fólico suplementar a dieta como a melhor conduta para a redução da homocisteinemia. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar o efeito da suplementação de ácido fólico e/ou do exercício físico sobre as concentrações plasmáticas de homocisteína em hipertensos essenciais medicados. Para tanto foram estudados 69 hipertensos (57&#177;10 anos), sendo 22 do sexo masculino e 47 do sexo feminino, divididos em dois grupos: grupo 1 medicado com diurético e grupo 2 medicado sem diurético, sendo o tiazídico o diurético mais utilizado (80%). Foram realizadas avaliações médica, antropométrica, dietética, pressórica, bioquímica e o teste de aptidão cardiorrespiratória. Os indivíduos receberam suplementação com 500 &#181;g/dia de ácido fólico, em estudo do tipo cruzado, e foram submetidos a treinamento com exercícios físicos supervisionados, sendo reavaliados a cada dois meses até o final do estudo. Os grupos foram homogêneos em relação a todas as variáveis estudadas exceto a homocisteína plasmática que foi maior significativamente no grupo 1. Não houve diferença significativa entre os sexos para todas as variáveis estudadas. Os hipertensos eram em sua maioria (62%) não controlados e portadores de síndrome metabólica (77%). O exercício físico apresentou efeito benéfico na reclassificação dos hipertensos leves e moderados para a classe de limítrofes sem normalizar a pressão arterial. Não houve efeito do exercício na composição corporal e na homocisteinemia. A suplementação de ácido fólico reduziu a hiperhomocisteinemia em 11% no grupo 1 e 19% no grupo 2 frente a aumentos similares na folacemia. Em relação à pressão arterial houve normalização da homocisteinemia apenas nos hipertensos com pressão arterial normalizada. Os hipertensos limítrofes e leves apresentaram reclassificação da hiperhomocisteinemia limítrofe para moderada. A presença de diurético potencializou a normalização da pressão pelo exercício físico e indiretamente influenciou, nesses casos, a normalização da homocisteína. Entretanto, a maior redução das concentrações médias de homocisteína ocorreu coma oferta de ácido fólico na ausência de diurético. Desta forma, recomenda-se a adequação dietética do folato como adjuvante terapêutico da hipertensão arterial associadamente ao exercício físico e/ou medicamentos / The plasma homocysteine is considered to be a risk indicator for cardiovascular diseases and its association with essential hypertension seems to be important to the worsening of this disease. Physical exercises are efficient to reduce blood pressure and the dietary supplements of folic acid are considered the best way to decrease homocysteine. The aim of this study was investigate the effect of acid folic supplementation and physical exercises on plasmatic levels of homocysteine in essential hypertensive medicated individuals. In order to that, 69 hypertensive subjects were studied (22 men and 47 women) divided in two groups: group 1 medicated with diuretic and group 2 medicated without diuretic. Medical, anthropometrical, dietetic, blood pressure, biochemistry and cardio-respiratory capacity evaluations were performed. These individuals received 500 &#181;g/dia of folic acid supplementation in a cross-over design and were submitted to daily supervisioned physical exercise. They were evaluated every two months until the end of the study. The groups were similar for all variables except for the homocysteine which was significantly greater in the group 1. There were no difference for the gender to all variables. The high blood pressure was not controlled (62%) and 77% of the patients showed metabolic syndrome. The physical exercise showed benefit on the reclassification of slight and moderated hypertensives to border-line hypertension, however, it did not normalize the blood pressure. There were no effects on the body composition and on homocysteine values . Folic acid supplementation decreased 11% of hyperhomocysteinemia in the group 1 and 19% in group 2 face to similar increases in folate. Regarding to high blood pressure subjects the homocysteine normalization occurred only in hypertensive subjects with normalized blood pressure. The border and slightly hypertensive individuals had border-line hyperhomocysteine wich were reclassificated to moderated c1ass. The use of diuretic enhanced blood pressure normalization with the physical exercise and indirectly influenced the plasma homocysteine normalization. However the greater decreasing mean homocysteine concentration occurred with folic acid but in the diuretic absence. So we strong recommend an adequate folate intake as a terapheutical adjuvant to arterial hypertension treatments either with physical exercise and/or antihipertensive drugs.