Prevention Of Human Diseases Research Articles

Seed Oil Quality and Cultivation of Sambucus williamsii Hance as a New Oil Crop.

Natural edible oil derived from wild non-cultivated oil crops contributed to human daily nutritional diversity and disease prevention. It was important to investigate the nutritional value of these oils and the feasibility of crop cultivation. The present study focused on the assessment of seed oil quality of Sambucus williamsii Hance (SWH) and its molecular breeding. Wild SWH seed oil was extracted by supercritical CO2 technology and the composition of the oil was determined by using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The oil content of SWH seeds reaches around 40%. Its seed oil was found to be rich in unsaturated fatty acids, such as 24.24% of linolenic acid and 50.56% of linoleic acid, and vitamin E (25.92 mg kg−1). The cytotoxicity and heavy metal analysis showed SWH seed oil was safe for consumption. In addition, the SWH strains with excellent characteristics were screened out for cultivation according to genetic diversity and morphological analysis. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers were used to evaluate the genetic diversity of 28 accessions of wild SWH seeds and 5 accessions were selected to cultivate. Among them, two strains of SWH (sample 3 and 6) with high yielding (275.7 and 266.8 area yield kg−1) were suitable for dense planting and could be used to establish the raw material forest of SWH seed oil. The results of this study indicated the potential of development of selected SWH as novel oil crops and their wide cultivation.

From Pre- and Probiotics to Post-Biotics: A Narrative Review.

Background and aims: gut microbiota (GM) is a complex ecosystem containing bacteria, viruses, fungi, and yeasts. It has several functions in the human body ranging from immunomodulation to metabolic. GM derangement is called dysbiosis and is involved in several host diseases. Pre-, probiotics, and symbiotics (PRE-PRO-SYMB) have been extensively developed and studied for GM re-modulation. Herein, we review the literature data regarding the new concept of postbiotics, starting from PRE-PRO-SYMB. Methods: we conducted a search on the main medical databases for original articles, reviews, meta-analyses, randomized clinical trials, and case series using the following keywords and acronyms and their associations: gut microbiota, prebiotics, probiotics, symbiotic, and postbiotics. Results: postbiotics account for PRO components and metabolic products able to beneficially affect host health and GM. The deeper the knowledge about them, the greater their possible uses: the prevention and treatment of atopic, respiratory tract, and inflammatory bowel diseases. Conclusions: better knowledge about postbiotics can be useful for the prevention and treatment of several human body diseases, alone or as an add-on to PRE-PRO-SYMB.

Applications of Cannabis Sativa L. in Food and Its Therapeutic Potential: From a Prohibited Drug to a Nutritional Supplement.

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a herbaceous anemophilous plant that belongs to the Cannabinaceae family. The cannabis seed (hemp) has long been utilized as a food source and is commercially important as an edible oil source. In this review, the positive and negative health effects of cannabis, the relationship between cannabis and various diseases, and the use of cannabis in various food products have been discussed. In addition, the scientific literature on the potential use of cannabis and its derivatives as a dietary supplement for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory and chronic degenerative diseases in animals and humans has been reviewed. Cannabis is being developed as a key ingredient in a variety of food items, including bakery, confectionery, beverages, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and meat. Hemp seeds are high in readily digestible proteins, lipids, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), insoluble fiber, carbs, and favorable omega-6 PUFA acid to omega-3 PUFA ratio and have high nutritional value. The antioxidants of cannabis, such as polyphenols, help with anxiety, oxidative stress, and the risk of chronic illnesses, including cancer, neurological disorders, digestive problems, and skin diseases. Cannabis has been shown to have negative health impacts on the respiratory system, driving, and psychomotor functions, and the reproductive system. Overall, the purpose of this research is to stimulate more in-depth research on cannabis’s adaptation in various foods and for the treatment of chronic illnesses.

Antioxidant, Nutritional, and Physicochemical Quality of Yoghurt Produced from a Milk-Based Fermentation Mix Enhanced with Food Spices

Utilization of natural additives, which could meet the growing need for ‘clean label’ and value addition with respect to disease prevention and health promotion in humans, is a current interest in the yoghurt industry. In this study, yoghurt recipes derived from a standard milk-based fermentation mix enhanced with African black pepper (ABP), turmeric, or cloves extracts were evaluated for antioxidant, nutritional and physicochemical qualities. Each fermentation mix was pasteurized, inoculated with 0.5% industrial starter culture containing Streptococcus thermophillus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (1:1), and then allowed to ferment in a fermentation tank for 9 hours at 40 °C. The results revealed that the clove-enriched yoghurt recipe exhibits the strongest antioxidant capacity, as indicated by a significant increase (p < 0.05) in total phenolics, total flavonoids, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), DPPH radical scavenging activity, nitric oxide radical scavenging activity, ferric ion reducing power (FRAP), and inhibition of lipid peroxidation, but it also exhibits reduced apparent viscosity and organoleptic properties. Similarly, ABP increased the antioxidant characteristics, with increased protein content and gel viscosity. Turmeric extracts significantly increased (p < 0.05) the calcium content and reduced syneresis. In conclusion, the fermentation of a milk-based mix containing ABP extract resulted in yoghurt which combines improved antioxidant characteristics with increased protein and enhanced techno-functionality.

Leadership through Empowerment of Human Resources during the Pandemics

The world has never before experienced such a dramatic impact on human capital; and the consequences of the COVID-19 on economic, social and political indicators – although still not fully known and difficult to forecast, but according to many authors and international organisations will certainly be dramatic (Tawil, 2020; UNESCO, 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic has created a particularly challenging environment for human resource management (HRM) – with managers having to quickly venture into the “unknown unknowns” as they strive to help their workforce adapt to and cope with radical changes occurring in the work and social environment. According to D. Gudelis (2020) the COVID-19 pandemics that has spread all over the world since the beginning of 2020 has posed a grand challenge to the governments of all countries around the world, including Lithuania – they were forced to make decisions on the measures that would help to slow the spread of the virus as well as to take actions to alleviate the negative effects of the enforced restrictions on the economy and people. In Lithuania, having declared a state-level emergency situation on 26 February, 2020, the governance of the pandemics was based on the Law on Civil Protection of the Republic of Lithuania and the State Emergency Situation Management Plan approved in 2010. After a couple of weeks, the decision on announcement of a national quarantine on the entire territory of the Republic of Lithuania was made on the grounds of the Law on the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases in Humans of the Republic of Lithuania. In the light of the above, the article analyses the leadership through empowerment of human resources and underpins the effectiveness of management. The initial theoretical framework provides the rationale for the concept of leadership during the pandemics; it also includes an analysis of the dimensions and typology of the concept of empowerment and COVID-19: management, policy, remote work and management processes. The article focuses both on the changes in leader’s management styles and decision-making options in the organization where leadership through empowerment of employees during the pandemics plays an important role. Quantitative research on leadership through empowerment in organizations during the pandemics was conducted. The research findings have shown that leaders were fairly well prepared for management of human resources during the pandemics as well as disclosed the trends that the leaders in organizations provide their employees with a possibility to perform challenging work tasks, to make decisions autonomously, to develop their competences, they share information and apply incentive measures that during the challenging times are relevant for workforce. The research has revealed that little attention has been paid to career development opportunities in organizations when working in remote mode. Practical implication of the research findings allows maintaining that the COVID-19 pandemics will have profound social, psychological, physical and technical implications for human resources as they attempt to adjust to their drastically altered work environments. Some of these challenges, undoubtedly, have never been experienced before, i.e., they are unique, and therefore, will require new methods of analysis and new theoretical constructs, however, some other issues employees are currently facing resemble their usual daily work experience.

EXTRACTION, ISOLATION AND STRUCTURAL ELUCIDATION OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUND FROM THE LEAVES EXTRACT OF LAGERSTROEMIA PARVIFLORA

For thousands of years, natural remedies were the only choice for the prevention and treatment of human diseases. Drug development relies heavily on natural products. Natural remedies always have small amount of bioactive natural ingredients. Today, developing effective and selective strategies for extracting and isolating those bioactive natural compounds is critical. Lagerstroemia parviflora (L. parviflora) (Lythraceae) commonly known as Landia in India and Seja in Bundelkhand; is a species widely distributed in almost all moist and dry deciduous tracts of India. In view of its wide distribution, the tree can withstand great variation in climate. The current investigation involves the isolation, structure characterization and prediction of antioxidant compounds from the leaves of L.parviflora. The leaves samples were used for the extraction of plant constituents with methanol by using maceration method. The isolated pure compounds were characterized as (2S)-5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-dihydrochromen-4-one by 1H NMR, IR and MASS spectroscopy. The pure compounds obtained from methanol extract of the selected plant species could be a good source of natural antioxidant.

Hypothalamic miR-1983 Targets Insulin Receptor β and the Insulin-mediated miR-1983 Increase Is Blocked by Metformin.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) expressed in the hypothalamus are capable of regulating energy balance and peripheral metabolism by inhibiting translation of target messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Hypothalamic insulin resistance is known to precede that in the periphery, thus a critical unanswered question is whether central insulin resistance creates a specific hypothalamic miRNA signature that can be identified and targeted. Here we show that miR-1983, a unique miRNA, is upregulated in vitro in 2 insulin-resistant immortalized hypothalamic neuronal neuropeptide Y-expressing models, and in vivo in hyperinsulinemic mice, with a concomitant decrease of insulin receptor β subunit protein, a target of miR-1983. Importantly, we demonstrate that miR-1983 is detectable in human blood serum and that its levels significantly correlate with blood insulin and the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance. Levels of miR-1983 are normalized with metformin exposure in mouse hypothalamic neuronal cell culture. Our findings provide evidence for miR-1983 as a unique biomarker of cellular insulin resistance, and a potential therapeutic target for prevention of human metabolic disease.

ZFP36L1 Regulates Fgf21 mRNA Turnover and Modulates Alcoholic Hepatic Steatosis and Inflammation in Mice

Zinc finger protein 36 like 1 (ZFP36L1) enhances the turnover of mRNAs containing AU-rich elements (AREs) in their 3'-untranslated regions (3'UTR). The physiological and pathological functions of ZFP36L1 in liver, however, remain largely unknown. Liver-specific ZFP36L1-deficient (Zfp36l1flox/flox/Cre+; L1LKO) mice were generated to investigate the role of ZFP36L1 in liver physiology and pathology. Under normal conditions, the L1LKO mice and their littermate controls (Zfp36l1flox/flox/Cre-; L1FLX) appeared normal. When fed a Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet containing alcohol, L1LKO mice were significantly protected from developing alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis, injury, and inflammation compared with L1FLX mice. Most importantly, fibroblast growth factor 21 (Fgf21) mRNA was significantly increased in the livers of alcohol diet-fed L1LKO mice compared with the alcohol diet-fed L1FLX group. The Fgf21 mRNA contains three AREs in its 3'UTR, and Fgf21 3'UTR was directly regulated by ZFP36L1 in luciferase reporter assays. Steady-state levels of Fgf21 mRNA were significantly decreased by wild-type ZFP36L1, but not by a non-binding zinc finger ZFP36L1 mutant. Finally, wild-type ZFP36L1, but not the ZFP36L1 mutant, bound to the Fgf21 3'UTR ARE RNA probe. These results demonstrate that ZFP36L1 inactivation protects against alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis and liver injury and inflammation, possibly by stabilizing Fgf21 mRNA. These findings suggest that the modulation of ZFP36L1 may be beneficial in the prevention or treatment of human alcoholic liver disease.

Recent Advances on the Innate Immune Response to Coxiella burnetii.

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium and the causative agent of a worldwide zoonosis known as Q fever. The pathogen invades monocytes and macrophages, replicating within acidic phagolysosomes and evading host defenses through different immune evasion strategies that are mainly associated with the structure of its lipopolysaccharide. The main transmission routes are aerosols and ingestion of fomites from infected animals. The innate immune system provides the first host defense against the microorganism, and it is crucial to direct the infection towards a self-limiting respiratory disease or the chronic form. This review reports the advances in understanding the mechanisms of innate immunity acting during C. burnetii infection and the strategies that pathogen put in place to infect the host cells and to modify the expression of specific host cell genes in order to subvert cellular processes. The mechanisms through which different cell types with different genetic backgrounds are differently susceptible to C. burnetii intracellular growth are discussed. The subsets of cytokines induced following C. burnetii infection as well as the pathogen influence on an inflammasome-mediated response are also described. Finally, we discuss the use of animal experimental systems for studying the innate immune response against C. burnetii and discovering novel methods for prevention and treatment of disease in humans and livestock.

FORMATION OF A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CULTURE AMONG STUDENTS

The relevance of the scientific research carried out in this work lies in the fact that the most important practical task of public health is the prevention of modern human diseases and the provision of conditions for improving the health of each person and the entire population as a whole.

Nucleic Acids Analytical Methods for Viral Infection Diagnosis: State-of-the-Art and Future Perspectives.

The analysis of viral nucleic acids (NA), DNA or RNA, is a crucial issue in the diagnosis of infections and the treatment and prevention of related human diseases. Conventional nucleic acid tests (NATs) require multistep approaches starting from the purification of the pathogen genetic material in biological samples to the end of its detection, basically performed by the consolidated polymerase chain reaction (PCR), by the use of specialized instruments and dedicated laboratories. However, since the current NATs are too constraining and time and cost consuming, the research is evolving towards more integrated, decentralized, user-friendly, and low-cost methods. These will allow the implementation of massive diagnoses addressing the growing demand of fast and accurate viral analysis facing such global alerts as the pandemic of coronavirus disease of the recent period. Silicon-based technology and microfluidics, in this sense, brought an important step up, leading to the introduction of the genetic point-of-care (PoC) systems. This review goes through the evolution of the analytical methods for the viral NA diagnosis of infection diseases, highlighting both advantages and drawbacks of the innovative emerging technologies versus the conventional approaches.

Foodborne Parasites Dominate Current Parasitic Infections in Hunan Province, China.

Great progress has been made in the prevention and treatment of human parasitic diseases in China over the past six decades, but parasitic diseases are still one of the most serious public health problems in the world. The specific prevalence of parasitic diseases varies in different provinces due to their geographical environment and the dietary habits of people. In this study, a total of 4,428 patients suspected to have parasitic infection by clinicians or themselves from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2020 were recommended to our laboratory for further testing. In total, 5,246 samples including fecal, blood, and other body fluids were detected by etiological and immunological methods. Approximately 15.20% (673/4,428) of all suspected patients were infected by at least one species of parasite, and the overall positive rate of suspected patients from Hunan Province was 15.10% (594/3,933). A total of 18 species of parasites, namely, nematodes (4 species), trematodes (5 species), cestodes (4 species), protozoa (2 species), and medical arthropods (3 species), and 3 of them were imported parasites outside of Hunan Province. There are 9 species of foodborne parasites, accounting for 89.92% (464/516) of patients infected by one species of parasite. Common parasites in Hunan Province include plerocercoid, Paragonimus westermani, Clonorchis sinensis, cysticercus, Toxoplasma gondii, and Schistosoma japonicum. In this study, we found that the incidence of soilborne nematode infections has decreased significantly. However, foodborne parasites gradually become the main parasitic infections as well as multiple infections are becoming more common. Therefore, we should not only continue the prevention and control of soil-derived nematodes but also focus on the prevention and control of foodborne parasites in the future.

Dietary Phytochemical Screening of Spider Plant (Gynandropsis gynandra (L.) Briq.) Accessions From Africa and Asia to Identify Genotypes for Use in Nutraceutical Breeding

Increased public awareness of healthy foods and healthy living, coupled with escalating medicinal costs and recent advances in research and technology, has sparked a paradigm shift to nutraceuticals, which guarantee human health and disease prevention. Spider plant (Gynandropsis gynandra) contains dietary phytochemicals with high nutritional and medicinal properties that can contribute to healthy living. A study was conducted to identify spider plant (Gynandropsis gynandra(L.) Briq.) accessions with superior levels of dietary phytochemicals and anti-oxidative activity for use in nutraceutical breeding. Thirty-three accessions of spider plant, representing a wide genetic diversity based on geographic areas of origin (Asia, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa), were used. Total phenolic acids, tannins, and anthocyanins were extracted and quantified using the Folin-Ciocalteau colorimetric, spectrophotometric, and pH differential methods, respectively. Antioxidant activity was determined using phosphomolybdenum method. Results showed significant variation in levels of total phenolic compounds, tannins, anthocyanins, and antioxidant activity (P< 0.05) amongst the spider plant accessions and regions of origin; ODS-15-037 (464 mg TAE/g DW), ODS-15-053 (270 mg GAE/g DW), and BC-02A (127 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside/g DW) had the highest levels of total tannins, phenolic compounds, and anthocyanins, respectively. Antioxidant activity was high in ODS-15-053 (492.2 mg AAE/100 g DW), NAM 2232 (445.3 mg AAE/100 g DW), and NAM-6 (432.5 mg AAE/100 g DW). On average, West African accessions had significantly high tannin concentrations (239 mg TAE/g DW), while Southern Africa accessions contained significantly high anthocyanin content (58.9 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside/g DW). The superior accessions are potential candidates for use in nutraceutical breeding, while the regions of origin could be used as gene pools for specific phytochemicals for improving dietary supplements of nutraceuticals. The strong antioxidant activity exhibited by spider plant accessions suggests the presence of compounds responsible for scavenging free oxygen or nitrogen radicals. Further studies are recommended to identify the chromosomal regions that contain genes controlling the dietary nutraceuticals in the genetic materials and to determine their association with foliage yield and other phenotypes, which can be utilized in spider plant improvement.

Ecology of microorganisms in the conditions of permafrost

The results of research into the ecology of pathogens of infectious diseases in permafrost conditions are presented. The work was carried out in laboratory conditions and horse breeding farms of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), located in the permafrost zone. Isolation and identification of pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic microorganisms were carried out by generally accepted methods used in microbiological practice. The survival rate of microorganisms was studied by methods of veterinary sanitation. The studies conducted showed that the survival time of some microorganisms on the objects of the environment in permafrost conditions is 2-3 times longer than the survival time of similar microorganisms in the southern and European territories of Russia and abroad. When studying microbial contamination and the survival time of microorganisms, a significant content of aerobic spore-forming bacteria (more than 2 x 106 CFU/g) in permafrost soils of Central Yakutia was established. Isolation of viable bacteria of the genus Bacillus from representatives of mammoth fauna preserved in permafrost soils (age 30-40 thousand years) proves the role of permafrost in the preservation of bacteria of the Pleistocene period. Permafrost contributes to the long-term preservation of foci and transmission factors of pathogens of infectious diseases. Isolation of pathogens of yersiniosis from the surfaces of glaciers and from wild animals indicates the danger of contamination of food during storage and consumption. The establishment of the circulation of pathogens of viral diseases among reindeer suggests the role of migratory birds in the spread of infectious diseases. The study of the epizootology of anthrax remains relevant. Knowledge of the survival time of microorganisms on the objects of the environment in the extreme conditions of the Far North and the study of the microbiota of wild animals and migratory birds are necessary to optimize antiepizootic and epidemiological measures in the prevention or elimination of infectious diseases in humans and animals.

The Implication Inferred from the Expression of Small Heat-Shock Protein Genes in Dinoflagellate Resting Cysts Buried in Marine Sediment

Dinoflagellates are unicellular eukaryotic microalgae, occupying pivotal niches in aquatic ecosystems with great ecological, biological, and economic significance. Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are the most omnipresent, but the least conserved, family of molecular chaperones found in all domains of life. Although their common name (small Hsp) implies to exclusively stress their heat shock-responsive function, many sHsps in fact engage in a variety of physiological processes, from cell growth and proliferation to embryogenesis, development, differentiation, apoptosis, and even to human disease prevention. Recent years have greatly expanded our understanding of sHsps in higher plants; however, comprehensive study aiming to delineate the composition and expression pattern of dinoflagellate sHsp gene family has not yet been performed. In this study, we constructed dinoflagellate-specific environmental cDNA library from marine sediment and sequenced using the third-generation sequencing technique. Screening of sHsp genes from the library returned 13 entries with complete coding regions, which were considered to be transcriptionally activated in the natural community of dinoflagellate resting cysts. All the 13 dinoflagellate sHsps consisted of a solely characteristic α-crystallin domain, covering 88–123 amino acid residues with the typical A-X-X-X-N-G-V-L motif, flanked by variable N- and C-terminal extensions. Multiple alignment revealed considerable amino acid divergence (~26.7% average similarity) among them. An unexpected close relationship was revealed between dinoflagellate and green algal sHsps in the phylogenetic tree, seemingly reflecting a close evolutionary relationship of these sHsps themselves. We confirmed that sHsp mRNAs are expressed during dormancy of the resting cyst assemblages of dinoflagellates that were buried in marine sediment, which raised the possibility that the sHsp expression is part of the machinery of maintaining the dormancy or/and the adaptation to ambient conditions of dinoflagellate resting cysts. Our results, although preliminary, gained an important glance on the universal presence of sHsps in dinoflagellates and their active expressions in the assemblage of resting cysts that were buried in the marine sediment. The essentiality of sHsps functioning in resting cysts necessitate more intensive and extensive investigations on all possible functions of Hsps in dinoflagellates, a group of protists with vital ecological and biological importance.

An Alternative Cell Therapy for Cancers: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC)-Derived Natural Killer Cells.

Cell therapy is usually defined as the treatment or prevention of human disease by supplementation with cells that have been selected, manipulated, and pharmacologically treated or altered outside the body (ex vivo). Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), with their unique characteristics of indefinite expansion in cultures and genetic modifications, represent an ideal cell source for differentiation into specialized cell types. Cell therapy has recently become one of the most promising therapeutic approaches for cancers, and different immune cell types are selected as therapeutic platforms. Natural killer (NK) cells are shown to be effective tumor cell killers and do not cause graft-vs-host disease (GVHD), making them excellent candidates for, and facilitating the development of, “off-the-shelf” cell therapies. In this review, we summarize the progress in the past decade in the advent of iPSC technology and review recent developments in gene-modified iPSC-NK cells as readily available “off-the-shelf” cellular therapies.

Study on Transorgan Regulation of Intervertebral Disc and Extra-Skeletal Organs Through Exosomes Derived From Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Exosomes are membranous lipid vesicles fused with intracellular multicellular bodies and then released into the extracellular environment. They contain various bioactive substances, including proteins, mRNA, miRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs, lipids, transcription factors, and cytokine receptors. Under certain conditions, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes, and biological functions. This study provides a theoretical basis for the application of exosomes derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC-Exos) in osteology, exploring different sources of exosomes to improve bone microenvironment and resist bone metastasis. We also provided new ideas for the prevention and rehabilitation of human diseases by exosomes.

Molecular mechanisms of dietary restriction promoting health and longevity.

Dietary restriction with adequate nutrition is the gold standard for delaying ageing and extending healthspan and lifespan in diverse species, including rodents and non-human primates. In this Review, we discuss the effects of dietary restriction in these mammalian model organisms and discuss accumulating data that suggest that dietary restriction results in many of the same physiological, metabolic and molecular changes responsible for the prevention of multiple ageing-associated diseases in humans. We further discuss how different forms of fasting, protein restriction and specific reductions in the levels of essential amino acids such as methionine and the branched-chain amino acids selectively impact the activity of AKT, FOXO, mTOR, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), which are key components of some of the most important nutrient-sensing geroprotective signalling pathways that promote healthy longevity.

Perspective: Nutritional Status as a Biological Variable (NABV): Integrating Nutrition Science into Basic and Clinical Research and Care

The field of nutrition has evolved from one focused primarily on discovery of the identities, metabolic functions, and requirements for essential nutrients to one focused on the application of that knowledge to the development and implementation of dietary recommendations to promote health and prevent disease. This evolution has produced a deeper appreciation of not only the roles of nutrients, but also factors affecting their functions in increasingly complex global health contexts. The intersection of nutrition with an increasingly more complex global health context necessitates a view of nutritional status as a biological variable (NABV), the study of which includes an appreciation that nutritional status is: 1) not limited to dietary exposure; 2) intimately and inextricably involved in all aspects of human health promotion, disease prevention, and treatment; and 3) both an input and an outcome of health and disease. This expanded view of nutrition will inform future research by facilitating considerations of the contexts and variability associated with the many interacting factors affecting and affected by nutritional status. It will also demand new tools to study multifactorial relations to the end of increasing precision and the development of evidence-based, safe, and effective standards of health care, dietary interventions, and public health programs.

Prickly Pear Seed Oil Extraction, Chemical Characterization and Potential Health Benefits.

Prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) is a member of the Cactaceae family originally grown in South America, and the plant is now distributed to many parts of the world, including the Middle East. The chemical composition and biological activities of different parts of prickly pear, including cladodes, flowers, fruit, seeds and seed oil, were previously investigated. Oil from the seeds has been known for its nutritive value and can be potentially used for health promotion. This review is an effort to cover what is actually known to date about the prickly pear seeds oil extraction, characteristics, chemical composition and potential health benefits to provide inspiration for the need of further investigation and future research. Prickly pear seeds oil has been extracted using different extraction techniques from conventional to advanced. Chemical characterization of the oil has been sufficiently studied, and it is sufficiently understood that the oil is a high linoleic oil. Its composition is influenced by the variety and environment and also by the method of extraction. The health benefits of the prickly pear seed oil were reported by many researchers. For future research, additional studies are warranted on mechanisms of action of the reported biological activities to develop nutraceutical products for the prevention of various chronic human diseases.