Time series analysis of benzo[a]pyrene-induced transcriptome changes suggests that a network of transcription factors regulates the effects on functional gene sets

Chemical carcinogens may cause a multitude of effects inside cells, thereby affecting transcript levels of genes by direct activation of transcription factors (TF) or indirectly through the formation of DNA damage. As the temporal profiles of these responses may be profoundly different, examining time-dependent changes may provide new insights...

Kinetics of homocysteine metabolism after moderate alcohol consumption

Background: Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Because plasma homocysteine (tHcy) is considered an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and associated with alcohol consumption, the authors investigated the effect of moderate alcohol consumption on kinetics of plasma tHcy...

Profiles of metabolites and gene expression in rats with chemically induced hepatic necrosis

This study investigated whether integrated analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics data increased the sensitivity of detection and provided new insight in the mechanisms of hepatotoxicity. Metabolite levels in plasma or urine were analyzed in relation to changes in hepatic gene expression in rats that received bromobenzene to induce acute...

Betaine supplementation lowers plasma homocysteine in healthy men and women

Elevated levels of plasma total homocysteine are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Betaine and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate can remethylate homocysteine into methionine via independent reactions. We determined the effect of daily betaine supplementation, compared with both folic acid and placebo, on plasma concentrations of...

Contribution of caffeine to the homocysteine-raising effect of coffee: A randomized controlled trial in humans

Background: A high plasma total homocysteine concentration is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Consumption of unfiltered or filtered coffee raises total homocysteine concentrations in healthy volunteers. The responsible compound, however, is unknown. Objective: The objective was to determine whether caffeine explains the...

Control of bioflavour and safety in fermented sausages: First results of a European project

Four types of fermented sausages were prepared: two using Northern technology (Norway and Belgium) and two using Mediterranean technology (Belgium and Italy). Mediterranean sausages showed higher pH values and highest residual amounts of myosin and actin. Free fatty acid concentrations reflected the nature of the raw material, rather than the...

The marginal efficiency of utilization of all ileal digestible indispensable amino acids for protein gain is lower than 30% in preruminant calves between 80 and 240 kg live weight

A previous study showed that the marginal efficiency of utilization of digestible nitrogen for deposition in the body in preruminant calves is only ~30%. The study consisted of two similar experiments that were performed in two live weight ranges: 80-160 and 160-240 kg. In each experiment, 36 calves were allotted to one of twelve dietary...

Microbial transglutaminase production by Streptoverticillium mobaraense: Analysis of amino acid metabolism using mass balances

Metabolic flows, especially those of amino acids, were determined and analyzed at different stages of a batch fermentation for microbial transglutaminase production by Streptoverticillium mobaraense. The method is mainly based on mass balances and measurements of amino acids and other metabolites. The measurements included the consumption rate...

The use of 15N-labeled dietary proteins for determining true ileal amino acid digestibilities is limited by their rapid recycling in the endogenous secretions of pigs

We assessed the use of 15N-labeled dietary proteins as a possible tool for the determination of the true ileal amino acid (AA) digestibility in pigs. The first experiment was designed to study the dietary N excretion pattern at the ileum subsequent to the ingestion of a single 15N-labeled meal. In a second experiment, we compared ileal...