Role of conditioned taste aversion in the development of activity anorexia

Activity anorexia (AA) occurs when rats are restricted to one meal period (60-90 min) each day and have unlimited access to a running wheel the rest of the time. This AA procedure also contains the conditions necessary for conditioned taste aversion (CTA). The food eaten during the meal period is the conditioned stimulus paired with the unconditioned stimulus produced by wheel running. Thus, CTA to food may account in part for the decreased eating in AA. To test this possibility, male rats were subjected to the AA procedure. They had daily 90-min exposures to their familiar chow and spent the rest of the day in running wheels (experimental condition) or home cages (control condition). A second, concurrent experiment had the same procedure except that novel, rather than familiar, food was used. In both experiments, AA occurred; the rats allowed to wheel run ate less than those in the control condition. Several days after AA training, a two-food preference test assessed whether CTA occurred. Wheel running induced CTA when food was novel but not when it was familiar. Since AA is typically studied with procedures using familiar food, the present findings indicate that CTA plays little or no role in AA.

Kombucha tea as an anti-hyperglycemic agent in humans with diabetes - a randomized controlled pilot investigation

Introduction

Kombucha is a popular fermented tea that has attracted considerable attention due, in part, to its suggested health benefits. Previous results from animal models led us to hypothesize kombucha may reduce blood sugar levels in humans with diabetes. The objective of this pilot clinical study was to evaluate kombucha for its anti-hyperglycemic activities in adults with diabetes mellitus type II.

Methods

The study was organized as a prospective randomized double-blinded crossover study at a single-center urban hospital system. Participants (n = 12) were instructed to consume either a kombucha product or a placebo control (each 240 mL) for 4 weeks. After an 8-week washout period, participants consumed the alternate product. Fasting blood glucose levels were self-determined at baseline and at 1 and 4 weeks during each treatment period. Secondary health outcomes, including overall health, insulin requirement, gut health, skin health, mental health, and vulvovaginal health were measured by questionnaire at the same time points. The kombucha microbiota was assessed by selective culturing and 16S rRNA gene (bacteria) and ITS (fungi) sequencing. Fermentation end products were assessed by HPLC. Statistical significance of changes in fasting blood glucose was determined using paired, two-tailed student's t-tests.

Results

Kombucha lowered average fasting blood glucose levels at 4 weeks compared to baseline (164 vs. 116 mg/dL, p = 0.035), whereas the placebo did not (162 vs. 141 mg/dL, p = 0.078). The kombucha microbiota, as assessed by cultural enumeration, was mainly comprised of lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, and yeast, with each group present at about 106 colony forming units (CFU)/mL. Likewise, 16S rRNA gene sequencing confirmed that lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria were the most abundant bacteria, and ITS sequencing showed Dekkera was the most abundant yeast. The primary fermentation end products were lactic and acetic acids, both less than 1%. Ethanol was present at 1.5%.

Discussion

Although this pilot study was limited by a small sample size, kombucha was associated with reduced blood glucose levels in humans with diabetes. Larger follow-up studies are warranted.

Clinical trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04107207.

Determination of Lead in Wine by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry: Interlaboratory Study

An interlaboratory study of a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (GFAAS) method for the determination of lead in wine was conducted. Seventeen laboratories from France, United States, and the United Kingdom, using a variety of GFAAS instruments, took part in the study. The method incorporated a novel matrix-matching procedure to minimize matrix effects between standards and samples. Six wine test materials were prepared and sent to participants as 12 blind duplicate or split level samples. There was good agreement between results obtained from participants and target values (24–279 μg/L) obtained with an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry method. The precision of the GFAAS method was well within the range predicted by the Horwitz equation for the 6 test materials analyzed. Repeatability standard deviations ranged from 3 to 17%. Reproducibility standard deviations were in the range of 10 to 30%. The method is recommended for use for official purposes.

Dentists' responses to drug misusers

A survey among a sample of illicit drug misusers in 1993 indicated under-use of dental services, in spite of a high prevalence of dental problems, whilst a survey of dentists revealed reluctance to treat such patients. Most dentists use additional infection control procedures when they detect 'at-risk' patients, but their screening procedures are unlikely to be effective. Most dentists in the survey would welcome extra training focused on drug misuse.