This study investigates the effects of intermittent overnight fasting in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (STZ rats). Over 30 days, groups of 5-6 control or STZ rats were allowed free food access, starved overnight, or exposed to a restricted food supply comparable to that ingested by the intermittently fasting animals. Intermittent fasting improved glucose tolerance, increased plasma insulin, and lowered Homeostatis Model Assessment index. Caloric restriction failed to cause such beneficial effects. The β-cell mass, as well as individual β-cell and islet area, was higher in intermittently fasting than in nonfasting STZ rats, whilst the percentage of apoptotic β-cells appeared lower in the former than latter STZ rats. In the calorie-restricted STZ rats, comparable findings were restricted to individual islet area and percentage of apoptotic cells. Hence, it is proposed that intermittent fasting could represent a possible approach to prevent or minimize disturbances of glucose homeostasis in human subjects.

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The O 2 and CO 2 respiration rates of untreated and irradiated onion bulbs (Allium cepa) at 0.15 and 0.30 kGy were measured at 4, 10 and 20 °C. The O 2 respiration rate increased for 24 h after treatment from 0.19 mmole kg À1 h À1 at 20 °C for control samples up to 0.26 and 0.39 mmole kg À1 h À1 for 0.15 and 0.3 kGy irradiated onions respectively. Respiratory quotient (RQ) increased with temperature. The Q 10 of the respiration of the control samples (1.61) was lower than that of any other plant tissue, but it increased with storage duration and irradiation dose. The respiration rate of control onions increased steadily over 25 weeks of storage at 4 °C, while that of the irradiated samples decreased during the same period after a peak observed after irradiation treatment. The apparent K m for the Menten±Michaelis equation was determined on a new respirometer and averaged 1.6 kPa at 10 °C and 6.3 kPa at 20 °C. However, at this higher temperature (20 °C) apparent K m varied with O 2 partial pressure, proving that the respiration of onion bulbs does not follow a Menten±Michaelis-like process. The Fermentative Index (FI) of onions was measured under anoxic conditions as CO 2 production rates in mmole kg À1 h À1 at 4, 10 and 20 °C.

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