Consumption of fruits reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease; however, very few studies have investigated the effect of fruit consumption in overweight and obese children. We examined whether consuming dried apple as a snack is a practical solution for weight loss and improves body composition and metabolic markers. Thirtyeight overweight or obese children aged 10 to 16 years were randomly assigned to one of two groups consuming twice daily 120 kcal serving per day of either dried apple or a control snack (muffin) for 8 weeks. Body weight, height, waist circumference, and body composition were determined during an initial visit and after 8 weeks of intervention. Blood samples were collected to measure serum concentrations of blood lipids, glucose, insulin, proinsulin, total adiponectin, and C-reactive protein, as well as total antioxidant capacity and activity of glutathione peroxidase. Body weight increased in the muffin group (P = .01). BodPod and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry showed that fat-free mass increased (P < .05) only in the muffin group. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration increased (P = .04) after the 8-week treatment within the apple group. Overall, minor differences were detected in growing children who consumed snacks of either dried apples or muffins with similar macronutrient profiles for 8 weeks. Future research should evaluate the effects of consuming fresh apples that include the peel.

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Objectives Osteoporosis in men is an overlooked yet increasingly important clinical problem that, historically, has not received the same degree of awareness as with women. Epidemiologic studies demonstrate that male osteoporosis contributes significantly to the burden of osteoporotic fractures, especially among the aging population. Although several studies of male animals have demonstrated bone protective effects of dried plum, no human study has evaluated the effect of dried plum on bone metabolism in men. For this purpose, we conducted a randomized controlled clinical study to test if daily inclusion of 100 g dried plum will positively influence serum markers of bone metabolism in men. Methods Sixty-six men (50–79 years old) were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: 1) control (0 g dried plum) or; 2) 100 g dried plum with fifty-eight subjects completing the study. All groups received 500 mg calcium and 300 IU vitamin D (Shaklee Chewable Cal Mag Plus) as a daily supplement. Blood samples were collected at baseline, and after three and six months to assess biomarkers of bone turnover. Results Serum bone specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) levels decreased significantly at 6 months in both control and dried plum groups. 100 g/day dried plum consumption resulted in a time-dependent reduction in serum tartrate resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRAP5b) levels, a marker of bone resorption, at three- and six-month time intervals compared to baseline while there were no significant changes in serum TRAP5b levels of the control group. Dried plum consumption significantly decreased C-terminal collagen cross-links (CTX), another marker of bone resorption, three- and six-months compared to baseline. No changes were observed in the control group for CTX levels. Conclusions The results of the current study suggest that daily consumption of 100 g dried plum for 6 months has modest bone protective effects in men that are somewhat similar to those observed in postmenopausal osteopenic and older osteopenic women. Funding Sources This study was funded by the California Dried Plum Board.

Understanding the molecular mechanisms of environmental salinity stress tolerance and acclimation strategies by photosynthetic organisms facilitates accelerating the genetic improvement of tolerant economically important crops. In this study, we have chosen the marine algae Dunaliella (D.) salina, a high-potential and unique organism that shows superior tolerance against abiotic stresses, especially hypersaline conditions. We have grown the cells in three different salt concentrations 1.5M NaCl (control), 2M NaCl, and 3M NaCl (hypersaline). Fast chlorophyll fluorescence analysis showed increased initial fluorescence (Fo) and decreased photosynthetic efficiency, indicating hampered photosystem II utilization capacity under hypersaline conditions. Also, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) localization studies and quantification revealed elevated accumulation of ROS was observed in the chloroplast in the 3M condition. Pigment analysis shows a deficit in chlorophyll content and increased carotenoid accumulation, especially lutein and zeaxanthin content. This study majorly explored the chloroplast transcripts of the D. salina cell as it is the major environmental sensor. Even though most of the photosystem transcripts showed moderate upregulation in hypersaline conditions in the transcriptome study, the western blot analysis showed degradation of the core as well as antenna proteins of both the photosystems. Among the upregulated chloroplast transcripts, chloroplast Tidi, flavodoxin IsiB, and carotenoid biosynthesis-related protein transcripts strongly proposed photosynthetic apparatus remodeling. Also, the transcriptomic study revealed the upregulation of the tetrapyrrole biosynthesis pathway (TPB) and identified the presence of a negative regulator of this pathway, called the s-FLP splicing variant. These observations point towards the accumulation of TPB pathway intermediates PROTO-IX, Mg-PROTO-IX, and P-Chlide, those earlier reported as retrograde signaling molecules. Our comparative transcriptomic approach along with biophysical and biochemical studies in D. salina grown under control (1.5 M NaCl) and hypersaline (3M NaCl) conditions, unveil an efficient retrograde signaling mechanism mediated remodeling of photosynthetic apparatus.