18 - Legislation, regulation and public confidence in shellfish

Non-cholesterol sterols in serum, lipoproteins, and red cells in statin-treated FH subjects off and on plant stanol and sterol ester spreads

Best management practices (BMPs) are the tools which are adopted to run any activity while inflicting least negative impacts on the surrounding environment. Since, water pollution is one of the most important issues in today's world; it is indispensable to discuss the activities which are deteriorating its quality. Although, a number of treatment technologies and methods are in place for treating the point sources of pollution, there is a need to address nonpoint sources of pollution. There are many successful practices which are capable of curtailing the impacts of nonpoint source pollution, if adopted. In this paper an attempt has been made to evaluate the performance and trade‐offs of various management practices to address the issues of agricultural nonpoint source pollution. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of guiding principles which can pave a way for adoption of these practices. Therefore, an attempt has also been made to explore the aspects of policy formulations along with emphasizing the factors which can lead to adoption/ non‐adoption of such practices.

Removal of intravenous Intralipid in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia during inhibition of cholesterol absorption and synthesis

Cholesterol metabolism in normal and heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemic newborns

Phytosterolemia, also known as sitosterolemia, is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by elevated plasma plant sterol levels and xanthomata, which is easily misdiagnosed as familial hypercholesterolemia. Patients with homozygous phytosterolemia often have severe clinical manifestations, with xanthomata in childhood and premature atherosclerosis. Our patient had a milder clinical phenotype. This report describes a patient with homozygous phytosterolemia who presented with only elevated cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) without xanthomata, arteriosclerosis, or hematological abnormalities. Homozygous mutation of ABCG5 which encodes an ATP-binding cassette transporter, was detected by whole exome sequencing and diagnosed as phytosterolemia. Measurement of the patient's plasma plant sterol levels detected significant elevations in stigmasterol, rapeseed oil-derived plant sterol, and β-glutaminol levels. Ezetimibe was started and a low plant sterol diet was recommended. The patient's blood lipid profile was reexamined one month later and showed significant decreases in total cholesterol and LDL-C levels. Phytosterolemia has similar clinical features as familial hypercholesterolemia, is highly susceptible to misdiagnosis, and has a very low incidence, and therefore clinicians need to consider a genetic diagnosis of a definitively hyperlipidemic disorder when statin drugs fail to lower lipid levels. Phytosterolemia is easily misdiagnosed as familial hypercholesterolaemia and can be treated by dietary modification and cholesterol absorption inhibitors to lower blood lipids.

Nutrition and dietary interventions for treatment and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia in children and adolescents: A systematic review.

Agriculture has been identified as one of the major sources of nonpoint water pollution due to discharges running off farmland. This study assessed the current adoption of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in the Louisiana sugarcane industry and provided policy recommendations based on the empirical results. Fifteen BMPs recommended by Louisiana State University Agricultural Center were examined in three categories: Soil Erosion and Sediment Control, Nutrient Management, and Pesticide Management. Based on neoclassical economic principles of individual’s utility maximization, this study evaluated seven multivariate probit models using primary data collected from a mail survey of Louisiana’s sugarcane producers. The results indicated that remarkable progress has been achieved in BMPs promotion since 1999. The primary factors that significantly impacted BMP adoption were: awareness of the Master Farmer Program for sugarcane, farm size, ownership, and farmer’s risk attitude. It is recommended that educational programs provided by LSU AgCenter continue to play a vital role in promoting sugarcane BMPs .

Environment protection or restoration of the endangered or polluted plateau lakes in Yunnan, China, has brought intentions of mass activities that raise a great need for best management practices (BMPs). By relating algal bloom and nutrient status in the lakes plus cost -effective and sustainability analysis, it is recommended that phosphorous should be intentionally cut first to control algal bloom, pollutant source reduction should start from the source on water surface and ecological modules should be promoted to guarantee sustaina bility of environmental protection measures. Part of above strategy has been implemented and led positive results.

Additive Effects of Plant Sterol and Stanol Esters to Statin Therapy

Misdiagnosis of sitosterolemia in a patient as Evans syndrome and familial hypercholesterolemia

Plant sterols and plant stanols in the management of dyslipidaemia and prevention of cardiovascular disease

Usefulness of gas chromatographic profiles of plasma total lipids in diagnosis of phytosterolemia

Feeding behaviour of a serpulid polychaete: Turning a nuisance species into a natural resource to counter algal blooms?

First posted November 19, 2015 For additional information, contact: Director, Illinois Water Science Center U.S. Geological Survey 405 N. Goodwin Ave. Urbana, IL 61801 http://il.water.usgs.gov The Great Lakes face a number of serious challenges that cause damage to water quality, habitat, ecology, and coastal health. Excess nutrients from point and nonpoint sources have a history of causing harmful algal blooms (HABs); since the late 1990s, a resurgence of HABs have forced beach closures and resulted in water quality impairments across the Great Lakes. Studies increasingly point to phosphorus (P) runoff from agricultural lands as the cause of these HABs. In 2010, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) was launched to revitalize the Great Lakes. The GLRI aims to address the challenges facing the Great Lakes and provide a framework for restoration and protection. As part of this effort, the Priority Watersheds Work Group (PWWG), cochaired by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA–NRCS), is targeting Priority Watersheds (PWs) to reduce the amount of P reaching the Great Lakes. Within the PWs, USDA–NRCS identifies small-scale subbasins with high concentrations of agriculture for coordinated nutrient reduction efforts and enhanced monitoring and modeling. The USDA–NRCS supplies financial and/or technical assistance to producers to install or implement best management practices (BMPs) to lessen the negative effects of agriculture to water quality; additional funding is provided by the GLRI through USDA–NRCS to saturate the small-scale subbasins with BMPs. The watershed modeling component, introduced in this fact sheet, assesses the effectiveness of USDA–NRCS funded BMPs, and nutrient reductions because of GLRI or other funding programs are differentiated. Modeling scenarios consider BMPs that have already been applied and those planned to be implemented across the small-scale subbasins.

Plant sterols are commonly used as cholesterol-lowering nutriceuticals. In subjects who regularly consume plant sterol enriched functional foods, plasma plant sterol concentration is modestly increased. Sitosterolemia, a very rare genetic disorder, is characterized by xanthomas and up to 100-fold elevation of plasma plant sterols. Because patients with sitosterolemia are at high risk to develop severe premature coronary artery disease, even modestly increased plasma plant sterols are suggested to be atherogenic. Thus, there is no consensus on the question if cardiovascular risk can be reduced by the use of plant sterol margarines. In addition to their efficacy to decrease plasma cholesterol, plant sterols together with other non-cholesterol sterols are important for the investigation of cholesterol metabolism. Analyzing plasma non-cholesterol sterols cholesterol absorption from the intestine and endogenous cholesterol biosynthesis can be estimated. The present review offers an overview of the topic “Plant Sterols”. In particular, the role of plant sterols and cholesterol metabolism in atherogenesis is discussed. We focus on cholesterol metabolism, sitosterolemia, and the use of plant sterols as cholesterol-lowering agents. Furthermore, the significance of plasma plant sterol measurement is explained.