Nutritional Genomics

Ellinger et al 2012 report that exotic fruits like açai, camu-camu, and blackberries are marketed as "functional" food supporting a pro-/antioxidant balance. Ellinger and colleagues, in a randomized controlled crossover trial, found that the anthocyanin-rich fruit juice may stabilize the pro-/antioxidant balance without affecting markers of oxidative stress. [1]

 A study of Séralini et al 2012 found that NK603 maize and Roundup may cause hormonal disturbances in the same biochemical and physiological pathway with mammary tumours, diseases of the pituitary gland and kidneys. Death in male rats was mostly due to the development of severe hepatorenal insufficiencies, confirming the first signs of toxicity observed in 90 day feeding trials with NK603 maize in 2009. [1]

Gut bacteria from the phylum Firmicutes increase the body's intake of calories from food. The microbiota increase epithelial lipid droplets (LD) number formation in the intestinal epithelium and liver in a diet dependent manner. Intake of food leads to an increase of Firmicutes bacteria in the intestine,  increasing the number of small-sized epithelial LD number, whereas LD size was increased by other bacterial types.

According to Ottman et al. 2012 meta-omics studies the intestinal microbiota. Met-omics comprises: Metagenomics which  is DNA-based, metatranscriptomics which  studies the total transcribed RNA, metaproteomics focuses on protein levels and metabolomics describes metabolic profiles.

The dengue vaccine CYD-TDV  of the French drugmaker Sanofi SA, in Phase IIa proved only 30 per cent effective instead of the predicted 70 per cent. Thailand is heavily affected by the mosquito-borne disease, also known as "breakbone fever" which is also spreading in the Dominican Republic. [1]

Due to complicated global trade of foods and religious believes, reliable and specific methods of species determination in a variety of food items are needed. During Ramadan 2012 Brazilian hot dogs mixed with pork meat and fat were sold by several restaurants in Kuwait before laboratory tests were completed, violating the law. [1]

The bacterial canker on kiwifruit caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae is a severe threat to production of green-fleshed kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) and yellow-fleshed kiwifruit (A. chinensis). Renzi et al. 2012 describe the kiwi disease spreading in Italy. [1]

Antibiotic resistance in soil bacteria had its beginning much before the start of medical use of antibiotics. There are evidences that soil bacteria developed antibiotics resistance genes responding to pressure  from fungi and other bacteria. The primary antibiotic resistance gene pool originated and diversified within the environmental bacterial communities The soil bacteria exchanged such genes with pathogen bacteria.

Defining the human being as an individual developed out of a fertilised egg containing genes from father and mother is insufficient to describe an individual. Microbiologists increase the scope of the definition by including the notion of  an  ecosystem which also embraces bacteria, fungi and archaea. This aggregate of microorganisms  resides on the surface and in deep layers of skin, in the saliva and oral mucosa, in the conjunctiva, and in the gastrointestinal tracts and is known as  human microbiome. [1]