Avocado virgin oil (AVO) was used during eggplant deep-frying, boil, and boil in a water-oil mixture (W/O). There were measured the contents of moisture, dry matter, fat, total (TPC) and ten individual phenols, antioxidant activity (ABTS and DPPH), and total sterols; as well as the profiles of eight fatty acids and fourteen sterols/stanols. The values of raw and processed foods were compared and studied with multivariate analysis. The antioxidant capacity of AVO lowered after deep frying but augmented in eggplant and water after all treatments. The TPC was steady in AVO and raised in fried eggplant. Thermal treatments added to the initial profiles of the AVO, eggplant and water, nine, eight, and four phenols, respectively. Percentages of the main fatty acids (oleic, palmitic and linoleic), and sterols (β-sitosterol, campesterol, and Δ5-avenasterol), remained unchanged between the raw and treated AVO; and the lipidic fractions from processed eggplant. Cooking leads to the movement of hydrophilic and lipophilic functional compounds between AVO, eggplant and water. Migration of sterols and unsaturated fatty acids from AVO to eggplant during deep frying and W/O boiling improved the functional properties of eggplant by adding the high biological value lipophilic fraction to the naturally occurring polyphenols.

BACKGROUND: Although a cholesterol-lowering diet and the addition of plant sterols and stanols are suggested for the lipid management of children and adults with familial hypercholesterolemia, there is limited evidence evaluating such interventions in this population.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of cholesterol-lowering diet and other dietary interventions on the incidence or mortality of cardiovascular disease and lipid profile of patients with familial hypercholesterolemia.
METHODS: Relevant trials were identified by searching US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health Metabolism Trials Register and clinicaltrials.gov.gr using the following terms: diet, dietary, plant sterols, stanols, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and familial hypercholesterolemia.
METHODS: Randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of cholesterol-lowering diet or other dietary interventions in children and adults with familial hypercholesterolemia were included.
METHODS: Two authors independently assessed the eligibility of the included trials and their bias risk and extracted the data which was independently verified by other colleagues.
RESULTS: A total of 17 trials were finally included, with a total of 376 participants across 8 comparison groups. The included trials had either a low or unclear bias risk for most of the assessed risk parameters. Cardiovascular incidence or mortality were not evaluated in any of the included trials. Among the planned comparisons regarding patients\' lipidemic profile, a significant difference was noticed for the following comparisons and outcomes: omega-3 fatty acids reduced triglycerides (mean difference (MD): -0.27 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.47 to -0.07, p < 0.01) when compared with placebo. A non-significant trend towards a reduction in subjects\' total cholesterol (MD: -0.34, 95% CI: -0.68 to 0, mmol/L, p = 0.05) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MD: -0.31, 95% CI: -0.61 to 0, mmol/L, p = 0.05) was noticed. In comparison with cholesterol-lowering diet, the additional consumption of plant stanols decreased total cholesterol (MD: -0.62 mmol/L, 95% CI: -1.13 to -0.11, p = 0.02) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MD: -0.58 mmol/L, 95% CI: -1.08 to -0.09, p = 0.02). The same was by plant sterols (MD: -0.46 mmol/L, 95% CI: -0.76 to -0.17, p < 0.01 for cholesterol and MD: -0.45 mmol/L, 95% CI: -0.74 to -0.16, p < 0.01 for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol). No heterogeneity was noticed among the studies included in these analyses.
CONCLUSIONS: Available trials confirm that the addition of plant sterols or stanols has a cholesterol-lowering effect on such individuals. On the other hand, supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids effectively reduces triglycerides and might have a role in lowering the cholesterol of patients with familial hypercholesterolemia. Additional studies are needed to investigate the efficacy of cholesterol-lowering diet or the addition of soya protein and dietary fibers to a cholesterol-lowering diet in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia.

The methanolic extract of the waste seeds of Sesamum indicum L. (Pedaliaceae) was subjected to chromatographic fractionation; it led to the isolation of an alkyl benzene identified as 1,3-bis (pentadecyl)benzene (1) along with three known fatty acids: oleic acid (2), linoleic acid (3), and palmitic acid (4); one monosaturated cardanol, 3-pentadecylphenol (5) and two phytosteroids identified as sitostanol (6) and campestanol (7). The structures of these compounds were elucidated by chemical and spectroscopic analyses. Compounds 1, 5 and 6 were evaluated against protozoan parasites. Compound 1 moderately inhibited the promastigote form of Leishmania donovani LG13 with IC50 equal to 16.9 μM.

In intensive livestock areas, veterinary pharmaceutical residues (VPRs) can occur in water resources, but also in tap water because treatment processes are not designed to remove these contaminants. The main objective of this study is to assess the occurrence of VPRs in water resources and tap waters in Brittany. As several identical compounds are used in both veterinary and human medicine, a toolbox (stanols and pharmaceuticals) is used to help determine the origin of contamination in the case of mixed-use molecules. Water resources samples were collected from 25 sites (23 surface waters and two groundwaters) used for tap water production and located in watersheds considered as sensitive due to intensive husbandry activities. Samples were also taken at 23 corresponding tap water sites. A list of 38 VPRs of interest was analyzed. In water resources, at least one VPR was quantified in 32% of the samples. 17 different VPRs were quantified, including antibiotics, antiparasitic drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs. Concentration levels ranged between 5 ng/L and 2946 ng/L. Mixed-use pharmaceuticals were quantified in twelve samples of water resources and among these samples nine had a mixed overall fecal contamination. In the context of this large-scale study, it appeared difficult to determine precisely the factors impacting the occurrence of VPRs. VPRs were quantified in 20% of the tap water samples. Twelve VPRs were quantified, including ten compounds exclusively used in veterinary medicine and two mixed-use compounds. Concentration levels are inferior to 40 ng/L for all compounds, with the exception of the antibiotic florfenicol which was quantified at 159 ng/L and 211 ng/L. The population of Brittany may therefore be exposed to these contaminants through tap water. These observations should be put into perspective with the detection frequencies per compound which are all below 10% in both water resources and tap water.

With the expansion of urban centres in the mid-twentieth century and the post-1970 decrease in pesticides, populations of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) around Lake Ontario (Canada and USA) have rapidly rebounded, possibly to unprecedented numbers. Along with the use of traditional palaeolimnological methods (e.g. stable isotopes, biological proxies), we now have the capacity to develop specific markers for directly tracking the presence of waterbirds on nesting islands. Here, we apply the use of lipophilic sterols and stanols from both plant and animal-faecal origins as a reliable technique, independent of traditional isotopic methods, for pinpointing waterbird arrival and population growth over decadal timescales. Sterol and stanol concentrations measured in the guano samples of waterbird species were highly variable within a species and between the three species of waterbirds examined. However, cholesterol was the dominant sterol in guano, and phytosterols were also high in ring-billed gull guano. This variability highlights a specialist piscivorous diet for cormorants compared to a generalist, omnivorous diet for gulls, which may now often include grain and invertebrates from agricultural fields. A ratio that includes cholesterol and sitosterol plus their aerobically reduced products (cholestanol, stigmastanol) best explained the present range of bird abundance across the islands and was significantly correlated to sedimentary δ15N. Overall, we demonstrate the use of sterols and stanols as a direct means for tracking the spatial and temporal presence of waterbirds on islands across Lake Ontario, and probably elsewhere.

The presented work describes the development and validation of a rapid UHPLC-UV/CAD method using a core-shell particle column for the separation and quantitative analysis of seven plant sterols and stanols. The phytosterols (ergosterol, brassicasterol, campesterol, fucosterol, stigmasterol, and β-sitosterol) and the phytostanol stigmastanol were separated and analyzed in 8.5min. The sample pre-treatment procedure was optimized to be less time-consuming than any other published method, especially due to no need of derivatization, evaporation and even reconstitution step. The chromatographic separation was performed on the Kinetex 1.7μ Phenyl-hexyl column (100×2.1mm) with a mobile phase acetonitrile/water according to the gradient program at a flow rate of 0.9mLmin-1 and a temperature of 60°C. A tandem connection of PDA and CAD (Corona Charged Aerosol Detector) was used and both detection techniques were compared. The method was validated using saponification as a first step in sample pre-treatment and an universal CAD as the detector. Recoveries for all analyzed compounds were between 95.4% and 103.4% and relative standard deviation ranged from 1.0% to 5.8% for within-day and from 1.4% to 6.7% for between-day repeatability. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.4-0.6μgmL-1 for standard solutions and 0.3-1.2μgmL-1 for phytosterols in real samples. Although several gradient programs and different stationary phases were tested, two compounds, campesterol and campestanol, were not separated. Their peak was quantified as a sum of both analytes.

OBJECTIVE: Regular intake of phytosterols (PS) is proven to dose-dependently lower LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C). Whether PS consumption can also impact low-grade inflammation is unclear. Considering the low feasibility of outcomes studies involving PS consumption, investigation of surrogate markers of atherosclerosis represents a valuable approach. This study assessed the anti-inflammatory effect of PS consumption, according to inflammatory biomarkers, mainly C-reactive protein (CRP).
RESULTS: A systematic search of Medline, Cab Abstracts, and Food Science & Technology Abstracts was conducted through January 2015. Our study selection included randomized controlled trials (RCT), involving intake of PS-enriched foods as active treatment, and measurement of plasma inflammatory biomarkers. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed using average baseline and end-of-intervention concentrations and control-adjusted absolute changes in CRP and blood lipids. There were 20 eligible RCTs including a total of 1308 subjects. The absolute change of plasma CRP levels with PS consumption was -0.10 mg/L (95%CI -0.26; 0.05), a non-significant change, and heterogeneity had borderline significance (I(2) = 29.1; p-value = 0.073). The absolute reduction of LDL-C was -14.3 mg/dL (95%CI -17.3; -11.3). Meta-regression analyses showed that both the dose and duration of PS intake significantly influenced the absolute changes in plasma CRP (β = -0.35, p = 0.0255 and β = -0.03, p = 0.0209, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: In this meta-analysis, regular intake of PS-enriched foods did not significantly change CRP, whilst LDL-C concentrations were significantly reduced. Further studies with higher PS doses may provide more definite conclusions on a potential anti-inflammatory effect of PS intake.

Changes in 4-desmethylsterol, 4-monomethylsterol, 4,4-dimethylsterol and phytostanol composition were quantitatively and qualitatively investigated during the ripening of three varieties of Tunisian-grown pecan nuts (Mahan, Moore and Burkett). These components have many health benefits, especially in lowering LDL-cholesterol and preventing heart disease. The phytosterol composition of whole pecan kernel was quantified by Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionisation Detection (GC-FID) and identified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Fifteen phytosterols and one phytostanol were quantified. The greatest amount of phytosterols (2852.5mg/100g of oil) was detected in Mahan variety at 20 weeks after the flowering date (WAFD). Moore had the highest level of phytostanols (7.3mg/100g of oil) at 20 WAFD. Phytosterol and phytostanol contents showed a steep decrease during pecan nut development. Results from the quantitative characterisation of pecan nut oils revealed that β-sitosterol, Δ5-avenasterol, and campesterol were the most abundant phytosterol compounds at all ripening stages.

In this work, (1)H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ((1)H NMR) has been used to study the lipidic fraction of margarines of different compositions, determining simultaneously both major components, which is to say triglycerides, and other minor ones, such as 1- and 2-monoglycerides, 1,2-diglycerides, vegetable stanols and sterols, and sorbic acid. The results show a wide variety of acyl group compositions, with polyunsaturated groups ranging from 22% to 50%, monounsaturated from 23% to 50%, and saturated from 21% to 55%. 1,2-Diglycerides and vegetable stanols and/or sterols have been detected in all the studied margarines, in concentrations varying between 2.73 and 26.06 mmol/kg, and between 3.40 and 240.01 mmol/kg, respectively. A good agreement has been found between the results obtained by (1)H NMR and some composition data of these margarines, showing the usefulness of this technique to analyse the lipidic composition of margarine in a quick and easy way.

Globodera solanacearum females were found to have less than 0.01% of dry wt as sterols. Seven sterols were detected in the nematode, with stanols (campestanol and stigmastanol) making tip more than 50% of the total sterols present. Lipid amounted to 29.4% of the dry weight of the nematode. Triglyceride, free fatty acid, and phospholipid classes were composed predominantly of 20:4, 20:1, and 18:1 fatty acids. Of the total weight of fatty acids found in G. solanacearum females, the greatest portion occurred in the triglyceride fraction, followed by the free fatty acid fraction then the phospholipid fraction. Several unidentified hydrocarbons were detected in the nematode. Paraffinic hydrocarbons detected ranged in carbon length from C15 to C29. Total concentration of hydrocarbon composed 0.20% of the dry wt.