Annals of Long Term Care

April 5-9, 2008, San Diego, CA

The Experimental Biology (EB) meeting is a scientific conference that offers unique opportunities for basic science and clinical science researchers to mingle and exchange ideas. The EB meeting is actually a shared venue for the annual meetings of seven national societies: The American Association of Anatomists (AAA), The American Association of Immunologists (AAI), The American Physiological Society (APS), The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), The American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), The American Society for Nutrition (ASN), and the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). This year, more than 13,000 scientists gathered under the umbrella organization of EB. The theme of the meeting, “Today’s Research, Tomorrow’s Health,” underscores the intent of this conference to bring together dozens of different disciplines to promote the development of knowledge and ideas from basic bench laboratory investigation to translational and clinical research. This report will include highlights from these sessions. Full proceedings from these meetings are available online, and individual abstracts can be searched by key words at www.eb2008.org.

Fish Oil: Food for Thought
One of the most interesting conference sessions was a symposium on the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in neuronal health. It has been known for some time that increased intake of omega-3 PUFAs (eg, marine oils) is associated with reduced risk of coronary disease and, more recently, with improvement of some inflammatory diseases such as arthritis. Omega-3 PUFAs have been shown to be important generally in the restorative and maintenance functions of cellular metabolism. Recently, researchers at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (Bazan and colleagues) have shown that the omega-3 PUFA docosahexanoic acid (DHA) is an activator and inducer of an important neural mediator substance called neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1). DHA acts synergistically with another neurotrophin, pigment epithelium-derived factor, in the brain and retinal tissues to activate NPD1. NPD1 has three functions that are critical to retinal pigment health and neuronal health and longevity: (1) up-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins; (2) down-regulation of pro-apoptotic proteins; and (3) protection against oxidative and inflammatory injury to neurons. The interplay of DHA-derived neuroprotective signaling aims to counteract pro-inflammatory, cell-damaging events triggered by multiple converging cytokine and amyloid peptide factors, as in the case of Alzheimer’s disease. Generation of NPD1 from DHA thereby appears to redirect cellular fate toward successful preservation of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE)-photoreceptor cell integrity and counteracts brain cell aging. Tissue analysis from brain specimens of several degenerative neuronal diseases, in particular retinal degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease, show deficiencies of DHA and NPD1. The researchers concluded that supplements or dietary regimens high in DHA may be useful as new preventive/therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases. Cautions were voiced about using fish oil that has not had heavy metal contaminants removed, since the high levels of mercury in some fish oils are neurotoxic and could offset the benefit of the DHA. In addition, DHA is easily oxidized, and supplements should be stored in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Going Nuts
Multiple papers and presentations focused on the nutritional benefits of various nuts and their potential usefulness in preventing specific diseases. Findings included the following:

•Pistachios are an excellent dietary source of lutein and zeaxanthin (L/Z), both of which are thought to be protective against age-related macular degeneration.