Newsletter 02 2006.pdf - Sight and Life

NEWSLETTER 2/2006
23
SIGHT AND LIFE
13 th European Meeting on Fat-Soluble Vitamins
2006 in Jena
Volker Böhm, PD, Institut für Ernährungswissenschaften, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität
Jena, Germany
This year, for the first time, this
European Conference took place
in Germany. Fat-soluble vitamins
(FSV) offer a wide field of research
and have brought together European
scientists and students every
three to four years since 1960,
first in the UK and then touring
Europe. After Arcachon (1996)
and Toulouse (2000) in France
and Rieti (2003) in Italy, this year
Jena in Germany provided an opportunity
to listen and to lecture,
to discuss and to develop stateof-the-art
and new approaches,
illuminating the role of these
compounds for human health and
more. A very efficient interchange
of knowledge took place due to
the traditionally small number of
around 50 participants. Students,
in particular, took this opportunity
to present their work on a European
level and to talk to experts
in the field.
The 13 th FSV meeting was hosted
by the Institute of Nutrition at
the renowned Friedrich Schiller
University in Jena. It took place
in the Old Castle in Dornburg
(10 km from Jena), that has just
been completely refurbished to
meet the demands of a modern
meeting place while keeping its
beautiful historical ambience.
Accommodation was in Jena, a
city of 100,000 inhabitants and
also famous for its optical trade
(Zeiss, Jenoptik).
The conference started with a
plenary lecture by the internationally
known carotenoid expert
Steven J Schwartz from the Ohio
State University in Columbus,
Ohio, USA. He presented some
of the results of his group on bioavailability
of different carotenoids,
talking also on bioactivity of
these secondary plant products
being able to reduce the risks
for some degenerative diseases.
The first session followed, reporting
results with carotenoids.
Catherine Caris-Veyrat from INRA
Avignon, France, mainly focused
on oxidation products of carotenoids,
discussing some possible
effects of these metabolites. Yoav
Sharoni from Beer-Sheva, Israel,
presented new results on mechanisms
for cancer prevention by
carotenoids, while Gordon Lowe
from Liverpool, UK, explained
investigations on interactions
between cigarette smoke and
β-carotene.
The second session focussed on
vitamin E. David Muller, London,
UK, presented analytical details
on separation and quantification
of conjugated vitamin E metabolites
in sepsis. Andreas Wagner
from Jena, Germany, showed
how intervention with α-tocopherol
and folic acid affected 8-
oxodG, a biomarker of oxidative
stress in leukocytes and urine
in humans. Stefano Manfredini,
Ferrara, Italy, finished the session,
comparing the antioxidant
activity of novel vitamin E based
antioxidants within several assay
systems. Afterwards most delegates
enjoyed typical Thuringian
sausages, beer and jazz music.
The second day started with
results on the structure-activity
relationship of carotenoid derivatives
in activation of the antioxidant
response element transcription
system, presented by Joseph
Levy, Beer-Sheva, Israel. Paola