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One of the most important threats to global human health is the increasing incidences of metabolic pathologies (including obesity, type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), which is paralleled by increasing consumptions of hypercaloric diets enriched in simple sugars. The challenge is to identify the metabolic pathways affected by the excessive consumption of these dietary components when they are consumed in excess, to unravel the molecular mechanisms leading to metabolic pathologies and identify novel therapeutic targets to manage them. Mechanistic (mammalian) target of rapamycin (mTOR) has emerged as one of the key molecular nodes that integrate extracellular signals, such as energy status and nutrient availability, to trigger cell responses that could lead to the above-mentioned diseases through the regulation of lipid and glucose metabolism. By activating mTOR signalling, excessive consumption of simple sugars (such as fructose and glucose), could modulate hepatic gluconeogenesis, lipogenesis and fatty acid uptake and catabolism and thus lipid deposition in the liver. In the present review we will discuss some of the most recent studies showing the central role of mTOR in the metabolic effects of excessive simple sugar consumption.

First published by UNC Press in 1972, Sugar and Slaves presents a vivid portrait of English life in the Caribbean more than three centuries ago. Using a host of contemporary primary sources, Richard Dunn traces the development of plantation slave society in the region. He examines sugar production techniques, the vicious character of the slave trade, the problems of adapting English ways to the tropics, and the appalling mortality rates for both blacks and whites that made these colonies the richest, but in human terms the least successful, in English America. \"A masterly analysis of the Caribbean plantation slave society, its lifestyles, ethnic relations, afflictions, and peculiarities.-- Journal of Modern History \"A remarkable account of the rise of the planter class in the West Indies. . . . Dunn's [work] is rich social history, based on factual data brought to life by his use of contemporary narrative accounts.-- New York Review of Books \"A study of major importance. . . . Dunn not only provides the most solid and precise account ever written of the social development of the British West Indies down to 1713, he also challenges some traditional historical cliches.-- American Historical Review

European markets almost exclusively relied on Caribbean sugar produced by slave labor until abolitionist campaigns began around 1800. Thereafter, importing Asian sugar and transferring plantation production to Asia became a serious option for the Western world. In this book, Ulbe Bosma details how the British and Dutch introduced the sugar plantation model in Asia and refashioned it over time. Although initial attempts by British planters in India failed, the Dutch colonial administration was far more successful in Java, where it introduced in 1830 a system of forced cultivation that tied local peasant production to industrial manufacturing. A century later, India adopted the Java model in combination with farmers' cooperatives rather than employing coercive measures. Cooperatives did not prevent industrial sugar production from exploiting small farmers and cane cutters, however, and Bosma finds that much of modern sugar production in Asia resembles the abuses of labor by the old plantation systems of the Caribbean.

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the scientific literature in the field of tourism in Latin America (Sucre, Bolivia was named a World Heritage Site (WHS) by UNESCO). This study analyses the relevance of the cultural motivation and emotional experience of the tourist to positively influence the image or the perceived value of the heritage site visited. The research shall also analyse other relationships, such as the positive effect of the perceived value on the loyalty of tourists and the influence of the visitor’s place of origin as a moderating variable in the formation of the image and loyalty to the destination. The analysis was performed by means of structural equation models (SEMs). The data were extracted through fieldwork consisting of interviews with visitors to the city. The results of the research revealed that the perceived value of a heritage destination not only depends on the functional and tangible aspects of the attributes but also on the emotional experience and cultural interest regarding the heritage site visited. Similarly, there is evidence of a relationship between perceived value and a loyal attitude and that it is moderated by the origin of the tourist, this being a great influence in the case of the domestic tourist.

Anthocyanins, a class of flavonoids, are recognized for their diverse functions in plant development and beneficial effects on human health. Many of the genes encoding anthocyanin biosynthesis enzymes and the transcription factors that activate or repress them have been identified. Regulatory proteins that control anthocyanin biosynthesis by regulating the expression of different structural genes at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels are differentially modulated by environmental and biological factors such as light, temperature, sugar and hormones. This minireview summarizes the recent findings contributing to our understanding of the role of sugars and hormones in the modulation of the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway with emphasis on the coordinated regulation of the critical transcriptional R2R3-MYB/bHLH/WD40 (MBW) complex in Arabidopsis.

Excessive sugar intake from beverages has become a growing concern due to its links to various health problems, such as obesity and diabetes. This study aims to evaluate the sugar content in commercial beverages and assess the associated health risks based on WHO guidelines. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 366 samples, where high-performance liquid chromatography was used to measure the presence of five types of sugars. The average total sugar content was 5.98 ± 3.24g/100mL, with sucrose being the most common sugar detected. Interestingly, 64.2% of the products were labeled as \"low sugar,\" but 50% exceeded the WHO's recommended daily intake of 25g per serving, and 9.8% surpassed 50g. Additionally, beverages with larger volumes (500mL) were more likely to exceed the recommended intake with potentials to increase health risks. These results highlight significant discrepancies between product labeling and actual sugar content. La consommation excessive de sucre dans les boissons est devenue une préoccupation croissante en raison de ses liens avec divers problèmes de santé, tels que l'obésité et le diabète. Cette étude vise à évaluer la teneur en sucre des boissons fraîchement préparées et à évaluer les risques sanitaires associés, conformément aux recommandations de l'OMS. Une analyse transversale a été menée sur 366 échantillons, où la chromatographie liquide haute performance a permis de mesurer la présence de cinq types de sucres. La teneur totale moyenne en sucres était de 5,98 ± 3,24 g/100 ml, le saccharose étant le sucre le plus fréquemment détecté. Il est intéressant de noter que 64,2 % des produits étaient étiquetés « à faible teneur en sucre », mais que 50 % dépassaient l'apport quotidien recommandé par l'OMS de 25 g par portion, et 9,8 % dépassaient 50 g. De plus, les boissons de plus grand volume (500 ml) étaient plus susceptibles de dépasser l'apport recommandé, augmentant ainsi les risques pour la santé. Ces résultats mettent en évidence des écarts importants entre l'étiquetage des produits et la teneur réelle en sucre.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters.As the world's energy hunger grows ever larger, fossil fuel reserves are diminishing-and concerns about climate change remind us that our love affair with fossil fuels cannot continue much longer. This has inspired intense research into sustainable energy sources. Biofuels seemed initially promising, but the world soon realized that food-based biofuel has its own dangers. Second-generation biofuels, however, use biomass from crops' inedible parts-such as the stalks and leaves of sugarcane-offering a far more viable solution. In this book, researchers from around the world review some of the most important and timely topics related to using sugarcane feedstock for biofuel.

How did Cuba's long-established sugar trade result in the development of an agriculture that benefited consumers abroad at the dire expense of Cubans at home? In this history of Cuba, Louis A. Perez proposes a new Cuban counterpoint: rice, a staple central to the island's cuisine, and sugar, which dominated an export economy 150 years in the making. In the dynamic between the two, dependency on food imports-a signal feature of the Cuban economy-was set in place.Cuban efforts to diversify the economy through expanded rice production were met with keen resistance by U.S. rice producers, who were as reliant on the Cuban market as sugar growers were on the U.S. market. U.S. growers prepared to retaliate by cutting the sugar quota in a struggle to control Cuban rice markets. Perez's chronicle culminates in the 1950s, a period of deepening revolutionary tensions on the island, as U.S. rice producers and their allies in Congress clashed with Cuban producers supported by the government of Fulgencio Batista. U.S. interests prevailed-a success, Perez argues, that contributed to undermining Batista's capacity to govern. Cuba's inability to develop self-sufficiency in rice production persists long after the triumph of the Cuban revolution. Cuba continues to import rice, but, in the face of the U.S. embargo, mainly from Asia. U.S. rice growers wait impatiently to recover the Cuban market.

Myroxylon balsamum is in great demand in Central America as its botanical and wood properties are useful in the pharmaceutical, timber and cosmetics industries. In Colombia, it is classified as near threatened (NT) due to over-exploitation for resin or wood, or habitat destruction in the department of Sucre. A guide was necessary to establish propagation practices for population restoration in natural areas. Here we quantify and analyze the germination behavior ofM. balsamum. During the germination process, testa rupture occurred 15 days after sowing; obtaining a germination percentage of 77, 2% and germination rate of 23.3 days. The coefficient of variation for variable seedling height (AP), root length (LR), number of leaves (NH) and number of nodes per seedling (NN) generally showed a wide dispersion, but it was greater in the variables LR y NN. This high behavioural diversity maybe due to the provenance of the seed by different mother plants, their maturity or differences in genetic and physiological characteristics.

The expression of the six rice ASR genes is differentially regulated in a tissue-dependent manner according to environmental conditions and reproductive stages. OsASR1 and OsASR3 are the most abundant and are found in most tissues; they are enriched in the leaves and roots, respectively. Coexpression analysis of OsASR1 and OsASR3 and a comparison of the cis-acting elements upstream of OsASR1 and OsASR3 suggested that their expression is regulated in common by abiotic stresses but differently regulated by hormone and sugar signals. The results of quantitative real-time PCR analyses of OsASR1 and OsASR3 expression under various conditions further support this model. The expression of both OsASR1 and OsASR3 was induced by drought stress, which is a major regulator of the expression of all ASR genes in rice. In contrast, ABA is not a common regulator of the expression of these genes. OsASR1 transcription was highly induced by ABA, whereas OsASR3 transcription was strongly induced by GA. In addition, OsASR1 and OsASR3 expression was significantly induced by sucrose and sucrose/glucose treatments, respectively. The induction of gene expression in response to these specific hormone and sugar signals was primarily observed in the major target tissues of these genes (i.e., OsASR1 in leaves and OsASR3 in roots). Our data also showed that the overexpression of either OsASR1 or OsASR3 in transgenic rice plants increased their tolerance to drought and cold stress. Taken together, our results revealed that the transcriptional control of different rice ASR genes exhibit different tissue-dependent sugar and hormone-sensitivities.