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Let’s Eat: Apple Pie Delight

by Heidi Sutton - October 11, 2016

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The Long Island Apple Festival returned to the Sherwood-Jayne Farm in East Setauket on Sept. 25 for its 27th year. Presented by the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities, Homestead Arts and the Greater Port Jefferson–Northern Brookhaven Arts Council, the event celebrated the humble apple. One of the highlights of the day was the apple pie contest. First place went to Sabrina Sloan and Chris Muscarella of East Setauket (see their recipe below), Erin Lovett of Lake Ronkonkoma took home second place and Christopher McAndrews of Belle Terre placed third. Liana and Gabrielle Lofaso of Belle Terre won for Best Looking Pie. Congratulations to all!

Apple Pie

YIELD: Makes one 9-inch pie, serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS:

Crust: 2½ cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups (3 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

½ cup ice water

Filling:

8 cups cored, peeled, sliced apples (Granny Smith or Cortland)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for top of crust

¼ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter

1 egg yolk

Splash of water

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375 F. In a food processor, using a metal blade, pulse your flour, sugar and salt together. Add in cold, cubed butter and pulse. Slowly drizzle in ice water, one tablespoon at a time. You should have a course, crumbly mixture. (If you don’t have a food processor, combine ingredients in a large bowl using a pastry blender or fork.) Before the dough has formed a ball, remove the blade and take dough out, bringing it together by hand. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. It is very important to work with cold dough. In a large bowl, toss apples in lemon juice, flour, sugars, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

Once dough is cold, take dough out of plastic wrap and divide in half. Return one half, in plastic wrap, to the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, roll your ½ of dough out into a circle, 12 to 14 inches round and about ¼ inch thick. Gently take the corners, lift the dough and transfer it to pie pan. Lightly press sides against the bottom and sides of pan. Trim overhanging dough so that you’re left with ½ inch and fold excess under the edge of the pan. Pour apple mixture into pie pan and cover the top of the apples with pats of butter. T

ake second half of dough from fridge and repeat process of rolling it out to a 12 to 14 inch circle, ¼ inch thick. Cover the entire pie with remaining rolled-out dough. Pierce holes in the top of dough to allow heat to escape (so there isn’t a steam buildup inside the pie.) Seal the edges of the pie by fluting the dough (stamping the dough with a fork) around the edge of the pie pan. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and add a splash of water. Brush the egg mixture all over the top of the crust and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Recipe courtesy of Sabrina Sloan and Chris Muscarella of East Setauket.

Eye on Education: SBU strives for gender equality with new diversity plan

by TBR Staff - October 11, 2016

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By Dr. Samuel L. Stanley

Implementation of Stony Brook University’s new Plan for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity is off to a great start, with several initiatives underway to take us to the next level in enhancing student, faculty and staff diversity and building an inclusive community.

Gender equality is one of the focal points of our plan. As one of 10 University IMPACT Champions worldwide for UN Women’s HeForShe movement, Stony Brook is committed to being a national leader in gender equality and serving as a model for other colleges and universities.

HeForShe encourages men and boys to become agents of change in achieving global gender equality by building on the work of the women’s movement as equal partners, crafting and implementing a shared vision of gender equality that will benefit all of humanity. For Stony Brook, HeForShe provides a visionary and sound foundation from which we can work to improve diversity and the human condition on our campus and beyond.

To highlight our commitment to achieving gender equality, Stony Brook University co-hosted the HeForShe second anniversary event, welcoming world leaders, activists, change-makers and celebrities to the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan on Sept. 20. At the event, we celebrated the launch of the first HeForShe IMPACT 10×10×10 University Parity report, which charts Stony Brook’s progress toward gender equality along with nine other leading universities from around the world.

Some of our progress includes building gender sensitization programming and gender equality themes into our mandatory freshman seminar class; forming a HeForShe Steering Committee of students, faculty and staff to oversee the implementation of our commitments; and hosting the first SUNY-wide HeForShe conference last March to work with all 64 SUNY campuses in developing programs to increase gender equality, giving us the potential to impact the experiences of more than 459,000 students and almost 90,000 faculty and staff.

Stony Brook is also now a leader in the field, offering the first-ever master’s degree program in masculinities studies within the university’s Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities led by Distinguished Professor of Sociology Michael Kimmel.

On Sept. 12, Stony Brook welcomed Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of UN Women and under-secretary-general of the United Nations, who delivered a timely and provocative lecture to our students, faculty and staff. To quote Mlambo-Ngcuka: “There aren’t enough universities in the world that have put this issue at the center of our work. It is in universities where we produce thought leaders and people who can truly change the world.”

Stony Brook is proud to be a pioneering university in our progress toward gender equality. Visit stonybrook.edu/diversityplan and stonybrook.edu/heforshe for more information.

Dr. Samuel L. Stanley Jr. is the president of Stony Brook University.

Should we embrace a low-carb diet?

by David Dunaief - October 9, 2016

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15-li-fall-festival-2015-apples — Not all carbs are created equal. Photo by Heidi Sutton

By David Dunaief

It’s a persistent question: Should we minimize our carbohydrate consumption? Unfortunately, it depends on a number of factors including the type of carbohydrate and your family and personal history of chronic disease such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, high triglycerides and hypertension. If this seems complicated and confusing to you, you are not alone. We have been bamboozled, railroaded or whatever term you like about carbohydrates for decades.

The body is like a chemistry set in that it turns many different types of carbohydrates into sugar. In other words, most of the sugar we consume is not what we add to food, but rather the food that our bodies turn into sugar. This is what’s so dangerous because it raises our blood sugar level.

The FDA has recently tried to quantify the amount of sugar we should consume on a daily basis (1). The agency recommends that we get no more than 50 grams of ADDED sugar a day. This seems like an easy task, for who would add 14.5 teaspoons of sugar to their food or drink in a day? Ah, but there is a catch: It includes processed foods such as refined carbohydrates and beverages. In fact, one can of soda may be enough to reach the upper limits of this recommendation.

We have been told for years that fats, especially saturated fats, were the enemy. Remember the food pyramid? The USDA had grains as its foundation for the longest time. Why would this be? Well, as it turns out, this is not a conspiracy theory but an actual scheme by the sugar industry to influence what we ate. They blamed fats as the cause for chronic diseases. However, they were very tricky in their approach, influencing scientists in the 1960s and 1970s with a small amount money, as was recently disclosed in a medical journal. We will discuss this in more detail.

Not all carbs are created equal

Carbohydrates come in many different forms. It depends on how much fiber they contain and whether they’re in liquid or solid form (2). Don’t focus on whether the carbohydrates are soluble or insoluble, complex or simple.

What is important is that some carbs don’t raise our blood sugar levels, while others have a much higher propensity to raise them. The carbs that don’t, or are less likely to, include fruits, nonstarchy vegetables, beans, legumes, pasta made from beans and tofu. With these, for the most part, you can eat a plentiful amount and may help prevent and even reverse chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. However, carbs that raise our blood sugar are grains, especially refined grains, starchy vegetables like potatoes, fruit juice, sweets, bread, grain pasta, dried fruit, alcohol, soda, condiments and sauces. Let’s look at the evidence.

Sugar industry manipulation

You wouldn’t think we could be fooled by the sugar industry or distracted into thinking that saturated fats are what’s detrimental, not carbohydrates, and in their simplest form, sugars. This is just what the sugar industry did. A recent article in JAMA flushes this out (3).

The Sugar Research Foundation, the predecessor to the Sugar Association, paid three Harvard scientists to focus on fat and cholesterol as contributing factors to the rise in heart disease, not sugar. The resulting low-fat diet craze led to products loaded with sugar, like Snackwell cookies.

How much did they pay the researchers? A paltry $50,000 total in current monetary value. One of the scientists involved became the director of nutrition at the USDA. While the sugar industry and Harvard scientists in the 1960s may have conspired to downplay the dangers of sugar, strong evidence has now come to light that sugar, especially refined sugar, plays a role in heart disease and many other chronic diseases. However, this does not exonerate foods with high levels of saturated fat such as animal products.

We could never fall for this again, right? Well, that is what Coca-Cola was hoping to repeat recently by paying scientists millions of dollars to blame exercise, not diet, for the increase in heart disease, diabetes and obesity (4). This was recently revealed in a New York Times article entitled, “Coca-Cola Funds Scientists Who Shift Blame for Obesity Away From Bad Diets.” The Global Energy Balance Network, a nonprofit advocacy group, was influenced by the funding from Coke. In fact, a 2013 peer-reviewed journal article argued similar ridiculous assertions (5). It was subsequently amended to note the funding by Coca-Cola. The difference is that scientists now have to disclose any paid industry associations when published in a peer-reviewed journal, unlike in the 1960s and 1970s.

Starchy vegetables — be leery!

It is not only refined grains that are a problem. Another is starchy vegetables, in this case potatoes. In a recent study, results showed that potatoes increased the risk of diabetes, while replacing them with whole grains may decrease this risk (6). Those who ate less than two to four servings of starchy vegetables per week had a 7 percent increased diabetes risk, and those who ate at least seven servings per week had a 33 percent increased risk. Those who consumed french fries had even higher risks for diabetes. This was a meta-analysis including data from three prestigious sources, the Health Professional Follow-up Study and The Nurses’ Health Study I and II, involving almost 200,000 men and women across the three studies with a minimum duration of 20 years.

Here is the corker: It did not matter what type of potato they were eating! Although I could not find data that delineated the different types of potato, this may imply sweet potato.

Whole fruit vs. nonstarchy veggies vs. starchy veggies

Many people who want to lose weight find the task to be downright daunting. The following may provide motivation. In a study, results showed that eating whole fruit helped people lose weight. Nonstarchy vegetables also had similar results; however, starchy vegetables caused people to put on the pounds (7). The fruits included berries, pears and apples. The vegetables with the most positive weight-loss impact were cauliflower and soy/tofu. Starchy vegetables included corn and potatoes. This was a meta-analysis involving three studies and over 130,000 men and women.

Clinical example — what a surprise!

In my practice, I had been encouraging patients to eat starchy vegetables that were high in a class of nutrients known as carotenoids. These starchy vegetables include sweet potato, acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkin and corn. Well, it turns out that a number of my patients indeed had higher nutrient levels in their blood, but unfortunately had no decrease in the inflammatory marker, C-reactive protein (CRP), that usually accompanies this effect. Even worse, their triglycerides, insulin levels and HbA1C, a measure of three-month sugars, were actually elevated and they could not lose weight.

The moral of the story is that we don’t have to be on a low-carb diet. Instead, we should focus on consuming carbohydrates that may prevent and reverse disease, such as fruits, nonstarchy vegetables and beans, while trying to minimize those that would potentially have the opposite effect, including starchy vegetables, disappointingly. The response to carbohydrates tends to depend on individuality when it comes to whole grains and starchy vegetables, though those with diabetes, heart disease, obesity and hyperinsulinemia would be advised to minimize their intake. Of course, all of us should minimize our intake of refined grains, sugars and processed foods.

References: (1) FDA.gov. (2) Uptodate.com. (3) JAMA Intern Med. online Sept. 12, 2016. (4) NYTimes.com. (5) PLoS One. 2013 Oct 9;8(10):e76632. (6) Diabetes Care. 2016;39(3):376-384. (7) PLoS Med. 2015;12(9):e1001878.

Dr. Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com or consult your personal physician.

Life Lines: Do you know your food’s centers of origin?

by Elof Carlson - October 9, 2016

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By Elof Axel Carlson

In preparation for his work on evolution by natural selection, Charles Darwin in the 1850s studied where domesticated animals came from. He went to hobby shows and looked at pigeons in particular to see where they originated. He claimed all the varieties stemmed from one species, the rock pigeon, Colomba livia. Today that origin is known in more detail, with domesticated pigeons described in both Sumerian and Egyptian writings some 5,000 years ago.

An actual effort to look for centers of origin of plants was made by the Russian botanist and geneticist, Nicolai Vavilov (1887–1943). He proposed five (later extended to eight) centers of origins for cultivated plants. To do this he organized over 100 expeditions that he and his students took to Central and Southeast Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and North Africa.

In your salad there might be lettuce (Mediterranean), tomato (South America), pepper (South America) and spinach (Central Asia). Your vegetables might include carrots (Central Asia), asparagus (Mediterranean) and maize (South America). For dessert you might enjoy bananas (Indo-Malaysian), apricots (Middle East) and oranges (India). Your cereals might include barley (Near East), wheat (Central Asia), oats (Mediterranean) and rice (Far East).

Humans did most of their domestication of foods from wild ancestors between 5,000 and 15,000 years ago. They shifted from hunting and gathering to farming and used selection to save the seeds of their favored plants and bred their favored animals to produce the hundreds of varieties of living things that clothed them, amused them, protected them and fed them. It was not until the 20th century that the genetics behind the selection process was understood and could be used (especially in agriculture schools) to accelerate the number of varieties of food that we see in a supermarket.

Vavilov became the equivalent of the secretary of agriculture in the USSR and collected 375,000 varieties of seeds that he housed in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). During the siege of Leningrad in World War II, those seeds were protected although several of those protecting them died of starvation.

Vavilov was arrested in 1940 by his foes who did not accept genetics on ideological grounds and he died in Saratov prison. After Stalin’s death, his critics were deposed and Vavilov’s reputation was revived and his home institute was renamed in his honor.

Vavilov was the founder of the first seed bank, and that model became the basis for the first gene bank during the era of molecular genetics and genome sequencing in the late 20th century.

Today the study of the genomes of agricultural plants is a thriving field with the ancestry of each animal or plant type worked out in exquisite detail. It allows geneticists to create new varieties to meet the needs of different environments.

Elof Axel Carlson is a distinguished teaching professor emeritus in the Dept. of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Stony Brook University.

Research, research, research to avoid future mistakes — Part II

by Ellen Barcel - October 4, 2016

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The firethorn plant produces gorgeous cluster of yellow or orange berries in the fall.

By Ellen Barcel

Last week we took a look at a number of trees that you may consider adding to your garden, and how important it is to do research, to make sure that the trees’ qualities match your preferences and requirements. This week, let’s take a look at some perennials and shrubs.

Perennials and shrubs

Deer love hostas (as well as many other plants). Hostas in general don’t do well in sunlight. You may be willing to spend a lot of time watering them and putting up with the crispy edges most develop in strong sunlight. Personally, I just put hostas in the shade in the back yard, away from deer.

One of the biggest mistakes I frequently see is planting rhododendrons in front of windows. That two-foot-tall baby plant, may grow up to 10 or 12 feet tall totally covering the windows. Always check out the variety and its mature size when selecting it, unless, that is, you have a nasty view from a window and wish to block it out.

Wisteria is an aggressive vine that needs a fair amount of pruning to keep it in check

Oriental varieties of wisteria are very aggressive. Unless you are willing to tame this beautiful but aggressive plant, avoid it. It climbs up nearby trees, spreads along the ground and roots easily. If, however, you wish to cover a gazebo and are willing to take the time to keep it pruned back, it makes a beautiful privacy screen.

Most, but not all, varieties of holly need a male plant in the area so that the female plants will produce those beautiful red berries. If you buy holly, make sure you have the male plant as well. It will generally be smaller than the female and will not produce red berries itself. So plant it where it can pollinate the female plants but not where you expect a beautiful display.

Firethorn (Pyracantha) is a woody shrub that produces lovely flowers in spring and gorgeous clusters of yellow or orange berries in fall. The tall shrub (six to 16 feet) makes a lovely specimen plant or as part of a hedge. The evergreen plant is hardy in zones 6 to 9 (Long Island is zone 7). However, as its name implies, it’s filled with thorns. So, grow this beautiful and relatively carefree shrub knowing that the thorns can get you.

Devil’s walking stick (Aralia spinosa) is native to North America. So it can be found growing wild but not usually on Long Island. Some people like the unique plant (or small tree) with its white flowers in spring, which are followed by purple-black berries, and go out of their way to plant it. However, its name should make your aware of its nasty qualities, namely the horrible thorns along its stems. If you must add this to your garden, plant it in a remote area where no one can come in contact with those spines. Or, better yet, don’t plant it at all.

Research

With such easy access to information on the internet, no one should be making these, and other, gardening mistakes. Go to your search engine, type in the name of the plant in question together with a phrase such as “negative qualities” or “pros and cons.” Then check out the information and find out if you’re willing to live with the negatives. It may be worth it.

Mulberry is a weedy tree that drops fruit seemingly everywhere.

You may be willing to put up with the spiky seed pods of the sweet gum, or the long string beans of the catalpa, or the fruit dropping from a mulberry tree. You may like the fact that certain plants are slow growing and won’t take over your garden. Or you may want a fast growing plant to block out undesirable sights quickly. Make sure you know the final size (height and width) of a tree. Don’t plant a tree that easily spreads to 40 feet across right up against your house. Both the tree and the house will suffer.

Note that websites with extensions like .edu (colleges, universities, etc.) and .org (organizations) are most likely to give accurate, well-researched information. So, do your homework before you hit the nurseries. Then, ask them for their opinions. They may know, for example, that local deer love the buds of Montauk daisies, despite the fact that most websites say the plant is deer resistant.

Ellen Barcel is a freelance writer and master gardener. To reach Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County and its Master Gardener program, call 631-727-7850.

A Vodka Primer

by Bob Lipinski - October 4, 2016

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unknown-1-2 — Prior to the 14th century, vodka was used mainly in perfumes and cosmetics.

By Bob Lipinski

“I never have more than one drink before dinner,” said Bond. “But I do like that one to be very large and very strong and very cold and very well-made.” — James Bond, “Casino Royale” (when referring to a martini)

Vodka is an alcoholic beverage distilled at or above 190 proof and bottled at not less than 80 proof (except in the case of flavored vodkas). According to the U.S. standards of identity, U.S.-made vodka must be “without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.” However, no federal regulations require vodka to be entirely without aroma or taste; therefore, some vodkas display distinctive characteristics in aroma and taste.

Vodka seems to have first appeared in either Russia or Poland around the twelfth century, when it was known as zhizenennia voda (water of life) in the Russian monastery-fort of Viatka. The word vodka comes from the Russian word for water, voda, or the Polish word wódka — in Polish the w has a v sound. The suffix “ka” was added to the root word centuries later. By the fourteenth century, vodka began to be used as a beverage; formerly, it was mainly used in perfumes and cosmetics. The early vodkas were strongly flavored and therefore it became a common practice to add herbs, spices, and fruits to mask the sometimes harsh, raw taste. Vodka is generally made from grains — barley, corn, rice, rye, wheat — although sugar beets, grapes, maple syrup, molasses, plums, potatoes, and sugarcane can be used. Actually, vodka can be made from virtually any ingredient that contains starch or sugar.

I like vodka served directly from the freezer Arctic-cold, served in Y-shaped glasses or ryumochki (small shot glasses) and downed in one gulp. A vodka martini, with plenty of ice, some dry vermouth and olives gets me going. By the way, vodka won’t freeze because of the high alcohol level and it will be instantly at the right temperature for mixing your favorite cocktail without melting the ice cubes.

Everyone has their favorite vodka brands and I’m no exception. I especially enjoy Boru (Ireland), Luksusowa (Poland), Monopolowa (Austria), Moskovskaya (Russia), Stolichnaya Elite (Russia), Zubrówka (Slavic Countries) and Zyr (Russia). I recently tasted three new vodkas, which I will certainly add to my list: Mayfair Vodka, made in London, England, is a refreshing aroma, with citrus and anise hints; incredibly smooth, well-balanced finish. The second is Leaf Vodka, which is made from two unique waters. Both are refined and quite smooth with “no burn.” Leaf Alaskan Glacial Water (80 proof): Hints of white pepper; floral, roses; nice smooth aftertaste. Leaf Rocky Mountain Mineral Water (80 proof): Aroma of vanilla, fruity and herbal; great texture and clean finish. The third is Khortytsa Platinum (Ukraine): Lemon- clean aroma with hints of citrus and orange peel; ultra-smooth tasting.

Drop me a line and let me know your favorite.

Bob Lipinski, a local author, has written ten books, including “101: Everything You Need To Know About Whiskey” and “Italian Wine & Cheese Made Simple” (available on Amazon.com). He conducts training seminars on Wine, Spirits, and Food and is available for speaking engagements. He can be reached at www.boblipinski.com OR [email protected].

Open Mike: ‘I do voices’

by TBR Staff - October 4, 2016

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open-mike — Michael Tessler, far left, at the Icon Oscars at Walt Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida. Photo from Michael Tessler

Transcript:

[Movie trailer voice] In a world, on an island … a long island, there is a man, a curly-haired man, on a bold and courageous journey to create the best column ever written. Will this Jonah-Hill-looking fellow overcome his childhood lisp, will he make audiences laugh, find out in the next exciting chapter of OPEN MIKE: The Column.

To quote the late great Robin Williams, “I do voices.” What does that even mean? [Yoda voice] Ermm, master of voices I am, make you laugh I shall [Yoda laugh]. This fascination of mine first manifested itself at the young age of 5, shortly after my youngest sister was born, leaving me with a horrendous case of middle child syndrome. My parents literally learned to tune out my voice, leaving me with no option but to invent and discover new ones.

My first real character voice was an impersonation of my Uncle Jean Pierre. His thick Parisian accent was like nothing I had ever heard before. So I began to replicate it. Weeks later and after a few thousand attempts, I figured it out. My face scrunched upward, my nose lunged toward the sky, and his voice came out of mouth — (in heavy French accent) [French laughter] “Bonjour my name Jean Pierre, and I am proud Frenchman!” this caricature version of my uncle became a hit at family parties.

From then on my range of voices grew 10-fold. Every movie I watched, every video game I played, every foreign accent I heard, I absorbed and replicated. Character voices became an outlet for this otherwise socially awkward child. There’s no better feeling than brightening a room and having the power to produce laughter. No matter your age there’s no way not to laugh at the dueling Michael Myers characters Shrek/Fat Bastard bursting into a room shouting: “Get in my belly, you stupid fat donkey!”

Voices weren’t always for an audience though. Most of the time they were just for me. One year while re-watching the “Muppet’s Christmas Carol” (arguably the greatest film ever made), I became obsessed with learning the Muppet voices — starting with Kermit, Fozzie Bear, Beaker, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, and inevitably Miss Piggy. Learning Miss Piggy was the first time I ever made the connection between voices and voice actors. Frank Oz, who famously gave life to Master Yoda in “The Empire Strikes Back” also played the sassy frog-loving pig we know and loathe. [In Yoda voice, then Miss Piggy voice] “Ermm, pigs, pigs lead to pork, pork leads to bacon, and bacon leads to the dark side, Kermie, don’t you love mwah?” How stunning, to hear how the voices connect to one another.

But truthfully with time and practice anybody can do a line or two. What distinguishes professionals from amateurs is the ability to carry out any kind of dialogue, conveying any kind of emotions, and being able to do so without a second thought. Rehearsing this looks like pure insanity but is beyond rewarding. My favorite example is of Andy Serkis, who played the dual personalities of Gollum in “Lord of the Rings.” “Frodo’s our friend! Yes Yes! GOLLUM! GOLLUM! Stupid fat Hobbit(es)!” After hearing his voice, I knew I needed to up my game.

There’s literally voice recordings on my phone of every character you can possibly imagine, communicating with one another! That’s my favorite part honesty, having great historical figures and pop culture icons interacting with one another. For example:

Richard Nixon: I don’t know Bill, that wife Hillary of yours strikes me as a real crook.

Bill Clinton: Oh Rich Nixon you are so funny. If candidates were metaphorical fast food items, my wife Hillary would be a Big Mac.

Jack Kennedy: Do you mind if I chime in here? Rich you look like you sweating again.

Richard Nixon: I bet you think you’re SO hysterical Jack Kennedy.

Fozzie Bear: Wakka Wakka!

Richard Nixon: Why is there a Muppet in this scene!

Kermit: Sorry about that everybody, wrong sketch! Although while we’re here, I’d lobby you about an issue I’m passionate about, it’s not easy green!

Bernie Sanders: Hello, adorable green frog. My name Senator Bernard Senators and the top 1 percent of mammals are being treated better than 99% percent of all amphibians. I like to wave my arms in the air like an inflatable tube man at a used car dealership.

… scene!

In my life I’ve been blessed to have performed in front of thousands of people. One of the most rewarding experiences was performing a musical parody of Disney characters on a stage once graced by Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker, The Joker), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian, Harvey Dent), Jim Cummings (Winnie the Pooh, Tigger), Warwick Davis (Wicket, Professor Flitwick) and so many other vocal greats. There is nothing more magical than the look in a child’s eyes when they hear their favorite character speak to them, calling them by name. One can only hope it inspires them the same way my [in accent] French Uncle Jean Pierre did!

So, as my former employer Mickey Mouse would always say, “Thanks folks, see ya real soon! Buh-bye!”

TBR Interactive: This column is the first in our interactive series. Hear the column come to life by scanning the QR code or use the link featured below.

Reversing earlier stages of chronic kidney disease

by David Dunaief - October 3, 2016

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unknown-1 — Fruits and vegetables may protect the kidneys. Stock photo

By David Dunaief

Chronic kidney disease is on the rise in this country. In a study that looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) increased more than 30 percent from 1988 to 2004 (1). Earlier-stage (moderate) CKD is no exception and may not be getting enough attention. In this article, we will look beyond the more obvious causes of moderate chronic kidney disease, like diabetes, smoking, aging, obesity and high blood pressure (2).

Why is earlier-stage CKD so important? It is associated with a 40 percent increased risk of developing cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks (3). It also significantly increases the risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD). Those with decreased kidney function have a 24 percent prevalence of PAD, compared to 3.7 percent in those with normal kidney function (4). Of course, it can lead ultimately to end-stage renal (kidney) disease, requiring dialysis and potentially a kidney transplant.

One of the problems with earlier-stage CKD is that it tends to be asymptomatic. However, there are simple tests, such as a basic metabolic panel and a urinalysis, that will indicate whether a patient may have moderate chronic kidney disease.

These indices for kidney function include an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), creatinine level and protein in the urine. While the other two indices have varying ranges depending on the laboratory used, a patient with an eGFR of 30 to 59 mL/minute/1.73 m2 is considered to have moderate disease. The eGFR and the kidney function are inversely related, meaning as eGFR declines, the more severe the chronic kidney disease.

What can be done to stem earlier-stage CKD, before complications occur? There are several studies that have looked at medications and lifestyle modifications and their impacts on its prevention, treatment and reversal. Let’s look at the evidence.

Medications

Allopurinol is usually thought of as a medication for the prevention of gout. However, in a randomized controlled trial, the gold standard of studies, the results show that allopurinol may help to slow the progression of CKD, defined in this study as an eGFR less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (5).

The group using 100 mg of allopurinol showed significant improvement in eGFR levels (a 1.3 mL/minute per 1.73 m2 increase) compared to the control group (a 3.3 mL/minute per 1.73 m2 decrease) over a two-year period. There were 113 patients involved in this study. The researchers concluded that there was a slow progression of CKD with allopurinol. Allopurinol also decreased cardiovascular risk by 71 percent.

Fibrates are a class of drug usually used to boost HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels and reduce triglyceride levels, another cholesterol marker. Fibrates have gotten negative press for not showing improvement in cardiovascular outcomes.

However, in patients with moderate CKD, a meta-analysis (a group of 10 studies) showed a 30 percent reduction in major cardiovascular events and a 40 percent reduction in the risk of cardiovascular mortality with the use of fibrates (6). This is important, since patients with CKD are mostly likely to die of cardiovascular disease. The authors concluded that fibrates seem to have a much more powerful beneficial effect in CKD patients, as opposed to the general population. So, there may be a role for fibrates after all.

Lifestyle modifications

Fruits and vegetables may play a role in helping patients with CKD. In one study, the results showed that fruits and vegetables work as well as sodium bicarbonate in improving kidney function by reducing metabolic acidosis levels (7). What is the significance of metabolic acidosis? It means that body fluids become acidic and it is associated with chronic kidney disease. The authors concluded that both sodium bicarbonate and a diet including fruits and vegetables were renoprotective, helping to protect the kidneys from further damage in patients with CKD.

Alkali diets are primarily plant-based, although not necessarily vegetarian or vegan-based diets. Animal products tend to cause an acidic environment. The study was one year in duration. However, though the results were impressive, the study was small, with 77 patients.

Sodium rears its ugly head yet again. Red meat is not thought of positively, and animal fat is not far behind. In the Nurses’ Health Study, the results show that animal fat, red meat and salt all negatively impact kidney function (8). The risk of protein in the urine, a potential indicator of CKD, increased by 72 percent in those participants who consumed the highest amounts of animal fat compared to the lowest, and by 51 percent in those who ate red meat at least twice a week. With higher amounts of sodium, there was a 52 percent increased risk of having lower levels of eGFR.

The most interesting part with sodium was that the difference between higher mean consumption and the lower mean consumption was not that large, 2.4 grams compared to 1.7 grams. In other words, the difference between approximately a teaspoon of sodium and three quarters of a teaspoon was responsible for the decrease in kidney function.

In my practice, when CKD patients follow a vegetable-rich, nutrient-dense diet, there are substantial improvements in kidney functioning. For instance, for one patient, his baseline eGFR was 54 mL/min/1.73 m2. After one month of lifestyle modifications, his eGFR improved by 9 points to 63 mL/min/1.73 m2, which is a return to “normal” functioning of the kidney. His kidney functioning after 6 months actually exceeded 90 mL/min/1.73 m2 for eGFR. However, this is an anecdotal story and not a study.

Therefore, it is important to have your kidney function checked with mainstream tests. If the levels are low, you should address the issue through medications and/or lifestyle modifications to manage and reverse earlier-stage CKD. However, lifestyle modifications don’t have the negative side effects of medications. Don’t wait until symptoms and complications occur. In my experience, it is much easier to treat and reverse a disease in its earlier stages, and CKD is no exception.

References:

(1) JAMA. 2007;298:2038-2047. (2) JAMA. 2004;291:844-850. (3) N Engl J Med. 2004;351:1296-1305. (4) Circulation. 2004;109:320–323. (5) Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2010 Aug;5:1388-1393. (6) J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012 Nov. 13;60:2061-2071. (7) Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2013;8:371-381. (8) Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2010; 5:836-843.

Throwback Thursday

by Heidi Sutton - September 30, 2016

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Blast from the Past: Do you know when and where this photo was taken? What are these two men talking about? Email your answers to [email protected]. To see more wonderful vintage photographs like this, visit The Ward Melville Heritage Organization’s ongoing exhibit, It Takes a Team to Build a Village, at The WMHO’s Educational & Cultural Center, 97P Main Street, Stony Brook. For more information, call 631-751-2244.

Answer to last week’s Throwback Thursday:

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Merrill of Locust Valley (foreground), and Mr. and Mrs. Ward Melville of Stony Brook share a box at the 67th National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden on November 1, 1955.
Newsday/Tom Maguire

CSHL’s Jackson tweaks corn mutation, produces more food

by Daniel Dunaief - September 27, 2016

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jacksoncshlheadshot — Dave Jackson. Photo courtesy of CSHL

By Daniel Dunaief

If we get a text message that our son just gained admission to his first choice for college, we might throw our arms in the air, pick up the phone and call him, or stand on the top of our desk and shout our joy to the room. We might feel, in that instant, as if he can achieve anything and, as a result, so can we.

While plants don’t send and receive text messages, they process and react to a range of signals, some of which can determine how and when they grow, which can be key parts of determining how much food they produce.

Recently, David Jackson, a professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, explored a mutation that causes corn, or maize, to experience growth that is so out-of-control that the corn becomes a disorganized mess. Jackson wondered what caused this growth and disrupted the creation of succulent rows of juicy, yellow bits ready to explode off the cob.

Stem cells can grow to become any type of cell. In this pathway, which was disrupted in the mutant and caused the uncontrolled growth, Jackson showed that the signal came from the leaves, which is likely responding to its surroundings. He discovered that fine tuning that mutation — or weakening the “grow-out-of-control” signal — was enough to cause a regular ear of corn to include as much as 50 percent more food. “What was surprising about our work is that we found this new stem cell pathway that had not been discovered in Arabidopsis,” which is, as Jackson described, considered the equivalent of the well-studied fruit fly in the plant world. “We had gone on to show that it was also present in Arabidopsis.”

At this point, he’s hoping to introduce these mutations or alleles into breeding lines to try to generate a similar increase in yields that he’s seen in the lab. He’s collaborating with DuPont Pioneer on that testing. “As in all areas of science, we make a basic discovery and hope it’ll be applicable,” he said. “We can’t guarantee it’ll work until” it’s checked in the field. “People cure cancer in mice, but find it’s more complicated in people. We’re hoping cumulative knowledge will lead to breakthroughs,” he added.

Sarah Hake, the director of the USDA Plant Gene Expression Center at the University of California at Berkeley, described the work as “important.” In an email, she suggested that “translation to more corn yield can take time, but this information will be crucial for thinking about breeding.”

Jackson received the mutated maize from a breeder in Russia. He then altered a wild type, or normal plant, to cause a similar mutation that produced more food. Jackson is excited about the potential to use the gene-altering technique called CRISPR, in which researchers can edit a genome, changing one or multiple base pairs at a time.

Above left, normal corn and, right, corn with a weakened Fea3 mutation. The mutated corn has up to 50 percent more yield. Photo by Byoung Il Je

Jackson is not adding new genes but, rather, is “tweaking” the ones that are already there. He said agricultural companies can use CRISPR instead of dumping in a foreign DNA. In past experiments, Jackson has worked to produce a greater number of seeds in his experimental plants. In that work, however, he increased the number of seeds, although the size of the seeds was smaller, so the overall yield didn’t increase. In this study, however, he and his postdoctoral student Byoung Il Je produced more seeds that generated greater yield. The gene involved in this signaling pathway is called Fea3. It is part of the signaling network that tells the plant to pump more into the ear of the corn to produce more yield. Jackson named the gene Fea because of the way the corn looked. Fea stands for fasciated ear. He and the members of his lab had already characterized another gene, called Fea2.

Jackson has been working on this gene for 20 years, although the intensive work occurred more in the last four or five years. He said he’s benefited from the ability to take a mutant and identify the gene. When he started out 25 years ago, a graduate student could take five years to characterize a mutation and find a gene. “It was like looking for a needle in a haystack,” he said. Now, genome sequencing and fast mapping enables researchers to find a gene in as little as a few months. When he first produced the weaker mutation, Jackson wasn’t anticipating a higher yield but, rather, was hoping to prove that this gene was the one responsible for this uncontrolled growth that created a pulpy mess of corn. Jackson said he is “excited about the stem cell pathway” his lab discovered. He hopes this finding can lead to a better understanding of the signals that determine how a plant uses its resources.

A resident of Brooklyn, Jackson lives with his wife Kiyomi Tanigawa, an interior designer, and their eight-year-old son Toma.

Jackson, whose lab has seven postdoctoral researchers and one lab manager, plans to start experiments on tomatoes and rice to see how this gene is involved in similar signals in other food crops. He is also working on similar mutations to other genes like Fea3, which also might affect a plant’s decision to produce more food.

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