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Ecology and Evolution Jun 2024Gut microbiota is a key factor in maintaining the dietary and metabolic homeostasis of small mammals. To explore the effect of diet on the gut microbiota of the...
Gut microbiota is a key factor in maintaining the dietary and metabolic homeostasis of small mammals. To explore the effect of diet on the gut microbiota of the long-tailed dwarf hamster (), 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing combined with bioinformatics analysis was used to investigate the succession process of the gut microbiota and effects of different nutrients on the composition and function of the gut microbiota. The results showed that diet structure can significantly influence the composition and function of the gut microbiota, as well as the health of animals. The highest relative abundance of Firmicutes, and the simplest co-occurrence network occurred in the wild. Whereas the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes is higher and the most complex network structure was observed after 35 days of same feeding. Compared to the other four groups, the relative abundance of Firmicutes in the wheat + peanuts (WP) group was the highest after 35 days of different feeding, and the highest relative abundance of Bacteroidetes occurred in the wheat-only (WH) group. Bacteroidetes exhibit carbohydrate degradation activity, and Firmicutes are strongly associated with fat uptake. We also found a significant positive correlation between and body weight, indicating that plays a crucial role in modulating fat intake and weight management. This study provides empirical evidence to facilitate the understanding of the co-evolutionary dynamics between and their gut microbiota and establishes a theoretical foundation for utilizing gut microbiota in rodent control.
PubMed: 38932956
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11507 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2024With the COVID-19 pandemic going to be COVID-19 endemic, the negative impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of IBD patients cannot be ignored. This study aimed to...
BACKGROUND
With the COVID-19 pandemic going to be COVID-19 endemic, the negative impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of IBD patients cannot be ignored. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of anxiety and depression in IBD patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and analyze the factors associated with mental health.
METHODS
Patients registered at the IBD center were enrolled. Electronic questionnaires about the IBD patient's demographic information, basic knowledge of COVID-19, public self-prevention measures, daily life changes, and anxiety and depression were distributed.
RESULTS
Two hundred and fifteen IBD patients finished this study and reported to have anxiety (27%) or depression (34%). During the COVID-19 pandemic, 10.2% of IBD patients reported their diet changes, 58.5% of IBD patients changed their daily physical activities from 3.27 ± 3.252 h to 2.30 ± 2.78 h, 33.7% of IBD patients changed their sleeping duration from 7.99 ± 1.322 h to 8.18 ± 1.447 h. IBD patients' waiting time for admission (OR: 3.688, 95%CI: 1.003-13.554), regularly oral medicine administration (OR: 18.407, 95%CI: 1.975-171.530) and diet changes (OR: 6.167, 95%CI: 2.158-17.626) were positively correlated with anxiety or depression. IBD patients' timely periodic infusion of biological agents (OR: 0.586, 95%CI: 0.413-0.830) was negatively correlated with anxiety or depression. IBD patients' knowledge of COVID-19, public self-prevention, physical activities, and sleep duration changes showed no significant correlation with anxiety and depression, all values > 0.05.
CONCLUSION
The main factors of IBD patients' mental health were diet changes, waiting time for admission, taking oral medicine regularly, and timely periodic infusions of biological agents. Ensuring the supply of routine treatment and medication for IBD patients and establishing systemic online IBD self-management programs would be the focus of major public health events.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Male; Female; Cross-Sectional Studies; Adult; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Middle Aged; Depression; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Anxiety; Surveys and Questionnaires; Mental Health; SARS-CoV-2; Pandemics
PubMed: 38932786
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1416880 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2024To evaluate parental knowledge of myopia control, investigate its association with children's practice and refractive status, and explore their change under the outbreak...
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate parental knowledge of myopia control, investigate its association with children's practice and refractive status, and explore their change under the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
METHODS
In this web-based survey, a self-administered questionnaire was made online available during the COVID-19 outbreak between February 1th, 2022 and August 31th, 2022 in China. Participants were recruited via social media by convenience and snowball sampling. Parents of both sexes whose children aged between 3 and 18 were eligible. The overall questionnaire was composed of four categories: demographic information, parental knowledge of myopia, children's myopia-related behaviors and their change after the COVID-19 pandemic, and children's refractive status. SPSS version 18.0 was applied to perform the statistics analysis and < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.
RESULTS
A total of 423 eligible families were included in our online survey. The average age of children was 11.37 ± 2.83y (male 46.1%; female 53.9%), with a myopia incidence of 83.9% (355/423). Both children's age (OR = -0.6; 95%CI = -1.12 to -0.07; = 0.026) and family income (OR = 2.60; 95%CI = 1.13 to 4.07; = 0.001) had independently significant impacts on parental knowledge. Unexpectedly, parental knowledge was negatively correlated with children's onset age of myopia ( = 0.002, = -0.165) and positively correlated with spectacles wearing ( = 0.014, = 0.131), and no correlation was found between parental knowledge and the occurrence of children myopia, current diopter, annual myopia progression and the diopter of the first glasses (all > 0.05). We found discordance phenomenon between parents' knowledge and children's behaviors, with parental knowledge being irrelevant to children's sleeping time ( = 0.159, = 0.069), the frequency of lying reading ( = 0.462, = -0.036) and keeping nutrition diet ( = 0.142, = 0.072), and positively correlated with daily homework time ( = 0.012, = 0.123). After the outbreak of COVID-19, 77.8% (329/423) of parents admitted that their children's daily routine had been changed, with children spending more time on sleeping ( < 0.001) and electronic products ( < 0.001), and taking less time to do outdoor activities ( < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
The ideal interaction mode that establishing positive impact between parental knowledge and children practice has not been reached in China, which might be the result of insufficient parents' cognition and discordance phenomenon between parental knowledge and children's behaviors. The pandemic of COVID-19 has obviously changed children's daily routine. More efforts should be made to narrow the gap between knowledge and behaviors of myopia control, and stay alert to the potential increased risk of myopia during COVID-19.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Myopia; Male; China; Female; Child; Parents; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Surveys and Questionnaires; Adolescent; Child, Preschool; Internet; Adult; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 38932774
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1344188 -
Viruses Jun 2024The study involved five ferrets from one household in Poland, comprising three sick 9-week-old juveniles, their healthy mother, and another clinically normal adult,...
The study involved five ferrets from one household in Poland, comprising three sick 9-week-old juveniles, their healthy mother, and another clinically normal adult, admitted to the veterinary clinic in June 2023. The juvenile ferrets displayed significant lethargy and a pronounced unwillingness to move with accompanying pulmonary distress. Prompted by concurrent outbreaks of A/H5N1 influenza virus infections in Polish cats, point-of-care tests were conducted that revealed type A influenza antigens in the throat swabs of all five ferrets. Despite treatment, one juvenile ferret exhibited dyspnea and neurological symptoms and eventually died. The two remaining ferrets recovered fully, including one severely affected showing persistent dyspnea and incoordination without fever that recovered after 11 days of treatment. In the RT-qPCR, the throat swabs collected from all surviving ferrets as well as the samples of lungs, trachea, heart, brain, pancreas, liver, and intestine of the succumbed ferret were found positive for A/H5N1 virus RNA. To our best knowledge, this is the first documented natural A/H5N1 avian influenza in domestic ferrets kept as pets. In addition, this outbreak suggests the possibility of asymptomatic A/H5N1 virus shedding by ferrets, highlighting their zoonotic potential and the advisability of excluding fresh or frozen poultry from their diet to reduce the A/H5N1 virus transmission risks.
Topics: Animals; Ferrets; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype; Orthomyxoviridae Infections; Pets; Female; Male; Poland; Disease Outbreaks; Virus Shedding; Cats
PubMed: 38932223
DOI: 10.3390/v16060931 -
Pharmaceutics May 2024Indoxyl sulfate (IxS) and -cresyl sulfate (CS) are toxic uremic compounds with documented pathological outcomes. This review critically and comprehensively analyzes the... (Review)
Review
Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Analytical Methods for the Quantitation of -Cresol Sulfate and Indoxyl Sulfate in Human Matrices: Biological Applications and Diagnostic Potentials.
Indoxyl sulfate (IxS) and -cresyl sulfate (CS) are toxic uremic compounds with documented pathological outcomes. This review critically and comprehensively analyzes the available liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry methods quantifying IxS and CS in human matrices and the biological applications of these validated assays. Embase, Medline, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched until December 2023 to identify assays with complete analytical and validation data (N = 23). Subsequently, citation analysis with PubMed and Scopus was utilized to identify the biological applications for these assays (N = 45). The extraction methods, mobile phase compositions, chromatography, and ionization methods were evaluated with respect to overall assay performance (e.g., sensitivity, separation, interference). Most of the assays focused on human serum/plasma, utilizing acetonitrile or methanol (with ammonium acetate/formate or formic/acetic acid), liquid-liquid extraction, reverse phase (e.g., C18) chromatography, and gradient elution for analyte separation. Mass spectrometry conditions were also consistent in the identified papers, with negative electrospray ionization, select multiple reaction monitoring transitions and deuterated internal standards being the most common approaches. The validated biological applications indicated IxS and/or CS were correlated with renal disease progression and cardiovascular outcomes, with limited data on central nervous system disorders. Methods for reducing IxS and/or CS concentrations were also identified (e.g., drugs, natural products, diet, dialysis, transplantation) where inconsistent findings have been reported. The clinical monitoring of IxS and CS is gaining significant interest, and this review will serve as a useful compendium for scientists and clinicians.
PubMed: 38931865
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16060743 -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Jingzhi Guanxin Oral Liquids (JZGX), a traditional Chinese medicine formulation prepared from the decoction of five herbs, has been utilized to relieve chest pain with...
Jingzhi Guanxin Oral Liquids (JZGX), a traditional Chinese medicine formulation prepared from the decoction of five herbs, has been utilized to relieve chest pain with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the chemical composition and therapeutic mechanisms of JZGX remain obscured. In this research, the potential targets and pathways of JZGX against CAD were anticipated through network pharmacology based on analyzing its chemical constituents using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. One hundred seven ingredients in JZGX were identified. The 39 active chemicals and 37 key targets were screened, and CAD-related signaling pathways were clustered, mainly associated with lipid metabolism. Subsequently, the atherosclerotic CAD animal model employing 24 weeks of high-fat diet (HFD) ApoE mice was constructed to investigate the JZGX efficacy and underlying mechanisms validating network forecasts. The histological staining examination and cardiovascular biomarker tests confirmed that JZGX reduced plaque formation in the aorta and decreased blood lipids in vivo. It featured anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, and myocardial protective effects. JZGX prevented excessive lipid deposits and inflammation within the liver and exhibited hepatoprotective properties. Serum untargeted metabolomics analysis indicated that JZGX ameliorated metabolic abnormalities in atherosclerotic CAD mice and prompted lipid metabolism, especially linoleic acid. The PPARs and attached critical targets (SREBP1, FASN, PTGS2, and CYP3A), filtered from the networks and connected with lipid metabolism, were dramatically modulated through JZGX administration, as revealed by western blotting. The molecular docking outcomes showed that all 39 active ingredients in JZGX had good binding activity with PPARα and PPARγ. These findings illustrate that JZGX alleviates atherosclerotic CAD progression by remodeling the lipid metabolism and regulating PPAR-related proteins.
PubMed: 38931451
DOI: 10.3390/ph17060784 -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Polyphenols are the most prevalent naturally occurring phytochemicals in the human diet and range in complexity from simple molecules to high-molecular-weight polymers.... (Review)
Review
Polyphenols are the most prevalent naturally occurring phytochemicals in the human diet and range in complexity from simple molecules to high-molecular-weight polymers. They have a broad range of chemical structures and are generally categorized as "neuroprotective", "anti-inflammatory", and "antioxidant" given their main function of halting disease onset and promoting health. Research has shown that some polyphenols and their metabolites can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and hence increase neuroprotective signaling and neurohormonal effects to provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Therefore, multi-targeted modulation of polyphenols may prevent the progression of neuropsychiatric disorders and provide a new practical therapeutic strategy for difficult-to-treat neuropsychiatric disorders. Therefore, multi-target modulation of polyphenols has the potential to prevent the progression of neuropsychiatric disorders and provide a new practical therapeutic strategy for such nervous system diseases. Herein, we review the therapeutic benefits of polyphenols on autism-spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, and sleep disorders, along with in vitro and ex vivo experimental and clinical trials. Although their methods of action are still under investigation, polyphenols are still seldom employed directly as therapeutic agents for nervous system disorders. Comprehensive mechanistic investigations and large-scale multicenter randomized controlled trials are required to properly evaluate the safety, effectiveness, and side effects of polyphenols.
PubMed: 38931442
DOI: 10.3390/ph17060775 -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024() is a shrub of the Andean Altiplano of Bolivia, Chile and Peru, consumed by local communities as a traditional medicine for several maladies such as diabetes, hepatic...
() is a shrub of the Andean Altiplano of Bolivia, Chile and Peru, consumed by local communities as a traditional medicine for several maladies such as diabetes, hepatic and inflammatory diseases. is rich in mulinane- and azorellane-type diterpenoids. For two of these, acute hypoglycemic effects have been described, but the impact of diterpenoids on fatty liver disease has not been investigated. Therefore, organic fractions were prepared using petroleum ether, dichloromethane and methanol. Their content was characterized by UHPLC/MS, revealing the presence of ten diterpenoids, mainly mulinic acid, azorellanol and mulin-11,13-diene. Next, mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD), a model of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), received one of the fractions in drinking water for two weeks. After this treatment, hepatic parameters were evaluated. The fractions did not reduce hyperglycemia or body weight in the HFD-fed mice but increased the serum levels of hepatic transaminases (AST and ALT), reduced albumin and increased bilirubin, indicating hepatic damage, while histopathological alterations such as steatosis, inflammation and necrosis generated by the HFD were, overall, not ameliorated by the fractions. These results suggest that organic extracts may generate hepatic complications in patients with MAFLD.
PubMed: 38931413
DOI: 10.3390/ph17060746 -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Obesity and its associated hepatic steatosis have become a global concern, posing numerous health hazards. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a unique approach that promotes...
Obesity and its associated hepatic steatosis have become a global concern, posing numerous health hazards. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a unique approach that promotes anti-obesity by releasing intracellular fat. Chlorin e6 (Ce6)-PDT was tested for its anti-obesity properties in male ovariectomized (OVX) beagle dogs, as well as male C57BL/6 and Balb/c mice. The 12 OVX beagles were randomly assigned to one of four groups: high-fat diet (HFD) only, Ce6 only, Ce6 + 10 min of light-emitting diode light (LED) treatment, and Ce6 + 15 min of light treatment. We assessed several parameters, such as body weight, adipose tissue morphology, serum biochemistry, and body fat content analysis by computed tomography (CT) scan in HFD-fed beagle dogs. At the end of the study period, dogs that were treated for 35 days with Ce6 and exposed to LED irradiation (660 nm) either for 10 min (Ce6 + 10 min of light) or for 15 min (Ce6 + 15 min of light) had decreased body weight, including visceral and subcutaneous fats, lower aspartate transaminase (AST)/alanine transaminase (ALT) ratios, and a reduction in the area of individual adipocytes with a concomitant increase in the number of adipocytes. Furthermore, C57BL/6 male mice following an HFD diet were effectively treated by Ce6-PDT treatment through a reduction in weight gain and fat accumulation. Meanwhile, Ce6-PDT attenuated hepatocyte steatosis by decreasing the epididymal adipose tissue and balloon degeneration in hepatocytes in HFD-fed Balb/c mice. Taken together, our results support the idea that Ce6-PDT is a promising therapeutic strategy for the recovery of obesity and obesity-related hepatic steatosis.
PubMed: 38931396
DOI: 10.3390/ph17060729 -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Policosanol is a mixture of long-chain aliphatic alcohols (LCAAs) derived from various plant and insect origins that are marketed by various companies with distinct...
Efficacy Assessment of Five Policosanol Brands and Damage to Vital Organs in Hyperlipidemic Zebrafish by Six-Week Supplementation: Highlighting the Toxicity of Red Yeast Rice and Safety of Cuban Policosanol (Raydel).
Policosanol is a mixture of long-chain aliphatic alcohols (LCAAs) derived from various plant and insect origins that are marketed by various companies with distinct formulations and brand names. Policosanols offer several beneficial effects to treat dyslipidemia and hypertension; however, a comprehensive functionality comparison of various policosanol brands has yet to be thoroughly explored. In the present study five distinct policosanol brands from different origins and countries, Raydel-policosanol, Australia (PCO1), Solgar-policosanol, USA (PCO2), NutrioneLife-monacosanol, South Korea (PCO3), Mothernest-policosanol, Australia (PCO4), and Peter & John-policosanol, New Zealand (PCO5) were compared via dietary supplementation (1% in diet, final /) to zebrafish for six weeks to investigate their impact on survivability, blood lipid profile, and functionality of vital organs under the influence of a high-cholesterol diet (HCD, final 4%, /). The results revealed that policosanol brands (PCO1-PCO5) had a substantial preventive effect against HCD-induced zebrafish body weight elevation and hyperlipidemia by alleviating total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) in blood. Other than PCO3, all the brands significantly reduced the HCD's elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). On the contrary, only PCO1 displayed a significant elevation in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level against the consumption of HCD. The divergent effect of PCO1-PCO5 against HCD-induced hepatic damage biomarkers, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), was observed. PCO1, PCO2, and PCO4 efficiently curtailed the AST and ALT levels; however, PCO3 and PCO5 potentially aggravated the HCD's elevated plasma AST and ALT levels. Consistently, the hepatic histology outcome revealed the least effectiveness of PCO3 and PCO5 against HCD-induced liver damage. On the contrary, PCO1 exhibited a substantial hepatoprotective role by curtailing HCD-induced fatty liver changes, cellular senescent, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) production. Likewise, the histological outcome from the kidney, testis, and ovary revealed the significant curative effect of PCO1 against the HCD-induced adverse effects. PCO2-PCO5 showed diverse and unequal results, with the least effective being PCO3, followed by PCO5 towards HCD-induced kidney, testis, and ovary damage. The multivariate interpretation based on principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) validated the superiority of PCO1 over other policosanol brands against the clinical manifestation associated with HCD. Conclusively, different brands displayed distinct impacts against HCD-induced adverse effects, signifying the importance of policosanol formulation and the presence of aliphatic alcohols on the functionality of policosanol products.
PubMed: 38931381
DOI: 10.3390/ph17060714