-
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) Feb 2024: Despite the importance of nutritional status and a healthy lifestyle in shaping overall well-being, little is known about examining gender-specific differences and...
: Despite the importance of nutritional status and a healthy lifestyle in shaping overall well-being, little is known about examining gender-specific differences and trends in health, lifestyle, and nutritional status. The present study aimed to evaluate blood levels of micronutrients, homocysteine, and CoQ10, as well as physical activity (PA) levels and sedentary behavior, among a cohort of Austrian bank staff, with a particular focus on identifying gender differences as well as gender-specific nutritional deficiencies compared to the reference ranges. : Following a cross-sectional study design, 123 Austrian bank staff (mean age: 43 years; 51% females) participated in this study. Blood samples were collected to evaluate participants' micronutrient status and serum levels of homocysteine and CoQ10. Whole-blood values of macronutrients were compared to gender-specific reference ranges and categorized into three groups: below, within, or over the range. The WHO's Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess PA levels and sedentary behaviors. : No significant difference between males and females was found for diet types, PA levels, sedentary time, homocysteine levels, or CoQ10 values ( > 0.05). A high PA level was reported by 64% of males and 58% of females. 71% of females and 56% of males were found to have a vitamin D deficiency. 63-98% of females and 72-97% of males showed normal blood levels for the remaining micronutrients, including potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, selenium, manganese, molybdenum, B, B, and B. : The findings highlight the necessity of implementing tailored strategies to foster healthy lifestyle behaviors, thereby enhancing the overall state of health, particularly in the context of occupational health.
Topics: Male; Female; Humans; Adult; Nutritional Status; Cross-Sectional Studies; Micronutrients; Life Style; Biomarkers; Homocysteine
PubMed: 38541139
DOI: 10.3390/medicina60030413 -
Scientific Reports Mar 2024Malaria is the leading parasitic disease worldwide, with P. vivax being a major challenge for its control. Several studies have indicated metabolomics as a promising...
Malaria is the leading parasitic disease worldwide, with P. vivax being a major challenge for its control. Several studies have indicated metabolomics as a promising tool for combating the disease. The study evaluated plasma metabolomic profiles of patients with recurrent and non-recurrent P. vivax malaria in the Brazilian Amazon. Metabolites extracted from the plasma of P. vivax-infected patients were subjected to LC-MS analysis. Untargeted metabolomics was applied to investigate the metabolic profile of the plasma in the two groups. Overall, 51 recurrent and 59 non-recurrent patients were included in the study. Longitudinal metabolomic analysis revealed 52 and 37 significant metabolite features from the recurrent and non-recurrent participants, respectively. Recurrence was associated with disturbances in eicosanoid metabolism. Comparison between groups suggest alterations in vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) metabolism, tyrosine metabolism, 3-oxo-10-octadecatrienoate β-oxidation, and alkaloid biosynthesis II. Integrative network analysis revealed enrichment of other metabolic pathways for the recurrent phenotype, including the butanoate metabolism, aspartate and asparagine metabolism, and N-glycan biosynthesis. The metabolites and metabolic pathways predicted in our study suggest potential biomarkers of recurrence and provide insights into targets for antimalarial development against P. vivax.
Topics: Humans; Malaria, Vivax; Metabolomics; Malaria; Metabolome; Antimalarials
PubMed: 38538661
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54231-5 -
Communications Biology Mar 2024Nutritional intake influences animal growth, reproductive capacity, and survival of animals. Under nutrition deficiency, animal developmental arrest occurs as an...
Nutritional intake influences animal growth, reproductive capacity, and survival of animals. Under nutrition deficiency, animal developmental arrest occurs as an adaptive strategy to survive. However, the nutritional basis and the underlying nutrient sensing mechanism essential for animal regrowth after developmental arrest remain to be explored. In Caenorhabditis elegans, larvae undergo early developmental arrest are stress resistant, and they require certain nutrients to recover postembryonic development. Here, we investigated the developmental arrest in C. elegans feeding on Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, and the rescue of the diapause state with trace supplementation of Escherichia coli. We performed a genome-wide screen using 3983 individual gene deletion E. coli mutants and identified E. coli genes that are indispensable for C. elegans larval growth on originally not nutritionally sufficient bacteria L. plantarum. Among these crucial genes, we confirmed E. coli pdxH, and the downstream metabolite pyridoxal 5-P (PLP, Vitamin B6) as important nutritional factors for C. elegans postembryonic development. Transcriptome results suggest that bacterial pdxH affects host development by coordinating host metabolic processes and PLP binding. Additionally, the developmental arrest induced by the L. plantarum diet in worm does not depend on the activation of FoxO/DAF-16. Altogether, these results highlight the role of microbial metabolite PLP as a crucial cofactor to restore postembryonic development in C. elegans.
Topics: Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans; Vitamin B 6; Escherichia coli; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; Embryonic Development
PubMed: 38532074
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05992-2 -
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental... 2024(Walker) is an invasive pest. An effective method to control this pest is the sterile insect technique (SIT). To better apply this technique, it is necessary to...
(Walker) is an invasive pest. An effective method to control this pest is the sterile insect technique (SIT). To better apply this technique, it is necessary to understand testis development progression. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during testis development were analyzed by PacBio Iso-Seq and RNA-seq. RNA-Seq library of testes on day 1, 6, and 11 post eclosion were constructed. We identified 755 and 865 differentially expressed genes in the comparisons of T6 (testes on day 6) vs. T1 and T11 vs. T1, respectively. The KEGG pathway analysis showed that the DEGs were significantly enriched in retinol metabolism, vitamin B6 metabolism, and ascorbate and aldarate metabolism pathways. Knockdown of -like (-like), and , the representative gene in each of the above 3 pathways, reduced the hatching rate of offspring. In addition, we identified 107 spermatogenesis-related orthologous genes in , of which exhibited significantly up-regulated expression throughout testis development, and the knockdown of this gene reduced offspring hatching rate. Our data indicated that -like, , , and genes were related to testis development, and they were conserved in tephritid species. These results suggested that this gene might have the same function in tephritid. The findings provide an insight into testis development and spermatogenesis in tephritid species.
PubMed: 38529408
DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1356151 -
AACE Clinical Case Reports 2024Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare disease associated with low serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Here, we present a case of a patient with normal serum ALP levels...
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE
Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare disease associated with low serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Here, we present a case of a patient with normal serum ALP levels diagnosed with HPP.
CASE REPORT
A 36-year-old woman presented with progressive fatigue, weakness, and joint pain. She had been evaluated in the past for genetic disorders due to these symptoms and was found to have a history of several total ALP levels within normal limits but elevated vitamin B6 levels. She also reported having loose teeth and "gray gums" during her childhood. Bone-specific ALP was tested for suspicion of HPP and returned at 4.4 μ/L (reference range, 5.3-19.5 μg/L), which prompted genetic testing. Genetic testing confirmed a positive pathogenetic variant of the gene, the c.542C>T (p.Ser181Leu) variant. She started asfotase alfa treatment to improve her symptoms.
DISCUSSION
HPP was diagnosed based on clinical suspicion supported by laboratory findings, which can cause it to be underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Current literature reports that a low total ALP level is the main biochemical marker of HPP and the only level needed to diagnose the disease. However, bone-specific ALP, a common marker used for bone turnover, has not been required to be tested.
CONCLUSION
This case highlights a patient with normal total ALP, but low bone-specific ALP diagnosed with HPP confirmed by genetic testing. This case warrants future investigation into the diagnostic approach to HPP and the diagnostic utility between ALP and bone-specific ALP.
PubMed: 38523854
DOI: 10.1016/j.aace.2023.11.006 -
Heliyon Mar 2024Nineteen non-antibacterials were examined to show that their consumption for treatment of other diseases may inhibit . Four antibiotics were used for comparison.
BACKGROUND
Nineteen non-antibacterials were examined to show that their consumption for treatment of other diseases may inhibit . Four antibiotics were used for comparison.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Agar dilution method was used to examine the susceptibility of 20 isolates to 4 antibiotics; metronidazole (MTZ), clarithromycin (CLR), amoxicillin (AMX), tetracycline (TET) and 19 non-antibacterials; proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), H-blockers, bismuth subsalicylate (BSS), antifungals, statins, acetaminophen (ACE), aspirin (ASA), B-vitamins (B-Vits; Vit B1, Vit B6 and Vit B and vitamin C (Vit C). Blood agar plates were prepared with different concentrations of drugs and spot-inoculated with bacterial suspensions. Plates were incubated at 37 °C under microaerobic conditions and examined after 3-5 days. The isolate #20 that was mucoid and resistant to 19 drugs, including MTZ and SMV was tested against combined MTZ (8 μg/mL) and SMV (100 μg/mL). Results were analyzed statistically.
RESULTS
Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs, μg/mL) of drugs and the frequency of susceptible were determined as MTZ (8, 80%), CLR (2, 90%), AMX (1, 100%), TET (0.5, 70%), PPIs (8-128, 80%), H-blockers (2000-8000, 75-80%), BSS (15, 85%), antifungals (64-256, 30-80%), statins (100-250, 35-90%), ACE (40, 75%), ASA (800, 75%), B-Vits (5000-20000, 80-100%) and Vit C (2048, 85%). Susceptibility of isolates to 16 out of 19 non-antimicrobials (75-100%) was almost similar to those of antibiotics (70-100%) (-value >0.05). The highest susceptibility rate (100%) belonged to Vit B1, Vit B6 and AMX. Out of 20 isolates, 17 (85%) were susceptible to ≥13 non-antimicrobials and 3 (15%) were susceptible to < 13 (-value <0.05). Mucoid showed susceptibility to combination of MTZ and SMV.
CONCLUSIONS
Most of non-antibacterials inhibited isolates, similar to antibiotics but their MICs exceeded those of antibiotics and their plasma concentrations. At low plasma concentration, non-antimicrobials may act as weak antibacterials, antibiotic adjuvants and immunostimulators.
PubMed: 38495192
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27327 -
Nutrients Feb 2024The environment of the test laboratory affects the reproducibility of treatment effects on physiological phenotypes of rodents and may be attributed to the plasticity of...
The environment of the test laboratory affects the reproducibility of treatment effects on physiological phenotypes of rodents and may be attributed to the plasticity of the epigenome due to nutrient-gene-environment interactions. Here, we explored the reproducibility of adding a multi-vitamin-mineral (MVM) mix to a nutrient-balanced high-fat (HF) diet on obesity, insulin resistance (IR), and gene expression in the tissues of adult male mice. Experiments of the same design were conducted in three independent animal facilities. Adult C57BL/6J male mice were fed an HF diet for 6 weeks (diet induced-obesity model) and then continued for 9-12 weeks on the HF diet with or without 5-fold additions of vitamins A, B1, B6, B12, Zn, and 2-fold Se. The addition of the MVM affected body weight, fat mass, gene expression, and markers of IR in all three locations ( < 0.05). However, the direction of the main effects was influenced by the interaction with the experimental location and its associated environmental conditions known to affect the epigenome. In conclusion, MVM supplementation influenced phenotypes and expression of genes related to adipose function in obese adult male mice, but the experimental location and its associated conditions were significant interacting factors. Preclinical studies investigating the relationship between diet and metabolic outcomes should acknowledge the plasticity of the epigenome and implement measures to reproduce studies in different locations.
Topics: Male; Animals; Mice; Micronutrients; Reproducibility of Results; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Obesity; Insulin Resistance; Diet, High-Fat; Phenotype; Mice, Obese
PubMed: 38474824
DOI: 10.3390/nu16050696 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2024'' is an EU PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) -qualified traditional food with important historical, social, and gastronomical relevance. However, its nutritional...
'' is an EU PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) -qualified traditional food with important historical, social, and gastronomical relevance. However, its nutritional features are poorly characterized. Here, we studied 15 samples of (SM) and 9 samples of '' (SMBP), which are the two types of sobrassada that are PGI-protected. Their composition was assessed under the light of the EU Regulation 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims (NHC) made on food. Results show the notably high energetic density (588 and 561 kcal/100 g for SM and SMBP, respectively) due to the notable fatty acid (FA) content and the relatively high proportion of unsaturated FAs (≈61% of total FAs) is also noted, mainly oleic acid (39.7 and 45.7%). Moreover, analyses showed that 100 g of both types of '' present a 'significant' content (at least 15% of the established Nutrient Reference Values) of vitamins A (241 and 232 µg), E (2.67 and 2.67 mg), B (3.50 and 2.43 mg), B (0.27 and 0.35 mg), B (0.65 and 0.56 µg), phosphorus (271 and 186 mg), and selenium (17.3 and 16.2 µg) as defined by the EU standards and, in essence, their associated health benefits can be claimed for both SM and SMBP or foods containing them. In principle, SM and SMBP could be associated with various health claims (HC), including those related to energy-yielding metabolism, normal functioning of the immune system, and reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
PubMed: 38472874
DOI: 10.3390/foods13050761 -
Diabetes & Metabolism Journal Mar 2024Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects about 9.3% of the population globally. Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of DM, owing to its promotion... (Review)
Review
Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects about 9.3% of the population globally. Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of DM, owing to its promotion of oxidative stress, β-cell dysfunction, and insulin resistance. HHcy can result from low status of one-carbon metabolism (OCM) nutrients (e.g., folate, choline, betaine, vitamin B6, B12), which work together to degrade homocysteine by methylation. The etiology of HHcy may also involve genetic variation encoding key enzymes in OCM. This review aimed to provide an overview of the existing literature assessing the link between OCM nutrients status, related genetic factors, and incident DM. We also discussed possible mechanisms underlying the role of OCM in DM development and provided recommendations for future research and practice. Even though the available evidence remains inconsistent, some studies support the potential beneficial effects of intakes or blood levels of OCM nutrients on DM development. Moreover, certain variants in OCM-related genes may influence metabolic handling of methyl-donors and presumably incidental DM. Future studies are warranted to establish the causal inference between OCM and DM and examine the interaction of OCM nutrients and genetic factors with DM development, which will inform the personalized recommendations for OCM nutrients intakes on DM prevention.
Topics: Humans; Folic Acid; Nutrients; Hyperhomocysteinemia; Diabetes Mellitus; Carbon; Genetic Variation
PubMed: 38468500
DOI: 10.4093/dmj.2023.0272 -
Alternative Therapies in Health and... Mar 2024To explore the clinical efficacy of sodium cantharidate vitamin B6 combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of local advanced cervical cancer and its...
Clinical Efficacy of Sodium Cantharidate Vitamin B6 Combined with Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in the Treatment of Local Advanced Cervical Cancer and its Influence on Tumor Markers.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the clinical efficacy of sodium cantharidate vitamin B6 combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of local advanced cervical cancer and its influence on tumor markers.
METHODS
A total of 120 patients with locally advanced cervical cancer were enrolled at our hospital from January 2021 to December 2022, and these cases were randomly divided into two groups using a random number table method. The control group was treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy, while the study group was treated with sodium cantharidate vitamin B6 on the basis of the control group. The clinical efficacy, changes in self-immune function (CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ cells ratio), tumor marker levels [Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen (SCCA), Carbohydrate Antigen 125 (CA125), Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA)], quality of life (Nottingham Health Profile questionnaire), and incidence of adverse events were compared between the two groups.
RESULTS
After treatment, there was no significant difference in the overall efficacy and disease control rates between the two groups (P > .05). Before treatment, there was no difference in auto-immune function between the two groups (P > .05). However, after treatment, the study group showed a significant improvement in auto-immune function, and when compared to the control group, the levels of CD3+, CD4+ cells, and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells were higher in the study group (P < .05). Before treatment, there was no difference in tumor markers between the two groups (P > .05). While after treatment, tumor markers in both groups decreased significantly, and in comparison to the control group, the levels of SCCA, CA125, and CEA in the study group were lower (P < .05). Before treatment, there was no significant difference in the quality of life between the two groups (P > .05). However, after treatment, the quality of life in both groups improved, and the study group had a higher quality of life score than the control group (P < .05). There was no significant difference in thrombocytopenia between the two groups (P > .05). The total incidence of leukopenia, neutropenia, and radio-chemotherapy-related gastroenteritis in the study group was lower than that in the control group (P < .05).
CONCLUSIONS
Sodium cantharidate vitamin B6 combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of local advanced cervical cancer can not only effectively enhance the autoimmune function, downregulate the level of tumor markers, and improve the quality of patient life, but also cause relatively few adverse reactions.
PubMed: 38466067
DOI: No ID Found