Efficacy of Dietary Intervention with Group Activities on Dietary Intakes, Frailty Status, and Working Memory: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial in Community Strongholds.

Geriatric community centers often offer nutrition lectures to older adults. In order to make learning more interesting and pragmatic, we developed group activity sessions. This undertaking was tested for its efficacy in changes of frailty status and several other geriatric health parameters. A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted between September 2018 and December 2019 at 13 luncheon-providing community strongholds in Taipei, Taiwan. During the 3-month intervention period, 6 experimental strongholds received a weekly 1 h exercise workout and 1 h nutrition activities aiming at achieving the recommendations of the Taiwanese Daily Food Guide for elderlies; the other 7 received a weekly 1 h exercise workout and 1 h other activities. Dietary intakes and frailty status were the primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes included working memory and depression. The measurements were performed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. The nutrition intervention significantly reduced the intake of refined grains and roots (p = 0.003) and increased that of non-refined grains and roots (p = 0.008), dairy products (p < 0.0001), and seeds and nuts (at borderline, p = 0.080) at 3 months. Some, but not all, of these changes were maintained at 6 months. Performance improvements included the frailty status score (p = 0.036) and forward digit span (p = 0.004), a working memory parameter, at 3 months. Only the forward digit span remained improved (p = 0.007) at 6 months. The 3-month nutrition group activities combined with exercise sessions improved the frailty status and working memory more than exercise alone. The dietary and frailty improvements were accompanied by improved dietary intakes and advanced behavioral stages. However, the improved frailty status backslid after intervention ceased, suggesting that boosting activities are needed for maintaining the intervention effect.

Sex Differences in Dietary Patterns of Adults and Their Associations with the Double Burden of Malnutrition: A Population-Based National Survey in the Philippines.

A dietary pattern transition is a risk factor for the double burden of malnutrition (DBM), but related information is limited. This study aimed to identify sex differences in dietary patterns of adults in a low-middle income country and to examine their association with DBM. A total of 8957 adults (4465 men and 4492 non-pregnant and non-lactating women) who participated in the 2013 Philippine National Nutrition Survey were included in the analysis. Logistic regression models were formulated to investigate the relationship between dietary patterns and DBM. The factor analysis derived seven dietary patterns for males and six patterns for females. Results showed that approximately 30% of Filipino adults suffered from DBM. The rice pattern was associated with lower odds of DBM for males only. The meat and sugar pattern in males and the protein-rich foods, cereal, and sugar pattern in females decreased DBM likelihood. An inverse relationship was observed for the vegetables and corn patterns, wherein females had an increased risk for DBM. Our findings suggest that rice-based and meat-containing patterns could play protective roles in DBM development among adults in the Philippines. Understanding sex-specific dietary patterns can be utilized to guide public health nutrition interventions in the prevention of malnutrition in all its forms.

[Molecular mechanism of Spatholobi Caulis in treatment of lung cancer based on network pharmacology and molecular docking].

In this paper, the molecular mechanism of Spatholobi Caulis in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) was studied through network pharmacology and molecular docking analysis. With traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) Spatholobi Caulis as the study object, active ingredients of Spatholobi Caulis and corresponding potential drug targets were obtained from Traditio-nal Chinese Medicine Pharmacology Platform(TCMSP) database; GeneCards database was used to collect cancer-related genes; Cytoscape software was used to build Spatholobi Caulis active ingredient-target-pathway relationship network. DAVID database was used for GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of targets, KEGG signaling pathway was visualized, and compounds were screened out for molecular docking. Finally, in vitro experiments on human lung cancer cells, A549 treated with luteolin and licochalcone A were used to preliminarily verify the core targets and pathways, cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 method, and expressions of caspase-3 and Bax protein were detected by Western blot. A total of 23 active components and 170 potential drug targets were selected from Spatholobi Caulis, involving 127 pathways in total. Molecular docking results showed that licochalcone A,(Z)-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-N-[2-(4-hydroxy-phenyl) ethyl] acrylamide, consumeclose grain successfully docked with the key target EGFR, and binding energy of the three compounds was less than-5 kcal·mol~(-1). CCK-8 results showed that luteolin, licochalcone A, and Spatholobi Caulis extract had the inhibitory effect on human lung cancer A549 cells. Western blot showed that luteolin, licochalcone A and Spatholobi Caulis extract could induce cell apoptosis by increasing the expressions of pro-apoptotic factors caspase-3 and Bax. In this study, the anti-lung cancer effect of Spatholobi Caulis was studied through network pharmacology and molecular docking, in order to provide ideas for the molecular mechanism of Spatholobi Caulis in the treatment of lung cancer.

Pomegranate flower extract bidirectionally regulates the proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of 3T3-L1 cells through regulation of PPARγ expression mediated by PI3K-AKT signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVES: Pomegranate flower is a kind of uygur medicine with anti - type 2 diabetes, anti - lipid, anti - inflammation, anti - oxidation. We investigated the effect of pomegranate flower extract (PFE) on the proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, as well as the effects of five compounds in PF on cell differentiation. METHODS: 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were treated with PFE (0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 µg/mL), quercetin, luteolin, ursolic acid, apigenin and kaempferol (5, 10, 20, 40, 80 µM), and cell viability was measured at 24, 48 and 72 h by Cell Counting Kit-8. The modified cocktail induction method induced the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, and treated them with PFE and the compounds. The lipid accumulation was determined by oil red O staining, and the intracellular triglyceride content was determined by commercial kit. The expressions of PPARγ, C/EBP, LPL, DGAT and aP2 mRNA in mature adipocyte were determined by q-PCR, and the expressions of PPARγ, Akt, p-akt and PI3K protein were determined by western blot. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were treated with PFE (5, 10, 20 µg/mL) while induced apoptosis by palmitate (300 µM), Hoechst staining to observe apoptosis morphology, Annexin Ⅴ- FITC/PI staining with flow cytometry instrument to detect the number of early and late apoptosis cells, the q-PCR and western blot for determining the Bcl-2, Bax, caspase 3 mRNA and protein expression. RESULTS: PFE (5, 10, 20 µg/mL) promoted or did not affect the proliferation and differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, and reduced the number of early and late apoptotic cells, increased the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA and protein, and inhibited the expression of Bax and caspase-3 mRNA and protein. Furthermore, PFE (40, 60 µg/mL), quercetin (10, 20, 40 µM), luteolin (5, 10, 20 µM), apigenin(20,40 µM), kaempferol (20, 40 µM) significantly restrain the 3T3-L1 different extent proliferation and differentiation of preadipocyte, reduce the accumulation of lipids in adipocyte, reduce expression of adipogenesis factor, PFE(40, 60 µg/mL) inhibited the activation of the PI3K-Akt pathway by inhibiting the expression of PI3K and p-Akt proteins, and inhibited preadipocyte differentiation by reduce the expression of PPARγ protein. CONCLUSION: PFE has a concentration-related bidirectional effect on the proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, which depends on the regulation of PI3K-Akt pathway, which is of guiding role for PFE in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity and other diseases.

Relationships between changes in leptin and insulin resistance levels in obese individuals following weight loss.

Obesity can augment insulin resistance (IR), leading to increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. Leptin, ghrelin, and various fatty acids present in the cell membrane may modulate IR. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of weight loss on IR, serum leptin/ghrelin levels, and erythrocyte fatty acids, and studied the associations between changes in these variables. A total of 35 obese (body mass index ≥ 27) adults participated in a weight loss program for 3 months. IR was assessed using homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). The obese participants had a mean weight loss of 5.6 ± 3.8 kg followed by a 16.7% and 23.3% reduction in HOMA-IR and leptin (p < 0.001) levels, and an 11.3% increase in ghrelin levels (p = 0.005). The level of erythrocyte saturates decreased by 2.8%, while the level of n-3 polyunsaturates increased by 16.8% (all p < 0.05). The changes in leptin levels (-5.63 vs. -1.57 ng/mL) were significantly different (p = 0.004) in those with improved IR (changes in HOMA-IR < 0) than those without improvement (changes in HOMA-IR ≥ 0), though there were no differences in the changes of ghrelin (p = 0.120) and erythrocyte fatty acids (all p > 0.05) levels. After adjusting for age, gender, changes in ghrelin, and body fat, we found a significant correlation between decreases in leptin and less risk of no improvement in HOMA-IR levels [odds ratio (OR) = 0.69, p = 0.039]. In conclusion, a moderate weight reduction in obese participants over a short period significantly improved IR. This weight reduction concomitantly decreased serum leptin, increased ghrelin, and elevated some erythrocyte unsaturates. Only leptin correlated independently with IR improvement upon multivariable logistic regression analysis, which indicates that leptin may play a role in the modulation of IR following weight loss.

SOX4 transcriptionally regulates multiple SEMA3/plexin family members and promotes tumor growth in pancreatic cancer.

Semaphorin signaling through Plexin frequently participates in tumorigenesis and malignant progression in various types of cancer. In particular, the role of semaphorin signaling in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains unexplored, despite a high likelihood of metastasis and mortality. Unlike other epithelial malignancies that often express a small number of specific genes in the Semaphorin/Plexin family, five or more are often expressed in human PDAC. Such concomitant expression of these SEMA3/Plexin family members is not a result of gene amplification, but (at least partially) from increased gene transcription activated by SOX4 de novo expressed in PDAC. Via chromatin-immunoprecipitation, luciferase promoter activity assay and electrophoresis mobility shift assay, SOX4 is demonstrated to bind to the consensus site at the promoter of each SEMA3 and Plexin gene to enhance transcription activity. Conversely, RNAi-knockdown of SOX4 in PDAC cell lines results in decreased expression of SEMA3/Plexin family members and is associated with restricted tumor growth both in vitro and in SCID mice. We further demonstrate that SOX4 levels parallel with the summed expression of SEMA3/Plexin family members (P = 0.033, NPar Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis), which also correlates with poor survival in human PDAC (P = 0.0409, Kaplan-Meier analysis). Intriguingly, miR-129-2 and miR-335, both of which target SOX4 for degradation, are co-repressed in human PDAC cases associated with up-regulated SOX4 in a statistically significant way. In conclusion, we disclose a miR-129-2(miR-335)/SOX4/Semaphorin-Plexin regulatory axis in the tumorigenesis of pancreatic cancer.

Reaching Asian Americans: sampling strategies and incentives.

Reaching and recruiting representative samples of minority populations is often challenging. This study examined in Chinese and Korean Americans: 1) whether using two different sampling strategies (random sampling vs. convenience sampling) significantly affected characteristics of recruited participants and 2) whether providing different incentives in the mail survey produced different response rates. We found statistically significant, however mostly not remarkable, differences between random and convenience samples. Offering monetary incentives in the mail survey improved response rates among Chinese Americans, while offering a small gift did not improve response rates among either Chinese or Korean Americans. This information will be useful for researchers and practitioners working with Asian Americans.

[Liangge san effects the expression of CD14 and scaverger receptor in the Kupffer cells of liver of endotoxemia mice].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of Liangge San to the expression of CD14 and scaverger receptor(SR) in the kupffer cells of liver and the pathological changes of liver tissue of endotoxemia-mice. METHOD: The model was established with intravenous injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and at the same time different dose Liangge San were given. The expression of CD14 and scaverger receptor were detected with immunohigtochemistry at the 2nd, 4th, 8th hour ofter injury and analyzed with computer image system, and the pathological changes of liver tissue were also observed. RESULT: At the three different hours, the expression of CD14 and scaverger receptor in macrophages of liver of LPS-injury group showed significant increase and significant decrease respectively, compared with that of the blank-control group (P < 0.01). The expression in dexamethasone group and Liangge San different dose groups were intermediate between those in injury group and those in control group. Compared with expression of LPS-injury group, those of dexamethasone group and Liangge San different dose groups showed significant differences (P < 0.01), especially that of Liangge San high dose group. Liver cells showed vacuole change. Changes of CD14 and SR expression were paralleled with the severity of liver damages of the mice. CONCLUSION: Liangge San can inhibite the up-regulation of CD14 expression and down-regulation of scaverger receptor expression in a dosage-dependent manner and also alleviate the damages of liver induced by LPS.