Mechanisms of regulation of glycolipid metabolism by natural compounds in plants: effects on short-chain fatty acids.

BACKGROUND: Natural compounds can positively impact health, and various studies suggest that they regulate glucose‒lipid metabolism by influencing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). This metabolism is key to maintaining energy balance and normal physiological functions in the body. This review explores how SCFAs regulate glucose and lipid metabolism and the natural compounds that can modulate these processes through SCFAs. This provides a healthier approach to treating glucose and lipid metabolism disorders in the future. METHODS: This article reviews relevant literature on SCFAs and glycolipid metabolism from PubMed and the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). It also highlights a range of natural compounds, including polysaccharides, anthocyanins, quercetins, resveratrols, carotenoids, and betaines, that can regulate glycolipid metabolism through modulation of the SCFA pathway. RESULTS: Natural compounds enrich SCFA-producing bacteria, inhibit harmful bacteria, and regulate operational taxonomic unit (OTU) abundance and the intestinal transport rate in the gut microbiota to affect SCFA content in the intestine. However, most studies have been conducted in animals, lack clinical trials, and involve fewer natural compounds that target SCFAs. More research is needed to support the conclusions and to develop healthier interventions. CONCLUSIONS: SCFAs are crucial for human health and are produced mainly by the gut microbiota via dietary fiber fermentation. Eating foods rich in natural compounds, including fruits, vegetables, tea, and coarse fiber foods, can hinder harmful intestinal bacterial growth and promote beneficial bacterial proliferation, thus increasing SCFA levels and regulating glucose and lipid metabolism. By investigating how these compounds impact glycolipid metabolism via the SCFA pathway, novel insights and directions for treating glucolipid metabolism disorders can be provided.

The 100 top-cited articles in menopausal syndrome: a bibliometric analysis.

BACKGROUND: Significant scientific research has been conducted concerning menopausal syndrome(MPS), yet few bibliometric analyses have been performed. Our aim was to recognise the 100 most highly cited published articles on MPS and to analytically evaluate their key features. METHODS: To identify the 100 most frequently cited articles, a search was conducted on Web of Science using the term 'menopausal syndrome'. Articles that matched the predetermined criteria were scrutinised to obtain the following data: citation ranking, year of publication, publishing journal, journal impact factor, country of origin, academic institution, authors, study type, and keywords. RESULTS: The publication period is from January 1, 2000, to August 31, 2022. The maximum number of citations was 406 and in 2012. The median citations per year was 39.70. Most of the articles focused on treatment and complications. These articles were published in 36 different journals, with the Journal of MENOPAUSE having published the greatest number (14%). Forty-eight articles (48%) were from the United States, with the University of Pittsburgh being the leading institute (9%). Joann E. Manson was the most frequent first author (n = 6). Observational studies were the most frequently conducted research type (n = 53), followed by experimental studies (n = 33). Keyword analysis identified classic research topics, including genitourinary syndrome of menopause, bone mineral density (BMD), and anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) loci. CONCLUSION: Using bibliometrics, we conducted an analysis to identify the inadequacies, traditional focal points, and potential prospects in the study of MPS across current scientific areas. Treatment and complications are at the core of MPS research, whereas prediction and biomarkers have less literature of high quality. There is a necessity for innovative analytical metrics to measure the real effect of these papers with a high level of citation on clinical application.

Practice and principle of traditional Chinese medicine for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has played an important role in the prevention and treatment of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in China. The integration of Chinese and Western medicine is an important feature of Chinese COVID-19 prevention and treatment. According to a series of evidence-based studies, TCM can reduce the infection rate of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in high-risk groups. For patients with mild and moderate forms of COVID-19, TCM can relieve the related signs and symptoms, shorten the period of nucleic-acid negative conversion, and reduce conversion rate to the severe form of the disease. For COVID-19 patients with severe and critical illnesses, TCM can improve inflammatory indicators and blood oxygen saturation, shorten the hospital stay, and reduce the mortality rate. During recovery, TCM can improve patients' symptoms, promote organ function recovery, boost the quality of patients' life, and reduce the nucleic-acid repositive conversion rate. A series of mechanism research studies revealed that capability of TCM to treat COVID-19 through antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects, immune regulation, and protection of organ function via a multicomponent, multitarget, and multipathway approach.

Efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicines combined with conventional Western medicines in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Aims/hypothesis: Through a comprehensive analysis of the clinical randomized controlled trials of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combined with conventional western medicine (CWM) in treating type 2 diabetes(T2DM) in the past ten years, the clinical efficacy and safety of different TCMs combined with CWM were explored. This study aimed to provide specific suggestions for clinical guidance on treating T2DM. Methods: A literature search was conducted in CNKI, WanFang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. The search time was limited from 2010 to the present time. The literature type was a controlled clinical trial study of TCM combined with CWM intervention in treating T2DM. The outcome indices of the efficacy evaluation included fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (2hPG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), adverse reactions, and clinical efficacy. Stata 15 and RevMan 5.4 software were used to conduct a network meta-analysis and a traditional meta-analysis. Results: The results showed that shenqi jiangtang granule combined with sulfonylurea, shenqi jiangtang granules combined with metformin and jinlida granules combined with insulin had significant effects on reductions in FBG, 2hPG and clinical efficacy compared with western medicines alone, which included fasting blood glucose [MD=-2.17, 95%CI=(-2.50, -1.85)], blood sugar at 2 hours after a meal [MD=-1.94, 95%CI=(-2.23, -1.65)], and clinical curative effect [OR= 1.73, 95%CI=(0.59, 2.87)]. Conclusions: TCM combined with CWM has a very significant effect on treating T2DM compared with CWM alone. According to the network meta-analysis, the best intervention measures of different TCMs for different outcome indicators were obtained. Systematic review registration: identifier 42022350372.

The efficacy of Chinese patent medicine intervention on blood glucose and lipid in prediabetes: A meta-analysis.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the efficacy and safety of Chinese patent medicine in the treatment of blood glucose, blood lipid and insulin resistance in prediabetic patients through a meta-analysis of clinical trials. Methods: Randomized controlled trials of Chinese patent medicine in the treatment of prediabetes were searched in the databases of CNKI, WanFang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Web of Science and Embase using the computer with the search deadline on June 2, 2022. The two researchers independently screened the literatures based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the fasting blood glucose, postprandial blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, insulin resistance index, blood lipids, prediabetes reversal rate and diabetes conversion rate were used as outcome indicators. The quality of the study was evaluated according to the Cochrane scale, and data were analyzed by RevMan software. Results: Sixteen clinical trial studies were eventually fitted into, and a meta-analysis was conducted on the included studies, and the final results showed as follows: Compared with conventional lifestyle intervention, the remedy of Chinese patent medicine intervention in prediabetes patients had significant effects on the outcome indicators, such as fasting blood glucose [MD = -0.36, 95%CI = (-0.45,-0.26), P < 0.00001], 2 h postprandial blood glucose [MD = -0.71, 95%CI = (-0.99,-0.42), P < 0.00001], glycated hemoglobin [MD = -0.33, 95%CI = (-0.48,-0.19), P < 0.00001], BMI [MD = -0.82, 95%CI = (-1.20,-0.44), P < 0.0001], insulin resistance index [MD = -0.20, 95%CI = (-0.29,-0.11), P < 0.00001], diabetes conversion rate [MD = 0.49, 95%CI = (0.34,0.70), P＜0.0001], and the differences were indicated as a statistically significant. However, the outcome indexes of TC, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C in blood lipid exhibited no significant effect, and no significant difference. Conclusions: The results indicated that Chinese patent medicine intervention could ameliorate the outcome indicators of prediabetes with significant efficacy and good safety. Its therapeutic effect was mainly manifested in blood glucose, insulin, body weight, and diabetes conversion rate. Chinese patent medicine maybe a promising avenue for prediabetes.

Key regulators of intestinal stem cells: diet, microbiota, and microbial metabolites.

Interactions between diet and the intestinal microbiome play an important role in human health and disease development. It is well known that such interactions, whether direct or indirect, trigger a series of metabolic reactions in the body. Evidence suggests that intestinal stem cells (ISCs), which are phenotypic precursors of various intestinal epithelial cells, play a significant role in the regulation of intestinal barrier function and homeostasis. The advent and evolution of intestinal organoid culture techniques have presented a key opportunity to study the association between the intestinal microenvironment and ISCs. As a result, the effects exerted by dietary factors, intestinal microbiomes, and their metabolites on the metabolic regulation of ISCs and the potential mechanisms underlying such effects are being gradually revealed. This review summarises the effects of different dietary patterns on the behaviour and functioning of ISCs and focuses on the crosstalk between intestinal microbiota, related metabolites, and ISCs, with the aim of fully understanding the relationship between these three factors and providing further insights into the complex mechanisms associated with ISCs in the human body. Gaining an understanding of these mechanisms may lead to the development of novel dietary interventions or drugs conducive to intestinal health.

Research status and trends of the diabetic cardiomyopathy in the past 10 years (2012-2021): A bibliometric analysis.

Background: Diabetic cardiomyopathy is one of the most life-threatening diabetic complications. However, the previous studies only discuss a particular aspect or characteristic of DCM, the current state and trends were explored by limited research. We aimed to perform a systemically bibliometric study of DCM research progress status in the past decade, visualize the internal conceptual structure and potential associations, and further explore the prospective study trends. Methods: Articles related to DCM published from January 2012 to December 2021 were collected in the Web of Science core collection (WoSCC) database on June 24, 2022. We exported all bibliographic records, including titles, abstracts, keywords, authorship, institutions, addresses, publishing sources, references, citation times, and year of publication. In addition, the journal Impact Factor and Hirsch index were obtained from the Journal Citation Report. We conducted the data screening, statistical analysis, and visualization via the Bibliometrix R package. VOS viewer software was employed to generate the collaboration network map among countries and institutions for better performance in visualization. Results: In total, 1,887 original research articles from 2012 to 2021 were identified. The number of annual publications rapidly increased from 107 to 278, and a drastic increase in citation times was observed in 2017-2019. As for global contributions, the United States was the most influential country with the highest international collaboration, while China was the most productive country. Professor Cai Lu was the most prolific author. Shandong University published the most articles. Cardiovascular Diabetology journal released the most DCM-related articles. "Metabolic Stress-induced Activation of FoxO1 Triggers Diabetic Cardiomyopathy in Mice" Battiprolu PK et al., J Clin Invest, 2012. was the most top-cited article regarding local citations. The top three keywords in terms of frequency were apoptosis, oxidative stress, and fibrosis. The analysis of future topic trends indicated that "Forkhead box protein O1," "Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction," "Dapagliflozin," "Thioredoxin," "Mitochondria dysfunction," "Glucose," "Pyroptosis," "Cardiac fibroblast" and "Long non-coding RNA" could be promising hotspots. Conclusion: This study provides meaningful insights into DCM, which is expected to assist cardiologists and endocrinologists in exploring frontiers and future research directions in the domain through a refined and concise summary.

AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK) channel: A Global Bibliometric analysis From 2012 to 2021.

In recent years, AMPK channel has gained considerable attention in a variety of research areas, and several academic journals have published articles on AMPK research. However, few attempts have been made to thoroughly assess the scientific output and current status systematically in this topic from a worldwide viewpoint. As a result, it is critical to adopt an appropriate visualization method to reveal the global status, future research trends, and hotspots in AMPK channel research. To investigate research hotspots/frontiers in certain domains, bibliometric analysis has been frequently utilized to determine the productivity of nations, institutions, authors, and the frequency of keywords. In this work, we used CiteSpace and VOSviewer to conduct a bibliometric analysis of AMPK channel studies from 2012 to 2021 in order to perform researchers with some directions for AMPK channel research.

Foxg1 has an essential role in postnatal development of the dentate gyrus.

Foxg1, formerly BF-1, is expressed continuously in the postnatal and adult hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG). This transcription factor (TF) is thought to be involved in Rett syndrome, which is characterized by reduced hippocampus size, indicating its important role in hippocampal development. Due to the perinatal death of Foxg1(-/-) mice, the function of Foxg1 in postnatal DG neurogenesis remains to be explored. Here, we describe the generation of a Foxg1(fl/fl) mouse line. Foxg1 was conditionally ablated from the DG during prenatal and postnatal development by crossing this line with a Frizzled9-CreER(TM) line and inducing recombination with tamoxifen. In this study, we first show that disruption of Foxg1 results in the loss of the subgranular zone and a severely disrupted secondary radial glial scaffold, leading to the impaired migration of granule cells. Moreover, detailed analysis reveals that Foxg1 may be necessary for the maintenance of the DG progenitor pool and that the lack of Foxg1 promotes both gliogenesis and neurogenesis. We additionally show that Foxg1 may be required for the survival and maturation of postmitotic neurons and that Foxg1 may be involved in Reelin signaling in regulating postnatal DG development. Last, prenatal deletion of Foxg1 suggests that it is rarely involved in the migration of primordial granule cells. In summary, we report that Foxg1 is critical for DG formation, especially during early postnatal stage.

An inducible transgenic Cre mouse line for the study of hippocampal development and adult neurogenesis.

The hippocampus is crucial for higher brain functions, such as learning, memory, and emotion. Many diseases like epilepsy and Down's syndrome are associated with abnormalities in early hippocampal development. In addition, adult dentate neurogenesis is thought to be defective in several classes of psychiatric disorders. However, the mechanisms regulating hippocampal development and adult neurogenesis remain unclear. One of the limitations to studying these processes is the scarcity of available specific mouse tools. Here, we report an inducible transgenic Cre mouse line, Frizzled 9-CreER™, in which tamoxifen administration induces Cre recombinant. Our data show that Cre is expressed in the developing hippocampal primordium, confined to the granule cell layer at P20 and further limited to the subgranular zone in the adult dentate gyrus. Cre recombinase shows very high activity in all of these regions. Thus, this transgenic line will be a powerful tool in understanding the mechanisms of hippocampal development, adult neurogenesis, and associated diseases.