Lifestyle intervention in children with obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial in Ningbo city (the SCIENT study).

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has become an urgent public health problem, evidence showed that intervention for childhood obesity bring enormous health benefits. However, an effective individualized intervention strategy remains to be developed, and the accompanying remission of related complications, such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), needs to be assessed. This study aimed to develop an m-Health-assisted lifestyle intervention program targeting overweight/obese children and assess its effectiveness on indicators of adiposity and NAFLD. METHODS: This is a cluster-randomized controlled trial that conducted in children with overweight/obesity in Ningbo city, Zhejiang Province, China. Students in Grade 3 (8-10 years old) were recruited from six primary schools, with three be randomized to intervention group and three to usual practice group. The intervention program will last for one academic year and consists of health education, dietary guidance, and physical activity reinforcement. This program is characterized by encouraging four stakeholders, including School, Clinic, famIly, and studENT (SCIENT), to participate in controlling childhood obesity, assisted by m-Health technology. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and 3 months, 9 months, 24 months, and 36 months after baseline. The primary outcome will be the differences between the two groups in students' body mass index and fatty liver index at the end of the intervention (9 months after baseline). During the implementation process, quality control methods will be adopted. DISCUSSION: The program will test the effectiveness of the m-Health-assisted lifestyle intervention on children with obesity and NAFLD. The results of this study will provide evidence for establishing effective lifestyle intervention strategy aimed at childhood obesity and NAFLD and may help develop guidelines for the treatment of obesity and NAFLD in Chinese children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05482191. Registered on July 2022.

Crystal structures, interactions with biomacromolecules and anticancer activities of Mn(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) complexes of demethylcantharate and 2-aminopyridine.

Three novel transition metal complexes (Hapy)(2)[M(DCA)(2)]·6H(2)O (M = Mn(II) (1), Ni(II) (2), Cu(II) (3); DCA = demethylcantharate, 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2,3-dicarboxylate, C(8)H(8)O(5); Hapy = 2-aminopyridine acid, C(5)H(7)N(2)) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectra, thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction. DNA binding properties of the complexes were investigated by electronic absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra and viscosity measurements. Results indicated the complexes could bind to DNA through partial intercalation mode with binding constants K ( b )/(L·mol(-1)) of 1.91 × 10(4) (1), 5.13 × 10(4) (2) and 1.12 × 10(5) (3) at 298 K. Meanwhile, the interactions of the complexes with BSA were also studied by fluorescence spectra. The results suggested that the complexes could quench the fluorescence of BSA through static quenching with the binding constants K ( A )/(L·mol(-1)) of 1.44 × 10(6) (1), 1.14 × 10(7) (2) and 2.98 × 10(4) (3). And the main contribution was tryptophan residues of BSA. The antiproliferative activity test revealed that complexes showed more intense inhibition ratios against human hepatoma cells lines and human gastric cancer cells lines in vitro. Copper(II) complex (3) possesses the strongest inhibition ratio against human hepatoma cells.