Fermented foods and metabolic outcomes in diabetes and prediabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have investigated the effects of fermented foods on metabolic outcomes in adult patients suffering from diabetes and prediabetes. However, the results of these RCTs are conflicting. This systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out on data from RCTs to evaluate the effects of fermented foods in patients with diabetes and prediabetes. The PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Scopus databases were searched up to 21 June, 2022. English-language RCTs of fermented foods consumption were included which gave metabolic outcomes on body composition, glucose control, insulin sensitivity, lipid profile, as well as blood pressure. Eighteen RCTs met the inclusion criteria and 843 participants were included in the final analysis. The pooled results showed a significant reduction of fasting blood glucose (FBG), the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipid cholesterol (LDL-C) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in the intervention group versus the control group. The results of this research showed that fermented foods have the potential to improve some metabolic outcomes, including FBG, HOMA-IR, TC, LDL-C, and DBP in patients with diabetes and prediabetes.

Clinical effects and gut microbiota changes of using probiotics, prebiotics or synbiotics in inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Probiotics have been reported to be beneficial for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but the types, number of strains, dosage, and intervention time of probiotics used remain controversial. Furthermore, the changes of gut microbiota in IBD's patients are also intriguing. Thus, this meta-analysis was to explore the clinical effects and gut microbiota changes of using probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics in IBD. METHODS: The search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science and the Cochrane library from inception to April 2020. Qualified randomized controlled trials were included. IBD's remission rate, disease activity index and recurrence rate were extracted and analyzed. Changes in the gut microbiota of patients with IBD are comprehensively described. RESULTS: Thirty-eight articles were included. Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics can induce/maintain IBD's remission and reduce ulcerative colitis (UC) disease activity index (RR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.02, 1.26, P < 0.05; SMD = 1.00, 95% CI 0.27, 1.73, P < 0.05). In subgroup analyses of IBD remission rate and UC disease activity index, we obtained some statistically significant results in some subgroup (P < 0.05). To some extent, probiotic supplements can increase the number of beneficial bacteria (especially Bifidobacteria) in the intestinal tract of patients with IBD. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the treatment of IBD (especially UC) with pro/pre/synbiotics, and synbiotics are more effective. Probiotic supplements that are based on Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium or more than one strain are more likely to be beneficial for IBD remission. The dose of 1010-1012 CFU/day may be a reference range for using probiotics to relieve IBD.

Association of whole grains intake and the risk of digestive tract cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several epidemiological studies have investigated the association between whole grains intake and digestive tract cancer risk; however, the results are still controversial. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the association. METHODS: Studies published before March 2020 were searched in database and other sources. The risk ratio (RR) with the 95% confidence interval (CI) were pooled using fix or random-effects models. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included 34 articles reporting 35 studies, 18 studies of colorectal cancer, 11 studies of gastric cancer and 6 studies of esophagus cancer, involving 2,663,278 participants and 28,921 cases. Comparing the highest-intake participants with the lowest-intake participants for whole grains, we found that the intake of whole grains were inversely related to colorectal cancer (RR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.84-0.93, P < 0.001), gastric cancer (RR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.53-0.79, P < 0.001), esophagus cancer (RR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.44-0.67, P < 0.001), respectively. However, subgroup analysis of colorectal cancer found no significant association in the case-control studies and studies of sample size < 500, and subgroup analysis of gastric cancer found no significant association in the cohort studies and studies of American population. No study significantly affected the findings in the sensitivity analysis. No publication bias was found in the studies for colorectal cancer and esophagus cancer except in the studies for gastric cancer. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis provides further evidence that whole grains intake was associated with a reduced risk of digestive tract cancer. Our result supports the dietary guidelines that increase whole grains intake to reduce the risk of digestive tract cancer.

Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on cardiovascular risk factors: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

OBJECTIVE: Reviews have shown that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) were effective in improving cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), but the results were contradictory. This umbrella review aimed to summarize and grade the existing reviews on CVRFs associated with MBIs. METHODS: The protocol of this umbrella review had been registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022356812). PubMed, Web of science, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Scopus, Medline, PsycINFO and CINAHL were searched from database inception to 20 July 2022. The quality of evidence was assessed through GRADE. RESULTS: Twenty-seven reviews with 14,923 participants were included. Overall, 45% of reviews had low heterogeneity (I2 < 25%). For the quality of evidence, 31% were rated very low, 42% were rated low, 17% were rated moderate and 10% were rated high. MBIs significantly improved systolic blood pressure [SMD -5.53 mmHg (95% CI -7.81, -3.25)], diastolic blood pressure [SMD -2.13 mmHg (95% CI -2.97, -1.30)], smoking [Cohen's d 0.42 (95% CI 0.20, 0.64)], glycosylated hemoglobin [MD 0.01 (95% CI -0.43, -0.07)], binge eating behavior [SMD -6.49 (95% CI -10.80, -2.18)], depression [SMD -0.72 (95% CI -1.23, -0.21)] and stress [SMD -0.67 (95% CI -1.00, -0.34)]. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this umbrella review provided evidence for the role of MBIs in the improvement of CVRFs.

Molecular characterization of Japanese encephalitis viruses circulating in pigs and mosquitoes on pig farms in the Chinese province of Henan.

Since the first Chinese case report of Japanese encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) has circulated in China for at least 60 years. Even though pigs play a critical role in the JEV transmission cycle information on the prevalence of JEV in pigs has not been investigated in China. As the central Chinese province of Henan has the largest human population in China, a history of serious JEV and is the largest pig producing province it was chosen for this study. We have found that currently natural infection with JEV in pigs and mosquitoes is prevalent and both genotypes 1 and 3 co-circulate in pigs and mosquitoes in central China. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all of the newly obtained pig-derived JEV isolates are more closely related to isolates from the 1950s to 1960s than to those recently isolated from humans and mosquitoes. Further analyses based on all the previous reported Chinese isolates indicates that presently genotype 3 JEV is the predominant genotype in pigs but genotype 1 JEV is emerging and spreading rapidly in recent years. Our study provides information for understanding the current epidemiology of JEV in China and suggests possible measures applicable to the further control of JEV.

Flavonoid constituents of Amomum tsao-ko Crevost et Lemarie and their antioxidant and antidiabetic effects in diabetic rats - in vitro and in vivo studies.

Amomum tsao-ko Crevost et Lemarie (A. tsao-ko) is a well-known dietary spice and traditional Chinese medicine. This study aimed to identify the flavonoids in A. tsao-ko and evaluate their antioxidant and antidiabetic activities in in vitro and in vivo studies. A. tsao-ko methanol extracts possessed a high flavonoid content (1.21 mg QE per g DW) and a total of 29 flavonoids were identified by employing UPLC-MS/MS. In vitro, A. tsao-ko demonstrated antioxidant activity (ORAC value of 34276.57 µM TE/100 g DW, IC50 of ABTS of 3.49 mg mL-1 and FRAP value of 207.42 µM Fe2+ per g DW) and α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory ability with IC50 values of 14.23 and 1.76 mg mL-1, respectively. In vivo, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) models were induced by a combined high-fat diet (HFD) and streptozotocin (STZ) injection in rats. Treatment with the A. tsao-ko extract (100 mg freeze-dried powder per kg bw) for 6 weeks could significantly improve impaired glucose tolerance, decrease the levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin, and malondialdehyde (MDA), and increase the superoxide dismutase (SOD) level. Histopathology revealed that the A. tsao-ko extract preserved the architecture and function of the pancreas. In conclusion, the flavonoid composition of A. tsao-ko exhibits excellent antioxidant and antidiabetic activity in vitro and in vivo. A. tsao-ko could be a novel natural material and developed as a related functional food and medicine in T2DM management.

Genetic analysis of strains of Japanese Encephalitis Virus isolated from swine in central China.

In this study, four strains of Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) were isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of aborted fetuses or stillborn piglets collected randomly from a number of piggeries in central China. The E genes were cloned by RT-PCR and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis was performed with 48 JEV isolates previously reported in China and other countries, and showed that all four isolates can be classified into the subcluster of genotype III. The results strongly suggest that the genotype III of JEV is the major variant currently circulating in the swinery of central China.

Surface IgM on DT40 cells may be a component of the putative receptor complex responsible for the binding of infectious bursal disease virus.

To investigate the host-pathogen interactions between infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) and target B-lymphocytic cells, a cDNA T7 phage display library from the chicken bursa of Fabricius was constructed and screened for virus binding. Surface immunoglobulin M (sIgM) was isolated as a putative candidate binding site and its interactions with IBDV were further investigated using a chicken bursal lymphoma-derived cell line DT40. The results showed that the λ light chain of sIgM specifically interacted with IBDV in a virulence-independent manner in vitro, and most of the binding of IBDV to DT40 cells was inhibited by sIgM-specific monoclonal antibodies. Further, the infectivity of IBDV in vitro was reduced by sIgM-specific monoclonal antibodies. Our data provided evidence that sIgM may participate as one of the putative membrane binding sites responsible for IBDV infection.

Infectivity and propagation of attenuated infectious bursal disease virus in the chicken B-lymphocyte cell line DT40.

In this paper, the infectivity and propagation of two attenuated infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) strains in DT40 cells were investigated. The results showed that both of the tested strains, TAD and HN(3), directly infect and proliferate in DT40 cells, requiring no adaptive passages. Unexpectedly, IBDV can be rapidly propagated and continuously harvested at high titers for a long time, accompanied by the rapid growth of host cells and showing no increase in pathogenicity. Our results provide further support to suggest that DT40 cells can be used as an ideal model for studying IBDV pathogenesis. Additionally, the DT40 cell line could also serve as a potential system for commercial IBDV vaccine preparation.

Induced apoptotic action of recombinant trichosanthin in human stomach adenocarcinoma MCG803 cells.

Trichosanthin (TCS), is purified from the Chinese medicine, exerts antitumor activities by inducing apoptosis in many different tumor cell lines. The cDNA of trichosanthin was cloned and TCS was purified. The results showed that the proliferation of MCG803 cells were significantly suppressed by TCS in a dose-dependent manner at the concentration ranging from 20 to 100 microg/ml. The result of sequencing analysis indicates we obtained the TCS whole length gene. MTT assay was adopted to measure the growth inhibition ratio of MCG803 cells treated with TCS and apoptosis was assayed by agarose gel electrophoresis. DNA agarose gel electrophoresis showed a gradient, which confirmed that TCS could induce MCG803 cells apoptosis. The proportion of the periodic tumor cells were altered by TCS. Sub-G(1) curves were displayed by flow cytometry analysis. Results of Northern and Western blots showed that the transcription and expression of P21, was gradually up-regulated as treatment time increased. On the contrary, the transcription and expression of p53, was down-regulated. These data provided powerful evidences for the first time that recombinant TCS can induce the apoptosis of the MCG803 cells.

Inhibition on Hepatitis B virus in vitro of recombinant MAP30 from bitter melon.

The gene encoding MAP30 protein was cloned from bitter melon and recombinant MAP30 was expressed and purified. The human hepatoma G2.2.15 cells were exposed to different concentrations of MAP30. MTT assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the drugs and real-time PCR and Southern hybridization were applied to quantify extracellular HBV DNA and replicative intermediates intracellular and cccDNA in nucleus. HBsAg and HBeAg were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that exposure of HepG2.2.15 cells to MAP30 resulted in inhibition of HBV DNA replication and HBsAg secretion. After exposed to three different concentrations of MAP30 for 2, 4, 6, and 8 days respectively, the inhibition rates of extracellular HBV DNA, HBsAg, and HBeAg of each concentration decreased significantly (P < 0.05). After 9 days of treatment, the inhibition rates of extracellular HBV DNA of the different concentrations differed greatly (P < 0.001). The MAP30 could inhibit the production of HBV (P < 0.01) dose-dependently. The expression of HBsAg was significantly decreased by MAP30 dose-dependently (P < 0.001) and time-dependently (P < 0.001). Lower dose of MAP30 (8.0 microg/ml) could inhibit the expression of HBsAg and HBeAg.

Effects of recombinant MAP30 on cell proliferation and apoptosis of human colorectal carcinoma LoVo cells.

MAP30, an attractive protein isolated from bitter melon, has been previously found to have the anti-tumor and anti-HIV activities. In this study, MAP30 was cloned and expressed and the effects of the recombinant protein on cell proliferation and apoptosis of human colorectal carcinoma LoVo cells were investigated. The results showed that the proliferation of LoVo cells were significantly suppressed by MAP30 in time- and dose-dependent manners at the concentration ranging from 0.67 to 4.67 muM. The apoptotic nuclei of LoVo cells induced by MAP30 were obviously observed, and the genomic degradation was detected by single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay). Nuclear condensation and boundary aggregation or split, apoptotic bodies were seen by fluorescence and electron microscopy. The proportion of the periodic tumor cells was altered by MAP30. Sub-G1 curves were displayed by a flow cytometry analysis. Results of northern and western blots showed that the transcription and expression of Bax, a member of pro-apoptotic proteins, were gradually up-regulated as treated time increased. On the contrary, the transcription and expression of Bcl-2, an anti-apoptotic member, were down-regulated. These data provided powerful evidences for the first time that recombinant MAP30 can induce the apoptosis of the human colorectal carcinoma LoVo cells.

Epidemiological evidences from China assume that psychiatric-related diseases may be associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection.

In recent years, the effect of Toxoplasma gondii infection on psychiatric-related aspects has been increasingly recognized. T. gondii has a high affinity for brain tissue where tachyzoites may form tissue cysts and persist life long. In recent years, 15 serological surveys about T. gondii infection and psychiatric diseases have been carried out in different areas in China. Studies showed that the prevalence of antibodies against T. gondii in psychotic patients was much higher than in normal persons; statistically differences were significant. Studies also reported that raising cats or enjoying the habit of eating raw or under cooked meet were potential risk factors for the infection of T. gondii. The epidemiological and serological evidence support the hypothesis that some psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia or mental retardation might be linked to T. gondii infection.

MicroRNA transcriptome profiling of mice brains infected with Japanese encephalitis virus by RNA sequencing.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito borne viral disease, caused by Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection producing severe neuroinflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) with the associated disruption of the blood brain barrier. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a family of 21-24 nt small non-coding RNAs that play important post-transcriptional regulatory roles in gene expression and have critical roles in virus pathogenesis. We examined the potential roles of miRNAs in JEV-infected suckling mice brains and found that JEV infection changed miRNA expression profiles when the suckling mice began showing nervous symptoms. A total of 1062 known and 71 novel miRNAs were detected in JEV-infected group, accompanied with 1088 known and 75 novel miRNAs in mock controls. Among these miRNAs, one novel and 25 known miRNAs were significantly differentially expressed, including 18 up-regulated and 8 down-regulated miRNAs which were further confirmed by real-time PCR. Gene ontology (GO) and signaling pathway analysis of the predicted target mRNAs of the modulated miRNAs showed that they are correlated with the regulation of apoptosis, neuron differentiation, antiviral immunity and infiltration of mouse brain, and the validated targets of 12 differentially expressed miRNAs were enriched for the regulation of cell programmed death, proliferation, transcription, muscle organ development, erythrocyte differentiation, gene expression, plasma membrane and protein domain specific binding. KEGG analysis further reveals that the validated target genes were involved in the Pathways in cancer, Neurotrophin signaling pathway, Toll like receptor signaling pathway, Endometrial cancer and Jak-STAT signaling pathway. We constructed the interaction networks of miRNAs and their target genes according to GO terms and KEGG pathways and the expression levels of several target genes were examined. Our data provides a valuable basis for further studies on the regulatory roles of miRNAs in JE pathogenesis.

Toxicity of derivatives from semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase-mediated deamination of methylamine against Toxoplasma gondii after infection of differentiated 3T3-L1 cells.

Adipose tissue plays an active role in normal metabolic homeostasis as well as in the development of human diseases such as atherosclerosis and diabetes. We report here antimicrobial activities of the metabolites from adipocytes. Specifically, semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase of differentiated 3T3-L1 cells was found to utilize methylamine for producing formaldehyde and hydrogen peroxide, accounting for the inhibition of infectivity of Toxoplasma gondii and its replication in these cells. This was demonstrated by the findings that semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase was extremely high in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells; and that the infection of these cells by T. gondii and its intracellular replication were decreased to 33% and 37% of the control, respectively, when methylamine was provided in micromolar concentrations as the substrate to the aminoxidase. Only one of the two reaction products expected was found inhibitory against T. gondii when added to the infected pre-adipocytes of 3T3-L1. Intracellular replication of this parasite was inhibited by formaldehyde in the range of 10-100 microM and stimulated by hydrogen peroxide at 1-10 microM. The finding indicates that T. gondii may be useful as a sensitive and convenient sentinel for screening agents toxic to eukaryotic cells.

Serial expression analysis of liver regeneration-related genes in rat regenerating liver.

We investigated the gene expression changes in rat hepatic restoration with Rat Genome 230 2.0 chip containing 11,789 known genes and 13,231 unknown genes (taking up 90 percent of rat whole genome) following a 2/3 hepatectomy. The expression profiles and roles of these genes in rat liver regeneration (LR) were assayed using bioinformatics and systems biology method. Among the above genes, 1,004 known genes and 857 unknown genes were found to be associated with rat LR. The numbers of the known genes up-regulated, down-regulated, and up/down-regulated were 622, 443, and 15, respectively; that of the unknown genes were 367, 400, and 14, respectively. Out of the above two groups of genes, the ones up- and down-regulated 20 times or more were 62 and 38, 8, and 14, respectively. Notably, The highest expression level of dehydrogenase/reductase member 7 (DHRS7) was more than 968-fold compared to control, and alpha-1-B glycoprotein (A1BG), the product of gene with the lowest expression abundance, was 58 times lower than control. During rat liver regeneration, 467 up-regulated, 282 down-regulated, 10 up/down-regulated genes, and 1,031 undetected genes in our study interacted with each other and formed a network with a total of 4,014 connectivities. Among them, the genes for the regulation, synthesis, transport, signal transduction, protein modification, and physiological response formed 630, 290, 691, 373, 2010, and 20 connectivities, respectively; and the genes jun, fos, myc, ptgs2, ccna2, ccl2 had relatively higher degree of connectivity. The results indicated that cell apoptosis and inflammatory response were enhanced in the initial phase and the early part of progressive phase in LR.