Prevalence and risk factors of sub-health and circadian rhythm disorder of cortisol, melatonin, and temperature among Chinese midwives.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the influencing factors of sub-health and circadian rhythm disorder among midwives and whether circadian rhythm disorder was associated with sub-health. Methods: A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted among 91 Chinese midwives from six hospitals through cluster sampling. Data were collected by demographic questionnaire, Sub-Health Measurement Scale version 1.0, and circadian rhythm detection. Minnesota single and population mean cosine methods were used to analyze the rhythm of cortisol, melatonin, and temperature. Binary logistic regression, nomograph model, and forest plot were performed to identify variables associated with midwives' sub-health. Results: There were 65 midwives with sub-health and 61, 78, and 48 midwives with non-validation of circadian rhythms of cortisol, melatonin, and temperature among 91 midwives, respectively. Midwives' sub-health was significantly related to age, duration of exercise, weekly working hours, job satisfaction, cortisol rhythm, and melatonin rhythm. Based on these six factors, the nomogram was presented with significant predictive performance for sub-health. Furthermore, cortisol rhythm was significantly associated with physical, mental, and social sub-health, whereas melatonin rhythm was significantly correlated with physical sub-health. Conclusion: Sub-health and circadian rhythm disorder were generally common among midwives. Nurse administrators are supposed to pay attention and take measures to prevent sub-health and circadian rhythm disorder among midwives.

The association between circadian rhythm of cortisol and shift work regularity among midwives-A multicenter study in Southeast China.

Objective: This article aims to explore the association between the trends of cortisol rhythm and the regularity of shift work among midwives. Methods: Midwives from six Southeast Chinese hospitals were recruited through cluster sampling in a multi-center cross-sectional study. Urine samples were collected half an hour after waking up, at 11:00, 19:00, and 23:00 on two consecutive days in a longitudinal cohort. The urinary cortisol was assayed by the chemiluminescence method. Results: A total of 86 midwives were included in this study, contributing 688 cortisol samples. The midwives displayed a circadian rhythm in cortisol secretion, with zeniths in the morning and nadirs in the evening. The trend of the first day was repeated on the second day. Although the total working hours per week of the two groups, namely the regular shift group (N = 43) and the irregular shift group (N = 43), were the same, significant main effects of groups (F = 62.569, p < 0.001), time (F = 45.304, p < 0.001), and group-by-time interaction (F = 226.695, p < 0.001) were indicated through linear mixed models. The main effect of day was not statistically significant, with F = 0.105 and p = 0.746. The fluctuation range of cortisol curve in the group with irregular schedules was slightly lower than that in the group with regular schedules. Conclusion: Our results may indicate that cortisol was more inhibited in midwives with irregular shift patterns than those with regular shift patterns. It is necessary to further study the relationship between cortisol rhythm and patterns of midwives' shifts in future so as to lay a foundation for hospital managers to develop a more reasonable scheduling system for midwives with the further purpose to minimize their occupational fatigue and ensure the safety of mothers and infants.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids promote SNAREs mediated GLUT4 vesicle docking and fusion.

Glucose homeostasis imbalance and insulin resistance (IR) are major contributors to the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are key ingredients for maintaining cellular functions and improving insulin sensitivity. However, how omega-3 PUFAs modulate the dynamic process of glucose transport at the cellular level remains unclear. Here we unraveled eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may regulate the glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) vesicle trafficking in both normal and IR adipocytes. Both omega-3 PUFAs significantly increase glucose consumption within a range of 10-32% in the basal state. Furthermore, both EPA (200 µM) and DHA (100 µM) may significantly promote the serine/threonine protein kinase (Akt) phosphorylation by 70% and 40% in the physiological state of adipocytes, respectively. Both omega-3 PUFAs significantly advanced the Akt phosphorylation in a dose-dependent way and showed a ∼2-fold increase at the dose of 200 µM in the IR pathological state. However, they could not up-regulate the expression of GLUT4 and insulin-regulated aminopeptidase protein. We further revealed that both omega-3 PUFAs dynamically promote insulin-stimulated GLUT4 vesicle translocation and soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor mediated vesicle docking and fusion to the plasma membrane via specifically modulating the expression of vesicle-associated membrane protein 2. Understanding the mechanisms by which omega-3 PUFAs modulate cellular metabolism and IR in peripheral tissues may provide novel insights into the potential impact of omega-3 PUFAs on the metabolic function and the management of IR.

Probiotic Supplements Improve Blood Glucose and Insulin Resistance/Sensitivity among Healthy and GDM Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Probiotic supplements may be seen as a promising way to improve glucose metabolism. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of probiotic supplements on blood glucose, insulin resistance/sensitivity, and prevention of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among pregnant women. METHODS: Eleven electronic databases were searched from inception to May 2020. Two authors independently identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs), assessed the eligibility and quality of the included studies, and then extracted data. The primary outcomes were fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 1 h and 2 h plasma glucose after 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), HbA1c, fasting plasma insulin, insulin resistance, and insulin sensitivity. Fixed and random effect models were used to pool the results. RESULTS: A total of 20 RCTs involving 2972 participants were included according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The pooled results of this research showed that probiotic supplements could reduce the level of FPG (mean difference (MD) = -0.11; 95% CI = -0.15 to -0.04; P=0.0007), serum insulin (MD = -1.68; 95% CI = -2.44 to -0.92; P < 0.00001), insulin resistance (MD = -0.36; 95% CI = -0.53 to -0.20; P < 0.00001), and insulin sensitivity (MD = -21.80; 95% CI = -31.92 to -11.67; P < 0.00001). Regarding the subgroup analysis of different pregnant women, the effects of probiotics on FPG, insulin, and insulin resistance were more obvious among GDM and healthy women than among overweight/obese women. Furthermore, the differences were not significant in HbA1c (MD = -0.05; 95% CI = -0.12 to 0.03; P=0.23), 1 h OGTT (MD = -0.07; 95% CI = -0.25 to 0.10; P=0.42), and 2 h OGTT (MD = -0.03; 95% CI = -0.17 to 0.12; P=0.72). CONCLUSION: This review found that probiotic supplements had certain functions to reduce the level of FPG and improve insulin, insulin resistance, and insulin sensitivity, especially for GDM and healthy pregnant women.

Eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids attenuate hyperglycemia through the microbiome-gut-organs axis in db/db mice.

BACKGROUND: Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been suggested to prevent the development of metabolic disorders. However, their individual role in treating hyperglycemia and the mechanism of action regarding gut microbiome and metabolome in the context of diabetes remain unclear. RESULTS: Supplementation of DHA and EPA attenuated hyperglycemia and insulin resistance without changing body weight in db/db mice while the ameliorative effect appeared to be more pronounced for EPA. DHA/EPA supplementation reduced the abundance of the lipopolysaccharide-containing Enterobacteriaceae whereas elevated the family Coriobacteriaceae negatively correlated with glutamate level, genera Barnesiella and Clostridium XlVa associated with bile acids production, beneficial Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, and SCFA-producing species. The gut microbiome alterations co-occurred with the shifts in the metabolome, including glutamate, bile acids, propionic/butyric acid, and lipopolysaccharide, which subsequently relieved ß cell apoptosis, suppressed hepatic gluconeogenesis, and promoted GLP-1 secretion, white adipose beiging, and insulin signaling. All these changes appeared to be more evident for EPA. Furthermore, transplantation with DHA/EPA-mediated gut microbiota mimicked the ameliorative effect of DHA/EPA on glucose homeostasis in db/db mice, together with similar changes in gut metabolites. In vitro, DHA/EPA treatment directly inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli (Family Enterobacteriaceae) while promoted Coriobacterium glomerans (Family Coriobacteriaceae), demonstrating a causal effect of DHA/EPA on featured gut microbiota. CONCLUSIONS: DHA and EPA dramatically attenuated hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in db/db mice, which was mediated by alterations in gut microbiome and metabolites linking gut to adipose, liver and pancreas. These findings shed light into the gut-organs axis as a promising target for restoring glucose homeostasis and also suggest a better therapeutic effect of EPA for treating diabetes. Video abstract.

Cooking oil/fat consumption and deaths from cardiometabolic diseases and other causes: prospective analysis of 521,120 individuals.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence highlights healthy dietary patterns and links daily cooking oil intake with chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. However, food-based evidence supporting the consumption of cooking oils in relation to total and cardiometabolic mortality remains largely absent. We aim to prospectively evaluate the relations of cooking oils with death from cardiometabolic (CVD and diabetes) and other causes. METHODS: We identified and prospectively followed 521,120 participants aged 50-71 years from the National Institutes of Health-American Association of Retired Persons Diet and Health Study. Individual cooking oil/fat consumption was assessed by a validated food frequency questionnaire. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for mortality through the end of 2011. RESULTS: Overall, 129,328 deaths were documented during a median follow-up of 16 years. Intakes of butter and margarine were associated with higher total mortality while intakes of canola oil and olive oil were related to lower total mortality. After multivariate adjustment for major risk factors, the HRs of cardiometabolic mortality for each 1-tablespoon/day increment were 1.08 (95% CI 1.05-1.10) for butter, 1.06 (1.05-1.08) for margarine, 0.99 (0.95-1.03) for corn oil, 0.98 (0.94-1.02) for canola oil, and 0.96 (0.92-0.99) for olive oil. Besides, butter consumption was positively associated with cancer mortality. Substituting corn oil, canola oil, or olive oil for equal amounts of butter and margarine was related to lower all-cause mortality and mortality from certain causes, including CVD, diabetes, cancer, respiratory disease, and Alzheimer's disease. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of butter and margarine was associated with higher total and cardiometabolic mortality. Replacing butter and margarine with canola oil, corn oil, or olive oil was related to lower total and cardiometabolic mortality. Our findings support shifting the intake from solid fats to non-hydrogenated vegetable oils for cardiometabolic health and longevity.

Current intake levels of potatoes and all-cause mortality in China: A population-based nationwide study.

OBJECTIVE: Current levels of potato consumption in relation to mortality in Chinese people remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the intakes of total potatoes, fried potatoes, non-fried potatoes, and sweet potatoes as dietary carbohydrate sources in relation to all-cause mortality in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). METHODS: Overall 14 117 participants ≥20 y of age were included, with a median follow-up of 14 y. The cumulative average consumption of potatoes and other foods were calculated and validated using weighing methods in combination with 3-d, 24-h dietary recalls at both household and individual levels. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models after multivariate adjustment. RESULTS: We documented 1007 deaths among the participants. The low and moderate intakes of total potatoes, fried potatoes, and non-fried potatoes were inversely associated with mortality. Compared with non-consumers, the intakes of total potatoes (HR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.38-0.59), fried potatoes (HR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.34-0.56), and non-fried potatoes (HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.37-0.61) at low consumption levels were most significantly related to lower mortality. Sweet potato consumption was inversely associated with mortality after full adjustment (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.69-0.96) compared with non-consumers. Substituting grains and mixed beans for potatoes with equal amounts at high consumption levels strengthened the inverse associations. CONCLUSION: In the CHNS, current low and moderate, but not high levels of total potato and fried/non-fried potato consumption as well as sweet potato consumption were inversely associated with all-cause mortality among Chinese people.

A multi-center cross-sectional study on midwives' self-efficacy and influencing factors.

AIM: Healthcare professionals who lack self-efficacy may fail to cope with stressful situations, which increases job burnout and turnout. Self-efficacy of midwives with high workload may affect the quality of service. However, little is known about midwives' self-efficacy and related factors. This study aimed to examine the level and influencing factors of self-efficacy among midwives, and to assess the relationships between their self-efficacy and job burnout. METHODS: This was a multi-center cross-sectional study involving 700 midwives from 33 hospitals in China. Data were collected by three self-administered questionnaires, including a socio-demographic questionnaire, General Self-Efficacy Scale and Maslach Burnout Inventory. Pearson correlation was utilized to analyze the association of self-efficacy with job burnout. A multiple linear regression model was performed to identify variables associated with midwives' self-efficacy. RESULTS: The score of self-efficacy among Chinese midwives was 24.34 ± 5.28. The incidence of job burnout was 52.9%. The influencing factors of self-efficacy among midwives were low personal accomplishment, emotional exhaustion, length of service, interest in the midwifery field, marital status and whether they came from a one-child family or not. CONCLUSIONS: Chinese midwives had a moderate level of self-efficacy which easily led to job burnout. Also, several personal-related and work-related factors would affect the self-efficacy of midwives. Nursing managers are called on to attach importance to self-efficacy of midwives and provide effective interventions to improve their self-efficacy.

Plant-sourced cooking oil consumption is associated with lower total mortality in a longitudinal nationwide cohort study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Evidence linking individual cooking oil consumption with total mortality is limited in China. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of intakes of plant-sourced and animal-sourced cooking oils with total mortality in a Chinese nationwide cohort. METHODS: We analyzed data from 14,305 adults aged ≥20 y at entry in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). The 3-day 24-h dietary records were used to collect dietary information. Cox proportional hazards regression models were established to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of all-cause death. RESULTS: Overall 1006 deaths were documented during a median of 14 years (199,091 person-years) of follow-up. Multivariate-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) of total mortality via comparing the highest tertile of cooking oil consumption with no consumption were 0.86 (0.70-1.06) for lard, 0.59 (0.47-0.74) for peanut oil, 0.71 (0.54-0.93) for soybean oil, 0.76 (0.61-0.94) for canola oil, 0.71 (0.50-0.99) for salad oil, and 0.59 (0.44-0.79) for other plant cooking oils. Replacing animal cooking oils with 1 tablespoon/d of total plant cooking oils or other plant cooking oils was related to 4% or 17% lower total mortality, respectively, while consumption of peanut oil or salad oil in replacement of animal cooking oils had a marginal inverse association with total mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Intakes of plant-sourced cooking oils, including peanut oil, soybean oil, canola oil, salad oil, and other plant cooking oils and substituting plant cooking oils for animal cooking oils were associated with lower total mortality among general Chinese population (NCT03259321).

MiR-30c-5p mediates the effects of panax notoginseng saponins in myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury by inhibiting oxidative stress-induced cell damage.

Myocardial ischemia reperfusion (MI/R) injury is a severe pathological process that threatens human health all over the world. The role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathogenesis of MI/R injury has been increasingly recognized in recent years. Here, we conducted a miRNA profiling of the hearts of MI/R injured rat model, and identified 46 miRNAs which were differentially expressed between the MI/R injury and the control groups. With a special focus on one of the most significantly changed miRNA, miR-30c-5p, we demonstrated its protective role against cardiomyocyte injury in tBHP-treated H9c2 cells. Overexpression of miR-30c-5p increased cell viability, decreased LDH release, and reduced cell apoptosis of cardiomyocytes after tBHP stimulation, accompanied with downregulated p53 expression. Noticeably, the level of miR-30c-5p was markedly upregulated in MI/R injury cells treated with panax notoginseng saponins (PNS), a traditional Chinese Medicine with significant clinical effects in the treatment of human MI/R injury. Moreover, miR-30c-5p inhibitor is sufficient to block the protection of PNS, as well as its active ingredient ginsenoside Re, against tBHP induced cardiomyocyte injury. The expression of p53 protein was also reduced in PNS treated cells. In summary, our study identified novel miRNA hits of MI/R injury, revealed a pivotal role of miR-30c-5p in cardiomyocyte damage and apoptosis after MI/R, and illustrated a miR-30c-5p-dependent therapeutic mechanism of PNS of this pathologic process. Future studies are warranted to examine the endogenous significance of miR-30c-5p, along with multiple other miRNA hits, in the pathogenesis and treatment of MI/R injury.

Current level of fish and omega-3 fatty acid intakes and risk of Type 2 diabetes in China.

Whether fish and marine omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intakes are linked to type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk remains unclear in China. We aimed to assess the long-term associations in a nationwide cohort. Overall 15,100 Chinese adults, aged ≥20 years, were included from China Health and Nutrition Survey. The cumulative averages of fish and marine omega-3 PUFA intakes were evaluated based on 3-day 24-h records. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of T2D risk. Overall 1017 T2D cases were documented over a median of 14 years of follow-up. Compared with non-fish consumers, low and moderate fish consumption were associated with higher T2D risk whereas high fish consumption was not associated. Multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for low and moderate fish consumption were 1.43 (1.09, 1.86) and 1.42 (1.07, 1.85) respectively in men, and were 1.58 (1.22, 2.02) and 1.39 (1.08, 1.83) respectively in women. In meat substitution analyses, low and moderate fish consumption was related to 55% and 69% higher T2D risk for men, and was associated with 68% and 54% higher T2D risk for women, respectively. Fried but not non-fried fish intake was associated with higher T2D risk. Intake of marine omega-3 PUFAs was dose-dependently associated with higher T2D risk for both men and women (P-trend<0.001). Overall low and moderate intakes of fish, especially fried fish, and marine omega-3 PUFAs were associated with higher T2D risk. Current level of fish and marine omega-3 PUFA consumption is not protective against T2D incidence among Chinese people.

Dietary Fats in Relation to Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in a Prospective Cohort of 521 120 Individuals With 16 Years of Follow-Up.

RATIONALE: Evidence linking saturated fat intake with cardiovascular health is controversial. The associations of unsaturated fats with total and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality remain inconsistent, and data about non-CVD mortality are limited. OBJECTIVE: To assess dietary fat intake in relation to total and cause-specific mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed data of 521 120 participants aged 50 to 71 years from the National Institutes of Health-American Association of Retired Persons Diet and Health Study with 16 years of follow-up. Intakes of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), trans-fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were assessed via food frequency questionnaires. Hazard ratios and 95%CIs were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model. Overall, 129 328 deaths were documented during 7.3 million person-years of follow-up. In the replacement of carbohydrates, multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios of total mortality comparing extreme quintiles were 1.29 (95% CI, 1.25-1.33) for SFAs, 1.03 (1.00-1.05) for trans-fatty acids, 0.98 (0.94-1.02) for MUFAs, 1.09 (1.06-1.13) for animal MUFAs, 0.94 (0.91-0.97) for plant MUFAs, 0.93 (0.91-0.95) for PUFAs, 0.92 (0.90-0.94) for marine omega-3 PUFAs, 1.06 (1.03-1.09) for α-linolenic acid, 0.88 (0.86-0.91) for linoleic acid, and 1.10 (1.08-1.13) for arachidonic acid. CVD mortality was inversely associated with marine omega-3 PUFA intake ( P trend <0.0001), whereas it was positively associated with SFA, trans-fatty acid, and arachidonic acid intake. Isocalorically replacing 5% of the energy from SFAs with plant MUFAs was associated with 15%, 10%, 11%, and 30% lower total mortality, CVD, cancer, and respiratory disease mortality, respectively. Isocaloric replacement of SFA with linoleic acid (2%) was associated with lower total (8%), CVD (6%), cancer (8%), respiratory disease (11%), and diabetes mellitus (9%) mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Intakes of SFAs, trans-fatty acids, animal MUFAs, α-linolenic acid, and arachidonic acid were associated with higher mortality. Dietary intake of marine omega-3 PUFAs and replacing SFAs with plant MUFAs or linoleic acid were associated with lower total, CVD, and certain cause-specific mortality. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT00340015.

A novel enzyme-assisted approach for efficient extraction of Z-ligustilide from Angelica sinensis plants.

Endophytes coexist with plants, in part, due to cellulase that allow saccharification of plant cell walls. The cellulase enzymes found in naturally occurring endophytes may exhibit stronger activity and more specificity than commercially available cellulase for enzyme-assisted extraction of compounds from medicinal plant materials. In order to identify endophytes with high cellulase activity, we screened endophytes taken from different parts of Angelica sinensis using the Congo red staining method. We identified three strains with higher cellulase activity. Of the 3 strains identified, No.Lut1201 increased the yield of extracted Z-ligustilide 2 fold compared to commercially available cellulase (Ningxia Sunson) using a cellulase-assisted extraction method and traditional extraction methods. Scanning electron microscopy clearly demonstrated that the cellulase extracted from endophytes enhance cell wall polysaccharide degradation as well as Z-ligustilide extraction from Radix Angelica sinensis (RAS). The current study provides a new method and ideas of using cellulase of endophytes for improving the extraction of compounds from medicinal plants.

[LC/MS guided approach to discovering nephroprotective substances from Huangkui capsule].

Objective: To discover the nephroprotective substances from Huangkui capsule. Methods: The components of Huangkui capsule were isolated by preparative liquid chromatography, and the active components were screened by LC/MS and identified. The adriamycine-injured HK-2 cells were treated with various active components with different concentrations, and the malonaldehyde (MDA) content, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) level and mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate were measured to verify the protective activity of the compounds. Results: Four active components in Huangkui capsule were identified to exert nephroprotective effects. Fifteen flavanoids from these four components were tentatively identified by LC/MS, and hyperin, myricetin, quercetin, rutin and isoquercetin were confirmed. Hyperin, myricetin quercetin and rutin showed dose-dependent protective effects on injured HK-2 cells. Espacially, hyperin significantly reduced MDA content, quercetin and rutin significantly increased ATP level, and myricetin significantly increased mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate. Conclusion: Hyperin, myricetin, querctein and rutin might be the potential nephroprotective compounds in Huangkui capsule, their effects may be related to the inhibition of lipid peroxidation and the alleviation of mitochondrial damage.

Effects of Fe-YM1504 on iron deficiency anemia in rats.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is one of the most serious forms of malnutrition. It is possible that some strains present in the natural environment possess a higher tolerance to inorganic iron and a higher ability to convert and accumulate iron compared with Saccharomyces cerevisiae wild-type strain. In the present study, the strain no. YM1504, able to grow in an iron-rich environment, was used as a potential organic iron supplement, and its efficacy in alleviating IDA in rats was investigated. Sixty female weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal control group fed with a standard diet and a model group fed with an iron-deficient diet to create the IDA model. After the model was established, IDA rats were further randomly divided into five subgroups: the IDA group, the ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) group and Fe-YM1504 low-, medium- or high-dose groups receiving different concentrations of Fe-YM1504 supplements. Our results showed that Fe-YM1504 has an effective restorative function by returning the hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), serum iron (SI), total iron binding capacity (TIBC), serum ferritin (SF), etc. in IDA animals to the normal level. Moreover, malondialdehyde and the enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in both plasma and liver homogenate were improved. Finally, compared with the FeSO4 group, the Fe-YM1504 middle-dose was more effective in alleviating IDA and fewer side effects were observed. The present study indicated that iron-enriched strain no. YM1504 might play a significant role in ameliorating IDA rats and might be exploited as a new iron supplement.

Parenteral nutrition-associated liver injury and increased GRP94 expression prevented by ω-3 fish oil-based lipid emulsion supplementation.

OBJECTIVE: Parenteral nutrition in infants with gastrointestinal disorders can be lifesaving, but it is also associated with parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease. We investigated the effects of incorporating ω-3 fish oil in a parenteral nutrition mixture on signs of parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease and explored the mechanism involved in this process. METHODS: Seven-day-old New Zealand rabbits were divided into 3 groups of 8, and for 1 week they were infused via the right jugular vein with standard total parenteral nutrition with soybean oil (TPN-soy) or TPN with ω-3 fish oil-based lipid emulsion (TPN-FO), or naturally nursed with rabbit milk (control). Serum and liver tissues were analyzed for serological indicators and pathology, respectively. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate the messenger RNA levels of the endoplasmic reticulum stress chaperone protein glucose-regulated protein 94 (GRP94) in liver tissues and GRP94 protein levels were compared through immunohistochemistry and Western blot assays. RESULTS: TPN-soy animals had significantly higher serum total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase and lower serum albumin than the controls (P < 0.01, each) or the TPN-FO group, which were similar to the controls (P < 0.01 cf. TPN). Damage to liver tissues of the TPN-FO group was much less than that of the TPN-soy group. GRP94 messenger RNA and protein levels in liver tissues of TPN-soy animals were significantly higher than that of the controls or TPN-FO rabbits, which were similar to the controls. CONCLUSIONS: Incorporating ω-3 fish oil in parenteral nutrition emulsion greatly prevented liver dysfunction and liver tissue damage in week-old rabbit kits, possibly by preventing endoplasmic reticulum stress.