Improvement of Lung Function by Micronutrient Supplementation in Patients with COPD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: A healthy, well-balanced diet plays an essential role in respiratory diseases. Since micronutrient deficiency is relatively common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), micronutrient supplementation might have the beneficial health effects in those patients. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to demonstrate the impact of micronutrient supplementation on the lung function of patients with COPD. METHODS: The PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched from their corresponding creation until February 2024. Search terms included 'chronic obstructive pulmonary disease', 'COPD', 'micronutrients', 'dietary supplements', 'vitamins', 'minerals', and 'randomized controlled trials'. Meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of micronutrient supplementation alone or complex on lung function in patients with COPD. RESULTS: A total of 43 RCTs fulfilled the inclusion criteria of this study. Meta-analysis revealed that vitamin D supplementation could significantly improve FEV1% (WMDdifferences between baseline and post-intervention (de): 6.39, 95% CI: 4.59, 8.18, p < 0.01; WMDpost-intervention indicators (af): 7.55, 95% CI: 5.86, 9.24, p < 0.01) and FEV1/FVC% (WMDde: 6.88, 95%CI: 2.11, 11.65, WMDaf: 7.64, 95% CI: 3.18, 12.10, p < 0.001), decrease the odds of acute exacerbations, and improve the level of T-cell subsets, including CD3+%, CD4+%, CD8+%, and CD4+/CD8+% (all p < 0.01). The effects of compound nutrients intervention were effective in improving FEV1% (WMDde: 8.38, 95%CI: 1.89, 14.87, WMDaf: 7.07, 95%CI: -0.34, 14.48) and FEV1/FVC% (WMDde: 7.58, 95% CI: 4.86, 10.29, WMDaf: 6.00, 95% CI: 3.19, 8.81). However, vitamin C and vitamin E supplementation alone had no significant effects on lung function (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Micronutrient supplementation, such as vitamin D alone and compound nutrients, has improved effect on the lung function of patients with COPD. Therefore, proper supplementation with micronutrients would be beneficial to stabilize the condition and restore ventilation function for COPD patients.

Effect of dietary supplementation with multinutrient soy flour on body composition and cognitive function in elderly individuals at the risk of low protein: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Insufficient protein intake and cognitive decline are common in older adults; however, there have been few studies on low protein risk screening and complex nutrient interventions for elderly individuals in rural communities. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary multinutrient soy flour (MNSF) on body composition and cognitive function in elderly individuals who are at risk of protein deficiency in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Nutritional interventions were given to those found to have low protein levels using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Among 733 older adults screened, 62 participants were included and randomly assigned into two groups, one taking soy flour and the other taking MNSF for 12 weeks. A previous cross-sectional survey found that 35.1% of the elderly people with an average age of 71.61 ± 5.94 years had an inadequate body protein mass proportion. After the intervention, the MNSF group demonstrated a significant improvement in protein mass, muscle mass, mineral levels, skeletal muscle mass, and fat-free mass compared with baseline (all P < 0.05), as well as a better upward trend compared with the soy flour group (P = 0.08; P = 0.07; P = 0.05; P = 0.08; P = 0.07). Regarding the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scores, the MNSF group showed a significant decrease after 12 weeks (P < 0.05), which were significantly different compared with the soy flour group (P < 0.05). In the future, the application of MNSF as a food-based supplement to improve nutrition and delay cognitive decline in older adults at the risk of protein deficiency may be considered.

Lutein Can Alleviate Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Apoptosis Induced by Excessive Alcohol to Ameliorate Reproductive Damage in Male Rats.

Chronic excessive alcohol intake may lead to male reproductive damage. Lutein is a carotenoid compound with antioxidant activity. The purpose of this study was to observe the effect of lutein supplementation on male reproductive damage caused by excessive alcohol intake. In this study, an animal model of excessive drinking (12 mL/(kg.bw.d)) for 12 weeks was established and supplemented with different doses of lutein (12, 24, 48 mg/(kg.bw.d)). The results showed that the body weight, sperm quality, sex hormones (FSH, testosterone), and antioxidant markers (GSH-Px) decreased significantly, while MDA and inflammatory factors (IL-6, TNF-α) increased significantly in the alcohol model group when compared to the normal control group. After 12 weeks of high-dose lutein supplementation with 48mg/(kg.bw.d), the spermatogenic ability, testosterone level, and the activity of marker enzymes reflecting testicular injury were improved. In addition, high-dose lutein supplementation downregulated the NF-κB and the pro-apoptosis biomarkers (Bax, Cytc and caspase-3), whereas it upregulated the expression of Nrf2/HO-1 and the anti-apoptotic molecule Bcl-2. These findings were fully supported by analyzing the testicular histopathology and by measuring germ cell apoptosis. In conclusion, lutein protects against reproductive injury induced by excessive alcohol through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties.

Lactobacillus casei Improve Anti-Tuberculosis Drugs-Induced Intestinal Adverse Reactions in Rat by Modulating Gut Microbiota and Short-Chain Fatty Acids.

The adverse effects of anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs in the intestines were related to alteration of the intestinal microbiota. However, there was less information about microbial metabolism on the adverse reactions. This study aimed to explore whether Lactobacillus casei could regulate gut microbiota or short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) disorders to protect intestinal adverse reactions induced by isoniazid (H) and rifampicin (R). Male Wistar rats were given low and high doses of Lactobacillus casei two hours before daily administration of anti-TB drugs. After 42 days, colon tissue and blood were collected for analysis. The feces at two-week and six-week were collected to analyze the microbial composition and the content of SCFAs in colon contents was determined. Supplementation of Lactobacillus casei increased the proportion of intestinal goblet cells induced by H and R (p < 0.05). In addition, HR also reduced the level of mucin-2 (p < 0.05), and supplementation of Lactobacillus casei restored. After two weeks of HR intervention, a decrease in OTUs, diversity index, the abundance of Bacteroides, Akkermansia, and Blautia, and an increase of the abundance of Lacetospiraceae NK4A136 group and Rumencoccus UCG-005, were observed compared with the control group (p all < 0.05). These indices in Lactobacillus casei intervention groups were similar to the HR group. Six-week intervention resulted in a dramatic reduction of Lacetospiraceae NK4A136 group, butyric acid, valeric acid and hexanoic acid, while an increase of Bacteroides and Blautia (p all < 0.05). Pretreatment with Lactobacillus casei significantly increased the content of hexanoic acid compared with HR group (p < 0.05). Lactobacillus casei might prevent intestinal injury induced by anti-tuberculosis drugs by regulating gut microbiota and SCFAs metabolism.

Adjunctive vitamin A and D for the glycaemic control in patients with concurrent type 2 diabetes and tuberculosis: a randomised controlled trial.

The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of vitamin A, D and their interaction on the glycaemic control in patients with both diabetes and tuberculosis. Tuberculosis infection and its treatment induce hyperglycaemia and complicate the glycaemic control in patients with diabetes. A randomised controlled trial with a 2 × 2 factorial design was conducted in a tuberculosis-specialised hospital in Qingdao, China. A total of 279 patients who have both diabetes and tuberculosis were included in this analysis. The patients received standard anti-tuberculosis treatment alone (control group), or together with a dose of vitamin A (600 µg RAE/d) or vitamin D (10 µg/d) or a combination of vitamin A (600 µg RAE/d) and vitamin D (10 µg/d) for 2 months. The effects of the intervention on fasting plasma glucose and 2-h postprandial blood glucose were investigated by ANCOVA. The analysis was adjusted for baseline values, age, sex, smoking, drinking and antidiabetic treatment as covariates. No significant effect was observed for vitamin A and D supplementation on fasting plasma glucose, 2-h postprandial blood glucose, BMI and related blood parameters. No interaction was observed between vitamin A and D supplementation for these endpoints. Vitamin A and D supplementation showed a null effect on the glycaemic control for patients with concurrent diabetes and tuberculosis. Future work should evaluate the effect of vitamin A and D supplementation on insulin-related indices for these patients and investigate the effect of vitamin D receptor genotypes.

Peanut meal extract fermented with Bacillus natto attenuates physiological and behavioral deficits in a D-galactose-induced aging rat model.

Our previous studies have shown that the nutritional properties of peanut meal after fermentation are markedly improved. In this study, in order to facilitate the further utilization of peanut meal, we investigated the effects of its fermentation extract by Bacillus natto (FE) on cognitive ability, antioxidant activity of brain, and protein expression of hippocampus of aging rats induced by D-galactose. Seventy-two female SD rats aged 4-5 months were randomly divided into six groups: normal control group (N), aging model group (M), FE low-dose group (FL), FE medium-dose group (FM), FE high-dose group (FH) and vitamin E positive control group (Y). Morris water maze (MWM) test was performed to evaluate their effects on learning and memory ability in aging rats. SOD activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content of brain, HE staining and the expression of γ-aminobutyric acid receptor 1 (GABABR1) and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid 2B receptor (NMDAR2B) in the hippocampus of rats were measured. The results show that FE supplementation can effectively alleviate the decrease of thymus index induced by aging, decrease the escape latency of MWM by 66.06%, brain MDA by 28.04%, hippocampus GABABR1 expression by 7.98%, and increase brain SOD by 63.54% in aging model rats. This study provides evidence for its anti-aging effects and is a research basis for potential nutritional benefits of underutilized food by-products.

B Vitamins Supplementation Can Improve Cognitive Functions and May Relate to the Enhancement of Transketolase Activity in A Rat Model of Cognitive Impairment Associated with High-fat Diets.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether B vitamin treatment was sufficient to reduce cognitive impairment associated with high-fat diets in rats and to modulate transketolase (TK) expression and activity. METHODS: To test this, we separated 50 rats into five groups that were either fed a standard chow diet (controls) or a high-fat diet (experimental groups H0, H1, H2, and H3). H0 group animals received no additional dietary supplementation, while H1 group animals were administered 100 mg/kg body weight (BW) thiamine, 100 mg/kg BW riboflavin, and 250 mg/kg BW niacin each day, and group H2 animals received daily doses of 100 mg/kg BW pyridoxine, 100 mg/kg BW cobalamin, and 5 mg/kg BW folate. Animals in the H3 group received the B vitamin regimens administered to both H1 and H2 each day. RESULTS: Over time, group H0 exhibited greater increases in BW and fat mass relative to other groups. When spatial and memory capabilities in these animals were evaluated via conditioned taste aversion (CTA) and Morris Water Maze (MWM), we found B vitamin treatment was associated with significant improvements relative to untreated H0 controls. Similarly, B vitamin supplementation was associated with elevated TK expression in erythrocytes and hypothalamus of treated animals relative to those in H0 (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Together, these findings suggest B vitamin can modulate hypothalamic TK activity to reduce the severity of cognitive deficits in a rat model of obesity. As such, B vitamin supplementation may be a beneficial method for reducing cognitive dysfunction in clinical settings associated with high-fat diets.

Intake of Fish and Marine n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies.

Previous epidemiological studies have investigated the association of fish and marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) consumption with cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality risk. However, the results were inconsistent. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to quantitatively evaluate the association between marine n-3 PUFA, fish and CVD mortality risk with prospective cohort studies. A systematic search was performed on PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and MEDLINE databases from the establishment of the database to May 2021. A total of 25 cohort studies were included with 2,027,512 participants and 103,734 CVD deaths. The results indicated that the fish consumption was inversely associated with the CVD mortality risk [relevant risk (RR) = 0.91; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.85-0.98]. The higher marine n-3 PUFA intake was associated with the reduced risk of CVD mortality (RR = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.85-0.89). Dose-response analysis suggested that the risk of CVD mortality was decreased by 4% with an increase of 20 g of fish intake (RR = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.94-0.99) or 80 milligrams of marine n-3 PUFA intake (RR = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.94-0.98) per day. The current work provides evidence that the intake of fish and marine n-3 PUFA are inversely associated with the risk of CVD mortality.

Decrease in abundance of bacteria of the genus Bifidobacterium in gut microbiota may be related to pre-eclampsia progression in women from East China.

BACKGROUND: Pre-eclampsia (PE) can result in severe damage to maternal and fetal health. It has been reported that gut microbiota (GM) had important roles in regulating the metabolic and inflammatory responses of the mother. However, investigations on GM in PE are rare. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to investigate the changes of GM in PE and how to alter the GM composition in PE by dietary or dietary supplements. DESIGN: We analyzed the composition changes in GM as well as the relationship between bacteria of different genera and clinical indices by amplifying the V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene in 12 PE patients and eight healthy pregnant women in East China. RESULTS: In the PE group, the Observed Species Index was lower than that in the control group, indicating that the α-diversity of the microbiome in the PE group decreased. At phylum, family, and genus levels, the relative abundance of different bacteria in PE patients displayed substantial differences to those from healthy women. We noted a decreased abundance of bacteria of the phylum Actinobacteria (P = 0.042), decreased abundance of bacteria of the family Bifidobacteriaceae (P = 0.039), increased abundance of bacteria of the genus Blautia (P = 0.026) and Ruminococcus (P = 0.048), and decreased abundance of bacteria of the genus Bifidobacterium (P = 0.038). Among three enriched genera, bacteria of the genus Bifidobacterium showed a negative correlation with the systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and dyslipidemia, which involved glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and the oxidative-phosphorylation pathway. The increased abundance of bacteria of the genera Blautia and Ruminococcus was positively correlated with obesity and dyslipidemia, which involved lipid metabolism, glycosyltransferases, biotin metabolism, and the oxidative-phosphorylation pathways. Moreover, women in the PE group ate more than women in the control group, so fetuses were more prone to overnutrition in the PE group. CONCLUSION: There is a potential for GM dysbiosis in PE patients, and they could be prone to suffer from metabolic syndrome. We speculate that alterations in the abundance of bacteria of certain genera (e.g. increased abundance of Blautia and Ruminococcus, and decreased abundance of Bifidobacterium) were associated with PE development to some degree. Our data could help to monitor the health of pregnant women and may be helpful for preventing and assisting treatment of PE by increasing dietary fiber or probiotics supplement.

Effects of cranberry beverages on oxidative stress and gut microbiota in subjects with Helicobacter pylori infection: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Helicobacter pylori-induced oxidative stress plays an important role in gastric diseases. H. pylori disturbs gut microbiota. The objective is to investigate the effects of cranberry beverages on oxidative stress biomarkers and gut microbiota in H. pylori positive subjects. 171 H. pylori positive participants were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: high-dose (HCb; 480 mL cranberry beverage), low-dose (LCb; 240 mL cranberry beverage plus 240 mL placebo) and placebo (480 mL). Subjects consumed the beverages daily for 4 weeks. Fasting blood samples were analyzed for oxidative stress biomarkers. The intestinal microbiome was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Compared with the placebo, HCb resulted in a significantly higher increase of total antioxidant capacity (mean ± SD: 1.39 ± 1.69 IU mL-1vs. 0.34 ± 1.73 IU mL-1; p < 0.001) and a higher decrease of the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (-7.29 ± 10.83 nmol mg-1vs. -0.84 ± 15.66 nmol mg-1; p = 0.025). A significant dose-dependent effect on the elevation of superoxide dismutase was observed (p < 0.001). Microbiome data showed that consuming HCb and LCb led to a significant reduction of Pseudomonas (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the current research showed that consuming cranberry beverages significantly improved the antioxidant status in H. pylori positive subjects, which may be related to the reshaping of gut microbiota.

Vitamins A and D fail to protect against tuberculosis-drug-induced liver injury: A post hoc analysis of a previous randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: Vitamins A and D provided protection from xenobiotic-induced liver injury in previous animal studies. We conducted a post hoc analysis of our previous randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of vitamin A and D supplementation on tuberculosis-drug-induced liver injury. METHODS: The trial was conducted in a hospital in Qingdao, China, from October 2012 to March, 2015. The control group received only tuberculosis treatment. The vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamins A & D groups received, respectively, additional supplementation of 2000 IU/d vitamin A, 400 IU/d vitamin D, and a combination of 2000 IU/d vitamin A and 400 IU/d vitamin D. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase, γ-glutamyltransferase, and cholinesterase were monitored throughout the treatment. Liver injury was defined as ALT or AST three times higher than the upper limit of normal, which was defined for AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase, γ-glutamyltransferase, and cholinesterase, respectively, as 40 U/L, 40 U/L, 150 U/L, 40 U/L, and 10 500 U/L. RESULTS: Among the 753 participants, 11% exhibited liver injury. No significant effect of vitamin A or D supplementation was observed on the incidence of liver injury or on elevated liver indices including ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase, γ-glutamyltransferase, and cholinesterase. The interaction between vitamin A and D supplementation was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin A and D supplementation did not protect against tuberculosis-drug-induced liver injury. Future work should evaluate the effects of higher dosages of vitamins A and D and the effects of different genotypes for vitamin A and D metabolic enzymes or receptors.

Increased vegetable and fruit intake is associated with reduced failure rate of tuberculosis treatment: a hospital-based cohort study in China.

Increased intake of vegetables and fruits has been associated with reduced risk of tuberculosis infection. Vegetables and fruits exert immunoregulatory effects; however, it is not clear whether vegetables and fruits have an adjuvant treatment effect on tuberculosis. Between 2009 and 2013, a hospital-based cohort study was conducted in Linyi, Shandong Province, China. Treatment outcome was ascertained by sputum smear and chest computerised tomography, and dietary intake was assessed by a semi-quantitative FFQ. The dietary questionnaire was conducted at the end of month 2 of treatment initiation. Participants recalled their dietary intake of the previous 2 months. A total of 2309 patients were enrolled in this study. After 6 months of treatment, 2099 patients were successfully treated and 210 were uncured. In multivariate models, higher intake of total vegetables and fruits (OR 0·70; 95 % CI 0·49, 0·99), total vegetables (OR 0·68; 95 % CI 0·48, 0·97), dark-coloured vegetables (OR 0·61; 95 % CI 0·43, 0·86) and light-coloured vegetables (OR 0·67; 95 % CI 0·48, 0·95) were associated with reduced failure rate of tuberculosis treatment. No association was found between total fruit intake and reduced failure rate of tuberculosis treatment (OR 0·98; 95 % CI 0·70, 1·37). High intake of total vegetables and fruits, especially vegetables, is associated with lower risk of failure of tuberculosis treatment in pulmonary tuberculosis patients. The results provide important information for dietary guidelines during tuberculosis treatment.

A double burden of tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus and the possible role of vitamin D deficiency.

Tuberculosis remains a major global health challenge, particularly in low-to-middle income countries such as China. At the same time, the country is facing a rapidly increasing diabetes incidence over the last 10 years. Diabetes aggravates the tuberculosis epidemic which poses a serious challenge in public health. In recent years, the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency represents a global health problem, which is also associated with the risk of diabetes, and tuberculosis. Therefore, this review aims to provide an overall and updated understanding of the epidemiology of co-occurrence of tuberculosis and diabetes in China, and to elucidate the possible role of vitamin D deficiency. In conclusion, significant aggravation of the tuberculosis epidemic due to diabetes may exist in China for a relatively long period of time to come. Further, the double burden and its implications to public health in this country may be significantly influenced by the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. Bidirectional screening for tuberculosis and diabetes is recommended, and extra vitamin D may benefit especially in a situation of a heavy tuberculosis burden combined with prevalent vitamin D deficiency. Longitudinal studies to verify the role of vitamin D deficiency in the double burden, and trials on the effect of vitamin D supplementation are needed in the future.

Effects of resistant starch on glycaemic control: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The effects of resistant starch on glycaemic control are controversial. In this study, a systematic review and meta-analysis of results from nineteen randomised controlled trials (RCT) was performed to illustrate the effects of resistant starch on glycaemic control. A literature search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane electronic databases for related publications from inception to 6 April 2020. Key inclusion criteria were: RCT; resistant starch as intervention substances and reporting glucose- and insulin-related endpoints. Exclusion criteria were: using type I resistant starch or a mixture of resistant starch and other functional food ingredients as intervention; using substances other than digestible starch as controls. The effect of resistant starch on fasting plasma glucose was significant (effect size (ES) -0·09 (95 % CI -0·13, -0·04) mmol/l, P = 0·001) compared with digestible starch. Subgroup analyses revealed that the ES was larger when the dosage of resistant starch was more than 28 g/d (ES -0·16 (95 % CI -0·24, -0·08) mmol/l, P < 0·001) or the intervention period was more than 8 weeks (ES -0·12 (95 % CI -0·18, -0·06) mmol/l, P < 0·001). The effect on homoeostatic model assessment (HOMA)-insulin resistance (IR) was significant (ES -0·33 (95 % CI -0·51, -0·14), P = 0·001). However, the effects on other insulin-related endpoints were not significant, including fasting plasma insulin, four endpoints from the frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (insulin sensitivity index, acute insulin response, disposition index and glucose effectiveness) and HOMA-ß. The current study indicated moderate effects of resistant starch on improving glycaemic control.

Effects of the extract from peanut meal fermented with Bacillus natto and Monascus on lipid metabolism and intestinal barrier function of hyperlipidemic mice.

BACKGROUND: Hyperlipidemia is one of the metabolic disorders that poses a great threat to human health. This study is aimed at investigating the potential hypolipidemic properties of extract from peanut meal fermented with Bacillus natto and Monascus in mice fed with a high-fat diet. Herein, 60 male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into six groups: four control groups, comprised of a normal group, a model (M) group, a positive control group (atorvastatin 10 mg kg-1 ), and a nonfermented peanut meal extract group (150 mg kg-1 ), and two experimental groups, comprised of a fermented peanut meal extract low-dose group (50 mg kg-1 ) and a fermented peanut meal extract high-dose group (FH, 150 mg kg-1 ). RESULTS: Body weight (P = 0.001) and levels of serum total cholesterol (P = 0.007), triacylglycerol (P = 0.040), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.001), and leptin (P < 0.001) were remarkably decreased in the FH group, whereas the serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were increased (P < 0.001) by 78.3% compared with the M group. Ileum tissue stained with hematoxylin and eosin showed that the ileal villus detachments in mice were improved, and the villus height was increased by supplementation with extract from fermented peanut meal. Moreover, the expressions of intestinal ZO-1 (P = 0.003) and occludin (P = 0.013) were elevated in the FH group, compared with the M group. CONCLUSION: Extract of peanut meal fermented by B. natto and Monascus can effectively improve hyperlipidemia caused by a high-fat diet in mice, via regulating leptin and blood lipid levels, and protect the intestinal mucosal barrier, which provides evidence for its anti-hyperlipidemia effects and is a research basis for potential industrial development. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Association of Dietary Micronutrient Intake with Pulmonary Tuberculosis Treatment Failure Rate: ACohort Study.

Malnutrition is associated with an increased risk of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) treatment failure. Currently, there is no effective adjunctive nutritional therapy. The current objective is to investigate the association of dietary micronutrient intake with PTB treatment outcome.A cohort study including 1834 PTB patients was conducted in Linyi, China. The dietary micronutrient intake was assessed through a three-day 24 h dietary recall questionnaire. The treatment outcome was assessed by combinations of sputum smear and computerized tomography results. A multivariate binary regression model was used to assess the associations. The final model was adjusted for potential confounding factors. A low intake of vitamin C (adjusted OR (95% CI): 1.80 (1.07, 3.04), Ptrend = 0.02) and Zn (adjusted OR (95% CI): 2.52 (1.25, 5.08), Ptrend = 0.02) was associated with a high treatment failure rate. In addition, a low intake of vitamin C and Mn was associated with a severe tuberculosis symptom, as indicated by a high TB score. A supplementation of vitamin C and Zn may be beneficial in PTB treatment. Previous meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reported a null effect of Zn supplementation on PTB treatment. The effect of vitamin C supplementation should be investigated by RCTs.

Quantifying the Effect of Supplementation with Algae and Its Extracts on Glycolipid Metabolism: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

AIMS: The effect of algae and its extract supplementation on glycolipid metabolism has not been finalized. Therefore, the purpose of the meta-analyses was to assess the effects of its supplementation on glycolipid metabolism concentration. METHODS: We have systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library and Embase to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the impact of algae and its extracts supplementation on glycolipid metabolism. Effect size analysis was performed using weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% CI between the methods of the experiment group and the control group. Subgroup analyses were performed to explore the possible influences of study characteristics. Publication bias and sensitivity analysis were also performed. RESULTS: A total of 27 RCTs (31 trials) with 1221 participants were finally selected for the meta-analysis. The algae and its extract intervention significantly decreased glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c, WMD = -0.18%; 95% CI: -0.27 to -0.10; p < 0.001), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, WMD = -0.22 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.38 to -0.06; p = 0.008), and triglycerides (TC, WMD = -0.31 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.37 to -0.25; p < 0.001) levels and increased insulin (WMD = 6.05 pmol/mL; 95% CI: 4.01 to 8.09; p < 0.001) levels. It did not significantly change the blood glucose, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), 2-h post-meal blood glucose (2hPBG) and other lipid profiles. Subgroup analyses based on the duration of intervention and subjects demonstrated that the intervention of algae and its extracts for 10 weeks or fewer and more than 40 subjects decreased TC levels (p < 0.05). Moreover, the intervention reduced TC and 2hPBG concentrations for East Asians (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provided evidence that algae and its extract interventions were beneficial for the regulation of human glycolipid metabolism. More precise RCTs on subjects are recommended to further clarify the effect of algae, seaweed polysaccharide, seaweed polypeptide, algae polyphenol and its products intervention on glycolipid metabolism.

Adjunctive vitamin A and D during pulmonary tuberculosis treatment: a randomized controlled trial with a 2 × 2 factorial design.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Vitamin A and D have immunoregulatory effects and may improve the response to pulmonary tuberculosis treatment. The interaction of vitamin A and D on pulmonary tuberculosis treatment has not been studied. The objective is to investigate the effects of adjunctive supplementation of vitamin A, D and their interaction on the outcome of pulmonary tuberculosis treatment, primarily time to sputum smear conversion. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial with a 2 × 2 factorial design in Qingdao, China. Eight hundred patients were enrolled to receive standard pulmonary tuberculosis therapy alone (control), or together with vitamin A (2000 IU d-1), or vitamin D (400 IU d-1) or a combination of vitamin A (2000 IU d-1) and D (400 IU d-1) during the intensive-phase of pulmonary tuberculosis treatment. RESULTS: 761 patients were included in the tuberculosis symptom analysis; 521 patients with positive baseline sputum smear results were included in the sputum smear analysis. The allocation to vitamin A or D did not significantly influence the time to sputum smear conversion [vitamin A: adjusted hazard ratio: 1.021, 95% CI: (0.821, 1.271); vitamin D: adjusted hazard ratio: 0.949, 95% CI: (0.760, 1.185)]. No significant interaction was observed between vitamin A and D supplementation (p = 0.660). Vitamin D supplementation significantly relieved the tuberculosis symptoms as indicated by decreased TBscore [mean difference: -0.2, 95% CI: (-0.4, 0)] in week 2 to 4. CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive supplementation of vitamin A and/or D did not improve the time to smear conversion in pulmonary tuberculosis patients. However vitamin D supplementation significantly improved tuberculosis symptoms during the first month of pulmonary tuberculosis treatment.

Effects of peanut meal extracts fermented by Bacillus natto on the growth performance, learning and memory skills and gut microbiota modulation in mice.

Recent studies have demonstrated that the nutritional properties of peanut meal (PM) can be improved after being fermented. The assessment of fermented PM has been reported to be limited to various physical and chemical evaluations in vitro. In the present study, PM was fermented by Bacillus natto to explore the effects of fermented PM extract (FE) on growth performance, learning and memory ability and intestinal microflora in mice. Ninety newly weaned male Kunming (KM) mice were randomly divided into seven groups: normal group (n 20), low-dose FE group (n 10), middle-dose FE group (MFE) (n 10), high-dose FE group (HFE) (n 20), unfermented extraction group (n 10), model group (10) and natural recovery group (10). Learning and memory skills were performed by the Morris water maze (MWM) test, and the variation in gut microbiota (GM) composition was assessed by 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing. The results show that HFE remarkably improved the growth performance in mice. In the MWM test, escape latency was shortened in both MFE and HFE groups, while the percentage of time, distance in target quadrant and the number crossing over the platform were significantly increased in the HFE group. Moreover, the FE played a preventive role in the dysbacteriosis of mice induced by antibiotic and increased the richness and species evenness of GM in mice.