Triglycerides: A Sensitizer but Not a Trigger for Hypertriglyceridemic Acute Pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of hypertriglyceridemic acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP) is increasing. Although the guideline defines the diagnostic criteria as triglyceride (TG) greater than 11.3 mmol/L, there is actually no specific threshold. Many people with hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) or obvious chyloid blood do not develop acute pancreatitis (AP). AIMS: To explore the role of HTG in the pathogenesis of AP. METHODS: Thirty-six male SD rats were randomly assigned into normal control, AP, HTG, HTG-AP, low-dose fenofibrate and high-dose fenofibrate groups. Serum indices and cytokine levels in serum, and pathological changes in pancreatic tissues were observed. The expression levels of TLR4 and NF-κBp65 in pancreatic tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. RESULTS: In normal rats, HTG alone did not induce AP. However, after establishing the HTG-AP model with Poloxam 407 and L-arginine, serum-free fatty acid and TG levels were positively correlated with the levels of lipase, amylase, IL-1ß, IL-6, pancreatic inflammation scores, and the expressions of TLR4 and NF-κBp65 (all P < 0.001). Expressions of TLR4 and NF-κBp65 were significantly increased in the pancreatic tissues of HTG-AP rats. Fenofibrate effectively decreased TG levels in HTG-AP rats and reduced the expression of TLR4 and NF-κBp65 (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: HTG does not directly cause AP, but rather increases the susceptibility to AP or aggravates the inflammatory response. It is more like a sensitizer of inflammation rather than an activator.

Activity and potential mechanisms of action of persimmon tannins according to their structures: A review.

One distinguishing feature of the persimmon, that differentiates it from other fruits, is its high proanthocyanidins content, known as persimmon tannin (PT). Despite the poor absorption of PT in the small intestine, results from animal studies demonstrate that PT has many health benefits. Our goal in this review is to summarize the literature that elucidates the relationship between PT structure and activity. In addition, we also summarize the potential mechanisms underlying the health benefits that result from PT consumption; this includes the hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiradiation, antibacterial and antiviral, detoxification effects on snake venom, and the absorption of heavy metals and dyes. Studies show that PT is a structurally distinct proanthocyanidins that exhibits a high degree of polymerization. It is galloylation-rich and possesses unique A-type interflavan linkages in addition to the more common B-type interflavan bonds. Thus, PT is converted into oligomeric proanthocyanidins by depolymerization strategies, including the nucleophilic substitution reaction, acid hydrolysis, and hydrogenolysis. In addition, multiple health benefits exerted by PT mainly involve the inactivation of lipogenic and intracellular inflammatory signaling pathways, activation of the fatty acid oxidation signaling pathway, regulation of gut microbiota, and highly absorptive properties.

A Case Study of Swine Wastewater Treatment via Electrochemical Oxidation by Ti4O7 Anode.

With the rapid development of breeding industry, the efficient treatment of dramatically increasing swine wastewater is gradually becoming urgent. In particular, the development of application technologies suitable for the relatively small piggeries is critical due to the time cost and space requirements of conventional biological methods. In this study, Electrochemical oxidation (EO) was selected to systematically explore the treatment performance of three different swine wastewaters by Ti4O7 anode. It was observed that the colors changed from dark brown to light yellow after 60 min treatment at 50 mA/cm2, and the removal rates of turbidity and suspended solids ranged from 89.36% to 93.65% and 81.31% to 92.55%, respectively. The chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and total phosphorus (TP) of all the three swine wastewaters were simultaneously removed to a very low concentration in 120 min, especially for sample III, 61 ± 9 mg/L of COD, 6.6 ± 0.4 mg/L of NH3-N and 5.7 ± 1.1 mg/L of TP, which met the Discharge Standard of Pollutants for Livestock and Poultry Breeding (GB 18596-2001). Moreover, 70.93%-85.37% mineralization rates were also achieved in 120 min, confirming that EO treatment by Ti4O7 could efficiently remove the organic matters in wastewater. Excitation-emission matrix (EEM) and UV-vis spectrum characterization results further proved that aromatic compounds and macromolecules in wastewater were rapidly removed, which played important roles in the mineralization processes. The findings here provided an efficient and environment-friendly technology for swine wastewater treatment.

[Clinical efficacy of adaptive biofeedback training combined with oral administration of compound polyethylene glycol 4000-electrolyte powder in the treatment of children with outlet obstruction constipation: a prospective randomized controlled trial]. / 自适应式生物反馈疗法联合口服复方聚乙二醇4000ç”µè§£è´¨æ•£æ²»ç–—å„¿ç«¥å‡ºå£æ¢—é˜»åž‹ä¾¿ç§˜çš„å‰çž»æ€§éšæœºå¯¹ç §ç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical efficacy, advantages, and disadvantages of adaptive biofeedback training combined with oral administration of compound polyethylene glycol 4000-electrolyte powder in the treatment of children with outlet obstruction constipation (OOC). METHODS: A total of 168 children with OOC were enrolled in this prospective study. All the subjects were randomly divided into a test group and a control group based on the order of visiting time, 84 in each group. The test group was treated with adaptive biofeedback training combined with oral administration of compound polyethylene glycol 4000-electrolyte powder, and the control group was treated with oral administration of compound polyethylene glycol 4000-electrolyte powder alone. Eleven children in the test group and two children in the control group withdrew from the study since they could not finish the whole treatment course. Finally, 73 children in the test group and 82 children in the control group were included in this analysis. As clinical outcomes, the total score of clinical symptoms and overall response rate were compared between the two groups at weeks 4 and 8 of treatment. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the total score of clinical symptoms between the two groups at beginning of treatment and at week 4 (P>0.05), while the test group had a significantly lower total score of clinical symptoms than the control group at week 8 (P<0.05). At week 4, there was no significant difference in overall response rate between the two groups (P>0.05), while the test group had a significantly higher overall response rate than the control group at week 8 (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Adaptive biofeedback training combined with oral administration of compound polyethylene glycol 4000-electrolyte powder is significantly associated with improvement of clinical outcomes in the treatment of children with OOC.

Understanding toward the Biophysical Interaction of Polymeric Proanthocyanidins (Persimmon Condensed Tannins) with Biomembranes: Relevance for Biological Effects.

Persimmon condensed tannins (PT) are highly polymerized (mDP = 26) and highly galloylated (72%) proanthocyanidins. Its pleiotropic effects in oxidation resistance, neuroprotection, hypolipidemia, and cardio-protection both in vitro and in vivo were widely reported. Because large proanthocyanidins are unlikely to be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, it is believed that the interaction of PT with biological membranes may play a crucial role in its biological activities. In the present study, the capacities of PT adsorbing to membrane, partitioning into membrane, and its influence on the membrane fluidity were investigated by fluorescence quenching, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and fluorescence anisotropy measurements in a biomembrane-mimetic system composed of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC), 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (POPE), sphingomyelin (SPM), and cholesterol (CHOL). Besides, the effects of PT on the morphology and integrity of the cell membrane were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and fluorescence staining in the 3T3-L1 cell model. The results suggested that PT could affect cell membrane rafts domains, destroy the cell membrane morphology, and regulate cell membrane fluidity, which might contribute to its biological effects.

Gut Microbiota Play an Essential Role in the Antidiabetic Effects of Rhein.

It is clear that the gut microbiota can affect host metabolism and alterations of the gut microbiota can link with metabolic disease. Rhein has been used in traditional Chinese medicine with putative antidiabetic effects. Here we show that oral administration of rhein for 6 weeks can significantly reduce fasting blood glucose (FBG) level (8.30 ± 4.52 mmol/l versus 18.89 ± 6.06 mmol/l, p < 0.01), elevate the active glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) level (22.21 ± 2.61 pmol/l verss 14.46 ± 5.22 pmol/l, p < 0.05), and increase the number of L-cells in the terminal ileum. The antidiabetic effect of rhein is abrogated in db/db mice treated with rhein in combination with broad-spectrum antibiotics. We observed that the abundance of the Bacteroidetes is increased in mice treated with rhein (0.361±0.022 versus 0.185 ± 0.055, p < 0.05,). In addition, there is no significant difference in diversity between rhein-treated groups and the controls (Shannon index: p = 0.88; Simpson index: p = 0.86). Taken together, our results indicate that modulation of the gut microbiota may play an essential role in the antidiabetic effects of rhein.

[Effect of vitamin D supplementation and outdoor time on the 25(OH)D level in adolescents].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of vitamin D( VD) supplementation and outdoor time intervention on the 25( OH) D level in adolescents. METHODS: In April2015, participants from three classes in a college of North Anhui were randomly assigned to VD supplementation group( receive oral vitamin D3 of 800 IU/d for 4 weeks, n = 55), outdoor time intervention group( more than 30 min/d of outdoor between 9 am and 15 pm for 4 weeks, n = 52) and control group( no any intervention, n = 63). The data on demographic characteristics, behavior related to vitamin D and life style were evaluated by using questionnaire. 25( OH) D level in finger-tip blood was measured by using LC-MS/MS. The differences of 25( OH) D levels among 3 groups over 4 weeks were compared. RESULTS: On baseline, there was no significant difference( F = 0. 77, P = 0. 464) on the25( OH) D level among VD supplementation group( 15. 5 nmol/L, 95% CI 14. 3- 16. 6nmol/L), outdoor time intervention group( 16. 5nmol/L, 95% CI 15. 2- 17. 8 nmol/L)and control group( 16. 0 nmol/L, 95% CI 14. 9- 17. 1 nmol/L). However, the 25( OH)D level of VD supplementation group( 56. nmol/L, 95% CI 52. 0- 61. 6 nmol/L) and outdoor time intervention group( 54. 3 nmol/L, 95% CI 49. 4- 59. 3 nmol/L) were significantly higher( F = 4. 40, P = 0. 014) than that of the control group( 47. 2 nmol/L, 95% CI 42. 7- 51. 7 nmol/L) 4 weeks later. All participants among 3 group were all in VD deficiency( < 50 nmol/L) on baseline. After 4 weeks, the prevalence of VD deficiency among 3 group reduced to 40. 0%( 95% CI 27. 7%- 53. 2%), 48. 1%( 95%CI 34. 8%- 61. 5%) and 65. 1%( 95% CI 52. 9%- 76. 1%), respectively. Compared with the control, the risk of VD deficiency in VD supplementation group significantly decreased( RRadj= 0. 33, 95% CI 0. 15- 0. 72, P = 0. 005), and the risk in the outdoor time intervention group also obviously decreased( RRadj= 0. 48, 95% CI 0. 22- 1. 05, P = 0. 065), but did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The 25( OH) D level of adolescents could be significantly improved through oral vitamin D3 supplementation of800 IU/d or more than 30 min/d of outdoor.