Recent Advances on Selenium Nutrition and Keshan Disease.

Keshan disease (KD) is a type of endemic cardiomyopathy with an unknown cause. It is primarily found in areas in China with low selenium levels, from northeast to southwest. The nutritional biogeochemical etiology hypothesis suggests that selenium deficiency is a major factor in KD development. Selenium is important in removing free radicals and protecting cells and tissues from peroxide-induced damage. Thus, low environmental selenium may affect the selenium level within the human body, and selenium level differences are commonly observed between healthy people in KD and nonKD areas. From the 1970s to the 1990s, China successfully reduced KD incidence in endemic KD areas through a selenium supplementation program. After years of implementing prevention and control measures, the selenium level of the population in the KD areas has gradually increased, and the prevalence of KD in China has remained low and stable in recent years. Currently, the pathogenesis of KD remains vague, and the effect of selenium supplementation on the prognosis of KD still needs further study. This paper comprehensively reviews selenium deficiency and its connection to KD. Thus, this study aims to offer novel ideas and directions to effectively prevent and treat KD in light of the current situation.

Combating coxsackievirus B infections.

Coxsackieviruses B (CVB) are small, non-enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses belonging to the Enterovirus genus of the Picornaviridae family. They are common worldwide and cause a wide variety of human diseases ranging from those having relatively mild symptoms to severe acute and chronic pathologies such as cardiomyopathy and type 1 diabetes. The development of safe and effective strategies to combat these viruses remains a challenge. The present review outlines current approaches to control CVB infections and associated diseases. Various drugs targeting viral or host proteins involved in viral replication as well as vaccines have been developed and shown potential to prevent or combat CVB infections in vitro and in vivo in animal models. Repurposed drugs and alternative strategies targeting miRNAs or based on plant extracts and probiotics and their derivatives have also shown antiviral effects against CVB. In addition, clinical trials with vaccines and drugs are underway and offer hope for the prevention or treatment of CVB-induced diseases.

Vitamin D status, enterovirus infection, and type 1 diabetes in Italian children/adolescents.

At the time of the clinical onset of type 1 diabetes (T1D), we investigated 82 pediatric cases in parallel with 117 non-diabetic controls matched by age, geographic area, and time of collection. The occurrence of an enteroviral infection was evaluated in peripheral blood using a sensitive method capable of detecting virtually all human enterovirus (EV) types. While non-diabetic controls were consistently EV-negative, 65% of T1D cases carried EVs in blood. The vitamin D status was assessed by measuring the concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in serum. Levels of 25(OH)D were interpreted as deficiency (≤50 nmol/L), insufficiency (52.5-72.5 nmol/L), and sufficiency (75-250 nmol/L). In T1D cases, the median serum concentration of 25(OH)D was 54.4 ± 27.3 nmol/L vs 74.1 ± 28.5 nmol/L in controls (P = .0001). Diabetic children/adolescents showed deficient levels of vitamin D 25(OH)D (ie, 72.5 nmol/L) in 48.8% cases vs 17.9% in non-diabetic controls (P = .0001). Unexpectedly, the median vitamin D concentration was significantly reduced in virus-positive vs virus-negative diabetics (48.2 ± 22.5 vs 61.8 ± 31.2 nmol/L; P = .015), with deficient levels in 58.5% vs 31.0%, respectively. Thus, at the time of clinical onset, EV-positive cases had reduced vitamin D levels compared with EV-negative cases. This could indicate either that the virus-negative children/adolescents had been hit by a non-infectious T1D-triggering event, or that children/adolescents with proper levels of vitamin D had been able to rapidly clear the virus. Thus, it would be important to assess whether adequate vitamin D supplementation before or during the prediabetic phase of T1D may counteract the diabetogenic potential of infectious pathogens.

[Clinical study on Fufang Sishen Decoction in treating arrhythmia after virus myocarditis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Fufang Sishen Decoction (FFSSD) on arrhythmia after virus myocarditis. METHODS: One hundred and two cases of arrhythmia after virus myocarditis were randomly divided into two groups. The treatment group was treated with FFSSD, 6 g, b.i.d.; and the control group with propafenone, 150 mg, q 8 h. The therapeutic effects were observed in 4 weeks. RESULTS: The total anti-arrhythmia effects of FFSSD and propafenone were 71.9% and 78.9% respectively (P>0.05). FFSSD took effects relatively slowly with mild and lasting effect. CONCLUSION: The curative effect of FFSSD in treating arrhythmia after virus myocarditis is confirmed. FFSSD has no obvious side effects.