Formula Milk Supplementation and Bone Acquisition in 4-6 Years Chinese Children: A 12-Month Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.

Dairy foods are crucial for adequate calcium intake in young children, but scarce data are available on the effects of formula milk on bone acquisition. This cluster-randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of the supplementation of formula milk on bone health in rural children accustomed to a low-calcium diet between September 2021 and September 2022. We recruited 196 healthy children aged 4-6 years from two kindergartens in Huining County, Northwest China. A class-based randomization was used to assign them to receive 60 g of formula milk powder containing 720 mg calcium and 4.5 µg vitamin D or 20-30 g of bread per day for 12 months, respectively. Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) at the left forearm and calcaneus, bone biomarkers, bone-related hormones/growth factors, and body measures were determined at baseline, 6, and 12 months. A total of 174 children completed the trial and were included in the analysis. Compared with the control group, formula milk intervention showed significant extra increments in BMD (3.77% and 6.66%) and BMC (4.55% and 5.76%) at the left forearm at 6th and 12th months post-intervention (all p < 0.001), respectively. Similar trends were observed in BMD (2.83%) and BMC (2.38%) in the left calcaneus at 6 months (p < 0.05). The milk intervention (vs. control) also showed significant changes in the serum concentrations of osteocalcin level (-7.59%, p = 0.012), 25-hydroxy-vitamin-D (+5.54%, p = 0.001), parathyroid hormone concentration (-15.22%, p = 0.003), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (+8.36%, p = 0.014). The percentage increases in height were 0.34%, 0.45%, and 0.42% higher in the milk group than in the control group after 3-, 6-, and 9-month intervention, respectively (p < 0.05). In summary, formula milk supplementation enhances bone acquisition at the left forearm in young Chinese children.

[Status analysis and thinking on experimental study on efficacy of Mori Fructus in treatment of cardiovascular diseases].

Cardiovascular diseases are the most important diseases that endanger national health, and its development process is complex and diverse. Various cardiovascular diseases caused by obesity, such as hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia and atherosclerosis, are interrelated and interacted each other. Diet, as the main means of prevention and treatment, plays an important role in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular disease. Mori Fructus is one of the first ingredients that are listed in medicinal and edible food. With a wide range of applications in daily life, it contains polysaccharides(polysaccharide, APS), anthocyanins(anthocyanin, LCRA), flavonoids and other bioactive ingredients. With a wide range of antioxidant, anti-aging, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities, these materials exert effects in alleviating diabetes, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and other cardiovascular diseases. In this paper, we retrieved such databases as PubMed, Web of science, CNKI, VTTMS, Wan Fang, and collected literatures about the effect of single administration of mulberry on cardiovascular diseases in the past 15 years, with "mulberry and cardiovascular disease" as the key word, and summarized the latest progress. The results of many experimental studies have showed that different forms of mulberry can significantly alleviate obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia and hypertension, suggesting that the scope of action of Mori Fructus covers different pathological stages of cardiovascular diseases. This paper systematically analyzes and summarizes the application forms, efficacy and the existing problems of these experiments, and provides study thinking and development direction for the utilization and new product design of Mori Fructus-related products in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Therapeutic Potential and Outlook of Alternative Medicine for Osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis, a bone disease resulting in the loss of bone density and microstructure quality, is often associated with fragility fractures, and the latter imposes a great burden on the patient and society. Although there are several different treatments available for osteoporosis such as hormone replacement therapy, bisphosphonates, Denosumab, and parathyroid hormone, some concerns have been raised regarding the inherent side effects of their long term use. It would be of great relevance to search for alternative natural compounds, which could complementarily overcome the limitations of the currently available therapy. Herein, we review current literature on natural compounds that might have therapeutic values for osteoporosis. Search terms included bone resorption, bone density, osteoporosis, postmenopausal, osteoporosis or bone density conservation agents, and any of the terms related to traditional, herbal, natural therapy, natural health, diet, or phytoestrogens. All the compounds and herbs included in the review are naturally bioactive or are used in folk herbal medicine and have been reported to be capable of attenuating osteopenia or osteoporosis in vivo or in vitro, through various mechanisms - estrogen-like activity, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, or by modulating the key signaling pathways in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Through our assessment of the therapeutic potential and outlook of alternative medicine, we aim to provide an appealing perspective for the consideration of the application of a complementary anti-osteoporotic treatment option and prevention strategy for osteoporosis or osteolytic bone disorders.

Ethanol Extract of Fructus ligustri lucidi Increased Circulating 1,25(OH)2D3 Levels, but Did Not Improve Calcium Balance in Mature Ovariectomized Rats.

Our previous studies found that different extracts or fractions of Fructus ligustri lucidi (FLL) played different roles in altering the regulation of bone and mineral metabolism in different animal models. The present study was designed to compare the actions of FLL ethanol (EE) and water extracts (WE) on bone and mineral metabolism in a 6-month-old mature ovariectomized (OVX) rat model. Our results showed that FLL extracts did not significantly improve systematic Ca balance in mature OVX rats. However, EE, but not WE treatment, significantly increased serum 1,25(OH)2D3 levels in mature OVX rats. An in vitro study using human proximal tubule (HKC-8) cells showed that EE, but not WE, significantly enhanced renal 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-1[Formula: see text]-hydroxylase (1-OHase) mRNA expressions and simultaneously repressed renal 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-24-hydroxylase (24-OHase) mRNA expressions. Further investigation indicated that EE could significantly induce the protein expression of 1-OHase, but did not alter 24-OHase expression in HKC-8 cells. Our results demonstrated that EE increased circulating 1,25(OH)2D3 levels in OVX rats, possibly via upregulation of renal 1-OHase expressions in renal proximal tubule cells. Our study indicates that FLL is a natural oral agent that could directly regulate renal vitamin D metabolism in vivo and in vitro.

Combination treatment with Fructus Ligustri Lucidi and Puerariae radix offsets their independent actions on bone and mineral metabolism in ovariectomized rats.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL) and Puerariae radix (PR) combination treatment in bone and mineral metabolism in ovariectomized (OVX) rats in our search for an alternative regimen for the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis. METHODS: Six-month-old OVX rats were used as postmenopausal osteoporotic models, and PR water extract (PR) and FLL water extract (WE) were added to commercial diets individually or in combination and administered to OVX rats for 12 weeks. Bone properties, calcium and phosphorus absorption, and bone biochemical markers were measured to investigate the potential interactions between the actions of PR and the actions of WE on bone and mineral metabolism in OVX rats. RESULTS: Long-term treatment with PR did not significantly improve bone properties but greatly ameliorated the secondary hyperparathyroidism induced by ovariectomy in the animals. WE significantly enhanced the intestinal calcium absorption rate and decreased the enlarged trabecular bone surface at the site of metaphysic tibia in OVX rats. However, the positive effects of WE or PR alone on bone and mineral metabolism were diminished when OVX rats were cotreated with WE and PR. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of these two herbs offsets their independent actions on bone and mineral metabolism in vivo. The results of the present study could provide insights to medical professionals to further their understanding of the potential negative impact of herb-herb interactions when a combination of herbal mixtures is used for the management of osteoporosis.

Sesquiterpene lactone parthenolide blocks lipopolysaccharide-induced osteolysis through the suppression of NF-kappaB activity.

UNLABELLED: Effective treatment for bacteria-induced bone lytic diseases is not yet available. In this study, we showed that PAR, an NF-kappaB inhibitor found in medicinal herbs, can block LPS-induced osteolysis. PAR does this by inhibiting osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption and promoting apoptosis of osteoclasts through the suppression of NF-kappaB activity. INTRODUCTION: Osteolysis induced by chronic gram-negative bacterial infection underlies many bone diseases such as osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, and periodontitis. Drugs that inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced osteolysis are critically needed for the prevention of bone destruction in infective bone diseases. In this study, we investigated the effect of parthenolide (PAR) on LPS-induced osteolysis in vivo and studied its role in osteoclastogenesis, bone resorption, apoptosis, and NF-kappaB activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The LPS-induced osteolysis in the mouse calvarium model was used to examine the effect of PAR in vivo. RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation from RAW264.7 cells and bone resorption assays were used to assess the effect of PAR in vitro. Assays for NF-kappaB activation, p65 translocation, and IkappaB-alpha degradation were used to determine the mechanism of action of PAR in osteoclasts and their precursors. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopic analysis were used to examine cell apoptosis. Semiquantitative RT-PCR was performed to examine the effect of PAR on gene expression of RANK and TRAF6. RESULTS: We found that PAR (0.5 and 1 mg/kg), injected simultaneously with LPS (25 mg/kg) or 3 days later, blocked the LPS-induced osteolysis in the mouse calvarium model. In vitro studies showed that low concentrations of PAR (<1 microM) inhibited in vitro osteoclastogenesis and osteoclastic bone resorption, whereas higher concentrations (>5 microM) triggered apoptotic cell death of osteoclasts and their precursor cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, PAR inhibited LPS-induced NF-kappaB activation, p65 translocation, and IkappaB-alpha degradation both in mature osteoclasts and their precursors in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In addition, PAR inhibited NF-kappaB activation induced by osteoclastogenic factors RANKL, interleukin (IL)-1beta, or TNF-alpha to varying degrees and reduced the gene expression of RANK and TRAF6. CONCLUSION: The NF-kappaB pathway is known to mediate both osteoclast differentiation and survival. These findings indicate that PAR blocks LPS-induced osteolysis through the suppression of NF-kappaB activity and suggest that it might have therapeutic value in bacteria-induced bone destruction.