The association between prepregnancy dietary fatty acids and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Epidemiologic studies have examined the association between dietary fatty acids and type 2 diabetes risk in general populations. Evidence regarding their associations with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate prepregnancy fatty acids intake in relation to GDM risk. METHODS: 3,725 pregnant women from the Xi'an Birth Cohort Study who were free of previous GDM or pre-existing chronic diseases were included. Dietary intake of total fat and individual fatty acids (including saturated fatty acids [SFA], monounsaturated fatty acids [MUFA], polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFA], and trans fatty acids) during the year preceding pregnancy was assessed by a validated food-frequency questionnaire before 16 weeks of gestation. GDM was confirmed based on the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. Log-binomial or modified Poisson regression models were applied to estimate the relative risks (RRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95%CIs) of GDM for fatty acids intake. Generalized linear regression was adopted for blood glucose levels with fatty acids intake. RESULTS: 644 (17.3 %) incident GDM cases were confirmed in our study. Participants in the highest intake of total fat substituting for carbohydrates had a 33 % reduced risk of GDM than those in the lowest intake (RR:0.67; 95%CI:0.55,0.81). For individual fatty acids, only PUFA intake was associated with a lower risk of GDM, with RR comparing extreme tertiles of 0.61 (95%CI:0.49,0.76). Each 2 % increase in energy from total fat and PUFA replacing carbohydrates decreased the risk of GDM by 6 % (95%CI:3 %,9 %) and 15 % (95%CI:9 %,21 %), respectively. Similar inverse associations with intake of total fat and PUFA were observed for blood glucose levels. Further analyses of SFA substitution showed that replacement of 2 % energy from SFA with PUFA and MUFA was associated with 26 % (RR:0.74; 95%CI:0.62,0.88) and 30 % (RR:0.70; 95%CI:0.50, 0.98) decreased risk of GDM, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Greater intake of total fat and PUFA before pregnancy was associated with lower risk of GDM when replacing carbohydrates. Substitution SFA with PUFA and MUFA was also inversely associated with GDM risk. These findings support the important role of optimal dietary fatty acids composition in the prevention of GDM.

A Novel Sulfone Derivative Controls Lasiodiplodia theobromae in Tea Leaf Spot by Reducing the Ergosterol Content.

Diseases caused by fungi can affect the quality and yield of the leaves of tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze]. At present, the availability of highly effective and safe fungicides for controlling tea plants remains limited. The objectives of this study were to identify novel compounds with antifungal activities and to determine their molecular mechanisms. A series of sulfone compounds containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole were evaluated in China for their antifungal activities against several pathogens causing foliar diseases and high production losses. Transcriptomics and bioinformatics were used to analyze the differentially expressed genes of Lasiodiplodia theobromae treated with a representative compound, jiahuangxianjunzuo (JHXJZ). Moreover, the effects of JHXJZ on ergosterol content, membrane permeability, cell structure, and seven key genes involved in the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway were investigated. JHXJZ had a strong antifungal activity against L. theobromae in vitro, with an effective concentration giving 50% inhibition of 3.54 ± 0.55 µg/ml, and its curative efficacies on detached tea leaves reached 41.78% at 100 µg/ml. JHXJZ upregulated 899 genes (P < 0.05) and downregulated 1,185 genes (P < 0.05) in L. theobromae. These genes were found to be associated with carbohydrate metabolic processes, which are closely related to steroid biosynthesis in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. Because JHXJZ regulates the key genes of sterol biosynthesis, it decreased the ergosterol content, increased cell-membrane permeability, changed the cellular structure, enhanced the roughness of the surface of the hyphae, and resulted in degradation of the hyphal nuclei and necrosis of the hyphal cytoplasm. Our study demonstrates that JHXJZ is a fungicide with a novel mechanism of action that differs from that of triazole fungicides. JHXJZ has potential for applications in controlling tea plant diseases.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Virus-Induced Gene Silencing in Diploid and Tetraploid Potato Species.

Potato is the world's fourth largest food crop and a vegetatively propagated model polyploid plant. To facilitate genomic studies in potato, here we describe detailed protocols to silence genes in both diploid potato Solanum bulbocastanum and tetraploid potato cultivars such as Maris Bard, Arran Pilot, Ancilla, and Serrana using tobacco rattle virus (TRV)- or potato virus X (PVX)-induced gene silencing (VIGS) system, respectively. The established VIGS system represents an efficient and powerful approach for functional analysis of genes involved in growth, development, metabolism, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses in potato.

Potato Virus X-Based microRNA Silencing (VbMS) In Potato.

Virus-based microRNA silencing (VbMS) is a rapid and efficient tool for functional characterization of microRNAs (miRNAs) in plants. The VbMS system has been developed and applied for various plant species including Nicotiana benthamiana, tomato, Arabidopsis, cotton, and monocot plants such as wheat and maize. Here, we describe a detailed protocol using PVX-based VbMS vectors to silence endogenous miRNAs in potato. To knock down the expression of a specific miRNA, target mimic (TM) molecules of miRNA of interest are designed, integrated into plant virus vectors, and expressed in potato by Agrobacterium infiltration to bind directly to the endogenous miRNA of interest and block its function.

A single amino acid in coat protein of Pepper mild mottle virus determines its subcellular localization and the chlorosis symptom on leaves of pepper.

Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) causes serious economic losses in pepper production in China. In a survey for viral diseases on pepper, two PMMoV isolates (named PMMoV-ZJ1 and PMMoV-ZJ2) were identified with different symptoms in Zhejiang province. Sequence alignment analysis suggested there were only four amino acid differences between the isolates: Val262Gly, Ile629Met and Ala1164Thr in the replicase, and Asp20Asn in the coat protein. Infectious cDNA clones of both isolates were constructed and shown to cause distinctive symptoms. Chlorosis symptoms appeared only on PMMoV-ZJ2-infected plants and the Asp20Asn substitution in the CP was shown to be responsible. Confocal assays revealed that the subcellular localization pattern of the two CPs was different, CP20Asp was mainly located at the cell periphery, whereas most CP20Asn located in the chloroplast. Thus, a single amino acid in the CP determined the chlorosis symptom, accompanied by an altered subcellular localization.

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of laughter and humour interventions on depression, anxiety and sleep quality in adults.

AIM: To quantify the effect of laughter and humour interventions on depression, anxiety, and sleep quality in adults. DESIGN: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Weipu, and Wanfang Data were searched from their inception up to December 2018. REVIEW METHODS: The reporting of this meta-analytical review was conducted according to the guidelines of the Cochrane Collaboration. Two reviewers selected the studies, extracted the data, and evaluated the risk of bias (Cochrane Collaboration bias assessment tool) of the included papers independently. RESULTS: Ten studies comprising 814 participants were included. Meta-analysis showed that these interventions significantly decreased adults' depression, anxiety, and improved their sleep quality. The results of subgroup analysis showed that depression benefits more from long-term laughter intervention. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis revealed that laughter and humour interventions are effective in relieving depression, anxiety, and improve sleep quality in adults. More studies with high quality and follow-up assessment should be conducted for future research. IMPACT: This review synthesized current evidence using laughter and humour interventions to reduce negative emotion and promote better results in adults, especially with respect to target the applicability between different populations or intervention methods. In addition, humour and laughter interventions are safe, convenient, interesting and can promote interpersonal relationship in both patients and medical workers, which have great feasibility and potential to be used as an aspect of psychotherapy for clinical and nursing to improve well-beings in adults.

Nonpharmacological interventions to improve sleep in nursing home residents: A systematic review.

Sleep disturbance is one of the most prevalent symptoms among elderly adults, especially those living in nursing homes. Sleep disturbance adversely affects the healthcare system as well as elderly adults' quality of life. Nonpharmacological interventions have shown promising results regarding improvements in sleep. This systematic review intended to identify the effects of nonpharmacological interventions on sleep quality and nighttime sleep among nursing home residents. We searched both English and Chinese databases through December 2018 and found 28 eligible studies describing five types of interventions: physical activity (n = 6), light therapy (n = 5), mind-body practices (n = 2), complementary and alternative therapy (n = 8), and multicomponent interventions (n = 7). Although the wide variety of interventions in each category limited the generalizability of the results, physical activity, mind-body practices, acupressure and chamomile extract intake demonstrated positive and promising impacts on sleep quality and nighttime sleep. Due to the small number of included trials, the results should be interpreted cautiously. Further higher-quality studies concerning nonpharmacological treatments are needed.

Morita therapy for depression in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Morita therapy is a systematic psychological therapy that aims to improve everyday functioning rather than target specific symptoms. However, there has been no systematic review evaluating the evidence of the effectiveness of Morita therapy in the treatment of depression. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical efficacy of Morita therapy in combination with pharmacotherapy in patients 18 and older who were diagnosed with current depressive disorder. A total of 840 patients with depression from 11 randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies were included in this meta-analysis after a literature search of 10 databases was performed from database inception to July 1, 2017. All the eligible studies were determined to have an unclear or high risk of bias. Morita therapy plus pharmacotherapy was significantly superior to pharmacotherapy alone in reducing depression severity. The remission rate of the Morita therapy plus pharmacotherapy group was better than that of the pharmacotherapy alone group. Morita therapy significantly reduced depression severity symptoms and improved the remission rate. Due to the relatively weak quality of the included studies, definitive conclusions cannot be made. Thus, multi-center, well-designed clinical trials with larger cohorts are urgently needed to support the clinical application of Morita therapy.

Characteristics and enhanced antioxidant activity of egg white protein selenized by dry-heating in the presence of selenite.

This study reports a new method for the selenization of food proteins. Egg white protein (EWP) was selenized by dry-heating in the presence of selenite, and the physiochemical and functional properties of the selenized EWP were investigated. Selenization was accelerated with a decrease in pH from 7.0 to 3.0, an increase in heating time from 1 to 5 days, and an increase in incubation temperatures from 25 to 80 °C. The electrophoretic mobility of EWP increased with an increase in the level of selenization. Heat-induced polymerization of EWP was promoted by dry-heating in the presence of selenite. The selenite group was acid-stable and base-labile, which suggests that it was bound to the hydroxyl group of an amino acid and formed an -O-SeHO2 linkage. (77)Se NMR spectral data also suggested that the selenite bond (-O-SeHO2) was bound to EWP. The digestibility of EWP was improved by selenization. The antioxidant activities of EWP, including ABTS(+) free radical scavenging capacity, hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity, reducing power, and the Fe(2+) chelating capacity, were remarkably enhanced by selenization. This finding is the first to describe that EWP can be selenized by dry-heating in the presence of selenite and that the antioxidant activities of EWP are markedly enhanced by selenization. This points to a potentially new method for generating antioxidant food protein and a new method for preparing organic Se.

Maternal supplementation with dietary arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids during lactation elevates bone mass in weanling rat and guinea pig offspring even if born small sized.

Whether post-natal long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) elevates bone mineral content (BMC) of small and normal neonates was studied using pregnant rats and guinea pigs fed a control (C) diet or low protein (LP) diet to induce small neonates followed by C or LCPUFA diets during lactation. Measurements (days 3 and 21 post-partum) included BMC and density (BMD) plus bone metabolism. In rats LP reduced birth weight but at day 21 elevated weight and whole body BMC; LCPUFA enhanced spine BMC, tibia BMC and BMD and whole body BMD. In guinea pig pups, at days 3 and 21, LP reduced weight, whole body and regional BMC and BMD whereas LCPUFA reduced day 3 osteocalcin and elevated day 21 spine BMD. LCPUFA minimized loss of whole body BMC in dams and elevated osteocalcin in sows. LCPUFA during lactation enhances bone in normal and small neonates without compromising maternal bone.

Maternal arachidonic acid supplementation improves neurodevelopment in young adult offspring from rat dams with and without diabetes.

Maternal diabetes may compromise infant arachidonic acid (AA) status and development. This study tested if maternal AA supplementation improves neurodevelopment in adult offspring. Rat dams were randomized into 6 groups: Saline-Placebo, streptozotocin-induced diabetes with glucose controlled at <13mmol/L, or poorly controlled at 13-20mmol/L using insulin; and fed either a Control or AA (0.5% fat) diet throughout reproduction. Weaned-offspring were fed regular chow to 12 weeks of age. Testing included exploratory behavior, rota rod and water maze (WM). Poorly controlled offspring showed longer (p≤0.018) escape-latency on testing-day 1 WM but not thereafter (p>0.05). Maternal glucose concentration positively correlated with (p=0.006) male offspring testing-day 1 WM latency. The AA-diet offspring performed better in WM and rota rod (p≤0.032) and showed higher exploratory behavior (p=0.008) than Control-diet offspring. These data suggest maternal hyperglycemia has longstanding consequences to initial stages of learning in the offspring. Maternal AA supplementation and training positively influence learning outcomes.

Long-term effects of gestational diabetes on offspring health are more pronounced in skeletal growth than body composition and glucose tolerance.

Infants of diabetic mothers may have low arachidonic acid (AA) and develop obesity and insulin resistance in adulthood. The present study tested the effect of maternal diabetes and AA supplementation on offspring body composition, bone mass and glucose tolerance from 4 to 12 weeks. Rat dams were randomised into six groups using a 3 × 2 design. The rat dams were treated using the following treatments: saline-placebo, streptozotocin-induced diabetes (STZ) with glucose controlled at < 13 mmol/l (STZ/GC) or poorly controlled at 13-20 mmol/l (STZ/PC) using insulin, and fed either a control or an AA (0.5 % of fat) diet throughout reproduction. Weaned offspring were fed regular chow. Measurements included offspring body composition, bone and oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) plus liver fatty acids of dam and offspring. Comparable to saline-placebo offspring, the STZ/GC offspring had greater (P < 0.03) whole body and regional bone area than STZ/PC offspring. Maternal glucose negatively correlated (P < 0.05) with offspring whole body bone area and mineral content at 4 weeks in all offspring, and with tibia area in males at 12 weeks. Maternal liver DHA negatively (P < 0.03) correlated with femur and tibia mineral content and tibia mineral density of female offspring at 12 weeks. Offspring from AA-supplemented dams had higher (P = 0.004) liver AA at 4 weeks. Liver AA at 4 weeks positively (P = 0.05) correlated with lumbar spine mineral density in males. OGTT was not affected by maternal treatment or diet. These results suggest that maternal glucose control has long-term consequences to bone health of adult offspring. Skeletal growth appears more sensitive to maternal hyperglycaemia than glucose tolerance.

Maternal arachidonic acid supplementation improves neurodevelopment of offspring from healthy and diabetic rats.

Maternal diabetes may compromise infant arachidonic acid status and development. This study tested if maternal arachidonic acid supplementation improves neurodevelopment in rat offspring. Dams were randomized into 6 groups using a 3x2 design: Saline-Placebo, streptozotocin-induced diabetes with glucose controlled at <13mmol/L, or poorly controlled at 13-20mmol/L using insulin; and fed either control or an arachidonic acid (0.5% of fat) diet throughout reproduction. Offspring were tested on post-natal days 3 and 5 for righting response, days 7 and 9 for negative geotaxis, day 14 for wire hanging endurance, days 18 and 24 for rota rod endurance, and day 28 for Morris water maze performance. Only the poorly controlled group had impaired day 7 geotaxis and day 18 rota rod performance (p<0.02), but this improved with maternal arachidonic acid supplementation (p<0.0006). Arachidonic acid improved the wire hanging endurance (p=0.0003) and water maze latency (p=0.0021), suggesting enhanced neurodevelopment in all offspring.

The inhibitory effect of astilbin on the arteriosclerosis of murine thoracic aorta transplant.

The inhibitory effect of astilbin on transplant arteriosclerosis in murine model of thoracic aorta transplantation was examined. Model of rat thoracic aorta transplantation was established. Ninety rats were divided into three groups. In isograft group, the thoracic aorta of Brown Norway (BN) rat was anastomosed with the abdominal aorta of another BN rat. In allograft group, the thoracic aorta of BN rat was anastomosed with the abdominal aorta of Lewis rat. In astilbin group, the rats receiving allo-transplantation were given astilbin 5 mg/kg per day for a time of 28 days. The donor thoracic aorta and the recipient abdominal aorta were anastomosed by means of a polyethylene cannula (inner diameter: 1.5 mm, length: 3 mm length). The grafts were histologically examined for structural changes. The areas of arterial lumen and endatrium were calculated. Our results showed that, in the allograft group, 28 days after allografting, conspicuous proliferation of smooth muscles and infiltration with a great number of inflammatory cells were found in the tunica intima and tunica media. Astilbin significantly inhibited the proliferation of smooth muscles and ameliorated the infiltration of inflammatory cells thereby prevent against the development of transplant arteriosclerosis. It is concluded that asltilbin can effectively prevent the development of arteriosclerosis in allotransplant by inhibiting the proliferation of smooth muscles and inhibit the proliferation of smooth muscles in tunica of intima and media and reducing infiltration of the inflammatory cells.

Doing the month: rickets and post-partum convalescence in rural China.

OBJECTIVE: to analyse the health beliefs underlying the Chinese custom of 'doing the month', in particular mothers' perceptions of rickets. DESIGN: a qualitative approach was used. Four focus group discussions were tape recorded. Translated transcripts were analysed and coded. SETTING: Yuci District, rural Shanxi Province, China. PARTICIPANTS: eighteen young mothers with children aged between 12 and 24 months, five grandmothers aged between 48 and 55 years, five township clinic maternal and child health workers, and seven traditional medicine doctors. FINDINGS: Zuo yuezi (doing the month) is accepted by Chinese mothers as a time of respite and physical recovery. It is also burdensome to mothers, as cloistering indoors compromises both mother and baby's exposure to the sun, resulting in vitamin D deficiency and rickets. KEY CONCLUSIONS: in order to reduce the rates of rickets in children, it is important to promote a more balanced and health-enhancing form of zuo yuezi that maintains necessary vitamin D status of both the mother and her baby. By understanding this custom, medical professionals caring for pregnant and post-partum Chinese women in Western countries will be able to better serve their health needs.

Severe vitamin D-deficiency and the health of North China children.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the health and nutritional status of rural Chinese children ages 12-24 months. METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional design with a longitudinal component. Anthropometry and blood chemistry were measured on each child twice (n = 250). Caretaker knowledge and behaviors that relate to the child's health and diet were evaluated by interview. RESULTS: Children were taken outdoors at an average age of 131.8 days. 65.3% of surveyed children had serum 25-OH-D levels less than 12 ng/ml in the spring. This declined to 2.8% in the fall. Mean blood lead levels were 15.7 +/- 11.0 microg/dl in the spring declining to 12.4 +/- 12.5 microg/dl in the fall (t = 6.47, P = 0.000). This still left 63.5 and 54.9% of the children with toxic blood lead levels in spring and fall. Rates of respiratory disease declined significantly from spring to fall. A summer outdoors remarkably improved vitamin D-deficiency and lead toxicity. However, nutritional status worsened as during the summer diet was unable to keep up with growth and increased nutritional demand. From spring to fall serum zinc declined from 0.77 +/- 0.19 to 0.66 +/- 0.21 microg/ml (t = 3.33, P = 0.001) and blood hemoglobin declined from 12.5 +/- 1.2 to 12.0 +/- 1.2 gm/dl (t = 4.07, P = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: Northern climate and cloistering of children creates a host of health risks for north China children. Vitamin D-deficiency, lead poisoning and respiratory disease are significantly worse during the winter months. These children need vitamin D supplementation during the winter and improved overall nutritional status during the summer to maintain ideal growth and development.