Biotransformation of Ginsenosides (Rb1 , Rb2 , Rb3 , Rc) in Human Intestinal Bacteria and Its Effect on Intestinal Flora.

Ginsenosides, including Rb1 , Rb2 , Rb3 and Rc, belong to protopanaxadiol-type saponins in Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. Their contents are high in P. ginseng. They could inhibit oxidant stress, enhance immunity, lower blood sugar, resist tumor cells and facilitate other physiological activities. This study aimed to explore the interaction between ginsenosides Rb1 , Rb2 , Rb3 and Rc and the intestinal flora of healthy people. It also sought to analyse the biotransformation products and pathways of these ginsenosides in in-vitro human intestinal bacteria and their effects on the diversity of human intestinal flora. Human intestinal bacteria were incubated with ginsenosides Rb1 , Rb2 , Rb3 and Rc at 37 °C under anaerobic conditions. Samples were taken at different timepoints. The transformed products were identified by rapid high-resolution liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. After 48 h of transformation, the transformed product of ginsenosides Rb1 , Rb2 , Rb3 and Rc was ginsenoside compound K. The transformation rates were 83.5 %, 88.7 %, 85.6 %, and 84.2 %. 16S rRNA sequencing technology was applied to the bioinformatic analysis of faecal samples incubated for 48 h. Relative to the blank control, the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria significantly increased at the phylum level. Moreover, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes significantly decreased in ginsenosides Rb1 , Rb2 , Rb3 and Rc. At the genus level, the relative abundance of Escherichia significantly increased, whereas that of Dorea, Prevotella and Megasphaera significantly decreased in all groups. These results showed that Rb1 , Rb2 , Rb3 and Rc could improve the structure and diversity of human intestinal flora and balance the metabolic process.

The Mediation Effect of Health Literacy on Social Support with Exchange and Depression in Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Older People in Taiwan.

The proportion of the world's population that are over 60 years old is increasing rapidly. The physical and mental health of older people is affected by depression. Health literacy is a major determinant of health and healthcare for the aging; middle-aged and older people with high health literacy are more likely to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and control or manage their chronic diseases. Therefore, this study explored the relationship between health literacy, social support with exchange, and depression, in middle-aged and older adults in the community, using data from the 2015 Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (TLSA) database. Of the 7636 participants, 1481 (19.4%) were middle-aged or older persons with depression symptoms. We found age, gender, and education level to be significantly related to health literacy status, social support with exchange, and depression. Health literacy was positively correlated with depression and social exchange in social support with exchange, whereas the emotional support component of social support with exchange was negatively correlated with depression. Regression-based process analysis was used to verify the mediation effect of health literacy. Our results indicated that when health literacy was entered into the regression model (a × b path), the effect of social exchange on depression was insignificant (c' = -0.01, p = 0.84), indicating a complete mediation effect. These findings suggest that improving health literacy may offset the impact of social support with exchange on depression, and lead to the mitigation of depression in middle-aged and older people in Taiwanese communities.

Effect of stabilization malvids anthocyanins on the gut microbiota in mice with oxidative stress.

Malvids anthocyanins have been proven to have a significant antioxidant activity. However, natural anthocyanins are unstable as they are easily affected by temperature, light, and pH. They can produce copigmentation with caffeic acids, leading to the improvement of color stability. The objective of this research was to survey the anti-oxidative stress functional role of stabilization malvids anthocyanins (SMA) in vivo. Changes on the superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum and liver of oxidatively damaged mice of SMA were investigated. The effects of SMA on the diversity of gut microbiota in mice with oxidatively damage were also evaluated. Compared to oxidative damaged mice, SMA increased the activities of SOD, GSH-Px, CAT and T-AOC but decreased the levels of MDA in the serum and liver. SMA significantly changed the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota. Specifically, SMA increased the relative abundance of the phylum Firmicutes and decreased the relative abundance of the phyla Bacteroidetes. At the genus level, SMA significantly increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, but decreased the relative abundance of Bacteroides. In addition, SMA also reversed carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism to normal levels. It indicates that SMA could protect the body from oxidative damage and be used as a potential functional food to prevent diseases related to oxidative stress. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Anthocyanins provide protective effects against harmful effect of oxidative stress. Natural anthocyanins are safer and nutritious as compared to synthetic pigments. However, their stability is poor. The previous research done by this group showed that the anthocyanins content of variety of Vitis amurensis Rupr was as high as 180 mg/(100 g·FW), and the content of malvids anthocyanidin in its ingredients was the highest of all. Malvids anthocyanin and caffeic acid are bonded to produce stabilized malvids anthocyanins (SMA) high hydrostatic pressure technology, which has better stability. Our results indicate that SMA could increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes and altered the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota in mice with oxidative damage. The study will help to deepen the understanding of antioxidative stress mechanism of SMA and lay a foundation for the application of natural anthocyanidin in health aspect.

Paroxysmal tonic upgaze accompanied by occipital discharge on electroencephalography: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Paroxysmal tonic upgaze (PTU) is an infantile-onset paroxysmal neurological disorder that is characterized by episodes of sustained conjugate upward eye deviation. The paroxysmal abnormal eye movements need to be differentiated from seizures. We report a case of PTU with occipital discharge on electroencephalography (EEG), which made the diagnosis more complicated. CASE PRESENTATION: A 6-month-old girl presented with paroxysmal upward deviation or left strabismus of the eyes, with a bowed head, lowered jaw, raised eyebrows, closed lips, and slight grin. Each episode lasted for a few seconds, and episodes occurred multiple times per day. EEG showed spike waves in the right occipital region, and the girl was initially misdiagnosed with epilepsy. After further analysis using video EEG, we corrected her diagnosis as PTU and stopped the administration of an antiepileptic drug. CONCLUSION: PTU accompanied by discharge on EEG may lead to a misdiagnosis. Video EEG monitoring, and especially the analysis of EEG traces synchronized with attacks, can provide evidence to distinguish between seizures and non-epileptic events.