Fraxetin alleviates BLM-induced idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting NCOA4-mediated epithelial cell ferroptosis.

INTRODUCTION: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a debilitating lung condition with few available treatments. The early driver of wound repair that contributes to IPF has been extensively identified as repetitive alveolar epithelial damage. According to recent reports, IPF is linked to ferroptosis, a unique type of cell death characterized by a fatal buildup of iron and lipid peroxidation. OBJECTIVE AND METHOD: There is little information on epithelial cells that induce pulmonary fibrosis by going through ferroptosis. In this study, we used bleomycin (BLM) to examine the impact of ferroptosis on IPF in mouse lung epithelial cells (MLE-12). RESULTS: We discovered that BLM increases ferroptosis in MLE-12. Additionally, we found that NCOA4 is overexpressed and plays a key role in the ferroptosis of epithelial cells throughout the IPF process. Using Molecular docking, we found that Fraxetin, a natural component extracted from Fraxinus rhynchophylla, formed a stable binding to NCOA4. In vitro investigations showed that Fraxetin administration greatly decreased ferroptosis and NCOA4 expression, which in turn lowered the release of inflammatory cytokines. CONCLUSION: Fraxetin treatment significantly alleviated BLM-induced lung inflammation and fibrosis. Our findings imply that fraxetin possesses inhibitory roles in ferroptosis and can be a potential drug against IPF.

Development and validation of a novel food exchange system for Chinese pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: The dietary nutritional status of pregnant women is critical for maintaining the health of both mothers and infants. Food exchange systems have been employed in the nutritional guidance of patients in China, although their application in the dietary guidance of healthy pregnant women is quite limited. This study aimed to develop a novel food exchange system for Chinese pregnant women (NFES-CPW) and evaluate the relative validation of its application. METHODS: NFES-CPW covers approximately 500 types of food from ten categories and has more elaborate food portion sizes. It established a recommendation index for guiding food selection and used energy, water content, and protein as the exchange basis to balance the supply of energy and important nutrients throughout pregnancy. Furthermore, dietitians used the NFES-CPW and traditional food exchange system to generate new recipes based on the sample recipe. There were 40 derived recipes for each of the two food exchange methods. The food consumption, energy, and key nutrients of each recipe were calculated, and the differences between the two food exchange systems were compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum test or the Chi-square test. RESULTS: The results revealed that compared to those derived from traditional food exchange system, the NFES-CPW derived recipes had a better dietary structure, as evidenced by the intakes of whole-grain cereals, beans excluding soybeans, potatoes, fruits, fish, shrimp and shellfish, as well as eggs (P < 0.05), which were more conducive to reaching the recommended range of balanced dietary pagoda. After calculating energy and nutrients, although these two food exchange systems have similar effects on the dietary energy and macronutrient intake of pregnant women, the intake of micronutrients in NFES-CPW derived recipes was significantly higher than that from the traditional food exchange system, which was more conducive to meeting the dietary requirements of pregnant women. The outstanding improvement are primarily vitamin A, vitamin B2, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and iodine (P < 0.05). Moreover, when compared to recipes obtained from the traditional food exchange system, the error ranges of energy and most nutrients were significantly reduced after employing the NFES-CPW. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, NFES-CPW is an appropriate tool that adheres to Chinese dietary characteristics and can provide suitable dietary guidance to pregnant women.

Dietary Intake of Chinese Lactating Women Is Associated with the Fatty Acid Profile of Their Milk.

INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to explore the relationship between the dietary intake and the human milk (HM) fatty acid (FA) profile of Chinese lactating women. METHODS: HM samples and food records were obtained from 122 Chinese women over 5 visits between 0 and 51 days postpartum. Adjusted multiple regression was performed to explore associations between maternal dietary intakes of energy, macronutrients, FAs and foods, and the HM FA profile. Analyses were performed separately for colostrum and mature milk. RESULTS: Dietary intakes of total polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid were positively associated with the HM contents of PUFAs, omega-6 (n-6) PUFAs, and linoleic acid (LA), and the intakes of n-3 PUFAs and α-linolenic acid (ALA) were negatively associated with saturated FA levels in HM. Associations were stronger for mature milk. Intakes of milk/dairy, meat/poultry, and eggs were negatively associated with n-6 PUFAs, LA, and EPA in mature milk, whereas the opposite was seen for fish/shrimp. Positive associations were also found between fish/shrimp and total and n-3 PUFAs in mature milk. CONCLUSION: The HM FA profile of Chinese women is associated with their diet, and in particular with their FA intake. Tailored nutritional advice based on HM FA composition may optimize HM FA profile and thereby contribute to healthy infant development.

[Water intake and its influence factors among pregnant and lactating women in some areas of China in 2020].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the water intake and its influence factors of pregnant and lactating women. METHODS: From May to August 2020, a convenience sampling method was used to investigate questionnaires in the obstetrics and pediatric care departments of maternal and Child Health Hospitals in Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong and Jiangsu Provinces(Cities) among pregnant and lactating women who received prenatal health care and postpartum follow-up. The questionnaire included general conditions, physical activity and water-related surveys. The data was exported from the Questionnaire Star System and analyzed by Wilcoxon rank sum test and multiple linear regression for different types of daily fluid intake. RESULTS: The median daily water intake of pregnant and lactating women was 1321 mL and 1271 mL, respectively, meanwhile, plain water was the most highest(both 1000 mL), followed by milk and milk products(179 mL and 86 mL), other beverages(29 mL and 86 mL). The one-way analysis showed that daily water intake of pregnant women was increased with increasing gestation, literacy, and household disposable income, and the difference were statistically significant(P<0.05) across gestation, literacy, physical activity intensity, and household disposable income groups, as well as significant differences in lactating women(P<0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that pregnancy was the most influential factor for daily water intake, plain water and liquid milk and yogurt intake among pregnant women, while household disposable income was the most influential factor for other beverages. For lactating women, household disposable income was the most influential factor for daily water intake, liquid milk and yogurt and other beverages, and literacy was the most influential factor for daily intake of plain water. CONCLUSION: Pregnant and lactating women had insufficient water intake, so it is necessary to consider different pregnancy status, family income and literacy for drinking water health education and improve drinking behavior.

Reproducibility and relative validity of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire for the Chinese lactating mothers.

BACKGROUND: The dietary nutritional status of the lactating mothers is related to maternal health and has a significant impact on the growth and development of infants through the secretion of breast milk. The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is the most cost-effective dietary assessment method that can help obtain information on the usual dietary pattern of participants. Until now, the FFQs have been used for different populations in China, but there are few FFQs available for the lactating mothers. We aimed to develop a semi-quantitative, 156-item FFQ for the Chinese lactating mothers, and evaluate its reproducibility and relative validity. METHODS: A total of 112 lactating mothers completed two FFQs and one 3-d dietary record (3DR). The first FFQ (FFQ1) was conducted during postpartum at 60-65 days and the second FFQ (FFQ2) during subsequent follow-up at 5 weeks. The 3DR was completed with portion sizes assessed using photographs taken by the respondent before and after eating (instant photography) 1 week after FFQ1. RESULTS: For reproducibility, the Spearman's correlation coefficients for food ranged from 0.34 to 0.68, and for nutrients from 0.25 to 0.61. Meanwhile, the intra-class correlation coefficients for food ranged from 0.48 to 0.87, and for nutrients from 0.27 to 0.70. For relative validity, the Spearman's correlation coefficients for food ranged from 0.32 to 0.56, and for nutrients from 0.23 to 0.72. The energy-adjusted coefficients for food ranged from 0.26 to 0.55, and for nutrients from 0.22 to 0.47. Moreover, the de-attenuation coefficients for food ranged from 0.34 to 0.67, and for nutrients from 0.28 to 0.77. The Bland-Altman plots also showed reasonably acceptable agreement between the two methods. CONCLUSIONS: This FFQ is a reasonably reproducible and a relative valid tool for assessing dietary intake of the Chinese lactating mothers.

Optimal gestational weight gain in Chinese pregnant women by Chinese-specific BMI categories: a multicentre prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To establish optimal gestational weight gain (GWG) in Chinese pregnant women by Chinese-specific BMI categories and compare the new recommendations with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) 2009 guidelines. DESIGN: Multicentre, prospective cohort study. Unconditional logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the OR, 95 % CI and the predicted probabilities of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The optimal GWG range was defined as the range that did not exceed a 1 % increase from the lowest predicted probability in each pre-pregnancy BMI group. SETTING: From nine cities in mainland China. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 3731 women with singleton pregnancy were recruited from April 2013 to December 2014. RESULTS: The optimal GWG (ranges) by Chinese-specific BMI was 15·0 (12·8-17·1), 14·2 (12·1-16·4) and 12·6 (10·4-14·9) kg for underweight, normal weight and overweight pregnant women, respectively. Inappropriate GWG was associated with several adverse pregnancy outcomes. Compared with women gaining weight within our proposed recommendations, women with excessive GWG had higher risk for macrosomia, large for gestational age and caesarean section, whereas those with inadequate GWG had higher risk for low birth weight, small for gestational age and preterm delivery. The comparison between our proposed recommendations and IOM 2009 guidelines showed that our recommendations were comparable with the IOM 2009 guidelines and could well predict the risk of several adverse pregnancy outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Inappropriate GWG was associated with higher risk of several adverse pregnancy outcomes. Optimal GWG recommendations proposed in the present study could be applied to Chinese pregnant women.

Development and validation of a photographic atlas of food portions for accurate quantification of dietary intakes in China.

BACKGROUND: Accurate estimation of food portion sizes remains an important challenge in dietary data collection. The present study aimed to develop a food atlas with adequate visual reference to improve the accuracy of dietary surveys in China. METHODS: A food atlas for dietary surveys in China was developed using three visual reference systems, namely, regularly placed food portions, the two-dimensional background coordinates and common objects known in daily life. The atlas was validated by estimating a meal before and after using the food atlas, and differences in weight estimation were compared using a paired t-test. In total, 50 college students participated in the study. RESULTS: After determination of food varieties; design of the food display; purchase, processing, cooking and weighing of food; photographing food; post-image processing and data processing, a total of 799 pictures of 303 types of food and two types of tableware were produced. The mean value of food weight estimated with the atlas was closer to the actual weight, and the variation range of these values was smaller and more stable than that estimated without the atlas. The differences estimated before and after using the atlas for all foods were significant (P < 0.05). Comparing the differences in weight before using the atlas, the error ranges of food samples were reduced. CONCLUSIONS: A food atlas has been developed for a retrospective dietary survey in China, which can be used to enable a better understanding of nutritional adequacy in the Chinese population.

Dietary intake in lactating mothers in China 2018: report of a survey.

BACKGROUND: The nutritional status of lactating mothers (LMs) is related to their own health and significantly impacts the secretion of breast-milk, and subsequently the growth and development of infants. Due to the influence of regional economy, traditional habits, and lack of nutrition knowledge, the problem of poor dietary nutrition among Chinese LMs is prominent. We aimed to evaluate and compare the dietary and nutrient intakes in LMs from urban and rural areas in China to provide baseline data for the implementation of relevant health guidance and strategies. METHODS: A multi-stage sampling method was used to recruit urban and rural LMs from 13 provinces and municipalities in China. An online dietary record using food photographs was employed to keep track of what the LMs had eaten in 2 days in the form of face-to-face interview. A total of 954 participants were included in the final analysis. Data expressed as quartiles P50 (P25; P75) were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test (level of significance: p < 0.05). RESULTS: The consumption of staple food was higher in the rural (283.37 g/d) than in the urban areas (263.21 g/d). The consumption of vegetables, fruits, fish, shrimp, and shellfish, milk and dairy products was lower than the recommended amounts in both areas, and the insufficient intake of these food types was more serious in rural areas. While the energy intake of 83.8% of all LMs was lower than the estimated energy reference, it was comparable in the urban and rural areas. The intake of macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fats) in rural areas was lower than in urban areas. The intake of some vitamins (VA, VB1, VB2, VB9 and VC) and minerals (calcium, magnesium, iodine and copper) was not ideal for LMs in both rural and urban areas. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the dietary intake in LMs was lower than the recommended levels. Many essential nutrients failed to meet the recommended doses, both in the urban and rural areas. The deficiencies in micronutrients were more prevalent in rural compared to urban areas. Educating LMs about women's health and appropriate dietary intake is, therefore, essential.

The dietary intake of two groups of lactating women in Shanghai during the puerperium.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Lactation is a time of increased nutritional requirements for mothers, and inadequate nutrient intake may have a detrimental effect on a woman's nutritional status. To investigate the dietary intake of two groups of women in Shanghai during the traditional confinement period. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Two groups of women (1) a community dwelling sample (n=92); (2) residents in a Maternity Care Centre (MCC) (n=30), kept a prospective dietary record which was complemented by photographing. This data collection was done on a single day on three occasions in the community group, and for three days on five occasions in the MCC one. The mean nutrient intakes of the two groups were compared at common time points to dietary reference intakes, and the food intake was compared to dietary guidelines. RESULTS: Over half of this population had high body mass indices (BMIs) which reported that an excessive proportion of calories had come from fat intake. The mean intakes of sodium were higher than the recommended. Fruit, vegetable, bean, tuber, and milk intakes were lower than the recommendations. Over 70% of the women failed to meet the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for calcium. A notable proportion of all women failed to meet the EAR for vitamin C, thiamin, and riboflavin. Dietary fiber intakes were low, with a group mean intake value less than half the Adequate Intake (AI). CONCLUSIONS: This study on dietary intakes indicates nutritional intake issues may exist among lactating women in Shanghai, particularly in community-dwelling women.

[Dietary status of lactating women from five cities of China in 2015-2016].

OBJECTIVE: To learn the dietary and nutrients intake of lactating women in five cities in China. METHODS: From April 2015 to April 2016, about 579 lactating women whose infants aged 1-24 months from five cities of Nanjing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Qiqihar, and Zhengzhou were recruited based on the principle of random sampling in maternity and child health care hospitals. We collected the characteristics of baseline information and 3 d dietary assessment with instant photography. RESULTS: For all the lactating women of these cities, the intakes of tubers[0(0-13. 3)]g, vegetables[251. 8(152. 6-362. 5)]g, soybeans[4. 8(0-16. 3)]g and dairy products [85. 7(0-250. 0)]g were far below the intakes recommended by dietary guidelines for Chinese residents. The components of lactating women's diet were different among cities except tubers(χ~2=4. 61, P=0. 33) and fruits(χ~2=5. 69, P=0. 22), and the difference was statistically significant(P<0. 05). The proportion of energy provided in carbohydrate and fat was 47. 7% and 34. 2%, respectively. Among the 5 cities, only energy contribution ratio of Nanjing and Zhengzhou were up to 50%, which met the acceptable macronutrient distribution range(AMDR) of carbohydrate. According the dietary reference intakes(DRIs), the energy intake(2031. 7±513. 3) kcal was slightly lower than estimated energy requirement(EER). The deficiency of VA[523. 9(333. 8-832. 7)] µgRAE, VC[91. 9(61. 3-141. 3)] mg and calcium[536. 3(372. 0-765. 7)]mg was obvious. Although the amount of dietary iron intake was closed to the recommended level, the heme iron intake only accounted 16. 5%. CONCLUSION: The major problems of these lactating women are imbalanced diet and insufficient intakes of some nutrients among different cities.

[Consumption and constitutional parameters of indefinite-configuration foods among urban residents in Shandong and Jiangsu Provinces].

OBJECTIVE: To explore consumption situation and composition parameter distribution of indefinite-configuration foods in diets of some urban adult Chinese residents, and establish the parameters databases. METHODS: A total of 1620 adult urban residents were sampled randomly by a multi-stage sampling method from four cities in Jiangsu and Shandong Provinces, and were investigated with a self-made Food Frequency Questionnaire. The moisture content status of indefinite-configuration foods from the market were analysed with the method of China national standards GB 5009. 3-2010, then raw material composition of indefinite-configuration foods was calculated according to their moisture content. Kinds of food samples were simulated and took visual foods pictures in lab. RESULTS: Consumption rate of indefinite-configuration foods was higher in the last month. When eating outside, consumption rate of buns and soya-bean milk foods in whole diet were as high as 55. 6% and 40. 4%. When eating at home, consumptionratio of porridge and soup was more than 50%. Daily intake of rice porridge, soya-bean milk reached as high as 30. 2% and 22. 2%. 100 g samples of the rice gruel contained rice 9. 2 g, 100 g soya-bean milk contained soybean 8. 2 g, 100 g pork buns contained wheat flour 42. 3 g and minced cooked meat 20. 7 g by laboratory analysis. CONCLUSION: Indefinite-configuration foods make up a large proportion of the whole diet, so it 's necessary to research the stationary raw material component parameters of the food and establish the parameters database for the dietary evaluator and nutrition instructor.

[Effects of high-sucrose/high-fat diet feeding time on establishment of a mouse model of gestational diabetes mellitus].

OBJECTIVE: The present study focuses on the effects of different highsucrose/high-fat diet feeding time on body weight, glucose and lipid metabolism parameters and pathological changes of pancreas and liver in pregnant mice. METHODS: Female C57 BL/6 J mice were divided into three groups randomly: normal control group( C) and two different high-sucrose/high-fat diet feeding time groups( H1 and H2). Body weight, food and energy intakes and blood glucose were measured at multiple time points before and during pregnancy. At the 17 thday of pregnancy, the mice were killed after blood collection. The parameters about glucose and lipid metabolism and serum insulin level were studied. Meanwhile, pancreas and liver tissues were collected for pathological examination. RESULTS: The body weight of group H1 and group H2 were respectivelyhigher than that of group C at multiple time points before pregnancy. With the increase of high-sucrose/high-fat diet feeding time, the tendency of body weight during pregnancy was showed as: group H2 > group H1 > group C. At the 10 thday of pregnancy, the tendency of blood glucose level was showed as: group H2 > group H1 > group C. At the 17 thday of pregnancy, there was no significant difference in blood glucose and insulin levels among the three groups. However, with the increase of high-sucrose/high-fat diet feeding time, the score of ß-cell function had a decreasing trend. Furthermore, the LDL-C level in group H1 and group H2 was significantly higher than that in group C respectively. Histopathological observations showed that the morphological structures of pancreas and liver in group C were normal. However, hypertrophy of pancreatic islets and fatty deposition of liver were existed in the other two groups, and the pathological changes in group H2 were more serious than those in group H1. CONCLUSION: By controlling the feeding time of high-sucrose/high-fat diet, the progressive development of gestational diabetes mellitus in C57 BL/6 J mice could be observed roughly.

[Validation of an online dietary assessment tool].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the validity of eat-right assistant( ERA) as an online dietary assessment tool. METHODS: Women employees in child-bearing age in a company in Shanghai and pregnant women who received regular antenatal care, lactating women whose children had physical examination in a village hospital in Suzhou were recruited into this study. They recorded their food and drink intakes on the ERA and completed 24-hour dietary recalls for three days consecutively. The energy, nutrient and food group intakes of the two methods were calculated for further comparisons. RESULTS: A total of ninety participants completed the study. Except for fruit intake, no significant differences were found between the two methods for mean intakes of energy and nutrients as well as other food intakes. Correlation coefficients ranged from 0. 61- 0. 93( mean0. 75). Bland-Altman plots showed agreement between the two methods. CONCLUSION: ERA is a relatively reliable tool for dietary assessment and is potential to be applied in target population.

[Evaluation study on a new method of dietary assessment with instant photography applied in urban pregnant women in Nanjing city].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usefulness and efficiency of a novel dietary method among urban pregnant women. METHODS: Sixty one pregnant women were recruited from the ward and provided with a meal accurately weighed before cooking. The meal was photographed from three different angles before and after eating. The subjects were also interviewed for 24 h dietary recall by the investigators. Food weighting, image quantification and 24 h dietary recall were conducted by investigators from three different groups, and the messages were isolated from each other. Food consumption was analyzed on bases of classification and total summation. Nutrient intake from the meal was calculated for each subject. The data obtained from the dietary recall and the image quantification were compared with the actual values. Correlation and regression analyses were carried out on values between weight method and image quantification as well as dietary recall. RESULTS: Total twenty three kinds of food including rice, vegetables, fish, meats and soy bean curd were included in the experimental meal for the study. Compared with data from 24 h dietary recall (r = 0.413, P < 0.05), food weight estimated by image quantification (r = 0.778, P < 0.05, n = 308) were more correlated with weighed data, and show more concentrated linear distribution. Absolute difference distribution between image quantification and weight method of all food was 77.23 ± 56.02 (P < 0.05, n = 61), which was much small than the difference (172.77 ± 115.18) between 24 h recall and weight method. Values of almost all nutrients, including energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron and zine calculated based on food weight from image quantification were more close to those of weighed data compared with 24 h dietary recall (P < 0.01). The results found by the Bland Altman analysis showed that the majority of the measurements for nutrient intake, were scattered along the mean difference line and close to the equality line (difference = 0). The plots show fairly good agreement between estimated and actual food consumption. It indicate that the differences (including the outliers) were random and did not exhibit any systematic bias, being consistent over different levels of mean food amount. On the other hand, the questionnaire showed that fifty six pregnant women considered the image quantification was less time-consuming and burdened than 24 h recall. Fifty eight of them would like to use image quantification to know their dietary status. CONCLUSION: The novel method which called instant photography (image quantification) for dietary assessment is more effective than conventional 24 h dietary recall and it also can obtain food intake values close to weighed data.

[Design and Fabrication of a Device for Intraperitoneal Treatment of Pediatric Hernia].

For treatment of pediatric inguinal hernia, we fabricated a device, i.e. so called "filling type pediatric hernia sac", which treats the problem from the abdominal cavity, through the abdominal and is a self-adaptive closer, using synthetic material. The device includes filling rack, self-adaptive umbrella support bar, bottom piece, outside pulling line and device fixing lines. The filling rack is composed of 2 concentric circles of 3.0 cm diameter with peripherally fixed together and can be pulled into the shapes of a ball or an olive. The supporting bar is structured of 3 pieces with 0.5 cm wide, 4.0 cm long, cross-fixed on top of the filling rack. The bottom piece is in a circular structure with a diameter of 3.0 cm, and it is connected to the filling rack bottom. Adjust positioning stay outside the fixed on the top of the device are connected at one end, and the other end free through filling the top frame connected with the bottom slice of central fixation. By using this device, we treated 37 pediatric inguinal hernia cases with 38 side-inguinal hernia successfully. The mean duration of post-operation follow-ups was 14.6 ± 5.89 months, without hernia recurrence, obvious scar and hard sections of inguinal region. This device could provide a convenient, safe and effective plugging technology for children's pediatric hernia.

International experiences in assessing vitamin A status and applying the vitamin A-labeled isotope dilution method.

Inadequate vitamin A (VA) nutrition continues to be a major problem worldwide, and many interventions being implemented to improve VA status in various populations need to be evaluated. The interpretation of results after an intervention depends greatly on the method selected to assess VA status. To evaluate the effect of an intervention on VA status, researchers in Cameroon, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Senegal and Zambia have used serum retinol as an indicator, and have not always found improvement in response to supplementation. One problem is that homeostatic control of serum retinol may mask positive effects of treatment in that changes in concentration are observed only when status is either moderately to severely depleted or excessive. Because VA is stored mainly in the liver, measurements of hepatic VA stores are the “gold standard” for assessing VA status. Dose response tests such as the relative dose response (RDR) and the modified relative dose response (MRDR), allow a qualitative assessment of VA liver stores. On the other hand, the use of the vitamin A-labeled isotope dilution (VALID) technique, (using 13C or 2H-labeled retinyl acetate) serves as an indirect method to quantitatively estimate total body and liver VA stores. Countries including Cameroon, China, Ghana, Mexico, Thailand and Zambia are now applying the VALID method to sensitively assess changes in VA status during interventions, or to estimate a population’s dietary requirement for VA. Transition to the use of more sensitive biochemical indicators of VA status such as the VALID technique is needed to effectively assess interventions in populations where mild to moderate VA deficiency is more prevalent than severe deficiency.

[Analysis of dietary iron intakes of pregnant and lactating women based on food composition databases from China and US].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the difference between estimations on dietary iron intake based on the China and US food composition databases. METHODS: Total 368 records of 24-h dietary recall on mid-term pregnant women and lactating rural women were analyzed for their iron intakes with the China Food Composition Table 2002 and the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference release 25, respectively. The values of dietary iron intake derived from two composition databases were compared statistically. RESULTS: The dietary iron intakes of total 368 dietary records estimated with China and US databases were (24.37 +/- 9.66) mg and (16.20 +/- 9.13) mg respectively (with paired t test, t = 20.081, P < 0.01, correlation coefficient r = 0.657, P < 0.01), with average ratio of 1.69 +/- 0.55 between China and US values. In terms of food classification, the most significant differences were with dairy products, fishes, fruits, meats and cereals, with ratios of (10.66 +/- 2.24), (5.10 +/- 5.51), (3.01 +/- 2.26), (3.01 +/- 7.85) and (2.33 +/- 0.77), respectively. Only iron intake values from tuberous crops and soy products had inverse ratio as (0.83 +/- 0.50) and (0.75 +/- 0.53). CONCLUSION: The averaged dietary iron intake value for total records was very close to the reported national levels when estimated with the China Food Composition Table 2002, but much decreased when estimated with US food composition database with values as only approximately 66% of reported levels.

[Effects of daily consumption of milk powder on menstrual cycles and urine sex hormone concentrations of young women].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of daily consumption of milk powder on Healthy young women, including the effect on menstrual cycles, ovulation time and sex hormone concentrations in morning urine. METHOD: Thirty-two young women were recruited as subjects and randomly assigned into two groups for a milk powder consumption experiment which lasted three menstrual cycles. The first menstrual cycle is control cycle, the second menstrual cycle is milk-taking cycle. The subjects take milk diluted by 33g or 55g milk powder each day, from the 4th to the 24th day of the second menstrual cycle. The third menstrual cycles is control cycle after milk-taking. During the whole three menstrual cycle, record the length of each menstrual cycle, determine ovulation time by using basal body temperature and oviposit test paper, collect their morning urine samples at specified times (the 4th, 7th, 10th, 13rd, 16th, 19th and 24th day of first and the third menstrual cycle; the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 12nd, 15th, 18th, 21st and 24th day of the second menstrual cycle), determine the concentrations of estradiol, pregnanediol and creatinine in morning urine samples; draw the curve of the concentration changing over time and calculate the area under the curve to the 24th day. RESULT: In the high-dose group, the mean of the menstrual cycle length are (29.60 ±3.180) d, (28.87 ± 3.021) d, (29.60 ± 2.995) d, the mean of the ovulation time are (15.47 ± 2.200) d. There was no significant difference in menstrual cycle length and ovulation time among cycles and between groups (P>0.05). Calculate the difference between the first and the second menstrual cycle, and the difference between the two groups. In the high-dose group, the area under the curve of estradiol concentrations adjusted by creatinine are (7160.28 ±2305.52), (6700.26 ±2066.67); (6676.24 ±2573.89); the area under the curve of pregnanediol concentrations corrected by creatinine are (51.93 ±18.80), (44.55 ±14.62) and (46.49 ±22.44). In the low-dose group, the area under the curve of estradiol concentrations adjusted by creatinine are (6838.21 ±2573.89), (6611.33 ±1648.21) and (5949.24 ±1437.54)/ The area under the curve of pregnanediol concentrations adjusted by creatinine are (49.25 ±15.68), (48.79 ±15.61) and (43.45 ±12.77). There's no significant difference of the area under the curve among three menstrual cycles and between two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: 21 days' continuous daily consumption of milk powder does not have a significant impact on menstrual cycle, or on the estradiol/pregnanediol concentrations in morning urine.

The Effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence in Assisting Mothers with Assessing Infant Stool Consistency in a Breastfeeding Cohort Study in China.

Breastfeeding is widely recognized as the gold standard for infant nutrition, benefitting infants' gastrointestinal tracts. Stool analysis helps in understanding pediatric gastrointestinal health, but the effectiveness of automated fecal consistency evaluation by parents of breastfeeding infants has not been investigated. Photographs of one-month-old infants' feces on diapers were taken via a smartphone app and independently categorized by Artificial Intelligence (AI), parents, and researchers. The accuracy of the evaluations of the AI and the parents was assessed and compared. The factors contributing to assessment bias and app user characteristics were also explored. A total of 98 mother-infant pairs contributed 905 fecal images, 94.0% of which were identified as loose feces. AI and standard scores agreed in 95.8% of cases, demonstrating good agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.782, Kendall's coefficient of concordance W (Kendall's W) = 0.840, Kendall's tau = 0.690), whereas only 66.9% of parental scores agreed with standard scores, demonstrating low agreement (ICC = 0.070, Kendall's W = 0.523, Kendall's tau = 0.058). The more often a mother had one or more of the following characteristics, unemployment, education level of junior college or below, cesarean section, and risk for postpartum depression (PPD), the more her appraisal tended to be inaccurate (p < 0.05). Each point increase in the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score increased the deviation by 0.023 points (p < 0.05), which was significant only in employed or cesarean section mothers (p < 0.05). An AI-based stool evaluation service has the potential to assist mothers in assessing infant stool consistency by providing an accurate, automated, and objective assessment, thereby helping to monitor and ensure the well-being of infants.

The phosphokinase activity of IRE1ɑ prevents the oxidative stress injury through miR-25/Nox4 pathway after ICH.

BACKGROUND: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and oxidative stress are the major pathologies encountered after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Inositol-requiring enzyme-1 alpha (IRE1α) is the most evolutionarily conserved ER stress sensor, which plays a role in monitoring and responding to the accumulation of unfolded/misfolded proteins in the ER lumen. Recent studies have shown that ER stress is profoundly related to oxidative stress in physiological or pathological conditions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of IRE1α in oxidative stress and the potential mechanism. METHODS: A mouse model of ICH was established by autologous blood injection. The IRE1α phosphokinase inhibitor KIRA6 was administrated intranasally at 1 h after ICH, antagomiR-25 and agomiR-25 were injected intraventricularly at 24 h before ICH. Western blot analysis, RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence staining, hematoma volume, neurobehavioral tests, dihydroethidium (DHE) staining, H2O2 content, brain water content, body weight, Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) staining, Nissl staining, Morris Water Maze (MWM) and Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) were performed. RESULTS: Endogenous phosphorylated IRE1α (p-IRE1α), miR-25-3p, and Nox4 were increased in the ICH model. Administration of KIRA6 downregulated miR-25-3p expression, upregulated Nox4 expression, promoted the level of oxidative stress, increased hematoma volume, exacerbated brain edema and neurological deficits, reduced body weight, aggravated spatial learning and memory deficits, and increased anxiety levels. Then antagomiR-25 further upregulated the expression of Nox4, promoted the level of oxidative stress, increased hematoma volume, exacerbated brain edema and neurological deficits, whereas agomiR-25 reversed the effects promoted by KIRA6. CONCLUSION: The IRE1α phosphokinase activity is involved in the oxidative stress response through miR-25/Nox4 pathway in the mouse ICH brain.