Raspberry polysaccharides attenuate hepatic inflammation and oxidative stress in diet-induced obese mice by enhancing butyrate-mediated intestinal barrier function.

Obesity and associated liver diseases are becoming global public health challenges. Raspberry (Rubus chingii Hu.), as a medicine food homology plant, possesses a series of health-promoting properties, but its protective effect on obesity-related liver injury and the potential mechanisms remain obscure. Herein high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice were orally treated with raspberry polysaccharides (RCP) for 14 weeks. Treatment with RCP alleviated obesity and associated symptoms including hyperglycemia, hyperlipemia, endotoxemia, as well as hepatic inflammation and oxidant stress in HFD-induced obese mice. RCP restructured the gut microbiota and host metabolism especially by increasing the levels of Dubosiella and its metabolite butyrate. Besides, exogenous butyrate supplementation protected against intestinal barrier disruption, and thereby reduced inflow of lipopolysaccharide and mitigated inflammation and oxidative injury in the liver of obese mice. Therefore, we suggest that RCP can be utilized as a novel prebiotics to improve obesity-induced hepatic oxidative injury by enhancing butyrate-mediated intestinal barrier function.

Clinical efficacy and influencing factors of mild therapeutic hypothermia for influenza-associated encephalopathy/encephalitis in children with different center temperatures / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective To investigate the clinical outcomes and influencing factors of mild therapeutic hypothermia for influenza-associated encephalopathy/encephalitis (IAE) in children with different center temperatures, and to provide ideas and references for new mild therapeutic hypothermia scheme. Methods　A total of 115 hospitalized children with IAE who were scheduled to receive mild therapeutic hypothermia in Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University from January 2019 to February 2022 were collected as subjects. They were randomly divided into two groups, namely, the 33 ℃ group (n=60) and the 35 ℃ group (n=55). The clinical features and clinical outcomes of the two groups were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed for 6-month to investigate the factors affecting neurological disability. Results　The baseline indicators after treatment, such as Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, cerebrospinal fluid total protein (CSF-TP), CSF lactate dehydrogenase (CSF-LDH), lymphocyte (Lym), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), LDH, and neuron-specific enolase (NSE), revealed no significant differences between the two groups before treatment or after treatment (P>0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups after treatment in the clinical outcomes including GCS score D-value, time of hospitalization, 6-month neurological disability rate and mRS score, CSF-TP D-value, CSF-LDH D-value, Lym D-value, CK-MB D-value, LDH D-value, NSE D-value, improvement rate of EEG and MRI (P>0.05). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses [OR=1.185, 95%CI (1.026~1.369), P=0.021] indicated that the delay of the onset of mild therapeutic hypothermia treatment was an independent risk factor for neurological disability in children with IAE after mild therapeutic hypothermia treatment of 6 months. Conclusion　There was no significant difference in the clinical outcomes between 33 ℃ and 35 ℃ mild therapeutic hypothermia for children with IAE. Therefore, mild therapeutic hypothermia for children with IAE may not require a strict requirement. Timely receipt of mild therapeutic hypothermia is a key measrue to reduce the risk of neurological disability in children with IAE.