Comparison of the effects of different infant formulas on the growth and development and intestinal flora of infants.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of different infant formulas on the growth and development, sleep, allergy symptoms, and intestinal flora of infants. A total of 428 infants participated in the study. Breastfeeding (BF) was used as the control, and the remaining subjects were randomly assigned to the full goat milk protein formula group (FGM), partial goat milk protein formula group (PGM), and cow milk formula group (M). During the 6-month feeding experiment, data on the growth, sleep, allergy symptoms, and intestinal flora of infants were collected using questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, and biochemical examinations. In general, the basic information of the participants was consistent among the groups. There were no differences in infant weight, length, or head circumference among the groups (p > .05). The sleep time of infants in the formula-fed groups was longer than that of the breastfeeding group at baseline (p < .05), but there were no differences at mid-term or outcome (p > .05). The incidence of allergic symptoms continued to decrease, and the total scores of allergic symptoms did not differ among the groups (p > .05). The relative abundance of intestinal Bifidobacteriaceae in the PGM group was lower than that in the other groups (p < .05). There was no difference in the ß-diversity of intestinal flora between formula-fed and breastfed infants (p > .05). There were strong correlations in the composition of the main intestinal flora at the family level between the formula and breastfeeding groups. This study showed that within 6 months of feeding, there were no significant differences in the growth and development, allergic symptoms, or intestinal flora of the infants among the groups.

Hypoglycemic Effects and Mechanisms of Buckwheat-Oat-Pea Composite Flour in Diabetic Rats.

Nutritional intervention is a basic way to prevent and treat diabetes mellitus. Appropriate whole grain intake daily is recommended. The study aimed to explore the feasibility of a kind of buckwheat-oat-pea composite flour (BOP, quality ratio of buckwheat:oats:peas = 6:1:1) as a stable food substitution and its underlying mechanisms. High-fat food (HFD) and streptozotocin injection were used to induce diabetes in rats, and buckwheat, oats, and three different doses of BOP were added to the HFD separately for diet intervention. The whole study lasted for 10 weeks, and the glucose tolerance test, lipids, liver injury, and gut microbiota were evaluated in the last week. The diabetic rat model was successfully induced. The BOP significantly changed the glucose and lipids metabolism, decreased liver injury, and changed the composition of the gut microbiota of diabetic rats. The outcomes of the current study revealed that BOP is a potential stable food substitution.

Sugar Content of Market Beverages and Children's Sugar Intake from Beverages in Beijing, China.

(1) Background: This study aims to find the sugar content of market beverages and estimate the sugar intake from beverages among students in Beijing. (2) Methods: Using snapshotting, we collected the sugar content of beverages through their packages or nutrition labels. Combined with the statistic of student beverage consumption, we estimated students' sugar intake. (3) Results: The median sugar content of total beverages was 9.0 g/100 mL, among which the fruits/vegetable juices and beverages had the highest sugar content (10.0 g/100 mL). Sugar content in most beverages in Beijing was generally higher than the recommendations, and fruit/vegetable juices and beverages exceeded the most. The median of sugar intake from beverages among students was 5.3 g/d, and the main sources were fruit/vegetable juices and beverages, protein beverages and carbonated beverages. Sugar intake from beverages differed according to gender, age and living area. Higher sugar intake was found among boys, older students and rural students. (4) Conclusions: Sugar content in market beverages in Beijing were high. Gender, age and residence were the influencing factors of sugar intake. Targeted measures should be taken to decrease the sugar content in beverages, especially the fruit/vegetable juices and beverages and the sugar intake among students.

Effects of transgenic Bacillus Thuringiensis maize (2A-7) on the growth and development in rats.

This study aimed to determine the effects of genetically modified insect-resistant maize (2A-7) on the growth and development in developing rats. Rats were fed a diet formulated with 2A-7 maize and were compared with rats fed a diet formulated with non-transgenic maize (CK group) and rats fed AIN-93G diet (BC group). 2A-7 maize was formulated into diets at ratios of 82.4% (H group) and 20.6% (L group); non-transgenic maize was formulated into diets at a ratio of 82.4%. From the first day of pregnancy, adult rats were divided into four groups and fed with the above four diets, respectively. Weaning on postnatal day 21, the diets of offspring were consistent with their parents. The results showed that body weight, hematology, serum biochemistry, organ weight, organ coefficients and allergenicity of offspring fed with 2A-7 maize were comparable with those in the CK and BC groups. In physiological and behavioral development experiments, there was no statistically significant difference among groups. Although mCry1Ab proteins were detected in organs and serum, no histopathological changes were observed among groups. In conclusion, A-7 maize cause no treatment-related adverse effects on offspring, indicating that 2A-7 maize is safe for developing rats.

Polymeric antibacterial materials: design, platforms and applications.

Over the past decades, the morbidity and mortality caused by pathogen invasion remain stubbornly high even though medical care has increasingly improved worldwide. Besides, impacted by the ever-growing multidrug-resistant bacterial strains, the crisis owing to the abuse and misuse of antibiotics has been further exacerbated. Among the wide range of antibacterial strategies, polymeric antibacterial materials with diversified synthetic strategies exhibit unique advantages (e.g., their flexible structural design, processability and recyclability, tuneable platform construction, and safety) for extensive antibacterial fields as compared to low molecular weight organic or inorganic antibacterial materials. In this review, polymeric antibacterial materials are summarized in terms of four structure styles and the most representative material platforms to achieve specific antibacterial applications. The superiority and defects exhibited by various polymeric antibacterial materials are elucidated, and the design of various platforms to elevate their efficacy is also described. Moreover, the application scope of polymeric antibacterial materials is summarized with regard to tissue engineering, personal protection, and environmental security. In the last section, the subsequent challenges and direction of polymeric antibacterial materials are discussed. It is highly expected that this critical review will present an insight into the prospective development of antibacterial functional materials.

As a Staple Food Substitute, Oat and Buckwheat Compound Has Health-Promoting Effects for Diabetic Rats.

Dietary intervention is crucial for the prevention and control of diabetes. China has the largest diabetic population in the world, yet no one dietary strategy matches the eating habits of the Chinese people. To explore an effective and acceptable dietary pattern, this study uses oat and buckwheat compound (OBC) as a staple food substitute and explored its effects on diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats. The model of diabetic rats was established by combining high-calorie feed and streptozotocin (STZ) injection. The dietary intervention for the seven groups, including a normal control group, a model control group, a metformin control group, a wheat flour control group, and three OBC groups with different doses, started from the beginning of the experiment and lasted for 11 weeks, two consecutive injections of STZ in small doses were operated at the 6th week. General states, glucose metabolism, and lipid metabolism indexes were measured. Antioxidant and inflammatory indexes and pathologic changes of kidney and liver tissues were tested. Changes in kidney and ileum ultramicrostructure were detected. What's more, ileal epithelial tight junction proteins and gut microbiota were analyzed. Significant decreases in fasting blood glucose (FBG), glucose tolerance, serum insulin, and insulin resistance were observed in rats intervened with OBC, and these rats also showed a higher level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) together with improved lipid metabolism, attenuated inflammation, and liver and kidney injuries. In addition, in OBC groups, the intestinal barrier was improved, and the disturbance of gut microbiota was reduced. These results suggest that OBC has health-promoting effects for diabetic rats, and since oat and buckwheat are traditionally consumed grains in China, OBC could be a potential and easy-to-accept staple food substitute for the dietary pattern for Chinese.

SIRT7-mediated modulation of glutaminase 1 regulates TGF-ß-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

In the current work we show that the profibrotic actions of TGF-ß are mediated, at least in part, through a metabolic maladaptation in glutamine metabolism and how the inhibition of glutaminase 1 (GLS1) reverses pulmonary fibrosis. GLS1 was found to be highly expressed in fibrotic vs normal lung fibroblasts and the expression of profibrotic targets, cell migration, and soft agar colony formation stimulated by TGF-ß required GLS1 activity. Moreover, knockdown of SMAD2 or SMAD3 as well as inhibition of PI3K, mTORC2, and PDGFR abrogated the induction of GLS1 by TGF-ß. We further demonstrated that the NAD-dependent protein deacetylase, SIRT7, and the FOXO4 transcription factor acted as endogenous brakes for GLS1 expression, which are inhibited by TGF-ß. Lastly, administration of the GLS1 inhibitor CB-839 attenuated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Our study points to an exciting and unexplored connection between epigenetic and transcriptional processes that regulate glutamine metabolism and fibrotic development in a TGF-ß-dependent manner.

Study on the release behaviors of berberine hydrochloride based on sandwich nanostructure and shape memory effect.

Nanofibrous drug delivery systems (DDSs) recently have attracted remarkable interest, especially their potential to program dosage of the encased drug intelligently. Despite this, the exploration of efficient strategy to precisely program drug release from nanofibrous DDS still remains a significant challenge. In this study, we electrospun a near-body temperature (Ttrans ≈ 42 °C) sensitive shape memory polyurethane in three stages through sequential electrospinning technology, and prepared a sort of sandwich structural membrane, comprising of top, inner and bottom layers, wherein a natural antibacterial agent, berberine hydrochloride (BCH), was imbedded inside the middle layer. As demonstrated by the results obtained from tensile testing and morphology characterization, the prepared sandwich structural membrane and the nanofibrous membrane with homogenous structure exhibited not only desirable mechanical properties but also surface morphologies. In addition, the release period can be significantly prolonged in virtue of the sandwich structure. As revealed by the experiment of in vitro drug release, it took nearly 144 h to release 80 wt% BCH from sandwich structural membrane, while as little as 72 h was observed to release the same amount of BCH from that with homogenous structure. More interestingly, the encapsulated BCH is capable to be released in a controlled manner owning to the thermo-sensitive shape memory effect, and the release rate of BCH can be accelerated by stretching and fixing the nanofibrous membranes into certain ratios prior to release. Collectively, this study provides a facile strategy to design and prepare a reliable and smart DDS, i.e. sandwich structural membrane, which may enhance the availability of BCH and also intelligently avoid the bacterial infection.

IPF pathogenesis is dependent upon TGFß induction of IGF-1.

Pathogenic fibrotic diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), have some of the worst prognoses and affect millions of people worldwide. With unclear etiology and minimally effective therapies, two-thirds of IPF patients die within 2-5 years from this progressive interstitial lung disease. Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGFß) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) are known to promote fibrosis; however, myofibroblast specific upregulation of IGF-1 in the initiation and progression of TGFß-induced fibrogenesis and IPF have remained unexplored. To address this, the current study (1) documents the upregulation of IGF-1 via TGFß in myofibroblasts and fibrotic lung tissue, as well as its correlation with decreased pulmonary function in advanced IPF; (2) identifies IGF-1's C1 promoter as mediating the increase in IGF-1 transcription by TGFß in pulmonary fibroblasts; (3) determines that SMAD2 and mTOR signaling are required for TGFß-dependent Igf-1 expression in myofibroblasts; (4) demonstrates IGF-1R activation is essential to support TGFß-driven profibrotic myofibroblast functions and excessive wound healing; and (5) establishes the effectiveness of slowing the progression of murine lung fibrosis with the IGF-1R inhibitor OSI-906. These findings expand our knowledge of IGF-1's role as a novel fibrotic-switch, bringing us one step closer to understanding the complex biological mechanisms responsible for fibrotic diseases and developing effective therapies.

Hexokinase 2 couples glycolysis with the profibrotic actions of TGF-ß.

Metabolic dysregulation in fibroblasts is implicated in the profibrotic actions of transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß). Here, we present evidence that hexokinase 2 (HK2) is important for mediating the fibroproliferative activity of TGF-ß both in vitro and in vivo. Both Smad-dependent and Smad-independent TGF-ß signaling induced HK2 accumulation in murine and human lung fibroblasts through induction of the transcription factor c-Myc. Knockdown of HK2 or pharmacological inhibition of HK2 activity with Lonidamine decreased TGF-ß-stimulated fibrogenic processes, including profibrotic gene expression, cell migration, colony formation, and activation of the transcription factors YAP and TAZ, with no apparent effect on cellular viability. Fibroblasts from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) exhibited an increased abundance of HK2. In a mouse model of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis, Lonidamine reduced the expression of genes encoding profibrotic markers (collagenΙα1, EDA-fibronectin, α smooth muscle actin, and connective tissue growth factor) and stabilized or improved lung function as assessed by measurement of peripheral blood oxygenation. These findings provide evidence of how metabolic dysregulation through HK2 can be integrated within the context of profibrotic TGF-ß signaling.