Kaempferol Improves Exercise Performance by Regulating Glucose Uptake, Mitochondrial Biogenesis, and Protein Synthesis via PI3K/AKT and MAPK Signaling Pathways.

Kaempferol is a natural flavonoid with reported bioactivities found in many fruits, vegetables, and medicinal herbs. However, its effects on exercise performance and muscle metabolism remain inconclusive. The present study investigated kaempferol's effects on improving exercise performance and potential mechanisms in vivo and in vitro. The grip strength, exhaustive running time, and distance of mice were increased in the high-dose kaempferol group (p < 0.01). Also, kaempferol reduced fatigue-related biochemical markers and increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) related to antioxidant capacity. Kaempferol also increased the glycogen and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content in the liver and skeletal muscle, as well as glucose in the blood. In vitro, kaempferol promoted glucose uptake, protein synthesis, and mitochondrial function and decreased oxidative stress in both 2D and 3D C2C12 myotube cultures. Moreover, kaempferol activated the PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathways in the C2C12 cells. It also upregulated the key targets of glucose uptake, mitochondrial function, and protein synthesis. These findings suggest that kaempferol improves exercise performance and alleviates physical fatigue by increasing glucose uptake, mitochondrial biogenesis, and protein synthesis and by decreasing ROS. Kaempferol's molecular mechanism may be related to the regulation of the PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathways.

Identification of Active Components for Sports Supplements: Machine Learning-Driven Classification and Cell-Based Validation.

The identification of active components is critical for the development of sports supplements. However, high-throughput screening of active components remains a challenge. This study sought to construct prediction models to screen active components from herbal medicines via machine learning and validate the screening by using cell-based assays. The six constructed models had an accuracy of >0.88. Twelve randomly selected active components from the screening were tested for their active potency on C2C12 cells, and 11 components induced a significant increase in myotube diameters and protein synthesis. The effect and mechanism of luteolin among the 11 active components as potential sports supplements were then investigated by using immunofluorescence staining and high-content imaging analysis. It showed that luteolin increased the skeletal muscle performance via the activation of PGC-1α and MAPK signaling pathways. Thus, high-throughput prediction models can be effectively used to screen active components as sports supplements.

Dose-response relationships between dairy intake and non-communicable chronic diseases: an NHANES-based cross-sectional study.

The purpose of this study was to explore the possible association between dairy and NCDs and identify possible dairy types that could lower the odds of NCDs. Data were from the 2003-2016 NHANES, a cross-sectional study with 20,297 adults. Multivariable logistic regression analyses and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were conducted. In the highest intake group (>250 g/d, 1 daily serving), yogurt and milk were inversely associated with the odds of general obesity and central obesity [OR (95% CI), general obesity, 0.74 (0.60-0.91) and 0.75 (0.68-0.83); central obesity, 0.70 (0.56-0.87), and 0.77 (0.70-0.86), respectively, p < 0.05]. Higher milk intake is inversely associated with diabetes, and higher cream intake is associated with a lower likelihood of hyperlipidaemia. The intake of yogurt, milk, cheese, and butter was 0-308 g/d (0-1.2 daily servings), 0-887 g/d (0-3.5 daily servings), <75 g/d (1.7 daily servings), and <15 g/d (0.5 daily servings), respectively.

Associations between sexual and reproductive health knowledge, attitude and practice of partners and the occurrence of unintended pregnancy.

Background: Although global contraceptive coverage has increased significantly, high rates of unintended pregnancy remain the current global status quo. A comparative analysis of the differences and correlations of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of both partners will help guide public health work according to gender characteristics and needs, and reduce the occurrence of unintended pregnancy. Methods: A questionnaire survey of people with unintended pregnancies including women and their male partners (n = 1,275 pairs) who sought help from the Shanghai General Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from October 2017 to October 2021. Data were collected on sexual and reproductive health knowledge, attitudes, and practices in both partners who had unintended pregnancies. Chi-square test and Logistic regression were used to analyze the relationship between the occurrence of unintended pregnancy and KAP and its influencing factors. Paired odds ratio and McNemar's test were used to estimate the difference and concordance of KAP between partners. Results: This study included 1,275 partners with a mean age of 30.0 years. The partner's overall level of KAP is good. Compared with women, men had better knowledge (χ2 = 3.93, p = 0.047) and more active contraceptive practices (χ2 = 19.44, p < 0.001). In the analysis of partner concordance, male contraceptive intention was found to be better than female [matched pairs odds ratio (ORMP) = 2.56, p < 0.001], and the concordance of positive contraceptive practice between partners increased with male education [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.556, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.185-2.044, p = 0.001]. In partner-paired regression analysis, compared with good contraceptive knowledge in both men and women in the partner, the risk of negative contraceptive practice was 1.7 times (aOR = 1.721, 95% CI = 1.234-2.400, p = 0.001) higher with good contraceptive knowledge in women but negative in men, while women with poor contraceptive knowledge but men with good knowledge are 1.3 times (aOR = 1.349, 95% CI = 1.000-1.819, p = 0.05) more likely to have negative contraceptive practices. In addition, compared with partners with positive contraceptive attitudes, women with positive attitudes but negative men and women with negative attitudes but positive men had 1.7 and 1.4 times the risk of negative contraceptive practices, respectively. Conclusion: The study found that unintended pregnancy occurs mainly in young people, and the younger age of first sexual intercourse, the low education background and the lack of discussion of contraception between partners are risk factors for not taking contraceptive measures. Men's better knowledge and contraceptive practices compared with female partners, and poor male contraceptive knowledge and attitudes may lead to a higher risk of negative contraceptive practices, the results suggest that male KAP plays an important role in promoting contraceptive use and reducing unintended pregnancy.

Realization of Hollow-Core Photonic-Crystal Fiber Optic Gyro Based on Low-Noise Multi-Frequency Lasers with Intermediate-Frequency Difference.

Mainly focusing on the demand for a novel resonator optic gyro based on a hollow-core photonic-crystal fiber (HC-RFOG), we achieve a multi-frequency lasers generation with low relative phase noise via an acousto-optic modulation of light from a single laser diode. We design a homologous heterodyne digital optical phase-locked loop (HHD-OPLL), based on which we realize the low-noise multi-frequency lasers (LNMFLs) with an intermediate frequency difference. The noise between the lasers with a 20 MHz difference is 0.036 Hz, within the bandwidth of 10 Hz, in a tuning range of 120 kHz, approximately 40 dB lower than that produced without the HHD-OPLL. Finally, based on the LNMFLs, an HC-RFOG is realized and a bias stability of 5.8 °/h is successfully demonstrated.

Yogurt improves insulin resistance and liver fat in obese women with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Because consumption of conventional yogurt has beneficial effects in a healthy population, and insulin resistance (IR) is the mutual pathogenesis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS), we hypothesized that yogurt would ameliorate IR in patients with NAFLD and MetS. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of yogurt on IR and secondary endpoints including liver fat, gut microbiota, and serum biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in obese women with NAFLD and MetS. METHODS: One hundred obese women aged 36-66 y with both NAFLD and MetS were randomly assigned to consume 220 g/d of either conventional yogurt or milk for 24 wk. At baseline and week 24, we measured anthropometric indices, serum glucose, insulin, lipids, and cytokines in all participants, and liver fat and gut microbiota in 20 participants randomly selected from each group. RESULTS: Forty-eight participants from the yogurt group and 44 from the milk group completed the intervention. Compared with milk, yogurt significantly decreased the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (-0.53; 95% CI: -1.03, -0.02), fasting insulin (-2.77 mU/L; 95% CI: -4.91, -0.63 mU/L), 2-h insulin (-25.5 mU/L; 95% CI: -33.0, -17.9 mU/L), 2-h area under the curve for insulin (-29.4 mU/L · h; 95% CI: -44.0, -14.8 mU/L · h), alanine aminotransferase (-4.65 U/L; 95% CI: -8.67, -0.64 U/L), intrahepatic lipid (-3.44%; 95% CI: -6.19%, -0.68%), and hepatic fat fraction (-3.48%; 95% CI: -6.34%, -0.63%). Yogurt also decreased serum LPS (-0.31 EU/mL; 95% CI: -0.48, -0.14 EU/mL), fibroblast growth factor 21 (-57.76 pg/mL; 95% CI: -86.32, -29.19 pg/mL), lipids, and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress, and altered gut microbiota composition. Mediation analysis showed that yogurt may improve IR by reducing serum lipids, inflammation, oxidative stress, and LPS. CONCLUSIONS: Yogurt was better than milk at ameliorating IR and liver fat in obese Chinese women with NAFLD and MetS, possibly by improving lipid metabolism, reducing inflammation, oxidative stress, and LPS, and changing the gut microbiota composition. This trial was registered at www.chictr.org.cn as ChiCTR-IPR-15006801.

Follicle-stimulating hormone promoted pyruvate kinase isozyme type M2-induced glycolysis and proliferation of ovarian cancer cells.

PURPOSE: Reprogramming of cell metabolism is essential for tumor progression and the best-studied metabolic phenomenon of cancer cells is aerobic glycolysis, in which pyruvate kinase isozyme type M2 (PKM2) plays a critical role. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) contributes to epithelial ovarian cancer progression and has been shown to regulate cell metabolism in ovaries. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction between FSH and PKM2 and their effect on aerobic glycolysis and cell proliferation in ovarian cancer. METHODS: SKOV3 and OVCAR3 ovarian cancer cells were treated with FSH at various doses to investigate its effect on cell proliferation and PKM2 expression. siRNA-PKM2-transfected SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cells were treated with FSH to examine whether the changes induced by FSH could be altered by siRNA-PKM2. Glucose and lactate levels were evaluated to observe the change in glycolysis in these cells. RESULTS: In the current study, FSH upregulated the expression of PKM2 and glycolysis in SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cells. PKM2 knockdown reduced FSH-induced cell growth and glycolysis. Moreover, FSH attenuated apoptosis that was induced by the inhibition of PKM2. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, the findings of this study indicated that FSH promoted glycolysis in epithelial ovarian cancer cells. Knockdown of PKM2 inhibited aerobic glycolysis and cell proliferation induced by FSH.

Both WHR and FLI as Better Algorithms for Both Lean and Overweight/Obese NAFLD in a Chinese Population.

GOALS: To compare current nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-related algorithms to find suitable algorithms for NAFLD, especially lean NAFLD in middle-aged and elderly Chinese population. BACKGROUND: NAFLD is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the world today. Various algorithms based on obesity indicators, blood lipids, and liver enzymes, etc. have been developed to screen NAFLD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: General, anthropometric and biochemical characteristics were collected. One-way analysis of variance and the χ test were applied to test the differences in continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses, adjusted by age, gender, body mass index, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and physical activities, were used to investigate the associations between NAFLD-related algorithms and NAFLD. The accuracy and cut-off point of NAFLD-related algorithms to detect NAFLD were evaluated by area under the receiver operator characteristic curve and the maximum Youden index analysis, respectively. RESULTS: In 8 NAFLD-related algorithms, the receiver operator characteristic of fatty liver index (FLI) and waist circumstance-to-height ratio (WHR) for NAFLD were in the whole (0.83 and 0.84), lean (0.74 and 0.74), and overweight/obese (0.71 and 0.72) population, respectively, which were higher than those of other algorithms. The cut-off points of WHR and FLI for NAFLD were different in the overall (0.50 and 20), lean (0.47 and 10), and overweight/obese (0.53 and 45) population. CONCLUSIONS: WHR and FLI could be the most accurate of 8 algorithms for the noninvasive diagnosis of NAFLD in both lean and overweight/obese population.

Lean non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients had comparable total caloric, carbohydrate, protein, fat, iron, sleep duration and overtime work as obese non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a multifactorial disease that involves a complex interaction between genetics, diet, and lifestyle. Although closely related with obese subjects, it is also common in lean humans. This study aimed to characterize the diet and lifestyle of lean and obese NAFLD patients in China. METHODS: To characterize the diet and lifestyle of lean and obese NAFLD patients, we conducted a matched case-control study that included 351 Chinese adults. General characteristics, dietary intake, and lifestyle were gathered by using a valid and reliable dietary questionnaire. We compared the dietary intake and lifestyle between lean and obese NAFLD patients. RESULTS: All NAFLD patients had more total caloric, calorigenic nutrients (carbohydrate, fat, and protein), grain, potato, fruit, and iron with higher levels of waist circumference and overtime work but shorter sleep duration than their corresponding controls. Particularly, lean NAFLD patients consumed comparable total caloric, calorigenic nutrients, iron, sleep duration, and overtime work as obese NAFLD patients, though they consumed lower levels of grain, potato, and fruit (lean NAFLD patients vs. obese NAFLD patients: mean ± SD, g/day grain: 291.8 ± 83.8, 365.2 ± 89.0; potato: 63.5 ± 33.1, 80.4 ± 37.6; fruit: 324.3 ± 148.4, 414.0 ± 220.4; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients had higher total caloric, calorigenic nutrients, grain, potato, fruit, iron, and overtime work but shorter sleep duration. Lean NAFLD patients had comparable total caloric, calorigenic nutrients, iron, sleep duration, and overtime work as obese NAFLD patients. These features could be used to the nutritional education and therapeutic guidance for lean NAFLD patients in the future.

miR­107­5p promotes tumor proliferation and invasion by targeting estrogen receptor­α in endometrial carcinoma.

The aberrant expression of miR107­5p is closely related to the development of several types of human cancers. However, the role of miR­107­5p in endometrial carcinoma (EC) has not been fully confirmed. In the present study, we aimed to explore the function of miR­107­5p in EC carcinogenesis. EC samples and normal endometrial tissues were obtained by laser capture microdissection. It was determined that the expression of miR­107­5p in EC was significantly higher than that in normal endometrium, and higher miR­107­5p expression was related to advanced FIGO stages, lymph node metastasis and myometrial invasion in EC patients. Blocking miR­107­5p significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion of EC cells in vitro and in vivo. The results of bioinformatic algorithms and luciferase reporter assays revealed that estrogen receptor α (ERα) was a direct target of miR­107­5p. miR­107­5p downregulated the expression of ERα mRNA and protein. In conclusion, our results highlighted that miR­107­5p is a novel prognostic factor that targets ERα to promote tumor proliferation and invasion of EC.

Associations of dietary phytosterols with blood lipid profiles and prevalence of obesity in Chinese adults, a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: It has been established in RCTs that high dose of phytosterols can significantly reduce blood cholesterol. However, it was uncertain whether low dose of phytosterols from daily diets was effective. In this study, we evaluated the associations between dietary phytosterols and body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), blood glucose, serum lipid profiles and prevalence of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity in healthy subjects. METHODS: Four hundred nine men and 503 women aged 18-60 years were included in this study. Dietary intakes of phytosterols were estimated using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Height, body weight, WC and blood pressure were measured, an oral glucose tolerance test was performed. Moreover, fasting serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) were further determined. RESULTS: When comparing extreme quartiles of dietary phytosterols, significant differences of BMI, WC, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), serum TC and LDLc were found. Dietary phytosterols presented a negative association with BMI, WC, SBP, DBP, serum TC and LDLc (with and without adjustment for energy). After adjustment for confounders, we found higher dietary phytosterols were linked with lower prevalence of overweight/obesity (OR highest vs. lowest quartile = 0.487; 95% CI 0.234, 0.918 for men; OR highest vs. lowest quartile = 0.277; 95% CI 0.124, 0.619 for women) and abdominal obesity (OR highest vs. lowest quartile = 0.344; 95% CI 0.144, 0.819 for men; OR highest vs. lowest quartile = 0.321; 95% CI 0.140, 0.571 for women). CONCLUSIONS: Higher dietary phytosterols were associated with lower BMI, WC, blood pressure, serum TC and LDLc and lower prevalence of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity in Chinese adults.

SOX2 enhances the migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells via Src kinase.

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among gynecologic cancers and is the fifth leading cause of all cancer-related deaths among women. The development of novel molecular targets is therefore important to many patients. Recently, the SRY-related transcription factor SOX2 has been widely reported to be involved in multiple pathophysiological diseases, including maintenance of stem cell characteristics and carcinogenesis. Up to now, SOX2 has been mainly shown to promote the development of cancer, although its inhibitory roles in cancer have also been reported. However, the role of SOX2 in ovarian cancer is largely unknown. In the present study, we detected the expression of SOX2 in 64 human serous ovarian carcinoma (SOC) tissues and paired corresponding metastatic specimens using immunohistochemistry. The results showed that the expression of SOX2 in primary tumors is much lower than that in the corresponding metastatic lesions. We further found that SOX2 overexpression promotes proliferation, migration and invasion, while inhibiting adhesion abilities of SOC cells. Finally, we found that SOX2 targets Src kinase, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase that regulates cell migration, invasion and adhesion in SOC cells. Together, these results suggested that Src kinase is a key molecule in SOX2-mediated migration and invasion of SOC cells.

Enhancing the Stokes' shift of BODIPY dyes via through-bond energy transfer and its application for Fe(3+)-detection in live cell imaging.

Two energy transfer cassettes that exhibit a large pseudo Stokes' shift (up to 400 nm) due to efficient through-bond energy transfer (up to 99%) have been constructed. Selective binding of Fe(III) with the donor entity significantly suppresses the excitation energy transfer resulting in fluorescence quenching in aqueous solution and in living cells.