Influence of L-Carnitine Supplementation on Serum Lipid Profile in Hemodialysis Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background/Aims: An increasing body of evidence demonstrates that L-carnitine plays a pivotal role in lipid metabolism of hemodialysis (HD) patients. However, there are still some reservations about its benefits. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to assess the effects of L-carnitine supplementation on lipid profile in HD patients. Methods: Literature search was performed to identify the relevant randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of L-carnitine on the lipid profile of subjects. Two independent authors used an Excel file to extract data and assess trials quality. The primary effect measure was the difference in means of the final lipid measurements between the intervention and control groups. The meta-analysis was performed with the fixed-effects model or random-effects model according to heterogeneity. Results: Twelve studies with a total of 391 patients met the inclusion criteria. The use of L-carnitine was not associated with a reduction in the total cholesterol (SMD, -0.11; 95% CI, -0.31 to 0.09), HDL-cholesterol (SMD, 0.01; 95% CI, -0.36 to 0.39), VLDL-cholesterol (SMD, 0.54; 95% CI, -0.06 to 1.14), and the serum triglycerides (SMD, -0.12; 95% CI, -0.36 to 0.12). However, L-carnitine can significantly decrease the LDL-cholesterol (SMD, -0.29; 95% CI, -0.53 to -0.06) in HD patients. In a subgroup meta-analysis, a significant LDL-cholesterol-lowering effect of L-carnitine supplementation was observed in intravenous application group, and patients with longer interventional duration and renal diseases. Conclusion: The limited evidence suggests that there was no effect of L-carnitine on serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol and serum triglycerides. By contrast, this meta-analysis suggests a promising effect of L-carnitine on LDL-cholesterol. Further large-scale, well-designed randomized controlled trials are urgently neede

Lack of efficacy of pomegranate supplementation for glucose management, insulin levels and sensitivity: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background The potential glucose-lowering effects of pomegranate have been reported in animal and observational studies, but intervention studies in humans have generated mixed results. In this paper, we aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the precise effects of pomegranate supplementation on measures of glucose control, insulin levels and insulin sensitivity in humans. Methods Comprehensive electronic searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Studies included were RCTs that evaluated the changes in diabetes biomarkers among adults (≥18 years) following pomegranate interventions. The predefined outcomes included fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting blood insulin (FBI), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Endpoints were calculated as weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by using a random-effects model. Publication bias, subgroup analyses, sensitivity analysis and random-effects meta-regression were also performed to explore the influence of covariates on the net changes in fasting glucose and insulin concentrations. Results Sixteen eligible trials with 538 subjects were included. The pooled estimates suggested that pomegranate did not significantly affect the measures of FBG (WMD, −0.6 mg/dL; 95% CI, −2.79 to 1.58; P=0.59), FBI (WMD, 0.29 μIU/mL; 95% CI, −1.16 to 1.75; P=0.70), HOMA-IR (WMD, −0.04; 95% CI, −0.53 to 0.46; P=0.88) or HbA1c (WMD, −0.11%; 95% CI, −0.39 to −0.18; P=0.46). Overall, significant heterogeneity was detected for FBI and HOMA-IR, but subgroup analysis could not identify factors significantly influencing these parameters. These results were robust in sensitivity analysis, and no significant publication bias was found in the current meta-analysis. Conclusion Pomegranate intake did not show a notably favourable effect on improvements in glucose and insulin metabolism. The current evidence suggests that daily pomegranate supplementation is not recommended as a potential therapeutic strategy in glycemic management. Further large-scale RCTs with longer duration are required to confirm these results

MicroRNA-194-3p impacts autophagy and represses rotavirus replication via targeting silent information regulator 1

Abstract Background Rotavirus (RV) is the main cause of serious diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide. Numerous studies have demonstrated that RV use host cell mechanisms to motivate their own stabilization and multiplication by degrading, enhancing, or hijacking microRNAs (miRNAs). Therefore, exploring the molecular mechanisms by which miRNAs motivate or restrain RV replication by controlling different biological processes, including autophagy, will help to better understand the pathogenesis of RV development. This study mainly explored the effect of miR-194-3p on autophagy after RV infection and its underlying mechanism of the regulation of RV replication. Methods Caco-2 cells were infected with RV and used to measure the expression levels of miR-194-3p and silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1). After transfection with plasmids and RV infection, viral structural proteins, RV titer, cell viability, and autophagy-linked proteins were tested. The degree of acetylation of p53 was further investigated. A RV-infected neonatal mouse model was constructed in vivo and was evaluated for diarrhea symptoms and lipid droplet formation. Results The results showed that miR-194-3p was reduced but SIRT1 was elevated after RV infection. Elevation of miR-194-3p or repression of SIRT1 inhibited RV replication through the regulation of autophagy. The overexpression of SIRT1 reversed the effects of miR-194-3p on RV replication. The upregulation of miR-194-3p or the downregulation of SIRT1 repressed RV replication in vivo. MiR-194-3p targeted SIRT1 to decrease p53 acetylation. Conclusion These results were used to determine the mechanism of miR-194-3p in RV replication, and identified a novel therapeutic small RNA molecule that can be used against RV

Additional file 1: of Lack of efficacy of pomegranate supplementation for glucose management, insulin levels and sensitivity: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis

GRADE Evidence Profile. (DOC 38 kb

Coffee and cancer risk: A meta-analysis of prospective observational studies

Meta-analyses on coffee and cancer incidence mainly restricted to limited cancers. We carried out a more comprehensive meta-analysis of cohort studies to explore association between coffee and most cancer types. We conducted comprehensive search and summarized relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals for the highest versus lowest coffee intake and cancer using STATA12. We conducted dose-analysis if result suggested significant association. The publication bias was evaluated with begg’s and egger’s test. Finally, 105 individual prospective studies were included. Inverse associations were observed on oral, pharyngeal, colon, liver, prostate, endometrial cancer and melanoma, with RR 0.69 (95% CI = 0.48–0.99, I2 = 73.4%, P = 0.044), 0.87 (95% CI = 0.78–0.96, I2 = 28.4%, P = 0.007), 0.46 (95% CI = 0.37–0.57, I2 = 0%, P = 0), 0.89 (95% CI = 0.84–0.93, I2 = 30.3%, P = 0.003), 0.73 (95% CI = 0.67–0.80, I2 = 0%, P = 0) and 0.89 (95% CI = 0.80–0.99, I2 = 0%, P = 0.031) respectively. However, the relative risk for lung cancer is 2.18 (95% CI = 1.26–3.75, I2 = 63.3%, P = 0.005). The summary relative risk for increment of 2 cups of coffee were RR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.67–0.79 for liver cancer, RR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.96–0.98 for prostate cancer and RR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.85–0.92 for endometrial cancer. Accordingly, coffee intake was associated with reduced risk of oral, pharynx, liver, colon, prostate, endometrial cancer and melanoma and increased lung cancer risk

Kerr-lens mode-locking of an Yb:CLNGG laser

We report on a Kerr-lens mode-locked laser based on an Yb 3+ -doped disordered calcium lithium niobium gallium garnet (Yb:CLNGG) crystal. Pumping by a spatially single-mode Yb fiber laser at 976 nm, the Yb:CLNGG laser delivers soliton pulses as short as 31 fs at 1056.8 nm with an average output power of 66 mW and a pulse repetition rate of ∼77.6 MHz via soft-aperture Kerr-lens mode-locking. The maximum output power of the Kerr-lens mode-locked laser amounted to 203 mW for slightly longer pulses of 37 fs at an absorbed pump power of 0.74 W, which corresponds to a peak power of 62.2 kW and an optical efficiency of 20.3%