Selenium and vitamin E enriched diet increases NK cell cytotoxicity in cattle

A number of studies has shown that antioxidants, fatty acids and trace minerals may modulate different immune cell activities, and that their deficiency may be associated with diseases and impaired immune responses. In innate immunity, natural killer (NK) cells have a central role, killing virally infected and cancerous cells, and also secreting cytokines that shape adaptive immune responses. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of enriched diets in selenium plus vitamin E and/or canola oil on complete blood count and on NK cell cytotoxicity from blood lymphocytes of Nellore bulls. Bulls that received selenium plus vitamin E had (P=0.0091) higher NK cell cytotoxicity than control bulls. This result positively correlated with serum selenium levels. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that showed immunostimulatory effects of selenium plus vitamin E on NK cell cytotoxicity of Nellore bulls

Cholesterol Oxidation and 7α-Hydroxylation during Postnatal Development of the Rat

The activity of rat hepatic cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase is low in the suckling period and rises at weaning. The oxidation of intraperitoneally administered 26-&lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;C-cholesterol to &lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; is also low in suckling rats and increases with age as does the radioactivity in the plasma. In contrast, propionic acid oxidation to CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; is much more rapid, suggesting that the side chain cleavage of cholesterol is not a rate-limiting process.</jats:p

Effect of Chronic Modification of Diet Fat and Cholesterol during Gestation on Plasma Hormones and Hepatic Enzyme Activities in Rat Fetus

Diet-induced elevation of cholesterol and corticosterone in pregnant rats had no effect on fetal plasma cholesterol or corticosterone, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A or hepatic reductase activities. The data suggest that increasing the maternal cholesterol pool has no effect on cholesterol transfer to, or metabolism in, the developing offspring, and that the late gestation fetus can maintain corticosterone levels appropriate to gestational age despite diet-induced elevations in the maternal plasma.</jats:p

Growth-curve standards and the assessment of early excess weight gain in infancy.

OBJECTIVES. Increasing overweight and obesity are growing problems among children worldwide. Prevention requires an understanding of when excess weight gain begins and the determinants that place children at risk. The aim of our study was to illustrate how the growth curve used to assess growth influences the interpretation of weight gain and the age of onset of higher weight gains in infancy. METHODS. This was a longitudinal study of Canadian infants from birth to 18 months of age. Infant feeding pattern was recorded monthly, and weight and length of 73 infants were measured at 8 different ages. Weight, length, weight for length, and BMI z scores were compared with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000 growth curves and World Health Organization growth standard. RESULTS. Comparison with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth curves showed that Canadian infants grew similarly or slightly slower than their US counterparts. Using the World Health Organization growth standard, an increase in body weight occurred between 6 and 9 months of age, associated with a change from breastfeeding to formula feeding and introduction of solid foods. When compared with the World Health Organization standards, breastfed infants followed the standards, but formula-fed infants deviated with higher weight for age. When compared with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention charts, breastfed infants showed an apparent decline in weight for age beginning at ~6 months. CONCLUSIONS. The choice of growth curve is important to interpreting infant growth and identifying the onset of excess weight gain. Identification of the prevalence and age of onset of early excess weight gains among Canadian infants will be best achieved by using the World Health Organization growth standards. (aut. ref.

A 250 μg/week dose of vitamin D was as effective as a 50 μg/d dose in healthy adults, but a regimen of four weekly followed by monthly doses of 1250 μg raised the risk of hypercalciuria

Free to read\ud \ud The risk of vitamin D insufficiency is increased in persons having limited sunlight exposure and dietary vitamin D. Supplementation compliance might be improved with larger doses taken less often, but this may increase the potential for side effects. The objective of the present study was to determine whether a weekly or weekly/monthly regimen of vitamin D supplementation is as effective as daily supplementation without increasing the risk of side effects. Participants were forty-eight healthy adults who were randomly assigned for 3 months to placebo or one of three supplementation regimens: 50 μg/d (2000 IU/d, analysed dose 70 μg/d), 250 μg/week (10 000 IU/week, analysed dose 331 μg/week) or 1250 μg/week (50 000 IU/week, analysed dose 1544 μg/week) for 4 weeks and then 1250 μg/month for 2 months. Daily and weekly doses were equally effective at increasing serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, which was significantly greater than baseline in all the supplemented groups after 30 d of treatment. Subjects in the 1250 μg treatment group, who had a BMI >26 kg/m2, had a steady increase in urinary Ca in the first 3 weeks of supplementation, and, overall, the relative risk of hypercalciuria was higher in the 1250 μg group than in the placebo group (P= 0·01). Although vitamin D supplementation remains a controversial issue, these data document that supplementing with ≤ 250 μg/week ( ≤ 10 000 IU/week) can improve or maintain vitamin D status in healthy populations without the risk of hypercalciuria, but 24 h urinary Ca excretion should be evaluated in healthy persons receiving vitamin D3 supplementation in weekly single doses of 1250 μg (50 000 IU)