Fat feeding potentiates the diabetogenic effect of dexamethasone in Wistar rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The role of cortisol and its increased action/availability is implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome but the mechanism of increased action/availability is not known. Availability of several other lipophilic hormones, drugs and pollutants are also reported to be increased in obesity. Increased lipids in the circulation are reported to alter the fluidity and permeability of membranes. Hyperlipidemia is also reported to alter the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of lipophilic molecules and also membrane fluidity and permeability. In this context we assumed that the hyperlipidemia associated with human obesity might play a role in the altered action/availability of cortisol and this in turn might have initiated the metabolic complications. To evaluate our assumption we have administered dexamethasone [low [50 μg/kg/day] or high [250 μg/kg/day] dose] to high-fat [coconut oil & vanaspati] fed rats and the results were compared with rats administered with either dexamethasone or high-fat.</p> <p>Results and Discussion</p> <p>Within two weeks, the rats co-administered with high-fat and dexamethasone developed severe hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance compared to rats treated either of them alone. High-fat fed rats treated with higher dose of dexamethasone were presented with severe hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and also severe glycosuria. The hyperlipidemia caused by high-fat feeding might have altered the transport and distribution of dexamethasone, probably by altering the physical state of membranes and transport proteins.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>From the results obtained, it can be speculated that the altered lipid and cortisol metabolism could affect one another, forming a vicious cycle.</p

Ferulic Acid: Therapeutic Potential Through Its Antioxidant Property

There has been considerable public and scientific interest in the use of phytochemicals derived from dietary components to combat human diseases. They are naturally occurring substances found in plants. Ferulic acid (FA) is a phytochemical commonly found in fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet corn and rice bran. It arises from metabolism of phenylalanine and tyrosine by Shikimate pathway in plants. It exhibits a wide range of therapeutic effects against various diseases like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative. A wide spectrum of beneficial activity for human health has been advocated for this phenolic compound, at least in part, because of its strong antioxidant activity. FA, a phenolic compound is a strong membrane antioxidant and known to positively affect human health. FA is an effective scavenger of free radicals and it has been approved in certain countries as food additive to prevent lipid peroxidation. It effectively scavenges superoxide anion radical and inhibits the lipid peroxidation. It possesses antioxidant property by virtue of its phenolic hydroxyl group in its structure. The hydroxy and phenoxy groups of FA donate electrons to quench the free radicals. The phenolic radical in turn forms a quinone methide intermediate, which is excreted via the bile. The past few decades have been devoted to intense research on antioxidant property of FA. So, the present review deals with the mechanism of antioxidant property of FA and its possible role in therapeutic usage against various diseases

Validation of Visual Estimation of Portion Size Consumed as a Method for Estimating Food Intake by Young Indian Children

In this observational study, estimation of food intake was evaluated using recording of portion size consumed, instead of post-weighing, as a method. In total, 930 feeding episodes were observed among 128 children aged 12–24 months in which actual intake was available by pre- and post-weighing. For each offering and feeding episode, portion size consumed was recorded by an independent nutritionist—as none, less than half, half or more, and all. Using the pre-weighed offering, available intake was estimated by multiplying portion sizes by the estimated weight. The estimated mean intake was 510.4 kilojoules compared to actual intake of 510.7 kilojoules by weighing. Similar results were found with nestum (52.0 vs 56.2 g), bread (3.8 vs 3.7 g), puffed rice (1.7 vs 1.9 g), banana (31.3 vs 24.4 g), and milk (41.6 vs 44.2 mL). Recording portion size consumed and estimating food intake from that provides a good alternative to the time-consuming and often culturally-unacceptable method of post-weighing food each time after a feeding episode

Zinc Deficiency: Descriptive Epidemiology and Morbidity among Preschool Children in Peri-urban Population in Delhi, India

Community-based data relating to factors influencing zinc deficiency among preschool children in India are inadequate. Data of a large, double-blinded, randomized, controlled zinc-supplementation trial were used for assessing the descriptive epidemiology of zinc deficiency among children aged 6–35 months (n=940). In total, 609 children were followed up for 120 days for information on morbidity. Of these children, 116 from the control group belonging to the upper and the lower 25th quartile of plasma zinc status at baseline were selected for assessing the association of zinc deficiency with prospective morbidity. At baseline, demographic, socioeconomic and dietary information was collected, and anthropometric measurements and levels of plasma zinc were assessed. At baseline, 73.3% of the children were zinc-deficient (plasma zinc <70 µg/dL), of which 33.8% had levels of plasma zinc below 60 µg/dL. A significantly higher risk of morbidity was prevalent among the subjects with lower plasma zinc compared to those with higher levels of plasma zinc

FV peptide induces apoptosis in HEp 2 and HeLa cells: an insight into the mechanism of induction

The present study is an attempt to evaluate the antiproliferative potential of peptide (7.6 kDa) from lionfish (Pterios volitans) venom on cultured HEp2 and HeLa cells. Different dose of purified peptide (1, 2 and 4 μg/ml) at different time points (12, 24 and 36 hrs) were tested for antiproliferative index of the peptide. Among them, 2 μg/ml at 24 hrs was found to effectively inhibit cancer cell growth in vitro and did not cause any adverse effect on normal human lymphocytes. Apoptosis was examined by propidium iodide staining, confirmed by the expression of caspase-8 and caspase-3, down regulation of Bcl-2 expression and DNA fragmentation in treated cells, when compared to untreated HEp2 and HeLa cells. Thus fish venom peptide was found to selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cell

Effect of Zinc Added to Multivitamin Supplementation Containing Low-dose Vitamin A on Plasma Retinol Level in Children—A Double-blind Randomized, Controlled Trial

In a community-based double-blind randomized trial in children aged 6–35 months, both intervention and control groups received a multi-vitamin syrup containing vitamin A, while the intervention group had zinc gluconate (equivalent to 10 mg of elemental zinc) additional in the syrup. There was a significant decrease in diarrhoea and pneumonia in the intervention group. This study was undertaken to investigate if addition of zinc to vitamin A had improved plasma retinol levels, which, in turn, was responsible for the effects observed in the intervention group. In a randomly-selected subsample of 200 children—100 each from the intervention and the control group, plasma retinol levels after 120 days of supplementation were measured. There was no difference in the mean plasma retinol levels [the difference in the mean 0.46 μg/dL (95% confidence interval -1.42–2.36)] between the two groups following supplementation. No difference in plasma retinol levels was observed in the subgroups based on baseline nutritional status and plasma zinc levels. Addition of zinc to low-dose vitamin A in this study did not improve the vitamin A status of children and cannot explain morbidity effects of the intervention

Effect of Zinc Added to Multi-vitamin Supplementation Containing Low-dose Vitamin A on Plasma Retinol Level in Children-A Double-blind Randomized, Controlled Trial

In a community-based double-blind randomized trial in children aged 6-35 months, both intervention and control groups received a multi-vitamin syrup containing vitamin A, while the intervention group had zinc gluconate (equivalent to 10 mg of elemental zinc) additional in the syrup. There was a significant decrease in diarrhoea and pneumonia in the intervention group. This study was undertaken to investigate if addition of zinc to vitamin A had improved plasma retinol levels, which, in turn, was responsible for the effects observed in the intervention group. In a randomly-selected subsample of 200 children\u2014100 each from the intervention and the control group, plasma retinol levels after 120 days of supplementation were measured. There was no difference in the mean plasma retinol levels [the difference in the mean 0.46 \u3bcg/dL (95% confidence interval -1.42-2.36)] between the two groups following supplementation. No difference in plasma retinol levels was observed in the subgroups based on baseline nutritional status and plasma zinc levels. Addition of zinc to low-dose vitamin A in this study did not improve the vitamin A status of children and cannot explain morbidity effects of the intervention

Compliance with Home-based Fortification Strategies for Delivery of Iron and Zinc: Its Effect on Haematological and Growth Markers among 6-24 months Old Children in North India

Compliance is a key component in successful implementation of the delivery of micronutrients among children. The present study evaluates the compliance with two home-based food fortification strategies (fortified complementary food or sprinkle) for providing iron and zinc among children aged 6-24 months. A total of 292 children were randomly allocated to receive either rice-based fortified complementary food and nutrition education (Cf=101), sprinkle and nutrition education (Mp=97), or nutrition education alone as control (Ed=94). All the enrolled children were breastfed at the beginning of the study and were advised to continue breastfeeding. Biweekly information on compliance and anthropometry was collected. Complete haemogram estimation was conducted at baseline and end of the study. Compliance with the fortified complementary food was higher compared to sprinkle (Cf=81%, Mp=64% child-days). Consumption of the fortified complementary food for 6 months resulted in a significant increase in mean haemoglobin in the intervention group compared to control group (Cf 1.29\ub11.6 g/dL; Ed 0.23\ub11.3 g/dL; p&lt;0.001). Our results showed that fortified complementary food had higher compliance than sprinkle and is a suitable delivery mechanism for iron and zinc in preschool children

The COMPASS Experiment at CERN

The COMPASS experiment makes use of the CERN SPS high-intensitymuon and hadron beams for the investigation of the nucleon spin structure and the spectroscopy of hadrons. One or more outgoing particles are detected in coincidence with the incoming muon or hadron. A large polarized target inside a superconducting solenoid is used for the measurements with the muon beam. Outgoing particles are detected by a two-stage, large angle and large momentum range spectrometer. The setup is built using several types of tracking detectors, according to the expected incident rate, required space resolution and the solid angle to be covered. Particle identification is achieved using a RICH counter and both hadron and electromagnetic calorimeters. The setup has been successfully operated from 2002 onwards using a muon beam. Data with a hadron beam were also collected in 2004. This article describes the main features and performances of the spectrometer in 2004; a short summary of the 2006 upgrade is also given.Comment: 84 papes, 74 figure