Dietary Genistein Increased DMBA-Induced Mammary Adenocarcinoma in Wild-Type,but Not ERαKO,Mice

Dietary supplements containing concentrates of plant-derived estrogens are being increasingly used by consumers as alternatives for hormone replacement therapy, for treatment of menopausal symptoms, and as cancer preventives. The effect of dietary genistein on dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary tumor development was investigated in wild-type (ERαWT) and estrogen receptor-α knockout (ERαKO) mice. ERαWT and ERαKO mice were fed a casein-based diet containing 0 or 1 g genistein/kg diet from weaning. Tumors were induced by oral administration of DMBA and subscapular implantation of medroxyprogesterone acetate. No tumors were observed in ERαKO mice. In ERαWT mice, dietary intake of genistein influenced tumor development, enhancing anaplasia of mammary cancer. Mice consuming genistein expressed malignant mammary adenocarcinoma, whereas benign adenomas were observed in mice fed the control diet. Dietary intake was also influenced by genistein, with ERαWT and ERαKO mice fed genistein consuming less food (p < 0.0001) and subsequently weighing less than mice fed the control diet (p < 0.0001). Significant differences in food intake by genotype were also observed (p = 0.0017), with ERαKO mice consuming less than ERαWT mice. Overall, this study found no protective effect of genistein on DMBA-induced mammary tumors in mice and suggests a potential adverse effect on tumor development when high levels of genistein are consumed.     

Dietary Selenium Levels Affect Selenoprotein Expression and Support the Interferon-γ and IL-6 Immune Response Pathways in Mice

Selenium is an essential element that is required to support a number of cellular functions and biochemical pathways. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of reduced dietary selenium levels on gene expression to assess changes in expression of non-selenoprotein genes that may contribute to the physiological consequences of selenium deficiency. Mice were fed diets that were either deficient in selenium or supplemented with selenium in the form of sodium selenite for six weeks. Differences in liver mRNA expression and translation were measured using a combination of ribosome profiling, RNA-Seq, microarrays, and qPCR. Expression levels and translation of mRNAs encoding stress-related selenoproteins were shown to be up-regulated by increased selenium status, as were genes involved in inflammation and response to interferon-γ. Changes in serum cytokine levels were measured which confirmed that interferon-γ, as well as IL-6, were increased in selenium adequate mice. Finally, microarray and qPCR analysis of lung tissue demonstrated that the selenium effects on immune function are not limited to liver. These data are consistent with previous reports indicating that adequate selenium levels can support beneficial immune responses, and further identify the IL-6 and interferon-γ pathways as being responsive to dietary selenium intake.     

PPARα与运动

<正>随着人们生活水平不断提高,高脂高糖饮食及久坐少动等不健康的生活方式越来越多,进而导致超重及肥胖的发生率越来越高。鉴于肥胖对人体健康的种种危害,减控体重、预防肥胖已成为人们的共识,因此合理有效的减控体重,减少体内过多的脂肪越来越引起人们的重视。PPARs是一种新的留体激素类受体,称之过氧化物酶体增殖物激活受体(PPAR),是1990年Issemann等发现的。PPAR可以被脂肪酸和外源性的氧化物酶体增殖剂激活,主要参与调控脂类代谢和免疫反应等生理过程。目前国内外关于低氧运动对心肌     

The 2023 Earthquake in Türkiye and Implications for China's Response to Catastrophe

On 6 February 2023, two 7.8 magnitude earthquakes consecutively hit south-central Türkiye, causing great concern from all governments, the United Nations, academia, and all sectors of society. Analyses indicate that there is also a high possibility of strong earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.8 or above occurring in the western region of China in the coming years. China is a country that is highly susceptible to catastrophic disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and other natural calamities, whi...     

Change and Continuity in Low-Income Working Mothers’ Food Practices for Young Children in Response to Life Events

Objective

To understand how changes in low-income mothers’ work, home, and childcare environments impact their food practices for young children.

Methods

The grounded theory, theory-guided, design included two in-depth qualitative interviews (6 to 8 months apart) with each of 19 low income, working/student mothers of Head Start children, living in a rural county in Upstate New York. Interviews covered mothers’ experiences of employment, school, family, household, and childcare events over one school year and whether and how events changed child food practices. Emergent themes related to mothers’ experiences of life events, with attention to influences on child food practices, were open-coded using a constant comparative approach. A life course approach and a transactional model of the stress process informed interpretation.

Results

Within the study period, most mothers reported at least one life event, with many experiencing one or more changes in employers, job schedules, residence, household members, or childcare situation. Emergent patterns of adjustment in child food practices linked with life events were shaped by mothers’ appraisals of life events, the availability of coping resources, and their adaptations to events, based on temporal, financial, and social resources. The findings support a view of child feeding informed by the transactional model of stress.

Conclusions

Instability in work, family, household, and childcare highlight changing contexts for child food practices in daily life. Research and practice should acknowledge the changing nature of the child feeding context and the need for children’s caregivers to make adjustments in response to changing resources.

     

Response of free erythrocyte porphyrin and urinary δ -aminolevulinic acid in men and women moderately exposed to lead

Summary The responses of various biological parameters of the haem biosynthesis pathway in a group of adult male and female workers moderately exposed to inorganic lead have been compared. The identical range of blood lead levels in both groups indicates a similar degree of exposure. Women, however, exhibit a larger increase in free erythrocyte porphyrin (FEP) and in urinary -aminolevulinic acid (ALA-U) than men.The earlier response in women is probably not due to a relative degree of anaemia (menstrual blood loss) as compared to men, since there is no significant correlation between haemoglobin (Hb) and FEP or ALA-U, and consequently standardization for the same Hb-content does not modify the independent effect of lead on the FEP and ALA-U responses. A greater susceptibility to Pb of the haem biosynthesis pathway in women has therefore been confirmed by the results of the present epidemiological survey among workers of both sexes.A preliminary and limited survey on children (11 to 12 years old) of schools situated at less than 1 km from a Pb-processing plant revealed increased FEP and blood lead concentrations and demonstrated that like women children exhibit an earlier biological response to Pb-B than adult men.     

Pedophilia-Themed Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder: Assessment,Differential Diagnosis,and Treatment with Exposure and Response Prevention

Fears of sexually harming children are fairly common among clients suffering from obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), yet these symptoms are largely unrecognized and frequently misdiagnosed by mental health professionals. Specifically, clients with pedophilia-themed OCD (P-OCD) experience excessive worries and distressing intrusive thoughts about being sexually attracted to, and sexually violating, children. Expressing these concerns may provoke misjudgments from uninformed mental health professionals that a client is presenting instead with pedophilic disorder. This misdiagnosis and subsequent improper interventions can then contribute to increased fear, anxiety, and in many cases, depression, in affected clients. Therefore, it is imperative that mental health professionals first possess a good understanding of this common manifestation of OCD. As such, in this article, we described obsessions and compulsions typical of P-OCD, in order to inform the reader of the distinctive differences between P-OCD and pedophilic disorder. Information about how to assess for P-OCD symptoms is then provided, followed by suggestions on how to tailor aspects of exposure and response prevention to treat this specific form of OCD.     

Preliminary Predictors of Within-Session Adherence to Exposure and Response Prevention in Pediatric Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder

Background

Cognitive-behavioral therapy with exposure and response prevention (ERP) is an effective treatment for pediatric OCD; however, up to 30 % of children are treatment non-responders and as many as 40 % are partial responders. Although poor treatment adherence has been linked to attenuated response in adults with OCD, little research has examined treatment adherence in pediatric OCD.

Objective

This study aimed to identify predictors of within-session treatment adherence in pediatric OCD.

Method

Independent raters coded 20 audiotaped psychotherapy sessions to assess for in-session adherence to ERP across three separate constructs: willingness to engage in exposure, response prevention, and within-session habituation. A number of baseline predictors were examined in relation to overall in-session adherence, including obsessive–compulsive symptom severity, family accommodation, and externalizing behavior.

Results

Higher levels of family accommodation and obsessive–compulsive symptom severity, but not externalizing behavior, were directly linked to poor in-session adherence, and the child’s willingness to participate in exposure drove these relationships. Mediational analyses suggested that obsessive–compulsive symptom severity mediated the relationship between family accommodation and in-session adherence to ERP.

Conclusions

Findings are preliminary but suggest that targeting family accommodation could increase compliance with exposure tasks, thus improving treatment outcome.     

Differential effects of 1α,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol on MCP-1 and adiponectin production in human white adipocytes

Background/aim

Obesity is characterized by a low-grade inflammation in white adipose tissue (WAT), which promotes insulin resistance. Low serum levels of 1α,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (DHCC) associate with insulin resistance and higher body mass index although it is unclear whether vitamin D supplementation improves insulin sensitivity. We investigated the effects of DHCC on adipokine gene expression and secretion in adipocytes focusing on two key factors with pro-inflammatory [monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2)] and anti-inflammatory [adiponectin (ADIPOQ)] effects.

Methods

Pre-adipocytes were isolated from human subcutaneous WAT and cultured until full differentiation. Differentiated adipocytes were either pre-treated with DHCC (10^?7 M) and subsequently incubated with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα, 100 ng/mL) or concomitantly incubated with TNFα/DHCC. MCP1 and adiponectin mRNA expression was measured by RT–PCR and protein release by ELISA.

Results

DHCC was not toxic and did not affect adipocyte morphology or the mRNA levels of adipocyte-specific genes. TNFα induced a significant increase in CCL2 mRNA and protein secretion, while DHCC alone reduced CCL2 mRNA expression (~25%, p < 0.05). DHCC attenuated TNFα-induced CCL2 mRNA expression in both pre-incubation (~15%, p < 0.05) and concomitant (~60%, p < 0.01) treatments. TNFα reduced ADIPOQ mRNA (~80%) and secretion (~35%). DHCC alone decreased adiponectin secretion to a similar degree (~35%, p < 0.05). Concomitant treatment with DHCC/TNFα for 48 h had an additive effect, resulting in a pronounced reduction in adiponectin secretion (~70%).

Conclusions

DHCC attenuates MCP-1 and adiponectin production in human adipocytes, thereby reducing the expression of both pro- and anti-inflammatory factors. These effects may explain the difficulties so far in determining the role of DHCC in insulin sensitivity and obesity in humans.     

Parental Responses to Children’s Avoidance in Fear-Provoking Situations: Relation to Child Anxiety and Mediators of Intervention Response

Background

Parenting behaviors have consistently been shown to be associated with elevated anxiety symptoms and disorders in children. However, this literature is limited as most studies have focused on global rather than specific parenting behaviors, failed to consistently account for the influence of parental anxiety, and omitted examining whether changes in parenting behaviors mediate intervention outcomes.

Objective

This study addressed these limitations by examining five specific parental responses to children’s avoidance behavior during fear-provoking situations in relation to their child’s anxiety and as a mediator of outcomes in the context of a child anxiety prevention intervention. Parental responses included Positive Reinforcement, Punishment, Use of Force, Reinforcement of Dependence, and Positive Modeling.

Methods

Anxious parents (N = 136) and their non-anxious children (mean age 8.69; 55.9% female; 84.6% Caucasian) who participated in the Child Anxiety Prevention Study served as participants; independent evaluators conducted diagnostic interviews at baseline, post-intervention, and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Parental responses were assessed using the parent-report version of the adapted Child Development Questionnaire.

Results

At baseline parental use of Punishment, Force, and Positive Reinforcement were positively associated with child anxiety severity, after controlling for parental anxiety. The intervention, compared to the control condition, led to significant reductions in Reinforcement of Dependence at each time point and these changes mediated the intervention’s impact on child anxiety.

Conclusions

Findings highlight the value of examining specific parental responses to children’s avoidance of feared situations and confirm that reducing parental accommodation is important to child anxiety prevention.

     

Olive Fruit Blends Modulate Lipid-Sensing Nuclear Receptor PPARγ, Cell Survival,and Oxidative Stress Response in Human Osteoblast Cells

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate how different extravirgin olive oils (EVOOs), obtained by blending Olea europea cultivars, could influence the cell growth, the response to inflammatory stimuli, and oxidative stress in a culture of the osteosarcoma cell line Saos-2.

Methods: Three different extravirgin olive oils were physicochemically characterized, determining the free acidity, the oxidation status, the polyphenols content, and the antioxidative activity. Moreover, the effects on Saos-2 cell culture were determined, studying the mRNA expression level by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and the antioxidative activity using fluorescent probes.

Results: The cultivars used in the south of Italy, yield extravirgin oils with different amount of fatty acids and polyphenols, which counteract induction of proinflammatory cytokines and regulate free radical production in hydrogen peroxide-stimulated cells. In vitro analysis using the human osteoblast cell line Saos-2 showed that the addition of oils to cell culture simulated a hypoxic stress followed by a reoxygenation period, during which the antioxidant activity of extravirgin olive oils protected cells from oxidative damages. On the other hand, the mRNA expression levels of factors involved in inflammatory processes, cell growth recovery, and antioxidant response, as heme oxygenase-1, were differently stimulated by EVOOs. Moreover, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ) was differently modulated by EVOOs.

Conclusion: These findings show that the blending of different extravirgin olive oil can impact an osteoblast cell line, in particular regarding cell growth recovery and oxidative stress.     

Response in individuals with and without foreign background and application to the National Cohort in Germany: which factors have an effect?

Objectives

Response rates in epidemiologic studies vary widely. This study examines response rates of potential study participants according to foreign versus German background and investigates effects of recruitment strategies.

Methods

Response rates and characteristics of recruitment procedures from feasibility studies for a large cohort study conducted in 2011 were analyzed.

Results

Among 1,235 participants the proportion of recruited individuals with a foreign background was 17.3 % (95 % confidence interval 15.3–19.5 %), significantly lower than in the sampling frame (23.1 %). The difference between observed and expected proportion was high among individuals with Turkish background and smaller among ethnic Germans from the Former Soviet Union and other foreign background groups. Common recruitment strategies to increase the response had positive effects in all groups. For the planned recruitment strategy in the forthcoming German National Cohort, we estimate an overall response of approximately 50 %.

Conclusions

Individuals with Turkish background may need particular efforts to be adequately represented in a population-based cohort in Germany. Other foreign background groups are relatively well represented using standard procedures. An adequate response can be obtained under carefully planned recruitment strategies.