Matcha Green Tea Alleviates Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice by Regulating Lipid Metabolism and Inflammatory Responses

Lately, matcha green tea has gained popularity as a beverage and food additive. It has proved to be effective in preventing obesity and related metabolic syndromes. However, the underlying mechanisms of its control effects against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are complicated and remain elusive. In the present study, we performed an in vivo experiment using male C57BL/6 mice fed with a high-fat diet and simultaneously treated with matcha for six weeks. Serum biochemical parameters, histological changes, lipid accumulation, inflammatory cytokines, and relevant indicators were examined. Dietary supplementation of matcha effectively prevented excessive accumulation of visceral and hepatic lipid, elevated blood glucose, dyslipidemia, abnormal liver function, and steatosis hepatitis. RNA sequencing analyses of differentially expressed genes in liver samples indicated that matcha treatment decreased the activity of lipid droplet-associated proteins and increased the activity of cytochrome P450 enzymes, suggesting improved metabolic capacity and liver function. The current study provided evidence for new dietary strategies based on matcha supplementation to ameliorate lipotoxicity-induced obesity and NALFD.     

Oral Administration of Ginger-Derived Lipid Nanoparticles and Dmt1 siRNA Potentiates the Effect of Dietary Iron Restriction and Mitigates Pre-Existing Iron Overload in Hamp KO Mice

Intestinal iron transport requires an iron importer (Dmt1) and an iron exporter (Fpn1). The hormone hepcidin regulates iron absorption by modulating Fpn1 protein levels on the basolateral surface of duodenal enterocytes. In the genetic, iron-loading disorder hereditary hemochromatosis (HH), hepcidin production is low and Fpn1 protein expression is elevated. High Fpn1-mediated iron export depletes intracellular iron, causing a paradoxical increase in Dmt1-mediated iron import. Increased activity of both transporters causes excessive iron absorption, thus initiating body iron loading. Logically then, silencing of intestinal Dmt1 or Fpn1 could be an effective therapeutic intervention in HH. It was previously established that Dmt1 knock down prevented iron-loading in weanling Hamp (encoding hepcidin) KO mice (modeling type 2B HH). Here, we tested the hypothesis that Dmt1 silencing combined with dietary iron restriction (which may be recommended for HH patients) will mitigate iron loading once already established. Accordingly, adult Hamp KO mice were switched to a low-iron (LFe) diet and (non-toxic) folic acid-coupled, ginger nanoparticle-derived lipid vectors (FA-GDLVs) were used to deliver negative-control (NC) or Dmt1 siRNA by oral, intragastric gavage daily for 21 days. The LFe diet reduced body iron burden, and experimental interventions potentiated iron losses. For example, Dmt1 siRNA treatment suppressed duodenal Dmt1 mRNA expression (by ~50%) and reduced serum and liver non-heme iron levels (by ~60% and >85%, respectively). Interestingly, some iron-related parameters were repressed similarly by FA-GDLVs carrying either siRNA, including ⁵⁹Fe (as FeCl₃) absorption (~20% lower), pancreatic non-heme iron (reduced by ~65%), and serum ferritin (decreased 40–50%). Ginger may thus contain bioactive lipids that also influence iron homeostasis. In conclusion, the combinatorial approach of FA-GDLV and Dmt1 siRNA treatment, with dietary iron restriction, mitigated pre-existing iron overload in a murine model of HH.     

Gestational Women’s Perceptions About the Harms of Cigarette and E-Cigarette Use During Pregnancy

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to examine differences between perceived harm of cigarette and electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use while pregnant and differences between healthcare providers’ communication about these products during pregnancy.

Methods

A convenience sample of gestational women (n?=?218; ages 18–45) living in the US completed an online survey between May and December 2017. Participants reported perceived likelihood of adverse health outcomes (e.g., low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome) among infants/children born to mothers who used cigarettes/e-cigarettes. T-tests and two-way ANOVAs examined differences between risk perceptions of using cigarettes/e-cigarettes while pregnant based on pregnancy status (previously pregnant, currently pregnant, future pregnant). Chi-square analyses examined differences between healthcare provider communication about cigarette/e-cigarette use during pregnancy.

Results

Overall, participants believed adverse health outcomes were significantly more likely to be caused by maternal use of cigarettes than e-cigarettes. Participants who planned to be pregnant reported higher endorsement that smoking combustible cigarettes would cause a miscarriage (p?<?.05) or increased blood pressure (p?<?.05) for a child than currently pregnant participants. Participants reported healthcare providers asked about (p?<?.05), advised them not to use (p?<?.001), and talked to them about health effects of smoking combustible cigarettes while pregnant (p?<?.001) significantly more than e-cigarettes.

Conclusions for Practice

Healthcare providers working with pregnant women should perform the 5As behavioral intervention method to provide pregnant women with tobacco cessation care. They should also discuss the absolute harm nicotine exposure (via cigarettes or e-cigarettes) can have on fetal health and development.

     

Evaluating the psychometric properties of the EQ-5D-5L and SF-6D among patients with haemophilia

The European Journal of Health Economics - The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the EQ-5D-5L and SF-6D, and to compare their performance among patients living with...     

The economics of alternative payment models for pharmaceuticals

The European Journal of Health Economics - Pharmaceuticals are priced uniformly by convention, but vary in their degree of effectiveness for different disease indications. As more high-cost...     

2015—2020年湖南省感染性腹泻病原学及分子流行病学特征分析

目的 了解湖南省感染性腹泻的病原谱,追踪其分子流行病学演变趋势,为感染性腹泻的综合防治提供科学依据。 方法 通过哨点监测结合暴发疫情监测的方法,收集2015—2020年湖南省感染性腹泻标本,对细菌病原采用细菌培养、生化鉴定进行检测;对病毒病原采用分子生物学方法进行分型鉴定,并对部分PCR阳性标本进行序列测定。 结果 哨点医院主动监测的总阳性率为35.61%,病毒检出率20.26%高于细菌检出率11.26%,混合病原感染检出率为4.09%。细菌病原谱以沙门菌O∶4群鼠伤寒型为主,病毒病原谱以轮状病毒A组G9P[8]型和诺如病毒GⅡ.4Sydney[P31]型感染为主。不同监测、不同年份的病原谱构成及其基因型变迁规律各不相同:哨点医院监测细菌阳性率低而病毒阳性率高时,诺如暴发疫情随之增加;暴发疫情中诺如病毒感染为86.78%,其中69.43%为GⅡ型感染,12.42%为GⅠ型感染,混合感染占3.03%。诺如病毒暴发疫情具有明显季节性,优势基因型为GⅡ.2[P16]占42.97%。 结论 2015—2020年湖南省感染性腹泻病毒类病原体高于细菌类,鼠伤寒沙门菌、A组轮状病毒G9P[8]和诺如病毒GⅡ.4 Sydney [P31]是最主要的病原体和优势血清/基因型;GⅡ.2 [P16]是诺如病毒暴发流行的优势基因型;通过连续哨点监测的数据支持,提前为暴发疫情做好了防控,促成了湖南省感染性腹泻发病率的平稳下降。     

2019年秦皇岛市超重肥胖人群采取体重控制措施及影响因素分析

目的了解秦皇岛市超重肥胖人群采取体重控制措施情况,分析其影响因素。方法于2019年采用多阶段分层整群抽样法选取秦皇岛市3352名18~79岁超重肥胖者为调查对象,进行面对面问卷调查。采用SPSS 22.0软件进行χ^2检验和多因素非条件Logistic回归分析。结果秦皇岛市超重肥胖人群采取体重控制措施率为13.9%。不同控制措施构成比例由高到低依次为控制饮食(41.3%)、控制饮食和运动组合措施(33.0%),加强运动措施(24.0%)、采取药物控制措施(1.7%)。多因素Logistic回归分析结果显示:性别、年龄、文化程度、城乡、经济收入、高血压及血脂异常均是超重肥胖者采取体重控制措施的影响因素。女性(OR=1.646,95%CI:1.226~2.210)、≥65岁人群高年龄(与18~40岁相比,OR=1.445,95%CI:1.130~1.848)、初中及高中和大专及以上(与小学及以下相比,初中及高中OR=1.885,95%CI:1.225~2.902;大专及以上OR=1.581,95%CI:1.096~2.281)、城镇(OR=1.948,95%CI:1.579~2.403)、中等收入和高收入(与低收入相比,中等收入OR=2.276,95%CI:1.716~3.020;高收入OR=2.181,95%CI:1.617~2.941)、高血压(OR=1.500,95%CI:1.153~1.951)、血脂异常(OR=1.568,95%CI:1.096~2.281)均是超重肥胖者采取体重控制措施的影响因素,均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论秦皇岛市超重肥胖人群采取体重控制措施率较低,饮食和运动相结合的控制措施最有利于超重肥胖人群,应针对不同特征群体开展针对性干预措施。     

经阴道彩色多普勒超声对绝经后子宫内膜癌与息肉的诊断分析

目的 探讨经阴道彩色多普勒超声对绝经后子宫内膜癌及子宫内膜息肉的诊断价值.方法 回顾性分析2017年11月至2019年12月唐山市开滦总医院收治的30例绝经后子宫内膜癌患者(子宫内膜癌组)和99例绝经后子宫内膜息肉患者(子宫内膜息肉组)的经阴道彩色多普勒超声资料,对比二者经阴道彩色多普勒超声的声像图特征,并进行统计分析.结果 子宫内膜癌组的子宫内膜病灶内部回声不均匀发生率和子宫内膜与邻近肌层分界不清晰发生率均显著高于子宫内膜息肉组,差异均有统计学意义(χ2值分别为6.044、5.306,P<0.05).子宫内膜癌组的子宫内膜厚度显著高于子宫内膜息肉组,而病灶血流阻力指数显著低于子宫内膜息肉组,差异均有统计学意义(t值分别为10.506、7.452,P<0.05).子宫内膜癌组的病灶血流Ⅱ级+Ⅲ级占76.67％,明显高于子宫内膜息肉组的31.31％,差异有统计学意义(χ2=6.918,P<0.05).子宫内膜息肉组的平均血流速度(TAV)、搏动指数(PI)、子宫黏膜下肌瘤之间的动脉阻力指数(RI)均显著高于子宫内膜癌组,差异均有统计学意义(t值分别为6.665、8.389、26.653,P<0.05).结论 经阴道彩色多普勒超声对绝经后子宫内膜癌和子宫内膜息肉具有较好地鉴别诊断价值,值得推广应用.     

健脾清热中药治疗Ⅰ型幽门螺杆菌相关性胃炎的研究

目的　研究健脾清热中药对Ⅰ型幽门螺杆菌相关性胃炎的疗效。方法　 10 0例Ⅰ型幽门螺杆菌感染的慢性胃炎患者随机分成 2组。研究组 (A组 ) 5 0例 ,服用健脾清热中药 (汤剂 ) 5 0ml 3 日 ,雷尼替丁 15 0mg 2 日 ;对照组(B组 ) 5 0例 ,口服甲硝唑 40 0mg 2 日 ,阿莫西林 10 0 0mg 2 日 ,雷尼替丁 15 0mg2 日 ,疗程均为 2周。停药 4周后给予1 4　C -UBT试验。结果　临床症状缓解率A组高于B组 (P <0 .0 5 ) ,HP的根除率两组间不存在显著差异 (P >0 .0 5 ) ,而A组产生的治疗副作用少。结论　健脾清热中药外加雷尼替丁是一种根除Ⅰ型幽门螺杆菌和缓解慢性胃炎症状的有效组合。     

乙状结肠镜直视下给药治疗溃疡性直肠乙状结肠炎疗效观察

目的 :研究乙状结肠镜下直接给药治疗溃疡性结肠炎 (UC)的疗效和安全性。方法 :用随机对照方法对 12 4例溃疡性直肠乙状结肠炎患者分为治疗组 6 4例与对照组 6 0例 ,治疗组给予乙状结肠直视下给药 ,对照组给予局部灌肠治疗 ,疗程 4周。观察临床症状、结肠镜下组织学炎症及疾病活动指数 (DAI)和改善情况。结果 :两种治疗方法症状改善率分别为 87 5 0 %和6 8 33% (P <0 0 5 ) ;结肠镜下炎症改善率分别为 82 81%和 6 5 0 0 % (P <0 0 5 ) ;组织学改善率分别为 85 75 %和 6 1 6 7% (P <0 0 5 ) ;两组的DAI均有明显下降 ,无严重副作用。结论 :乙状结肠镜直视下给药为一有效、简便、安全的治疗溃疡性直肠乙状结肠炎的方法。