Dietary survey, physical examination and blood tests were carried out on kindergarten children from two to seven-year old in Wuhan, excluding some influencing factors such as malnutrition and so on. Three groups, 50 children each, were differentiated according to serum vitamin A level .avita-minotic (011 mmol/L). Immunological parameters were determinated before and after vitamin A supplementation. The results showed.'there were significant differences of S-IgA,C3 and lymphocyte transformation active response to PHA and lysozyme between vitamin A deficiency and normal group, but not on IgG, IgA, IgM and PHA skin test. After vitamin A supplementation these immunological functions could be improved. So we concluded vitamin A in subclinic deficiency could influence immune function too, but it could be recovered through vitamin A supplementation.

Objective To investigate the role of heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)in the protective actions of curcumin against ethanol-induced oxidative damage.Methods Microsomal HO-1 enzyme activities were determined in rat primary hepatocytes pretreated by curcumin.AST,LDH release and hepatic oxidative/antioxidant status were measured with or without ZnPPⅨ/Hemin as a classic HO-1 inhibitor/inducer,respectively.Results Curcumin could induce the HO-1 expression and enzyme activity,which was correlated with antioxidant levels in hepatocytes.HO-1 induction reached a peak under administration of 15 μmol/L curcumin for 1 h.Conclusion HO-1 induction by curcumin is contributed to the heptoprotective effects against ethanol-induced oxidative damage.

Summary: The interaction of high-fat diet and the peptide YY (PYY) gene expression in diet-induced obesity and the mechanisms which predisposed some individuals to become obese on high-fat diet were explored. Thirty-six male SD rats were randomly divided into high-fat diet group (n=27) and chow fed control group (n=9). After 15 weeks of either a high-fat diet or chew fed diet, the high-fat diet group was subdivided into dietary induced obesity (DIO) and dietary induced obesity resistant (DIR) group according to the final body weight. Then the DIO rats were subdivided into two groups for a 8-week secondary dietary intervention. One of the group was switched to chew fed diet, whereas the other DIO and DIR rats continued on the initial high-fat diet. Weight gain and food intake were measured, food efficiency was calculated, and the concentrations of plasma neuropeptide Y (NPY) and PYY were assayed. Hypothalamic NPY mRNA expression and PYY mRNA expression in ileum and colon was detected by RT-PCR. The results showed that at the end of 15th week, the levels of body weight and caloric intake were significantly higher in DIO group than in DIR or control group (P<0.01), while no significant difference was found between DIR and control group (P>0.05). The concentration of plasma PYY was significantly higher in DIR group than in DIO and CF group, while no significant difference was found between DIO and CF group (P<0.01). After switching the DIO rats to chow fed diet, their body weight gains were significantly lower than that of the DIO-HF group. The expression of PYY mRNA was increased in DIO-HF/CF rats than in DIO-HF rats, and the expression of hypothalamic NPY mRNA was decreased in DIO-HF/CF rats than in DIO-HF group. It was concluded that both dietary composition and PYY gene expression could potently alter the hypothalamic NPY expression and result in different susceptibility to obese and overeating. The decreased PYY was associated with the increased NPY expression and their predisposal to obese and overeating in rats.

OBJECTIVETo detect the effect of deltamethrin (DM) on benzyloxyresorufin O-dealkylatase (BROD) activity and the expression of CYP2B1/2B2 in rat brain.

METHODSBROD activity was determined by fluorophotometry under the treatment of DM in vivo and vitro. Western-blot analysis was used to detect the expression of CYP2B1/2B2.

RESULTSIn vivo, DM could markedly inhibit BROD activity in rat brain microsome after rats had been treated with DM (12.5 mg.kg-1.d-1, i.p.) for 5 days. The inhibitory rate in whole brain, cerebral cortex and cerebellum were 26.7%, 23.8% and 33.3% respectively(P < 0.05). However, in vitro, under the concentration of 2 x 10(-8)-2 x 10(-4) mol/L of DM, there was no obvious change of BROD activity in rat brain. Moreover, Western-blot analysis indicated that DM could significantly reduce the expression of CYP2B1/2B2 in vivo, the inhibitory rate of protein synthesis was 42.6%.

CONCLUSIONDM could inhibit BROD activity in rat brain and this effect may be related to the reduction of CYP2B1/2B2 protein synthesis.

Animals ; Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases ; antagonists & inhibitors ; biosynthesis ; Blotting, Western ; Brain ; drug effects ; enzymology ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2B1 ; antagonists & inhibitors ; biosynthesis ; Enzyme Inhibitors ; toxicity ; Insecticides ; toxicity ; Nitriles ; toxicity ; Pyrethrins ; toxicity ; Rats ; Steroid Hydroxylases ; antagonists & inhibitors ; biosynthesis

In order to study the effect of excessive iodine on immune function of lymphocytes and the role of selenium supplementation with excessive iodine intake, the changes of T lymphocyte number, ratio of subsets, activity of natural killer (NK) cells and lymphocytes proliferation response were investigated. 150 female BALB/C mice were randomly divided into 5 groups in terms of their body weight (n=30 in each group), and 10 of each group were taken as one batch for test. Mice in the 5 groups were orally administrated with iodine 0 (group Ⅰ ), 1500 (group Ⅱ), 3000 (group Ⅲ),6000 μg/L (group Ⅳ), iodine 6000 μg/L plus selenium 0.3 mg/L (group Ⅴ) respectively for 30 days.Lymphocyte proliferation response, CD4+/CD8+, Th1/Th2 and the activity of NK cells were measured. CD4+/CD8+ was significantly lower, while lymphocyte proliferation response stronger, and Th1/Th2 and the activity of NK cells significantly higher in group Ⅳ than in group Ⅰ (P＜0.01).There was no significant difference in all indexes between group Ⅴ and group Ⅰ (P＞0.05). It was suggested that excessive iodine as exogenous chemical materials can induce disorders of T lymphocyte immune function in mice. 0.3 mg/L selenium supplementation can protect mice against toxicity induced by 6000 μg/L iodine.

The protective effects of in vitro cultivated calculus bovis (ICCB) on the cerebral and myocardial cells in hypoxic mice and the mechanism were examined. In one group, mice were intra-gastrically (i.g.) given ICCB for 15 days and then they were subjected to acute cerebral ischemia by decapitation, and then the panting time was recorded. In the other group, 12 min after exposure to hypoxia, mice was administered the ICCB i.g. for 5 days, and then the blood serum and tissues of brain,heart, liver were harvested and examined for SOD, GSH-px and T-AOC activity and content of MDA. The tissues of brain and heart were observed electron-microscopically for ultrastructural changes. The corpus striatum and hippocampus of brain were collected and examined for content of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE). The ultrastrural examination showed that the pathological change in brain and heart in the ICCB group was very slight, while abnormal changes in the control group were obviously more serious. ICCB significantly prolonged the panting time of the hypoxic mice (P<0.001), increased the activity of SOD, GSH-px, T-AOC in serum and tissues of brain, liver,heart and elevated the content of DA and NE. ICCB also pronouncedly reduced content of MDA in serum and tissues of brain, heart and liver. Significant differences in these parameters were noted between ICCB group and controls. It is concluded that ICCB can exert protective effect on the cells of brain and myocardium by enhancing the tolerance of the tissues to hypoxia and the body's ability to remove free radicals and regulating the neurotransmitters.

Objective: To investigate the association between plasma selenium exposure and the risk of impaired glucose regulation (IGR). Methods: A case-control study was conducted to select IGR patients who were admitted to the outpatient clinic of the Department of Endocrinology to perform oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT) at the Tongji Hospital affiliated to the Tongji Medical College from September 2004 to 2016 as a case group. Participants with normal glucose tolerance recruited from an unselected group of population undergoing routine health examinations in the same hospital were selected as a control group. The control group was matched according to the age (±5 years old) and sex of the case group. The inclusion criteria for subjects recruited were as follows: age ≥30 years, body mass index (BMI) <40 kg/m², no history of a diagnosis of IGR or type 2 diabetes, and no history of receiving pharmacological treatment for hyperlipidemia or hypertension. Patients with any clinically systemic disease such as neurological or endocrine disease, acute illness, chronic inflammatory disease or infectious disease were excluded from the study. A total of 1 957 subjects, 897 in the case group and 1 060 in the control group, were included. Questionnaires were used to collect information of all subjects, and peripheral venous blood was collected after fasting and OGTT, respectively. Plasma selenium, fasting blood glucose, blood lipid (total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein cholesterol) and 2 h OGTT plasma glucose concentration were detected, respectively. The subjects were divided into low, medium and high concentration groups according to the tertiles of plasma selenium concentration in the control group. The multivariate unconditional logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the association between plasma selenium exposure and IGR. Results: The age (mean±SD) of the case and control group was (53.71±11.38) and (53.95±12.17) years old. The plasma selenium concentration [M (P₂₅, P₇₅)] in the case group was 92.81(77.07, 107.05) μg/L, which was significantly higher than the control group [88.73 (77.13, 100.88) μg/L] (P<0.05). The results of multivariate unconditional logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, family history of diabetes and hypertension, the risk of IGR was higher in the high-concentration group and the low-concentration group compared with the middle-concentration group, the values of OR (95%CI) were 1.22 (95%CI: 0.94-1.59) and 1.81 (95%CI: 1.42-2.30), respectively. Conclusion The study suggested a U-shaped association between plasma selenium and IGR.

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is considered as a multifactorial disease including genetic, physiological, and environmental factors, in which different factors overlap in various pathways, leading to metabolic impairment and liver damage. The main risk factors for MAFLD are overweight/obesity, insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia and related dietary behaviors, mainly the intake of fructose beverages. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is an important predictor of changes in liver fat content in patients with MAFLD. There is increasing evidence that prescribing specific supplements or nutraceuticals that have been proven to have hepatoprotective effects for MAFLD patients can accelerate the improvement of liver enzymes and liver steatosis or might prevent or delay the progression of MAFLD disease.