1.Growth and Nutritional Biomarkers in Brazilian Infants with Cow’s Milk Allergy at Diagnosis and 18-Month Follow-Up: A Prospective Cohort Study
Anne JARDIM-BOTELHO ; Tatiane Graça MARTINS ; Jackeline MOTTA-FRANCO ; Rosan MEYER ; Sarah Cristina Fontes VIEIRA ; Bruna Franca PROTÁSIO ; Milena Letícia Santos SILVA ; Rebecca Silveira PONTES ; Marcela Barros Barbosa DE OLIVEIRA ; Ikaro Daniel de Carvalho BARRETO ; Ricardo Queiroz GURGEL
Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition 2023;26(6):355-369
Purpose:
This study aimed to describe the growth, body protein status, and micronutrient biomarkers of Brazilian infants with cow’s milk allergy (CMPA) at baseline and at 18 months of follow-up in comparison with their healthy peers.
Methods:
Thirty infants with CMPA younger than six months of age were included in this longitudinal study, and their nutritional status was compared with that of 24 non-allergic age-matched children. Anthropometric measurements were used to assess growth, and blood and urine samples were analyzed for protein and micronutrient status. Mixed linear models adjusted for birth weight, socioeconomic status, infant feeding at baseline, weightfor-age, C-reactive protein, serum albumin, micronutrient dietary supplementation, and salt consumption were employed to evaluate the evolution of nutritional parameters throughout the follow-up period.
Results:
Overall, the mean age of the children at enrolment was 2.9 (standard deviation 1.7) months, and 29 children (53.7%) were male. Infants with CMPA showed a higher prevalence of functional iron depletion (transferrin saturation <20) (p=0.027), lower serum ferritin (p=0.009), and lower urinary iodine (p=0.034) levels than non-allergic children at baseline.Patients with CMPA showed a higher increment in weight-for-age and length-for-age over time than those in the control group (p<0.01). Mixed linear analyses showed a significantly lower increase in serum vitamin B12 (s-B12) (p=0.001) and urinary iodine (p<0.001) concentrations over time compared to the control group.
Conclusion
Infants with CMPA on a cow’s milk elimination diet had a higher weight and length at 18 months of follow-up but showed signs of inadequate iron, iodine, and B-12 vitamin status.
2.Anti-inflammatory natural products modulate interleukins and their related signaling markers in inflammatory bowel disease:A systematic review
Rajiv-Gopalsamy GANDHI ; Thiruchenduran MOHANA ; Kumaraswamy ATHESH ; Edwin-Varghese HILLARY ; Alan Bruno Silva Vasconcelos ; Mariana Nobre Farias de Franca ; Martins-Monalisa MONTALV?O ; Antony-Stanislaus CEASAR ; Gnanasekaran JOTHI ; Gurunagarajan SRIDHARAN ; Queiroz-Ricardo GURGEL ; Baojun XU
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2023;13(12):1408-1428
This review aims to identify in vivo studies investigating the potential of plant substances and their natural molecules in managing inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).Specifically,the objective is to examine the impact of these substances on interleukins and other key inflammatory signaling markers.Relevant articles published up to December 2022 were identified through a search of the PubMed,Scopus,Web of Science,and Embase databases.The search used keywords including"inflammatory bowel disease","medicinal plants","natural molecules","anti-inflammatory",and"ulcerative colitis",and identified 1,878 potentially relevant articles,of which 89 were included in this review after completion of the selection process.This study provides preclinical data on natural products(NPs)that can potentially treat IBD,including ulcerative colitis.The main actions of these NPs relate to their effects on nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB),the Janus kinase(JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription(STAT)signaling pathway,the regulation of T helper 17/regulatory T cells balance,and oxidative stress.The ability of these NPs to inhibit intestinal inflammation appears to be dependent on lowering levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α),interleukin(IL)-1β,and IL-17,via the Jun N-terminal kinase(JNK)1,NF-κβ-p65,and STAT3 pathways.In addition,NPs were shown to reduce oxidative stress and the severity of ulcerative colitis,as well as increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes.These actions suggest that NPs represent a promising treatment for IBD,and potentially have greater efficacy and safety than current treatments.