OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional adequacy and compliance with cardiovascular disease (CVD) guidelines in therapeutic diets implemented in four hospitals in General Santos City, Philippines.

The study employed a cross-sectional study and analyzed the one-day therapeutic menus of four hospitals using the Philippine Food Composition Table and the United States Department of Agriculture nutrient database. The nutrient contents calculated in this study were compared among hospitals and benchmarked against the Philippine Dietary Reference Intakes (PDRI) and CVD-specific guidelines, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC). The nutrient adequacy ratios (NARs) and the corresponding mean (SD) values were used to interpret the data.

Based on the PDRI, the mean (SD) NARs for proteins, simple sugars, vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin B12 were 116% (11%), 72% (16%), 139% (34%), 115% (7%), and 324% (156%), respectively, which were all interpreted as adequate. However, the mean (SD) NARs for energy, 88% (7%), and dietary fiber, 53% (33%), indicate non-compliance with the requirements for these components. As for the DASH guidelines, the hospitals failed to meet the recommendations for calcium, magnesium, and potassium, with mean (SD) NARs of 45% (14%), 49% (10%), and 51% (7%), respectively. The levels of saturated fatty acids, 195% (53%), and dietary cholesterol, 363% (177%), exceeded the limits set by the guidelines. For the TLC guidelines, the mean (SD) NARs of 70% (24%) and 40% (10%) for monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, respectively, were interpreted as suboptimal. Conclusive interpretations cannot be drawn for sodium, total carbohydrates, total fats due to large variations in their compositions among the hospitals.

At the menu analysis level, while the therapeutic diets adhered to the recommendations for proteins, simple sugars, and the vitamins, they fell short in their provision for energy, unsaturated fats, dietary fiber, and most minerals. They also exceeded the limits for most dietary lipid parameters set by DASH and TLC. The findings of this study highlight the need for improvements in nutritional adequacy and adherence to CVD guidelines in hospital therapeutic diets. Due to the limited number of observations, future research should aim to confirm and clarify these findings.

Background: The 2019 Expanded National Nutrition Survey results showed that the contribution of fruits and vegetables (FV) in the one-day food intake of adolescents only accounted for 2.6% and 5.9%, respectively. Numerous literatures also stated that insufficient intake of FV is associated with the development of most non-communicable diseases. Objectives: This study was undertaken to compare the knowledge and consumption of FV between selected respondents from public and private SHS in Imus City. Methods: The study used a descriptive research design, and convenience sampling was done to gather respondents. A self-administered questionnaire was developed and the level of knowledge on FV was classified into low, fair, and good. In the evaluation of FV amount consumption, the Daily Nutrition Guide Pyramid for Teens was used. The data were reported in mean, mode, and percentages. Results: More public SHS (49%) obtained a good level of knowledge on nutrient contents of FV, and consumed fruits (61%) more than the recommended daily serving. While more private SHS (96%) had a good level of knowledge of its health benefits but consumed vegetables (67%) less than the recommended daily serving. Their most consumed vegetables were dahon ng sili and garlic. The most consumed fruits were Indian mango and pear. Squash (47%) was the most liked vegetable by both groups. The majority of public SHS identified banana (37%) as their most liked fruit while it was mango (22%) for the majority of private SHS. Public SHS respondents were also recorded to have a lower average estimated family expenditure on FV. Conclusion The study concluded that both public and private SHS do not consume adequate amounts of FV despite their good level of knowledge of its nutrients and health benefits.
Knowledge ; Economics ; Fruit ; Vegetables

Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Constipation/therapy* ; Probiotics/therapeutic use* ; Patients

Animals ; Cattle ; Female ; Milk Hypersensitivity/therapy* ; Consensus ; Immunoglobulin E ; Milk Proteins

BACKGROUND

Long-term administration of conventional acne medications implies the potential risk of increasing microbial resistance, and safety risks. Recent interest has grown in probiotics as a potential treatment and as an adjunct for acne vulgaris.

To conduct a systematic review of randomized controlled trials of oral probiotics in reducing the severity of acne vulgaris compared to placebo or conventional treatments.

PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, WHO ICTRP and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for relevant studies, and randomized controlled trials of acne vulgaris treatment with probiotic therapy were included. Outcomes include decrease in total lesion count/percent change from baseline, improvement of severity scores, inflammation related indicators, and gene expression. Changes in outcomes were calculated by effect size or pooled odds ratio.

A total of 2 RCTs involving 100 participants were included. Both studies show low risk on the risk bias criteria. The data of 2 RCTs reporting severity scores (AGSS and GAGS) supports that probiotics can improve their scores and thereby their condition. For inflammation-related indicators, only 1 RCT showed that probiotics can improve the IGF1 and FOXO1 gene expression in the skin. Regarding safety, only Eguren et al. reported adverse event. Their RCT showed that the incidence of adverse events was low and no serious adverse events.

In conclusion, the probiotics investigated in both studies may be given as adjuvant treatment for acne vulgaris as they improve the clinical course of patients.

Eggplant is an important horticultural crop and one of the most widely grown vegetables in the Solanaceae family. Eggplant fruit-related agronomic traits are complex quantitative traits with low efficiency and long cycle time for traditional breeding selection. With the rapid development of high-throughput sequencing technology and bioinformatics tools, genome-wide association study (GWAS) has shown great application potential in analyzing the genetic rules of complex agronomic traits related to eggplant fruits. This paper first reviews the progress of genome-wide association analysis in eggplant fruit shape, fruit color and other fruit-related agronomic traits. Subsequently, aiming at the problem of missing heritability, which is common in the genetic studies of eggplant quantitative traits, this paper puts forward the development strategies of eggplant GWAS in the future based on the hot spots of application of four GWAS strategies in the research of agronomics traits related to eggplant fruits. Lastly, the application of GWAS strategy in the field of eggplant molecular breeding is expected to provide a theoretical basis and reference for the future use of GWAS to analyze the genetic basis of various eggplant fruit-related traits and to select fruit materials that meet consumer needs.
Solanum melongena/genetics* ; Fruit/genetics* ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Plant Breeding ; Agriculture ; Vegetables

BACKGROUND

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) poses a global health threat with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite current therapies, there is a need for innovative interventions to slow CKD progression. Probiotic supplementation shows promise due to its positive effects on gastrointestinal health and inflammation. However, existing research is inconclusive, necessitating a meta-analysis to assess probiotics’ impact on CKD outcomes.

To evaluate the existing scientific literature among probiotic supplementation and the improvement in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients compared to placebo treatment.

A comprehensive search of electronic databases was conducted to identify relevant studies published up to 2023. Studies that meet the predefined eligibility criteria were included. Data extraction was performed, and methodological quality and risk of bias assessment was conducted for each study. Effect measures, such as mean differences or standardized mean differences, were used to quantify the association between probiotic supplementation and GFR improvement. The random-effects model was applied to estimate the overall effect size, and subgroup analyses were performed to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. Publication bias was assessed, and sensitivity analyses was conducted to evaluate the robustness of the findings.

The meta-analysis encompassed three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted from 2017 to 2023, involving 121 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. The analysis focused on the impact of probiotic supplementation on CKD, examining Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR), Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), and Urine Protein Creatinine Ratio (UPCR). While no significant distinctions were found in GFR and BUN changes between probiotics and placebos, there was a statistically significant reduction in UPCR associated with probiotic supplementation in one study. Notably, considerable heterogeneity in GFR and significant heterogeneity in UPCR reduction were observed among the trials. Sensitivity analysis, excluding studies with small sample sizes or high bias risk, remained consistent with overall findings.

The meta-analysis indicated no significant impact of probiotic supplementation on GFR and BUN, but there was a notable reduction in Urine UPCR. The observed heterogeneity among the studies calls for cautious interpretation due to variations in study designs, patient populations, and probiotic formulations. While the results suggest a potential role for probiotics in reducing proteinuria in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, the need for further research with larger sample sizes and standardized methodologies is emphasized to establish definitive conclusions.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of auricular thumbtack needle on breast feeding and lactation function in primiparous women with cesarean section, and to explore its mechanism of action from the perspective of lactation-related gene expression. METHODS: One hundred cases of primiparous women with cesarean section were randomly divided into an observation group (50 cases, 3 cases dropped off) and a control group (50 cases, 2 cases were eliminated). The patients in the control group were treated with routine obstetric care. Based on the treatment of the control group, the patients in the observation group were treated with auricular thumbtack needle at Neifenmi (CO₁₈), Xiong (AH₁₀), Xiongzhui (AH₁₁), Shenmen (TF₄), and Jiaogan (AH_6a), etc., with one side of auricular point selected, only once for a total of 3 d. The lactation initiation time, lactation adequacy rate at postpartum 72 h, exclusive breastfeeding rate at postpartum 42 d, and breastfeeding score after treatment were compared between the two groups. Real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot method were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of TDP-43, Btn1A1 and XDH. RESULTS: After treatment, the lactation initiation time in the observation group was earlier than that in the control group (P<0.01), and breastfeeding score in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.01). The lactation adequacy rate at postpartum 72 h was 63.8% (30/47) in the observation group, which was higher than 41.7% (20/48) in the control group (P<0.05). The exclusive breastfeeding rate at postpartum 42 d was 72.3% (34/47) in the observation group, which was higher than 47.9% (23/48) in the control group (P<0.05). The mRNA and protein expression levels of TDP-43 and Btn1A1 in breast milk in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.01), while there was no statistically significant difference in mRNA and protein expression of XDH in breast milk between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION The auricular thumbtack needle in addition to routine care could promote lactation initiation, improve lactation adequacy rate and exclusive breastfeeding rate in primiparous women with cesarean section, and the action mechanism may be related to up-regulation of TDP-43 and Btn1A1 expression.
Pregnancy ; Humans ; Female ; Breast Feeding ; Cesarean Section ; Lactation ; Milk, Human ; DNA-Binding Proteins

The intestinal mucus layer is a barrier that separates intestinal contents and epithelial cells, as well as acts as the "mucus layer-soil" for intestinal flora adhesion and colonization. Its structural and functional integrity is crucial to human health. Intestinal mucus is regulated by factors such as diet, living habits, hormones, neurotransmitters, cytokines, and intestinal flora. The mucus layer's thickness, viscosity, porosity, growth rate, and glycosylation status affect the structure of the gut flora colonized on it. The interaction between "mucus layer-soil" and "gut bacteria-seed" is an important factor leading to the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Probiotics, prebiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), and wash microbial transplantation are efficient methods for managing NAFLD, but their long-term efficacy is poor. FMT is focused on achieving the goal of treating diseases by enhancing the "gut bacteria-seed". However, a lack of effective repair and management of the "mucus layer-soil" may be a reason why "seeds" cannot be well colonized and grow in the host gut, as the thinning and destruction of the "mucus layer-soil" is an early symptom of NAFLD. This review summarizes the existing correlation between intestinal mucus and gut microbiota, as well as the pathogenesis of NAFLD, and proposes a new perspective that "mucus layer-soil" restoration combined with "gut bacteria-seed" FMT may be one of the most effective future strategies for enhancing the long-term efficacy of NAFLD treatment.
Humans ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/therapy* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Probiotics ; Prebiotics ; Fecal Microbiota Transplantation ; Bacteria ; Liver/pathology*

Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans ; Milk, Human ; Overweight/genetics* ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Fatty Acids ; Adiponectin/genetics*