bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of food restriction and betaine supplementation on methionine metabolism and plasma lipid profile in ethanol treated rats
Authors: Kim Hyewon , Min Hyesun 
Published: November 2023

Chronic ethanol exposure increases plasma homocysteine (Hcy) and Triglyceride (TG), hepatic S‐adenosyl homocysteine (SAH) and TG in animal and human studies. These changes in methionine metabolism and plasma lipids are associated with liver injury. Alcoholic patients with liver disease tend to consume approximately 40% of caloric intake as alcohol and lower intakes of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals as compared with nonalcoholics. On the other hand, caloric restriction to 60~70% of daily energy needs attenuates acute ethanol‐induced oxidative and nitrosative cardiac damage while caloric restriction to 40~50% of energy needs aggravates lipid peroxidation and nitrosative stress. Betaine regulates homocysteine levels by participating in the methionine cycle as a methyl donor. Present study was designed to determine whether food restriction (FR) would affect plasma lipid and methionine cycle when betaine is supplemented in ethanol‐fed rats. Therefore, male wistar rats were divided into seven experimental groups for 4 weeks as follows: control; ad libitum ethanol groups (E, E+ 0.25% betaine(w/v), E+ 0.5% betaine); food‐restricted ethanol groups (FRE, FRE+ 0.25% betaine, E+ 0.5% betaine). FRE groups were fed with 60% amount of diets ingested by ad libitum E group. Betaine supplementation (BS) was found to increase plasma HDL cholesterol, plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), liver S‐adenosyl methionine (SAM) (p<0.05), plasma TG, liver SAH (p<0.001) but decreased plasma Hcy (p<0.01) and SAM/SAH ratio (p<0.001). FR increased plasma ALT (p<0.05) but decreased plasma TG (p<0.05) and Hcy (p<0.001) in ethanol‐fed rats. These results indicate that BS attenuates mild homocysteinemia in ethanol‐fed rats, but leads to increase in plasma TG and MDA. We speculate that BS may increase plasma lipids by increased export of lipids from liver into circulation. FR tends to increase plasma ALT although it decreased plasma Hcy and TG. Thus, FR may cause liver injury in chronically ethanol‐fed rats by different metabolic disturbance from methionine cycle.Support or Funding InformationThis work was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (2014N124).
Folate and Choline Metabolite Changes in Maternal and Cord Blood in Response to Folic Acid Supplementation Dose During Pregnancy
Authors: Park Hea Jin , Hausman Dorothy B , Fleming Jennifer , Andersen Victoria , Rosa Gisselle , Kauwell Gail , Sokolow Andrew , Caudill Marie , Malysheva Olga , Fisher Susan , Bailey Lynn B 
Published: November 2023

Folate requirements increase during pregnancy to ensure normal cell division and growth of fetal and maternal tissues. The RDA for pregnant women is 600 μg/d Dietary Folate Equivalents, equivalent to approximately 400 μg/d of folic acid (FA). The majority of prenatal supplements contain FA doses much higher than the RDA, and the impact of the higher FA dose on maternal and fetal folate status has not been fully explored. The objective of this double‐blind controlled intervention study was to compare maternal and cord blood folate responses from mothers supplemented with the recommended amount of FA and those supplemented with the dose commonly found in prenatal supplements. Pregnant women (<12wks gestation) were provided with prenatal supplements containing the recommended prenatal intakes of other vitamins, minerals and DHA in addition to either 400 (FA400, n=16, 28.3 ± 1.5 yrs) or 800 (FA800, n=12, 26.6 ± 1.2 yrs) μg/d of FA throughout pregnancy. Maternal blood samples (at baseline, 28wks, 36wks, and delivery) and cord blood samples (at delivery) were collected. Maternal serum and RBC folate concentrations at 36wks were higher in FA800 compared to those in FA400 (p< 0.05), while plasma choline, dimethylglycine, betaine and trimethylamine N‐oxide were not different between groups during pregnancy. Cord blood concentrations of serum folate and plasma choline were higher (p< 0.05) in FA800 than FA400; however, FA dose did not affect these response variables in maternal blood at delivery. In FA800, serum folate concentrations were higher in cord vs maternal blood, while the cord and maternal blood concentrations in FA400 did not differ. Neither maternal nor cord blood RBC folate at delivery was different between the two groups. Folate intake during pregnancy was not different between groups. These results indicate that supplementing with the dose of FA commonly found in over‐the‐counter prenatal supplements during pregnancy had a similar impact on maternal folate concentrations at delivery as supplementing with a dose approximating the RDA, but did increase serum folate and plasma choline in cord blood.Support or Funding InformationSupport provided by Georgia Experimental Agricultural Station, HATCH #GEO00706 and #GEO00707, Obesity Initiative at the University of Georgia (UGA) and UGA Office of Vice President for Research.
Unmetabolized Folic Acid Response to Folic Acid Supplementation Dose During Pregnancy
Authors: Fleming Jennifer , Park Hea Jin , Hausman Dorothy B , Rosa Gisselle , Andersen Victoria , Kauwell Gail , Caudill Marie , Malysheva Olga , Fisher Susan , Bailey Lynn B 
Published: November 2023

The folate RDA for pregnant women is 600 μg/d Dietary Folate Equivalents, which is equivalent to approximately 400 μg folic acid (FA). Many prenatal supplements contain much higher doses of FA. The body's ability to reduce synthetic FA to the metabolically active form may be exceeded with high levels of FA supplementation. The objective of this double‐blind controlled intervention study was to determine the changes in circulating unmetabolized FA in both maternal and cord blood in response to supplementation during pregnancy with a higher dose of FA compared to a dose equivalent to the RDA. Pregnant women (<12wks gestation) were provided with prenatal supplements containing either 400 (n = 16, 28.3 ± 1.5 yrs) or 800 (n = 12, 26.6 ± 1.2 yrs) μg/d of FA from the first prenatal visit to delivery. The higher dose, 800 μg/d, represents the dose commonly found in over‐the‐counter prenatal vitamins. The prenatal supplements included recommended prenatal quantities of other vitamins, minerals and DHA. Dietary folate intake was not different between groups. Maternal blood samples (at baseline, 28wks, 36wks, and delivery) and cord blood samples (at delivery) were collected. FA was detectable in all maternal blood samples except for one sample. Mothers who took 800 μg/d FA maintained higher serum FA concentrations throughout pregnancy than those who took 400 μg/d FA (p< 0.05). FA was detectable in all cord blood samples, but was not different between the groups. FA was not related to serum folate, RBC folate, or 5‐MTHF at 28wk, 36wk or delivery in maternal blood or in cord blood. These results indicate that supplemental FA doses commonly contained in over‐the‐counter prenatal vitamins led to higher FA concentrations than an RDA equivalent dose in maternal blood, but not in cord blood.Support or Funding InformationSupport provided by Georgia Experimental Agricultural Station, HATCH #GEO00706 and #GEO00707, Obesity Initiative at the University of Georgia (UGA) and UGA Office of Vice President for Research.
Are levels of tolerable upper intake (UL) of Niacin overestimated? Some doubts raising from a meta‐analysis of intervention studies
Authors: Minto Clara , Vecchio Maria Gabriella , Lamprecht Manfred , Gregori Dario 
Published: November 2023

BackgroundNiacin (or nicotinic acid or vitamin B3), is a soluble compound that belongs to the group of B vitamins. Studies conducted on Niacin demonstrated its role in cardiovascular diseases prevention, in particular its capability to regress coronary atherosclerosis and to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular mortality, even more its hypolipidemic effect. Aim of present study was to evaluate the incidence of adverse effects (AEs) related to different dosage of Niacin supplementation, through a meta‐analysis of intervention trials.MethodsArticles published until May 2015 were collected using electronic database PubMed. The search string was “Niacinamide” or “Niacin” or “Nicotinic Acid” or “Nicotinate” or “Vitamin PP” or “Vitamin B 3” or “Vitamin B3” or “Nicotinamide” or “3‐Pyridinecarboxylic Acid”, limited to specific study design. 2635 potentially relevant records were retrieved. Out of them, studies with detailed information of Niacin supplementation and relative outcomes were retrained for the analysis. A five‐parameter logistic function has been used for estimating the dose‐response curve of niacin vs. the likelihood of having an AE. An inversion of the fitted curve allowed the derivation of dosage at different percentiles of risk.ResultsForty‐eight intervention studies were included in the meta‐analysis. For a Niacin dose of about 1648.734 mg/day (95% CI: 1599.540 to 1697.9), the incidence of adverse events has been estimated to be 0.5%. The same incidence percentage has been related to different dosages depending on type of adverse event: compared to cutaneous reactions the incidence of abdominal pain is related to a lower Niacin dose (1065.018 mg/day, 95% CI: 849.979 to 1280.1, 252.42 mg/day, 95% CI: 848.94 to 1353.8 respectively). The probability of each AE progressively increases when a higher dosage of Niacin is administered.ConclusionsConsistently with previous literature, the present study confirms that higher doses of vitamin are related to an increased incidence of adverse events. Nevertheless, from the literature review, safe dosages are estimated to be an order of magnitude higher than those commonly used in literature. Such results strongly support the need for an in‐deep evaluation of results toward a revision of level of Niacin tolerable upper intake.
Four‐year Longitudinal Analysis of the Nutritional Status of Children Ages 6 to 84 Months that Have Received a Micronutrient Fortified Beverage
Authors: Palacios Ana M , Villanueva Lisa M , Reinhart Gregory A 
Published: November 2023

Since 2010, six Guatemala City Municipal Nurseries were provided a 21 micronutrient fortified corn and soy beverage that contains chelated forms of zinc (9mg) and iron (12mg) to address micronutrient deficiencies among children ages 6 to 84 months that attend the daycare centers for 5 days/week. The main objective of this study was to carry out a four‐year longitudinal analysis of the nutritional status of stunted children that have attended the nurseries. A total of 491 children with stunting (height‐for‐age Z scores (HAZ) <‐2SD) at enrollment were identified. Height and weight measurements were collected at the beginning and before the end of every school year. Hemoglobin (Hb) was assessed in a subsample of individuals at the beginning and before the end of the school year for the first year, and in subsequent years only at the end of the school year; concentrations were adjusted for an elevation of 1500m. A multivariate mixed model analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between time of intervention and HAZ, and Hb concentrations. To assess prevalence of stunting and anemia across time, a multivariate generalized linear mixed model was performed. We observed that mean HAZ score (baseline HAZ=−2.54SD) improved over time by 0.02 SD per month (F=609.56, df=1, 1159.16 p<0.001) after controlling for sex; and on average, the odds of having stunting decreased by ~11% for every month the child received the nutrition intervention, OR=0.89 95% CI (0.88–0.91), p<0.001, controlling for sex. For those stunted children with anemia at baseline, the odds of having anemia decreased on average by 11% for every month of receiving the nutritional intervention, OR: 0.89, 95% CI (0.85–0.93), p<0.001. We also observed a significant increase in mean Hb concentrations (F=81.59, df=1, 102.00, p<0.001) in anemic children at baseline (mean Hb=10.45g/dL) and the next measurement after ten months (12.30g/dL). The Hb concentrations were maintained within normal ranges (≥11.60g/dL) in all subsequent measurements. This analysis demonstrates that the nutrition program at the Guatemala City Municipal nurseries is effective in reducing the prevalence of stunting and anemia, and in improving mean HAZ and Hb concentrations in stunted children from 6 to 84 months of age.Support or Funding InformationThis research was sponsored in part by the Mathile Institute for the Advancement of Human Nutrition.
The Form of Magnesium Fed Early in Life Has Subtle Effects on Open Field Behavior and Acoustic Startle Response, but Does Not Impact Morris Water Maze Performance
Authors: Waworuntu Rosaline , Becker Lora , Berg Brian 
Published: November 2023

Magnesium is an essential mineral that serves as an intracellular cofactor in enzymatic reactions and has an important regulatory role of gating of the N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor (which is involved in learning and memory processing). The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of Magnesium Oxide (MgO) versus Magnesium L‐Threonate (MgT) during normal early postnatal development on anxiety‐related behaviors and cognition in rodents. Newly weaned Sprague‐Dawley rats, postnatal day (PD) 21, were fed a diet that either contained 0.1% MgO or 0.1% MgT. No significant differences were found for body weights or food intake across the study. Open field exploration of PD28 or PD35 rats resulted in a main effect of age (F=2.14, p<0.05) and an age by diet interaction (F=2.45 p<0.05). Rats fed MgO spent less time positioned near the wall at P28 (M 452.5s) than P35 (M 467.5 s) while MgT fed rats spent more time near the apparatus wall at P28 (M 482s) than P35 (M 355s). Percent change in startle response in acoustic startle chamber showed no significant differences between MgO and MgT on PD 28 whereas after two weeks of diet exposure MgT females sensitized to the startle stimulus. In Morris water maze testing, there was a main effect of time (F=22.275 p<0.001) during the training phase on latency to find the hidden platform, but no effect of diet. There was also no effect of diet on latency or % time in target quadrant during the probe trial. Overall, these data suggest the form of dietary magnesium provided early in life caused a subtle shift in development of exploratory behavior and associative learning but did not alter spatial learning or memory.Support or Funding InformationStudy funded by Mead Johnson Nutrition.
High glucose reduces resveratrol‐dependent disruption of CX3CL1/CX3CR1 signaling in human placental circulation
Authors: Szukiewicz Dariusz , Pyzlak Michal , Szewczyk Grzegorz , Kochanowski Jan 
Published: November 2023

Upregulated activity of chemokine CX3CL1 (fractalkine) and abnormal expression of its sole receptor (CX3CR1) have been reported in many pro‐inflammatory conditions, including diabetes. Resveratrol (3,5,4′‐trihydroxy‐trans‐stilbene) possesses anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant properties related to its interference with NF‐κB (nuclear factor kappa‐beta) signaling pathway, which regulates the expression of various genes involved in inflammation, including CX3CL1. In this study, we examined influence of resveratrol on CX3CL1 production in extra corporeally perfused human term placental lobules under hyperglycemic (glucose 25 mmol/l; group I; N = 24) and normal (glucose 5 mmol/l; group II; N = 24) conditions. During the 150 min of perfusion, including the initial 30‐min adaptive phase, basal (immediately before administration of LPS) and LPS‐evoked (10 ng/ml) CX3CL1 secretion into the fetal side placental circulation was examined quantitatively in perfusion fluid samples using ELISA. After 60 min of perfusion, resveratrol (10~100μM) was added into the perfusion fluid. There were no significant differences between the studied groups in respect of the mean concentration of CX3CL1 (both basal and LPS‐evoked) in the samples collected before administration of resveratrol. Higher doses (50~100μM) of resveratrol produced significant (p < 0.05) reductions in CX3CL1 level in the perfusion fluid in both groups. However, significantly stronger (p < 0.02) reduction was observed in group II, compared to group I (2.37‐ vs. 1.64‐fold decrease, respectively). In conclusion, optimal anti‐inflammatory effects of resveratrol pertained to CX3CL1/CX3CR1 signaling in placental circulation should be expected under euglycemic conditions.Support or Funding InformationSupported by WUM grant: 2M2‐N‐15
Protective effect of Korean Diet or American Diet against DNA Damages Induced by H2O2 in Human Lymphocyte
Authors: Lee Min‐Young , Kim Hyun‐A , Kang Myung‐Hee 
Published: November 2023

Korean diet is comprised of mainly vegetables with abundant antioxidants such as vitamins, carotenoids, and phytochemicals compared to American diet. Therefore, Korean diet is expected to have excellent protection against DNA damages. However, limited research studies have been conducted in this area. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the protective effect of Korean diet against DNA damages compared to American diet. A standard diet for a week (2,000 Kcal/day) for Koreans provided in 2010 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans was used as Korean diet for this study. A diet for a week (2,000 Kcal/day) comprising of food that are generally eaten by Americans based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey with the help from the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences of the Korea Rural Development Administration was used as a control group. After cooking and freeze‐dried the components of food in Korean diet and American diet at an individual's intake quantity, diet samples were prepared as one‐time meal, one‐day meal, and one‐week meal. DNA damages were measured using COMET assay after separating lymphocytes from blood of five healthy adults. The protective effect against DNA damages induced by H2O2 was presented as a reduction rate (%) of DNA damage at tail moment. Comparison results for reduction rate of DNA damage per meal randomly selected from Korean diet or American diet showed that the average reduction rate of DNA damage by Korean diet was 77.9 ± 1.7%, which was significantly (p < 0.01) higher than that by American diet at 69.6 ± 2.0%. For mixed diet (three times of meals and snacks adjusted to meet 2,000 Kcal per day), the reduction rate of DNA damage by Korean diet was 76.5 ± 1.2%, which was also significantly (p < 0.01) higher than that by American diet at 70.2 ± 1.3%. When the effect of total meals for a week was measured, the reduction rate of DNA damages by Korean diet for a week was 80.5 ± 0.8%, which was significantly (p < 0.01) higher than that by American diet for a week at 70.6 ± 2.5%). Therefore, the protective effect of Korean diet against DNA damage was superior to that of American diet.Support or Funding InformationThis research was supported by a grant (NRF‐2013R1A1A3006963) of the Basic Science Research Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Republic of Korea.
Protective Effect of Vegetarian Food Extracts against DNA Damages in Ex Vivo Human Lymphocyte
Authors: Lee Min‐Young , Kim Hyun‐A , Kang Myung‐Hee 
Published: November 2023

Food such as fruits and vegetables have high contents of antioxidants. They can reduce the risk of various diseases such as cancers and heart diseases by increasing the antioxidant capacity in the body and reducing damages caused by reactive oxygen species inside cells. Koreans mainly eat vegetables with high antioxidant capacities such as cereals, legumes, vegetables, and mushrooms. It is expected that food taken by Koreans could have high protective effect against DNA damage. The objective of this study was to determine protective effect of vegetarian food against DNA damage ex vivo. Vegetarian food were divided into ten food groups. Extracts from the ten groups were extracted and used to treat human lymphocyte. The variety of vegetables were selected based on the results of the fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V‐2). The ten food groups were: cereals, potatoes, legumes, nuts, vegetables, kimchies, mushrooms, fruits, seaweeds, and oils. A total of 84 food varieties taken at more than 1% in the total food intake by Koreans were selected as vegetarian food. Selected food varieties were washed and freeze‐dried followed by methanol‐acetone extraction. DNA damage was measured using COMET assay to determine the indices of tail length (TL) pulled from nucleus, DNA % (% DNA in tail, TD) included at the tail, and tail moment (TM, a multiplied value of TL by TD). Pre‐treatment to lymphocyte with all ten Korean diet extracts showed significantly higher reduction effect against DNA damage induced by H2O2 compared to control group without receiving any pre‐treatment. The order of protective effect against DNA damages in the TD was: mushrooms > vegetables > fruits > seaweeds > nuts. The order of protective effect against DNA damages in the TL was: mushrooms > fruits > vegetables > nuts > seaweeds. The order of protective effect against DNA damages in terms of TM was: mushrooms > vegetables > fruits > seaweeds > kimchies. Mushrooms showed the highest protective effect against DNA damages in all three indices (TL, TD, and TM) representing DNA damages.Support or Funding InformationThis research was supported by a grant (NRF‐2013R1A1A3006963) of the Basic Science Research Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Republic of Korea.
Dried Plum Consumption Improves Antioxidant Capacity and Reduces Inflammation in Postmenopausal Women
Authors: Nakamichi‐Lee Michelle , Hooshmand Shirin , Kern Mark , Ahouraei Arshya , Hong Mee Young 
Published: November 2023

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide and menopause significantly raises risk in women. Abnormal blood lipids, inflammation and oxidative stress play significant roles in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease development. Dried plums contain bioactive components that have demonstrated antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory effects and therefore may be beneficial in reducing CVD risk. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dried plum consumption on lipid profiles, oxidative stress, antioxidant capacity and inflammation in postmenopausal women. Another goal was to determine if a moderate dose of 50 g/day is equally effective to a high dose (100 g/day). A 6‐month controlled clinical trial was conducted in which 48 postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to consume 0, 50 or 100 g of dried plum each day. Serum lipid profiles, antioxidant capacity, antioxidant enzyme activities, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory biomarkers and liver function enzyme activities were analyzed at baseline and after 3 and 6 months of intervention. No significant differences in outcome variables were detected between the 50 g and 100 g dried plum groups at any time point, so data from the two dried plum groups were combined. At 3 and 6 months, total cholesterol (p=0.037), lipid peroxidation (p=0.031) and interleukin‐6 (p=0.046) were significantly lower in the combined dried plum group compared to the control group. Total antioxidant capacity (p=0.036), superoxide dismutase (p=0.038) and catalase (p=0.05) activities were significantly greater after dried plum consumption at 3 and 6 months compared to the control group. Additionally, serum levels of the liver function enzymes alanine transaminase (p=0.001), alkaline phosphatase (p=0.001), lactate dehydrogenase (p=0.038) and creatine kinase (p=0.044) were significantly lower at 3 and 6 months in the dried plum groups than the control group. These findings indicate that consumption of 50–100 g of dried plum per day improves CVD risk factors in postmenopausal women as exhibited by lower total cholesterol, oxidative stress and inflammatory markers.Support or Funding InformationThe study was funded by San Diego State University, the Kasch‐Boyer Endowed Scholarship in Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, and the California Dried Plum Board.