The daily practice requires the use of indirect calorimetry to define the energy requirements of intensive care patients. In the time of COVID-19 pandemic, this practice is challenging. The purpose of this methodology paper is to provide practical guidance to health professionals to perform this measurement safely, using various metabolic monitors.
Plant-derived natural products have shown beneficial effects in many diseases associated with liver. The present study aimed to appraise the effects of Trichosanthes dioica (TD) peel extract on oxidative stress, inflammation as well as fibrosis exhibited by the ovariectomized rats in which hepatic damage had been induced by the administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). The CCl4 administration in the ovariectomized rats elevated the plasma ALT, AST, and ALP level in comparison with the control while TD peel extract showed significant reduction of those activities. Besides, oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation also increased in CCl4-treated rats. TD peel extract significantly reduced the oxidative stress marker's concentration and improved the catalase and SOD activities in CCl4-administered ovariectomized rats. These results suggest that TD peel extract is capable of protecting the liver from CCl4induced damage through preventing oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, inflammation, fibrosis and boosting the diminished cellular antioxidant defense.
Background: vitamin D is being increasingly recognized for its important non-skeletal functions including endocrine actions. This study investigated if a single, large, intramuscular post‐artum injection of vitamin D improve adiponectin levels among women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: A total of 45 pregnant women with GDM participated in this randomized clinical trial. They were randomly divided into intervention and control group. The intervention group received an intramuscular injection of 300,000 IU of vitamin D during 3 to 10 days after their child delivery, but controls did not. Serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c and serum adiponectin were measured at baseline and after 3 months of intervention. Results: Serum 25 OH vitamin D increase significantly in the intervention but not in the control group from 24.25 to 62.10 (nmol/l) (p-value< 0.01). Comparison in within group showed that adiponectin level increased significantly only among intervention group after the vitamin D injection from 7.45 to 8.98 (ngr/dl) (P-value=0.01), while between group comparisons showed no significant differences in adiponectin concentration after the intervention (P-value<0.05). Between and within group comparisons reported no significant alterations in the levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and FPG (fasting plasma glucose), as well. Conclusions: The 300,000 IU single dose of intramuscular injection of vitamin D is regarded as an effective procedure to improve vitamin D status which significantly increased the adiponectin levels among mothers with gestational diabetes after delivery. Trial registration: The trial was registered in Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials available at http://www.irct.ir. The reference number is IRCT138902113840N1.
Obesity is the most prevalent nutritional disorder. Healthy diets helps people maintain and improve their general health. This study aimed to assessment of low and very low calorie diets through determination of its effect on lipid metabolism, iron profile and kidney function in obese male rats. To achieve our aim forty five male albino rats were used and divided into 4 groups: control group, obese group with 75 calories diet, obese group with 60 calories diet and obese group with 45 calories diet. Our result showed significant disturbance of lipid, iron and kidney profile on supplementation of 75 calories diet to obese group of male rats and significant improvement in lipid, iron and kidney profile on supplementation of 60 calories diet or 45 calories diet to obese group of male rats. The results confirmed that, high fat diet able to produce significant disturbance in lipid metabolism, iron profile and kidney function while low calorie diets able to improving the disturbance in such parameter.
Summary: This research was planned to assess the protective effect of aqueous green tea extract (AGTE) in alcohol treated diabetic rats. This study was examined, whether 20% v/v of 5 g/kg.b.w alcohol intake exacerbates diabetes-induced renal damage associated with an escalated nitroxidative stress and glucose homeostasis in comparison with diabetic condition alone. The present study is primarily focused to investigate the possible toxic effects of chronic alcohol intake on kidney of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Forty albino male Wistar rats were used and randomly allocated into five groups. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ (50 mg/kg) in rats. Alcohol was administered through orogastric tube once daily for a period of 60 days. Impact of chronic alcohol treatment on renal function and selected metabolites of catecholamines and antioxidant metabolisms have been investigated in the kidney of STZ-induced diabetic rats. Biochemical analysis of kidneys demonstrated that chronic alcohol induced alterations in vitro gluconeogenesis, significant decrease in the body weight, and activities of antioxidant enzymes in diabetic rats. A significant increase in the levels of epinephrine and sertonine was observed between alcohol treated, diabetic control and alcohol treated diabetic rat groups. Further, excessive chronic alcohol treatment caused additive deterioration of the kidney function as evidenced by increased inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression and thus nitroxidative stress and histopathological aberrations leading to aggravation of diabetic nephropathy under alcohol intoxication. Treatment with aqueous green tea extract (300 mg/kg.b.w) to diabetic rats treated with alcohol renders the protection against the decreased body weight, increased hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, catecholamines, nitroxidative stress and further tissue damage.
