scholarly journals The Role of Plant-Based Protein Functional Food in Preventing Acute Respiratory Disease: A Case Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 2116
Author(s):  
Andrei V. Tarasov ◽  
Rofail S. Rakhmanov ◽  
Elena S. Bogomolova ◽  
Ludmila A. Perminova ◽  
Zhanna L. Malakhova

The Kaliningrad region is known for its specific climate, which can negatively affect the adaptive potential of the body. This manifests in an increased incidence of respiratory diseases and skin conditions. To prevent high morbidity, a plant protein product was included in the diet of first-year university students. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of this food intervention in preventing the most common diseases among Kaliningrad students. Two groups of university students took part in the food trial. In the control group, catabolic processes prevailed in nutrient metabolism. Disadaptation manifested itself in the metabolism of proteins, vitamins, minerals, hematopoiesis and humoral immunity. Inflammation was indicated by α1- and α2-globulins, a weak immune response, and IgM and IgG. High oxidative stress and low antioxidative ability of blood serum were observed. The plant-based protein product (FP) helped preserve testosterone level and prevent an increase in catabolic reactions. Moreover, it had a positive effect on both red blood cell hematopoiesis (a smaller increase in the average volume of erythrocytes, the same average concentration and content of hemoglobin, an increased relative red cell distribution width (RDW) and white blood cell hematopoiesis (a beneficial effect for the immune system: lymphocytes, the relative content of neutrophils, monocytes, basophils and eosinophils). The stimulation of humoral immunity was evidenced by beta- and gamma-globulins, an active immune response, the level of IgM and IgG, antioxidant protection, reduction of peroxides and an increase in antioxidant activity of blood serum. The 34-week observation showed a 1.7-fold decrease in the incidence of respiratory illnesses and a 5.7-fold decrease in skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases. Acute respiratory infections were reduced 1.8-fold. There were no cases of community-acquired pneumonia in the treatment group, compared with 55.1‰ in the control group. The incidence of respiratory diseases was 3.3–10.6 times lower in the treatment group than in the control group in weeks 6–19. The findings testify to the prophylactic effect of functional food during social adaptation and acclimatization of students.

2013 ◽  
Vol 68 (7) ◽  
pp. 57-60
Author(s):  
O. A. Sharavii ◽  
S. V. Smirnova

 Aim. The study of the prevalence and clinical peculiarities of Mycoplasmosis and Chlamydiosis in patients with different pathogenic forms of bronchial asthma (BA) taking into account ethnicity of a patient. Subjects and Methods. The research covered 239 subjects – both the Europeoids and the Mongoloids in the city of Krasnoyarsk and the town of Kyzyl, all of them being BA patients of different stages, including acute stage and practically healthy. We had determined antigens Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Mycoplasma hominis, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Chlamydophila psittaci and Chlamydia trachomatis in smears of mucosa of pharynx and antibodies to these antigens in peripheral blood serum. Results.  We found high frequency of Mycoplasmosis and Chlamydiosis in the inhabitants of Eastern Siberia, BA patients with different pathogenic forms as compared to control group. We had determined ethnic peculiarities of specific immune response: IgM to М. pneumoniae was revealed in the Europoids more frequently than in the Mongoloids, but IgM to С. pneumoniae and to C. trachomatis, C. trachomatis antigens had been revealed more often in the Mongoloids than in the Europoids. We accepted as clinical equivalents of Mycoplasmosis and Chlamydiosis diagnostics the following signs: temperature around 37C (subfebrile temperature), non-intensive but stable coughing with scanty mucous and muco-purulent sputum, dyspnea of mixed character. Conclusions. Mycoplasma and Chlamydia are meaningful etiologic factors of bronchial asthma. We have found the peculiarities of immune response depending on ethnicity of a patient (ethnic belonging). Clinical markers of Mycoplasmosis and Chlamydiosis should be taken into account in bronchial asthma in order to provide diagnostics timely as well as eradication of infection agents. Because of insufficient knowledge of problem of bronchial asthma related to contamination with Мycoplasma and Chlamydia we put the goal to study the frequency of Mycoplasmosis and Chlamydiosis occurrence in bronchial asthma patients and determine the characteristics clinical course of diseases. We defined antigens Мycoplasma pneumoniae, Мycoplasma hominis, Chlamydophila pneumoniaе, Chlamydophila psittaci, Chlamydia trachomatis in smears of oropharynx mucosa and antibodies to them in blood serum. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 603-624
Author(s):  
Yingli Yang ◽  
Lawrence Jun Zhang ◽  
Ling Chen

AbstractThe present study explores the effects of recast plus form-focused instruction and form-focused instruction on vocabulary development and the mediating effect of working memory. Sixty-six university students were assigned to a recast plus form-focused instruction (FFI) group, a FFI group, and a control group. The instructor provided recasts on non-target vocabulary items in the recast plus FFI group, whereas the FFI group completed two form-focused vocabulary tasks only. Pretests, posttests, and delayed posttests were administered to examine learners’ development of target vocabulary items. A reading span test was employed to examine learners’ complex working memory capacities. Results show that the recast plus FFI group exhibited superior performance over the control group on both posttests and delayed posttests with large effect sizes. Working memory did not significantly correlate with vocabulary development in either treatment group.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 124
Author(s):  
Alexander Marpaung ◽  
Parluhutan Siagian ◽  
Dina Keumala Sari

Background: Indonesia is in the second rank for the most TB (Tuberculosis) cases in the world after India. It is estimated that there are 1 million cases per year in Indonesia. Objective: The objective of the research was to find out the influence of Vitamin A supplementation in the medication of pulmonary TB on the acceleration of sputum conversion time at intensive phase in the Working Area of Puskesmas in Medan Kota Subdistrict. Methods: This research applied clinical testing design with experimental approach and Experimental Quasi method. The samples were 30 newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients consisting of15 patients in the treatment group and 15 patients in the control group. They were ³18 years old, regularly consumed category I OAT with BMI ³18.5. The statistical data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney statistical testing at reliability rate 95% (p<0.05).        Result: The results of the research on the treatment group discovered that they were mostly 18-27 years old 40.0%, male 73.3%, mostly university students 26.7%, had BTA conversion in the second week 80.0%; and the sputum conversion time was 2.4 weeks in average. The results of the research on the control group demonstrated that they were mostly 18-27 years old 33.3%, male 80.0%, mostly university students and entrepreneurs 20.0%, had BTA conversion in the second week 80%; and the sputum conversion time was 4.1 weeks in average. Vitamin A supplementation in the medication of pulmonary TB patients had some influence on the acceleration of sputum conversion at intensive phase (p= <0.001) < (alpha = 0.05). Conclusion: Vitamin A supplementation in the medication of pulmonary TB patients had some influence on the acceleration of sputum conversion at intensive phase in the Working Area of Puskesmas in Medan Kota Subdistrict


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 3726-3726
Author(s):  
Devaki Sivasubramaniam ◽  
Osei Bekoe ◽  
Bharat Motwani ◽  
Sandra Allen ◽  
Lori Feldman ◽  
...  

Abstract Hydroxyurea (HU) is now widely used in the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD). The effect of this agent on T-lymphocytes in this disease has not been extensively studied. In other diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease, HU was found to have a variable effect on T-cell subsets. We previously reported (Blood2002; 100: 363) a case of a sickle cell disease patient who was HIV- negative who was found to have low CD4 count on HU that normalized after stopping this agent. We have since conducted a case-controlled study in our sickle cell disease clinic in an attempt to analyze the effects of HU on CD4 count and other T-lymphocyte subsets. Written informed consent was obtained from 15 SCD patients. All patients had SCD as confirmed by hemoglobin electrophoresis. We placed patients into 2 cohorts: the treatment group consisted of patients already receiving HU therapy and the control group consisted of patients not taking HU. Among 15 patients, 8 patients were in treatment group and 7 patients were in the control group. In control group, 5 patients were female and 2 patients were male with mean age of 38 years. In treatment group, 7 patients were female and 1 was male with mean age of 35 years. In the treatment group, the mean duration of HU therapy was 4 years. We collected venous blood from all patients and tested for the following blood cell counts: total white blood cell (WBC), total neutrophil, total lymphocyte, CD4, CD8, CD3 cells and CD4/CD8 ratio. We also tested and found that there was no significant difference between the 2 cohorts for the presence of alloantibodies, cytomegalovirus virus and hepatitis C viral status. All patients were found to be HIV- negative. The lymphocyte assay was done using Coulter MAXAM hematology analyzer and using a combination of white blood cell counts and differential count in the same laboratory for all patients. We compared the mean value of total T-lymphocyte counts, T-cell subgroups CD4, CD8, CD3 levels and CD4/CD8 ratios between the 2 groups by performing the t-test (Table 1). Our study showed that the treatment group had a statistically significant increase in total T- lymphocyte count and in levels of the CD4, CD8 and CD3 levels compared to the control group. There was no difference in the CD4/CD8 ratio between the 2 groups. These results provide additional information to our previous observation of a lowered CD4 count in a SCD patient on HU. These results are consistent with findings in HIV positive patients where changes in T- lymphocytes subsets have been observed in patients treated with HU (AIDS2002; 14:619–621 and J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr2000; 25: 329–336). We conclude that in SCD patients HU can affect T-lymphocyte subset counts. The mechanism and clinical significance of the effect, if any, is unknown and requires further investigation. Table 1: Effects of HU on T-lymphocytes Blood test Control group treatment group P value * P-value significant below 0.05 Total WBC th/mm3 15.36 12.28 0.23 Neutrophil ct/mm3 7.87 4.92 0.12 Total lymphocyte ct/mm3 2458.83 3739.4 0.01* Absolute CD4, mm3 1621.7 2284.8 0.05* Absolute CD8, mm3 701.42 1340.33 0.01* Absolute CD3, mm3 2520 3723 0.01* CD4/CD8 Ratio 2.321 2.32 0.99


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wu Sun ◽  
Jing-hua Gao ◽  
ZHU Li-guo ◽  
Wei Xiao ◽  
Zhen-zhong Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Wound-related complications are an inevitable issue faced by spinal surgeons. Negative pressure drainage remains the most commonly used method to prevent postoperative hematoma and related complications. This prospective, randomized, controlled study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of compression therapy following posterior lumbar interbody fusion, with emphasis on pain, anemia, and inflammation. Methods: Sixty consecutive patients who have undergone posterior lumbar interbody fusion in the age range 43–78 years, with an average age of 59 years, were selected and randomly assigned into two groups. Factors, such as drainage volume, visual analog scale (VAS) pain score for back pain, white blood cell (WBC) count , red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb) levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels assessed on the 1st, 3rd, and 10th days postoperatively, were compared between the two groups. Results: The average follow-up was 6 months, ranging from 3 to 11 months. Drainage volume, VAS score, and CRP levels on the 10th day after the surgery were found to be significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group. RBC count and Hb levels on the 3rd and 10th postoperative days were observed to be significantly higher in the treatment group than in the control group ( P <0.05). During discharge, the wounds of the patients of the both groups had healed and neither showed any symptoms of infection, hematoma, or necrosis. Conclusion: Compression therapy relieves pain, alleviates anemia, and the inflammatory response following posterior lumbar interbody fusion.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4.1) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Siti Sarawati Johar ◽  
Sazuliana Sanif ◽  
Fauziah Ani ◽  
Harliana Halim ◽  
Shahidah Hamzah ◽  
...  

In this experimental study, the issue is focused on the influence of emotional intelligence in shaping the political behaviour of university youth students. The specific objective of this study is to examine the impacts of emotional intelligence competency on political behaviour among youth at the university by looking at the significance difference in the treatment group and the control group through application of emotional intelligence module. A total of 608 university students were selected as respondents from four public universities in Malaysia. The measuring tools used were the Emotional Intelligence Self-Description Inventory (EISDI), and the Political Behaviour Questionnaire (PBQ). In this study, T-test analysis and ANOVA test were used to determine the difference between the two control and treatment groups. The findings showed that there was a significant impact on the post-test for the treatment group due to the pre-and post-treatment differences. However, the findings from the control group showed no significant value. In addition, the findings show that the treatment group has the impact of changing the political behaviour with the implementation of emotional intelligence competencies in the teaching modules. The findings of this study provided sharing of the importance of the implementation of emotional intelligence among university students to form positive behaviours in political aspects. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (20) ◽  
pp. 3505-3508
Author(s):  
Dina Keumala Sari ◽  
Alexander Parlindungan Marpaung ◽  
Parluhutan Siagian ◽  
Nurfida Khairina Arrasyid

BACKGROUND: Indonesia is in the second rank for the most TB (Tuberculosis) cases in the world after India. It is estimated that there are 1 million cases per year in Indonesia. AIM: To find out the influence of Vitamin A supplementation in the medication of pulmonary TB on the acceleration of sputum conversion time at an intensive phase in the Working Area of Puskesmas in Medan Kota Subdistrict METHODS: This research was Quasi Experiment method. With two groups. The samples were 30 newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients consisting of of15 patients in the treatment group and 15 patients in the control group. The statistical data were analysed with t independent test, significance 95% (p < 0.05) RESULTS: The treatment group discovered that they were mostly 18-27 years old 40.0%, male 73.3%, mostly university students 26.7%, had BTA conversion in the second week 80.0%; and the sputum conversion time was 2.4 weeks in average. The results of the research on the control group demonstrated that they were mostly 18-27 years old 33.3%, male 80.0%, mostly university students and entrepreneurs 20.0%, had BTA conversion in the second week 80%; and the sputum conversion time was 4.1 weeks in average. Vitamin A supplementation in the medication of pulmonary TB patients had some influence on the acceleration of sputum conversion at the intensive phase (p ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSION: We concluded that Vitamin A in the medication of pulmonary TB patients had some influence on the acceleration of sputum conversion at the intensive phase in the Medan Kota.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (6Supl2) ◽  
pp. 3057
Author(s):  
Matheus Gomes Lopes ◽  
José Henrique Echenique Dominguez ◽  
Cristina Mendes Peter ◽  
Ederson Santos ◽  
Paula Almeida Rodrigues ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to evaluate the humoral immune response in beef heifers supplemented with mineral supplementation with or without the addition of rumen-protected methionine. Forty-eight Brangus nulliparous heifers were distributed into four experimental groups with three replications each: control group without supplementation and without vaccination (CG01), control group without supplementation and with vaccination (CG02), treatment group with mineral supplementation and vaccination (TG01), and treatment group with mineral supplementation added with protected methionine and vaccination (TG02). The animals were maintained under native pasture with access to water ad libitum and the supplementation was available in high-consumption covered troughs. A supplementation period of 60 days prior to vaccinations was adopted until the first dose of a monovalent experimental vaccine inactivated for BoHV-5 was applied as a method of stimulating the immune response to evaluate the supplementation effects. After a 21-day interval, blood samples were collected to evaluate the humoral response and the second vaccine booster dose was applied following the 21-day interval for new blood samples in order to evaluate the immune response against the two-vaccination protocol. From the beginning of the experiment, the animals were weighed on the days ?60, ?10, 0, 21, and 42 in relation to the vaccine protocol. The experimental groups did not differ for body weight, mean daily weight gain, and body condition score after 102 days of supplementation regardless of the treatment. No animals belonging to CG01 seroconverted throughout the experiment, proving that there was no introduction of the agent (BoHV) in the studied area. When vaccinated animals were compared to the CG01 control group, statistically higher levels of neutralizing antibodies (P ? 0.0001) and IgG (P ? 0.0001) were verified 21 days after the second vaccine dose. Among the animals of the three vaccinated groups, there was no difference in seroconversion and IgG production. Therefore, no benefits of mineral supplementation or enriched with protected methionine were observed for the humoral immune response of the studied animals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Niloufar Darbandi ◽  
◽  
Zeynab Vasheghani Farahani ◽  
Hamidreza Momeni ◽  
◽  
...  

Background: Zinc oxide Nanoparticles (NPs) present irreversible effects on the nervous system, memory, and learning. Objective: The current study aimed to investigate the effects of pentoxifylline on memory impairments, CA1 hippocampal pyramidal cells, and blood serum antioxidant enzymes in male rats treated with zinc oxide NPs. Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided into the control, zinc oxide NPs (1.25 mg/kg), pentoxifylline (50 mg/kg), and pentoxifylline with zinc oxide NPs groups. In all study groups, saline, zinc oxide NPs, and pentoxifylline were intraperitoneally injected 30 minutes before training. In the co-treatment group, pentoxifylline was injected one hour before injecting Zno NPs. After performing the behavioral test, the tested animals’ brains were fixed and the number of healthy neurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus was counted. In all research groups, malondialdehyde levels, total antioxidant power, superoxide dismutase levels, and glutathione peroxidase in blood serum were measured. Results: Zinc oxide nanoparticles decreased memory and the number of healthy neurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus and increased oxidative stress in blood serum, compared to the controls. In the co-treatment group, using pentoxifylline improved the above-mentioned factors and reached the level of the control group. Pentoxifylline alone presented no significant effect on the aforementioned characteristics, compared to the control group. Conclusion: ZnO NPs may decrease memory retrieval and cause cell death in the pyramidal neurons of the CA1 region of the hippocampus by increasing oxidative stress. Pentoxifylline, as a potent antioxidant, can prevent the harmful effects of ZnO NPs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Abolfazl Shirban Sasi ◽  
Toshinari Haga

This paper reports the usage of Japanese karaoke films in order to enhance learning Japanese vocabulary among students in a university in Taiwan. A pretest-posttest control-group design was implemented in which the treatment students (55 girls and 48 boys) were given Japanese vocabulary lessons via listening to and watching two karaoke films, while the control group (62 girls and 47 boys) received their Japanese vocabulary lessons through only listening to the same songs (N=212, P ≤ 0.05). The treatment lasted for six consecutive regular general Japanese classes in which the last 20 minutes of the session was allocated to this experiment. The statistical independent samples T-tests used for each of the three comparisons in this study revealed a significant higher gain scores for the girls treatment group, while the boys treatment and control, as well as the general (all) students  treatment and control groups did not show any significant difference. Given the ever-growing usage of karaoke in many countries such as Taiwan, the authors believe that addressing the possible and potential capabilities of such a favorable activity, particularly among the youth, can prove effective and helpful in teaching/learning Japanese and other languages.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document