Accelerometry Correlates in Body Composition, Physical Fitness, and Disease Symptom Burden: A Pilot Study in End-Stage Renal Disease

There is strong evidence that hemodialysis (HD) patients with a sedentary lifestyle have a higher risk of death compared to peers who engage in regular physical activity. Therefore, monitoring physical activity is of utmost importance. However, there is a lack of data on objectively measured physical activity behaviors in HD patients. Therefore, this study aimed to objectively measure physical activity in HD patients throughout the week, with particular attention to dialysis and non-dialysis days. We also examined how objectively measured physical activity correlated with physical fitness, body composition, and disease burden. Daily physical activity, body composition, serum parameters, comorbidity index, sit-to-stand, and hand-grip strength tests were measured in 14 HD patients. Daily physical activity was measured using the Actigraph GT9X accelerometer. The Dialysis Symptom Index questionnaire was also used. We found significant differences in anthropometric variables (weight, body mass index, overhydration, lean tissue index, and fat tissue index, all p < 0.05) and phase angle (p < 0.01) between HD patients reaching and patients not reaching physical activity guidelines for patients with chronic diseases. HD patients showed to be less active during dialysis days compared to non-dialysis days as indicated in sedentary time (–11.7%; p = 0.001), light (–47.3%; p = 0.003), moderate (–51.5%; p = 0.001), moderate to vigorous (–49.3%; p = 0.001), and vigorous (–34.3%; p = 0.067) physical activity. No significant correlations were found among serum parameters, symptom burden, and comorbidity burden, but a very large and positive correlation was found between phase angle and total moderate to vigorous physical activity (p < 0.01). Our findings support the need to implement physical activity on dialysis days in HD units to mitigate the effects of sedentary behavior. Prospective, long-term studies evaluating the use of accelerometers in HD patients and their effects on physical activity are needed.

Influence of time of feeding on dam performance prepartum and postpartum and its impact on its kids

Background This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of time of feeding on the performance of WAD goats during pregnancy, and to assess how the time of feeding of the dam affect the growth of their kids’ postpartum. Twelve (12) pregnant does were used in the pre-partum and in the postpartum, the same 12 lactating does and their 12 kids (1 kid per doe) were used. The dams were randomly distributed into three treatments and were fed once daily either in the morning, noon, or evening at 0600 h, 12:00 h and 18:00 h respectively under the natural light–dark cycle. Result Serum creatinine in noon-fed does was higher (P = 0.005) than in morning and evening-fed does. In addition, low density lipoprotein in morning-fed gravid does was the high (P = 0.007) compared to noon-fed does while the evening-fed does had the lowest. During postpartum, morning and noon-fed dams consumed more feed (forage, concentrate, and total daily feed intake) than evening-fed dams (P ≤ 0.006). Kid weight of morning-fed does was numerically higher than noon-fed does, which was higher than kids of evening-fed does. Conclusion This study shows that time of feeding did not affect the performance of pregnant WAD goats. However, it has the potential to influence the serum parameters of pregnant animals. It also showed that time of feeding influences maternal feed intake postpartum and can influence the growth of the kids.

Intermittent Fasting Reshapes the Gut Microbiota and Metabolome and Reduces Weight Gain More Effectively Than Melatonin in Mice

Background: Intermittent fasting (IF) can reduce energy intake and body weight (BW). Melatonin has many known functions, which include reducing appetite and preventing excessive weight gain.Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of IF on body fat and the gut microbiota and metabolome as well as a potential interaction with melatonin.Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice (23.0 ± 0.9 g, 6 wk old) were randomly assigned into four groups (12 mice/group): control (C), intermittent fasting (F), melatonin (M), and intermittent fasting plus melatonin (MF). The C and M groups mice were provided with ad libitum access to food and water, while the F and MF groups underwent alternative-day feed deprivation (15 cycles total). Melatonin was administered in the drinking water of the M and MF groups. Blood, epididymal fat, liver tissue, and intestinal tissue and contents were collected for lab measurements, histology, and microbiota and metabolome analysis. Main effects and interactions were tested by 2-factor ANOVA.Results: IF significantly reduced BW gain and serum glucose, total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels. Adipocyte size significantly decreased with IF, then the number of adipocytes per square millimeter significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared to the C group, the M and MF groups had significantly higher serum melatonin levels (17 and 21%, respectively), although melatonin monotherapy had no effect on serum parameters and adipocytes. There was no interaction between IF and melatonin on BW gain and serum parameters except for on adipocyte area and number per square millimeter, Bacteroidetes and Akkermansia bacterial abundance, and the levels of the intestinal metabolites alanine, valine and isoleucine. IF changed the intestinal microbiota structure, with the F and MF groups clearly separating from the C and M groups. Metabolomic analysis showed that there was obvious separation between all four groups.Conclusions: IF, but neither melatonin nor the interaction between IF and melatonin, could alter intestinal microbiota and metabolism and prevent obesity by reducing BW gain, serum glucose, TC, and TG, and adipocyte size in mice.

Evaluation of Radiographic Contrast-Induced Nephropathy by Functional Diffusion Weighted Imaging

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) resembles an important complication of radiographic contrast medium (XCM) displayed by a rise in creatinine levels 48–72 h after XCM administration. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate microstructural renal changes due to CIN in high-risk patients by diffusion weighted (DWI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Fifteen patients (five CIN and ten non-CIN) scheduled for cardiological intervention were included in the study. All patients were investigated pre- and post-intervention on a clinical 3T scanner. After anatomical imaging, renal DWI was performed by a paracoronal echo-planar-imaging sequence. Renal clinical routine serum parameters and advanced urinary injury markers were determined to monitor renal function. We observed a drop in cortical and medullar apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) before and after XCM administration in the CIN group. In contrast, the non-CIN group differed only in medullary ADC. The decrease of ADC and FA was apparent even before serum parameters of the kidney changed. In conclusion, DWI/DTI may be a useful tool for monitoring high-risk CIN patients as part of multi-modality based clinical protocol. Further studies, including advanced analysis of the diffusion signal, may improve the identification of patients at risk for CIN.

Adsorbents Reduce Aflatoxin M1 Residue in Milk of Healthy Dairy Cow Exposed to Moderate Level Aflatoxin B1 in Diet and Its Exposure Risk for Humans

This study investigated the effect of moderate risk level (8 µg/kg) AFB1 in diet supplemented with or without adsorbents on lactation performance, serum parameters, milk AFM1 content of healthy lactating cows and the AFM1 residue exposure risk in different human age groups. Forty late healthy lactating Holstein cows (270 ± 22 d in milk; daily milk yield 21 ± 3.1 kg/d) were randomly assigned to four treatments: control diet without AFB1 and adsorbents (CON), CON with 8 μg/kg AFB1 (dry matter basis, AF), AF + 15 g/d adsorbent 1 (AD1), AF + 15 g/d adsorbent 2 (AD2). The experiment lasted for 19 days, including an AFB1-challenge phase (day 1 to 14) and an AFB1-withdraw phase (day 15 to 19). Results showed that both AFB1 and adsorbents treatments had no significant effects on the DMI, milk yield, 3.5% FCM yield, milk components and serum parameters. Compared with the AF, AD1 and AD2 had significantly lower milk AFM1 concentrations (93 ng/L vs. 46 ng/L vs. 51 ng/L) and transfer rates of dietary AFB1 into milk AFM1 (1.16% vs. 0.57% vs. 0.63%) (p < 0.05). Children aged 2–4 years old had the highest exposure risk to AFM1 in milk in AF, with an EDI of 1.02 ng/kg bw/day and a HI of 5.11 (HI > 1 indicates a potential risk for liver cancer). Both AD1 and AD2 had obviously reductions in EDI and HI for all population groups, whereas, the EDI (≥0.25 ng/kg bw/day) and HI (≥1.23) of children aged 2–11 years old were still higher than the suggested tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 0.20 ng/kg bw/day and 1.00 (HI). In conclusion, moderate risk level AFB1 in the diet of healthy lactating cows could cause a public health hazard and adding adsorbents in the dairy diet is an effective measure to remit AFM1 residue in milk and its exposure risk for humans.