Riceberry rice beverage decreases postprandial glycemic response, inflammatory markers and antioxidant status induced by a high carbohydrate and moderate fat meal in overweight and obese men

Recent clinical studies support the beneficial role of riceberry rice and its food products on controlling glycemic response in healthy subjects. The aim of the current work was to determine...

Vitamin C Deficiency May Delay Diet-Induced NASH Regression in the Guinea Pig

Oxidative stress is directly linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the progression to steaotohepatitis (NASH). Thus, a beneficial role of antioxidants in delaying disease progression and/or accelerating recovery may be expected, as corroborated by recommendations of, e.g., vitamin E supplementation to patients. This study investigated the effect of vitamin C deficiency—often resulting from poor diets low in fruits and vegetables and high in fat—combined with/without a change to a low fat diet on NAFLD/NASH phenotype and hepatic transcriptome in the guinea pig NASH model. Vitamin C deficiency per se did not accelerate disease induction. However, the results showed an effect of the diet change on the resolution of hepatic histopathological hallmarks (steatosis, inflammation, and ballooning) (p < 0.05 or less) and indicated a positive effect of a high vitamin C intake when combined with a low fat diet. Our data show that a diet change is important in NASH regression and suggest that a poor vitamin C status delays the reversion towards a healthy hepatic transcriptome and phenotype. In conclusion, the findings support a beneficial role of adequate vitamin C intake in the regression of NASH and may indicate that vitamin C supplementation in addition to lifestyle modifications could accelerate recovery in NASH patients with poor vitamin C status.

Exosome Derived From Traumatic Brain Injury Patients Accelerates Fracture Healing via SMAD7 Signaling Regulation

BackgroundExtremity injuries, especially for bone fracture, predominate in warfare, and around one-third of military personnel sustain at least one kind of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The beneficial role of TBI in osteogenic differentiation and fracture healing was found in clinic, however, the underlying mechanism of this interesting finding is elusive. Exosome (Exos) is nanosized extracellular vesicles, and their regulatory role in bone remodeling have attracted accumulative attention.MethodsUltra-high speed gradient centrifugation was used to extract exosomes (Exos) both from fracture patients combined with TBI (TBI-Exos), and from isolated fracture patients (Ctr-Exos). Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) proliferation was checked by qRT-PCR, western blotting, ALP staining, alizarin red staining, and EdU (5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine) assays. In addition, C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into different groups according to the treatments, and the radiographic and histopathological results were analyzed to evaluate the effect of TBI-Exos on fracture healing. ResultsIn vitro, suppression of SMAD7 promoted osteogenic differentiation, whereas knock down of miR-21-5p in TBI-Exos deprived this bone-beneficial effect at a great extent. Similarly, our results confirmed that pre-injection of TBI-Exos leads to enhanced bone formation, whereas knock down of exosomal miR-21-5p was capable to markedly impair this bone-beneficial effect in vivo. ConclusionOur findings provide a potential mechanism of the beneficial role of TBI in fracture healing with a particular focus on the TBI-Exos, and suggest that the use of nanosized materials combined with miR-21-5p-mimics may be a promising therapeutic approach to enhance fracture healing in the future.

Internet Gaming Disorder, Risky Online Behaviour, and Mental Health in Hong Kong Adolescents: The Beneficial Role of Psychological Resilience

In the present cyber age, Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and risky online behaviour are prevalent, and adolescents are especially vulnerable to such emergent problems. Few studies have explored the protective factors that mitigate harm caused by IGD and various common risky online behaviours. This study examined the prevalence of IGD and risky online behaviour, their hypothesised associations with depressive symptoms, and the beneficial role of psychological resilience as an underlying psychological mechanism. The participants included 1,099 Chinese junior secondary school students (33% boys, mean age = 13.5 years, age range = 10–17 years) who completed a battery of validated self-report questionnaires at their schools. The results revealed that 4% of the participants were at high risk of IGD and 6% were at an overall risk level of IGD. Depressive symptoms were positively associated with IGD and risky online behaviour, and psychological resilience mediated both of these associations. These results imply that clinicians and teachers should incorporate psychological resilience training into intervention approaches to mitigate IGD and risky online behaviour.