Primary Hypothyroidism in Adults Based on Jorjani's View Point of the Book “Zakhire Kharazmshahi”

: The prevalence of primary hypothyroidism is increasing in adults (PHTA), and the reduction in the threshold for treatment and also the requirement to increase drug usage are major problems in approaching this disorder. Persian Medicine (PM) looks from a different view on etiology of diseases. Therefore, we tried to present the etiologies of PHTA according to an important book of PM i.e. “Zakhire Kharazmshahi”. Method: At first, the common symptoms and signs of PHTA were identified by investigating the Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane databases and their Persian equivalents were extracted from PM sources. These synonyms were searched as keywords in the book and the primary causes that were mentioned in association with the signs and symptoms were extracted. Then, we explained the total etiologies that were discussed for the occurrence of the causes, with respect to the principles of health care in PM. Results: "Cold distemperament", an increase in "Phlegmatic Humor ", an increase in "Melancholic Humor" and "Emtela" (repletion) were recognized as four main causes of PHTA. According to the book, the most important etiologies of these conditions are insufficient exercise, overeating, food intake before total stomach emptying and excessive amounts of cold temperament substances (foods, herbs, seeds, spices, etc.) in daily diet. Conclusion: From the viewpoint of PM, lifestyle spatially eating habits and physical activity play important causative roles in occurring and prognosis of PHTA. Hence, it is recommended to assess these results by more observations and clinical studies.

Optimising streptozotocin dosing to minimise renal toxicity and impairment of stomach emptying in male 129/Sv mice

The streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mouse model has been extensively used as a model for diabetes and diabetic nephropathy, but it is still influenced by many off-target toxic effects and large variation in diabetes induction. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare different STZ dosing regimens to optimise animal welfare and minimise unwanted effects of STZ measured by acute renal toxicity, impairment of stomach emptying and weight loss. Male 129/Sv mice were injected with 1 × 50, 1 × 100, 1 × 125, 1 × 150, 1 × 200, 5 × 50, 2 × 100 and 2 × 125 mg/kg STZ or vehicle and euthanized 24 hours after the last injection. All STZ doses were found to induce significant enlargement of the stomach. All multiple doses of STZ increased the albumin:creatinine ratio significantly, and immunohistochemical staining of KIM-1 and Ki-67 was increased by 5 × 50 and 2 × 100 mg/kg STZ. Renal gene expression of Cdkn1a, KIM-1, NGAL and MCP-1 was increased by most of the STZ doses. No difference was found between the double intermediate dose of 2 × 100 mg/kg and the multiple low dose of 5 × 50 mg/kg regarding either stomach enlargement or kidney injury. However, the reduced fasting periods and injections in the 2 × 100 mg/kg STZ group could have lowered the impact on the general condition measured as change in body weight. This shows that the double intermediate dose is a good alternative to the recommended multiple low dose for diabetes induction in these mice. The STZ-induced mouse model has again proven to be a model with large variations affecting both animal welfare and model robustness.

The homeostatic dynamics of feeding behaviour identify novel mechanisms of anorectic agents

Better understanding of feeding behaviour will be vital in reducing obesity and metabolic syndrome, but we lack a standard model that captures the complexity of feeding behaviour. We construct an accurate stochastic model of rodent feeding at the bout level in order to perform quantitative behavioural analysis. Analysing the different effects on feeding behaviour of PYY3-36, lithium chloride, GLP-1 and leptin shows the precise behavioural changes caused by each anorectic agent. Our analysis demonstrates that the changes in feeding behaviour evoked by the anorectic agents investigated not mimic satiety. In thead libitumfed state during the light period, meal initiation is governed by complete stomach emptying, whereas in all other conditions there is a graduated response. We show how robust homeostatic control of feeding thwarts attempts to reduce food intake, and how this might be overcome.In silicoexperiments suggest that introducing a minimum intermeal interval or modulating gastric emptying can be as effective as anorectic drug administration.

Actinidin from kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosacv. Hayward) increases the digestion and rate of gastric emptying of meat proteins in the growing pig

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary actinidin on the kinetics of gastric digestion of beef muscle proteins and on the rate of stomach emptying in growing pigs. For this purpose, 120 pigs (mean body weight 28 (sd2·9) kg) were fed beef muscle protein-based diets containing either actinidin (fresh green kiwifruit pulp or gold kiwifruit pulp supplemented with purified actinidin) or no actinidin (fresh gold kiwifruit pulp or green kiwifruit pulp with inactivated actinidin). Additionally, fifteen pigs were fed with a protein-free diet to determine the endogenous protein flow. Pigs were euthanised at exactly 0·5, 1, 3, 5 and 7 h postprandially (n6 per time point for each kiwifruit diet andn3 for protein-free diet). Stomach chyme was collected for measuring gastric retention, actinidin activity, individual beef muscle protein digestion based on SDS–PAGE and the degree of hydrolysis based on the appearance of free amino groups. The stomach emptying of DM and N was faster when actinidin was present in the diet (P< 0·05): the half gastric emptying time of DM was 137v. 172 min ( ± 7·4 min pooled standard error) for the diets with and without actinidin, respectively. The presence of dietary actinidin in the stomach chyme increased the digestion of beef muscle protein (P< 0·05) and, more specifically, those proteins with a high molecular weight (>34 kDa;P< 0·05). In conclusion, dietary actinidin fed in the form of fresh green kiwifruit increased the rate of gastric emptying and the digestion of several beef muscle proteins.