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Abstract Zebrafish have been utilized for many years as a model animal for pharmacological studies on diabetes and obesity. High-fat diet (HFD), streptozotocin and alloxan injection, and glucose immersion have all been used to induce diabetes and obesity in zebrafish. Currently, studies commonly used both male and female zebrafish, which may influence the outcomes since male and female zebrafish are biologically different. This study was designed to investigate the difference between the metabolites of male and female diabetic zebrafish, using limonene – a natural product which has shown several promising results in vitro and in vivo in treating diabetes and obesity—and provide new insights into how endogenous metabolites change following limonene treatment. Using HFD-fed male and female zebrafish, we were able to develop an animal model of T2D and identify several endogenous metabolites that might be used as diagnostic biomarkers for diabetes. The endogenous metabolites in males and females were different, even though both genders had high blood glucose levels and a high BMI. Treatment with limonene prevented high blood glucose levels and improved in diabesity zebrafish by limonene, through reversal of the metabolic changes caused by HFD in both genders. In addition, limonene was able to reverse the elevated expression of AKT during HFD.

Background Stroke is a primary cause of disability and death in adults worldwide. This study aimed to determine whether uric acid (UA), total bilirubin (TBIL), serum creatinine (Scr), homocysteine (Hcy), platelet large cell ratio (P-LCR), mean platelet volume (MPV), red blood cell volume distribution width (RDW), and common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) were risk factors for ischemic stroke and whether there were sex differences in their associations. Methods This was a case-control study, and all data were collected from the medical records at Fuzhou First People’s Hospital of Jiangxi Province, China. The case group consisted of 400 patients treated for ischemic stroke at the Neurology Department, Fuzhou First People’s Hospital from January 2017 to June 2023. The control group included 200 patients with non-ischemic stroke in the same period and at the same hospital. In this study, clinical history, physical examination, and biochemical indices such as UA, TBIL, Scr, Hcy, P-LCR, MPV, and RDW were obtained from the patients’ medical records. Craniocerebral imaging was performed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerized tomography (CT). CCA-IMT was measured using ultrasonography of the carotid arteries. Results In the multivariate binary logistic regression analysis, Hcy, FBS, right CCA-IMT and Hypertension were associated with ischemic stroke (p Conclusions Hcy, FBS, right CCA-IMT, and hypertension are independent risk factors for ischemic stroke in China. There was no association between TBIL, Scr, P-LCR, MPV, RDW, and the incidence of ischemic stroke. There was no sex difference in the association between Hcy, TBIL, Scr, P-LCR, and the incidence of ischemic stroke.

Introduction. Stroke is one of the most important cause of disability and death worldwide. Ischemic stroke patients account for the majority of stroke patients, which takes large burden to patients’ families. This study aimed to explore the association between cholyglycine (CG), total bilirubin (TBIL), indirect bilirubin (IDBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL) and incidence of ischemic stroke, and to assess detect gender difference. Methods. This was a case-control and retrospective study, all data was collected from medical records in Fuzhou First People’s Hospital in China. Case group consists of 130 ischemic stroke patients at the Department of Neurology in Fuzhou First People’s Hospital. Control group was 130 patients who didn’t have ischemic stroke in the same period and in the same hospital. In our study, physical examination and clinical history of patients, biochemistry testing indexes of CG, TBIL, DBIL, IDBIL were recorded in medical records. Craniocerebral imaging was examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and/or computerized tomography (CT). Results. The odds for ischemic stroke increased with CG (adjusted OR=3.028, 95% CI=2.065-4.440, p

Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the third primary cause of disability in adults all over the world. The increasing incidence of stroke seriously affects the lives of patients, especially those who are disabled after stroke. It cost a lot of money for the treatment and adds a heavy burden to the families of stroke patients. Ischemic stroke patients account for the majority of stroke patients. Due to the lack of effective treatment methods for ischemic stroke, prevention is currently considered to be the best measure. Strengthening the study of the risk factors for ischemic stroke and control the risk factors to reduce the morbidity and mortality of ischemic stroke is very important. However, the studies on risk factors for ischemic stroke are limited and the researchers’ views are inconsistent, the studies on some risk factors or potential risk factors for ischemic stroke didn’t have an in-depth studies and lack being taking seriously. Some independent biochemical risk factors for ischemic stroke that can be applied to guide clinical work and help patients to improve their disease conditions are lacking. The article aims to summarize the biochemistry risk factors or potential biochemistry risk factors for ischemic stroke, especially those studied in recent five years, in order to help researchers to facilitate them for making further studies on exploring their association.

Children are susceptible to infections due to frequent participation in school group activities and their often-suboptimal hygiene practices. Frequent infections in children affect school attendance, academic performances, and general health. The effectiveness of school-based hygiene-related intervention programmes need to be informed by updated high-quality synthesised evidence. In this systematic review, we searched PubMed and Cochrane CENTRAL for randomised and non-randomised interventional studies that evaluated school-based hygiene-related interventions. We assessed risk-of-bias (Cochrane risk-of-bias 2 tool), performed random-effect meta-analysis (RevMan 5.4) and rated certainty-of-evidence (GRADE). Thirty-nine trials (41 reports), published from 2011 to 2024 from 22 countries were included. Twenty-three studies contributed data for meta-analysis. All school-based interventions were compared with standard curriculum and demonstrated very low to low certainty-of-evidence due to study methodological limitations and imprecision. Hand-body hygiene interventions may improve knowledge, attitudes and practices (SMD 2.30, 95%CI 1.17 to 3.44, 6 studies, 7301 participants), increase handwashing practices (RR 1.75, 95%CI 1.41 to 2.17, 5 studies, 5479 participants), and reduce infection-related absenteeism (RR 0.74, 95%CI 0.66 to 0.83, 5 studies, 1017852 observations). Genital hygiene interventions may improve attitude (SMD 6.53, 95%CI 2.40 to 10.66, 2 studies, 2644 participants) and practices (RR 2.44, 95%CI 1.28 to 4.68, 1 study, 1201 participants). However, intervention effects on oral hygiene appeared mixed, with worsening of the oral hygiene score (SMD 3.12, 95%CI 1.87 to 4.37, 2 studies, 652 participants) but improved dental hygiene (SMD -0.33, 95%CI -0.53 to -0.13, 3 studies, 4824 participants) and dental caries scores (SMD -0.34, 95%CI -0.52 to -0.16, 4 studies, 2352 participants). Limited evidence suggests that interventions targeting hand-body and genital hygiene practices may improve knowledge, practices, and infection-related absenteeism. However, the effects on oral hygiene intervention appeared mixed. Future research should strengthen randomisation and intervention documentation, and evaluate hygiene-related behaviour, academic performances and health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and transarterial radioembolization (TARE) are promising treatments for unresectable liver tumours. Some recent studies suggested that combining TACE and TARE in one treatment course might improve treatment efficacy through synergistic cytotoxicity effects. Nonetheless, current formulations do not facilitate a combination of chemo‐ and radio‐embolic agents in one delivery system. Therefore, this study aimed to synthesise a hybrid biodegradable microsphere loaded with both radioactive agent, samarium‐153 (153Sm) and chemotherapeutic drug, doxorubicin (Dox) for potential radio‐chemoembolization of advanced liver tumours. 152Sm and Dox‐loaded polyhydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate (PHBV) microspheres were prepared using water‐in‐oil‐in‐water solvent evaporation method. The microspheres were then sent for neutron activation in a neutron flux of 2 × 1012 n/cm2/s. The physicochemical properties, radioactivity, radionuclide purity, 153Sm retention efficiency, and Dox release profile of the Dox‐153Sm‐PHBV microspheres were analysed. In addition, in vitro cytotoxicity of the formulation was tested using MTT assay on HepG2 cell line at 24 and 72 h. The mean diameter of the Dox‐153Sm‐PHBV microspheres was 30.08 ± 2.79 μm. The specific radioactivity was 8.68 ± 0.17 GBq/g, or 177.69 Bq per microsphere. The 153Sm retention efficiency was more than 99%, tested in phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS) and human blood plasma over 26 days. The cumulative release of Dox from the microspheres after 41 days was 65.21 ± 1.96% and 29.96 ± 0.03% in PBS solution of pH 7.4 and pH 5.5, respectively. The Dox‐153Sm‐PHBV microspheres achieved a greater in vitro cytotoxicity effect on HepG2 cells (85.73 ± 3.63%) than 153Sm‐PHBV (70.03 ± 5.61%) and Dox‐PHBV (74.06 ± 0.78%) microspheres at 300 μg/mL at 72 h. In conclusion, a novel biodegradable microspheres formulation loaded with chemotherapeutic drug (Dox) and radioactive agent (153Sm) was successfully developed in this study. The formulation fulfilled all the desired physicochemical properties of a chemo‐radioembolic agent and achieved better in vitro cytotoxicity on HepG2 cells. Further investigations are needed to evaluate the biosafety, radiation dosimetry, and synergetic anticancer properties of the formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Stroke is a significant contributor to both disability and mortality, imposing a substantial impact on individuals' lives globally. The majority of stroke inpatients exhibited a higher prevalence of ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between homocysteine (Hcy), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr), carbon dioxide combining power (CO2CP), and ischemic stroke, with a specific focus on potential gender differences. Materials and Methods: The present investigation employed a case-control design, wherein all pertinent data was obtained exclusively from the medical records of Fuzhou First People's Hospital in China. The case group consisted of 130 patients who were admitted to the Neurology Department of Fuzhou First People's Hospital for the treatment of ischemic stroke. The control group consisted of 130 hospitalised patients who did not have ischemic stroke and were admitted to the same hospital over the same period. In this study, data pertaining to physical examination, patients' clinical history, and various biochemical indicators including Hcy, BUN, Scr, and CO2CP were documented in the medical records. The examination of craniocerebral imaging was conducted with computerised tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results: Multivariate binary logistic regression showed Hcy, CO2CP, FBS, SBP had significant association with ischemic stroke (p<0.05). The odds for being ischemic stroke was increased with Hcy (adjusted OR=1.280, 95% CI=1.149-1.427, p<0.001), FBS (adjusted OR=1.267, 95%CI=1.067-1.503, p=0.007), and SBP (adjusted OR=1.033, 95%CI=1.014-1.051, p=0.001). The odds of ischemic stroke decreased with CO2CP (adjusted OR=0.779, 95%CI=0.691-0.878, p<0.001). Conclusion: Hcy, FBS and SBP were independent and significant risk factors of ischemic stroke and CO2CP was the protective factor for ischemic stroke in China. There was no gender difference on Hcy, CO2CP with the incidence for ischemic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermentation of milk enhances its nutritional and biological activity through the improvement of the bioavailability of nutrients and the production of bioactive compounds. Coconut milk was fermented with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ngue16. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of fermentation and cold storage for 28 days on physicochemical characteristics, shelf life, and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of coconut milk as well as its proximate and chemical compositions. The pH of fermented milk decreased from 4.26 to 3.92 on the 28th day during cold storage. The viable cell count of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in fermented coconut milk was significantly increased during fermentation and cold storage period (1 to 14 days), reaching 6.4 × 108 CFU/mL, and then decreased significantly after 14 days to 1.6 × 108 CFU/mL at 28 days. Yeast and molds in fermented coconut milk were only detected on the 21st and 28th days of cold storage, which ranged from 1.7 × 102 to 1.2 × 104 CFU/mL, respectively. However, the growth of coliforms and E. coli was observed on the 14th until the 28th day of cold storage. The fermented coconut milk demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Cronobacter sakazakii, Bacillus cereus, and Salmonella typhimurium compared to fresh coconut milk. Fermented coconut milk had the greatest 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) values, with 67.1% and 61.961 mmol/g at day 14 of cold storage, respectively. Forty metabolites were detected in fermented and pasteurized coconut milk by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) metabolomics. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed clear difference between the fermented and pasteurized coconut milk as well as the studied cold storage days. The metabolites responsible for this variation were ethanol, valine, GABA, arginine, lactic acid, acetoin, alanine, phenylalanine, acetic acid, methionine, acetone, pyruvate, succinic acid, malic acid, tryptophan, uridine, uracil, and cytosin, which were higher in fermented coconut milk. However, sugars and other identified compounds were higher in fresh coconut milk. The findings of this study show that fermentation of coconut milk with L. plantarum ngue16 had high potential benefits to extending its shelf life and improved biological activities as well as other beneficial nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of carbon-based nanomaterials has extensively facilitated new discoveries in various fields. Carbon nanotube-based nanocomposites (CNT-based nanocomposites) have lately recognized as promising biomaterials for a wide range of biomedical applications due to their unique electronic, mechanical, and biological properties. Nanocomposite materials such as silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), polymers, biomolecules, enzymes, and peptides have been reported in many studies, possess a broad range of antibacterial activity when incorporated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). It is crucial to understand the mechanism which governs the antimicrobial activity of these CNT-based nanocomposite materials, including the decoupling individual and synergistic effects on the cells. In this review, the interaction behavior between microorganisms and different types of CNT-based nanocomposites is summarized to understand the respective antimicrobial performance in different conditions. Besides, the current development stage of CNT-based nanocomposite materials, the technical challenges faced, and the exceptional prospect of implementing potential antimicrobial CNT-based nanocomposite materials are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]