A Case Report on the Effects of Gamisachil-tang on an Anorexic Patient with Depression

Objectives: This study examined the effects of Gamisachil-tang on an anorexic patient with depression.Methods: A patient suffering from anorexia and depression was treated with Korean herbal medicine (Gamisachil-tang) for 14 days. To evaluate the therapeutic effect, we measured the daily food intake of the patient and used the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for anorexia.Results: Following treatment, both the patient’s daily food intake of the patient and VAS score for anorexia had improved.Conclusion: These results suggest that Gamisachil-tang has a beneficial effect on both anorexia and depression.

Feed Consumption and Weight Gain in Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Rats Treated With Azadirachta Indica (Neem) and Plathymenia Reticulata

Introduction: Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss, Meliaceae) is a tree native to India that has several medicinal effects. It has been reported that the leaves and oil of Neem seeds present antihyperglycemic/hypoglycemic activity. Plathymenia reticulata benth, known as “vinhático”, is a Brazilian cerrado tree that has properties of pancreatic islet hyperplasia and glycemic control in diabetic rats. Objective: To verify weight gain correlating with feed intake in rats with type 1 and non-diabetic diabetes mellitus, undertreatment with Neem and Plathymenia and the association between them. Methodology: Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal streptozotocin (65mg/kg) administration after a 24-hour fast. The diagnosis was made using a blood glucose value above 200mg/dl. The study was conducted in 60 male adult Wistar rats, weighing between 180 and 220 grams, divided into 9 groups, between diabetics (DM) and non-diabetic controls (NDC), and treated with Neem (300 mg/kg), cold aqueous extract of Plathymenia (100 mg/kg), water (negative control) and insulin (3 IU/day) – positive control; and association between plants. The treatment was performed by orogastric gavage for a period of 28 consecutive days, and weekly weight and daily feed intake were performed. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey-Kramer’s pos-hoc test, Pearson correlation with a significance level of 5% through the SPSS25.0 software. The results are expressed on average ± EPM. Results: There was lower weight gain in diabetic rats undergoing neem treatment, compared with positive and negative control (-13.00 ± 5.13 vs 150.40 ± 6.80, vs 15.79 ± 7.25, p<0.001); the average daily feed intake was higher in rats treated with neem, compared with positive and negative control (42.00 ± 0.00 vs 26.00 ± 1.26 vs 33.83 ± 0.00; p=0,001). There was no significant difference between the other diabetic groups, except for positive control – insulin. There was also lower weight gain in control animals with Neem, compared with negative control (53.50 ± 4.21 vs 80.00 ± 5.76, p=0.010). The average daily food intake was higher in control animals with Neem compared to negative control (24.00 ± 0.00 vs 15.00 ± 0.00, p=0.029). There was a significant negative correlation between weight gain and food intake in the animals studied (p=0.005). Conclusion: The results allow evaluating a lower weight gain, with higher average daily food intake, in rats treated with Neem, both diabetic and control. This effect may indicate possible use of plant extract in prediabetics, obese diabetics and in the treatment of obesity.

Ultra-Processed Foods, Nutrition and Pregnancy: Characteristics of Food Consumption by HIV-Positive Women during Pregnancy

This article aims to provide a commentary on the article “Contribution of Ultra-processed Food to the Daily Food Intake of HIV-positive and HIV-Negative Women during Pregnancy”. Pregnancy causes physiological changes in the woman’s body, modifying her nutritional needs, as well as food intake.

Composition of Prehispanic Diets from Stable Isotope Analysis in Human Remains of the Southern Calchaquíes Valleys, Northwest Argentina (3600–1300 BP)

This article discusses the composition of prehispanic diets based on the isotopic composition (δ13C, δ15N) of 10 human samples dated between 3600 and 1300 BP from the Cajón Valley in Northwest Argentina. The sample is the only one available for the time and region considered and covers a 2,300-year range. It shows long-term tendencies in the consumption of food resources during a time when people were experimenting with and eventually domesticating plants and animals in the high-altitude Southern Calchaquíes valleys. Results indicate that animals contributed more to the diet than was expected and plants correspondingly less than expected. This proportion was maintained even during the human occupations associated with the agropastoral villages of Cardonal and Bordo Marcial (ca. 2000 BP) when a greater contribution of plant resources—in particular maize—would be expected. This new evidence demonstrates the diversity of productive strategies used by the societies of Northwest Argentina at the beginning of the Formative period. A variety of resources contributed to daily food intake, minimizing the importance of maize in the diet.

Use of Chou’s 5-steps Rule to Study the Effect of Cereal Dietary Protein on Liver and Coronary Heart Disease Prevention

Background: The liver is a vital organ in the human body involved in the metabolic processes. The liver can be damaged due to factors such as protein deficiency, viral infection, as well as consumption of alcohol, chemical contaminants, and adulterated food. High blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, lack of exercise, poor diet, obesity and cigarette smoking are the major risk factors for stroke, heart attack and coronary heart disease (CHD). In medical science, several synthetic drugs have been discovered and used for the treatment of people suffering from liver injury and CHD, but these are not always effective and sometimes difficult to manage by medical therapies and also found to be accompanied by other side effects. Objective: The study aimed to critically review the recent research and studies of epidemiological and randomized controlled trials to find out the effective cereal protein as an alternative preventive food to reduce the risk of CHD and protect the liver from viral hepatic diseases, focusing on daily food intake, body weight, liver weight, serum enzyme activities and cholesterols. Methods: A few of the data from our experiment were used. A literature search was performed for a reliable source of published research articles, review papers, and epidemiological and randomized controlled trials on the effects of cereal protein on animals and human intervention on Google, Google scholar, Redcube, Endnote, Scopus, SpringerDirect.com, PubMed and Web of Science. Then, the data was organized, summarized and analyzed. Results: In medical science, serum enzyme activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and lipid peroxidation stress malondialdehyde (MDA) are commonly used as biochemical markers of the liver-damaging agents. Blood cholesterols (total cholesterol-TC, triglyceride-TG, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol-LDLC and highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol-HDLC) are used as the markers of heart diseases. The review shows that daily food intake and body weight data are not significantly differed among normal diet, casein (CAS) and cereals protein. The millet and wheat protein increase the liver weight, whereas the rice protein lowers the liver weight. The intake of cereal protein significantly reduces the activities of serum AST, ALT, LDH, MDA, TC, TG and LDLC, whereas it increases the HDLC. Conclusion: Experimental, review and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) data confirm that cereal protein appears to be beneficial in reducing the hepatic liver injury and CHD by maintaining body weight, liver weight, blood pressure, serum enzyme activities of AST, ALT and LDH, lipid peroxidation stress MDA and cholesterol concentrations both in plasma and liver.

Compatibility of the Predatory Beetle, Delphastus catalinae, with an Entomopathogenic Fungus, Cordyceps fumosorosea, for Biocontrol of Invasive Pepper Whitefly, Aleurothrixus trachoides, in Florida

Aleurothrixus (formerly known as Aleurotrachelus) trachoides Back (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), commonly known as pepper or solanum whitefly, is a new emerging whitefly pest of several horticultural crops in the United States. During the preliminary survey for pepper whitefly infestation in Florida, a whitefly-specific predatory beetle Delphastus catalinae Horn (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) was observed associated with this pest in the natural ecosystem. The current study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of this naturally occurring predator, D. catalinae, and an entomopathogenic fungus, Cordyceps (formerly known as Isaria) fumosorosea (Cfr) (Wize) (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae), alone or in combination, under controlled laboratory conditions. Whitefly mortality for Cfr (88%), beetle (100%) and Cfr + beetle (100%) treatments were similar and significantly higher compared to control. In the combination treatment, Cfr did not impact D. catalinae longevity and daily food intake, indicating a neutral interaction between the two treatments. Results showed that both of these natural biological control agents could potentially offer an effective alternative in the battle against invasive whiteflies such as pepper whitefly in U.S. horticulture production, either as a stand-alone strategy or in an integrated approach. Although these findings are promising, compatibility of the two treatments needs to be evaluated further under greenhouse and semi-field conditions before recommending to commercial growers.

Association of Daily Dietary Intake and Inflammation Induced by Marathon Race

Daily food intake is crucial to maintain health and determine endogenous fuel to practice endurance exercise. We investigated the association between quantity of macronutrient and micronutrient daily intake and inflammation induced by long-distance exercise. Methods. Forty-four Brazilian male amateurs’ marathon finishers from 30 to 55 years old participated in this study. Blood samples were collected 1 day before, immediately after, and 1 day and 3 days after São Paulo International Marathon. The serum levels of IL-6, IL-1β, IL-10, IL-8, IL-12p70, and TNF-α were measured to evaluate inflammation. Dietary intake was determined using a prospective method of three food records in the week before marathon race. Results. Marathon race promoted an elevation on IL-6, IL-8, IL-1-β, and IL-10 immediately after the race. The energy intake (EI), carbohydrate, fiber, folic acid, vitamin E, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, and potassium intakes was below recommended. Immediately after the marathon race, we observed a negative correlation between IL-8 and daily EI, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, iron, calcium, potassium, and sodium intakes, and higher levels of IL-8 on runners with <3 g/kg/day of carbohydrate intake compared to runners with >5 g/kg/day. We demonstrated a positive correlation between daily carbohydrate intake and IL-10 and a negative correlation between TNF-α and % of energy intake recommended, carbohydrate and fiber intakes. Finally, runners with adequate EI had lower levels of IL-1β and TNF-α compared with low EI immediately after the race. Conclusion. Nutrition strategies to promote balanced diet in amateur runners seem to be as important as immunonutrition sports market. Daily food intake, mainly EI, electrolyte and carbohydrate intakes, may modulate exacerbated inflammation after endurance exercise.

Changes in timing of breeding and reproductive success in birds

Many studies on birds have shown advancing dates of egg-laying in response to climate change. This chapter reviews the latest knowledge about the roles of photoperiod, food abundance, body condition, and hormones in regulating the timing of egg-laying. A variety of responses and predictors have been discovered in recent studies, some of which may be related to whether a species relies on daily food intake (‘income’) or stored resources (‘capital’) for breeding. The literature on advancing laying dates shows that the rate is dependent on the number of broods per season, habitat, and trophic level. Mismatches between timing of breeding and peaks in food supply are often mentioned as a potential threat to populations. However, to date, there is no association between changes in laying date and population trends, which suggests that the effects of climate change on bird populations may be driven by other factors.