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There is a growing prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract, among the aging population. Ghrelin is a gut hormone that, in addition to controlling feeding and energy metabolism, has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects; however, the effect of ghrelin in protecting against colitis in old mice has not been assessed. Here, we subjected old female C57BL/6J mice to dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in drinking water for six days, then switched back to normal drinking water, administered acyl-ghrelin or vehicle control from day 3 to 13, and monitored disease activities throughout the disease course. Our results showed that treatment of old mice with acyl-ghrelin attenuated DSS-induced colitis. Compared to the DSS group, ghrelin treatment decreased levels of the inflammation marker S100A9 in the colons collected on day 14 but not on day 8, suggesting that the anti-inflammatory effect was more prominent in the recovery phase. Ghrelin treatment also significantly reduced F4/80 and interleukin-17A on day 14. Moreover, acyl-ghrelin increased mitochondrial respiration and activated transcriptional activity of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) in Caco-2 cells. Together, our data show that ghrelin alleviated DSS-induced colitis, suggesting that ghrelin may promote tissue repair in part through regulating epithelial metabolism via PPARγ mediated signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desacetyl [alpha]-MSH predominates over [alpha]-MSH during development, but whether it is biologically active and has a physiological role is unclear. We compared the effects of 0.3 [micro]g*[g-l]*[day.sup.-1] desacetyl [alpha]-MSH with that of 0.3 [micro]g*[g.sup.-1*[day.sup.-1] [alpha]-MSH on postnatal body growth by administering the peptides subcutaneously daily for postnatal days 0-14 and also used a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis gel-based proteomic approach to analyze protein changes in hypothalami, the relay center for body weight and growth regulation, after 14 days of treatment. We found that the growth rate between days 1 and 10 was significantly decreased by desacetyl [alpha]-MSH but not by [alpha]-MSH, but by day 14, a time reported for development of a mature pattern of hypothalamic innervation, both peptides had significantly increased neonatal growth compared with PBS-treated control rats. Desacetyl [alpha]-MSH significantly increased spleen weight, but [alpha]-MSH had no effect. [alpha]-MSH significantly decreased kidney weight, but desacetyl [alpha]-MSH had no effect. Both desacetyl [alpha]-MSH and [alpha]-MSH significantly decreased brain weight. By 14 days, both peptides significantly changed expression of a number of hypothalamic proteins, specifically metabolic enzymes, cytoskeleton, signaling, and stress response proteins. We show that peripherally administered desacetyl [alpha]-MSH is biologically active and induces responses that can differ from those for [alpha]-MSH. In conclusion, desacetyl [alpha]-MSH appears to be an important regulator of neonatal rat growth. melanocortin peptides; [alpha]-melanocyte-stimulating hormone; melano-cortin receptors; proopiomelanocortin; hypothalamus

Objective: To evaluate the effect of an enterovirus board game on improving knowledge of enterovirus for elementary school children in Taiwan. Design: A pilot study with a one‐group pretest‐posttest design. Sample: Using convenience sampling, 27 children were recruited from a single elementary school in Taiwan in June 2020. Measurements: Demographic data were collected and the children completed an enterovirus knowledge questionnaire. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, McNemar test, and Wilcoxon test. Intervention: Each experimental group of four to five children participated in a 40‐min enterovirus board game. Results: After using the board game, the children had significantly higher mean scores for enterovirus knowledge. Specifically, the children had a higher proportion of correct answers for seven questions related to enterovirus after playing the game compared to before. Conclusions: Board games designed for elementary school‐aged children can support public health education and help prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases such as enterovirus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcopenia is the aging-associated progressive loss of skeletal muscle; however, the pathogenic mechanism of sarcopenia is not clear. The orexigenic hormone ghrelin stimulates growth hormone secretion, increases food intake, and promotes adiposity. Here we showed that fasting-induced muscle loss was exacerbated in old ghrelin-null (Ghrl-/-) mice, exhibiting decreased expression of myogenic regulator MyoD and increased expression of protein degradation marker MuRF1, as well as altered mitochondrial function. Moreover, acylated ghrelin and unacylated ghrelin treatments significantly increased mitochondrial respiration capacity in muscle C2C12 cells. Consistently, acylated ghrelin and unacylated ghrelin treatments effectively increased myogenic genes and decreased degradation genes in the muscle in fasted old Ghrl-/- mice, possibly by stimulating insulin and adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase pathways. Furthermore, Ghrl-/- mice showed a profile of pro-inflammatory gut microbiota, exhibiting reduced butyrate-producing bacteria Roseburia and ClostridiumXIVb. Collectively, our results showed that ghrelin has a major role in the maintenance of aging muscle via both muscle-intrinsic and -extrinsic mechanisms. Acylated ghrelin and unacylated ghrelin enhanced muscle anabolism and exerted protective effects for muscle atrophy. Because unacylated ghrelin is devoid of the obesogenic side effect seen with acylated ghrelin, it represents an attractive therapeutic option for sarcopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]