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Carbohydrate is the cheapest source of energy among the three major nutrient groups, an appropriate amount of carbohydrates can reduce feed cost and improve growth performance, but carnivorous aquatic animals cannot effectively utilize carbohydrates. The objectives of the present study are aimed at exploring the effects of dietary corn starch levels on glucose loading capacity, insulin-mediated glycemic responses, and glucose homeostasis for Portunus trituberculatus. After two weeks of feeding trial, swimming crabs were starved and sampled at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, and 24 hours, respectively. The results indicated that crabs fed diet with 0% corn starch exhibited lower glucose concentration in hemolymph than those fed with the other diets, and glucose concentration in hemolymph remained low with the extension of sampling time. The glucose concentration in hemolymph of crabs fed with 6% and 12% corn starch diets reached the peak after 2 hours of feeding; however, the glucose concentration in hemolymph of crabs fed with 24% corn starch attained the highest value after 3 hours of feeding, and the hyperglycemia lasted for 3 hours and decreased rapidly after 6 hours of feeding. Enzyme activities in hemolymph related to glucose metabolism such as pyruvate kinase (PK), glucokinase (GK), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) were significantly influenced by dietary corn starch levels and sampling time. Glycogen content in hepatopancreas of crabs fed with 6% and 12% corn starch first increased and then decreased; however, the glycogen content in hepatopancreas of crabs fed with 24% corn starch significantly increased with the prolongation of feeding time. In the 24% corn starch diet, insulin-like peptide (ILP) in hemolymph reached a peak after 1 hour of feeding and then significantly decreased, whereas crustacean hyperglycemia hormone (CHH) was not significantly influenced by dietary corn starch levels and sampling time. ATP content in hepatopancreas peaked at 1 h after feeding and then decreased significantly in different corn starch feeding groups, while the opposite trend was observed in NADH. The activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes I, II, III, and V of crabs fed with different corn starch diets significantly increased first and then decreased. In addition, relative expressions of genes related to glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, glucose transport, glycogen synthesis, insulin signaling pathway, and energy metabolism were significantly affected by dietary corn starch levels and sampling time. In conclusion, the results of the present study reveal glucose metabolic responses were regulated by different corn starch levels at different time points and play an important role in clearing glucose through increased activity of insulin, glycolysis, and glycogenesis, along with gluconeogenesis suppression.

Bitter melon extract (BME), which contains a variety of natural bioactive substances, has diversified biological functions. The present study is aimed at evaluating the effects of dietary supplementation of BME on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, inflammatory cytokine expression, and intestinal microbiota in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.). An 8-week feeding trial was conducted using four isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets containing different levels of BME (0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1% for control, LBME, MBME, and HBME groups, respectively). The results showed that there were no significant differences in the growth performance of common carp among all groups, including final body weight (FBW), weight gain rate (WGR), specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and viscera index (VSI) ( p > 0.05 ), but the condition factor (CF) was decreased by all BME treatments ( p < 0.05 ). Serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was significantly improved in all BME groups ( p < 0.05 ), and serum catalase (CAT) activity was significantly higher in the MBME group ( p < 0.05 ). Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) level was lowest while serum total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) was highest in the HBME group ( p < 0.05 ). Dietary BME supplementation inhibited proinflammatory cytokine (il-1β and il-8) mRNA expression, while anti-inflammatory cytokine (il-6 and il-10) mRNA expressions were promoted ( p < 0.05 ). Furthermore, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) showed that there were no differences in bacterial communities among different groups, and Shannon index and Simpson index of intestinal microbiota were unaffected ( p > 0.05 ). Whereas dietary BME reduced Firmicutes abundance and the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes at phylum level, the relative abundance of streptococcaceae at family level, Streptococcus and Exiguobacterium at genus level were also decreased ( p < 0.05 ). Overall, these results suggested that dietary supplementation of BME improved serum antioxidant capacity, anti-inflammatory activity, and modified intestinal microbiota in common carp.

Aim. To investigate whether vitamin C performs well as a supplemental treatment for common cold.Method. After systematically searching through the National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Cochrane Library, Elsevier, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP databases, and Wanfang databases, 10 randomized controlled trials were selected for our meta-analysis with RevMan 5.3 software. Published in China, all 10 studies evaluated the effect of combined vitamin C and antiviral therapy for the treatment of common cold.Results. The total efficacy (RR=1.27, 95% CI (1.08, 1.48),P=0.003), the time for symptom amelioration (MD=−15.84, 95% CI (-17.02, -14.66),P<0.00001), and the time for healing (I, 95% CI (-14.98, -4.22),P=0.0005) were better with vitamin C supplementation than with antiviral therapy alone.Conclusions. Vitamin C could be used as a supplementary therapy along with antiviral regimens to relieve patients from the symptoms of common cold.

Objective. To comprehensively compare the effects of conventional therapy combined with intravenous vitamin C and conventional therapy on viral myocarditis in children through a meta-analysis. Methods. Relevant articles including clinical trials of normal treatment combined with intravenous vitamin C and conventional therapy for viral myocarditis in children that were published between January 2000 and February 2018 were selected from PubMed, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and WANFANG database. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane systematic review method (version 5.1.0); data quality was evaluated by two independent researchers. The total effective rate; LDH, CK, and CK-MB levels; and other indicators were analyzed using Rev Man 5.3 software. Results. Eight studies were eligible for this meta-analysis, which included a total of 426 patients in the treatment group and 363 patients in the control group. The meta-analysis results of six studies showed that the total effective rate of intravenous vitamin C combined with conventional therapy was higher than that of conventional therapy alone [Z = 5.46, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21 (1.13 to 1.30), P < 0.00001]; that of five studies showed that LDH levels were lower in children receiving intravenous vitamin C combined with conventional therapy than in those receiving conventional therapy alone [Z = 3.70, 95% CI: −1.88 (−2.88 to −0.88), P = 0.0002]; that of three studies showed that CK levels were lower in children receiving intravenous vitamin C combined with conventional therapy than in those receiving conventional therapy alone [Z = 4.21, 95% CI: −0.55 (−0.81 to −0.30), P < 0.0001]; that of four studies showed that CK-MB levels were lower in children receiving intravenous vitamin C combined with conventional therapy than in those receiving conventional therapy alone [Z = 13.64, 95% CI: −1.44 (−1.65 to −1.24), P < 0.00001]; that of two studies showed that CD3 levels were higher in children receiving intravenous vitamin C combined with conventional therapy than in those receiving conventional therapy alone [Z = 2.45, 95% CI: 0.41 (0.08–0.73), P = 0.01]; that of two studies showed no significant difference in changes in CD4 levels between children receiving intravenous vitamin C combined with conventional therapy and those receiving conventional therapy alone [Z = 0.28, 95% CI: −0.21 (−1.69 to 1.28), P = 0.78]; and that of two studies showed no significant difference in changes in CD4/CD8 between children receiving intravenous vitamin C combined with conventional therapy and those receiving conventional therapy alone [Z = 0.07, 95% CI: −0.03 (−0.73 to 0.67), P = 0.94]. Conclusion. The meta-analysis results showed that intravenous vitamin C combined with conventional therapy is better than the simple, conventional therapy for the treatment of viral myocarditis in children in terms of the total effective rate and LDH, CK, and CK-MB levels.

Ligustrazine is a principal ingredient of chuanxiong. Concerns regarding the evaluation of the effectiveness of ligustrazine in the treatment of UA have resulted in a meta-analysis combined with recent clinical evidence. Seven computer databases that included the China hospital knowledge database (CHKD), Wanfang Med Online, the Chinese medical journal database (CMJD), PubMed, Cochrane, Embase (Ovid), and Medline (Ovid) were systematically searched. We included randomized controlled trials and quasi-randomized controlled trials. Our systematic review identified 16 RCTs that met our eligibility criteria. Ligustrazine combined with conventional medicine was associated with an increased rate of marked improvement in symptoms and an increased rate of marked improvement of ECG compared with conventional Western medicine alone. Additionally, the use of ligustrazine was associated with significant trends in the reduction of the consumption of nitroglycerin and the level of fibrinogen when compared with conventional Western medicine alone. No firm results were found between the intervention and the control method groups in the reduction of the time of onset or the frequency of acute attack angina due to the high level of heterogeneity. In conclusion, our meta-analysis found that ligustrazine was associated with some benefits for people with unstable angina.

Aim. To investigate whether vitamin C is effective in the treatment of the common cold.Method. After systematically searching the National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Cochrane Library, Elsevier, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP databases, and WANFANG databases, 9 randomized placebo-controlled trials were included in our meta-analysis in RevMan 5.3 software, all of which were in English.Results. In the evaluation of vitamin C, administration of extra therapeutic doses at the onset of cold despite routine supplementation was found to help reduce its duration (mean difference (MD) = -0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) [-1.03, -0.10], and P = 0.02), shorten the time of confinement indoors (MD = -0.41, 95% CI [-0.62, -0.19], and P = 0.0002), and relieve the symptoms associated with it, including chest pain (MD = -0.40, 95% CI [-0.77, -0.03], and P = 0.03), fever (MD = -0.45, 95% CI [-0.78, -0.11], and P = 0.009), and chills (MD = -0.36, 95% CI [-0.65, -0.07], and P = 0.01).Conclusions. Extra doses of vitamin C could benefit some patients who contract the common cold despite taking daily vitamin C supplements.

The hepatic fibrogenesis and sexual dimorphism of hepatitis B virus-related liver cirrhosis (HBV-LC) are related to estrogen and its receptors. Abnormal expression of estrogen receptor α (ESR1) is implicated in the development of cirrhosis in both animal models and humans. Here, we examine whether the ESR1 polymorphisms are related to HBV-LC risk among chronic HBV carriers, and we investigate the functional significance of positively associated polymorphisms. A total of 2,404 unrelated Chinese HBV carriers were recruited to conduct the two-stage designed case-control study. Two ESR1 haplotype tagging polymorphisms, c.30T>C (rs2077647) and c.453-397T>C (rs2234693), were genotyped in 1,285 patients with HBV-LC and in 1,119 asymptomatic HBV carriers. We observed a significantly increased susceptibility to HBV-LC associated with the c.30C allele (P = 4.2 × 10(-8) ), c.453-397C allele (P = 2.0 × 10(-8) ), and [c.30C; c.453-397C] haplotype (Dominant model, P = 8.85 × 10(-10) , odds ratio = 1.50, 95% CI 1.32∼1.71) compared with the T alleles and (c.30T; c.453-397T) haplotype of c.30T>C and c.453-397T>C polymorphisms, respectively. Functional analyses were conducted to verify the biological functions of the associated genetic variations and showed that the c.453-397T>C polymorphism is a novel c.453-397C allele-specific and c-myb-dependent enhancer-like cis-acting regulatory variation and could be part of the genetic variations underlying the susceptibility of individuals to HBV-LC.