Nutrition
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Hyperglycemia is common in acutely ill hospitalized patients and has been linked to poor outcomes, independent of pre-existing diabetes. Correction of hyperglycemia has been shown to decrease morbidity and mortality; however, establishing evidence-based guidelines has been challenging because insulin intervention studies have varied in the questions they have addressed, glucose levels studied, feeding regimen, and quality of methodology. ⋯ Discussion of underlying causes of hospital-related hyperglycemia and mechanisms explaining the deleterious effects of hyperglycemia and improved outcomes with insulin intervention are described. Current guidelines from various professional organizations recommend treatment of inpatient hyperglycemia, although exact glycemic targets and identification of which patient subsets will receive greatest benefit from glucose lowering remain an area of ongoing research.
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To investigate the frequency of energy-drink consumption and associated factors in a group of college students. ⋯ Consumption of energy drinks, despite the variation in the reason for choosing such drinks, is quite common in college students. Awareness of university students of the ingredients and potential health hazards of energy drinks, in particular in mixing with alcoholic beverages, should be increased.
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This study aimed to determine the influence of high-dose soy isoflavones (daidzein and genistein) administered from prenatal life to sexual maturity on testosterone and estradiol levels, testicular and epididymal morphology, the number of epididymal spermatozoa, and mineral metabolism in rats. ⋯ The relatively mild effects of phytoestrogen administration on the morphology of testes and epididymides and the number of epididymal spermatozoa were observed despite the high dose used. The exposure of rats to genistein and daidzein during intrauterine life until sexual maturity influenced the mineral metabolism of the organism by significant decreases of Zn concentration in serum and increased Zn concentration in bones.
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Leptin was discovered in 1994 as a hormone produced by adipose tissue with a modulatory effect on feeding behavior and weight control. Recently, the stomach has been identified as an important source of leptin and growing evidence has shown diverse functions for leptin in the gastrointestinal tract. ⋯ Leptin is an important modulator of major aspects of gastrointestinal tract functions, independent of its more well-described roles in appetite regulation and obesity.