Nutrition
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This study investigated the role of L-arginine supplementation to undernourished and Cryptosporidium parvum-infected suckling mice. ⋯ These findings show a protective role of L-arginine during C. parvum infection in undernourished mice, with involvement of arginase I and nitric oxide synthase enzymatic actions.
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Oxidative stress contributes to myonecrosis in the dystrophin-deficient fibers of mdx mice and in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. We examined the effects of ascorbic acid (AA), an antioxidant and free radical scavenger, on the dystrophic diaphragm muscle. ⋯ The present results suggest that AA plays a protective role in dystrophic muscle degeneration, possibly by decreasing reactive oxygen species, and support further investigations of AA as a potential therapy for dystrophinopathies.
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Iron supplementation is believed to decrease the risk of iron-deficiency anemia or low birth weight. In modern society, a majority of people are in a continual state of stress. Stress-induced hyperglycemia, known as transient hyperglycemia, may be a risk factor causing diabetes. To understand the role of iron in people under stress, it is necessary to evaluate the effect of iron supplementation on glucose or stress hyperglycemia. ⋯ Oxidative stress may be one of the main reasons for insulin resistance. Moreover, changes in stress hormones indicate that high-iron supplements may affect stress adaptation. Both are primary reasons for the hyperglycemia induced by iron supplementation in stressed rats. Gaining an insight into the mechanisms and correlations of these changes may be beneficial to human health and is important for the prevention of pathologic glycemia-related diseases.
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Gastric development depends directly on the proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells, and these processes are controlled by multiple elements, such as diet, hormones, and growth factors. Protein restriction affects gastrointestinal functions, but its effects on gastric growth are not fully understood. ⋯ Protein restriction impairs cell proliferation in the gastric epithelium, and a ghrelin upsurge under this condition is parallel to lower gastric and body growth rates.
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To investigate the effects of diabetes and/or hypercholesterolemia on skin development during in utero life at 15, 17 & 19 days old. ⋯ These findings showed that maternal diabetes and/or hypercholesterolemia increased average deformation of hair follicles, vacuolation, and degeneration of epidermal cell layers. The observed findings resulted from altered protein expression and increased DNA fragmentation, which, in turn, disrupt epidermal cell differentiation.