Nutrition
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This cross-sectional study examined the nutritional factors associated with the high levels of stunting in 2- to 5-y-old children in an impoverished South African setting where liver is frequently eaten and vitamin A deficiency known to be absent. ⋯ Inadequate calcium and vitamin D intake, presumably because of low intake of milk after weaning, may have contributed to stunting in this population.
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Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a health disorder that increases the risk for cardiovascular complications such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Some drugs used in patients with MetS are substrates of intestinal P-glycoprotein (P-gp), one of the most important efflux pumps that limit the absorption of xenobiotics. Thus, their bioavailability could be affected by changes in this transporter. Because one of the major causes of MetS in humans is excessive sugar intake, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a fructose-rich diet on intestinal P-gp activity and protein expression in male Sprague-Dawley rats. ⋯ The present study demonstrated that MetS-like conditions generated by enhanced fructose intake in rats decreased the protein expression and activity of ileal P-gp, thus increasing the bioavailability of P-gp substrates.
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Although the expression of hepatic lipogenic genes is enhanced in insulin resistance, the underlying mechanism is unclear. To reveal the details, the aim of this study was to investigate whether the expression of hepatic lipogenic genes are mediated by epigenetic regulation and specific transcription factors in an insulin resistance model of rats. ⋯ The results of this study indicate that expression of the Fasn gene in the livers of insulin-resistant rats is associated with increased H3K4 methylation, increased histone H3 acetylation, and increased H4 acetylation, and also, binding levels of ChREBP to promoter/enhancer region of Fasn gene is involved in the Fasn gene expression caused by hyperglycemia.