Nutrition
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of zinc and iron supplementation fail to improve motor and language milestone scores of infants and toddlers.
To assess the effects of zinc and iron-folic acid supplementation on motor and language milestones in Nepali children. ⋯ After 1 y, neither zinc nor iron-folic acid supplementation in Nepali children improved the attainment of motor or language milestones.
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Review Meta Analysis
Effectiveness of immunonutrient-enriched diets in the decrease of infections and mortality in the critically ill.
Pharmaconutrients have been shown in clinical and laboratory studies to modulate human and animal immune responses and thus to have potential benefits for the critically ill. However, reviews and meta-analyses continue to reflect controversy in the published research and a lack of agreement regarding these benefits. The objective of this study was to contribute to the resolution of such controversy by evaluating the effectiveness of immunonutrient-enriched diets in decreasing complications and mortality in patients with different critical illnesses. ⋯ The administration of immunomodulating nutrient-enriched diets did not change the mortality of critically ill or surgical patients, but infection complications in critically ill patients, in particular the surgical population, were decreased. Explanatory clinical trials using isolated immunomodulating nutrients in different populations of critically ill patients followed by pragmatic trials based on clinical trial results should be considered in future research.
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Multicenter Study
Relation between serum folate status and blood mercury concentrations in pregnant women.
To evaluate the relation between maternal serum folate status and blood mercury in pregnant Korean women. ⋯ We found a negative association between serum folate and blood mercury concentrations in pregnant Korean women.
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Citrulline possesses a highly specific metabolism that bypasses splanchnic extraction because it is not used by the intestine or taken up by the liver. The administration of citrulline may be used to deliver available nitrogen for protein homeostasis in peripheral tissues and as an arginine precursor synthesized de novo in the kidneys and endothelial and immune cells. ⋯ Oral citrulline could be used to deliver arginine to the systemic circulation or as a protein anabolic agent in specific clinical situations, because recent data have suggested that citrulline, although not a component of proteins, stimulates protein synthesis in skeletal muscle through the mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway. Hence, citrulline could play a pivotal role in maintaining protein homeostasis and is a promising pharmaconutrient in nutritional support strategies for malnourished patients, especially in aging and sarcopenia.