Profound hypoglycemia-ınduced by vaccinium corymbosum juice and laurocerasus fruit

Natural Functional Beverages as an Approach to Manage Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease, commonly associated with unhealthy habits and obesity, and it is becoming a serious health issue worldwide. As a result, new approaches to treat diabetes are required, and a movement towards more natural approaches is emerging. Consuming fruit and vegetables is advised to prevent diabetes since they contain several bioactive compounds. A simple and effective strategy to include them in the diets of diabetic and obese people is through beverages. This review aims to report the anti-diabetic potentials of different vegetable and fruit beverages. These functional beverages demonstrated in vitro potential to inhibit α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzymes and to improve glucose uptake. In vivo, beverage consumption showed a reduction of blood glucose, increase of insulin tolerance, improvement of lipid profile, control of obesity, and reduction of oxidative stress. This suggests the potential of vegetable- and fruit-based functional beverages to be used as a natural innovative therapy for the management of diabetes.

Pestalotiopsis Species Associated with Blueberry Leaf Spots and Stem Cankers in Sichuan Province of China

Blueberry leaf spots and stem cankers caused by Pestalotiopsis spp. have become a serious threat for the production of blueberry in Sichuan Province. To characterize the etiology of the diseases connected with these fungi, samples showing leaf spot and stem canker symptoms were collected from the 12 main blueberry-growing areas of Sichuan Province from 2015 to 2020 and used for pathogen isolation. In total, 91 fungal isolates were obtained with preliminary morphological identification and 48 representative strains were selected for further pathogenicity test and molecular identification. Four species, including Pestalotiopsis clavispora (Neopestalotiopsis clavispora) (57.14%), P. trachicarpicola (28.57%), P. chamaeropis (13.19%), and P. adusta (1.10%), were identified based on conidial morphology, cultural characteristics, and phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region, partial sequence of the β-tubulin gene, and the translation elongation factor 1-α. Pathogenicity tests showed that four species were pathogenic to leaves and stems of blueberry. Among them, P. clavispora (N. clavispora) was the most aggressive as the predominant species to cause both leaf spot and stem canker. P. trachicarpicola and P. chamaeropis were mainly isolated from leaves but also pathogenic to stems. P. adusta was only isolated from stems but also pathogenic to leaves. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. chamaeropis and P. adusta as pathogens causing leaf spots and stem canker on blueberry. The results provide helpful information in disease diagnosis and management of blueberry.

Laparoscope resection of retroperitoneal ectopic insulinoma: A rare case

Ectopic insulinoma is a very rare and dormant tumor. Here we report the case of a 79-year-old female who presented with repeated episodes of hypoglycemia and was diagnosed with insulinoma based on laboratory and imaging examinations. Computed tomography and positron emission tomography revealed a tumor in the retroperitoneum under and left of the hepatoduodenal ligament, which was resected successfully using a laparoscopic approach. Pathologic results revealed an ectopic insulinoma, which was confirmed immunohistochemically. Ectopic insulinomas are accompanied by hypoglycemia that can be misdiagnosed as drug- or disease-induced. These tumors are difficult to diagnose and locate, particularly in atypical cases or for very small tumors. Synthetic or targeted examinations, including low blood glucose, elevated insulin, proinsulin, and C-peptide levels, 48-h fasting tests, and relevant imaging methods should be considered for suspected cases of insulinoma. Surgery is the treatment of choice for patients with insulinoma, and laparoscopic resection is a feasible and effective method for select ectopic insulinoma cases.