Changes in Intestinal Microbiota of Type 2 Diabetes in Mice in Response to Dietary Supplementation With Instant Tea or Matcha

OBJECTIVE

Gut microbiota plays a key role in metabolism and health in diabetes patients with gastrointestinal microbiota dysbiosis. Thus, regulating the ecological balance of gut microbiota may provide a pathway toward improvement for these patients. Our previous study showed that functional ingredients in tea may inhibit cornstarch digestion in vitro.

METHODS

A cornstarch-tea diet was developed, and in this study we investigated the effects of such a diet on blood glucose and gut microbiota in diabetic mice.

RESULTS

Diabetes resulted in significant weight loss, hyperphagia and hyperglycemia. 16S rDNA sequencing revealed that in diabetes there is significantly increased Bacteroidaceae, Helicobacteraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Rikenellaceae and Saccharibacteria_genera_incertae_sedis, and significantly decreased Lactobacillaceae, Prevotellaceae, Coriobacteriaceae, Verrucomicrobiaceae and Bifidobacteriaceae. The cornstarch‒tea diet resulted in a trend toward reduced blood glucose, with particularly increased levels of Coriobacteriaceae, Lactobacillaceae, Prevotellaceae and Bifidobacteriaceae, and decreased Bacteroidaceae, Ruminococcaceae, Helicobacteraceae and Enterobacteriaceae.

CONCLUSIONS

Instant tea and matcha supplementation had beneficial effects on regulation of blood glucose and gut microbiota, reversing the changes in microbiota caused by alloxan injection. The cornstarch‒tea regulation pathway is involved in bacterium group regulation rather than single-species regulation, which suggests that cornstarch combined with tea may be used as a functional food supplement for diabetes patients.

Inhibiting the color formation by gradient temperature-elevating Maillard reaction of soybean peptide-xylose system based on interaction of l-cysteine and Amadori compounds

Light color and savory flavor enhancer are attractive for consumers and food producers. The effect of addition time of l-cysteine on inhibiting color formation was investigated in soybean peptide-xylose system, and the possible pathway was explored. Once dicarbonyl compounds were formed during the Maillard reaction, the addition of l-cysteine had no color-inhibiting effect; if l-cysteine was added immediately after the Amadori compound was formed, the extraordinary color-inhibiting effect was observed. Therefore, an improved way to inhibit color formation was proposed on the basis of the interaction of l-cysteine and Amadori compounds by controlling the addition time of l-cysteine through gradient temperature-elevating Maillard reaction. The system was heated at 80 °C for 60 min to form Amadori compounds, followed by the addition of L-cysteine, and the temperature was raised to 120 °C and held for 110 min. Compared with traditional products, the lightest color product was found desirable by GC/MS analysis and sensory evaluation. The novel method proposed can be a guide for the industrial preparation of light-colored products.

[Primary surgical operation in the treatment of varicosis of lower limb accompanied by chronic leg ulcer]

OBJECTIVE

Retrospective clinical analysis of primary surgical operation in the treatment of lower limb accompanied by chronic leg ulcer were adopted in this study.

METHODS

From September 1990 to June 1998, there were 31 males and 20 females, aged 68 years in average, the area of ulcer varied from 5 cm x 3 cm to 22 cm x 11 cm. The ligation and strip of saphenous vein, debridement and free skin flap grafting were finished in primary operation.

RESULTS

The skin flaps were survived completely in 50 cases, only 1 case was necrosis partially and healed after changing dressing. Forty-two cases were followed up for 16 months to 9 years (66 months in average), the varicosis and ulcer were healed in 39 cases and only 3 relapsed in ulceration.

CONCLUSION

Primary surgical operation in the treatment of varicosis of lower limb accompanied by chronic ulcer is practicable in clinic. The curative efficacy is satisfactory and the operative manipulation is simple.

Neurasthenia as nosological dilemma

While researching concepts of neurasthenia as described by patients and physicians of various backgrounds, it was found that there is a great discrepancy between the two groups. In this study, questionnaires were administered to 70 psychiatric patients, 6 Chinese medicine men, 44 general physicians and 35 neuropsychiatrists, to inquire into the reasons for positive or negative attitudes toward neurasthenia. Half of the clinical patients believed that they were suffering from neurasthenia. Neurasthenia is a predominate term used for various types of distress arising mainly from psychiatric diseases. Chinese medicine men are aware that this term is a medical diagnosis introduced from the West. Through experience they regard neurasthenia as a kind of deficit of nerve. Apparently, the concept of neurasthenia has been integrated into the Chinese medical system, a fact substantiated by its longstanding, nosological use by the public. Younger generation physicians within both general and neuropsychiatric disciplines on the whole reject neurasthenia as a diagnostic term. However, one-third of neuropsychiatrists and 40% of general physicians use this term in their practice in order to improve the treatment of and to establish good communication and rapport with the patients whom they treat. Most of them, however, do not use the term in their formal diagnosis. The concept of the illness, neurasthenia, is historically rooted and today presents a nosological dilemma. It will eventually be transformed conceptually and disappear from the public mind.

Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemic patients in China

Five homozygous patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) are described. Their serum cholesterol levels were between 603 and 907 mg/dl, with an average of 714 mg/dl. The mean value of serum cholesterol levels of the obligate heterozygous parents was 270 mg/dl. In the patient group, 87% of the serum cholesterol was distributed in low density lipoprotein (LDL) and the mean LDL cholesterol level was about 8.4 times that in a control group. Phospholipids in HDL in the patient group were significantly lower than in the controls. Lipid assays of xanthoma tissues revealed that the major lipid was cholesterol and its esters. LDL receptor activity in fibroblasts from the homozygotes was markedly decreased. Two patients yielded less than 2% of normal receptor activity and were classified as receptor-negative. The other 3 revealed receptor activities greater than 2% but less than 25% of normal receptor activity and were classified as receptor-defective.