Changes In Carbohydrate Metabolism Research Articles

Metabolomics Profiling of Stages of Coronary Artery Disease Progression.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) and atherosclerosis pose significant global health challenges, with intricate molecular changes influencing disease progression. Hypercholesterolemia (HC), hypertension (HT), and diabetes are key contributors to CAD development. Metabolomics, with its comprehensive analysis of metabolites, offers a unique perspective on cardiovascular diseases. This study leveraged metabolomics profiling to investigate the progression of CAD, focusing on the interplay of hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and diabetes. We performed a metabolomic analysis on 221 participants from four different groups: (I) healthy individuals, (II) individuals with hypercholesterolemia (HC), (III) individuals with both HC and hypertension (HT) or diabetes, and (IV) patients with self-reported coronary artery disease (CAD). Utilizing data from the Qatar Biobank, we combined clinical information, metabolomic profiling, and statistical analyses to identify key metabolites associated with CAD risk. Our data identified distinct metabolite profiles across the study groups, indicating changes in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism linked to CAD risk. Specifically, levels of mannitol/sorbitol, mannose, glucose, and ribitol increased, while pregnenediol sulfate, oleoylcarnitine, and quinolinate decreased with higher CAD risk. These findings suggest a significant role of sugar, steroid, and fatty acid metabolism in CAD progression and point to the need for further research on the correlation between quinolinate levels and CAD risk, potentially guiding targeted treatments for atherosclerosis. This study provides novel insights into the metabolomic changes associated with CAD progression, emphasizing the potential of metabolites as predictive biomarkers.

Protein Oxidation in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Brain.

Proteins are essential molecules that play crucial roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis and carrying out biological functions such as catalyzing biochemical reactions, structural proteins, immune response, etc. However, proteins also are highly susceptible to damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). In this review, we summarize the role of protein oxidation in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The major emphasis of this review article is on the carbonylation and nitration of proteins in AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The oxidatively modified proteins showed a strong correlation with the reported changes in brain structure, carbohydrate metabolism, synaptic transmission, cellular energetics, etc., of both MCI and AD brains compared to the controls. Some proteins were found to be common targets of oxidation and were observed during the early stages of AD, suggesting that those changes might be critical in the onset of symptoms and/or formation of the pathological hallmarks of AD. Further studies are required to fully elucidate the role of protein oxidation and nitration in the progression and pathogenesis of AD.

Hsp70 Knockdown in the Brine Shrimp Artemia franciscana: Implication on Reproduction, Immune Response and Embryonic Cuticular Structure.

The potential functional role(s) of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in the brine shrimp, Artemia franciscana, a crucial crustacean species for aquaculture and stress response studies, was investigated in this study. Though we have previously reported that Hsp70 knockdown may have little or no impact on Artemia development, the gestational survival and number of offspring released by adult females were impaired by obscuring Hsp70 synthesis. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that several cuticle and chitin synthetic genes were downregulated, and carbohydrate metabolic genes were differentially expressed in Hsp70-knockdown individuals. A more comprehensive microscopic examination performed in this study revealed exoskeleton structural destruction and abnormal eye lenses featured in Hsp70-deficient adult females 48h after Hsp70 dsRNA injection. Cysts produced by these Hsp70-deficient broods, instead, had a defective shell and were smaller in size, whereas nauplii had shorter first antennae and a rougher body epicuticle surface. Changes in carbohydrate metabolism caused by Hsp70 knockdown affected glycogen levels in adult Artemia females, as well as trehalose in cysts released from these broods, indicating that Hsp70 may play a role in energy storage preservation. Outcomes from this work provided novel insights into the roles of Hsp70 in Artemia reproduction performance, cyst formation, and exoskeleton structure preservation. The findings also support our previous observation that Hsp70 knockdown reduced Artemia nauplius tolerance to bacterial pathogens, which could be explained by the fact that loss of Hsp70 downregulated several Toll receptor genes (NT1 and Spaetzle) and reduced the integrity of the exoskeleton, allowing pathogens to enter and cause infection, ultimately resulting in mortality.

Predictors of visceral obesity among patients with pathology of the gastrointestinal tract

Background. In Ukraine, metabolic syndrome remains one of the most important problems of family medicine, it contributes to an increase in the prevalence of digestive diseases. Among the components of metabolic syndrome, researchers consider visceral obesity to be the most prognostically unfavo­rable. The purpose is to optimize diagnostic approaches to the formation of a risk group for the detection of visceral obesity in gastroenterology patients. Materials and methods. Eighty patients with gastrointestinal diseases were examined, 56 men (70.0 %) and 24 women (30.0 %). The age of the patients ranged from 18 to 66 years, with an average of (39.04 ± 1.03) years. TANITA MC-780MA body composition analyzer scales (Japan) were used to assess body structure. In all patients, serum levels of glucose, insulin, leptin, total cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were determined, as well as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), atherogenicity coefficient (AC) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Results. Gastroenterological patients with visce­ral obesity had more pronounced changes in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, which were characterized by a decrease in the content of HDL-C by 16.3 % (p < 0.05), an increase in TG by 41.9 % (p < 0.001), VLDL-C by 41.7 % (p < 0.01), AС by 41.6 % (p < 0.01), HOMA-IR by 28.0 % (p < 0.01) compared to patients without visceral obesity. According to the results of the correlation analysis, functional relationships were found between the amount of visceral fat and the level of leptin (r = 0.37; р = 0.0008), insulin (r = 0.41; р = 0.001), HOMA-IR (r = 0.48; р = 0.00001), TG (r = 0.452; р = 0.017), LDL-C (r = 0.383; р = 0.016), AС (r = 0.566; p < 0.001), TG/glucose ratio (r = 0.27; p = 0.0181), HDL-C (r = –0.448; p = 0.004). Determined predictors for the development of visceral obesity were as follows: triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein ratio (odds ratio (OR) 1.32; p = 0.0001), triglycerides/glucose ratio (OR 1.17; p = 0.0014), HOMA-IR (OR 1.26; p = 0.0013), atherogenicity coefficient (OR 1.13; p = 0.0001), leptin/triglycerides ratio (OR 1.35; p = 0.0014). Conclusions. The formation of a risk group for the detection of visceral obesity with the help of defined diagnostic criteria will allow to personalize the management of gastroenterology patients already at the primary level of medical care.

Metabolic abnormalities in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with immune response to SARS-CoV-2

Background. It is known that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can directly infect hepatocytes. At the same time, overweight and obesity are surrogate markers of the adverse effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The purpose of the study: to evaluate changes in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and their indices in the serum of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with an immune response to SARS-CoV-2. Materials and methods. We studied 37 patients with NAFLD who had IgG to SARS-CoV-2. All patients were divided into two groups: group I consisted of 19 participants who were PCR-negative for SARS-CoV-2, group II included 18 patients who had COVID-19, as confirmed by PCR testing. The content of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), glucose, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), atherogenicity coefficient, insulin resistance indices (HOMA-IR), TG to glucose (TG/Gly) and TG to HDL-C (TG/HDL-C) ratio were assessed in all patients. Results. Among patients with NAFLD with an immune response to SARS-CoV-2, dyslipidemia manifested by a probable increase in the median TG content in groups I and II by 2.5 and 3.4 times (р = 0.0001), respectively; TC — by 1.2 times (р = 0.0425) in both groups, with a tendency to increase; VLDL-C — by 1.8 (р = 0.010) and 2.5 times (р = 0.0022), respectively, and a decrease in the median content of HDL-C by 1.7 (р = 0.0016) and 1.9 times (р = 0.0008), respectively, in blood serum. The identified changes led to a statistically significant increase in the median atherogenicity coefficient in groups I and II — by 2.2 (р = 0.0036) and 2.5 times (р = 0.007). An increase in the HOMA-IR did not have a statistically significant difference between the groups: in group I, this index increased by 3.1 times (p < 0.05) compared with the controls, in group II — by 3 times (p < 0.05). In addition, patients in both groups had a statistically significant increase in TG/Gly and TG/HDL-C ratio compared to controls. However, the detected changes were more pronounced in group II, where TG/Gly and TG/HDL-C levels were 1.5 (р = 0.038) and 1.9 times (р = 0.035), respectively, higher than in group I. Conclusions. Patients with an immune response to SARS-CoV-2 with NAFLD have disorders of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. At the same time, the signs of dyslipidemia were more pronounced in participants with a history of SARS-CoV-2. TG/Gly and TG/HDL-C ratio should be included in the diagnostic algorithm for assessing insulin resistance in patients with COVID-19 who are overweight or obese.

Synchrotron radiation-FTIR biomolecular assessment in PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 pancreatic cancer cells after treatment with Gd-TiO2 nanoparticles

The increasing incidence rate of pancreatic cancer worldwide, along with high resistance to existing chemotherapies and radiotherapy, demand new approaches for its treatment. Nanoparticle-guided cancer treatment modalities are promising in their anti-cancer efficiency and upgrading potential. We have synthesized and characterized Gd-doped titanium-dioxide nanoparticles (Gd-TiO2 NPs), which showed good biocompatibility with MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cell lines. To assess the effect that these NPs have on tumor cells, we used synchrotron radiation Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and principal component analysis. We elucidated the biochemical changes in the two cell lines induced after their interaction with these NPs. Results demonstrated changes in nucleic acids and carbohydrate metabolism and alterations in the protein conformation in both cell lines. In addition, considerable changes in lipid area were observed in PANC-1 cell line, suggesting that Gd-TiO2 NPs have a prospective to be further studied as systems for pancreatic cancer treatment.

PREVENTION OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus and complications is an urgent problem in modern medicine. In patients with a body mass index (BMI) above 25 kg/m2, indicators of markers of carbohydrate metabolism (serum glucose -fasting and postprandial glycemia, glycosylated hemoglobin and urine glucose) and lipid metabolism -total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), lipidogram (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol -LDL cholesterol, atherogenic index -AI is significantly higher, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol -HDL cholesterol is significantly lower than in patients with normal body mass index (BMI) and abdominal index (AI). Asignificant positive relationship between age, abdominal index, BMI, AI, glucose level in blood serum. Assessment of markers of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism should be included in the list of mandatory examinations of patients over the age of 30 years, and be strictly individual. There is a relationship between the progression of carbohydrate metabolism disorders and changes in lipid parameters metabolism in the examined women.The population should be widely informed about the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus and the progression of complications.

Infant age inversely correlates with gut carriage of resistance genes, reflecting modifications in microbial carbohydrate metabolism during early life.

The infant gut microbiome is increasingly recognized as a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes, yet the assembly of gut resistome in infants and its influencing factors remain largely unknown. We characterized resistome in 4132 metagenomes from 963 infants in six countries and 4285 resistance genes were observed. The inherent resistome pattern of healthy infants (N = 272) could be distinguished by two stages: a multicompound resistance phase (Months 0-7) and a tetracycline-mupirocin-β-lactam-dominant phase (Months 8-14). Microbial taxonomy explained 40.7% of the gut resistome of healthy infants, with Escherichia (25.5%) harboring the most resistance genes. In a further analysis with all available infants (N = 963), we found age was the strongest influencer on the resistome and was negatively correlated with the overall resistance during the first 3 years (p < 0.001). Using a random-forest approach, a set of 34 resistance genes could be used to predict age (R 2 = 68.0%). Leveraging microbial host inference analyses, we inferred the age-dependent assembly of infant resistome was a result of shifts in the gut microbiome, primarily driven by changes in taxa that disproportionately harbor resistance genes across taxa (e.g., Escherichia coli more frequently harbored resistance genes than other taxa). We performed metagenomic functional profiling and metagenomic assembled genome analyses whose results indicate that the development of gut resistome was driven by changes in microbial carbohydrate metabolism, with an increasing need for carbohydrate-active enzymes from Bacteroidotaand a decreasing need for Pseudomonadota during infancy. Importantly, we observed increased acquired resistance genes over time, which was related to increased horizontal gene transfer in the developing infant gut microbiome. In summary, infant age was negatively correlated with antimicrobial resistance gene levels, reflecting a composition shift in the gut microbiome, likely driven by the changing need for microbial carbohydrate metabolism during early life.

PECULIARITIES OF CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM INDICATORS, THE FUNCTIONAL STATE OF THE THYROID GLAND IN THE COURSE TREATMENT WITH TELMISARTAN AS PART OF THE COMPLEX THERAPY OF PATIENTS WITH CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS ON THE BASIS OF METAB

Aim. Is to study the characteristics of carbohydrate metabolism indicators, the functional state of the thyroid gland in the course treatment with Telmisartan as a part of the complex therapy of patients with Coronary Artery Disease, type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on the basis of Metabolic Syndrome.&#x0D; Materials and Methods. Research design. The first stage - formation of groups (the experimental group and the comparison group). The experimental group consisting of 27 patients (13 men and 14 women), taking Telmisartan 80 mg/day as a part of complex therapy (Metformin, Amlodipine, Rosuvastatin, Acetylsalicylic acid, and Nitroglycerin as needed). The comparison group consisting of 24 patients (12 men and 12 women) taking Ramipril, 5 mg/day in addition to the standard therapy, mentioned above. At the second stage, the patients were examined for carbohydrate metabolism and Thyroid-stimulating hormone and free Thyroxine. At the third stage, patients were prescribed the treatment for 1 month. The dose of metformin did not change during the study. Re-examination of hormones and carbohydrate metabolism parameters one month after the start of therapy was carried out at the fourth stage. The control group consisted of 40 practically healthy people (17 men and 23 women). The work involved researching the carbohydrate spectrum parameters as well as the followings hormones: free Thyroxine and Thyroid-stimulating hormone, control of blood pressure parameters. The Patients were examined twice, on the day of admission to inpatient treatment and after 1 month. According to the results of the obtained data, the studied groups were compared with each other, as well as with a group of healthy individuals.&#x0D; Results and Discussion. The study compared the dynamics of blood pressure parameters, indicators of carbohydrate metabolism, Thyroid-stimulating hormone and Free thyroxine in patients with Coronary Artery Disease and compensated type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on the basis of Metabolic Syndrome, depending on their intake of Telmisartan or Ramipril against the background of standard therapy, which included: Metformin, Amlodipine, Acetylsalicylic acid. In the group taking Telmisartan as part of complex treatment, a decrease in clinical manifestations of syntropic pathology was found, and the presence of positive dynamics of diastolic blood pressure indicators was noted even after 1 month of treatment. Patients experienced a decrease in the frequency of angina attacks, reduced shortness of breath, palpitations during exercise, headaches, dizziness, anxiety, improved attention and memory. The results of our study show taking Telmisartan as a part of complex therapy contributed to changes in the parameters of carbohydrate metabolism such as fasting blood glucose, insulin level, HOMA-IR index decreased significantly, which can be explained by a decrease in insulin resistance at addition Telmisartan to the complex treatment. In contrast to the mentioned above parameters, indicators of glycosylated hemoglobin after 1 month treatment did not change significantly, which can be explained by the insufficient duration of treatment. In the patients of the experimental group, it was found that the level of Thyroid-stimulating hormone significantly decreased during treatment with Telmisartan as part of complex therapy, in contrast to the comparison group, taking Ramipril at the same time. The level of free Thyroxine in patients with experimental group increased a month after start of therapy, while it remained unchanged in patients with comparison group.&#x0D; Conclusions. The effectiveness of correction of diastolic blood pressure parameters, the presence of peculiarities of changes in carbohydrate metabolism and thyroid functional state when Telmisartan is used as part of the complex therapy of patients with Coronary Artery Disease and compensated type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on the basis of Metabolic Syndrome. The use of Telmisartan as part of complex treatment reduces insulin resistance; helps to reduce the level of fasting blood glucose, values of the HOMA-IR index, as well as the amount of insulin in the blood. The use of Telmisartan in patients with Coronary Artery Disease and type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on the basis of Metabolic Syndrome aids in reducing the level of Thyroid-stimulating hormone and increase in free Thyroxine (within the reference values), confirming participation in the correction of metabolic changes.

Changes in carbohydrate metabolism and soil microorganisms under the stress of polyamide and polyethylene nanoplastics during rice (Oryza sativa L.) growth

Nanoplastics (NPs) presence in agricultural soils can affect plant growth and impact the quality of agricultural products. To investigate the effect of polyamide (PA) NPs and polyethylene (PE) NPs on carbohydrate metabolism and soil microorganisms during rice growth, rice seedlings were exposed to soil containing 2 g/kg of 100 nm PA or 100 nm PE powder for 33 d. The results revealed that 100 nm PE reduced shoot length and dry weight of rice by 4.14 % and 15.68 %, respectively. Analyzing the expression of hexokinase-2 (HXK), phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK), pyruvate kinase (PK) and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), which are four genes related to carbohydrate metabolism, 100 nm PA decreased the expression of PFK and increased the expression of PK and IDH. 100 nm PE increased the expression of HXK, PFK, PK, and IDH. The results of soil microorganisms showed that 100 nm PA significantly effects on 3 bacterial phyla (Bacteroidota, Deinococcota, and Desulfobacterota), whereas 100 nm PE significantly effects on phylum Rozellomycota, class Umbelopsidomycetes, and an unclassified Firmicutes. Our study provides direct evidence of the negative effects of PA and PE on rice, which may be important for assessing the risk of NPs on agroecosystems.

Metabolomic analysis indicated changes in triacylglycerols’ levels as a result of training in Whippet dogs

Regular physical effort produces metabolic changes manifested as adaptation to exercise and increasing performance. In humans these changes have been characterized at metabolome level as depending on the discipline. However, all sports involve some level of changes in protein, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Recently, also performance horses have been subjected to metabolic analyses, but similar studies were lacking in sports dogs. In this study we performed the metabolomic analysis in plasma of Whippet dogs regularly trained and competing in coursing events, and untrained dogs of the same breed, fed with the same diet. We have also compared the hematological and blood biochemical results in these two groups of dogs. Basic blood tests indicated that enzymes related to lipid metabolism (lipase and gamma-glutamyltransferase) differed considerably between the groups. Metabolomic analysis of plasma confirmed the metabolic shift expressed as the differences in triacylglycerols levels between training and non-training dogs, aimed at improving the use of fatty acids as a source of energy during exertion. Surprisingly, other classes of metabolites were only hardly changed when comparing training and non-training Whippets.

Acute and sub-acute toxicological evaluation of &lt;em&gt;Barleria prionitis&lt;/em&gt; Linn. in Wistar albino rats

Despite the wide usage of Barleria prionitis Linn. (Acanthaceae) in traditional medicine, controversial findings have been reported on possible toxic effects of the plant. The present study evaluated the acute and sub-acute toxic/adverse effects of B. prionitis using a healthy Wistar albino rat model. Repeated oral administration of the hexane, ethyl acetate, butanol, and aqueous extracts of the whole plant at therapeutic doses (25, 80, 70, and 120 mg/kg) revealed no mortality or treatmentrelated hematological and biochemical changes in experimental rats. However, statistically significant changes were observed in a few red cell and white cell parameters, suggesting increased erythropoiesis and immunity in experimental rats treated with B. prionitis (p&lt;0.05). The findings on total cholesterol, glucose, and liver function tests revealed potential changes in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and liver functions after treatments. However, the absence of statistically significant changes in the plant treated groups was noted compared to their respective vehicle control groups (p&gt;0.05), and the lack of those changes in male and female rats excludes potential toxic effects from B. prionitis extracts. The findings on the relative weight of organs and histopathology further corroborated the safe use of the selected extracts at doses in therapeutic applications. In conclusion, the findings on acute and 28-day repeated dose oral toxicity assessments of the whole plant extracts resulted in neither mortality nor treatment-related hematological, biochemical, and histopathological changes in healthy Wistar albino rats.

Features of the course of superficial candidiasis of the skin against the background of changes in carbohydrate metabolism

Objective — to investigate the pattern of the relationship between carbohydrate metabolism and superficial candidiasis for further development of rational therapeutic approaches to the treatment of candidiasis associated with initial disorders of carbohydrate metabolism. Materials and methods. In order to determine the indicators of carbohydrate metabolism and their influence on the course of superficial candidiasis, 93 patients with different severity of this disease were examined. The study of carbohydrate metabolism included the determination of fasting blood sugar level to detect the overt diabetes and glucose tolerance test (with the load of 75 g of glucose). The impaired glucose tolerance was detected in 32 patients, so their levels of glycosylated hemoglobin and fructosamine were additionally determined. HbA1c level was determined in whole blood by ion exchange chromatography. Fructosamine was measured by kinetic colorimetric method in both serum and plasma. Blood sampling was performed on an empty stomach from the cubital vein. The studies were carried out immediately after sampling. The Sentinel CH test system from Intero (Italy) and a spectrophotometer with a 405—425 nm filter were used for the research. Results and discussion. The research showed that in the group of patients with candidal lesions, there was a direct dependence of HbA1c and fructosamine levels on the severity of the disease. In patients with minimal and moderate candidal lesions, an increase in HbA1c and fructosamine indicators (by 1.54 and 1.21 times, respectively) was observed compared to similar indicators in the control group. In patients with significant candidal lesions and relapses, the concentration of HbA1c increased by 2.59 times and the concentration of fructosamine — by 2.26 times compared to the indicators of the control group. Conclusions. As shown by the results of our research, we have proven a direct correlation between the severity of candidiasis and the levels of НbA1с and fructosamine. The identification of correlation patterns is important for the development of a multimodal pathogenetically justified treatment of patients with candidal lesions of the skin and mucous membranes.

Harnessing the Genetic Basis of Sorghum Biomass-Related Traits to Facilitate Bioenergy Applications.

The extensive use of fossil fuels and global climate change have raised ever-increasing attention to sustainable development, global food security and the replacement of fossil fuels by renewable energy. Several C4 monocot grasses have excellent photosynthetic ability, stress tolerance and may rapidly produce biomass in marginal lands with low agronomic inputs, thus representing an important source of bioenergy. Among these grasses, Sorghum bicolor has been recognized as not only a promising bioenergy crop but also a research model due to its diploidy, simple genome, genetic diversity and clear orthologous relationship with other grass genomes, allowing sorghum research to be easily translated to other grasses. Although sorghum molecular genetic studies have lagged far behind those of major crops (e.g., rice and maize), recent advances have been made in a number of biomass-related traits to dissect the genetic loci and candidate genes, and to discover the functions of key genes. However, molecular and/or targeted breeding toward biomass-related traits in sorghum have not fully benefited from these pieces of genetic knowledge. Thus, to facilitate the breeding and bioenergy applications of sorghum, this perspective summarizes the bioenergy applications of different types of sorghum and outlines the genetic control of the biomass-related traits, ranging from flowering/maturity, plant height, internode morphological traits and metabolic compositions. In particular, we describe the dynamic changes of carbohydrate metabolism in sorghum internodes and highlight the molecular regulators involved in the different stages of internode carbohydrate metabolism, which affects the bioenergy utilization of sorghum biomass. We argue the way forward is to further enhance our understanding of the genetic mechanisms of these biomass-related traits with new technologies, which will lead to future directions toward tailored designing sorghum biomass traits suitable for different bioenergy applications.

The consequences of growth hormone deficiency in adults

Adult growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a result of the decreased growth hormone (GH) production and secretion from the anterior pituitary gland in adulthood, that cannot be explained by the physiological ageing process. GHD is associated with numerous deleterious consequences such as adverse changes in body composition, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, alterations in the cardiovascular system, and deterioration in the quality of life (QoL). Most of these complications are at least partially reversible during recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) replacement therapy. Thus, physicians and particularly endocrinologists, should consider GHD diagnosis and select patients who could benefit from rhGH therapy.

Metabolomics and transcriptomics based multi-omics integration reveals radiation-induced altered pathway networking and underlying mechanism

Recent advancement in integrated multi-omics has significantly contributed to many areas of the biomedical field. Radiation research has also grasped uprising omics technologies in biomarker identification to aid in triage management. Herein, we have used a combinatorial multi-omics approach based on transcriptomics together with metabolomics and lipidomics of blood from murine exposed to 1 Gy (LD) and 7.5 Gy (HD) of total-body irradiation (TBI) for a comprehensive understanding of biological processes through integrated pathways and networking. Both omics displayed demarcation of HD group from controls using multivariate analysis. Dysregulated amino acids, various PC, PE and carnitine were observed along with many dysregulated genes (Nos2, Hmgcs2, Oxct2a, etc.). Joint-Pathway Analysis and STITCH interaction showed radiation exposure resulted in changes in amino acid, carbohydrate, lipid, nucleotide, and fatty acid metabolism. Elicited immune response was also observed by Gene Ontology. BioPAN has predicted Elovl5, Elovl6 and Fads2 for fatty acid pathways, only in HD group. Collectively, the combined omics approach facilitated a better understanding of processes uncovering metabolic pathways. Presumably, this is the first in radiation metabolomics that utilized an integrated omics approach following TBI in mice. Our work showed that omics integration could be a valuable tool for better comprehending the mechanism as well as molecular interactions.

Physiological and biochemical characteristics of genetically modified winter wheat

Aim. Analysis of physiological and biochemical characteristics of genetically modified wheat with partially suppressed activity of the proline dehydrogenase gene. Methods. Determination of proline dehydrogenase (PDH) activity, free L-proline (Pro); carbohydrate content (sucrose and fructose). Results. It was established that under conditions of water deficit in genetically modified wheat plants with integrated elements forming the double-stranded RNA suppressor of the pdh gene, there is a partial inhibition of the enzyme activity and an increase in the content of free proline. Changes in carbohydrate metabolism under water deficit stress and in the first hours after rehydration were noted, while the sucrose / fructose ratio in control plants significantly decreases during dehydration and normalizes when water supply is restored, in genetically modified plants this indicator almost does not change under short-term water deficit stress. Conclusions. Partial suppression of the proline dehydrogenase gene leads to an increase in the free proline content, the fluctuations of which contribute to the maintenance of carbohydrate balance.

Probiotics and their role in stress regulation in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Review

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases in the world, affecting 25 — 30% of the adult population. Prevalence rates vary by country, with the highest rates reported in regions with the high levels of stress. The frequency of NAFLD correlates with the intensity of the subjective feeling of stress. The war in Ukraine and the migration of a part of the population to European countries had a significant impact on the health of the population, which was caused by a sharp increase in the influence of stressful factors and the formation of signs of mental health disorders. The chronic influence of negative psychosocial factors, in particular the stressful conditions of wartime, is the main reason for the hyperactivation of the stress response and chronic high cortisol levels, which become maladaptive and lead to distant consequences — changes in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, energy balance, and metabolic changes that cause the formation of and progression of NAFLD, as well as to changes in the immune system. In addition to metabolic factors, chronic stress is a trigger for changes in the functioning of the digestive system and intestinal microbiota, that is, the gut‑liver axis, which is involved in the formation of NAFLD. The presented data justify the need for scientific research to find pathogenetic measures that affect mental processes in humans through the correction of the microbiome, namely psychobiotics — probiotics, the consumption of which in a certain amount has a beneficial effect on the host's mental health through interaction with commensal intestinal bacteria. Despite some progress in the study of the effectiveness of psychobiotics in stress management, the number of studies on this problem is limited, so it is necessary to conduct additional studies on their use in the complex treatment of NAFLD with account of lifestyle factors.

Initial Weight Loss, Anthropometric Parameters, and Proinflammatory Transcript Levels in Patients with Class I Obesity.

Research into early predictors of effective weight loss could help determine more effective therapeutic interventions. In this study, 106 subjects with class I obesity, genotyped with the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) rs9930506 gene variant, were enrolled into a 12-week weight loss program (WLP). Anthropometric and body composition measurements were controlled with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) at baseline and after 4 and 12 weeks. Biopsies of abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (AT) and venous blood samples were collected to monitor changes in interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) mRNA levels in white blood cells (WBCs) and to assess if changes in WBC gene expression reflected changes in adipose tissue. The FTO rs9930506 variant had no effect on weight loss and no reduction in proinflammatory transcripts in WBCs or AT. Changes in anthropometric parameters were associated with changes in carbohydrate metabolism. A linear regression model showed that initial weight loss (after 4 weeks of the WLP) was the most predictive factor of weight loss success after 12 weeks of the WLP. Changes in plasma lipids or proinflammatory transcript levels in WBCs or AT were not associated with weight loss effectiveness. However, the gene expression in WBCs did reflect changes occurring in subcutaneous AT.

ANIMAL MODELS OF DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most common complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). It is characterized by high blood glucose levels or hyperglycemia and is accompanied by changes in lipid, carbohydrate, and protein metabolism which can lead to an increased risk of complications due to vascular disease. DN is probably the most insidious among these complications, causing substantial morbidity and mortality. In this article, we will review the literature on animal models of diabetes. We will discuss several species as animal models for Type 1 and 2 diabetes, including zebrafish, rabbits, mice, rats, and rat models. This article also provides various methods used in research with model animals and presents the required result for studying diabetic DN.