Nutrition
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Studies on the psychological aspects of orthorexia nervosa are scarce. What has been studied to date is the correlation between orthorexia nervosa and self-esteem, perfectionism, and personality. The aim of this study is to verify whether patients suffering from orthorexia or those who have a tendency for orthorexia differ in terms of achievement motivation from a healthy control group. ⋯ Patients who suffer from orthorexia differ from those in the control group in terms of achievement motivation. In some respect, their results are parallel to those obtained from girls with anorexia readiness syndrome, which can lead to the conclusion that both orthorexia and anorexia belong to the spectrum of eating disorders.
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Functional constipation is a gastrointestinal disorder that affects millions of people and is correlated with gut microbiome dysbiosis. The currently available treatments are ineffective; therefore, novel treatment schemes targeting the gut microbiome are desired. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of yogurt supplemented with seven probiotic strains and six types of dietary fibers on functional constipation. ⋯ Results from this study showed that yogurt can potentially be used for the treatment of constipation.
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Sepsis is a lethal clinical condition with dysregulated cluster of differentiation (CD) 4+ T cells that leads to inflammation and multiorgan injury. Low vitamin D levels are commonly seen in patients with sepsis. Obesity is a state with oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Both obesity and low vitamin D levels are associated with adverse outcomes in patients with sepsis. This study investigated the effects of calcitriol on CD4+ T-cell polarization and kidney injury during sepsis. ⋯ These findings suggest that intravenous calcitriol administration after sepsis modulates the homeostasis of CD4+ T-cell subpopulations associated with alleviating sepsis-induced kidney injury in obese mice.
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Maternal circadian eating time and frequency are associated with altered glucose metabolism during pregnancy in humans. Research on long maternal fasting intervals is inconclusive, and little is known about the effect of maternal time feeding on offspring health. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to determine whether maternal time feeding influences the metabolic status of both male and female offspring. ⋯ Our data suggest that a time-restricted feeding regimen during embryonic development could program rat offspring for metabolic dysfunction during adulthood.
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Despite having disease-specific pathologic features and symptoms, neurodegenerative diseases share common mechanisms, such as excitotoxicity, neuroinflammation, and neurotransmitter dysregulation. Although the common underlying cause of these neurodegenerative processes has yet to be identified, accumulating evidence suggests that branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) could be involved. ⋯ Furthermore, emerging evidence indicates that BCAA metabolism may be dysregulated in major neurodegenerative diseases, namely Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In this review, we identified the neurodegenerative mechanisms of BCAAs and outlined their potential roles in neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting that targeting BCAA metabolism may represent a new approach to identifying new therapeutic targets for multifaceted neurodegenerative diseases.