Nutrition
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Curcumin is the major polyphenolic constituent of an indigenous herb, Curcuma longa, found to have a wide range of applications right from its kitchen use as a spicy ingredient to therapeutic and medicinal applications in various diseases. Curcumin has been identified to have a plethora of biologic and pharmacologic properties owing to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. ⋯ This review summarizes various in vitro, in vivo studies done on curcumin and its therapeutic utility in diabetic micro-vascular complications. This review also emphasizes the importance of curcumin in addition to the existing therapeutic modalities in diabetic complications.
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Vitamin C is a major antioxidant and also is known as a neuromodulator in dopaminergic neurons. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between lymphocyte and plasma vitamin C levels in various stages of Parkinson's disease (PD). ⋯ Our findings suggest that lymphocyte vitamin C levels in the peripheral blood may be a potentially useful biomarker for the progression of PD.
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Acid-base status has been suggested to influence blood pressure, but there is a paucity of epidemiologic evidence linking dietary acid load to hypertension. We examined cross-sectionally the association between dietary acid load and hypertension in a Japanese working population. ⋯ The present findings suggest that high dietary acid load may be associated with increased prevalence of hypertension among those who were normal weight and non-shift workers.
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Case Reports
Omega-3 fatty acids for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia during the second trimester.
Serum triacylglycerol (TG) levels increase during pregnancy. High serum TG levels may elicit acute pancreatitis; therefore, it is important that pregnant women are managed well to abrogate the rapid rise of TG levels in pregnancy. The aim of this study was to report on the effect of eicosapentaenoic acid administration on pregnant women with hypertriacylglycerolemia in the second trimester. ⋯ Oral eicosapentaenoic acid administration might be a safe and useful treatment for hypertriacylglycerolemia during pregnancy and may prevent the development of acute pancreatitis.
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The aim of this study was to prepare protein hydrolysates from underutilized common carp (Cyprinus carpio) egg and to investigate their immunomodulatory effects in vivo. ⋯ The results demonstrate that CEPHs are able to improve the immune system and further reveal that different CEPHs may exert differential influences on the immune function. These results indicate that CEPHs could be useful for several applications in the health food, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries.