Selenium Deficiency After Bariatric Surgery,Incidence and Symptoms: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Obesity Surgery - This study review the prevalence of selenium deficiency after bariatric surgery, incidence, and symptoms. A systematic literature search and meta-analysis was performed...     

Predictors of Weight Regain and Insufficient Weight Loss According to Different Definitions After Sleeve Gastrectomy: a Retrospective Analytical Study

Background

Weight regain (WR) and insufficient weight loss (IWL) after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) are challenging issues. This study aimed to evaluate the predictors of WR and IWL after SG.

Methods

In this retrospective analytical study, 568 patients who underwent SG at Hazrat-e Rasool General Hospital, Tehran, Iran, between January 2015 and April 2022 were evaluated. A total of 333 patients were included. WR and IWL were evaluated by multiple criteria such as a BMI of > 35 kg/m², an increase in BMI of > 5 kg/m² above nadir, an increase in weight of > 10 kg above nadir, percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) < 50% at 18 months, an increase in weight of > 25% of EWL from nadir at 36 months, and percentage of total weight loss (%TWL) < 20% at 36 months. All participants were followed up for 36 months.

Result

The univariate analysis showed that preoperative BMI, obstructive sleep apnea, metformin consumption, and grades 2 and 3 fatty liver disease were associated with WR and IWL (P < 0.05). WR or IWL incidence varied (0–19.3%) based on different definitions. The multivariate analysis showed that a preoperative BMI of > 45 kg/m² [odds ratio_Adjusted (OR_Adj) 1.77, 95% CI: 1.12–4.11, P = 0.038] and metformin consumption [OR_Adj: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.19–0.78, P = 0.001] were associated with WR and IWL after SG, regardless of the definition of WR or IWL.

Conclusion

This study showed that preoperative BMI of > 45 kg/m², obstructive sleep apnea, metformin consumption, and grades 2 and 3 of fatty liver disease were associated with WR or IWL.

Graphical abstract

     

Prevention of recognition memory loss and moderation of mitochondrial dynamic tendency toward fusion by flavone derivatives in Aβ-injected rats: a comparison between two flavonoids with different polarity

Growing evidence sheds light on the use of flavonoids as the promising alternatives for the treatment of chronic conditions, including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Accordingly, in the present study, we aimed at evaluating the effects of oral intake of two structurally different flavonoids 5-hydroxy-6,7,4?-trimethoxyflavone (flavone 1) and 5,7,4?-trihydroxyflavone (flavone 2) on recognition memory, hippocampal protein level of immediate early gene cFos and mitochondrial dynamic markers in Amyloid β (Aβ)-injected rats. Recognition aspect of memory and level of proteins were measured using novel object recognition test and Western blot, respectively. Our data indicated that even though flavone 1 was more effective than flavone 2 to prevent memory impairment, feeding with both flavones alleviated memory in Aβ-injected rats. Furthermore, in flavones-administered rats, mitochondrial dynamic balancing returned to the control level by the decline in Dynamin-related protein-1 protein level, a known marker for mitochondrial fission, and elevation in protein level of mitochondrial fusion factors Mitofusins 1 and 2. In parallel with behavior results, flavone 1 was more effectual on mitochondrial dynamic moderating. The more neuroprotective effects of flavone 1 could be attributed to its methylated structure leading to crossing of the blood-brain barrier with ease and metabolic stability and bioactivity.     

Prospective,randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing

Bakuchiol is found mainly in the seeds of the Indian plant Psoralea corylifolia (babchi) and has recently been shown to have a number of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The goal of this study, by researchers from universities in California, Michigan, Florida and Pennsylvania in the US, was to compare the efficacy and side effects of bakuchiol with the commonly-used anti-ageing ingredient retinol. 44 volunteers were asked to apply either bakuchiol 0.5% cream twice daily, or retinol 0.5% cream daily, to facial skin for 12 weeks. Retinol 0.5% has previously been shown to be effective at preventing and addressing signs of skin ageing but can have side effects including stinging, scaling and redness. A facial photograph and analytical system was used to take and analyse high-resolution photographs of patients at 0, 4, 8 and 12 weeks of the study. Patients also answered questions about side-effects. During study visits, a dermatologist graded pigmentation (skin colouring) and redness. To avoid bias, this dermatologist was not made aware of which treatment each participant was using. The study found that bakuchiol and retinol both significantly decreased wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation, with no statistical difference between the two compounds. However, the retinol users reported more skin scaling and stinging. The results were most marked after the full 12 weeks, with a 20 percent reduction in wrinkle severity. 59 percent of the participants in the bakuchiol group showed improvement in their hyperpigmentation at week 12, compared to 44 percent of those in the retinol group. The improvements related both to the intensity of the colour and to the size of the area affected. The findings of this study are promising for bakuchiol as an effective anti-ageing treatment with minimal side effects, however this would need to be confirmed in larger studies.     

A distinct impact of repeated morphine exposure on synaptic plasticity at Schaffer collateral-CA1, temporoammonic-CA1, and perforant pathway-dentate gyrus synapses along the longitudinal axis of the hippocampus

We aimed to study how morphine affects synaptic transmission in the dentate gyrus and CA1 regions along the hippocampal long axis. For this, recording and measuring of field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) were utilized to test the effects of repeated morphine exposure on paired-pulse evoked responses and long-term potentiation (LTP) at Schaffer collateral-CA1 (Sch-CA1), temporoammonic-CA1 (TA-CA1) and perforant pathway-dentate gyrus (PP-DG) synapses in transverse slices from the dorsal (DH), intermediate (IH), and ventral (VH) hippocampus in adult male rats. After repeated morphine exposure, the expression of opioid receptors and the α1 and α5 GABA_A subunits were also examined. We found that repeated morphine exposure blunt the difference between the DH and the VH in their basal levels of synaptic transmission at Sch-CA1 synapses that were seen in the control groups. Significant paired-pulse facilitation of excitatory synaptic transmission was observed at Sch-CA1 synapses in slices taken from all three hippocampal segments as well as at PP-DG synapses in slices taken from the VH segment in the morphine-treated groups as compared to the control groups. Interestingly, significant paired-pulse inhibition of excitatory synaptic transmission was observed at TA-CA1 synapses in the DH slices from the morphine-treated group as compared to the control group. While primed-burst stimulation (a protocol reflecting normal neuronal firing) induced a robust LTP in hippocampal subfields in all control groups, resulting in a decaying LTP at TA-CA1 synapses in the VH slices and at PP-DG synapses in both the IH and VH slices taken from the morphine-treated rats. In the DH of morphine-treated rats, we found increased levels of the mRNAs encoding the α1 and α5 GABA_A subunits as compared to the control group. Taken together, these findings suggest the potential mechanisms through which repeated morphine exposure causes differential changes in circuit excitability and synaptic plasticity in the dentate gyrus and CA1 regions along the hippocampal long axis.     

ZnT2-overexpression represses the cytotoxic effects of zinc hyper-accumulation in malignant metallothionein-null T47D breast tumor cells

Human breast tumors accumulate abnormally high levels of zinc (Zn). As a result, numerous studies have implicated Zn hyper-accumulation in the etiology of breast cancer. Zinc accumulation can be cytotoxic, therefore cells have Zn-buffering mechanisms, such as metallothioneins (MT) and vesicular sequestration, which tightly regulate Zn homeostasis. The Zn transporter ZnT2 sequesters Zn into intracellular vesicles and thus can protect cells from Zn cytotoxicity. Herein, we report that malignant breast tumor (T47D) cells do not express MT but have approximately 4-fold greater Zn levels compared with non-malignant breast (MCF-10A) cells. Zinc accumulation coincided with ZnT2 over-expression and increased vesicular Zn pools. In this study, we hypothesized that ZnT2 suppression would eliminate protection from Zn accumulation and result in cytotoxicity in malignant breast tumor cells. Suppression of ZnT2 significantly increased cytoplasmic Zn pools (1.6-fold) as assessed with a Zn-responsive reporter assay containing four metal response elements (4X-MRE) fused to luciferase. Increased cytoplasmic Zn pools activated apoptosis in a caspase-independent manner. We observed significant generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (2.3-fold), lysosomal swelling and cathepsin D leakage in ZnT2-attenuated compared with ZnT2-expressing cells. Most importantly, tumor cell viability and tumor formation were significantly decreased (approximately 25%) in ZnT2-attenuated cells compared with ZnT2-expressing cells. Our data indicate that ZnT2 over-expression protects malignant MT-null breast tumor cells from Zn hyper-accumulation by sequestering Zn into intracellular vesicles. Moreover, our results implicate Zn compartmentalizing mechanisms as novel targets for breast cancer therapy.