Carnitine supplementation accelerates normalization of food intake depressed during TPN.

When total parenteral nutrition (TPN; containing glucose, fat, and amino acids; caloric ratio 50:30:20) providing 100% of the rat's daily caloric intake is given for 3-4 days, food intake rapidly decreases by approximately 85%. After stopping TPN, there is a lag period of 3-4 days before food intake returns to previous level, which appears to be related to fatty acid oxidation and fat deposition. Carnitine plays a key role in the oxidation of fatty acids, and was demonstrated to reduce fat deposition in rats receiving TPN, by increasing beta oxidation.

Comparison of long-term feeding pattern between male and female Fischer 344 rats: influence of estrous cycle.

We studied the effect of gender on food intake, meal number, and meal size in eight 10-wk-old female and seven age-matched male Fischer 344 rats for 44 consecutive days. Although food intake (g/100 g body wt) was similar in males and females (5.42 +/- 0.

From laboratory to bedside: new strategies in the treatment of malnutrition in cancer patients.

The objective of this review is to present and discuss the current and the possible future perspectives of artificial nutrition in preventing and treating cancer cachexia. English-language studies published in the last 25 years were retrieved using MEDLINE, bibliographies and consultation with experts. MEDLINE search terms included "cancer," "malnutrition," and "nutritional support.

Relationship between interleukin-1 and cancer anorexia.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) induces anorexia via direct action in the brain, and its participation in the pathogenesis of cancer-associated anorexia has been hypothesized. Because the functional ablation of the ventromedial nucleus of hypothalamus (VMH), where IL-1 receptors have been detected, reverses cancer-associated anorexia in tumor-bearing (TB) rats, we hypothesize that cancer anorexia involves the direct effect of IL-1 on the VMH. To test this hypothesis, we investigated whether the intra-VMH injection of the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) improves food intake in anorectic TB rats.

Cymbidium mosaic virus RNA synthesis in isolated orchid protoplasts.

An in vitro protoplast host system has been developed to facilitate the study of cymbidium mosaic virus (CyMV) replication mechanisms. CyMV, a member of the potexvirus group of plant viruses, is among the most significant pathogens of cultivated orchid plants, but a convenient system for studying its molecular genetics has not been available previously. A cDNA probe representing a segment of the CyMV genome was used to detect viral RNA following inoculation of Vanda floral protoplasts with virus particles.