Hypoglycemic Potential of Supplementation with a Vegetable and Legume Juice Formula in Type 2 Diabetic Patients.

Background And Objective: Type 2 diabetes affects a large number of people all over the world; hence, it is worthy to supplement those patients with a food formula containing biologically active ingredients that can help to control the disease and its complications. The present study was designed to prepare a plant formula in the form of a juice taken during treatment to synergies and reduce the drug dose used and minimize disease complications.

Materials And Methods: The formula is formed of spinach, broccoli, celery, green beans and chickpea.

Human portal serum stimulates cell proliferation in immature Schistosoma mansoni.

Schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni were incubated in RPMI 1640 medium containing 10% fetal calf serum, 10% human portal venous or 10% human peripheral venous sera in the presence of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) in order to measure differences in cell proliferation. The rates of cell proliferation as expressed by BrdU labelling indices (BLI) were determined as a function of time of incubation by immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibody to BrdU. Compared to schistosomula cultured in the presence of RPMI plus 10% fetal calf serum, BLIs were increased by 60% in the presence of human portal, but not in peripheral serum.

The effect of some beverage extracts on intestinal iron absorption.

The effect of some beverage extracts namely anise, mint, caraway, cumin, tilia, liquorice, karkade and tea, on the absorption of iron was tested in tied-off intestinal segments of rats. The rate of intestinal iron absorption was calculated in terms of an absorption index. The tannin, phytic acid and ascorbic acid contents of these beverages were analysed.

The influence of ascorbic acid and lactose on the interaction of iron with each of cobalt and zinc during intestinal absorption.

The effect of ascorbic acid and lactose on the interaction between iron and each of zinc or copper during intestinal absorption was studied in normal and iron-deficient rats. It was found that addition of cobalt to the iron dose inhibited absorption of iron to 42% in normal rats and to 46.7% in iron deficient ones.

Mucosal iron binding proteins and the inhibition of iron absorption by endotoxin.

The uptake of iron from a tied off jejunal segment into the body after the injection of a 59Fe labeled test dose was decreased after the administration of endotoxin by about 80% in both normal and iron deficient animals.--In the iron deficient group the distribution of 59Fe in the cytosol fraction of jejunal mucosa between transferrin and ferritin was determined chromatographically; the amount of 59Fe in the ferritin fraction increased remarkably after the endotoxin treatment and the ratio of both was changed in favor of ferritin.--It is hypothesized that the association of the diversion of iron to the mucosal ferritin with the decrease of the transport of iron into the blood caused by endotoxin might be the consequence of abnormal oxidations in the mucosa measured by others in liver tissue.

Improvement of Supramine and development of new food mixtures for the young. I. Improvement of Supramine.

Supramine, a food mixture produced in Egypt by El-Nil Pharmaceutical Company supported by UNICEF. The product suffers from two problems: It is not well liked by the children, and its shelf life is relatively short. Studies were made to overcome these problems.

Improvement of Supramine and development of new food mixtures for the young. II. Development of new food mixtures for the young.

Four high-protein food mixtures for feeding the young were formulated from locally available and relatively cheap legumes and cereals. Protein content of these mixtures ranged from 17.2 to 20.

Red blood cells amino-acid pattern in protein energy malnutrition and the effect of oral dosing with single amino acids.

R.B.C.

Serum and urinary amino acid pattern in schistosomal infection among Egyptians.

The amino acid pattern in plasma and urine of Bilharzial Egyptian patients with different degrees of complications was investigated. The results obtained showed that in mansoniasis, accumulation of amino acids in the circulation is due to derangement in liver function which retards the utilization of amino acids in protein synthesis particularly in the advanced stage of the disease. This is also in part due to liver cell degeneration which parallel the severity of the infection.

Binding of copper to mucosal transferrin and inhibition of intestinal iron absorption in rats.

1. The chromatographic elution patterns on Sepharose 6B of the supernatant from mucosal homogenates prepared 10 min after administration of copper into duodenal segments in vivo, indicate that copper is bound preferentially in the fraction of mucosal transferrin. 2.

The role of mucosal iron binding proteins in adaptation of iron absorption during protein deficiency and rehabilitation.

1. A state of protein deficiency has been produced in rats by feeding a low protein diet, thereafter a period of rehabilitation with a normal protein but a low iron supply followed. 2.

Salivary amino acids and proteins in normal and malnourished Egyptian infants and young children.

Amino acids and proteins in whole saliva of normal and malnourished Egyptian infants and young children were investigated. 16 amino acids, 7 of them are essential, could be detected in saliva of normal infants. Electrophoretic analysis revealed the existence of 10 protein components in saliva of either normal or malnourished infants.

Mucosal transferrin and ferritin factors in the regulation of iron absorption.

1. A standardized decompensation and recompensation of iron homeostasis has been produced by a change-over from normal to iron deficiency and back. 2.

Vitamins content of fruits and vegetables in common use in Egypt.

The vitamin content, namely vitamin C, carotene, riboflavin and nicotinic acid, of some popular vegetables and fruits was determined. It was found that the green parts of the plants were the most rich in these four vitamins. Trigonella foenum-graecum (Helba) was the richest of all vegetables and fruits in vitamin C (207 mg%).

Serum and urine amino acid pattern under the effect of carbon disulfide intoxication.

The effect of carbon disulphide intoxication on amino acid pattern was studied. Five groups of rats were treated with carbon disulphide through intramuscular injection of 0.05 ml CS2 in 0.

Effect of authentic and natural vitamin C and carotene on amino acid absorption.

The effect of vitamin C or carotene either from authentic or natural sources on absorption of lysine, glycine and methionine was evaluated. Results revealed that maximum absorption of these amino acids was reached at different intervals from the orally given dose. Addition of ascorbic acid enhanced amino acid absorption and this effect was maximum in case of methionine.

Protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) in Egypt: comparative study of the electrolyte pattern in plasma and erythrocytes.

The electrolytes sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium were determined in both plasma and erythrocytes of 300 PCM subjects and 26 parallel healthy controls. The results obtained revealed that: The level of plasma sodium was lower than normal in all PCM cases except in marasmic kwashiorkor. The RBC's sodium content was more or less not affected.

Effect of vitamin C and carotene on the absorption of calcium from the intestine.

The effect of vitamin C or carotene either in the authentic form or naturally occurring as in orange, parsley and pepper juices on calcium absorption was studied. Results obtained revealed that ascorbic acid, orange and pepper juices enhanced intestinal calcium absorption. Carotene and parsley proved to be without effect.

Intestinal absorption of iron alone and in combination with authentic or natural vitamin C and carotene.

The effect of vitamin C and carotene derived from authentic or natural sources on intestinal iron absorption was studied. Vitamin C caused slight enhancement to iron absorption, while carotene hindered it. The three juices tested, namely orange, parsley and pepper, which were found to be rich in these two vitamins, hindered intestinal iron absorption to different extents.

Intestinal and renal tubular amino acid absorption in oedematous forms of protein-calorie malnutrition.

The level of total amino acids was determined in plasma and urine in cases suffering from ocdematous forms of PCM before and after receiving a single dose of each of cysteine, tryptophan and lysine. The increase in plasma amino acids following dosing was less in malnourished cases than in controls. Fasting urinary amino acid content in malnourished subjects was higher than in controls and so was also the ratio of urine amino acids collected after dosing to the fasting level.

Assessment of parameters of physical growth of the newborn in relation to maternal supplementation with iron alone or with some biological additives.

Intrauterine growth charts were used for the assessment of physical growth of newborn infants in relation to maternal supplementation. Iron alone or with other additives (Copper, folic acid, ascorbic acid) were given during different trimesters of pregnancy. The study revealed that iron supplementation with or without other additives has an effective role in improving the haematological pattern in the neonates who also achieved better physical growth particularly with early supplementation with iron and ascorbic acid.

Effect of protein energy malnutrition (PEM) on spermatogenesis in rat testis.

In this work 60 male albino rats were subjected to a feeding experiment aimed to study the influence of protein free and reduced diets on normal function of rat testes. It was shown that the PEM exerts adverse effects on testicular function, the nature and severity of these effects depend on the duration of the deficiency state. Histological examination of rat testis, revealed that the spermatogenesis is arrested at spermatogonium stage in rats fed on protein free diet, and at primary and secondary spermatocyte stage in rats fed on normal but reduced diet.

The absorption of iron, with or without supplements of single amino acids and of ascorbic acid, in healthy and Fe-deficient children.

1. Studies were done on the effect of ascorbic acid and five amino acids (histidine, cystine, cysteine, valine and glutamic acid) on intestinal iron absorption in a group of ninety Egyptian infants and young children, of which fifty-seven were healthy controls and thirty-three were suffering from Fe-deficiency anaemia. 2.

Ascorbic acid effect on intestinal iron absorption in different types of anaemias.

The study deals with investigations on anaemia due to iron or protein calorie deficiency and that associating acute glomerulonephritis, nephrosis and schistosoma haematobium. The rate of intestinal iron absorption using an oral dose of ferrous sulphate equivalent to 4 mg clemental iron/kg body weight was studied. The supplementing action of ascorbic acid in iron absorption in these cases was also investigated.