Efficacy and Safety of Aronia, Red Ginseng, Shiitake Mushroom, and Nattokinase Mixture on Insulin Resistance in Prediabetic Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

We determined whether oral consumption of Aronia, red ginseng, shiitake mushroom, and nattokinase mixture (3.4: 4.1: 2.4: 0.1 w/w; AGM) improved glucose metabolism and insulin resistance in prediabetic adults in a 12-week randomized, double-blinded clinical trial. Participants with fasting serum glucose concentrations of 100-140 mg/dL were recruited and randomly assigned to an AGM or placebo group. Participants of the AGM group (n = 40) were given an AGM granule containing 4 g of freeze-dried Aronia, red ginseng, shiitake mushroom, and nattokinase (3.4: 4.1: 2.4: 0.1 w/w) twice daily for 12 weeks, and the placebo group participants (n = 40) were provided with corn starch granules identical in appearance, weight, and flavor for 12 weeks. Serum glucose and insulin concentrations were measured during oral-glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) after administering 75 g of glucose in a fasted state. HOMA-IR, liver damage, and inflammation indices were determined, and safety parameters and adverse reactions were assessed. As determined by OGTT, serum glucose concentrations were not significantly different between the AGM and placebo groups after the intervention. However, changes in serum insulin concentrations in the fasted state and Homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index after the intervention were significantly lower in the AGM group than in the placebo group (-3.07 ± 7.06 vs. 0.05 ± 6.12, p = 0.043 for serum insulin; -0.85 ± 2.14 vs. 0.07 ± 1.92, p = 0.049 for HOMA-IR). Serum adiponectin concentrations were reduced by intervention in the placebo group but not in the AGM group. Changes in liver damage indexes, including serum activities of the γ-glutamyl transferase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase, were lower in the AGM group and significantly reduced in the AGM group more than in the placebo group (p < 0.05). Changes in serum high sensitive-C-reactive protein concentrations in AGM and placebo groups were significantly different (-0.12 ± 0.81 vs. 0.51 ± 1.95, p = 0.06). In conclusion, AGM possibly improves insulin sensitivity and ß-cell function and reduces liver damage and inflammation in prediabetic adults.

Variations in Ginsenosides of Raw Ginseng According to Heating Temperature and Time.

OBJECTIVES: Ginsenosides found in ginseng, and the hydrolysates derived from their conversion, exhibit diverse pharmacological characteristics [1]. These have been shown to include anti-cancer, anti-angiogenic, and anti-metastatic effects, as well as being able to provide hepatic and neuroprotective effects, immunomodulation, vasodilation, promotion of insulin secretion, and antioxidant activity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine how quickly the ginsenosides decompose and what kinds of degradation products are created under physicochemical processing conditions that don't involve toxic chemicals or other treatments that may be harmful. METHODS: The formation of ginsenoside-Rg2 and ginsenoside-Rg3 was examined. These demonstrated diverse pharmacological effects. RESULTS: We also investigated physicochemical factors affecting their conversion. The heating temperatures and times yielding the highest concentration of ginsenosides (-Rb1, -Rb2, -Rc, -Rd, -Rf, -Rg1, and -Re) were examined. Additionally, the heating temperatures and rates of conversion of these ginsenosides into new 'ginseng saponins', were examined. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, obtained provide us with effective technology to control the concentration of both ginsenosides and the downstream converted saponins (ginsenoside-Rg2, Rg3, Rg5, and Rk1 etc.), as well as identifying the processing conditions which enable an enrichment in concentration of these compounds.

Morphology control of surfactant-assisted graphene oxide films at the liquid-gas interface.

Control of a two-dimensional (2D) structure of assembled graphene oxide (GO) sheets is highly desirable for fundamental research and potential applications of graphene devices. We show that an alkylamine surfactant, i.e., octadecylamine (ODA), Langmuir monolayer can be utilized as a template for adsorbing highly hydrophilic GO sheets in an aqueous subphase at the liquid-gas interface. The densely packed 2-D monolayer of such complex films was obtained on arbitrary substrates by applying Langmuir-Schaefer or Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Morphology control of GO sheets was also achieved upon compression by tuning the amount of spread ODA molecules. We found that ODA surfactant monolayers prevent GO sheets from sliding, resulting in formation of wrinkling rather than overlapping at the liquid-gas interface during the compression. The morphology structures did not change after a graphitization procedure of chemical hydrazine reduction and thermal annealing treatments. Since morphologies of graphene films are closely correlated to the performance of graphene-based materials, the technique employed in this study can provide a route for applications requiring wrinkled graphenes, ranging from nanoelectronic devices to energy storage materials, such as supercapacitors and fuel cell electrodes.

Enhancement in the critical current density of C-doped MgB2 wire using a polyacrylic acid dopant.

C-doped MgB2 wires were fabricated from a polyacrylic acid (PAA) using a conventional in-situ PIT technique. The effects of the PAA content on the lattice parameter, microstructure, critical temperature (Tc) and critical current density (Jc) were examined. With increasing PAA content, the amount of MgO in the sample increased but the crystallinity, a-axis lattice parameter, and Tc of MgB2 wires decreased, indicating that the C that decomposed from PAA during heat treatment had substituted for B. All doped samples exhibited a higher Jc than the undoped sample at high magnetic field, and the Jc(B) property improved with increasing PAA content: for the 7 wt% doped sample, the Jc was approximately 3-times higher than that of the pristine sample (1.28 kA/cm2 vs. 3.43 kA/cm2) at 5 K and 6.6 T. The improved Jc(B) of the doped sample was attributed to the decreased grain size, enlarged lattice distortion and increased C doping level.

Doping effect of CNT and nano-carbon in magnesium diboride bulk.

We fabricated carbon nanotube (CNT)- and nano-carbon (NC)-doped MgB2 using an in-situ process in order to improve the critical current density (J(c)) at high magnetic field. We then evaluated the effects of the doped carbon content on phase formation, microstructure, and critical properties. CNT had a diameter and length of 5-10 nm and 0.5-1 microm, respectively, and NC was a sphere with a diameter of 5-30 nm. The bulk MgB(2-x)C(x) samples with x = 0, 0.05, and 0.1 for NC and CNT were fabricated by pressing into pellets and then sintered at 900 degrees C for 30 min. NC was more effective than CNT for carbon doping at the B site in MgB2 and, therefore, the NC-doped MgB2 samples had a lower critical temperature (T(c)) of 35.0-34.7 K than that of the CNT-doped samples (36.4-36.1 K). In addition, the J(c)(B) behavior was improved when NC and CNT were doped due to doping effect. Microstructural observation suggested that the nano-sized and unreacted NC particles and the nanodomain MgB2 acted as effective flux pinning centers for the NC- and CNT-doped MgB2, respectively.

Analysis of aqueous humor calcium and phosphate from cataract eyes with and without diabetes mellitus.

PURPOSE: To compare the levels of calcium and phosphorus in the aqueous humor and serum of diabetics and non-diabetics. METHODS: We divided patients into two groups: seventy-six non-diabetic cataract patients and fifty-two diabetic cataract patients. The diabetic group was divided again into three subgroups: twenty-six patients with no diabetic retinopathy, thirteen patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and thirteen patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The authors compared the levels of calcium and phosphorus in the serum and aqueous humor of cataract patients. Statistic analysis was performed to form two comparisons: 1) a comparison between non-diabetics and diabetics and 2) a comparison among non-diabetics and the three subgroups of diabetics. RESULTS: In serum, calcium levels did not statistically differ between non-diabetics and diabetics. The phosphorus level was also not significantly different. In the aqueous humor, however, while calcium levels did not differ significantly, the phosphorus levels in diabetics were considerably higher than those in non-diabetics. When non-diabetics were compared to the three diabetic subgroups, calcium levels did not differ in serum or aqueous humor, but the phosphorus levels in diabetics with proliferative diabetic retinopathy were significantly higher than those in non-diabetics, diabetics without diabetic retinopathy, and diabetics with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS: The level of phosphorus in the aqueous humor and serum of diabetics was significantly increased, especially in diabetics with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. This result may be related to hydrophilic acrylic IOL opacification. Future studies regarding the pathogenic role of a high concentration of aqueous humor and serum phosphorus are required.