Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a frequent accompaniment of obesity and insulin resistance. With the prevalence approaching 85% in obese populations, new therapeutic approaches to manage NAFLD are warranted. A systematic search of the literature was conducted for studies pertaining to the effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation on NAFLD in humans. Primary outcome measures were liver fat and liver function tests: alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase [1]. Data were pooled and meta-analyses conducted using a random effects model. Nine eligible studies, involving 355 individuals given either omega-3 PUFA or control treatment were included. Beneficial changes in liver fat favoured PUFA treatment (effect size=-0.97, 95% CI: -0.58 to -1.35, p<0.001). A benefit of PUFA vs. control was also observed for AST (effect size=-0.97, 95% CI: -0.13 to -1.82, p=0.02). There was a trend towards favouring PUFA treatment on ALT but this was not significant (effect size=-0.56, 95% CI: -1.16 to 0.03, p=0.06). Sub-analyses of only randomised control trials (RCTs) showed a significant benefit for PUFA vs. control on liver fat (effect size=-0.96, 95% CI: -0.43 to -1.48, p<0.001), but not for ALT (p=0.74) or AST (p=0.28). There was significant heterogeneity between studies. The pooled data suggest that omega-3 PUFA supplementation may decrease liver fat, however, the optimal dose is currently not known. Well designed RCTs which quantify the magnitude of effect of omega-3 PUFA supplementation on liver fat are needed.

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Gene expression in Bacillus subtilis can be controlled by alternative forms of RNA polymerase programmed by distinct a factors. One such factor, SD ((r28), is expressed during vegetative growth and has been implicated in the transcription of a regulon of genes expressed during exponential growth and the early stationary phase. We have studied several functions related to flagellar synthesis and chemotaxis in B. subtilis strains in which ufD is missing or is present at reduced levels. Previous studies showed that a null mutant, which contains a disrupted copy of the JD structural gene (sigD), fails to synthesize flagellin and grows as long filaments. We now show that these defects are accompanied by the lack of synthesis of the methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins and a substantial decrease in two autolysin activities implicated in cell separation. A strain containing an insertion upstream of the sigD gene that reduces the level of e protein grew as short chains and was flagellated but was impaired in chemotaxis and/or motility. This reduced level of cr3 expression suggests that the sigD gene may be part of an operon. A strain containing an insertion downstream of the sigD gene expressed nearly wild-type levels of crD protein but was also impaired in chemotaxis and/or motility, suggesting that genes

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The fumonisin (FB) mycotoxins induce liver injury in all species but induce fatal pulmonary edema (PE)

Young rats were fed diets containing 12 mg Zn/kg and varied levels of sodium phytate for 21-day ad libitum feeding periods. In experiment 1, Ca levels were 0.3, 0.5, 0.8 and 1.0%, and phytate:Zn molar ratio varied between 0 and 50. In experiment 2, Ca was maintained at 0.3%, Mg levels were 0.07, 0.22 and 0.37%, and phytate:Zn molar ratios were 0, 10, 20 and 30 at each Mg level. Major response criteria were body weight gain and tibia Zn accumulation. Weight gain was not influenced by Ca level in the absence of phytate or by phytate at 0.3% Ca; it was increasingly depressed as phytate was increased and by each increase in Ca in the presence of phytate. Total tibia Zn content was decreased at the highest Ca level in the absence of phytate; increasing the phytate progressively depressed tibia Zn at all Ca levels. Mg and phytate additions did not affect weight gain. Tibia Zn tended to be depressed by Mg and by phytate but these effects were significant only at the highest levels of the combined additions. These data corroborate and extend previously published findings on Ca and phytate effects on Zn utilization and show bone Zn accumulation to be a more sensitive criterion than weight gain in this connection. They also indicate that Mg exerts a less pronounced effect on Zn utilization in phytate-containing diets than does Ca.