Obesity is associated with an accelerated aging process, which prevents healthy aging. Both obesity and aging were manifested in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator α (PGC-1α) level. These studies fulfill the scientific gap in assembled pharmacological activity assay of Caulerpa racemosa done in a previous preclinical trial. Six major compounds from sea grape (C. racemosa) extract were evaluated using an in silico approach against human pancreatic lipase, a-glucosidase, and a-amylase to predict prospective anti-obesity candidates. The lipase inhibitory activity of the extract reached 90.30 ± 0.40%, 1.75% lower than orlistat. The a-amylase inhibitory assay of the extract was 84.07 ± 5.28%, while the inhibitory activity against a-glucosidase was 81.67 ± 1.54%; both were lower than acarbose. We observe the effect of C. racemosa extract as anti-obesity with anti-aging by evaluating the obesity parameters in the human body for a 4-week period. There was a significant decrease in blood glucose, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides (TG), waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, and body weight (p < 0.05); PGC-1α and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) increased significantly (p = 0.000), in Group B when compared with Group A. Our study revealed that sea grape extract is a potent anti-obesity with an anti-aging reagent that does not produce any significant adverse effects.

Background and aimsA combined eel and soy-based tempe (CEST) flour is rich in nutrients, especially its high amino acid content in which bioactive peptides (BPs) are expected to be found. Hence, this research aimed to identify the BPs of CEST flour and CEST supplementation’s effect on improving nutritional status biomarkers by ameliorating serum protein, hemoglobin, and IGF-1 of malnourished rats.MethodsCEST flour with a ratio of eel and soy-based tempe of 1:3.5 was produced by applying the oven drying method. Amino acid sequences from six BPs were analyzed using a protein sequencer and spectrometer-electrospray ionization (MS-ESI). A total of thirty malnourished male Rattus norvegicus aged 3–4 weeks were given low-protein (LP; 4% w/w protein) diet treatment for 4 weeks. Afterward, rats were divided into 3 groups of 10 rats. Group A and B remained on a low-protein diet for 4 weeks, receiving an LP diet and getting doses of CEST of 100 and 200 mg/kg BW, respectively, via oral. Group C or control was given a Normal-protein (NP) diet (23% w/w of protein) and was allowed to feed ad libitum during the trial period without a dose of CEST.ResultsSix bioactive peptides were found, with WMGPY being the most abundant, along with a DPPH radical scavenging activity of 5.0 mg/mL. The results showed that serum protein, hemoglobin, and IGF-1 of group B were significantly higher compared to groups A and C (p = 0.0021). CEST dose of 200 mg/kg BW was more effective to increase serum levels of protein (p = 0.0052), hemoglobin, and IGF-1 (p < 0.0001) compared to a 100 mg/kg BW dose.ConclusionThis indicates that the CEST flour has six bioactive peptides, which may contribute to the improvement of nutritional status biomarkers. To establish its potential impact, a human clinical study is urgently needed.

The influence of water velocities of less than 30 cm/s on drifting of Bulinus globosus in a natural stream was investigated. It is shown that although a low water velocity does not sweep away adhering snails, it carries away snails releasing their hold and crawling along the water surface in search of new food sources. A low water velocity therefore assists considerably to the spreading of a snail species. Vegetation was found to have a decisive impact on local water velocity conditions by reducing the current and creating protected pockets. Upstream migration was found not to be common among Bulinus globosus.In addition, evidence for snail drifting under natural conditions within well established Schistosoma haematobiurn transmission sites is presented.

Even though a postsecondary degree can offer economic, social, and civic benefits, many community college students leave without earning a degree—including some who have performed well academically and made substantial progress toward graduation. To better understand the factors contributing to early exit, we surveyed a number of former students in a large community college system. We improve the generalizability of the survey responses through multilevel regression with poststratification, which we use to reweight the responses to better represent the population in our original survey frame. We find that tuition and fees, living expenses, and no longer being eligible for financial aid are the factors contributing to early exit for the largest share of students. We also find variation in both financial and nonfinancial factors across subgroups, suggesting that targeted supports may be useful in helping students persist or return to college and complete their degree.

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