Purpose This paper aims to determine the effect of black garlic (BG) on visceral fat, oxidative stress and insulin resistance (IR) compared with metformin and vitamin E in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) rats. Design/methodology/approach A randomized post-test only design with control group was used in this study. Rats were given high-fat fructose diet enriched with 1.25% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid for eight weeks to induce NALFD condition. The administration of BG dose of 450 mg/200 gBW, 900 mg/200 gBW and 1350 mg/200 gBW with a comparative control of 45 mg/200 gBW of metformin and vitamin E of 9 IU/200 gBW were given for four weeks via oral gavage to reduce visceral fat, oxidative stress and improve IR. Statistical analyses were performed to examine differences between groups with one-way analysis of variance and nonparametrics test. Findings Rats given with three different doses of BG for four weeks did not reduce body weight from 244 ± 4.4 to 284 ± 4.6 g, 242 ± 2.5 to 272 ± 3.1 g and 240 ± 2.4 to 270 ± 3.6 g, respectively, but significantly reduced visceral fat (p = 0.001) on BG groups with 3.7 ± 1.3, 2.7 ± 0.7 and 1.8 ± 0.6 g, respectively. BG improved oxidative stress (p = 0.001) with malondialdehyde level 5.1 ± 0.2, 3.0 ± 0.06 and 2.3 ± 0.06 ng/mL, respectively, but did not better than vitamin E group 1 ± 0.03 ng/mL. Significant (p = 0.001) improvement on insulin resistance with homeostatic model assessment IR in BG groups were 5.3 ± 0.1, 4.4 ± 0.1 and 4 ± 0.1, respectively, but not as good as metformin group 3.7 ± 0.1. Research limitations/implications Based on the experiment, there are several limitations including small sample size, performed on animal models in a relatively short time, did not examine organosulfurs compound (OSC) content of BG specifically and OSC affects metabolism in NAFLD remains unclear and will require further investigation. Practical implications BG is a functional food made from heated fresh garlic owing to the Maillard reaction and the organosulfur compounds as antioxidants. The higher the dose of BG, the greater the improvement in visceral fat, oxidative stress and IR in model NAFLD rats. Social implications NAFLD is a liver disorder caused by excessive fat and energy intake, the treatment strategies among others through diet modification. Originality/value In model NAFLD rats, BG administration improved NALFD markers but did not better rather than the metformin and vitamin E result.

Introduction: Depression is a mental disorder associated with biological, environmental and psychological factors. Depression is estimated to be a disease that requires the second largest expense on treatment. Chronic stress will reduce serotonin activity and storage and also stimulate the adrenal cortex to release cortisol and other glucocorticoid hormones. Nutritional intake such as carbohydrates and protein also plays a role in depression with various mechanisms. The study aims to investigate the role of psychosocial stressors, carbohydrate and protein intake on serum cortisol and serotonin levels in patients with depressionMethods: The study used an analytic observational approach with a cross sectional design. Subjects were selected by consecutive sampling and were asked to fill out the general characteristics questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) - II to determine depression levels, Holmes Rahe scale to measure psychosocial stressors, food frequency questionnaires to measure carbohydrate and protein intake. Subjects who met the inclusion criteria were taken blood samples to measure the cortisol and serotonin levels.Result: Of the 79 subjects, 57 (72%) women and 22 (28%) men with an average age of 43 ± 3 years. A total of 64 (81%) subjects were with mild psychosocial stressors and 5 (6%) were severe. Psychosocial stressor were not significantly correlated with either serotonin (p=0.479), nor cortisol level (p=0.625) Carbohydrate were not significantly correlated with serotonin level (p=0.628) and cortisol level (p=0.252). Protein was not significantly correlated with serotonin level (p=0.688) and cortisol level (p=0.110).Conclusion: There was no correlation between psychosocial stressors, carbohydrate and protein intake with serum cortisol and serotonin levels in depressed patients.

Background: Angiogenic and antiangiogenic imbalances play a major role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Increased production of sFlt-1 by the placenta causes free circulating PIGF and VEGF concentrations to lower because it is bound by sFlt-1. Measuring levels of angiogenic and antiangiogenic proteins as biomarkers indicates placental dysfunction and distinguishes preeclampsia from other disorders. This study aims to analyze the levels of angiogenic and antiangiogenic molecules in pregnant women at risk for preeclampsia.Methods: The study with a cross-sectional design was carried out in 11-15 weeks gestational age whom had a risk of preeclampsia with 30 samples in primary health care starting April-August 2018. Blood serum was measured by molecular levels of VEGF, PlGF, sFlt-1, and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio using the ELISA method. Data analysis used Pearson product moment test.Results: The mean of VEGF levels are 15.5±21.6, PlGF 89.7±55.5, sFlt-1 11519.4±5126.0 and the ratio sFlt-1/PlGF 166.7±102.1. Correlation value of risk factors for preeclampsia with molecular levels of VEGF r= -0.05; p = 0.76, PlGF r= -0.21; p = 0.26, sFlt r= 0.01; p =0.99 and ratio sFlt-1/PlGF r = 0.10; p = 0.58.Conclusions: The higher the total score of preeclampsia risk factor, the lower the molecular level of VEGF and PlGF is. Moreover, the higher the total score of preeclampsia risk factor, the higher the molecular level sFlt-1 and the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio is. There are no significant correlation between total score of preeclampsia risk factor and levels of molecule VEGF, PlGF, sFlt-1 and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio.