Studies in western zoo elephants have found relationships between body condition and physiological function, and identified mitigating management strategies to optimize health and welfare. A similar methodological approach was used in this study, which evaluated a body condition score (BCS; 1 = thinnest, 5 = fattest) every other month and fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations twice monthly in 33 tourist camp elephants in Thailand for a 1-year period to assess seasonal variations, and determine how lipid profiles [total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoproteins (LDL), high density lipoproteins (HDL), triglycerides (TG)] and metabolic parameters [insulin, glucose, fructosamine, glucose to insulin ratio (G:I)] related to measures of body condition and adrenal function. The most prevalent BCS was 3–3.5 (60.6%), with 27.3% at BCS = 4 (overweight) and 12.1% at BCS = 4.5–5 (very overweight); no elephants had a BCS <2. BCSs were higher in rainy and winter seasons compared to summer, with FGM, TG, HDL, LDL, and insulin also higher in the rainy and/or winter seasons (p<0.05). By contrast, TC and glucose were lowest in the rainy season. FGM measures were negatively associated with two environmental factors: temperature and rainfall, but not humidity. Positive correlations were found between BCS and TC, LDL, and HDL, and between FGM and TC, HDL, glucose, and insulin (p<0.05), whereas BCS and FGM were both negatively associated with the G:I (p<0.05). However, there was no relationship between BCS and FGM among the camp elephants. Using BCS and FGM measures as outcome variables in separate regression models, this study found high BCS and elevated FGM concentrations were associated with altered lipid profiles and metabolic status in elephants. Furthermore, more work hours/day was associated with better body condition and health measures. Thus, being overweight and exposed to factors that increase adrenal activity could adversely affect health status, requiring alterations in management for some individuals, whereas exercise appears to have a protective effect.

The main objective of the study was to measure the levels of plasma β-endorphin (PB) and plasma cortisol (PC) under lumbar core stabilization exercise (LCSE), placebo and control conditions in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. Twenty-four participants with chronic nonspecific low back pain participated in a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design study. There were 3 experimental exercise conditions: control condition (positioning in crook lying and rest), placebo condition (passive cycling in crook lying using automatic cycler), and LCSE on a Pilates device tested with a 48-hour interval between sessions by concealed randomization. A blood sample was collected before and after the exercise conditions. Plasma β-endorphin and PC were measured through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and electrochemiluminescence in a Cobas E411 auto analyzer. A significant difference in PB level was identified before and after the LCSE condition (P < .05), whereas no significant differences were noted in control and placebo exercise conditions. Also, the trend of elevation of PB under the LCSE was significantly different compared with the placebo and control conditions (P < .01). In contrast, the PC level remained unchanged in all 3 conditions. The findings of this study indicate that LCSE could possibly influence PB but not PC level among patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. The mechanism of action of the pain-relieving effect of LCSE might be related to an endogenous opioid mechanism as part of its effects and might not be involved with a stress-induced analgesia mechanism.

2′,4′-Dihydroxy-6′-methoxy-3′,5′-dimethyl chalcone (DMC) is a biological flavonoid that is present in the fruits of Syzygium nervosum (Ma-Kiang in Thai). Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), which utilizes microwave radiation to heat the extraction solvent quickly and effectively, was used to recover DMC-rich extract from Syzygium nervosum fruit. To determine the DMC content, a highly accurate and precise HPLC technique was developed. The influences of MAE conditions, including the solid–liquid ratio, microwave power, and microwave duration on the content of DMC, were sequentially employed by a single factor investigation and response surface methodology (RSM) exploratory design. The predicted quadratic models were fitted due to their highly significant (p < 0.0001) and excellent determination coefficient (R² = 0.9944). The optimal conditions for producing DMC-rich extract were a ratio of sample to solvent of 1:35 g/mL, a microwave power of 350 W, and a microwave time of 38 min. Under the optimal MAE setting, the DMC content reached 1409 ± 24 µg/g dry sample, which was greater than that of the conventional heat reflux extraction (HRE) (1337 ± 37 µg/g dry sample) and maceration (1225 ± 81 µg/g dry sample). The DMC-rich extract obtained from MAE showed stronger anticancer activities against A549 (human lung cancer cells) and HepG2 (human liver cancer cells) than the individual DMC substance, which makes MAE an effective method for extracting essential phytochemicals from plants in the nature.

An inflammatory response, related to colorectal cancer (CRC) progression, is a major subsequent result of bacterial infection following CRC surgery and should be of serious concern. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), from the bacterial membrane, is a vital mediator of this event through binding with a Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and activating through NF-κB in CRC. To identify a novel inhibitor of LPS-induced colon cancer cells (SW480), green coffee bean extract (GBE) was investigated. Ethyl acetate insoluble fraction (EIF) was mainly collected from GBE and classified as chlorogenic acid (CGA)-rich fractions. EIF and CGA inhibited TLR4 expression in LPS-induced SW480 cells. However, EIF was more dominant than CGA, via inhibition of expression and secretion of several associated mediators in inflammatory responses and CRC metastasis through NF-κB inactivation, which resulted in the abrogation of CRC migration and invasion. Thus, CGA-rich fraction from GBE can be further developed as an alternative treatment, coupled with CRC surgical treatment, to increase therapeutic efficiency and survival rate.