Halah Abdulrahman Hafiz

This study evaluated dietary quinoa seed extract (QSE) in Nile tilapia fingerlings (initial weight 6.32 ± 0.09 g). Fish were fed a basal diet (CTR) or a diet supplemented with QSE at 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0 g kg⁻¹ for 56 days. Results showed that 1.0 g kg⁻¹ QSE significantly improved final body weight (33.46 vs. 27.76 g in CTR), weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and protein efficiency ratio (P < 0.05). Furthermore, serum total protein and globulin increased, while liver enzymes (ALT, AST) decreased in QSE-fed fish. Also, digestive enzyme activities (amylase, lipase) and antioxidant capacity (catalase, GSH) were enhanced. Notably, all QSE-supplemented groups showed 100% survival following A. veronii challenge versus 50% in controls. Meanwhile, whole-body lipid content increased with QSE supplementation, correlating with upregulated pparγ and lpl and downregulated pparα expression. In conclusion, dietary QSE at 0.5–1.0 g kg⁻¹ effectively enhances growth, immunity, and disease resistance in Nile tilapia.

Research suggests varying effects of fatty acids on cognitive function and brain structure in neurocognitive disorders, but inconsistent findings call for further investigation and advanced neuroimaging techniques. This study investigated the relationship between serum fatty acid levels (omega-3 PUFAs, omega-6 PUFAs, omega-6:omega-3 ratio, MUFAs, and SFAs) and temporal lobe volume in cognitively normal (CN) individuals, those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and those with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The results indicated that, as expected, there was a significant difference in temporal lobe volumes (p < 0.001), with the AD group showing more pronounced reductions in volume compared to both the CN and MCI groups. Unexpectedly, higher plasma omega-3 PUFA levels were associated with reduced temporal lobe volume (β = − 0.31, p = 0.021), and a lower omega-6:omega-3 ratio was also associated with diminished temporal lobe volume (β = 0.26, p = 0.039), both observed only in the AD group, after adjustment for age, gender, education, and APOE ε4 allele status as potential confounders. No significant associations were observed for any lipids with temporal lobe volumes in the CN or MCI groups. Interestingly, the only significant association observed between fatty acids and cognitive function was in the CN group, where higher MUFAs and SFAs were both associated with worse cognitive scores. In short, higher omega-3 PUFA levels and a lower omega-6:omega-3 ratio were associated with reduced temporal lobe volume in Alzheimer’s patients not using fatty acid supplements. Notably, this observational cross-sectional study cannot establish causality and should be interpreted cautiously, as the findings may be influenced by residual confounding, non-fasting sampling, potential reverse causality, lack of detailed dietary and longitudinal data, and methodological constraints including limited lipid characterization and region-specific morphometric analysis. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and investigate potential mechanisms.

The pathophysiology of several psychiatric diseases may entail disturbances in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and metabolic pathways. Variations in how these effects present themselves may be connected to individual variances in clinical symptoms and treatment responses, such as the observation that a significant fraction of participants do not respond to current antipsychotic drugs. A bidirectional signaling pathway between the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract is known as the microbiota–gut–brain axis. The large and small intestines contain more than 100 trillion microbial cells, contributing to the intestinal ecosystem’s incredible complexity. Interactions between the microbiota and intestinal epithelium can alter brain physiology and affect mood and behavior. There has recently been a focus on how these relationships impact mental health. According to evidence, intestinal microbiota may play a role in neurological and mental illnesses. Intestinal metabolites of microbial origin, such as short-chain fatty acids, tryptophan metabolites, and bacterial components that might stimulate the host’s immune system, are mentioned in this review. We aim to shed some on the growing role of gut microbiota in inducing/manipulating several psychiatric disorders, which may pave the way for novel microbiota-based therapies.