Aged garlic extract improves adiponectin levels in subjects with metabolic syndrome: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover study.

BACKGROUND: Garlic (Allium sativum) has been shown to have important benefits in individuals at high cardiovascular risk. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the administration of aged garlic extract (AGE) on the risk factors that constitute the cluster of metabolic syndrome (MS). METHODS AND DESIGN: Double-blind, crossover, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to assess the effect of 1.2 g/day of AGE (Kyolic), for 24 weeks of treatment (12 weeks of AGE and 12 weeks of placebo), on subjects with MS. RESULTS: The administration of AGE increased the plasma levels of adiponectin (P = 0.027). No serious side effects associated with the intervention were reported. CONCLUSION: The present results have shown for the first time that the administration of AGE for 12 weeks increased plasma adiponectin levels in patients with MS. This suggests that AGE might be a useful, novel, nonpharmacological therapeutic intervention to increase adiponectin and to prevent cardiovascular (CV) complications in individuals with MS.

[Hyperglycaemia is associated with worse outcomes in Latin-American individuals with acute myocardial infarction]. / Hiperglucemia se asocia a mayor número de desenlaces adversos en individuos latinoamericanos con infarto agudo de miocardio.

BACKGROUND: Alterations in glucose metabolism have been reported as risk and poor prognostic factors for acute myocardial infarction (AMI); however in Latin-American population this information is limited. Thus, an evaluation was performed on the association between glycaemic status and short- and long-term outcomes in patients with a first AMI. METHODS: A multicentre, prospective, observational, cohort study was conducted in 8 hospitals from Colombia and Ecuador. RESULTS: A total of 439 patients with confirmed AMI were included, of which 305 (69.5%) had prediabetes or type2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). Compared with normal glycaemia group, patients with known DM2 had greater risk of prolonged hospital stay (HR: 2.60, 95%CI: 1.38-4.92, P=.003), Killip class iii/iv (HR: 9.46, 95%CI: 2.20-40.62, P=.002), and in-hospital heart failure (HR: 10.76, 95%CI: 3.37-34.31, P<.001). Patients with prediabetes, new DM2, and known DM2 showed higher rates of major adverse cardiovascular events after 3years follow-up. CONCLUSION: Glucose metabolism abnormalities have an important significance in the short- and long-term prognosis in Latin-American patients that survive a first AMI.

Central serotoninergic response to orthostatic challenge in patients with neurocardiogenic syncope.

AIMS: To determine whether central serotoninergic system activity is impaired by orthostatic challenge in patients with neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS). METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-five [mean age: 24 (SD): 6 years] patients with a clinical history of NCS and positive head-up tilt test and 35 age-matched healthy volunteers (CON = 25+/-5 years) with negative response were studied. Overnight dexamethasone suppression test (DST) (1.5 mg given at 11 p.m.) was performed to assess the sensitivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis by measuring next day cortisol (microg/dL) at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Cardiac autonomic function, cortisol, and prolactin (ng/dL) were also determined at baseline supine (BAS) and after 5, 10, and 15 min of orthostatic stress (OS) at 60 degrees . No significant differences were observed in cortisol plasma levels after the DST: CON = 0.6+/-0.6 microg/dL vs. NCS = 0.6+/-0.5; P = 0.7. Cardiac autonomic function, cortisol, and prolactin responses were similar in both study groups (CON vs. NCS; P > 0.05) during BAS: cortisol = 8.6+/-4 vs.8.7+/-4 microg/dL and prolactin = 16.8+/-9 vs. 16.8+/-9 ng/dL; OS-5: cortisol = 8.7+/-5 vs. 8.5+/-4 microg/dL and prolactin = 16.9+/-9 vs. 15.8+/-9 ng/dL; OS-10: cortisol = 8.5+/-5 vs. 8.1+/-3 microg/dL; prolactin = 16.2+/-9 vs. 15.8+/-9 ng/dL, and OS-15: cortisol = 9.0+/-5 vs. 8.4+/-4 microg/dL; prolactin = 17.1+/-9 vs. 15.5+/-9 ng/dL. CONCLUSION: Central serotoninergic response during orthostatic challenge was not impaired in patients with recurrent NCS. These findings suggest that the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is not altered in patients with recurrent NCS.