A low-carbohydrate high-fat diet decreases lean mass and impairs cardiac function in pair-fed female C57BL/6J mice.

BACKGROUND: Excess body fat is a major health issue and a risk factor for the development of numerous chronic diseases. Low-carbohydrate diets like the Atkins Diet are popular for rapid weight loss, but the long-term consequences remain the subject of debate. The Scandinavian low-carbohydrate high-fat (LCHF) diet, which has been popular in Scandinavian countries for about a decade, has very low carbohydrate content (~5 E %) but is rich in fat and includes a high proportion of saturated fatty acids. Here we investigated the metabolic and physiological consequences of a diet with a macronutrient composition similar to the Scandinavian LCHF diet and its effects on the organs, tissues, and metabolism of weight stable mice. METHODS: Female C57BL/6J mice were iso-energetically pair-fed for 4 weeks with standard chow or a LCHF diet. We measured body composition using echo MRI and the aerobic capacity before and after 2 and 4 weeks on diet. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography before and after 4 weeks on diet. The metabolic rate was measured by indirect calorimetry the fourth week of the diet. Mice were sacrificed after 4 weeks and the organ weight, triglyceride levels, and blood chemistry were analyzed, and the expression of key ketogenic, metabolic, hormonal, and inflammation genes were measured in the heart, liver, and adipose tissue depots of the mice using real-time PCR. RESULTS: The increase in body weight of mice fed a LCHF diet was similar to that in controls. However, while control mice maintained their body composition throughout the study, LCHF mice gained fat mass at the expense of lean mass after 2 weeks. The LCHF diet increased cardiac triglyceride content, impaired cardiac function, and reduced aerobic capacity. It also induced pronounced alterations in gene expression and substrate metabolism, indicating a unique metabolic state. CONCLUSIONS: Pair-fed mice eating LCHF increased their percentage of body fat at the expense of lean mass already after 2 weeks, and after 4 weeks the function of the heart deteriorated. These findings highlight the urgent need to investigate the effects of a LCHF diet on health parameters in humans.

Treatment of proximal interphalangeal joint fractures by the pins and rubbers traction system: a follow-up.

A fracture of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint at the base of the middle phalanx is rare, but is a challenge to treat. Posttraumatic osteoarthritis is a known complication causing impaired hand function and disability. The aim of the present retrospective study was to evaluate characteristics and outcome of complex PIP joint fractures treated by the pins and rubbers traction system (PRTS). Medical records of 42 patients with fractures treated with a PRTS in 1999-2010 were reviewed, and followed-up by questionnaires (QuickDASH, CISS, self-composed questionnaire). Eighteen of the 42 were clinically examined. The fractures were divided into three types of fractures: volar lip, dorsal lip, and pilon fractures. The volar lip fracture was most frequent (26/42; dorsal lip 3/42; pilon 13/42). Most fractures were sport-related (19/42; 45%) and males predominated (M:F ratio = 1.8). All fractures united. Infection occurred in 17/41 (41%) cases. Radiological signs of posttraumatic osteoarthritis were found in 25/41 (61%) patients. In 18/42 patients, where a clinical evaluation was performed, 66% of contralateral total active range of motion (TAM), 93% grip strength, and 100% pinch strength were achieved. The volar lip fracture had the best outcome according to the self-reported QuickDASH and CISS score and regained 77% of contralateral TAM. Fractures of the PIP joint in the middle phalanx can be treated with the PRTS, but reduced mobility, grip strength, infection, and osteoarthritis are seen. The device is well tolerated by the patients, easy to apply, and with ready accessible materials for the surgeon.

Salicylamide and salicylglycine oxidovanadium complexes with insulin-mimetic properties.

Reaction of N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-N-(2-picolyl) glycine (H(2)papy) with VOSO(4) in water gives the oxidovanadium(V) oxido-bridged dimer [{(papy)(VO)}(2) µ-O)] (1). Similarly, reaction of N-(2-hydroxybenzyl) glycine (H(2)glysal) with VOSO(4) gives [(glysal)VO(H(2)O)] (2) and reaction of salicylamide (Hsalam) with VOSO(4) in methanol gives [(salam)(2)VO] (3). The crystal structure of the oxido-bridged complex 1 is reported. The insulin-mimetic activity of all three complexes was evaluated with respect to their ability to phosphorylate protein kinase B (PKB). The speciations of complexes 1 and 2 were studied over the pH range 2-10. Complex 1 shows greater stability over the whole pH range but only 2 and 3 exhibit an insulin-mimetic effect.

Fibrolipomatous hamartoma in the median nerve in the arm - an unusual location but with MR imaging characteristics: a case report.

Fibrolipomatous hamartoma of the median nerve are usually located distally in the forearm and may have characteristic features on MR imaging. Here we report a patient with an extensive fibrolipomatous hamartoma at an unusual location proximally in the arm, where a preoperative MR imaging was pathognomonic and diagnosis was verified by an incisional biopsy. We suggest that MRI should be performed in cases with nerve dysfunction without an obvious cause after a thorough clinical examination.

Genetic risk, parent-child relations, and antisocial phenotypes in a sample of African-American males.

Gene x environment interactions have been found to be associated with the development of antisocial behaviors. The extant gene x environment research, however, has failed to measure directly the ways in which global measures of genetic risk may interact with a putative environmental risk factor. The current study addresses this gap in the literature and examines the interrelationships among a global measure of genetic risk based on five genetic polymorphisms, a measure of parent-child relations, and eight antisocial phenotypes. Analysis of African-American males (N = 145 to 159) drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) revealed two broad findings. First, the genetic risk and parent-child relations scales were inconsistently related to the outcome variables. Second, genetic risk and parent-child relations interacted to predict variation in all of the eight antisocial phenotype measures. These findings point to the possibility that measures of genetic risk that are based on multiple polymorphisms can be employed to examine the gene x environmental basis to antisocial behavioral phenotypes.

Hexakis(tetra-aqua-sodium) deca-vanadate(V) dihydrate.

The title compound, {[Na(H(2)O)(4)](6)[V(10)O(28)]·2H(2)O}(n), crystallized from a H(2)O/THF/CH(3)CN solution (pH ca 6) containing equimolar amounts of NaVO(3) and N-(2-hydroxy-benz-yl)-N-(2-picol-yl)glycine. In the crystal structure, the deca-vanadate [V(10)O(28)](6-) anion ( symmetry) is coordinated, via four terminal oxide ligands of V centres, to two dinuclear [{Na(H(2)O)(3)}(2)(µ-H(2)O)(2)](2+) units. Inter-connection of these aquasodium-ion-sandwiched deca-vanadates to chains parallel to [001] is effected by µ-[{Na(H(2)O)(3)}(2)(µ-H(2)O)(2)](2+) units, bridging adjacent deca-vanadates via O=V. The structure is consolidated by an extensive network of O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

Bis- and tris(pyridyl)amine-oxidovanadium complexes: characteristics and insulin-mimetic potential.

Two novel vanadium complexes, [V(IV)O(bp-O)(HSO4)] (1) and [V(IV)O(bp-OH)Cl2] x CH3OH (2 x CH3OH), where bp-OH is 2-{[bis(pyrid-2-yl)methyl]amine}methylphenol, were prepared and structurally characterised. EPR spectra of methanol solutions of 2 suggest exchange of Cl- for CH3OH and partial conversion to [VO(bp-OH)(CH3OH)3]2+. Speciation studies on the VO2+-bpOH system in a water/dmso mixture (4:1 v/v) revealed [VO(bp-O)(H2O)n]+ as the dominating species in the pH range 2-7. The insulin-mimetic properties of 1 and 2, [V(IV)O(SO4)tpa] (3), [V(IV)O(pic-trpMe)2] (5) and the new mixed-ligand complexes [V(V)O(pic-trpH)tpa]Cl2 (4Cl2) and [V(V)O(pic-OEt)tpa]Cl2 (6Cl2), tpa = tris(pyrid-2-yl)methylamine, picH-trpH = 2-carboxypyridine-5-(L-tryptophan)carboxamide (picH-trpMe is the respective tryptophanmethyl ester), pic-OEt = 5-carboethoxypyridine-2-carboxylic acid, were evaluated with rat adipocytes, employing two lipolysis assays (release of glycerol and free fatty acids (FFA)), respectively and a lipogenesis assay (incorporation of glucose into lipids). The IC50 values for the inhibition of lipolysis in the FFA assay vary between 0.41 (+/-0.03) (5) and 21.2 (+/-0.6) mM (2), as compared to 0.81 (+/-0.2) mM for VOSO4.

Magnetic resonance imaging of peripheral nerve tumours in the upper extremity.

Clinical assessment and various diagnostic tools, particularly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), of tumours of peripheral nerves are used to get an accurate diagnosis and to plan surgical intervention. Our purpose was to examine the usefulness of MRI in assessing nerve tumours in the upper extremity. Medical records of 19 patients (20 MRI examinations) with 29 histopathologically verified benign nerve tumours were examined retrospectively. In 12/20 cases MRI suggested a correct diagnosis of the type of nerve tumour. An additional 3/20 cases had an uncertain diagnosis, but nerve relations to the tumour were established. In 5/20 cases MRI gave a doubtful diagnosis with no suspicion of the tumour being located in a nerve trunk. MRI can localise and diagnose a nerve tumour in the upper extremity in 75% of cases, but it is difficult to specify the type of tumour.

Tumours of peripheral nerves in the upper extremity: a 22-year epidemiological study.

Peripheral nerve tumours are uncommon. Our aims were to calculate the incidence and relative frequencies, to define sites of nerve tumours and to judge preoperative symptoms and outcomes of intervention. The results of 53 patients, with 68 tumours and histopathological diagnoses of true neoplasms, who had been operated on at the Department of Hand Surgery, Malmo, Sweden, between 1986 and 2007, were analysed. Schwannomas were the most common tumour (n=42). The incidence of schwannomas was 0.62/100 000 inhabitants/year in Malmo during that time period. The median nerve was most affected, closely followed by the ulnar and digital nerves. The preferred sites were the forearm, the thumb, and the digits. The most common preoperative symptom was pain. Loss of sensation was the most common postoperative complication. However, 33/53 patients (62%) were completely free of symptoms after excision. Patients should be provided with meticulous information preoperatively.

Comparison of the 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzotiazo-line-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and ferric reducing anti-oxidant power (FRAP) methods to asses the total antioxidant capacity in extracts of fruit and vegetables.

A comparison was made on the use of two spectrophotometric methods, the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method and the 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzotiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) method, for the measurement of the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of plant foods. The correlations of TAC measured by the two methods were highly significant in both water-soluble (r2= 0.90) and water-insoluble extracts (r2= 0.98) from 13 strawberry samples. Also a corresponding comparison of TAC in extracts from 14 plant species showed high correlation coefficients, r2= 0.98 for water-soluble extracts and r2= 0.88 for water-insoluble extracts. The ratio of TAC values obtained with the two methods (ABTS/FRAP) varied between 0.7 and 3.3 for different plant extracts indicating that they contained antioxidants with varying reactivity in the two methods. TACs in six pure antioxidant substances were ranked in the following order by both methods: quercetin > ferulic acid > catechin > rutin > caffeic acid > Trolox = chlorogenic acid. The two methods showed similar TAC values for quercetin, rutin, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid while ferulic acid and catechin gave higher results with the ABTS method than with the FRAP method, and such differences probably explain the varying ratios of ABTS/FRAP obtained in foods. Regarding storage TAC in water-soluble strawberry extracts stored at -20 or -80 degrees C was stable for at least five months while storage at 4 degrees C decreased the TAC value with 40% during five weeks of storage. The study showed that both the ABTS and FRAP methods can be used for convenient monitoring of the antioxidant capacities in fruit and vegetables, and that different antioxidants had varying reactivity in the two methods.

Antioxidants, low molecular weight carbohydrates, and total antioxidant capacity in strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa): effects of cultivar, ripening, and storage.

Four cultivars of strawberries (Senga Sengana, BFr77111, Elsanta, and Honeoye) were studied for their content of antioxidants, total antioxidant capacity, and low molecular weight carbohydrates in relation to harvest year, ripening stage, and cold storage. For ascorbic acid, chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid, and total antioxidative capacity, measured in both water-soluble and water-insoluble extracts, there was a 2-5-fold variation among cultivars. Unripe berries contained lower concentrations of chlorogenic acid and p-coumaric acid and also quercetin and kaempferol compared with riper berries. During cold storage for up to 3 days, relatively few changes in the concentration of the different antioxidants occurred. The concentrations of several investigated parameters were interrelated, for example, for ascorbic acid and water-soluble antioxidant capacity and for ellagic acid and water-insoluble antioxidant capacity. The dominating sugars in strawberries were fructose and glucose, but considerable amounts of sucrose were also present, and their contents varied among cultivars, giving a predicted glycemic index of approximately 81. Verbascose, raffinose, and stachyose were found in only minor amounts. The study shows that the concentration of a number of bioactive compounds in strawberries varied according to cultivar, ripening stage, and storage. This information should make it possible to select strawberries with an optimal content of bioactive compounds.