Spirulina maxima improves insulin sensitivity, lipid profile, and total antioxidant status in obese patients with well-treated hypertension: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: Spirulina maxima consumption is known to be associated with enhanced cardiovascular and metabolic health. Human studies on this topic have recently been described in a few papers; however, potential protective cardiovascular properties of Spirulina in obese patients receiving standard pharmacological antihypertensive treatment remain to be elucidated. Putative beneficial cardiovascular effects of Spirulina supplementation in well treated, obesity-related hypertension were studied in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Total 50 obese subjects with treated hypertension, each randomized to receive 2 g of Spirulina or a placebo daily, for three months. At baseline and after treatment anthropometric parameters, plasma lipid levels, inflammation, and oxidative stress biomarkers along with insulin sensitivity estimated by euglycemic clamp were assessed. RESULTS: After three months of Spirulina supplementation significant decrease in body mass (p < 0.001), body mass index (BMI; p < 0.001) and waist circumference (WC; p = 0.002) were observed in Spirulina group. Spirulina had also significant, lowering effect on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; p < 0.001) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration (p = 0.002) in supplemented patients compared to placebo group. Spirulina supplementation considerably improved total antioxidant status (TAS; p = 0.001) and insulin sensitivity ratio (M; p < 0.001) in Spirulina group compared to placebo-treated individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The favorable influence of Spirulina supplementation on insulin sensitivity, plasma lipid levels along with inflammation and oxidative stress biomarkers reported in this study creates the promise for new therapeutic approaches in obese patients with well-treated hypertension.

Gender-related effect of cold water swimming on the seasonal changes in lipid profile, ApoB/ApoA-I ratio, and homocysteine concentration in cold water swimmers.

It has been proposed that regular cold swimming is associated with health benefits. However, the effect of cold adaptation on particular cardiovascular risk factors, within a single swimming season, remains unknown. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of cold water swimming on the seasonal changes in lipid profile and on apolipoprotein and homocysteine concentration in 34 cold water swimmers (CWS) aged 48 - 68 years. Blood samples were collected at the beginning (October), the middle (January), and the end (April) of the swimming season. Body mass (BM), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides (TG), ApoB/ApoA-I ratio, and homocysteine concentrations were evaluated. In October, female CWS showed lower BM (P = 0.01), TG concentrations (P = 0.03), and ApoB/ApoA-I ratios (P = 0.008), and higher HDL (P = 0.01) than in men. Similar trends in BM (P = 0.002), HDL (P = 0.0006), and ApoB/ApoA-I ratio (P = 0.01) were seen in January, and for BM (P = 0.002), TG (P = 0.005), HDL (P = 0.003), and ApoB/ApoA-I (P = 0.01) in April. A decrease in TG concentration between January and April (P = 0.05), lower homocysteine concentration between October and January (P = 0.01), and between October and April (P = 0.001) were documented in CWS. A strong drop in homocysteine concentration was observed in female versus male CWS (P = 0.001 versus P = 0.032), particularly between October and April in women (P = 0.001) and October and January in men (P = 0.05). The ApoB/ApoA-I ratio in female CWS decreased over the season (P = 0.02), particularly between October and January (P = 0.05), and a trend toward the TG concentration to reduce over the swimming season was also observed in female CWS. No beneficial changes were noticed in the control group over the season. Our results suggest that the favorable effect of cold swimming on the cardiovascular risk factors may be gender-dependent; further studies are thus needed to draw a precise conclusion.

Mutagenesis of mitochondrial DNA in Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy.

Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) is an age-related, slowly progressive disease, which may lead to loss of vision resulting from apoptosis of corneal endothelial (CE) cells, dysfunction of Descemet membrane (DM) and corneal edema. A growing body of evidence suggests that oxidative stress may play a major role in the pathogenesis of FECD and that mitochondria of CE cells are its main target. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is particularly prone to oxidative stress and changes in mtDNA were reported in FECD patients. In the present work we studied mtDNA damage and repair, mtDNA copy number, and the 4977bp common deletion in mtDNA in DM cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) isolated from FECD patients. PBLs from 35 FECD patients and 32 controls were challenged for 10min with hydrogen peroxide at 20µM and then left in a fresh medium for 3h, resulting in a decrease in mtDNA copy number in both groups. Damage to mtDNA was not fully repaired after 3h and the extent of remaining lesions was significantly higher in the patients than the controls. We observed a higher copy number and an increased extent of mtDNA damage as well as a higher ratio of the common 4977bp deletion in DM cells of FECD patients than the controls. Our results confirm that mutagenesis of mtDNA may be involved in FECD pathogenesis and disturbance in mtDNA sensitivity to damaging agent as well as changes in mtDNA damage repair along with alternations in mtDNA copy number may underline this involvement.

5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine increases the expression of anti-angiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor 189b variant in human lung microvascular endothelial cells.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is involved in angiogenesis, growth, and tumour cell metastasis. VEGF is expressed as alternative splice variants, which exhibit angiogenic and anti-angiogenic properties. We determined the effect of 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-dAzaC) DNA methyltransferase (DNMTs) inhibitor on angiogenic and anti-angiogenic VEGF variants expression in immortalized human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMEC). Employing reverse transcription, real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR), and Western blot analysis, we determined that 5-dAzaC decreased VEGF(121a) and VEGF(165a) angiogenic, and VEGF(121b) and VEGF(165b) anti-angiogenic variants expression in HLMEC. However, this DNMTs inhibitor significantly increases expression of VEGF(189b) anti-angiogenic variant transcript and protein in HLMEC. Our results suggest that the DNMTs activity may have an influence on the expression of angiogenic and anti-angiogenic VEGF variants in human lung microvascular endothelial cells.

Expression of two alternative transcription forms of platelet-derived growth factor-A chain in the normal human kidney and in glomerulonephritis.

PURPOSE: Up to now, a role of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AA in glomerulonephritis (GN) remains unclear. PDGF-A chain may be produced in two forms, as a result of the alternative splicing. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We examined the expression of this growth factor in the renal tissue of 57 patients with GN and seven normal kidneys (NK). The gene expression of PDGF-A was examined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Sets of primers allowing distinction between the two forms of transcripts were used. Specificity of the PCR products was confirmed by restriction enzyme analysis and sequencing. The expression of PDGF-AA/AB was also evaluated by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Compared to NK, the expression of PDGF-A gene was higher in the renal tissue with GN. This expression was higher in non-proliferative GN (NPGN) than in proliferative forms of GN (PGN) (1.24 +/- 0.34 vs. 0.86 +/- 0.14). In NK, both forms of transcripts (N = 4) or only the short one (N = 3) were found. In 45.5% of patients with NPGN, only the short form could be detected. In contrast, in 68.6% of patients with PGN both or only the longer form of transcripts were found. In NK, a faint staining for PDGF-AA/AB was observed within glomerular capillaries, whereas a statistically significant increase in this protein expression was particularly stated in NPGN. These results suggest that the production of the longer PDGF-A chain variant is associated with glomerular cells' proliferation. However, the higher expression of PDGF-AA/AB protein in NPGN could indicate an essential role of this growth factor in the maintaining the glomerular architecture.

[ECHO image quality of the left ventricle during dobutamine stress echocardiography]. / Jakosc obrazu echokardiograficznego w czasie testu obciazeniowego z dobutamina.

This study aimed at assessing ECHO image quality of the left ventricle during dobutamine stress echocardiography (ED). The study involved 582 patients without previous myocardial infarction. Their age ranged from 27 to 74 years, mean age 52 +/- 9. Dobutamine was given in stepwise increasing doses from 5 to 40 mcg/kg per minute. Atropine was added in 253 (43%) cases. The wall motion asynergy was evaluated by left ventricular echo image divided into 16 segments. At least one segment has not been visualised in 5.5% of patients. At the peak dose of administrated dobutamine (> 20 mcg/kg per minute) it increased to 6.1%. Unvisualized segments did not impair the test and did not affect negative or non diagnostic results, as was verified statistically. Patients' age, body weight and BMI did not exert a significant effect on the quality of echo image. Segments 5 and 11 were seen constantly during the whole test. Segment 13 was poorly visualised during the tests. Only in 1.5% of patients peak dose of dobutamine deteriorated the image, especially in segments 1, 3, 6, and 12. During the dobutamine echocardiography test the quality of ECHO image of left ventricular wall was worsening only in a few patients. It was not considered the reason of test interruption and did not impared the results of ED.

[The incidence of cavum septum pellucidum in preterm and term newborns]. / Wystepowanie jamy przegrody przezroczystej w osrodkowym ukladzie nerwowym u noworodków i wczesniaków.

We reviewed cranial sonographic studies done on 167 newborn (139 preterm and 28 term newborn infants) to determine the incidence of cavum septum pellucidum (CSP) and association with pregnancy, labor and newborn adaptation. A CSP was seen in 34.53% preterm (below 37 weeks of gestational age) and 14.29% term newborn. On basis of our results and included in literature we suggest, that this findings on ultrasound scan is not an unquestionably norm. Evolution of CSP in ultrasound examinations and neurodevelopment of children with CSP should be observed.