Effects of a ferment soy product on the adipocyte area reduction and dyslipidemia control in hypercholesterolemic adult male rats.

BACKGROUND: Available data on the effects of a fermented soy product enriched with Enterococcus faecium and Lactobacillus Jugurti on circulating lipids and adiposity are not completely settled. This study aimed to observe the effects of a fermented soy product enriched with Enterococcus faecium and Lactobacillus Jugurti on central obesity and dyslipidemia control in Wistar adult male rats. METHODS: Over a period of 8 weeks, animals had "ad libitum" food intake and water consumption as well as body weight and food consumption was monitored. The animals were assigned to four different experimental groups: Control Group (C); Control + Fermented Product Group (CPF); Hypercholesterolemic diet group (H); and Hypercholesterolemic + Fermented Product Group (HPF). The HPF and CPF groups received an intragastric administration of 1 ml of fermented product daily. After the experimental period the animals were killed by decapitation, blood was collected to measure cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol plasma concentration. Adipocyte circumference, lipolysis and lipogenis rates were measures using epididymal and retroperitoneal white adipose tissues. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that 1 ml/day/rat of the fermented soy product promoted important benefits such as reduced cholesterolemia in hypercholesterolemic diet group and the adipocyte circumference in both control and hypercholesterolemic diet group. CONCLUSION: The fermented soy product enriched with Enterococcus faecium and Lactobacillus Jugurti decreased circulating lipids levels and reduced adipocyte area in rats.

Decrease in circulating glucose, insulin and leptin levels and improvement in insulin resistance at 1 and 3 months after gastric bypass.

BACKGROUND: Hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and hyperleptinemia are some of the consequences of obesity. Gastric bypass for morbid obesity provides gastric restriction with decreased energy absorption. To confirm and extend previous reports in the literature, we evaluated the plasma glucose, serum insulin and leptin and insulin resistance of patients preoperatively and 1 and 3 months after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP). METHODS: We determined body mass index (BMI), plasma glucose (glucose-oxidase method), serum leptin (immunoassay) and insulin (chemiluminescent immunometric assay), and insulin resistance index (IRI) by Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) of 20 patients with morbid obesity both preoperatively and 1 and 3 months after RYGBP. RESULTS: Patients showed a mean decrease in weight of 8 kg/month. Glycemia was above reference levels in 65% of the preoperative patients but dropped significantly 1 month postoperatively, serum insulin and leptin levels and the HOMA index also decreasing significantly in the same period. The percentage of patients with preoperative elevated serum insulin and leptin relative to reference levels decreased significantly following RYGBP. We also observed a weak but significant correlation between BMI and glucose, BMI and insulin, and leptin and insulin. CONCLUSIONS: The beneficial effects of bariatric surgery are already noticeable 1 month postoperatively, the reduction in insulin levels being more important for leptin reduction than decreased BMI. Leptin appeared to be subject to multifactorial control and showed a larger reduction than body weight.

Probiotic Soy Product Supplemented with Isoflavones Improves the Lipid Profile of Moderately Hypercholesterolemic Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. Several studies have demonstrated that specific probiotics affect the host's metabolism and may influence the cardiovascular disease risk. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of an isoflavone-supplemented soy product fermented with Enterococcus faecium CRL 183 and Lactobacillus helveticus 416 on cardiovascular risk markers in moderately hypercholesterolemic subjects. DESIGN: Randomized placebo-controlled double-blind trial Setting: São Paulo State University in Araraquara, SP, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: 49 male healthy men with total cholesterol (TC) >5.17 mmol/L and <6.21 mmol/L Intervention: The volunteers have consumed 200 mL of the probiotic soy product (group SP-10(10) CFU/day), isoflavone-supplemented probiotic soy product (group ISP-probiotic plus 50 mg of total isoflavones/100 g) or unfermented soy product (group USP-placebo) for 42 days in a randomized, double-blind study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Lipid profile and additional cardiovascular biomarkers were analyzed on days 0, 30 and 42. Urine samples (24 h) were collected at baseline and at the end of the experiment so as to determine the isoflavones profile. RESULTS: After 42 days, the ISP consumption led to improved total cholesterol, non-HDL-C (LDL + IDL + VLDL cholesterol fractions) and electronegative LDL concentrations (reduction of 13.8%, 14.7% and 24.2%, respectively, p < 0.05). The ISP and SP have prevented the reduction of HDL-C level after 42 days. The C-reactive protein and fibrinogen levels were not improved. The equol production by the ISP group subjects was inversely correlated with electronegative LDL concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that a regular consumption of this probiotic soy product, supplemented with isoflavones, could contribute to reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases in moderately hypercholesterolemic men, through the an improvement in lipid profile and antioxidant properties.

Evaluation of toxicity after one-months treatment with Bauhinia forficata decoction in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND: Previous experiments have shown that a decoction of Bauhinia forficata leaves reduces the changes in carbohydrate and protein metabolism that occur in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. In the present investigation, the serum activities of enzymes known to be reliable toxicity markers were monitored in normal and streptozotocin-diabetic rats to discover whether the use of B. forficata decoction has toxic effects on liver, muscle or pancreas tissue or on renal microcirculation. METHODS: An experimental group of normal and streptozotocin-diabetic rats received an aqueous decoction of fresh B. forficata leaves (150 g/L) by mouth for 33 days while a control group of normal and diabetic rats received water for the same length of time. The serum activity of the toxicity markers lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, amylase, angiotensin-converting enzyme and bilirubin were assayed before receiving B. forficata decoction and on day 19 and 33 of treatment. RESULTS: The toxicity markers in normal and diabetic rats were not altered by the diabetes itself nor by treatment with decoction. Whether or not they received B. forficata decoction the normal rats showed a significant increase in serum amylase activity during the experimental period while there was a tendency for the diabetic rats, both treated and untreated with decoction, to have lower serum amylase activities than the normal rats. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of an aqueous decoction of B. forficata is a potential treatment for diabetes and does not produce toxic effects measurable with the enzyme markers used in our study.

[Effect of a new fermented soy milk product on serum lipid levels in normocholesterolemic adult men]. / Efeito de um novo produto fermentado de soja sobre os lípides séricos de homens adultos normocolesterolêmicos.

This study was undertaken to verify the effect of a daily intake of a new fermented soy milk produced with Enterococcus faecium and Lactobacillus jugurti on the serum lipid levels in normocholesterolemic middle-aged men. The study was randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled and was performed for a period of 6 weeks. Forty-four normocholesterolemic healthy, male volunteers, aged 40-55 years old were randomly separated in two groups: The F-group received 200 ml of the fermented product daily and the P-group received 200 ml of placebo (chemically fermented). The blood samples were drawn initially and after 3 and 6 weeks and serum values for total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride were determined. The LDL-cholesterol value was estimated. No significant changes in the fermented group (F) were observed for total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol or triglyceride levels, while the HDL-cholesterol level was significantly higher (p < or = 0.05) after 6 weeks. The total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels were significantly higher (p < or = 0.05) in the placebo group (P), but no changes were found for the HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels during the experimental period. In conclusion, the intake of 200 ml/day of the fermented soy milk, produced with E. faecium and L. jugurti, for 6 weeks, did not affect the serum total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, and led an increase of 10% in the HDL-cholesterol level.

Lack of Correlation between Periodontitis and Renal Dysfunction in Systemically Healthy Patients.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess a suggested association between periodontitis and renal insufficiency by assaying kidney disease markers. METHODS: VARIABLES USED TO DIAGNOSE PERIODONTITIS WERE: (i) probing pocket depth (PPD), (ii) attachment loss (AL), (iii) bleeding on probing (BOP), (iv) plaque index (PI) and (v) extent and severity index. Blood and urine were collected from 60 apparently healthy non-smokers (men and women), consisting of a test group of 30 subjects with periodontitis (age 46±6 yrs) and a control group of 30 healthy subjects (age 43±5 yrs). Kidney function markers (urea, creatinine, uric acid and albumin contents) were measured in the serum and urine. Also, the glomerular filtration rate was estimated from creatinine clearance, from the abbreviated Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula and from the albumin : creatinine ratio in a 24-h sample of urine. RESULTS: It was found that the control group had a greater mean number of teeth than the test group and that the two groups also differed in PPD, AL, BOP and PI, all these variables being higher in the test group (P=0.006). For the extent and severity index of both PPD and AL, the test group had much higher medians of both extent and severity than the control group (P=0.001). With regard to kidney function, none of the markers revealed a significant difference between the control and test groups and all measured values fell within the reference intervals. CONCLUSIONS: It is proposed that severe periodontitis is not associated with any alteration in kidney function.

Cissus sicyoides (princess vine) in the long-term treatment of streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

Leaf decoctions of Cissus sicyoides (princess vine) are taken widely as a popular remedy for diabetes mellitus in Brazil, where its common name is 'vegetal insulin'. However, there have been practically no attempts so far to determine scientifically whether it has anti-diabetic effects and we decided to administer leaf decoctions, over extended periods, to normal and streptozotocin-diabetic rats, and investigate the effects of this treatment on the physiological and metabolic parameters that are altered in diabetic animals. The experimental model adopted was shown to be appropriate by running a parallel treatment with insulin, which led to expected improvements in several abnormal parameter values. The decoction treatment significantly reduced the intake of both food and fluid and the volume of urine excreted, as well as the levels of blood glucose, urinary glucose and urinary urea, in comparison with controls. Lipid metabolism was not affected by the treatment; nor was the level of hepatic glycogen in diabetic animals, which indicated that the mechanism responsible for the improvement in carbohydrate metabolism, observed in animals treated with the decoction, could not involve inhibition of glycogenolysis and/or stimulation of glycogenesis. The fact that normal animals treated with C. sicyoides exhibited no changes in any of the measured parameters suggests that its mode of action in diabetic animals does not resemble those of sulphonylurea or insulin. It may, however, act in a similar way to biguanide, via inhibition of gluconeogenesis.

Avaliação dos parâmetros clínicos da doença periodontal em pacientes diabéticos não-insulino-dependentes submetidos a tratamento periodontal não-cirúrgico / Evaluation of clinical parameters of the periodontal disease in non-insulin-dependents, receiving npn-surgical periodontal treatment

Objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os parâmetros clínicos da doença periodontal em pacientes diabéticos não-insulino-dependentes, submetidos ao tratamento periodontal não-cirúrgico, e sua relação com os níveis glicêmicos. A porcentagem de sítios periodontais com sangramento à sondagem após o tratamento periodontal não-cirúrgico foi estatisticamente superior no grupo "não-controlados". O diabetes mellitus não-controlado representa um fator de risco para o estabelecimento e progressão da doença periodontal

Comparaçäo entre medicamentos orais através das taxas séricas de glicose, amilase, ácidos graxos livres e lipoproteínas de alta densidade (HDL-Colesterol) nos diabéticos de ambos os sexos, da regiäo de Araraquara, näo-dependentes de insulina / Comparison of oral medicaments through serum levels of glucose, amilase, free-fatty acids and high density cholesterol (HDL-Colesterol) in non-insulin-dependent diabetics patiens from both sex in the region of Araraquara

Neste estudo foram comparados os efeitos terapêuticos de glibenclamida (DAONIL) e clorpropamida (DIABINESE) em pacientes de ambos os sexos com diabetes do tipo II sobre os parâmetros séricos: glicose, amilase, HDL-colesterol e ácidos graxos livres. Os resultados indicam que as duas drogas foram potencialmente semelhantes sobre a glicemia, HDL-colesterol e AGL em ambos os grupos, masculino e feminino. A droga clorpropamida foi significativamente mais efetiva em reduzir a atividade da amilase no grupo diabético masculino que a glibenclamida. As citadas drogas hipoglicemiantes näo reduziram a níveis basais nos grupos diabéticos masculino e feminino

Estreptococos beta-hemolíticos e níveis de antiestreptolisina "O" em escolares do 1§ grau da regiäo do Vale do Ribeira - SP / Beta hemolytics streptococci and levels of antiestreptolysin-O in schoolchildren from the fifth to ninth grade living in the Vale do Ribeira - Säo Paulo

Realizou-se a pesquisa de Estreptococos beta-hemolíticos, com material das fossas nasais e orofaringeano e dos níveis séricos de antiestreptolisina "O" (ASO), em escolares da zona urbana e rural de dois municípios da regiäo do Vale do Ribeira, SP. Examinou-se 588 escolares, encontrando-se 99 (16,8 por cento) portadores de Estreptococos beta-hemolíticos, assim distribuídos: 92 (92,9 por cento) do grupo A; 5 (5,1 por cento) do grupo G e 2 (2,0 por cento) do grupo C. No município A, distante do mar e com maior atençäo à saúde do menor, encontrou-se 24,2 por cento de Estreptococos beta-hemolíticos, enquanto no B, próximo ao mar, 75,8 por cento. Quanto aos níveis séricos, observou-se títulos considerados como indicativos de risco para Doença Reumática em número maior (45,6 por cento) para o Município B e 38,4 por cento para o Município A. Näo houve diferenciaçäo entre escolares de zona urbana e rural

Avaliaçäo do potencial alergênico de um novo produto fermentado de soja / Evaluation of allergenic potential of a novel fermented soymilk product

O processo fermentativo induz uma reduçäo no pH do meio e, dependendo do cultivo bacteriano, observa-se uma açäo proteolítica com diminuiçäo da alergenicidade presente em algumas fraçöes protéicas da soja. No presente estudo, o objetivo foi avaliar o potencial alergênico induzido pela ingestäo oral de um novo produto fermentado de soja, buscando demonstrar a relaçäo existente entre o processo fermentativo e a alergenicidade. Trinta ratos Wistar, machos, adultos, foram separados em cinco grupos: 1. animais tratados com produto fermentado; 2. animais tratados com o produto näo fermentado (placebo); 3. animais sensibilizados com ovalbumina (controle positivo); 4. animais sem nenhum tratamento (somente soluçäo de Tyrode; controle negativo) e 5. animais estimulados pela açäo direta do produto fermentado, placebo e soluçäo de Tyrode. Os produtos fermentados e placebo foram obtidos de acordo com Rossi, et al. No exsudato peritoneal foi determinado o percentual de liberaçäo de histamina e concomitantemente, no mesmo animal, foi verificada a degranulaçäo de mastócitos. Os resultados mostraram que o produto fermentado apresentou um percentual de liberaçäo de histamina (12,6 ñ 2,1 por cento) e degranulaçäo de mastócitos (2,92 ñ 0,9 por cento) menores que o observado para o placebo (18,95 ñ 3,2 por cento e 5,5 ñ 2,3 por cento, respectivamente). Concluiu-se que o produto fermentado näo apresentou potencial alergênico e que o processo fermentativo reduziu favoravelmente a alergenicidade e que o processo fermentativo reduziu favoravelmente a alergenicidade das proteinas de soja.

Hipertensäo arterial e colesterol: proposta educativa / Arterial hypertension and cholesterol: an educative proposal

A elevaçäo da pressäo sistêmica (HAS) e do colesterol sangüíneo (C) säo importantes fatores de risco para o desenvolvimento de doenças cardiovasculares. Assim, justifica-se a educaçäo da populaçäo com finalidade preventiva em relaçäo a tais fatores. Desta forma, realizamos uma avaliaçäo da eficácia de açöes de educaçäo em saúde, relativas a HAS e C, por meio de palestras e questionários aplicados em 456 estudantes de 1§ grau na faixa etária de 10 a 15 anos, durante a III Semana de Hipertensäo Arterial e Colesterol (SHAC) de Araraquara-SP, Brasil, no período de 6 a 12 de junho de 1994. Um primeiro questionário sobre os temas com alternativas sim ou näo, foi aplicado antes da Semana e um segundo, de múltipla escolha, foi aplicado imeditamente após a Semana. Para responderem ao segundo questionário, os alunos receberam informaçöes específicas em palestras. Os resultados mostraram melhora no nível de conhecimento dos alunos reforçando a importância da inclusäo nas Escolas de açöes de Educaçäo em Saúde. Concluímos que houve melhoria dos acertos em questöes que envolvem valores quantitativos. O instrumento escolhido para as açöes de Educaçäo em Saúde (Palestras) mostrou-se adequado ao repasse de informaçöes aos escolares de 1§ grau, grupo populacional que tem um importante papel como futuros formadores de opiniäo na sociedade.

Variaçäo dos níveis séricos de glicose, triglicerídeos, colesterol e HDL-colesterol em ratos submetidos a lesöes do hipotálamo lateral / Variations of serum levels of glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol in rats submitted to lesions of lateral hypothalamus

Vários núcleos hipotalâmicos (núcleo ventromediano, hipotálamo lateral, etc.) atuam regulando a atividade enzimática envolvida no metabolismo de lipídeos e carboidratos. Neste trabalho procurou-se avaliar a participaçäo do hipotálamo lateral (HL) nos níveis séricos de glicose, triglicerídeos, colesterol e HDL-colesterol e verificar as variaçöes do peso corpóreo e ingestäo de alimentos - água e raçäo - em ratos controle e ratos submetidos a lesöes eletrolíticas bilaterais do hipotálamo lateral (HL). Foram utilizados ratos Holtzman de peso variável entre 250-300 gramas para as lesöes, e após períodos de 24, 48 horas, 7, 10 e 25 dias os animais lesados foram anestesiados, coletou-se sangue da aorta descendente abdominal e procedeu-se às dosagens bioquímicas e mediçöes da ingestäo de raçäo e água. Os resultados obtidos para os níveis séricos de glicose demonstraram aumento no grupo 24 horas lesäo do hipotálamo lateral (HL) e diminuiçäo nos grupos lesados de 7, 10 e 25 dias em relaçäo ao grupo controle. Para os níveis séricos de triglicerídeos observou-se uma diminuiçäo nos grupos lesados de 24, 48 e 10 dias, em relaçäo ao grupo controle. Os níveis séricos de colesterol apresentaram aumento nos grupos lesados de 48 horas e 25 dias quando comparados ao grupo controle. Os níveis séricos de HDL-colesterol aumentaram no grupo 48 horas de lesäo em relaçäo ao grupo controle. Em todos os grupos de animais com lesäo do hipotálamo lateral (HL) notaram-se alteraçöes características no peso corporal e ingestäo de alimento (raçäo e água). Os resultados demonstraram que a lesäo bilateral do hipotálamo lateral (HL) promove alteraçöes nos níveis séricos de glicose, triglicerídeos, colesterol e HDL-colesterol