Sustained satiety induced by food foams is independent of energy content, in healthy adults.

Our previous research demonstrated high, sustained satiety effects of stabilized food foams relative to their non-aerated compositions. Here we test if the energy and macronutrients in a stabilized food foam are critical for its previously demonstrated satiating effects. In a randomized, crossover design, 72 healthy subjects consumed 400 mL of each of four foams, one per week over four weeks, 150 min after a standardized breakfast. Appetite ratings were collected for 180 min post-foam. The reference was a normal energy food foam (NEF1, 280 kJ/400 mL) similar to that used in our previous research. This was compared to a very low energy food foam (VLEF, 36 kJ/400 mL) and 2 alternative normal energy foams (NEF2 and NEF3) testing possible effects of compositional differences other than energy (i.e. emulsifier and carbohydrate source). Appetite ratings were quantified as area under the curve (AUC) and time to return to baseline (TTRTB). Equivalence to NEF1 was predefined as the 90% confidence interval of between-treatment differences in AUC being within -5 to +5 mm/min. All treatments similarly affected appetite ratings, with mean AUC for fullness ranging between 49.1 and 52.4 mm/min. VLEF met the statistical criterion for equivalence to NEF1 for all appetite AUC ratings, but NEF2 and NEF3 did not. For all foams the TTRTB for satiety and fullness were consistently between 150 and 180 min, though values were shortest for NEF2 and especially NEF3 foams for most appetite scales. In conclusion, the high, sustained satiating effects of these food foams are independent of energy and macronutrient content at the volumes tested.

Evaluation of rat liver apoptotic and necrotic cell death after cold storage using UW, HTK, and Celsior.

BACKGROUND: The benefit of Celsior in liver graft preservation is controversial. In the isolated perfused rat liver model, we compared the effects of Celsior, University of Wisconsin (UW), and histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) preservation solutions on liver cell death. METHODS: Rat livers were stored at 4 degrees C for 0, 8, 16, or 24 hr in either Celsior, UW, or HTK and reperfused for 90 min (37 degrees C). Bile secretion and perfusate levels of liver enzymes and histone-associated DNA fragments were measured. Apoptosis and oncotic necrosis were analyzed in biopsies by DNA gel electrophoresis, hematoxylin and eosin histology, and enzyme histochemistry for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and 5'-nucleotidase (5'-NT). RESULTS: Perfusate flow rate through the liver during perfusion did not significantly differ among preservation solutions. Bile secretion was best preserved in UW livers after 16-hr (versus HTK livers) and 24-hr storage (versus HTK and Celsior livers). Enzyme leakage from UW livers was lower compared with HTK livers after 8-hr storage (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT], LDH) and with Celsior and HTK livers after 16-hr (SGOT, LDH) and 24-hr storage (SGOT, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, LDH, purine nucleoside phosphorylase). In situ LDH and 5'-NT activities were best preserved in UW livers (up to 24 hr), whereas enzyme activities declined remarkably in HTK livers (after 8 hr) and Celsior livers (after 16 hr of cold storage). Although perfusate DNA fragment levels were repeatedly lowest from Celsior livers, apoptotic DNA laddering and the number of fragmented nuclei in hematoxylin and eosin sections was not different among livers after 8, 16, or 24 hr of storage. CONCLUSIONS: Celsior and UW are equally effective in preventing rat liver cell death after 0-16 hr of cold preservation as compared with the less effective HTK solution. After 24-hr cold storage, rat livers were best preserved in UW. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in mode of cell death (apoptosis or oncotic necrosis) after storage in any of the three solutions.

Induction of necrosis and DNA fragmentation during hypothermic preservation of hepatocytes in UW, HTK, and Celsior solutions.

Donor cells can be preserved in University of Wisconsin (UW), histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK), or Celsior solution. However, differences in efficacy and mode of action in preventing hypothermia-induced cell injury have not been unequivocally clarified. Therefore, we investigated and compared necrotic and apoptotic cell death of freshly isolated primary porcine hepatocytes after hypothermic preservation in UW, HTK, and Celsior solutions and subsequent normothermic culturing. Hepatocytes were isolated from porcine livers, divided in fractions, and hypothermically (4 degrees C) stored in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), UW, HTK, or Celsior solution. Cell necrosis and apoptosis were assessed after 24- and 48-h hypothermic storage and after 24-h normothermic culturing following the hypothermic preservation periods. Necrosis was assessed by trypan blue exclusion, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, and mitochondrial 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction. Apoptosis was assessed by the induction of histone-associated DNA fragments and cellular caspase-3 activity. Trypan blue exclusion, LDH release, and MTT reduction of hypothermically preserved hepatocytes showed a decrease in cell viability of more than 50% during the first 24 h of hypothermic preservation. Cell viability was further decreased after 48-h preservation. DNA fragmentation was slightly enhanced in hepatocytes after preservation in all solutions, but caspase-3 activity was not significantly increased in these cells. Normothermic culturing of hypothermically preserved cells further decreased cell viability as assessed by LDH release and MTT reduction. Normothermic culturing of hypothermically preserved hepatocytes induced DNA fragmentation, but caspase-3 activity was not hanced in these cells. Trypan blue exclusion, LDH leakage, and MTT reduction demonstrated the highest cell viability after storage in Celsior, and DNA fragmentation was the lowest in cells that had been stored in PBS and UW solutions. None of the preservation solutions tested in this study was capable of adequately preventing cell death of isolated porcine hepatocytes after 24-h hypothermic preservation and subsequent 24-h normothermic culturing. Culturing of isolated and hypothermically preserved hepatocytes induces DNA fragmentation, but does not lead to caspase-3 activation. With respect to necrosis and DNA fragmentation of hypothermically preserved cells, UW and Celsior were superior to PBS and HTK solutions in this model of isolated porcine hepatocyte preservation.

Effects of 15-d repeated consumption of Hoodia gordonii purified extract on safety, ad libitum energy intake, and body weight in healthy, overweight women: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Extracts from Hoodia gordonii have been shown to decrease food intakes and body weights in animals and were proposed as a food supplement or ingredient for weight management. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the safety and efficacy of a 15-d repeated consumption of H. gordonii purified extract (HgPE) relative to a placebo in humans. DESIGN: Healthy, overweight women, who were stratified by percentage body fat, received either HgPE (n = 25) or a placebo (n = 24) for 15 d. Subjects were resident in a clinic for a 4-d run-in period and a 15-d treatment period in which they received 2 servings/d of 1110 mg HgPE or a placebo formulated in a yogurt drink 1 h before breakfast and dinner. Subjects were otherwise allowed to eat ad libitum from standardized menus. RESULTS: There were no serious adverse events, but HgPE was less well tolerated than was the placebo because of episodes of nausea, emesis, and disturbances of skin sensation. Blood pressure, pulse, heart rate, bilirubin, and alkaline phosphatase showed significant (P < 0.05) increases in the HgPE group. Mean effects on ad libitum energy intakes and body weights did not differ significantly between the HgPE- and placebo-treatment groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with a matched placebo, the consumption of HgPE for 15 d appeared to be associated with significant adverse changes in some vital signs and laboratory parameters. HgPE was less well tolerated than was the placebo and did not show any significant effects on energy intakes or body weights relative to the placebo. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01306422.

Localization of Ca2+ -activated big-conductance K+ channels in rabbit distal colon.

Big-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels (BK channels) may play an important role in the regulation of epithelial salt and water transport, but little is known about the expression level and the precise localization of BK channels in epithelia. The aim of the present study was to quantify and localize the BK channels in the distal colon epithelium by iberiotoxin (IbTX) binding using the radiolabeled iberiotoxin analogue (125)I-IbTX-D19Y/Y36F, by autoradiography and by immunohistochemical studies. The results showed that the surface cells, responsible for Na(+) absorption, contained a high number of BK channels, whereas the abundance of the channels in the Cl(-)-secreting crypt cells was very low or absent. Surprisingly, the (125)I-IbTX-D19Y/Y36F binding and immunohistochemical studies showed expression of BK channels in the apical as well as in the basolateral membranes of the surface cells. In conclusion, the significant and distinct expression of BK channels in epithelia, combined with their strict regulation, indicate that these channels may play an important role in the overall regulation of salt and water transport.