EVALUATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEDICAL NUTRITION TREATMENT, PENTRAXIN-3, HSCRP AND BODY COMPOSITION ANALYSIS IN TYPE 2 DIABETIC PATIENTS.

Objective: Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) is important in the treatment and regulation of diabetic patients. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the effects of medical nutrition therapy on Pentraxin-3, hsCRP and body composition analysis in Type 2 diabetes patients (DM). Methods: This study included 160 individuals who were admitted and diagnosed with Type 2 DM. Laboratory, clinical, anthropometric and body composition parameters were obtained 3 months after baseline evaluation of the patients and the MNT was given by the dietitian. Results: After 3 months MNT, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, body fat weight, body fat ratio and visceral fat area (p<0.001), glucose (p<0.001), insulin (p=0.033), HOMA index (p=0.004), HbA1c (p<0.001), total cholesterol (p=0.001), LDL (p=0.008), ALT (p<0.001) and hsCRP (p<0.001) levels were significantly lower than they were before MNT. There wasn't significant difference in triglyceride (p=0.509), HDL (p=0.079), Pentraxin-3 (p=0.706) levels and waist-to-hip ratio (p=0.802). The level of Framingham risk score after MNT was significantly lower (p<0.001). Conclusion: In this study, it was cocluded that MNT, applied to patients with Type 2 DM decreased cardiovascular risk and inflammation, contributed to the maintenance of glycemic control, and a significantly improved the body composition.

Systematic review of catheter-based intra-arterial therapies in hepatocellular carcinoma: state of the art and future directions.

Intra-arterial therapies (IATs) play a pivotal role in the management of patients with primary and secondary liver malignancies. The unique advantages of these treatments are their ability to selectively deliver a high dose of anticancer treatment while preserving healthy liver tissue. The proven efficacy of these catheter-based locoregional therapies in a highly systemic chemoresistant cancer such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), along with the minimally invasive nature of these treatments, quickly yielded wide acceptance in the medical community and revolutionized the field of Interventional Oncology. In this article, we describe the clinical rationale and background of catheter-based IATs. We provide an overview of clinical achievements of these treatments alone and in combination with sorafenib in patients with HCC.

Isolation and characterization of different bacterial strains for bioremediation of n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Crude oil is a common environmental pollutant composed of a large number of both aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons. Biodegradation is carried out by microbial communities that are important in determining the fate of pollutants in the environment. The intrinsic biodegradability of the hydrocarbons and the distribution in the environment of competent degrading microorganisms are crucial information for the implementation of bioremediation processes. In the present study, the biodegradation capacities of various bacteria toward aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons were determined. The purpose of the study was to isolate and characterize hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria from contaminated soil of a refinery in Arzew, Algeria. A collection of 150 bacterial strains was obtained; the bacterial isolates were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and their ability to degrade hydrocarbon compounds characterized. The isolated strains were mainly affiliated to the Gamma-Proteobacteria class. Among them, Pseudomonas spp. had the ability to metabolize high molecular weight hydrocarbon compounds such as pristane (C19) at 35.11 % by strain LGM22 and benzo[a] pyrene (C20) at 33.93 % by strain LGM11. Some strains were able to grow on all the hydrocarbons tested including octadecane, squalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene. Some strains were specialized degrading only few substrates. In contrast, the strain LGM2 designated as Pseudomonas sp. was found able to degrade both linear and branched alkanes as well as low and high poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The alkB gene involved in alkane degradation was detected in LGM2 and other Pseudomonas-related isolates. The capabilities of the isolated bacterial strains to degrade alkanes and PAHs should be of great practical significance in bioremediation of oil-contaminated environments.

The impact of a specific blend of essential oil components and sodium butyrate in feed on growth performance and Salmonella counts in experimentally challenged broilers.

Essential oils (EO) and short-chain fatty acids have potential antimicrobial activity in broilers. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a specific blend of EO and a combination of this blend of EO with sodium-butyrate on growth performance and Salmonella colonization in broilers. A total of 480 one-day-old male broilers were distributed into 5 treatments (8 pens per treatment and 12 birds per pen) and reared during 42 d in experimental conditions. Dietary treatments consisted of the addition of different doses of EO (0 mg/kg, control; 50 mg/kg, EO50 and 100 mg/kg, EO100) or a combination of EO with 1 g/kg of sodium-butyrate (B; EO50 + B, EOB50 and EO100 + B, EOB100) to a basal diet. All birds were orally infected with 10(8) cfu of Salmonella Enteritidis on d 7 of study. Individual BW and feed intake per pen were measured at arrival and on a weekly basis. The prevalence and enumeration of Salmonella in feces was determined per treatment at 72 h postinfection and on d 23 and 37 of study. At slaughter, cecal content and liver samples from 16 birds per treatment were cultured for Salmonella and cecal pH was measured. No differences were observed on growth performance among treatments. All fecal samples analyzed were positive for Salmonella from d 10 to the end of the rearing period. At slaughter, Salmonella contamination (positive samples) in cecum was lower in birds fed EOB50 compared with the other treatments (P < 0.05), whereas birds fed the control diet showed the highest colonization rates. The pH of the cecal content was not different among treatments. Thus, EO or its combination with sodium-butyrate did not affect growth performance. However, a clear effectiveness of these products was observed in Salmonella control, especially when low doses of EO were combined with sodium-butyrate (EOB50).

Anti-inflammatory activity of Mitraphylline isolated from Uncaria tomentosa bark.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Uncaria tomentosa (Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.) DC. (Rubiaceae) is widely used by populations living in South America to treat many ailments associated with inflammatory disorders. Mitraphylline was shown to be the major pentacyclic oxindolic alkaloid present in the bark chloroformic extract of this plant. Its activity against cytokines involved in inflammation process was tested in a murine model in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mice received mitraphylline once a day for 3 days at 30 mg/kg/day by oral route. Then, they were subjected to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin (15 mg/kg) and the LPS-induced production of 16 different cytokines was determined by Elisa multiplex. Control group received dexamethasone orally at 2mg/kg/day. Toxicity on K565 cells and murine peritoneal macrophages, in vitro, at doses up to 100 µM was monitored by XTT-colorimetric assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: For the first time mitraphylline was tested in vivo against a large range of cytokines that play a crucial role in inflammation. Mitraphylline inhibited around 50% of the release of interleukins 1α, 1ß, 17, and TNF-α. This activity was similar to dexamethasone. It also reduced almost 40% of the production of interleukin 4 (IL-4) while the corticoid did not. Lastly it did not show any toxicity on K565 cells nor murine macrophages at doses up to 100 µM.

MALDI-TOF MS analysis of labile Lolium perenne major allergens in mixes.

BACKGROUND: It is well known that allergen extracts used for specific therapy of allergic disorders are commonly stored as mixtures, causing an alteration of its stability. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this report is to identify pollen allergens susceptible to degradation during storage of mixtures containing different sources of proteases in the absence of glycerol as a preserving agent. METHODS: Mixes containing Lolium perenne (Lol p) pollen extract with either Aspergillus fumigatus or Periplaneta americana extracts were prepared and co-incubated for 90 days at 4 degrees C. Samples were taken off at fixed times and comparatively tested by in vitro and in vivo assays with atopic patients. Selected pollinic allergens were subjected to MALDI-TOF MS analysis. RESULTS: ELISA inhibition evidenced the loss of potency from ryegrass extract, and immunoblotting assays showed the degradation of specific pollinic allergens during storage of mixtures containing protease-rich sources. An in vivo intradermal skin assay confirmed the gradual loss of the biological activity of L. perenne pollen extract co-incubated with non-related protease-rich extracts in comparison with that of the control pollen extract. MALDI-TOF MS analysis allowed us to determine that Lol p 1 and Lol p 5 are susceptible to proteolysis whereas Lol p 4 was found to be resistant to degradation during storage. CONCLUSIONS: Lol p 1 and Lol p 5 degradation is responsible for the loss of the biological activity of L. perenne pollen extract when co-incubated with protease-rich fungal and cockroach extracts in the same vial for months in the absence of glycerol as a preserving agent. The integrity of these major allergens must be preserved to increase the vaccine stability and to assure efficacy when mixes are used for immunotherapy.

Amino acid sequence and three-dimensional structure of the Tn-specific isolectin B4 from Vicia villosa.

The partial amino acid sequence of the tetrameric isolectin B4 from Vicia villosa seeds has been determined by peptide analysis, and its three-dimensional structure solved by molecular replacement techniques and refined at 2.9 A resolution to a crystallographic R-factor of 21%. Each subunit displays the thirteen-stranded beta-barrel topology characteristic of legume lectins. The amino acid residues involved in metal- and sugar-binding are similar to those of other GalNAc-specific lectins, indicating that residues outside the carbohydrate-binding pocket modulate the affinity for the Tn glycopeptide. Isolectin B4 displays an unusual quaternary structure, probably due to protein glycosylation.

Hypnotizability and traumatic experience: a diathesis-stress model of dissociative symptomatology.

OBJECTIVE: The authors propose a diathesis-stress model to describe how pathological dissociation may arise from an interaction between innate hypnotizability and traumatic experience. METHOD: To support the proposition that pathological dissociation may reflect autohypnotic process, the authors highlight clinical and research data indicating parallels between controlled hypnotic dissociative states and uncontrolled pathological dissociative symptoms and summarize evidence of hypnotizability in persons with psychiatric disorders that manifest these symptoms. The authors present this evidence by examining dissociative symptomatology in four psychological domains: perception, behavior and will, affect, and memory and identity. In addition, modern cognitive and neuropsychological models of dissociation are briefly reviewed. RESULTS: Several lines of evidence converge in support of the role of autohypnosis in pathological dissociation. There is considerable evidence that controlled formal hypnosis can produce a variety of dissociations of awareness and control that resemble many of the symptoms in uncontrolled pathological dissociative conditions; and it is possible to discern in dissociative pathology the features of absorption, dissociation, and suggestibility/automaticity that characterize formal hypnotic states. There is also accumulating evidence of high levels of hypnotic capacity in all groups with dissociative symptomatology that have been systematically assessed. In addition, the widespread and successful therapeutic use of hypnosis in the treatment of many dissociative symptoms and conditions (and the potential for hypnosis to induce dissociative symptomatology) also supports the assumption that hypnosis and pathological dissociation share an underlying process. CONCLUSIONS: High hypnotizability may be a diathesis for pathological dissociative states, particularly under conditions of acute traumatic stress.

Immune system changes after the death of a partner in HIV-positive gay men.

The objectives of this study were to determine 1) whether immune changes relevant to HIV progression occurred in HIV-seropositive men after the death of their intimate partner, and 2) whether depressed mood was associated with these immune changes. The bereaved group consisted of 39 gay men whose intimate partners had died of AIDS over the past year; the nonbereaved group consisted of 39 age- and HIV serostatus-matched nonbereaved men. Immunological parameters were assayed from blood samples drawn before and within 1 year after the death of the partner (bereaved group) or over an equivalent time period (nonbereaved group). In the HIV-seropositive bereaved men only, a significant increase in immune activation and a significant decrease in the proliferative response to phytohemagglutinin occurred after the death of the partner. These immunological changes were not explained by the use of recreational drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, or AZT. These data indicate that the death of an intimate partner in HIV-positive men is associated with immune changes that are relevant to HIV progression.

Ethanol-induced alterations in gonadotrophins secretion during the estrous cycle of rats.

The effects of ethanol administration during a preovulatory period on both serum and pituitary gonadotrophin concentrations were studied in female rats. The animals were injected with 2 g/kg of ethanol (30% v/v, in saline solution) at 18:00 hr of diestrous 2. Hormonal levels were measured by RIA at different times during the estrous cycle, especially during the proestrus day. The preovulatory LH surge was inhibited using ethanol. Serum LH levels decreased between 16.00 and 20.00 hr of proestrus (P < 0.01). The levels of FSH in serum were slightly depressed by ethanol between 12.00 and 17.00 hr of proestrus (P < 0.05 with respect to the control set), but the values during the proestrus surge (18.00-20.00 hr) were unaffected. Ethanol augmented pituitary hormonal content during the periods in which serum hormonal levels decreased (P < 0.05 with respect to the control set) but it did not affect gonadotrophins synthesis. The increase in pituitary gonadotrophin concentrations induced by ethanol during the proestrus day is due to the accumulation of the hormone which was not released before. The preovulatory LH surge was re-established in the next cycle (5th day after treatment). These effects of ethanol on gonadotrophin levels could explain the previously observed anovulatory effects induced by ethanol administration in diestrous.

Thermotherapy v. antimonials: what happens after the healing of cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions?

The long-term effects of meglumine antimoniate (chemotherapy) or exposure to an environmental temperature of 37 degrees C (thermotherapy) on the evolution of Leishmania mexicana infections and on the response to challenge infections six months after treatment were compared in susceptible (BALB/c) and partially resistant (C57BL/6) mice. Thermotherapy was better than chemotherapy in that it healed lesions quicker and prevented relapses in the partially resistant mice during the observation period. However, both treatments appeared equally effective in terms of clinical cure. Neither treatment cleared all parasites from the hosts and both impaired the hosts' immune response to a challenge infection. The results indicate that specific immunity fades with time post-infection and that the persistence of the parasite in a clinically cured host does not maintain protective immunity against challenge infections.

Is leishmaniasis ever cured?

The persistence of parasites in mice cured of Leishmania mexicana infection was investigated by using immunosuppressive drugs and checking for the reappearance of lesions. BALB/c (susceptible) and C57BL/6 (partially resistant) mice infected with 10(4) amastigotes were treated with either thermotherapy or meglumine antimonate and subsequently immunosuppressed with either cyclophosphamide or hydrocortisone. Immunosuppression by either method caused lesions to reappear in both strains of mice regardless of the treatment used to produce clinical cure. In both strains of mice the proportion of animals developing lesions after immunosuppression was greater in the mice cured by the drug. The relevance of these findings to human therapy is discussed.

Lymphatic absorption of 3-phenylamino-1,2-propanediol and its esters.

From oils associated with the toxic syndrome have been isolated 3-phenylamino-1,2-aminophenol (PAP) and diesters with fatty acids in addition to fatty anilides. These substances have been obtained by chemical synthesis and administered orally to rats whose lymphatic canal had previously been cannulated. The lipid fraction of the lymph collected at different time intervals was isolated. Its chromatographic study has confirmed the presence of the mentioned substances, as well as a metabolite of them, demonstrating that these products enter the blood by lymphatic absorption.