Differential effects of high dose omega-3 fatty acids on metabolism and inflammation in patients with obesity: eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid supplementation.

Background: Obesity is complicated by low-grade chronic inflammation characterised by increases in inflammatory proteins and cells in peripheral blood. It has been known that omega-3 fatty acids (FA) like eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) could modulate the inflammatory process and improve metabolic markers. Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of high-dose omega-3 FA on metabolic and inflammatory markers among patients with obesity and healthy volunteers. Methods: This prospective study included 12 women with obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 35.0 kg/m2) and 12 healthy women (BMI < 24.0 kg/m2) who were supplemented with a dose of 4.8 g/day (3.2 g EPA plus 1.6 g DHA) for 3 months followed by no treatment for 1 month. Plasma metabolic and inflammatory markers and levels of mRNA transcripts of CD4+ T lymphocyte subsets were determined monthly. Results: None of the participants exhibited changes in weight or body composition after study completion. EPA and DHA supplementation improved metabolic (insulin, Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance [HOMA-IR], triglyceride [TG]/ high-density lipoprotein [HDL] ratio, TG, and arachidonic acid [AA]/EPA ratio) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Moreover, the levels of mRNA transcripts of T CD4+ lymphocyte subsets (TBX21, IFNG, GATA-3, interleukin [IL]-4, FOXP3, IL-10 IL-6, and TNF-α), were down-regulated during the intervention phase. After 1 month without supplementation, only insulin, HOMA-IR and the mRNA transcripts remained low, whereas all other markers returned to their levels before supplementation. Conclusion: Supplementation with high-dose omega-3 FAs could modulate metabolism and inflammation in patients with obesity without weight loss or changes in body composition. However, these modulatory effects were ephemeral and with clear differential effects: short-duration on metabolism and long-lasting on inflammation.

Dietary Technologies to Optimize Healing from Injury-Induced Inflammation.

Inflammation is an acute adaptive response to injury. However, if the initial inflammatory response to an injury is not completely healed, it becomes chronic low-level inflammation that is strongly associated with many chronic disease states, including metabolic (obesity and diabetes), cardiovascular, auto-immune, and neurogenerative disorders as well as cancer. The healing process is far more complex than the initiation of inflammation. Within that complexity of healing is a sequence of events that are under profound dietary control and can be defined by specific blood markers. Those molecular events of the healing process that are under significant dietary control are termed as the Resolution Response. The purpose of this review is to describe the molecular components of the Resolution Response and how different dietary factors can either optimize or inhibit their actions. In particular, those dietary components that optimize the Resolution Response include a calorie-restricted, protein-adequate, moderate-carbohydrate, low-fat diet referred to as the Zone diet, omega-3 fatty acids, and polyphenols. The appropriate combination of these dietary interventions constitutes the foundation of Pro-Resolution Nutrition. The effect of these dietary components the actions of NF-κB, AMPK, eicosanoids, and resolvins are described in this review, as well as ranges of appropriate blood markers that indicate success in optimizing the Resolution Response by dietary interventions.

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation Reduces Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.

BACKGROUND Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a common cause of lower back pain, which carries substantial morbidity and economic cost. Omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA) are known to reduce inflammatory processes with a relatively benign side effect profile. This study aimed to investigate the effect of n-3 FA supplementation on IVD degeneration. MATERIAL AND METHODS Two non-contiguous lumbar discs of 12 Sprague Dawley rats were needle-punctured to induce disc degeneration. Post-surgery, rats were randomly assigned to either a daily n-3 FA diet (530 mg/kg/day of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in a 2: 1 ratio, administered in sucrose solution) or control diet (sucrose solution only), which was given for the duration of the study. After 1 month, blood serum arachidonic acid/eicosapentaenoic acid (AA/EPA) ratios were analyzed. After 2 months, micro-MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) analysis and histological staining of disc explants were performed to analyze the IVD. RESULTS A reduction of blood AA/EPA ratios from 40 to 20 was demonstrated after 1 month of daily supplementation with n-3 FA. Micro-MRI analysis showed an injury-induced reduction of IVD hydration, which was attenuated in rats receiving n-3 FA. Histological evaluation demonstrated the destruction of nucleus pulposus tissue in response to needle puncture injury, which was less severe in the n-3 FA diet group. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that n-3 FA dietary supplementation reduces systemic inflammation by lowering AA/EPA ratios in blood serum and has potential protective effects on the progression of spinal disc degeneration, as demonstrated by reduced needle injury-induced dehydration of intervertebral discs and reduced histological signs of IVD degeneration.

The role of fatty acids in insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is a multi-faceted disruption of the communication between insulin and the interior of a target cell. The underlying cause of insulin appears to be inflammation that can either be increased or decreased by the fatty acid composition of the diet. However, the molecular basis for insulin resistance can be quite different in various organs. This review deals with various types of inflammatory inputs mediated by fatty acids, which affect the extent of insulin resistance in various organs.

Breast cancer survivorship: expressed needs of black women.

Studies have reported that race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, access to care, early diagnosis, quality of care, and spirituality are important prognostic factors for a breast cancer diagnosis. This exploratory study seeks to identify the perceived needs of Black middle-income breast cancer survivors. The Delphi Technique, a qualitative research approach (for deriving cultural consensus), was used to assess needs of 62 Black middle-income socioeconomic position survivors. Survivors' expressed needs were to have (1) affordable, accessible, acceptable, and appropriate medical and support services; (2) a caring and loving family; (3) contacts for information regarding breast cancer symptoms or related health problems; (4) an intimate relationship with God; and (5) adequate resources for self and family care. This pilot study suggests Black breast cancer survivors, regardless of a middle-income socioeconomic position (SEP), experience similar socioecological stressors as low-income SEP survivors.

Relating improvisational music therapy with severely and multiply disabled children to communication development.

The effect of different levels of preintentional and intentional communication development on musical interaction with children with severe and multiple disabilities has not been explored in the music therapy literature. Aside from stage of communication development, what are the particular influences of disability on musical interaction with children who have preintentional and early intentional communication? A qualitative research project explored these issues. Ten school-aged children with severe and multiple disabilities participated in the project. The most common medical diagnosis was cerebral palsy. Analysis of video recordings and other data confirmed that the children's level of communication development was reflected in individual music therapy. Specifically, children at different levels of communication development varied in their abilities to initiate, anticipate, and sustain participation in turn taking, and to maintain attention to and engagement in the interaction. Both turn taking and playing and singing together were found to be important forms of communication during music therapy. Communication problems related to disability included: difficulties in using objects as a focus of joint attention, difficulties in interpreting the interactive environment, being sufficiently motivated to communicate, severely limited means of interaction, attaining and maintaining an appropriate level of arousal, and lack of interest in interaction and the outside environment. Further study of how music therapy can be related to general issues in communication for individuals with severe and multiple disabilities is recommended.

mdm2 Is critical for inhibition of p53 during lymphopoiesis and the response to ionizing irradiation.

The function of the p53 tumor suppressor protein must be highly regulated because p53 can cause cell death and prevent tumorigenesis. In cultured cells, the p90MDM2 protein blocks the transcriptional activation domain of p53 and also stimulates the degradation of p53. Here we provide the first conclusive demonstration that p90MDM2 constitutively regulates p53 activity in homeostatic tissues. Mice with a hypomorphic allele of mdm2 revealed a heretofore unknown role for mdm2 in lymphopoiesis and epithelial cell survival. Phenotypic analyses revealed that both the transcriptional activation and apoptotic functions of p53 were increased in these mice. However, the level of p53 protein was not coordinately increased, suggesting that p90MDM2 can inhibit the transcriptional activation and apoptotic functions of p53 in a manner independent of degradation. Cre-mediated deletion of mdm2 caused a greater accumulation of p53, demonstrating that p90MDM2 constitutively regulates both the activity and the level of p53 in homeostatic tissues. The observation that only a subset of tissues with activated p53 underwent apoptosis indicates that factors other than p90(MDM2) determine the physiological consequences of p53 activation. Furthermore, reduction of mdm2 in vivo resulted in radiosensitivity, highlighting the importance of mdm2 as a potential target for adjuvant cancer therapies.