Sfrp5 correlates with insulin resistance and oxidative stress.

BACKGROUND: Secreted frizzled-related protein 5 (Sfrp5) has been described as novel adipokine in mice with insulin-sensitising and anti-inflammatory properties similar to adiponectin. The aim of this study was to compare serum concentrations and determinants of Sfrp5, its pro-inflammatory antagonist wingless-type MMTV integration site family member (Wnt)5a and adiponectin in humans and their regulation by coffee. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Serum concentrations of Sfrp5, Wnt5a and adiponectin were measured in 47 individuals who participated in a coffee intervention study. Associations with demographic, metabolic and immunological variables and regulation of serum levels by different amounts of daily coffee intake were analysed. RESULTS: At baseline, fasting serum Sfrp5 levels ranged between 96 and 4056 ng/mL. Sfrp5 was directly correlated with a surrogate of insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance/HOMA-IR; r = 0·32, P < 0·05) and with the oxidative stress markers 8-isoprostane (r = 0·44, P < 0·01) and nitrotyrosine (r = 0·52, P < 0·001). Adiponectin showed inverse correlations with several indices of insulin resistance (e.g. HOMA-IR, Stumvoll index; all P < 0·05) and a direct correlation with the anti-atherogenic apolipoprotein A-I (r = 0·56, P < 0·001). Coffee did not affect serum concentrations of Sfrp5. Serum Wnt5a concentrations were below the detection limit (0·02 ng/mL) in 81% of the study participants. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to obese mouse models, serum Sfrp5 was directly related to HOMA-IR and oxidative stress in humans, but not with apolipoproteins, and thus, associations differed from those found for circulating adiponectin. These differences between Sfrp5 and adiponectin might be explained by differences in the investigated species.

Coffee consumption and risk of gastric and pancreatic cancer--a prospective cohort study.

Only few prospective studies have examined the association between coffee consumption and risk of gastric and pancreatic cancer. This study is designed to evaluate this relationship among Finns, whose coffee consumption is the highest in the world. A total of 60,041 Finnish men and women who were 26-74 years of age and without history of any cancer at baseline were included in the present analyses. Coffee consumption and other study parameters were determined at baseline using standardized measurements. Participants were prospectively followed up for onset of gastric and/or pancreatic cancer, emigration, death or until June 30, 2006. During a mean follow-up period of 18 years, 299 cases of gastric cancer and 235 cases of pancreatic cancer were found. There was a nonsignificant inverse association between coffee consumption and risk of gastric cancer among men but not in the women. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio of stomach and pancreatic cancer incidence for ≥ 10 cups of coffee per day compared with nondrinkers were 0.75 (95% CI, 0.40-1.41) (P for trend = 0.19) and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.38-1.76) (P for trend = 0.95) for the combined population of men and women, respectively. We did not find a significant association between coffee consumption and the risk of gastric and/or pancreatic cancers.

The Emerging Health Benefits of Coffee with an Emphasis on Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease.

Debate persists whether coffee is beneficial or problematic for human health. Coffee consumption has been associated with a decrease in risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated that healthy, habitual coffee drinkers are more protected from the risk of contracting diabetes than individuals who do not drink coffee. Coffee consumption has been associated with a reduced incidence of impaired glucose tolerance, hyperglycaemia and insulin sensitivity. Data suggest that several coffee components, such as chlorogenic acids, are involved in the health benefits of coffee. Various mechanisms for this protective effect have been proposed, including effects on incretin release, liver glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Epidemiological data support numerous other health benefits for coffee, including reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD), a protective effect against some neurodegenerative conditions, a favourable effect on liver function and a protective effect against certain cancers These associations are based mainly on observational studies and are currently insufficient to recommend coffee consumption as an interventional strategy for risk reduction in type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases While excessive consumption can have adverse effects on some conditions, particularly in terms of sleep quality, these effects vary among individuals and most people do not have any symptoms from coffee drinking. Moderate coffee consumption is associated with no or little risk of severe diseases and may offer substantial health benefits. Thus, coffee is a safe, low-energy beverage and suitable for most adult people.

Anxiety-depressive disorders among irritable bowel syndrome patients in Guilan, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric disorders are common in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in IBS patients varies in different cultures. We conducted this study to determine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 256 IBS patients were selected (using the criteria of Rome III) and evaluated for psychiatric disorders. In the first phase, subjects were screened using the General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ28). In the second phase, those who had scores ≥ 23 were assessed through semi-structured psychiatric interviews. RESULTS: Thirty out of 256 subjects had no significant psychiatric symptoms after performing GHQ28. In further psychiatric evaluation of the remaining subjects (226) who suffered from some degree of a psychiatric problem, 36 were diagnosed without Anxiety/Depressive disorder. Thus 66 subjects (25.8%) were known as a group without any significant psychiatric problem. A total of 190 subjects (74.2%) with anxiety-depressive problems were diagnosed; 89 were suffering from pure anxiety disorders, 41 were suffering from depressive disorders and 60 had co-morbid anxiety-depressive disorders. When comparing anxiety-depressive patients (n = 190) with normal subjects (n = 66), gender (P = 0.016), occupation (P = 0.002) and intensity of IBS (P < 0.001) showed statistically significant differences. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of anxiety-depressive disorders in this study indicates the necessity of psychiatric assessment, early diagnosis and treatment of the patients with IBS. It may improve management of the patients suffering from IBS.

Cytotoxicity and antioxidant activity of 23 plant species of leguminosae family.

Numerous studies have been focused on natural anticarcinogenic agents. Many antioxidants have been identified as anticarcinogens. Antimutagens have also been proposed as cancer chemopreventive agents. The use of natural products as anticancer has a long history that began with traditional medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate cytotoxicity and antioxidant activity of twenty-three plant species of Leguminosae family from different regions of Iran. Twenty-three plant species of Leguminosae family were collected in May-June 2009 from different regions of Iran.Methanol extracts of these species were tested through the brine shrimp lethality assay in order to detect potential sources of novel cytotoxic compounds. The total antioxidant activity was evaluated with DPPH free radical-scavenging method. The extracts of twelve species showed moderate cytotoxicity against brine shrimp (LC50 between 30 and 50 µg/mL). The extracts of Taverniera spartea and Tephrosia persica showed significant cytotoxicity (LC50 < 30 µg/mL) with LC50 values of 0.34 and 2.43 µg/mL, respectively, whereas the positive control, thymol showed a LC50 value of 1.37 µg/mL. The chloroform fractions of the latter two species were subjected to the brine shrimp lethality assay with LC50 values of 113.79 and 1.23 µg/mL, respectively. In comparing antioxidant capacities, Gleditschia caspica and Taverniera spartea showed significant antioxidant activity (IC50 < 50 µg/mL) with LC50 values of 14.54 and 20.32 µg/mL, respectively. It could be seen among 23 tested plant species that Taverniera spartea had the most cytotoxic and antioxidant activity and was the best candidate for these effects. Further investigations are necessary for chemical characterization of the active compounds and more comprehensive biological assays.

Effects of coffee consumption on subclinical inflammation and other risk factors for type 2 diabetes: a clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Coffee consumption is associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. Suggested mechanisms underlying the association have included attenuation of subclinical inflammation and a reduction in oxidative stress. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate the effects of daily coffee consumption on biomarkers of coffee intake, subclinical inflammation, oxidative stress, glucose, and lipid metabolism. DESIGN: Habitual coffee drinkers (n = 47) refrained for 1 mo from coffee drinking; in the second month they consumed 4 cups of filtered coffee/d and in the third month 8 cups of filtered coffee/d (150 mL/cup). Blood samples were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, bead-based multiplex technology, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, or immunonephelometry. RESULTS: Coffee consumption led to an increase in coffee-derived compounds, mainly serum caffeine, chlorogenic acid, and caffeic acid metabolites. Significant changes were also observed for serum concentrations of interleukin-18, 8-isoprostane, and adiponectin (medians: -8%, -16%, and 6%, respectively; consumption of 8 compared with 0 cups coffee/d). Serum concentrations of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and apolipoprotein A-I increased significantly by 12%, 7%, and 4%, respectively, whereas the ratios of LDL to HDL cholesterol and of apolipoprotein B to apolipoprotein A-I decreased significantly by 8% and 9%, respectively (8 compared with 0 cups coffee/d). No changes were seen for markers of glucose metabolism in an oral-glucose-tolerance test. CONCLUSIONS: Coffee consumption appears to have beneficial effects on subclinical inflammation and HDL cholesterol, whereas no changes in glucose metabolism were found in our study. Furthermore, many coffee-derived methylxanthines and caffeic acid metabolites appear to be useful as biomarkers of coffee intake.

Coffee and tea consumption and the risk of Parkinson's disease.

Several prospective studies have assessed the association between coffee consumption and Parkinson's disease (PD) risk, but the results are inconsistent. We examined the association of coffee and tea consumption with the risk of incident PD among 29,335 Finnish subjects aged 25 to 74 years without a history of PD at baseline. During a mean follow-up of 12.9 years, 102 men and 98 women developed an incident PD. The multivariate-adjusted (age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, education, leisure-time physical activity, smoking, alcohol and tea consumption, and history of diabetes) hazard ratios (HRs) of PD associated with the amount of coffee consumed daily (0, 1-4, and > or = 5 cups) were 1.00, 0.55, and 0.41 (P for trend = 0.063) in men, 1.00, 0.50, and 0.39 (P for trend = 0.073) in women, and 1.00, 0.53, and 0.40 (P for trend = 0.005) in men and women combined (adjusted also for sex), respectively. In both sexes combined, the multivariate-adjusted HRs of PD for subjects drinking > or = 3 cups of tea daily compared with tea nondrinkers was 0.41 (95% CI 0.20-0.83). These results suggest that coffee drinking is associated with a lower risk of PD. More tea drinking is associated with a lower risk of PD.

Coffee consumption and the incidence of antihypertensive drug treatment in Finnish men and women.

BACKGROUND: Only 2 prospective studies have previously investigated the association between coffee consumption and incident hypertension, and the findings are equivocal. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine the relation between coffee consumption and the incidence of antihypertensive drug treatment. DESIGN: We prospectively followed 24 710 Finnish subjects aged 25-64 y without a history of antihypertensive drug treatment, coronary heart disease, or stroke at baseline. Daily coffee consumption was assessed by questionnaires. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up period of 13.2 y, 2505 participants started antihypertensive drug treatment. The multivariate-adjusted (age, sex, study year, education, leisure-time physical activity, smoking, body mass index, high total cholesterol, history of diabetes, and alcohol, tea, fruit, vegetable, sausage, and bread consumption) hazard ratios for antihypertensive drug treatment associated with the amount of coffee consumed daily (0-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, or >or=8 cups) were 1.00, 1.29 (95% CI: 1.09, 1.54), 1.26 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.49), 1.24 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.48), and 1.14 (95% CI: 0.94, 1.37) (P for trend = 0.024), respectively. This trend became marginally significant after additional adjustment for baseline systolic blood pressure (P for trend = 0.077). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that coffee drinking seems to increase the risk of antihypertensive drug treatment, and this risk was higher in subjects with low-to-moderate coffee intakes; however, there was no significantly increased trend in drinkers of approximately 1 cup (100 mL)/d or >or=8 cups/d.

Treatment of bleeding pseudoaneurysms in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: In patients with chronic pancreatitis, an actively bleeding pseudoaneurysm can be life-threatening. Angioembolization is an attractive alternative to often complex operative management, and its feasibility was assessed in a retrospective analysis. METHODS: During 1993-2005, 33 patients (27 males, median age 51 years) with bleeding pancreatic pseudoaneurysms underwent urgent angiographic evaluation followed by angioembolization if possible. Angioembolization was performed in 23 patients, whereas 10 patients required hemostatic surgery, including 6 distal pancreatectomies and 3 vessel ligations. RESULTS: Between 1993 and 2005 33 out of 745 patients (4.4%) admitted for chronic pancreatitis had bleeding pancreatic pseudoaneurysms. The proportion of bleeders out of the total number of hospital admissions for chronic pancreatitis was 33 out of 1,892 (1.7%). The overall success rate of angioembolization was 22 out of 33 (67%) including 3 patients requiring re-embolization for recurrent bleeding. The success rate was 16 out of 20 (80%) when the pseudocyst was in the head of the pancreas, and only 50% when the splenic artery was the source of bleeding. Four of the 5 cases with free bleeding into the peritoneal cavity required operative intervention. The overall mortality and morbidity rates were 2 out of 33 (6%) and 7 out of 33 (21%) respectively, with no significant differences between embolized and operated patients. Angioembolization was associated with a significantly lower need for total blood transfusions and length of hospital stay. During the years 2000-2005, the overall success rate of angioembolization was 95%. CONCLUSIONS: All hemodynamically stable patients with chronic pancreatitis and bleeding pseudoaneurysms should undergo prompt initial angiographic evaluation and embolization if possible. Repeated angioembolization is feasible in patients with recurrent bleeding, whether initially embolized or operated. Patients with unsuccessful embolization should undergo emergency hemostatic surgery with ligation of the bleeding vessel in the head of the pancreas and distal resection in patients bleeding from the splenic artery or its branch. The combination of angioembolization and later endoscopic drainage of the pseudocyst via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is effective in the majority of the cases of pseudoaneurysms in chronic pancreatitis.

Type 2 diabetes and the risk of Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether type 2 diabetes at baseline is a risk factor for Parkinson's disease. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We prospectively followed 51,552 Finnish men and women 25-74 years of age without a history of Parkinson's disease at baseline. History of diabetes and other study parameters were determined at baseline using standardized measurements. Ascertainment of the Parkinson's disease status was based on the nationwide Social Insurance Institution's drug register data. Hazard ratios of incident Parkinson's disease associated with the history of type 2 diabetes were estimated. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up period of 18.0 years, 324 men and 309 women developed incident Parkinson's disease. Age- and study year-adjusted hazard ratios of incident Parkinson's disease among subjects with type 2 diabetes, compared with those without it, were 1.80 (95% CI 1.03-3.15) in men, 1.93 (1.05-3.53) in women, and 1.85 (1.23-2.80) in men and women combined (adjusted also for sex). Further adjustment for BMI, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, education, leisure-time physical activity, smoking, alcohol drinking, and coffee and tea consumption affected the results only slightly. The multivariate adjusted association between type 2 diabetes and the risk of Parkinson's disease was also confirmed in stratified subgroup analysis. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that type 2 diabetes is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease. Surveillance bias might account for higher rates in diabetes. The mechanism behind this association between diabetes and Parkinson's disease is not known.

Effect of the ulcerogenic agents ethanol, acetylsalicylic acid and taurocholate on actin cytoskeleton and cell motility in cultured rat gastric mucosal cells.

AIM: To assess the effects of ulcerogenic agents on actin cytoskeleton and cell motility and the contribution of oxidative stress. METHODS: Rat gastric mucosal cell monolayers were cultured on coverslips. The cells were exposed, with or without allopurinol (2 mmol/L), for 15 min to ethanol (10-150 mL/L), ASA (1-20 mmol/L) or taurocholate (1-20 mmol/L), then the cells were processed for actin and vinculin staining. Cell migration after wounding was also measured. RESULTS: Exposure to 10 mL/L ethanol caused divergence of zonula adherens-associated actin bundles of adjacent cells and decreased rate of migration. These actions were opposed by xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol. Exposure to 50 mL/L ethanol induced degradation and divergence of zonula adherens-associated vinculin from adjacent cells, which was, again, partially reverted by allopurinol. With 1 mmol/L ASA actin filaments became shorter and thicker. However, higher concentrations (10, 20 mmol/L) of ASA returned microfilaments thinner and longer, and decreased rate of migration. Zonula adherens-associated actin bundles were moderately distorted with 10 mmol/L ASA and with 10 mmol/L taurocholate. Exposure to taurocholate provoked changes resembling those of ASA. Taurocholate 5-20 mmol/L decreased the rate of migration dose dependently. The effects of ASA and taurocholate were not prevented by allopurinol. CONCLUSION: All ulcerogenic agents decreased the rate of migration dose dependently and induced divergence of zonula adherens-associated actin bundles of adjacent cells. In addition, ethanol and ASA caused degradation of actin cytoskeleton. Oxidative stress seems to underlie ethanol, but not ASA or taurocholate, induced cytoskeletal damage.

Coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus among middle-aged Finnish men and women.

CONTEXT: Only a few studies of coffee consumption and diabetes mellitus (DM) have been reported, even though coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world. OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between coffee consumption and the incidence of type 2 DM among Finnish individuals, who have the highest coffee consumption in the world. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A prospective study from combined surveys conducted in 1982, 1987, and 1992 of 6974 Finnish men and 7655 women aged 35 to 64 years without history of stroke, coronary heart disease, or DM at baseline, with 175 682 person-years of follow-up. Coffee consumption and other study parameters were determined at baseline using standardized measurements. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hazard ratios (HRs) for the incidence of type 2 DM were estimated for different levels of daily coffee consumption. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 12 years, there were 381 incident cases of type 2 DM. After adjustment for confounding factors (age, study year, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, education, occupational, commuting and leisure-time physical activity, alcohol and tea consumption, and smoking), the HRs of DM associated with the amount of coffee consumed daily (0-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-9, > or =10 cups) were 1.00, 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.48-1.05), 0.39 (95% CI, 0.25-0.60), 0.39 (95% CI, 0.20-0.74), and 0.21 (95% CI, 0.06-0.69) (P for trend<.001) in women, and 1.00, 0.73 (95% CI, 0.47-1.13), 0.70 (95% CI, 0.45-1.05), 0.67 (95% CI, 0.40-1.12), and 0.45 (95% CI, 0.25-0.81) (P for trend =.12) in men, respectively. In both sexes combined, the multivariate-adjusted inverse association was significant (P for trend <.001) and persisted when stratified by younger and older than 50 years; smokers and never smokers; healthy weight, overweight, and obese participants; alcohol drinker and nondrinker; and participants drinking filtered and nonfiltered coffee. CONCLUSION: Coffee drinking has a graded inverse association with the risk of type 2 DM; however, the reasons for this risk reduction associated with coffee remain unclear.