Blood Lipid Distribution, Aortic Cholesterol Concentrations, and Selected Inflammatory and Bile Metabolism Markers in Syrian Hamsters Fed a Standard Breeding Diet.

Hamsters are often used to determine the effects of various dietary ingredients on the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The study was conducted to obtain baseline data on CVD risk factors and mRNA expression of selected genes in hamsters fed a standard maintenance diet (STD) for 24 wk, beginning when animals were 7 wk old. Plasma triacylglycerol and aortic cholesteryl ester concentrations did not significantly change during the study. Total plasma cholesterol (75.9-127.9 mg/dL), LDL- (3.2-12.2 mg/dL), and HDL- (53.8-98.9 mg/dL) cholesterols increased over the 24wk study. Aortic total cholesterol increased from 9.72 to 12.20 µg/mg protein, whereas aortic cholesteryl ester, a measure of atherosclerosis development, was less than 0.18 µg/mg protein throughout the study. The expression of hepatic endothelin 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, and hepatic cholesterol 7-α-hydroxylase mRNA did not change throughout the study, indicating that fatty acid ß-oxidation and cholesterol metabolism remained consistent. The mRNA expression of ATP-binding cassette, subfamily B member 11 increased between wk 0 and 8 but then remained unchanged, suggesting increased requirements for cholesterol in early growth. These results indicate that the consumption of a STD does not increase atherosclerotic disease risk factors in golden Syrian hamsters through 31 wk of age.

Treatment failure in atopic dermatitis as a result of parental health belief.

The gold standard for treatment of atopic dermatitis is topical corticosteroids. Parental alternative health beliefs and fear of topical corticosteroids may lead to non-adherence and treatment failure. At the extreme end, such beliefs may result in neglect constituting reportable child maltreatment. We examine the legal repercussions of such abuse in the criminal case resulting from the death of Gloria Sam.

Peanuts, peanut oil, and fat free peanut flour reduced cardiovascular disease risk factors and the development of atherosclerosis in Syrian golden hamsters.

Human clinical trials have demonstrated the cardiovascular protective properties of peanuts and peanut oil in decreasing total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) without reducing high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The cardiovascular effects of the nonlipid portion of peanuts has not been evaluated even though that fraction contains arginine, flavonoids, folates, and other compounds that have been linked to cardiovascular health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of fat free peanut flour (FFPF), peanuts, and peanut oil on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and the development of atherosclerosis in male Syrian golden hamsters. Each experimental diet group was fed a high fat, high cholesterol diet with various peanut components (FFPF, peanut oil, or peanuts) substituted for similar metabolic components in the control diet. Tissues were collected at week 0, 12, 18, and 24. Total plasma cholesterol (TPC), LDL-C, and HDL-C distributions were determined by high-performance gel filtration chromatography, while aortic total cholesterol (TC) and cholesteryl ester (CE) were determined by gas liquid chromatography. Peanuts, peanut oil, and FFPF diet groups had significantly (P < 0.05) lower TPC, non-HDL-C than the control group beginning at about 12 wk and continuing through the 24-wk study. HDL-C was not significantly different among the diet groups. Peanut and peanut component diets retarded an increase in TC and CE. Because CE is an indicator of the development of atherosclerosis this study demonstrated that peanuts, peanut oil, and FFPF retarded the development of atherosclerosis in animals consuming an atherosclerosis inducing diet.