Dietary total antioxidant capacity and mortality in the PREDIMED study.

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to assess the association between the dietary total antioxidant capacity, the dietary intake of different antioxidants and mortality in a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular disease risk. METHODS: A total of 7,447 subjects from the PREDIMED study (multicenter, parallel group, randomized controlled clinical trial), were analyzed treating data as an observational cohort. Different antioxidant vitamin intake and total dietary antioxidant capacity were calculated from a validated 137-item food frequency questionnaire at baseline and updated yearly. Deaths were ascertained through contact with families and general practitioners, review of medical records and consultation of the National Death Index. Cox regression models were fitted to assess the relationship between dietary total antioxidant capacity and mortality. Dietary total antioxidant capacity was estimated using ferric-reducing antioxidant power assays. RESULTS: A total of 319 deaths were recorded after a median follow-up of 4.3 years. Subjects belonging to the upper quintile of antioxidant capacity were younger, ex-smokers, with high educational level, and more active and had higher alcohol intake. Multivariable-adjusted models revealed no statistically significant difference between total dietary antioxidant capacity and mortality (Q5 vs. Q1 ref HR 0.85; 95% CI 0.60-1.20) neither for the intake of all the vitamins studied. CONCLUSIONS: No statistically significant association was found between antioxidant capacity and total mortality in elderly subjects at high cardiovascular risk.

Effects of total dietary polyphenols on plasma nitric oxide and blood pressure in a high cardiovascular risk cohort. The PREDIMED randomized trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Hypertension is one of the main cardiovascular risk factors in the elderly. The aims of this work were to evaluate if a one-year intervention with two Mediterranean diets (Med-diet) could decrease blood pressure (BP) due to a high polyphenol consumption, and if the decrease in BP was mediated by plasma nitric oxide (NO) production. METHODS AND RESULTS: An intervention substudy of 200 participants at high cardiovascular risk was carried out within the PREDIMED trial. They were randomly assigned to a low-fat control diet or to two Med-diets, one supplemented with extra virgin olive oil (Med-EVOO) and the other with nuts (Med-nuts). Anthropometrics and clinical parameters were measured at baseline and after one year of intervention, as well as BP, plasma NO and total polyphenol excretion (TPE) in urine samples. Systolic and diastolic BP decreased significantly after a one-year dietary intervention with Med-EVOO and Med-nuts. These changes were associated with a significant increase in TPE and plasma NO. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was observed between changes in urinary TPE, a biomarker of TP intake, and in plasma NO (Beta = 4.84; 95% CI: 0.57-9.10). CONCLUSIONS: TPE in spot urine sample was positively correlated with plasma NO in Med-diets supplemented with either EVOO or nuts. The statistically significant increases in plasma NO were associated with a reduction in systolic and diastolic BP levels, adding to the growing evidence that polyphenols might protect the cardiovascular system by improving the endothelial function and enhancing endothelial synthesis of NO.

Fast determination of virgin olive oil phenolic metabolites in human high-density lipoproteins.

In recent years it has been confirmed that the consumption of olive oil prevents the oxidation of biomolecules owing to its monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and phenolic content. The main objective of the study was to develop an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) method for the determination of phenolic compounds in human high-density lipoprotein (HDL) samples. At the same time, the influence of olive oil consumption on the phenolic metabolite levels was evaluated in a European population. The participants were 51 healthy men, aged 20-60. They were randomized to two consecutive intervention periods with the administration of raw olive oil with low and high polyphenolic content. The UHPLC-MS/MS analytical method has been validated for hydroxytyrosol and homovanillic acid in terms of linearity (r(2) = 0.99 and 1.00), repeatability (5.7 and 6.5%) reproducibility (6.2 and 7%), recovery (98 to 97%), limits of detection (1.7 to 1.8 ppb) and quantification (5.8 and 6.3 ppb).The levels of the studied metabolites increased significantly after high polyphenolic content virgin olive oil ingestion (p <0.05) compared with lowpolyphenolic content olive oil. Virgin olive oil consumption increases the levels of phenolic metabolites in HDL and thus provides human HDL with more efficient antioxidant protection.

Thyroid hormone receptor alpha gene variants increase the risk of developing obesity and show gene-diet interactions.

OBJECTIVE: Thyroid hormone receptor-beta resistance has been associated with metabolic traits. THRA gene sequencing of an obese woman (index case) who presented as empirical thyroid hormone receptor-α (THRA) resistance, disclosed a polymorphism (rs12939700) in a critical region involved in TRα alternative processing. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: THRA gene variants were evaluated in three independent europid populations (i) in two population cohorts at baseline (n=3417 and n=2265), 6 years later (n=2139) and (ii) in 4734 high cardiovascular risk subjects (HCVR, PREDIMED trial). RESULTS: The minor allele of the index case polymorphism (rs12939700), despite having a very low frequency (4%), was significantly associated with higher body mass index (BMI) (P=0.042) in HCVR subjects. A more frequent THRA polymorphism (rs1568400) was associated with higher BMI in subjects from the population (P=0.00008 and P=0.05) after adjusting for several confounders. Rs1568400 was also strongly associated with fasting triglycerides (P dominant=3.99 × 10(-5)). In the same sample, 6 years later, age and sex-adjusted risk of developing obesity was significantly increased in GG homozygotes (odds ratio 2.93 (95% confidence interval, 1.05-6.95)). In contrast, no association between rs1568400 and BMI was observed in HCVR subjects, in whom obesity was highly prevalent. This might be explained by the presence of an interaction (P <0.001) among the rs1568400 variant, BMI and saturated fat intake. Only when saturated fat intake was high (>24.5 g d(-1)), GG carriers showed a significantly higher BMI than A carriers after controlling for energy intake and physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: THRA gene polymorphisms are associated with obesity development. This is a novel observation linking the THRA locus to metabolic phenotypes.

Changes in bread consumption and 4-year changes in adiposity in Spanish subjects at high cardiovascular risk.

The effects of bread consumption change over time on anthropometric measures have been scarcely studied. We analysed 2213 participants at high risk for CVD from the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) trial to assess the association between changes in the consumption of bread and weight and waist circumference gain over time. Dietary habits were assessed with validated FFQ at baseline and repeatedly every year during 4 years of follow-up. Using multivariate models to adjust for covariates, long-term weight and waist circumference changes according to quartiles of change in energy-adjusted white and whole-grain bread consumption were calculated. The present results showed that over 4 years, participants in the highest quartile of change in white bread intake gained 0·76 kg more than those in the lowest quartile (P for trend = 0·003) and 1·28 cm more than those in the lowest quartile (P for trend < 0·001). No significant dose-response relationships were observed for change in whole-bread consumption and anthropometric measures. Gaining weight (>2 kg) and gaining waist circumference (>2 cm) during follow-up was not associated with increase in bread consumption, but participants in the highest quartile of changes in white bread intake had a reduction of 33 % in the odds of losing weight (>2 kg) and a reduction of 36 % in the odds of losing waist circumference (>2 cm). The present results suggest that reducing white bread, but not whole-grain bread consumption, within a Mediterranean-style food pattern setting is associated with lower gains in weight and abdominal fat.

Mediterranean diet and non enzymatic antioxidant capacity in the PREDIMED study: evidence for a mechanism of antioxidant tuning.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The intake of antioxidant-rich foods may increase the blood levels of non enzymatic antioxidant capacity (NEAC). NEAC takes into account all antioxidants from food and synergistic effects between them. We examined the effect of a 1-year intervention with Mediterranean diet on plasma NEAC and assessed whether it was related to baseline NEAC levels. METHODS AND RESULTS: Five hundred sixty-four participants at high cardiovascular risk were randomly selected from the PREDIMED (Prevención con DIeta MEDiterránea) Study, a large 3-arm randomized clinical trial. Blood NEAC levels were measured at baseline and after 1-year of dietary intervention with 1) a Mediterranean diet supplemented with virgin olive oil (MED + VOO); 2) a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts (MED + nuts), or 3) a control low-fat diet. Plasma NEAC was analyzed using FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant potential) and TRAP (total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter) assays. Plasma FRAP levels increased after 1-year of intervention with MED + VOO [72.0 µmol/L (95% CI, 34.2-109.9)] and MED + nuts [48.9 µmol/L (24.3-73.5)], but not after the control low-fat diet [13.9 µmol/L (-11.9 to 39.8)]. Participants in the lowest quartile of plasma FRAP at baseline significantly increased their levels after any intervention, while those in the highest quartile decreased. Similar results occurred with TRAP levels. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that a 1-year of MED diet intervention increases plasma TAC level in subjects at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Moreover, the effectiveness of dietary supplementation with antioxidants may be related to baseline levels of plasma NEAC.

Gazpacho consumption is associated with lower blood pressure and reduced hypertension in a high cardiovascular risk cohort. Cross-sectional study of the PREDIMED trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Hypertension is a major public health problem and a leading cause of death and disability in both developed and developing countries, affecting one-quarter of the world's adult population. Our aim was to evaluate whether the consumption of gazpacho, a Mediterranean vegetable-based cold soup rich in phytochemicals, is associated with lower blood pressure (BP) and/or reduced prevalence of hypertension in individuals at high cardiovascular risk. METHODS AND RESULTS: We selected 3995 individuals (58% women, mean age 67 y) at high cardiovascular risk (81% hypertensive) recruited into the PREDIMED study. BP, weight, and dietary and physical activity data were collected. In multivariate linear regression analyses, after adjustment, moderate and high gazpacho consumption categories were associated with reduced mean systolic BP of -1.9 mm Hg [95% confidence interval (CI): -3.4; -0.6] and -2.6 mm Hg (CI: -4.2; -1.0), respectively, and reduced diastolic BP of -1.5 mm Hg (CI: -2.3; -0.6) and -1.9 mm Hg (CI: -2.8; -1.1). By multiple-adjusted logistic regression analysis, gazpacho consumption was associated with a lower prevalence of hypertension, with OR = 0.85 (CI: 0.73; 0.99) for each 250 g/week increase and OR = 0.73 (CI: 0.55; 0.98) for high gazpacho consumption groups compared to the no-consumption group. CONCLUSIONS: Gazpacho consumption was inversely associated with systolic and diastolic BP and prevalence of hypertension in a cross-sectional Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk. The association between gazpacho intake and reduction of BP is probably due to synergy among several bioactive compounds present in the vegetable ingredients used to make the recipe.

Dietary intake and major food sources of polyphenols in a Spanish population at high cardiovascular risk: the PREDIMED study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Epidemiological data have shown an inverse association between the consumption of polyphenol-rich foods and the risk of cardiovascular disease or overall mortality. A comprehensive estimation of individual polyphenol intake in nutritional cohorts is needed to gain a better understanding of this association. The aim of this study was to estimate the quantitative intake of polyphenols and the major dietary sources in the PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea) cohort using individual food consumption records. METHODS AND RESULTS: The PREDIMED study is a large, parallel-group, multicentre, randomised, controlled 5-year feeding trial aimed at assessing the effects of the Mediterranean diet on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. A total of 7200 participants, aged 55-80 years, completed a validated 1-year food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at baseline. Polyphenol consumption was calculated by matching food consumption data from the FFQ with the recently developed Phenol-Explorer database on polyphenol content in foods. The mean total polyphenol intake was 820 ± 323 mg day⁻¹ (443 ± 218 mg day⁻¹ of flavonoids and 304 ± 156 mg day⁻¹ of phenolic acids). Hydroxycinnamic acids were the phenolic group with the highest consumption and 5-caffeoylquinic acid was the most abundantly ingested individual polyphenol. The consumption of olives and olive oil was a differentiating factor in the phenolic profile of this Spanish population compared with other countries. CONCLUSION: In Mediterranean countries, such as Spain, the main dietary source of polyphenols is coffee and fruits, but the most important differentiating factor with respect to other countries is the consumption of polyphenols from olives and olive oil.

Total polyphenol excretion and blood pressure in subjects at high cardiovascular risk.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Dietary factors are critical for the prevention and treatment of hypertension, but data on the effects of specific nutrients on blood pressure (BP) are scarce. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between total polyphenol excretion (TPE) in urine, as an objective measurement of total polyphenol intake and BP in an elderly population at high cardiovascular risk. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cross-sectional substudy of 589 high-risk participants entering in the PREDIMED trial. BP was measured and TPE was determined in urine by Folin-Ciocalteu assay. A significant positive association was observed between TPE in urine and daily intake of fruit and vegetables (F&V), coffee or wine after adjusting for potential confounders. The intake of 100 g of F&V (Beta=0.150;P<0.001) had a greater contribution to TPE than 100 mL of coffee (Beta=0.141;P=0.001), and the latter two foods contributed more than the consumption of 100 mL of wine (Beta=0.120;P=0.019). An inverse association was observed between urinary TPE and the prevalence of hypertension. Participants in the highest quartile of urinary TPE had a reduced prevalence of hypertension compared to those in the lowest quartile (Odds Ratio=0.64; 95% confidence interval 0.45 to 0.92; P=0.015). Systolic and diastolic BP were inversely associated with urinary TPE after adjustment for potential confounders (P=0.024 and P=0.003, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Polyphenol intake, assessed via TPE in urine, was negatively associated with BP levels and prevalence of hypertension in an elderly Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk. Participants with the highest intake of polyphenol-rich foods showed the lowest BP measurements.

Olive oil and health: summary of the II international conference on olive oil and health consensus report, Jaén and Córdoba (Spain) 2008.

Olive oil (OO) is the most representative food of the traditional Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet). Increasing evidence suggests that monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) as a nutrient, OO as a food, and the MedDiet as a food pattern are associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and hypertension. A MedDiet rich in OO and OO per se has been shown to improve cardiovascular risk factors, such as lipid profiles, blood pressure, postprandial hyperlipidemia, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and antithrombotic profiles. Some of these beneficial effects can be attributed to the OO minor components. Therefore, the definition of the MedDiet should include OO. Phenolic compounds in OO have shown antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, prevent lipoperoxidation, induce favorable changes of lipid profile, improve endothelial function, and disclose antithrombotic properties. Observational studies from Mediterranean cohorts have suggested that dietary MUFA may be protective against age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. Recent studies consistently support the concept that the OO-rich MedDiet is compatible with healthier aging and increased longevity. In countries where the population adheres to the MedDiet, such as Spain, Greece and Italy, and OO is the principal source of fat, rates of cancer incidence are lower than in northern European countries. Experimental and human cellular studies have provided new evidence on the potential protective effect of OO on cancer. Furthermore, results of case-control and cohort studies suggest that MUFA intake including OO is associated with a reduction in cancer risk (mainly breast, colorectal and prostate cancers).

Characterization of human gene expression changes after olive oil ingestion: an exploratory approach.

Olive oil consumption is protective against risk factors for cardiovascular and cancer diseases. A nutrigenomic approach was performed to assess whether changes in gene expression could occur in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells after oli ve oil ingestion at postprandial state. Six healthy male volunteers ingested, at fasting state, 50 ml of olive oil. Prior to intervention a 1-week washout period with a controlled diet and sunflower oil as the only source of fat was followed. During the 3 days before and on the intervention day, a very low-phenolic compound diet was followed. At baseline (0 h) and at post-ingestion (6 h), total RNA was isolated and gene expression (29,082 genes) was evaluated by microarray. From microarray data, nutrient-gene interactions were observed in genes related to metabolism, cellular processes, cancer, and atherosclerosis (e.g. USP48 by 2.16; OGT by 1.68-fold change) and associated processes such as inflammation (e.g. AKAP13 by 2.30; IL-10 by 1.66-fold change) and DNA damage (e.g. DCLRE1C by 1.47; POLK by 1.44- fold change). When results obtained by microarray were verified by qRT-PCR in nine genes, full concordance was achieved only in the case of up-regulated genes. Changes were observed at a real-life dose of olive oil, as it is daily consumed in some Mediterranean areas. Our results support the hypothesis that postprandial protective changes related to olive oil consumption could be mediated through gene expression changes.

Anti-inflammatory effect of virgin olive oil in stable coronary disease patients: a randomized, crossover, controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of two similar olive oils, but with differences in their phenolic compounds (powerful antioxidant compounds), on inflammatory markers in stable coronary heart disease patients. DESIGN: Placebo-controlled, crossover, randomized trial. SETTING: Cardiology Department of Hospital del Mar and Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica (Barcelona). SUBJECTS: Twenty-eight stable coronary heart disease patients. INTERVENTIONS: A raw daily dose of 50 ml of virgin and refined olive oil (ROO) was sequentially administered over two periods of 3-weeks, preceded by 2-week washout periods in which ROO was used. RESULTS: Interleukin-6 (P<0.002) and C-reactive protein (P=0.024) decreased after virgin olive oil intervention. No changes were observed in soluble intercellular and vascular adhesion molecules, glucose and lipid profile. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of virgin olive oil, could provide beneficial effects in stable coronary heart disease patients as an additional intervention to the pharmacological treatment.

Evaluation of Adherence to Nutritional Intervention Through Trajectory Analysis.

Classical pre-post intervention studies are often analyzed using traditional statistics. Nevertheless, the nutritional interventions have small effects on the metabolism and traditional statistics are not enough to detect these subtle nutrient effects. Generally, this kind of studies assumes that the participants are adhered to the assigned dietary intervention and directly analyzes its effects over the target parameters. Thus, the evaluation of adherence is generally omitted. Although, sometimes, participants do not effectively adhere to the assigned dietary guidelines. For this reason, the trajectory map is proposed as a visual tool where dietary patterns of individuals can be followed during the intervention and can also be related with nutritional prescriptions. The trajectory analysis is also proposed allowing both analysis: 1) adherence to the intervention and 2) intervention effects. The analysis is made by projecting the differences of the target parameters over the resulting trajectories between states of different time-stamps which might be considered either individually or by groups. The proposal has been applied over a real nutritional study showing that some individuals adhere better than others and some individuals of the control group modify their habits during the intervention. In addition, the intervention effects are different depending on the type of individuals, even some subgroups have opposite response to the same intervention.

Antioxidant effect of virgin olive oil in patients with stable coronary heart disease: a randomized, crossover, controlled, clinical trial.

The Mediterranean diet, in which olive oil is the main source of fat, has been associated with a reduced incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and low blood pressure levels. Virgin olive oil (VOO), besides containing monounsaturated fat, is rich in phenolic compounds (PC) with antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to examine the antioxidant and anti-hypertensive effect of two similar olive oils, but with differences in their PC (refined: 14.7 mg/kg versus virgin: 161.0 mg/kg), in 40 males with stable CHD. The study was a placebo controlled, crossover, randomized trial. A raw daily dose of 50 mL of VOO and refined olive oil (ROO) were sequentially administered over two periods of 3 weeks, preceded by 2-week washout periods in which ROO was used. Lower plasma oxidized LDL (p < 0.001) and lipid peroxide levels (p = 0.003), together with higher activities of glutathione peroxidase (p = 0.033), were observed after VOO intervention. Systolic blood pressure decreased after intake of VOO (p = 0.001) in hypertensive patients. No changes were observed in diastolic blood pressure, glucose, lipids, and antibodies against oxidized LDL. Consumption of VOO, rich in PC, could provide beneficial effects in CHD patients as an additional and complementary intervention to the pharmacological treatment.

Differential effects of 2'-deoxyguanosine on peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation in healthy donors and Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients.

The aim of this study was to determine possible differences in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) proliferation of healthy donors and Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients and whether a statistical approach to cell proliferation analysis might be used to discern the differences. The effect of a wide range of 2'-deoxyguanosine (dGuo) concentrations (0-1250 microM) on the mitogen-induced proliferation of PBMC was studied in healthy donors and Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients. Activity levels of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) and adenosine deaminase (ADA) in PBMC were also measured. For the first time in a study of these models of dGuo toxicity in vitro, the analysis of polynomial trends of orders from 1 to 7 was applied to evaluate cell proliferation. A dose-dependent inhibition of mitogen-induced PBMC proliferation was observed in both groups. Data for linear trend established that PBMC from Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients were more sensitive to dGuo toxicity than PBMC from healthy donors. A positive quadratic trend at low dGuo doses was found in the cell proliferation of Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients. A decrease in PNP activity (P < 0.025) and an increase in ADA activity (P < 0.005) was observed in PBMC of Hashimoto's thyroiditis group. The differences in PBMC proliferation subjected to dGuo toxicity between the two groups could be related with the distinct pattern of purine salvage enzymes observed.

Response of oxidative stress biomarkers to a 16-week aerobic physical activity program, and to acute physical activity, in healthy young men and women.

Physical activity (PA) is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, and may favorably modify the antioxidant-prooxidant balance. This study assessed the effects of aerobic PA training on antioxidant enzyme activity, oxidized LDL concentration, and LDL resistance to oxidation, as well as the effect of acute PA on antioxidant enzyme activity before and after the training period. Seventeen sedentary healthy young men and women were recruited for 16 weeks of training. The activity of superoxide dismutase in erythrocytes (E-SOD), glutathione peroxidase in whole blood (GSH-Px), and glutathione reductase in plasma (P-GR), and the oxidized LDL concentration and LDL composition, diameter, and resistance to oxidation were determined before and after training. Shortly before and after this training period they also performed a bout of aerobic PA for 30 min. The antioxidant enzyme activity was also determined at 0 min, 30 min, 60 min, 120 min, and 24 h after both bouts of PA. Training induces an increase in GSH-Px (27.7%), P-GR (17.6%), and LDL resistance to oxidation, and a decrease in oxidized LDL (-15.9%). After the bout of PA, an increase in E-SOD and GSH-Px was observed at 0 min, with a posterior decrease in enzyme activity until 30-60 min, and a tendency to recover the basal values at 120 min and 24 h. Training did not modify this global response pattern. Regular PA increases endogenous antioxidant activity and LDL resistance to oxidation, and decreases oxidized LDL concentration; 30 min of aerobic PA decreases P-GR and B-GSH-Px activity in the first 30-60 min with a posterior recovery.

Captopril test and renal duplex scanning for the primary screening of renovascular disease.

To evaluate the utility of renal duplex scanning and the captopril test in the detection and functional assessment of renovascular disease, by comparing their results with those of angiography and captopril isotopic renography (CIR). Sixty hypertensive patients with aortoiliac disease and 16 with clinically suspected renovascular hypertension (RVH) were included. All the patients underwent renal duplex scanning prior to angiography. In addition, isotopic renograms and a determination of peripheral plasma renin activity (PRA) at baseline and 60 min after oral intake of 50 mg of captopril were both performed. A postcaptopril PRA > 5.7 ng/mL/h was considered as diagnostic of a positive captopril test. On the basis of the results of the angiography and isotopic renograms, all the patients were classified into three groups: group I (n = 33), essential hypertension (EHT); group II (n = 20), hypertension and angiographic RAS > 60% but negative CIR; and group III (n = 24), RAS > 60% and positive CIR. This last condition was considered as highly suspicious for RVH. Renal duplex scanning showed greater accuracy than captopril PRA or CIR for detecting RAS > 60% (groups II and III) with 87.3% versus 52.4% and 45.3% sensitivity (S), and 91.5% versus 84.4% and 92.8% specificity (Sp), respectively. The captopril test correctly identified 44 of 51 EHT patients (groups I and II) and 20 of 23 highly suspected of RVH (group III) with 87% S, 86.5% Sp, 74.1% PPV, and 93.6% NPV. Accuracy was further increased when a combined approach (renal duplex scanning and captopril test) was followed (82.6% S, 93.7% Sp, 86.4 PPV, and 91.8 NPV). In our study, renal duplex scanning was a useful screening method for detecting anatomical RAS. A combination of both renal duplex scanning and captopril test may be an appropriate approach to the primary screening for RVH, thereby permitting the selection of those patients indicated for angiography.

Scientific aspects that justify the benefits of the Mediterranean diet: mild-to-moderate versus heavy drinking.

The Mediterranean diet is now recognized as being both limited in toxicity and abundant in nutrient and non-nutrient protective factors. A large body of basic, clinical and epidemiological studies have been developed in recent years to provide evidence of the benefits of the Mediterranean diet or its components on health. Evidence-based medicine ranks randomized controlled clinical trials as providing the highest level of evidence and expert opinions the lowest. On the basis of these criteria, the current state of knowledge about Mediterranean diet in primary and secondary prevention of disease and mortality and morbidity as functions of the amount of alcoholic beverage consumption, is reviewed. Efficacy versus effectiveness, the role of basic and animal research, and bioavailability studies providing evidence is also discussed.

Differential expression of double-band apolipoprotein(a) phenotypes in healthy Spanish subjects detected by SDS-agarose immunoblotting.

A sodium dodecyl sulphate-agarose apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] phenotyping method was set up to attain accurate scanning densitometry of proteins. Serum samples from 99 healthy Spanish men were analysed and twenty-five different apo(a) isoforms (12 to 37 kringle 4 repeats) were detected. Double-band phenotypes accounted for 39.4% (n = 39) and three different patterns of protein expression were identified: pattern A (20.5% of double-band phenotyped samples) predominantly expressed the highest molecular weight isoform; pattern B (53.9%) mainly the lowest molecular weight isoform, and pattern AB (25.6%), expressed both isoforms equally. A significant linear association between expression pattern and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] concentration > or = 0.30 g/l was observed. Single-band phenotyped samples (n = 60) were stratified according to apo(a) kringle 4 repeat categories and showed that 90% of isoforms < 20 K4 repeats had high Lp(a) concentrations (> or = 0.30 g/l), whereas isoforms with 20 to 24 or more than 24 kringle 4 repeats had Lp(a) concentrations > or = 0.30 g/l in 47% and 14%, respectively. A logistic regression model was fitted to test the association between apo(a) size, expression pattern and Lp(a) concentration. In this model, apo(a) isoform < 25 kringle 4 repeats was significantly associated with serum Lp(a) concentration > or = 0.30 g/l in both single and double-band phenotyped samples (odds ratio = 8.9, p < 0.001). In the latter, a differential expression pattern with respect to smaller size isoforms (pattern AB vs A) was significantly associated with Lp(a) concentration > or = 0.30 g/l (odds ratio = 17.97, P = 0.045). Heterogeneity in protein apo(a) size expressed according to kringle 4 repeat number could be categorized in heterozygous phenotypes as three patterns. When small-sized isoform was expressed (pattern B) or both isoforms were equally expressed (pattern AB), the probability of having Lp(a) > or = 0.30 g/l is higher.