Adaptive changes in thyroid function of female rats fed a high-fat and low-protein diet during gestation and lactation

The percent of lipids in the western diet has been continuously increasing in the last decades and is associated with a decrease in the proportion of protein intake. Recently, we demonstrated that protein malnutrition during lactation is associated with lower body weight and thyroid hypofunction in female rats and their offspring. Our objective in the present study was to determine if a high-fat and low-protein diet was associated with similar changes. Three-month-old female Wistar rats were randomly assigned to one of the following groups with 8 animals each: high-fat and low-protein (40% lipid, 5% protein, and 55% carbohydrate of the total energy content) from the 3rd week of gestation to the end of lactation; control group - standard diet (11% lipid, 23% protein, and 66% carbohydrate of the total energy content). Food consumption and body weight were monitored daily. Serum thyrotropin and thyroid hormone concentrations were determined by specific radioimmunoassay at the end of lactation. Animals receiving high-fat and low-protein diet had a significantly lower body weight (13.9% at weaning, P < 0.05) and serum albumin (25%, P < 0.05) and thyrotropin (26.2%, P < 0.01) concentrations, and a higher serum triiodothyronine concentration (74%, P < 0.005) and 131I-thyroid uptake (77%, P < 0.005). These data show that a high-fat and low-protein diet can promote maternal thyroid hyperfunction that differs from the thyroid hypofunction observed in dams fed a low-protein diet, a phenomenon that can be of adaptive importance for pup nurturing.

One-week triple therapy with omeprazole plus azithromycin and secnidazole is ineffective in eradicating "helicobacter pylori"

Background: There is not yet consensus on the most effective treatment for the helicobacter pylori infection, particularly in most developing countries. Azithromycin is a new macrolide and relatively novel agent for H. pylori eradication with an in vitro MIC90 lower than 1 mg/ml.Secnidazole, a nitromidazole that causes fewer side effects than metronidazole, was recenty reported to be used, for the firt time, in the treatment of H. pylori infection. Aim: To evaluate, in a prospective, randomized, single-center study, the association of twodifferent doses of omeprazole, azithromycin and secnidazole in H. pylori eradication. Patients and methods: After informed consent, 55 patients (36m,19F) with duodenal ulcer associated with H. pylori infection were randomized to receive omeprazole 20mg uid (Group A) or 20mg bid (Group B) for sevem days plus azithromycin 500mg uid for six days and secnidazole 2,000mg uid in the first, fourth and seventh day. The H. pylori status was assessed before and 60-90 days posttreatment using urease test, histology and 13C-urea breath test. Statistical analysis was performed by X² test. Results: The two groups had similar demographic characteristics. Fifty-five patients (36M, 19F) were enrolled. Six patients did not show-up for the second visit posttreatment. So, of the 49 evaluable patients, 25por cento (6/24) in Group A and 44por cento(11/25) in Group B wereeradicated, in a per protocol (PP) analysis. Intetion-to-treat (ITT) eradication rates were 21,4por cento (6/28) in Group A and 40.7por cento (11/27) im Group B. The differences betweem ITT and PP analysis from the two groups were not statistically significant. Conclusions: This study shows a very low eradication rate with the two regimens comprising of omeprazole, azithromycin and secnidazole and therefore, should not be recommended for thetreatment of H. pylori infection

Application of isotope-selective non-dispersive infrared spectrometry for the evaluation of the 13C-urea breath test: comparison with three concordant methods

The aim of this work was to compare the performance of isotope-selective non-dispersive infrared spectrometry (IRIS) for the 13C-urea breath test with the combination of the 14C-urea breath test (14C-UBT), urease test and histologic examination for the diagnosis of H. pylori (HP) infection. Fifty-three duodenal ulcer patients were studied. All patients were submitted to gastroscopy to detect HP by the urease test, histologic examination and 14C-UBT. To be included in the study the results of the 3 tests had to be concordant. Within one month after admission to the study the patients were submitted to IRIS with breath samples collected before and 30 min after the ingestion of 75 mg 13C-urea dissolved in 200 ml of orange juice. The samples were mailed and analyzed 11.5 (4-21) days after collection. Data were analyzed statistically by the chi-square and Mann-Whitney test and by the Spearman correlation coefficient. Twenty-six patients were HP positive and 27 negative. There was 100 per cent agreement between the IRIS results and the HP status determined by the other three methods. Using a cutoff value of delta-over-baseline (DOB) above 4.0 the IRIS showed a mean value of 19.38 (minimum = 4.2, maximum = 41.3, SD = 10.9) for HP-positive patients and a mean value of 0.88 (minimum = 0.10, maximum = 2.5, SD = 0.71) for negative patients. Using a cutoff value corresponding to 0.800 per cent CO2/weight (kg), the 14C-UBT showed a mean value of 2.78 (minimum = 0.89, maximum = 5.22, SD = 1.18) in HP-positive patients. HP-negative patients showed a mean value of 0.37 (minimum = 0.13, maximum = 0.77, SD = 0.17). IRIS is a low-cost, easy to manage, highly sensitive and specific test for H. pylori detection. Storing and mailing the samples did not interfere with the performance of the test.

Comparison of the urease test and of direct smear examination in the control of treatment of Helicobacter pylori-induced infection

The sensitivity and specificity of the preformed urease test and of carbolfuchsin-stained smears for the diagnosis of the presence of Helicobacter pylori in gastric mucosa were evaluated before and after antimicrobial treatment. The results obtained by culture were used as the reference point. We studied 41 patients with endoscopically diagnosed duodenal ulcer. Twenty-five of these were treated with furazolidone (100 mg t.i.d.), amoxicillin (500 mg t.i.d.) and metronidazole (250 mg t.i.d.) for 5 days and then with only furazolidone (100 mg t.i.d.) for an additional 25 days. The 16 control patients were treated with cimetidine (800 mg, 4 times a day). The sensitivity of the urease test and of direct smear examination was 100 per cent before treatment and 84.6 per cent and 92.3 per cent , respectively, after treatment. We conclude that the urease test and carbolfuchsin-stained smears, which are highly sensitive for H. pylori diagnosis, present reduced sensitivity when they are employed for the follow-up of patients treated with antimicrobials