[Effects of pharmacological doses of polyunsaturated fatty acids of the series 3 on the concentration of plasma lipoproteins]. / Influencia de las dosis farmacológicas de ácidos grasos poliinsaturados de la serie-3 sobre la concentración de lipoproteínas plasmáticas.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of death in developed countries. Its incidence may be modified through dietary changes, this being supported by the low incidence of the disease among populations with high intake of fatty fishes. The aim of this work was to study the modifications on plasmatic levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids omega 3 after an additional supply of fish oils and to assess its effect on the metabolism of lipids and lipoproteins. The study was conducted on 8 healthy volunteers, their age ranging between 24 and 37 years. They received, during 30 days and in tablets of 500 mg, 7.5 gr/24 h of fish oil concentrate which supplied 2.5 gr/24 h of fatty acids omega 3. After 12 hours of fasting, blood samples were taken before and after the intake of this concentrate. Methyl esters from fatty acids omega 3 were assessed through gas chromatography; cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, VLDL, HDLt, HDL2 and HDL3, through several enzymatic techniques; and lipoprotein(a) Lp(a), through ELISA. The statistical analysis was conducted using the Student's method for matched data. After 30 days of supplement, we observed: a significant increase in the plasmatic percentage of fatty acids omega 3 (EPA + DHA) along with a significant decrease of triglycerides, VLDL and HDL3 and a significant increase of HDL2, We did not observe any significant changes in cholesterol, LDL and HDLt. With respect to Lp(a), after one month of dietary supplement, its plasmatic levels did not change. Our results supports the clinical usefulness of the dietary supplementation with fatty acid omega 3 for the management of hypertriglyceridemias.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Effects of dietary oil (olive/sunflower) on the plasmatic apolipoprotein profile]. / Efectos del aceite de la dieta (oliva/girasol) sobre el perfil lipo-apoproteico plasmático.

UNLABELLED: FOUNDATIONS: The dietary oil provides a significant portion of the caloric intake in the form of fat, although there is some controversy with respect to the potential positive action of each type of oil. In this study, the effect on the lipo-apoprotein profile of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) provided by olive oil and the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) provided by girasol oil are compared in a population with high risk of arteriosclerosis, as it is the aged population. METHODOLOGY: 44 aged patients living in the same institution, 21 males and 23 females (age: 79 +/- 6 years), and following two different diets during 3 months, with olive and girasol oils, respectively, participated in the study. Both diets were isocaloric: 2.300 kcal/day, 17% proteins, 33% lipids (30 g/day of oil), and 50% carbohydrates. Plasmatic concentrations of cholesterol (C), triglycerides (TG), c-LDL, c-VLDL, c-HDL2, c-HDL3 and lipoprotein a (Lp[a]), as well as apoproteins A1, B, CII, CIII and E, were assessed. Applied statistics: Student's t test for matched samples. RESULTS: C and TG plasmatic levels did not changed, whereas levels of c-LDL decreased significantly, as well as levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (135 +/- 43 and 124 +/- 33 mg/dl., p < 0.009) and levels of apo B (151 +/- 47 and 139 +/- 36 mg/dl., p < 0.009). Levels of c-HDL increased significantly (49 +/- 14 and 52 +/- 16 mg/dl., p < 0.01) as well as levels of apo A1 (190 +/- 32 and 205 +/- 41 mg/dl., p < 0.01). Levels of apo CIII (8.2 +/- 2.8 and 9.9 +/- 3.2 mg/dl., p < 0.008) and apo E (3.2 +/- 1.1 and 3.7 +/- 0.9 mg/dl., p < 0.01) also increased in men. Women did not showed any significant variations in lipoproteins, although apo A1 and apo E increased slightly and apo B decreased, although not significantly, with the polyunsaturated fat. The levels of Lp(a) did not changed. CONCLUSIONS: In the aged population following a standard diet, without overloads, the PUFAs induced positive changes in the lipoapoprotein profile when compared to a previous diet with MUFA. Those changes were more evident in men than in women.

[Clinical remission in Cushing's disease through treatment with sodium valproate and bromocriptine]. / Remisión clínica de una enfermedad de Cushing mediante tratamiento combinado con valproato sódico y bromocriptina.

A patient suffering Cushing disease is presented in whom the administration of ciproheptadine, bromocriptine and sodium valproate in a single dose did not manage to control the clinical-biologic manifestations of the process. Combined treatment with 1.200 mg/day of sodium valproate and 15 mg/day of bromocriptine induced a complete clinical-biological remission, being arterial pressure the last parameter to normalize. The patient who has always refused to undergo surgery has stayed with this treatment for three years, maintaining remission and without appearance of side effects. On two occasions (after one and a half years and after two and half years) the transitory interruption of treatment induced in a few weeks an increase in plasma cortisol levels which again normalized after treatment was re-established. There were no clinical-biological data, pharmacological tests which permitted the prediction of these therapeutic results and therefore, the therapeutic response obtained is not indicative of any specific etiological subtype of Cushing disease.