Improvement of HDL- and LDL-cholesterol levels in diabetic subjects by feeding bread containing chitosan.

In this work we evaluated the efficacy and safety of a bread formulation containing chitosan in dyslipidemic type 2 diabetic subjects. For this purpose a total of 18 patients were allowed to incorporate to their habitual diets 120 g/day of bread containing 2% (wt/wt) chitosan (chitosan group, n= 9) or standard bread (control group, n= 9). Before the study and after 12 weeks on the modified diet, the following parameters were evaluated: body weight, plasma cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, triglyceride, and hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)). Compared with the control group, the patients receiving chitosan-containing bread decreased their mean levels of LDL-cholesterol and significantly increased their mean levels of HDL-cholesterol at the end of the study. There were no significant differences in the body weight, serum triglyceride, and HbA(1c). These results suggest that chitosan incorporated into bread formulations could improve the lipoprotein balance similar to typical biliary salts trappers, increasing the HDL- and lowering the LDL-cholesterol, without changing the triglyceride levels. These results warrant further studies over a longer period of time to evaluate if a persistent improvement in levels of lipoproteins can be attained with this strategy.

Is a significant socio-economic structural change a pre-requisite for "inital" fertility decline in the LDCs? Evidence from Thailand based on a multivariate cointegration / vector error correction modelling approach.

PIP: This study is a first attempt at placing the analysis of fertility in a temporal dynamic framework in the case of a developing Asian economy like Thailand by binding the relationship between fertility and its determinants within a cointegrated system. In this respect, the focus of this paper is to shed light on whether a significant socioeconomic structural transition is a requirement to ensure initial fertility decline. The analysis is based on the application of the dynamic time series techniques: cointegration, vector-error correction modeling, variance decompositions, and impulse response functions. The findings tend to suggest that in the complex dynamic interactions, the importance of the conventional structural hypothesis as a significant factor in reducing fertility in the longer term cannot be denied. However, in the short to longer term, the results, although not fully supportive of any particular hypothesis, appear to be broadly consistent with the hypothesis highlighting the critical role of ideational or diffusion forces along the demographic factors in ensuring initial fertility decline than with the structural hypothesis emphasizing a significant socioeconomic structural change as a prerequisite for initial decline in fertility.^ieng

Mycophenolate mofetil immunosuppression in rat pancreas allotransplantation.

Prolongation of pancreas allograft survival has been difficult to achieve in rodent models despite use of immunosuppression regimens that successfully increase graft survival of other organs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new immunosuppressive agent, mycophenolate mofetil (MM), for its ability to prevent rejection in a rat pancreas transplant model. In addition, using congenic strains of rats, the efficacy of MM in rat pancreas transplantation was treated in the context of isolated class I or class II major histocompatibility (MHC) differences. MM in doses of 12.5 to 37 mg/kg significantly prolonged BUF to LEW heart transplant survival beyond a 14-day course of therapy thereby demonstrating its immunosuppressive efficacy. In similar pancreas transplant experiments, however, most grafts were rejected during the period of MM administration. Combination therapy with MM and cyclosporine did not extend pancreas survival beyond that achieved with MM alone (Mean Survival Time of 13.8 +/- 2.7 vs 11.7 +/- 1.6 days, respectively). Conversely, combined therapy with MM and antilymphocyte serum achieved a mean survival for BUF to LEW pancreas transplants of 52.3 +/- 24.8 days, which was significantly longer than that observed for either MM (11.7 +/- 1.6) or ALS (18.0 +/- 7.6) alone. MM therapy doubled pancreas allograft survival when used in the face of class I MHC disparity and compared to controls (19.5 +/- 1.0 vs 10.0 +/- 1.9 days) but did not prolong grafts that were disparate at only the class II locus (12.6 +/- 1.5 vs 12.0 +/- 1.2 days, respectively, for MM vs control). These data indicate that MM may not be an effective single agent immunosuppressive for pancreas transplantation except when MHC disparity is limited to the class I locus.

Prostaglandin E1 attenuation of ischemic renal reperfusion injury in the rat.

BACKGROUND: Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), a vasodilating prostaglandin, has been shown to protect against renal ischemic-reperfusion injury in acute experiments. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not delayed administration of PGE1 would also be effective, as it has been suggested to be, in ischemic hepatic injury. STUDY DESIGN: In a chronic model, rats underwent 60 minutes of total renal ischemia followed by either NaCl or PGE1 therapy delivered at either time 0, 30, or 60 minutes after reperfusion. Serum creatinine and renal histology were evaluated for seven days. In an isolated perfused kidney model, kidneys were similarly treated but were removed and perfused in order to measure renal vascular resistance (VR). RESULTS: Prostaglandin E1 administration at time 0 resulted in lower creatinine values when compared with controls at both day 2 (2.1 +/- 0.4 compared with 4.2 +/- 0.9 mg/dL) and day 7 (0.9 +/- 0.1 compared with 2.3 +/- 0.8 mg/dL). Conversely, no improvement was observed when PGE1 was delayed for either 30 or 60 minutes. Renal morphology at seven days was essentially intact in PGE1-treated rats (time 0) whereas changes characteristic of acute tubular necrosis were observed in control kidneys. Ischemia caused a twofold increase in VR compared with nonischemic controls (6.18 +/- 1.12 compared with 3.45 +/- 0.66 mm Hg/mL/min/g at 20 minutes of perfusion). Prostaglandin E1-treated kidneys (time 0) had a VR that was unchanged from that calculated for nonischemic controls (3.28 +/- 0.63 compared with 3.45 +/- 0.66 mm Hg/mL/min/g at 20 minutes). CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that after total renal ischemia, PGE1 administration at reperfusion ameliorates the expected injury, whereas delayed treatment is ineffective. Decreased vascular resistance may be responsible for this protective effect.

Lipids of dermatophytes.

This investigation deals with phosphatides and fatty acid content of Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum cookie and Trichophyton mentagrophytes during different phases of growth. Total phosphatide content of these dermatophytes decreased with age, which was reflected in constituent major phosphatides. The zwitterionic and anionic phospholipids tended to maintain a constant ratio. Short chain fatty acids increased significantly with age in E. floccosum whereas these fatty acids represented a minor fraction of the total fatty acids in M. cookie and T. mentagrophytes. The ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids increased 4-fold during growth in E. floccosum, whereas this increase was marginal in M. cookie. This ratio decreased in T. mentagrophytes.