A comprehensive review of healthy effects of vegetarian diets.

AIMS: A comprehensive review comparing the effect of vegetarian (V) and non-vegetarian (NV) diets on the major cardiometabolic diseases' outcomes was performed. DATA SYNTHESIS: We performed literature research (up to December 31, 2022) of the evidence separately for vascular disease (VD), obesity (OB), dyslipidemia (Dysl), hypertension (HPT), type 2 diabetes (T2D), metabolic syndrome (MetS), analyzing only cohort studies and randomized controlled studies (RCTs) and comparing the effect of V and NV diets. Cohort studies showed advantages of V diets compared to NV diets on incidence and/or mortality risk for ischemic heart disease, overweight and OB risk. Most cohort studies showed V had lower risk of HPT and lower blood pressure (BP) than NV and V diets had positive effects on T2D risk or plasma parameters. The few cohort studies on the risk of MetS reported mixed results. In RCTs, V diets, mainly low-fat-vegan ones, led to greater weight loss and improved glycemic control than NV diets and in the only one RCT a partial regression of coronary atherosclerosis. In most RCTs, V diets significantly reduced LDL-C levels (but also decreased HDL-C levels) and BP. CONCLUSIONS: In this comprehensive review of the association between V diets and cardiometabolic outcomes, we found that following this type of diet may help to prevent most of these diseases. However, the non-uniformity of the studies, due to ethnic, cultural, and methodological differences, does not allow for generalizing the present results and drawing definitive conclusions. Further, well-designed studies are warranted to confirm the consistency of our conclusions.

Effects of three treatment modalities (diet, myoinositol or myoinositol associated with D-chiro-inositol) on clinical and body composition outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate, in overweight/obese PCOS women, which of three distinct treatment modalities achieved the greatest clinical benefits in terms of clinical and body composition outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-three polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) overweight/obese patients were randomly treated for 6 months with: only diet (Group 1, n = 21); diet and myo-inositol (MI) 4 g + folic acid 400 µg daily (group 2, n = 10); diet in association with MI 1.1 g + D-chiroinositol (DCI) 27.6 mg + folic acid 400 µg daily (group 3, n = 13). Menstrual cycle, Ferriman-Gallwey score, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-hip ratio (WHR), and body composition by bioimpedentiometry were measured at baseline, 3 and 6 months. RESULTS: Body weight, BMI, waist and hip circumferences decreased significantly in all groups. There was a significant difference between the 3 groups regarding the restoration of menstrual regularity (p = 0.02) that was obtained in all patients only in-group 3. CONCLUSIONS: MI+DCI in association with diet seems to accelerate the weight loss and the fat mass reduction with a slight increase of percent lean mass, and this treatment contributes significantly in restoring the regularity of the menstrual cycle.

Scholarly activity points: a new tool to evaluate resident scholarly productivity.

BACKGROUND: Scholarly activity is an important aspect of a resident's educational experience; however, evaluation methods have remained underdeveloped despite the increased focus over the last decade. A new scoring system is proposed as a comprehensive evaluation tool. METHODS: In this scoring system, each scholarly activity (i.e. abstracts, manuscripts, book chapters, research protocols, and research grants) are converted into a numerical score, Scholarly Activity Points (SAPs), which reflects the complexity of the project and the degree of resident's involvement. First, a relative weight value is given to each scholarly category based on its complexity (i.e. 50 points to an abstract, 150 to a manuscript). Then SAPs are calculated with modifiers specific to each scholarly activity (i.e. for an abstract, meeting venue, repeated presentation, authorship, abstract category, and awards). To demonstrate how the system works, a list of scholarly activities by anaesthesia residents graduating from a university programme between 2003 and 2010 was obtained. SAP scores of graduating classes were analysed. RESULTS: During the 2003-2010 academic years, a total of 106 residents (the mean of 13 per class, ranging from 9 to 19) graduated from the full 3 yr residency programme. The SAP system allowed statistical comparison among the graduated classes of overall scholarly productivity; significant increases were noted in the average SAPs per resident among the classes of 2009 {154 (204), [mean (sd)]} and 2010 [524 (471)] compared with those by the classes of 2003-2006 [90 (188), 45 (73), 126 (349), 83 (205), respectively]. CONCLUSIONS: A new scoring system enabled a comprehensive statistical evaluation of residents' scholarly productivity.

Body composition estimated by bioimpedance analysis in Sicilian climacteric women.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of menopause transition on body weight, and body composition in a Sicilian climacteric population. METHODS: Two hundred and nine (60 pre- and one 149 postmenopausal) untreated, healthy women were selected. Body composition was estimated by BIA101 of AKERN SRL. Body Mass Index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences were also measured. RESULTS: The mean BMI of the study population was 29.4+/-0.7. There was no significative difference between pre- and postmenopausal subjects regarding BMI (chi-squared=9.25; P=0.16), its class distribution, fat mass (FM), TBW and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). The FM was significantly more represented in pre- than in postmenopausal women (47.43+/-1.33 vs 45.02+/-0.81 kg) (P<0.01). Linear regression analysis showed a positive correlation between BMI and fat free mass (FM) percentage (chi-squares=0.7045) nevertheless among the subjects aged=or>55 years, in 57% of the normo-weight the body fat (BF) percentage was undesirably high. CONCLUSION: Climacteric changes and aging process are related to changes in body weight and fat distribution; even subjects apparently ''normo-weight'' (BMI below 25) were ''over-fat'', because revealed undesirably high BF%. Further investigation in larger population is needed to define whether BMI or BF% better predicts the risk of obesity-related diseases in climacteric Sicilian women.

[Role of green tea in oxidative stress prevention]. / Ruolo del tè verde nella prevenzione dello stress ossidativo.

OBJECTIVE: Oxidative stress is a condition caused by an increase of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) or by a shortage of the mechanisms of cellular protection and antioxidant defence. ROS have a potential oxidative effect towards various cellular macromolecules: proteins, nucleic acids, proteoglycans, lipids, with consequent damages in several cellular districts and promotion of the ageing process of the organism. However, some substances are able to prevent and/or reduce the damages caused by ROS; therefore, they are defined antioxidant. The present research studied, in a group of subjects, the antioxidant effects of the green tea, that was administered with fruit and vegetables in a strictly controlled diet. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 50 subjects were selected and requested to daily consume 2-3 fruit portions (especially pineapple), 3-5 portions of vegetables (especially tomato) and 2-3 glasses of green tea for about 2 months to integrate the controlled basic diet. Some indicators of the oxidative stress were measured in the plasma before and after the integration period. RESULTS: The integration of a basic diet with supplements of fruit, vegetables and green tea turned out to be able in increasing both plasmatic total antioxidant capacity and endogenous antioxidant levels and to reduce the lipid peroxidation of the membranes, suggesting a reduction of the oxidative stress. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that an adequate supplement of antioxidants can prevent oxidative stress and correlated pathologies.

Influence of sodium salts of saturated medium chain length (C6, C9, C10 and C12) dicarboxylic acids on the uterine horn of rat in vitro.

The influence of the sodium salt of some dicarboxylic acids (adipic acid, C6; azelaic acid, C9; sebacic acid, C10; dodecandioic acid, C12) on both spontaneous and evoked activity of uterine horn of rats has been studied in vitro. Spontaneous activity of uterine muscle was inhibited by dicarboxylic salts (DS) causing the total abolition of mechanical events at concentrations of 64 x 10(-3) M-C6, 40 x 10(-3) M-C9, 32 x 10(-3) M-C10 and 24 x 10(-3) M-C12. Dicarboxylic salts antagonized the maximal isometric contraction of the uterine horn induced by administration of acetylcholine, oxytocin or prostaglandins (PGF2 alpha). The amount of antagonism was dependent upon the concentration of DS used. Dicarboxylic salt showed an aspecific inhibitory effect on the uterine horn which progressively increased with their chain length (C12 greater than C10 greater than C9 greater than C6). The results suggested that the inhibitory effects of DS on smooth muscle could be due to a cellular membrane hyperpolarization.

[Lipid lipoperoxidation and atherosclerosis]. / Lipoperossidazione lipidica ed aterosclerosi.

The concepts of free radicals, radical reactivity and the mechanism of their production in biological systems are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the mechanisms of lipid damage by initiation, propagation and termination. The free radicals may play a part in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Effects of free fatty acids and L-carnitine on the spontaneous motility of rat isolated uterine horn.

In the present investigation the effects of free fatty acids (FFA) and L-carnitine were investigated on the rat isolated uterine horn. The cumulative addition of FFA and L-carnitine to the isolated organ bath produced a significant increase of isometric developed tension and functional activity, especially evident at 5 mM carnitine concentration. No variations in the frequency of contractions were found. These data suggest a possible role of FFA as energy source in the rat uterus.