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.

Position paper on vegetarian diets from the working group of the Italian Society of Human Nutrition.

BACKGROUND: Interest in vegetarian diets is growing in Italy and elsewhere, as government agencies and health/nutrition organizations are emphasizing that regular consumption of plant foods may provide health benefits and help prevent certain diseases. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a Pubmed search, up to September, 2015, for studies on key nutrients (proteins, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D, and n-3 fatty acids) in vegetarian diets. From 295 eligible publications the following emerged: Vegetarians should be encouraged to supplement their diets with a reliable source of vitamin B12 (vitamin-fortified foods or supplements). Since the plant protein digestibility is lower than that of animal proteins it may be appropriate for vegetarians to consume more proteins than recommended for the general population. Vegetarians should also be encouraged to habitually consume good sources of calcium, iron and zinc - particularly vegetables that are low in oxalate and phytate (e.g. Brassicaceae), nuts and seeds, and calcium-rich mineral water. Calcium, iron, and zinc bioavailability can be improved by soaking, germination, and sour-dough leavening that lower the phytate content of pulses and cereals. Vegetarians can ensure good n-3 fatty acid status by habitually consuming good sources of a-linolenic acid (walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and their oils) and limiting linoleic acid intake (corn and sunflower oils). CONCLUSIONS: Well-planned vegetarian diets that include a wide variety of plant foods, and a reliable source of vitamin B12, provide adequate nutrient intake. Government agencies and health/nutrition organizations should provide more educational resources to help Italians consume nutritionally adequate vegetarian diets.

Pyrolytic carbon coating enhances Teflon and Dacron fabric compatibility with endothelial cell growth.

Compatibility with endothelial cell attachment and growth appears to be an important requisite of vascular prosthetic materials, possibly influencing thrombosis, pseudointimal hyperplasia, and accelerated atherosclerosis at the site of blood-material interaction. Since deposition of pyrolytic carbon (PC) on prosthetic surfaces has been associated with enhanced hemocompatibility, in the present study we assessed whether a thin layer (0.5 microns) of PC deposited onto materials such as knitted Teflon and Dacron enhanced endothelial cell attachment and growth. Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were seeded at a density of 4.5 x 10(4) cells/cm2 on PC-coated and uncoated grafts. In order to quantify endothelial cell attachment on the fabrics, the area of Teflon and Dacron fabrics covered by endothelial cells was estimated on day 2 after seeding using the point counting method in scanning electron micrographs. Subsequently, on days 2 and 4 after seeding, endothelial cell proliferation was measured both as number of endothelial cells and as total proteins of the endothelial cells covering the fabrics. On day 2 endothelial cell growth on PC-coated fabrics was greater (mean +/- SE; area 42.3 +/- 9.9 mm2, n = 6; cell number 3.9 x 10(4) +/- 3.03 x 10(3) cells, n = 4; total proteins 14.9 +/- 1.2 micrograms, n = 4) than on uncoated fabrics (area 10.6 +/- 4.6 mm2, n = 6; cell number 2.9 x 10(4) +/- 4.3 x 10(3) cells, n = 4; total proteins 11.3 +/- 1.7 micrograms, n = 4; P less than 0.001, less than 0.05 and less than 0.05, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Immunologic detection of endothelial cells in human whole blood.

In this report we show that human endothelial cells (EC) can be detected in circulating blood by means of the EC-specific monoclonal antibody (MoAb) designated as CLB-HEC 19 and expressed quantitatively as number of cells per milliliter of whole blood. We first developed a method that was able to recover cultured human EC added to whole blood by Percoll density gradient centrifugation. The final recovery of the EC was 91.6% (SE = 0.65%). The EC were identified in the gradient subfractions by indirect immunofluorescence with the MoAb CLB-HEC 19. This method was then applied to the separation and characterization of EC or EC remnants from the whole arterial and venous blood taken from two groups of patients subjected to heart catheterization. Firstly, a preliminary blood screening of random samples was performed in a group of eight patients (group I) using a scoring evaluation for the presence of EC and the results were expressed as positivity index. Secondly, the complete blood screening of a group of ten patients (group II) was performed for the detection of immunofluorescent cells and the results were expressed as number of EC per milliliter of whole blood. Our results show in both group I and II a significant presence of EC in the blood after catheterization compared with their basal values. The minimal detectable concentration of EC was 0.06 cells/mL (SE = 0.057) of whole blood. We consider this technique as a suitable clinical test for the detection of EC injury in cardiovascular pathology.

Superoxide production by human umbilical vein endothelial cells in an anoxia-reoxygenation model.

Ischaemia/reperfusion of cardiac tissue has been claimed to be associated with the production of oxygen free radicals, which can contribute to severe membrane damage and tissue injury. We investigated the effects of anoxia/reoxygenation treatment on superoxide radical production in an in vitro system consisting of preconfluent and confluent human endothelial cell monolayers. The influence of varying the anoxia and reoxygenation phases on superoxide production was studied. As a test of cytotoxicity, the release of the cytosolic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase in the culture medium was measured before and at 0, 24 and 48 h after anoxia-reoxygenation. Cellular damage was monitored by microscopic examination of the cultures during and after the experiments and by the expression of the von Willebrand protein and of the membrane glycoprotein IIa by indirect immunofluorescence with specific monoclonal antibodies. Our results show that the endothelial cells subjected to anoxia-reoxygenation release superoxide anions, as revealed by superoxide dismutase inhibitable cytochrome C reduction. Free radical production is dependent on cell confluent or preconfluent state and on both anoxia and reoxygenation duration. Free radical release does not seem to be accompanied by manifest cellular alteration.

Separation of human endothelial cells from fibroblasts by centrifugation in Percoll gradients.

Human endothelial cells from the umbilical vein and skin fibroblasts can be separated by means of centrifugation in a density gradient of Percoll. Cells show a good recovery in culture. Viability is not impaired.

A simple polynomial model of the growth of the gastro-intestinal tract in the mouse embryo.

The growth in volume of the epithelium and mesenchyme of the intestine and stomach was estimated in mouse embryos aged between 11.6 days after fertilization and birth, by means of a morphometric technique. The findings on the growth in volume of the stomach confirm the results obtained for the intestine: the epithelium grows faster than the mesenchyme and the retardation rate of the former exceeds that of the latter. In roughly the same period, the relative increase in volume is much greater for the epithelium of the intestine than for that of the stomach. However, the relative increase in volume of the mesenchyme of the intestine is similar to that of the gastric mesenchyme. A set of data can often be described by several regression equations, the choice of the function depending on the investigator's purpose and knowledge of the process under study. The growth data were first fitted by exponential and then by polynomial functions. Both fits permit an accurate linear representation of the results, but only the polynomial description permits the expression of properties like summation and the introduction of the beginning of the growth process into the growth equation as an additional parameter. Furthermore, while the specific growth rates given by the exponential model slow down with a constant rate of decrease, those given by the polynomial model seem to reach an exponential retardation. This is in accordance with other growth concepts formulated in the past.

Quantitative aspects of the embryonic growth of the intestine and stomach.

The increase in the volume of the intestine and stomach with time was estimated in mouse embryos by means of a morphometric technique. The specific growth rate of the intestine is constant until birth, whereas that of the stomach decreases by a constant amount in time. Evidence is given that the growth of both these organs is a continuous process in the period under study; growth models based on exponential phases separated by breaks were not confirmed. A methodological criticism relating to the effect of skew sectioning in the estimation of the intestinal length and cross sectional area is put forward.