Orthorexia Nervosa in Turkish dietitians and dietetic students.

OBJECTIVES: Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) is characterized by a pathological obsession with healthy eating, and dietetic majors may have a potential risk of developing ON due to their occupation that necessitates consideration of optimal food choices. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of ON among a large sample of dietitians and dietetic students in Turkey and to investigate the association of ON with socio-demographic features and eating attitudes within the whole sample. METHODS: Participants (n=1429) completed a self-administered online survey that featured socio-demographic characteristics, the Orthorexia Nervosa Questionnaire (ORTO-11), and the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). Scores on the ORTO-11 and EAT-26 determined the prevalence of ON and disordered eating behaviors, respectively. RESULTS: The prevalence of ON among Turkish dietetic majors was 59.8% with a higher ratio in dietetic students (63.8%) than dietitians (52.9%) (P<0.001). While graduation was associated with 33.1% lower odds of ON (P=0.006), eating disorders could increase the ON risk approximately five times (P<0.001). Furthermore, the greater total and subscale (dieting, bulimia, and oral control) scores of EAT-26 were associated with higher ON tendency (P<0.001), even after adjustment for potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings may shed light on the relevance of developing strategies to reduce the prevalence of ON in the dietetic population but need to be supported by further longitudinal and prospective studies.

Effects of dietary habits and sedentary lifestyle on breast cancer among women attending the oncology day treatment center at a state university in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Certain lifestyle factors affect the risk of developing breast cancer. Especially, diet and physical activity play a primary role in preventing breast cancer. However, the results of studies on this subject in different societies are still conflicting. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to determine the effects of dietary habits and sedentary lifestyle on breast cancer risk among women attending the Oncology Day Treatment Center at a state university in Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This case-control study was conducted in the Oncology Day Treatment Center at a state university in Turkey between December 1st, 2016 and June 1st, 2017. The case group consists of 65 women diagnosed with breast cancer, and the control group consists of 65 women without any chronic disease. The Mediterranean diet score was used to assess the dietary habits of the participants, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form was used to assess the physical activity (sedentary lifestyle) of the participants. The Shapiro-Wilk W test was used to check for normality within the distribution of scale scores. Categorical data were compared using the Chi-square test. Multivariate binary regression analysis was conducted (P < 0.05). RESULTS: The proportion of participants who received a higher score from the Mediterranean diet score was significantly lower in the case group than in the control group. The proportion of physically inactive individuals in the case group was higher than those in the control group. Body mass index (BMI) at the age of menopause was significantly higher in the case group than the control group. Those who frequently use a deep-frying cooking method to cook red meat have a 6.77 times higher breast cancer risk than those who use a stewing method. Comparing those who do not consume olive oil, or who consume olive oil rarely, once or twice a week compared with those who consume olive oil daily, it was found that the case group has 4.5 times higher risk than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Cooking red meat by a deep-frying method, lack of physical activity, having a higher BMI particularly during the postmenopausal period, and nonadherence to the Mediterranean diet are risk factors of breast cancer.

Differential physiological responses to central leptin overexpression in male and female rats.

Brains of females are more sensitive to the acute catabolic actions of leptin. However, sex differences in the long-term physiological responses to central leptin receptor modulation are unknown. Accordingly, we centrally delivered a viral vector to overexpress leptin (Leptin), a neutral leptin receptor antagonist (Leptin-Antagonist) or a green fluorescence protein (GFP) (Control). We examined chronic changes in body weight and composition in male and female rats. Females displayed greater and sustained responses to Leptin, whereas males rapidly lost physiological effects and developed leptin resistance as confirmed by lower acute leptin-mediated phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (P-STAT3). Surprisingly, despite persistent physiological responses, Leptin-females also exhibited reduced acute leptin-mediated P-STAT3, suggesting an onset of leptin resistance near time of death. In line with this interpretation, Leptin-females and Control-females consumed the same amount of food on the last day of the experiment. Both Leptin-Antagonist groups gained similar percentages of their initial body weight and fat mass, whereas only Leptin-Antagonist-females gained lean body mass. Consequently, the lean/fat mass ratio with Leptin-Antagonist was preserved in females and decreased in males, suggesting a deterioration of body composition in males. In summary, the present study establishes that females are more responsive to long-term central leptin overexpression than males and that leptin antagonism has a greater physiological impact in males. The hormone environment may have played a role in these processes; however, future studies are needed to establish whether such physiological responses are mediated by female or male sex hormones.

High dietary fructose does not exacerbate the detrimental consequences of high fat diet on basilar artery function.

The objective of the study was to determine the effects of a high fat (HF) diet alone or with high fructose (HF/F) on functional and structural changes in the basilar arteries and cardiovascular health parameters in rats. Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed either a HF (30%) or HF/F (30/40%) diet for 12 weeks. The basilar artery was cannulated in a pressurized system (90 cm H2O) and vascular responses to KCl (30 - 120 mM), endothelin (10(-11) - 10(-7) M), acetylcholine (ACh) (10(-10) - 10(-4) M), diethylamine (DEA)-NONO-ate (10(-10) - 10(-4) M), and papaverine (10(-10) - 10(-4) M) were evaluated. Rats were also monitored for food intake, body weight, blood lipids, blood pressure, and heart rate. At death, asymmetrical dimethyl arginine level (ADMA) and leptin were assayed in serum. Although there was no significant difference in weight gain and food intake, HF and HF/F diets increased body fat composition and decreased the lean mass. HF/F diet accelerated the development of dyslipidemia. Although resting blood pressure remained unchanged, stress caused a significant elevation in blood pressure and a modest increase in heart rate in HF fed rats. Both HF and HF/F diet resulted in decreased response to endothelium-dependent and -independent relaxation, whereas increased basilar artery wall thickness was observed only in HF group. Serum leptin levels positively correlated with wall thickness. Moreover serum ADMA was increased and eNOS immunofluorescence was significantly decreased with both diets. These data suggest that the presence of high fructose in a HF diet does not exacerbate the detrimental consequences of a HF diet on basilar artery function.

A study comparing the efficacy of antimicrobial agents versus enzyme (P-gp) inducers in the treatment of 2,4,6 trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid-induced colitis in rats.

The intestinal microflora is an important cofactor in the pathogenesis of intestinal inflammation; and the epithelial cell barrier function is critical in providing protection against the stimulation of mucosal immune system by the microflora. In the present study, therapeutic role of the antibacterial drugs rifampicin and ciprofloxacine were investigated in comparison to spironolactone, an enzyme inducer, in 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis of the rats. Drugs were administered for 14 days following induction of colitis. All drug treatments ameliorated the clinical hallmarks of colitis as determined by body weight loss and assessment of diarrhea, colon length, and histology. Oxidative damage and neutrophil infiltration as well as nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) expressions that were increased during colitis, were decreased significantly. Rifampicin and ciprofloxacin were probably effective due to their antibacterial and immunomodulating properties. The multidrug resistence gene (MDR1) and its product p-glycoprotein (P-gp) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In the present study, findings of the P-gp expression were inconclusive but regarding previous studies, it can be suggested that the beneficial effects of rifampicin and spironolactone may be partly due to their action as a P-gp ligand. Spironolactone has been reported to supress the transcription of proinflamatory cytokines that are considered to be of importance in immunoinflammatory diseases. It is also a powerful pregnane X receptor (PXR) inducer; thus, inhibition of the expression of NF-κB and TNF-α, and amelioration of inflammation by spironolactone suggest that this may have been through the activation of PXR. However, our findings regarding PXR expression were inconclusive. Activation of PXR by spironolactone probably also contributed to the induction of P-gp, resulting in extrusion of noxious substances from the tissue.

Synthesis of some novel azo derivatives of 3,5-dimethyl-1-(2-hydroxyethyl)pyrazole as potent analgesic agents.

A series of 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrazolylazo derivatives, incorporating thiosemicarbazide 2a-c, 1,3,4-thiadiazole 3a-c, and 1,2,4-triazole-3-thione 4a-c were synthesized. The structure of these novel synthesized compounds 2a-c, 3a-c, and 4a-c was confirmed by spectral analysis. All these compounds were screened for their analgesic activity. Hot-plate and tail-immersion tests were used for the determination of the analgesic activity. Morphine, an analgesic through both spinal and supraspinal pathways, was used as a standard test drug. All compounds were administered at a dose of 100 mg/kg i.p. Among the compounds, 2-(butylamino)-5-[((1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrazole-4-yl)azo)phenyl]-1,3,4-thiadiazole 3a and 4-[((1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrazole-4-yl)azo)phenyl]-4-(2-phenethyl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione 4c showed analgesic effects in both tests. Especially 4c exerted strong analgesia starting at 30 min after injection.

Effects of hypothermia on blood endogenous endotoxin levels during cardiopulmonary bypass.

Endotoxin activates white blood cells and complement and produces a spectrum of clinical syndromes ranging from fever to septic shock. Although production of endogenous endotoxemia during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has recently been reported, the role of hypothermia on endotoxemia is not clear. In this study, we evaluated the effects of moderate (24-28 degrees C) and mild (32-34 degrees C) hypothermia on blood endotoxin levels. The study population consisted of 20 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with CPB. Moderate systemic hypothermia was applied during aortic cross-clamping in ten patients (group 1) and mild hypothermia in the remaining ten patients (group 2). The mean rectal temperatures were 26.8 +/- 1.2 degrees C in group 1 and 33.8 +/- 0.8 degrees C in group 2. The blood samples for endotoxin level measurements were obtained before CPB, during aortic cross-clamping, immediately after the release of the cross-clamp, 20 minutes after the release of the cross-clamp, after CPB, and 2 hours postoperatively. There were no endotoxins in any of the samples before CPB, but it was detected after CPB in both groups. The endotoxin levels were significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2. The present study suggests that when hypothermia is the technique of choice, the deleterious effects of endotoxemia on patients with comorbidity must be considered.