ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: South Asians have an exceptionally high risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to white Caucasians. A contributing factor might be dysfunction of high density lipoprotein (HDL). We aimed to compare HDL function in different age groups of both ethnicities. METHODS AND RESULTS: HDL functionality with respect to cholesterol efflux, anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation was determined using fasting, apoB-depleted, plasma samples from South Asian and white Caucasian neonates (n = 14 each), adolescent healthy men (n = 12 each, 18-25 y), and adult overweight men (n = 12 each, 40-50 y). Adolescents were subjected to a 5-day high fat high calorie diet (HCD) and adults to an 8-day very low calorie diet (LCD). Additionally, HDL composition was measured in adolescents and adults using (1)H-NMR spectroscopy. Anti-oxidative capacity was lower in South Asian adults before LCD (19.4 ± 2.1 vs. 25.8 ± 1.2%, p = 0.045, 95%-CI = [0.1; 12.7]) and after LCD (16.4 ± 2.4 vs. 27.6 ± 2.7%, p = 0.001, 95%-CI = [4.9; 17.5]). Anti-inflammatory capacity was reduced in South Asian neonates (23.8 ± 1.2 vs. 34.9 ± 1.3%, p = 0.000001, 95%-CI = [-14.6; -7.5]), and was negatively affected by an 8-day LCD only in South Asian adults (-12.2 ± 4.3%, p = 0.005, 95%-CI = [-5.9; -1.2]). Cholesterol efflux capacity was increased in response to HCD in adolescents (South Asians: +6.3 ± 2.9%, p = 0.073, 95%-CI = [-0.02; 0.46], Caucasians: +11.8 ± 3.4%, p = 0.002, 95%-CI = [0.17;0.65]) and decreased after LCD in adults (South Asians: -10.3 ± 2.4%, p < 0.001, 95%-CI = [-0.57; -0.20], Caucasians: -13.7 ± 1.9%, p < 0.00001, 95%-CI = [-0.67; -0.33]). Although subclass analyses of HDL showed no differences between ethnicities, cholesterol efflux correlated best with cholesterol and phospholipid within small HDL compared to other HDL subclasses and constituents. CONCLUSION: Impaired HDL functionality in South Asians may be a contributing factor to their high CVD risk. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NTR 2473 (URL: http://www.trialregister.nl/).
Subject(s)
Asian People , Caloric Restriction , Cardiovascular Diseases/prevention & control , Cholesterol, HDL/blood , Diet, High-Fat , Obesity/diet therapy , Adolescent , Adult , Age Distribution , Antioxidants/metabolism , Apolipoprotein B-100/blood , Asia/ethnology , Biomarkers/blood , Cardiovascular Diseases/blood , Cardiovascular Diseases/diagnosis , Cardiovascular Diseases/ethnology , Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects , Humans , Infant , Inflammation Mediators/blood , Male , Middle Aged , Netherlands/epidemiology , Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular , Obesity/blood , Obesity/diagnosis , Obesity/ethnology , Phospholipids/blood , Risk Assessment , Risk Factors , Time Factors , White People , Young AdultSubject(s)
Hysterectomy/adverse effects , Uterine Prolapse/etiology , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Reoperation , Treatment Outcome , Uterine Prolapse/surgeryABSTRACT
This paper describes the evaluation of a case study of health service reform in southern Adelaide. A mail survey, interviews and focus groups were used to gain an understanding of health care providers' perceptions and experiences of reform. The paper discusses lessons learnt about health service reform and its impact on people working in the health system. It finds that continual change that is not based on a well-articulated vision is likely to lead to 'reform fatigue' and low morale. An action research approach can be used by researchers to help managers and staff understanding the context in which reform is happening, and thus give support to organisational learning.
