Effect of two bakery products on short-term food intake and gut-hormones in young adults: a pilot study.

The aim of this study is to compare the effect of conventional bread and a whole grain bread on appetite and energy intake, satiety and satiety gut-hormones. A randomized controlled crossover pilot study was carried out in 11 university students (age: 18.7 ± 0.9 years; body mass index: 22.7 ± 2.7 kg/m(2)). Participants consumed two different mid-morning cereal-based snacks, including a conventional or whole grain bread. Two testing days were completed, including satiety questionnaires, blood sampling and consumption of standardized breakfast, mid-morning test-snacks and ad libitum lunch. Several gut-hormones were analysed and satiation was assessed using Visual Analogue Scale scores. The consumption of whole grain bread increased satiety perception, decreased the remained energy intake during the testing day, and decreased the postprandial response of peptide YY, compared with conventional bread (p < 0.005). These data suggest that the consumption of whole grain bread might be a useful strategy to improve satiety.

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) is a downstream mediator for TGF-beta1-induced extracellular matrix production in osteoblasts.

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) is a cysteine-rich, extracellular matrix (ECM) protein that acts as an anabolic growth factor to regulate osteoblast differentiation and function. Recent studies have identified CTGF as a downstream effector of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) for certain functions in specific cell types. In this study, we examined the role of CTGF as a downstream mediator of TGF-beta1-induced ECM production and cell growth in osteoblasts. Using primary cultures, we demonstrated that TGF-beta1 is a potent inducer of CTGF expression in osteoblasts, and that this induction occurred at all stages of osteoblast differentiation from the proliferative through mineralization stages. TGF-beta1 treatment of osteoblasts increased the expression and synthesis of the ECM components, collagen and fibronectin. When CTGF-specific siRNA was used to prevent TGF-beta1 induction of CTGF expression, it also inhibited collagen and fibronectin production, thereby demonstrating the requirement of CTGF for their up-regulation. To examine the effects of TGF-beta1 on osteoblast cell growth, cultures were treated with TGF-beta1 during the proliferative stage. Cell number was significantly reduced and the cells exhibited a decrease in G1 cyclin expression, consistent with TGF-beta1-induced cell-cycle arrest. Cultures transfected with CTGF siRNA prior to TGF-beta1 treatment showed an even greater reduction in cell number, suggesting that TGF-beta1-induced growth arrest is independent of CTGF in osteoblasts. Collectively, these data demonstrate for the first time that CTGF is an essential downstream mediator for TGF-beta1-induced ECM production in osteoblasts, but these two growth factors function independently regarding their opposing effects on osteoblast proliferation.

[Preseptal and orbital cellulitis in childhood: response to intravenous antibiotics]. / Celulitis preseptal y orbitaria en la infancia: respuesta a antibioterapia intravenosa.

PURPOSE: To evaluate retrospectively the response of preseptal and orbital cellulitis in children to empiric antibiotic treatment. METHOD: We included nine patients (five male and four female) admitted to our hospital between October 2002 and October 2003 because of preseptal or orbital cellulitis. RESULTS: Four patients (44.4%) responded to empiric antibiotic treatment (R); five (55.5%) did not respond (NR) and required a second antibiotic to resolve the infection. The presence of an upper respiratory infection was the most common associated disease in both groups, R and NR. However we also found two cases of acute dacryocystitis in the NR. Four patients (44.4%) were treated with cefotaxime intravenously with the infection resolving in three of these. Five patients (55.6%) were treated with cefuroxime intravenously as first empiric option, however only one patient responded. CONCLUSIONS: We found a high prevalence of acute dacryocystitis as a potential cause of the cellulitis. Children with preseptal and orbital cellulitis responded better to cefotaxime than to cefuroxime. The presence of acute dacryocystitis was associated with a lack of response to cefuroxime.

Cloning and characterization of osteoactivin, a novel cDNA expressed in osteoblasts.

Osteoblast development is a complex process involving the expression of specific growth factors and regulatory proteins that control cell proliferation, differentiation, and maturation. In this study, we used the rat mutation, osteopetrosis (op), to examine differences in skeletal gene expression between mutant op and normal littermates. Total RNA isolated from long bone and calvaria was used as a template for mRNA differential display. One of many cDNAs that were selectively expressed in either normal or mutant bone was cloned and sequenced and found to share some homology to the human nmb and Pmel 17 genes. This novel cDNA was named osteoactivin. Osteoactivin has an open reading frame of 1716 bp that encodes a protein of 572 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 63.8 kD. Protein sequence analysis revealed the presence of a signal peptide and a cleavage site at position 23. The protein also has thirteen predicted N-linked glycosylation sites and a potential RGD integrin recognition site at position 556. Northern blot analysis confirmed that osteoactivin was 3- to 4-fold overexpressed in op versus normal bone. RT-PCR analysis showed that osteoactivin is most highly expressed in bone compared with any of the other non-osseous tissues examined. In situ hybridization analysis of osteoactivin in normal bone revealed that it is primarily expressed in osteoblasts actively engaged in bone matrix production and mineralization. In primary rat osteoblast cultures, osteoactivin showed a temporal pattern of expression being expressed at highest levels during the later stages of matrix maturation and mineralization and correlated with the expression of alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin. Our findings show that osteoactivin expression in bone is osteoblast-specific and suggest that it may play an important role in osteoblast differentiation and matrix mineralization. Furthermore, osteoactivin overexpression in op mutant bone may be secondary to the uncoupling of bone resorption and formation resulting in abnormalities in osteoblast gene expression and function.

Changes in the nutritive utilization of protein induced by Mg deficiency in rats.

We studied the effect of an Mg-deficient diet (20 mg Mg/100 g diet) on the nutritive utilization of dietary protein in Wistar rats after 7, 35, 42, 49, 63, and 70 days. Magnesium deficiency significantly increased fecal and urinary excretion of nitrogen, leading to a decrease in apparent absorption and balance of nitrogen. In Mg-deficient animals, the plasma concentration of total protein was significantly lower than in control rats. The results indicate that Mg deficiency can reduce the nutritive utilization of protein, an effect that may contribute to the appearance of the malnutrition syndrome in rats given an Mg-deficient diet.

Presence and biomagnification of organochlorine pollutants and heavy metals in mammals of Doñana National Park (Spain), 1982-1983.

The existence of 11 organochlorine compounds and five heavy metals in the liver and muscle of 57 members of 10 species of mammals, all from Doñana National Park (Spain), has been investigated. Five organochlorine compounds have been found and the five heavy metals were present in the samples. The biomagnification of organochlorines is shown. The detected concentrations for each trophic rank seem not to influence unfavourably on the population stability of the species. The rabbit is proposed as a monitor species for future studies in pollution at Doñana National Park.

Mercury in human hair: a study of residents in Madrid, Spain.

The mercury content in hair of the population in Madrid (chosen randomly) was in the range of 1.29-129.47 micrograms/g (geometric mean = 7.96 micrograms/g). The mean mercury content in hair of occupationally exposed workers was 12.70 micrograms/g (range = 2.91-65.43 micrograms/g). The highest means, which were found in two families (i.e., 67.89 micrograms/g and 92.47 micrograms/g, Families A and B, respectively), probably resulted from external factors. No statistically significant variations in the mercury concentrations in hair were found with regard to sex, age, or dental fillings. A significant correlation (r = 0.785; P less than .01) was found between the concentration of the total mercury found in nursing infants and their mothers.