MR arthrography is slightly more accurate than conventional MRI in detecting TFCC lesions of the wrist.

INTRODUCTION: In case of clinical suspicion of triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) injury, different imaging techniques are used. The aim of this study was to determine whether MRA is superior to MRI and whether 3.0 T is better than 1.5 T (expresses in sensitivity, specificity and accuracy) in detecting TFCC injury, using arthroscopy as the gold standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The arthroscopic and MR findings of 150 patients who underwent arthroscopy for ulnar-sided wrist pain between January 2009 and November 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: MRA was slightly more accurate compared to conventional MRI, and 1.5 T was slightly more accurate than 3.0 T. 1.5 T wrist MRA had a sensitivity of 80%, a specificity of 100% and accuracy of 90%; 3.0 T wrist MRA 73, 100 and 86%, resp. Conventional 1.5 T wrist MRI had a sensitivity of 71%, a specificity of 75% and accuracy of 73%. For 3.0 T conventional MRI, this was 73, 67 and 70%, resp. CONCLUSIONS: MRA seems slightly superior to conventional MRI, but one could question whether this difference in diagnostic accuracy outweighs the burden and risks of an invasive procedure for patients with its additional costs. Furthermore, we could not confirm the superiority of 3 T compared to 1.5 T.

Skeletal muscle mass and quality as risk factors for postoperative outcome after open colon resection for cancer.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of colorectal cancer in the elderly is increasing and, therefore, surgical interventions with a risk of potential complications are more frequently performed. This study investigated the role of low skeletal muscle mass (sarcopenia), muscle quality, and the sarcopenic obesity as prognostic factors for postoperative complications and survival in patients with resectable colon cancer. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 91 consecutive patients who underwent an elective open colon resection for cancer with primary anastomosis between 2011 and 2013. Skeletal muscle mass was measured as total psoas area (TPA) and total abdominal muscle area (TAMA) at three anatomical levels on the preoperative CT scan. Skeletal muscle quality was measured using corresponding mean Hounsfield units (HU) for TAMA. Their relation with complications (none vs one or more), severe complications, and survival was analyzed. RESULTS: The study included 91 patients with a mean age of 71.2 ± 9.7 years. Complications were noted in 55 patients (60 %), of which 15 (16.4 %) were severe. Lower HU for TAMA, as an indicator for impaired skeletal muscle quality, was an independent risk factor for one or more complications (all P ≤ 0.002), while sarcopenic obesity (TPA) was an independent risk factor for severe complications (all P ≤ 0.008). Sarcopenia was an independent predictor of worse overall survival (HR 8.54; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.07-68.32). CONCLUSION: Skeletal muscle quality is a predictor for overall complications, whereas sarcopenic obesity is a predictor for severe postoperative complications after open colon resection for cancer. Sarcopenia on itself is a predictor for worse overall survival.

Carotenoid bioavailability in humans from tomatoes processed in different ways determined from the carotenoid response in the triglyceride-rich lipoprotein fraction of plasma after a single consumption and in plasma after four days of consumption.

Tomatoes are the main dietary source of lycopene, and the bioavailability of lycopene from tomato paste is higher than that from fresh tomatoes. We investigated systematically the effect of mechanical homogenization and heating on the bioavailability of carotenoids from canned tomatoes. Further, we compared the carotenoid response in triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRL) after single consumption with the change in fasting plasma carotenoid concentrations after 4 d of daily consumption. In a split plot design, 17 men and women consumed tomatoes which had received minimal additional heating and 16 others consumed extensively additionally heated tomatoes (1 h at 100 degrees C). These tomatoes were not, mildly or severely homogenized. The tomato products were consumed daily (ca. 22 mg/d lycopene) for 4 d. Eleven participants provided postprandial blood samples on the d 1 and all gave fasting blood samples on d 1 and 4. Homogenization enhanced the lycopene response significantly (P<0.05) both in TRL [mean areas under the curves: 54.9, 72.0 and 88.7 nmol. h/L (SE 11.0) for not, mildly and severely homogenized tomatoes, respectively] and in plasma [mean changes: 0.19, 0.22 and 0.23 micromol/L (SE 0.009), respectively]. Additional heating also tended to enhance the lycopene responses in TRL (P = 0.14) and plasma (P = 0.17). Similar effects to those for lycopene were found for beta-carotene. We conclude that the intactness of the cellular matrix of tomatoes determines the bioavailability of carotenoids and that matrix disruption by mechanical homogenization and/or heat treatment enhances the bioavailability. The carotenoid response in plasma after 4 d intervention can be used to compare the bioavailability of carotenoids from different foods.

The vitamin E nutritional status of rats fed on diets high in fish oil, linseed oil or sunflower seed oil.

Twelve groups of eight rats and two control groups of sixteen rats were given semisynthetic diets with 40% energy as fat for a period of 76 d. All diets contained a minimum of 3% energy as linoleic acid and comparable basal levels of D-alpha- and D-gamma-tocopherol. The diets varied in fat composition and in the content of DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate. The diets high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were either rich in fish oil (FO; groups 1-4; 10% energy as fish oil PUFA), linseed oil (LN; groups 1-4; 10% energy as alpha-linolenic acid) or sunflower seed oil (SF; groups 1-4; 10 + 3% energy as linoleic acid). The control groups were given a diet high in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA; CO 1; 10 + 13% energy as oleic acid) or a diet with an 'average' linoleic acid content (CO 2; 8.5% energy as linoleic acid). Of each high PUFA diet three groups were supplemented with graded levels of DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate. Steatitis, a sensitive histopathological indicator of vitamin E deficiency in animals fed on diets rich in fatty acids with three or more double bonds, was observed only in the adipose tissue of the FO groups, even in the group with the highest DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate supplementation. Liver and serum alpha-tocopherol levels were found to be positively correlated and liver and serum gamma-tocopherol levels negatively correlated with dietary DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate. The groups on the FO diets had significantly reduced liver and serum tocopherol levels in comparison with the groups on the other high-PUFA diets. With the supplementation scheme used for the FO groups the liver alpha-tocopherol levels of both control groups were reached but the serum control levels were not.

Quantitative HPLC analysis of the level of fecapentaenes and their precursors in human feces by a chemical conversion method.

A fast and reliable hplc method for the quantitative analysis of total fecapentaene-12 (FP-12 and its precursors) and total fecapentaene-14 (FP-14 and its precursors) in human feces is described. The analysis is based on the rapid chemical conversion of fecapentaenes and their precursors to more stable methoxytetraenols and the use of synthetic, not naturally occurring, fecapentaene-13 (FP-13) as an internal standard. The synthesis and physical properties of this internal standard are described. The convenience and reproducibility of the method were illustrated by applying the procedure to stool samples obtained from twelve individuals on 3 consecutive days. Levels of total FP's were in the range of 0.1-25.4 micrograms for total FP-12 and 0.1-8.5 micrograms for total FP-14 per g of wet feces. Appreciable fluctuations were observed between levels in samples from the same individual on different days. Reproducibility and recovery were shown to be good.

Effect of dietary fat composition on the metabolism of triacylglycerol-rich plasma lipoproteins in the postprandial phase in meal-fed rats.

Rats conditioned to eating fixed-size meals (meals at 7 AM and 7 PM), consuming diets rich in palm oil or sunflower seed oil, were used to study the metabolism of chylomicrons and hepatic very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) as a function of time after meal consumption. Rats fed a palm oil diet had higher serum triacylglycerol levels at 7 AM, before the meal (1.96 +/- 0.25 mM vs. 1.09 +/- 0.09 mM) and reached higher levels postprandially (4.32 +/- 0.48 mM vs. 2.87 +/- 0.18 mM) than sunflower seed oil-fed animals, due to higher levels of hepatic VLDL (at 7 AM) and higher levels of chylomicrons and hepatic VLDL (in the postprandial phase). These differences in serum triacylglycerol concentrations between the diets tested were found not to be due to differences in hepatic VLDL triacylglycerol secretion (similar rate for both dietary groups and not very much affected by meal consumption) or chylomicron triacylglycerol secretion (similar response profiles on both diets), pointing towards differences in plasma triacylglycerol catabolism. Subsequent double-label studies on triacylglycerol catabolism of chylomicrons from palm oil- and sunflower seed oil-fed animals in chow-fed recipients showed that palm oil triacyglycerol is catabolized slower than sunflower seed oil triacylglycerol. Furthermore, activities of postheparin plasma lipoprotein lipase tended to be higher in sunflower seed oil-fed animals. From these data we conclude that the relative hypertriglyceridemia found in palm oil-fed animals is due to less efficient catabolism and not to increased synthesis of plasma triacylglycerol.