Estimation of the intake of phenol compounds from virgin olive oil of a population from southern Spain.

The objective of the study was to determine the mean polyphenol composition of different varieties of virgin olive oil (VOO) habitually consumed in the region of southern Spain and to estimate the dietary exposure to olive oil polyphenols in that population. There were statistically significant differences in total polyphenols among varieties, with the Picual variety containing the largest amount with a mean value of 591.8 mg kg(-1). The main phenolic compounds found in the VOOs under study were tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol. The highest amounts of both substances were found in Picual olive oils with concentrations of 2.3-6.6 mg kg(-1). The total intake of polyphenols from VOO ranged between 8.2 mg day(-1) (SD = 4.14) for the under 19 year olds and 21.3 mg day(-1) (SD = 3) for the over 50 year olds. Some polyphenols, including tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, were consumed principally as olive oil. The intake of these compounds in the studied population was in the range of 88.5-237.4 µg day(-1). This has particular importance as recent studies have demonstrated that hydroxytyrosol helps to improve plasma lipids levels and repair oxidative damage related to cardiovascular disease. There was a greater dietary consumption of polyphenols in olive oil among the participants who more closely followed the Mediterranean diet pattern. A higher consumption of olive oil and therefore a greater exposure to polyphenols was observed in females versus males and in participants of normal weight versus those who were overweight. The total intake of polyphenols from VOO significantly increased with higher age, reflecting the greater intake of this oil by older people, who also show a closer adherence to the Mediterranean diet. The over 50-year-old age group showed the greatest consumption of this olive oil and therefore of phenolic compounds, which are healthy protectors in the human diet that contribute to the acknowledged benefits of the Mediterranean diet.

Spanish multicenter tafluprost tolerability study.

AIM: To evaluate the ocular surface symptoms and signs associated with preservative-free 0.0015% tafluprost in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension (OHT). METHODS: Prospective non-interventional, multicentre, observational study on 134 patients, naive or on previous treatment with another prostaglandin analogue. In each visit (V1 baseline visit, V2 at 1 month and V3 at 3 months), patients evaluated five ocular surface symptoms as: absent, mild, moderate and severe. Parallelly, the ophthalmologist assessed the tear break-up time, keratitis, conjunctival hyperaemia, blepharitis, Schirmer test and tear meniscus. RESULTS: Patients with OHT (n=71, 53%) experienced a statistically significant improvement of all symptoms: stinging/burning/irritation, itching, foreign body sensation, tearing and dryness sensation at V3, while glaucoma patients improved all symptoms at both V2 and V3. In patients with OHT, all signs except Schirmer test improved and the decrease in hyperaemia was statistically significant. Eyes with glaucoma ameliorated the keratitis, hyperaemia and tear meniscus at V2 and V3 and the break-up time and blepharitis at V3. In the subset of patients with previous treatment (n=79, 58.9%), patients with OHT presented significant improvement of hyperaemia, yet the rest of signs did not decrease significantly or remained unchanged, while in patients with glaucoma all signs improved significantly at both visits. The intraocular pressure (IOP) drop in naive eyes was 22.2% (24.7-19.7 mm Hg) in OHT and 29.5% (33.7-25.3 mm Hg) in glaucoma eyes. In previously treated eyes, no statistically significant change in IOP was found. CONCLUSION: Preservative-free tafluprost is a well tolerated hypotensive agent that can be used in eyes with surface problems and in naive eyes.

Patient persistence with first-line antiglaucomatous monotherapy.

PURPOSE: To identify the extent of persistence (period of time of continuous therapy with the drug prescribed) of glaucoma patients treated with prostaglandins (latanoprost, bimatoprost, or travoprost), or beta-blocker (timolol) monotherapy. METHODS: An observational retrospective study of a 24-month follow-up in 191 patients (from four centers) was done to identify the time elapsed until patients discontinued their antiglaucomatous treatment. The relevant information was extracted from patients' medical charts. A descriptive analysis, a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and a Cox regression model were used to determine which drug was associated with greater patient persistence and to detect variables significantly influencing persistence. RESULTS: Descriptive analysis and survival curves showed that after 24 months, latanoprost was associated with a higher persistence in glaucoma treatment than the alternative agents: 81.6% versus 22.9% for bimatoprost, 65.4% for travoprost, and 60.5% for timolol (P < 0.0001). Persistence was significantly influenced by the antiglaucoma agent used as monotherapy (with a six-fold higher risk of treatment discontinuation during the follow-up period due to receiving bimatoprost instead of latanoprost; P < 0.0001) and patient age (P = 0.001). Even though comorbidities could not be directly related to persistence, their occurrence was related to patient age. The main reasons for treatment discontinuation were lack of efficacy, development of intolerance and/or adverse events, which were significant in the bimatoprost group, 28.6% (P < 0.001) and 48.6% (P < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Latanoprost shows higher patient persistence compared with travoprost, bimatoprost, and timolol in routine clinical practice, and could lead to better control of intraocular pressure and lower associated economic costs.