The Mediterranean Diet Is Associated with a Reduction in Premature Mortality among Middle-Aged Adults

The available large prospective studies supporting an inverse association between better adherence to the Mediterranean diet and lower mortality have mainly included older adults. It is not clear whether this inverse association is also present among younger individuals at lower mortality risk. Our aim was to assess the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and total mortality in middle-aged adults from the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) Project. We followed 15,535 Spanish university graduates for a mean of 6.8 y. Their mean age was 38 ± 12 y, 59.6% were females, and all were initially free of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. A validated FFQ was used to assess dietary habits. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was categorized into 3 groups according to the Mediterranean Diet Score (low, 0-2 points; moderate, 3-5 points; and high, 6-9 points). The outcome variable was total mortality. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate HR and 95% CI. We adjusted the estimates for sex, age, years of university education, BMI, smoking, physical activity, television watching, history of depression and baseline hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. We observed 125 deaths during 105,980 person-years of follow-up. The fully adjusted HR for moderate and high adherence were 0.58 (95% CI: 0.34, 0.99; P = 0.05) and 0.38 (95% CI: 0.21, 0.70; P = 0.002), respectively. For each 2-point increment in the Mediterranean Diet Score, the HR of death was 0.72 (95% CI: 0.58, 0.91; P = 0.006). Among highly educated, middle-aged adults, adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet was associated with reduced risk of death.     

Short-term evolution of vasovagal syncope: influence on the quality of life

To evaluate the short-term evolution and changes in the quality of life (QoL) of patients suffering from vasovagal syncope (VVS) by the application of the Short Form 36 questionnaire (SF-36) that was prospectively administrated to all consecutive patients with syncope and abnormal response to head-up tilt test. We included 167 patients (55.7% women, median age 42 years old). During a 6-month follow-up, recurrence was observed in 33 patients (19.8%). The mean recurrence-free time was 6.2+/-0.34 months. Among those patients with and without relapses, there were only differences in the previous number of syncopes (6 vs. 3, p=0.0051). Of them, 19 (11%) only presented 1 syncopal relapse and 14 (8.2%) presented more than 1. There were differences in the time until the first relapse [4 months (2.3-5.4) vs. 1.6 months (0.8-3.3), p=0.002] and an inverse correlation between the time until the appearance of recurrences and their number (r2 Spearman=-0.54, p=0.002). In just 6 months, those patients who had recurrence had a worse QoL than those who did not, in 7 dimensions of the SF-36 questionnaire. In the short-term, one in every five patients with VVS had at least 1 relapse, and if it is very early, it can recur in up to 8% of them. The QoL of these patients is correlated with the appearance of relapses.     

Effects of Spray and Stretch on Postneedling Soreness and Sensitivity After Dry Needling of a Latent Myofascial Trigger Point

Objectives

To investigate (1) the effect of spray and stretch versus control on reducing postneedling soreness of 1 latent myofascial trigger point (MTrP) and (2) whether higher levels of psychological distress are associated with increased postneedling pain intensity.

Design

A 72-hour follow-up, single-blind randomized controlled trial.

Setting

University community.

Participants

Healthy volunteers (N=70; 40 men, 30 women) aged 18 to 36 years (mean age, 21±4y) with latent MTrP in 1 upper trapezius muscle.

Intervention

All subjects received a dry needling application over the upper trapezius muscle. Then, participants were randomly divided into 2 groups: an intervention group, which received spray and stretch over the needled trapezius muscle, and a control group, which did not receive any intervention.

Main Outcome Measures

Visual analog scale (at postneedling, posttreatment, and 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72h after needling), pressure pain threshold (at preneedling, postneedling, and 24 and 48h after needling). Psychological distress was evaluated by using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised.

Results

Repeated-measures analysis of variance demonstrated a significant interaction between group and time (F_3,204.8=3.19; P<.05; η_p²=.04) for changes in postneedling soreness. Between-group differences were significant only immediately after intervention (P=.002), and there were no differences found between groups after 6 hours of the intervention (P>.05). Repeated measures of covariance showed that none of the psychological covariates affected these results. Somatization, anxiety, interpersonal sensitivity, and hostility were significantly correlated (P<.05) with postneedling pain intensity. Repeated-measures analysis of variance did not show a significant effect of spray and stretch on mechanical hyperalgesia (F_2.6,175=1.9; P=.131; η_p²=.02).

Conclusions

The spray and stretch had a short-term (<6h) effect in reducing postneedling soreness of a latent MTrP. Pressure pain threshold did not significantly change after spray and stretch. Psychological factors are related to postneedling pain.     

Olfactory bulb ensheathing glia: A unique cell type with axonal growth-promoting properties

The olfactory bulb (OB) is a structure of the central nervous system (CNS) in which axonal growth occurs throughout the lifetime of the organism. A major difference between the OB and the remaining CNS is the presence of ensheathing glia in the first two layers of the OB. Ensheathing glia display properties that might be involved in the process of regeneration and they appear to be responsible for the permissibility of the adult OB to axonal growth. In fact, transplants of ensheathing glia can be used as promoters of axonal regeneration within the adult CNS. The axonal growth-promoting properties of ensheathing glia make the study of this cell type interesting for understanding the mechanisms underlying axonal regeneration. Several groups have studied OB ensheathing cells extensively in an attempt to classify them within any of the known glial groups. However, this cell type does not exhibit the phenotypic features of any glial population described thus far. In this article we review the characteristics that differentiate ensheathing glia from other peripheral and central glial populations as well as the properties that involve them in axonal regeneration. The evidence suggests that ensheathing glia are unique, have their own identity, and do not belong to any previously described glial type. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Characterization and in vitro degradation of salicylate-derived poly(anhydride-ester microspheres)

The aim of this study was to investigate how glass transition temperature (Tg) influenced polymer microsphere formation and degradation of three chemically, similar novel salicylatebased poly(anhydride-esters): poly[1,6-bis(o-carboxyphenoxy)hexanoate] (CPH), Tg = 59 degrees C; poly[1,8-bis(o-carboxyphenoxy)octanoate] (CPO), Tg = 30 degrees C; and poly[1,10-bis(ocarboxyphenoxy) decanoate] (CPD), Tg = 27 degrees C. Microspheres of these polymers were prepared using a modified oil-in-water solvent evaporation method and processed by either resuspension or washed by centrifugation. The morphology of the microspheres determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that an extra washing step appears to increase aggregation as the Tg decreases; whereas only limited aggregation occurred in the polymer with the lowest Tg, CPD, in those not washed by centrifugation. Residual polyvinyl alcohol apparently affected the drug release rates from the microspheres by a stabilization process that produced an 8 h lag time and a 5% decrease in the amount of drug released over a 7 day period compared to microspheres washed free of PVA. These results demonstrate that salicylate-based poly(anhydride-esters) with sufficiently high Tgs, can be processed into microspheres that release salicylate over a time period amenable for drug delivery applications.     

Association of fiber intake and fruit/vegetable consumption with weight gain in a Mediterranean population

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the association between fiber intake and fruit/vegetable consumption with the likelihood of weight gain in the previous 5 y in a Mediterranean population. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of participants (5094 men and 6613 women) in a multipurpose prospective cohort (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra Study). Diet was measured by using a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire that was previously validated in Spain. We calculated the odds ratios of weight gain in the previous 5 y according to quintiles of energy-adjusted fiber intake and quintiles of energy-adjusted of fruit/vegetable consumption. We also considered the joint exposure to fiber intake and fruit/vegetable consumption. RESULTS: Multivariate-adjusted odds ratios for weight gain across quintiles 1 to 5 of fiber intake were 1.00 (reference), 0.86, 0.86, 0.70, and 0.52 (P for trend < 0.001) among men and 1.00 (reference), 0.99, 1.08, 1.05, and 0.72 (P for trend = 0.005) among women. We also observed a significant inverse association between total fruit/vegetable consumption and weight gain, but only among men (adjusted odds ratios, 0.78, 0.89, 0.70, and 0.54 for quintiles 2 to 5, P for trend < 0.001). The inverse association between fruit/vegetable consumption and weight gain in the previous 5 y was more evident among those with a high intake of total fiber, and the benefit of total fiber was more evident among those with a high consumption of fruits and vegetables. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides additional support to the inverse association between fiber or fruit/vegetable consumption and weight gain, thus emphasizing the importance of replacing some dietary compounds by such foods and fiber-rich products, which may help to avoid weight gain.     

IL-2 increased RANTES production and CD25 expression in cultured PBMCs only from antiretroviral treated HIV-1+ patients with detectable viral loads

In order to better understand the possible beneficial effects of intermittent IL-2 treatment as complement of antiretroviral therapy in HIV-1+ patients, we have measured the levels of RANTES in the supernatants and the CD25 expression in cultured PBMCs obtained from HIV-1+ individuals in presence of IL-2. The results showed a significant increases in RANTES production and in the expression of CD25+ in the cultures with IL-2 of PBMC obtained from HIV-1+ patients with a detectable viral load in comparison with both, HIV-1+ patients with no detectable viral loads and with healthy individuals. These results suggest that therapeutic IL-2 administered in addition to highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) may contribute to increase the effect of this therapy by rising both RANTES production and CD25 expression only in HIV-1+ patients with detectable viral loads.