The effect of Korean pine nut oil (PinnoThin™) on food intake, feeding behaviour and appetite: A double-blind placebo-controlled trial

Appetite suppressants may be one strategy in the fight against obesity. This study evaluated whether Korean pine nut free fatty acids (FFA) and triglycerides (TG) work as an appetite suppressant. Korean pine nut FFA were evaluated in STC-1 cell culture for their ability to increase cholecystokinin (CCK-8) secretion vs. several other dietary fatty acids from Italian stone pine nut fatty acids, oleic acid, linoleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, and capric acid used as a control. At 50 μM concentration, Korean pine nut FFA produced the greatest amount of CCK-8 release (493 pg/ml) relative to the other fatty acids and control (46 pg/ml). A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind cross-over trial including 18 overweight post-menopausal women was performed. Subjects received capsules with 3 g Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) nut FFA, 3 g pine nut TG or 3 g placebo (olive oil) in combination with a light breakfast. At 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180 and 240 minutes the gut hormones cholecystokinin (CCK-8), glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY) and ghrelin, and appetite sensations were measured. A wash-out period of one week separated each intervention day. CCK-8 was higher 30 min after pine nut FFA and 60 min after pine nut TG when compared to placebo (p < 0.01). GLP-1 was higher 60 min after pine nut FFA compared to placebo (p < 0.01). Over a period of 4 hours the total amount of plasma CCK-8 was 60% higher after pine nut FFA and 22% higher after pine nut TG than after placebo (p < 0.01). For GLP-1 this difference was 25% after pine nut FFA (P < 0.05). Ghrelin and PYY levels were not different between groups. The appetite sensation "prospective food intake" was 36% lower after pine nut FFA relative to placebo (P < 0.05). This study suggests that Korean pine nut may work as an appetite suppressant through an increasing effect on satiety hormones and a reduced prospective food intake.     

Inhaled nitric oxide in infants with developing or established chronic lung disease

The effect on gas exchange of increasing concentrations of nitric oxide (0-60 parts per million) added to the inspired gases of nine ventilator-dependent infants (median postnatal age = 4 weeks; range 2-16 weeks) with chronic lung disease and pathological oxygenation index values was studied by means of arterial or transcutaneous PO₂/PCO₂. A significant improvement of oxygenation, indicated by a reduction of oxygenation index, was found ( p < 0.014). The optimal nitric oxide concentration and the individual response varied between patients. PO₂ returned to baseline values after the discontinuation of nitric oxide in all patients except one. No effect on PCO₂ could be identified. Methae-moglobin values only increased marginally during the nitrous oxide exposition (pre-nitric oxide: 0.56% 0.27; post-nitric oxide: 0.78 0.08; p =ns). Systemic blood pressure and heart rate were unaffected in all patients. Before inhaled nitric oxide can be considered for prolonged use in this patient category further studies regarding long-term efficacy and safety are needed. D Chronic lung disease, methaemoglobinaemia, nitric oxide, oxygenation, preterm, pulmonary hypertension     

Nutritional status in active juvenile chronic arthritis not treated with steroids

Nutritional status and nutrient intake were assessed in 17 children with active juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) who never received steroids and in 17 controls matched for age and sex. Five patients had systemic, seven polyarticular and five oligoarticular JCA. Values significantly below those of the controls were found in systemic patients for height ( p < 0.05), upper arm circumference ( p < 0.05) and arm muscle area ( p < 0.01), and in polyarticular subjects for arm muscle area ( p < 0.01). All patients had unremarkable anthropometric fat measurements. All anthropometric measurements were normal in oligoarticular patients. Twelve JCA patients had reduced serum iron (Fe), 6 reduced serum zinc (SZn), 14 reduced intra-erythrocytic zinc (EZn) and 2 reduced serum copper (SCu). SZn was inversely correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) ( p = 0.023). EZn was inversely related to lymphocyte count ( p = 0.022). SCu was related to ESR ( p = 0.037) and to lymphocyte count ( p = 0.016). No significant difference in nutrient intake was found between patients and controls. Active JCA was associated with reduced muscular mass, Fe, SZn and EZn. These alterations did not depend on reduced nutrient intake.
Juvenile chronic arthritis, nutrient intake, nutritional status, trace elements     

Transfusion transmission of retroviruses: human T-lymphotropic virus types I and II compared with human immunodeficiency virus type 1

BACKGROUND: The incidence of transfusion transmission of human T- lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) and HTLV type II (HTLV-II) has not been compared directly or to that of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The effects of refrigerator storage of the blood component on infectivity of the viruses needs definition. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The circumstances influencing the transmission of HTLV-I, HTLV- II, and HIV-1 via blood of donors whose sera were stored in a repository and who were retrospectively documented as having been infected at blood donation were examined. Confirmation and typing of anti-HTLV positivity in donors and recipients used polymerase chain reaction, supplemented by specific peptide testing. RESULTS: Overall, 27 percent (26/95) of the recipients of blood components from anti-HTLV- I- and -II-positive donors became infected (9 with HTLV-I and 17 with HTLV-II). No recipients of acellular blood components became infected with HTLV-I or -II. There was no probable transmission by components stored > 10 days. The rates of transmission for both viruses were similar: 0 to 5 days' storage, 17 (74%) of 23; 6 to 10 days, 8 (44%) of 18; and 11 to 14, 0 (0%) of 10 (trend, p = 0.0002). In comparison, 89 percent (112/126) of the recipients of anti-HIV-1-positive blood were infected regardless of component type, and no effect on transmission occurred with storage for < 26 days. CONCLUSION: Transfusion- transmitted HTLV-I and -II are similar. The data suggest that a donor's lymphocytes become noninfectious when they lose the ability to be activated or to proliferate.     

骨髓基质细胞移植治疗外伤性脑损伤的效应

目的:综述骨髓基质细胞移植治疗外伤性脑损伤的效应。资料来源:应用计算机检索PUBMED 1996-10/2006-10期间的相关文章,检索词为“bone marrow stromal cells(BMSCs),traumatic brain in jury(TBI),cell transplantation”,并限定文章语言种类为English。资料选择:对资料进行初审,并查看每篇文献后的引文。纳入标准:文章所述内容应与骨髓基质细胞移植治疗外伤性脑损伤研究相关。排除标准:重复研究或Meta分析类文章。资料提炼:共收集到138篇相关文献,31篇文献符合纳入标准,排除的107篇文献为内容陈旧或重复。符合纳入标准的31篇文献中,分别涉及骨髓基质细胞的生物学特性、体外诱导分化、移植途径、对外伤性脑损伤的修复以及修复中枢神经系统损伤的机制。资料综合:骨髓间充质干细胞是一群存在于骨髓中的非造血干细胞,具有较强的自我更新能力和多向分化潜能,在体外不同的诱导条件下可分化为骨细胞、软骨细胞、肌腱细胞、脂肪细胞、神经细胞、平滑肌细胞等多种细胞。通过脑实质内直接注射、脑脊液内注射或血管内注射移植后,骨髓基质细胞可透过血脑屏障集中于损伤区并在中枢神经系统内长时间存活。通过替代受损细胞和激活内源性修复机制,骨髓基质细胞可改善损伤的神经功能、促进外伤后神经重塑。随着对骨髓基质细胞研究的深入,以下几个方面还需进一步研究:骨髓基质细胞特异性标志的确定及快速分离纯化、归巢及体内分化的相关机制、促进损伤后神经组织重塑的分子机制。结论:骨髓基质细胞于脑实质内直接注射、脑脊液内注射或血管内注射移植后均能促进外伤性脑损伤修复,作用机制主要为替代受损细胞和激活内源性修复。目前尚存在一些未解决的问题,但骨髓基质细胞治疗外伤性脑损伤仍是一种很有前途的治疗方法。     

The Effect of External Pituitary Irradiation on Elevated Serum Prolactin Levels in Patients with Pituitary Macroadenomas

The response of serum prolactin to external radiotherapy wasstudied in 58 patients (32 women) with pituitary tumours, agedbetween 16 and 75 years. Forty-four patients underwent pituitarysurgery before radiotherapy. Six Patients were irradiated witha regimen of 20 Gy in eight fractions over 10–11 daysand the remainder received 35–42.5 Gy in 15 fractionsover 20–22 days. Following radiotherapy, 44 patients receivedadditional treatment with dopaminergic agonists. Prolactin levelsranged from 1078 to 491000 mU/I (median 11750 mU/I) before radiotherapyand all but three patients showed a fall in serum prolactin(measured 4 weeks after stopping bromocriptine in those on dopamineagonist therapy) during observation over periods of up to 154months. All patients had evidence of pituitary fossa erosionor expansion at presentation and large tumours (Hardy-VezinaGrade 3–4) were more common in male patients (²=10.08,p<0.01). The rate of fall of serum prolaetin levels was greaterin patients with true prolactin-secreting tumours when comparedwith those who had stalk or hypothalamic damage (p< 0.005).The rate of decline of serum prolactin was also significantlyrelated to the pre-radiotherapy value (p=0.519, p<0.01).A serum prolactin level. <500 mU/I was achieved in 31 outof 44 patients treated with radiotherapy and dopaminergic agonistbut only nine remained normoprolactinaemic when medication wasdiscontinued for 4 weeks or more. The serum prolactin levelfell permanently to <500 mU/I in two of 14 patients treatedwith radiotherapy only. Actuarial analysis of data from allpatients indicated a 50 per cent probability that prolactinwould be reduced to <500 mU/I by 10 years; this increasedto 58 per cent for patients with smaller tumours (Hardy-Vezinagrade 2). Fourteen of 19 women of premenopausal age were amenorrhoeicbefore radiotherapy, but despite bromocriptine, menstruationwas restored in only five. A separate group of nine patientswith primary suprasellar, non-prolactin-secreting tumours andelevated prolactin levels was also studied. Prolactin concentrationsranged between 1016 and >4600 mU/I intially and were reducedby radiotherapy at a rate indistinguishable from that of patientswith pituitary adenomas associated with disconnection hyperprolactinaemia.None achieved permanent reduction of serum prolactin to <500mU/I. External radiotherapy is effective in reducing serum prolactinlevels in patients with pituitary macroadenomas, particularlywhere the hyperprolactinaemia is due to true tumour hypersecretion,but normal levels may take over 10 years to achieve. Radiation-inducedhypothalamic damage probably contributes to the hyperprolactinaemiapersisting after therapy and together with tumour-associatedor radiation-induced hypopituitarism accounts for the poor prospectsfor fertility in female patients.