One-year health-related quality of life outcomes in weight loss trial participants: comparison of three measures

Background  

The literature on changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in weight loss studies is inconsistent, and few studies use more than one type of measure. The purpose of the current study was to compare one-year changes in HRQOL as a function of weight change using three different measures: a weight-related measure (Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite [IWQOL-Lite)]) and two generic measures (SF-36; EQ-5D).     

Suppression of proximal T cell receptor signaling and lytic function in CD8+ tumor-infiltrating T cells

CD8(+) tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) lack in vivo and in vitro lytic function due to a signaling deficit characterized by failure to flux calcium or activate tyrosine kinase activity upon contact with cognate tumor cells. Although CD3 zeta is phosphorylated by conjugation in vitro with cognate tumor cells, showing that TIL are triggered, PLC gamma-1, LAT, and ZAP70 are not activated and LFA-1 is not affinity-matured, and because p56(lck) is required for LFA-1 activation, this implies that the signaling blockade is very proximal. Here, we show that TIL signaling defects are transient, being reversed upon purification and brief culture in vitro, implying a fast-acting "switch". Biochemical analysis of purified nonlytic TIL shows that contact with tumor cells causes transient activation of p56(lck) ( approximately 10 s) which is rapidly inactivated. In contrast, tumor-induced activation of p56(lck) in lytic TIL is sustained coincident with downstream TCR signaling and lytic function. Shp-1 is robustly active in nonlytic TIL compared with lytic TIL, colocalizes with p56(lck) in nonlytic TIL, and inhibition of Shp-1 activity in lytic TIL in vitro blocks tumor-induced defective TIL cytolysis. Collectively, our data support the notion that contact of nonlytic TIL with tumor cells, and not with tumor-infiltrating myeloid-derived suppressor cells, causes activation of Shp-1 that rapidly dephosphorylates the p56(lck) activation motif (Y394), thus inhibiting effector phase functions.     

Evaluation of the Antioxidant Activity of Root Extract of Pepper Fruit (Dennetia Tripetala), and It's Potential for the Inhibition of Lipid Peroxidation

Background

The antioxidant properties of ethanolic root extract of pepper fruit (Donnetia tripetala), and its effect on lipid peroxidation of some fresh beef tissues during frozen storage were investigated.

Materials and Methods

The antioxidant parameters were assessed using standard methods, while malondialdehyde levels of different fresh beef tissue sections treated with the extract prior to freezing, were estimated in a colorimetric reaction with thiobarbituric acid.

Results

The H₂O₂-scavenging ability of the extract was similar to that of ascorbic acid, with a maximum scavenging power of 55.61 ±4.98%, and an IC₅₀ value of 86µg/ml. The extract exhibited a concentration-dependent ferric ion-reducing power, although this was significantly lower relative to that of the ascorbic acid (p < 0.05). The total phenolic content was 212.5 ± 0.002 mg/g, while the nitric oxide-scavenging ability was 64.33 ± 0.2% after 150 min. The capacity of the extract to inhibit lipid peroxidation in frozen heart muscle slices was significantly higher than that of vitamin C (p < 0 .05), but comparable to vitamins C and E in frozen testes and kidney slices.

Conclusion

These results suggest that the root extract of D. tripetala is rich in antioxidants which can be applied to meat preservation during refrigerated storage.     

Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome: Biochemical before clinical diagnosis; early dietary management

Pursuit of a possible metabolic basis for an unrecognized pattern of multiple congenital anomalies in a newborn girl led to the detection of a huge elevation of plasma 7-dehy-drocholesterol at age 8 months. The biochemical findings and the evolving clinical picture led to the diagnosis of Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome at age 11 months. High cholesterol diet may have improved the rate of developmental progress. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Evaluation of Pharmacokinetic Interaction between PA-824 and Midazolam in Healthy Adult Subjects

This study assessed the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic interaction between PA-824, a novel antitubercular nitroimidazo-oxazine, and midazolam, a CYP3A4 substrate, in 14 healthy adult male and female subjects. The study followed up on observations in vitro that PA-824 caused weak and time-dependent inhibition of CYP3A4. Subjects received a single oral dose of midazolam (2 mg), followed by a 2-day washout. After the washout, all subjects received PA-824 (400 mg) once daily for 14 consecutive days. On day 14, all subjects received the final PA-824 dose coadministered with a 2-mg oral dose of midazolam. The pharmacokinetic endpoints AUC_0–t, AUC_0–∞, and C_max for midazolam and 1-hydroxy midazolam were compared between midazolam administered alone versus midazolam coadministered with PA-824. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the mean midazolam values of C_max, AUC_0–t, and AUC_0–∞ parameters were reduced by ca. 16, 15, and 15%, respectively, when PA-824 was coadministered with midazolam. The total exposure (AUC) of 1-hydroxy midazolam was 13 to 14% greater when coadministered with PA-824 compared to midazolam administered alone. The C_max of 1-hydroxy midazolam was similar between treatments. Based on these results, PA-824 does not inhibit or induce CYP3A4 to a clinically meaningful extent and is not likely to markedly affect the pharmacokinetics of CYP3A4 metabolized drugs.     

Blond hair removal using ELOS systems.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test blond hair removal using the ELOS system, which is optical energy and radio-frequency combined. METHODS: Seventeen patients with blond hair were randomly selected from the Department of Lasertherapy, Medical Centre Maastricht, The Netherlands. The mean age of the patients was 57.4 years. The mean energy used per patient was 23.2 J/cm2 and the mean radio-frequency was 18.6 J/cm2. RESULTS: A mean hair reduction of 57.4% was obtained with a mean of 8.5 treatments. There was a trend found between hair removal and the number of treatments. No correlation was found between the percentage of hair removal and age. Furthermore, there was no correlation between hair removal and the device's technical data. No major side effects were observed postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that ELOS can effectively be used for blond hair reduction.     

The significance of antibodies to poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) and ds-DNA binding activity have been measured in thirty-nine systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) sera, nineteen rheumatoid arthritis sera, fourteen sera from non-SLE rheumatic and non-rheumatic diseases and in ten normal sera. Antibodies to poly(ADP-ribose) were found only in the SLE and in three SLE-like rheumatic diseases. Anti-DNA antibodies, on the other hand, were found not only in the SLE and SLE-like diseases, but also in rheumatoid arthritis and chronic active hepatitis. Estimation of poly(ADP-ribose) binding was, therefore, more specific for, and more discriminatory of SLE from other diseases, than the estimation of ds-DNA binding. The results indicate that the estimation of poly(ADP-ribose) binding in serum may be more useful in the diagnosis of SLE than the presently employed estimation of DNA binding using the Amersham kit. DNA-anti-DNA immune complexes are detected in some of the SLE sera after deoxyribonuclease I digestion, confirming earlier reports of the existence of circulating DNA-anti-DNA complexes in SLE patients. Snake venom phosphodiesterase treatment of some of the SLE sera also resulted in increased poly(ADP-ribose) binding activity, suggesting the existence of poly(ADP-ribose)-anti-poly(ADP-ribose) immune complexes in the circulation of SLE patients. This observation raises the possiblity that poly(ADP-ribose) immune complexes may play some part in the pathogenesis of some cases of SLE.