The Relationship between Dietary Polyphenol Intakes and Urinary Polyphenol Concentrations in Adults Prescribed a High Vegetable and Fruit Diet

Urinary polyphenol metabolites are potential biomarkers of dietary polyphenol intake. The current study aims to evaluate associations between total diet, vegetable and fruit polyphenol intakes with urinary polyphenol metabolite concentrations in a sample of adults prescribed a diet rich in vegetables and fruit. Thirty-four participants completed a 10-week pre-post study. Participants were asked to consume Australian recommended daily vegetable and fruit serves and attend measurement sessions at baseline and at weeks 2 and 10. Two 24-h diet recalls were collected at each time-point and polyphenol intakes were calculated using the Phenol-Explorer database. Spot urine samples, collected at each time-point, were analyzed for 15 polyphenol metabolites using liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Spearman’s correlation analyzes assessed the strength of relationships between urinary and dietary polyphenols. Linear mixed models were used to investigate relationships between polyphenol excretion and intake. Total urinary polyphenols were significantly correlated with total polyphenol intakes at week 10 (r_s = 0.47) and fruit polyphenols at week 2 (r_s = 0.38). Hippuric acid was significantly correlated with vegetable polyphenols at baseline (r_s = 0.39). Relationships were identified between individual polyphenol metabolites and vegetable and fruit polyphenols. Linear mixed model analyzes identified that for every 1 mg increase in polyphenol intakes, urinary polyphenol excretion increased by 16.3 nmol/g creatinine. Although the majority of relationships were not sufficiently strong or consistent at different time-points, promising relationships were observed between total urinary polyphenols and total polyphenol intakes, and hippuric acid and vegetable polyphenols.     

Postconditioning is an effective strategy to reduce renal ischaemia/reperfusion injury

Background. Several recent studies have shown that a brief ischaemiaapplied during the onset of reperfusion (postconditioning) iscardioprotective in different animal models. The potential applicationof postconditioning to organs different from the heart, i.e.kidney, is not available and is investigated in the presentstudy. We also tested the hypothesis that mitochondria playa central role in renal protection during reperfusion. Methods. Wistar rats were subjected to left nephrectomy and90-min right kidney occlusion. In controls, the blood flow wasrestored without intervention. In postconditioned rats, completereperfusion was preceded by 3 min, 6 min and 12 min of reperfusionin a consecutive sequence, each separated by 5 min of reocclusion.Animals were studied for 48 h. Mitochondrial respiratory chainfunction, rate of hydroperoxide production and carbonyl proteinswere measured at the end of postconditioning and 24 h and 48h after reperfusion. Results. BUN and creatinine significantly decreased in the postconditioninggroup as compared to control rats. Mitochondrial respiratoryfunction was significantly impaired in control rats, mainlyat the level of Complex II. Postconditioning significantly reducedthis mitochondria impairment. The rate of mitochondrial peroxideproduction was higher in the control group than in the protectedgroup at the end of postconditioning reperfusion. Moreover,mitochondrial protein oxidation was significantly higher incontrol rats than in the postconditioning group at the end ofreperfusion. Conclusions. In the present study, postconditioning reducedrenal functional injury and reduces mitochondria respiratorychain impairment, mitochondria peroxide production and proteindamage.     

Panayiotopoulos syndrome: diagnosis and management

Abstract Panayiotopoulos syndrome is a relatively frequent and benign epileptic syndrome, characterised by predominantly autonomic symptoms and/or simple motor focal seizures followed or not by impairment of consciousness. Interictal EEG shows occipital spikes although multifocal spikes with high amplitude sharp-slow wave complexes at various locations can be present. This syndrome can imitate gastroenteritis, encephalitis, syncope, migraine, sleep disorders or metabolic diseases. The peculiar aspects should be known not only by epileptologists but also by general doctors because a correct diagnosis would avoid aggressive interventions and concerns on account of its benign outcome. This review focuses on the main clinical and EEG features of this epilepsy underlining its typical and atypical symptoms and its management.     

Heart rate variability and delirium in acute non-cardioembolic stroke: a prospective,cross-sectional,cohort study

Neurological Sciences - Delirium is an acute fluctuating disorder of attention and awareness. It is associated with autonomic dysfunction and increased mortality. The primary endpoint of our study...     

A randomized, controlled trial of triple antiviral therapy as initial treatment of chronic hepatitis C in HIV-infected patients

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Interferon and ribavirin combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C induces a low response rate in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients. To assess the impact of intensification of interferon administration and of the addition of amantadine on the efficacy and safety of standard anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment in HIV-infected patients. METHODS: Multicentre, prospective, open-label, randomized, phase III clinical trial. Eighty co-infected patients were randomized to receive ribavirin 800-1,000 mg/day in combination with, group A: interferon alpha 2a 3MIU thrice weekly; group B: IFN alpha 2a 3MIU daily, plus amantadine 200 mg/day; treatment duration was 24-48 weeks according to HCV genotype. RESULTS: Forty-one patients were randomized in group A and 39 in group B. Intention-to-treat analysis showed a sustained virological response, defined as HCV-RNA negativization, 6 months after stopping treatment in 22% of patients from group A and 13% from group B (P>0.05). The lack of a 2-log drop in HCV-RNA levels after 12 weeks of treatment showed a 100% predictive value of lack of sustained response. CONCLUSIONS: Amantadine addition and interferon intensification do not improve the low efficacy of combination of interferon alfa plus ribavirin in HIV/HCV co-infected patients. Patients with no early virologic response did not have any probability of sustained response.     

HPV genotypes concordance between sex partners

The HPV genotype concordance in the sexual couples could support the sexual viral transmission of HPV infection. The present study contains a case-report of a stable Italian sex couple harbouring the same five HPV genotypes in their genital samples. The female partner, affected by vulvar condilomatosis, evidenced positivity in her cervicovaginal scraping with high risk HPV DNA Hybrid Capture 2 test and was negative at liquid-based performed Pap Test and at colposcopic examination. The male partner was clinically healthy regarding his external genitalia. In both male and female genital scrapings, the following HPV genotypes were detected by means of a PCR-based assay: 6, 16, 53, 73 and 84. This considerably high genotype concordance does not appear to be casual and supports, in our opinion, the hypothesis that genital HPV types are sexually transmitted agents