Differential effects of saturated and monounsaturated fats on postprandial lipemia and glucagon-like peptide 1 responses in patients with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND: Postprandial lipemia is important in the development of coronary artery disease because of elevated postprandial triacylglycerol-rich plasma lipoproteins and suppressed HDL-cholesterol concentrations. We showed in healthy subjects a possible association between postprandial lipid metabolism and the responses of the duodenal incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and gastric inhibitory polypeptide after meals rich in saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid), respectively. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to compare the postprandial responses (8 h) of glucose, insulin, fatty acids, triacylglycerol, gastric inhibitory polypeptide, and GLP-1 to saturated- and monounsaturated-rich test meals. DESIGN: Twelve overweight patients with type 2 diabetes ingested 3 meals randomly: an energy-free soup with 50 g carbohydrate (control meal), the control meal plus 100 g butter, and the control meal plus 80 g olive oil. Triacylglycerol responses were measured in total plasma and in a chylomicron-rich and a chylomicron-poor fraction. RESULTS: No significant differences in the glucose, insulin, or fatty acid responses to the 2 fat-rich meals were seen. The plasma triacylglycerol and chylomicron triacylglycerol responses were highest after the butter meal. HDL-cholesterol concentrations decreased significantly after the butter meal but did not change significantly after the olive oil meal. GLP-1 responses were highest after the olive oil meal. CONCLUSIONS: Olive oil induced lower triacylglycerol concentrations and higher HDL-cholesterol concentrations than did butter, without eliciting significant changes in glucose, insulin, or fatty acids. Furthermore, olive oil induced higher concentrations of GLP-1, which may indicate a relation between fatty acid composition, incretin responses, and triacylglycerol metabolism postprandially in patients with type 2 diabetes.     

Effect of modified dairy fat on fasting and postprandial haemostatic variables in healthy young men

It has been suggested that milk fat, due to its content of saturated fatty acids, may have a thrombogenic effect. In the present study the fatty acid profile of milk fat was modified by changing the feeding regimens of cows and the effect on haemostatic variables of a diet containing the modified milk fat (M) was compared with that of a diet containing milk fat of typical Danish composition (D). In the modified fat 16% of the saturated fatty acid (C12-C16) content was replaced mainly by oleic acid. Eighteen subjects were fed on two strictly controlled isoenergetic diets containing 40% energy from total fat (30% energy from the test fats) for periods of 4 weeks in a study with a crossover design. Fasting samples were taken in the last week of each study period. Postprandial samples were taken on day 21, 3 h after lunch (n 18), and on the last day of the study 2, 4, 6 and 8 h after a fat load containing 1.2 g of one of the milk fats/kg body weight (n 8). After 4 weeks' dietary intervention fasting plasma factor VII coagulant (FVIIc) activity, tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) activity, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) antigen and beta-thromboglobulin did not differ between diets M and D. Postprandially FVIIc and t-PA activities increased (P < 0.001) and PAI-1 antigen and PAI-1 activity decreased (P < 0.001) as compared with fasting values, regardless of diet. After the fat load, the postprandial increase in FVIIc was marginally lower after diet M than diet D (diet effect, P < 0.05). In conclusion, the modified milk fat obtained by the applied feeding strategy had virtually the same effects on haemostatic variables as conventional milk fat.     

Mothers’ Reports of Postpartum Pain Associated with Vaginal and Cesarean Deliveries: Results of a National Survey

ABSTRACT: Background: As cesarean rates increase worldwide, a debate has arisen over the relationship of method of delivery to maternal postpartum physical health. This study examines mothers’ reports of their postpartum experiences with pain stratified by method of delivery. Methods: Listening to Mothers II was a survey of a total of 1,573 (200 telephone and 1,373 online) mothers aged 18 to 45 years, who had a singleton, hospital birth in 2005. They were interviewed by the survey research firm, Harris Interactive, in early 2006. Online respondents were drawn from an existing Harris panel. Telephone respondents were identified through a national telephone listing of new mothers. Results were weighted to reflect a United States national birthing population. Mothers were asked if they experienced any of eight postpartum conditions and the extent and the duration of the problem. Responses were compared by method of delivery. Results: The most frequently cited postpartum difficulty was among mothers with a cesarean section, 79 percent of whom reported experiencing pain at the incision in the first 2 months after birth, with 33 percent describing it as a major problem and 18 percent reporting persistence of the pain into the sixth month postpartum. Mothers with planned cesareans without labor were as likely as those with cesareans with labor to report problems with postpartum pain. Almost half (48%) of mothers with vaginal births (68% among those with instrumental delivery, 63% with episiotomy, 43% spontaneous vaginal birth with no episiotomy) reported experiencing a painful perineum, with 2 percent reporting the pain persisting for at least 6 months. Conclusions: Substantial proportions of mothers reported problems with postpartum pain. Women experiencing a cesarean section or an assisted vaginal delivery were most likely to report that the pain persisted for an extended period. (BIRTH 35:1 March 2008)     

The Effect of Vitamin E and Selenium on Doxorubicin (Adriamycin®) Induced Delayed Toxicity in Mice

Abstract: The antagonistic action of repeated administration of vitamin E and selenium on the lethality caused by a single intraperitoneal injection of doxorubicin 15 to 20 mg/kg has been investigated in mice. Mice were treated with vitamin E, 20 to 4100 mg/kg intraperitoneally/intramuscularly daily or once a week and/or selenium 27 μg/kg orally daily for 6 to 7 weeks, i.e. one or two weeks before and five weeks after doxorubicin administration. 30 mg/kg of doxorubicin intraperitoneally caused 100% lethality within 4 days, whereas 15 mg/kg caused no deaths within a week, but resulted in a delayed toxicity with a cumulative lethality of 80% at the end of the observation period of 6 months. Vitamin E protected the mice from the lethal effect of doxorubicin, 15 mg/kg during the administration, but the mice began to die when the vitamin E administration was discontinued. Selenium only protected the mice for two weeks in spite of the continuous administration of selenium. The combined administration of vitamin E and selenium had no protective effect on the lethality caused by doxorubicin, 20 mg/kg. The pathogenesis of the delayed lethality of a single doxorubicin administration in mice is discussed. It is concluded that vitamin E and/or selenium have no significant protective action against doxorubicin induced delayed lethality in mice.     

Postpartal Nursing Diagnosis

The responsibility of nurses for postpartal patients has changed greatly in the past few years. No longer is it adequate to assess and manage only those physical problems that occur during the hospital stay. Today, potential psychosocial problems and consequences of parental knowledge deficit are part of nursing's domain of diagnosis and management. A review of the purpose of nursing diagnosis is important. Clarifying the difference between medical diagnosis and nursing diagnosis is also essential if one is to be comfortable with the process. Careful scrutiny of the unique needs of new parents will form the basis for formulating meaningful postpartal nursing diagnosis.     

Personality hardiness, ways of coping, social support and burnout in critical care nurses

Hardiness, ways of coping, social support and burnout in 103 critical care nurses were addressed in this study. Work-related and nonwork-related social support and hardiness were negatively related to burnout. Use of emotion-focused coping was positively correlated with burnout while hardiness was negatively related to the use of emotion-focused coping and positively related to both types of social support. After controlling for working nights, social support, hardiness, emotion-focused coping and problem-focused coping accounted for 44% of the variance in burnout scores.     

Sister chromatid exchange in children of Seventh-Day Adventists and matched controls

The low risk of cancer in Seventh-Day Adventists (SDAs) has been suggested to be due to genetic selection. To investigate this claim we examined the sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes in 16 SDA children in Troms?, all aged 0.5-8 years and 16 controls matched for sex and age. In 12 of 16 pairs, the SDA children had a lower SCE frequency than the controls. The mean difference was 4.06 (95% confidence interval -17.02-8.89, P = 0.51). There was no sex difference, and no correlation between age and SCE frequency. The genetic starting point with regard to SCE frequency seems to be the same for SDA children and controls.