Can supplementation of diet with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce coronary angioplasty restenosis rate?

The objective of this blinded, randomized, prospective study was to assess whether supplementation of normal diet with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids can reduce angiographically defined restenosis following coronary angioplasty. The study included all patients undergoing coronary angioplasty in this institution between January 1988 and January 1989. One hundred and twenty patients enrolled, 60 in each treatment group. All were randomized to either supplementation of normal diet with 3 g of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids per day started 1-2 days prior to angioplasty and continued for 6 months (treatment group), or to receive standard therapy only (control group). Quantitative angiographically defined restenosis was assessed at 6 months post angioplasty. Restenosis occurred in 27.8% (95% CI 18.0-37.7%) of lesions in the treatment group and in 28.3% (CI 16.9-39.7%) of lesions in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant. The study showed that diet supplemented with 3 g of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids started 1-2 days preceding angioplasty does not reduce angiographically defined restenosis rate.     

血清唾液酸对血液病临床价值的初步报告

报道64例各类血液病患血清唾液酸（SA）值的测定，并与84例健康对照组进行比较。结果经统计学分析：病例组（631．5±130．3μg/ml），病例组中的ANLL（672．6±98．38μg/ml），ALL（630．8±29．3μg/ml），CML－A（617．5±122．7μg/ml），MM（606．0±138．7μg/ml四组与对照组比较，差异有极显意义（P＜0．01）；各病型组SA阳性率明显高于健康对照组，表明SA值的测定对恶性血液病的诊断有一定的临床意义。     

Transmitter Release Associated with Long-term Synaptic Depression in Rat Corticostriatal Slices

Using a corticostriatal slice preparation, we have recently shown that tetanic stimulation of the corticostriatal pathway produces long-term depression (LTD) of striatal excitatory synaptic transmission. In the present study we have analysed the relationship between LTD and the striatal release of different endogenous transmitters. Samples of perfusate were collected via a small cannula placed just above the surface of the striatal slice close to the recording electrode, and were analysed by HPLC. The high-frequency stimulation (100 Hz, three trains, 3 s duration, 20 s intervals) used to induce LTD caused a significant but transient increase in the release of both excitatory (aspartate and glutamate) and inhibitory (glycine and GABA) amino acid transmitters. Tetanic stimulation also produced a significant, but transient increase in the release of endogenous dopamine. We conclude that the tetanic stimulation of the corticostriatal pathway is able to induce a large but transient release of excitatory amino acids and of dopamine, whose participation in the induction of striatal LTD has been demonstrated previously. Moreover, the maintenance of this form of synaptic plasticity does not seem to require a sustained change in transmitter release.     

Increase in levels of total free fatty acids in rat brain regions following 3-nitropropionic acid administration

Acute exposure to a neurotoxin, 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA), in rats results in an increase in total free fatty acid (FFA) concentration in selective brain regions. We investigated the effect of 3-NPA administration on the cerebral concentrations of FFA used as a marker of oxidative stress. Rats (n=3/group) were dosed subcutaneously (s.c.) either with a vehicle (phosphate buffer) or 3-NPA in phosphate buffer at 30 mg/kg body weight. Animals were sacrificed after 1, 2, 3, and 6 h of injection. Brains were then dissected into frontal cortex (FC), caudate nucleus (CN), and hippocampus (HIP). The concentration of total FFA increased from 130 to 300% within 1–2 h after 3-NPA injection in all brain regions when compared with the baseline level obtained from the control rats and taken as 100%. In CN, FFA returned to the baseline level within 3 h of treatment. However, in FC and HIP the concentration of FFA remained significantly elevated above the baseline until 6 h. The released FFA provide a substrate for free radicals formation. The results of this study suggest a role of oxidative stress in the mechanism of 3-NPA toxicity.     

N-3 fatty acids only delay early relapse of ulcerative colitis in remission

Relapse prevention by dietary n-3 fatty acids (5.1 g/day) was studied in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 64 patients with ulcerative colitis in remission and off steroids. 5-ASA compounds were stopped three months after randomization and clinical disease activity monitored for two years. Macroscopic and histologic activity and extension was assessed by colonoscopy at entry and at exit. Both treatment groups were well matched at start. Nine patients on placebo and eight on n-3 fatty acids stopped taking their medication prematurely. Actuarial relapse-free survival was improved by n-3 fatty acids only during months 2 and 3 (2P<0.05–0.01), but cumulative relapse rate at two years was similar for those taking placebo (18/33=55%) and n-3 fatty acids (18/31=58%). There was also no consistent difference in clinical, macroscopic, and histologic disease activity between treatment groups. The n-3 fatty acids temporarily retard, but do not prevent, relapse of ulcerative colitis.     

Interactions between epidermal growth factor-mediated autocrine regulation and linoleic acid-stimulated growth of a human prostate cancer cell line.

Human prostate cancer (PC) cell lines possess epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors and secrete EGF-related polypeptides. We used an EGF receptor-blocking antibody (anti-EGF.R) to demonstrate a functional autocrine loop, as well as the interaction between this and the effects of linoleic acid (LA), an omega-6 fatty acid, on PC cell growth. The anti-EGF.R competed effectively with [125I]EGF for receptors on DU145 PC cells, and on a high-passage DU145 variant (DU145M); when added to the culture medium, it suppressed both DU145 and DU145M cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. LA, a precursor for eicosanoid synthesis, had little effect on DU145 cell growth rate but stimulated DU145M growth in a concentration-related manner over a range of 0.25-2.0 micrograms/ml. anti-EGF.R (10(-9) M) caused suppression of LA-stimulated growth of DU145M cells in serum-free medium, which was prevented by the addition of 2 nM EGF. We conclude that an EGF.R-mediated autocrine loop is involved in PC cell growth regulation and that at least one site of action may be the synthesis of eicosanoids from their LA precursor.     

易善复加丹参治疗病毒性肝炎合并脂肪肝疗效观察

目的　评价易善复加丹参在病毒性肝炎合并脂肪肝的临床疗效。方法　选择病毒性肝炎合并脂肪肝 98例 ,随机分成治疗组和对照组 ,治疗组 68例 ,应用易善复加丹参治疗 ,疗程 3个月。结果　治疗组血脂 (TC、TG)、肝功能 (ALT、γ -GT)、B超脂肪肝图象及临床症状等项目的改善均明显优于对照组 (P <0 .0 1～ 0 .0 5) ,且无明显副作用。结论　易善复加丹参治疗病毒性肝炎合并脂肪肝对促进肝脏脂肪代谢、降低血脂、修复损伤的肝细胞 ,且阻止或改善肝纤维化均有明显的功效     

Extracellular adenosine,formed during low level NMDA receptor activation,provides an inhibitory threshold against further NMDA receptor-midiated neurotransmission in the cortex

In the cortex only a few of the available NMDA receptors must be activated to evoke maximal release of adenosine. In fact, maximal adenosine release occurs at 30 μM NMDA, a concentration at which noradrenaline release is only 20% maximal. NMDA-evoked noradrenaline release appears to require the generation of propagated action potentials, while adenosine release does not. Noncompetitive block of NMDA-evoked release of adenosine, but not noradrenaline, can be overcome by increasing NMDA concentrations. The above findings are consistent with the possibility that there are spare receptors for NMDA-evoked adenosine release, but not for nor-adrenaline release. These spare receptors are not due to elevated levels of glycine in the vicinity of those NMDA receptors mediating adenosine release. Functionally, it appears that low level NMDA receptor activation provides a purinergic inhibitory threshold against higher level NMDA receptor mediated processes. This could provide inhibitory tone and selectivity for critical functions, such as learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity in the cortex. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Infant rat separation is a sensitive test for novel anxiolytics

1. Rat pups emit ultrasonic calls during brief episodes of social separation. These calls have been variously described as “distress” calls and may be related to the separation cries expressed by the young of many mammalian species.

2. Ultrasonic call of rat pups are modulated by environmental stimuli such as ambient temperature, olfactory and tactile stimuli associated with the nest.

3. Calls are also sensitive to a variety of purported anxiolytic and anxiogenic drugs, including the benzodiazepines, serotonin agonists, and ligands at the NMDA-glycine receptor complex.

4. In addition to providing a simple test for the anxiolytic properties of drugs, this model may also provide new insights about the development and neurobiology of anxiety.     

Synopses of Posters Presented at the International Workshop on Brain Uptake and Utilization of Fatty Acids,Lipids, and Lipoproteins: Application to Neurological Disorders

Thirty-five posters were presented at the Workshop on Brain Uptake And Utilization Of Fatty Acids, Lipids, and Lipoproteins. They were grouped into four categories: (1) mechanisms of lipid uptake and transport to the brain, (2) lipoproteins and polyunsaturated fatty acids, (3) eicosanoids in brain function, and (4) fatty acids and lipids in brain disorders. This article summarizes the highlights of the research presented in these posters. The individual abstracts follow these synopses.