Impact of dieting status and dietary restraint on postexercise energy intake in overweight women

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the unknown relationship between dieting status and dietary restraint on postexercise energy intake (PE-EI) in overweight sedentary women after a bout of moderate-intensity exercise. Specifically, this was investigated in women who were categorized as dieting with high restraint, nondieting with high restraint, or nondieting with low restraint. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: This study consisted of two experimental conditions, exercise (E) and nonexercise (NE) in a counterbalanced-crossover design on 2 different days. On the E day, the subjects participated in moderate-intensity exercise, walking on a treadmill for 60 minutes at 60% to 70% of their maximum heart rate. PE-EI at lunch and 12 hours after was compared on the E and an NE day. Dietary restraint was determined using the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire. RESULTS: Participants (n = 36) were 26 +/- 7 years of age, sedentary, and had a mean body mass index of 27 +/- 3 kg/m(2). There was a significant interaction (F((2,33)) = 3.32, p = 0.049) of dieting/restraint status and condition (E vs. NE day) on 12-hour EI. The mean difference in 12-hour EI between the E and the NE day was significantly higher (p < 0.01) for the dieting with high restraint than for the nondieting with high restraint. DISCUSSION: The results of this study demonstrate that dieting status, high dietary restraint, and higher levels of disinhibition may influence PE-EI in overweight women after a bout of moderate-intensity physical activity.     

An epidemiological study to assess migraine prevalence in a sample of Italian population presenting to their GPs

This multicentre, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted to determine migraine prevalence in a sample of population presenting to their GPs. The study covered all the patients who visited the GPs practice, for any reason, on 5 consecutive days of 2 different weeks. A total of 71,588 patients were interviewed by 902 GPs. The prevalence of migraine in this sample was 11.6%.     

Determinants of health-related quality of life in HIV-infected patients

In the era of new antiretroviral treatments that have dramatically reduced both morbidity and mortality, a primary goal is to maximize function and wellbeing in the everyday life of HIV-infected patients. To be able to do so, it would be important for clinicians and policy makers to identify factors that influence health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The objective of this multicentre prospective cohort study was to identify determinants of HRQoL in a cohort of Italian HIV-infected patients, the majority of whom were taking highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). A total of 809 patients were enrolled. The MOS-HIV Health Survey (summarized using two scores, physical health (PHS) and mental health (MHS)), and an HIV-related symptom scale were administered at enrolment and six months later. At baseline, low CD4+ cell count, hospitalization during the three months before the enrollment and symptoms were independently related to poor PHS; hospitalization during the three months before the enrollment, symptoms and poor satisfaction with information from providers were independently related to MHS. Predictors of PHS at six months included the stage of HIV infection, baseline CD4+ cells count, PHS and symptom score; while age, baseline MHS, symptom score and education predicted six-month MHS. Among these factors, symptoms, recent hospitalization and satisfaction with information are most amenable to clinical intervention.     

Stable ventricular tachycardia in arrhythmogenic dysplasia of the right ventricle in sportsmen

Right ventricular arrhythmogenic dysplasia (RVAD) is a typical asymptomatic arrhythmogenic cardiopathy in athletes, which is occasionally concurrent with normal ventricular function and life-threatening arrhythmias. A total of 32 athletes (28 males and 4 females, mean age, 23 years, mean follow-up, 6.7 years) were examined for severe cardiac arrhythmias with left bundle branch block. The conclusive diagnosis of RVAD was established from clinical, echocardio-, and angiographic evidence. The protocol of the examination involved Holter monitoring, loading tests, electrophysiological study, two-dimensional echocardiography, cardiac angiography of the right and left ventricles, coronary angiography. The most severe arrhythmias were observed in athletes whose mean age was 23.4 years, 20 patients had sustained ventricular tachycardia (it occurred only in 19 who were indulging in sports), 6 presented with transient ventricular tachycardia, and 1 had ventricular fibrillation. They all had been considered fit for sports. The disease proceeded severely in 16 of 32 athletes (in 13 of 16 while indulging in sports), the conditions close to syncope were seen in 9 patients (8 had sustained ventricular tachycardias and 1 had transient ventricular tachycardias), syncopes were observed in 5 patients (sustained ventricular tachycardias).     

Role of iron in asbestos-body-induced oxidant radical generation

Asbestos bodies (AB) were harvested from human lung tissue digests and isolated from uncoated asbestos fibers. Samples containing 1000 AB were added to a reactive solution to investigate the ability of AB to oxidize deoxy-D-ribose and generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the presence of ascorbate and hydrogen peroxide as determined by formation of thiobarbituric acid (TBA)-reactive products. Three types of asbestos fibers were tested for comparison, since they are known to be able to produce ROS. The absorbance values measured with 1000 AB were significantly higher than those observed with 1000 fibers of the three types of asbestos. Since in our reaction system the only source of transition metals was the iron-rich AB, data suggest iron derived from the ferritin coating of AB was involved in oxidant generation. Addition of iron to AB enhanced TBA-reactive product formation, while chelation of Fe with deferoxamine reduced this reaction. Hydroxyl radical scavengers 1,3-dimethyl-2-thiourea (DMTU) and mannitol (MN) also effectively blocked TBA-reactive product generation. Data indicate the importance of Fe in AB-induced oxidant damage. With the addition of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) to AB, incubation in the reactive solution gave very high amounts of TBA-reactive products, but using a reactive solution devoid of ascorbate, very low amounts of TBA-reactive products were generated. In the latter condition, the superoxide of cell membranes probably reduced and removed iron from AB-coating ferritin, but less effectively than ascorbate. Further after the possible reoxidation of Fe2+, Fe3+ could be coordinated by lactoferrin. Since such availability of reductant is never approached in living systems, the iron in the AB coating is unlikely to function as a catalyst of Fenton-type reactions in vivo.     

Wollastonite Fibers in Vitro Generate Reactive Oxygen Species Able to Lyse Erythrocytes and Activate the Complement Alternate Pathway

Wollastonite fibers were tested in vitro for their ability toproduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) with two different systems:a cell-free reactive mixture containing deoxyribose and a polymorphonuclearleukocyte suspension. After adding the fibers, we measured thethiobarbituric acid-reactive substances pduced by deoxyribosedegradation and luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence, respectively.Compared with asbestos, wollastonite fibers produced higherROS levels both in the PMN suspensions and in the cell-freereactive mixtures. A large amount of these ROS were not hydroxylradicals. Indeed we obtained remarkable differences in ROS generationbetween unground and ground wollastonite fibers and negativeresults with fibers modified with ferric chloride and dithionite.In addition, ROS generation was partially inhibited (by 46–54%)in the reactions performed in the presence of 1,3-dimethyl-2-thiourea(DMTU), a strong hydroxyl radical scavenger. Wollastonite fiberswere also analyzed for their ability to lyse erythrocytes andactivate complement. Hemolytic potency was about twice thatof chrysotile and half that of crocidolite. The levels of complementactivation (via the alternate pathway) were about four-fifthsof those measured in zyrnosan-activated plasma (a typical stimulusused to activate the alternate pathway), equal to those obtainedwith crocidolite, and two-thirds of those found with chrysotile.The addition of DMTU markedly reduced both these activities.Since asbestos fiber toxicity is mainly due to hydroxyl radicalgeneration, our results indicate that wollastonite fibers areprobably less toxic than asbestos fibers.     

High affinity rosette tests in patients having colonoscopy

Depression of high affinity rosette tests, mediated by serum factors, has been demonstrated previously in pre-malignant disease of the uterine cervix. Patients having colonoscopy were studied to determine whether similar serum changes would permit identification of patients with adenomatous polyps. No clinically useful changes were detected.     

IN VITRO CLEAVAGE BY ASBESTOS FIBERS OF THE FIFTH COMPONENT OF HUMAN COMPLEMENT THROUGH FREE-RADICAL GENERATION AND KALLIKREIN ACTIVATION

Chrysotile and crocidolite fibers incubated in normal human plasma (NHP) generated from the C₅ component of complement C_5a-type fragments that stimulated polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) chemotaxis. Absorption of NHP with antiserum against C_5a totally abolished neutrophil chemotactic activity. Asbestos fibers also produced C_5a small peptides in the presence of ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether) N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) but not ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA). Activation of C₅ was significantly inhibited when asbestos fibers were pretreated with iron chelators such as sodium dithionite (DTN), deferoxamine (DFX), or ascorbate (AA). Concentration-related inhibition of C₅ activation was also observed when asbestos fibers were added concurrently to plasma in the presence of DFX, 1,3-dimethyl-2-thiourea (DMTU), a strong hydroxyl scavenger, or aprotinin (APR), a specific protease inhibitor. Further, chrysotile and crocidolite significantly increased plasma kallikrein activity. Data demonstrate that asbestos-induced C₅ activation plays a role in inflammatory reactions characteristic of asbestosis through mechanisms involving iron ions, hydroxyl radicals, and oxidized C₅-like fragments. The ferrous ions present at the asbestos fiber surface trigger this activation and catalyze, via Fenton reaction, the production of hydroxyl radicals, which in turn convert native C₅ to an oxidized C₅-like form. This product is then cleaved by kallikrein, activated by the same asbestos fibers, yielding an oxidized C_5a with the same functional properties as C_5a.     

e-antigen and age in acute and chronic type B hepatitis

The influence of e-antigen upon the course and outcome of acute type B hepatitis was studied in a series of 202 patients. Of these, 54 (27%) had e-Ag, detected in the serum at the same time as HB_sAg during the incubation period or at onset. In 39 patients (73%) the e-Ag disappeared within eight weeks after onset, regularly followed by clearance of HB_sAg approximately four weeks later; anti-HB_s was detected shortly thereafter in 34 cases. In 15 (28%) of e-Ag-positive and in 4 (3%) of e-Ag-negative patients, HB_sAg persisted for one year or longer; chronic hepatitis developed in 13 of these cases, 12 of which were e-Ag-positive. Among e-Ag-positives HB_sAg persisted only in those cases in which the e-Ag also persisted; all these were persons under 15 years of age. Transaminase and bilirubin values were equally high in e-Ag-positive and e-Ag-negative patients with resolving hepatitis, but were low from the start in those who later developed chronic liver conditions, irrespective of the presence or absence of e-Ag. It is concluded that in e-Ag-positive acute type B hepatitis patients the disappearance of this antigen from the serum is a good prognostic sign, whereas its persistence beyond eight weeks, especially in young children with low transaminase and bilirubin response, signals evolution towards chronicity.