The effect of Spirulina sauce, as a functional food, on cardiometabolic risk factors, oxidative stress biomarkers, glycemic profile, and liver enzymes in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients:A randomized double-blinded clinical trial

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to investigate the effect of Spirulina on cardiometabolic risk factors, oxidative stress biomarkers, glycemic profile, and liver enzymes in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients. METHODS: This randomized, double‐blind clinical trial was performed on 46 NAFLD patients. Subjects were allocated to consume either Spirulina sauce or placebo, each 20 g/day for 8 weeks. Fatty liver grade, liver enzymes, anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, and serum lipids, glucose, insulin, malondialdehyde, and antioxidant capacity were assessed pre‐ and postintervention. RESULTS: Fatty liver grade was significantly different between the two groups. A significant change for ALT (alanine aminotransferase) and AST (aspartate aminotransferase) was seen between the two groups (p = .03 and .02, respectively), while ALP (alkaline phosphatase) serum levels were not significantly different within or between groups. Pertaining to glycemic profile, all variables, except HOMA‐IR, were not significantly different within or between groups. Finally, statistically significant changes were seen in both MDA (malondialdehyde) and TAC (total antioxidant capacity) among the groups (p = .04 and <.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Spirulina may improve fatty liver grade by modifying liver enzymes, oxidative stress, and some lipid profiles; however, there was effect of Spirulina on anthropometric characteristics and blood pressure

Ideal cardiovascular health and inflammation in European adolescents: The HELENA study

Background and aims Inflammation plays a key role in atherosclerosis and this process seems to appear in childhood. The ideal cardiovascular health index (ICHI) has been inversely related to atherosclerotic plaque in adults. However, evidence regarding inflammation and ICHI in adolescents is scarce. The aim is to assess the association between ICHI and inflammation in European adolescents. Methods and results As many as 543 adolescents (251 boys and 292 girls) from the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) study, a cross-sectional multi-center study including 9 European countries, were measured. C-reactive protein (CRP), complement factors C3 and C4, leptin and white blood cell counts were used to compute an inflammatory score. Multilevel linear models and multilevel logistic regression were used to assess the association between ICHI and inflammation controlling by covariates. Higher ICHI was associated with a lower inflammatory score, as well as with several individual components, both in boys and girls (p < 0.01). In addition, adolescents with at least 4 ideal components of the ICHI had significantly lower inflammatory score and lower levels of the study biomarkers, except CRP. Finally, the multilevel logistic regression showed that for every unit increase in the ICHI, the probability of having an inflammatory profile decreased by 28.1% in girls. Conclusion Results from this study suggest that a better ICHI is associated with a lower inflammatory profile already in adolescence. Improving these health behaviors, and health factors included in the ICHI, could play an important role in CVD prevention

Efecto de rosiglitazona y pioglitazona en combinación con metformina sobre el control de diabetes mellitus tipo 2

To determine which treatment is more efficient between Rosiglitazone and Pioglitazone in the control of diabetes mellitus type 2, based on the quantification pf glycaemis, glycated haemoglobin lipids, weight, hepatic enzymes, the hipwaist index and cost. The Group 1, included nine men and six women with 49±9 years of mean age, was administered with rosiglitazone and metformin. The Group 2, composed by four men and 11 women with a mean age of 52 ± 11, was administered with pioglitazone and metformin. The effects were evaluated using Levene¿s and t tests. The effects obtained were similar to those reported when each group was evaluated independently. No significant difference was estimated between groups. Although both treatments had equivalent effects, the cost of group 1 ($46 800) was cheaper than the group 2 ($ 58 110).Determinar que tratamiento tiene mayor eficacia entre rosiglitazona y pioglitazona en el control de diabetes mellitus tipo 2, con base en las medición de glucemia, hemoglobina glucosilada, lípidos, peso, enzimas hepáticas, índice cadera cintura y costo. Al Grupo 1, formado por nueve hombres y seis mujeres, de edad promedio de 49 ± 9 años, se les administró rosiglitazona y metformina. Al Grupo 2, integrado por 11 mujeres y cuatro hombres con edad promedio de 52 ± 11 años, se les administró pioglitazona y metformina. Los efectos se evaluaron con la pruebas de Levene y t. Cuando se valoraron independientemente cada grupo, los efectos fueron similares a los resultados registrados en la literatura. Entre ambos grupos no se estimaron diferencias significativas. Aunque ambos tratamientos tuvieron efectos equivalentes, el costo del grupo 1 ($46 800) resultó más económico que el grupo 2 ($58 110)

Arthrospira maxima prevents the acute fatty liver induced by the administration of simvastatin, ethanol and a hypercholesterolemic diet to mice

Abstract An evident fatty liver, corroborated morphologically and chemically, was produced in CD-1 mice after five daily doses of simvastatin 75 mg/Kg body weight, a hypercholesterolemic diet and 20 percent ethanol in the drinking water. After treating the animals, they presented serum triacylglycerols levels five times higher than the control mice, total lipids, cholesterol and triacylglycerols in the liver were 2, 2 and 1.5 times higher, respectively, than in control animals. When Arthrospira maxima was given with diet two weeks prior the onset of fatty liver induction, there was a decrement of liver total lipids (40%), liver triacylglycerols (50%) and serum triacylglycerols (50%) compared to the animals with the same treatment but without Arthrospira maxima. In addition to the mentioned protective effect, the administration of this algae, produced a significant increase (45%) in serum high density lipoproteins

Depresión y riesgo de suicidio: posibles indicadores bioquímicos en pacientes psiquiátricos con intento de suicidio en el sureste de México

The diagnosis of suicidal trends in patients with depression has been a challenge for mental health specialists, thus it is desirable to define biochemical markers to identify those patients prone to commit suicide. In the present work eight biochemical variables in psychiatric patients with and without attempt of suicide, as well as in a group of control normal volunteers were analyzed. The biochemical determinations in the blood were: triacylglycerols, cholesterol, cholesterol associated to HD lipoproteins (HDL-cholesterol), total proteins, leukocytes, erythrocytes, platelets and platelet serotonin receptors. With exception of proteins and triacylglycerols, all the variables showed significant differences between the groups (ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis; p<0.05). The depressed patients, with and without attempt of suicide, showed lower values (DMS or Mann Whitney U tests; p<0.05) of cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and erythrocytes, as well as higher values of platelets (p<0.01), than the normal control group. In contrast, the patients with attempt of suicide showed higher values (p<0.001) of leukocytes but lower (p<0.001) levels of platelet serotonin receptors than the observed ones in patients depressed without attempt of suicide or in the normal volunteers. The analysis of relative risk, compared with the normal volunteers, showed that five variables were associated with the suicidal increase of risk and two variables with its diminution. However, when refining the contrast with the depressed patients without attempt of suicide, only the low value of platelet serotonin receptors increased the risk of suicide (odds ratio 13.39; p<0.001), whereas lower values of leukocytes decreased the risk of suicide (0.0; p<0.001). The analysis of leukocytes and platelet serotonin receptors allows the possibility to use them as potential indicators of suicidal risk in depressed patients.El diagnóstico de las tendencias suicidas en pacientes con depresión ha sido un problema para los especialistas en la salud mental, por lo cual es deseable definir marcadores bioquímicos para identificar a los pacientes con tendencias suicidas. En el presente trabajo se analizaron ocho variables bioquímicas en pacientes psiquiátricos con y sin intento de suicidio, así como en un grupo control de voluntarios normales. Las determinaciones bioquímicas en la sangre fueron: triacilgliceroles, colesterol, colesterol asociado a las lipoproteínas de alta densidad (HDL-colesterol), proteínas totales, leucocitos, eritrocitos, plaquetas y receptores plaquetarios a serotonina. Con excepción de las proteínas y los triacilgliceroles, todas las variables mostraron diferencias significativas entre los grupos (ANDEVA o Kruskal-Wallis; p<0.05). Los pacientes deprimidos, con y sin intento de suicidio, mostraron valores (pruebas DMS o U de Mann Whitney; p<0.05) menores de colesterol, HDL-colesterol y de eritrocitos, así como superiores de plaquetas (p<0.01), que el grupo control normal. En contraste, los pacientes con intento de suicidio mostraron valores mayores (p<0.001) de leucocitos pero menores (p<0.001) niveles de receptores plaquetarios a serotonina que los observados en pacientes deprimidos sin intento de suicidio o en los voluntarios normales. El análisis de riesgo relativo, comparado con los voluntarios normales, mostró que cinco variables fueron asociadas con el incremento de riesgo suicida y dos variables con su disminución. No obstante, al refinar el contraste con los pacientes deprimidos sin intento de suicidio, solamente el valor bajo de receptores plaquetarios a serotonina aumentó el riesgo de suicidio (razón entre grupos 13.39; p<0.001), mientras que valores menores de leucocitos disminuyeron el riesgo de suicidio (0.0; p<0.001). El análisis de leucocitos y de receptores plaquetarios a serotonina abre la posibilidad de que sean utilizados como indicadores potenciales del riesgo suicida en pacientes deprimidos