Levothyroxine and lung cancer in females: the importance of oxidative stress

BACKGROUND: Levothyroxine (LT(4)) treatment can lead to iatrogenic hyperthyroidism and oxidative stress that can cause patient discomfort. Oxidative stress is also recognized as one of the causes of chronic diseases and cancer. METHODS: The prevalence of breast, colorectal, gastric and lung cancer in 18 Italian Regions during 2010 was correlated with the sales of LT(4) in 2009. The cancer prevalence was analyzed in women aged 30–84. This age range corresponds to more than 80% of the consumers of the drug and to about 99% of all malignant cancers. The correlation between sales of LT(4) and cancers was determined with the technique of Density Ellipses. The age and smoking contribution for lung cancer was determined with the Sequential test. RESULTS: No significant correlation was seen between LT(4) sales and breast, colorectal and gastric cancers. A significant correlation was instead found for lung cancer (p < 0.05) corrected for smoking and age. CONCLUSIONS: LT(4) consumption in Italy is about 0.7 boxes/women/year. There is a correlation between lung cancer and LT(4) treatment and oxidative stress caused by LT(4) supplementation can be one of the causes. Although we cannot exclude that dysthyroidism needing LT(4) supplementation might be the ground for lung cancer itself and measuring oxidative stress could be helpful in avoiding excessive use of the drug

Diabetes Type II in Correlation to Non-Cancer and Cancer Diseases in 49 WHO Selected Countries (SC) on The Base of Age Standardized Death Rate (ASDR)

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Determination of Plasma Antioxidant Power in Capillary Blood through the Innovative system PAT (Plasma Antioxidant Test)

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Control of edema in hypertensive subjects treated with calcium antagonist (nifedipine) or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors with Pycnogenol.

The presence of edema in different phases and stages of essential hypertension may be due to antihypertensive treatment. Some drugs may cause edema by inducing vasodilatation, increasing the capillary exchange surface and capillary filtration. Pycnogenol has an important anti-edema effect in diabetic microangiopathy and chronic venous insufficiency. This 8-week study evaluated capillary filtration in 2 comparable treatment groups with hypertension treated with a calcium antagonist (nifedipine) or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor to define its efficacy in preventing edema caused by antihypertensives. A significant decrease in filtration was observed in the Pycnogenol groups. Pycnogenol controls this type of edema, it helps to prevent and limit long-term damage in the microcirculation in hypertensive patients, and allows the dose of anti-hypertensive drugs to be reduced in most patients

Randomised, double-blind, clinical investigation to compare orlistat 60 milligram and a customized polyglucosamine, two treatment methods for the management of overweight and obesity

Abstract Background The efficacy of a non-prescription drug to support weight loss programs has yet to be compared. This clinical trial investigates the comparability of orlistat 60 milligram (mg) and polyglucosamine. Methods Sixty-four overweight or obese subjects were included in a two-center double-blind study. One center was in Germany [center 1] and the other was in Italy [center 2]. The subjects (26 in center 1 and 38 in center 2) were recommended to follow a calorie deficit of about 2000 kilojoules/day and to increase their physical activity to 3 metabolic equivalent hours (MET h)/day. In both centers, subjects were randomized to receive polyglucosamine (2 tablets x 2) or orlistat (1 capsule x 3) for a period of 12 weeks. Weight loss was considered as a main variable together with the reduction of 5 per cent (%) of body weight (5R). Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were taken as secondary variables. Results A significant difference in weight loss between the two groups was shown, 6.7\u2009\ub1\u20093.14 kilogram (kg) in group polyglucosamine versus 4.8\u2009\ub1\u20092.24 kg in group orlistat (t test p \u2009<\u20090.05) respectively; BMI and WC reduction were also more consistent with polyglucosamine treatment than with orlistat treatment (t test p \u2009<\u20090.05). No significant difference was found in the number of subjects who achieved 5R (70% for polyglucosamine and 55% for orlistat group; chi square p \u2009>\u20090.05). The administration of polyglucosamine following energy restriction and increase in physical activity reduces body weight, BMI and WC more efficiently than orlistat Conclusions Even though both groups were instructed to adopt a calorie restricted diet together with increased physical activity an additional weight loss in the polyglucosamine group of 1.6 kilogram (kg) compared to the orlistat group (6.2\u2009\ub1\u20093.46 versus 4.6\u2009\ub1\u20092.36 kg) in both centers was seen despite the higher consumption of carbohydrates in Italy (center 2). A typical Italian diet is usually high in carbohydrate content whereas Germans tend to consume meals with higher fat content. This leads to the assumption that polyglucosamine limits both fat and carbohydrate absorption which would explain the comparable effective weight reduction in the Italian participants. Trial registration Trial registration at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02529631 , registered on Aug 19, 2015 retrospectively registered

Long-Term Treatment of Overweight and Obesity with Polyglucosamine (PG L112): Randomized Study Compared with Placebo in Subjects after Caloric Restriction

BACKGROUND: Short-term treatment of overweight and obesity with polyglucosamine (PG) was found to be more effective than placebo and orlistat in double-blind clinical studies. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of long-term (12-mo) treatment of weight loss with PG and placebo (PL). METHODS: This was a double-blind randomized study in 100 participants of both sexes with a body mass index (in kg/m2) &gt;30 to &lt;35. One group of 50 participants was treated for 1 y with PG at 1.6 g/d and a similar group received PL. PG is a combination of low-molecular-weight chitosan with organic acids. Participants were instructed to reduce their caloric intake by 10% and increase the physical activity level by 9 metabolic equivalent task hours/wk. Dietary compliance was checked every 3 mo by using a weekly questionnaire [food intake assessment (FIA)] based on 25 different food servings. Body weight (BW), waist circumference (WC), blood pressure (BP), glucose, lipids, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were also monitored. RESULTS: Ninety-seven participants completed the study (49 in the PG group, 48 in the PL group). The decrease in calories was similar in both groups, as was the change in number of food servings (P &gt; 0.05, ANOVA). Decreases in BW and WC were 8.0 kg and 10.2 cm, respectively, in the PL group, whereas they were 12.1 kg and 13.3 cm in the PG group (P &lt; 0.001, ANOVA). The decrease in BP, plasma lipids, glucose, and hs-CRP was more evident in the group treated with PG (P &lt; 0.05, ANOVA). The intake of lipids was found to correlate directly with hs-CRP, with the exception of extra-virgin olive oil. CONCLUSIONS: PG was found to be more effective than PL in reducing BW, WC, glucose, BP, plasma lipids, and hs-CRP in moderately obese individuals undergoing a 10% caloric reduction and a slight increase in physical activity. Dietary monitoring with the use of an FIA was an effective tool in supporting dietary compliance. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as U111111292405 (WHO)

Validation of a patented method to determine the antioxidant capacity of human saliva based on the reduction of iron: the SAT test

The defense against damaging attack at mouth level caused by reactive species, in particular reactive oxygen species (ROS), is guaranteed by saliva, the main constituent of the antioxidant barrier. The aim of the performed tests was to establish the precision, linearity, and accuracy of the new patented test, SAT, on saliva samples taken from healthy volunteers. The analysis also provided useful information on storage conditions of the sample at low temperatures and on the normality range and defined the influences of interferences (in particular phosphates) in the determination

RESEARCH Open Access

Analysis of oxidative stress during the menstrual cycl