Effect of ketogenic mediterranean diet with phytoextracts and low carbohydrates/high-protein meals on weight, cardiovascular risk factors, body composition and diet compliance in Italian council employees

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There has been increased interest in recent years in very low carbohydrate ketogenic diets (VLCKD) that, even though they are much discussed and often opposed, have undoubtedly been shown to be effective, at least in the short to medium term, as a tool to tackle obesity, hyperlipidemia and some cardiovascular risk factors. For this reason the ketogenic diet represents an interesting option but unfortunately suffers from a low compliance. The aim of this pilot study is to ascertain the safety and effects of a modified ketogenic diet that utilizes ingredients which are low in carbohydrates but are formulated to simulate its aspect and taste and also contain phytoextracts to add beneficial effects of important vegetable components.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study group consisted of 106 Rome council employees with a body mass index of ≥ 25, age between 18 and 65 years (19 male and 87 female; mean age 48.49 ± 10.3). We investigated the effects of a modified ketogenic diet based on green vegetables, olive oil, fish and meat plus dishes composed of high quality protein and virtually zero carbohydrate but which mimic their taste, with the addition of some herbal extracts (KEMEPHY ketogenic Mediterranean with phytoextracts). Calories in the diet were unlimited. Measurements were taken before and after 6 weeks of diet.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were no significant changes in BUN, ALT, AST, GGT and blood creatinine. We detected a significant (p < 0.0001) reduction in BMI (31.45 Kg/m²to 29.01 Kg/m²), body weight (86.15 kg to 79.43 Kg), percentage of fat mass (41.24% to 34.99%), waist circumference (106.56 cm to 97.10 cm), total cholesterol (204 mg/dl to 181 mg/dl), LDLc (150 mg/dl to 136 mg/dl), triglycerides (119 mg/dl to 93 mg/dl) and blood glucose (96 mg/dl to 91 mg/dl). There was a significant (p < 0.0001) increase in HDLc (46 mg/dl to 52 mg/dl).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The KEMEPHY diet lead to weight reduction, improvements in cardiovascular risk markers, reduction in waist circumference and showed good compliance.</p

Evaluating vancomycin susceptibility in Staphylococcus aureus

Marcelo J Mimica,&nbsp;Alessandra Navarini Department of Pathology, Division of Microbiology, Santa Casa de S&atilde;o Paulo School of Medicine, S&atilde;o Paulo, BrazilWe read the report by Phillips et al1 with great interest and would like to discuss it in comparison with our previous published data on the subject.2,3We have also studied a number of Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates (n=125), comparing different vancomycin susceptibility tests, including microdilution, Etest&reg; (bio-M&eacute;rieux, Marcy-l&rsquo;&Eacute;toile, France), and brain heart infusion vancomycin screening plates. We found only one isolate with reduced susceptibility with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) =4 mg/L when tested with Etest and 2 mg/L when tested with microdilution.2,3 Our results showed a tendency of higher lethality when higher MICs were present, even within the susceptible range,3 as some previous studies have shown.4,5Concordant to Phillips et al1 and other authors,6,7 we also reported a poor correlation between different tests. Comparing Etest and microdilution (approximating an Etest MIC value between two twofold dilutions up to the highest value), 58% of the isolates had similar MICs, whereas 38% had an MIC by Etest one dilution higher than microdilution. One isolate had an Etest MIC twofold higher and four isolates an Etest MIC onefold lower than microdilution.2However, in our study, a brain heart infusion screening plate with 2.0 mg/L of vancomycin showed a sensitivity of 100% to detect isolates with an MIC &ge;2.0 by Etest and 91% to detect an MIC &ge;2.0 by microdilution, making this test an interesting option for initial screening of S. aureus isolates for reduced vancomycin susceptibility. Specificities were 63% and 38%, respectively, which would still make necessary the further testing with an MIC method, but in a much smaller number of isolates.2 This approach would be suitable for a large number of laboratories throughout the world where the routine MIC testing of all S. aureus isolates is not feasible.View original paper by Phillips et al