Metabolic responses to the acute ingestion of two commercially available carbonated beverages: A pilot study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this placebo-controlled, double-blind cross-over study was to compare the effects of two commercially available soft drinks on metabolic rate.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>After giving informed consent, twenty healthy men and women were randomly assigned to ingest 12 ounces of Celsius™ and, on a separate day, 12 ounces of Diet Coke®. All subjects completed both trials using a randomized, counterbalanced design. Metabolic rate (via indirect calorimetry) and substrate oxidation (via respiratory exchange ratio) were measured at baseline (pre-ingestion) and at the end of each hour for 3 hours post-ingestion.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two-way ANOVA revealed a significant interaction (p < 0.001) between trials in metabolic rate. Scheffe post-hoc testing indicated that metabolic rate increased by 13.8% (+ 0.6 L/min, p < 0.001) 1 hr post, 14.4% (+0.63 L/min, p < 0.001) 2 hr post, and 8.5% (+0.37 L/min, p < 0.004) 3 hr post Celsius™ ingestion. In contrast, small (~4–6%) but statistically insignificant increases in metabolic rate were noted following Diet Coke^®ingestion. No differences in respiratory exchange ratio were noted between trials.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These preliminary findings indicate Celsius™ has thermogenic properties when ingested acutely. The effects of repeated, chronic ingestion of Celsius™ on body composition are unknown at this time.</p

Polypharmacy in psychiatric practice in the Canary Islands

BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy with psychoactive drugs is an increasingly common and debatable contemporary practice in clinical psychiatry based more upon experience than evidence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and conditioners of polypharmacy in psychiatric patients. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was carried out using the Canary Islands Health Service Clinical Records Database. A representative sample (n = 2,647) of patients with mental disorders receiving psychotropic medication was studied. RESULTS: The mean number of psychoactive drugs prescribed was 1.63 ± 0.93 (range 1–7). The rate of polypharmacy was 41.9%, with 27.8% of patients receiving two drugs, 9.1% receiving three, 3.2% receiving four, and 1.8% of the patients receiving five or more psychotropic drugs. Multiple regression analysis shows that variables sex and diagnosis have a predictive value with regard to the number of psychotropic drug used, being men and schizophrenic patients the most predisposed. Benzodiazepines were the more prevalent drugs in monotherapy, while anticonvulsants and antipsychotics were the more used in combination with other treatment. A questionable very high degree of same-class polypharmacy was evidenced, while multi-class, adjunctive and augmentation polypharmacy seem to be more appropriate. CONCLUSIONS: Almost half of the psychiatric patients are treated with several psychotropics. Polypharmacy is common and seems to be problematic, especially when same class of drugs are prescribed together. Some diagnoses, such as schizophrenia, are associated with an increase risk of Polypharmacy but there is a lack of evidence based indicators that allows for quality evaluation on this practice

ATRX dysfunction Induces replication defects in primary mouse cells

The chromatin remodeling protein ATRX, which targets tandem repetitive DNA, has been shown to be required for expression of the alpha globin genes, for proliferation of a variety of cellular progenitors, for chromosome congression and for the maintenance of telomeres. Mutations in ATRX have recently been identified in tumours which maintain their telomeres by a telomerase independent pathway involving homologous recombination thought to be triggered by DNA damage. It is as yet unknown whether there is a central underlying mechanism associated with ATRX dysfunction which can explain the numerous cellular phenomena observed. There is, however, growing evidence for its role in the replication of various repetitive DNA templates which are thought to have a propensity to form secondary structures. Using a mouse knockout model we demonstrate that ATRX plays a direct role in facilitating DNA replication. Ablation of ATRX alone, although leading to a DNA damage response at telomeres, is not sufficient to trigger the alternative lengthening of telomere pathway in mouse embryonic stem cells

Effects of the TLR2 Agonists MALP-2 and Pam3Cys in Isolated Mouse Lungs

Background: Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria are main causes of pneumonia or acute lung injury. They are recognized by the innate immune system via toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2) or TLR4, respectively. Among all organs, the lungs have the highest expression of TLR2 receptors, but little is known about the pulmonary consequences of their activation. Here we studied the effects of the TLR2/6 agonist MALP-2, the TLR2/1 agonist Pam 3Cys and the TLR4 agonist lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on pro-inflammatory responses in isolated lungs. Methodology/Principal Findings: Isolated perfused mouse lungs were perfused for 60 min or 180 min with MALP-2 (25 ng/ mL), Pam3Cys (160 ng/mL) or LPS (1 mg/mL). We studied mediator release by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the activation of mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and AKT/protein kinase B by immunoblotting, and gene induction by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. All agonists activated the MAPK ERK1/2 and p38, but neither JNK or AKT kinase. The TLR ligands upregulated the inflammation related genes Tnf, Il1b, Il6, Il10, Il12, Ifng, Cxcl2 (MIP-2a) and Ptgs2. MALP-2 was more potent than Pam 3Cys in inducing Slpi, Cxcl10 (IP10) and Parg. Remarkable was the strong induction of Tnc by MALP2, which was not seen with Pam 3Cys or LPS. The growth factor related genes Areg and Hbegf were not affected. In addition, all three TLR agonists stimulated the release of IL-6, TNF, CXCL2 and CXCL10 protein from the lungs

The tumor-modulatory effects of Caspase-2 and Pidd1 do not require the scaffold protein Raidd

The receptor-interacting protein-associated ICH-1/CED-3 homologous protein with a death domain (RAIDD/CRADD) functions as a dual adaptor and is a constituent of different multi-protein complexes implicated in the regulation of inflammation and cell death. Within the PIDDosome complex, RAIDD connects the cell death-related protease, Caspase-2, with the p53-induced protein with a death domain 1 (PIDD1). As such, RAIDD has been implicated in DNA-damage-induced apoptosis as well as in tumorigenesis. As loss of Caspase-2 leads to an acceleration of tumor onset in the Eμ-Myc mouse lymphoma model, whereas loss of Pidd1 actually delays onset of this disease, we set out to interrogate the role of Raidd in cancer in more detail. Our data obtained analyzing Eμ-Myc/Raidd(-/-) mice indicate that Raidd is unable to protect from c-Myc-driven lymphomagenesis. Similarly, we failed to observe a modulatory effect of Raidd deficiency on DNA-damage-driven cancer. The role of Caspase-2 as a tumor suppressor and that of Pidd1 as a tumor promoter can therefore be uncoupled from their ability to interact with the Raidd scaffold, pointing toward the existence of alternative signaling modules engaging these two proteins in this context.L Peintner, L Dorstyn, S Kumar, T Aneichyk, A Villunger, and C Manz

Synthesis and characterization of TiO2-incorporated silica foams

Titania-incorporated silica (TiO2–SiO2) porous materials have great applications in diverse areas. In this work, TiO2–SiO2 porous materials with tunable Si/Ti molar ratio (R) have been successfully prepared through a one-pot method under a near-neutral condition. With decreasing Si/Ti R, a phase transition from a macroporous foam-like structure to mesostructure is observed. The resultant TiO2–SiO2 porous materials possess large surface areas and high pore volumes. In addition, the titania species are homogenously dispersed in silica matrix when Si/Ti R ≥ 10. Our contribution provides a convenient method to synthesize TiO2/SiO2 porous materials with very large pore size, high pore volume, and relatively high titania content well dispersed in the silica wall framework

The effects of green tea on weight loss and weight maintenance: a meta-analysis

IntroductionDifferent outcomes of the effect of green tea on weight loss (WL) and weight maintenance (WM) have been reported in studies with subjects differing in ethnicity and habitual caffeine intake.PurposeTo elucidate by meta-analysis whether green tea indeed has a function in body weight regulation.MethodsEnglish-language studies about WL and WM after green tea supplementation were identified through PubMed and based on the references from retrieved articles. Out of the 49 studies initially identified, a total of 11 articles fitted the inclusion criteria and provided useful information for the meta-analysis. Effect sizes (mean weight change in treatment versus control group) were computed and aggregated based on a random-effects model. The influence of several moderators on the effect sizes was examined.ResultsCatechins significantly decreased body weight and significantly maintained body weight after a period of WL (\[mucirc]=-1.31 kg; P300 mg per day) failed to reach significance (\[mucirc]=-0.27 kg for high and \[mucirc]=-1.60 kg for low habitual caffeine intake; P=0.09). Also, the seemingly smaller effect of catechins in Caucasian (\[mucirc]=-0.82 kg) subjects compared with Asians (\[mucirc]=-1.51 kg; P=0.37) did not reach significance. Interaction of ethnicity and caffeine intake was a significant moderator (P=0.04).ConclusionsCatechins or an epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)-caffeine mixture have a small positive effect on WL and WM. The results suggest that habitual caffeine intake and ethnicity may be moderators, as they may influence the effect of catechins.International Journal of Obesity advance online publication, 14 July 2009; doi:10.1038/ijo.2009.135