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

High-performance symmetric supercapacitor based on new functionalized graphene oxide composites with pyrimidine nucleotide and nucleoside

Delivery of cytidine triphosphate (CTP) as pyrimidine nucleotide and Cytarabine or arabinosylcytosine (Ara-C) as pyrimidine nucleoside onto the surface of graphene oxide (GO) has led to the fabrication of effective composites of functionalized graphene oxides (FGO-CTP and FGO-Ara-C). In the present study, we have compared FGO-CTP and FGO-Ara-C composites as active electrodes in a system with three electrodes for electrochemical measurement. Also, the as-prepared composites exhibited an ideal supercapacitive behavior in a symmetric capacitor. For the two electrode arrangement, a capacitance of 212F g−1, an energy density of 17.8 Wh kg−1 at 325 W kg−1, and an outstanding life cycling was achieved for the FGO-CTP electrode within a voltage window of 0–1.3 V in 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte, demonstrating greater electrochemical behavior compared to that of FGO-Ara-C electrode. In addition, the DFT calculations and charge density analysis resulted in more charge distribution on the GO layer of FGO-CTP than that of FGO-Ara-C, making it more effective as an electrode material for supercapacitors. Taking advantage of the facile synthesis method for introducing phosphate functional groups onto the surface of graphene oxide opens up an effective way for the fabrication of high-performance devices with large active surface area and high electrochemical ability in energy storage systems. Also, the assembled device expands the practical application areas of electrochemical energy storage devices significantly

TMP/Pd Complex Immobilized on Graphene Oxide for Efficient Pseudocapacitive Energy Storage with Combined Experimental and DFT Study

Designing sophisticated energy sources that can offer a large amount of electricity for various energy storage uses is a pressing need. In this study, Trimethoprim (TMP) was functionalized as a rich supply of nitrogen and oxygen on graphene oxide (FGO-TMP), using graphene oxide layers adorned with trimethoprim functional groups. Then, using a simple approach to synthesize FGO-TMP/Pd complex for supercapacitor applications, palladium ions were reacted and fixed on the FGO-TMP composite surface. The FGO-TMP/Pd composite produced was characterized as a symmetric capacitor with a capacitance of 330F/g at 5 mV s−1 and high energy and power densities of 60.3 W h Kg−1 and 1200 W kg−1, respectively. After 10,000 cycles at 8 A/g, this symmetric device retained 93.7 percent of its original capacitance, proving the remarkable capacitive performance of the developed platform as well as ultra-stability for such sophisticated energy storage devices. Topological analysis of the electron density distribution and its Laplacian at the bonding critical points and Bader atomic charges of the GO layer in both FGO-TMP and FGO-TMP/Pd composites confirms more concentrated bond charges in FGO-TMP/Pd, indicating effective improvement in electrode material behavior in a supercapacitor