9 research outputs found
Nutritional advice to increase soluble fibre intake does not change plasma folate or homocysteine in men with angina: a randomised controlled trial
Objective: To study the effect of advice to increase dietary soluble fibre, including fruit and vegetables, on plasma folate and homocysteine in men with angina.
Design: Data were collected on a subset of subjects from the Diet and Angina Randomised Trial (DART II). In a randomised (2 × 2) factorial design, subjects received advice on either, neither or both interventions to: (1) increase soluble fibre intake to 8.0 g day−1 (fruit, vegetables and oats); (2) increase oily fish intake to 2 portions week−1. Those who received soluble fibre advice were compared with those who did not. Subjects were genotyped for C677T variant 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR).
Setting/subjects: Seven hundred and fifty-three male angina patients were recruited from general practice.
Results: Plasma homocysteine concentrations were at the upper end of the normal range (median 11.5, 25% 9.4, 75% 14.0 μmol l−1). Baseline intake of fruit and vegetables was positively correlated with plasma folate (rs = 0.29, P < 0.01). Smokers had lower intakes of fruit and vegetables, lower plasma folate and higher homocysteine (all P < 0.01). Homozygotes for variant MTHFR had higher homocysteine concentrations at low plasma folate (P < 0.01). Reported intakes of fruit and vegetables and estimated dietary folate increased in the intervention group (ca. +75 g day−1, P < 0.01 and ca. +20 g day−1, P < 0.05, respectively). However, neither plasma folate (baseline/follow-up 4.5 vs. 4.4 μg l−1, P = 0.40) nor homocysteine (baseline/follow-up 11.7 vs. 11.7 μmol l−1, P = 0.31) changed.
Conclusions: Plasma homocysteine, a cardiovascular risk factor, is influenced by MTHFR genotype, plasma folate and smoking status. Dietary advice successfully led to changes in fruit and vegetable intake, but not to changes in plasma folate or homocysteine, possibly because the fruits and vegetables that were chosen were not those richest in folate
Correlated Electrons in High Temperature Superconductors
Theoretical ideas and experimental results concerning high temperature
superconductors are reviewed. Special emphasis is given to calculations carried
out with the help of computers applied to models of strongly correlated
electrons proposed to describe the two dimensional planes. The
review also includes results using several analytical techniques. The one and
three band Hubbard models, and the model are discussed, and their
behavior compared against experiments when available. Among the conclusions of
the review, we found that some experimentally observed unusual properties of
the cuprates have a natural explanation through Hubbard-like models. In
particular abnormal features like the mid-infrared band of the optical
conductivity , the new states observed in the gap in
photoemission experiments, the behavior of the spin correlations with doping,
and the presence of phase separation in the copper oxide superconductors may be
explained, at least in part, by these models. Finally, the existence of
superconductivity in Hubbard-like models is analyzed. Some aspects of the
recently proposed ideas to describe the cuprates as having a \dx2y2
superconducting condensate at low temperatures are discussed. Numerical results
favor this scenario over others....(continues).Comment: (Submitted to Rev. Mod. Physics
Tailored immune responses: novel effector helper T cell subsets in protective immunity.
Differentiation of naïve CD4⁺ cells into functionally distinct effector helper T cell subsets, characterised by distinct "cytokine signatures," is a cardinal strategy employed by the mammalian immune system to efficiently deal with the rapidly evolving array of pathogenic microorganisms encountered by the host. Since the T(H)1/T(H)2 paradigm was first described by Mosmann and Coffman, research in the field of helper T cell biology has grown exponentially with seven functionally unique subsets having now been described. In this review, recent insights into the molecular mechanisms that govern differentiation and function of effector helper T cell subsets will be discussed in the context of microbial infections, with a focus on how these different helper T cell subsets orchestrate immune responses tailored to combat the nature of the pathogenic threat encountered
A multi-element psychosocial intervention for early psychosis (GET UP PIANO TRIAL) conducted in a catchment area of 10 million inhabitants: study protocol for a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial
Multi-element interventions for first-episode psychosis (FEP) are promising, but have mostly been conducted in non-epidemiologically representative samples, thereby raising the risk of underestimating the complexities involved in treating FEP in 'real-world' services