Does Body Fatness Modify the Association Between Dietary Cholesterol and Risk of Coronary Death ? Results from the Chicago Western Electric Study

The hypothesis that body fatness modifies the relation between dietary cholesterol and 25-year coronary mortality was examined in a cohort of 1,792 middle-aged men employed by the Western Electric Company in Chicago. Relative risks of coronary death (and 95% confidence intervals) associated with a 225 mg/day greater intake of dietary cholesterol for men with a subscapular skinfold thickness less than or equal to 14, 15-20, and greater than or equal to 21 mm were 1.44 (1.10-1.90), 1.07 (0.84-1.36), and 0.95 (0.76-1.20), respectively, after adjustment for age; serum total cholesterol level; systolic blood pressure; cigarette smoking; family history of cardiovascular disease; evidence of major organ system disease at baseline; and intake of saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, energy, and ethanol. Adjusted relative risks associated with a 15-mm greater subscapular skinfold thickness for men with a dietary cholesterol intake less than or equal to 649, 650-799, and greater than or equal to 800 mg/day were 1.76 (1.04-2.98), 1.64 (1.04-2.57), and 1.00 (0.69-1.55), respectively. Fatter men apparently did not benefit from a diet lower in cholesterol, while men who ate a diet high in cholesterol apparently did not benefit from leanness. These results support the hypothesis that body fatness modifies the relation between dietary cholesterol and coronary mortality, perhaps because leaner men are more responsive than fatter men to the effects of dietary cholesterol on the concentration of low density lipoprotein cholesterol.</jats:p

Effects of N-acetyl-cysteine on endothelial function and inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Endothelial dysfunction has been associated with premature vascular disease. There is increasing data that N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) may prevent or improve endothelial dysfunction. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of NAC on endothelial function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, a population at high risk for endothelial dysfunction. Twenty-four patients with diabetes mellitus were assigned randomly to initial therapy with either 900 mg NAC or placebo twice daily in a double-blind, cross-over study design. Flowmediated vasodilation (FMD) of the brachial artery was assessed at baseline, after four weeks of therapy, after a four-week wash-out period, and after another four weeks on the opposite treatment. Plasma and red blood cell glutathione levels and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured at all four visits. At baseline, FMD was moderately impaired (3.7±2.9%). There was no significant change in FMD after four weeks of NAC therapy as compared to placebo (0.1±3.6% vs. 1.2±4.2%). Similarly, there was no significant change in glutathione levels. However, median CRP decreased from 2.35 to 2.14 mg/L during NAC therapy (p=0.04), while it increased from 2.24 to 2.65 mg/L with placebo. No side effects were noted during the treatment period. In this double-blind, randomized cross-over study, four weeks of oral NAC therapy failed to improve endothelial dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus. However, NAC therapy decreased CRP levels, suggesting that this compound may have some efficacy in reducing systemic inflammation

Sex differences in the associations between L-arginine pathway metabolites, skeletal muscle mass and function, and their responses to resistance exercise, in old age

This work was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/J015911/1) and was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (ClinicalTrials. gov Identifier: NCT02843009). Supplementary email included with articlePeer reviewedPostprin

Nitric oxide releasing-dendrimers: an overview

Platforms able to storage, release or scavenge NO in a controlled and specific manner is interesting for biological applications. Among the possible matrices for these purposes, dendrimers are excellent candidates for that. These molecules have been used as drug delivery systems and exhibit interesting properties, like the possibility to perform chemical modifications on dendrimers surface, the capacity of storage high concentrations of compounds of interest in the same molecule and the ability to improve the solubility and the biocompatibility of the compounds bonded to it. This review emphasizes the recent progress in the development and in the biological applications of different NO-releasing dendrimers and the nitric oxide release pathways in these compounds