http://www.lipidworld.com The most accessed research articles published by Lipids in Health and Disease 2010-03-08T00:00:00Z This is an RSS newsfeed from BioMed Central It is intended to be used with an RSS reader. For more information about RSS newsfeeds from BioMed Central, visit http://www.biomedcentral.com/info/about/rss/ Background: LeptiCore® is a proprietary combination of various ingredients which have been shown to have properties which could be beneficial to weight loss in obese and overweight human subjects. This study evaluates the effect of Lepticore® on bodyweight as well as parameters associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome. Methods: The study was an 8 week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design involving 92 obese (mean BMI > 30 kg/m2) participants (37 males; 55 females; ages 19-52; mean age = 30.7). The participants were randomly divided into three groups: placebo (n = 30), LeptiCore® formula A (low dose) (n = 31) and LeptiCore® formula B (high dose) (n = 31). Capsules containing the placebo or active formulations were administered twice daily before meals with 300 ml of water. None of the participants followed any specific diet nor took any weight-reducing medications for the duration of the study. A total of 12 anthropomorphic and serological measurements were taken at the beginning of the study and after 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of treatment. Results: Compared to the placebo group, the two active groups showed statistically significant differences on all 12 variables by week 8. These included four anthropomorphic variables (body weight, body fat, waist and hip size) and eight measures of serological levels (plasma total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides, blood glucose, serotonin, leptin, C-reactive protein). The two active groups also showed significant intra-group differences on all 12 variables between study onset and week 8. Conclusion: The LeptiCore® formulation at both the low and high dosages appears to be helpful in the management of fat gain and its related complications. The higher dosage resulted in significantly greater reductions in body weight and triglyceride, blood glucose, and C-reactive protein levels, as well as increased serotonin levels. http://www.lipidworld.com/content/9/1/20 Dieudonne Kuate Blanche Etoundi Boris Azantsa Anne-Pascale Kengne Judith Ngondi Julius Oben Lipids in Health and Disease 2010, 9:20 2010-02-19T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1476-511X-9-20 Lipids in Health and Disease 1476-511X 9 20 2010-02-19T00:00:00Z XML Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients present a decrease of antioxidants and neuroprotective and immunoregulatory vitamins and an increase of total homocysteine (tHcy), cholesterol (CHL), HDL-cholesterol, and of cellular stress markers, variably associated with the different phases of the disease. We compared the blood levels of uric acid, folic acid, vitamins B12, A, and E, tHcy, CHL, HDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides in forty MS patients during a phase of clinical inactivity with those of eighty healthy controls, matched for age and sex. We found higher levels of tHcy (p = 0.032) and of HDL-cholesterol (p = 0.001) and lower levels of vitamin E (p = 0.001) and the ratio vitamin E/CHL (p = 0.001) in MS patients. In conclusion, modifications of some biochemical markers of cell damage were detected in MS patients during a phase of clinical inactivity. http://www.lipidworld.com/content/9/1/19 Giuseppe Salemi Maria Concetta Gueli Francesco Vitale Floriana Battaglieri Egidio Guglielmini Paolo Ragonese Angela Trentacosti Maria Fatima Massenti Giovanni Savettieri Antonino Bono Lipids in Health and Disease 2010, 9:19 2010-02-18T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1476-511X-9-19 Lipids in Health and Disease 1476-511X 9 19 2010-02-18T00:00:00Z XML AimOnce considered a problem of developed countries, obesity and obesity-related complications (such as metabolic syndrome) are rapidly spreading around the globe. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the use of a Cissus quadrangularis formulation in the management of metabolic syndrome, particularly weight loss and central obesity. Methods: The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design involving 123 overweight and obese persons (47.2% male; 52.8% female; ages 19–50). The 92 obese (BMI >30) participants were randomized into three groups; placebo, formulation/no diet, and formulation/diet (2100–2200 calories/day). The 31 overweight participants (BMI = 25–29) formed a fourth (no diet) treatment group. All participants received two daily doses of the formulation or placebo and remained on a normal or calorie-controlled diet for 8 weeks. Results: At the end of the trial period, statistically significant net reductions in weight and central obesity, as well as in fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and C-reactive protein were observed in participants who received the formulation, regardless of diet. Conclusion: Cissus quadrangularis formulation appears to be useful in the management of weight loss and metabolic syndrome. http://www.lipidworld.com/content/5/1/24 Julius Oben Dieudonne Kuate Gabriel Agbor Claudia Momo Xavio Talla Lipids in Health and Disease 2006, 5:24 2006-09-02T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1476-511X-5-24 Lipids in Health and Disease 1476-511X 5 24 2006-09-02T00:00:00Z XML IntroductionObesity increases the risk for insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in both adults and children. FABP4 is a member of the intracellular lipid-binding protein family that is predominantly expressed in adipose tissue, and plays an important role in maintaining glucose and lipid homeostasis. The purpose of this study was to measure FABP4 plasma levels, assess FABP4 allelic variants, and explore potential associations with fasting glucose and insulin levels in young school-age children with and without obesity. Methods: A total of 309 consecutive children ages 5-7 years were recruited. Children were divided based on BMI z score into Obese (OB; BMI z score >1.65) and non-obese (NOB). Fasting plasma glucose, lipids, insulin, hsCRP, and FABP4 levels were measured. HOMA was used as correlate of insulin sensitivity. Four SNPs of the human FABP4 gene (rs1051231, rs2303519, rs16909233 and rs1054135), corresponding to several critical regions of the encoding FABP4 gene sequence were genotyped. Results: Compared to NOB, circulating FABP4 levels were increased in OB, as were LDL, hsCRP and HOMA. FABP4 levels correlated with BMI, and also contributed to the variance of HOMA and hsCRP, but not serum lipids. The frequency of rs1054135 allelic variant was increased in OB, and was associated with increased FABP4 levels, while the presence of rs16909233 variant allele, although similar in OB and NOB, was associated with increased HOMA values. Conclusions: Childhood obesity is associated with higher FABP4 levels that may promote cardiometabolic risk. The presence of selective SNPs in the FABP4 gene may account for increased risk for insulin resistance or systemic inflammation in the context of obesity. http://www.lipidworld.com/content/9/1/18 Abdelnaby Khalyfa Bharat Bhushan Mohamed Hegazi Jinkwan Kim Leila Kheirandish-Gozal Rakesh Bhattacharjee Oscar Sans Capdevila David Gozal Lipids in Health and Disease 2010, 9:18 2010-02-15T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1476-511X-9-18 Lipids in Health and Disease 1476-511X 9 18 2010-02-15T00:00:00Z XML N-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids have been shown to have potential beneficial effects for chronic diseases including cancer, insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in particular have been studied extensively, whereas substantive evidence for a biological role for the precursor, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), is lacking. It is not enough to assume that ALA exerts effects through conversion to EPA and DHA, as the process is highly inefficient in humans. Thus, clarification of ALA's involvement in health and disease is essential, as it is the principle n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid consumed in the North American diet and intakes of EPA and DHA are typically very low. There is evidence suggesting that ALA, EPA and DHA have specific and potentially independent effects on chronic disease. Therefore, this review will assess our current understanding of the differential effects of ALA, EPA and DHA on cancer, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease. Potential mechanisms of action will also be reviewed. Overall, a better understanding of the individual role for ALA, EPA and DHA is needed in order to make appropriate dietary recommendations regarding n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid consumption. http://www.lipidworld.com/content/8/1/33 Breanne Anderson David Ma Lipids in Health and Disease 2009, 8:33 2009-08-10T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1476-511X-8-33 Lipids in Health and Disease 1476-511X 8 33 2009-08-10T00:00:00Z XML Although its role to prevent secondary cardiovascular complications has been well established, how acetyl salicylic acid (ASA, aspirin) regulates certain key molecules in the atherogenesis is still not known. Considering the role of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) to destabilize the atherosclerotic plaques, the roles of the scavenger receptor class BI (SR-BI) and ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) to promote cholesterol efflux in the foam cells at the plaques, and the role of NF-kappaB in the overall inflammation related to the atherosclerosis, we addressed whether these molecules are all related to a common mechanism that may be regulated by acetyl salicylic acid. We investigated the effect of ASA to regulate the expressions and activities of these molecules in THP-1 macrophages. Our results showed that ASA inhibited MMP-9 mRNA expression, and caused the decrease in the MMP-9 activities from the cell culture supernatants. In addition, it inhibited the nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB p65 subunit, thus the activity of this inflammatory molecule. On the contrary, acetyl salicylic acid induced the expressions of ABCA1 and SR-BI, two molecules known to reduce the progression of atherosclerosis, at both mRNA and protein levels. It also stimulated the cholesterol efflux out of macrophages. These data suggest that acetyl salicylic acid may alleviate symptoms of atherosclerosis by two potential mechanisms: maintaining the plaque stability via inhibiting activities of inflammatory molecules MMP-9 and NF-kappaB, and increasing the cholesterol efflux through inducing expressions of ABCA1 and SR-BI. http://www.lipidworld.com/content/9/1/16 Li Lu Hong Liu Jiahe Peng Lin Gan Lili Shen Qian Zhang Liangpeng Li Li Zhang Chang Su Yu Jiang Lipids in Health and Disease 2010, 9:16 2010-02-06T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1476-511X-9-16 Lipids in Health and Disease 1476-511X 9 16 2010-02-06T00:00:00Z PDF Omega-3 fatty acids play a critical role in the development and function of the central nervous system. Emerging research is establishing an association between omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, docosahexaenoic) and major depressive disorder. Evidence from epidemiological, laboratory and clinical studies suggest that dietary lipids and other associated nutritional factors may influence vulnerability and outcome in depressive disorders. Research in this area is growing at a rapid pace. The goal of this report is to integrate various branches of research in order to update mental health professionals. http://www.lipidworld.com/content/3/1/25 Alan Logan Lipids in Health and Disease 2004, 3:25 2004-11-09T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1476-511X-3-25 Lipids in Health and Disease 1476-511X 3 25 2004-11-09T00:00:00Z XML Background: There is an increasing number of novel antilipidemic therapies under consideration. The putative hypolipidemic effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and sesame oil was studied in a mouse model of dietary-induced hypercholesterolemia. Methods: Male C57bl/6 mice were assigned to the following groups: (NC) control group, (HC) group receiving test diet supplemented with 2% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid for 8 weeks, (HCN) group receiving the test diet with NAC supplementation (230 mg/kg p.o.) and (HCS) group fed the test diet enriched with 10% sesame oil. Total serum cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides were assayed at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. Total peroxides and nitric oxide (NO) levels were measured in the serum at the end of the experiment. Hepatic and aortic lesions were evaluated by haematoxylin-eosin staining. Results: Higher serum levels of total and LDL-cholesterol were recorded in all groups fed the high cholesterol diet. The HCN group presented reduced lipid levels compared to HC and HCS groups. No differences were observed between HCS and HC groups. Peroxide content in serum was markedly increased in mice consuming high cholesterol diet. NAC and sesame oil administration led to a significant decrease of serum lipid peroxidation in the levels of control group, whereas only NAC restored NO bioavailability. In terms of liver histology, the lesions observed in HCN group were less severe than those seen in the other high cholesterol groups. Conclusion: Co-administration of NAC, but not sesame oil, restored the disturbed lipid profile and improved hepatic steatosis in the studied diet-induced hypercholesterolemic mice. Both agents appear to ameliorate serum antioxidant defense. http://www.lipidworld.com/content/9/1/23 Laskarina-Maria Korou George Agrogiannis Alkisti Pantopoulou Ioannis Vlachos Dimitrios Iliopoulos Theodoros Karatzas Despoina Perrea Lipids in Health and Disease 2010, 9:23 2010-03-06T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1476-511X-9-23 Lipids in Health and Disease 1476-511X 9 23 2010-03-06T00:00:00Z PDF Background: fatty acids are considered to be effective components to promote wound healing and Lucilia sericata larvae are applied clinically to treat intractable wounds. We aimed to investigat the effect of fatty acid extracts from dried Lucilia sericata larvae on murine cutaneuous wound healing as well as angiogenesis. Results: On day 7 and 10 after murine acute excision wounds creation, the percent wound contraction of fatty acid extracts group was higher than that of vaseline group. On day 3, 7 and 10 after wounds creation, the wound healing quality of fatty acid extracts group was better than that of vaseline group on terms of granulation formation and collagen organization. On day 3 after wounds creation, the micro vessel density and vascular endothelial growth factor expression of fatty acid extracts group were higher than that of vaseline group. Component analysis of the fatty acid extracts by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed there were 10 kinds of fatty acids in total and the ratio of saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) was: 20.57%:60.32%:19.11%. Conclusions: Fatty acid extracts from dried Lucilia sericata larvae, four fifths of which are unsaturated fatty acids, can promote murine cutaneous wound healing probably resulting from the powerful angiogenic activity of the extracts. http://www.lipidworld.com/content/9/1/24 Zhen Zhang Shouyu Wang Yunpeng Diao Jianing Zhang Decheng Lv Lipids in Health and Disease 2010, 9:24 2010-03-08T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1476-511X-9-24 Lipids in Health and Disease 1476-511X 9 24 2010-03-08T00:00:00Z XML IntroductionThe aim of the study was to assess the influence of co-existing atrial fibrillation (AF) on inflammatory condition factors, left ventricular function, clinical course and the efficacy of statin treatment of congestive heart failure in the course of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).Material and methodsIn a prospective, randomized, open-label study, 69 patients with DCM and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤40% were divided into two groups, with and without AF, who were treated according to the recommended standards. 68% of patients from the group with AF and 59% of patients from the group without AF were administered atorvastatin 40 mg daily for 8 weeks and 10 mg for next 4 months. Clinical examination with the assessment of body mass index (BMI) and waist size were followed by routine laboratory tests, measurement of concentration of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-10 in blood plasma, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentration in blood serum, echocardiographic examination, and the assessment of exercise capacity in 6-minute walk test (6-MWT). After six months, morbidity rate and the number of heart failure hospitalizations were also observed. Results: In the whole population of patients, a significantly higher concentration of NT-proBNP was observed in the AF group (2669 ± 2192 vs 1540 ± 1067, p = 0.02). After statin treatment, in patients with DCM and co-existing AF, higher values of NT-proBNP and IL-6 were observed compared to non-AF patients (1530 ± 1054 vs 1006 ± 1195, p = 0.04 and (14.16 ± 13.40 vs 6.74 ± 5.45, p = 0.02, respectively). Conclusion: In patients with DCM and co-existing AF, a weaker effect of atorvastatin concerning the reduction of IL-6 and NT-proBNP concentration was observed than in patients without atrial fibrillation.Trials Registration(ClinialTrial.gov No.: NCT01015144) http://www.lipidworld.com/content/9/1/21 Agata Dabrowa-Bielecka Jan Goch Jacek Rysz Marek Maciejewski Ravi Desai Wilbert Aronow Maciej Banach Lipids in Health and Disease 2010, 9:21 2010-02-23T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1476-511X-9-21 Lipids in Health and Disease 1476-511X 9 21 2010-02-23T00:00:00Z XML