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People To Be 'Patient And Courteous' With Pharmacy Teams - 0 views

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    Amid the ongoing furore over shortages of Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test kits that led pharmacy staff to bear customers' wrath, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and Company Chemists Association (CCA) have jointly appealed the public to be "patient and courteous to pharmacy teams". In an open letter, the two organisations have urged patients and customers to be patient, courteous and safe while visiting their local pharmacies. Highlighting the efforts put in by healthcare workers to keep everyone safe through this tough winter, the two organisations said the pressure of Covid-19 and shortage of LFD kits have sometimes led to verbal abuse of pharmacy staff. Mark Lyonette, NPA chief executive said: "The vast majority of pharmacy customers and patients are polite and understanding. The supply situation with Lateral Flow Tests is stretching people's patience, but that's no excuse for abusive behaviour and people need to understand the constraints on pharmacy teams at this time." Alongside their routine job of providing medicines, health advice and a range of NHS services, pharmacies have put in extra effort to protect people during the pandemic.
Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone: a vascular hormone in health and disease - 0 views

  • Testosterone has beneficial effects on several cardiovascular risk factors, which include cholesterol, endothelial dysfunction and inflammation
  • In clinical studies, acute and chronic testosterone administration increases coronary artery diameter and flow, improves cardiac ischaemia and symptoms in men with chronic stable angina and reduces peripheral vascular resistance in chronic heart failure.
  • testosterone is an L-calcium channel blocker and induces potassium channel activation in vascular smooth muscle cells
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  • Animal studies have consistently demonstrated that testosterone is atheroprotective, whereas testosterone deficiency promotes the early stages of atherogenesis
  • there is no compelling evidence that testosterone replacement to levels within the normal healthy range contributes adversely to the pathogenesis of CVD (Carson & Rosano 2011) or prostate cancer (Morgentaler & Schulman 2009)
  • bidirectional effect between decreased testosterone concentrations and disease pathology exists as concomitant cardiovascular risk factors (including inflammation, obesity and insulin resistance) are known to reduce testosterone levels and that testosterone confers beneficial effects on these cardiovascular risk factors
  • Achieving a normal physiological testosterone concentration through the administration of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) has been shown to improve risk factors for atherosclerosis including reducing central adiposity and insulin resistance and improving lipid profiles (in particular, lowering cholesterol), clotting and inflammatory profiles and vascular function
  • It is well known that impaired erectile function and CVD are closely related in that ED can be the first clinical manifestation of atherosclerosis often preceding a cardiovascular event by 3–5 years
  • no decrease in the response (i.e. no tachyphylaxis) of testosterone and that patient benefit persists in the long term.
  • free testosterone levels within the physiological range, has been shown to result in a marked increase in both flow- and nitroglycerin-mediated brachial artery vasodilation in men with CAD
  • Clinical studies, however, have revealed either small reductions of 2–3 mm in diastolic pressure or no significant effects when testosterone is replaced within normal physiological limits in humans
  • Endothelium-independent mechanisms of testosterone are considered to occur primarily via the inhibition of voltage-operated Ca2+ channels (VOCCs) and/or activation of K+ channels (KCs) on smooth muscle cells (SMCs)
  • Testosterone shares the same molecular binding site as nifedipine
  • Testosterone increases the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and enhances nitric oxide (NO) production
  • Testosterone also inhibited the Ca2+ influx response to PGF2α
  • one of the major actions of testosterone is on NO and its signalling pathways
  • In addition to direct effects on NOS expression, testosterone may also affect phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5 (PDE5A)) gene expression, an enzyme controlling the degradation of cGMP, which acts as a vasodilatory second messenger
  • the significance of the action of testosterone on VSMC apoptosis and proliferation in atherosclerosis is difficult to delineate and may be dependent upon the stage of plaque development
  • Several human studies have shown that carotid IMT (CIMT) and aortic calcification negatively correlate with serum testosterone
  • t long-term testosterone treatment reduced CIMT in men with low testosterone levels and angina
  • neither intracellular nor membrane-associated ARs are required for the rapid vasodilator effect
  • acute responses appear to be AR independent, long-term AR-mediated effects on the vasculature have also been described, primarily in the context of vascular tone regulation via the modulation of gene transcription
  • Testosterone and DHT increased the expression of eNOS in HUVECs
  • oestrogens have been shown to activate eNOS and stimulate NO production in an ERα-dependent manner
  • Several studies, however, have demonstrated that the vasodilatory actions of testosterone are not reduced by aromatase inhibition
  • non-aromatisable DHT elicited similar vasodilation to testosterone treatment in arterial smooth muscle
  • increased endothelial NOS (eNOS) expression and phosphorylation were observed in testosterone- and DHT-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells
  • Androgen deprivation leads to a reduction in neuronal NOS expression associated with a decrease of intracavernosal pressure in penile arteries during erection, an effect that is promptly reversed by androgen replacement therapy
  • Observational evidence suggests that several pro-inflammatory cytokines (including interleukin 1β (IL1β), IL6, tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα), and highly sensitive CRP) and serum testosterone levels are inversely associated in patients with CAD, T2DM and/or hypogonadism
  • patients with the highest IL1β concentrations had lower endogenous testosterone levels
  • TRT has been reported to significantly reduce TNFα and elevate the circulating anti-inflammatory IL10 in hypogonadal men with CVD
  • testosterone treatment to normalise levels in hypogonadal men with the MetS resulted in a significant reduction in the circulating CRP, IL1β and TNFα, with a trend towards lower IL6 compared with placebo
  • parenteral testosterone undecanoate, CRP decreased significantly in hypogonadal elderly men
  • Higher levels of serum adiponectin have been shown to lower cardiovascular risk
  • Research suggests that the expression of VCAM-1, as induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNFα or interferon γ (IFNγ (IFNG)) in endothelial cells, can be attenuated by treatment with testosterone
  • Testosterone also inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL6, IL1β and TNFα in a range of cell types including human endothelial cells
  • decreased inflammatory response to TNFα and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in human endothelial cells when treated with DHT
  • The key to unravelling the link between testosterone and its role in atherosclerosis may lay in the understanding of testosterone signalling and the cross-talk between receptors and intracellular events that result in pro- and/or anti-inflammatory actions in athero-sensitive cells.
  • testosterone functions through the AR to modulate adhesion molecule expression
  • pre-treatment with DHT reduced the cytokine-stimulated inflammatory response
  • DHT inhibited NFκB activation
  • DHT could inhibit an LPS-induced upregulation of MCP1
  • Both NFκB and AR act at the transcriptional level and have been experimentally found to be antagonistic to each other
  • As the AR and NFκB are mutual antagonists, their interaction and influence on functions can be bidirectional, with inflammatory agents that activate NFκB interfering with normal androgen signalling as well as the AR interrupting NFκB inflammatory transcription
  • prolonged exposure of vascular cells to the inflammatory activation of NFκB associated with atherosclerosis may reduce or alter any potentially protective effects of testosterone
  • DHT and IFNγ also modulate each other's signalling through interaction at the transcriptional level, suggesting that androgens down-regulate IFN-induced genes
  • (Simoncini et al. 2000a,b). Norata et al. (2010) suggest that part of the testosterone-mediated atheroprotective effects could depend on ER activation mediated by the testosterone/DHT 3β-derivative, 3β-Adiol
  • TNFα-induced induction of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin as well as MCP1 and IL6 was significantly reduced by a pre-incubation with 3β-Adiol in HUVECs
  • 3β-Adiol also reduced LPS-induced gene expression of IL6, TNFα, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2 (PTGS2)), CD40, CX3CR1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, MMP9, resistin, pentraxin-3 and MCP1 in the monocytic cell line U937 (Norata et al. 2010)
  • This study suggests that testosterone metabolites, other than those generated through aromatisation, could exert anti-inflammatory effects that are mediated by ER activation.
  • The authors suggest that DHT differentially effects COX2 levels under physiological and pathophysiological conditions in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells and via AR-dependent and -independent mechanisms influenced by the physiological state of the cell
  • There are, however, a number of systematic meta-analyses of clinical trials of TRT that have not demonstrated an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events or mortality
  • The TOM trial, which was designed to investigate the effect of TRT on frailty in elderly men, was terminated prematurely as a result of an increased incidence of cardiovascular-related events after 6 months in the treatment arm
  • trials of TRT in men with either chronic stable angina or chronic cardiac failure have also found no increase in either cardiovascular events or mortality in studies up to 12 months
  • Evidence may therefore suggest that low testosterone levels and testosterone levels above the normal range have an adverse effect on CVD, whereas testosterone levels titrated to within the mid- to upper-normal range have at least a neutral effect or, taking into account the knowledge of the beneficial effects of testosterone on a series of cardiovascular risk factors, there may possibly be a cardioprotective action
  • The effect of testosterone on human vascular function is a complex issue and may be dependent upon the underlying androgen and/or disease status.
  • the majority of studies suggest that testosterone may display both acute and chronic vasodilatory effects upon various vascular beds at both physiological and supraphysiological concentrations and via endothelium-dependent and -independent mechanisms
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    Good deep look into the testosterone and CVD link.
Nathan Goodyear

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in neurological disorders: mechanisms of action and therapeutic ... - 0 views

  • There is a marked increase in expression of TNF in active multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • a correlation exists between cerebrospinal fluid levels of TNF and the severity and progression of disease
  • With cytokine activation, free-radical production increases and this has been demonstrated in MS
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  • NAC inhibits the toxicity of TNF and in an animal model of MS
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    Good discussion of NAC and neurodegenerative diseases.
Nathan Goodyear

Telomerase reactivation reverses tissue degeneration in aged telomerase deficient mice - 0 views

  • age-progressive loss of telomere function in mice has been shown to provoke widespread p53 activation resulting in activation of cellular checkpoints of apoptosis, impaired proliferation and senescence, compromised tissue stem cell and progenitor function, marked tissue atrophy and physiological impairment in many organ systems
  • Despite chromosomal instability, the brief course of telomerase reactivation was not sufficient to promote carcinogenesis (data not shown), a finding consistent with a role for telomerase in promoting progression of established neoplasms
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    another mouse study that found that increasing telomerase activity in shortened telomere mice improved tissue regeneration.
Nathan Goodyear

Marked Seizure Reduction after MCT Supplementation - 0 views

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    Case study: MCT reduced frequency of seizures.
Nathan Goodyear

Comparative Studies of the Estrogen Receptors β and α and the Androgen Recept... - 0 views

  • ER-β is predominately immunolocalized in basal cells and to a lesser extent in stromal cells of the morphologically normal human prostate
  • ER-α is detected in stromal cells and rarely in basal cells of the normal gland
  • AR was predominately localized in the nuclei of differentiated secretory cells and variably in basal cells of the normal acinar/duct unit as well as in stromal cells
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  • Hall and colleagues44 have reported that ER-β functions as a transdominant inhibitor of ER-α transcription and that it acts to decrease overall cellular sensitivity to estradiol
  • The expression of ER-β was diminished in high-grade dysplasias when compared to normal glands and lower grade lesions.
  • The transition from normal to low/moderate dysplastic glands in the peripheral zone was marked by the appearance of ER-β homogeneously immunostained nuclei in secretory as well as basal cells with no changes in the localization of the other receptors.
  • proliferative signals mediated by AR in basal cells or by ER-α and AR in stromal cells may be opposed by the purported growth-inhibitory action of ER-β25, 26, 27, 28 localized in basal cells.
  • The diminution of ER-β expression in high-grade dysplasias and grade 4/5 cancers may be therefore related to the alteration of DNA methylation pattern in CpG islands of the promoter, resulting in down-regulation of the receptor at the transcriptional level
  • based on the proposed anti-proliferative function of the receptor,25, 26, 27, 28 the presence of ER-β in secretory cells of low/moderate-grade lesions may represent a transient abortive attempt to counter growth of these cells
  • the attrition of receptor-positive basal cells in the high-grade dysplasias may signify a continuing loss of growth inhibitory function mediated by ER-β in these precursor lesions
  • Our findings in prostate therefore differ from those reported for human colon cancer in which Folley and colleagues48 demonstrated that a selective loss of ER-β protein but not receptor message expression occurs in these neoplasms
  • Our findings therefore differed from those of Bonkhoff and colleagues33 who found immunostaining for the receptor in high-grade dysplasias and grade 4/5 carcinomas. Using in situ hybridization these authors also reported that a high percentage of dysplasias and carcinomas in their study contained cells that expressed ER-α message
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    Very nice study.  The authors looked at normal prostate, early disease and late stage prostate cancer.  The authors found that ER beta expression, as a general rule, was lost as progression occurred to the high-grade dysplasias and grad 4/5 carcinomas of the prostate.  Early low/moderate dysplasia was associated with an increase in ER beta--the authors propose that this was due to an attempt of the basal epithelium to counter the paracrine effect of ER alpha.   In contrast, androgen receptors appeared to be equally expressed across all.
Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone and glucose metabolism in men: current concepts and controversies - 0 views

  • Around 50% of ageing, obese men presenting to the diabetes clinic have lowered testosterone levels relative to reference ranges based on healthy young men
  • The absence of high-level evidence in this area is illustrated by the Endocrine Society testosterone therapy in men with androgen deficiency clinical practice guidelines (Bhasin et al. 2010), which are appropriate for, but not specific to men with metabolic disorders. All 32 recommendations made in these guidelines are based on either very low or low quality evidence.
  • A key concept relates to making a distinction between replacement and pharmacological testosterone therapy
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  • The presence of symptoms was more closely linked to increasing age than to testosterone levels
  • Findings similar to type 2 diabetes were reported for men with the metabolic syndrome, which were associated with reductions in total testosterone of −2.2 nmol/l (95% CI −2.41 to 1.94) and in free testosterone
  • low testosterone is more predictive of the metabolic syndrome in lean men
  • Cross-sectional studies uniformly show that 30–50% of men with type 2 diabetes have lowered circulating testosterone levels, relative to references based on healthy young men
  • In a recent cross-sectional study of 240 middle-aged men (mean age 54 years) with either type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes or without diabetes (Ng Tang Fui et al. 2013b), increasing BMI and age were dominant drivers of low total and free testosterone respectively.
  • both diabetes and the metabolic syndrome are associated with a modest reduction in testosterone, in magnitude comparable with the effect of 10 years of ageing
  • In a cross-sectional study of 490 men with type 2 diabetes, there was a strong independent association of low testosterone with anaemia
  • In men, low testosterone is a marker of poor health, and may improve our ability to predict risk
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      probably the most important point made in this article
  • low testosterone identifies men with an adverse metabolic phenotype
  • Diabetic men with low testosterone are significantly more likely to be obese or insulin resistant
  • increased inflammation, evidenced by higher CRP levels
  • Bioavailable but not free testosterone was independently predictive of mortality
  • It remains possible that low testosterone is a consequence of insulin resistance, or simply a biomarker, co-existing because of in-common risk factors.
  • In prospective studies, reviewed in detail elsewhere (Grossmann et al. 2010) the inverse association of low testosterone with metabolic syndrome or diabetes is less consistent for free testosterone compared with total testosterone
  • In a study from the Framingham cohort, SHBG but not testosterone was prospectively and independently associated with incident metabolic syndrome
  • low SHBG (Ding et al. 2009) but not testosterone (Haring et al. 2013) with an increased risk of future diabetes
  • In cross-sectional studies of men with (Grossmann et al. 2008) and without (Bonnet et al. 2013) diabetes, SHBG but not testosterone was inversely associated with worse glycaemic control
  • SHBG may have biological actions beyond serving as a carrier protein for and regulator of circulating sex steroids
  • In men with diabetes, free testosterone, if measured by gold standard equilibrium dialysis (Dhindsa et al. 2004), is reduced
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      expensive, laborious process filled with variables
  • Low free testosterone remains inversely associated with insulin resistance, independent of SHBG (Grossmann et al. 2008). This suggests that the low testosterone–dysglycaemia association is not solely a consequence of low SHBG.
  • Experimental evidence reviewed below suggests that visceral adipose tissue is an important intermediate (rather than a confounder) in the inverse association of testosterone with insulin resistance and metabolic disorders.
  • testosterone promotes the commitment of pluripotent stem cells into the myogenic lineage and inhibits their differentiation into adipocytes
  • testosterone regulates the metabolic functions of mature adipocytes (Xu et al. 1991, Marin et al. 1995) and myocytes (Pitteloud et al. 2005) in ways that reduce insulin resistance.
  • Pre-clinical evidence (reviewed in Rao et al. (2013)) suggests that at the cellular level, testosterone may improve glucose metabolism by modulating the expression of the glucose-transported Glut4 and the insulin receptor, as well as by regulating key enzymes involved in glycolysis.
  • More recently testosterone has been shown to protect murine pancreatic β cells against glucotoxicity-induced apoptosis
  • Interestingly, a reciprocal feedback also appears to exist, given that not only chronic (Cameron et al. 1990, Allan 2013) but also, as shown more recently (Iranmanesh et al. 2012, Caronia et al. 2013), acute hyperglycaemia can lower testosterone levels.
  • There is also evidence that testosterone regulates insulin sensitivity directly and acutely
  • In men with prostate cancer commencing androgen deprivation therapy, both total as well as, although not in all studies (Smith 2004), visceral fat mass increases (Hamilton et al. 2011) within 3 months
  • More prolonged (>12 months) androgen deprivation therapy has been associated with increased risk of diabetes in several large observational registry studies
  • Testosterone has also been shown to reduce the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines in some, but not all studies, reviewed recently in Kelly & Jones (2013). It is not know whether this effect is independent of testosterone-induced changes in body composition.
  • the observations discussed in this section suggest that it is the decrease in testosterone that causes insulin resistance and diabetes. One important caveat remains: the strongest evidence that low testosterone is the cause rather than consequence of insulin resistance comes from men with prostate cancer (Grossmann & Zajac 2011a) or biochemical castration, and from mice lacking the androgen receptor.
  • Several large prospective studies have shown that weight gain or development of type 2 diabetes is major drivers of the age-related decline in testosterone levels
  • there is increasing evidence that healthy ageing by itself is generally not associated with marked reductions in testosterone
  • Circulating testosterone, on an average 30%, is lower in obese compared with lean men
  • increased visceral fat is an important component in the association of low testosterone and insulin resistance
  • The vast majority of men with metabolic disorders have functional gonadal axis suppression with modest reductions in testosterone levels
  • obesity is a dominant risk factor
  • men with Klinefelter syndrome have an increased risk of metabolic disorders. Interestingly, greater body fat mass is already present before puberty
  • Only 5% of men with type 2 diabetes have elevated LH levels
  • inhibition of the gonadal axis predominantly takes place in the hypothalamus, especially with more severe obesity
  • Metabolic factors, such as leptin, insulin (via deficiency or resistance) and ghrelin are believed to act at the ventromedial and arcuate nuclei of the hypothalamus to inhibit gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GNRH) secretion from GNRH neurons situated in the preoptic area
  • kisspeptin has emerged as one of the most potent secretagogues of GNRH release
  • hypothesis that obesity-mediated inhibition of kisspeptin signalling contributes to the suppression of the HPT axis, infusion of a bioactive kisspeptin fragment has been recently shown to robustly increase LH pulsatility, LH levels and circulating testosterone in hypotestosteronaemic men with type 2 diabetes
  • A smaller study with a similar experimental design found that acute testosterone withdrawal reduced insulin sensitivity independent of body weight, whereas oestradiol withdrawal had no effects
  • suppression of the diabesity-associated HPT axis is functional, and may hence be reversible
  • Obesity and dysglycaemia and associated comorbidities such as obstructive sleep apnoea (Hoyos et al. 2012b) are important contributors to the suppression of the HPT axis
  • weight gain and development of diabetes accelerate the age-related decline in testosterone
  • Modifiable risk factors such as obesity and co-morbidities are more strongly associated with a decline in circulating testosterone levels than age alone
  • 55% of symptomatic androgen deficiency reverted to a normal testosterone or an asymptomatic state after 8-year follow-up, suggesting that androgen deficiency is not a stable state
  • Weight loss can reactivate the hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular axis
  • Leptin treatment resolves hypogonadism in leptin-deficient men
  • The hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular axis remains responsive to treatment with aromatase inhibitors or selective oestrogen receptor modulators in obese men
  • Kisspeptin treatment increases LH secretion, pulse frequency and circulating testosterone levels in hypotestosteronaemic men with type 2 diabetes
  • change in BMI was associated with the change in testosterone (Corona et al. 2013a,b).
  • weight loss can lead to genuine reactivation of the gonadal axis by reversal of obesity-associated hypothalamic suppression
  • There is pre-clinical and observational evidence that chronic hyperglycaemia can inhibit the HPT axis
  • in men who improved their glycaemic control over time, testosterone levels increased. By contrast, in those men in whom glycaemic control worsened, testosterone decreased
  • testosterone levels should be measured after successful weight loss to identify men with an insufficient rise in their testosterone levels. Such men may have HPT axis pathology unrelated to their obesity, which will require appropriate evaluation and management.
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    Article discusses the expanding evidence of low T and Metabolic syndrome.
Nathan Goodyear

Diet-Induced Dysbiosis of the Intestinal Microbiota and the Effects on Immunity and Dis... - 0 views

  • The gut microbiota participates in the body’s metabolism by affecting energy balance, glucose metabolism, and low-grade inflammation associated with obesity and related metabolic disorders
  • Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes represent the two largest phyla in the human and mouse microbiota and a shift in the ratio of these phyla has been associated with many disease conditions, including obesity
  • In obese humans, there is decreased abundance of Bacteroidetes compared to lean individuals
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  • weight loss in obese individuals results in an increase in the abundance of Bacteroidetes
  • there is conflicting evidence on the composition of the obese microbiota phenotype with regards to Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes ratios
  • Bifidobacteria spp. from the phyla Actinobacteria, has been shown to be depleted in both obese mice and human subjects
  • While it is not yet clear which specific microbes are inducing or preventing obesity, evidence suggests that the microbiota is a factor.
  • targeted manipulation of the microbiota results in divergent metabolic outcomes depending on the composition of the diet
  • The microbiota has been linked to insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes (T2D) via metabolic syndrome and indeed the microbiota of individuals with T2D is also characterized by an increased Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio, as well as an increase in Bacillus and Lactobacillus spp
  • It was also observed that the ratio of Bacteriodes-Prevotella to C. coccoides-E. rectale positively correlated with glucose levels but did not correlate with body mass index [80]. This suggests that the microbiota may influence T2D in conjunction with or independently of obesity
  • In humans, high-fat Western-style diets fed to individuals over one month can induce a 71% increase in plasma levels of endotoxins, suggesting that endotoxemia may develop in individuals with GI barrier dyfunction connected to dysbiosis
  • LPS increases macrophage infiltration essential for systemic inflammation preceding insulin resistance, LPS alone does not impair glucose metabolism
  • early treatment of dysbiosis may slow down or prevent the epidemic of metabolic diseases and hence the corresponding lethal cardiovascular consequences
  • increased Firmicutes and decreased Bacteroidetes, which is the microbial profile found in lean phenotypes, along with an increase in Bifidobacteria spp. and Lactobacillus spp
  • mouse and rat models of T1D have been shown to have microbiota marked by decreased diversity and decreased Lactobacillus spp., as well as a decrease in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio
  • microbial antigens through the innate immune system are involved in T1D progression
  • The microbiota appears to be essential in maintaining the Th17/Treg cell balance in intestinal tissues, mesenteric and pancreatic lymph nodes, and in developing insulitis, although progression to overt diabetes has not been shown to be controlled by the microbiota
  • There is evidence that dietary and microbial antigens independently influence T1D
  • Lactobacillus johnsonii N6.2 protects BB-rats from T1D by mediating intestinal barrier function and inflammation [101,102] and a combination probiotic VSL#3 has been shown to attenuate insulitis and diabetes in NOD mice
  • breast fed infants have higher levels of Bifidobacteria spp. while formula fed infants have higher levels of Bacteroides spp., as well as increased Clostridium coccoides and Lactobacillus spp
  • the composition of the gut microbiota strongly correlates with diet
  • In mice fed a diet high in fat, there are many key gut population changes, such as the absence of gut barrier-protecting Bifidobacteria spp
  • diet has a dominating role in shaping gut microbiota and changing key populations may transform healthy gut microbiota into a disease-inducing entity
  • “Western” diet, which is high in sugar and fat, causes dysbiosis which affects both host GI tract metabolism and immune homeostasis
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    Nice discussion of how diet, induces gut bacterial change, that leads to metabolic endotoxemia and disease.
Nathan Goodyear

Telomerase reactivation reverses tissue degeneration in aged telomerase-deficient mice ... - 0 views

  • marked reversal of systemic degenerative phenotypes in adult mice observed here support the development of regenerative strategies designed to restore telomere integrity.
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    Telomere lengthening reverses tissue degeneration; true anti-aging
Nathan Goodyear

Blood Lead Below 0.48 {micro}mol/L (10 {micro}g/dL) and Mortality Among US Adults -- Me... - 0 views

  • The association between blood lead levels and increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality was observed at substantially lower blood lead levels than previously reported. Despite the marked decrease in blood lead levels over the past 3 decades, environmental lead exposures remain a significant determinant of cardiovascular mortality in the general population, constituting a major public health problem
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    very low lead levels in population still prove to be very dangerous
Nathan Goodyear

Pictorial Review of Glutamate Excitotoxicity: Fundamental Concepts for Neuroimaging -- ... - 0 views

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    Very heavy, but good read on glutamate excitotoxicity
Nathan Goodyear

Improved wound healing response in surgical patients receiving intravenous nutrition - ... - 0 views

  • These results show that the wound healing response in surgical patients requiring intravenous nutrition is improved by this treatment
  • improved wound healing response is more marked when intravenous nutrition is given before, rather than after the surgical procedure.
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    IV nutrition improves healing after surgery
Nathan Goodyear

Type 1 diabetes associated with acquired generaliz... [J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008] -... - 0 views

  • Acquired generalized lipodystrophy (AGL) is marked by severe insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia. Rarely, AGL and type 1 diabetes (T1D) coexist.
  • Long-term recombinant leptin therapy is effective in treating the insulin resistance of patients with the unusual combination of T1D and AGL.
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    leptin useful in severe insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia and type 1 Diabetes
Nathan Goodyear

ScienceDirect - Food and Chemical Toxicology : Neuroprotective effect of ginger on anti... - 0 views

  • A marked decrease in anti-oxidant marker enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), reduced glutathione (GSH) and increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) was observed in the diabetic rats
  • inger may be used as therapeutic agent in preventing complications in diabetic patients.
  • These results suggest that ginger exhibit a neuroprotective effect by accelerating brain anti-oxidant defense mechanisms and down regulating the MDA levels to the normal levels in the diabetic rats
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    Ginger reduces oxidative stress in diabetic rat model
Nathan Goodyear

Diagnosing Growth Hormone Deficiency in Adults - 0 views

  • it is clear that serum IGF-1 and or IGFBP-3 can be normal in patients with undisputed GHD
  • Various investigators have reported normal IGF-1 values in 37–70% of GH deficient adults
  • The co-administration of arginine and GHRH (the combined test) is a powerful stimulus for GH production and has gained increasing acceptance as a useful method of diagnosing GHD [34]. This test has been advocated as a suitable alternative to ITT
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  • The glucagon stimulation test (GST) is a reliable, safe alternative to the ITT in the diagnosis of GHD
  • An intravenous infusion of arginine (0.5 g/kg body weight) together with an intravenous bolus of GHRH (1 mcg/kg body weight) is administered [30]. Serum samples for GH are then obtained every 15–30 minutes for two hours.
  • Obesity, particularly marked obesity, is associated with blunted GH secretion in response to provocative stimuli
  • It has also been suggested that that even mildly increased BMI (25–30 kg/m2) can result in diminished stimulated GH production in 13% of healthy subjects
  • Corneli et al. have defined BMI-specific cut-off points for diagnosing adult-onset GHD using GHRH + arginine—11.5 ng/mL for those with BMI < 25 kg/m2, 8.0 ng/mL for BMI 25–30 kg/m2, 4.2 ng/mL for those with BMI > 30 kg/m2
  • GH levels are higher during the luteal phase in comparison with the follicular phase of the cycle
  • Oral, in contrast to transdermal oestrogen, lowers IGF-1 levels and is associated with increased GH levels
  • Adequate pituitary replacement with thyroxine and hydrocortisone are needed for optimal GH production
  • one cannot rely on a low IGF-1 to diagnose GHD in women taking oral oestrogen preparations.
  • Numerous GH secretagogues are available with the insulin tolerance test being the gold standard and the glucagon stimulation test or the GHRH + arginine as acceptable alternatives
  • ain et al. found the GST to be at least as good as the ITT in provoking GH secretion
  • the GST is safe, with almost no contraindications, it causes nausea and sometimes vomiting in 15–20% of subjects
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    Nice, more recent analysis, of HGH testing.
Nathan Goodyear

Race differences in obesity and its relationship to the sex hormone milieu : Hormone Mo... - 0 views

  • increased abdominal and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) – found in women and marked by low sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and high bioavailable testosterone (BT) – is related to the metabolic risk profile
  • In men, increased BT is related to decreased abdominal obesity and a decrease in the metabolic risk profile
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    Only abstract available here.  Race (black vs white) is associated with changes in obesity effects on adrogenicity, particularly in women.  One wonders if this is a result of other variables i.e.vitamin D.
Nathan Goodyear

Marked Testosterone Deficiency-Related Symptoms Ma... [J Sex Med. 2014] - PubMed - NCBI - 0 views

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    The more severe the symptoms, the more the increased risk of CVD in men with low T.
Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone Deficiency in Young Men: Marked Alterations in Whole Body Protein Kinetics... - 0 views

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    low T in men, small study, found to decrease muscle growth, decreased strength as a result, decrease in fat oxidation/breakdown and increase in fat stores.  Low T turns the muscle:fat ratio in men upside down--the result is a metabolic derailment.
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