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Oral Consumption (oral + consumption)
Selected AbstractsDifferences in attitudes between patients with primary colorectal cancer and patients with secondary colorectal cancer: is it reflected in their willingness to participate in drug trials?EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 2 2005G. GARCEA mrcs Recruitment of patients into drug trials is essential in order to evaluate new treatments. Knowing why patients enter drug trials and their fears regarding them can be used in future research to ensure good recruitment and provide a supportive atmosphere for patients. Forty patients with colorectal cancer and 30 patients with colorectal liver metastases were asked to participate in a drug trial involving the oral consumption of a diet-derived agent of unknown therapeutic action. All patients agreeing or refusing to participate were asked to complete a short questionnaire with a series of options detailing the reasons behind their decision. Patients with colorectal hepatic metastases were motivated by altruism in entering the trial (e.g. helping others, helping the investigator) and displayed a realistic expectation that the drug would give little direct benefit to them. Patients with primary colorectal tumours were motivated by more ,selfish' reasons such as helping themselves and displayed an unrealistic expectation concerning any therapeutic benefit from the trial drug. Over 90% of all patients polled stated that their decision was made after reading the patient information leaflet. Patients with different stages of the same disease have very different fears and anticipations of drug trials, which need to be addressed specifically. The importance of the initial contact is demonstrated. Unrealistic expectations regarding the trial drug are common despite clear information to the contrary. [source] Intensity and Duration of Chronic Ethanol Exposure Is Critical for Subsequent Escalation of Voluntary Ethanol Drinking in MiceALCOHOLISM, Issue 11 2009William C. Griffin III Background:, Excessive alcohol drinking continues to be an important health problem. Recent studies from our laboratory and others have demonstrated that animal models of ethanol dependence and relapse can contribute to understanding factors that contribute to excessive drinking. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the amount and duration of ethanol exposure is critical for promoting the escalation in drinking by mice given access to ethanol in a limited access paradigm. Methods:, We used several methods of chronic intermittent ethanol exposure in male C57BL/6J mice that would vary in the amount and duration of exposure to ethanol as indicated by blood ethanol concentrations (BEC). After establishing baseline drinking in the mice using a 2 hours, 2 bottle choice drinking paradigm, each study involved alternating between periods of ethanol exposure and periods of limited access to ethanol (1 cycle) for a total of 3 cycles. In Study 1, mice were allowed extended access (16 hours) to ethanol for oral consumption or remained in the home cage. In Study 2, the ethanol exposure consisted of intragastric gavage of increasing doses of ethanol or isocaloric sucrose as the control. Study 3 compared intragastric gavage combined with pyrazole, an alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor, with vapor inhalation of ethanol using procedures known to lead to increased drinking in mice. Finally, Study 4 was a retrospective review of several studies conducted in our laboratory using inhalation procedures. The retrospective review encompassed a range of postvapor chamber BEC values and ethanol intakes that would allow a relationship between increased drinking and BEC to be examined. Results:, Allowing mice to drink for longer periods of time did not cause increased drinking in subsequent limited access sessions. Likewise, gastric intubation of ethanol which produced high BEC (>300 mg/dl) with or without pyrazole did not increase drinking. Only the vapor inhalation procedure, which was associated with sustained BEC above 175 mg/dl for the entire exposure period resulted in increased drinking. The retrospective study provided further evidence that sustained BEC levels above 175 mg/dl was critical to the escalation in drinking. Conclusions:, We found that the intensity (amount) and duration of ethanol exposure, indexed by BEC, is critical to produce increased drinking in mice. Specifically, BEC must regularly exceed 175 mg/dl for the escalation in drinking to occur. Future studies will examine neurobiological adaptations that may underlie the increased drinking behavior caused by chronic intermittent ethanol exposure. [source] An Expanded Evaluation of the Relationship of Four Alleles to the Level of Response to Alcohol and the Alcoholism RiskALCOHOLISM, Issue 1 2005Xianzhang Hu Background: Alcoholism is a complex, genetically influenced disorder the cause of which may be better understood through the study of genetically influenced phenotypes that mediate the risk. One such intermediate phenotype is the low level of response (LR) to alcohol. This project used a case-control approach to search for genes that may contribute to LR. Methods: Data were available from alcohol challenges at approximately age 20 and regarding the development of alcohol use disorders over the subsequent 20 years for 85 men, including 40 reported in a previous genetic analysis. LR was evaluated using oral consumption of 0.75 ml/kg of alcohol, after which changes in subjective feelings of intoxication and body sway were measured. Alcohol abuse and dependence were diagnosed by DSM-III-R criteria through structured interviews administered to both the participant and an informant (usually the spouse) 10, 15, and 20 years after initial testing. Four polymorphisms were evaluated, including the serotonin transporter HTTLPR promoter ins/del, GABAA,6 Pro385Ser, NPY Leu7Pro, and catalase 262C>T. Two of these, HTTLPR and GABAA,6 Pro385Ser, had been previously associated with LR and alcoholism in a preliminary study. Results: The HTTLPR L allele was significantly related to both the LR and alcoholism in an allele-dosage (stepwise) manner. Furthermore, the association remained when L alleles were subdivided into recently reported functional subtypes: the lowest LR was associated with genotypes correlated with the highest serotonin transporter expression. The GABAA,6 Ser385 allele showed a nonsignificant trend for association to a low LR, as had been previously observed, although the Ser385 allele is uncommon, and only 18 heterozygotes were in the current group. However, the six men with both LL and Pro385/Ser385 genotypes had the lowest LR, and each had developed alcoholism during follow-up. Neither NPY nor catalase was associated with either LR or alcoholic outcomes, although the sample did not have sufficient power for definitive conclusions. Conclusions: This report strengthens the support for a relationship between the HTTLPR L and GABAA,6 Ser385 alleles to low alcohol LR and to alcoholism in a prospectively studied cohort evaluated for LR in young adulthood and before the onset of alcohol dependence. [source] The anti-allergenic properties of milk kefir and soymilk kefir and their beneficial effects on the intestinal microfloraJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 15 2006Je-Ruei Liu Abstract Food allergy is now recognized as a worldwide problem, and like other atopic disorders its incidence appears to be increasing. Kefir is reported to possess the ability to reduce intestinal permeation of food antigens; however, no experimental study has clearly evaluated the relationships between kefir consumption, allergen-specific IgE response, and intestinal microflora. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oral consumption of milk kefir and soymilk kefir on in vivo IgE and IgG1 production induced by ovalbumin (OVA) in mice. The effects of kefir administration on the murine intestinal microflora were also examined. Oral administration of milk kefir and soymilk kefir for 28 days significantly increased the fecal populations of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, while it significantly decreased those of Clostridium perfringens. Milk kefir and soymilk kefir also significantly decreased the serum OVA-specific IgE and IgG1 levels for both groups, but not those of the IgG2a analogues. Consumption of milk kefir and soymilk kefir suppressed the IgE and IgG1 responses and altered the intestinal microflora in our supplemented group, suggesting that milk kefir and soymilk kefir may be considered among the more promising food components in terms of preventing food allergy and enhancement of mucosal resistance to gastrointestinal pathogen infection. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Short-term administration of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate reduces hepatic steatosis and protects against warm hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury in steatotic miceLIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 3 2005Ryan N. Fiorini Hepatic steatosis increases the extent of cellular injury incurred during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. (-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major flavonoid component of green tea (camellia sinensis) is a potent antioxidant that inhibits fatty acid synthase (FAS) in vitro. We investigated the effects of EGCG on hepatic steatosis and markers of cellular damage at baseline and after I/R injury in ob/ob mice. Animals were pretreated with 85 mg/kg EGCG via intraperitoneal (ip) injection for 2 days or oral consumption in the drinking water for 5 days before 15 minutes of warm ischemia and 24 hours of reperfusion. After EGCG administration, total baseline hepatic fat content decreased from baseline. Palmitic acid and linoleic acid levels also were reduced substantially in all ECGC-treated animals before I/R. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels decreased in all EGCG-treated animals compared with control animals after I/R. Histologic analysis demonstrated an average decrease of 65% necrosis after EGCG administration. EGCG administration also increased resting hepatic energy stores as determined by an increase in cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) with a concomitant decrease in uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) before I/R. Finally, there was an increased level of glutathione (GSH) in the EGCG-treated mice compared with the vehicle-treated mice both at baseline and after I/R. In conclusion, taken together, this study demonstrates that treatment with ECGC by either oral or ip administration, significantly protects the liver after I/R, possibly by reducing hepatic fat content, increasing hepatic energy status, and functioning as an antioxidant. (Liver Transpl 2005;11:298,308.) [source] | ||||||||||