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Significant Beneficial Effects (significant + beneficial_effects)
Selected AbstractsEffects of long-term administration of N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) derivatives in ovariectomized (OVX) miceJOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2003L. Zeitlin Abstract We studied the beneficial effects of dietary consumption of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and two selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) derivatives (SERM-I and SERM-II) and their combined effect on serum lipids, skin dermis and adipose layers, bone marrow adipogenesis, and cytokine secretion in mice. Two different ovariectomized (OVX) models were studied: treatment began immediately post-OVX in one and 3 months post-OVX in the other. Our results showed that n-3 PUFA and both SERMs decreased triglyceride levels in the serum, and that SERMs also decreased serum cholesterol levels while n-3 PUFA had no similar effect. SERMs had no effect on IL-6, IL-1 beta, or IL-10 levels, but they decreased ex vivo tumor necrosis factor (TNF-,). N-3 PUFA decreased secretion of non-induced IL-6 and TNF-, from cultured BMC and IL-1 beta levels in vivo (i.e., in bone marrow plasma), but its main effect was a significant elevation in the secretion of IL-10, a known anti-inflammatory cytokine. OVX-induced B-lymphopoiesis was not affected by LY-139481 (SERM-I) while LY-353381 (SERM-II) exhibited an estrogen-antagonistic effect in sham and OVX mice and elevated the amount of B-cells in bone marrow. Fish oil consumption prevented the elevation in B-lymphopoiesis caused by OVX, but had no curative effect on established augmented B-lymphopoiesis. This activity could be mediated via the elevation of IL-10 which was shown to suppress B-lymphopoiesis. Both SERMs and n-3 PUFA inhibited the increase in adipose tissue thickness caused by OVX in mice. Our results showed that n-3 PUFA, could prevent some of the deleterious outcomes of estrogen deficiency that were not affected by SERMs. We observed no significant beneficial effects of the combined administration of SERM-I, SERM-II, and PUFA on the studied parameters. The exact mechanism by which polyunsaturated fatty acids exert their activities is still not clear, but peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) might be involved in processes which are modulated by n-3 PUFA. J. Cell. Biochem. 90: 347,360, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] What interventions should we add to weight reducing diets in adults with obesity?JOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 4 2004A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of adding drug therapy, behaviour therapy or combinations of these interventions, exercise Abstract Background, Evidence is needed for the effectiveness of interventions given with reducing diets for obese adults: drug therapy, exercise, or behaviour therapy. Methods, We systematically reviewed randomized controlled trials in any language. We searched 13 databases and handsearched journals. Trials lasted 1 year or more. One investigator extracted data and a second checked data extraction. Trial quality was assessed. Results, Adding orlistat to diet was associated with weight change for up to 24 months (,3.26 kg, 95% CI, ,4.15 to ,2.37 kg), and statistically significant beneficial changes were found for total and LDL cholesterol, blood pressure and glycaemic control. Adding sibutramine to diet was associated with a 12 month weight change of ,4.18 kg (95% CI, ,5.14 to ,3.21 kg), and statistically significant beneficial effects on high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and triglycerides (TGs), but an increase in diastolic blood pressure. Adding exercise to diet, or to diet and behaviour therapy, was associated with improved weight loss for up to 36 months and improvements in HDL, TGs and blood pressure. Adding behaviour therapy to diet, or to diet and sibutramine together, was associated with improved weight loss for up to 18 months. Adding drugs, exercise or behaviour therapy to dietary advice was each associated with similar weight change. Conclusions, Adding orlistat, sibutramine, exercise, or behaviour modification to dietary advice can improve long-term weight loss. [source] Phaseless antenna characterization by prolate function expansion of the aperture fieldMICROWAVE AND OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 10 2006A. Capozzoli Abstract To be of actual interest for practical applications, phaseless antenna characterization must be reliable and accurate. This inverse problem suffers from the ill-posedeness, and its solution is very sensitive to the adopted formulation that should be able to incorporate all the available information. An "effective" representation of the unknowns is able to reduce the overall number of parameters to be sought for and therefore to have significant beneficial effects on both accuracy and reliability. This aim is attained by means of a prolate spheroidal wave function expansion of the aperture field, which allows accounting for the finite dimensions of the antenna aperture with the least possible number of parameters. Numerical and experimental results point out the accuracy and reliability of the proposed algorithm, also in comparison with other available methods. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 2060,2064, 2006; Published online in Wiley Inter-Science (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21852 [source] Sildenafil reduces alcohol-induced gastric damage: just say ,NO'BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 4 2008R Duffin Although sildenafil (Viagra) and other phosphodiesterase V (PDE V) inhibitors are increasingly recognized for their use in the treatment of male erectile dysfunction and perhaps more recently pulmonary artery hypertension, less is known of their potential beneficial effects in other situations. Medeiros et al., in the current issue of the British Journal of Pharmacology, report that sildenafil dramatically reduces alcohol-induced gastric damage in rats. The authors provide convincing evidence that such protection not only occurs via the nitric oxide (NO)/cGMP pathway, but also involves regulation of ATP-sensitive potassium channels. Therefore, in addition to exerting anti-impotence efficacy, PDE V inhibitors may provide significant beneficial effects from mucosal injury induced by alcohol. British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 623,624; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707642; published online 17 December 2007 [source] Long-term results of mycophenolate mofetil as part of immunosuppressive induction therapy after liver transplantationCLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 3 2006Jan M. Langrehr Abstract:, Background:, The addition of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) to the induction protocol resulted in a lower incidence of rejection episodes. However, the question whether MMF should be administered in combination with tacrolimus or cyclosporine has not been answered yet. In our study, we report on the long-term results of triple induction therapy after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), consisting of MMF and low-dose corticosteroids, in combination with either tacrolimus or cyclosporine. Methods:, Between March 1996 and April 1997, 120 consecutive patients, who underwent OLT at our institution, were enrolled in this study. Of these patients, 80 received triple induction therapy consisting of cyclosporine and MMF (40) or tacrolimus and MMF (40), in combination with low-dose corticosteroids, whereas the remaining 40 patients served as ,MMF-free' control group receiving dual induction therapy with tacrolimus and corticosteroids. Besides the eight-yr follow-up of patient and graft survival, clinical data were also reviewed for episodes of rejection and infection. Additionally, the early post-operative pharmacokinetics of mycophenolic acid (MPA, immunological active metabolite of MMF) were evaluated. Results:, Long-term results provided higher patient and graft survival after tacrolimus/MMF-based induction therapy than after cyclosporine/MMF-based induction therapy. However, the tacrolimus-based control protocol yielded similar results and, therefore, no significantly superior effect was observed when MMF was added. The same observation was made for incidence of rejection and infection episodes. AUC and Cmax of MPA increased in combination with tacrolimus compared with cyclosporine. Conclusions:, Although pharmacological synergy between tacrolimus and MMF was observed, MMF showed no significant beneficial effects in the immunosuppressive induction protocol, neither in combination with tacrolimus nor with cyclosporine. [source] | ||||||||||