Gene expression profile of CD14 blood monocytes following lifestyle-induced weight loss in individuals with metabolic syndrome.

Lifestyle-induced weight loss is regarded as an efficient therapy to reverse metabolic syndrome (MetS) and to prevent disease progression. The objective of this study was to investigate whether lifestyle-induced weight loss modulates gene expression in circulating monocytes. We analyzed and compared gene expression in monocytes (CD14 cells) and subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies by unbiased mRNA profiling.

Serum bile acids and GLP-1 decrease following telemetric induced weight loss: results of a randomized controlled trial.

Bile acids (BAs) are increasingly recognised as metabolic regulators, potentially improving insulin sensitivity following bariatric surgery. However, physiological relevance of such observations remains unknown. Hence, we analysed serum BA composition and associated gut-derived hormone levels following lifestyle-induced weight loss in individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Long-Term Follow-Up of the Telemonitoring Weight-Reduction Program "Active Body Control".

The Active Body Control (ABC) weight-reduction program is based on telemonitoring of physical activity and nutrition together with telecoaching by weekly counseling letters sent by post or by e-mail. The study presented here reports the results of a 1-year follow-up of 49 patients with the metabolic syndrome who had lost weight with the aid of the ABC program in the preceding year. The weight regain after the second year in patients not receiving any further care ("ABC discontinued" group; n = 24) and the potential benefit of continuing with the ABC program with monthly counseling letters ("ABC continued" group; n = 25) were investigated.

Weight loss by telemonitoring of nutrition and physical activity in patients with metabolic syndrome for 1 year.

Objective: Mobile technology can improve lifestyle programs, but the monitoring techniques and carer feedback need to be optimized. To this end, we investigated the efficacy of telemonitoring physical activity and nutrition over 12 months in patients with metabolic syndrome in a randomized, parallel-group, open trial.

Methods: Screening all over Germany yielded 184 patients with metabolic syndrome.

Weight loss and changes in salivary ghrelin and adiponectin: comparison between sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and gastric banding.

Background: Weight loss is associated with increased levels of adiponectin with a greater increase observed following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) compared to restrictive procedures. However, currently there are no data on changes in adiponectin following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Ghrelin was reported to be also produced by the salivary glands.

Serum lipoproteins improve after successful pharmacologic antidepressant treatment: a randomized open-label prospective trial.

Objective: Despite reports of lower plasma cholesterol in depressed patients, major depressive disorder has been shown to increase cardiovascular risk. Our objective was to study the composition of lipoproteins in depressed patients and controls and to examine the effects of pharmacologic treatment and treatment response on lipoprotein composition.

Method: Lipoprotein composition was analyzed in 65 adult inpatients at a university psychiatric hospital in Germany with DSM-IV major depressive disorder and 33 healthy controls (recruited via newspaper and radio ads) matched for age and sex.

Weight loss in obese patients with type 2 diabetes: effects of telemonitoring plus a diet combination - the Active Body Control (ABC) Program.

Aims: We evaluate the efficacy of the "Active Body Control (ABC) Program" for weight reduction in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: The ABC program combines telemonitoring of the physical activity with a low-calorie diet also preferring carbohydrates with low glycemic indexes. In this 6-month, randomized, clinical trial 35 patients (aged 57 ± 9 years; BMI=35.

Flavanol-rich cocoa ameliorates lipemia-induced endothelial dysfunction.

Consumption of flavanols improves chronic endothelial dysfunction. We investigated whether it can also improve acute lipemia-induced endothelial dysfunction. In this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial, 18 healthy subjects received a fatty meal with cocoa either rich in flavanols (918 mg) or flavanol-poor.

Pharmacokinetics and dose recommendations of Niaspan® in chronic kidney disease and dialysis patients.

Background: Niaspan® is an extended-release formulation of nicotinic acid with improved tolerability compared with the immediate-release and sustained-release formulations. It is used to treat hypertriglyceridaemia with low high-density lipoprotein levels. This type of dyslipidaemia frequently appears in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Comparison of serum and salivary ghrelin in healthy adults, morbidly obese, and patients with metastatic carcinoma.

Background: Ghrelin, a known orexigenic hormone, has been demonstrated to be produced and released by salivary glands. Obtaining saliva for metabolism studies would be preferable for patients since the procedure is non-invasive.

Methods: The present study examined serum and salivary ghrelin levels in 41 morbidly obese subjects, 45 healthy controls, and 17 patients with metastatic carcinoma by using a commercial radioimmunoassay.

B vitamins and the risk of total mortality and cardiovascular disease in end-stage renal disease: results of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: In observational studies, hyperhomocysteinemia has been found to be a risk factor for total mortality and cardiovascular events in patients with end-stage renal disease. These patients have grossly elevated homocysteine levels that can be lowered by supplementation with folic acid and vitamin B(12). We conducted a randomized clinical trial with B vitamins to reduce homocysteine levels and therefore cardiovascular events and total mortality.

Haplotypes in the UGT1A1 gene and their role as genetic determinants of bilirubin concentration in healthy German volunteers.

Background: Genetic variations of UDP-glucuronyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) influence the concentration of serum bilirubin. We investigated the association of four common polymorphisms including UGT1A1-53(TA)(n), and common haplotypes of the UGT1A1 gene with bilirubin levels in 218 Caucasian volunteers.

Methods: Total bilirubin was measured in serum of 218 healthy Caucasian volunteers.

Homocysteine as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in patients treated by dialysis: a meta-analysis.

Background: In the general population, increased homocysteine concentrations are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. However, it is not known whether this also applies to patients with end-stage renal disease.

Study Design: Meta-analysis of retrospective (11 studies including 1,506 individuals), prospective observational studies (12 studies including 1,975 individuals), and intervention trials (5 studies including 1,642 dialysis patients).

Addition of 2.5 g L-arginine in a fatty meal prevents the lipemia-induced endothelial dysfunction in healthy volunteers.

Background: Endothelial function as determined by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) deteriorates during postprandial lipemia. The impairment can be neutralized by adding 50 g casein to the fatty meal. The objective of this study was to see which of the casein constituents is responsible for this neutralization effect.

Different galenic formulations of fluvastatin have equal lipid-lowering potential but differ in reducing lipemia-induced endothelial dysfunction.

Background: Postprandial lipemia is known to exert a reversible detrimental effect on endothelium-dependent flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD). Fasting FMD has shown to be improved by fluvastatin. In this study, we investigated whether lipemia-induced endothelial dysfunction can be mitigated by fluvastatin in two (immediate-release and extended-release) formulations.

Washout of water-soluble vitamins and of homocysteine during haemodialysis: effect of high-flux and low-flux dialyser membranes.

Aim: Vitamin deficiencies are common in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) owing to dietary restrictions, drug-nutrient interactions, changes in metabolism, and vitamin losses during dialysis. The present study investigated the levels of serum and red blood cell (RBC) folate, plasma pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP), serum cobalamin, blood thiamine, blood riboflavin, and plasma homocysteine (tHcy) before and after haemodialysis treatment.

Methods: Vitamin and tHcy blood concentrations were measured in 30 patients with ESRD before and after dialysis session either with low-flux (n = 15) or high-flux (n = 15) dialysers.

Fluvastatin treatment and withdrawal: effects on endothelial function.

Fluvastatin lowers lipids and protects endothelial function. This study investigated how 2 preparations of fluvastatin would affect endothelial function after treatment and early after its discontinuation. Twenty-seven patients received 80 mg extended-release fluvastatin every day, 40 mg immediate-release fluvastatin twice a day, or placebo for 5 weeks.

Preferential increase in high-molecular weight adiponectin after niacin.

Objective: Recently we have demonstrated that treatment with niacin raises adiponectin between 52% and 95% in patients with the metabolic syndrome. In this study we investigated whether all three adiponectin fractions are increased equally, and, secondly, whether the increase in the biologically most active high-molecular weight (HMW) fraction can prevent the deterioration of insulin sensitivity that was also observed after niacin.

Methods And Results: We used sera frozen at -80 degrees C from a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled treatment study in which 20 men with the metabolic syndrome received 1500 mg niacin for 6 weeks.

B vitamin plasma levels and the risk of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack in a German cohort.

Background And Purpose: Data from prospective studies on the associations between B vitamin plasma levels and the risk of stroke are limited. We investigated the individual and combined effects of plasma folate, vitamin B12, and pyridoxal 5-phosphate (PLP) levels on the risk of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) in a large, prospective German cohort.

Methods: Incident cases of ischemic stroke or TIA were identified among 25 770 participants (age 35 to 65 years) of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Potsdam Study during 6.

Within-subject variation of plasma resistin levels over a 1-year period.

Background: Resistin, a recently discovered hormone, is purportedly involved in metabolic and inflammatory processes in humans and may thus be an important marker to assess disease risk in large-scale epidemiological studies.

Methods: We assessed the reliability of human resistin levels in 63 men and 51 women aged 35-67 years with repeated measurements of resistin over a period of 1 year. Student's paired t-test was used to compare resistin concentrations at baseline and 1 year later.

Plasma pyridoxal-5-phosphate and future risk of myocardial infarction in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Potsdam cohort.

Background: Retrospective studies indicate that low concentrations of plasma pyridoxal-5-phosphate (PLP) are associated with cardiovascular events; however, few prospective studies of this issue have been conducted.

Objective: We therefore investigated whether PLP concentrations are independently associated with myocardial infarction (MI) in the European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Potsdam Study.

Design: After exclusion of prevalent MI or stroke, incident cases of MI were identified among 26 761 participants (aged 35-65 y at baseline).

Effect of lipid-lowering and anti-hypertensive drugs on plasma homocysteine levels.

Elevated plasma concentrations of homocysteine, a sulfur-containing amino acid, are a risk factor for coronary, cerebral and peripheral artery disease. Next to other factors, drugs used for the prevention or treatment of cardiovascular disease may modulate plasma homocysteine levels. Thus, a drug induced homocysteine increase may counteract the desired cardioprotective effect.

Adipokines and treatment with niacin.

Adipokines may serve as an important etiologic link between atherosclerosis and obesity. Because adipose tissue is one site of action of the lipid-lowering drug niacin, we investigated whether niacin treatment would affect not only lipids but also adipokines. Twenty-four patients were treated with extended-release niacin.