Reduction of serum advanced glycation end-products with a low calorie Mediterranean diet.

Unlabelled: Dietary intake of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) increases circulating and tissue levels of these substances, contributing to a state of increased oxidative stress and inflammation. A low dietary AGE intervention has been shown to reduce body AGE content. Mediterranean diets (MD) are theoretically considered low in AGEs, but the specific effects of a MD on AGEs serum levels has not been tested.

[Energy expenditure and body composition in severe and morbid obese women after gastric bypass].

Background: The effects of gastric bypass (GBP) on resting energy expenditure (REE) are not well known.

Aim: To evaluate the changes in REE and its relationship with body composition in severe and morbid obese women before and six and twelve months after GBP.

Patients And Methods: Twenty three women aged 37+/-10 years, with a body mass index of 44+/-4 kg/m(2), were evaluated before, six and twelve months after GBP.

[Evaluation of a pilot intervention program for overweight and obese adults at risk of type 2 diabetes].

Background: The Ministry of Health of Chile and selected obesity specialized centers implemented an interdisciplinary pilot program for overweight adults at risk of diabetes to decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF).

Aim: To assess the results of this program.

Patients And Methods: Beneficiaries of the public primary health system aged 18-45 years, with a body mass index (BMI) 25-38 kg/m(2) and fasting blood glucose 100-125 mg/dL or with any direct family member with T2D, were recruited.

[Agreement between measured and calculated by predictive formulas resting energy expenditure in severe and morbid obese women].

Objective: To compare measured resting energy expenditure (REE) with that predicted by formulas derived from populations with normal weight or obesity and from women with severe and morbid obesity.

Material And Methods: 66 women (aged 35.6 +/- 10.

Persistent anemia after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Objective: We report the case of a 42-y-old morbidly obese woman who presented persistent anemia as result of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Methods: The surgical procedure conducted in 1999 consisted of horizontal gastroplasty with truncular vagotomy, Roux-en-Y gastrojejunal anastomosis with an alimentary limb of 60 cm, and cholecystectomy. In 2000 a second surgery (subtotal gastrectomy, i.

In acute inflammation, the chondroitin-4 sulphate carried by bikunin is not only longer, it is also undersulphated.

Bikunin (Bk) is a Künitz-type serine proteinase inhibitor, which occurs in human plasma, mainly as covalent complexes with one or two of the three peptide heavy chains. The leading member of this glycoprotein family is inter-alpha-inhibitor (I alpha I), which consists of two heavy chains (H1 and H2) linked to Bk. Bk carries a glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chain, which is linked by ester bonds to the heavy chains of I alpha I.

Urinary bikunin determination provides insight into proteinase/proteinase inhibitor imbalance in patients with inflammatory diseases.

Bikunin (BK) is a Kunitz-type proteinase inhibitor responsible for most of the antitryptic activity of urine and so is known as the urinary trypsin inhibitor. As its excretion increases in inflammatory conditions, it is often considered to be a positive acute phase protein (APP). However, the gene for BK is downregulated in inflammation.

Complementary effects of Mediterranean diet and moderate red wine intake on haemostatic cardiovascular risk factors.

Objectives: To compare the effect of alcohol-free Mediterranean-type diet (MD) and high-fat diet (HFD) on plasma concentration of emergent haemostatic cardiovascular risk factors (HCVRF). Also, to test if red wine supplementation modifies HCVRF, independent of diet.

Design, Subjects And Intervention: Controlled prospective intervention study.

The chondroitin sulfate chain of bikunin-containing proteins in the inter-alpha-inhibitor family increases in size in inflammatory diseases.

Inter-alpha-inhibitor (IalphaI) and pre-alpha-inhibitor (PalphaI) are the main members of a set of multichain serine proteinase inhibitors. Present in human plasma, they may be involved in control of the inflammatory process. They are composed of homologous heavy chains (H1 and H2 for IalphaI; H3 for PalphaI) covalently linked by a protein-glycosaminoglycan-protein cross-link to bikunin, which is a chondroitin 4-sulfate proteoglycan.

Unmasking a hyaluronan-binding site of the BX(7)B type in the H3 heavy chain of the inter-alpha-inhibitor family.

The inter-alpha-inhibitor (I alpha I) family gathers together several plasma protease inhibitors such as I alpha I and pre-alpha-inhibitor (P alpha I) that are variously assembled from a set of polypeptide chain precursors designated H1P to H3P. In addition to their protease inhibitory activity, a major physiological function of I alpha I family members is hyaluronan (HA) binding and HA-dependent stabilization of the extracellular matrix surrounding various cell types. Also, binding of HA to these molecules has been shown to be an important event in tumor cell proliferation and rheumatoid arthritis.

A high-fat diet induces and red wine counteracts endothelial dysfunction in human volunteers.

Endothelial dysfunction is associated with atherogenesis and oxidative stress in humans. In rat and rabbit blood vessels, wine polyphenol antioxidants induce vascular relaxation in vitro through the NO-cGMP pathway. To assess the effect of a regular high-fat diet (HFD) and moderate red wine consumption on endothelial function (EF), a study was performed in healthy male volunteers.

Inflammation-induced systemic proteolysis of inter-alpha-inhibitor in plasma from patients with sepsis.

Inter-alpha-inhibitor (IalphaI) is a human plasma serine proteinase inhibitor. It contains one light peptide chain called bikunin that exerts antiproteinase activity and other antiinflammatory functions. Bikunin is covalently linked to two heavy chains that, after tissular diffusion, stabilize the extracellular matrix.

Human pre-alpha-inhibitor is a positive acute-phase protein that is more susceptible than inter-alpha-inhibitor to proteolysis by stimulated neutrophils.

Background: Pre-alpha-inhibitor (PalphaI) is a human plasma serine-proteinase inhibitor that is structurally related to inter-alpha-inhibitor (IalphaI). It is composed of a heavy chain named H3 covalently linked to bikunin by means of a glycosaminoglycan chain. We developed an ELISA procedure making it possible to measure PalphaI for the first time and we investigated its levels in sera from patients with inflammatory diseases.

Inter-alpha-inhibitor (IalphaI) concentration in pig plasma is independent of acute phase protein response.

Human inter-alpha-inhibitor (IalphaI) has been shown to exert a beneficial therapeutic effect in a porcine model of endotoxin shock. It is therefore useful to have a better understanding of IalphaI metabolism during severe inflammatory syndromes. Experimental bacterial pneumonia was induced in pigs.

Plasma polyphenols and antioxidants, oxidative DNA damage and endothelial function in a diet and wine intervention study in humans.

An intervention study was performed to evaluate the influence of a Mediterranean diet, a high fat diet, and their supplementation with red wine in moderate amounts, on biochemical, physiological, and clinical parameters related to atherosclerosis and other chronic diseases. For 3 months two groups of 21 male volunteers each, received either a Mediterranean diet or a high fat diet; during the second month, red wine was added isocalorically, 240 ml/day. Participants were kept under close medical and nutritional surveillance.

Disulphide bonds assignment in the inter-alpha-inhibitor heavy chains--structural and functional implications.

Human inter-alpha-inhibitor (IalphaI) is a plasma serine-proteinase inhibitor. It consists of three polypeptide chains covalently linked by a glycosaminoglycan: a light one named bikunin, carrying the antiproteinase activity and two heavy chains H1 and H2. The amino acid sequences of these heavy chains are highly similar; however when IalphaI is digested by neutrophil proteinases, their proteolytic susceptibility strongly differs [Balduyck, M.

Pig I alpha I appears unmodified in plasma in case of endotoxin-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation.

The unrestricted activity of leukocyte proteinases is thought to contribute to the degradation of plasma proteins and thus amplify the coagulation disorders occurring in septic shock. Inter-alpha-inhibitor (I alpha I) is a plasma protein particularly susceptible to their action. Therefore we investigated its behavior in a porcine model of endotoxin shock which reproduces the coagulation changes observed in human sepsis.

Effects of inter-alpha-inhibitor in experimental endotoxic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

We investigated the effects of human inter-alpha-inhibitor (I alpha I) on hemodynamics, oxygenation, and coagulation parameters in a porcine model of endotoxic shock. Four groups of six animals were studied: (1) control, (2) I alpha I group receiving 30 mg/kg I alpha I over 30 min, (3) LPS group receiving 5 micrograms.kg/min Escherichia coli endotoxin over 30 min, and (4) LPS + I alpha I group receiving 30 min after endotoxin 30 mg/kg/30 min I alpha I.

Inter-alpha-inhibitor as marker for neutrophil proteinase activity: an in vitro investigation.

Human neutrophil proteinases have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a wide variety of inflammatory diseases. The degradation of plasma proteins such as coagulation and fibrinolysis factors has been attributed to the excessive release of elastase in septicemia and in other conditions in which heightened proteolysis occurs. Inter-alpha-inhibitor (IalphaI) is particularly sensitive to cleavage by leukocyte proteinases.

Human pre-alpha-inhibitor: isolation from a by-product of industrial scale plasma fractionation and structural analysis of its H3 heavy chain.

Pre-alpha-inhibitor (P alpha I) is a serine proteinase inhibitor from human plasma. It comprises bikunin (BK) responsible for antiprotease activity, covalently linked to a heavy chain H3. Here we describe its isolation from a side fraction of an industrial preparation of plasma clotting factors.

Fecal beta-D-galactosidase production and Bifidobacteria are decreased in Crohn's disease.

Digestive bacterial microflora play a major role in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD). Bacterial enzyme activities, especially beta-D-galactosidase, are decreased in fecal extracts from CD patients. We hypothesized that an alteration of the colonic flora might be responsible for this decrease.

Purification and characterization of pig inter-alpha-inhibitor and its constitutive heavy chains.

With the view of investigating the metabolism of inter-alpha-inhibitor, a plasma serine-proteinase inhibitor, in an animal model of inflammatory syndrome, we isolated inter-alpha-inhibitor from pig plasma. A high yield was obtained (140 mg/liter) with a two-step procedure: anion-exchange chromatography followed by affinity chromatography on heparin-Sepharose. In contrast to bovine inter-alpha-inhibitor was highly similar to human inter-alpha-inhibitor: its heavy chains are homologous to the human H1 and H2 heavy chains, as shown by chromatographic and electrophoretic properties, cross-immunoreactivity and N-terminal sequencing.

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for human plasma inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor (ITI) using specific antibodies against each of the H1 and H2 heavy chains.

Inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor (ITI) is a serine-proteinase inhibitor of human plasma enzymes. ITI is composed of three polypeptide chains covalently linked: bikunin, responsible for the antiprotease activity and two heavy chains H1 and H2. Human plasma also contains other components immunologically related to ITI such as pre-alpha-trypsin inhibitor (paI), inter-alpha-like inhibitor (IalphaLI) and free bikunin.

Bacterial enzymes used for colon-specific drug delivery are decreased in active Crohn's disease.

Enzymes produced by colonic microflora have been proposed for triggering local delivery of antiinflammatory azo-bond drugs and prodrugs to the colon. This approach could be advantageous in steroid treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases, thus sparing steroids' side effects. We recently demonstrated that the metabolic activity of digestive flora, assessed on the activity of fecal glycosidases, was decreased in patients with active Crohn's disease.

Preparation and properties of a therapeutic inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor concentrate from human plasma.

Inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor (ITI) is a serine protease inhibitor found in human plasma. Its antiprotease activity is due to bikunin which is effective in various types of experimental shock and pancreatitis. Therefore ITI, which releases bikunin by proteolytic cleavage, could be of therapeutic interest.