Medical cannabis for pain management in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis: randomized, double-blind, cross-over, feasibility study.

Background: Chronic pain is prevalent but difficult to treat in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Effective and safe analgesics are limited in this patient population. Our aim in this feasibility study was to evaluate the safety of sublingual oil based medical cannabis for pain management in patients undergoing HD.

Body Composition, Resting Energy Expenditure, and Metabolic Changes in Women Diagnosed with Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma.

Thyroid hormones heavily impact energy expenditure, body mass, and body composition. Their role in the state of exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) patients, however, is less well defined. The first aim of this study was to assess changes in body weight, body composition, resting energy expenditure (REE), respiratory quotient (RQ), and metabolic parameters in female DTC patients, starting from the phase of a euthyroid state before total thyroidectomy through the subsequent year after thyrotropin (TSH) suppression.

Vertical ground reaction force during standing and walking: Are they related to bone mineral density left-right asymmetries?

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease that is characterized by reduced bone mass, deterioration of bone tissue and skeletal fragility. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether asymmetrical femur bone mineral density (BMD) is associated with asymmetrical gait and standing. We compared measures of gait and standing asymmetry in subjects with (n=38) and without (n=11) significant left-right differences in BMD.

Changes in cerebral metabolism during ketogenic diet in patients with primary brain tumors: H-MRS study.

Normal brain cells depend on glucose metabolism, yet they have the flexibility to switch to the usage of ketone bodies during caloric restriction. In contrast, tumor cells lack genomic and metabolic flexibility and are largely dependent on glucose. Ketogenic-diet (KD) was suggested as a therapeutic option for malignant brain cancer.

Daily consumption of red grape cell powder in a dietary dose improves cardiovascular parameters: a double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study.

Consumption of polyphenol-rich food and food ingredient such as grape and grape products improved various cardiovascular parameters. In this study, we investigate the effect of dietary daily consumption of red grape cell powder (RGC) on blood pressure (BP) and flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) as well as on oxidative stress in 50 subjects with prehypertension and mild hypertension. The subjects were randomized into groups that consumed 200, 400 mg RGC or placebo daily for 12 weeks.

Increased calcium absorption from synthetic stable amorphous calcium carbonate: double-blind randomized crossover clinical trial in postmenopausal women.

Calcium supplementation is a widely recognized strategy for achieving adequate calcium intake. We designed this blinded, randomized, crossover interventional trial to compare the bioavailability of a new stable synthetic amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) with that of crystalline calcium carbonate (CCC) using the dual stable isotope technique. The study was conducted in the Unit of Clinical Nutrition, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel.

Diet of patients after pouch surgery may affect pouch inflammation.

Aim: To investigate the diet of pouch patients compared to healthy controls, and to correlate pouch patients' diet with disease behavior.

Methods: Pouch patients were recruited and prospectively followed-up at the Comprehensive Pouch Clinic at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. Pouch behavior was determined based on clinical, endoscopic and histological criteria.

Outcome of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy insertion in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in relation to respiratory dysfunction.

Our objective was to describe a group of ALS patients who underwent percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) insertion, with emphasis on the respiratory function, by comparing patients with forced vital capacity (FVC) > 30% versus FVC ≤ 30%, and the effect of respiratory dysfunction on the perioperative complication rate and survival. Thirty consecutive ALS patients in whom FVC status was known underwent PEG insertion at our centre. Twenty of them had FVC > 30% (50.

The relationship of depression, anxiety and stress with low bone mineral density in post-menopausal women.

Unlabelled: The goal of the present study was to examine the relationships of depression, anxiety and stress with bone mineral density (BMD). We hypothesized negative relations between those mood variables and BMD in three assessed areas. The study showed association between depression and decreased BMD.

Effect of levan supplement in orange juice on weight, gastrointestinal symptoms and metabolic profile of healthy subjects: results of an 8-week clinical trial.

Levan is a commonly used dietary fiber of the fructans group. Its impact on health remains undetermined. This double blind controlled study aimed to investigate the effect of 8 weeks' daily consumption of 500 mL of natural orange juice enriched with 11.

Short-term effect of prebiotics administration on stool characteristics and serum cytokines dynamics in very young children with acute diarrhea.

We investigated the effect of a mixture of long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides, galacto-oligosaccharides and acidic oligosaccharides on the number and consistency of stools and on immune system biomarkers in 104 supplemented and non-supplemented subjects (aged 9-24 months) with acute diarrhea. Interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-1RA, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α and sIL-2R cytokine levels were determined. The significant decrease in number of stools and increase in stool consistency in the supplemented group was of little clinical relevance.

Breakfast improves cognitive function in cirrhotic patients with cognitive impairment.

Background: Cognitive disturbances are relatively common in patients with liver disease. High protein load precipitates hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients. Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is a prevalent neurocognitive complication of cirrhosis.

Tube feeding with a diabetes-specific feed for 12 weeks improves glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes patients.

Background And Aims: Assess longer-term (12 weeks) effects of a diabetes-specific feed on postprandial glucose response, glycaemic control (HbA1c), lipid profile, (pre)-albumin, clinical course and tolerance in diabetic patients.

Methods: In this randomized, controlled, double-blind, parallel group study 25 type 2 diabetic patients on tube feeding were included. Patients received a soy-protein based, multi-fibre diabetes-specific feed or isocaloric, fibre-containing standard feed for 12 weeks, while continuing on their anti-diabetic medication.

n-3 phosphatidylserine attenuated scopolamine-induced amnesia in middle-aged rats.

Phosphatidylserine (PS) extracted from bovine brain differs from transphosphatidylated soybean lecithin PS (SB-PS) in its n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) content. Both, however, were suggested to affect cognitive performance. We compared the effect of chronic administration of a novel n-3 LC-PUFA PS conjugates (n-3 PS) versus SB-PS, fish oil (FO), SB-PS+FO, or control oil in middle-aged rats, on brain fatty acids composition and performance in behavioral tasks.

Post-pyloric feeding.

Postpyloric feeding is an important and promising alternative to parenteral nutrition. The indications for this kind of feeding are increasing and include a variety of clinical conditions, such as gastroparesis, acute pancreatitis, gastric outlet stenosis, hyperemesis (including gravida), recurrent aspiration, tracheoesophageal fistula and stenosis in gastroenterostomy. This review discusses the differences between pre- and postpyloric feeding, indications and contraindications, advantages and disadvantages, and provides an overview of the techniques of placement of various postpyloric devices.

The obesity of patients with Laron Syndrome is not associated with excessive nutritional intake.

Objective: To study the metabolic parameters which may affect the excessive weight of treated and untreated patients with Laron Syndrome.

Design: Body composition, daily caloric intake and resting energy expenditure (REE), when possible, were measured for each patient. Caloric intake was calculated based on 7-day food records, REE was measured by indirect calorimetry and body composition was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).

Do patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have increased energy needs?

Background And Aims: Nutritional status is a prognostic factor for survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. We investigated the contribution of some of the components contributing to resting energy expenditure (REE) in order to determine whether potentially higher energy needs should be considered for these patients.

Methods: Thirty three ALS patients and 33 age- and gender-matched healthy controls participated.

Ketogenic diet treatment in adults with refractory epilepsy: a prospective pilot study.

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of ketogenic diet (KD) in adults with refractory epilepsy.

Methods: Eligible subjects were 18-45 years old with at least two monthly focal seizures (with or without secondary generalization) documented by 8 weeks' follow-up. Classic form of KD treatment (90% fat) was planned for 12 weeks: daily seizure diaries were kept and measurements of the urinary ketones were recorded.

Correlation between changes in blood fatty acid composition and visual sustained attention performance in children with inattention: effect of dietary n-3 fatty acids containing phospholipids.

Background: Increasing evidence supports n-3 fatty acid (FA) supplementation for patients with psychiatric disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, the exact metabolic fate of dietary eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on different glyceride carriers remains unclear.

Objective: We investigated whether conjugation of EPA and DHA to phospholipid (PL-n-3) or to triacylglycerol (fish oil; FO) affects their incorporation in blood compartments and influences executive functioning.

The effect of sibutramine intake on resting and exercise physiological responses.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of a short-term sibutramine intake on energy expenditure and on physiological responses during rest, submaximal exercise and maximal exercise in obese women.

Methods: Fifteen healthy obese female volunteers were randomly assigned to either a placebo (n = 6 - control) or sibutramine group (n = 9 - experimental) under double-blind conditions. Each subject was tested under resting conditions and then performed submaximal and maximal exercise tests.

Enteral feeding enriched with carotenoids normalizes the carotenoid status and reduces oxidative stress in long-term enterally fed patients.

Background & Aims: Circulating carotenoid levels decrease progressively in patients receiving long-term enteral tube feeding with carotenoid-free formulas. Low dietary intake and low blood levels of carotenoids are associated with a higher risk of morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a low dose carotenoid mixture (3-mg/1500kcal) for 3 months on serum carotenoid levels and oxidative stress in patients receiving long-term enteral nutrition as the sole source of nutrition.

Malabsorption is a major contributor to underweight in Crohn's disease patients in remission.

Objective: Undernutrition has been reported in 65-75% of patients with Crohn's disease. The present study aimed at identifying the relative contribution of malnutrition-causing factors in patients with Crohn's disease in remission.

Methods: Sixteen patients with Crohn's disease (age 19-57 y) in remission (Crohn's Activity Disease Index < 150) were included in the study.

Camel's milk and gastric emptying.

Background & Aim: Gastric emptying is determined by food consistency, pH, osmolality, lipid and calorie content as well as the presence of different nutrients in the duodenal lumen. Control of gastric emptying is essential for ensuring optimal digestion. The present study tested the hypothesis that due to its different precipitation properties, gastric emptying of camel's milk may be quicker than that of bovine's milk with the same caloric and fat content.

Catalytic amounts of fructose may improve glucose tolerance in subjects with uncontrolled non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

Background: It was suggested that acute ingestion of small amounts of fructose can improve glucose homeostasis.

Aim: To study the effect of a long-term tri-daily supplementation of catalytic amounts of fructose on glucose tolerance of subjects with type 2 diabetes (NIDDM).

Methods: A double-blind, placebo-controlled study.