Sodium reduction in foods: Challenges and strategies for technical solutions.

In many parts of the world, sodium consumption is higher than recommended levels, representing one of the most important food-related health challenges and leading to considerable economical costs for society. Therefore, there is a need to find technical solutions for sodium reduction that can be implemented by food producers and within food services. The aims of this review are to discuss the barriers related to sodium reduction and to highlight a variety of technical solutions.

Metabolic Abnormalities in a Cohort of Overweight and Obese Children in an Urban Setting of Sri Lanka.

Childhood obesity-related metabolic derangements are increasing among South Asian populations. Most of these changes persist to adulthood. This study aims to describe the distribution of metabolic abnormalities among 7- to 17-year-old overweight and obese children in the Gampaha District of Sri Lanka.

Prevalence of different states of glucose intolerance in Sri Lankan children and adolescents with obesity and its relation to other comorbidities.

Background: South Asian adults have higher prevalence of obesity comorbidities than other ethnic groups. Whether this also is true for Sri Lankan children with obesity has rarely been investigated.

Objective: To investigate prevalence of glucose intolerance and other comorbidities in Sri Lankan children with obesity and compare them with Swedish children.

Metformin in the Management of Childhood Obesity: A Randomized Control Trial.

Background: Childhood obesity-related metabolic derangements are increasing among South Asian populations. Dietary and physical activity plans have limited effect. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of metformin in the management of obesity among 8- to 16-year-old children in Gampaha District of Sri Lanka.

Evaluation of Reoxidation Thresholds for γ-AlO-Supported Cobalt Catalysts under Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis Conditions.

Size-dependent phenomena at the nanoscale influence many applications, notably in the science of heterogeneous catalysis. In cobalt-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS), the size of Co nanoparticles (NPs) dictates to a high degree catalyst's performance in terms of activity, selectivity, and stability. Here, a highly dispersed Re/Co/γ-AlO catalyst with high Co surface area per gram of catalyst was exposed to industrially relevant FTS conditions and monitored in situ by synchrotron X-ray radiation.

Capturing metal-support interactions in situ during the reduction of a Re promoted Co/γ-Al2O3 catalyst.

The reduction of a Re promoted Co/γ-Al2O3 catalyst was monitored in situ by synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) under H2 environment. Whole powder pattern analysis revealed a non-linear expansion of the unit cell of γ-Al2O3 during the reduction process, suggesting the diffusion of Co cations into the structure of the support. The non-linear cell expansion coincided with the formation of a CoO phase.

Subclinical epileptiform activity in children with electrical status epilepticus during sleep: effects on cognition and behavior before and after treatment with levetiracetam.

We performed a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study of the effects of spike activity during sleep and when awake on learning, long-term memory, vigilance and behavior before and after treatment with levetiracetam in children with electrical status epilepticus during sleep. At baseline, verbal learning declined with increasing spike activity, but there were no relations between spike activity and memory, vigilance or behavior. Levetiracetam was effective in reducing sleep-related spike activity, but on a group level, this had no clear effects on behavior, vigilance or learning and memory.

Pharmacokinetic variability of four newer antiepileptic drugs, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, oxcarbazepine, and topiramate: a comparison of the impact of age and comedication.

Background: Newer antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are widely used in patients with epilepsy. There is still insufficient documentation regarding pharmacokinetic variability of these AEDs in different patient groups.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare age and comedication as factors contributing to pharmacokinetic variability between 4 newer AEDs (lamotrigine, levetiracetam, oxcarbazepine, and topiramate) among patients with refractory epilepsy.

The effect of levetiracetam on focal nocturnal epileptiform activity during sleep--a placebo-controlled double-blind cross-over study.

Electric Status Epilepticus during Sleep (ESES) occurs in children with and without epilepsy. It may be related to disturbances as autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and acquired aphasia (Landau-Kleffner syndrome). Antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment has been reported in small studies without placebo control.

Prescription patterns of antiepileptic drugs in patients with epilepsy in a nation-wide population.

Background: Many new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have become available in recent years. Investigations of prescription patterns and exposure of AEDs to different patient groups are important regarding drug safety aspects. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of AEDs in epilepsy, with focus on exposure of AEDs, gender and age differences and changes in prescription patterns over time.

Supplementation with a combination of antioxidants does not affect glycaemic control, oxidative stress or inflammation in type 2 diabetes subjects.

The present clinical trial examined the influence of a supplement, containing a combination of antioxidants extracted from fruit, berries and vegetables, on levels of plasma antioxidants (tocopherols, carotenoids and ascorbate), glycaemic control (blood glucose, HbA1c, insulin), oxidative stress biomarkers (F(2)-isoprostane, malondialdehyd, nitrotyrosine, 8-oxo-7, 8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine, formamidopyrimidine glycosylase sites, frequency of micronucleated erythrocytes) and inflammatory markers (interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, prostaglandin F(2α)-metabolite) in type 2 diabetes. Forty subjects were randomly assigned to control, single or double dose group and completed the study. In summary, 12 weeks of antioxidant supplementation did neither affect glycaemic control nor the levels of biomarkers of oxidative stress or inflammation, despite substantially increased plasma concentrations of antioxidants.

Psychiatric comorbidity in patients with epilepsy: a population-based study.

Purpose: Patients with epilepsy often suffer from concomitant psychiatric disorders. Treatment patterns and the extent of comorbidity are insufficiently investigated and appropriate methods are scarce. The purpose of the study was to estimate the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity in patients with epilepsy and to investigate prescription patterns of drugs prescribed for psychiatric disorders in epilepsy.

[Benzodiazepines in the treatment of epilepsy].

In epilepsy benzodiazepines are mainly used to stop ongoing attacks. In hospitals intravenous diazepam is the drug of choice for status epilepticus. Outside of hospitals buccal midazolam is in the process of replacing rectal diazepam.

Biomarkers of oxidative stress in overweight men are not influenced by a combination of antioxidants.

The effect of antioxidant supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress was investigated in a 6-week intervention study in 60 overweight men. The supplement contained a combination of antioxidants aiming to correspond to the antioxidant content found in a diet rich in fruit and vegetables. Placebo, single or double dose of antioxidants was provided to the subjects.

Antiepileptic drugs in epilepsy and other disorders--a population-based study of prescriptions.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to quantify the use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in epilepsy and other indications in a nation-wide population using a prescription database.

Materials And Methods: Prescription data of AEDs were collected from the Norwegian Prescription Database for the period 2004-2007, including 5.1 million prescriptions from 144,653 patients, all having at least one prescribed and dispensed AED.

Antiepileptic drug treatment of children at a referral centre for epilepsy--does admission make a difference?

Purpose: To study the antiepileptic drug treatment of children at a referral centre for epilepsy, including a follow-up study three months after discharge.

Material And Methods: The study includes children admitted to The National Centre for Epilepsy in Norway. Data were collected from the medical records of 261 children, and a questionnaire regarding the pharmacological treatment was sent to their parents three months after discharge.

Glycaemic status in relation to oxidative stress and inflammation in well-controlled type 2 diabetes subjects.

The aim of the present observational study was to investigate the relationships between glycaemic status and levels of oxidative stress and inflammation in well-controlled type 2 diabetes subjects. Metabolic variables (weight, BMI, waist circumference (waist), blood glucose, glycated Hb (HbA(1c)), insulin, blood lipids), biomarkers of oxidative stress (8-iso-PGF(2alpha), malondialdehyde, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine, formamido pyrimidine glycosylase-sites, frequency of micronucleated erythrocytes, nitrotyrosine) and inflammatory markers (high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), IL-6, cyclo-oxygenase-catalyzed PGF(2alpha)-metabolite) were measured. Fifty-six patients (thirty women and twenty-six men, age 62.

Down-regulation of oxidative DNA lesions in human mononuclear cells after antioxidant supplementation correlates to increase of gamma-tocopherol.

The protective effect of vitamin E supplements has been questioned, possibly because they often contain only alpha-tocopherol, and recent studies indicate that gamma-tocopherol also has important properties. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the levels of DNA lesions in middle-aged, overweight males could be reduced by consumption of low doses of an antioxidant supplement for six weeks, designed to imitate a balanced diet. The participants (n=60) were randomly divided into: placebo, single-, and double-dose groups.

On the nonsingle-site character of Bis(2-dimethylsilyl-indenyl)zirconium(IV) dichloride/MAO and Bis(2-trimethylsilyl-indenyl)zirconium(IV) dichloride/MAO: polymerization characteristics and mechanistic implications.

Ethene polymerization with bis(2-dimethylsilyl-indenyl)zirconium(IV) dichloride (1)/MAO and bis(2-trimethylsilyl-indenyl)zirconium(IV) dichloride (2)/MAO and ethene-co-1-hexene polymerization with 1/MAO are presented. The end group analysis of homopolymers reveals a pronounced dependence of the termination rate on temperature changes. In combination with the high molecular weights obtained, these results are in accord with theoretical predictions.

Toward three-dimensional nanoengineering of heterogeneous catalysts.

Cobalt-based Fischer-Tropsch systems are widely used to convert synthesis gas to clean hydrocarbon fuel. However, surprisingly little is known about the morphology of the catalysts on the nanoscale. Here we show that scanning transmission electron tomography reveals their true 3-D morphology and provides direct evidence that the support controls the final morphology of the catalyst.

[Use of antiepileptic drugs in nursing home residents].

Background: Epilepsy is prevalent in elderly above 65 years of age, and treating epileptic seizures in this age group may be challenging. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of epilepsy and the use of antiepileptic drugs in nursing homes in two counties close to Oslo.

Material And Methods: The two counties Asker and Baerum have 155,000 inhabitants and 19 nursing homes.

Clinical use of antiepileptic drugs at a referral centre for epilepsy.

Purpose: The National Centre for Epilepsy in Norway admits patients with refractory epilepsy from the whole country. The purpose of this study was to investigate how antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are used at the centre and compare it with the total consumption in the country and international guidelines regarding clinical use of AEDs.

Material And Methods: A prevalence study was carried out from patient records from 264 patients (136 adults and 128 children).

The impact of folate status and folic acid supplementation on the micronucleus frequency in human erythrocytes.

Folic acid has a well-documented stabilising effect on chromosomes. A correlation between folate status and chromosome stability in humans has been reported in studies that were restricted to certain subpopulations, e.g.