Carob pulp preparation rich in insoluble dietary fibre and polyphenols increases plasma glucose and serum insulin responses in combination with a glucose load in humans.

Dietary fibre consumption is associated with improved glucose homeostasis. In contrast, dietary polyphenols have been suggested to exert both beneficial and detrimental effects on glucose and insulin metabolism. Recently, we reported that a polyphenol-rich insoluble dietary fibre preparation from carob pulp (carob fibre) resulted in lower postprandial acylated ghrelin levels after a liquid meal challenge test compared with a control meal without supplementation.

Nutritional status and quality of life in patients with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) in practice: prospective one-year follow-up.

Sixty patients (age 73 +/- 14 years; 22 women, 38 men) with dysphagia (67% neurological diseases, 33% tumors) were followed up for 1 year after placement of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). Before PEG placement and at six appointments thereafter, the patients' nutritional status was measured using bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) and hematological nutritional parameters. A validated questionnaire was used to assess quality of life (the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index, GIQLI).

Adherence and mental side effects during hepatitis C treatment with interferon alfa and ribavirin in psychiatric risk groups.

Psychiatric disorders or drug addiction are often regarded as contraindications against the use of interferon alfa (IFN-alpha) in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Our aim was to obtain prospective data on adherence to as well as efficacy and mental side effects of treatment with IFN-alpha in different psychiatric risk groups compared with controls. In a prospective trial, 81 patients with chronic hepatitis C (positive hepatitis C virus[HCV] RNA and elevated alanine aminotransferase[ALT] level) and psychiatric disorders (n = 16), methadone substitution (n = 21), former drug addiction (n = 21), or controls without a psychiatric history or drug addiction (n = 23) were treated with a combination of IFN-alpha-2a 3 MU 3 times weekly and ribavirin (1,000-1,200 mg/d).

Screening for p53 and K-ras mutations in whole-gut lavage in chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

Objectives: Molecular screening for frequently mutated genes may increase the likelihood of identifying cancer risk groups, such as patients with longstanding inflammatory bowel disease. This study investigated the prevalence and time course of p53 and K-ras mutations in colonic lavage fluid of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Methods: Colonic lavage fluid from 190 patients with ulcerative colitis (73), Crohn's disease (58) or controls (49 non-tumour, 10 colorectal cancer) was studied by oligomer-specific hybridization for K-ras mutations and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) for p53 mutations.