Von Willebrand factor as marker of vascular function in South African women: the POWIRS Study.

Background: The increasing prevalence of hypertension and vascular-related morbidity and mortality among Africans emphasizes the need to identify markers for the early detection of vascular disease. Caucasian-based studies demonstrate that the von Willebrand factor (vWf) is a useful marker of vascular dysfunction. We investigated whether associations between this marker and markers of cardiovascular function in Caucasian women are comparable with African women.

Stress and re-stress increases conditioned taste aversion learning in rats: possible frontal cortical and hippocampal muscarinic receptor involvement.

Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder are often precipitated by sensory cues in the form of visual, auditory, olfactory and gustatory "flashbacks" resulting in enhanced fear-memory consolidation and the characteristic symptoms of re-experiencing, avoidance and hyper-arousal. Single prolonged stress with and without re-stress have been used to explore the neurobiology of this disorder, particularly with respect to contextual conditioning and spatial memory impairment. However, less work has been done regarding associative sensory-related memories linked to aversive events.

The effect of different intervention programmes on the self-concept and motor proficiency of 7- to 9-year-old children with DCD.

Background: The self-concept of children is influenced by developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD). The aim was to determine the most effective method in enhancing motor proficiency and self-concept of 7- to 9-year-old children with DCD.

Methods: Teachers at nine different schools identified 201 possible DCD candidates.

Diabetes, metallothionein, and zinc interactions: a review.

Epidemiological evidence, associating diabetes with zinc (Zn) deficiencies, has resulted in numerous research studies describing the effects of Zn and associated metallothionein (MT), on reducing diabetic complications associated with oxidative stress. MT has been found to have a profound effect on the reduction of oxidative stress induced by the diabetic condition. Over expression of MT in various metabolic organs has also been shown to reduce hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative stress, organ specific diabetic complications, and DNA damage in diabetic experimental animals, which have been further substantiated by the results from MT-knockout mice.

Beliefs of South Africans regarding food and cardiovascular health.

Objectives: To investigate the beliefs of South African metropolitan adults regarding the importance of influencing cardiovascular health by eating certain food types, and to compare these beliefs between different race, living standards, age and gender groups.

Design: Randomised cross-sectional study. Trained fieldworkers administered questionnaires by conducting face-to-face interviews with consumers.

Hyperuricaemia is an independent factor for the metabolic syndrome in a sub-Saharan African population: a factor analysis.

Objective: To assess the risk factor pattern of the metabolic syndrome and its association with insulin resistance and hyperuricaemia in a sub-Saharan African population with different levels of urbanisation.

Methods: Four hundred forty-eight black South African volunteers, men and women aged 15 years and older were investigated in a cross-sectional, comparative, population-based survey. Subjects were stratified into three groups representing different levels of urbanisation in rural and urban areas.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine is associated with parameters of glucose metabolism in Caucasian but not in African women from South Africa.

Aim: Ethnic differences in obesity and obesity related disorders prompted us to search for possible contributors. The impact of the novel cardiovascular risk factor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) has been never determined in the African population. The present observational study aimed to compare ADMA levels between healthy African (102) and Caucasian women (115) from South Africa, and its impact on glucose metabolism.

Stereotypic behaviour in the deer mouse: pharmacological validation and relevance for obsessive compulsive disorder.

Stereotypy is an important manifestation of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD involves disturbed serotonin and dopamine pathways, and demonstrates a selective response to serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRI), with limited to no response to noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (NRI). Deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii) engage in various spontaneous stereotypic behaviours, including somersaulting, jumping and pattern running, and has to date not been explored for possible relevance for OCD.

Metabolic syndrome risk in black South African women compared to Caucasian women.

Rapid urbanisation has led African women to have an obesity prevalence double than that of Caucasian women, and this also holds true for the stroke prevalence in Africans. The study aimed to compare various metabolic syndrome (MS) criteria of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) of body mass index and age-matched African (n=102) and Caucasian women (n=115). More Caucasian (30.

Differences and similarities regarding adiponectin investigated in African and Caucasian women.

Objective: Concentrations of adiponectin, an adipocytokine with insulin-sensitizing actions, may vary according to ethnic group. This study aimed to determine whether fasting adiponectin levels of Caucasian and African women differ. A second objective was to determine which components of the metabolic syndrome are more closely related to adiponectinemia in both groups.

Association between insulin-like growth factor-1, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 and leptin levels with nutritional status in 1-3-year-old children, residing in the central region of Limpopo Province, South Africa.

The present study evaluated levels of growth factors and their associations with nutritional status with emphasis on stunting in children at 1 and 3 years of age. A follow-up study on a birth cohort (n 219) of children from villages in the central region of the Limpopo Province was undertaken. Of the original cohort, 156 and 162 could be traced and assessed at ages 1 and 3 years, respectively.

Protective effect against type 2 diabetes mellitus identified within the ACDC gene in a black South African diabetic cohort.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is currently one of the fastest growing noncommunicable diseases in the world. It is induced by the pathogenic interaction between insulin resistance and secretion. This group of clinically heterogeneous disorders currently affects approximately 4% of the general population, but it is rapidly increasing, especially in developing regions such as sub-Saharan Africa.

Effects of a high walnut and high cashew nut diet on selected markers of the metabolic syndrome: a controlled feeding trial.

We investigated the effects of a high walnut diet and a high unsalted cashew nut diet on selected markers of the metabolic syndrome. In a randomized, parallel, controlled study design, sixty-four subjects having the metabolic syndrome (twenty-nine men, thirty-five women) with a mean age of 45 (sd 10) years and who met the selection criteria were all fed a 3-week run-in control diet. Hereafter, participants were grouped according to gender and age and then randomized into three groups receiving a controlled feeding diet including walnuts, or unsalted cashew nuts or no nuts for 8 weeks.

Habitual physical activity and body composition of black township adolescents residing in the North West Province, South Africa.

Objective: It is known that stunting and obesity affect a large proportion of children in the world, and these can be affected by the physical activity levels of the children. In the present study, we evaluated the association between physical activity, physical development and body composition in black adolescent children.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Ethnic differences in C-peptide secretion but not in non-esterified fatty acid metabolism in pre-menopausal women with and without abdominal obesity.

The present study aimed to reveal racial differences in the metabolic pattern of C-peptide and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), and in their associations with cardiovascular measures in healthy urban African (102) and Caucasian women (115) from South Africa. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed with measurements before and at 30, 60, 90 and 120min. Various cardiovascular parameters and blood lipids were assessed.

Modulation of baroreflex sensitivity by walnuts versus cashew nuts in subjects with metabolic syndrome.

Background: Impaired baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) is associated with cardiovascular diseases and the metabolic syndrome. Because lipid abnormalities have been associated with impaired BRS, this study aimed to determine whether diets known to improve the lipid profile, namely a diet high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (walnuts) or monounsaturated fatty acids (cashew nuts), would improve BRS in subjects with metabolic syndrome (MS).

Methods: A controlled feeding trial with a randomized, controlled, parallel study design was undertaken, which involved 62 subjects with MS.

Polyunsaturated fatty acid intake is adversely related to liver function in HIV-infected subjects: the THUSA study.

Background: Dietary fat intake in the South African population is increasing. This population also has a high prevalence of HIV infection. However, information about metabolic effects of dietary fatty acids on HIV-infected subjects is lacking.

Effects of a policosanol supplement on serum lipid concentrations in hypercholesterolaemic and heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemic subjects.

Policosanol is a mixture of higher aliphatic primary alcohols that is extracted from purified sugar cane wax or a variety of other plant sources, and has been shown to have beneficial effects on serum lipid concentrations. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a policosanol supplement (Octa-60) on lipid profiles of hypercholesterolaemic and heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemic subjects. Nineteen hypercholesterolaemic and familial hypercholesterolaemic subjects completed this randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study.

Simultaneous presence of DDT and pyrethroid residues in human breast milk from a malaria endemic area in South Africa.

DDT and pyrethroids were determined in 152 breast-milk samples from three towns in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, one of which had no need for DDT for malaria control. All compounds were found present in breast milk. Primiparae from one town had the highest mean SigmaDDT whole milk levels (238.

The metabolic syndrome and changing relationship between blood pressure and insulin with age, as observed in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Aims: To determine the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MS) among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. A further objective was to investigate the relationships between fasting insulin and blood pressure (BP) within these groups with increasing age.

Methods: A cross-sectional population-based study included 369 Torres Strait Islanders (residing in Torres Strait and Far North Queensland), and 675 Aborigines from central Australia.

The nutrition and health transition in the North West Province of South Africa: a review of the THUSA (Transition and Health during Urbanisation of South Africans) study.

Objective: To describe how urbanisation influences the nutrition and health transition in South Africa by using data from the THUSA (Transition and Health during Urbanisation of South Africans) study.

Design: The THUSA study was a cross-sectional, comparative, population-based survey.

Setting: The North West Province of South Africa.

A systematic review of the effects of nuts on blood lipid profiles in humans.

The inverse association of nut consumption and risk markers of coronary heart disease (lipids) has sparked the interest of the scientific and lay community. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review to investigate the effects of nuts on the lipid profile. Medline and Web of Science databases were searched from the start of the database to August 2004 and supplemented by cross-checking reference lists of relevant publications.

Cardiovascular effects of oral Supplementation of vitamin C, E and folic acid in young healthy males.

Numerous observational studies showed associations of antioxidants (vitamins C and E) and folate intake with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, but randomized controlled clinical trials have generally not supported this hypothesis. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a daily dosage of 1000 mg vitamin C, 800 mg vitamin E, and 10 mg folate on markers of vascular function in 31 young healthy male adults. Cardiovascular values after a 12-week vitamin (14 subjects) or placebo (17 subjects) intervention were compared to baseline values.

The nutritional status of asymptomatic HIV-infected Africans: directions for dietary intervention?

Objective: To compare the relationships between food (nutrient) intakes and biochemical markers of nutritional status of asymptomatic HIV-infected with HIV-uninfected subjects, to gain more information on the appropriate diet for HIV-infected persons at an early stage of infection.

Design: Cross-sectional population-based survey.

Setting: North West Province, South Africa.