Dietary fish oils modify adipocyte structure and function.

Dietary fish oils, enriched with omega-3 fatty acids (e.g., MaxEPA fish oil), inhibit lipogenesis and have a marked hypotriglyceridemic effect in man and experimental animals. Dietary omega-3 fatty acids also reduce adipose tissue trophic growth in rats. To understand the metabolic basis for this, we measured the effect of fish oil feeding upon rat plasma triglyceride concentration, fat pad mass, fat cell size, fat cell lipolysis, as well as lipoprotein binding to adipocyte plasma membranes. In adolescent (250 g) male Wistar rats fed 20% (w/w) fish oil supplemented diets for 3 weeks, plasma triglyceride levels and epididymal and perirenal fat pad mass were significantly (P less than 0.005) reduced compared to pair-fed controls given 20% lard diets. These differences in fat pad mass between the diets were greater than differences in whole animal mass or in the mass of livers, testes, kidneys, spleens, or hearts. Isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis was significantly (P less than 0.005) higher in fish oil fed rats than in pair-fed controls. In young (100 g) rats plasma triglyceride levels were 10 times lower in the fish oil fed group after 5 weeks as compared to the lard-fed controls. This was accompanied by a reduction in epididymal and perirenal fat pad mass as well as a 2-3-fold decrease in adipocyte volumes; there was no significant difference between the two groups in fat cell number in each region. Plasma membranes of epididymal adipocytes from fish oil fed rats bound significantly (P less than 0.001) less HDL1 than the lard-fed rats, possibly as a result of a reduction in fat cell size and/or alteration of plasma membrane structure. Thus in both young and old rats, the reduction in plasma triglyceride concentration in conjunction with increased hormone-stimulated lipolysis may explain in part the selective reduction in adipose tissue trophic growth accompanying fish oil consumption.     

Cognitive and functional competence after anaesthesia in patients aged over 60: controlled trial of general and regional anaesthesia for elective hip or knee replacement.

OBJECTIVE--To determine the influence of general or regional anaesthesia on long term mental function in elderly patients. DESIGN--Prospective study of patients randomly allocated to receive general or regional anaesthesia. SETTING--The patients'' homes and a large teaching hospital in Cardiff. SUBJECTS--146 Patients aged 60 and over scheduled for elective hip or knee replacement. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Scores achieved in tests of cognitive function and functional competence. RESULTS--72 Patients were allocated to receive general anaesthesia and 74 regional anaesthesia. Anaesthetic technique did not influence the duration of the operation, time to mobilisation postoperatively, requirements for analgesia after the operation, or duration of stay in hospital. Three months after the operation there was an improvement in the score for the recognition component (76 ms, 95% confidence interval 9 to 144) and the response component (82 ms, 5 to 158) of the choice reaction time in the group receiving general anaesthesia compared with the group receiving regional anaesthesia. This was the only significant difference between the two groups in the assessments of cognitive and functional competence. Eleven patients receiving regional anaesthesia and 12 receiving general anaesthesia reported that their memory and concentration were worse than before the operation, but this was not confirmed by testing. CONCLUSION--Cognitive and functional competence in elderly patients was not detectably impaired after either general or regional anaesthesia when attention was paid to the known perioperative influences on mental function.     

Phytochemical Profiling by UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS of Kalaharia uncinata (Schinz) Moldenke,Widely Used in Traditional Medicine in DR Congo

Kalaharia uncinata (Schinz) Moldenke, is a tropical erect bushy shrub or subshrub of the Lamiaceae family. It is an endemic plant species of Southern Africa, widely used in the pharmacopoeia against upper respiratory tract infections. A previously conducted ethnobotanical survey revealed that it is believed to contain bioactive substances. However, no relevant phytochemical information was available. This study aimed to perform a phytochemical characterization of K. uncinata and also to discuss the potential bioactivity of the identified phytochemical constituents based on documented data. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS) was used for profiling and identification of the main phytochemical constituents from leaf extracts (MeOH 90 %, DCM, AcOEt, BuOH, hexane and residue) of K.uncinata. Twenty-four constituents, representing mainly flavonoids (14), followed by phenylethanoid glycosides (7), phenolic acids (2), and an iridoid glycoside (1) were tentatively identified. Most of the identified compounds are documented to have antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties, which could possibly be the rationale behind the use of K. uncinata against upper respiratory tract infections.