Impact of a 2-year intervention program on cardiometabolic profile according to the number of goals achieved

We investigated the impact of lifestyle goal achievement on cardiovascular risk factors after a 2-year behavioral intervention program applied to 394 adults (113 with diabetes, mean age 60.2 ± 11.4 years, 56% women) and targeting four goals: ≥5% weight loss; ≥150 min/week physical activities; <10% saturated fat intake/day; ≥400 g fruit and vegetable intake/day. Baseline characteristics and changes in variables after intervention among the four categories of number of goals achieved (none, 1, 2, and ≥3) were compared by independent ANOVA or the Kruskal-Wallis test. Individuals without diabetes achieving a higher number of goals were more likely to be older (3 or 4 goals: 61.8 ± 12.6 years vs none: 53.3 ± 10.3 years, P < 0.05) and to have a lower mean BMI (3 or 4 goals: 21.7 ± 2.6 kg/m² vs none: 29.0 ± 4.8 kg/m², P < 0.05), diastolic blood pressure (3 or 4 goals: 77.3 ± 2.1 mmHg vs none: 85.4 ± 9.6 mmHg, P < 0.05), triglyceride (3 or 4 goals: 116.1 ± 95.1 mg/dL vs none: 144.8 ± 65.5 mg/dL, P < 0.05) and insulin levels (3 or 4 goals: 3.6 ± 2.4 μU/L vs none: 5.7 ± 4.0 μU/L, P < 0.05) than those achieving fewer goals. The absolute changes in cardiovascular risk factors tended to be more pronounced with increasing number of goals achieved in individuals without diabetes. The intervention had a beneficial impact on the cardiometabolic profile of individuals with normal or altered glucose metabolism. The number of goals achieved in this lifestyle intervention was associated with the magnitude of improvement of cardiovascular risk factors in individuals without diabetes. Participants with a better cardiometabolic profile seemed to be more likely to have a healthy lifestyle.

Retinal protective effects of topically administered agmatine on ischemic ocular injury caused by transient occlusion of the ophthalmic artery

Agmatine, an endogenous polyamine and putative neuromodulator, is known to have neuroprotective effects on various neurons in the central nervous system. We determined whether or not topically administered agmatine could reduce ischemic retinal injury. Transient ocular ischemia was achieved by intraluminal occlusion of the middle cerebral artery of ddY mice (30-35 g) for 2 h, which is known to also induce occlusion of the ophthalmic artery. In the agmatine group (N = 6), a 1.0 mM agmatine-containing ophthalmic solution was administered four times daily for 2 weeks before occlusion. In the control group (N = 6), a 0.1% hyaluronic acid ophthalmic solution was instilled at the same times. At 22 h after reperfusion, the eyeballs were enucleated and the retinal sections were stained by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL). Transient ocular ischemia induced apoptosis of retinal cells in the entire retinal layer, and topically administered agmatine can significantly reduce this ischemic retinal injury. The proportion of apoptotic cells was definitely decreased (P < 0.001; Kruskal-Wallis test). Overall, we determined that topical agmatine application effectively decreases retinal damage in an in vivo ocular ischemic injury model. This implies that agmatine is a good candidate as a direct neuroprotective agent for eyes with ocular ischemic diseases.

Acidose metabólica e sua associação com o estado nutricional em hemodiálise

Resumo Introdução: A acidose metabólica é frequente em pacientes dialíticos e participa na patogênese da desnutrição energético-proteica destes pacientes. Objetivos: Avaliar a prevalência de acidose metabólica em hemodiálise e pesquisar sua associação com o estado nutricional. Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo transversal em pacientes em hemodiálise em um único centro. O estado nutricional foi avaliado por meio de indicadores antropométricos, bioquímicos e da bioimpedância elétrica multifrequencial. Acidose metabólica foi definida como bicarbonato sérico (BIC) < 22 mEq/L, e os pacientes foram divididos em 3 grupos, segundo o BIC (< 15,15-21,9 e ≥ 22). A associação entre o BIC e as variáveis contínuas foi pesquisada com o teste de Kruskal Wallis. A correlação linear entre o BIC e as variáveis do estudo também foi testada. Resultados: Foram avaliados 95 pacientes, 59% masculinos, idade média 52,3 anos. A prevalência de acidose metabólica foi 94,7%. O IMC, o ganho de peso interdialítico e o PTH foram significativamente diferentes entre os 3 grupos de BIC. O BIC apresentou correlação negativa significativa com ureia, fósforo e ganho de peso interdialítico. Não houve correlação significativa com albumina, ângulo de fase e índice de massa magra. Conclusão: A prevalência de acidose metabólica foi elevada na população em estudo, e um BIC mais baixo correlacionou-se com valores maiores de ureia, PTH, fósforo, ganho de peso interdialítico e menores de IMC. A avaliação do estado metabólico em hemodiálise deve ser implementada rotineiramente, considerando-se os efeitos negativos da acidose no estado nutricional, inflamatório e na doença óssea.