Relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, intracerebral hemorrhage, and its location

Mediterranean diet effects on vascular health and serum levels of adipokines and ceramides

BACKGROUND

A randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effect of a Mediterranean-style diet on vascular health indices such as endothelial function indices, serum lipid and ceramide plasma and some adipokine serum levels. We recruited all consecutive patients at high risk of cardiovascular diseases admitted to the Internal Medicine and Stroke Care ward at the University Hospital of Palermo between September 2017 and December 2020.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The enrolled subjects, after the evaluation of the degree of adherence to a dietary regimen of the Mediterranean-style diet, were randomised to a Mediterranean Diet (group A) assessing the adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet at each follow up visit (every three months) for the entire duration of the study (twelve months) and to a Low-fat diet (group B) with a dietary "counselling" starting every three months for the entire duration of the study (twelve months).The aims of the study were to evaluate: the effects of adherence to Mediterranean Diet on some surrogate markers of vascular damage, such as endothelial function measured by means of the reactive hyperaemia index (RHI) and augmentation index (AIX), at the 6-(T1) and 12-month (T2) follow-ups; the effects of adherence to Mediterranean Diet on the lipidaemic profile and on serum levels of ceramides at T1 and T2 follow-ups; the effects of adherence to Mediterranean Diet on serum levels of visfatin, adiponectin and resistin at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups.

RESULTS

A total of 101 patients were randomised to a Mediterranean Diet style and 52 control subjects were randomised to a low-fat diet with a dietary "counselling". At the six-month follow-up (T1), subjects in the Mediterranean Diet group showed significantly lower mean serum total cholesterol levels, and significantly higher increase in reactive hyperaemia index (RHI) values compared to the low-fat diet group. Patients in the Mediterranean Diet group also showed lower serum levels of resistin and visfatin at the six-month follow-up compared to the control group, as well as higher values ​​of adiponectin, lower values of C24:0, higher values of C22:0 and higher values of the C24:0/C16:0 ratio. At the twelve-month follow-up (T2), subjects in the Mediterranean Diet group showed lower serum total cholesterol levels and lower serum LDL cholesterol levels than those in the control group. At the twelve-month follow-up, we also observed a further significant increase in the mean RHI in the Mediterranean Diet group, lower serum levels of resistin and visfatin, lower values of C24:0 and of C:18:0,and higher values of the C24:0/C16:0 ratio.

DISCUSSION

The findings of our current study offer a further possible explanation with regard to the beneficial effects of a higher degree of adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet on multiple cardiovascular risk factors and the underlying mechanisms of atherosclerosis. Moreover, these findings provide an additional plausible interpretation of the results from observational and cohort studies linking high adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet with lower total mortality and a decrease in cardiovascular events and cardiovascular mortality.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04873167. https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04873167.

Effects of Mediterranean Diet Combined with CrossFit Training on Trained Adults’ Performance and Body Composition

CrossFit is a high-intensity training discipline increasingly practiced in recent years. Specific nutritional approaches are usually recommended to maximize performance and improve body composition in high-intensity training regimens; notwithstanding, to date there are no targeted nutritional recommendations for CrossFit athletes. The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is a diet approach with a well-designed proportion of macronutrients, using only available/seasonal food of the Mediterranean area, whose health benefits are well demonstrated. No studies have evaluated this dietary strategy among CrossFit athletes and practitioners; for this reason, we tested the effects of 8 weeks of MD on CrossFit athletes’ performance and body composition. Participants were assigned to two groups: a diet group (DG) in which participants performed CrossFit training plus MD, and a control group (CG) in which participants partook in the CrossFit training, continuing their habitual diet. Participants were tested before and after the 8 weeks of intervention. At the end of the study, no significant difference was noted in participants’ body composition, whereas improvements in anaerobic power, explosive strength of the lower limbs, and CrossFit-specific performance were observed only in the DG. Our results suggest that adopting a MD in CrossFit athletes/practitioners could be a useful strategy to improve specific strength, endurance, and anaerobic capacity while maintaining overall body composition.

Is adherence to the Mediterranean diet associated with good sleep duration in primary-school children?

OBJECTIVE

The Mediterranean diet (MD) contributes to preventing numerous chronic diseases and has benefits on cognitive development. Adherence to the MD is associated with sleep quality and duration in adults and adolescents, but this association seems to have been little investigated in primary-school children. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to verify whether good sleep duration was associated with adherence to the MD.

DESIGN

The study enrolled a sample of Italian primary school children. Their mothers were asked to answer an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire investigating the children's adherence to the MD (using the KidMed score) and variables related to their lifestyles, behavioral traits and socio-economic factors. Logistic regression models were developed to analyze the association between adherence to the MD, entered as the dependent variable, and adequacy of sleep duration.

SETTING

Primary schools in Padova, Italy.

SUBJECTS

267 Italian 6-year-olds in their first year of primary school.

RESULTS

The multivariate analysis showed an association between adherence to the MD and hours of sleep: for children with a good sleep duration, the odds ratio of a poor-to-moderate adherence to the MD was 0.282 (95% CI, 0.109-0.681, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Ensuring an adequate sleep duration may be an important strategy for enhancing adherence to the MD. Sleep and dietary education should be included in future health promotion programs.

Predictors of Stroke Subtype and Severity in Patients of a Tertiary Care Hospital, Dehradun

Context

Stroke caused 6.7 million deaths worldwide in 2013. In India, the cumulated incidence of stroke was 105-152/100,000 persons per year in last decade. Dearth of data on predictors of stroke subtype and severity in India lead to this study.

Aims

(1) To categorize presenting stroke patients by subtype and severity. (2) To establish association of risk factors with above. (3) To predict subtype and severity by risk factors.

Settings and Design

Hospital-based cross-sectional analytic, retrospective study.

Subjects and Methods

A predesigned, pretested, semi-structured questionnaire with standard tool (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale Score), informed consent after prior approval of institutional ethics and research committees.

Statistical Analysis Used

Percentages, proportions, Chi-square trends, linear regression, independent t-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Results

Mean age of 102 patients was 62.1 (±12.8 years). Stroke subtype associated with socioeconomic status (χ² = 6.38775, P = 0.0115) and stroke severity (χ² = 18.98, P = 0) and stroke severity associated with stroke subtype (χ² = 9.79366, P = 0.0018). Stroke subtype could be predicted by stroke severity and stroke severity by subtype, sex, and dyslipidemia (regression models). Independent t-test revealed excessive alcohol intake was a significant predictor and one-way ANOVA revealed education was a significant predictor of severe stroke.

Conclusions

Stroke subtype is significantly associated with higher socioeconomic status and severe stroke. Stroke severity is significantly associated with hemorrhagic stroke. Stroke subtype, sex, dyslipidemia, alcohol intake, and education may act as predictors of stroke severity.

Identification of circular RNA expression profiles and potential biomarkers for intracerebral hemorrhage

Aim: To investigate the expression profiles of circRNAs after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Materials & methods: RNA sequencing and qRT-PCR were used to investigate and validate circRNA expression levels. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to explore potential functions of the circRNAs. Results: Expression levels of 15 circRNAs were consistently altered in patients with ICH compared with their expression levels in hypertension. Three circRNAs, hsa_circ_0001240, hsa_circ_0001947 and hsa_circ_0001386, individually or combined, were confirmed as promising biomarkers for predicting and diagnosing ICH. The circRNAs were involved mainly in lysine degradation and the immune system. Conclusion: This is the first study to report expression profiles of circRNAs after ICH and to propose that three circRNAs are potential biomarkers for ICH.