1,721,683 research outputs found
Red yeast rice for hypercholesterolemia
No full textThe extract of red yeast rice (RYR) is the most effective cholesterol-lowering nutraceutical on the market. In particular, its effectiveness is directly related to the amount of monacolin K within the extract (up to 10 mg/day). Consuming monacolin K on a daily basis reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol plasma levels between 15% and 25% within 6 to 8 weeks. Certainly, the decrease in LDL-cholesterol is accompanied by a similar reduction in total cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, plasma apolipoprotein B, matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Furthermore, the RYR lipid-lowering effect is associated with significant improvements in pulse wave velocity and endothelial function, which are validated and reliable biomarker tools able to detect vascular aging. Although it has a mechanism of action similar to statins, a daily consumption of between 3 and 10 mg monacolin K has only minimal associated risks, and mild myalgias are seen only in the frailest patients (those who also cannot tolerate minimal dosages of statin). The monacolin K found in RYR is a safe and effective supplement for managing mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia in people with no additional cardiovascular risk factors
LDL-C: Lower is Better for Longer - Even at Low Risk
Full text linkBackground: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) causes atherosclerotic disease, as demonstrated in experimental and epidemiological cohorts, randomised controlled trials, and Mendelian randomisation studies.
Main text: There is considerable inconsistency between existing guidelines as to how to effectively manage patients at low overall risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) who have persistently elevated levels of LDL-C.
We propose a step-by-step practical approach for the management of cardiovascular risks in individuals with low ( 140 mg/dL, 3.6 mmol/L) LDL-C. The strategy proposed is based on the level of adherence to lifestyle interventions (LSI), and in case of non-adherence, stepwise practical management, including lipid-lowering therapy, is recommended to achieve a target LDL-C levels (< 115 mg/dL, 3.0 mmol/L).
Conclusions: Further studies are necessary to answer the questions on the long-term efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of the suggested approach. This is critical, considering the ever-increasing numbers of such low-risk patients seen in clinical practice
Why patients with familial hypercholesterolemia are at high cardiovascular risk? Beyond LDL-C levels
No full textFamilial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a common genetic cause of elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) due to defective clearance of circulating LDL particles. All FH patients are at high risk for premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) events due to their genetically determined lifelong exposure to high LDL-C levels. However, different rates of CVD events have been reported in FH patients, even among those with the same genetic mutations and comparable LDL-C levels. Hence, additional CVD risk modifiers, beyond LDL-C, may contribute to increase CVD risk in the FH population. In this review, we discuss the overall CVD risk burden of the FH population. Additionally, we revise the prognostic impact of several traditional and emerging predictors of CVD risk and we provide an overview of the role of specific tools to stratify CVD risk in FH patients in order to ensure them a more personalized treatment approach
Botanicals and phytochemicals active on cognitive decline: the clinical evidence.
No full textBeyond the well-known effects on cognitive impairment of the Mediterranean diet, a number of studies have investigated the possible action on cognitive decline of different botanicals and phytochemicals, most of which are well-known anti-inflammatory or antioxidant agents with a good tolerability and safety profile. In particular, the current literature supports the use of Ginkgo biloba, resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate and l-theanine, Theobroma cacao, Bacopa monnieri, Crocus sativus and curcumin, which might have a positive impact on cognitive impairment used alone or in combination with other nutraceuticals or traditional drugs. Then, the aim of the present study was to review and comment the available evidence on botanicals and phytochemicals with a clinically demonstrable effect on cognitive decline. For this reason, we carefully reviewed studies published in English language from 1970 to April 2017 on botanicals and phytochemical claiming to show an effect on cognitive impairment in humans. Thus, the terms 'botanicals', 'dietary supplements', 'herbal drug', 'nutraceuticals', 'phytochemical', 'cognitive impairment', 'Alzheimer's disease', 'clinical trial', and 'humans', alone and in combinations, were incorporated into an electronic search strategy in both MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD) and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, UK). As it emerges from this systematic review, the use of some phytochemicals and botanicals seems to be very promising in order to delay the onset and progression of neurodegenerative and other age-related diseases. However, further well-designed clinical research is certainly needed to finally confirm the efficacy and safety profile of these compounds
Resveratrol effect on NAFLD patients: it is a matter of dose and treatment length.
No full textNon applicabil
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Can the effects of gender, menopause and ageing on lipid levels be differentiated?
No full textN/A Editoria
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