BACKGROUND It is uncertain whether saturated fatty acids (SFAs) impair endothelial function and contribute to arterial stiffening. OBJECTIVE We tested the effects of replacing SFAs with monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) or carbohydrates on endothelial function and arterial stiffness. DESIGN With the use of a parallel-designed randomized controlled trial in 121 insulin-resistant men and wo...

This study tests the agency cost hypothesis in the context of geographic earnings disclosures. The agency cost hypothesis predicts that managers, when not monitored by shareholders, will make self-maximizing decisions which may not necessarily be in the best interest of shareholders. These decisions include aggressively growing the firm, which reduces profitability and destroys firm value. Geog...

BACKGROUND The goal of our study was to examine spontaneous and stimulated apoptosis of peripheral blood MNC from allergic patients, sensitized to Der p I antigen as compared to cells from non-atopic subjects. Furthermore we aimed to investigate which populations of mononuclear cells (lymphocytes, monocytes) undergo the apoptosis and to determine relations between apoptosis and serum levels of ...

STUDY OBJECTIVES The Fas-Fas ligand (FasL) pathway is a representative system of apoptosis-signaling receptor molecules. We previously described that this pathway may play an important role in the pathogenesis of fibrosing lung diseases. In this study, we hypothesized that soluble form of Fas (sFas) and FasL (sFasL) may also be associated with this disorder. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS We measur...

BACKGROUND The polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition of (nerve) cell membranes may be involved in the pathophysiology of depression. Studies so far, focussed mainly on omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs. In the present study, saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and PUFAs of the omega-3, -6 and -9 series in plasma and erythrocytes of patients with recurrent major dep...

PURPOSE The object of the study was the usefulness of sFas and sFasL concentration in the prognosis of disease development in healthy HBsAg carriers. PATIENTS 34 healthy HBsAg carriers were examined over a three-years period. MATERIAL AND METHODS HBV-DNA was extracted using the Gene Elute Mammalian Genomic DNA Miniprep Kit (Sigma, USA). HBV-DNA concentration and YMDD mutations were measured...

background the fas receptor/ligand system including soluble forms is the most important apoptotic initiator in the liver. dysregulation of this pathway may contribute to abnormal cell proliferation and cell death and is regarded as one of the mechanisms preventing the immune system from rejecting the tumor cells. objectives to analyze the role of fas system fas/ fas ligand (fas/ fasl) in the mu...

Mismatch between the uptake and utilization of long-chain fatty acids in the myocardium leads to abnormally high intracellular fatty acid concentration, which ultimately induces myocardial dysfunction. Stearoyl-Coenzyme A desaturase-1 (SCD1) is a rate-limiting enzyme that converts saturated fatty acids (SFAs) to monounsaturated fatty acids. Previous studies have shown that SCD1-deficinent mice ...