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Vitamin K2 may preserve bone strength and reduce fracture risk. In this randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial among healthy postmenopausal Norwegian women, 1 year supplementation of vitamin K2 in the form of Natto capsules had no effect on bone loss rates. Japanese studies indicate that vitamin K2 (menaquinone-7 (MK-7)) intake may preserve bone strength, but this has not been documented in Europeans. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of MK-7 on bone mineral density (BMD) changes in postmenopausal Norwegian women. Three hundred thirty-four healthy women between 50 and 60 years, 1–5 years after menopause, were recruited to a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. The participants were randomly assigned into two groups, one receiving 360 µg MK-7 in the form of Natto capsules and the other the same amount of identical-looking placebo capsules containing olive oil. BMD was measured at total hip, femoral neck, lumbar spine and total body at baseline and 12 months together with serum levels of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, Crosslaps, total osteocalcin (N-mid OC), carboxylated (cOC) and under-carboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC). After 12 months, there were no statistical differences in bone loss rates between the groups at the total hip or any other measurement site. Serum levels of cOC increased and ucOC decreased in the treatment versus the placebo group (p

Bakgrunn: Det har lenge vært et paradoks at psykologien har vært mer opptatt av sykdom og lidelse enn av velvære og god mental helse i studiet av menneskelig atferd og fungering. Skjevheten i fokuset kan spores til de historiske føringene som ble lagt for utviklingen av psykoterapi under medisinsk forskning og praksis. Tradisjonen i våre vestlige helsesystemer har blitt slik at det er de mer presserende omstendighetene og problemene som nødvendigvis blir fulgt opp først. Som en motreaksjon mot denne har positiv psykologi vokst de siste årene til å bli en psykologisk bevegelse som søker å føre fokuset tilbake mot positive psykologiske aspekter som har vært nedprioritert, slik at fokuset i psykologien kan bli gjenopprettet. Metode: Denne oppgaven er en teoretisk strukturell analyse av de teoretiske og praktiske prinsippene som ligger til grunn for tre utvalgte varianter av anvendt positiv psykologi. Jeg søker å utforske de underliggende prosessene ved å følge strukturen i den metateoretiske modellen til Morris (2003) og sammenligne funnene med den tradisjonelle medisinske metamodellen. Problemstillingen går ut på å avdekke om de anvendte behandlingene bygger på en metateoretisk struktur som følger den tradisjonelle medisinske behandlingsmodellen eller om de fremstår som alternativer. Resultat: En gjennomgang av de terapeutiske behandlingsmetodene førte frem til en drøfting av de strukturelle komponentene som inngår. Jeg foretok en metateoretisk sammenligning av behandlingsprinsippene i de anvendte terapiformene og fant at de ikke utgjør grunnlag for en fullstendig ny metateoretisk behandlingsmodell, men at de avviker fra strukturen i de tradisjonelle ritualene i Morris metamodell ved det jeg kaller positive ritualer. Konklusjon: Funnene indikerer at anvendt positiv psykologi ikke representerer et teoretisk alternativ til den tradisjonelle medisinske behandlingsmodellen, men at de avviker betydelig ved å fokusere på positive psykologiske aspekter som velvære, karakterstyrker og motstandsvekst i behandlingen, heller enn symptomer og psykologiske problemer.

Norsk Hydro started out their Virtual Reality research activity in 1997 developing an in-house application in collaboration with Christian Michelsen Research. The application was sold and commercialized by Schlumberger, known as Inside Reality, but development has separated the two applications. In HydroVR important application tools were developed in tight collaboration with the users securing a tight linkage to the daily workflows. The development and use of HydroVR has been regarded as a success, but have been mainly used by Production and Research.

Finding oil is always a difficult and expensive task, and moving exploration and production (E&P) offshore quickly drives those costs sky-high. Because most easy oil has already been found, any new discoveries are often subtle and relatively small. Once a company does find a reservoir, deciding where and how to drill to maximize production - and thus return of investment - is a major task. The wrong approach or small inaccuracies can easily ruin an entire reservoir's ROI. Clearly, we need good tools to complete these difficult E&P tasks. In 1992, the University of Chicago's Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) introduced the CAVE, a room-sized, multiperson projector-based immersive VR environment. CAVE laid the foundation for a new paradigm: using VR for petroleum E&P. The HydroVR project both changed work processes and increased revenue for petroleum E&P in general. In this paper, we describe the project's major application milestones and summarize how and why the project has sustained its extensive activity over the past 10 years.

The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) ranges between 15 and 40% for patients hospitalized for certain medical conditions. Clinical studies have shown that prophylactic treatment with low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) reduces the risk of VTE from 15 to 6%. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of thromboprophylaxis among hospitalized medical patients after the introduction of clinical guidelines.A retrospective chart review was conducted among patients hospitalized for pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure at Tromsø University Hospital during 2000-2001 and 2003-2004, i.e. before and after introduction of guidelines for thromboprophylaxis. Demographic data, risk factors for VTE and use of thromboprophylaxis were recorded.434 hospitalizations were included. According to the guidelines, prophylaxis was indicated in 307 (71%) hospitalizations, and LMWH was prescribed in 62 (20%) hospitalizations. There was a non-significant increase in the use of prophylaxis from 18% to 23% after the introduction of clinical guidelines (p = 0.3). Acute myocardial infarction, acute infection and immobilization were significant predictors for prophylaxis.This study indicates insufficient adherence to clinical guidelines for thromboprophylaxis to patients at risk of VTE in internal medicine. There is potential for improvement of prophylactic treatment to avoid serious VTE among hospitalized medical patients.

This article is part of Einar Kristian Borud's PhD thesis, which is available in Munin: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/2449 Background: After menopause, 10–20% of all women have nearly intolerable hot flushes. Long term use of hormone replacement therapy involves a health risk, and many women seek alternative strategies to relieve climacteric complaints. Acupuncture is one of the most frequently used complementary therapies in Norway. We designed a study to evaluate whether Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture-care together with self-care is more effective than self-care alone to relieve climacteric complaints. Methods/Design: The study is a multi-centre pragmatic randomised controlled trial with two parallel arms. Participants are postmenopausal women who document ≥7 flushes/24 hours and who are not using hormone replacement therapy or other medication that may influence flushes. According to power calculations 200 women are needed to detect a 50% reduction in flushes, and altogether 286 women will be recruited to allow for a 30% dropout rate. The treatment group receives 10 sessions of Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture-care and self-care; the control group will engage in self-care only. A team of experienced Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncturists give acupuncture treatments. Discussion: The study tests acupuncture as a complete treatment package including the therapeutic relationship and expectation. The intervention period lasts for 12 weeks, with follow up at 6 and 12 months. Primary endpoint is change in daily hot flush frequency in the two groups from baseline to 12 weeks; secondary endpoint is health related quality of life, assessed by the Women's Health Questionnaire. We also collect data on Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnoses, and we examine treatment experiences using a qualitative approach. Finally we measure biological variables, to examine potential mechanisms for the effect of acupuncture. The study is funded by The Research Council of Norway.

To explore the strengths and weaknesses of conventional biomedical research strategies and methods as applied to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and to suggest a new research framework for assessing these treatment modalities. There appears to be a gap between published studies showing little or no efficacy of CAM, and reports of substantial clinical benefit from patients and CAM practitioners. This "gap" might be partially due to the current focus on placebo-controlled randomized trials, which are appropriately designed to answer questions about the efficacy and safety of pharmaceutical agents. In an attempt to fit this assessment strategy, complex CAM treatment approaches have been dissected into standardized and often simplified treatment methods, and outcomes have been limited. Unlike conventional medicine, CAM has no regulatory or financial gatekeeper controlling their therapeutic "agents" before they are marketed. Treatments may thus be in widespread use before researchers know of their existence. In addition, the treatments are often provided as an integrated 'whole system' of care, without careful consideration of the safety issue. We propose a five-phase strategy for assessing CAM built on the acknowledgement of the inherent, unique aspects of CAM treatments and their regulatory status in most Western countries. These phases comprise: Using the proposed strategy will generate evidence relevant to clinical practice, while acknowledging the absence of regulatory and financial gatekeepers for CAM. It will also emphasize the important but subtle differences between CAM and conventional medical practice.

to quantify sales of authorized natural remedies (ANRs) in Norway, to compare the Norwegian authorization scheme with similar schemes in Sweden, Denmark and the EU, and to identify factors influencing the number of marketed ANRs.descriptive statistics are used to present sales of ANRs in Norway. The ANRs are classified by indication group and assigned a recommended daily dose (RDD) according to the posology section in the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC). Document analysis of regulation and general information concerning natural remedies is used to compare the authorization schemes for ANRs in Scandinavia and for traditional herbal medicinal products (THMs) in the EU. Four cases of herbs are described to illustrate the consequences of this regulation and identify possible influencing factors.sales, in terms of both mean consumer prices and number of RDDs, and the factors found to influence the number of marketed ANRs.total sales of ANRs in Norway in 2003 wereeuro1.5 per capita (3% of the food supplement market), or 5.5 RDD/1,000/day, and the sales have tended to decline. Norway has very few ANRs compared with Sweden and Denmark. Changes in Norwegian ANR regulation in 2004 have harmonized application requirements in Scandinavia, but results have yet to be seen. THMs are subject to the same quality requirements as ANRs, and will replace the ANRs over the next 7 years. Several factors have influenced the manufacturers' application incentive, e.g., application costs, differentiated VAT rates, consumer knowledge and surveillance by health authorities.sales of authorized compared to unauthorized natural remedies in Norway are very low and the ANRs are in a weak position compared to Denmark and Sweden. Surveillance by health authorities and increased consumer knowledge of ANRs is probably more stimulating with respect to application incentive than lower application costs. Introducing THMs will hopefully increase the number of quality-controlled products on the Scandinavian market.

Background Traditional herbal therapies have been used for a long time to treat gastrointestinal disorders including irritable bowel syndrome, and their effectiveness from clinical research evidence needs to be systematically reviewed. Objectives To assess the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicines in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Search methods We searched the following electronic databases till July 2004: The Cochrane Library (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, LILACS, the Chinese Biomedical Database, combined with hand searches of Chinese journals and conference proceedings till end of 2003. No language restriction was used. Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials of herbal medicines compared with no treatment, placebo, pharmacological interventions were included. Data collection and analysis Data were extracted independently by two authors. The methodological quality of trials was evaluated using the components of randomisation, allocation concealment, double blinding, and inclusion of randomised participants. Main results Seventy-five randomised trials, involving 7957 participants with irritable bowel syndrome, met the inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of three double-blind, placebo-controlled trials was high, but the quality of remaining trials was generally low. Seventy-one different herbal medicines were tested in the included trials, in which herbal medicines were compared with placebo or conventional pharmacologic therapy. Herbal medicines were also combined with conventional therapy and compared to conventional therapy alone. Compared with placebo, a Standard Chinese herbal formula, individualised Chinese herbal medicine, STW 5 and STW 5-II, Tibetan herbal medicine Padma Lax, traditional Chinese formula Tongxie Yaofang, and Ayurvedic preparation showed significantly improvement of global symptoms. Compared with conventional therapy in 65 trials testing 51 different herbal medicines, 22 herbal medicines demonstrated a statistically significant benefit for symptom improvement, and 29 herbal medicines were not significantly different than conventional therapy. In nine trials that evaluated herbal medicine combined with conventional therapy, six tested herbal preparations showed additional benefit from the combination therapy compared with conventional monotherapy. No serious adverse events from the herbal medicines were reported. Authors' conclusions Some herbal medicines may improve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. However, positive findings from less rigorous trials should be interpreted with caution due to inadequate methodology, small sample sizes, and lack of confirming data. Some herbal medicines deserve further examination in high-quality trials.

Extracts of Chinese red yeast rice (RYR, a traditional dietary seasoning of Monascus purpureus) contains several active ingredients including lovastatin, and several trials of its possible lipid-lowering effects have been conducted. This meta-analysis assesses the effectiveness and safety of RYR preparations on lipid modification in primary hyperlipidemia. We included randomized controlled trials testing RYR preparation, compared with placebo, no treatment, statins, or other active lipid-lowering agents in people with hyperlipidemia through searching PubMed, CBMdisk, TCMLARS, the Cochrane Library, and AMED up to December 2004. Ninety-three randomized trials (9625 participants) were included and three RYR preparations (Cholestin, Xuezhikang and Zhibituo) were tested. The methodological quality of trial reports was generally low in terms of generation of the allocation sequence, allocation concealment, blinding, and intention-to-treat. The combined results showed significant reduction of serum total cholesterol levels (weighted mean difference -0.91 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval -1.12 to -0.71), triglycerides levels (-0.41 mmol/L, -0.6 to -0.22), and LDL-cholesterol levels (-0.73 mmol/L, -1.02 to -0.043), and increase of HDL-cholesterol levels (0.15 mmol/L, 0.09 to 0.22) by RYR treatment compared with placebo. The lipid modification effects appeared to be similar to pravastatin, simvastatin, lovastatin, atorvastatin, or fluvastatin. Compared with non-statin lipid lowering agents, RYR preparations appeared superior to nicotinate and fish oils, but equal to or less effective than fenofibrate and gemfibrozil. No significant difference in lipid profile was found between Xuezhikang and Zhibituo. RYR preparations were associated with non-serious adverse effects such as dizziness and gastrointestinal discomfort. Current evidence shows short-term beneficial effects of RYR preparations on lipid modification. More rigorous trials are needed, and long-term effects and safety should be investigated if RYR preparations are to be recommended as one of the alternative treatments for primary hyperlipidemia.

To describe the prevalence of use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Norway, Denmark and Stockholm County.In Norway, a national representative sample of 1000 participants completed telephone interviews regarding their CAM use in 1997 (response rate 51). In Denmark, a national representative sample of 16 690 participants completed questionnaires and interviews regarding their health and morbidity in 2000 (response rate 74). In Stockholm County, a randomly selected sample of 1001 participants completed telephone interviews about their CAM use in 2000 (response rate 63).Prevalence of ever-use of CAM was 34% in Norway, 45% in Denmark, and 49% in Stockholm. Use of CAM is associated with poor self-reported health in all three studies, and with visits to a medical doctor in Denmark and Norway. More women than men, and more with higher education, reported use of CAM. Most frequently used CAM therapy was homeopathy in Norway, reflexology in Denmark, and massage in Stockholm County.Use of CAM is common in the Scandinavian countries, and there are national differences regarding therapy preferences. Many individuals use both CAM and conventional health services.

All simple arthroscopic procedures during 1999 through 2001 performed at Baerum community hospital were retrospectively examined. Procedures were excluded when being part of more complex procedures. A total of 876 procedures performed on 785 patients were left for examination. Complications were registered from the patient record and all received a written questionnaire or phone call. The answer was obtained from 97.6%. The overall complications rate was low, giving total of 5.00%. A total of 0.68% of the complications had therapeutic consequences. There were two superficial infections, one thromboembolic event/pulmonary embolus and one reoperation due to scar tissue. Other complications were considered minor, and had none or little consequence for the patient comprising preoperative bradycardial episodes, asthmatic events, subcutaneous infusion of total intravenous anaesthetics (TIVA), instrument breakage and conversion to arthrotomi. Postoperatively registered complications included swelling, haemarthros, portal bleeding and fistulation, temporary sensory loss and longstanding pain. Duration of surgery was the only predicting factor for postoperative complications. Simple arthroscopic surgery is safe and has few serious complications. The use of TIVA or tourniquet does not increase the morbidity or complication rate, and prophylaxis against thromboembolism was not necessary.

Background Traditional Chinese herbal medicines have been used for a long time to treat diabetes, and many controlled trials have been done to investigate their efficacy. Objectives To assess the effects of Chinese herbal medicines in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Search strategy We searched the following electronic databases: The Cochrane Library (CENTRAL), the Chinese BioMedical Database, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and LILACS, combined with hand searches on Chinese journals and conference proceedings. Date of last search was April 2004. No language restriction was used. Selection criteria Randomised trials of herbal medicines (with at least two months treatment duration) compared with placebo, pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions were included. Data collection and analysis Data were extracted independently by two reviewers. The methodological quality of trials was evaluated using the parameters of randomisation, allocation concealment, double blinding, and drop-out rates. Meta-analyses were performed where data were available. Main results Sixty-six randomised trials, involving 8302 participants, met the inclusion criteria. Methodological quality was generally low. Sixty-nine different herbal medicines were tested in the included trials, which compared herbal medicines with placebo, hypoglycaemic drugs, or herbal medicines plus hypoglycaemic drugs. Compared with placebo, Holy basil leaves, Xianzhen Pian, Qidan Tongmai, traditional Chinese formulae (TCT), Huoxue Jiangtang Pingzhi, and Inolter showed significantly hypoglycaemic response. Compared with hypoglycaemic drugs including glibenclamide, tolbutamide, or gliclazide, seven herbal medicines demonstrated a significant better metabolic control, including Bushen Jiangtang Tang, Composite Trichosanthis, Jiangtang Kang, Ketang Ling, Shenqi Jiangtang Yin, Xiaoke Tang, and Yishen Huoxue Tiaogan. In 29 trials that evaluated herbal medicines combined with hypoglycaemic drugs, 15 different herbal preparations showed additional better effects than hypoglycaemic drugs monotherapy. Two herbal therapies combined with diet and behaviour change showed better hypoglycaemic effects than diet and behaviour change alone. No serious adverse effects from the herbal medicines were reported. Reviewers' conclusions Some herbal medicines show hypoglycaemic effects in type 2 diabetes. However, these findings should be carefully interpreted due to the low methodological quality, small sample size, and limited number of trials. In the light of some positive findings, some herbal medicines deserve further examination in high-quality trials.

Formation of an occlusive thrombus by exposure of tissue factor (TF) to circulating blood and subsequent triggering of coagulation by TF-activated factor VII (FVIIa) complexes on ruptured atherosclerotic plaques is thought to be a key event in myocardial infarction. Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) is a potent inhibitor of TF-induced coagulation in which the anticoagulant function most probably is restricted to free TFPI in human plasma. The present study was undertaken to assess the interrelations between serum lipids and components of TF-induced coagulation in 234 apparently healthy men aged 36-56 years recruited from the general population. Plasma free TFPI antigen (Ag) was positively correlated (P.001) with total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein B (apoB-100), fibrinogen, total amount of FVII (FVIIam), coagulation activity of factor VII (FVIIc), and FVIIa. The significant predictors for free TFPI Ag were total cholesterol, triglycerides, fibrinogen, FVIIc, and age, which explained 33% of the plasma variation in free TFPI Ag assessed by multiple regression analysis. A highly significant (P.0001) linear trend for increase in atherogenic lipids (i.e., total cholesterol and triglycerides), FVII (i.e., FVIIc and FVIIa), and fibrinogen across quartiles of TFPI Ag was demonstrated after adjustment for confounders. These findings may indicate a compensatory increase in plasma free TFPI with lipid and hemostatic risk factors for atherothrombotic diseases in healthy middle-aged men.

This thesis focuses on the relationship of individual fatty acids in blood phospholipids with blood pressure, serum cholesterol, triglycerides and apolipoproteins. A clinical trial and a observational study address the following questions: 1. What are the effects of dietary supplementation with high doses (4 grams daily) of highly purified EPA and DHA on serum lipids (triglycerides, total, LDL and HDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein A and B), serum phospholipid fatty acid concentrations, blood pressure, heart rate and left ventricular performance in middle aged healthy men? 2. What is the cross-sectional relationship of plasma phospholipid fatty acids concentrations with blood pressure, serum triglycerides and total cholesterol among 40-42 year old men who participated in a population study?

Impaired fibrinolysis due to elevated levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) is a risk factor for atherothrombotic disease. Many studies have reported a positive correlation between serum triglycerides and PAI-1 activity. Dietary intervention with very long n-3 fatty acids from marine sources is known to decrease serum triglycerides, but an adverse increase in PAI-1 activity has been reported in some studies. A double blind, placebo controlled study was conducted among 224 middle-aged (ages 36–56), healthy, non-smoking men in which the participants were randomly assigned to daily supplementation with 3.8 g eicosapentaenoic acid/d, 3.6 g docosahexaenoic acid/d, or 4.0 g corn oil/d (placebo) for 7 weeks. PAI-1 activity increased by 2.35±6.24 U/ml (28%), 1.15±6.74 U/ml (14%), and 1.33±5.64 U/ml (22%) during dietary supplementation with eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and corn oil, respectively, but the changes were not significantly different between groups p=0.43 . There was no relationship between change in concentrations of serum triglycerides or phospholipid n-3 fatty acids and change in PAI-1 activity. At baseline, analysis was performed to investigate the influence of dietary lipids, blood lipids, and serum fatty acids on plasma concentrations of PAI-1 activity. Dietary intake of saturated fat correlated directly with PAI-1 both in crude analysis r=0,14, p and after adjustment for age and body mass index (kg/m2) r=0.20, p . Furthermore, PAI-1 was associated with body mass index r=0.32, p , apo-B100 r=0.27, p , serum triglycerides r=0.31, p , and the concentration of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids r=0.22, p in serum. In a multiple regression analysis, 21% of the variation in PAI-1 activity could be explained by these variables. Plasma PAI-1 activity did not correlate with dietary intake or serum concentrations of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. In a review of 17 trials, including 935 subjects that assessed the effect of n-3 fatty acids on PAI-1 activity, an overall 17.7% increase in PAI-1 activity was estimated by n-3 supplementation. However, only two studies were able to demonstrate a significant increase in PAI-1 attributable to n-3 fatty acid supplementation. We conclude that there is no strong evidence for an unfavourable, clinically relevant effect of n-3 fatty acids on PAI-1 activity in plasma.

Apo B is the exclusive protein constituent of LDL and is ligand on LDL, recognized and bound by the LDL receptor. Several restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of the apo B gene have been shown to be associated with variation in serum lipid levels in different populations. In this study we sought to determine the frequency of XbaI, EcoRI, and MspI polymorphisms and the haplotypes generated by these three polymorphic sites of the apo B gene and their influence on lipid levels in a sample of Norwegian subjects at risk of atherosclerosis and healthy control subjects.108 White Norwegians at risk of atherosclerosis (cases) and 64 healthy individuals (controls) were examined for possible association between the alleles at the XbaI (X), EcoRI (R), and MspI (M) polymorphic restriction sites of the apolipoprotein B gene and serum lipid levels. The frequency of the M allele (absence of restriction site) was significantly higher in cases with high total cholesterol (TC), high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), and high apolipoprotein B (apo B) than in controls with normal TC, LDLC, and apo B (P0.04, P0.02, and P0.01, respectively). The frequencies of apo B genotypes detected with XbaI, EcoRI, and MspI did not differ significantly between cases and control subjects. A significant association between MspI genotypes and TC (P0.02), LDLC (P = 0.03), and apo B (P = 0.001) was observed only in cases. However, cases with the genotype M+/M+ had the lowest and those with the genotype M+/M- had the highest levels of serum TC, LDLC, and apo B. We did not observe any significant association between the alleles or genotypes detected with XbaI or EcoRI and serum lipid levels. In cases, genotypes defined by EcoRI and MspI RFLP paired loci differed significantly for apo B (chi 2 = 19; P = 0.007) but not for other blood lipids. EcoRI and MspI RFLPs change glutamic acid (Glu) 4154 to lysine (Lys) and arginine (Arg) 3611 to glutamine (Gln), respectively, which lie near the low density lipoprotein receptor binding region of apo B. Haplotypes containing "Lys/Arg Lys/Arg" (all basic amino acids) in cases were associated with low serum TC, LDLC, and apo B. In individuals at risk of atherosclerosis the concentration of serum lipids tends to be inversely related to the number of lysine and arginine.We conclude that variations in the apo B gene, resulting in changes of charged amino acids, affect the circulating blood lipids and that these may contribute to the risk of atherosclerosis.

The n-3 fatty acids (FA) from marine sources are known to exert antiinflammatory effects on monocyte function. There is still controversy whether n-3 FA may increase the susceptibility to infections. The present study was designed to assess the effect of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on monocyte phagocytosis and respiratory burst activity. Fifty-eight healthy men were randomized to take a daily supplement of 3.8 g highly purified EPA (n = 20), 3.6 g DHA (n = 19), or corn oil (n = 19) for 7 wk. Mononuclear leukocytes were collected, isolated, and cryopreserved prior to and after dietary supplementation. Paired samples were analyzed in the presence of autologous serum in a crossover design. Monocyte phagocytosis and respiratory burst activity were measured by flow cytometry after ingestion of Escherichia coli. Monocytes retained their phagocytic ability and respiratory burst activity after supplementation. No reduction in internalization of bacteria was registered. Dietary n-3 FA and particularly EPA improved bacterial adherence to the monocyte surface. In the crossover experiments, there was an adverse effect of serum enriched with n-3 FA on bacterial adherence. We conclude that monocytes retain their phagocytic potential after supplementation with purified EPA and DHA.

To compare the effects of highly purified ethyl ester concentrates of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on serum lipids, apolipoproteins, and serum phospholipid fatty acids in humans, we conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design intervention study. Healthy nonsmoking men (n = 234) aged 36-56 y were randomly assigned to dietary supplementation with 3.8 g EPA/d, 3.6 g DHA/d, or 4.0 g corn oil/d (placebo) for 7 wk. Serum triacylglycerols decreased 26% (P < 0.0001) in the DHA group and 21% (P = 0.0001) in the EPA group compared with the corn oil group. Although not significant, net decreases in serum triacylglycerols were consistently greater in the DHA group across all quartiles of baseline triacylglycerol concentrations. Serum high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol increased 0.06 mmol/L (P = 0.0002) in the DHA group. In the EPA group, serum total cholesterol decreased 0.15 mmol/L (P = 0.02) and apolipoprotein A-I decreased 0.04 g/L (P = 0.0003). In the DHA group, serum phospholipid DHA increased by 69% and EPA increased by 29%, indicating retroconversion of DHA to EPA. In the EPA group, serum phospholipid EPA increased by 297% whereas DHA decreased by 15%, suggesting that EPA is not elongated to DHA in humans. The serum phospholipid ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids increased in both groups, whereas the relative changes in n-6 fatty acids suggested possible alterations in liver desaturation activity in the DHA group. We conclude that both DHA and EPA decrease serum triacylglycerols, but have differential effects on lipoprotein and fatty acid metabolism in humans.