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Background: Aerobic exercise is believed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease partially through increasing serum levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). However, this effect varies considerably among exercise intervention studies. Methods: Electronic database searches of MEDLINE (1966-2005) for randomized controlled trials that examined the effect of exercise training on HDL-C level. Results: Twenty-five articles were included. Mean net change in HDL-C level was statistically significant but modest (2.53 mg/dL [0.065 mmol/L]; PϽ.001). Minimal weekly exercise volume for increasing HDL-C level was estimated to be 900 kcal of energy expenditure per week or 120 minutes of exercise per week. Univariate regression analysis indicated that every 10-minute prolongation of exercise per session was associated with an approximately 1.4-mg/dL (0.036-mmol/L) increase in HDL-C level. In contrast, there was no significant asso

This MALDI MS algorithm was not merely prognostic but could classify NSCLC patients for good or poor outcomes after treatment with EGFR TKIs. This algorithm may thus assist in the pretreatment selection of appropriate subgroups of NSCLC patients for treatment with EGFR TKIs.

Cases of non^small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) carrying the somatic mutation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) have been shown to be hyperresponsive to the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib (IRESSA). If EGFR mutations can be observed in serum DNA, this could serve as a noninvasive source of information on the genotype of the original tumor cells that could influence treatment and the ability to predict patient response to gefitinib. Serum genomic DNA was obtained from Japanese patients with NSCLC before first-line gefitinib monotherapy. Scorpion Amplified Refractory Mutation System technology was used to detect EGFR mutations. Wild-type EGFR was detected in all of the 27 serum samples. EGFR mutations were detected in 13 of 27 (48.1%) patients and two major EGFR mutations were identified (E746_A750del and L858R). The EGFR mutations were seen significantly more frequently in patients with a partial response than in patients with stable disease or progressive disease (P = 0.046, Fisher's exact test). The median progression-free survival was significantly longer in patients with EGFR mutations than in patients without EGFR mutations (200 versus 46 days; P = 0.005, log-rank test). The median survival was 611days in patients with EGFR mutations and 232 days in patients without EGFR mutations (P > 0.05). In pairs of tumor and serum samples obtained from 11patients, the EGFR mutation status in the tumors was consistent with those in the serum of 8 of 11 (72.7%) of the paired samples. Thus, EGFR mutations were detectable using Scorpion Amplified Refractory Mutation System technology in serum DNA from patients with NSCLC. These results suggest that patients with EGFR mutations seem to have better outcomes with gefitinib treatment, in terms of progression-free survival, overall survival, and response, than those patients without EGFR mutations.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of EGFR mutation status in serum DNA as a means of predicting a benefit from gefitinib (IRESSA) therapy in Japanese patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We obtained pairs of tumour and serum samples from 42 patients treated with gefitinib. EGFR mutation status was determined by a direct sequencing method and by Scorpion Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS) technology. EGFR mutations were detected in the tumour samples of eight patients and in the serum samples of seven patients. EGFR mutation status in the tumours and serum samples was consistent in 39 (92.9%) of the 42 pairs. EGFR mutations were strong correlations between both EGFR mutation status in the tumour samples and serum samples and objective response to gefitinib (Po0.001). Median progression-free survival time was significantly longer in the patients with EGFR mutations than in the patients without EGFR mutations (194 vs 55 days, P ¼ 0.016, in tumour samples; 174 vs 58 days, P ¼ 0.044, in serum samples). The results suggest that it is feasible to use serum DNA to detect EGFR mutation, and that it's potential as a predictor of response to, and survival on gefitinib is worthy of further evaluation.

We investigated the effect of long-term ingestion of dietary medium-chain triacylglycerols (MCT) on body weight and fat in humans. Using a double-blind, controlled protocol, we assessed the potential health benefits of MCT compared with long-chain triacylglycerols (LCT) in 78 healthy men and women [body mass index (BMI) > or = 23 kg/m(2): n = 26 (MCT), n = 30 (LCT); BMI < 23 kg/m(2): n = 15 (MCT), n = 7 (LCT)]. Changes in anthropometric variables, body weight and body fat during the 12-wk MCT treatment period were compared with those in subjects consuming the LCT diet. The subjects were asked to consume 9218 kJ/d and 60 g/d of total fat. The energy, fat, protein and carbohydrate intakes did not differ significantly between the groups. Body weight and body fat in both groups had decreased by wk 4, 8 and 12 of the study. However, in the subjects with BMI > or = 23 kg/m(2), the extent of the decrease in body weight was significantly greater in the MCT group than in the LCT group. In subjects with BMI > or = 23 kg/m(2), the loss of body fat in the MCT group (-3.86 +/- 0.3 kg) was significantly greater than that in the LCT group (-2.75 +/- 0.2 kg) at 8 wk. In addition, in subjects with BMI > or = 23 kg/m(2), the decrease in the area of subcutaneous fat in the MCT group was significantly greater than that in the LCT group at wk 4, 8 and 12. These results suggest that the MCT diet may reduce body weight and fat in individuals (BMI > or = 23 kg/m(2)) more than the LCT diet.

Several studies have demonstrated that the daily intakes of soy foods were associated with a reduced cardiovascular risk. The aim of our study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of black soybeans on low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation in comparison to yellow soybeans. The extract from black soybean had a longer LDL oxidation lag time than that from yellow soybean (205 +/- 16 and 65 +/- 3 min, respectively). When both soybeans were divided into the seed coat and the mixture of the germ and cotyledon, the diluted extract solution from the black soybean seed coat prolonged the lag time significantly more than the original extract of the yellow soybean seed coat. On the other hand, antioxidant effects of the extract from the mixture of germs and cotyledons were similar in both soybeans. Regarding total polyphenol contents, the seed coat of black soybean had a higher polyphenol content than that of yellow soybean (29.0 +/- 0.56 and 0.45 +/- 0.02 mg/g, respectively). Interestingly, the mixture of the germ and cotyledon hydrolyzed by beta-glucosidase in both soybeans showed a stronger inhibitory effect on LDL oxidation than that before being hydrolyzed by beta-glucosidase. These results suggest that black soybeans may be more effective in inhibiting LDL oxidation than yellow soybeans because of total polyphenols contents in its seed coat. In addition, aglycones, which are rich in soybeans fermented or hydrolyzed by beta-glucosidase, may play a crucial role in the prevention of oxidation-related diseases.