Biomedical subjects

J Olivan

Publications and source records attributed to J Olivan.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

Serum cholesterol and lipid peroxidation are decreased by melatonin in diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rats.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of melatonin, at pharmacological doses, on serum lipids of rats fed with a hypercholesterolemic diet. Therefore, different groups of animals were fed with either the regular Sanders Chow diet or a diet enriched in cholesterol. Moreover, animals were treated with or without melatonin in the drinking water for 3 months. We show that melatonin treatment did not affect the levels of cholesterol or triglycerides in rats fed with a regular diet. However, the increase in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol induced by a cholesterol-enriched diet was reduced significantly by melatonin administration. On the other hand, melatonin administration prevented the decrease in high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol induced by the same diet. No differences in the levels of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)-cholesterol and triglycerides were found. We also found that melatonin administration slightly decreased serum uric, bilirubin and increased serum glucose levels. Other biochemical parameters, including total proteins, creatinine, urea, phosphorus, calcium, glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (gamma-GT), acetyl cholinesterase (AcCho), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were not modified by melatonin treatment. Finally, lipid peroxidation (LPO) was studied in membranes of liver, brain, spleen, and heart as an index of membrane oxidative damage. Results show that hypercholesterolemic diet did not modify the LPO status in any of the tissues studied. However, chronic melatonin administration significantly decreased LPO. Results confirm that melatonin participates in the regulation of cholesterol metabolism and in the prevention of oxidative damage to membranes.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Regression of left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with essential hypertension. Results of 6 month treatment with indapamide.

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity in hypertensive patients. The effects of diuretics on LVH have raised controversies, but recent studies suggest that diuretics are able to reduce LVH in hypertensive patients, mainly through a reduction in ventricular diameter. The present multicenter open study was designed to test the effects of indapamide, a widely used nonthiazide diuretic, on LVH in patients with essential hypertension. Patients had to have mild-to-moderate essential hypertension (supine diastolic blood pressure [sDBP] 95 to 115 mm Hg) with echocardiographic evidence of LVH (left ventricular mass index [LVMI] > 130 g/m2 for men and > 110 g/m2 for women). After a 2 week placebo run-in period, eligible patients underwent a 6 month treatment with 2.5 mg indapamide daily. All echograms were performed by the same investigator before and after 6 months of indapamide. Clinical and biological acceptability and quality of life (visual analog scale) were also studied. One hundred and thirty patients were included in the study and 112 completed the trial. Indapamide induced a significant reduction i systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Indapamide induced a marked reduction in posterior wall thickness (from 12.1 +/- 2.0 to 11.2 +/- 1.6 mm) and in interventricular wall thickness (from 12.7 +/- 1.7 to 11.8 +/- 1.9 mm; each P < .001) and a slight decrease in left ventricular diameter (P = .049). This resulted in a 13% reduction in LVMI (from 161.9 +/- 37.9 to 140.7 +/- 33.8 g/m2, P < .001). Left ventricular fractional shortening remained unchanged. There was no significant relation between changes in LVMI and changes in systolic, diastolic, or mean blood pressure. No significant adverse clinical or biological effects were reported during the study. The increased score of the visual analog scale indicated that overall well-being was improved (P < .001). Our study indicates that indapamide, in addition to blood pressure control, is able to reduce LVH. This effect was achieved mainly through a reduction in wall thicknesses rather than in internal cavity diameter.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

[Intestinal calcium and vitamin D absorption in essential arterial hypertension].

The intestinal absorption of calcium and seric levels of calcifediol and calcitriol were studied in 27 patients with essential blood hypertension (BH) and 20 normal patients in a control group. The hypertensive patients were divided in three groups depending on the plasmatic renin activity (PRA), (high, normal, low). We found a significantly higher rate of intestinal calcium absorption in the group of patients with BH and low PRA than in the control group (22.73 +/- 19.05 and 10.7 +/- 17.13% respectively) (p less than 0.025). The seric levels of calcitriol (1,25 (OH) 2D3) were significantly higher in the group of patients with hypertension and low PRA than in the control group (48.16 +/- 5.25 and 33.13 +/- 2.9 pg/ml respectively) (p less than 0.025). The seric levels of calcifediol (25-OH-D3) were significantly lower in low PRA patients than those patients in the control group (12.37 +/- 2.44 and 21.94 +/- 2.82 ng/ml respectively) (p less than 0.025). We concluded that patients with essential blood hypertension and low PRA have significantly lower calcitriol levels than any other group, probably conditioning the greater intestinal calcium absorption shown in this group.

Calcifediol↗

PubMed1984

Is there right hemisphere dysfunction in major depression?

A line-bisection test was applied in order to detect the presence of right hemisphere dysfunction in patients with Major Affective Disorder (Nonpsychotic Major Depression). Depressive patients and control subjects did not differ in perception of the midpoint of the line. Both groups differed in dispersion to the mean value with the depressive patients showing less precision. These data are not supportive of the notion of a right hemisphere dysfunction in the depressive disorder.

Adult↗

PubMed1984

Changes in EEG alpha power induced by repetitive ipsi- and contralateral hand movements.

Changes in alpha activity induced by hand movements, both ipsi and contralateral to left brain hemisphere were studied. Seven channels of EEG (F3, C3, P3, O1, T3, T5 and CZ referred to nasion) were processed by a minicomputer. The values which correspond to three tasks (rest, right hand and left hand movement) were analyzed by means of an ANOVA of three factors. Our data bring us to the following conclusions: The two movements (left and right hand) cannot be differentiated by alpha band power in any electrode position and both of them decrease the alpha power significantly. This decreasing effect is not homogeneous in the whole hemisphere, being greater in the central area.

Adult↗

PubMed1983