It has been previously demonstrated that the conditioning therapy given to bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients creates a high oxidant stress, resulting in a measured reduction in antioxidants, such as glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), vitamin E, and cell peroxide fragilities. As part of a current intervention trial of antioxidant therapy in BMT recipients, plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were measured to assess peroxidation and free radical activity. Measurements were performed before and after conditioning therapy, and then at weekly intervals for a period of 6 wk after transplantation in 20 patients (10 controls and 10 antioxidant therapy [AOT] recipients). The TBARS results were compared with concurrent measurements of more specific elements of the antioxidant pathways, such as red blood cell glutathione peroxidase (RBC-GSH-Px), plasma vitamin C, and serum vitamin E. In all cases, TBARS concentration was significantly increased after conditioning compared with baseline levels (p < 0.001), an increase that correlated inversely with RBC-GSH-Px (r = -0.81; p < 0.01). The TBARS concentration fell gradually after conditioning in all patients. The fall in the AOT group was more rapid than in the control group, and it paralleled the gradual return toward normal levels of the other antioxidants. The change in TBARS concentration occurred faster than changes in other indices, suggesting that TBARS might be a better index of overall free radical activity. Although the patient numbers are small, there is some evidence to suggest that MDA may act as a prognostic marker.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Purpose: Fungal-type dysbiosis (FTD) is still an unproven diagnosis. Patients are polysymptomatic, but most have symptoms of irritable bowel. Treatment, using a diet low in fermentable, yeasty and mould-containing foods with or without antifungal drugs, is often rewarding. Patients with FTD show elevated blood ethanol levels after fasting glucose challenge. Because of this most authors suggest a fungal cause. Hydrogen generation is a bacterial fermentation product and would only be expected if a bacterial cause was present. It was therefore decided to correlate ethanol and hydrogen production. Design: Statistical comparison of ethanol producers and non-producers with respect to breath hydrogen and symptomatology. Materials and Methods: The gut fermentation profile was performed by gas-liquid chromatography, and measured ethanol, a number of higher alcohols and short-chain fatty acids. Lactulose breath hydrogen estimations were by gas chromatography. Statistics were calculated using Pearson's rank correlation and the chi-squared test, using Microsoft Excel packages. Results: Two groups were studied. The first produced excess ethanol (n~18) and the second (n~20) did not. Both groups included patients producing hydrogen. There was no statistical correlation between levels of ethanol and hydrogen production. Conclusions: If FTD is solely due to yeasts, our ethanol positive group should not produce hydrogen, solely a bacterial ferment, but the ethanol negative group should. If the conventional view, that yeasts do not produce hydrogen as a fermentation product, is correct, it appears from the commonness of breath hydrogen positives in this series that bacterial fermentation is in some way implicated in FTD.

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The epoxy fatty acid cis-12,13-epoxy-oleic acid, which acts as a DNA adduct, may be generated during long-term storage of many seed oils, including those used in cooking, with frying oils and fried foods being a major source in the modern human diet. Removal of this epoxy fatty acid from the locus of the N-formyl peptide receptors was associated with recovery from cogwheel rigidity and akinesia as well as with improvement in vibration sense and olfactory perception.

Purpose: Patients with gut dysbioses are clinically dif cult to distinguish from those with food intolerance. The variety known as fungal-type is associated with the generation of small amounts of ethanol in the blood. A recent study has shown abnormalities of histidine metabolism. In view of this, gastric function was studied. This also provided data on pancreatic function. Design: Two groups of newly referred patients, with similar symptom pro les, attending two clinicians were studied. Group A (42 patients) had positive ethanol fermentation tests: group B (37 patients) did not. There were 20 healthy control subjects. Levels of higher alcohols, short-chain fatty acids, gastric acid production and pancreatic exocrine secretions were measured and compared statistically. Materials and Methods: Ethanol, higher alcohols and short-chain fatty acids were measured by gas-liquid chromatography. Gastric acid production, emptying time and pancreatic function were measured using a swallowed transducer. Results: A signi cant number of group A patients had elevated levels of higher alcohols;all of these also showed excess short-chain fatty acids. Group B patients showed similar ndings for both; these gures were not statistically signi cant. However, as compared with group B, group A patients were less likely to show lower levels of gastric acid and/or pancreatic enzyme production and these results were statistically highly signi cant. Conclusions: As these ndings show minimal effects on stomach and duodenum, it is suggested that fungal-type dysbiosis is largely an ileal condition. For these patients, the presence of elevated levels of higher alcohols with a positive ethanol test is a better indicator of disease severity.