No abstract

PAI-1 levels were abnormal in WT-VOD. Defibrotide was a safe, well-tolerated, and potentially efficacious therapy in this group of patients. Further prospective study is needed in WT-VOD to confirm these data.

Background: Fungal infections are diagnosed increasingly often in patients affected by hematological diseases and their mortality has remained high. The recent development of new antifungal drugs gives the clinician the possibility to assess the combination of antifungal drugs with in-vitro or in animal-model synergistic effect.

Sun-dried raisins are a source of dietary fibre and tartaric acid. The effects of tartaric acid on colon function have not been the focus of extensive research. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of dietary fibre and tartaric acid from sun-dried raisins on colon function and on faecal bile acid and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) excretion in healthy adults. Thirteen healthy subjects were fed 120 g sun-dried raisins/d or 5 g cream of tartar (equivalent to the tartaric acid in 120 g sun-dried raisins)/d for 9 weeks, divided into 3-week cycles. The experimental diets were fed in a crossover design after an initial control period. Faeces were collected for the last 4 d of each cycle for analysis of SCFA and bile acids. Intestinal transit time decreased from 42 h on the baseline diet to 31 h on cream of tartar (P, 0·1) and to 28 h on sun-dried raisins (P,0·05). Faeces were softer on both sun-dried raisins and cream of tartar, but sun-dried raisins increased faecal wet weight (P, 0·05), while cream of tartar did not. Sun-dried raisins caused significant reductions from baseline values in total bile acid concentration (from 1·42 (SD 1·03) to 1·09 (SD 0·76) mg/g, P,0·05), whereas cream of tartar did not (1·40 (SD 1·06) mg/g). Sun-dried raisins also significantly reduced the lithocholic (LC):deoxylithocholic acid (DC) ratio (from 1·63 (SD 0·85) to 1·09 (SD 0·50), P,0·02), whereas cream of tartar reduced the ratio, but to a lesser extent (1·29 (SD 0·79), NS). Both faecal bile acids and the LC:DC ratio are indicators of reduced risk for colon cancer. Sun-dried raisins increased total SCFA excretion (from 5·6 (SD 3·4) to 7·6 (SD 3·0) g/4 d, P,0·05), which remained unchanged with cream of tartar (5·6 (SD 3·0) g/4 d). Both sun-dried raisins and cream of tartar appear to be good stool softeners and to shorten intestinal transit time, although the fibre in sun-dried raisins has the added benefit of increasing faecal weight. Both sun-dried raisins and cream of tartar modulate the composition of faecal bile acids and SCFA in a way that has potential health benefits.

The effect of increasing doses of sun-dried raisins (SDR) on intestinal transit time (TT), fecal weight (FW), and fecal bile acids (FBA) was investigated in 16 healthy adults (6 men and 10 women). In three cycles of 2 weeks each, subjects consumed 84, 126, or 168 g/day of SDR. Four-day fecal collections were performed during the second week of each cycle, and TT, FW, and FBA were measured. FW (mean +/- SEM), increased from 168 +/- 14 g/day without raisins (cycle 1), with a TT of 54 +/- 6 hours, to 200 +/- 24 g/day with 168 g/day raisins (cycle 4), with a TT of 42 +/- 6 hours. Intermediate increases in FW and decreases in TT were observed for cycles 2 and 3. A physiologically meaningful decrease in TT (less than 2 days), to 44 +/- 6 hours, was reached at cycle 2 (not statistically significant). FBA, a possible indicator of colon cancer risk, showed a significant decrease, from 1.00 +/- 0.18 mg/g wet feces at baseline to 0.38 +/- 0.07 mg/g in cycle 2 (P <.005), and remained low in cycles 3 and 4. Major decreases were observed in cycle 2 for fecal lithocholic (P <.02), deoxycholic (P <.002), chenodeoxycholic, and cholic acids, and their concentrations remained low in cycles 3 and 4. Two servings of raisins per day (84 g/day), a relatively small change in diet, can cause beneficial changes in colon function and may decrease the risk for colon cancer.