European surgical research. Europäische chirurgische Forschung. Recherches chirurgicales européennes
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The associations between serum beta-endorphin levels and clinical and metabolic variables as well as beta-endorphin changes after surgically induced weight loss were investigated in 43 morbidly obese patients. A significant positive correlation between beta-endorphin and body weight, degree of body weight increase and ACTH was found preoperatively. ⋯ Twelve months following vertical banded gastroplasty, there was an extensive weight loss in all patients and improvement in their metabolic profile. A significant reduction in beta-endorphin levels which was proportional to the extent of weight loss was also observed.
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We examined whether warm ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) damage of the rat steatotic liver can be reduced by administration of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe). We examined the effect of SAMe on the mitochondrial reduced-glutathione (GSH) pool. Sixty minutes of partial left lobar vascular clamping followed by 2 h of reperfusion were employed for a model of hepatic warm ischemia. ⋯ The adenosine triphosphate concentration was higher in the S-SAMe group than in the S-D5% group (p = 0.0515). These results show that hepatocellular and mitochondrial oxidative stress after I/R in the steatotic liver can be reduced by administration of SAMe. The results also show that mitochondrial function and hepatocellular integrity can be restored by administration of SAMe in steatotic rats.