Background: In persons without clinical symptom it is difficult to assess an impact of probiotics regarding its effect on health. We evaluated the functional efficacy of the probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3 in healthy volunteers by measuring the influence of two different formulations on intestinal lactoflora, fecal recovery of the probiotic strain and oxidative stress markers of blood and urine after 3 weeks consumption. Methods: Two 3-week healthy volunteer trials were performed. Open placebo controlled (OPC) study participants (n = 21) consumed either goat milk or by L. fermentum ME-3 fermented goat milk (daily dose 11.8 log CFU (Colony Forming Units). Double blind randomised placebo controlled (DBRP) study participants (n = 24) received either capsules with L. fermentum ME-3 (daily of dose 9.2 CFU) or placebo capsules. The faecal lactoflora composition, faecal ME-3 recovery, effect of the consumption on intestinal lactoflora, and oxidative stress markers of blood (total antioxidative activity; total antioxidative status and glutathione red-ox ratio) was measured. Results: ME-3 was well tolerated and a significant increase in total faecal lactobacilli yet no predominance of ME-3 was detected in all study groups. Faecal recovery of ME-3 was documented by molecular methods only in fermented milk group, however the significant improvement of blood TAA (Total Antioxidative Activity) and TAS (Total Antioxidative Status) indices was seen both in case of fermented goat milk and capsules", yet glutathione re-ox ratio values decreased only in case of fermented by ME-3 goat milk. Conclusion: The functional efficacy of both consumed formulations of an antioxidative probiotic L. fermentum ME-3 is proved by the increase of the intestinal lactobacilli counts providing putative defence against enteric infections and by reduction of the oxidative stress indices of blood and urine of healthy volunteers. In non-diseased host the probiotic health claims can be assessed by improvement of some measurable laboratory indices of well-established physiological functions of host, e.g. markers of antioxidative defence system.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the vasodilating β-blocker nebivolol and the cardioselective β-blocker metoprolol succinate on aortic blood pressure and left ventricular wall thickness. We conducted a randomized, double-blind study on 80 hypertensive patients. The patients received either 5 mg of nebivolol or 50 to 100 mg of metoprolol succinate daily for 1 year. Their heart rate, central and brachial blood pressures, mean arterial pressure, augmentation index, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, and left ventricular wall thickness were measured at baseline and at the end of the study. Nebivolol and metoprolol significantly reduced heart rate, brachial blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure to the same degree. However, reductions in central systolic and diastolic blood pressures, central pulse pressure, and left ventricular wall thickness were significant only in the nebivolol group. The change in left ventricular septal wall thickness was significantly correlated with central systolic blood pressure change ( r =0.41; P =0.001) and with central pulse pressure change ( r =0.32; P =0.01). No significant changes in augmentation index or carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity were detected in either treatment group. This proof-of-principle study provides evidence to suggest that β-blockers with vasodilating properties may offer advantages over conventional β-blockers in antihypertensive therapy; however, this remains to be tested in a larger trial.

Objective Among apparently healthy women and men, elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) predict the risk of cardiovascular events and may be useful for detecting subclinical atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between inflammatory markers, augmentation index (AIx), central pulse pressure and central systolic blood pressure in apparently healthy subjects. Design and settings An observational study conducted at a university teaching hospital. Methods and results Apparently healthy subjects (n = 158; 75 males, 83 females) passed a complete history and physical examination, blood tests and pulse wave analysis. AIx was significantly higher in patients with hsCRP levels above 1 mg/l (24.5 ± 9.9 versus 18.1 ± 12.6%, P< 0.001). Central pulse pressure and central systolic blood pressure were significantly higher in the group with hsCRP levels above 1 mg/l. No differences between groups were shown for peripheral pulse pressure, peripheral blood pressures and estimated aortic pulse wave velocity. In multiple regression analysis, AIx correlated positively with age, female gender, short stature, mean arterial pressure, hsCRP (P = 0.026) and white blood cell count (P = 0.01), and negatively with heart rate. Conclusions This study shows that plasma levels of hsCRP are positively correlated with AIx, central pulse pressure and central systolic blood pressure. Apparently healthy subjects with increased inflammatory markers have increased systemic arterial stiffness, which might reflect early atherosclerotic changes. Our results suggest that hsCRP and non-invasively measured arterial stiffness could serve as additional tools, beside conventional cardiovascular risk factors, for assessment of global arterial risk and preclinical atherosclerotic changes in arteries.