Table 3.
Changes in the resting parameters after a 3-week combination therapy with ghrelin and dietary medium-chain triglycerides (N = 10)
| Pre-treatment | At 3 weeks | At 7 weeks | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body weight, kg | 46.1 (7.7) | 47.5 (7.2)** | 48.2 (8.0)*** | 0.0003 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 17.4 (2.1) | 18.1 (1.5)* | 18.3 (1.8)*** | 0.0008 |
| Total lean mass, kg | 36.1 (4.7) | 37.0 (4.5)** | 35.9 (4.6)†† | 0.0011 |
| Food intake, kcal/day | 1853 (264) | 1962 (318) | ND | 0.0360 |
| MEP, cmH20 | 99.7 (26.2) | 106.9 (34.7) | 102.0 (38.4) | 0.5413 |
| MIP, cmH20 | − 56.3 (12.6) | − 63.7 (14.2) | − 59.3 (12.0) | 0.2058 |
| Urinary NE on 24-h collection, μg/day | 268.7 (121.9) | 126.1 (48.3) | ND | 0.0063 |
| Pulmonary function test | ||||
| FEV1, L | 0.85 (0.24) | 0.87 (0.20) | 0.86 (0.21) | 0.8963 |
| FEV1/FVC, % | 34.2 (6.9) | 33.0 (5.9) | 33.0 (6.4) | 0.5492 |
| %FEV1, % | 33.4 (9.0) | 34.4 (7.6) | 34.2 (8.1) | 0.7830 |
| VC, L | 2.53 (0.56) | 2.60 (0.51) | 2.58 (0.45) | 0.8298 |
| %VC, % | 80.6 (14.5) | 83.9 (12.1) | 83.6 (10.8) | 0.6316 |
| SGRQ | ||||
| Symptoms | 66.4 (21.4) | 50.9 (22.3)* | 56.2 (17.4) | 0.0153 |
| Activity | 67.9 (11.4) | 70.6 (12.5) | 67.8 (17.3) | 0.6497 |
| Impacts | 40.3 (21.1) | 36.8 (16.6) | 44.4 (25.9) | 0.1197 |
| Total | 53.2 (16.6) | 49.8 (14.2) | 53.5 (21.0) | 0.3713 |
Data are presented as means (SD)
The resultant p values are represented. The variables were tested by a linear mixed effect model
FEV1 forced expiratory volume in one second, FVC forced vital capacity, MEP maximal expiratory pressure, MIP maximal inspiratory pressure, NE norepinephrine level, SGRQ St. George Respiratory Questionnaire, VC vital capacity
*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 by the least squares means Tukey’s honestly significant difference test, compared with pre-treatment values
†p < 0.05, ††p < 0.01 by the least squares means Tukey’s honestly significant difference test, compared with the values at 3 weeks