Acta vitaminologica et enzymologica最新文献

40 healthy early postmenopausal women participated in a controlled therapeutic trial with the aim of examining whether treatment with 24,25 vitamin D3 changed the serum concentration of either 1,25 (OH)2D and/or the 24-hour urinary calcium excretion rate. The 40 women were randomized to treatment with either 24R,25 (OH)2D3 (10 micrograms daily) or placebo. Serum concentrations of calcium, 25 (OH) D, 1,25 (OH)2D, 24,25 (OH)2D3 and 24-hour urinary calcium excretion rate were measured before (t0) and after (t1) 6 months of treatment. In the 24,25 (OH)2D3 treated group there was a highly significant increase in the mean serum 24,25 (OH)2D3 concentration, whereas serum 25 (OH) D and 1,25 (OH)2D and serum and urinary calcium were unchanged during the trial. In the placebo group all values were similar before and after the trial. We conclude that treatment with 24,25 (OH)2D3 is not an alternative to conventional treatment of renal hypercalciuria.

Vitamin A is necessary to maintain the integrity and the differentiation of epithelia of the skin and adnexa. Evident deficiency of vitamin A in chronic diseases, malabsorption and liver affections may result in skin xerosis, follicular keratosis, and metaplasia of mucous membranes. The remarkable toxicity of vitamin A in high doses does not recommend its usage in dermatology. On the contrary the employ of retinoids, synthetic derivatives of vitamin A, brings to excellent results. These vitamin A compounds are much more effective, even if they show important side-effects. Etretinate and isotretinoin are widely used in psoriasis, keratinization disorders, and severe acne. Vitamin E functions in skin biology are not totally known. Vitamin E is used in the treatment of dermolytic recessive epidermolysis bullosa, with controversial results.

It was studied with resting cells of a high flavinogenic mold, Eremothecium ashbyii, whether or not 2,4,5-triamino-6-hydroxypyrimidine (THP) is an intermediate in the early pathway of riboflavin biosynthesis. A small amounts of THP strongly inhibited riboflavin formation in the resting cells, but the inhibition was effectively reversed by the added purines, except for adenine. Radioactive tracer experiments showed that the incorporation of the radioactivity from [2-14C]THP into riboflavin was negligible. The results obtained strongly suggest that THP is not an intermediate but a rigid inhibitor for riboflavin formation, and thus there is non salvage pathway of THP for the pathway of riboflavin biosynthesis in resting cells of E. ashbyii.

In order to verify the analgesic activity of an association of vitamin B1 - B6 - B12 (Benexol B12) in the painful vertebral syndrome, the Authors have performed a comparative trial between 20 patients treated with the association and 20 patients treated with a brain phospholipid extract (Cronassial). The results obtained in the two groups of patients are discussed.

Plasma levels of total tryptophan were significantly lower in 51 patients with breast cancer than in 14 women with benign breast cancer following surgery and after 12 weeks. The urinary excretion of xanthurenic and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acids were similar in patients with cancer and benign disease but the excretion of N'-methylnicotinamide (NMN) was significantly higher (P less than 0.001) in the cancer patients. It is suggested that the elevated urinary excretions of NMN is due to higher NAD activity reflecting elevated glycolysis through the Cori cycle.

Fifty volunteers among the students of the Faculty of Pharmacy at Ankara and Gazi Universities were taken 2 grams of Vitamin C per day at regular time intervals for two months. Blood and urine samples were collected in the beginning, one month and 2 months after vitamin administration. The whole blood, plasma and leucocyte ascorbic acid levels were increased after one and 2 months treatment. The urine ascorbic acid were also increased significantly. Urine oxalic acid were not elevated after vitamin C intake.

A group of 50 volunteers of our Faculty students have taken Vitamin C 2 g per day at regular time intervals for 2 months. Blood samples were taken in the beginning, one month and 2 months after vitamin administration. Cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, lipoprotein and triglyceride concentrations were determined. Cholesterol concentrations were decreased significantly at the end of treatment. Triglyceride concentrations were decreased also in first and second month. HDL-cholesterol were rised significantly and alpha and beta fractions of lipoprotein were increased.

In the present work we investigated the usefulness of olive oil in a standard hypolipidemic diet suitable for the secondary prevention of atherosclerosis. Some patients who had received a diet with a P/S value of 1.3 were turned to a diet, rich in olive oil, with a P/S ratio of 0.52; the same number of patients were fed on with the initial diet. The main differences we found were a decrease of LDL cholesterol parallel to an increase of HDL cholesterol in the patients fed on the diet rich in olive oil. No modifications were found in these patients as far as hemostatic function and liver functional tests are concerned.

Different water purity provokes a great variation of the stability of ascorbic acid and isoascorbic acid solutions. The effect of temperature on ascorbate aerobic oxidation was assessed by means of Arrhenius plots from which thermodynamic parameters were derived. The presence of bovine serum albumin drastically reduces the vitamin oxidation rate regardless of stereoisomerism. On the other hand the interaction with alkaline phosphatase, an enzyme inhibited by preincubation with vitamin C, does not modify significantly the stability in the experimental conditions used.

As suggested by literature about the carnitine's choline-mimetic effects, it has been studied the influence of this substance on the response to Ach of the isolated coronary arteries. It has been seen that Ach has often induced the contraction of the preparation that was preceded or abolished by atropine or prifinium bromide, or reduced by fendiline and verapamil. It resulted also that carnitine has always increased the entity of the contraction of the preparation treated with Ach and that the raising was abolished by fendiline or verapamil. Taking such results and suggestions from the literature as a basis, it has been concluded that the carnitine increased the response of the preparation to Ach, sensitizing muscarinic receptors which cause the entry of Ca++ throught the cell membrane.