Effects of Alpha-Tocopherol on Biochemical Parameters in Adult Mice

Background: Numerous reviews report the beneficial effects of alpha tocopherol in preventive supplementation and also as an adjuvant in the treatment of some pathologies (cardiovascular, cancers). In this work, we analyzed the effects of vitamin E at high doses on some biochemical parameters. Methods: Thirty-two adult male and female mice (CD1 albino mice) were randomly selected for a 4-week experiment. The mice were supplemented with alpha tocopherol at doses of 150, 400 and 750mg/day. With a high dietary intake of vitamin E Results: According to our analyses, we can note Excess weight predominated in groups 4 to 7. All the blood lipid parameters showed an abnormal concentration, as of the 400 mg dose of α-T-acetate. Hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia were observed. These variations were more pronounced for total cholesterol and triglycerides than for HDL and LDL fractions. Conclusion: The study showed significant effects of high-dose α-T supplementation on biochemical parameters, mainly hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. Key words: Vitamin E, Alpha-tocopherol, blood biochemical parameters.

A case of resistant hypercalcemia in a peritoneal dialysis patient with underlying Vitamin A toxicosis

Hypercalcemia in End Stage Renal Disease on Dialysis, is a frustrating complication for both medical staff and patients, and it may lead to vascular calcification, Calciphylaxis, and even aggravating cardiovascular disease, even in the absence of risk factors which can lead to early death [1], and correcting Hypercalcemia even in the absence of hyperphosphatemia is out most important to improve co-morbid conditions and reduce mortality, most common causes in end stage renal disease, includes high calcium dialysis bath, high dietary intake of Calcium rich food, exogenous intake of calcium products, or excessive intake of Vitamin D, underlying Sarcoidosis, rare causes need to be explored in resistant cases, including Vitamin A toxicosis, as being presented in this case.

Dietary Intake of Calcium and Magnesium in Relation to Severe Headache or Migraine

Background: Migraine is a common neurological disorder and is affected by nutrients. Calcium and magnesium are essential minerals that play an important role in nerve function. So we investigated the association between dietary calcium and magnesium and migraine.Methods: We extracted 10,798 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) of America in 1999 to 2004. We classified patients who reported having severe headache or migraine as having possible migraine. Multivariable logistic regression and restricted cubic spline regression were conducted to determine the association between dietary calcium and magnesium and migraine.Results: We found that the adjusted ORs of the association between dietary calcium and magnesium and migraine for comparing the highest quintile intake with the lowest quintile intake were 0.77 (95% CI: 0.63–0.93, P = 0.008) and 0.69 (95% CI: 0.55–0.86, P = 0.001), respectively. For women, the adjusted ORs of dietary calcium and magnesium were 0.72 (95% CI: 0.56–0.93, P = 0.009) and 0.62 (95% CI: 0.47–0.83, P = 0.001), respectively. For men, the adjusted OR was 0.71 (95% CI: 0.52–0.97, P = 0.028) comparing the highest and the lowest quintile of calcium intake, but there was no statistically significant association between dietary magnesium intake and migraine. Joint analyses showed that the OR in the high-calcium and high-magnesium group was 0.74 (95% CI: 0.60–0.92, P = 0.006) compared with the low-calcium and low-magnesium group in women.Conclusions: High dietary intake of calcium and magnesium, independently or in combination, were inversely associated with migraine in women. For men, high dietary calcium was negatively related to migraine, but magnesium was not associated with migraine.

Nicotinamide for the treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a highly prevalent and intractable form of cardiac decompensation commonly associated with diastolic dysfunction. Here, we show that diastolic dysfunction in patients with HFpEF is associated with a cardiac deficit in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). Elevating NAD+ by oral supplementation of its precursor, nicotinamide, improved diastolic dysfunction induced by aging (in 2-year-old C57BL/6J mice), hypertension (in Dahl salt-sensitive rats), or cardiometabolic syndrome (in ZSF1 obese rats). This effect was mediated partly through alleviated systemic comorbidities and enhanced myocardial bioenergetics. Simultaneously, nicotinamide directly improved cardiomyocyte passive stiffness and calcium-dependent active relaxation through increased deacetylation of titin and the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium adenosine triphosphatase 2a, respectively. In a long-term human cohort study, high dietary intake of naturally occurring NAD+ precursors was associated with lower blood pressure and reduced risk of cardiac mortality. Collectively, these results suggest NAD+ precursors, and especially nicotinamide, as potential therapeutic agents to treat diastolic dysfunction and HFpEF in humans.

Polyphenol-rich diet is associated with decreased level of inflammatory biomarkers in breast cancer patients

Background. The study investigated the relationship between dietary intake of polyphenols and inflammatory markers: CRP, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), medium platelet volume/lymphocyte ratio (MPVRL), in newly-diagnosed breast cancer patients. Objectives. The aim of this work was to verify whether diet rich in plant polyphenols affects inflammatory markers in breast cancer patients. Materials and methods. 78 patients (55.3±14.5 years) treated surgically for breast cancer were studied. A modified FFQ and authorial worksheet based on the Phenol Explorer database was used to measure the amount of plant polyphenols in a diet. Basing on the median of polyphenols intake (1780 mg/day), the group was divided into two subgroups: low- and high- dietary intake of polyphenols (LDIP and HDIP, respectively). Plasma CRP level was measured and NLR, PLR and MPVLR were calculated using results from peripheral blood morphology. Results. LDIP was associated with significantly higher CRP (elevated in 34.5% LDIP patients vs. 8.3% HDIP, p<0.003), NLR (elevated in 46.2% LDIP patients vs. 25.6% HDIP, p<0.006) and PLR level (elevated in 25.6% LDIP patients vs. 12.8% HDIP, p<0.03). MPVLR was not significantly different between both the subgroups. Conclusion. High dietary intake of polyphenols remarkably reduced process of inflammation in breast cancer patients, which has important clinical implications. The study demonstrated also an usefulness of simple, cheap and commonly available biomarkers for monitoring anti-inflammatory effects of diet.