Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0003969 (vitamin C deficiency)
 625 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Periodontal disease is one of the most prevalent health problems in the world and is the major cause of tooth loss in the adult population. Its two major subdivisions are gingivitis where disease is confined to the gingiva, and periodontitis where disease is present both in the gingiva and the supporting periodontal tissues. During the first stage there is a vasculitis of vessels subjacent to the junctional epithelium which is followed by exudation of fluid from the gingival sulcus and migration of leukocytes. There is variable expression of this stage throughout the mouth with new areas of involvement appearing in place of healed areas. Mast cells which are present in the gingival connective tissues may participate in this inflammatory response by liberating histamine. Ascorbic acid deficiency has been shown to be a conditioning factor in the development of gingivitis. When humans are placed on ascorbic acid deficient diets there is increased edema, redness and swelling of the gingiva. These changes have been attributed to deficient collagen production by gingival blood vessels. However, this may be due to an antihistamine role of ascorbic acid. This vitamin may act to directly detoxify histamine or effect a change in the level of enzymes responsible for histamine metabolism. This could occur through the influence of ascorbic acid in altering cyclic AMP (c-AMP) levels. Such changes in the level of this regulatory molecule could result in increased histamine-N-methyl transferase and other enzymes responsible for the breakdown of histamine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:The role of ascorbic acid deficiency in human gingivitis--a new hypothesis. 674 85

Diagnosing scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) in adult skeletal remains is difficult despite documentary evidence of its past prevalence. Analysis of 20 European colonists buried at Saint Croix Island in New France during the winter of 1604-1605, accompanied by their leader Samuel de Champlain's eyewitness account of their symptoms, provided the opportunity to document lesions of adult scurvy within a tightly dated historical context. Previous diagnoses of adult scurvy have relied predominantly on the presence of periosteal lesions of the lower limbs and excessive antemortem tooth loss. Our analysis suggests that, when observed together, reactive lesions of the oral cavity associated with palatal inflammation and bilateral lesions at the mastication muscle attachment sites support the differential diagnosis of adult scurvy. Antemortem loss of the anterior teeth, however, is not a reliable diagnostic indicator. Employing a biocultural interpretive approach, analysis of these early colonists' skeletal remains enhances current understanding of the methods that medical practitioners used to treat the disorder during the Age of Discovery, performing rudimentary oral surgery and autopsies. Although limited by a small sample and taphonomic effects, this analysis strongly supports the use of weighted paleopathological criteria to diagnose adult scurvy based on the co-occurrence of specific porotic lesions.
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PMID:Adult scurvy in New France: Samuel de Champlain's "Mal de la terre" at Saint Croix Island, 1604-1605. 2953 73