Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0004153 (atherosclerosis)
 77,401 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Male rats were fed a selenium-deficient Torula yeast diet with or without 0.2 ppm selenium (as sodium selenite) in the drinking water. Selenium deficiency caused a significant increase of urinary acetoacetate excretion in fed rats, and 24 or 48 hours of starvation enhanced this effect. Two days of selenium supplementation decreased the amount of urinary acetoacetate and 3-hydroxybutyrate to 50% of the deficiency value, indicating an enzymatic impairment in the selenium-deficient rat. No selenium-dependent effect was found for the following: (1) urinary pH, amount of nitrite, glucose (negative), hemoglobin or protein, and the urine was negative for phenylketones; (2) blood content of glucose, acetoacetate, or 3-hydroxybutyrate; or (3) liver content of glycogen, glucose, acetoacetate, or 3-hydroxybutyrate. On the other hand, the liver content of triglycerides was significantly lower in selenium deficiency. Indications for a higher content of ketone bodies (acetoacetate plus 3-hydroxybutyrate) in the kidneys from selenium-deficient rats were found. The increased urinary excretion of ketone bodies on selenium deficiency may indicate an impairment of lipid and ketone body turnover (in the kidney), or a decreased kidney reabsorption rate. Possible implications of these results in connection with protective roles of selenium in atherosclerosis and carcinogenesis are suggested.
 ...
PMID:Impaired ketone body metabolism in the selenium deficient rat. Possible implications. 405 13

Endothelial injury and increased mitotic activity are early features in the pathogenesis of intimal thickening in arteries. This study examines the effect of systemic nicotine on mitotic activity in endothelial cells. Nine adult mice were given nicotine in their drinking water for 5 weeks. The dose (5 mg/kg body wt/day) was equivalent to a human smoking 50-100 cigarettes/day. A group of 8 similar mice, not exposed to nicotine, was the control. At the end of the exposure period all mice were injected with [3H]thymidine (1 microCi/g body wt) and were killed 24 h later. After perfusion fixation, en-face preparations of aortic endothelium were processed for autoradiography. In nicotine-affected endothelium 0.46 +/- 0.11% (SEM) of cells were labelled, which was significantly higher (P less than 0.01) than in controls (0.14 +/- 0.06%). However, there was no difference in cell density between the groups. On this evidence it was concluded that the rate of cell loss, or cell turnover, was greater in nicotine-affected endothelium. Because other studies have shown that increased mitotic activity and cell loss are established features of endothelial injury, the present findings provide evidence in support of the hypothesis that nicotine contributes to the pathogenesis of arterial disease in smokers.
Atherosclerosis 1985 Dec
PMID:The effect of nicotine on aortic endothelial cell turnover. An autoradiographic study. 409 85

A survey of spontaneously occurring fatty streaks and fibrous plaques, considered as atherosclerosis, in 1637 swine in different European countries and the USA, using a standardized procedure, was undertaken to determine whether significant differences exist in the occurrence and extent of the disease in various groups of animals. At the same time a preliminary study on the possible relation of any differences observed in atherosclerosis to certain environmental and constitutional factors was carried out with the ultimate goal of contributing to the understanding of analogous problems in man.STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASES OF FATTY STREAKS AND FIBROUS PLAQUES WERE NOTED IN RELATION TO: (a) increasing age, starting at 6 to 7 months, the earliest age period studied; (b) geographical locality; and (c) considerable as compared with moderate or slight physical activity at 1 year of age. Although not statistically significant, there was also a suggestive trend towards more atherosclerosis in pigs consuming soft water as compared with those consuming hard water.While these correlations may represent contributory factors to the increases of the changes noted in the abdominal aortas, it is not possible to pinpoint the importance of individual components because of the limited data and the large number of variables involved in this preliminary study. Studies in swine and other animals are being encouraged in which all variables but one are being kept constant to determine their possible role in the development of atherosclerotic lesions.
 ...
PMID:Comparative studies of atherosclerosis in swine. 529 76

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with D-penicillamine (D-pen) in doses of 100, 250 or 500 mg/kg per day for 10, 32, 42 or 70 days. In addition animals were examined 28 days after withdrawal from 42 day's treatment with D-pen at 100 or 500 mg/kg per day. Pair-fed rats served as controls. The changes in aortic collagen, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), DNA and RNA were studied. D-Pen had a dose- and time-related solubilizing effect on aortic collagen, which regained normal resistance to extraction within 28 days after cessation of the treatment. In contrast, D-pen caused a progressive accumulation of hydroxyproline (Hyp) in the aortic wall during and after treatment, probably mediated by an increased number of matrix synthesizing cells, as judged by augmentation of the DNA content in the presence of unaltered Hyp/DNA and RNA/DNA ratios. The relative amount of type III collagen was increased after 500 mg/kg per day D-pen for 10 and 42 days. High doses of D-pen increased the percentage of water in the aortic wall and reduced the ratio of Hyp to total tissue protein, suggesting an increased content of water-binding substances. This was confirmed by GAG accumulation. Hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin 4,6-sulphate (CHS) were predominant after 32 and 42 days, whereas CHS, heparan sulphate (HS) and dermatan sulphate (DS) prevailed after 70 days of treatment. These observations suggest that processes of repair and regeneration are elicited secondary to the inhibitory effect of D-pen on aortic collagen and elastin crosslinking. Hypertrophy of the vessel wall may imply an increased rigidity, resulting in further increase of the susceptibility to haemodynamic injury.
Atherosclerosis 1982 Oct
PMID:D-penicillamine-induced angiopathy in rats. Changes in aortic collagen, glycosaminoglycans, DNA and RNA in rats treated with D-penicillamine. 618 62

Three groups of male Japanese rabbits weighing about 2.7 kg each were given experimental diets consisting of high cholesterol food and fluid skim milk, yogurt, or water, and were bled every 4 wk to measure serum lipids. After 12 wk they were killed and concentrations of total cholesterol and atheromatous areas dyed with Oil Red O were determined in the aorta to evaluate the development of atherosclerosis. At 8 and 12 wk, the skim milk group showed significantly lower levels of serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride than the control group. Although no significant difference between the yogurt and control groups in the concentration of serum lipids was observed, total cholesterol concentrations in the aorta were significantly lower in both the skim milk and the yogurt groups than in the control group. The atheromatous areas of the skim milk group (38 +/- 34%) were significantly smaller than those of the control group (75 +/- 25%). Significant difference, however, was not found between the yogurt group (51 +/- 22%) and the control group. Concentrations of total cholesterol in the liver did not differ among the three groups. These results suggest that skim milk may have a preventive effect on the development of atherosclerosis.
 ...
PMID:Effect of skim milk and yogurt on serum lipids and development of sudanophilic lesions in cholesterol-fed rabbits. 620 11

The NaOH sonication digestion technique permits rapid isolation and exposure of intact networks of elastic fibers in vascular tissue for 3-dimensional observation with the SEM. The configuration of the network of elastic fibers within the vascular wall of large elastic arteries (aorta) is generally agreed to be a flexible framework through which smooth muscle cells and collagenous fibers are interwoven. However, the configuration of elastic fiber networks in muscular arteries, medium sized veins and smaller vessels remains unknown. When the lengthy standard biochemical elastin purification techniques were applied to vessels containing lesser amounts of elastic tissue and finer elastic fibers, the vessels were completely digested. In contrast, the digestion and sonication technique isolated and exposed intact networks of delicate elastic fibers in blood vessels which do not contain large amounts of elastic tissue. Unfixed vessels were cut into short segments, placed in 0.5 N NaOH and sonicated for 20-40 min. The specimens were rinsed in deionized distilled H2O, then autoclaved for 30 min. The tissue was rinsed a second time, fixed and processed routinely for SEM. Elastic stains and enzymatic digestion with chromatographically purified elastase and collagenase confirmed that the digestion and sonication technique produced clean, isolated networks of elastic fibers. Knowledge of the configuration of the networks of elastic fibers in different vessels enhances understanding of distensibility characteristics of individual vessels and serves as a baseline for studying alterations in the elastic framework which occur during aging and disease processes such as atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension and aneurysms.
 ...
PMID:A rapid digestive technique to expose networks of vascular elastic fibers for SEM observation. 620 43

Six healthy volunteers and 17 diabetics (6 insulin-dependent and 11 diet- and tablet-treated) were treated with a special processed, palatable guar gum (10 g b.i.d. immediately before meals) for periods of one or three weeks or, in some cases, up to 13 weeks. A standardized test meal was given to study the effect of the fiber on postprandial glucose levels. Ten g guar was stirred in water and taken immediately before the test meal. The postprandial blood glucose levels were similar in the healthy volunteers but significantly lower in the diabetics following treatment with guar for one and three weeks, respectively. Furthermore, the fasting blood glucose levels were significantly lower in the diabetics after three, but not one, weeks of treatment. The lower postprandial glucose levels were coupled with attenuated and delayed insulin levels in accordance with an effect of guar gum on the rate of carbohydrate absorption. The cholesterol levels were on average reduced with 14% in the diabetics following three weeks' treatment with guar. The higher the initial cholesterol level, the greater the reduction in cholesterol; 26% reduction was achieved in four patients with initial levels above 7 mM. The alpha-lipoprotein cholesterol levels were not significantly changed, thus an increase in the alpha-lipoprotein cholesterol/total serum cholesterol ratio was obtained. Neither plasma triglycerides nor body weights altered during treatment. The reported side-effects were as expected and were usually mild and transient (e.g. increased flatulence). The data show that guar gum also reduces postprandial glucose levels on a long-term basis and may improve the diabetic control. Additionally, treatment with this fiber leads to a concentration-dependent decrease in cholesterol levels.
Atherosclerosis 1982 Oct
PMID:Effect of a modified guar gum preparation on glucose and lipid levels in diabetics and healthy volunteers. 629 15

Dietary fibers comprise a very heterogenous group of indigestible plant compounds. Whereas they exert only little effects on the recovery of the digestible parts of a meal they can modify various digestive processes. Most important seems to be the ability to inhibit digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, which enables better treatment of diabetics. The observation that serum cholesterol can be decreased by certain dietary fibers finds special interest also because of the possible reduction of risk for developing atherosclerosis. The various effects depend upon the physicochemical properties of the different fibers: they comprise the ability to bind water and organic substances, viscosity and cationic-exchange.
 ...
PMID:[Effect of bulk materials on the upper intestinal tract]. 630 May 8

The composition of acidic glycosaminoglycans (AGAG) in normal and atherosclerotic human cerebral arteries was studied by enzymatic methods. The main cerebral trunk contained more AGAG than the distal branches. The content and relative proportion of heparan sulfates were greater in normal areas than in those affected, but the reverse was found for dermatan sulfate and chondroitin 6-sulfate. Quantitative changes in AGAG with severity of the disease were compared with those in water and lipid content.
Atherosclerosis
PMID:Acidic glycosaminoglycans, water and lipids in normal and atherosclerotic human cerebral arteries. 643 Mar 8

In North America, diuretics remain the most common first-line drug therapy for essential hypertension based on efficacy, safety and cost. The promotion of step-care programmes has firmly established their dominant use on this continent whereas in Europe, particularly in Scandinavia and Great Britain, beta-adrenoceptor blocking agents are more frequently chosen as first-line therapy. On both continents, combined therapy with a diuretic and a beta-blocker is probably the most common second step for patients with blood pressures uncontrolled on a single agent alone and diuretics remain useful, if not essential, to prevent sodium retention commonly observed with other antihypertensive agents. Although the forced loss of sodium and water may be responsible for their initial antihypertensive effect, the mechanism underlying their long-term effect is unknown but probably involves some alteration of vascular smooth muscle reactivity. More recently, concern has been expressed about their long-term safety as larger populations are being exposed to diuretic agents for a significant proportion of their life-span. These concerns include haemodynamic and biochemical consequences of diuretic therapy - excessive tachycardia at rest and with minimal exercise, postural hypotension, hypokalaemia and arrhythmias, muscle cramps or fatigue, glucose intolerance, hyperuricaemia and altered circulating lipids as markers or promotors of atherosclerosis and its complications. At present, there is insufficient evidence to alter the present recommendation of diuretic agents as first-line drug therapy in the treatment of hypertension.
 ...
PMID:Diuretic treatment in essential hypertension. 661 41


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10