Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0024523 (malabsorption)
 7,319 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The present explosion in knowledge of zinc has been the result of several factors, the major ones being the recognition of the important role of zinc in human health and diseases, its vital functions in biochemical reactions, and the technological advances that make it feasible to quantitate this essential trace element in biological fluids. Deficiency of zinc in humans due to nutritional factors and several disease states has now been recognized. The high phytate content of cereal proteins is known to decrease the availability of zinc; thus, the prevalence of zinc deficiency is likely to be high in a population consuming large quantities of proteins. Alcoholism, malabsorption, sickle cell anemia, chronic renal disease, and chronically debilitating diseases are now known to be predisposing factors for zinc deficiency. A severe deficiency of zinc such as that seen in patients with acrodermatitis enteropathica may be life-threatening. A spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from mild to severe degrees has now been recognized in human zinc deficiency states. Zinc appears to be involved in many biological functions including DNA synthesis. Roles for zinc in enzymatic functions, cell membranes, and immunity are now well established.
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PMID:Discovery and importance of zinc in human nutrition. 638 75

After the development of monophasic combined oral contraceptives (COCs), containing a fixed dose of estrogen and progestogen, biphasic and triphasic COCs were introduced in the 1980s; in these the dose of ethinyl estradiol and progestogen changes during the pill cycle. In the so-called every day pills, the 21 pills of active steroid combination are followed by 7 inactive pills containing starch, iron, or bran. Method failures of OCs are among the lowest ranging from 0.2-1/100 woman-years. User failures can be as high as 6.2/100 women-years. The individual difference in peak plasma levels of estrogens in women taking identical OCs can be 10-fold. Conditions that affect the bioavailability of contraceptive steroids are: 1) drug interaction (vitamin C, drugs that induce liver enzymes, and antibiotics); 2) vomiting; 3) vegetarianism; 4) missing pills; and 5) malabsorption. Metabolic effects of COCs pertain to carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, hemostasis, and vitamins. Prescribing of COCs involves counseling clients about contraindications to COCs, starting routines, and the pill-free interval, as well as follow-up and monitoring, the problem of missing pills, and selection criteria for OC use. Medical conditions in which COC use requires special consideration are sickle cell disease, trophoblastic disease, HIV disease, gallstones, epilepsy, valvular heart disease, oligomenorrhea/amenorrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, and surgery. Side effects of COCs may include depression, nausea, vomiting, headaches, urinary tract infection, and lower genital tract infections. 6 months after stopping the OC 1% of users become amenorrheic. Many of the common causes of amenorrhea, such as weight loss amenorrhea and polycystic ovarian disease, may be treated with the COC until the couple desires to have a baby. The new progestogens desogestrel, norgestimate, and gestodene are highly selective compared to first and second generation progestogens.
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PMID:Combined oral contraceptives: acceptability and effective use. 832 4

About 7% of the adult population has subclinical cobalamin (B12) deficiency. Subjects with sickle cell disease (SCD) may be at higher risk of cobalamin deficiency because of increased demand, inadequate supply, coexisting folate deficiency or malabsorption. We compared the clinical and laboratory characteristics of low serum cobalamin levels in patients with SCD with those patients without this hemoglobinopathy (non-SCD). Between 1993 and 2003, 105 SCD patients and 112 non-SCD patients who had serum cobalamin measurements were identified at our institution. The mean cobalamin level in SCD patients was significantly lower (496 +/- 352 pg/ml) than that in patients without SCD (869 +/- 660 pg/ml, p<0.0001). The frequency of low cobalamin levels, defined by a serum cobalamin level of <200 pg/ml, was 18.1% (19/105) and 9.8% (11/112) in SCD and non-SCD patients, respectively (chi2=3.11, nonsignificant). The mean age of the low-cobalamin SCD and non-SCD patients was 28.1 and 62.9, respectively, and their male:female ratios were 11:8 in SCD patients and 2:9 in non-SCD patients. None of the SCD patients had neurological manifestations, but nine of the 11 non-SCD low-cobalamin level patients did. The proportion of SCD patients with unexplained low cobalamin levels (13/19) was higher than that in non-SCD patients (4/11, chi2=2.92, nonsignificant) Our data suggest that cobalamin levels are lower in SCD patients than in subjects without SCD, and low-cobalamin SCD patients are younger and more likely to be males.
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PMID:Low cobalamin levels in African Americans with and without sickle cell disease. 1657 98

The essentiality of zinc in humans was established in 1963. During the past 50 y, tremendous advances in both clinical and basic sciences of zinc metabolism in humans have been observed. The major factor contributing to zinc deficiency is high phytate-containing cereal protein intake in the developing world, and nearly 2 billion subjects may be zinc deficient. Conditioned deficiency of zinc has been observed in patients with malabsorption syndrome, liver disease, chronic renal disease, sickle cell disease, and other chronic illnesses. Major clinical problems resulting from zinc deficiency in humans include growth retardation; cell-mediated immune dysfunction, and cognitive impairment. In the Middle East, zinc-deficient dwarfs did not live beyond the age of 25 y, and they died because of intercurrent infections. In 1963, we knew of only 3 enzymes that required zinc for their activities, but now we know of >300 enzymes and >1000 transcription factors that are known to require zinc for their activities. Zinc is a second messenger of immune cells, and intracellular free zinc in these cells participate in signaling events. Zinc has been very successfully used as a therapeutic modality for the management of acute diarrhea in children, Wilson's disease, the common cold and for the prevention of blindness in patients with age-related dry type of macular degeneration and is very effective in decreasing the incidence of infection in the elderly. Zinc not only modulates cell-mediated immunity but is also an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent.
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PMID:Discovery of human zinc deficiency: its impact on human health and disease. 2349 34

Acrodermatitis enteropathica syndrome (AE) is a clinical entity that results in severe zinc deficiency. It can be genetic or acquired. Acquired AE has been reported in patients with chronic liver disease, malabsorption syndrome, sickle cell anemia, and chronic renal failure. We present a kidney transplant recipient with skin rash and watery diarrhea. The patient had low serum zinc levels, which quickly resolved after zinc supplementation. Skin biopsy showed cytoplasmic pallor and vacuolization and ballooning degeneration of keratinocytes within the superficial epidermis, which may have led to confluent necrosis of keratinocytes. Large amounts of keratinosome-derived lamellae were found in the intercellular spaces in the keratinized area, probably related to disturbance of keratinosome metabolism due to zinc deficiency.
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PMID:Acquired Acrodermatitis Enteropathica Syndrome in a Kidney Transplant Receipt: A Case Report. 2834 Aug 43


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