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 147,016 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

It has been reported in the epidemiological literature that cataract, stroke, and atherosclerosis risk is reduced by 50% in people consuming one alcoholic drink per day. Peroxide has been implicated as a causative agent in cataractogenesis, and LDL oxidation appears to play a role in atherosclerosis. The antioxidant activity of alcohol was measured by: (i) use of a luminescent assay developed in our laboratory, confirmed as appropriate; (ii) electron spin resonance (ESR) spin-trapping; and (iii) copper-catalysed oxidation of LDL and VLDL from hamsters fed 6% ethanol in their drinking water. Ethanol reduced the luminescent counts/min from peroxide and superoxide. It significantly reduced the spin-trapped signal of hydroxyl radical, but not the superoxide signal. Other alcohols also showed large reductions in counts from hydrogen peroxide. Plasma from hamsters fed 6% ethanol had lower lipid peroxides and the oxidizability of LDL and VLDL was significantly reduced compared to controls. These data provide a possible explanation for the effect of beverages containing ethanol in the reduction of cataract and atherosclerosis risk observed in human population studies.
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PMID:Is ethanol an important antioxidant in alcoholic beverages associated with risk reduction of cataract and atherosclerosis? 1049 11

It seems plausible to hypothesize that in all forms of neurodegeneration or other forms of tissue degeneration, a common pathway exists that, when deciphered, could lead to our understanding of a variety of diseases that result in tissue necrosis, as well as offer potential for therapeutic intervention. In recent years progress toward elucidating this common pathway has been accelerated through the studies of a number of laboratories, including our own, on the role of the protease calpain in this process. Thus, in a variety of disorders, such as stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic nerve injury, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's disease, muscular dystrophy, cataract formation, unregulated calpain proteolysis, initiated via dysregulation of calcium ion homeostasis, participates in the pathogenesis and is a potentially unifying mechanistic event. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach we have taken in using the calpain inhibitor leupeptin as a therapeutic agent, I will describe two areas of research in which we have been engaged over the past 20 years. One is our long-standing interest in muscular dystrophy. The other is of more recent vintage, and involves the use of calpain inhibitors to protect sensory hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons from damage associated with acoustic trauma, this latter in collaboration with Dr. R. Salvi at SUNY-Buffalo and Dr. A. Shulman at SUNY-Downstate.
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PMID:Calpain inhibitors as therapeutic agents in nerve and muscle degeneration. 1084 83

The aim of Diabcare-Asia project was to collect data on diabetes control, management and complication status among patients in 12 Asian countries. Information was extracted from medical records, interviews and laboratory assessment. The majority (96%) of patients were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus, with mean age (+/-SD) of 59.3+/-12.5 years and mean diabetes duration of 9.4+/-7.0 years. Mean body mass index (BMI) was 24.7+/-4.9 kg/m(2) and the majority (60%) had BMI < or =25 kg/m(2). The majority (70%) of patients were treated with oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs), 15% with insulin, 10% with insulin and OAD combination therapy and 5% with diet control. Among OADs-treated patients, most (44%) received two or more medication. Majority of patients (> or =79%) had satisfactory metabolic control of triglycerides (<2.2 mmol/l), total cholesterol (<6.5 mmol/l) and HDL cholesterol (>0.9 mmol/l). Glucose self-monitoring (either urine or blood) was only practiced by 50% of patients. Glycaemic control (HbA1c) was unsatisfactory as majority of patients had HbA1c>7.4% (73%) and 50% had fasting blood glucose (FBG)>7.8 mmol/l. Cataract (26%), neuropathy (42%) and cerebral stroke (6%) were the most frequently reported complications. Clearly, the level of glycaemic control in majority of patients is below satisfaction. Effective education must be emphasised in the management of diabetes.
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PMID:Epidemiology of diabetes mellitus in Western pacific region: focus on Philippines. 1102 81

Epidemiologic evidence of a protective role for fruits and vegetables in cancer prevention is substantial. The strength of this scientific base guides US national policymaking in diet and health issues and facilitates community and local programs that address national dietary goals to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Current scientific evidence also suggests a protective role for fruits and vegetables in prevention of coronary heart disease, and evidence is accumulating for a protective role in stroke. In addition, a new scientific base is emerging to support a protective role for fruits and vegetables in prevention of cataract formation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diverticulosis, and possibly, hypertension. This article provides an overview of the health benefits associated with fruit and vegetable consumption for each of these conditions, including brief discussions of underlying protective mechanisms, identifies key scientific findings regarding the health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption, and outlines applications of these findings for dietetics professionals. The evidence reviewed provides additional support for increased consumption of a wide variety of vegetables, in particular, dark-green leafy, cruciferous, and deep-yellow-orange ones, and a wide variety of fruits, in particular, citrus and deep-yellow-orange ones. Continued attention to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is a practical and important way to optimize nutrition to reduce disease risk and maximize good health.
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PMID:Overview of the health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption for the dietetics professional: selected literature. 1113 44

Exfoliation syndrome (XFS) is an age-related disease in which abnormal fibrillar extracellular material is produced and accumulates in many ocular tissues. Its ocular manifestations involve all of the structures of the anterior segment, as well as conjunctiva and orbital structures. Glaucoma occurs more commonly in eyes with XFS than in those without it; in fact, XFS has recently been recognized as the most common identifiable cause of glaucoma. Patients with XFS are also predisposed to develop angle-closure glaucoma, and glaucoma in XFS has a more serious clinical course and worse prognosis than primary open-angle glaucoma. There is increasing evidence for an etiological association of XFS with cataract formation, and possibly with retinal vein occlusion. XFS is now suspected to be a systemic disorder and has been associated preliminarily with transient ischemic attacks, stroke, systemic hypertension, and myocardial infarction. Further ramifications await discovery. Deposits of white material on the anterior lens surface are the most consistent and important diagnostic feature of XFS. The classic pattern consists of three distinct zones that become visible when the pupil is fully dilated. Whereas the classic picture of manifest XFS has been often described, the early stages of beginning exfoliation have not been well defined. Next to the lens, exfoliation material is most prominent at the pupillary border. Pigment loss from the iris sphincter region and its deposition on anterior chamber structures is a hallmark of XFS. Despite extensive research, the exact chemical composition of exfoliation material (XFM) remains unknown. An overproduction and abnormal metabolism of glycosaminoglycans have been suggested as one of the key changes in XFS. The protein components of XFM include both noncollagenous basement membrane components and epitopes of the elastic fiber system such as fibrillium. Regardless of etiology, typical exfoliation fibers have been demonstrated electron microscopically in close association with the pre-equatorial lens epithelium, the nonpigmented ciliary epithelium, the iris pigment epithelium, the corneal endothelium, the trabecular endothelium, and with almost all cell types of the iris stroma, such as fibrocytes, melanocytes, vascular endothelial cells, pericytes, and smooth muscle cells. The presence of XFS should alert the physician to the increased risks of intraocular surgery, most commonly zonular dehiscence, capsular rupture, and vitreous loss during cataract extraction. Heightened awareness of this condition and its associated clinical signs are important in the detection and management of glaucoma, and preoperative determination of those patients at increased risk for surgical complications.
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PMID:Exfoliation syndrome. 1116 42

Oxidative damage to proteins in the human lens is believed to be important in the etiology of age-related cataract. Because free radical-mediated oxidative damage to lipoproteins may accelerate atherosclerosis, the authors hypothesized that the development of cataract might be a marker for such damage and therefore might be associated with future risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). The authors followed 60,657 women aged 45--63 years and without known coronary disease, stroke, or cancer in 1984. During 10 years of follow-up (674,283 person-years), the authors documented 887 incident cases of CHD and 2,322 deaths. After adjustment for age, smoking, and other coronary risk factors, cataract extraction was significantly associated with higher risk of CHD (relative risk (RR) = 1.88, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.41, 2.50) for total CHD, 2.44 (95% CI: 1.54, 3.89) for fatal CHD, and 1.63 (95% CI: 1.14, 2.34) for nonfatal myocardial infarction). The positive association between cataract extraction and total CHD was stronger among women with a history of diabetes (RR = 2.80, 95% CI: 1.77, 4.42) than among those without reported diabetes (RR = 1.51, 95 percent CI: 1.04, 2.18). In multivariate analyses, cataract extraction was associated with significantly increased overall mortality (RR = 1.37, 95 percent CI: 1.13, 1.66), which was entirely explained by the increased mortality from cardiovascular disease (RR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.29, 2.64). These findings are compatible with current hypotheses relating oxidative damage and tissue aging to the development of cataract and CHD.
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PMID:Prospective study of cataract extraction and risk of coronary heart disease in women. 1132 18

The aim of this study was to provide an overview of diabetes management and complication status in Taiwan. A cohort of 2446 patients (from 25 diabetic centers) with more than 12 months of diabetes management participated and data were collected by interviews and reviewing the medical records. Overall, 97% were diagnosed as type 2 diabetes, with a mean age (+/-S.D.) of 61.6+/-11.3 years, duration of diabetes of 10.3+/-7.3 years and age at onset of diabetes of 51.5+/-11.8 years. Mean BMI was 25.1+/-3.6 kg/m(2) and about 50% had BMI>25 kg/m(2). Majority (75%) were treated with oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs), 14% with insulin and 10% with combination of insulin and OHA. Mean HbA(1c) was 8.1+/-1.6% and 59% had HbA(1c) >7.4% (1% above the upper limit of normal range, 4.7-6.4%). Mean FBG was 9.0+/-3.3 mmol/l and 59% had FBG>7.8 mmol/l. Of all the patients who had screening for complications, cataract (38%), neuropathy (30%), proteinuria (17%) and stroke (6%) were the most frequently reported eye, feet, kidney and late complications. We conclude that the majority of patients involved in this study had unsatisfactory glycaemic control which may lead to diabetes complications.
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PMID:The current state of diabetes management in Taiwan. 1158 Sep 70

Aspirin used in cardiovascular disease is probably the best evaluated and the most highly cost effective prophylactic available in clinical practice today. It has been evaluated in over 150 randomised controlled trials and a small daily dose of around 100 mg has been shown to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke by about 30 per cent. The saving of lives and prevention of vascular events in patients judged to be at increased risk of a vascular event for any reason is large. In healthy subjects, however, the risk of a vascular event is so low that prophylaxis by any drug is inappropriate. The earlier aspirin is given in the acute phase of a myocardial infarction the greater the saving of lives. Patients judged to be at increased risk of a vascular event, for any reason, should therefore be advised to carry aspirin and to chew and swallow one or two tablets immediately, if they experience sudden severe chest pain. Aspirin is derived from a salicylate, and salicylates are widely distributed in nature, with many functions in plants. Its use in cardiovascular disease derives from an effect on blood platelets, but other possible effects have led to suggestions that it may be of benefit in conditions other than heart disease and stroke. Current research is now focussing on the possible reduction by aspirin in the risk of dementia, certain cancers, retarded foetal growth and cataract.
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PMID:Reducing the risk: heart disease, stroke and aspirin. 1175 54

Accumulated evidence from experimental and epidemiological studies indicates that there is a low risk of degenerative diseases, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cataract, stroke and, in particular, cancers in people with a high intake of fruit and vegetables. This protective effect is assumed to be associated mainly with the antioxidant activities of either individual or interacting bioactive components present in the fruits and vegetables, and with other biochemical and physical characteristics of the identified and unknown bioactive components. The implicated bioactive components present in citrus fruits include vitamin C, beta-carotene, flavonoids, limonoids, folic acid, and dietary fibre. A high intake of citrus fruits may reduce the risk of degenerative diseases.
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PMID:Anticancer and health protective properties of citrus fruit components. 1189 Jun 43

Many late-life diseases are conformational diseases in tissues where there are unfolded or misfolded proteins which can form aggregates. These diseases have other common features in their aetiology. Cataract is one such disease and post-translational modifications of proteins in the lens during cataract formation are described as a possible guide to the changes in other age-related conditions. Delineation of common pathways in these diseases could lead to common treatment regimes, and in this respect, there are promising results for aspirin-like drugs in Alzheimer's disease, cataract, myocardial infarction, stroke and various cancers.
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PMID:Viewing molecular mechanisms of ageing through a lens. 1206 98


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