Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0042875 (vitamin E deficiency)
 916 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The eye lens is subjected to many risk factors over time, which contribute to changes in its transparency, finally leading in combination to cataract development. Ultra violet (UV) radiation is regarded as one of the widespread risk factors contributing to cataract formation, for example in combination with nutritional deficiencies. Both factors possibly contribute to the high number of cataracts in the sunbelt region of the world. In this study, two essential nutritional factors were investigated in Brown Norway rats, zinc and vitamin E deficiencies, alone and in combination with UV-A and UV-B irradiation. Young female Brown Norway rats were put on a special diet for 10 weeks, either highly deficient in Zinc or in vitamin E. The diet was otherwise identical to the control diet. Two weeks after putting the animals on the diet, UV irradiation was started in some of the groups with mydriatic pupils with 3 irradiation sessions per week (UV-A 1 J/cm2; UV-B 0.2 J/cm2). Irradiation was continued until the end of the diet treatment period. Body weight and food consumption were established at weekly intervals, as well as slitlamp microscopy to monitor changes in anterior eye segment morphology. In addition changes in transparency of the cornea and lens have been monitored and evaluated with a Scheimpflug camera (Topcon SL-45) at baseline, and after 4 and 8 weeks of irradiation. After sacrifice of the animals, the lens wet weight as well as the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined. Zinc deficiency alone led to an almost complete arrest of body weight increase. In the cornea, UV-A in combination with zinc or vitamin E deficiency did not have any interactive effects. The combination of UV-B and zinc deficiency showed subtractive instead of additive effects on corneal transparency and neovascularization. In the lens both deficiencies positively interacted with UV-A and UV-B by increasing the density of the capsular and cortical layers. The lens fresh weight was significantly lower in zinc-deficient animals additionally irradiated with UV-A or UV-B. The activity of SOD was significantly lower in the lenses of zinc- or vitamin E-deficient animals additionally irradiated with UV-B. The experiments presented clearly demonstrate that dietary zinc and vitamin E deficiencies do interact with UV radiation damage in the cornea and lens of Brown Norway rats.
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PMID:Experimental evidence for interactive effects of chronic UV irradiation and nutritional deficiencies in the lens. 1206 Dec 68

Aging is associated with declined immune function, particularly T cell-mediated activity, which contributes to increased morbidity and mortality from infectious disease and cancer in the elderly. Studies have shown that nutritional intervention may be a promising approach to reversing impaired immune function and diminished resistance to infection with aging. However, controversy exists concerning every nutritional regimen tested to date. In this article, we will review the progress of research in this field with a focus on nutrition factor information that is relatively abundant in the literature. While vitamin E deficiency is rare, intake above recommended levels can enhance T cell function in aged animals and humans. This effect is believed to contribute toward increased resistance to influenza infection in animals and reduced incidence of upper respiratory infection in the elderly. Zinc deficiency, common in the elderly, is linked to impaired immune function and increased risk for acquiring infection, which can be rectified by zinc supplementation. However, higher than recommended upper limits of zinc may adversely affect immune function. Probiotics are increasingly being recognized as an effective, immune-modulating nutritional factor. However, to be effective, they require an adequate supplementation period; additionally, their effects are strain-specific and among certain strains, a synergistic effect is observed. Increased intake of fish or n-3 PUFA may be beneficial to inflammatory and autoimmune disorders as well as to several age-related diseases. Conversely, the immunosuppressive effect of fish oils on T cell-mediated function has raised concerns regarding their impact on resistance to infection. Caloric restriction (CR) is shown to delay immunosenescence in animals, but this effect needs to be verified in humans. Timing for CR initiation may be important to determine whether CR is effective or even beneficial at all. Recent studies have suggested that CR, which is effective at improving the immune response of unchallenged animals, might compromise the host's defense against pathogenic infection and result in higher morbidity and mortality. The studies published thus far describe a critical role for nutrition in maintaining the immune response of the aged, but they also indicate the need for a more in-depth, wholestic approach to determining the optimal nutritional strategies that would maintain a healthy immune system in the elderly and promote their resistance to infection and other immune-related diseases.
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PMID:The role of nutrition in enhancing immunity in aging. 2250 Feb 73