Concentrations of zinc and copper in pregnant problem drinkers and their newborn infants.
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Alcoholism↗
Biomedical subjects
G Alfthan
Publications and source records attributed to G Alfthan.
Serum fatty acids, apolipoproteins, selenium and vitamin antioxidants and the risk of death from coronary artery disease.
The independent association of serum concentrations of saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, apolipoproteins AI and B, selenium and vitamins A and E with the risk of death from coronary artery disease (CAD) was studied in 92 persons with no previous myocardial infarction, who died from CAD during a 5-year follow-up, and their 92 1-to-1 matched controls. Case-control pairs came from a randomly drawn population sample of approximately 12,000 persons aged 30 to 64 years from 2 provinces of eastern Finland, an area with exceptionally high CAD mortality. Control subjects were matched for sex, age, serum cholesterol, mean arterial pressure, tobacco consumption and history of cardiovascular diseases. The persons who died of CAD had lower serum esterified arachidonic acid concentrations before follow-up than the control subjects (41 vs 48 mg/liter, p = 0.05), and this difference was greater for pairs with no chest pain on effort (36 vs 50 mg/liter, p less than 0.05). The adjusted risk of CAD death in persons with a serum polyunsaturated to saturated (P/S) fatty acid ratio of 0.28 or less (in the lowest tertile) was 3.5-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5 to 8.2) compared with those with higher serum P/s ratios in a multivariate logistic model and 5.6-fold (95% CI 1.6 to 19.8) for pairs with no chest pain on effort. A low serum apolipoprotein AI concentration (1.25 g/liter or less, in the lowest tertile) was associated with a 2.5-fold (95% CI 1.1 to 5.7) adjusted risk of CAD death among the chest pain-free persons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Adult↗
Risk of cancer in relation to serum concentrations of selenium and vitamins A and E: matched case-control analysis of prospective data.
The independent and joint associations of serum selenium and vitamin A (retinol) and E (alpha tocopherol) concentrations with the risk of death from cancer were studied in 51 case-control pairs--that is, 51 patients with cancer, each paired with a control matched for age, sex, and smoking. Case-control pairs came from a random sample of some 12000 people aged 30-64 years resident in two provinces of eastern Finland who were followed up for four years. Patients who died of cancer during the follow up period had a 12% lower mean serum selenium concentration (p = 0.015) than the controls. The difference persisted when deaths from cancer in the first follow up year were excluded. The adjusted risk of fatal cancer was 5.8-fold (95% confidence interval 1.2-29.0) among subjects in the lowest tertile of selenium concentrations compared with those with higher values. Subjects with both low selenium and low alpha tocopherol concentrations in serum had an 11.4-fold adjusted risk. Among smoking men with cancer serum retinol concentrations were 26% lower than in smoking controls (p = 0.002). These data suggest that dietary selenium deficiency is associated with an increased risk of fatal cancer, that low vitamin E intake may enhance this effect, and that decreased vitamin or provitamin A intake contributes to the risk of lung cancer among smoking men with a low selenium intake.
Adult↗
Disturbed metabolism of copper and zinc in aspartylglycosaminuria: possible involvement with connective tissue changes.
In aspartylglycosaminuria (AGU), a lysosomal storage disorder of glycoprotein degradation, there are some abnormalities in collagen and proteoglycan metabolism. Because of earlier observations suggesting a disturbance of copper balance, the metabolism of copper and zinc was studied in more detail to find out if possible trace metal disturbances could be correlated with connective tissue disorder. Highly elevated copper concentrations in the hair and significantly reduced zinc levels in serum and urine were detected in AGU patients indicating a disturbance of trace element balance. However, the patients had normal serum copper levels, and the concentrations of zinc and copper in cultured fibroblasts did not differ from those of control cells. Normal lysyl oxidase activities in cell culture indicate that collagen cross-link formation is not affected. The changes in copper and zinc balance are probably secondary to the basic enzyme deficiency, and may contribute to the development of the clinical signs and symptoms of AGU although the mechanisms involved are not yet understood.
Acetylglucosamine↗
Serum selenium and the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
The association between serum selenium concentration and five-year risk of cardiovascular disease was studied in 1,110 men aged 55 to 74 years in two rural areas of Finland. In the total cohort, all-cause and cardiovascular deaths were associated significantly with serum selenium of less than 45 micrograms/liter, an adjusted relative risk of 1.4 (95% confidence interval (Cl), 1.0-2.0, p less than 0.05) and 1.6 (95% Cl, 1.1-2.3, p less than 0.05), respectively. Among men free of coronary heart disease at the outset, these associations were of similar magnitude but did not attain statistical significance. Among men free of stroke at the outset, low serum selenium was associated significantly with stroke mortality, an adjusted relative risk of 3.7 (95% Cl, 1.0-13.1). The associations of coronary deaths and myocardial infarctions with low serum selenium were nonsignificant.
Aged↗
Can externally deposited Se be removed from hair?
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Hair↗
Glutathione and selenium in rheumatoid arthritis.
The concentration of selenium in serum (S-Se) was studied in 20 patients and glutathione in erythrocytes (E-GSH) in 16 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at onset and after 3 and 6 months of antirheumatic therapy with aurothiomalate (19 cases) or with D-penicillamine (one case). The values were compared to those of age and sex matched healthy controls. S-Se was significantly (p less than 0.01) lower in RA patients at the onset of the trial, but increased to the level of the controls during the follow-up. On the other hand, there was no difference in E-GSH between the patients and their controls before the onset of antirheumatic medication but the increase in E-GSH of RA patients during the trial was highly significant (p less than 0.001). Nevertheless, neither S-Se nor E-GSH correlated to changes in clinical or laboratory indicators of disease activity or to the development of new erosions in X-ray. It is concluded that changes in rheumatoid activity or disease progress occur independently of changes in S-Se or E-GSH.
Adult↗
Association between serum selenium and the risk of cancer.
A matched-pair analysis was conducted with data based on a prospective six-year follow-up of a random population sample to study the association between serum selenium and the risk of cancer. Case-control pairs were from a population, after exclusions, of 8,113 persons examined in 1972 from two counties in eastern Finland. Cases were 31- to 59-year-old men and women initially free of cancer. One control was matched to each case according to age, gender, daily tobacco consumption, and serum cholesterol concentration. The mean serum selenium of the 128 cases was 50.5 micrograms/liter and that of the controls was 54.3 micrograms/liter (p = 0.012 for difference). When the residual variation in tobacco consumption and serum cholesterol as well as that in four other possible confounders was allowed for in a multiple logistic model, serum selenium of less than 45 micrograms/liter was associated with a relative risk of cancer of 3.1 (95% confidence interval, 1.5-6.7, p less than 0.01). These data support the hypothesis that selenium deficiency increases the risk of certain cancers in middle-aged persons.
Adult↗
Serum selenium concentration related to myocardial infarction and fatty acid content of serum lipids.
A longitudinal case-control study of 33 patients with one or more risk factors for coronary heart disease and 64 controls showed that the serum selenium concentration (range 0.63-1.33 mumol/l (50-105 micrograms/l] was not associated with development of clinical manifestations of coronary heart disease during a follow up of five to seven years. The content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid, in serum cholesterol esters and phospholipids was positively correlated with selenium concentration. As a low content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in serum lipids was an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease in these subjects it may be hypothesised that the high coronary risk in subjects with a very low serum selenium concentration (less than 0.57 mumol/l (less than 45 micrograms/l] might be due not to selenium deficiency but to the coexisting low concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids in serum.
Cholesterol Esters↗
Bioavailability of selenium to Finnish men as assessed by platelet glutathione peroxidase activity and other blood parameters.
Three groups of 10 men of low selenium status were given 200 micrograms Se/day as Serich wheat, Se-rich yeast, or sodium selenate for 11 wk. Twenty unsupplemented subjects served as controls. Plasma Se levels increased steadily in the wheat and yeast groups for 11 wk without plateauing, whereas in the selenate group, plasma Se plateaued around 110 ng/ml after 4 wk. Platelet glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities increased rapidly in the wheat and selenate groups for 4 wk and then plateaued. Platelet GSH-Px increased more slowly in the yeast group. Ten weeks after the supplements were discontinued, platelet GSH-Px was higher in the wheat and yeast groups than in the selenate group. Assessment of Se bioavailability requires a short-term platelet GSH-Px measurement to determine immediate availability, a medium-term plasma Se measurement to estimate retention, and a long-term platelet GSH-Px measurement after supplements are discontinued to determine the covertibility of tissue Se stores to biologically active Se.
Adult↗
[Serum selenium and risk of death in coronary disease].
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Adult↗
Association between cardiovascular death and myocardial infarction and serum selenium in a matched-pair longitudinal study.
A case-control study was conducted to investigate the association between serum selenium and risk of death from acute coronary heart disease (CHD) as well as risk of fetal and non-fetal myocardial infarction (MI). Case-control pairs came from a population of 11,000 persons examined in 1972 from two counties in eastern Finland, an area with an exceptionally high mortality from cardiovascular diseases. Cases were aged 35-59 years and had died of CHD or other CVD or had a non-fetal MI during a seven-year follow-up. Controls were matched for sex, age, daily tobacco consumption, serum cholesterol, diastolic blood pressure, and history of angina pectoris. The mean serum selenium concentration for all cases was 51.8 micrograms/l and for all controls 55.3 micrograms/l (p less than 0.01). Serum selenium of less than 45 micrograms/l was associated with an adjusted relative risk of CHD death of 2.9 (p less than 0.01, 95% CI, 1.4-6.0), a relative risk of CVD death of 2.2 (p less than 0.01, 95% CI, 1.2-4.0), and a relative risk of fatal and nonfatal MI of 2.1 (p less than 0.001, 95% Ci, 1.4-3.1). 22% (95% CI, 8-35%) of contrary deaths were attributable to serum selenium in the whole study population.
Adult↗
Tea and coronary heart disease: the flavonoid quercetin is more bioavailable from rutin in women than in men.
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Area Under Curve↗
Serum selenium in acute infections.
We measured the serum selenium concentration in 64 patients with uncomplicated viral (n = 33) or bacterial (n = 31) infections during the acute state of infection, during the early convalescent phase and after a minimum recovery period of three weeks and compared it to serum iron values. Both selenium (mean +/- SEM: 70.3 +/- 2.3 micrograms/l vs 79.4 +/- 2.2 micrograms/l, p less than 0.0001) and iron (8.4 +/- 0.8 micrograms vs 16.7 +/- 0.9 micrograms/l, p less than 0.0001) concentrations showed significant depressions in the acute stage of infection compared with the values after the recovery. The reduction of serum selenium did not correlate with the severity of infection measured by fever. We conclude that acute infections decrease serum levels regardless of the infective agent. The changes are of interest because of the possible connection between selenium and the immune system.
Acute Disease↗
Increased mercury exposure in inhabitants living in the vicinity of a hazardous waste incinerator: a 10-year follow-up.
A hazardous-waste-treatment plant that housed an incinerator began operation in 1984, before which a baseline survey of the surrounding population and environment was conducted; 10 y later, investigators studied the same subjects. Researchers focused on mercury exposure because mercury concentrations were present in the stack emissions, and environmental monitoring revealed mercury concentrations near the plant. In 1984 and 1994 the median hair mercury concentrations were 0.5 mg/kg and 0.8 mg/kg, respectively. During the 10-y period, median hair total mercury concentrations increased by 0.35 mg/kg in workers (n = 11); by 0.16 mg/kg, 0.13 mg/kg, and 0.03 mg/kg in individuals who lived 2 km (n = 45), 2-4 km (n = 38), and 5 km (n = 30) from the plant, respectively; and by 0.02 mg/kg in the reference group (n = 55). In summary, mercury exposure increased as distance from the plant decreased; however, the increase in exposure was minimal and, on the basis of current knowledge, did not pose a health risk.
Adolescent↗
Effect of addition of magnesium to potassium-containing fluorocarbon cardioplegic preparations. An experimental study.
The effect of magnesium on potassium fluorocarbon cardioplegia was studied in 20 rabbits. Isolated hearts with ascending aortas were perfused with oxygenated and cooled (+4 degrees C) fluorocarbon solutions. In 10 experiments, the solution contained 20 mmol/l of potassium, in 10 further experiments, 20 mmol/l of potassium and 15 mmol/l of magnesium. Ultrastructural preservation of the myocardium was studied using transmission electron microscopy. In addition, the cation contents of the myocardium were studied by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (calcium, magnesium) or electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry (copper). After 120 minutes of ischaemia, areas of moderate or severe ultrastructural myocardial cell damage were observed in both groups but severe damage was more extensive and commoner in the group with no access to magnesium. Preservation of the capillary endothelium was also worse in that group. There was a highly significant increase in magnesium content, a decrease in calcium content and an increase in the magnesium/calcium ratio following magnesium-potassium fluorocarbon infusion. The copper content remained unchanged. A protective effect of magnesium was observed. The electrolyte content of cardioplegic solutions also alters the electrolyte content of the myocardium. This may be important in reperfusion.
Animals↗
Antibodies binding to anionic phospholipids but not to oxidized low-density lipoprotein are associated with thrombosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
OBJECTIVE: Elevated levels of antibodies against oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) frequently occur in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and these antibodies crossreact in many sera with anticardiolipin antibodies, known to be associated with thrombosis. Therefore, a study was carried out to assess the mutual relationship between antibodies against oxidized LDL and thrombosis. METHODS: The occurrence of IgG class antibodies against oxidized LDL, cardiolipin and phosphatidyl serine were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a series of 146 patients with SLE. Twenty-one patients had had thromboembolic complications. At least one of three tests used to detect lupus anticoagulant was positive in 34 out of 133 patients. RESULTS: The level of antibodies against oxidized LDL correlated significantly with that of antibodies against cardiolipin (r = 0.52) but only marginally with antibodies against phosphatidyl serine (r = 0.18). Antibodies against cardiolipin and phosphatidyl serine, but not those against oxidized LDL, were significantly associated with the presence of lupus anticoagulant (odds ratios of the risk in the highest tertile relative to the lower tertiles of the antibody were 5.3, 6.9 and 1.1, respectively) and with thrombosis (odds ratios 2.5, 4.0 and 1.0, respectively). CONCLUSION: The observations suggest that only those antibodies reacting specifically with cardiolipin and phosphatidyl serine are associated with thrombosis and with the presence of lupus anticoagulant in patients with SLE, whereas antibodies crossreacting with oxidized LDL and those reacting specifically with oxidized LDL are not associated.
Adolescent↗