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Biomedical subjects

S Ringel

Publications and source records attributed to S Ringel.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Awareness of folic acid for neural tube defect prevention among Israeli women.

The failure of neural tube closure during early embryogenesis results in a range of neural tube defects (NTD), the most common of which is spina bifida. The role of folic acid in reducing the rate of NTD has been well-established. Three recent cases of infants with NTD inspired this investigative study into the level of awareness and knowledge of folic acid and its function in the prevention of NTD among Israeli women. Of 920 women interviewed, only 51 (5.5%) had heard of folic acid, and 27 (2.8%) were reported to have taken it. The source of information and the motivation for self-medication were also explored with regard to socioeconomic and health profile. Awareness of folic acid was significant among women aged 17-29 years (P = 0.005) and those aged 30-39 years (P = 0.009), and among semireligious and nonreligious women (P = 0.008 and 0.01, respectively). Among women who were aware of folic acid, only nonreligious women tended to take it. No correlation was found between folic acid intake and age, religiosity, nationality, number of pregnancies, and health status among women who were aware of folic acid intake. The poor level of awareness, evident in our study, demands that the medical community broadcast the benefit of folic acid. Furthermore, government health initiatives, such as the addition of folic acid to flour preparations, may effectively ensure its appropriate daily intake. These improved education and prevention programs may forcibly reduce the rate of NTD-affected pregnancies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Isolated vitamin E deficiency in the absence of fat malabsorption--familial and sporadic cases: characterization and investigation of causes.

We observed four young adults, including three siblings, with a progressive neurologic disorder that developed over the first two decades. Electrophysiologic studies revealed mildly delayed nerve conduction, decreased amplitudes of sensory action potentials, and sensory delay in the posterior columns. Known causes of similar neurologic disorders were excluded. Although vitamin E deficiency was well documented, intestinal absorption and plasma lipoprotein transport of vitamin E were normal. Incubation studies in vitro failed to identify a plasma factor causing destruction of circulating vitamin E. There was no clinical or laboratory evidence of steatorrhea caused by gastrointestinal, hepatic, or pancreatic disease. Plasma lipoproteins, apolipoprotein B, and adipose tissue fatty acid composition were normal. Oral vitamin E therapy restored serum levels to normal and caused neurologic improvement in two patients. We postulate that an inherited defect in hepatocyte secretion of vitamin E into lipoproteins may account for this disorder, which occurs in sporadic cases as well as in siblings.

Absorption↗
PubMed1987

Friedreich's disease: V. Variant form with vitamin E deficiency and normal fat absorption.

A 30-year-old woman was thought to have Friedreich's disease because of progressive ataxia, dysarthria, and titubation from age 3 years. Her diet was normal, and there were neither symptoms nor laboratory evidence of liver disease or fat malabsorption. Serum vitamin E content and the ratio of serum vitamin E to total serum lipid were very low, but serum vitamin A, cholylglycine, and lipid levels were normal, as was an oral vitamin E tolerance test. Muscle biopsy showed the lysosomal inclusions of vitamin E deficiency. Mitochondria had normal oxidative phosphorylation using polarographic assays. The cause of her vitamin E deficiency was unknown.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The disposition of 14C-indapamide in man.

The metabolism of 14C-indapamide labeled in the indoline ring was determined after a single oral administration of a solution (4.99 mg, 90.47 microCi) to four fasted adult male volunteers. 14C-Indapamide was rapidly absorbed, and peak blood concentrations of radioactivity occurred by 0.5 hour in three subjects and at 2 hours in one subject. The mean elimination half-lives of total radioactivity were 27.0 hours in blood and 24.5 hours in plasma. The concentration of total radioactivity in blood was 5.7 times greater than in plasma, indicating extensive binding to red blood cells. Unchanged drug, as analyzed in one subject, reached a peak concentration by 0.5 hour, and had a blood half-life of 15.8 hours. Radioactivity was primarily excreted in the urine, and more than 50 per cent of the administered radioactivity was eliminated by this route in 48 hours. By eight days, 92.8 per cent of the radioactivity was recovered, with 70.3 per cent in the urine and 22.5 per cent in the feces. 14C-Indapamide was shown to be extensively metabolized, with only 7.3 per cent of the dose excreted as unchanged drug in the urine. Systemic and renal clearances of total radioactivity were 12.8 +/- 1.3 and 8.6 +/- 0.8 ml/min, respectively, while the renal clearance of unchanged indapamide, determined for one subject, was substantially lower (1.71 ml/min).

Adult↗