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Biomedical subjects

T K Basu

Publications and source records attributed to T K Basu.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Folate and vitamin B12 status of the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between estimated folate and vitamin B12 intakes and their biochemical status in elderly persons. SUBJECTS: Twenty-eight males and 30 females ( > 65 years) were randomly selected from a larger sample of free-living elderly residents of Edmonton, Canada. Subjects were contacted through a seniors' service organization. Any subject using vitamin supplements or alcohol other than the social drink was excluded from the study. DESIGN: Dietary intake was estimated using a three-nonconsecutive-day food record. Biochemical status was assessed by measuring the plasma levels of folate and vitamin B12, as well as the red blood cell (r.b.c.) folate levels. RESULTS: Average daily intakes of both folate and vitamin B12 met the recommended requirements. Their mean plasma levels were within the accepted normal ranges in both males and females. However, probability analysis of dietary intake revealed an appreciable number of subjects at risk of deficiency, especially of folate (male 26%; female 21%). According to the interpretive guidelines of r.b.c. folate levels, an appreciable number of the study subjects were also found to be at risk of folate deficiency (male 57%; female 67%). CONCLUSIONS: The folate status appears to be a greater concern than the vitamin B12 status for the elderly population. It seems that although mean values of dietary intake and plasma concentrations of folate may indicate nutritional adequacy, a proportion of the older population may still be at nutritional risks.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Strain variation in vitamin A (retinol) status of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Decreased plasma concentrations of vitamin A (retinol) and retinol-binding protein have been previously identified in human subjects with type I diabetes mellitus. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats of three different strains including Wistar Furth, Sprague Dawley and Wistar, on plasma and liver concentrations of vitamin A. The diabetic animals gained less weight than nondiabetic controls even though they ate 50% more food. The hepatic vitamin A concentration was increased at three weeks after the onset of diabetes in all three strains of rats but the magnitude of increase was greater in Wistar than either Wistar Furth or Sprague Dawley rats. This increased storage of vitamin A in diabetic animals most likely is due to increased food intake. The plasma concentrations of vitamin A, on the other hand, remained unaffected in Wistar Furth and decreased moderately (P < 0.02) in Sprague Dawley but severely (P < 0.0001) in Wistar rats. The fact that the plasma vitamin A levels in diabetic Wistar and Sprague Dawley rats were markedly reduced despite their increased hepatic store suggest an impairment in the transport of vitamin A from the liver. The circulatory levels of vitamin A in Wistar rats are more sensitive to the diabetic state, which is in agreement with those observations seen in diabetic patients. Because of this similarity, it is reasonable to suggest that Wistar should be the choice of rat strain for future experimental studies involving vitamin A and diabetes relationships.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1995

Effects of chemically-induced stress on blood viscosity of rabbits.

Disease-induced stress in a living system needs its characterization before quantification. We address this problem by studying the flow behaviour of blood of rabbits. The flow behaviour of rabbit blood, both normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic was observed by plotting viscosity levels against known shear stress. The curves obtained from normal animals showed a curvilinear relationship between eta and tau, whereas the curves obtained from the blood of the induced diabetic animals showed a 'thixotropic' nature i.e. viscosity varies inversely with shear stress. The results obtained were (a) increased viscosity associated with increasing doses, (b) the lower the shear stress, higher was the viscosity and (c) significant variation of viscosity levels between normal and induced-diabetic rabbits observed by increased stress. The possible interpretation of the results in the light of rheological properties of blood is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Thiamin status of the elderly: dietary intake and thiamin pyrophosphate response.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between thiamin intake and its biochemical status in 60 free-living (30 male, 30 female) elderly subjects (> or = 65 years). DESIGN: Dietary intake was estimated using a 3-nonconsecutive-day food record. Biochemical status was assessed by measuring the stimulating effect of thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) on transketolase activity (TPP effect) in hemolyzed erythrocytes, which is a functional test indicative of metabolic availability of thiamin. RESULTS: Average daily thiamin intake was above the recommended requirement (> 0.4 mg/1000 Kcal) for each gender; however, almost half of the total study population had TPP effect > 14%, suggesting thiamin deficiency. There was no correlation between thiamin intake and TPP effect. CONCLUSION: These findings raise questions about the reliability of dietary intake in assessing metabolic availability of thiamin in the elderly.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Seasonal variation of vitamin A (retinol) status in older men and women.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was undertaken to determine vitamin A status in 59 free-living (26 males, 33 females) healthy older persons (65-74 years) in winter and summer. DESIGN: Three-day dietary intake data for vitamin A along with carbohydrate, lipid and protein were collected during the summer (June-September) and again during the winter (November-March). In addition, retinol and its carrier proteins, retinol-binding protein (RBP) and transthyretin (TTR), were measured in the plasma in each season. RESULTS: The mean vitamin A intake met the Canadian Recommended Intake (RNI) for both gender and season. However, probability analysis of dietary data revealed that 7 and 11% of males, and 8 and 14% of females, in summer and winter, respectively, were at risk of deficiency. None of the subjects in the present study exhibited biochemical evidence of vitamin A deficiency as determined by plasma levels of retinol and its transport proteins. Overall, the mean intake of vitamin A was significantly higher in males than in females; no seasonal effect was observed. On the other hand, the plasma levels of retinol and its carrier proteins were significantly lower in winter season than in summer, without any gender variation effect. CONCLUSION: Although mean values for dietary intake and plasma concentration of vitamin A may indicate nutritional adequacy, a small proportion of an older population may be at nutritional risk. The prevalence of risk appears to be generally higher in the winter than in the summer season and in females than in males.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Intestinal absorption of vitamin A in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Diabetes mellitus is known to be associated with enhanced intestinal absorption of lipids. A validated in vitro technique was used to examine the uptake of (3H) retinol (a lipid soluble vitamin) into the jejunum and ileum of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. In addition, availability of vitamin A in the plasma and liver of diabetics which were pair-fed to non-diabetic control rats was investigated. The relationship between the duration of incubation and retinol uptake was curvilinear in both the jejunum and the ileum, but no difference in intestinal uptake was observed between the two groups of animals. A linear relationship was noted between the concentration of retinol and uptake into both the jejunum and ileum. There was no difference in the uptake of retinol between the diabetic and control animals. The hepatic concentration of vitamin A also remained unaffected by diabetes as indicated by similar values found between pair-fed diabetic and non-diabetic control rats. Unlike the liver, plasma retinol level was decreased in the diabetic animals; this effect does not appear to be caused by any change in the intestinal absorption of the vitamin.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Riboflavin status of the elderly: dietary intake and FAD-stimulating effect on erythrocyte glutathione reductase coefficients.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between riboflavin intake and its biochemical status in elderly subjects (> or = 65 years). SUBJECTS: Thirty males and 30 females were randomly selected from a larger sample of free-living elderly residents of Edmonton, Canada. Subjects were contacted through a seniors' service organization and the Medical Officer of Health. Any subject using vitamin supplements or alcohol other than the occasional drink was excluded from the study. DESIGN: Dietary intake was estimated using a 3-nonconsecutive-day food record. Biochemical status was assessed by measuring the erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficient (EGRAC), which is a functional test indicative of metabolic availability of riboflavin. RESULTS: Average daily riboflavin intake of the study population was above the recommended requirement (0.5 mg/1000 kcal). According to the frequently used criterion that an EGRAC value > or = 1.20 is indicative of inadequate riboflavin status, 23% of the males and 7% of the females were classified as being deficient in the vitamin. However, based on the recently suggested normal values (1.30-1.4) for EGRAC, it appeared that all male subjects but one had adequate riboflavin status. CONCLUSION: The criteria used for EGRAC values may affect the interpretation of riboflavin status. It is therefore important that guidelines for EGRAC are standardized for more reliable interpretations.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Incidence and significance of opportunistic fungi in leukemia patients in India.

Twenty-four patients with acute leukemia were investigated for the incidence of opportunistic fungi. Culture isolations of the sputum and urine samples revealed significant levels of Candida in 14 patients; Candida albicans, C. tropicalis and C. pseudotropicalis were the predominant ones isolated. Aspergillus flavus was isolated from blood in two cases and C. albicans and a black yeast from the blood of another two. Serological studies showed fungal antibodies in seven patients; precipitins against Candida were detected in five and Aspergillus in two. Both of the Aspergillus positive cases and two patients who had rising antibodies against Candida died during the course of investigation. In this study 13 of 24 patients developed oral candidiasis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1992

Vitamin B12 and folate status of a selected group of free-living older persons.

Vitamin B12 and folate status was determined in 50 male and 47 female free-living subjects (65-77 years) in winter and summer. The mean intake calculated from 3-day food records met the Canadian recommended intake (RNI) for both gender and season, however, probability analysis of dietary data revealed a number of subjects at risk of deficiency. Although the mean plasma levels were within the acceptable range for both vitamins, some 9 to 14% of individual subjects had folate plasma levels below normal. Fewer subjects had subnormal plasma vitamin B12 levels. Although mean values for dietary intake and plasma concentration of folate and vitamin B12 may indicate nutritional adequacy, a proportion of an older population may be at nutritional risk.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Hepatoprotective activity of Azadirachta indica leaves on paracetamol induced hepatic damage in rats.

Effect of A. indica leaf extract on serum enzyme levels (glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, glutamate pyruvate transaminase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase) elevated by paracetamol in rats was studied with a view to observe any possible hepatoprotective effect of this plant. It was interesting to observe that serum enzyme levels were much elevated in paracetamol induced animals than in those receiving a combination of paracetamol and lead extract. It is stipulated that the extract treated group was protected from hepatic cell damage caused by paracetamol induction. The findings were further confirmed by histopathological study of liver.

Acetaminophen↗
PubMed1992

Ontogenetic and comparative analysis of LDH isozymes in the three species of Indian major carp.

Expression patterns of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isozyme were investigated in embryonic and post embryonic stages of Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus mrigala and Catla catla using starch gel electrophoresis. Species specific and differential enzyme locus (gene) expression patterns were found in LDH up to 18th hr of study. The isozyme up to 36th hr after fertilization seemed to be completely active and showed electrophoretic patterns very similar to those of the adults. Comparative analysis of the isozyme of the three species permitted species identification even during the embryonic stages when it is impossible to identify on morphological characters only. Also, the genetic studies indicated different taxonomical and evolutionary histories of the species.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Hypoglycemic and antihyperglycemic effect of leaves of Vinca rosea linn.

Oral administration of water fraction of alcoholic extract of leaves of Vinca rosea (fam. apocynaeceae) led to marked lowering of blood glucose level in normal and streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. The hypoglycemic effect of the fraction was comparable with that of tolbutamide.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1989

Serum vitamins A and E, beta-carotene, and selenium in patients with breast cancer.

A total of 89 subjects including 30 breast cancer patients with distal metastases, 29 patients with benign breast disease, and 30 healthy subjects were studied. Serum samples from these subjects were obtained from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Breast Cancer Serum Bank, Bethesda. Serum concentrations of vitamin A and its transport proteins (prealbumin and retinol-binding protein [RBP]), beta-carotene, vitamin E, and selenium were determined. For each of these parameters the mean for the breast cancer patients was lower than that of the healthy subjects. The differences between healthy subjects and patients with either breast cancer or benign breast disease were, however, statistically significant only in the case of RBP (p less than 0.05). In the case of vitamin A and its transport proteins these differences were reduced by comparing the cancer patients with the benign breast disease patients rather than with the healthy controls. This indicates that the low serum levels for those three parameters may be merely a consequence of disease in general rather than a feature of cancer per se.

Breast Diseases↗
PubMed1989

Serum vitamin A and retinol-binding protein in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Serum concentrations of vitamins A and E and retinol-binding protein (RBP) were measured in 25 late adolescent and young adult patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Their serum vitamin A levels were significantly lower than those of nondiabetic control subjects of comparable age. The serum concentrations of RBP were also significantly lower in the diabetic patients. The serum levels of vitamin A in the diabetic patients as well as in the control subjects showed a significant linear regression with serum concentrations of RBP. Unlike vitamin A, serum concentrations of vitamin E were not significantly different between the two groups of subjects. These findings suggest that the reduced serum vitamin A levels in the diabetic patients reflect reduced mobilization of vitamin A from the liver.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Dietary fibre and the mouse colon: its influence on luminal pH, reducing activity and bile acid binding.

Female, Swiss mice were fed semi-synthetic diets for 33 days. The diets were fibre-free (FF) or supplemented with corn bran (CB) 12%, wheat bran (WB) 12%, alfalfa (AL) 12%, pectin (P) 6%, cellulose (CL) 6%, or lignin (LG) 6%. Fibre caused little hyperplasia of the colon mucosa. The number of cells per crypt was increased 9-13% and the crypt column length by 14-19% in the CL, AL and LG groups. CB caused rather less hyperplasia, WB less again and P caused none. The colon mucosal DNA content was approximately 5-10% lower in mice given supplemental fibre. The pH of the contents of the distal colon was apparently unaffected by fibre. Measurement of a non-specific, non-enzymic reducing activity indicated that activity was doubled by AL and LG, lowered 41% by CB but little changed by WB, CL and P. The deoxycholate binding capacity of the colon contents was increased 3--4-fold by LG, whereas the other fibre sources were without appreciable effect. This high binding capacity by LG was also seen in the material used for diet preparation. Analyses of the contents of the caecum and of the remaining colon indicated that as food residue passes from the caecum to the remaining colon little change in binding capacity occurs.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Plasma vitamin A, retinol-binding protein, and prealbumin in postoperative breast cancer patients.

Plasma vitamin A and its circulatory transport proteins, retinol-binding protein (RBP) and prealbumin, were measured in nine postoperative female breast cancer patients, who were apparently disease-free at the time of blood collection. The plasma concentrations of these parameters were found to be similar to that of the age- and sex-matched healthy controls with the exception of two patients, who subsequently had cancer recurrence. The values of vitamin A, RBP, and prealbumin were all very low in these two patients.

Adult↗