Effect of vitamin C administration on serum and egg-yolk cholesterol level of the chicken

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) was given to 144-days-old layer chickens mixed with their ration at three concentrations: 30, 60 and 90 p.p.m. for 6 months. Cholesterol levels in blood serum (CS) and egg yolk (CE) were measured every 6 weeks (four periods); there was a marked decrease in CS in most treated birds, especially those receiving the highest concentration of vitamin C. There was also a slight decrease in CE in most treated birds. Thyroidal weight showed a significant increase in most treated groups, especially those receiving the highest concentration of vitamin C.     

The effect of meteorological factors on the serum cholesterol level of arteriosclerotic patients

The effect of meteorological changes and solar activity on the serum cholesterol concentration of arteriosclerotic patients was studied. A significant correlation was observed between meteorological events and alterations in the cholesterol content of blood plasma. As meteorological conditions and solar factors were found to influence serum cholesterol level in patients with arteriosclerosis, it is assumed that such factors might play an important part in the preconditioning of acute vascular manifestations commonly observed in this disease.

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Zusammenfassung Abweichungen des Serumcholesterinspiegels arteriosklerotischer Kranken wurden auf die Wirkung verschiedener meteorologischer VerÄnderungen und solar physikalischer Ereignisse untersucht.Ein signifikanter Zusammenhang wurde zwischen mehreren meteorologischen Faktoren und den Abweichungen des Serumcholesterinspiegels festgestellt. Es für wahrscheinlich gehalten, dass diese Faktoren die Pathogenese der Krankheit beeinflussen und eine Rolle bei der Vorbereitung akuter vaskulÄrer Katastrophen spielen.

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Resume On a étudié les variations du taux de cholésterol du sérum sanguin de patients atteints d'atériosclérose sous l'influence de changements météorologiques et solaires. On a trouvé une corrélation significative entre les fluctuations de plusieurs facteurs météorologiques et les changements du taux de cholestérol. Ces observations laissent à penser que ces facteurs, en modifiant l'état pathologique de la maladie, jouent un rÔle important dans la préparation d'une catastrophe vasculaire subite.

     

Serum retinol and the inverse relationship between serum cholesterol and cancer.

Several human studies have shown an inverse relation between vitamin A intake (and serum concentrations of retinol and carotene) and cancer. Serum cholesterol concentrations have also been reported in inverse relation to cancer. In a study of 3102 people in Evans County, Georgia, who were followed for over 12-14 years to assess the incidence of cancer there was an inverse association between the risk of cancer and both serum retinol and serum cholesterol concentrations. The data also showed an unexpectedly strong correlation between serum retinol and total cholesterol concentrations. The inverse relationship with cancer was stronger with serum retinol than with cholesterol, which suggested that the association with cholesterol might be secondary. This suggestion may also explain the cholesterol-cancer association reported in several other cohort studies. Further studies of the relation between serum concentrations of cholesterol, retinol, and carotene and the incidence of cancer are needed.     

Cryosurgical ablation of liver tumors in colon cancer patients increases the serum total ganglioside level and then selectively augments antiganglioside IgM

Cryosurgical ablation (CSA) of tumors induces disruptive necrosis. Necrosis may release tumor gangliosides into circulation and they may augment serum antiganglioside antibodies depending on the nature of gangliosides released. The hypothesis is tested by determining the level of serum total gangliosides (STG) and their antibody titers in the sera of colon cancer patients with cryoablated liver tumors. As controls, we examined the sera of patients who underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and regular surgery (RS), none of which cause disruptive necrosis. The STG level (expressed as lipid-bound sialic acids, LBSA) is higher (p(2)<0.001) in 35 patients (stage IV) than in 38 healthy case-controls (median 23.48 mg/dL, Q-range 7.1 vs 16.04 mg/dL, Q-range 4.5). The mean STG level increased significantly to 31.2+/-6.0mg/dL (p(2)<0.03) after CSA. Concomitantly, the IgM titer against colon cancer-associated gangliosides (GM(2), GD(1a), GT(1b)), increased significantly, but no increase was observed against normal tissue gangliosides (GM(3) or GM(1)). Also after RFA and RS, no such increase was observed either in the level of STG or in IgM titer against tumor gangliosides. The results suggest that CSA-induced necrosis might have acted as an adjuvant, because purified gangliosides without exogenous adjuvants even after repeated immunization failed to elicit antibody response. The post-CSA decline in the STG level correlated with the increase in the antibodies, suggesting a homeostatic role of the antibodies.     

The role of the lipidome in obesity-mediated colon cancer risk

Obesity is a state of chronic inflammation influenced by lipids such as fatty acids and their secondary oxygenated metabolites deemed oxylipids. Many such lipid mediators serve as potent signaling molecules of inflammation, which can further alter lipid metabolism and lead to carcinogenesis. For example, sphingosine-1-phosphate activates cyclooxygenase-2 in endothelial cells resulting in the conversion of arachidonic acid (AA) to prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂). PGE₂ promotes colon cancer cell growth. In contrast, the less studied path of AA oxygenation via cytochrome p450 enzymes produces epoxyeicosatetraenoic acids (EETs), whose anti-inflammatory properties cause shrinking of enlarged adipocytes, a characteristic of obesity, through the liberation of fatty acids. It is now thought that EET depletion occurs in obesity and may contribute to colon cell carcinogenesis. Meanwhile, gangliosides, a type of sphingolipid, are cell surface signaling molecules that contribute to the apoptosis of colon tumor cells. Many of these discoveries have been made recently and the mechanisms are still not fully understood, leading to an exciting new chapter of lipidomic research. In this review, mechanisms behind obesity-associated colon cancer are discussed with a focus on the role of small lipid signaling molecules in the process. Specifically, changes in lipid metabolite levels during obesity and the development of colon cancer, as well as novel biomarkers and targets for therapy, are discussed.     

Carcinogen DNA adducts and the risk of colon cancer: case-control study

Colorectal cancer represents 8.5% of all tumours at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre. Environmental and dietary carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs) have long been suspected to play a prominent role in colon cancer aetiology. We designed a case-control study to test the hypothesis of whether or not the presence of DNA adducts can play a role in the aetiology of colon cancer. DNA adducts were measured in 24 cancerous and 20 non-cancerous tissue samples of newly diagnosed colon cancer patients by ³²P-post-labelling technique. Normal tissue from 19 hospital patients served as controls. The mean levels of adducts per 10¹⁰ nucleotides in cancerous and non-cancerous tissue were 151.75±217.27 and 114.81±186.10, respectively; however, only adducts in cancerous tissue were significantly higher than controls (32.78±57.51 per 10¹⁰ nucleotides) with p-values of 0.017. No BPDE-DNA adducts were found. No relationship was found between urinary cotinine as a marker of tobacco smoke and 1-hydroxypyrene as an indicator of an individual's internal dose of PAHs and DNA adducts. In a logistic regression model, only adducts in cancerous tissue were associated with the subsequent risk of colon cancer, with an odds ratio of 3.587 (95% confidence interval 0.833-15.448) after adjustment for age and the duration of living in the current region, but of a borderline significance (p=0.086). Although it is difficult to arrive at a definite conclusion from a small dataset, our preliminary results suggest the potential role of DNA adducts in the colon carcinogenesis process. Additional studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm our preliminary finding. It is also important to identify the structural characterization of these unknown DNA adducts in order to have a better understanding of whether or not environmental carcinogens play a role in the aetiology of colon cancer.     

Dietary fat and cholesterol and serum cholesterol in the gerbil

Groups of gerbils were fed purified diets containing either 10 or 20% of safflower, olive, or coconut oil. Each diet was fed without cholesterol and with 0.1 and 0.2% of added cholesterol. The animals were bled after 2, 4, and 8 wk for the determination of the level of serum cholesterol. The major factors affecting the level of serum cholesterol were the kind of dietary oil, the amount of dietary cholesterol, and the length of time the diet was fed. The level of safflower oil had a statistically significant effect but the level of olive or coconut oil had no significant effect. Various other statistically significant interactions were observed which make simple interpretations of the data difficult. The levels of serum cholesterol achieved in the gerbils fed the different oils with no or very low levels of dietary cholesterol were similar to those seen in men fed the same oils. Although the gerbil is apparently resistant to the development of atherosclerosis, it may be a useful model for studying the effect of dietary fats upon cholesterol metabolism.     

结肠癌患者血清及癌组织中VEGF的表达水平及临床意义

目的探讨结肠癌患者血清及癌组织中血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）的表达水平及临床意义。方法选择不同TNM分期的结肠癌患者88例,同时收集因外伤而切除部分结肠组织的患者43例作为对照组,采用酶联免疫吸附法（ELISA）检测不同患者在结肠癌手术前后血清中VEGF水平,利用实时定量PCR,免疫印迹及免疫组织化学染色法测定癌组织及正常对照组中VEGF表达水平,分析VEGF在血清及癌组织中表达水平与临床病理因素相关性。结果 TNM各期结肠癌患者手术前后血清VEGF水平均高于对照组,且差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）。各期结肠癌患者术前血清VEGF表达高于术后表达水平,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）。与对照组相比,结肠癌组织中VEGF表达水平明显高于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.01）。结论血清及癌组织中VEGF表达水平与结肠癌的临床病理分级及血管浸润呈正相关,有望作为结肠癌病理分级和手术疗效及预后的评价指标。