Prediction of male cancer mortality by plasma levels of interacting vitamins: 17-year follow-up of the prospective Basel study

Plasma vitamins C, E, retinol and carotene were measured in 1971–1973 in 2,974 men working in Basel Switzerland. In 1990, the vital status of all participants was assessed. A total of 290 men had died from cancer during the 17 years of follow-up, including 87 with lung cancer, 30 with prostate cancer, 28 with stomach cancer and 22 with colon cancer. Overall mortality from cancer was associated with low mean plasma levels of carotene (adjusted for cholesterol) and of vitamin C. Lung and stomach cancers were associated with a low mean plasma carotene level. After calculation of the relative risk, using the Cox model, with exclusion of mortality during the first 2 years of follow-up, simultaneously low levels of plasma carotene (below quartile I) and lipid-adjusted retinol were related to a significantly increased mortality risk for all cancers and for lung cancer. Simultaneously, low levels of plasma vitamin C and lipid-adjusted vitamin E also were associated with a significantly increased risk for lung cancer. Additionally, low vitamin E levels in smokers were related to an increased risk for prostate cancer. It is concluded that low plasma levels of the vitamins C, E, retinol and carotene are related to increased risk of subsequent overall and lung-cancer mortality and that low levels of vitamin E in smokers are related to an increased risk of prostate-cancer mortality. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

The preparation and properties of niosomes--non-ionic surfactant vesicles

Vesicles were prepared on hydration of a mixture of a single or double alkyl-chain, non-ionic surfactant with cholesterol. These vesicles, or 'niosomes', are capable of entrapping and retaining water soluble solutes such as carboxyfluorescein, are osmotically active and can be formulated to release entrapped solute slowly. The physical characteristics of the vesicles were found to be dependent on the method of production and three such methods, based on liposome technology, are described. The vesicles have been characterized by photon correlation spectroscopy, freeze fracture electron micrography, measurement of solute entrapment efficiency, and solute release rates. Vesicular forms of the single chain surfactant which could be formed under certain conditions in the absence of cholesterol are also described.     

Nighttime sleep problems and daytime sleepiness in Parkinson's disease

Our objective is to evaluate nighttime sleep problems (NSP) and daytime sleepiness (DS) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) compared to controls, and to assess relations with demographic, disease‐related, and clinical characteristics in patients. NSP and DS were evaluated with the SCOPA‐SLEEP questionnaire in PD patients and controls. In patients, other disease‐related and clinical characteristics were also evaluated. Four hundred twenty PD patients [mean (SD) age 61.1 (11.5) years] and 150 controls [mean (SD) age 60.9 (9.9) years] participated in the study. Compared to controls, a significantly greater proportion of patients had excessive DS (EDS) (43 vs. 10%), excessive NSP (ENSP) (27 vs. 9%), or used sleep medication (17 vs. 12%). Difficulties with falling asleep were similar in both groups. In both patients and controls, women experienced more NSP than men. In patients, depressive symptoms accounted for 21% of NSP variance and was the major contributor to the total explained variance (30%). Furthermore, NSP were related to dopamine‐agonist and levodopa dose, whereas DS was related to age, dopamine‐agonist dose, and disease severity. NSP and DS occur frequently in PD, with EDS being reported more commonly than ENSP. No strong relations were found between DS and demographic or clinical variables. The strong relation between NSP and depressive symptoms in PD calls for future studies to explore the nature of this relation. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society     

Dropped head syndrome in severe intractable epilepsies with mental retardation.

PURPOSE: Dropped head syndrome is characterized by a gradual forward sagging of the head due to the isolated weakness of the neck extensor muscles. The syndrome has a relatively benign clinical course. To date, there have been no reports of dropped head syndrome in epileptic patients. METHODS: Nine patients with intractable epilepsy (mean age, 33.6+/-9.91 years), each presenting with apparent dropped head, were evaluated. The duration of the drooping head symptom varied from 3 to 15 years (mean, 7.4+/-4.06 years), with a slowly progressing weakness in most of the patients. In all of the patients, extensive clinical, laboratory, electrophysiological, histopathological, and neuroimaging examinations were performed. RESULTS: The weakness in all of the subjects was strictly limited to the cervical paraspinal muscles. Laboratory studies produced normal results from all subjects. EMG and muscle biopsy were normal or revealed subtle nonspecific myopathic changes without inflammation in the cervical paraspinal muscles. Polymyographic investigation revealed that none of the patients had convincing dystonic spasms of the anterior neck muscles. No atrophy or fatty changes of the neck extensor muscles were observed on CT or MRI. In most of the patients (7/9), altered L-carnitine concentrations were observed (four patients displayed a marked decrease in plasma carnitine concentrations, and three other patients showed abnormalities in urinary excretion of carnitine). CONCLUSIONS: These findings seem to suggest that a secondary carnitine deficiency, induced by antiepileptic drugs (principally valproic acid), represents a plausible pathogenetic mechanism for the development of dropped head in some epileptic patients.     

Managing Q fever during pregnancy: the benefits of long-term cotrimoxazole therapy.

BACKGROUND: Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii. During pregnancy, it may result in obstetric complications, such as spontaneous abortion, intrauterine growth retardation, intrauterine fetal death, and premature delivery. Pregnant women are exposed to the risk of chronic Q fever. METHODS: We included 53 pregnant women who received a diagnosis of Q fever. We compared the incidence of obstetric and maternal Q fever complications for women who received long-term cotrimoxazole treatment (n=16) with that for women who did not receive long-term cotrimoxazole treatment (n=37); long-term cotrimoxazole treatment was defined as oral administration of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole during at least 5 weeks of pregnancy. RESULTS: Obstetric complications were observed in 81.1% of pregnant women who did not receive long-term cotrimoxazole therapy: 5 (13.5%) women experienced spontaneous abortions, 10 (27%) experienced intrauterine growth retardation, 10 (27%) experienced intrauterine fetal death, and 10 (27%) experienced premature delivery. Oligoamnios was observed in 4 patients (10.8%). Obstetric complications were found to occur significantly more often in patients infected during their first trimester of pregnancy than in those infected later (P=.032). The outcome of the pregnancy was found to depend on placental infection by C. burnetii (P=.013). Long-term cotrimoxazole treatment protected against maternal chronic Q fever (P=.001), placental infection (P=.038), and obstetric complications (P=.009), especially intrauterine fetal death (P=.018), which was found to be related to placental infection (P=.008). CONCLUSIONS: Q fever during pregnancy results in severe obstetric complications, including oligoamnios. Because of its ability to protect against placental infection, intrauterine fetal death, and maternal chronic Q fever, long-term cotrimoxazole treatment should be used to treat pregnant women with Q fever.     

Aminosäuren, 15. Mitt.: Synthese enantiomerenreiner DAVA-Derivate (5-Amino-4-hydroxypentansäuren) aus (S)-Glutaminsäure

Amino Acids, XV: Synthesis of Enantiopure DAVA-Derivatives (5-Amino-4-hydroxypentanoic Acids) from (S)-Glutamic Acid Starting from (S)-glutamic acid the readily available hydroxymethyl lactone 1 is protected as the TBDPS ether 2. Alkylation of the lithium enolate of 2 provides the lactones 3a,b with high diastereomeric excess. On the other hand 1,4 addition of Gilman cuprates to 10 furnishes the alcohols 12a,b after deprotection. Transformation of 4,12 via the mesylates 5,13 and the azides 6,14 affords the Boc protected amines 7,15 after catalytic hydrogenation in the presence of Boc₂O. After treatment of 7,15 with methanolic HCl the rings of the crystalline hydrochlorides 8,16 are opened to the DAVA-derivatives (Δ-aminovaleric acid derivatives) 9,17 .