ABSTRACT
The relationship between essential fatty acid [EFA] status and degree of hyperbilirubinaemia and oxidant stress in infants and children with chronic liver diseases was evaluated. Thirty patients with chronic cholestasis and 30 with liver cirrhosis were examined; 30 healthy subjects served as controls. Patient groups had significant decreases in EFAs and significant elevation of total bilirubin. Levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were significantly raised and were significantly inversely correlated to decreased EFA levels. There were also significant decreases in retinol, alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopherol/total lipids ratio, which had significant positive correlations with decreased EFA levels. Infants and children with chronic liver diseases have a high risk of EFA deficiency correlated with progressive elevation of serum bilirubin and progressive deterioration of oxidant status
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Biliary Atresia/complications , Bilirubin/blood , Case-Control Studies , Child, Preschool , Chronic Disease , Fatty Acids, Essential/blood , Glycogen Storage Disease Type III/complications , Hepatic Veno-Occlusive Disease/complications , Hyperbilirubinemia/etiology , Oxidative Stress/physiologyABSTRACT
The role of homocysteine as an independent risk factor for vascular endothelial damage, and the possible link between homocysteine and tumour necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha] as two synergistic risk factors for beta-cell apoptosis in type 1 diabetes mellitus was studied. Plasma homocysteine levels were significantly elevated in all diabetic patients compared with controls and diabetic patients with vascular complications showed higher elevations. Furthermore, homocysteine levels showed significant positive correlation with the degree of microalbuminuria. TNF-alpha levels were elevated in all diabetic patients compared with controls. These results may have therapeutic implications
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Female , Humans , Male , Albuminuria/etiology , Apoptosis/physiology , Cholesterol/blood , Cholesterol, LDL/blood , Diabetic Angiopathies/etiology , Diabetic Neuropathies/etiology , Glycated Hemoglobin/metabolism , Homocysteine/blood , Hyperhomocysteinemia/blood , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolismABSTRACT
The ratio of stearic to oleic acids, i.e. the fatty acid saturation index, in red blood cell membranes was assayed in 60 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection before and after interferon-alpha therapy. Results were compared with 20 healthy controls. Hepatitis C virus titre was also assayed before and after interferon-alpha therapy. Within 2-5 months following interferon-alpha therapy, a significant inverse correlation was observed between saturation index and hepatitis C virus load. We conclude that hepatitis C virus infection enhances the degree of desaturation of 18-carbon fatty acids and that interferon-alpha is involved in their metabolism by increasing the degree of saturation and subsequent decrease in membrane fluidity