Are Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin Assays Useful for the Detection of Recurrent 'Binge Drinking' in Children with an Alcohol Intoxication in the Emergency Department?

AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate different carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) assays for the detection of recurrent excessive alcohol abuse in adolescents prior to acute alcohol intoxication. METHODS: Data on drinking behaviour and CDT levels of adolescents (13-18 years) registered at the outpatient clinic for youth and alcohol at three major district general hospitals in the Netherlands were retrospectively collected. CDT and disialotransferrin (DST) levels of binge-drinking teenagers were compared with non-binge-drinking teenagers. RESULTS: In total 198 samples were collected for the N Latex CDT method (N = 83), no differences were found in mean CDT levels for binge versus non-binge drinkers (P = 0.8). The Helander HPLC (N = 78) showed significantly higher values for binge drinkers than for non-binge drinkers (mean 1.20%DST, SD 0.28 and mean 1.01%DST, SD 0.31, respectively (P = 0.01)). The Recipe ClinRep method (N = 37) also showed significantly higher values for binge drinkers (mean 1.17%DST, SD 0.36 and mean 0.89%DST, SD 0.34, respectively (P = 0.03)). CONCLUSION: With the Helander HPLC method and the Recipe ClinRep assay higher levels are measured in binge drinkers than in non-binge drinkers.

Spread supplemented with moderate doses of vitamin E and carotenoids reduces lipid peroxidation in healthy, nonsmoking adults.

BACKGROUND: High doses of vitamin E have been shown to decrease lipid peroxidation in persons under oxidative stress. At present, the data are insufficient to predict whether lower doses offer the same benefit in healthy persons. OBJECTIVE: We studied the effect of moderate doses of a combination of vitamin E and carotenoids, incorporated into a food product, on markers of antioxidant status and lipid peroxidation in healthy persons. DESIGN: One hundred five healthy adults were randomly, evenly assigned in this double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel, 11-wk intervention study. After a 2-wk stabilization period during which the subjects consumed a commercial unfortified spread, the subjects consumed 25 g/d of spread containing 43 mg alpha-tocopherol equivalents (alpha-TE; 2-3 fold the US dietary reference intake) and 0.45 mg carotenoids (spread A), 111 mg alpha-TE and 1.24 mg carotenoids (spread B), or 1.3 mg RRR-alpha-tocopherol without carotenoids (spread C). RESULTS: In subjects consuming spread A, plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations increased 31% to 32 micromol/L, with small but significant increases in concentrations of alpha-carotene and lutein. This resulted in LDL with significantly higher total antioxidant capacity (17%) and an increased resistance to oxidation, as determined by lag time (18%). These improvements were dose dependent: larger increases in these variables were observed in subjects consuming spread B. Furthermore, consumption of spread B significantly reduced concentrations of the plasma lipid peroxidation biomarker F(2 alpha)-isoprostane (15%). CONCLUSION: The consumption of food products containing moderate amounts of vitamin E and carotenoids can lead to measurable and significant improvements in antioxidant status and biomarkers of oxidative stress in healthy persons.

A new method for measuring oxidative stress in claudicants during strenuous exercise using free radical derivatives of antipyrine as indicators: a pilot study.

Patients with intermittent claudication disease suffer from temporary lack of oxygen in the legs, caused by narrowing of arteries, resulting in ischemia and followed by reperfusion. The degree of oxidative stress present in 16 patients during strenuous exercise was determined using several indicators. Two derivatives of an exogenous marker, antipyrine (AP), (ie, p-hydroxyantipyrine, p-APOH, and o-hydroxyantipyrine, o-APOH), were assayed in plasma using HPLC-tandem-MS. Plasma malondialdehyde (assayed as thiobarbituric acid reactive species, TBARS) was also determined. The branchial/ankle blood pressure index (b-a index) was used to assess the severity of intermittent claudication disease, and plasma lactate concentration was also measured as an indicator of the ischemic situation. Plasma TBARS level did not change significantly after exercise. During the ischemic situation as well as during reperfusion, both free radical derivatives of antipyrine increased significantly in plasma (p < 0.01). Because p-APOH is also formed enzymatically in humans, the plasma ratio of o-APOH to AP appeared to be the most specific marker for oxidative stress in patients with intermittent claudication.