ABSTRACT
In a total of 55 samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and an equal number of serum samples obtained from 45 patients with neurological disorders and 10 controls, folic acid and vitamin B12 were measured. A radioisotopic assay method was used. A significant decrease of CSF folic acid was noted in the group with cerebral tumors.
Subject(s)
Central Nervous System Diseases/cerebrospinal fluid , Folic Acid/cerebrospinal fluid , Vitamin B 12/cerebrospinal fluid , Brain Neoplasms/cerebrospinal fluid , Demyelinating Diseases/cerebrospinal fluid , Humans , Meningitis/cerebrospinal fluidABSTRACT
The concentration of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) in cerebrospinal fluid was measured in 45 samples from 45 subjects, one sample per subject. 12 of the studied persons were (control group) neurologically normal, 11 were suffering from acute cerebral ischemia with deep coma, and 22 from meningitis of different types. The mean value obtained in the control group was 21.4 +/- (SEM) 3.3 nmol/l, in the group of acute cerebral ischemic attack with deep coma it was 7.00 +/- 0.81 nmol/l and in the group of meningitis 5.5 +/- 0.4 nmol/l. These values are significantly lower than the control group (p less than 0.001). These low levels, observed in the two groups of patients, may be attributed to the altered cAMP metabolism in the central nervous system because of deep coma and bacterial infections.
Subject(s)
Brain Ischemia/cerebrospinal fluid , Cyclic AMP/cerebrospinal fluid , Meningitis/cerebrospinal fluid , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins/metabolism , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Serum vitamin B12 and folic acid levels were measured in 48 hyperthyroid patients and in a group of euthyroid controls. The levels of vitamin B12 ranged from 120-900 pg/ml with a mean of 429.3 +/- 30.9 pg/ml (SE). The mean serum vitamin B12 level was lower in hyperthyroid patients than in normal controls, the difference being statistically significant (t = 2.584, p less than 0.025). Serum vitamin B12 levels showed a statistically significant negative correlation with the clinical index of Grooks et al. (r = 0.344, p less than 0.05). The findings, although not excluding the involvement of auto-immune gastritis in patients with low serum vitamin B12 levels, suggest a direct action of increased thyroid hormone concentrations. Serum folic acid levels ranged from 0.5-13.8 ng/ml with a mean of 6.8 +/- 0.46 ng/ml (SE). The mean serum folic acid levels were higher in the hyperthyroid patients than in normal controls but the difference was not statistically significant (t = 1.2, p greater than 0.2). The serum folic acid levels did not show any statistically significant correlation with the clinical index of Grooks et al. The fact that no statistically significant difference was found between the mean value in hyperthyroid patients and the mean value in normal controls is probably due to the high folic acid intake in Greece.
