Biomedical subjects

A Aro

Publications and source records attributed to A Aro.

205 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Serum selenium in acute infections.

We measured the serum selenium concentration in 64 patients with uncomplicated viral (n = 33) or bacterial (n = 31) infections during the acute state of infection, during the early convalescent phase and after a minimum recovery period of three weeks and compared it to serum iron values. Both selenium (mean +/- SEM: 70.3 +/- 2.3 micrograms/l vs 79.4 +/- 2.2 micrograms/l, p less than 0.0001) and iron (8.4 +/- 0.8 micrograms vs 16.7 +/- 0.9 micrograms/l, p less than 0.0001) concentrations showed significant depressions in the acute stage of infection compared with the values after the recovery. The reduction of serum selenium did not correlate with the severity of infection measured by fever. We conclude that acute infections decrease serum levels regardless of the infective agent. The changes are of interest because of the possible connection between selenium and the immune system.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Dietary vitamin c supplementation and common laboratory values in the elderly.

The effects of dietary supplementation with vitamin C on several common laboratory values were assessed in 27 elderly patients in long-stay wards. The patients had shown low plasma ascorbic acid concentrations before the study. During three consecutive periods of six weeks the patients received either placebo or moderate (200 mg/day) or high (2000 mg/day) doses of vitamin C. There was a significant rise of serum folate concentration after both doses of vitamin C. A decrease of serum uric acid concentration after high doses of vitamin C was found. Supplementation with vitamin C did not affect other values of laboratory examinations determined. The results suggest that dietary supplementation with either moderate or high doses of vitamin C has only very few and small influences on common laboratory values in elderly patients.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Nitrate and nitrite intake and the risk for type 1 diabetes in Finnish children. Childhood Diabetes in Finland Study Group.

The intakes of nitrate and nitrite of children and their parents from food and drinking water were estimated in a Finnish nation-wide case-control study on the epidemiology of Type 1 diabetes. The study population consisted of 684 case and 595 control children; 548 case-control pairs of fathers; and 620 case-control pairs of mothers. The consumption frequencies of foods which are important sources of nitrate and nitrite were assessed by structured questionnaire. Nitrate and nitrite concentration data were collected from Finnish water works. Diabetic children's and their mothers' daily dietary intake of nitrite was greater compared with that of control children and mothers (for case and control children 0.9 mg vs 0.8 mg, for case and control mothers 0.9 mg vs 0.8 mg, p < 0.001). Case mothers compared with control mothers received less (p < 0.05) nitrate from their diet. No differences were observed in the intake of nitrate or nitrite from drinking water. Dietary nitrite intake of children (odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the second, third, and fourth quartile 1.16, 0.82-1.65; 1.49, 1.06-2.10; 2.32, 1.67-3.24, respectively) and mothers (odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the second, third, and fourth quartile 1.15, 0.76-1.74; 1.29, 0.87-1.91; 1.98, 1.35-2.90, respectively) was positively associated with the risk for Type 1 diabetes independently from length of mother's education, child's or mother's age, place of residence or mother's smoking status.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Proteinuria in newly diagnosed type II diabetic patients.

Urinary excretion of albumin, IgG, and beta 2-microglobulin was examined in 132 (69 men, 63 women) newly diagnosed, middle-aged type II diabetic patients and in 144 (62 men, 82 women) nondiabetic control subjects. Both male (N = 57) and female (N = 29) diabetic patients with normal urinary sediment showed an increased excretion of albumin compared with the respective nondiabetic subjects, and male diabetic patients also had an increased IgG excretion. No consistent difference was found in urinary beta 2-microglobulin concentration between the diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. In all, 19.5% of the diabetic subjects with normal urinary sediment (12 men, 5 women) showed urinary albumin concentration exceeding the highest value (35 mg/24 h) found in nondiabetic subjects without renal disease. The urinary excretion of albumin in the diabetic subjects was not associated with the presence of hypertension or coronary heart disease or with the fasting blood glucose or serum insulin levels measured at diagnosis of diabetes. In male diabetic subjects with urinary albumin excretion greater than 35 mg/24 h, a reduced creatinine clearance was found, suggesting the presence of structural damage associated with diabetic nephropathy. The early increase of urinary albumin excretion in type II diabetic patients may be mostly functional in nature. However, some patients may have structural renal damage associated with diabetic nephropathy present at diagnosis.

Blood Glucose↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A controlled trial on the effects of patient education in the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes.

The effect of patient education on diabetic control in insulin-treated diabetic adults was studied in 77 subjects randomized into two groups: intensive patient education (group A) and control (group B). The subjects in group A received intensive patient instruction, both individually and in small groups, from a team of physicians, teaching nurses, and a dietitian. The patients in group B received a short instruction course consisting mainly of printed material. A highly significant improvement in diabetic control was observed in both groups immediately after the education programs, with gradual return to the original level during the following 3-6 mo. No difference was observed between the two groups in any of the measured parameters during the 18-mo investigation. Factors related to good control during the study included the length of school education, the quality of the control at the beginning of the study, and the high degree of self-confidence and lack of signs of anxiety in the psychological tests. The results demonstrate that the effects of educational programs are of limited value if they do not lead to permanent changes in attitudes and motivation, which are critical factors affecting long-term diabetic control.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Serum lipids and lipoproteins in newly diagnosed non-insulin-dependent (type II) diabetic patients, with special reference to factors influencing HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Serum and lipoprotein lipids were examined in 133 newly diagnosed (type II) diabetic patients (70 men, 63 women), aged 45-64 yr, and in 144 randomly selected nondiabetic control subjects of similar age (62 men, 82 women). The serum total cholesterol levels in diabetic and nondiabetic subjects were similar, but the HDL-cholesterol levels were lower and the serum total triglyceride levels higher in the diabetic than in nondiabetic subjects. No significant differences were found in apoprotein A-I and A-II levels between the diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. After adjustment for age, alcohol intake, obesity, 2-h postglucose serum insulin, and serum triglycerides, male diabetic subjects still had lower HDL-cholesterol levels than corresponding nondiabetic subjects. On the other hand, female diabetic subjects had higher serum triglycerides than their nondiabetic counterparts, even after adjustment for age, alcohol intake, 2-h postglucose serum insulin, and obesity.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Glucose and insulin responses to meals containing milk, lactose, glucose or fructose in subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

The postprandial blood glucose and serum insulin responses to liquid test meals containing 40 g carbohydrate from milk, lactose, glucose or fructose and equal amounts of energy were compared in 10 non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetic patients. The meals were consumed in random order on consecutive days after an overnight fast. Significant differences (p less than 0.001, ANOVA) were observed between the glucose and insulin responses to the meals. The glucose response was significantly higher after the glucose containing meal and lower after the fructose meal as compared with the other meals. The insulin response was significantly higher after the lactose and glucose meals than after the milk and fructose meals. After the milk and lactose meals the blood glucose responses were similar whereas the insulin response was significantly lower after the milk meal. As lactose apparently was similarly absorbed from the two meals the difference in the insulin response was probably due to different insulinogenic effects of the protein components or to differences in the physical properties of the respective meals.

Adult↗