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Biomedical subjects

F P Schelp

Publications and source records attributed to F P Schelp.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Vitamin B1, B2 and B6 status of vegetarians.

The vitamin B1, B2 and B6 status was determined in 132 healthy vegetarians, age range 25-57 years who have been practising vegetarianism for 1-22 years. Sixty-eight healthy non-vegetarians were chosen as controls. The conventional methods to measure the activation coefficient alpha ETK, alpha EGR and alpha EAST were applied to assess the vitamin status of B1, B2 and B6 respectively. The value of 1.25 alpha ETK, 1.5 alpha EGR and 2.0 alpha EAST and above indicate a deficiency in the vitamin status. The results showed significantly poorer vitamin B1 and B6 status in vegetarians than in non-vegetarians, whereas, no significant difference in vitamin B2 status was found. None of the non-vegetarians were deficient in vitamin B1 but 3 of them (4.4%) were deficient in vitamin B6. On the other hand, 10 of vegetarians (7.6%) were deficient in vitamin B1; 38 (28.8%) in vitamin B6. A high prevalence of riboflavin deficiency was found in 32 (24.2%) of the vegetarians; as well as in 15 (22.2%) of the non-vegetarians. Only riboflavin status was significantly related with the duration of vegetarianism practiced. Vegetarians should be considered as the vulnerable group for vitamin B2 and vitamin B6 deficiencies. B-vitamins status should be checked and efforts should be made to improve through dietary counselling and nutritional education should be included and stress in the health education program in order to improve nutritional deficiencies.

Adult↗

Nutritionally-induced elevation of serum proteinase inhibitors and reduced 3-methylhistidine excretion in the rat.

One group of growing rats was fed ad libitum a low protein and energy diet (PER). A second group was fed a low protein diet (PR). Both these groups showed a gain in weight below that of the control group. A third group was fed a very low protein and energy diet (VPER). A weight gain could also be observed in this group but this gain was lower than those observed in the first two groups. A fourth group that was on a very low protein diet (VPR) gained almost no weight. After 6 weeks a significant reduction in 3-methylhistidine excretion in urine was observed in all the experimental animals with lowest values found in the VPER and VPR groups. Total serum protein levels declined to a certain extent because of the protein and energy restrictions but albumin and transferrin remained largely unaffected. Significantly lower serum concentrations were found only in the VPR group. The rat serum proteinase inhibitors alpha 1-macroglobulin and alpha 1-inhibitor3 decreased when protein and energy were restricted and alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor decreased only in the VPER and VPR groups. alpha 2-macroglobulin and alpha 1-cysteine proteinase inhibitor concentrations increased considerably in the serum of the experimental groups. The results are discussed in relation to the probable role of the latter two inhibitors in the adaptation process when protein and energy were restricted and compared to similar observations recorded in man.

Animals↗

Seasonal variation of wasting and stunting in preschool children during a three-year community-based nutritional intervention study in northeast Thailand.

A nutritional intervention project was undertaken for three years in four villages located in a relatively prosperous irrigation area in northeast Thailand where sub-clinical undernutrition is still prevalent. Data were collected at each measuring pont from approximately 270 preschool children in four intervention villages. Approximately 120 children in three other villages in the same area served as controls for each measuring point. Various activities such as teaching nutrition, introducing supplementary feeding, and using and understanding weight charts, as well as home visits, were carried out in the intervention villages. An obvious improvement in the nutritional status of children in the intervention villages could be observed only after two years and nine months. In order that immediate action could be taken when a child was found to be undernourished or at risk of becoming undernourished in the near future, the nutritional indicator weight-for-height was used to assess the children's nutritional status. However, the best indicator determining the impact of the project was height-for-age. Intervention measures were successful in diminishing marked seasonal variations in the nutritional status observed in the study area. Statistical methods are given to evaluate a prospective study based on an incomplete repeated measure method.

Age Factors↗

Relationship of the morbidity of under-fives to anthropometric measurements and community health intervention.

In a 3-year prospective morbidity study in seven villages of northeast Thailand the health of preschool children was assessed every alternate week by questioning the mothers. The nutritional status was determined by weight-for-age, weight-for-height and height-for-age every third month. In four villages active measures were undertaken to improve the health and nutritional status of the children. A child had an average of 2.5 illness episodes and was ill 14.1 days per year. More than 80% of all illness episodes could be accounted to ill-defined infections such as fever and cough with only 5.2% accountable to diarrhoea. A marked decline in the rate of illness episodes was observed in communities where cooperation was good. Weight-for-height is a better indicator for determining children at risk of falling ill than weight-for-age and height-for-age. The duration of illness episodes was not related to the nutritional status.

Body Height↗

Vitamin B1, B2 and B6 in relation to anthropometry, hemoglobin and albumin of newborns and their mothers from northeast Thailand.

The weight and height measurements of fifty-three mothers and their newborns residing in the northeast of Thailand were recorded. Hemoglobin, albumin and cord blood samples were taken immediately after delivery. The vitamin B1, B2 and B6 status of the women and their newborns was assessed through functional tests. Vitamin B1 and B2 status of the newborns was found to be generally better than those of their mothers. This is not so, however, for vitamin B6. The rate of deficiency in the mothers was highest for vitamin B2 (54.7%). The mothers' height, hemoglobin and albumin concentrations and their vitamin B2 status correlated with those of their children at birth. 50% of low birth weight deliveries (2500 g and below) were included in this study. The risk of a low birth weight delivery cannot, however, be explained by any of the biochemical variables. Although the rate of low birth weight is used commonly to determine mother and child health care, this paper shows that for Hb, albumin, Vitamins B1, B2 and B6, it is not an effective indicator used to determine nutritional deficiencies in mothers.

Anthropometry↗

Aspects of community-based nutritional intervention.

A number of aspects are discussed in relation to community-based nutrition intervention projects. This includes the application of different intervention measures, the used of anthropometric indicators, and the methods of immediate and final data evaluation.

Child↗

Protection against cancer through nutritionally-induced increase of endogenous proteinase inhibitors--a hypothesis.

Population groups with a diet low in calories, fat and animal protein, but high in vegetables and fibre, have a low incidence of cancer of the colon, rectum, breast and prostate. It is proposed that such a diet protects against cancer by stimulating an increase of endogenous proteinase inhibitors (PI), in particular, alpha 2-macroglobulin (AM), above those of individuals on a diet rich in calories, fat and animal protein. Evidence in support of this hypothesis is discussed. In various models, PI has been shown to be anticarcinogenistic. Preschool and school children who although on a diet apparently below the requirements for protein and calories were still considered healthy, have been found to have increased AM levels. Raised PI levels have also been observed in rats low on protein and energy and restriction of food intake in an inbred colony of rats reduced the incidence of radiation-induced tumours.

Animals↗

Pyridoxine status in preschool children in northeast Thailand: a community survey.

Pyridoxine status was investigated in four hundred and twenty-four village preschool children aged 1-60 months in Khon Kaen, and Nakorn Rachseema, Northeast Thailand using the erythrocyte aspartate aminotransferase (EAST) test and pyridoxal-5-phosphate activation coefficient (AC). Twenty-two percent of the children had pyridoxine deficiency, of which 15 percent had an AC greater than or equal to 3.37 and 7 percent had border-line deficiency (AC between 3.08-3.36). The prevalence of pyridoxine deficiency increased with age from 11 percent in the first year to 31 percent in the age range of 49-60 months.

Aspartate Aminotransferases↗

Serum glutamyl transferase and other liver function tests in Opisthorchis viverrini infection.

Serum glutamyl transferase (gamma-GT), serum total protein, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase (GOT), alanine aminotransferase (GPT), alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin were measured in 55 males and 45 females suffering from O. viverrini infection and in apparently healthy non-infected individuals. A decrease in total protein, albumin and bilirubin, as well as an increase in GOT, GPT and gamma-GT was observed in males with O. viverrini infection, whereas alkaline phosphatase remained unaffected. In female patients with O. viverrini, serum total protein and albumin also decreased, GOT and GPT increased, whereas gamma-GT remained unchanged. The difference in gamma-GT alteration between females and males is discussed with regard to the possible significance of alcohol consumption and in relation to the parasitic infection and its possible implications for malignancy, associated with liver fluke infection.

Adult↗

Infection and re-infection rates of opisthorchiasis in the water resource development area of Nam Pong project, Khon Kaen Province, northeast Thailand.

A one-year investigation on re-infection rates of opisthorchiasis was carried out in three villages in the Nam Pong Water Resource Development Project, Thailand. In the two villages where selective population chemotherapy was combined with improvements in sanitation and health education aimed at changing food habits, the mean monthly re-infection rate was 2.0% and the annual cumulative rate was 21.5%. In the third village, where only selective population chemotherapy was carried out, the monthly re-infection rate was 5.0% and the annual cumulative rate was 55.5%. Studies on new infections in initially negative individuals were also carried out in the three villages, with inconclusive results.

Diet↗

A pilot project for controlling O. viverrini infection in Nong Wai, Northeast Thailand, by applying praziquantel and other measures.

In a pilot control project of Opisthorchis viverrini in the village of Nong Wai Irrigation Area, Khon Kaen, Northeast Thailand, selected population based chemotherapy with a single dose of 40 mg/kg of praziquantel (2 - cyclohexylcarbonyl-1,2,3,6,7,11 b-hexahydro-4H-pyrazino [2,1-a]isoquinolin-4-one,EMBAY8440,Biltricide) was given to the stool positive cases once a year for a period of 3 years commencing May 1981. Two villages (pop 942) with a prevalence of 58.3% were used as tests villages and another one (pop. 442) with a prevalence of 55.1% served as control. The project programme integrated chemotherapy, sanitation improvement and health education, whilst only chemotherapy was applied in the control village. Among the 736 cases of all villages, 666 were treated in the first year and the parasitological cure rate after one month was 95.9%. Side effects of praziquantel were minor and were minimized by changing the time of drug intake from morning to after dinner. After one year the prevalence of opisthorchiasis was 36.8% in the test villages and 54.8% in the control village. The study on re-infection rate revealed that the average monthly incidence rate among the population in the test villages was 2.0% per month (range 1.1-5.0%) whereas it was 5.0% per month (range 1.9-10.3%) in the control village. In May 1982, second treatment was given again to the positive cases in the three villages with the same dose. The second year evaluation is in progress.

Food Contamination↗

Serum alpha-1 antichymotrypsin is a possible growth inhibitor of Plasmodium falciparum.

Serum protease inhibitors were determined in paired sera from 7 patients with cerebral malaria and 2 patients with acute malaria showing high and low growth inhibition activity in the initial and follow-up sera respectively. Alpha-1 antichymotrypsin and alpha-1 antitrypsin but not alpha-2 macroglobulin showed direct correlation with the growth inhibition activity. When alpha-1 antitrypsin was deliberately added to the malarial culture no growth inhibition occurred indicating that the alpha-1 antichymotrypsin was the most likely factor responsible for inhibition of growth of malarial parasites in vitro.

Chymotrypsin↗

Human serum proteins indicative for the nutritional status and serum proteinase inhibitors in uncomplicated falciparum malaria.

The serum proteins supposed to be indicative of the nutritional status, albumin, prealbumin and transferrin, as well as the serum proteinase inhibitors alpha 1-protease inhibitor (alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (Ach) and alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) were measured in 14 Thai males suffering from uncomplicated falciparum malaria on the day of admission and after treatment with mefloquin on the 2nd, 28th and 63rd day. The same serum proteins had been determined from 31 healthy Thai males. Upon admission albumin and prealbumin concentrations had been lower and Ach higher in malaria patients compared with healthy Thai males. A significantly higher alpha 1 PI value was observed on the day of admission compared with the 28th day of the malaria patients. Only on the day of admission and only for the patients was a statistically significant negative linear regression found for albumin and prealbumin with Ach and a positive correlation for prealbumin with alpha 2 M as well as for albumin and transferrin correlated with alpha 1 PI. In well-nourished malaria patients the synthesis of the "acute phase reactants", alpha 1 PI and Ach, might be enhanced and in a reverse relationship the synthesis of albumin, pre-albumin and transferrin depressed.

Animals↗