Blood folic acid levels and folic acid clearance in geriatric cases.
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Investigations of folic acid levels in plasma and erythrocytes. In 20 patients on hemodialysis with and without folic acid substitution the concentration of folic acid in plasma and in red cells was estimated by radioassay. In patients, who were substituted with folic acid concomitantly with elevated folic acid concentrations hematocrit values were higher than those of patients who were not substituted. Folic acid concentrations in patients not substituted. Folic acid concentrations in patients not substituted were subnormal and further decreased on dialysis. Results of folic acid determinations in plasma were paralleled by concentrations in erythrocytes. It is concluded, that folic acid substitution is necessary in patients on hemodialysis.
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Methyltetrahydrofolic acid, formyltetrahydrofolic acid, folic acid and dihydrofolic acid were injected intravitreally into the eyes of chickens. No short-term or long-term signs of neurotoxicity were observed, even when doses 100-200 times those at which kainic acid produces clear neurotoxic effects were injected. The folic acid derivatives neither inhibited nor potentiated the neurotoxic effects. Thus no support is given to the suggestion that folic acid and its derivatives may act as kainic acid agonists or antagonists, even though the receptors involved in kainic acid-induced neurotoxicity appear to be of the kainic acid rather than quisqualic acid or N-methyl-D-aspartic acid type.
Two experiments were conducted with Large White turkey hens housed individually in cages in a conventional house. In Experiment 1, three dietary treatments were used: an unsupplemented practical corn-soybean meal basal diet; the basal diet supplemented with 2.64 mg folic acid/kg of diet; and the basal diet supplemented with 5.51 mg folic acid/kg of diet. Eggs from hens fed 2.64 mg folic acid/kg of diet were injected with folic acid in 20 injection trials over two production cycles. The response data from dietary supplemental folic acid were analyzed on a production period basis using all of the hens, and on a subset of hens producing eggs in each production period, for hatchability of fertile eggs and poult weight. The response patterns in each case were similar. Incremental dietary supplemental folic acid levels produced a positive linear response pattern on the transfer of folic acid in eggs, but did not result in a hatchability increase over the unsupplemented folic acid basal diet. Hatchability increase did not occur for eggs injected at 25 days of incubation with 19.3 micrograms folic acid per egg in 20 injection trials over two cycles of production. The results of the study indicate that hatchability is not increased in turkey eggs from hens fed supplemental folic acid or with egg folic acid injections. However, egg and poult weights were significantly increased (P < .05) in eggs containing 6 to 7 mg folic acid/g of dried egg, from hens fed 5.51 mg folic acid/kg of diet.
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The influence of folic acid and several antagonists of the folic acid metabolism on neutrophil superoxide generation was investigated with the cytochrome c reduction assay. The compounds were found to be partial competitive inhibitors of the NADPH oxidase, their activity apparently increasing with larger substituents at the 10 position. There is evidence that compounds with a 4-oxo substituent are taken up more slowly by neutrophils than those with a 4-amino functionality. Scavenging properties could be excluded from control measurements with the xanthine/xanthine oxidase assay.
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A crude synthetic preparation called crude "X-methyl" folate has previously been shown to function as a folate antagonist for rats and chicks. This product has been shown to contain two folate antagonists: 9-methyl folate, present as 6% by weight of the product and which has low activity as a folate antagonist for Streptococcus faecalis, and pyrrofolic acid, a compound present in small amounts (0.04%), but having high anti-folate biological activity for S. faecalis. These experiments deal with the antifolate activity of these two fractions for the rat as measured by their effects on histidine oxidation. Rats were fed a purified diet based on 20% vitamin-free casein and containing 1.0% sulfasuxidine. When this diet was supplemented with a marginal amount of folic acid (0.3 mg per kg diet), the addition of 4 g of crude antagonist decreased histidine oxidation and decreased liver folate levels. The addition of 240 mg of pure 9-methyl folic acid (amount of 9-methyl folic acid in 4 g of crude) produced similar decreases in histidine oxidation and liver folate levels. A concentrate of pyrrofolic acid (equivalent to 4 g of crude) free of 9-methyl folic acid produced no decrease in histidine oxidation and minimal changes in liver folate. This indicates that the folate antagonist activity observed previously with animals is probably due to the 9-methyl folic acid component rather than to the pyrrofolic acid activity.
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The benefit of the introduction of mandatory folic acid fortification of all flour products in the USA in 1998 has been amply demonstrated in a reduction of neural tube defect births. Doubt has been cast on the actual level of fortification and recent calculations have shown that the level of folic acid fortification is likely to have been over twice the amount mandated. The implication of this is that a greater proportion of the population are likely to have consumed folic acid at >1 mg/d, the Food and Drug Administration safe upper level of intake. Using the criteria of appearance of synthetic folic acid in serum, the objective of this pilot study was to investigate the consequences of consumption of baked bread preparations containing 1 mg folic acid. Four healthy adult volunteers undertook each dosing schedule 2 weeks apart. This consisted of a single dose of 1000 microg, two doses of 500 microg, three doses of 333 microg, five doses of 200 microg and, finally, ten doses of 100 microg. Serum was collected pre- and postprandially and analysed for synthetic folic acid by a combined HPLC-microbiological assay for folic acid. Folic acid appeared in all subjects at all test doses, with the effect more pronounced as the standard dose was administered in smaller amounts over the test period. Approaches to optimise folic acid intake in target populations as part of a universal fortification strategy should take into consideration the potential hazard of over-exposure in groups consuming high amounts of flour-based products.
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The 10-thia analogs of pteroic acid, folic acid, their esters, and their 4-amino analogs were synthesized through a reaction sequence involving, as a key step, the condensation of 2-amino-3-cyano-5-chloromethylpyrazine with appropriately substituted thiols. The abilities of the products to inhibit the growth of methotrexate (MTX)-sensitive and MTX-resistant microorganisms were investigated as were their abilities to inhibit dihydrofolic acid reductase and thymidylic acid synthetase. Several compounds had high activity.
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About half of all deaths are due to cardiovascular disease and its complications. The economic burden on society and the healthcare system from cardiovascular disability, complications, and treatments is huge and getting larger in the rapidly aging populations of developed countries. As conventional risk factors fail to account for part of the cases, homocysteine, a "new" risk factor, is being viewed with mounting interest. Homocysteine is a sulfur-containing intermediate product in the normal metabolism of methionine, an essential amino acid. Folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6 deficiencies and reduced enzyme activities inhibit the breakdown of homocysteine, thus increasing the intracellular homocysteine concentration. Numerous retrospective and prospective studies have consistently found an independent relationship between mild hyperhomocysteinemia and cardiovascular disease or all-cause mortality. Starting at a plasma homocysteine concentration of approximately 10 micromol/l, the risk increase follows a linear dose-response relationship with no specific threshold level. Hyperhomocysteinemia as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease is thought to be responsible for about 10% of total risk. Elevated plasma homocysteine levels (>12 micromol/l; moderate hyperhomocysteinemia) are considered cytotoxic and are found in 5 to 10% of the general population and in up to 40% of patients with vascular disease. Additional risk factors (smoking, arterial hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia) may additively or, by interacting with homocysteine, synergistically (and hence over-proportionally) increase overall risk. Hyperhomocysteinemia is associated with alterations in vascular morphology, loss of endothelial anti-thrombotic function, and induction of a procoagulant environment. Most known forms of damage or injury are due to homocysteine-mediated oxidative stress. Especially when acting as direct or indirect antagonists of cofactors and enzyme activities, numerous agents, drugs, diseases, and lifestyle factors have an impact on homocysteine metabolism. Folic acid deficiency is considered the most common cause of hyperhomocysteinemia. An adequate intake of at least 400 microg of folate per day is difficult to maintain even with a balanced diet, and high-risk groups often find it impossible to meet these folate requirements. Based on the available evidence, there is an increasing call for the diagnosis and treatment of elevated homocysteine levels in high-risk individuals in general and patients with manifest vascular disease in particular. Subjects of both populations should first have a baseline homocysteine assay. Except where manifestations are already present, intervention, if any, should be guided by the severity of hyperhomocysteinemia. Consistent with other working parties and consensus groups, we recommend a target plasma homocysteine level of <10 micromol/l. Based on various calculation models, reduction of elevated plasma homocysteine concentrations may theoretically prevent up to 25% of cardiovascular events. Supplementation is inexpensive, potentially effective, and devoid of adverse effects and, therefore, has an exceptionally favorable benefit/risk ratio. The results of ongoing randomized controlled intervention trials must be available before screening for, and treatment of, hyperhomocysteinemia can be recommended for the apparently healthy general population.