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Thiamine deficiency has been reported to cause nerve degeneration in the peripheral nervous system and hemorrhage with associated cellular damage in the central nervous system (Prickett, 1934). Koedam (1958) observed convulsions in thiamine-deficient pigeons, but convulsions have only rarely been seen in rats (Gubler, 1961). Rats treated with the thiamine antagonist, pyrithiamine (PTh)* always develop ataxia and convulsions but these neurological symptoms have never been reported in those treated with oxythiamine (OTh), another thiamine antagonist (Gubler, 1961). Hosein, Chabrol, and Freedman (1966) concluded that neurological symptoms occur only when the brain thiamine content is diminished to 2.5%o r less of the normal values. This conclusion was supported by the work of others (DaCaro, tl ,al., 1956; and Cerecedo and Eich, 1955).

The discovery of a substance in rice polishings that was useful in preventing beriberi was first shown by Grijns and Vedder (Wuest, 1962). In 1926, Jansen and Donath (Wuest, 1962} crystallized this substance which was subsequently synthesized independently by Williams and Cline (1936} and Grewe (1936). This substance was named thiamine by Williams (1936) because of its structure having the vital thiazole ring and because it was an "essential amine."

No description available.

Vitamin A has well recognised benefits for the reduction in severity of diarrhoeal episodes but the impact of therapeutic doses given during diarrhoea on the biochemical and clinical outcomes is less clear. In this study these potential therapeutic benefits were investigated to establish the optimum time for vitamin A supplementation to improve vitamin A status. Establishing the optimum time for vitamin A supplementation during an infectious stage would improve cost effectiveness and clinical benefit. Young children (174) between the ages of 3 and 60 months with severe diarrhoea were randomised in a double - blinded placebo controlled trial into one of 2 groups. The 1 st group received 60 mg of retinol as retinyl palmitate on admission during the acute diarrhoeal stage. The 2nd group received the same dose of vitamin A once symptoms had resolved, usually between 3 - 7 days. At each of these two time points, children not receiving vitamin A were given an identical placebo dose. Baseline (day 0) and day 3 serum samples were collected for vitamin A, retinol binding protein (RBP) and other biochemical markers. At four and eight weeks after discharge both morbidity and weight gain were recorded. The modified dose response test (MRDR) was conducted at the eight - week follow - up to estimate vitamin A liver stores. Initially, most of the children presented with watery diarrhoea and dehydration and were clinically very ill. At day 3 plasma retinol concentrations improved in both groups viz. from 0.57umol/L to 0.97umol/L in the 1st group and from 0.49umol/L to 0.90umol/L in the 2nd group. Similar improvements were found in retinol binding protein viz. 21.28 mg/L to 31.06 mg/L in the 1st group and 17.05 mg/L to 24.80 mg/L in the 2nd group. At 8 weeks there was also no significant difference between the two groups either for serum retinol (0.69umol/L and 0.73umol/L respectively) nor for MRDR ratios (0.036 and 0.049 respectively). The MRDR results at 8 weeks indicated that these children did not have depleted vitamin A liver stores and that the low serum retinol levels seen at baseline were probably due to the acute phase response during an infectious episode. The results of these analyses showed no significant difference between the two treatment groups thus indicating that there was no benefit to giving vitamin A on recovery from an infectious episode instead of on admission, as is currently practised. / Thesis (M.Med.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

The active form of Vitamin D (VD3) has been shown to induce pro-apoptotic and anti-proliferative effects in several mammalian cancer cell types. The molecular mechanisms of tumor suppression, however, are not clearly understood. Previous research has shown that head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) responds to VD3. This thesis used both in vivo and in vitro models to examine the effect of VD3 in HNSCC. Former work in the Albala laboratory showed that hamsters that received systemic VD3 and topical treatment of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) to the buccal pouch showed no or delayed carcinogenesis over the 14-week study compared to DMBA-only treated hamsters. This research further investigated the effect of VD3 in this hamster model. Using immunohistochemical (IHC) and western blot analysis, we demonstrate that systemic application of VD3to hamsters downregulates Rad51 expression in the buccal pouch and hinders the onset of tumor formation. Rad51 is a protein that plays a critical role in cell proliferation and homologous recombinational DNA repair. In the in vitro model, we show that Rad51 expression decreased in response to 100nM VD3 in HNSCC cell lines. The dose and time-dependence of VD3 on these cells was also examined. Western blot analysis and comet assay investigations confirmed that the SCC25 cell line is most sensitive to 100nM VD3 than to other doses tested, and that VD3 impairs the DNA-damage response. SiRNA and co-immunoprecipitation studies examined the potential of Chk 1 and p38 MAPK as upstream regulators of Rad51. Rad51 protein expression was found to be associated with early carcinogenesis from HNSCC cancer patients using IHC studies of human carcinomas from the oral cavity. This study focused on further identifying the role of Rad51 in response to VD3 in HNSCC.

M.Tech. (Homoeopathy) / Psychological stress refers to an individual’s interaction with what he perceives as adverse or threatening phenomena of the external environment (stimulus) and the ensuing physiological response that occurs within the body. Although the stimulus itself may not be harmful, the physiological reaction of the individual to the perceived threat may lead to health consequences. University students may experience greater levels of stress than the average population. They may also experience symptoms of anxiety, irritability, sleep disturbances and impaired memory due to psychological stress. These symptoms may be exacerbated by concomitant use of alcohol and stimulants such as nicotine and caffeine, which students may use as coping mechanisms. Conventional treatment for stress might include anti-depressants and anxiolytics that often have adverse effects. TranQuin® Day Formula is a combination vitamin and herbal supplement formulated to assist the body to cope with stress. Although each individual vitamin and herbal constituent of TranQuin® Day Formula has been thoroughly researched, to date, no research has been conducted on the efficacy of TranQuin® Day Formula dietary supplement for the treatment of psychological stress in university students. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of TranQuin® Day Formula supplement on psychological stress in university students, with the use of the Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) and Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). Thirty participants, both male and female, between the ages of 18 and 49 years, who obtained a minimum score of 10 on the Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale-10, were selected to participate in this six week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Participants were also requested to complete Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire-28. The scores obtained by the participants on both stress scales were measured at the beginning of the study (week 0) to obtain a baseline score, in the middle of the study (week 3) and at the end of the study (week 6). The participants were randomly divided into the control and experimental groups. Participants were asked to take two capsules of the supplement or placebo, preferably in the morning after breakfast, or the first meal of the day, for the duration of the study period (6 weeks). Each participant received a daily data sheet which recorded capsules taken and any symptoms experienced, as well as any other medication taken. The results of the study were statistically analysed using the Mann-Whitney-U Test, the Shapiro-Wilk Test, the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test, Friedman Test and descriptive statistics.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a severe disease in about 20% of patients, causing hospitalization and death, mainly due to associated systemic complications. The treatment of this condition is still insufficient to control the intrinsic inflammatory process and is focused on managing the complications and symptoms of patients. Among the many factors involved in AP, the inflammatory response and oxidative stress can be highlighted. In this context, rutin is presented as a natural substance with important potential to treat AP, by considering its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The aim of this study is to investigate the pharmacological effects of rutin on experimental AP induced by L-arginine administration in mice. Adult male Swiss mice (25-30 g) were used in this study and all experiments were approved by this institution´s Ethics Committee in Animal Research (43/2012). For the induction of AP, mice received 2 injections of L-arginine (8%, 4 g/kg, i.p., with an interval of 1 h). The control group received the same volume of saline (0.9%) instead of L-arginine. Mice submitted to AP induction were treated with rutin (37.5, 75 or 150 mg/kg, p.o.) or saline (vehicle) after 24, 36, 48 and 60 h of the first injection of L-arginine. The control group was treated with vehicle at the same time points. The euthanasia occurred after 72 h of induction and was accompanied by blood and organ (pancreas, lung, liver and kidney) collection. We investigated parameters that permitted us to infer about pancreatic and systemic inflammation and evaluate serum concentrations of pancreatic enzymes, abdominal hyperalgesia and oxidative stress. In animals injected with L-arginine, it was detected the increase of inflammatory and biochemical parameters that confirmed the induction of AP, when compared with saline-injected animals. The treatment with rutin reduced the myeloperoxidase activity in pancreas (p<0.001 for 37.5, 75 or 150 mg/kg), but not in lung, reduced the pancreatic edema index (p<0.001 for 37.5 mg/kg and p<0.05 for 75 and 150 mg/kg) and the serum concentration of amylase (p<0.001 for 75 and 150 mg/kg). From these experiments, we chose the dose of 75 mg/kg for the next steps. In this way, treatment with this dose of rutin also reduced the serum lipase (p<0.001), C reactive protein (p<0.001) and interleukin-6 (p<0.001) concentrations, as well as decreased the abdominal hyperalgesia (p<0.05), when compared with Vehicle + L-arginine group after 72 h of L-arginine injection. The administration of rutin also diminished lipid peroxidation induced by L-arginine in pancreas, liver and kidney (p<0.001) and increased both the activity of catalase in pancreas (p<0.001), glutathione peroxidase in pancreas (p<0.05) and superoxide dismutase in pancreas (p<0.01) and liver (p<0.05). Besides, it decreased the expression of 3-nitrotyrosine in pancreas (p<0.05). Altogether, these results demonstrate that rutin exert anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive and antioxidant actions during AP induced by L-arginine, which are suggestive that this flavonoid is of interest for developing future studies or approaches focused on new alternatives to treat AP in humans. / A pancreatite aguda (PA) é uma doença grave em cerca de 20% dos casos, que causa hospitalização e óbito dos pacientes devido às complicações sistêmicas associadas. Seu tratamento clínico tem se mostrado insuficiente para controlar o processo inflamatório intrínseco da doença e é focado no manejo dos sintomas e complicações. Dentre os diversos fatores envolvidos na PA, destacam-se a resposta inflamatória e o estresse oxidativo. Neste contexto, a rutina, um flavonoide conhecido por suas atividades antioxidante e anti-inflamatória, apresenta-se como uma substância natural em potencial a ser utilizada no tratamento da PA. Assim, o objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar os efeitos farmacológicos da rutina em modelo de pancreatite aguda experimental induzida por L-arginina em camundongos. Foram utilizados camundongos Swiss machos adultos (25-30 g) e os procedimentos foram aprovados pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa com Animais da UFS (43/2012). Para a indução da pancreatite os animais receberam duas injeções de L-arginina (8%, 4 g/kg, i.p., com intervalo de 1 h entre elas). O grupo controle recebeu duas injeções de salina (0,9%, i.p.). Os animais submetidos à indução da pancreatite foram tratados com rutina (37,5, 75 ou 150 mg/kg, v.o.) ou salina (veículo), após 24, 36, 48 e 60 h da 1° injeção de L-arginina. O grupo controle foi tratado com veículo nos mesmos tempos. A eutanásia dos animais foi realizada 72 h após a indução, com subsequente coleta de sangue e de órgãos (pâncreas, pulmão, fígado e rim). Foram avaliados parâmetros que permitiram inferir sobre o quadro inflamatório pancreático e sistêmico e avaliar as concentrações séricas de enzimas pancreáticas, a hiperalgesia abdominal e o estresse oxidativo. Os animais que receberam as injeções de L-arginina apresentaram aumento significativo dos parâmetros inflamatórios e bioquímicos preditivos de pancreatite, quando comparados aos animais que receberam salina. O tratamento com rutina reduziu a atividade de mieloperoxidase no pâncreas (p<0,001 para 37,5, 75 ou 150 mg/kg), mas não no pulmão, reduziu o índice de edema pancreático (p<0,001 para 37,5 mg/kg e p<0,05 para 75 e 150 mg/kg) e a concentração sérica de amilase (p<0,001 para 75 e 150 mg/kg). A partir destes resultados a dose de 75 mg/kg foi escolhida para ser utilizada nos experimentos posteriores. O tratamento com esta dose de rutina também diminuiu as concentrações séricas de lipase (p<0,001), proteína C reativa (p<0,001) e de interleucina 6 (p<0,001), bem como reduziu a hiperalgesia abdominal (p<0,05), após 72 h da injeção de L-arginina, quando comparados ao grupo L-arginina + Veículo. O tratamento com rutina (75 mg/kg) também reduziu a peroxidação lipídica induzida pela L-arginina em pâncreas, fígado e rim (p<0,001) e aumentou a atividade de catalase pancreática (p<0,001),de glutationa peroxidase (p<0,05) de superóxido dismutase no pâncreas (p<0,01) e no fígado (p<0,05), além de diminuir a expressão de 3-nitrotirosina no pâncreas (p<0,05). Estes resultados evidenciam que a rutina exerce efeito anti-inflamatório, antinociceptivo e antioxidante durante a PA induzida por L-arginina, os quais sugerem que este flavonoide seja de interesse para abordagens ou estudos futuros objetivando novas alternativas no tratamento da PA em humanos.

This study was undertaken with the objective of assessing whether the ingestion of a Multivitamin Complex with Calcium and Magnesium would be efficacious in reducing stress. Tlrree hundred subjects who were suffering from stress were selected in Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. The selection was based on a stress questionnaire. The subjects took a battery of tests and questionnaires to assess the level ofthe stress they were experiencing. A 30 day supply of effeiVescent tablets was given to all subjects - half placebos and half the vitamin supplement. These were randomly allocated. At the end of30 days a further battery oftests were administered. The results were statistically analysed. It was found that both the placebo and the vitamin supplement proved beneficial but the Multivitamin Complex with Calcium and Magnesium had a greater effect in reducing and helping to manage stress. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)