Handbook of Vitamins - ebook

CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Janos Zempleni, Robert B. Rucker, Donald B. McCormick, John W. Suttie, “Handbook of Vitamins”
ISBN: 0-8493-4022-5 | 608 Pages | PDF

True to the clinical focus of the previous editions, Handbook of Vitamins, 4th edition is comprised of comprehensive summaries that analyze the chemical, physiological, and nutritional relationships and highlight the newly described and identified functions for all recognized vitamins.

Each chapter covers the physiology, biochemistry, genomics, and molecular biology of its respective vitamin with specific information on coenzyme function, cell signaling, vitamin status, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory defense.

Presents the most recent research in vitamins and gene expression, vitamin-dependent genes, and vitamin effect on DNA stability Features new vitamin dietary requirements.
Includes new chapters on vitamin-dependent modification of chromatin, and analysis using accelerated mass spectrometry Encompasses both classical and modern approaches to vitamins, focusing on human nutrition, vitamin analysis, and vitamin action at the molecular level.
Contains contributions from international experts including the most recognized expert on vitamin K Encompassing and incorporating newly identified roles of vitamins in cellular and organism regulation, the Handbook of Vitamins, Fourth Edition continues to offer the most respected, up-to-date research with ready clinical application that we have come to expect.
Contents:
Vitamin A: Nutritional Aspects of Retinoids and Carotenoids
Vitamin D
Vitamin K
Vitamin E
Bioorganic Mechanisms Important to Coenzyme Functions
Niacin
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
Thiamine
Pantothenic Acid
Vitamin B6
Biotin
Folic Acid
Vitamin B12
Choline
Ascorbic Acid

Vitamin-Dependent Modifications of Chromatin:
Epigenetic Events and Genomic Stability
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry in the Study of Vitamins and Mineral Metabolism in Humans
Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamins.

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Early Detection of Recurring Breast Cancer Key to Survival

One of the most common fears people have after cancer treatment is, “What if it comes back?” This is a valid concern since women who have been treated for cancer in one breast have triple the normal risk of developing a second primary cancer in the opposite breast. This risk is even higher for those who have a strong family history or a mutation in one of the BRCA genes, and reaches beyond breast cancer to include an increased risk of certain other cancers as well, especially ovarian cancer. Fortunately, there are steps that can reduce the risk of recurrence. The most important is to get regular medical care after treatment. The tests and examinations done at these follow-up visits are extremely important in helping detect cancer that has returned to the same breast, as well as cancer in the opposite breast. In fact, early detection of second breast cancers can reduce the risk of death by nearly half, according to a new international study.

For the study, published online in the Annals of Oncology, researchers analyzed information on 1,044 women who were seen at a medical center in Florence, Italy from 1980 to 2005 and who developed a second breast cancer. In 699 of the women, the second cancer was diagnosed in the asymptomatic state, while the remaining 345 women had already started to experience symptoms. A mortality registry was used to calculate the impact of cancer diagnosis timing on rates of survival.

Based on the data, the study authors concluded that the chances of survival improved between 27 and 47 percent when the second breast cancer was detected in the asymptomatic stage rather than at a later stage when symptoms were already apparent. Asymptomatic tumors were smaller than symptomatic ones, and early-stage tumors were more common in asymptomatic women (58 percent) than in symptomatic women (23 percent). Fewer women with asymptomatic cancer in the opposite breast (contralateral) than symptomatic cancer had node metastases, an indication the cancer may have spread.

In addition, mammography was found to be more sensitive than clinical examination for detecting second breast cancers—86 percent compared to 57 percent. Nonetheless, a significant number (13.8 percent) of the cancers were detected only by clinical examination. “Our study provides new evidence on several aspects of early detection of second breast cancers,” lead author Dr. Nehmat Houssami, a breast physician in the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, Australia, said in a news release.

Previous studies have explored this topic, but each had certain methodological limitations, the study indicates. “We set out to estimate the effect of early, asymptomatic detection while adjusting for the two main biases known to be associated with non-randomized studies of the impact of early detection—lead time and length bias—so we believe that the estimates we report are more valid than previously reported estimates, while acknowledging the limitation that the evidence is not from a randomized, controlled trial,” Houssami said. “In addition, we have estimated this for early detection of either ipsilateral (same breast) or contralateral (opposite breast) cancer, while other studies have focused on one or the other, so our estimates may be more useful for clinicians discussing this aspect of breast cancer follow-up with their patient.”

“Intuitively, it makes sense to consider that early detection of second breast cancers will improve prognosis, since breast cancer survivors have a long-term risk of developing further disease or relapse in either breast,” Houssami concluded. “I think this work provides a timely reminder of the potential benefit of early detection of second breast cancers and supports ongoing surveillance in this group of women.”

Approximately 2.5 million women in the U.S. have been treated for breast cancer. And though annual mammograms are strongly recommended for these women, a report issued in April of 2006 showed that as many as two-third of survivors were not getting them. Screening rates in the study were high early on, with four out of five getting a mammogram in the first year after treatment. However, that rate declined over time and by year five, only a third of the women had gotten an annual mammogram every year since their cancer treatment ended. Women who saw their primary care physician or gynecologist regularly were more likely to get screened than women who did not.

The report noted that too many survivors are “lost in transition” once treatment ends and said more attention needs to be paid to follow-up care in the transition from cancer patient to cancer survivor. It also called for every cancer survivor to receive a comprehensive care summary and follow-up plan in writing that would include a specific schedule for future cancer screenings.

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death among women in most of the Western world and the leading cause of death for women under 50. The disease strikes more than 211,000 American women each year and kills 46,000.

By: Madeline Ellis

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'Vitamin' for baby brain disorder

Researchers say taking a special vitamin supplement during pregnancy could prevent hydrocephalus - one of the most common birth brain defects.

Tests on rats showed a combination of folates dramatically reduced the rates of hydrocephalus - in which fluids build up in the brain's chambers.

They even seemed to work after the condition had started to develop.

But the work, published in the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, is still at an early stage.

The team from the universities of Manchester and Lancaster hope to get permission to start clinical trials in pregnant women with babies diagnosed with hydrocephalus.

The supplement itself is not currently available, so they are also seeking the support of a pharmaceutical company willing to produce it as a pill.

At present hydrocephalus affects one in 1,000 live births. There is no satisfactory treatment for it other than surgical diversion of the fluid through a tube, known as a shunt, from the brain to the abdomen or heart.

However, shunts are permanent and prone to infection and blockage, which means patients may require several operations during their lifetime.

Most of those with by the condition have impaired mental and physical ability, although the effects can vary widely.

Chemical composition

The team also say they have shown it is the chemical composition of cerebrospinal fluid - rather than the fluid itself putting pressure on the brain - which causes the problems.

"Hydrocephalus can cause severe disability and learning difficulties, so the possibility of prevention through a specific vitamin supplement is exciting"
Andrew Russell
ASBAH

Lead researcher Jaleel Miyan said: "Cerebrospinal fluid is not a liquid which simply cushions the brain and carries chemicals around it. It is actively produced and transported and plays an essential biological role in developing the brain".

The combination of supplements appeared to stimulate this process.

At present women are advised to take folic acid - a synthetic substance found to prevent spina bifida - but this does not appear to promote brain cell growth in the same way as the combination.

Andrew Russell, head of the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, said: "Hydrocephalus can cause severe disability and learning difficulties, so the possibility of prevention through a specific vitamin supplement is exciting.

"ASBAH is helping with this ground-breaking research because many babies born with hydrocephalus today survive, but with a lifelong disability.

"However, a lot of further work is still needed to prove this approach is effective, through clinical trials.”

Dr Imogen Montague, a spokeswoman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said the study was "potentially very exciting".

"There are so few things we can currently do to decrease the incidence of birth defects so these findings are really to be welcomed.

"But we do have to be cautious about the results - extrapolating results from rats may be problematic, and we need to know both whether it works, and whether it is safe for use in humans. Any general use would still be a long way off."

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Cancer: The facts

One in three of us will be diagnosed with cancer during our life.

The disease tends to affect older people - but can strike at any time.

Excluding certain skin cancers, there were more than 270,000 new cases of the disease in 2001 - and the rate is increasing by about 1% a year.

Some cancer, such as breast, are becoming more common, while new cases of lung cancer fall away due to the drop in the number of smokers.

However, while the overall number of new cancers is not falling, the good news is that successful treatment rates for many of the most common types are improving rapidly.

BBC News Online has produced, in conjunction with Cancer Research UK, a guide to some of the most common forms of cancer and the treatments used to tackle them.

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Secrets to a Stress-Free Home

How would you like to walk into a spa—and never leave? With top destination spas like Canyon Ranch and the Four Seasons creating residential developments both nationally and abroad, that’s becoming a legitimate (albeit expensive) option. Not ready to pack your boxes? That’s OK. Those of you living in the (very) real world, can borrow these live-in-spa secrets from the pros to transform your home into a stress-free sanctuary.

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Study: Weather Change Can Trigger Throbbing Headaches

MONDAY, March 9, 2009 — Most people who are prone to headaches or migraines suspect that certain things, such as red wine or strong perfume, can trigger their head pain. Now a new study suggests that rising temperatures could trigger headaches, too.

According to a study published Monday in the journal Neurology, a spike in temperature may be enough to land some headache-prone people in the emergency room. The researchers found that for every 5-degrees-Celsius increase in temperature, the risk of a hospital-related headache visit went up 7.5 percent in the next 24-hour period. And a drop in barometric air pressure, which tends to happen before it rains, was also linked to a greater risk of headaches in the next 48 to 72 hours.

While people may think they’ve got a handle on their migraine triggers, in truth, weather changes may be to blame for at least some of those headaches, says Kenneth J. Mukamal, MD, the study’s lead author and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “In the summer, you may think that ice cream set off your migraine,” he says. “But it wasn’t the ice cream—it was the temperature increase on that very hot day that led you to eat the ice cream.”

Dr. Mukamal’s team looked at 7,054 patients diagnosed with headaches in the emergency room of Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center over a span of seven years; they compared factors like temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, and pollution for the period immediately preceding and following each patient’s hospital visit. While temperature and barometric pressure were linked to headaches, pollution—which is linked to a greater risk of heart attack and stroke—was not associated with migraines. But Dr. Mukamal isn’t ruling out the possibility. “Our city was not big enough to say for sure that air pollution is off the hook,” he says, adding that a similar study performed in Los Angeles (where air pollution levels are considerably higher) might yield different results.
The study isn’t without limitations, though: It excluded migraines that did not result in a trip to the hospital, says Ellen Drexler, MD, associate professor of neurology at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

Migraines affect up to 18 percent of women and 6 percent of men in the United States. So do the headache-prone need to stay indoors when the temperature starts to climb? Not necessarily, experts say.

Instead of holing up in an air-conditioned home, a migraineur may be able to take medication to prevent head pain. For example, taking beta-blockers is one way to prevent a migraine. But many people don’t like taking routinely taking prescription drugs to prevent migraines, says Dr. Mukamal. “Migraines often happen to younger people, who have a particular reticence to daily medication,” he adds.

Not all experts would recommend using medication to prevent temperature-change-related migraines. “I certainly would not suggest that a patient take symptomatic medication such as a triptan just because of a weather prediction—especially considering the track record of our weathermen,” says Dr. Drexler. “Although a dose of a simple analgesic in the morning might be helpful for some people.”

Overall, the weather probably is not as a big a migraine trigger as, say, a glass of Cabernet, explains Dr. Drexler. She recommends that patients keep pain diaries and log in weather conditions as well. If a patient finds that weather is, in fact, a trigger, he or she can potentially avoid a migraine by taking extra precautions to avoid other triggers (such as caffeine) on those days.

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5 Simple Things That Could Cut Your Breast Cancer Risk

Alcohol, consumed even in small amounts, is believed to increase the risk of breast cancer. Most doctors recommend cutting back on wine, beer, and hard liquor.

A recent study showed the link between drinking and breast cancer was especially strong in the 70% of tumors known as hormone-sensitive.

By Lorie Parch

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