Oscar Frank

Vitamin profiles in elderly persons living at home or in nursing homes, versus profile in healthy young subjects.

ABSTRACT: The vitamin profile of 473 elderly persons was compared with that of 204 healthy volunteers (controls). Of the 473 elderly, 327 (mean age 87) lived in nursing homes, and 146 (mean age 77) lived at home. The 204 controls were in the 20–50 year age group. The circulating levels of biotin, pantothenate, riboflavin, vitamins A, B6, B12, C, E, folate, thiamine, nicotinate, and carotenes were determined in all groups. Hypovitaminemia was not obvious for biotin, pantothenate, riboflavin, vitamins A, E, and carotenes in either the institutional or non‐institutional elderly. Thiamine, vitamin C and vitamin B12 levels were strikingly depressed in the non‐institutional elderly as compared with the institutional population or the controls. Over 30 percent of the institutional elderly had vitamin B6 and nicotinate hypovitaminemia compared to the controls. Both the institutional and the non‐institutional elderly showed depressed levels of folate and vitamin B12. Vitamin supplementation reduced the percentage of folate and B12 deficits. The marked vitamin deficits in the institutional population, in descending order of incidence were: vitamin B6, nicotinate, vitamin B12, folate, thiamine, and ascorbate, whereas the pattern for the non‐institutional elderly was: vitamin B12, thiamine, ascorbate, vitamin B6, nicotinate, and folate. In the 473 elderly studied, vitamin B6, nicotinate, and vitamin B12, in that order, were the most common deficits; folate, thiamine and ascorbate deficits comprised a lesser percentage. The role of vitamin deficits and the effects upon the aging population are discussed.

Role of placenta in maternal-fetal vitamin transfer in humans

Vitamins B12, B6, biotin, folate, thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenate, and nicotinate were determined in maternal and fetal blood and placental tissue of normovitaminemic and hypovitaminemic mothers who disclaimed supplemental vitamin intake during pregnancy. No biotin or pantothenate deficits were observed in the gravidas. Hypovitaminemic mothers transferred less B12, folate, and B6 to the fetus and placenta than normovitaminemic mothers. Vitamins given by mouth increased maternal fetal, and placental levels of folate, but B6 increased only in maternal blood and the placenta; biotin and pantothenate increased only in fetal blood. Except for riboflavin, nicotinate, and pantothenate, the intramuscular administration of vitamins increased the levels of other vitamins in maternal and fetal blood and placental tissue. Results suggest that the placenta stores vitamins and the tissue vitamin receptors must be saturated before adequate transfer of vitamins to the fetus occurs.

Thiamine Propyl Disulfide: Absorption and Utilization

Abstract The absorption and utilization of thiamine propyl disulfide, an allithiamine derivative, was compared with that of thiamine hydrochloride, in normal subjects and in alcoholics with and wit...

Cobalamin (Vitamin B12) and Holotranscobalamin Changes in Plasma and Liver Tissue in Alcoholics with Liver Disease

OBJECTIVE We wanted to know if alterations in plasma cobalamin (B12) concentration and B12 carriers, e.g., holotranscobalamins (holo TC), occur in blood and liver tissue from patients with severe alcoholic liver disease. Our purpose was to test the hypothesis that liver disease may disrupt B12 distribution. METHOD Total B12, as well as B12 bound to transcobalamin I, II, III (holo TC), were measured to determine their concentration in plasma and in liver tissue; Poteriochromonas malhamensis--a protozoan reagent served to measure only metabolically active (true) B12. Total B12 as distributed in holo TC in plasma and liver tissue of healthy subjects (controls) were compared to patients with severe alcoholic liver disease. RESULTS Severe liver disease initiates highly elevated B12 levels in plasma and a lowered liver tissue total B12 concentration. The percent of B12 distributed to holo TC II is significantly depleted during liver disease. In contrast, holo TC I and III are elevated in plasma during liver disease and contain more B12 than controls. Total B12 and B12 distributed to TC are lower in diseased liver tissue. CONCLUSION Severe alcoholic liver disease involves leakage of total B12 from liver tissue into the plasma. Holo TC I and III concentration increases in plasma; this preserves the high plasma B12 from being excreted. However, plasma holo TC II B12 distribution is decreased, indicating that there is a depression of exogenous B12 entering the plasma and tissues. In severe liver disease, liver tissue B12 binding and storage by TC is disrupted and causes B12 to leak out of the liver into the circulation. Eventually liver disease could produce enough severe tissue B12 deficits to cause metabolic dysfunction despite elevated plasma total B12. Elevation of plasma B12, accompanied by a lowering of holo TC II distribution, seemed to be a useful index of liver disease severity suggesting preventive treatment.

Vitamin levels in low-birth-weight newborn infants and their mothers

The cord blood of 50 normal-birth-weight neonates (more than 2,500 grams) and 50 low-birth-weight neonates (less than 2,500 grams) and the respective mothers blood were analyzed for folate, vitamin B6, riboflavin, nicotinate, pantothenate, thiamin, biotin, vitamin B12, vitamin A, and beta-carotene concentrations at parturition. No mothers had received supplemental vitamin intake. Except for vitamin A and beta-carotene, maternal vitamin levels were lower than those of neonates in all instances. Vitamin levels in the blood of low-birth-weight neonates were the same of those of normal-birth-weight infants except for significantly lower folate, vitamin B12, and pantothenate levels.

Severe impairment of dietary folate utilization in the elderly.

Absorption of folates, vitamin B(i, pantothenate, and riboflavin from a natural food source (yeast) and from synthetic folylmonoglutamate was studied in 24 elderly subjects (age range, 73 to 101 years) and in 12 healthy younger subjects (age range, 24 to 42 years). All subjects absorbed riboflavin, vitamin B6, and pantothenate from yeast. Ingested folylpolyglutamates (the preponderant folates in yeast) proved to be a very poor source of folates for the elderly subjects, whereas synthetic folylmonoglutamate served as a good source. In the younger subjects, yeast was a significant folate source. It is suggested that the folate deficits so common in the elderly are caused by impaired ability to obtain folate from ingested foods. The resultant folate deficit may induce changes in the epithelial structure and enzyme secretion of the small bowel, which may further exacerbate folate malabsorption.

Blood Vitamin Levels of Long-Term Adult Home Total Parenteral Nutrition Patients: The Efficacy of the AMA-FDA Parenteral Multivitamin Formulation

Although the AMA-FDA parenteral adult multivitamin formula is now widely used, there are no published data on the efficacy of this formulation in maintaining adequate vitamin nutriture in patients on long-term parenteral nutrition. Blood levels of its constituent nutrients were determined in 16 clinically stable home total parenteral nutrition patients with severe gastrointestinal dysfunction, the majority of whom had been on home total parenteral nutrition for 1 to 9 yr and most of whom were ingesting some food orally. The daily formula (MVI-12) was added to the basic total parenteral nutrition formula in 2-day batches; the vitamins were thus infused approximately 3 hr after preparation on day 1 and after 27 hr on day 2. The duration of infusions was from 8 to 16 hr. Blood was drawn approximately 36 hr after completion of the last vitamin infusion. Plasma, trichloroacetic acid-treated plasma, and whole blood were frozen until analyzed for the vitamins by microbiologic or chemical methods. All vitamin levels, except for vitamin D metabolites, were measured four times in each patient between the 4th and 36th wk while receiving daily MVI-12. Single determinations of 25-OH and 1:25 (OH)2 vitamin D were made in eight of the 16 patients between the 61st and 84th wk while on MVI-12. Repeat values during this extended period were also made on five of the patients for vitamins A and E. These values were compared with serum vitamin levels obtained on an earlier formulation (MVI concentrate, Berocca C, and folate each given twice weekly and B12 given once weekly). The AMA-FDA formula given daily maintained blood levels above the lower normal limits for most of its constituent vitamins and vitamin D metabolites for the great majority of stable home total parenteral nutrition adults with unexplained occasional exceptions. However, almost half of the vitamin A levels and some of the pantothenate and biotin values were above the normal range; these tended to be associated with the presence of renal disease. Ascorbic acid and thiamin levels tended to be clustered in the lower normal range. Because of evidence for loss of ascorbic acid standing in total parenteral nutrition solutions for 24 hr prior to infusion, it is recommended that the vitamin formulation be added to the total parenteral nutrition solution just prior to infusion.

The cell content and secretion of water-soluble vitamins by several freshwater algae.

Three green algae, Chlamydomonas reinhardii, Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus obliquus, and one blue-green alga, Anabaena cyclindrica, were grown in chemically defined media. All the algac examined contained folates, β-carotene and vitamins C and E; several of the B-vitamins and vitamin A were found in varying amounts in some but not in all the algae examined. All the green algae secreted significant amounts of folate and biotin and all but Scenedesmus secreted pantothenate into their growth medium; Anabaena secreted folate and pantothenate.

Vitamin deficits in severe alcoholic fatty liver of man calculated from multiple reference units

Abstract Liver tissue levels of thiamine, pantothenate, biotin, vitamin B 12 , total folates, nicotinate, and vitamin B 6 were determined in biopsy and autopsy specimens from 69 patients with normal liver and 44 patients with severe fatty liver. These results define normal liver tissue B-complex vitamin levels in man and demonstrate a significant reduction of all the vitamins when the liver is severely infiltrated with fat. When vitamin levels in liver were related to dry weight, total fats, total nitrogen, and DNA-phosphorus as reference bases, vitamin titers in order of decreasing magnitude in normal livers were nicotinate, pantothenate, B 6 , thiamine, N 5 -methyltetrahydrofolates, other tetrahydrofolates, B 12 , and biotin. In the severe fatty liver pantothenate was higher than nicotinate and other tetrahydrofolates were higher than N 5 -methyltetrahydrofolates. Biotin was markedly decreased in the severe fatty liver when dry weight, total fat, total nitrogen, and DNA-phosphorus were each used as reference base; however, the thiamine and N 5 -methyltetrahydrofolate pattern varied if dry weight alone was used as reference base. Total liver fat compared favorably with total nitrogen and DNA-phosphorus as a reference base. It showed close agreement with, on one hand, tissue vitamin decreases and on the other hand, with histologically demonstrable fat.

Vitamins and other metabolites in various sera commonly used for cell culturing

Many cell culture media use different sera to enhance growth. We assayed vitamins and some related metabolites in different sera and identified the concentration of: thiamin, biotin, folates, riboflavin, pantothenates, nicotinates, vitamins B6, B12, A, E. C, and carotenes and some related metabolites: biopterins, free inositol, free and total choline, total carnitines in chicken, horse, rabbit, goat, pig, calf, newborn calf, fetal calf and human sera. Results indicate that vitamin and metabolite concent of different sera vary. Such variations could produce fluctuant effects on cell culturings if the metabolite content of the serum is not documented.