Relation between zinc status and hepatic functional reserve in patients with liver disease

Article Abstract:

Zinc, like other metals, is an essential micronutrient. Zinc levels in the body are determined by the extent of its absorption and excretion, either of which may be altered by chronic disorders such as liver disease. Generally, zinc nutritional status is measured by the amount of zinc present in the blood. However, this is usually a function of the amount of albumin, the major blood protein. However, in liver disease, albumin synthesis may be defective, and blood levels of zinc, altered by the amount of albumin, may not reflect the true zinc status. To determine if zinc concentrations are indeed altered during liver disease, and to determine appropriate techniques for measuring zinc, the levels of zinc in red blood cells (RBCs), and in different types of white blood cells were determined. The levels of zinc in one type of white blood cell, polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs), significantly correlated with the extent of disease in 30 patients with alcoholic or non-alcoholic liver disease. Another type of white blood cell, monocytes, contained similar zinc levels, regardless of liver disease. Blood levels of zinc correlated with the amount of albumin present. Zinc levels in RBCs were elevated in patients with alcoholic liver disease, but were not related to the extent of disease; activity levels of a zinc-containing enzyme in RBCs were also elevated. The study indicates that PMN zinc levels may provide the best determination of zinc status, and that there may be a progressive decrease in zinc nutritional status during liver disease. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Measurement, Liver diseases, Zinc in the body, Zinc (Nutrient), Zinc deficiency diseases

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Value of combined phenotypic markers in identifying inheritance of familial adenomatous polyposis

Article Abstract:

Familial adenomatous polyposis is an inherited disorder characterized by the occurrence of many adenomas (tumors) in the colon and rectum during adolescence and young adulthood. Most individuals with this condition must undergo prophylactic removal of the colon (colectomy) to prevent the otherwise almost inevitable development of colorectal cancer before the age of 50. Familial adenomatous polyposis is frequently associated with nongastrointestinal symptoms such as retinal disorders, benign soft tissue and bony tumors, nonintestinal lesions, and various types of cancer. To evaluate the utility of using two of these nongastrointestinal markers (occult radiopaque jaw lesions, a disorder of bone development, and retinal lesions) in the diagnosis of familial adenomatous polyposis, a study was carried out involving 43 affected patients and 12 unaffected first-degree relatives from 24 families with a history of polyposis. Seventy-seven percent of the patients with polyposis were positive for both of the nongastrointestinal markers. Only eight percent of the unaffected first-degree relatives were positive for both markers. The predictive value of both markers was significantly greater than for either one alone. Patients who exhibit both of the indices correlated with familial adenomatous polyposis should be evaluated with particular care to determine whether a prophylactic colectomy should be performed, inasmuch as they have a high probability of developing both polyposis and, at a more advanced age, colorectal cancer. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Diagnosis, Complications and side effects, Polyposis, Familial, Familial polyposis, Polyps (Pathology), Polyps

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Alcohol consumption in patients with colorectal adenomatous polyps

Article Abstract:

Colorectal cancer is associated with a variety of environmental factors, possibly including dietary constituents and alcohol intake. Adenomatous colorectal polyps, generally considered to be precancerous lesions, are also associated with environmental variables including smoking, dietary constituents, coffee, and alcohol, but these relationships have been less extensively studied. In order to clarify the relationship between alcohol intake and the presence of colorectal adenomatous polyps, a study was done involving 66 patients (30 women) with colorectal polyps and 86 patients (48 women) who had no evidence of such growths (these patients were being treated for irritable bowel disease, diverticulitis, or had no gastrointestinal dysfunction). Alcohol drinkers had a three times greater risk of developing polyps than nondrinkers. Smokers who did not drink had twice the likelihood of developing polyps as people who neither smoked nor drank. Smoking and drinking had a synergistic effect on the rate of polyp appearance: drinkers who also smoked had a 12 times greater incidence of colorectal adenomatous polyps than those who abstained from both habits. These results support the view that alcohol intake is an important risk factor in the development of colorectal cancer. The role of smoking is less clear; other studies have reported either a lack of association between smoking and colorectal cancer or a decrease in the incidence of this disease among smokers. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Smoking, Alcohol, Ethanol, Gastrointestinal diseases

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