Cytotoxicity, apoptosis and DNA damage induced by Alpinia galanga rhizome extract.

Alpinia galanga, or galangal, has been a popular condiment used in Thai and Asian cuisine for many years. However, relatively little is known of the potential beneficial or adverse health effects of this spice. This study was conducted to analyze the capacity of galangal extract to induce cytotoxicity and DNA damage in six different human cell lines including normal and p53-inactive fibroblasts, normal epithelial and tumour mammary cells and a lung adenocarcinoma cell line. We deliberately focused on treatment with the crude aqueous extract of galangal rhizomes, rather than compounds extracted into an organic solvent, to more closely reflect the mode of dietary consumption of galangal. The cell lines displayed a broad range of cytotoxicity. There was no evidence for preferential cytotoxicity of tumour cells, but there was an indication that p53-active cell lines may be more sensitive than their p53-inactive counterparts. The contribution of apoptosis to total cell killing was only appreciable after exposure to 300 microg/mL of extract. Apoptosis appeared to be independent of p53 expression. Exposure to as little as 100 microg/mL galangal extract generated a significant level of DNA single-strand breaks as judged by the single-cell gel electrophoresis technique (comet assay). The three major UV-absorbing compounds in the aqueous extract were identified by mass spectrometry as 1'-acetoxychavicol acetate and its deacetylated derivatives. However, when tested in A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells, these compounds were not responsible for the cytotoxicity induced by the complete aqueous extract.

C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels in overweight and healthy adults.

This study aimed to 1) compare levels of high sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) between overweight Thais and apparently healthy controls, and 2) investigate the association between serum hs-CRP, IL-6, and TNF-alpha levels and other biochemical parameters. A total of 180 health-conscious adults aged 25-60 years, who resided in Bangkok, participated in this study. No significant difference was found in age and sex between the overweight subjects and controls. Serum levels of hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-alpha, glucose, lipid profile, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC) and waist hip ratio (WHR) were determined in these volunteers. The mean levels of white blood cells (WBC), uric acid, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and hs-CRP were significantly higher in the overweight subjects than those in the controls, whereas high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) values were significantly higher in the controls than the overweight subjects (p < 0.05). Hs-CRP levels were significantly positively correlated with levels of TG, BMI, WC, HC and WHR. HDL-C levels were significantly negative correlated with hs-CRP levels. In conclusion, the prevalence of elevated serum hs-CRP levels was higher in overweight subjects than controls. However, more data in larger and other population groups are needed to confirm this study.

Isolation and structure elucidation of phenolic antioxidants from Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) seeds and pericarp.

Although it is already known that Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) seeds contain phenolic substances, the individual components of the seeds have not been fully identified and quantitated, and in the case of Tamarind pericarp not reported. Therefore, major polyphenolic compounds were extracted using organic solvents and the metabolites were isolated by semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography. Their structures were elucidated by liquid chromatography-electrospray-ionisation-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS), nano-electrospray-ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), and where possible by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and 1H and 13C NMR. Quantitative analysis of polyphenolic compounds in Tamarind seeds and pericarp was conducted by analytical high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), calculated against standard curves of authentic compounds. The yields of total phenolic compounds after Soxhlet extraction with methanol were 6.54 and 2.82 g/kg (dry weight) in the seeds and pericarp respectively. The profile (%) of polyphenolics in Tamarind pericarp was dominated by proanthcyanidins (73.4) in various forms (+)-catechin (2.0), procyanidin B2 (8.2), (-)-epicatechin (9.4), procyanidin trimer (11.3), procyanidin tetramer (22.2), procyanidin pentamer (11.6), procyanidin hexamer (12.8) along with taxifolin (7.4), apigenin (2.0), eriodictyol (6.9), luteolin (5.0) and naringenin (1.4) of total phenols, respectively. The content of Tamarind seeds comprised only procyanidins, represented (%) mainly by oligomeric procyanidin tetramer (30.2), procyanidin hexamer (23.8), procyanidin trimer (18.1), procyanidin pentamer (17.6) with lower amounts of procyanidin B2 (5.5) and (-)-epicatechin (4.8). Extraction of Tamarind pericarp and seeds using acetone:methanol:acetic acid gave only procyanidin oligomers, but in much higher yield and variety. The antioxidant capacities of the Soxhlet methanolic extracts were determined, and indicates that Tamarind may be an important source of cancer chemopreventive natural products in tropical regions.

Postpartum thiamine deficiency in a Karen displaced population.

BACKGROUND: Before its recognition, infantile beriberi was the leading cause of infant death in camps for displaced persons of the Karen ethnic minority on Thailand's western border. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to document thiamine status in the peripartum period to examine the current supplementation program and the correlation between the clinical manifestations of thiamine deficiency and a biochemical measure of thiamine status. DESIGN: Women were enrolled prospectively at 30 wk of gestation and were followed up weekly until delivery and at 3 mo postpartum. Thiamine supplementation during pregnancy was based on patient symptoms. RESULTS: At 3 mo postpartum, thiamine deficiency reflected by an erythrocyte transketolase activity (ETKA) > or = 1.20% was found in 57.7% (15/26) of mothers, 26.9% (7/26) of whom had severe deficiency (ETKA > 1.25%). No significant associations between ETKA and putative maternal symptoms or use of thiamine supplements were found. CONCLUSIONS: Biochemical postpartum thiamine deficiency is still common in Karen refugee women. This situation may be improved by educating lactating women to reduce their consumption of thiaminase-containing foods and by implementing an effective thiamine supplementation program.

Plasma retinol and alpha-tocopherol level and growth indices of 7 months old healthy Thai infants in Bangkok.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to measure plasma retinol and alpha-tocopherol status and the growth indices of 66 healthy Thai infants aged about 7 months old. The mean (SD) plasma retinol and alpha-tocopherol level were 1.59(0.31) and 25.40(7.01) micromol/l respectively. For their weight, height, and body mass index, the mean (SD) values were 7.96(0.93) kg, 69.95(2.42) cm, and 16.25(1.43) respectively. There was a remarkable proportion of improper feeding. However there were no correlations between plasma retinol level, plasma alpha-tocopherol level, growth indices and duration of breast milk, formula milk, weaning food feeding except alpha-tocopherol level which positively correlated with duration of breastfeeding.

Flow rate and composition of whole saliva in children from rural and urban Thailand with different caries prevalence and dietary intake.

The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of dental caries, dietary composition and whole salivary flow rates together with some of the components of saliva between two groups of children aged 12-16 years, one group from an urban area and the other from a rural area of Thailand. A stratified random samples were taken by class from one schools in each area. The children who had mixed dentition and/or who had migrated from other area of Bangkok and 138 students were selected from a school in a rural area of Khon Kaen in northeast Thailand. Results of completed 24-hour dietary recalls for three consecutive days examining the average nutrient intake were compared looking for differences, if any, between these two groups of children. Dental examinations and whole salivary sampling were also undertaken and possible relationships between some nutrients and certain salivary factors were explored. The prevalence of dental caries was found to be higher in the students living in the urban area. The children in the rural area consumed a higher load of carbohydrate, which came mainly from sticky rice. There was no difference in the protein consumption between the two groups, although the children in the rural area consumed more protein from vegetable sources. The salivary flow rate and the concentrations of fluoride, calcium and phosphate were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the group from the rural area, while the salivary pH, buffer capacity, concentrations of total protein and urea were higher in the urban area. There was no correlation between nutrient intake and salivary composition in the children from these two areas, which may suggest that dietary nutrients may not have a direct effect on salivary compositions but it was noted that salivary flow rate correlated with salivary urea, albumin and buffer capacity in both areas.

Vitamin B1, B2 and B6 deficiency in primary school children infected with hookworm.

One thousand and seven hundred thirty-six school children from two districts in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province were screened for hookworm infection using the Kato-Katz stool examination technic. Two hundred students who have at least 2,000 eggs per g of stool were recruited into the program. The students were divided into six groups: groups 1, 2 and 3 were from Tha Sala district while groups 4, 5 and 6 were from Ronpibul district. Three milliliter blood samples were obtained from the cubital vein of each subject and were evaluated for erythrocyte transketolase activity (ETK) for vitamin B1, erythrocyte glutathione oxidoreductase activity (EGR) for vitamin B2, and erythrocyte aspartate aminotransferase activity (EAST) for vitamin B6. The school children were divided into three groups: those infected only with hookworm, those with both hookworm and Trichuris trichiura, and those whose stools show no parasite eggs. The results show that 10-20% of the school children are vitamin B1 deficient, about 40% to 80% are vitamin B2 deficient, and about 14% to 23% are vitamin B6 deficient. No correlation could be made between vitamin deficiencies and parasitic infection.

Vitamin B12, folic acid and haematological status of 132 Thai vegetarians.

Serum vitamin B12, folic acid and haematological variables of 132 Thai vegetarians (64 males and 68 females) were investigated. Forty-seven healthy omnivorous individuals served as controls. No statistical differences in haemoglobin concentration, packed red cell volume and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration between the vegetarians and controls had been detected. In the female vegetarians, the haemoglobin concentration and packed red cell volume were, however, statistically lower. No significant differences in the white cell counts and platelet counts were observed in both groups. A significant increase of basophilic stippling and reticulocytes was observed in the vegetarians. Serum vitamin B12 decreased and serum folic acid levels increased according to the duration of vegetarianism in the vegetarians. In the females practicing vegetarianism for 6-10 years or more, the proportion of serum vitamin B12 deficiencies was particularly high. The high percentage of vitamin B12 deficiency in the vegetarians might be related to megaloblastic anaemia. This form of anaemia is commonly associated with the presence of basophilic stippling. Therefore, the increased presence of basophilic stippling and reticulocytes might indicate a mild stage of this type of anaemia among the vegetarians.

Lipid profile, anthropometry and dietary intake of 132 Thai vegetarians.

The anthropometric measurements, lipid pattern and dietary intake of 64 male and 68 female Thai vegetarians (mostly lacto-vegetarians) were investigated. 32 males and 36 females on an ordinary Thai diet served as controls. Nutritional anthropometric variables and serum lipid concentrations, which the exception of triglycerides, were found to be lower in the vegetarian group than in the control group. The vegetarians consumed more energy than the controls. No difference in the protein intake was observed in both groups. Fat intake was, however, lower and carbohydrate intake higher in the vegetarian group. Also in the vegetarian group, HDL-cholesterol fraction correlated negatively with anthropometric measurements. Other fractions show only a weak correlation, if at all, in this group. A good correlation to all serum lipid variables determined to anthropometric measurement was observed in the control group.

Vitamin B1, B2 and B6 status of vegetarians.

The vitamin B1, B2 and B6 status was determined in 132 healthy vegetarians, age range 25-57 years who have been practising vegetarianism for 1-22 years. Sixty-eight healthy non-vegetarians were chosen as controls. The conventional methods to measure the activation coefficient alpha ETK, alpha EGR and alpha EAST were applied to assess the vitamin status of B1, B2 and B6 respectively. The value of 1.25 alpha ETK, 1.5 alpha EGR and 2.0 alpha EAST and above indicate a deficiency in the vitamin status. The results showed significantly poorer vitamin B1 and B6 status in vegetarians than in non-vegetarians, whereas, no significant difference in vitamin B2 status was found. None of the non-vegetarians were deficient in vitamin B1 but 3 of them (4.4%) were deficient in vitamin B6. On the other hand, 10 of vegetarians (7.6%) were deficient in vitamin B1; 38 (28.8%) in vitamin B6. A high prevalence of riboflavin deficiency was found in 32 (24.2%) of the vegetarians; as well as in 15 (22.2%) of the non-vegetarians. Only riboflavin status was significantly related with the duration of vegetarianism practiced. Vegetarians should be considered as the vulnerable group for vitamin B2 and vitamin B6 deficiencies. B-vitamins status should be checked and efforts should be made to improve through dietary counselling and nutritional education should be included and stress in the health education program in order to improve nutritional deficiencies.

Prolonged QT interval and risk of sudden death in South-East Asian men.

Sudden death in sleep occurs in substantial numbers among young men in South-East Asia. The frequencies of electrocardiographic abnormalities were measured in groups with varying risks of such sudden death. The mean heart-rate-corrected QT interval (QTc) was significantly (p less than 0.05) greater among 123 Laotian refugees in Thailand at high risk (405 [95% confidence interval 397-413] ms) than in 77 Laotian refugees in the United States at lower risk (364 [359-369] ms) and 199 non-Asian US residents at negligible risk (358 [354-362] ms). Among refugees in Thailand, prolonged QTc interval was associated with poor thiamine status and a history of seizure-like episodes in sleep. Thiamine deficiency may be a cause of prolonged QT interval and sudden death in this region.

Serum unconjugated primary and secondary bile acids in patients with cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Serum unconjugated primary bile acids (cholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid), secondary bile acids (lithocholic acid, deoxycholic acid), conjugated primary bile acids (glycocholic acid, glycohenodeoxycholic acid, taurocholic acid, taurochenodeoxycholic acid) and total bile acids were measured in 25 and 75 male patients with cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma respectively. Twenty-one healthy male volunteers served as controls. Other biochemical parameters, i.e. bilirubin, transaminases, albumin, globulin and cholesterol were also studied. Conjugated bile acids and total bile acids were elevated in both patient groups when compared with those of controls. The presence of unconjugated primary bile acids and secondary bile acids was noted in the patient groups, whereas, they were not detectable in controls. The appearance of these serum bile acids may be useful as a marker for early diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma in people at-risk such as those who have chronic infection with Opisthorchis viverrini. Differentiation between the two types of tumor may be possible by using other parameters such as alpha-fetoprotein or other tumor markers newly discovered. An increase of the trihydroxy bile acids: dihydroxy bile acids and glycine conjugated bile acids: taurine conjugated bile acids ratios was shown in the patient groups. The latter may be due to the proportion of the increase of taurine conjugates being greater than the increase of glycine conjugates. The other biochemical parameters were significantly elevated in the patient groups except for albumin which was significantly decreased. The sensitivity of the tests for cholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, alkaline phosphatase and gamma glutamyl transferase was high.

Lipid composition of serum lipoprotein in opisthorchiasis.

Lipid composition (i.e. total cholesterol, free cholesterol, cholesteryl ester, triglycerides and phospholipids) in the individual serum lipoprotein fractions (i.e. high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein and very low-density lipoprotein) were studied in 24 healthy controls and 18 opisthorchiasis patients admitted to the Bangkok Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine. The two groups were similar in age range, sex ration and anthropometric data. Other background data such as blood pressure and alcohol consumption, were also similar in the two groups. All the patients had the habit of eating raw or half-cooked fish. Abnormalities of high-density lipoprotein content in the opisthorchiasis group showed as low cholesterol and cholesteryl ester concentrations but with high triglyceride concentrations. These may result from disturbance of the synthesis of nascent disk high-density lipoprotein or the removal of lipid content in lipoproteins.

Serum protease inhibitors in opisthorchiasis, hepatoma, cholangiocarcinoma, and other liver diseases.

Serum alpha 1-antitrypsin, alpha 1-antichymotrypsin and alpha 2-macroglobulin increased significantly in patients suffering from liver diseases: hepatoma, amoebic liver abscess, hepatitis, hepatic cirrhosis, cholangiocarcinoma, carcinoma of the head of pancreas including liver fluke infection (opisthorchiasis). Marked increase of alpha 1-antitrypsin and alpha 1-antichymotrypsin were found in cholangiocarcinoma, carcinoma of the head of pancreas, amoebic liver abscess, hepatic cirrhosis and hepatoma. alpha 2-macroglobulin increased markedly in hepatic cirrhosis. The concentrations of protease inhibitors found in opisthorchiasis were only moderately elevated.

Pyridoxine status in preschool children in northeast Thailand: a community survey.

Pyridoxine status was investigated in four hundred and twenty-four village preschool children aged 1-60 months in Khon Kaen, and Nakorn Rachseema, Northeast Thailand using the erythrocyte aspartate aminotransferase (EAST) test and pyridoxal-5-phosphate activation coefficient (AC). Twenty-two percent of the children had pyridoxine deficiency, of which 15 percent had an AC greater than or equal to 3.37 and 7 percent had border-line deficiency (AC between 3.08-3.36). The prevalence of pyridoxine deficiency increased with age from 11 percent in the first year to 31 percent in the age range of 49-60 months.

Measurements of B1, B2, B6 status in children and their mothers attending a well-baby clinic in Bangkok.

The status of thiamin, riboflavin and pyridoxine in 717 healthy children aged 1-60 months and 569 mothers aged 16-45 years attending a well-baby clinic in Bangkok were determined by using the erythrocyte enzymes, transketolase, glutathione oxidoreductase, aspartate aminotransferase and measuring the degree of stimulation with the coenzymes thiamin pyrophosphate, flavin adenine dinucleotide and pyridoxal phosphate respectively. Cut-off points for the upper limit of the normal ranges for the respective activation coefficients were established from the data obtained.

Alpha 1-antitrypsin, alpha 1-antichymotrypsin and alpha 2-macroglobulin in human liver fluke (opisthorchiasis).

In mild and moderate Opisthorchis viverrini infection it is difficult to find clinical signs for diagnosis. Also routine clinical chemical reactions often fail to demonstrate changes in these patients. This study showed a significant increase of serum proteinase inhibitors, alpha 2-macroglobulin, alpha 1-antitrypsin and alpha 1-antichymotrypsin in patients suffering from O. viverrini infection compared with healthy controls. The increase of proteinase inhibitors together with other biochemical liver function tests may be useful as an indication of the impairment of liver function and the host response in Opisthorchiasis.