Arteriosclerosis Cholesterol levels

Cholesterol-rich lipoproteins of the LDL type are particularly important in the development of arteriosclerosis, in which the arterial walls are altered in connection with an excess plasma cholesterol level. In terms of dietary physiology, it is important that plant foodstuffs are low in cholesterol. By contrast, animal foods can contain large amounts of cholesterol—particularly butter, egg yolk, meat, liver, and brain. 

Since high plasma cholesterol levels and plasma lipid peroxidation are associated with arteriosclerosis, Aviram et al.175 studied the effect of high... 

Since Johann Lobstein first coined the term arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries in 1833, to the Framingham Study which began in 1948 (42), to the isolation of mevastatin by Akira Endo in 1976 (43), and on to the publication of the Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (4S) in 1994 (44), cholesterol levels have emerged as perhaps the most potent modifiable risk factor in the treatment of chronic ischemic heart disease. Genetic disorders such as homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia where severe atherosclerosis is present by early adolescence have helped clarify the importance of LDL cholesterol in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. 

Thyroid hormones have long been known to affect lipid metabolism. Thyroxine undoubtedly controls cholesterol metabolism serum cholesterol levels are markedly increased in hypothyroidism and decreased in hyperthyroidism. There are various ways by which thyroxine could cause cholesterol to accumulate in blood direct stimulation of the pathway involved in cholesterol biosynthesis block of cholesterol use for further biosynthesis indirect stimulation of cholesterol synthesis by acceleration of pathways that provide precursors of coenzymes needed for cholesterol synthesis and indirect stimulation of cholesterol synthesis by blocking pathways that use those precursors involved in cholesterol synthesis. The exact mechanism by which thyroxine induces the accumulation of cholesterol in serum needs to be elucidated. The effect of thyroid hormones on blood cholesterol must be understood because hypothyroidism is known to enhance the development of experimental arteriosclerosis in animals. 

An increase in the duration of activity of nicotinic acid and a diminution in some of its undesirable side effects were partially achieved by esterification with selected alcohols. Upon hydrolysis by esterases the alcohol component could contribute its own therapeutic effect. Thus, acylation of the polyalcohol myoinositol, (mesoinositol) with nicotinic acid afforded the ester (V). Mesoinositol hexanicotinate (V) reduced blood cholesterol levels in the hypercholesterolemic individual but not in normal subjects [57]. In addition, patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans showed an increase in walking ability after oral therapy with mesoinositol hexanicotinate [58]. A considerable portion of the C-labeled ester (V) circulated unchanged in the blood of the cat [59]. 

Excessive amounts of cholesterol in the blood can result in the excessive deposition of cholesterol on arterial walls, leading to a blockage of the arteries, a condition called arteriosclerosis. Such blockages are dangerous because they inhibit blood flow to important organs such as the heart or brain. The risk of stroke and heart attack increases with increasing blood cholesterol levels. 

The leaves bai guo ye) used in prescriptions for arteriosclerosis, angina pectoris, high serum cholesterol levels, dysentery, and fila-riasis. An infusion of the boiled leaves used as wash for chilblains (foster and yue). 

One of the earlier studies that involved the ex vivo transduction of hepatocytes was the homozygous form of fiunilial hypercholesterolemia. In this particular disorder, there is an absence of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors in the liver parenchyma. These patients are afflicted with extremely high levels of semm LDL cholesterol and they suffer the adult consequences of severe arteriosclerosis as early as the age of 5 years. Five research sulyeets participated in this particular study two of them exhibited significant reduction in LDL cholesterol levels and a third showed a measurable reduction (48). Again, the results of this study are difficult to interpret, because all the sul ects were on chronic maintenance with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaiyl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors that are known to reduce cholesterol. 

From 1952 to 1962, several experimental studies using rats fed a choline-deficient diet reported the development of aortic arteriosclerosis.171-173 Using rats fed a choline-deficient diet, Sidransky et al.174 reported that elevated (2%) dietary tryptophan affected the elevated serum lipid levels of rats fed the choline-deficient diet for 1 week. Within 1 week the added dietary tryptophan to the choline-deficient diet caused a return in serum cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride values to levels present in rats fed the choline-supplemented diet. The significance of the alterations in serum lipids due to added dietary tryptophan was unknown, but it stressed that a specific amino acid (L-tryptophan) excess created a further nutritional imbalance, which could influence the altered circulating serum lipids due to choline deficiency. The alterations in serum lipid due to choline deficiency were thought to influence the development of arteriosclerosis in the rat, and possibly the added dietary tryptophan was able to prevent the effect. Further experimental studies are needed to determine whether this speculation was valid. 

Pazderova examined Czech workers about ten years after exposure and found sustained neural and psychiatric problems and arteriosclerosis in the Czech workers, as well as glucose intolerance and increases in cholesterol (55). In a laboratory study of British workers ten years after exposure, Martin found increases in some liver enzymes as well as increased levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in exposed workers (56). Whether a health risk results from the enzyme and lipid changes is not known, but one concern is that lipid abnormalities may confer increased risk of coronary vascular disease. 

Detection of cholesterol plays an important role in the biomedical field and in improving the quality of life as its abonormal levels lead to the symptoms of several diseases, such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis, brain thrombosis, lipid metabolism dysfunction, and... 

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