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Title
Interventional nutrition for cardiac disease.
Author
Freeman LM
Source
Clin Tech Small Anim Pract, 1998 Nov, 13:4, 232-7
Abstract
Animals with cardiac disease can have a variety of nutritional
alterations for which interventional nutrition can be beneficial.
Deviation from optimal body weight, both obesity and cachexia,
is a common problem in cardiac patients and adversely affects
the animal. Methods for maintaining optimal weight are important
for good quality of life in dogs and cats with cardiac disease.
Providing proper diets to prevent excess intake of sodium and
chloride also is important, but severe salt restriction may not
be necessary until later stages of disease. Certain nutrient
deficiencies may play a role in the pathogenesis or complications
of cardiac disease, but nutrients also may have effects on cardiac
disease which are above and beyond their nutritional effects
(nutritional pharmacology). Supplementation of nutrients such
as taurine, carnitine, coenzyme Q10, and omega-3 polyunsaturated
fatty acids may have benefits in dogs or cats with cardiac disease
through a number of different mechanisms. By
addressing each of these areas maintaining optimal weight, avoiding
nutritional deficiencies and excesses, and providing the benefits
of nutritional pharmacology, optimal patient management can be
achieved.
Title
Activity of N-chlorotaurine against herpes simplex- and adenoviruses.
Author
Nagl M; Larcher C; Gottardi W
Source
Antiviral Res, 1998 Apr, 38:1, 25-30
Abstract
N-chlorotaurine, an essential weak oxidant produced by stimulated
human leukocytes, is known to have bactericidal, fungicidal and
vermicidal properties. This study for the first time demonstrates
its virucidal activity. By viral suspension tests at incubation
times between 5 and 60 min, virus titers of both Herpes simplex
virus type 1 and 2 were reduced about 1.3-2.9 log10 and 2.8-4.2
log10 by 0.1 and 1%, (5.5 and 55 mM) N-chlorotaurine, respectively.
Virus titer reduction of adenovirus type 5 between 15 and 60
min was 0.5-2.0 and 0.6-4.0 log10, respectively, by the same
concentrations of N-chlorotaurine. These findings support a contribution
of N-chlorotaurine in destruction of pathogens during inflammatory
reactions and also the possibility of its application as an antiviral
agent in human medicine.
Title
Prevention of liver failure in parenteral nutrition-dependent
children with short bowel syndrome.
Author
Meehan JJ; Georgeson KE
Source
J Pediatr Surg, 1997 Mar, 32:3, 473-5
Abstract
Progressive liver failure in parenteral nutrition (PN)-dependent
children with short bowel syndrome carries significant morbidity
and mortality. The
Author
s retrospectively reviewed 47 consecutive patients with short
bowel syndrome diagnosed from October 1985 through October 1995.
All patients were treated according to a protocol designed to
promote intestinal motility and discourage bacterial translocation.
Elements of the protocol included the use of taurine, vigilant
prevention and aggressive treatment of sepsis, meticulous catheter
care, early PN cycling, appropriate enteral feeding, and measures
designed to inhibit gastrointestinal bacterial translocation,
especially gram-negative rods. Complete blood counts and serum
liver function studies were compiled from both clinic visits
and hospital admissions for each patient every 3 to 6 months
while they were on PN. Three patients were lost to follow-up
after they had moved out of state. The length of time on PN ranged
from 3 months to 9.4 years with an average of 2.2 years. Elevated
aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT),
and glutamyltransferase (GGT) were present in 82%, 66%, and 84%
of patients, respectively. Alkaline phosphatase was elevated
in 58% of patients. Eight patients (18%) are still on PN, and
31 (70%) have been weaned off PN. Five patients have died (11%).
Three patients (7%) developed cholecystitis requiring cholecystectomy.
No patients developed progressive liver failure. These results
suggest that PN-related liver failure may be prevented in most
patients with short bowel syndrome. Specific measures to prevent
PN-related cholestatic jaundice need further investigation.
Title
Effects of taurine on the motility and intracellular free Ca2+
concentration of fowl spermatozoa in vitro.
Author
Barna J; Ashizawa K; Boldizsár H; Inoue M
Source
J Reprod Fertil, 1998 Nov, 114:2, 225-9
Abstract
The effects of taurine on the motility and intracellular free
Ca2+ concentration of fowl spermatozoa were investigated in vitro.
The addition of taurine, within the range of 0-5 mmol l(-1),
did not appreciably affect the motility of intact fowl spermatozoa.
Motility remained almost negligible at 40 degrees C, while vigorous
movement was observed at 25 degrees C. Even with the addition
of Ca2+ before the addition of taurine, neither stimulation nor
inhibition of motility was observed compared with the control
(no addition of taurine). Similar results were obtained by the
addition of taurine and calyculin A, a specific inhibitor of
protein phosphatases. There were no changes in intracellular
free Ca2+ concentrations, measured by a fluorescent Ca2+ indicator,
fura-2, in taurine-treated spermatozoa. These results suggest
that taurine is not involved in the regulation of fowl sperm
motility and metabolism by intracellular Ca2+ mobilization in
vitro.
Title
Taurine content in Chinese food and daily intake of Chinese men.
Author
Zhao X; Jia J; Lin Y
Address
Institute of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Chinese Academy of Preventive
Medicine, Beijing, P.R. China.
Source
Adv Exp Med Biol, 1998, 442:, 501-5
Abstract
The taurine content in Chinese food, including seafood, fresh
water fish, meats and some plants, was examined in this study.
Seafood was freshly collected from 4 coastal areas in China.
Meat and plant food samples were obtained from food markets.
The highest concentration of taurine was found in crustaceans
and molluses (300-800 mg per 100 g edible portion). The amount
of taurine in fish was variable. Beef, pork and lamb contained
taurine in concentrations ranging from 30-160 mg per 100 g. No
taurine was detected in hen eggs and plants. The daily taurine
intake of representative Chinese men (18-45 years old, 60 kg
body weight, light physical activity) was also studied in 1990
as a part of the Total Diet Study. Representative food samples
were collected from 12 provinces in 4 areas of China. Samples
were then combined and cooked according to food categories (meat,
seafood, vegetables, etc) The combined meat and seafood samples
were analyzed for taurine. The daily taurine intake of a standard
man in the 4 areas was calculated based on the amount of food
intake obtained from the dietary survey and the taurine concentration
in the analyzed food samples. The result showed that the daily
taurine intake of a standard Chinese man in the 4 different test
areas ranged from 34 to 80 mg per day.
Title
The effect of dietary sulfur-containing amino acids on calcium
excretion.
Author
Wang XB; Zhao XH
Source
Adv Exp Med Biol, 1998, 442:, 495-9
Abstract
The relationships between dietary protein and sulfur amino acid
(methionine and cystine or taurine) intakes and urinary calcium
excretion were examined both in animals and in young men. Thirty-two
adult Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups, i.e., basal diet
(group I), supplemented with albumin (II), methionine and cystine
(III), or taurine (IV). During the 5-week feeding period, food
consumption was recorded and 48 h urine samples were collected
4 times for each rat. Urinary calcium, creatinine and sulfate
were measured. The results showed that the calcium and sulfate
excretion in rats in group II and III were significantly higher
than rats in the basal diet group. In contrast, supplementing
a basal diet with taurine did not increase sulfate excretion
and failed to induce hypercalciuria. The same result was also
observed in the study carried out in Chinese young men. An increase
in protein intake from 67 g to 107 g caused an increase in urinary
calcium and sulfate. Supplementation with methionine and cystine
in an amount to simulate those in the high protein diet had a
similar effect. Adding taurine to the diet had no effect on urinary
calcium and sulfate excretion. About 60 percent of the supplemented
taurine in the diet was detected in the urine.
Title
Plasma concentration of taurine is higher in malnourished than
control children: differences between kwashiorkor and marasmus.
Author
Lima L; Jaffé E
Source
Adv Exp Med Biol, 1998, 442:, 487-94
Abstract
Plasma free amino acids were determined in the plasma of severely
malnourished children under two years of age. A total of thirty-one
patients and eleven controls were evaluated: seventeen cases
of kwashiorkor, eight cases of marasmus, and six cases of marasmic-kwashiorkor.
Fasting plasma samples were taken in the morning on the day of
admission. Fasting plasma samples were also taken from nine patients
at discharge after two months in the hospital where they received
a balanced diet as treatment. A partial reversal of the signs
of malnutrition was observed at discharge. In the whole group
of patients ad admission, lower concentrations of tyrosine, methionine,
tryptophan, and leucine and higher concentrations of aspartate,
glutamate, and taurine were observed compared to controls. Taurine
continued to be elevated in the malnourished group at the time
of discharge. Marasmic children, as compared to controls, had
high aspartate and low tryptophan levels, but taurine levels
were not significantly different from controls. Kwashiorkor patients
had low tyrosine, methionine, tryptophan, and lysine, and significantly
higher taurine plasma levels. The elevated concentration of taurine
might be the result of a redistribution of this amino acid to
provide specific tissues with the required amount for development.
Title
The role of taurine in infant nutrition.
Author
Chesney RW; Helms RA; Christensen M; Budreau AM; Han X; Sturman
JA
Source
Adv Exp Med Biol, 1998, 442:, 463-76
Abstract
The importance of taurine in the diet of pre-term and term infants
has not always been
clearly understood and is a topic of interest to students of
infant nutrition. Recent evidence
indicates that it should be considered one of the "conditionally
essential" amino acids in
infant nutrition. Plasma values for taurine will fall if infants
are fed a taurine-free formula or
do not have taurine provided in the TPN solution. Urine taurine
values also fall, which is
indicative of an attempt by the kidney to conserve taurine. The
very-low-birth-weight infant,
for a variety of reasons involving the maturation of tubular
transport function, cannot
maximally conserve taurine by enhancing renal reabsorption and,
hence, is potentially at
greater risk for taurine depletion than larger pre-term or term
infants, and certainly more
than older children who have taurine in their diet. Taurine has
an important role in fat
absorption in pre-term and possibly term infants and in children
with cystic fibrosis.
Because taurine-conjugated bile acids are better emulsifiers
of fat than glycine-conjugated
bile acids, the dietary (or TPN) intake has a direct influence
on absorption of lipids. Taurine
supplementation of formulas or TPN solutions could potentially
serve to minimize the brain
phospholipid fatty acid composition differences between formula-fed
and human milk-fed
infants. Taurine appears to have a role in infants, children,
and even adults receiving most (>
75%) of their calories from TPN solutions in the prevention of
granulation of the retina and
electroencephalographic changes. Taurine has also been reported
to improve maturation of
auditory-evoked responses in pre-term infants, although this
point is not fully established.
Clearly, taurine is an important osmolyte in the brain and the
renal medulla. At these
locations, it is a primary factor in the cell volume regulatory
process, in which brain or renal
cells swell or shrink in response to osmolar changes, but return
to their previous volume
according to the uptake or release of taurine. While there is
a dearth of clinical studies in
man concerning this volume regulatory response, studies in cats,
rats, and dog kidney cells
indicate the protective role of taurine in hyperosmolar stress.
The infant depleted of taurine
may not be able to respond to hyper- or hyponatremic stress without
massive changes in
neuronal volume, which has obvious clinical significance. The
fact that the brain content of
taurine is very high at birth and falls with maturation may be
a protective feature, or
compensation for renal immaturity Defining an amino acid as "conditionally
essential"
requires that deficiency result in a clinical consequence or
consequences which can be
reversed by supplementation. In pre-term and term infants, taurine
insufficiency results in
impaired fat absorption, bile acid secretion, retinal function,
and hepatic function, all of
which can be reversed by taurine supplementation. Therefore,
this small beta-amino acid,
taurine, is indeed conditionally essential.
Title
Taurine can ameliorate inflammatory bowel disease in rats.
Author
Son M; Ko JI; Kim WB; Kang HK; Kim BK
Source
Adv Exp Med Biol, 1998, 442:, 291-8
Abstract
We previously reported that the protective effect of taurine
against indomethacin-induced
gastric mucosal injury was due to its antioxidant effects which
inhibited lipid peroxidation
and neutrophil activation. In this study, we examined the effect
of taurine on reducing the
inflammatory parameters of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced
inflammatory
bowel disease (IBD) in rats. To induce IBD, rats were given ethanolic
TNBS
intracolonically. The rats then received 500 mg/kg/day of taurine
per orally. The rats were
sacrificed one week after IBD induction. Ulceration and inflammation
of the distal colon
with formation of granuloma in the vehicle-treated IBD rats after
two days of administration
of TNBS were observed. Treatment with 0.5 g/kg of taurine by
the oral route ameliorated
colonic damage and decreased the incidence of diarrhea and adhesions.
Colon weight (an
index of tissue edema) was markedly increased in the IBD rats
after administration of
TNBS, but was significantly lower after taurine treatment. Myeloperoxidase
(MPO) activity
in the vehicle-treated IBD rats was substantially increased compared
with that of the control.
The taurine-treated animals showed reduced MPO activity (35%
lower) when compared
with that of the vehicle-treated animals. Taurine treatment decreased
basal and
formyl-methionyl leucyl phenylalanine (FMLP) stimulated reactive
oxygen generation in
colonic tissue of the IBD rat compared with vehicle treatment
after one week. These results
suggest that administration of taurine reduced the inflammatory
parameters in this rat model
of IBD by increasing the defenses against oxidative insult.
Title
Cardiac actions of taurine as a modulator of the ion channels.
Author
Satoh H
Source
Adv Exp Med Biol, 1998, 442:, 121-8
Abstract
During ischemia, hypoxia and cardiac failure, the heart undergoes
several adverse changes,
including a reduction in taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid).
Oral administration of taurine
under these disease conditions would be expected to act like
a mild cardiac glycoside.
Taurine would exert improvement in the accumulation of [Na]i
and the loss of alpha-amino
acids. Nonetheless, when intracellular taurine content is raised,
there would be the benefit of
increased Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and increased
Ca2+ sensitivity of
the contractile proteins, as well as possible changes in the
action potential associated with the
actions of taurine on ion channels. In fact, intracellular application
of taurine produces the
opposite actions to extracellularly administration of the amino
acid. From our previous
experiments, the electrophysiological actions of taurine on cardiac
muscle cells include the
following. (a) Prolongation of action potential duration (APD)
at high [Ca]i and shortening
of APD at low [Ca]i. In multicellular preparations, however,
taurine did not always prevent
[Ca]o-induced effects. (b) Stimulation of spontaneous activity
at low intracellular and
extracellular Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca]i and [Ca]o), and vice
versa. (c) Inhibition of the
L-type Ca2+ current (ICa(L)) at high [Ca]i, and vice versa. (d)
Enhancement of the T-type
Ca2+ current (ICa(T)). (e) Inhibition of fast Na+ current (INa).
(f) Enhancement of
TTX-insensitive slow Na+ current. (g) Inhibition of delayed rectifier
K+ current (IKrec) at
high [Ca]i, and vice versa. (h) Enhancement of the transient
outward current (Ito). (i)
Inhibition of the ATP-sensitive K+ current (IK(ATP)). Since taurine
acts on so many ion
channels and transporters, it is clearly non-specific. Although
it is very difficult to
understand the diversity of taurine's actions, it is possible
that taurine can exert its potent
cardioprotective actions under the conditions of low [Ca]i, as
well as Ca2+ overload. Thus,
although taurine-induced modulation of ion channels located on
the cardiac cell membrane is
complex, the multiple effects may combine to yield useful therapeutic
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