α-Tocopherol (vitamin E) is an essential dietary antioxidant with important neuroprotective functions. α-Tocopherol deficiency manifests primarily in neurological pathologies, notably cerebellar dysfunctions such as spinocerebellar ataxia. To study the roles of α-tocopherol in the cerebellum, we used the α-tocopherol transfer protein for the murine version (Ttpa(-/)(-)) mice which lack the α-to...

Although most commercial feed companies are currently fortifying their swine diets with the maximum allowable limit of inorganic Se (.3 ppm) and relatively high dietary vitamin E levels, the vitamin E-Se deficiency is still occurring on many swine farms. The periods where the deficiency is more likely to occur is in the neonate, at weaning, and during the reproductive period. It has been demons...

The first clear description of ‘fibrocystic disease of the pancreas’ or Cystic Fibrosis (CF) came in the late 1930s and evidence of vitamin A deficiency was reported in 10 of 49 patients as early as 1939. Indeed, this paper recommended ‘generous dosages’ of vitamin A for these patients. Biochemical evidence of fat-soluble vitamin deficiency occurs early in infants diagnosed with CF by newborn s...

OBJECTIVE To assess the relationship between vitamin D and serum antioxidant vitamins E and A, and their deficiencies in pregnant women. METHODS This cross-sectional study was carried out in the maternity clinic of Naghavi Specialists and Subspecialities Polyclinic, affiliated to Kashan University of Medical Sciences Kashan, Iran between April 2008 and August 2009. One hundred and forty-seven...

Background: Glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most common inherited enzyme deficiency of red blood cells involving the enzyme pathway of hexose monophosphate. This study was conducted to examine the effect of vitamin E and folic acid on the improvement of acute hemolysis caused by the G6PD deficiency in patients referred to 17 Shahrivar Hospital, Rasht. Materials and M...

Ataxia is a common and important neurological finding in medical practice. Severe deficiency of Vitamin E can profoundly affect the central nervous system and can cause ataxia and peripheral neuropathy resembling Friedreich's ataxia. Vitamin E deficiency can occur with abetalipoproteinemia, cholestatic liver disease or fat malabsorption. Ataxia with isolated Vit E deficiency (AVED) is an Autoso...

The effects of alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) deficiency on membrane properties of platelets were studied to determine if vitamin E has a measureable stabilizing role in biological membranes. Three groups of rats and three of mice were studied: two groups consisted of Fisher strain rats and one of Sprague-Dawley rats fed a Draper corn oil diet with and without high levels of supplementary vitamin...

The present study examined the effects of Se, vitamin E and combined Se and vitamin E deficiencies in rats on plasma lipid, lipoprotein and apolipoprotein (apo) concentrations. Deficiencies were induced by feeding rats the respective diets for 6 weeks. The study shows that Se deficiency results in increased concentrations of plasma cholesterol and apo E. Both could be explained by an increase i...

OBJECTIVE To examine the prevalence and risk factors of vitamin deficiencies among older Thai adults. METHODS The cross-sectional study was conducted in four rural communities, one from each of the four main regions of Thailand. In total, 2336 subjects aged 60 years and over were recruited. Anthropometric variables, demographic data, blood glucose and lipid profile, albumin, globulin and bloo...

Refractory vitamin E deficiency is thought to have irreversible effects on neurologic function. We report an adolescent boy with severe refractory vitamin E deficiency due to progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC) type 2. His consequent neurologic dysfunction included severe ataxia, dysmetria, dysarthria, and cranial nerve VI palsy. He underwent liver transplantation at age 13 due...