Sources and Deficiency Diseases of Mineral Nutrients in Human Health and Nutrition:A Review

Mineral nutrients are fundamentally metals and other inorganic compounds. The life cycle of these mineral nutrients begins in soil, their primary source. Soil provides minerals to plants and through the plants the minerals go to animals and humans; animal products are also the source of mineral nutrients for humans. Plant foods contain almost all of the mineral nutrients established as essential for human nutrition. They provide much of our skeletal structure, e.g., bones and teeth. They are critical to countless body processes by serving as essential co-factors for a number of enzymes. Humans can not utilize most foods without critical minerals and enzymes responsible for digestion and absorption. Though mineral nutrients are essential nutrients, the body requires them in small, precise amounts. We require them in the form found in crops and they can be classified into three different categories： major, secondary, and micro or trace minerals. This classification is based upon their requirement rather than on their relative importance. Major minerals such as potassium （K） and phosphorus （P） are required in amounts of up to 10 g d-1. The daily requirement of secondary and micro minerals ranges from 400 to 1 500 mg d-1 and 45 ~tg d-1 to 11 mg d-1, respectively. To protect humans from mineral nutrient deficiencies, the key is to consume a variety of foods in modest quantities, such as different whole grains, low fat dairy, and different meats, vegetables and fruits. For insurance purposes, a supplement containing various mineral nutrients can be taken daily.

Further Investigation on the Role of Selenium Deficiency in the Aetiology and Pathogenesis of Keshan Disease

Selenium supplements were not able to restore the ultrastructural changes in the myocardiurn of latent Keshan disease patients taken by using cardiac catheter endomyocardial biopsy. Observations on the changes of seleniurn status and the incidence of Keshan disease showed that new latent and naturally-occurring chronic cases were found in the endemic area even after selenium levels had been elevated in the residents to the levels typical in the non-endemic area. These results indicate that although selenium deficiency might be a primary pathogenetic geogen in the occurrence of Keshan disease, it is rather a conditional predisposing factor than a specific or initiative aetiologic factor for the occurrence of Keshan disease. Selenium supplmentation could apparently alleviate the higher platelet responsiveness of residents in the endemic area, which might contribute to eliminating the basis for the occurrence of the multifocal perivascular necroses in myocardium of acute and subacute Keshan disease

Classification of anemia for gastroenterologists

Most anemia is related to the digestive system by dietary deficiency, malabsorption, or chronic bleeding. We review the World Health Organization definition of anemia, its morphological classifi cation (microcytic, macrocytic and normocytic) and pathogenic classi-fication (regenerative and hypo regenerative), and integration of these classifications. Interpretation of laboratory tests is included, from the simplest (blood count, routine biochemistry) to the more specific (iron metabolism, vitamin B12, folic acid, reticulocytes, erythropoietin, bone marrow examination and Schilling test). In the text and various algorithms, we propose a hierarchical and logical way to reach a diagnosis as quickly as possible, by properly managing the medical interview, physical examination, appropriate laboratory tests, bone marrow examination, and other comple-mentary tests. The prevalence is emphasized in all sections so that the gastroenterologist can direct the diagnosis to the most common diseases, although the tables also include rare diseases. Digestive diseases potentially causing anemia have been studied in preference, but other causes of anemia have been included in the text and tables. Primitive hematological diseases that cause anemia are only listed, but are not discussed in depth. The last section is dedicated to simplifying all items discussed above, using practical rules to guide diagnosis and medical care with the greatest economy of resources and time.

Clinical treatment of myasthenia gravis with deficiency of spleen and kidney based on combination of disease with syndrome theory

OBJECTIVE: To study the use of Jianjining in the treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with a deficiency of both spleen and kidney via the theory on the combination of disease with syndrome. METHODS: Sixty MG patients with a deficiency of both spleen and kidney were randomly divided into an treatment group (n=30) treated with Jianjining granules and Western Medicine (prednisone or pyridostigmine bromide) and a control group (n= 30) treated with Jianjining granules. The dosage of the three drugs was reduced over the course of treatment. After 3 and 6 months of treatment, the curative effect was evaluated with the muscle weakness severity scale (MWSS). RESULTS: The MWSS score after treatment declined significantly in both groups. The score in the treatment group was much lower than that in thecontrol group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 63.33% (19/30) in the treatment group and 36.67% (11/30) in the control group after 3 months of treatment, and 80.00% (24/30) and 50.00% (15/30), respectively, after 6 months of treatment. The obvious and total effective rates in the treatment group were much higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). After 6 months of treatment, there were no obvious differences (P>0.05) in the obvious and effective rates between the 2 groups. However, the total effective rate in the treatment group was much higher than that in the control group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Using the theory on the combination of disease with syndrome, we found that the curative effect of Jianjining and Western Medicine on MG patients with deficiency of both spleen and kidney is worth further exploration.

Study on Mitochondrial Ultrastructure, Traco Elementsand Their Correlative Factore in Cells ot Gastric Mucosa ot theGastropathic Patienta with Spleen Deficiency Syndrome

Atfer examining 88 gastropathic patieiits with Spleen deficiency syndrome by iJsing transmis-sion electron microscope, X-ray energy disperse analysis system, histochemical staining and radioimmunomethods, the authors found that the gastric mucosa cyclic adenosine monophosphate, superoxide dismutaselevel, quantity of mitochondria and its crista, the ratio of diameter between ventricle and cavity of mitochon-dria aiid the conteiit ot zinc (Zn) , copper (Cu) of mitochondria were decreasing to certain extent which tendsto get lower and lower with different groups in the order of health coritrol group, Spleen Qi deficiency groupaiid SPIeen deficiency with Qi stagnation group; chronic superficial gastritis group, chronic atrophic gastritisgroup and gastric cancor group , complete small intestinal metaplasia (IM) group, incomplete small iM group,complete colonic iM groiJp and incomplete colonic iM group (P< 0 . 05￣0 . 001 ) . While tlie degeiieratiori rateof mitochondria, Cu/Zn ratio, metaplasia rate of gastric mucosa, rate of incomplete colonic IM and content ofIipid peroxide were increasing in the above order (P < 0 . 05 ￣0 . 001 ) . It is suggested that tlie comprehensiveeffect ot the degeneration of mitochoridria and the quantitative changes of its correlative factors is the phys-iopathologic base for indecing SPIeen deficiency disease, gastric mucosa iM and canceration.

Relationship between Two Blood Stasis Syndromes and Inflammatory Factors in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

Objective： To investigate the relationship between inflammatory factors and two Chinese medicine（CM） syndrome types of qi stagnation and blood stasis（QSBS） and qi deficiency and blood stasis（QDBS） in patients with acute coronary syndrome（ACS）. Methods： Sixty subjects with ACS, whose pathogenesis changes belongs to qi disturbance blood stasis syndrome, were divided into 2 groups： 30 in the QSBS group and 30 in the QDBS group. The comparative analysis on them was carried out through comparing general information, coronary angiography and inflammatory factors including intracellular adhesion molecule-1（ICAM-1）, chitinase-3-like protein 1（YKL-40） and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2（Lp-PLA2）. Results： Compared with the QSBS group, Lp-PLA2 and YKL-40 levels in the QDBS group showed no-significant difference（P〉0.05）; ICAM-1 was significantly higher in the QDBS group than in the QSBS group in the pathological processes of qi disturbance and blood stasis syndrome of ACS（P〈0.05）. Conclusion： Inflammatory factor ICAM-1 may be an objective basis for syndrome typing of QSBS and QDBS, which provides a research direction for standardization research of CM syndrome types.

Effect of universal salt iodization on antithyroid drugs

Iodine deficiency disease （IDD） is common in China. An universal salt iodization （USl） program has been implemented by the Chinese government since 1996. As a result, the goiter rate in 8- to 10-year old children decreased from 20.4% in 1995 to 5.8% in 2002.1 But the adverse effects of iodine excess such as iodine-induced hyperthyroidism, iodine-induced goiters, iodine-induced hypothyroidism, etc. have become a great concern to healthcare professionals as well as the general population. The impact of USI on antithyroid drugs （ATDs） might become a potential challenge to address. With a special grant from the Department of Disease Control, the Health Ministry of China, we conducted a prospective study on the effects of USI on ATDs at the thyroid section of the Endocrinology Clinic of Peking Union Medical College Hospital （PUMCH）, Beijing.