Brain ; metabolism ; pathology ; Child, Preschool ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Folate Receptor 1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Folic Acid ; blood ; cerebrospinal fluid ; metabolism ; Folic Acid Deficiency ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Humans ; Infant ; Leucovorin ; therapeutic use ; Malnutrition ; complications ; diagnosis ; Tetrahydrofolates ; cerebrospinal fluid ; metabolism

No abstract available.
Folic Acid Deficiency* ; Folic Acid* ; Polyneuropathies*

Objectives: Folate is an essential nutrient associated with healthy pregnancy outcomes. Women of child-bearing age (WOCBA) are advised to maintain optimum blood folate status through adequate dietary folate intakes and folic acid from supplements. This study was aimed at assessing the level of knowledge, attitude, and perceived practice (KAP) among WOCBA on the importance of folate periconceptionally.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 184 healthy WOCBA in the Province of Batangas. The level of KAP was expressed as percent mean scores and were interpreted as poor, moderate, or high for knowledge and perceived practices and negative, neutral, or positive for attitude. Pearson's correlation of coefficient was used to measure the linear correlation between variables at a 95% level of significance.

Results: About 70% of respondents have heard of folate. The study showed a moderate level of knowledge, positive attitude, and moderate perceived practices related to folate among WOCBA. Age and civil status were associated with KAP. A significantly weak positive association (r=0.4, p<0.000) between the level of attitude and perceived practice related to folate was observed. Further, the level of knowledge showed significantly positive moderate association to attitude (r=0.7, p<0.000) and perceived practice (r=0.5, p<0.000).

Conclusion: Increasing the level of knowledge on folate suggests a positive attitude and a higher level of perceived practice. The findings of the study suggest a need to increase knowledge on folate among WOCBA, especially, in younger women. Also, there is a need to emphasize the importance of adequate folate intakes from food and folic acid supplements, periconceptionally.

Several experimental and clinical studies have shown that leucovorin(LV) potentiate the antitumor effect of 5-fluorouracil(SFU) by biochemical modulation. LV increases the intracellular reduced folate, which stabilizes the 5FU metabolite 5-fluorodeoxyuridine monophosphate (FdUMP):thymidylate synthase(TS) complex, thus increasing the block in the DNA synthesis pathway. This present study was designed to analyze the cytotoxic effects of the combination of 5FU and LV in bladder cancer cell lines. We used two human bladder transitional cell cancer cell lines (DU4184 and DU4284): In vitro cytotoxicity was assessed by the colorimetric assay. Them was a substantial difference of 5FU cytotoxicity between two cell lines. DU4284 cells were 2-fold less sensitive to 5FU than DU4184 cells (mean IC50 : 0.43M+0.02 vs. 0.21+0.0l.uM). Enhanced cytotoxic effect of 5FU by coadministration of LV was seen in both cell lines with the greater degree of potentiation being observed in DU4284 cells (enhancement factor: 7.2 vs. 2.7 fold, respectively). It is concluded that, in this study, 1) bladder cancer cells reveal various patterns of cytotoxic responses to 5FU only, 2) LV significantly enhances the cytotoxicity of 5FU in bladder cancer cells including the 5FU- less sensitive cells. These data support the use of LV in combination with 5FU as adjuvant treatment of patients with advanced metastatic bladder cancer.
Cell Line* ; DNA ; Floxuridine ; Fluorouracil ; Folic Acid ; Humans* ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Leucovorin* ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* ; Urinary Bladder*

Several experimental and clinical studies have shown that leucovorin(LV) potentiate the antitumor effect of 5-fluorouracil(SFU) by biochemical modulation. LV increases the intracellular reduced folate, which stabilizes the 5FU metabolite 5-fluorodeoxyuridine monophosphate (FdUMP):thymidylate synthase(TS) complex, thus increasing the block in the DNA synthesis pathway. This present study was designed to analyze the cytotoxic effects of the combination of 5FU and LV in bladder cancer cell lines. We used two human bladder transitional cell cancer cell lines (DU4184 and DU4284): In vitro cytotoxicity was assessed by the colorimetric assay. Them was a substantial difference of 5FU cytotoxicity between two cell lines. DU4284 cells were 2-fold less sensitive to 5FU than DU4184 cells (mean IC50 : 0.43M+0.02 vs. 0.21+0.0l.uM). Enhanced cytotoxic effect of 5FU by coadministration of LV was seen in both cell lines with the greater degree of potentiation being observed in DU4284 cells (enhancement factor: 7.2 vs. 2.7 fold, respectively). It is concluded that, in this study, 1) bladder cancer cells reveal various patterns of cytotoxic responses to 5FU only, 2) LV significantly enhances the cytotoxicity of 5FU in bladder cancer cells including the 5FU- less sensitive cells. These data support the use of LV in combination with 5FU as adjuvant treatment of patients with advanced metastatic bladder cancer.
Cell Line* ; DNA ; Floxuridine ; Fluorouracil ; Folic Acid ; Humans* ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Leucovorin* ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* ; Urinary Bladder*

Alcoholism has been associated with folate deficiency in humans and laboratory animals. Previous study showed that ethanol feeding reduces the dehydrogenase and hydrolase activity of 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (FDH) in rat liver. Hepatic ethanol metabolism generates acetaldehyde and acetate. The mechanisms by which ethanol and its metabolites produce toxicity within the liver cells are unknown. We purified FDH from rat liver and investigated the effect of ethanol, acetaldehyde and acetate on the enzyme in vitro. Hepatic FDH activity was not reduced by ethanol or acetate directly. However, acetaldehyde was observed to reduce the dehydrogenase activity of FDH in a dose- and time-dependent manner with an apparent IC50 of 4 mM, while the hydrolase activity of FDH was not affected by acetaldehyde in vitro. These results suggest that the inhibition of hepatic FDH dehydrogenase activity induced by acetadehyde may play a role in ethanol toxicity.
Acetaldehyde ; Alcoholism ; Animals ; Animals, Laboratory ; Ethanol ; Folic Acid ; Humans ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Leucovorin ; Liver ; Oxidoreductases ; Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-NH Group Donors ; Rats

Livedoid vasculopathy is a hyalinizing vascular disease characterized by thrombosis and ulceration of the lower extremities. It can be caused by an alteration in control of coagulation with the formation of thrombi within dermal blood vessels. We report a case of livedoid vasculopathy with hyperhomocysteinemia due to MTHFR mutation, which is treated by folic acid and which also showed very unusual clinical manifestations. A 38-year-old male visited the department of dermatology with a 1 year history of purplish-brown purpura with punched-out ulcers on both lower legs. He had a history of homocysteinemia due to methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) mutation. The histopathologic findings of the lesional skin revealed dense superficial and deep perivascular and perifollicular infiltrates of lymphocytes and fibrin deposition within the vessels in the dermis. On the basis of clinical and pathological findings, livedoid vasculopathy with hyperhomocysteinemia due to MTHFR mutation was diagnosed and improved by the treatment of 1 mg of folic acid daily.
Blood Vessels ; Dermatology ; Dermis ; Fibrin ; Folic Acid ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Hyperhomocysteinemia ; Leg ; Lower Extremity ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) ; Purpura ; Skin ; Tetrahydrofolates ; Thrombosis ; Ulcer ; Vascular Diseases

No abstract available.
Folic Acid* ; Homocysteine* ; Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)*

Microbiological method using a 96-well microplate reader for folate assay was established, and folate intake and blood folate concentrations of 23 female college students were assessed. To evaluate folate intake, dietary data were collected by a 3-day weight food record, and serum and RBC folate concentrations were measured by the new method. The coefficient of variation for the new method was less than 10%. Mean daily folate intake of the subjects was 126.7ug which is only 50.7% of the RDA. The mean concentrations of serum and RBC folate were 7.46ng/ml and 294.4ng/ml, respectively, which were within the normal range. These results indicate that folate intake seems to be underestimated due to incomplete food composition database. Therefore, folate database should be appropriately in order to asses folate intake accurately.
Equidae ; Female ; Folic Acid* ; Humans ; Reference Values

No abstract available.
Asthma* ; Folic Acid* ; Gene-Environment Interaction*