| For medical practitioners and the general public - Cholesterol Journal Article Catalog. |
| First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page |
| Serum cholesterol decline and depression in the postpartum period van Dam, R. M., A. J. Schuit, et al. (1999), J Psychosom Res 46(4): 385-90. Abstract: We examined the relation between total serum cholesterol decline and depression in the postpartum period in a prospective study of 266 Dutch women, who were followed until 34 weeks after delivery. The decline in serum cholesterol between week 32 of pregnancy and week 10 postpartum was similar for women who became depressed (n = 63) in the subsequent period and women who did not (difference, 0.10 mmol/l; 95% confidence interval CI -0.16 to 0.37). Adjusting for age, multiparity, education level, smoking status, concurrent illness, and social support, the odds ratio of depression was 1.4 (95% CI, 0.64 to 2.9) for women in the highest tertile of serum cholesterol decline and 0.61 (95% CI, 0.28 to 1.3) for women in the intermediate tertile, as compared with women in the lowest tertile. Our results do not support the hypothesis that rapid serum cholesterol decline increases risk of depression in the postpartum period. |
| Serum cholesterol determined by liquid chromatography with 6-chlorostigmasterol as internal standard Chen, W. X., P. Y. Li, et al. (1993), Clin Chem 39(8): 1602-7. Abstract: We describe an accurate and precise method for determining serum cholesterol by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). After addition of 6-chlorostigmasterol as internal standard, serum is treated with alcoholic potassium hydroxide. Subsequently the cholesterol and internal standard are extracted from the mixture into n-hexane and then derivatized to phenylurethanes for measurement by HPLC with ultraviolet detection. The effective chromatographic separation and the use of an appropriate internal standard make this procedure free from interferences by other serum sterols and precise. The mean cholesterol concentration in Standard Reference Material (SRM) 909 (human serum) assayed by this procedure (4.346 mmol.g-1 x L-1) agreed well with the value assigned by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (4.359 mmol.g-1 x L-1). Within-run and total CVs were 0.56% and 0.78%, respectively. Therefore the performance of this procedure is sufficiently good to allow its use as a candidate reference method for serum cholesterol determination. |
| Serum cholesterol distribution and coronary heart disease risk: observations and predictions among middle-aged population in eastern Finland Jousilahti, P., E. Vartiainen, et al. (1998), Circulation 97(11): 1087-94. Abstract: BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to assess the implications of cholesterol distribution and its change on coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality and disease prevention at a population level. METHODS AND RESULTS: In five independent risk factor surveys (1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, and 1992) in eastern Finland, serum cholesterol was measured in 27721 randomly selected men and women aged 30 to 59 years. The association between cholesterol level and CHD risk and the prediction of the effect of different prevention strategies was estimated by use of logistic regression models. The entire cholesterol distribution of the population shifted markedly toward lower levels between 1972 and 1992. The proportion of subjects with a very high cholesterol level (> or =8.0 mmol/L), also decreased markedly, from 16% to 3%. The risk of CHD death among subjects with cholesterol > or =8.0 mmol/L was approximately 5-fold that of those individuals having cholesterol <5.0 mmol/L. Nevertheless, because CHD risk increases continuously as serum cholesterol increases, and because the number of people having only slightly or moderately increased serum cholesterol was large, most CHD deaths occurred among them. A 10% reduction in cholesterol levels in the entire population would subsequently reduce CHD mortality by 20%, as much as an effective treatment as a 25% decrease in serum cholesterol among all subjects with cholesterol >6.5 mmol/L and four times more than similar treatment of all subjects with cholesterol > or =8.0 mmol/L. CONCLUSIONS: The community-based population strategy in cardiovascular disease prevention was effective in decreasing cholesterol levels among the entire population, including the subjects with the highest cholesterol values. The balanced application of both high-risk and population strategies is needed for the effective prevention of CHD. |
| Serum cholesterol efflux potential in postmenopausal monkeys treated with tibolone or conjugated estrogens Mikkola, T. S., M. S. Anthony, et al. (2002), Metabolism 51(4): 523-30. Abstract: Tibolone is a synthetic steroid used for the treatment of climacteric symptoms and the prevention of osteoporosis, but the effect on the cardiovascular system is unclear since tibolone lowers high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. We investigated if long-term treatment with tibolone or conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in cynomolgus monkeys could affect their serum cholesterol efflux potential. Surgically postmenopausal cynomolgus monkeys were treated for 2 years with conjugated equine estrogens (CEE), CEE plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), low-dose tibolone, or high-dose tibolone. Plasma lipid, lipoprotein, and apolipoprotein levels were monitored during the study. The cholesterol efflux potential of the serum from each animal was determined in (3)H-cholesterol-labeled Fu5AH cells and skin fibroblasts in culture. Tibolone induced a dose-dependent 30% to 52% reduction in HDL levels. When HDL concentrations were reduced by 30%, as seen in women, there was no reduction in the serum cholesterol efflux potential in Fu5AH cells. With a 52% reduction in HDL, there was a 14% reduction in cholesterol efflux. Although CEE or CEE+MPA had no significant effect on HDL levels, CEE treatment increased serum cholesterol efflux potential by 7%. With the same sera, no changes in cholesterol efflux were seen with fibroblasts. Although our findings suggest that HDL concentration is correlated with cholesterol efflux potential of serum, this relationship is weak, explaining only 16% of the variability. This is emphasized by the fact that despite a 30% lowering of HDL with tibolone, there was no indication of an adverse effect on cellular cholesterol efflux. Other changes in the serum not measured in this study must contribute significantly to the cholesterol efflux potential of serum. Because changes in cholesterol efflux potential of serum were seen only in Fu5AH cells, a cell line rich in SR-B1 receptors, this implies that the changes seen in this study were mediated largely by the SR-B1 pathway. |
| Serum cholesterol efflux potential is an independent predictor of coronary artery atherosclerosis Mikkola, T. S., M. S. Anthony, et al. (2003), Atherosclerosis 170(1): 31-8. Abstract: The efflux of cholesterol from cells and its incorporation into HDL is believed to be the initial step in reverse cholesterol transport. This report addresses the question of whether there is a relationship between the ability of serum to promote efflux of cholesterol from cells in culture and the severity of coronary artery atherosclerosis (CAA). Surgically postmenopausal cynomolgus monkeys (n=142) were treated for 2-years with conjugated equine estrogens (CEE), CEE plus medroxyprogesterone acetate, or two different doses of tibolone, a synthetic steroid. CAA was determined at necropsy, and the cholesterol efflux potential of serum from each animal was determined using 3H-cholesterol-labeled Fu5AH cells and human skin fibroblasts in culture. A significant negative correlation was seen between CAA and cholesterol efflux from Fu5AH cells (r=-0.44, P< or =0.0001), but not skin fibroblasts. Although there was a wide range of plasma HDL cholesterol concentrations in these animals (10-81 mg/dl), using multiple regression analysis, LDL+VLDL cholesterol and the serum cholesterol efflux potential were the only significant independent predictors of CAA, explaining 41.6 and 10.7% of the variability (P<0.0001), respectively. Thus, the potential of serum to promote cholesterol efflux from Fu5AH cells may represent a useful independent measure for improving the assessment of CAA risk. |
| Serum cholesterol ester fatty acids in 7- and 13-month-old children in a prospective randomized trial of a low-saturated fat, low-cholesterol diet: the STRIP baby project. Special Turku coronary Risk factor Intervention Project for children Salo, P., J. Viikari, et al. (1999), Acta Paediatr 88(5): 505-12. Abstract: To evaluate changes that occur in serum cholesterol ester fatty acid composition during the transition from typical infant feeding to a more adult type of nutrition, this study compared the effects on serum cholesterol ester fatty acids of breast milk or formula at the age of 7 mo with effects caused by 6-mo dietary intervention in 137 children. The intervention Special Turku coronary Risk factor Intervention Project for children (STRIP baby project) aimed at a reduction of saturated fat intake to 10% of energy after the age of 1 y without purposefully influencing total fat intake. Nutrient intakes were calculated from 3-d food records. At the age of 7 mo, i.e. before dietary education began, milk type markedly influenced dietary and serum cholesterol ester fatty acid composition (mean serum cholesterol ester 16:0 in breastfed vs formula-fed infants, 13.7% vs 12.0%, respectively, p < 0.001; serum cholesterol ester 18:2n-6 50.6% vs 57.6%, p < 0.001). At the age of 13 mo the calculated fat intake of the intervention and control children differed markedly but serum cholesterol ester fatty acid compositions in all children resembled closely those measured in 7-mo-old breastfed infants, e.g. at the age of 13 mo the relative proportions of 18:2n-6 were 49.9% and 51.1% in previously formula-fed intervention and control children, respectively, and 50.3% and 50.1% in previously breastfed intervention and control children, respectively. In conclusion, serum cholesterol ester fatty acid composition reflected differences in dietary fat quality (breast milk or formula) at the age of 7 mo, whereas dietary intervention as applied in the STRIP baby project had only a minimal effect. |
| Serum cholesterol falls spontaneously in nephrotic patients with progressive renal disease Moorhead, J. F., W. Persaud, et al. (1993), Ren Fail 15(3): 389-93. Abstract: Total cholesterol (TC) levels were lower than expected in some patients with advanced renal disease and nephrotic-range proteinuria. Studies of 35 clinically stable nonuremic patients and of 12 nephrotic patients with advancing renal failure were therefore performed. Analysis of pooled biochemical data from 35 patients who were hypercholesterolemic on entry to the clinic revealed a positive correlation between TC and reciprocal creatinine (l/Cr) while serum albumin (ALB) was negatively correlated with l/Cr and TC. In the 12 nephrotic patients with negative reciprocal creatinine slopes there was a strong correlation between the slopes of l/Cr and TC. These data suggest that plasma cholesterol falls in the nephrotic hypercholesterolemic patients in whom renal disease progresses, and that the slopes of plasma cholesterol and reciprocal creatinine are closely related. |
| Serum cholesterol in cerebral malignancies Grieb, P., M. S. Ryba, et al. (1999), J Neurooncol 41(2): 175-80. Abstract: Reduced blood cholesterol levels were reported in patients with a variety of malignant peripheral tumors. This fact is likely related to increased cholesterol demand by proliferating tumor cells. The question arises whether this 'tumor-associated hypocholesterolemia' occurs also in patients with brain tumors, and--if it does not--whether its absence can be related to the location of the tumors. We have compared fasting serum total cholesterol levels among three groups of patients: 52 patients with gliomas, 56 patients with symptomatic metastatic brain tumors, and 50 patients harboring malignant tumors of peripheral location but showing no clinical signs of brain metastases. Patients in the last group, despite being--on an average--more age-advanced, had lower total serum cholesterol levels than either the patients with gliomas, or the patients with brain metastases. No difference in the cholesterol levels was found between the two latter groups, and a majority of these patients had borderline or elevated cholesterol levels. This apparent absence of 'tumor-associated hypocholesterolemia' in brain tumor patients may be related to either brain tumors' ability to synthesize cholesterol de novo and their reduced dependence on peripheral cholesterol supply, the existence of brain tumor-blood barrier, effect of medications used to counteract brain edema and seizures, or a combination of these factors. |
| Serum cholesterol in cirrhosis of liver Kackar, R. R. and H. G. Desai (2004), J Assoc Physicians India 52: 1007. |
| Serum cholesterol in cross-cultural perspective. The Seven Countries Study Kromhout, D. (1999), Acta Cardiol 54(3): 155-8. Abstract: C.D. de Langen hypothesized already in 1916 that overnutrition by a cholesterol rich diet is associated with hypercholesterolaemia and the occurrence of atherosclerotic complications such as coronary heart disease. It took till the nineteen fifties before the associations between diet, serum cholesterol and coronary heart disease were systematically investigated. Keys started the Seven Countries Study because he was as De Langen interested in the question whether differences in the occurrence of coronary heart disease between populations could be explained by differences in serum cholesterol and diet. The results of the Seven Countries Study showed that serum cholesterol was strongly related to coronary heart disease mortality both at the population and at the individual level. The strength of the association (relative risks) between serum cholesterol and coronary heart disease mortality was similar in different cultures. However, the absolute risks differed substantially. At a serum cholesterol level of 5.2 mmol/l the 25-year coronary heart disease mortality rate was 5 times higher in Northern Europe compared with Mediterranean Southern Europe. At the population level differences in coronary heart disease mortality rates could almost completely be explained by differences in saturated fat (an important determinant of serum cholesterol), flavonoids (strong antioxidants) and cigarette smoking (producer of pro-oxidants). It can be concluded that the relations between diet, serum cholesterol and coronary heart disease are more complex than originally thought. Not only dietary cholesterol but also different fatty acids and antioxidants play a role in the genesis of atherosclerosis. |
| Serum cholesterol in gastrointestinal diseases Gylling, H. and T. A. Miettinen (1995), Duodecim 111(22): 2123-32. |
| Serum cholesterol in healthy postmenopausal women Samanta, B. B. (1998), Indian J Med Sci 52(5): 191-5. Abstract: Hypercholes erolaemia is a modifiable risk factor in atherosclerosis. Women lose their relative protection against coronory heart disease at menopause because of changed lipid profile due to oestrogen deficiency. Total serum cholesterol was estimated in 82 healthy postmenopausal women in the age group of 46-72 years (51.5 +/- 7.39). Thirty five healthy pre-menopausal women in the age group of 18-38 years (29.5 +/- 6.4) served as controls. The mean serum cholesterol concentration was significantly higher in the postmenopausal group compared to control group (178.5 +/- 39.8 Vs 155.4 +/- 24 mg/dl; P < 0.01). Serum cholesterol concentration in the study group was not related to social class, dietary habit and obesity. |
| Serum cholesterol in infants fed with an anti-regurgitation milk formula containing bean gum Savino, F., F. Cresi, et al. (1999), Acta Paediatr 88(1): 102-3. |
| Serum cholesterol in neonates and their mothers. A pilot study Badruddin, S. H., R. Lalani, et al. (1990), J Pak Med Assoc 40(5): 108-9. Abstract: Reports from the Aga Khan University indicate that 58% of 400 school children studied had undesirably high serum cholesterol levels. The present study was undertaken to determine whether the high cholesterol levels are present at birth and to determine the relationship between cord blood, maternal blood cholesterol and maternal diet. Cord blood from 58 neonates and fasting venous blood from 45 mothers were analyzed from total serum cholesterol. Mothers were interviewed regarding their usual diet during pregnancy. Mean cord blood cholesterol was 56.90 mg/dl (range 26 to 123 mg/dl). Mean maternal blood cholesterol was 232.4 mg/dl (range 141-382 mg/dl). Mean maternal intake of cholesterol was 457 mg (recommended level less than or equal to 300 mg/day). There was no significant co-relation between cord blood cholesterol and maternal blood cholesterol or maternal intake of cholesterol. Eighteen percent of the mothers reported a strong family history of hypercholesterolemia and/or heart disease, but this genetic tendency was not observed in the blood cholesterol level at birth indicating that environmental factors namely diet may have a prime role in determining serum cholesterol levels in childhood. |
| Serum cholesterol in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization for suspected coronary artery disease: diagnostic and prognostic implications Califf, R. M., K. S. Pieper, et al. (1992), Ann Epidemiol 2(1-2): 137-45. Abstract: The Duke Data Bank for Cardiovascular Diseases is an observational data bank capturing baseline, treatment, and follow-up information on patients referred for evaluation of suspected coronary artery disease. From 6829 patients referred between 1969 and 1990 for diagnostic angiography, baseline cholesterol levels were determined as part of the standard clinical procedure. Baseline total cholesterol values were found to be related to the presence of coronary disease in men and women, although in the elderly little evidence for a significant relationship was found. Formal tests for interactions revealed a significant interaction between age and cholesterol but not between gender and cholesterol. In subgroup analyses using the Cox proportional hazards model, no relationship was found between cholesterol and either cardiovascular death or total cardiac events (death or nonfatal myocardial infarction) in 2038 medically treated patients with 5 to 20 years of follow-up. In the subgroup of 1798 surgically treated patients, there was also no relationship between baseline cholesterol level and these end points. Finally, detailed lipid analysis was done at baseline and 6-month angiography in a second population of 759 patients undergoing percutaneous coronary angioplasty between 1986 and 1989. No substantial relationship between baseline or follow-up cholesterol, low-density or high-density lipoproteins, or triglyceride levels and restenosis was found. |
| Serum cholesterol in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder during treatment with behavior therapy and SSRI or placebo Peter, H., S. Tabrizian, et al. (2000), Int J Psychiatry Med 30(1): 27-39. Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Patients with panic disorder are reported to have elevated cholesterol levels. There is also some evidence that cholesterol elevation is not so much a specific condition in panic disorder but is generally associated with anxiety. So far, there is little data on cholesterol levels in patients with obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD) which is also classified as anxiety disorder. METHOD: Thirty-three patients with OCD participated in the study. Serum cholesterol was measured as pretreatment and at the end of a ten-week treatment-period. All patients received behavior therapy and, in a double-blind fashion, fluvoxamine or placebo. Severity of OCD was assessed by the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). RESULTS: Pretreatment cholesterol values of OCD patients were compared with cholesterol levels of thirty panic disorder patients and thirty normal controls. OCD patients had elevated cholesterol levels comparable with those of panic disorder patients. Cholesterol levels decreased significantly from pre- to posttreatment. OCD patients with high cholesterol levels (> or = 240 mg/dl, n = 7) could make best use of the treatment whereas patients with desirable cholesterol levels (< 200 mg/dl, n = 11) did not change their cholesterol during treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the assumption that not only panic disorder but also other anxiety disorders, e.g., obsessive compulsive disorders, may be associated with serum cholesterol elevations. Effective treatment (behavior therapy and/or treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor SSRI) seems to decrease cholesterol levels, especially in patients with pathological cholesterol elevations. |
| Serum cholesterol in the continuation phase of pharmacotherapy with fluoxetine in remitted major depressive disorder Papakostas, G. I., D. V. Iosifescu, et al. (2004), J Clin Psychopharmacol 24(4): 467-9. |
| Serum cholesterol in the dog Kraft, W., M. Weskamp, et al. (1994), Tierarztl Prax 22(4): 392-7. Abstract: The reference values of cholesterol were examined in two groups of healthy dogs. In a group of 591 dogs a value of 122-389 mg/dl or 3.2-10.1 mmol/l was calculated (95% percentile). Statistically significant variations occurred with age, sex, breed, and feeding; however they were small and do not require consideration in diagnostic procedures. Serum cholesterol is increased in numerous diseases. It is questionable whether the consideration of serum cholesterol helped in the diagnosis of hypothyroidism. |
| Serum cholesterol in treatment-resistant depression Papakostas, G. I., T. Petersen, et al. (2003), Neuropsychobiology 47(3): 146-51. Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) may have significant differences in cholesterol levels compared with healthy controls. A previous study by our group reported that depressed patients with elevated cholesterol levels (>or=200 mg/dl) were significantly more likely to be nonresponders to fluoxetine treatment than depressed patients with nonelevated cholesterol levels. However, very little is known regarding cholesterol in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The purpose of this study was to compare cholesterol levels at baseline between depressed patients with and without TRD and to test whether cholesterol levels at baseline can predict clinical response in patients with TRD treated with open-label nortriptyline (NT). METHODS: Ninety-two patients with TRD entered a 6-week open trial of NT. Baseline cholesterol levels were randomly collected for 59 of these patients. Controlling for age and gender, we compared baseline cholesterol and triglyceride levels for 35 patients with TRD who did not respond to NT with 205 non-TRD patients who responded to an 8-week open trial of fluoxetine. Furthermore, with the use of logistic regression, we tested whether baseline cholesterol levels predicted clinical response to NT in the patients with TRD. RESULTS: Patients with TRD had higher triglyceride levels at baseline compared with depressed patients without TRD. Cholesterol defined as a dichotomous variable being elevated if equal to or greater than 200 mg/dl, predicted poor response to a 6-week open trial of NT in patients with TRD. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study confirm the relationship between hypercholesterolemia and poor outcome in the treatment of MDD for patients with TRD. |
| Serum cholesterol in Wisconsin epidemiologic study of diabetic retinopathy Klein, B. E., S. E. Moss, et al. (1992), Diabetes Care 15(2): 282-7. Abstract: OBJECTIVE--To describe serum total and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in a sample of people with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--Subjects were those who participated in the 1984-1986 Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy. Data were from three groups of subjects: 304 younger-onset and 185 older-onset people taking insulin and 162 older-onset individuals not taking insulin. Serum lipids, duration of diabetes, glycosylated hemoglobin, diastolic blood pressure, sex, age, serum creatinine, units of insulin per kilogram per day, smoking status, serum C-peptide level, and alcohol use were analyzed statistically. RESULTS--In subjects taking insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin was correlated most strongly with total cholesterol. In those not taking insulin, C-peptide was correlated most strongly. In subjects taking insulin, the units used per day (fewer) and sex (female) were significantly associated with higher HDL cholesterol, and in both older-onset groups, serum C-peptide was significantly associated with lower HDL cholesterol. Mean total cholesterol levels were generally higher and mean HDL cholesterol levels were generally lower than those found in a nondiabetic comparison group. CONCLUSION--By the National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines, 17% of younger-onset and 30% of older-onset insulin users and 32% of older-onset subjects not taking insulin were in the high-risk range for total cholesterol. Lower levels of glycosylated hemoglobin might result in lower cholesterol levels. |