One year experience with a low density lipoprotein apheresis system.

Background: Low density lipoprotein apheresis is used as a complementary method for treating hypercholesterolemic patients who cannot reach target LDL-cholesterol levels on conventional dietary and drug treatment. The DALI system (direct absorption of lipoproteins) is the only extracorporeal LDL-removing system compatible with whole blood.

Objective: To describe our one year experience using the DALI system.

Phenotypic-genotypic analysis of CYP2C19 in the Jewish Israeli population.

Objectives: Evaluation of CYP2C19 activity and the frequency of CYP2C19 alleles in the Jewish Israeli population.

Methods: One hundred forty Jewish Israeli subjects received 100 mg racemic mephenytoin and collected urine for 8 hours. Urinary concentrations of mephenytoin enantiomers and 4'-hydroxymephenytoin were determined by gas-liquid chromatography and HPLC, respectively.

Markedly reduced bile acid synthesis but maintained levels of cholesterol and vitamin D metabolites in mice with disrupted sterol 27-hydroxylase gene.

Sterol 27-hydroxylase is important for the degradation of the steroid side chain in conversion of cholesterol into bile acids and has been ascribed a regulatory role in cholesterol homeostasis. Its deficiency causes the autosomal recessive disease cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX), characterized by progressive dementia, xanthomatosis, and accelerated atherosclerosis. Mice with a disrupted cyp27 (cyp27(-/-)) had normal plasma levels of cholesterol, retinol, tocopherol, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D.