Screening for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in Eastern Finnish breast/ovarian cancer families.

Familial aggregation is thought to account for 5-10% of all breast cancer cases, and high penetrance breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 explain < or =20% of these. Hundreds of mutations among breast/ovarian cancer families have been found in these two genes. The mutation spectrum and prevalence, however, varies widely among populations.

Six-year effect of combined vitamin C and E supplementation on atherosclerotic progression: the Antioxidant Supplementation in Atherosclerosis Prevention (ASAP) Study.

Background: Self-selected supplementation of vitamin E has been associated with reduced coronary events and atherosclerotic progression, but the evidence from clinical trials is controversial. In the first 3 years of the ASAP trial, the supplementation with 136 IU of vitamin E plus 250 mg of slow-release vitamin C twice daily slowed down the progression of carotid atherosclerosis in men but not women. This article examines the 6-year effect of supplementation on common carotid artery (CCA) intima-media thickness (IMT).

Exhaustive exercise increases plasma/serum total oxidation resistance in moderately trained men and women, whereas their VLDL + LDL lipoprotein fraction is more susceptible to oxidation.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of exhaustive exercise (marathon run) on different lipid peroxidation measurements, including copper-induced serum lipids and VLDL + LDL oxidation susceptibility, and on plasma total antioxidative capacity (TRAP), muscular damage and plasma antioxidants in healthy moderately trained male (n = 21) and female (n = 25) volunteers. Blood samples were taken before and just after the 42-km run. In women, baseline levels of several antioxidative compounds (serum albumin and uric acid, plasma free thiols and blood glutathione) were lower, resulting in 21.

Supplementation with vitamin E but not with vitamin C lowers lipid peroxidation in vivo in mildly hypercholesterolemic men.

Although the use of vitamin E supplements has been associated with a reduction in coronary events, assumed to be due to lowered lipid peroxidation, there are no previous long-term clinical trials into the effects of vitamin C or E supplementation on lipid peroxidation in vivo. Here, we have studied the long-term effects of vitamins C and E on plasma F2-isoprostanes, a widely used marker of lipid peroxidation in vivo. As a study cohort, a subset of the "Antioxidant Supplementation in Atherosclerosis Prevention" (ASAP) study was used.

Antioxidant Supplementation in Atherosclerosis Prevention (ASAP) study: a randomized trial of the effect of vitamins E and C on 3-year progression of carotid atherosclerosis.

Objectives: To study the efficacy of vitamin E and C supplementation on the progression of carotid atherosclerosis, hypothesizing an enhanced preventive effect in men and in smokers and synergism between vitamins.

Design And Subjects: Double-masked two-by-two factorial trial, randomization in four strata (by gender and smoking status) to receive twice daily either 91 mg (136 IU) of d-alpha-tocopherol, 250 mg of slow-release vitamin C, a combination of these or placebo for three years. A randomized sample of 520 smoking and nonsmoking men and postmenopausal women aged 45-69 years with serum cholesterol >/= 5.