The intervention effects of a community-based hypertension control programme in two rural South African towns: the CORIS Study.

The objective of the hypertension programme of the Coronary Risk Factor Study (CORIS) was to evaluate the effectiveness of the first 4 years of community-based intervention. The hypertension intervention model comprised a blood pressure station where the whole population was screened for hypertension, non-drug management was provided and hypertensives were monitored after referral to general practitioners for drug therapy. Two levels of intervention were maintained: in the high-intensity intervention town (N = 2,278) hypertensives were actively followed up, and in the low-intensity intervention town (N = 2,620) no active follow-up procedure existed.

Community-based intervention: the Coronary Risk Factor Study (CORIS).

The Coronary Risk Factor Study (CORIS) examined the feasibility and effectiveness of a multifactorial community intervention programme to reduce coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factor levels. Three Afrikaner communities were surveyed before and after a 4-year intervention in two of the communities, the third serving as a control (C). Intervention was primarily by small mass media (low-intensity intervention, LII) or by small mass media plus interpersonal intervention to high-risk individuals (high-intensity intervention, HII).

Folic acid and vitamin B12 status of vervet monkeys used for nutritional research.

Plasma and red blood cell (RBC) folic acid levels, as well as plasma vitamin B12 levels were determined in Vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops). All the vervets were apparently healthy and without symptoms or lesions typical of folic acid and/or vitamin B12 deficiencies. Competitive protein binding radioassays were used to determine folate and vitamin B12 values in animals fed 4 different diets.

Atherogenic effects in a non-human primate of Fusarium moniliforme cultures added to a carbohydrate diet.

Adding less than 0.5% w/w of culture material of strain MRC 826 of the fungus Fusarium moniliforme to a carbohydrate diet low in fat resulted in an atherogenic plasma lipid profile in a non-human primate. Simultaneously increased plasma fibrinogen and activity of blood coagulation factor VII could enhance atherogenesis.

Changes in plasma lipoprotein levels during a hiking expedition in South America.

Eleven males participated in a hiking expedition over a period of 6 weeks during which they walked an average of 15 km per day, resting days included. The participants completed a seven-day estimated dietary record before and during the expedition. Their habitual dietary intake before the expedition was typical of a Western diet.

The cancer-initiating potential of the fumonisin B mycotoxins.

The cancer-initiating potential of the fumonisin B (FB) mycotoxins produced by Fusarium moniliforme was screened in rat liver for their ability to induce rare hepatocytes with an acquired resistance to the mitoinhibitory effect of 2-acetyl-aminofluorene (2-AAF). Two different initiating protocols were used: a feeding regimen during which FB1 was fed at a dietary level of 0.1% for 26 days, and another where single or multiple doses of FB1 and FB2 (varying from 200 to 50 mg/kg) were administered (by gavage) to hepatectomized rats.

Determination of fumonisin B1 in plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Fumonisin B1 (FB1), the major compound of the newly described fumonisin mycotoxins, has been shown to be the causative agent of the animal diseases leukoencephalomalacia in horses and pulmonary oedema in pigs. Whereas previous analytical methods have dealt with the determination of FB1 in feed and foodstuffs, this report for the first time details methods for FB1 determination in the physiological fluids, plasma and urine. The methods involve solid-phase anion-exchange clean-up, precolumn derivatisation with o-phthaldialdehyde and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

The first 6 years of the Tygerberg Hospital lipid clinic.

The Tygerberg Hospital Lipid Clinic was established in July 1983. The demographic characteristics, lipid abnormalities, coronary risk factor profile, treatment status and 6-month follow-up lipid changes of patients seen during its first 6 years are summarised. During this period 329 patients were seen and complete lipograms were available for 312 of them.

The implications of naturally occurring levels of fumonisins in corn for human and animal health.

Contamination of corn with the fungus Fusarium moniliforme and its secondary metabolites, the fumonisins, has been associated with several human and animal diseases. This paper summarizes present knowledge and presents new data on the levels of fumonisins present in foods and feeds associated with these diseases as well as in commercial corn and corn-based products. The doses of fumonisins to which humans and animals consuming these products would be exposed are compared with those doses known to produce LEM in horses and hepatocarcinogenesis in rats.

Fumonisins: isolation, chemical characterization and biological effects.

The fumonisin B mycotoxins (FB1 and FB2) have been purified and characterized from corn cultures of Fusarium moniliforme strain MRC 826. Fumonisin B1 (FB1), the major fumonisin produced in culture, has been shown to be responsible for the major toxicological effects of the fungus in rats, horses and pigs. Recent investigations on the purification of compounds with chromatographic characteristics similar to FB1 have led to the identification of two new fumonisins, FB3 and FB4.

Torsion of the colon in vervet monkeys: association with an atherogenic Western-type of diet.

The risk of torsion of the colon in adult male vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethipos) increased when they were fed with an atherogenic Western-type of diet. No cases occurred in females and rapid diagnosis is necessary to prevent lethal consequences.

Mutagenicity of potentially carcinogenic mycotoxins produced byFusarium moniliforme.

The mutagenic behaviour of two potentially carcinogenic mycotoxins produced byFusarium moniliforme was investigated in theSalmonella mutagenicity test using tester strains TA97a, TA98, TA100, and TA102. The mutagenic response obtained with fusarin C (1, 5, and 10μg/plate) against tester strains TA98 and TA100 in the presence of microsomal activation confirmed previous observations on the mutagenic behaviour of this mutagen while that obtained against TA97a is reported for the first time. No dose-response relationship could be detected for the concentration levels (0.

Toxicity and carcinogenicity of the Fusarium moniliforme metabolite, fumonisin B1, in rats.

A semi-purified corn-based diet containing 50 mg/kg of pure (not less than 90%) fumonisin B1 (FB1), isolated from culture material of Fusarium moniliforme strain MRC 826, was fed to a group of 25 rats over a period of 26 months. A control group of 25 rats received the same diet without FB1. Five rats from each group were killed at 6, 12, 20 and 26 months.

Mineral and vitamin intake in field athletes (discus-, hammer-, javelin-throwers and shotputters).

Thirty field athletes (discus-, hammer-, javelin-throwers and shotputters) were studied. Dietary intake was determined by using the seven-day estimated dietary record. Analysis of the dietary intake indicated that on average, the males (n = 20) consumed adequate amounts of micro-nutrients.

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography of tenuazonic acid and related tetramic acids.

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic system for the determination of the fungal toxin, tenuazonic acid, (5S,8S)-3-acetyl-5-sec.-butyltetramic acid, is described. The system utilizes a column packed with deactivated end-capped C18 silica with a high carbon load to overcome the problem of poor chromatographic performance of this beta-diketone on reversed-phase liquid chromatography which previously necessitated the use of anion-exchange, ligand-exchange or ion-pairing methods.

Plasma lipoprotein response to substituting fish for red meat in the diet.

The effect of 6 wk of either red meat (RM) or fatty fish (FF) intake on plasma lipid concentrations in 28 free-living volunteers (12 males, 16 females) aged 22-45 y was investigated in this clinical crossover trial. Dietary intake was estimated by 7-d dietary records, and fasting blood samples were analyzed for plasma lipid concentrations. Although energy intake did not differ, protein intake was higher (P less than 0.

Atherosclerosis. Chronic effects of fish oil and a therapeutic diet in nonhuman primates.

Prolonged testing of marine fish oil (FO) as a dietary supplement is necessary because of widespread claims that it is antiatherogenic. The basis for such claims is inadequate because atherogenesis is chronic and may not respond to short-term changes induced by dietary treatments. A proven (vervet) model of atherosclerosis promoted by an atherogenic diet (AD) was used to test dietary supplementation with Atlantic pilchard FO for 20 months in 47 omnivorous nonhuman primates.

Risk factors for coronary heart disease in the black population of the Cape Peninsula. The BRISK study.

A cross-sectional study of risk factors for ischaemic heart disease (IHD) in a random sample of 986 black people aged 15-64 years living in the Cape Peninsula revealed a population at lower risk for IHD than other South Africans. Blood pressures of 140/95 mmHg or above were found in 14.4% of males and 13.

Survey of fumonisin production by Fusarium species.

Fumonisins B1 (FB1) and B2 (FB2), two structurally related mycotoxins with cancer-promoting activity, were recently isolated from corn cultures of Fusarium moniliforme MRC 826. These toxins have been reported to be produced also by isolates of F. proliferatum.

Simple thin-layer chromatographic purification procedure for the determination of cholesterol ester fatty acid compositions.

A mild procedure for the purification of methyl esters of the fatty acid components of cholesterol esters, from interfering free cholesterol and other contaminating residues, is described. Methyl esters and free cholesterol are formed during the methylation of cholesterol esters. When co-extracted, cholesterol and other contaminating residues interfere with the methyl esters because minute proportions of these residues tend to elute at the same retention times as palmitoleic and stearic acids, to yield unreliable but significantly higher values for palmitoleic (p less than 0.

Toxicity and moniliformin production by four recently described species of Fusarium and two uncertain taxa.

Four recently described species. Fusarium nygamai, F. dlamini, F.

Plasma lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase activity and plasma lipoprotein composition and concentrations in kwashiorkor.

Plasma lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity, lipoprotein composition, and lipoprotein concentrations were measured in 21 children with kwashiorkor before (day 1), during (day 10), and after treatment (day 30). Day 1 LCAT activity (78.2 mumol.

Hormonal vaginal cytology of vervet monkeys.

The cellular proliferation and maturation of the vaginal epithelium of adult female Vervet monkeys was examined during their menstrual cycles. At the same time the serum contents of estrogen and progesterone were analysed. Gradual but distinct patterns demarcated the phases of the menstrual cycle cytologically.

Change in knowledge in a coronary heart disease risk factor intervention study in three communities.

We investigated health and diet knowledge as it relates to coronary heart disease (CHD) in three rural areas which participated in a community-oriented CHD risk factor intervention study. Knowledge of risk factors (risk knowledge) was fairly satisfactory at baseline, but diet knowledge was poor. Males, the young, and individuals with a lower level of education had less knowledge.