BACKGROUND Thiamine (vitamin B(1)) deficiency is associated with severe diseases such as beriberi and Wernicke encephalopathy. Although most Americans have sufficient dietary intake, thiamine deficiency is observed in the alcohol-dependent and elderly populations. Measurement of thiamine concentration in whole blood provides an assessment of vitamin B(1) status in at-risk individuals. METHOD ...

This technical note describes kinetic fluorescence as an analytical technique to quantify non-fluorescent species. The technique is applied to the determination of thiamine (vitamin B1) in solution. Fluorescence intensity is monitored as thiamine converts to fluorescent thiochrome, and a relationship is established between the rate of increase of intensity and the concentration of thiamine. The...

A number of mechanisms may be involved in the pathogenesis of thiamine deficiency in the alcoholic. Among these mechanisms are inadequate dietary intake of thiamine, impaired intestinal transport of the vitamin and decreased conversion of thiamine to the active coenzyme. The present study was undertaken to further investigate the mechanism by which alcohol can interfere with thiamine deficiency...

BACKGROUND & AIMS The prevalence of thiamine deficiency in heart failure (HF) patients has been reported to be as high as 50% in outpatient settings and has been found to be as high as 96% in the inpatient setting. Results from previous studies, however, have been inconsistent and further investigation is needed to clarify the true prevalence of thiamine deficiency in patients with chronic HF. ...

Autism spectrum disorders are a group of neuro-developmental conditions characterized by varying degrees of language impairment, including verbal and non-verbal communication, impaired social skill, and repetitive behaviors. In this paper, we review the evidence for an association between autism and thiamine. A relationship between thiamine status and the development of autism has been establis...

This technical note describes kinetic fluorescence as an analytical technique to quantify non-fluorescent species. The technique is applied to the determination of thiamine (vitamin B1) in solution. Fluorescence intensity is monitored as thiamine converts to fluorescent thiochrome, and a relationship is established between the rate of increase of intensity and the concentration of thiamine. The...

The normal concentration of thiamine in the blood of human subjects has been determined by several investigators. In most instances an average value of the order of 8.0 to 9.0 y of thiamine per 100 ml. of whole blood has been found (1, 2). Goodhart and Sinclair (2) have reported a value of 5.7 y per 100 ml. for the ox and the considerably higher value of 20.2 y per 100 ml. for the pigeon. Schul...

Thiamine, a water-soluble vitamin, is essential for normal cellular functions, growth and development. Thiamine deficiency leads to significant clinical problems and occurs under a variety of conditions. To date, however, little is known about the mechanism of thiamine absorption in the native human small intestine. The objective of this study was, therefore, to characterize the mechanism of th...

One obvious explanation for the effect of high fat diets in lowering the requirement for thiamine has been that fat metabolism does not require thiamine, while carbohydrate metabolism does. This explanation finds considerable support in one of the known functions of thiamine pyrophosphate. According to current theory, carbohydrate is oxidized to pyruvate, and pyruvate must be decarboxylated for...

Candida species are associated with an increasing number of life-threatening infections (candidiases), mainly due to the high resistance of these yeast-like fungi to antifungal drugs and oxidative stress. Recently, thiamine (vitamin B1) was found to alleviate stress responses in Saccharomyces cerevisiae; however, thiamine influence on defense systems in pathogenic fungi has never been investiga...