Talk:Pellagra

Endemic = located

Could someone please change the sentence "Pellagra is an endemic disease located in ..." to "Pellagra is an endemic disease in"? When you say "endemic" you already imply the term located and it would be redundant to repeat it. Thanks. 85.178.31.153 ([[User talk:85.178.31.153|talk]]) 10:04, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

Oops, sorry, just realized the article isn't locked after all. Will change it myself. 85.178.31.153 (talk) 10:05, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

Lysine and Niacin

Niacin deficiency can occur when both niacin and tryptophan intakes are low (tryptophan can be converted to niacin in the human body). Lysine, AFAIK, has nothing to do with all that. The niacin page doesn't even mention it, either. Aragorn2 17:12, 15 May 2005 (UTC)

This dubious claim has been removed from the article - no references on the web. Exabyte (talk)­ 03:48, Jun 5, 2005 (UTC)

Is this problem resolved? The article says a lack of niacin and tryptophan causes pellagra, but then says a lack of available lysine in untreated corn is the problem. The link between those two statements is unclear. Lobosolo 02:29, 4 November 2005 (UTC)

Also, the Joseph Goldberger link redirects to here. Shouldn't there be a separate Goldberger entry, even if it's brief? Lobosolo 02:29, 4 November 2005 (UTC)

Well, as you can see the problem is not resolved. The Lysine article says that lack of lysine causes deficiency in niacin. Some quick googling gave me this: The absence of the amino acids lysine and tryptophan, however, make half of the niacin in corn indigestible. [1]

Some more research is probably needed. Feel free to amend the article, or I will at some other time.

Regarding Goldberger, it's stupid to link a redirect back; however, I would avoid creating a substub. Conf 12:59, 4 November 2005 (UTC)

I took a stab at rewriting that section for clarity. I couldn't find much support for the lysine theory, so I de-emphasized it. If you get a chance, take a look at it and see if it works for you. --Arcadian 17:41, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

Anyone want to take a stab at that Goldberger entry? MarcoTolo 00:07, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

Okay, I created a separate Joseph Goldberger entry - have at it.... MarcoTolo 01:00, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

caused by hexachlorobenzene?

See hexachlorobenzene: "American Pellagra was a disease affecting 250,000 people between 1900-1950 caused by hexochlorobenzene residue from new bleaching and degermination procedures for corn and wheat. Hexachlorobenzene was banned from use in the United States in 1966." --Espoo 09:07, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

This seems to be wrong. I removed the sentence. Icek 21:19, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

What's happening?

It tells symptoms and what is going on superfically but it never mentions whats causing these symptoms and what Pellagra actually is doing to the body. Would someone please add, or explain why it shouldn't. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.177.232.2 (talk • contribs) 02:39, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

It's a niacin deficiency (from lack of both niacin and it's synthetic precursors). If you mean the mechanistic reasons - [eg. for scurvy, vitC deficiency leads to defects in collagen production and stability] - I'm not your guy. My textbooks all suggest they haven't actually been identified.60.226.133.172 06:18, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Rankin

The link to Rankin goes to a disambiguation page. I can't tell which Rankin it refers to. Ben (talk) 21:26, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

needs microanatomy/ histology images with explanation of microscopic findings of the dermatitis

needs microanatomy/ histology images with explanation of microscopic findings of the dermatitis Tkjazzer (talk) 20:46, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

First Described

according to the site which i listed in list of eponymous medical signs under casal's collar, the disease was first described by françois thiery in 1755, by casal in 1762.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Toyokuni3 (talk • contribs) 05:02, 11 May 2008 (UTC) 

What was common in the Gulag?

Some clarification is necessary in the last three sentences in the Epidemiology section, which state "The amino acid deficiency must be balanced by consumption of other sources of protein. It was common amongst prisoners of Soviet labor camps, the infamous Gulag. It can be found in cases of chronic alcoholism." It's not clear whether the "it" in the last two sentences refers to "the amino acid deficiency" that's mentioned in the first of these three sentences or to Pellagra itself. --noosphere 01:36, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Removal of death as symptom/3 D's

I've removed death and converted the 4 D's to the more realistic and commonly used 3 D's. Death should not be part of the mnemonic or memory aid, since failure of any vitamin, by its very nature, will cause death. Adding death to the list is redundant and frankly fairly stupid. Why would it be that if someone dies you then have to begin considering pellagra? I immplore educators to change, like almost all new textbooks, to the 3 D's; indeed the referenced source uses 3 D's itself. Cheers.--Cpt ricard (talk) 07:12, 9 February 2010 (UTC)

Pellagra is not common in Mexico

Mexicans created the nixtamalization process, which avoids pellagra. In fact, the lack of pellagra in Mexico and other Latin American countries lead scientists to find out that nixtamalization was a required grain treatment for corn intended for human consumption. Pallagra may be common anywhere else, maybe even the U. S., but not in Mexico. 24.44.93.16 (talk) 15:05, 9 April 2010 (UTC)--24.44.93.16 (talk) 15:05, 9 April 2010 (UTC)