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Ascorbic acid is a small, simple, water soluble molecule, synthesised by most plants and animals, with the exception of humans and some animal species due to mutations in the gene encoding the terminal enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway. For humans, it is thus a vitamin (vitamin C) that must be obtained from the diet, with complete deficiency resulting in the fatal disease scurvy. Many functions have been attributed to this fascinating molecule and, despite nearly 90 years of research since its discovery, new roles are still being uncovered, including recent discoveries that it acts as a regulator of epigenetic marks and transcription factors (1). In this volume we begin with a review by Michels and Frei on specific factors that need to be taken into consideration when carrying out vitamin C research. Translational research normally comprises a progression from in vitro/cell culture studies to animal models and finally to clinical trials. At each of these stages, there are requirements specific to vitamin C research that need to be integrated into study designs and this review describes these in detail.

Vitamin C.

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Ascorbic acid is a small, simple, water soluble molecule, synthesised by most plants and animals, with the exception of humans and some animal species due to mutations in the gene encoding the terminal enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway. For humans, it is thus a vitamin (vitamin C) that must be obtained from the diet, with complete deficiency resulting in the fatal disease scurvy. Many functions have been attributed to this fascinating molecule and, despite nearly 90 years of research since its discovery, new roles are still being uncovered, including recent discoveries that it acts as a regulator of epigenetic marks and transcription factors (1). In this volume we begin with a review by Michels and Frei on specific factors that need to be taken into consideration when carrying out vitamin C research. Translational research normally comprises a progression from in vitro/cell culture studies to animal models and finally to clinical trials. At each of these stages, there are requirements specific to vitamin C research that need to be integrated into study designs and this review describes these in detail.

Vitamin C.

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Vitamin C is synthesized by almost all animals. However, for humans, it is a vitamin that needs constant replenishment in the diet. While its role as an anti-oxidant and for preventing scurvy have been known for a long time, novel functions and unrecognized associations continue to be identified for this enigmatic molecule. In the past decade, new details have emerged regarding differences in its uptake by oral and intravenous modes. While vitamin C deficiency remains largely unknown and poorly addressed in many segments of the population, novel pharmacological roles for high-dose, intravenous vitamin C in many disease states have now been postulated and investigated. This has shifted its role in health and disease from the long-perceived notion as merely a vitamin and an anti-oxidant to a pleiotropic molecule with a broad anti-inflammatory, epigenetic, and anti-cancer profile. This Special Issue comprises original research papers and reviews on vitamin C metabolism and function that relate to the following topics: understanding its role in the modulation of inflammation and immunity, therapeutic applications and safety of pharmacological ascorbate in disease, and the emerging role of vitamin C as a pleiotropic modulator of critical care illness and cancer.

Vitamin C --- Physiological effect.

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Scurvy took a terrible toll in the Age of Sail, killing more sailors than were lost in all sea battles combined. The threat of the disease kept ships close to home and doomed those vessels that ventured too far from port. The willful ignorance of the royal medical elite, who endorsed ludicrous medical theories based on speculative research while ignoring the life-saving properties of citrus fruit, cost tens of thousands of lives and altered the course of many battles at sea. The cure for scurvy ranks among the greatest of human accomplishments, yet its impact on history has, until now, been largely ignored. From the earliest recorded appearance of the disease in the sixteenth century, to the eighteenth century, where a man had only half a chance of surviving the scourge, to the early nineteenth century, when the British conquered scurvy and successfully blockaded the French and defeated Napoleon,Scurvyis a medical detective story for the ages, the fascinating true story of how James Lind (the surgeon), James Cook (the mariner), and Gilbert Blane (the gentleman) worked separately to eliminate the dreaded affliction. Scurvyis an evocative journey back to the era of wooden ships and sails, when the disease infiltrated every aspect of seafaring life: press gangs "recruit" mariners on the way home from a late night at the pub; a terrible voyage in search of riches ends with a hobbled fleet and half the crew heaved overboard; Cook majestically travels the South Seas but suffers an unimaginable fate. Brimming with tales of ships, sailors, and baffling bureaucracy,Scurvyis a rare mix of compelling history and classic adventure story. Stephen R. Bownwas born in Ottawa and graduated in history from the University of Alberta. He has a special interest in the history of science and exploration. His books includeThe Naturalists: Scientific Travelers in the Golden Age of Natural History.He lives in the Canadian Rockies with his wife and two young children. Scurvy took a terrible toll in the Age of Sail, killing more sailors than were lost in all sea battles combined. The threat of the disease kept ships close to home and doomed those vessels that ventured too far from port. The willful ignorance of the royal medical elite, who endorsed ludicrous medical theories based on speculative research while ignoring the life-saving properties of citrus fruit, cost tens of thousands of lives and altered the course of many battles at sea. The cure for scurvy ranks among the greatest of human accomplishments, yet its impact on history has, until now, been largely ignored. From the earliest recorded appearance of the disease in the sixteenth century, to the eighteenth century, where a man had only half a chance of surviving the scourge, to the early nineteenth century, when the British conquered scurvy and successfully blockaded the French and defeated Napoleon,Scurvyis a medical detective story for the ages, the fascinating true story of how James Lind (the surgeon), James Cook (the mariner), and Gilbert Blane (the gentleman) worked separately to eliminate the dreaded affliction. Scurvyis an evocative journey back to the era of wooden ships and sails, when the disease infiltrated every aspect of seafaring life: press gangs "recruit" mariners on the way home from a late night at the pub; a terrible voyage in search of riches ends with a hobbled fleet and half the crew heaved overboard; Cook majestically travels the South Seas but suffers an unimaginable fate. Brimming with tales of ships, sailors, and baffling bureaucracy, Scurvy is a rare mix of compelling history and classic adventure story. "In writing that is fast on its feet, Bown introduces both drama and incredulity into the mix . . . in this splendid, popular telling of the scurvy story."American Geographical Society "A swift and powerf

Scurvy --- Vitamin C --- History.

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Vitamin C is synthesized by almost all animals. However, for humans, it is a vitamin that needs constant replenishment in the diet. While its role as an anti-oxidant and for preventing scurvy have been known for a long time, novel functions and unrecognized associations continue to be identified for this enigmatic molecule. In the past decade, new details have emerged regarding differences in its uptake by oral and intravenous modes. While vitamin C deficiency remains largely unknown and poorly addressed in many segments of the population, novel pharmacological roles for high-dose, intravenous vitamin C in many disease states have now been postulated and investigated. This has shifted its role in health and disease from the long-perceived notion as merely a vitamin and an anti-oxidant to a pleiotropic molecule with a broad anti-inflammatory, epigenetic, and anti-cancer profile. This Special Issue comprises original research papers and reviews on vitamin C metabolism and function that relate to the following topics: understanding its role in the modulation of inflammation and immunity, therapeutic applications and safety of pharmacological ascorbate in disease, and the emerging role of vitamin C as a pleiotropic modulator of critical care illness and cancer.

Vitamin C deficiency.