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Title:
Fasting is neuroprotective following traumatic brain injury
Authors:
Davis, Laurie M.; Pauly, James R.; Readnower, Ryan D.; Rho, Jong M.; Sullivan, Patrick G.
Abstract:
To determine the neuroprotective effect of fasting after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to elucidate the potential underlying mechanisms, we used a controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury model to induce either a moderate or a severe injury to adult male Sprague Dawley rats. Tissue-sparing assessments were used to determine the level of neuroprotection of fasting, hypoglycemia (insulin 10 U), or ketone (1.66 mmoles/kg/day or 0.83 mmoles/kg/day; D-beta-hydroxtbutyrate) administration. Mitochondrial isolation and respiratory studies were utilized to determine the functionality of mitochondria at the site of injury. We also investigated biomarkers of oxidative stress, such as lipid/protein oxidation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and intramitochondrial calcium load, as a secondary measure of mitochondrial homeostasis. We found that fasting animals for 24 hr, but not 48 hr, after a moderate (1.5 mm), but not severe (2.0 mm), CCI resulted in a significant increase in tissue sparing. This 24-hr fast also decreased biomarkers of oxidative stress and calcium loading and increased mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria isolated from the site of injury. Insulin administration, designed to mimic the hypoglycemic effect seen during fasting did not result in significant tissue sparing after moderate CCI injury and in fact induced increased mortality at some injection time points. However, the administration of ketones resulted in increased tissue sparing after moderate injury. Fasting for 24 hr confers neuroprotection, maintains cognitive function, and improves mitochondrial function after moderate (1.5 mm) TBI. The underlying mechanism appears to involve ketosis rather than hypoglycemia. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Published:
2008
Title:
Feeding the nation: nutrition and health in Britain before World War One
Authors:
Akiyama, Yuriko
Abstract:
Published:
2008
Title:
Genetic variation in PNPLA3 confers susceptibility to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors:
Goran, Michael I.; Walker, Ryan; Le, Kim Anne; Mahurkar, Swapna; Vikman, Susanna; Davis, Jaimie N.; Spruijt-Metz, Donna; Weigensberg, Marc J.; Allayee, Hooman; Romeo, Stefano; Kozlitina, Julia; Xing, Chao; Pertsemlidis, Alexander; Cox, David; Pennacchio, Len A.; Boerwinkle, Eric; Cohen, Jonathan C.; Hobbs, Helen H.
Abstract:
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a burgeoning health problem of unknown etiology that varies in prevalence among ethnic groups. To identify genetic variants contributing to differences in hepatic fat content, we performed a genome-wide association scan of nonsynonymous sequence variations (n=9,229) in a multiethnic population. An allele in PNPLA3 (rs738409; I148M) was strongly associated with increased hepatic fat levels (P=5.9×10(−10)) and with hepatic inflammation (P=3.7×10(−4)). The allele was most common in Hispanics, the group most susceptible to NAFLD; hepatic fat content was \textgreater 2-fold higher in PNPLA3-148M homozygotes than in noncarriers. Resequencing revealed another allele associated with lower hepatic fat content in African-Americans, the group at lowest risk of NAFLD. Thus, variation in PNPLA3 contributes to ethnic and inter-individual differences in hepatic fat content and susceptibility to NAFLD.
Published:
2008
Title:
Gluten-free vegan diet induces decreased LDL and oxidized LDL levels and raised atheroprotective natural antibodies against phosphorylcholine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized study
Authors:
Elkan, Ann-Charlotte; Sjöberg, Beatrice; Kolsrud, Björn; Ringertz, Bo; Hafström, Ingiäld; Frostegård, Johan
Abstract:
INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vegan diet in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on blood lipids oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and natural atheroprotective antibodies against phosphorylcholine (anti-PCs). METHODS: Sixty-six patients with active RA were randomly assigned to either a vegan diet free of gluten (38 patients) or a well-balanced non-vegan diet (28 patients) for 1 year. Thirty patients in the vegan group completed more than 3 months on the diet regimen. Blood lipids were analyzed by routine methods, and oxLDL and anti-PCs were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data and serum samples were obtained at baseline and after 3 and 12 months. RESULTS: Mean ages were 50.0 years for the vegan group and 50.8 years for controls. Gluten-free vegan diet induced lower body mass index (BMI) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and higher anti-PC IgM than control diet (p < 0.005). In the vegan group, BMI, LDL, and cholesterol decreased after both 3 and 12 months (p < 0.01) and oxLDL after 3 months (p = 0.021) and trendwise after 12 months (p = 0.090). Triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein did not change. IgA anti-PC levels increased after 3 months (p = 0.027) and IgM anti-PC levels increased trendwise after 12 months (p = 0.057). There was no difference in IgG anti-PC levels. In the control diet group, IgM anti-PC levels decreased both after 3 and 12 months (p < 0.01). When separating vegan patients into clinical responders and non-responders at 12 months, the effects on oxLDL and anti-PC IgA were seen only in responders (p
Published:
2008
Title:
Good calories, bad calories by gary taubes; new york: Aa knopf
Authors:
Taubes, G.
Abstract:
Published:
2008
Title:
HMGB1: Endogenous Danger Signaling
Authors:
Klune, John R; Dhupar, Rajeev; Cardinal, Jon; Billiar, Timothy R; Tsung, Allan
Abstract:
While foreign pathogens and their products have long been known to activate the innate immune system, the recent recognition of a group of endogenous molecules that serve a similar function has provided a framework for understanding the overlap between the inflammatory responses activated by pathogens and injury. These endogenous molecules, termed alarmins, are normal cell constituents that can be released into the extracellular milieu during states of cellular stress or damage and subsequently activate the immune system. One nuclear protein, High mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), has received particular attention as fulfilling the functions of an alarmin by being involved in both infectious and non-infectious inflammatory conditions. Once released, HMGB1 signals through various receptors to activate immune cells involved in the immune process. Although initial studies demonstrated HMGB1 as a late mediator of sepsis, recent findings indicate HMGB1 to have an important role in models of non-infectious inflammation, such as autoimmunity, cancer, trauma, and ischemia reperfusion injury. Furthermore, in contrast to its pro-inflammatory functions, there is evidence that HMGB1 also has restorative effects leading to tissue repair and regeneration. The complex functions of HMGB1 as an archetypical alarmin are outlined here to review our current understanding of a molecule that holds the potential for treatment in many important human conditions.
Published:
2008
Title:
How the Ideology of Low Fat Conquered America
Authors:
La Berge, Ann F.
Abstract:
Published:
2008
Title:
Hyperglycemia is associated with enhanced thrombin formation, platelet activation, and fibrin clot resistance to lysis in patients with acute coronary syndrome
Authors:
Undas, Anetta; Wiek, Ilona; Stêpień, Ewa; Zmudka, Krzysztof; Tracz, Wies\lawa
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE -Acute hyperglycemia on admission for acute coronary syndrome worsens the prognosis in patients with and without known diabetes. Postulated mechanisms of this observation include prothrombotic effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of elevated glucose levels on blood clotting in acute coronary syndrome patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - We studied 60 acute coronary syndrome patients within the first 12 h after pain onset, including 20 subjects with type 2 diabetes, 20 subjects with no diagnosed diabetes but with glucose levels \textgreater 7.0 mmol/l, and 20 subjects with glucose levels \textless 7.0 mmol/l. We determined generation of thrombin-antithrombin complexes (TATs) and soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L), a platelet activation marker, at the site of microvascular injury, together with ex vivo plasma fibrin clot permeability and lysis time. RESULTS - The acute coronary syndrome patients with no prior diabetes but elevated glucose levels had increased maximum rates of formation and total production of TATs (by 42.9%, P \textless 0.0001, and by 25%, P \textless 0.0001, respectively) as well as sCD40L release (by 16.2%, P = 0.0011, and by 16.3%, P \textless 0.0001, respectively) compared with those with normoglycemia, whereas diabetic patients had the highest values of TATs and sCD40L variables (P \textless 0.0001 for all comparisons). Patients with hyperglycemia, with no previously diagnosed diabetes, had longer clot lysis time (by ∼18%, P \textless 0.0001) similar to that in diabetic subjects, but not lower clot permeability compared with that in normoglycemic subjects. CONCLUSIONS - Hyperglycemia in acute coronary syndrome is associated with enhanced local thrombin generation and platelet activation, as well as unfavorably altered clot features in patients with and without a previous history of diabetes. © 2008 by the American Diabetes Association.
Published:
2008
Title:
Immigrants Outside Megalopolis: Ethnic Transformation in the Heartland
Authors:
Jones, Richard C
Abstract:
Published:
2008
Title:
Impact probable du volcanisme sur le décès des Hominidés de Dmanissi
Authors:
de Lumley, M. A; Bardintzeff, J. M; Bienvenu, P.; Bilcot, J. B; Flamenbaum, G.; Guy, C.; Jullien, M.; de Lumley, H.; Nabot, J. P; Perrenoud, C.; others
Abstract:
Published:
2008
Title:
Influence of a Diet Very High in Vegetables, Fruit, and Fiber and Low in Fat on Prognosis Following Treatment for Breast Cancer:
Authors:
Pierce, John P; Natarajan, Loki; Caan, Bette J; Parker, Barbara A; Greenberg, Robert; Flatt, Shirley W; Rock, Cheryl L; Kealey, Sheila; Al-Delaimy, Wael K; Bardwell, Wayne A; Carlson, Robert W; Faerber, Susan; Gold, Ellen B; Hajek, Richard A; Jones, Lovell A; Karanja, Njeri; Madlensky, Lisa; Newman, Vicky A; Ritenbaugh, Cheryl; Wasserman, Linda; Stefanick, Marcia L
Abstract:
Objective—To assess whether a major increase in vegetable, fruit, and fiber intake and a decrease in dietary fat intake reduces the risk of recurrent and new primary breast cancer and all-cause mortality among women with previously treated early stage breast cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants—Multi-institutional randomized controlled trial of dietary change in 3088 women previously treated for early stage breast cancer who were 18 to 70 years old at diagnosis. Women were enrolled between 1995 and 2000 and followed up through June 1, 2006. Intervention—The intervention group (n=1537) was randomly assigned to receive a telephone counseling program supplemented with cooking classes and newsletters that promoted daily targets of 5 vegetable servings plus 16 oz of vegetable juice; 3 fruit servings; 30 g of fiber; and 15% to 20% of energy intake from fat. The comparison group (n=1551) was provided with print materials describing the "5-A-Day" dietary guidelines. Main Outcome Measures—Invasive breast cancer event (recurrence or new primary) or death from any cause. Results—From comparable dietary patterns at baseline, a conservative imputation analysis showed that the intervention group achieved and maintained the following statistically significant differences vs the comparison group through 4 years: servings of vegetables, +65%; fruit, +25%; fiber, +30%, and energy intake from fat, −13%. Plasma carotenoid concentrations validated changes in fruit and vegetable intake. Throughout the study, women in both groups received similar clinical care. Over the mean 7.3-year follow-up, 256 women in the intervention group (16.7%) vs 262 in the comparison group (16.9%) experienced an invasive breast cancer event (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.80–1.14; P=.63), and 155 intervention group women (10.1%) vs 160 comparison group women (10.3%) died (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.72–1.15; P=.43). No significant interactions were observed between diet group and baseline demographics, characteristics of the original tumor, baseline dietary pattern, or breast cancer treatment. Conclusion—Among survivors of early stage breast cancer, adoption of a diet that was very high in vegetables, fruit, and fiber and low in fat did not reduce additional breast cancer events or mortality during a 7.3-year follow-up period.
Published:
2008
Title:
Influence of climate fluctuations and changes in catchment land use on Late Holocene and modern beach-ridge sedimentation on a tropical macrotidal coast: Keppel Bay, Queensland, Australia
Authors:
Brooke, B.; Ryan, D.; Pietsch, T.; Olley, J.; Douglas, G.; Packett, R.; Radke, L.; Flood, P.
Abstract:
Beach ridges at Keppel Bay, central Queensland, Australia, preserve a record of sediment accumulation from the historical period back to middle Holocene times. The ridges comprise fine, well-sorted, feldspar-rich quartz sand that was eroded from the Fitzroy River catchment, deposited in Keppel Bay during floods of the Fitzroy River, and reworked onshore into beach and foredune deposits by the prevailing currents, waves and wind. These floods have an average recurrence interval of at least 7 yr and are induced by the passage of cyclones onshore into the large Fitzroy catchment. The youngest series of beach ridges sit sub-parallel to the modern beach and comprise six accretional units, each unit formed by a set of ridges and delineated by prominent swales. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages of beach ridges in these units indicate they were deposited in periods of rapid progradation approximately 1500, 1000, 450 and 230 yr BP, when there was an enhanced supply of sediment to the beach from the Fitzroy River via Keppel Bay. Estimates of the mass of sediment stored in the beach-ridge strandplain show that it represents a significant sediment store, potentially trapping the equivalent of 79% of the estimated long-term (100 yr) average annual bedload of the Fitzroy River that is deposited in Keppel Bay. There has been a reduction in the rate of sediment accumulation in the strandplain since around 1000 yr BP, which is consistent with other coastal records in eastern Australia of a relatively wetter phase of climate in the late Holocene compared to the present. The youngest beach ridges (OSL ages
Published:
2008
Title:
Ketogenic diets for weight loss: A review of their principles, safety and efficacy
Authors:
Sumithran, Priya; Proietto, Joseph
Abstract:
Low-carbohydrate "ketogenic" diets have increased in popularity over recent years as a means of weight loss. Published studies of these diets have been highly heterogeneous, and it remains unclear to what degree dietary carbohydrate intake must be restricted in order to induce ketosis. Despite concern that they are often relatively high in fat, ketogenic low-carbohydrate diets have been generally shown to compare favourably with low-fat diets in terms of weight loss and improvements in triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein levels. This review includes a brief overview of ketone body metabolism, and summarises the literature regarding the safety and efficacy of ketogenic diets for weight loss. © 2007 Asian Oceanian Association for the Study of Obesity.
Published:
2008
Title:
Max Rubner and the Biopolitics of Rational Nutrition
Authors:
Treitel, Corinna
Abstract:
Published:
2008
Title:
Medical Education and the Tyranny of Competency
Authors:
Michael A. Brooks
Abstract:
Those who educate medical students and physicians work in a world suffused with the concept of competency.This article examines the intellectual origins and hidden assumptions of this concept and argues that it is an inadequate, and even harmful, concept to use as a guiding motif for professional education.The competency model—which tends to be top-down and prescriptive—does not provide the framework for objective educational assessment that it claims to provide. The alternative apprenticeship model is more appropriate for professional education and is more consistent with what psychological research has shown about the acquisition of expertise.
Published:
2008
Title:
Metabolic profiling of the human response to a glucose challenge reveals distinct axes of insulin sensitivity
Authors:
Shaham, Oded; Wei, Ru; Wang, Thomas J.; Ricciardi, Catherine; Lewis, Gregory D.; Vasan, Ramachandran S.; Carr, Steven A.; Thadhani, Ravi; Gerszten, Robert E.; Mootha, Vamsi K.
Abstract:
Glucose ingestion after an overnight fast triggers an insulin-dependent, homeostatic program that is altered in diabetes. The full spectrum of biochemical changes associated with this transition is currently unknown. We have developed a mass spectrometry-based strategy to simultaneously measure 191 metabolites following glucose ingestion. In two groups of healthy individuals (n=22 and 25), 18 plasma metabolites changed reproducibly, including bile acids, urea cycle intermediates, and purine degradation products, none of which were previously linked to glucose homeostasis. The metabolite dynamics also revealed insulin's known actions along four key axes--proteolysis, lipolysis, ketogenesis, and glycolysis--reflecting a switch from catabolism to anabolism. In pre-diabetics (n=25), we observed a blunted response in all four axes that correlated with insulin resistance. Multivariate analysis revealed that declines in glycerol and leucine/isoleucine (markers of lipolysis and proteolysis, respectively) jointly provide the strongest predictor of insulin sensitivity. This observation indicates that some humans are selectively resistant to insulin's suppression of proteolysis, whereas others, to insulin's suppression of lipolysis. Our findings lay the groundwork for using metabolic profiling to define an individual's 'insulin response profile', which could have value in predicting diabetes, its complications, and in guiding therapy.
Published:
2008
Title:
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in U.S. Soldiers Returning from Iraq
Authors:
Hoge, Charles W; Engel, Charles C
Abstract:
Background An important medical concern of the Iraq war is the potential long-term effect of mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion, particularly from blast explosions. However, the epidemiology of combat-related mild traumatic brain injury is poorly understood. Methods We surveyed 2525 U.S. Army infantry soldiers 3 to 4 months after their return from a year-long deployment to Iraq. Validated clinical instruments were used to compare soldiers reporting mild traumatic brain injury, defined as an injury with loss of consciousness or altered mental status (e.g., dazed or confused), with soldiers who reported other injuries. From the Division of Psychiatry and Neu roscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Silver Spring, MD (C.W.H., D.M., J.L.T., A.L.C., C.A.C.); and the Deployment Health Clinical Center and Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Washington, DC (C.C.E.). Address reprint requests to Dr. Hoge at the Division of Psychiatry and Neuro science, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910, or at charles.hoge@ us.army.mil. Results Of 2525 soldiers, 124 (4.9%) reported injuries with loss of consciousness, 260 (10.3%) reported injuries with altered mental status, and 435 (17.2%) reported other injuries during deployment. Of those reporting loss of consciousness, 43.9% met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as compared with 27.3% of those reporting altered mental status, 16.2% with other injuries, and 9.1% with no injury. Soldiers with mild traumatic brain injury, primarily those who had loss of consciousness, were significantly more likely to report poor general health, missed workdays, medical visits, and a high number of somatic and postconcussive symptoms than were soldiers with other injuries. However, after adjustment for PTSD and depression, mild traumatic brain injury was no longer significantly associated with these physical health outcomes or symptoms, except for headache. N Engl J Med 2008;358:453-63. Copyright © 2008 Massachusetts Medical Society. Conclusions Mild traumatic brain injury (i.e., concussion) occurring among soldiers deployed in Iraq is strongly associated with PTSD and physical health problems 3 to 4 months after the soldiers return home. PTSD and depression are important mediators of the relationship between mild traumatic brain injury and physical health problems.
Published:
2008
Title:
Multiple symmetric lipomatosis type 2 in females–report of two cases.
Authors:
Pandzić Jaksić, Vlatka; Stoos Veić, Tajana
Abstract:
Two patients with features of multiple symmetric lipomatosis type 2 are presented. This particular disorder with a characteristic distribution of fat should be considered on differential diagnosis of obesity. Besides being rare, it may occasionally be unrecognized, especially in females. The etiology remains unknown; however, the association with high alcohol consumption is very strong. Several issues about the possible metabolic role of lipomatous adipose tissue have been discussed. Patients with multiple symmetric lipomatosis should be treated by liposuction or surgery instead of being submitted to diets.
Published:
2008
Title:
New paleomagnetic data from the hominin bearing Dmanisi paleo-anthropologic site (southern Georgia, Caucasus)
Authors:
Calvo-Rathert, M.; Goguitchaichvili, A.; Sologashvili, D.; Villalaín, J. J.; Bógalo, M. F.; Carrancho, A.; Maissuradze, G.
Abstract:
Published:
2008
Title:
Nitrogen balance on a low protein diet in a case of diabetes mellitus.
Authors:
McClellan, Walter S.; Hannon, R. R.
Abstract:
As low protein diets have been recommended in treatment of diabetes by Joslin, 1 Petren, as quoted by Joslin, 2 Newburgh and Marsh, 3 and others, a study of long continued low protein diet was made in this case. The patient was a man, age 32, with a history of moderately severe uncomplicated diabetes for the past 2 1/2 years. Observations extended over a period of 6 months. The diets were carefully weighed and the nitrogen in the food calculated from the Atwater tables. No analyses of food were made. Total nitrogen in the urine was determined daily by the Kjeldahl method. Nitrogen partition products were not determined. Nitrogen in stools was determined for two ten day periods by the same method. Daily weights were recorded. The patient received a diet of 2000 calories with 50 grams of protein for 15 days before reduction of protein was started. The protein was gradually lowered by drops of 10 grams each until a 20 gram level was reached. Three or 4 days were allowed at each level for the patient to adjust himself to his new diet. The patient remained at this level for 106 days. The calories remained the same during the entire period. Carbohydrate and fat were changed from time to time so that the fatty acid-glucose ratio varied between 0.9 and 3.0. In this change the carbohydrate varied from 132 grains to 30 grams in successive steps, the calories being replaced by fat. The nitrogen excretion was not noticeably affected. This suggested that fat served to spare protein as efficiently as carbohydrate. Insulin was required during the entire period. There was no glycosuria. Moderate acetonuria appeared on fatty acid-glucose ratios above 1.5.
Published:
2008
Title:
Nutrition and Health: The International Context During the Inter-War Crisis
Authors:
Barona, Josep L.
Abstract:
Published:
2008
Title:
Nutrition, health education, and dietary reform: gendering the 'new science' in northern Newfoundland and Labrador, 1893-1928
Authors:
Lush, Gail Ruby Shirlene
Abstract:
Published:
2008
Title:
Pathogenesis, risk assessment and prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors:
Joost, H.-G.
Abstract:
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a complex, polygenic disease with a heterogeneous pathophysiology, mainly characterised by obesity-associated insulin resistance and a progressive failure of pancreatic β-cells. Predominant risk factors for its development are abdominal obesity and age; other factors that augment the individual disease risk independent of obesity are the nutritional pattern (low consumption of fibres, high consumption of red meat, saturated and trans fat), lifestyle (smoking, low physical activity), and biomarkers such as blood pressure, HbA1c, serum adiponectin and inflammatory cytokines. These variables can provide the basis for a precise risk assessment and a personalised prevention. Genotyping for the presently known gene variants conferring an increased disease risk adds relatively little to the information provided by the phenotypic risk factors and biomarkers. However, genetic information is necessary for a personalised risk assessment and intervention that begins before phenotypic risk factors are detectable. The incidence of type 2 diabetes can significantly be lowered by reduction of the intraabdominal fat mass (by nutritional intervention and exercise), and by pharmacological control of post-prandial blood glucose excursions. Because of the high portion of non-responders to a preventive intervention, current efforts aim at the identification of phenotypic and genetic variables predicting the success of the intervention. © 2008 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.
Published:
2008
Title:
Politics, Policy, and the Measuring of Child Health: Child Malnutrition in the Great Depression
Authors:
Meckel, Richard A.
Abstract:
Published:
2008
Title:
Ritualised marine midden formation in western Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait)
Authors:
McNiven, I.; Wright, D.; Clark, G.; Leach, F.; O'Connor, S.
Abstract:
Marine subsistence specialisation is a central theme in the archaeology of Oceania. Shell middens provide the main material evidence for marine specialisation through food remains (e.g. bones and shells) and technology (e.g. fishhooks). For the most part, middens are considered domestic refuse deposits and the byproduct of people living their daily lives. In contrast, sites such as houses and ritual structures are considered part of the built domain and architecture of settlements. Over the past decade or so, the role of refuse deposits as secular byproducts of society has been challenged by the concepts of ‘ritual rubbish’ and ‘ceremonial trash’ (e.g. Hill 1995; Walker 1995; Needham and Spence 1997; Chapman 2000; Cameron 2002; see also Hodder 1982:161). This reconceptualisation recognises the biographical and symbolic dimensions of ‘refuse’ and the embeddedness of midden materials in ritual behaviour, place-marking strategies, construction of cultural landscapes and maintenance of social identity. In Australia, appreciation is slowly emerging of the agency and symbolic value of domestic ‘refuse’ given monumental expression as curated mounds to inscribe landscapes with new and ongoing social meanings (e.g. Morrison 2003; Bourke 2005; Hiscock and Faulkner 2006; see also Meehan 1982). In the 1980s, Barbara Ghaleb (1990) pioneered Australian archaeological investigations into the ‘ceremonial’ and ‘symbolic’ role of mounded midden deposits with her PhD research on the ‘old village’ site of Goemu on the island of Mabuyag, Zenadh Kes. Since Ghaleb’s research, Mabuyag has been the focus of investigations into another type of ritual site constructed of food remains – dugong bone mounds (McNiven and Feldman 2003; McNiven and Bedingfield 2008). In light of new insights into dugong bone mounds and ritual treatment of subsistence remains, this paper reexamines conceptualisation and identification of mounded midden deposits at Goemu, based on excavations at the site by Harris and Ghaleb in 1985 and by us in 2005.
Published:
2008
Title:
Rosuvastatin to prevent vascular events in men and women with elevated C-reactive protein - An analysis
Authors:
Levinson, Stanley S.
Abstract:
Background Increased levels of the inflammatory biomarker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein predict cardiovascular events. Since statins lower levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein as well as cholesterol, we hypothesized that people with elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels but without hyperlipidemia might benefit from statin treatment. Methods We randomly assigned 17,802 apparently healthy men and women with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels of less than 130 mg per deciliter (3.4 mmol per liter) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels of 2.0 mg per liter or higher to rosuvastatin, 20 mg daily, or placebo and followed them for the occurrence of the combined primary end point of myocardial infarction, stroke, arterial revascularization, hospitalization for unstable angina, or death from cardiovascular causes. Results The trial was stopped after a median follow-up of 1.9 years (maximum, 5.0). Rosuvastatin reduced LDL cholesterol levels by 50% and high-sensitivi...
Published:
2008
Title:
School lunch politics: the surprising history of America's favorite welfare program
Authors:
Levine, Susan
Abstract:
From the Publisher: Whether kids love or hate the food served there, the American school lunchroom is the stage for one of the most popular yet flawed social welfare programs in our nation's history. School Lunch Politics covers this complex and fascinating part of American culture, from its origins in early twentieth-century nutrition science, through the establishment of the National School Lunch Program in 1946, to the transformation of school meals into a poverty program during the 1970s and 1980s. Susan Levine investigates the politics and culture of food; most specifically, who decides what American children should be eating, what policies develop from those decisions, and how these policies might be better implemented. Even now, the school lunch program remains problematic, a juggling act between modern beliefs about food, nutrition science, and public welfare. Levine points to the program menus' dependence on agricultural surplus commodities more than on children's nutritional needs, and she discusses the political policy barriers that have limited the number of children receiving meals and which children were served. But she also shows why the school lunch program has outlasted almost every other twentieth-century federal welfare initiative. In the midst of privatization, federal budget cuts, and suspect nutritional guidelines where even ketchup might be categorized as a vegetable, the program remains popular and feeds children who would otherwise go hungry. As politicians and the media talk about a national obesity epidemic, School Lunch Politics is a timely arrival to the food policy debates shaping American health, welfare, and equality.
Published:
2008
Title:
Supplemental ubiquinol in patients with advanced congestive heart failure
Authors:
Langsjoen, Peter H.; Langsjoen, Alena M.
Abstract:
Patients with CHF, NYHA class IV, often fail to achieve adequate plasma CoQ10 levels on supplemental ubiquinone at dosages up to 900 mg/day. These patients often have plasma total CoQ10 levels of less than 2.5 μg/ml and have limited clinical improvement. It is postulated that the intestinal edema in these critically ill patients may impair CoQ10 absorption. We identified seven patients with advanced CHF (mean EF 22%) with sub-therapeutic plasma CoQ10 levels with mean level of 1.6 μg/ml on an average dose of 450 mg of ubiquinone daily (150–600 mg/day). All seven of these patients were changed to an average of 580 mg/day of ubiquinol (450–900 mg/day) with follow-up plasma CoQ10 levels, clinical status, and EF measurements by echocardiography. Mean plasma CoQ10 levels increased from 1.6 μg/ml (0.9–2.0 μg/ml) up to 6.5 μg/ml (2.6–9.3 μg/ml). Mean EF improved from 22% (10–35%) up to 39% (10–60%) and clinical improvement has been remarkable with NYHA class improving from a mean of IV to a mean of II (I to III). Ubiquinol has dramatically improved absorption in patients with severe heart failure and the improvement in plasma CoQ10 levels is correlated with both clinical improvement and improvement in measurement of left ventricular function.
Published:
2008
Title:
The Link between Lymphatic Function and Adipose Biology
Authors:
Harvey, Natasha L.
Abstract:
Despite observations of a link between lymphatic vessels and lipids that date as far back as 300, a link between lymphatic vessels and adipose tissue has only recently been recognized. This review will summarize documented evidence that supports a close relationship between lymphatic vessels and adipose tissue biology. Lymphatic vessels mediate lipid absorption and transport, share an intimate spatial association with adipose tissue, and regulate the traffic of immune cells that rely on specialized adipose tissue depots as a reservior of energy deployed to fight infection. Important links between inflammation and adipose tissue biology will also be discussed in this article, as will recent evidence connecting lymphatic vascular dysfunction with the onset of obesity. There seems little doubt that future research in this topical field will ensure that the link between lymphatic vascular function and adipose tissue is firmly established.
Published:
2008
Title:
The relevance of persistence hunting to human evolution
Authors:
Liebenberg, Louis
Abstract:
The relevance of persistence hunting to human evolution
Published:
2008
Title:
The sedimentary record of palaeoenvironments and sea-level change in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia, through the last glacial cycle
Authors:
Reeves, J.; Chivas, A.; Garcia, A.; Holt, S.; Couapel, M.; Jones, B.; Cendon, D.; Fink, D.
Abstract:
Environmental evolution of the Gulf of Carpentaria region, the world's largest tropical epicontinental seaway, through the last glacial cycle has been determined from a series of six sediment cores. These cores form the focus of a multi-disciplinary study to elucidate sea level, climate and environmental change in the region. The sedimentary record reveals a series of facies including open shallow marine, marginal marine, estuarine, lacustrine and subaerial exposure, throughout the extent of the basin during this period. The partial or complete closure of the central basin from marine waters results from sea level falling below the height of one or both of the sills that border the Gulf—the Arafura Sill to the west (53 m below present sea level (bpsl)) and Torres Strait to the east (12 m bpsl). The extent and timing of these closures, and restriction of the shallow waterbody within, are intrinsic to local ocean circulation, available latent heat transport and the movement of people and animals between Australia and New Guinea. Whilst the occurrence of the palaeo-Lake Carpentaria has previously been identified, this study expands on the hydrological conditions of the lacustrine phases and extends the record through the Last Interglacial, detailing the previous sea-level highstand (MIS 5.5) and subsequent retreat.
Published:
2008
Title:
Thyroid hormones and their relation to weight status
Authors:
Reinehr, Thomas; Isa, Adelbert; de Sousa, Gideon; Dieffenbach, Rainer; Andler, Werner
Abstract:
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to analyze thyroid hormones in female adolescents with obesity and anorexia nervosa (AN) before and after normalization of weight. METHODS: Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), fT3, and fT4 were determined in 100 obese girls, 32 normal-weight girls and 20 girls with AN aged 14-18 years at baseline and 1 year later. Additionally, leptin, insulin, and the insulin resistance index HOMA were analyzed in the obese and normal-weight girls. RESULTS: TSH and fT3 levels of girls with AN were significantly lower compared to TSH concentrations of normal-weight girls, while TSH and fT3 levels of the obese girls were significantly higher. The 21 obese females with weight loss >5% demonstrated a significant decrease in fT3 and TSH, while the 9 adolescents with AN and weight gain >5% showed a significant increase in fT3 and TSH. Insulin and HOMA were not significantly correlated to TSH, fT3 and fT4, while leptin was correlated to TSH and fT3 in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Thyroid function seems to be reversibly related to weight status with increased TSH and fT3 concentrations in obesity and decreased TSH and fT3 levels in AN. We hypothesize that leptin may be the link between weight status and TSH.
Published:
2008
Title:
Transient high glucose causes persistent epigenetic changes and altered gene expression during subsequent normoglycemia
Authors:
El-Osta, Assam; Brasacchio, Daniella; Yao, Dachun; Pocai, Alessandro; Jones, Peter L.; Roeder, Robert G.; Cooper, Mark E.; Brownlee, Michael
Abstract:
The current goal of diabetes therapy is to reduce time-averaged mean levels of glycemia, measured as HbA1c, to prevent diabetic complications. However, HbA1c only explains \textless25% of the variation in risk of developing complications. Because HbA1c does not correlate with glycemic variability when adjusted for mean blood glucose, we hypothesized that transient spikes of hyperglycemia may be an HbA1c-independent risk factor for diabetic complications. We show that transient hyperglycemia induces long-lasting activating epigenetic changes in the promoter of the nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) subunit p65 in aortic endothelial cells both in vitro and in nondiabetic mice, which cause increased p65 gene expression. Both the epigenetic changes and the gene expression changes persist for at least 6 d of subsequent normal glycemia, as do NF-kappaB-induced increases in monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 expression. Hyperglycemia-induced epigenetic changes and increased p65 expression are prevented by reducing mitochondrial superoxide production or superoxide-induced alpha-oxoaldehydes. These results highlight the dramatic and long-lasting effects that short-term hyperglycemic spikes can have on vascular cells and suggest that transient spikes of hyperglycemia may be an HbA1c-independent risk factor for diabetic complications.
Published:
2008
Title:
Turner syndrome in childhood and adolescence
Authors:
McCarthy, Kateri; Bondy, Carolyn A
Abstract:
This article reviews current patterns of ascertainment, clinical characteristics and quality of care for girls with Turner syndrome, based on a cohort of 100 girls (aged 7-17 years) prospectively evaluated at the National Institute of Child Health since 2001. Approximately 25% were diagnosed prenatally or at birth owing to webbed neck and other features typical of fetal lymphedema, few were diagnosed during early childhood, with the majority undiagnosed until age 9 years or older. Major clinical features included thyroid autoimmunity (51%), congenital cardiovascular anomalies (44%), liver abnormalities (36%), hypertension (34%), hearing loss (30%) and renal anomalies (18%). Of the group, 75% were being or had been treated with growth hormone. These girls were an average of 5 cm taller and significantly less obese than the untreated group. We discuss new guidelines for the initiation of puberty and urgent research needed to promote the health and longevity of girls suffering from Turner syndrome as they become adults.
Published:
2008
Title:
Type 1 diabetes, hyperglycaemia, and the heart
Authors:
Retnakaran, Ravi; Zinman, Bernard
Abstract:
Type 1 diabetes is associated with a substantially increased risk of cardiovascular disease that might not always be appreciated in view of the fairly young age of patients with this condition. In fact, in type 1 diabetes, the heart is subject to a variety of pathological insults, including accelerated atherosclerosis, cardiac autonomic neuropathy, and possibly intrinsic cardiomyopathy. Although the relation between hyperglycaemia and microvascular complications has been well established, a direct effect of hyperglycaemia on cardiovascular disease in type 1 diabetes has long been debated. More recently, several studies, most notably the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications, have clarified this issue and provided conclusive evidence that hyperglycaemia is indeed a mediator of cardiovascular risk in type 1 diabetes and that intensive diabetes therapy can reduce cardiovascular disease outcomes. We review current concepts in type 1 diabetes and the heart, focusing on recent insights into the central role of hyperglycaemia. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Published:
2008
Title:
Vegetarian diet affects genes of oxidative metabolism and collagen synthesis
Authors:
Karlic, Heidrun; Schuster, Daniela; Varga, Franz; Klindert, Gerhard; Lapin, Alexander; Haslberger, Alexander; Handschur, Michael
Abstract:
BACKGROUND/AIM: A vegetarian diet is known to prevent a series of diseases but may influence the balance of carbohydrate and fat metabolism as well as collagen synthesis. This study compares expression patterns of relevant genes in oral mucosa of omnivores and vegetarians. METHODS: Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was applied for analysis of mRNA levels from carnitine transporter OCTN2, hepatic CPT1A and nonhepatic CPT1B isoforms of carnitine palmitoyltransferase and collagen (CCOL2A1) in oral mucosa. RESULTS: Compared with volunteers with traditional eating habits, carbohydrate consumption was significantly higher (+22%) in vegetarians. This was associated with a significant stimulation of CPT1A (+50%) and OCTN2 (+10%) and a lowered collagen synthesis (-10%). CONCLUSION: These novel findings provide further insight into the association of a changed fat metabolism and reduced collagen synthesis in vegetarians, which could also play a role in the aging process.
Published:
2008
Title:
Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, mediterranean, or low-fat diet
Authors:
Shai, Iris; Schwarzfuchs, Dan; Henkin, Yaakov; Shahar, Danit R.; Witkow, Shula; Greenberg, Rana; Golan, Rachel; Fraser, Drora; Bolotin, Arkady; Vardi, Hilel; Tangi-Rozental, Osnat; Zuk-Ramot, Rachel; Sarusi, Benjamin; Brickner, Dov; Schwartz, Ziva; Sheiner, Einat; Marko, Rachel; Katorza, Esther; Thiery, Joachim; Fiedler, Georg Martin; Blüher, Matthias; Stumvoll, Michael; Stampfer, Meir J.
Abstract:
Background Trials comparing the effectiveness and safety of weight-loss diets are frequently limited by short follow-up times and high dropout rates. Methods In this 2-year trial, we randomly assigned 322 moderately obese subjects (mean age, 52 years; mean body-mass index [the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters], 31; male sex, 86%) to one of three diets: low-fat, restricted-calorie; Mediterranean, restricted-calorie; or low-carbohydrate, non–restricted-calorie. Results The rate of adherence to a study diet was 95.4% at 1 year and 84.6% at 2 years. The Mediterranean-diet group consumed the largest amounts of dietary fiber and had the highest ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fat (P\textless0.05 for all comparisons among treatment groups). The low-carbohydrate group consumed the smallest amount of carbohydrates and the largest amounts of fat, protein, and cholesterol and had the highest percentage of participants with detectable urinary ketones (P\textless0.05 for all comparisons among tr...
Published:
2008
Title:
Acid-base analysis of individuals following two weight loss diets
Authors:
Yancy, W. S.; Olsen, M. K.; Dudley, T.; Westman, E. C.
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of low-carbohydrate, ketogenic (LCKD) and low-fat (LFD) diets on acid-base status. DESIGN: Prospective analysis of volunteers from two clinical trials. PARTICIPANTS: Subset of 39 volunteers from a randomized trial comparing the effects of an LCKD with an LFD, and a single-arm trial of an LCKD. SETTING: Outpatient research clinic. INTERVENTION: LCKD (initially <20 g of carbohydrate daily) or LFD (
Published:
2007-12
Title:
Association between zinc pool sizes and iron stores in premenopausal women without anaemia
Authors:
Yokoi K; Sandstead HH; Egger NG; Alcock NW; Sadagopa Ramanujam VM; Dayal HH; Penland JG
Abstract:
Published:
2007-12
Title:
Disruption of Large-Scale Brain Systems in Advanced Aging
Authors:
Andrews-Hanna, Jessica R.; Snyder, Abraham Z.; Vincent, Justin L.; Lustig, Cindy; Head, Denise; Raichle, Marcus E; Buckner, Randy L.
Abstract:
Cognitive decline is commonly observed in advanced aging even in the absence of disease. Here we explore the possibility that normal aging is accompanied by disruptive alterations in the coordination of large-scale brain systems that support high-level cognition. In 93 adults aged 18 to 93, we demonstrate that aging is characterized by marked reductions in normally present functional correlations within two higher-order brain systems. Anterior to posterior components within the default network were most severely disrupted with age. Furthermore, correlation reductions were severe in older adults free from Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology as determined by amyloid imaging, suggesting that functional disruptions were not the result of AD. Instead, reduced correlations were associated with disruptions in white matter integrity and poor cognitive performance across a range of domains. These results suggest that cognitive decline in normal aging arises from functional disruption in the coordination of large-scale brain systems that support cognition. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Published:
2007-12
Title:
Effect of short-term ketogenic diet on redox status of human blood
Authors:
Nazarewicz, Rafal R.; Ziolkowski, Wieslaw; Vaccaro, Patrick S.; Ghafourifar, Pedram
Abstract:
The present study investigated the effect of a ketogenic diet on the blood redox status of healthy female subjects. Twenty healthy females with mean body mass index of 21.45 +/- 2.05 kg/m(2) were provided a low-carbohydrate (55 +/- 6 g; 13% total energy), high-fat (138 +/- 16 g; 74% total energy), calorie-restricted (-465 +/- 115 kcal/d) diet. The followings were tested prior to and after 14 days consumption of the diet: Whole body, body weight and total body fat; blood, complete blood count, red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit; plasma, 3-beta-hydroxybutyrate, total antioxidative status, and uric acid; red blood cells, total sulfhydryl content, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase activity, and catalase activity. After 14 days, weight loss was significant whereas no changes were detected in body fat. No alterations were observed in blood count or morphology. 3-beta-hydroxybutyrate, total antioxidative status, uric acid, and sulfhydryl content were significantly increased. There were no alterations in malondialdehyde, or superoxide dismutase or catalase activity. The present study demonstrates that 14 days of a ketogenic diet elevates blood antioxidative capacity and does not induce oxidative stress in healthy subjects.
Published:
2007-12
Title:
Executive functioning among Finnish adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Authors:
Loo, Sandra K.; Humphrey, Lorie A.; Tapio, Terttu; Moilanen, Irma K.; McGough, James J.; McCracken, James T.; Yang, May H.; Dang, Jeff; Taanila, Anja; Ebeling, Hanna; Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Smalley, Susan L.
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: The present study examined cognitive functioning in a population sample of adolescents with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. METHOD: The sample consisted of 457 adolescents ages 16 to 18 who were assessed using a battery of cognitive tasks. Performance according to diagnostic group (control, behavior disorder, and ADHD) and sex was compared. Then, the effect of executive function deficit (EFD) was assessed by diagnostic group status on behavioral and cognitive measures. RESULTS: When compared to non-ADHD groups, adolescents with ADHD exhibited deficits on almost all of the cognitive measures. The behavior disorder group obtained scores that were generally intermediate between the ADHD and control groups, but exhibited deficits in intelligence and executive function similar to the ADHD group. Approximately half the ADHD sample had EFD; however, the type and presence of EFDs were not differentially related to cognitive performance as a function of diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that EFDs are more frequent in ADHD than control or behavior disorder groups. EFDs are a general risk factor for poor cognitive functioning across multiple domains, irrespective of diagnostic status.
Published:
2007-12
Title:
Neuropsychological and behavioural disinhibition in adult ADHD compared to borderline personality disorder
Authors:
Lampe, K.; Konrad, K.; Kroener, S.; Fast, K.; Kunert, H. J.; Herpertz, S. C.
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Although attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is thought to be an inhibitory disorder, the question remains of how specific the inhibitory deficit is in adults and whether it distinguishes ADHD from borderline personality disorder (BPD), with which it shares several clinical features, particularly impulsiveness. METHOD: The study assessed various motor and cognitive inhibitory functions (inhibition of prepotent, ongoing and interfering responses) in addition to working memory in adult ADHD patients with and without BPD, compared to subjects with BPD alone and controls. In addition, questionnaire data on various aspects of impulsiveness and anger regulation were assessed in all groups. RESULTS: ADHD patients performed worse than BPD individuals and controls in two inhibitory tasks: the stop signal task and the conflict module of the Attentional Network Task (ANT). In addition, they exhibited longer reaction times (RTs) and higher intra-individual variance in nearly all attentional tasks. The co-morbid group exhibited poor performance on the stop signal task but not on the conflict task. The BPD group barely differed from controls in neuropsychological performance but overlapped with ADHD in some behavioural problems, although they were less severe on the whole. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired inhibition is a core feature in adults with ADHD. In addition, slow RTs and high intra-individual variance in performance may reflect deficits in the regulation of activation and effort in ADHD patients. ADHD and BPD share some symptoms of behavioural dysregulation without common cognitive deficits, at least in the attentional realm.
Published:
2007-12
Title:
Suprachiasmatic nucleus in sleep-wake regulation
Authors:
Moore, Robert Y.
Abstract:
The evolution of animals is a consequence of selective specialization of cells, tissues, functional systems, and behavior. The objective of all life is successful reproduction and maintenance of the species. In order to accomplish this, all animals have evolved a division of behavior into two fundamental behavioral states: one characterized by the elaboration of adaptive behavior (activity) and the other by rest and behavioral quiescence (rest). In mammals, these states are designated wake and sleep. Activity and rest, wake and sleep, occur in precise 24-h cycles that have evolved as an adaptation to the solar cycle of light and dark. These cycles are referred to as circadian rhythms. Over the last 40 years, we have gained detailed knowledge about the neurobiology of both wake and sleep and the circadian control of their timing. We now know that circadian rhythms are present in cells throughout the body. In the brain, a small group of hypothalamic nerve cells, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), functions as a master circadian pacemaker controlling the timing of the sleep-wake cycle and coordinating this with circadian rhythms in other brain areas and other tissues to enhance behavioral adaptation. In this review, I will summarize our current understanding of the organization and function of the circadian timing system and its role in the regulation of brain mechanisms of sleep and wake.
Published:
2007-12
Title:
The impact of a meat- versus a vegetable-based diet on iron status in women of childbearing age with small iron stores
Authors:
Tetens, Inge; Bendtsen, Karen M.; Henriksen, Marianne; Ersbøll, Annette K.; Milman, Nils
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Single-meal and short-term studies have shown an enhancing effect of meat on iron absorption, but there are few interventions of longer duration comprising measurements of biomarkers of iron status. AIMS OF THE STUDY: To assess the impact of a meat-based and a vegetable-based diet on iron status of women of childbearing age. METHODS: For 20 weeks, 57 women aged 19-39 years with low iron stores (serum ferritin or =120 g/l) consumed either a meat-based or a vegetable-based diet. Haemoglobin and serum ferritin concentrations were measured at baseline, after 10 and 20 weeks. Information about dietary intake before and during intervention, meat/fish intake, menstruation and contraceptive methods were recorded. RESULTS: The women who consumed the meat-based diet had a significantly (P < 0.001) higher intake of meat/fish, 152 (147-168) g/day (median (Q1-Q3)) compared to the women consuming the vegetable-based diet 31 (24-36) g/day, while the total iron intake was similar in the two groups (mean +/- SE) 11.0 +/- 0.5 and 12.3 +/- 0.3/day mg/day, respectively. Serum ferritin remained unchanged in women on the meat-based diet (n = 29)(before intervention (median (Q1-Q3)): 16.3 (12.7-25.3) microg/l and after intervention: 16.5 (10.3-25.3) microg/l, but declined from 17.3 (10.9-23.7) to 11.2 (8.8-14.6) mug/l (P
Published:
2007-12
Title:
The impact of a meat- versus a vegetable-based diet on iron status in women of childbearing age with small iron stores
Authors:
Tetens I; Bendtsen K; Henriksen M; Ersbøll A; Milman N
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Single-meal and short-term studies have shown an enhancing effect of meat on iron absorption, but there are few interventions of longer duration comprising measurements of biomarkers of iron status. AIMS OF THE STUDY: To assess the impact of a meat-based and a vegetable-based diet on iron status of women of childbearing age. METHODS: For 20 weeks, 57 women aged 19-39 years with low iron stores (serum ferritin or =120 g/l) consumed either a meat-based or a vegetable-based diet. Haemoglobin and serum ferritin concentrations were measured at baseline, after 10 and 20 weeks. Information about dietary intake before and during intervention, meat/fish intake, menstruation and contraceptive methods were recorded. RESULTS: The women who consumed the meat-based diet had a significantly (P < 0.001) higher intake of meat/fish, 152 (147-168) g/day (median (Q1-Q3)) compared to the women consuming the vegetable-based diet 31 (24-36) g/day, while the total iron intake was similar in the two groups (mean +/- SE) 11.0 +/- 0.5 and 12.3 +/- 0.3/day mg/day, respectively. Serum ferritin remained unchanged in women on the meat-based diet (n = 29)(before intervention (median (Q1-Q3)): 16.3 (12.7-25.3) microg/l and after intervention: 16.5 (10.3-25.3) microg/l, but declined from 17.3 (10.9-23.7) to 11.2 (8.8-14.6) mug/l (P
Published:
2007-12
Title:
[Infection with Helicobacter pylori--outcome of a cross-sectional investigation]
Authors:
Stettin, D.; Waldmann, A.; Wolters, M.; Trunz, B.; Schauder, P.; Hahn, A.
Abstract:
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Different information exists about the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) in Germany, ranging from 35 to 40%. Several investigations have identified factors influencing the colonization of Hp in the stomach, but their significance is still being discussed. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of Hp in the metropolitan area of Hannover and defining the impact of education and lifestyle on Hp colonization. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study was designed as a cross-sectional survey. Advertisements were placed in newspapers and on the radio. Of 829 who responded and were informed of the study 35 were excluded according to predefined criteria, the remainder sent questionnaires and containers for stool samples. 579 persons returned questionnaires and stool samples, but 16 were excluded because of borderline test results. The detection of Hp was done with a test for Hp-antigens in stool (Femto Lab H. pylori-Cnx-Test, R-Biopharm). RESULTS: Among the final 563 tested persons (322 women, 241 men; mean age 46.6 12.2 years) 21% were Hp-positive and 79% negative. Participants with Hp were older than those without. Neither gender nor the consumption of caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and particular eating behaviour were related to Hp-status. However, persons who had incomplete or lower-level schooling were infected more often than those who had graduated from with high school. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that Hp-prevalence among German adults may be lower than previously published. Known associations between Hp infection and age and education were confirmed.
Published:
2007-12
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