Quality of pregnant women's diet in Poland – macro-elements

Introduction

The objective was to assess the quality of pregnant women''s diet in Poland concerning macro-elements and to analyze reasons for low or high quality diets.

Material and methods

Five hundred and twelve pregnant women in their 20^th to 30^th week of pregnancy took part in the research conducted by means of a 7-day observation of diet. Consumed products were analyzed by means of DIETETYK software developed by the Polish National Food and Nutrition Institute. Obtained macro values were averaged. The results were compared with the recommendations from the World Health Organization, European Union and Polish National Food and Nutrition Institute and analyzed statistically (χ² test).

Results

The pregnant women consumed an average of 1898 ±380 kcal daily. Average value of macro components supplied with the diet did not deviate from EU and NFNI nutrition recommendations: protein – 72.1 g/person daily, fats overall – 72.8 g, polyunsaturated fatty acids – 10.93 g, cholesterol – 283 mg, carbohydrates – 257 g. The study proved a significant relation between a higher quality diet of pregnant women and tertiary or secondary education (p = 0.05) as well as urban residence (p = 0.01).

Conclusions

Pregnant women''s diet in Poland is not significantly different from diet quality of pregnant women from other countries. A lower quality diet was observed among women who smoked during pregnancy and lived in rural areas.     

Expression of HDAC9 in lung cancer – potential role in lung carcinogenesis

Our previous studies identified important molecules involved in lung carcinogenesis through a comprehensive search for the downstream targets of oncogenic KRAS, and these findings suggested that an investigation into the downstream targets of oncogenic KRAS might represent a useful strategy for elucidating the common molecular bases of lung cancer. Among the downstream targets of oncogenic KRAS, a focus was placed on HDAC9, a member of the histone deacetylase family, in the present study because epigenetic modification of DNA or the histone proteins is known to play an important role in carcinogenesis. The immunohistochemical expression of HDAC9 was examined in surgically resected primary lung cancers (130 adenocarcinoma, 49 squamous cell carcinomas, one large cell carcinoma, and 6 small cell carcinomas) and potential associations between its expression level and pathologic factors were analyzed. The results showed that HDAC9 expression levels were lower in lung cancer cells than in non-tumor epithelial cells, and were also significantly lower in adenocarcinomas among the histological types. Moreover, HDAC9 expression levels were significantly lower in adenocarcinomas with lymphatic canal involvement. The restoration of HDAC9 in lung cancer cells losing its expression severely attenuated their growth activity in vitro. These results suggest that HDAC9 may be a suppressor and its downregulation might promote the progression process, especially in lung adenocarcinomas.     

Colorectal cancer mortality in Poland – analysis of regional variation

Introduction

In 1999 in Poland 7,139 people died of colon cancer, while in 2008 this number rose to 9,915. Among malignant tumours, colorectal cancer is the second most commonly occurring one, frequently leading to death. The main reason for this is the fact that in 50% of patients with this cancer the illness is diagnosed at an advanced stage already. The risk increases significantly after 60 years of age. The aim of study was analysing the mortality of patients with colorectal cancer over 10 years in Poland (1999-2008), in both men and women from all provinces in the country.

Material and methods

The basis for the study was the number of deaths caused by colorectal cancer taking into account sex. Statistical data were drawn from the National Cancer Registry.

Results

In 1999 in Poland 3,706 men and 3,433 women died of colorectal cancer, while in 2008 the number of deaths stood at 5,385 and 4,530 respectively. In the years 1999-2008, colorectal cancer mortality rates among men were approximately 1.5 times higher than among women, and the majority of provinces demonstrate an upward trend. Among women the differences in the values of the coefficients are less clear.

Conclusions

Early detection of cancer could significantly reduce mortality among patients with colon cancer. Screening for colorectal cancer and colonoscopy are tests that should permanently become a part of preventive measures aimed at detecting disease and teaching risk factors, particularly in males and people over 60 years of age.     

The risk of false inclusion of a relative in parentage testing – an in silico population study

Aim

To investigate the potential of false inclusion of a close genetic relative in paternity testing by using computer generated families.

Methods

10 000 computer-simulated families over three generations were generated based on genotypes using 15 short tandem repeat loci. These data were used in assessing the probability of inclusion or exclusion of paternity when the father is actually a sibling, grandparent, uncle, half sibling, cousin, or a random male. Further, we considered a duo case where the mother’s DNA type was not available and a trio case including the mother’s profile.

Results

The data showed that the duo scenario had the highest and lowest false inclusion rates when considering a sibling (19.03 ± 0.77%) and a cousin (0.51 ± 0.14%) as the father, respectively; and the rate when considering a random male was much lower (0.04 ± 0.04%). The situation altered slightly with a trio case where the highest rate (0.56 ± 0.15%) occurred when a paternal uncle was considered as the father, and the lowest rate (0.03 ± 0.03%) occurred when a cousin was considered as the father. We also report on the distribution of the numbers for non-conformity (non-matching loci) where the father is a close genetic relative.

Conclusions

The results highlight the risk of false inclusion in parentage testing. These data provide a valuable reference when incorporating either a mutation in the father’s DNA type or if a close relative is included as being the father; particularly when there are varying numbers of non-matching loci.The use of an increasing number of loci in a multiplex amplification leads inevitably to higher confidence in assignment of an individual as being a defined genetic relative of a known person. With an increase in the loci used in a paternity test comes also the increase in the chance of observing a mutational event; leading to the possibility of a false exclusion. However, there also comes the benefit of a potential higher power of discrimination. When testing close genetic relatives as part of a paternity assignment, it is expected that more alleles will be shared, such as in full siblings (1), when compared to a random member of the population. In support of this assumption, a previous study indicated that there was at least a 50% chance of two random men sharing at least one allele at 10 of the 14 loci tested (2). The chance of a false inclusion and exclusion is greater when testing one putative parent and an offspring (a duo scenario) than when there is an additional confirmed parent (a trio scenario). In instances of immigration cases, it may be that one relative poses as a parent of a child; such an incident was reported when a sibling claimed to be the father of a boy (3). The instance when a close genetic relative posed as a parent of an offspring where 9 or 10 loci were used in a paternity test led to unsatisfactory results (4). A similar study highlighted an instance when using 11 polymorphic short tandem repeat (STR) loci there was a matching allele at each locus between a child, the assumed mother, and skeletal remains that were not from the father of that child (5); this same study found 3 further instances of exactly the same scenario when using 10 STR loci. Recently, there has been a report of two tested men presenting matching alleles with a potential offspring at 19 STR loci in a duo case (6).The probability of excluding a relative from being a true father of an offspring was examined using data for 12 STR loci from a known population (7). An extension of this study, using 12 STR loci, derived the probability of excluding a relative for close genetic relatives (8). A conclusion was that full siblings impersonating parent/child proved the most difficult scenario to discredit with DNA profiling alone. Similarly, it was reported that there was a probability of 12% that there would be no inconsistencies (a shared allele at all loci tested) when comparing data using 18 STR loci when a sibling of a true parent posed as the parent of the tested child (9). In motherless paternity analysis using 15 STR loci, the differences between probabilities for father and uncle were observed to be small (10).The use of computer-simulated populations has the great benefit of an increase in the size of the available data. Evaluation of the efficacy of trio sibship testing and sibling assignment for forensic purposes by using such model populations was performed in our laboratory (11). In this study, we report on the false paternity probabilities with 15 STR loci when comparing two close genetic relatives (two siblings, paternal grandparent/grandchild, paternal uncle/nephew or niece, two half siblings, and two cousins) and two random persons. These different combinations were generated using 10 000 simulated 3-generation families based on data from the Taiwan population (12). The risks of false inclusion for duos and trios in parentage testing were evaluated respectively.     

Physical activity evaluation in Yugoslav Study of the Precursors of Atherosclerosis in School Children – YUSAD study

Introduction

It is observed that there is a lack of physical activity and exercise in children, stressing higher prevalence of childhood obesity. The purpose of the study was to evaluate duration of physical activity in a child population and correlation of dynamics in physical activity during 5 years of follow-up in the same population.

Material and methods

We evaluated 3243 school children from 12 regional centres across Serbia. The first examination was done when the children were 10 years old (baseline group), while the second examination was done on the same population when children were 15 years old. Physical activity was classified as recreational activity after school. We analysed 3 groups regarding physical activity: a group of children who were physically active less than 1 hour per day (group I), a second group active from 1 hour to < 3 hours per day (group II), and a third group active ≥ 3 hours per day (group III).

Results

In our study we have found on examination that the majority of children were physically active between 1 and 3 hours per day. Our results indicate that there is significant movement from groups I and III toward group II on the second examination regarding the proportion in the baseline group. There is a significant increase in the number of children in group I as they get older.

Conclusions

School children in Serbia are physically active predominantly between 1 and 3 hours per day at the age between 10 and 15 years.     

The prevalence of mental disorders in older people in Western countries – a meta-analysis

ObjectiveTo conduct a meta-analysis assessing the prevalence of mental disorders in older people in Europe and North America.MethodStudies that reported prevalence rates of mental disorders in older people from the general population were identified through MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and reference lists for the period between January 2000 and December 2011. Studies were included if they reported prevalence rates of mental disorders in older people (50+ years) from the community. The final sample comprised 25 studies. Prevalence rates were extracted, and effect sizes were transformed into logits. Random-effects models were calculated due to significant heterogeneity. In meta-regression analyses possible sources of bias, including age of onset, gender distribution, and risk of bias were examined. To analyze the robustness of the results, sensitivity analyses were performed. Publication bias was assessed with funnel plots and the Egger method.ResultsDisorders with the highest prevalence estimates were dimensional depression (19.47%), lifetime major depression (16.52%), and lifetime alcohol use disorders (11.71%). Disorders with the lowest estimates were current and lifetime drug use disorders (0.34% and 0.19%, respectively), and current bipolar disorder and current agoraphobia (both 0.53%).ConclusionThe majority of studies investigated major depression, panic disorder and social phobia. Future research requires a larger database on the epidemiology of mental disorders in the elderly. Furthermore, an improvement to the methodology that addresses the challenges of older age and produces comparable data, including the use of instruments tailored to the needs of older people, is required.     

Expression of angiogenesis-related genes in ovarian carcinoma – A clinicopathologic study

Angiogenic factors play a role in tumor growth and spread. The object of this study was to analyze the correlation between mRNA expression of angiogenesis-related genes and disease outcome in advanced-stage ovarian carcinomas. Sections from 66 primary ovarian carcinomas and metastatic lesions from 41 patients diagnosed with advanced stage ovarian carcinoma (FIGO stages III-IV) were evaluated for expression of basic fibroblast factor (bFGF), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) using mRNA In Situ Hybridization (ISH). Patients were divided in two groups based on disease outcome. Long-term survivors (17 patients) and short-term survivors (24 patients) were defined using a double cut-off of 36 months for disease-free survival (DFS) and 60 months for overall survival (OS). Mean follow-up period was 70 months. The mean values for DFS and OS were 116 and 133 months for long-term survivors, as compared to 3 and 21 months for short-term survivors, respectively. Expression of bFGF mRNA, most often intense, was detected in tumor and stromal cells in the majority of cases. Weak expression of IL-8 mRNA was detected in both cell compartments, while VEGF mRNA expression was limited to few cases. Primary tumors displayed higher bFGF and IL-8 mRNA expression. However, these differences did not reach statistical significance (P>0.05). bFGF, IL-8 and VEGF mRNA expression in both tumor and stromal cells was comparable in tumors of long-term and short-term survivors, and showed no correlation with disease outcome in survival analysis (P>0.05). bFGF is the major angiogenic factor expressed in ovarian carcinoma at the mRNA level. mRNA expression of VEGF, bFGF, and IL-8 does not appear to be a predictor of disease outcome in advanced-stage ovarian carcinoma. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Evolution and Diversity of HIV-1 in Africa – a Review

The HIV/AIDS pandemic represents a major development crisis for the African continent, which is the worst affected region in the world. Currently, almost 30 of the 42 million people infected with HIV worldwide live in Africa. AIDS in humans is caused by two lentiviruses, HIV-1 and HIV-2, which entered the human population by zoonotic transmissions from at least two different African primate species. Extensive phylogenetic analyses of partial and full-length genome sequences have helped to gain insights into the evolutionary biology and population dynamics of HIV. One of the major characteristics of HIV is its rapid evolution, which has resulted in substantial genetic diversity amongst different isolates, the majority of which are represented in Africa. Genetic variability of HIV and any consequent phenotypic variation poses a significant challenge to disease control and surveillance in different geographic regions of Africa. This review focuses on the origins and evolution of HIV, current classification and diversity of HIV isolates in Africa and provides an extensive account of the geographic distribution of HIV types, groups, and subtypes in each of the 49 African countries. Numerous epidemiological studies have provided a picture of HIV distribution patterns in most countries in Africa, and these show increasing evidence of the importance of HIV-1 recombinants. In particular, this review highlights that our current understanding of HIV distribution in Africa is incomplete and inadequately represents the diversity of the virus, and underscores the need for ongoing surveillance.     

Auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia – Outcry of a diseased brain?

Schizophrenia, with a lifetime prevalence of one percent, is one of the most common mental diseases. Regarding the typology and definition, hallucinations of different qualities (auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory and gustatory) represent a so-called core symptom according to the modern classification systems ICD-10 and DSM-IV. However, under functional imaging evaluation (MEG) of a neuronal correlate of the disease, truly asymmetric relationships were found. While the notable neurophysiological finding was a general slowing of delta-theta activity within the temporal lobe, an increase in beta activity was found within the same zone during auditory hallucinations, which raises the question of whether this might be an intermittent compensation mechanism of the brain, also in the sense of a self-healing function. This might lead one to speculate whether the supposed core symptom of the disease, auditory hallucination, is not in fact a possible resistance mechanism. If this hypothesis blurts out any measure of truth, the usual therapeutic algorithm will have to be re-evaluated.     

Pathobiology of human papillomaviruses in human immunodeficiency virus – Infected persons

There is a complex interrelationship between human papillomaviruses (HPV) and human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) that has been recognized from the start of the HIV epidemic. Cervical cancer was used as a surveillance indicator for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) before definitive identification of the viral etiology of either condition were known. Careful epidemiologic studies combined with clinical and laboratory measures of HPV, HPV-associated disease, and HIV have helped us understand many aspects of the relationship between these two virus groups; however, questions remain. The histopathology associated with HPV is identical in HIV-positive and negative patients though the lesions are more frequent, with higher frequency of multiple HPV types, and persistent in HIV infected individuals. In this review we will briefly explain the pathobiology of HPV in HIV-infected persons and the potential impact of secondary (screening) and primary (vaccination) prevention to reduce HPV-associated disease in those infected with HIV.     

Muscarinic Receptors of the Neostriatum – Their Role in Controlling Operant Behavior in Dogs

Chronic experiments were performed on six dogs to study the effects of bilateral microinjections of muscarinic receptor agonists and blockers into the dorsal striatum on the performance of an operant defensive reflex consisting of maintenance of a specified posture and on the differentiation of stimuli. Microinjections of carbachol, a non-selective agonist of muscarinic receptors, were accompanied by increases in the tonic component of movements, inhibition of phasic movements, ordering of the postural rearrangement, and increases in the amplitudes of its components. Bilateral microinjections of the selective agonist oxotremorine into the neostriatum had significantly weaker effects on the amplitude of postural rearrangement, generally decreasing the amplitude. Although oxotremorine also increased the tonic component of the operant response, this effect was weaker than that seen with carbachol microinjections. In addition, oxotremorine, unlike carbachol, increased the number of intersignal limb elevations. These data, along with data published in the literature, are used to suggest the hypothesis that the actions of oxotremorine are mediated not only via muscarinic M₂ but also via M₁ receptors in the neostriatum. Stronger changes in responses to differential stimuli were also obtained after microinjection of the non-selective agonist carbachol than after microinjection of oxotremorine, and the fact that changes in responses to differential stimuli were significantly greater than changes in those to defensive stimuli suggests that microinjections of muscarinic M₁ and M₄ receptor agonists into the striatum are also accompanied by improvements in attention to significant stimuli.     

Reductions in Whole-body Ownership in Borderline Personality Disorder – A Phenomenological Manifestation of Dissociation

ABSTRACT

Body ownership, i.e., the certainty that own body parts belongs to oneself, is a fundamental feature of self-consciousness. Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) often show symptoms of dissociation, describing a state of detachment from reality including their own body. However, up to now, there is no study that a) quantifies body ownership experiences in BPD, b) compares these experiences between the current and the remitted state of the disorder, and c) relates this kind of experience specifically to dissociation. In the present study, we assessed ownership for 25 body areas in current BPD patients (cBPD) and compared their ratings with those of remitted BPD patients (rBPD) and healthy controls (HC). We further related body ownership to dissociation and other relevant BPD markers on body area and subject level by applying multi-level analyses in the cBPD group. We found significantly reduced body ownership experiences in cBPD compared to HC, while there were no significant differences between these groups and rBPD. In cBPD, reduced body ownership was significantly related to dissociation when controlled for other BPD core features. Reduced body ownership might thus constitute a relevant marker for dissociation in current BPD which could further represent a target for therapeutic approaches.     

Physical activity and plasma interleukin-6 in humans – effect of intensity of exercise

The present study included data from three marathon races to investigate the hypothesis that a relationship exists between running intensity and elevated concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6 in plasma. The study included a total of 53 subjects whose mean age was 30.6 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4] years, mean body mass 77.7 (95%CI 2.0) kg, mean maximal oxygen uptake (V˙O_2max) 59.3 (95%CI 1.4) ml · min⁻¹ · kg⁻¹, and who had participated in the Copenhagen Marathons of 1996, 1997 or 1998, achieving a mean running time of 206 (95%CI 7) min. Running intensity was calculated as running speed divided by V˙O_2max. The concentration of IL-6 in plasma peaked immediately after the run. There was a negative correlation between peak IL-6 concentration and running time (r=−0.30, P < 0.05) and a positive correlation between peak IL-6 concentration and running intensity (r=0.32, P < 0.05). The IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) plasma concentration peaked 1.5 h after the run and there was a positive correlation between the peak plasma concentrations of IL-6 and IL-1ra (r=0.39, P < 0.01). Creatine kinase (CK) plasma concentration peaked on the 1st day after the run, but no association was found between peak concentrations of IL-6 and CK. In conclusion, the results confirmed the hypothesized association between plasma IL-6 concentration and running intensity, but did not confirm the previous finding of a connection between IL-6 plasma concentration and muscle damage. Accepted: 6 August 2000     

Immunoregulatory properties of cell-free DNA in plasma of celiac disease patients – A pilot study

The elevated plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) concentrations were repeatedly reported in association with the process of inflammation. The qualitative and quantitative characteristics of plasma cfDNA in active (newly diagnosed) celiac disease patients (CD) have not yet been studied despite the fact that cfDNA of healthy individuals is able to regulate immune response. We determined the total cfDNA concentration and relative content of telomeric sequences in plasma cfDNA in CD (n?=?10) and healthy age- and sex-matched controls (HC, n?=?10) by quantitative PCR. To obtain the evidence that the observed biological effects are caused solely by cfDNA molecules, we applied the treatment of paired plasma samples with DNase. Using paired samples of plasma (non-treated/native and treated by DNase), we analyzed the contribution of cfDNA to the activation of TLR9 and TNF-α mRNA expression in THP1 monocytic cell line. There were no significant differences in the quantities of plasma cfDNA and relative contents of telomeric sequences in their pools. When we compared the levels of TNF-α mRNA expression in THP1 cells achieved after stimulation with native CD and HC plasma samples, we found significantly (p?=?.031) higher expression after stimulation with CD samples. We documented also the ability of cfDNA contained in CD plasma samples to stimulate the production of TLR9 mRNA. The TLR9 mRNA expression levels were significantly (p?=?.014) lowered after cfDNA removal from CD plasma samples. The design of our experiments allowed us to study the effects of cfDNA without its isolation from plasma. cfDNA contained in CD plasma samples differs significantly in its immunoregulatory capacity from cfDNA in HC plasma. The differences are caused neither by different concentrations of cfDNA in plasma samples nor by different relative abundance of telomeric sequences. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of plasma cfDNA in celiac disease pathogenesis.