Estimation of fruit and vegetable intake using a two-item dietary questionnaire: a potential tool for primary health care workers

BACKGROUND AND AIM: High fruit and vegetable intake is associated with health benefits for cancer and cardiovascular disease. An increase is therefore integral in recommendations for the prevention of chronic disease. However, measuring intake requires either extensive dietary assessment or the measurement of specific bio-markers which is neither cheap nor feasible for the routine assessment of an individual's diet in a community or primary care setting. Within the context of a study evaluating a dietary counselling programme to increase fruit and vegetable intake our aim was to assess the use of a simple tool to estimate fruit and vegetable intake. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied associations between bio-markers [plasma ascorbic acid, beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol 24-hour urinary potassium excretion] and a two-item fruit and vegetable consumption questionnaire in 271 subjects (105 men and 166 women), aged 18 to 70 years. After controlling for age, sex, vitamin supplement use, smoking and body mass, those reporting a daily intake of > or = 5 portions of fruit and vegetables had higher potassium excretion (difference 15.6 [95% confidence interval: 6.2 to 25.0] mmol/24 h), urinary potassium/creatinine ratio (1.2 [0.5 to 2.0]) and plasma vitamin C (10.0 [-0.9 to 20.8] mumol/L) than those reporting < or = 2.5 portions per day. beta-carotene (p = 0.04), vitamin C (p = 0.01) and potassium excretion (p < 0.001) were associated with fruit rather than vegetable intake. The two-item questionnaire had high specificity; over 3/4 of participants who reported low intake also had bio-markers below the upper third of the distribution. CONCLUSION: Self report of fruit and vegetable intake through a simple questionnaire is confirmed by bio-markers for those eating less than five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Although the tool is amenable to improvements for the detection of vegetable portions, it may prove useful for monitoring dietary preventive approaches in primary care without the use of invasive and costly biochemical measurements.     

EGFR靶向药物个体化治疗转移性结直肠癌的研究进展

靶向表皮生长因子受体(epidermal growth factor receptor,EGFR)单抗目前已成为晚期结直肠癌治疗的一个突破,对此类药物相关基因的研究也开创了结直肠癌个体化治疗的先河。EGFR信号转导系统中EGFR基因、配体以及下游的KRAS,BRAF和PIK3CA基因一直都是研究的热点。本文就EGFR靶向药物疗效相关预测因子的研究现状做一综述。     

Quantification of the differential expression levels of microRNA-203 in different degrees of diabetic foot

Background: As a common and important complication of diabetes, foot ulcers are characterized by high incidence, poor prognosis and variation in the clinical presentation. The current methods for classification of the diabetic foot are many, but few of them are validated owing to the lack of specific and accurate laboratory index. Thus, the development of new bio-markers to assess and manage diabetic foot is of high importance. Methods: 46 patients who had undergone wound repairing operation were included in this study and skin tissue samples around the ulcers were collected during the operation. In accordance with The Wound Score of Strauss, all subjects were divided into four groups, such as normal skins group, healthy wounds group, problem wounds group and futile wounds group, and respectively, there are 6, 4, 22, 14 individuals in each group. For each group, we assessed the expression profile of microRNAs (miRNAs) in each skin tissue sample by TaqMan probe-based qRT-PCR assay. Result: Skin-enriched microRNA-203 (miR-203) was readily detected in skin tissue samples, and, in contrast to normal skin tissue, samples from patient with diabetic foot ulcers significantly have a higher expression level in miR-203. Moreover, our study demonstrated the first time that expression profile of miR-203 was positively correlated with the severity of diabetic foot ulcers. Compared with other parameters in wound scoring systems for the assessment of severity of diabetic foot ulcers, the determination for miR-203 was more accurate and validated. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that expression profile of miR-203 in diabetic foot had a positive correlation with the severity of diabetic foot ulcers, which indicated that miR-203 can be served as a new, accurate and validated bio-marker for evaluating the severity of diabetic foot ulcers in clinic. The significant finding of the study: Quantification of miR-203 in different degrees of diabetic foot. This study adds a new bio-marker for evaluation and management of diabetic foot.     

机体非定位损伤分子标志的流行病学观察

迄今关于大骨节病、克山病等地方病的研究，在临床诊断水平上的病因流行病学方面积累了一些经验，但当我们的视野扩展到“机体非定位损伤”的观察阶段，乃涉及分子损伤、分子生物标志等新的问题。本文旨在为此探索一条可循的技术路线，其中包括自身的若干经验，但主要的还是世界经验。作为基本内容是反应机体因内外环境因素所致分子损伤的生物标志和观察方法，主要是：蛋白质的氧化损伤、脂肪的氧化损伤、DNA断裂及氧化损伤、C-反应蛋白、尿液微量白蛋白，以及这些标志的意义和研究方法。作者以为正确使用这些标志和方法，将为“真菌毒素与人类疾病研究”形成一条可靠地揭示低剂量毒素长期作用致机体分子损伤的技术路线。     

Anti-carcinogenic Potentials of a Plant Extract (Hydrastiscanadensis): I. Evidence from In Vivo Studies in Mice (Musmusculus)

Ethanolic extract of Hydrastis canadensis has been tested for its possible anti-cancer potentials againstp-dimethylaminoazobenzene (p-DAB) induced hepatocarcinogenesis in mice. Mice were chronically fedp-dimethylaminoazobenzene (p-DAB) and phenobarbital (PB), two hepato-carcinogens for 1, 2, 3 and 4 months,respectively, and were divided into sub-groups: i) fed normal low protein diet (Gr. I, normal control); ii) fed dietmixed with 0.06% p-DAB at a daily dose of 165 mg/kg b.w. per mouse plus 0.05% PB plus 0.06 ml 90% alcohol(vehicle of the crude extract) (Gr. II, carcinogen treated); iii) fed diet mixed with p-DAB and PB at the samedaily dose plus crude extract of Hydrastis canadensis (Gr. III, drug treated). Several biochemical parameterslike acid and alkaline phosphatases, alanine amino-, aspartate amino-, and gamma glutamyl-transferases,lipid peroxidation, reduced glutathione content, lactate dehydrogenase, catalase and glucose-6-phosphatedehydrogenase activities and electron microscopy of liver in different groups of treated and control mice werestudied. A critical analysis of results of these studies suggested anti-cancer potentials of the drug suitable foruse as a supportive complementary medicine in liver cancer.     

Nanotechnological approach to delivering nutraceuticals as promising drug candidates for the treatment of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is Caesar’s sword, which poses a huge risk to the present generation. Understanding the atherosclerotic disease cycle would allow ensuring improved diagnosis, better care, and treatment. Unfortunately, a highly effective and safe way of treating atherosclerosis in the medical community remains a continuous challenge. Conventional treatments have shown considerable success, but have some adverse effects on the human body. Natural derived medications or nutraceuticals have gained immense popularity in the treatment of atherosclerosis due to their decreased side effects and toxicity-related issues. In hindsight, the contribution of nutraceuticals in imparting enhanced clinical efficacy against atherosclerosis warrants more experimental evidence. On the other hand, nanotechnology and drug delivery systems (DDS) have revolutionized the way therapeutics are performed and researchers have been constantly exploring the positive effects that DDS brings to the field of therapeutic techniques. It could be as exciting as ever to apply nano-mediated delivery of nutraceuticals as an additional strategy to target the atherosclerotic sites boasting high therapeutic efficiency of the nutraceuticals and fewer side effects.     

Inflammation is associated with a worsening of presbycusis: Evidence from the MRC national study of hearing

Abstract

Objective: Inflammaging, a state of chronic inflammation in the elderly, is now thought to be a key element of the ageing process and contributor to age-related disease. In a previously published study, we identified a significant association between inflammation levels and severity of presbycusis among individuals aged 63 to 73 (?younger old”) within an available audiometric range 0.5 to 4 kHz. Our aim was to see if this association would be identified among participants in the MRC national study of hearing, and whether the strength of the association would increase with greater age, or for very low or very high audiometric frequencies. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of cohort data. Study sample: Three hundred and sixty community-dwelling adults age 60 years and over, representing all those with white blood cell count and audiometric data available. Results: A significant independent association between (higher) WBC and (worse) hearing level was identified. This effect increased with age. The strongest association was among those over 75, for whom average hearing threshold levels among those with lower WBC was 17 dB better than those with higher WBC. Conclusions: The current findings support an association between inflammaging (a condition potentially amenable to pharmacological treatment or lifestyle management) and presbycusis.