Genetic polymorphisms of XRCC1, alcohol consumption, and the risk of colorectal cancer in Japan

Background

X-ray cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) polymorphisms affect DNA repair capacity and may therefore be of importance in colorectal carcinogenesis. Alcohol consumption, an important risk factor for colorectal cancer, may induce carcinogenesis through DNA damage caused by the toxic effects of alcohol or its metabolites. Therefore, we examined the associations of XRCC1 Arg399Gln, Arg280His, and Arg194Trp polymorphisms with colorectal cancer and the impact of the association between alcohol consumption and colorectal cancer risk.

Methods

This case-control study in Fukuoka, Japan including 685 cases and 778 controls. The cases were incident patients with histologically confirmed colorectal adenocarcinoma. The controls were randomly selected community subjects.

Results

The XRCC1 399Gln/Gln genotype was significantly associated with colorectal cancer risk (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.57, 95% CI 1.01–2.42; relative to 399Arg/Arg genotype). The association was strongest in individuals with high alcohol consumption. The Arg280His polymorphism modified the association between alcohol consumption and colorectal cancer risk (interaction P = 0.049). The OR of colorectal cancer in individuals with the 280His allele was 0.45 (95% CI 0.26–0.78) as compared with the 280Arg/Arg genotype limited to the 399Gln allele (interaction P = 0.001). The adjusted ORs for 399Gln/Gln-280Arg/Arg-194Arg/Arg and 399Arg/Gln-280Arg/Arg-194Arg/Trp were 1.71 (95% CI 1.02–2.87) and 1.57 (95% CI 1.05–2.33), respectively, with 399Arg/Arg-280Arg/Arg-194Arg/Arg as reference (interaction P = 0.418).

Conclusions

The findings are additional evidence that individuals with the XRCC1 399Gln/Gln genotype have an increased risk of colorectal cancer, and that XRCC1 polymorphisms have an important role in colorectal cancer risk associated with alcohol consumption or gene-gene interaction.Key words: XRCC1 polymorphisms, alcohol consumption, colorectal cancer     

Exposure to respirable dust and manganese and prevalence of airways symptoms,among Swedish mild steel welders in the manufacturing industry

Purpose

Welding fume consists of metal fumes, e.g., manganese (Mn) and gases, e.g., ozone. Particles in the respirable dust (RD) size range dominate. Exposure to welding fume could cause short- and long-term respiratory effects. The prevalence of work-related symptoms among mild steel welders was studied, and the occupational exposure to welding fumes was quantified by repeated measurements of RD, respirable Mn, and ozone. Also the variance components were studied.

Method

A questionnaire concerning airway symptoms and occupational history was answered by 79 % of a cohort of 484 welders. A group of welders (N = 108) were selected and surveyed by personal exposure measurements of RD and ozone three times during 1 year.

Results

The welders had a high frequency of work-related symptoms, e.g., stuffy nose (33 %), ocular symptoms (28 %), and dry cough (24 %). The geometric mean exposure to RD and respirable Mn was 1.3 mg/m³ (min–max 0.1–38.3 mg/m³) and 0.08 mg/m³ (min–max <0.01–2.13 mg/m³), respectively. More than 50 % of the Mn concentrations exceeded the Swedish occupational exposure limit (OEL). Mainly, low concentrations of ozone were measured, but 2 % of the samples exceeded the OEL. Of the total variance for RD, 30 and 33 % can be attributed to within-worker variability and between-company variability, respectively.

Conclusions

Welders had a high prevalence of work-related symptom from the airways and eyes. The welders’ exposure to Mn was unacceptably high. To reduce the exposure further, control measures in the welding workshops are needed. Correct use of general mechanical ventilation and local exhaust ventilation can, for example, efficiently reduce the exposure.     

Neuromotor function in ship welders after cessation of manganese exposure

Purpose

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether previous long-term exposure to manganese (Mn) via inhalation of welding fumes can cause persistent impairment in neuromotor function even long after cessation of exposure.

Methods

Quantitative tests of tremor, motor speed, manual dexterity, diadochokinesis, eye-hand coordination and postural stability were administered to 17 retired ship welders (mean age 69?years), with mean exposure time 28?years. The welders’ exposure had ceased on average 18?years before the study. A cumulative exposure index (CEI) was calculated for each of the former welders. The welders were compared with 21 referents from the same shipyards (mean age was 66?years).

Results

Former welders performed less well than referents in the grooved pegboard test, and poorer performance was associated with CEI. The performance in most of the other neurobehavioral tests was similar between groups, but the welders tended to perform slightly better than the referents in tests demanding hand steadiness. The latter finding may be due to a training effect from their former working tasks or selection bias into or out of this occupation.

Conclusions

In the present study of welders with previous welding fume exposure, former welders and referents performed similarly in most of the neurobehavioral tests. Previous adverse effects on the neuromotor system might have ceased, and decreased neuromotor function due to normal aging processes in both groups might have disguised any slight effect of previous Mn exposure. The poorer performance in the grooved pegboard test among welders may indicate an adverse effect on motor function of long-term exposure to Mn, but this finding has to be confirmed by other studies.     

Relationship between health-related quality of life and clustering of metabolic syndrome diagnostic components

Purpose

To examine the association of the number of metabolic syndrome diagnostic components (MetS-DC) with health-related quality of life (HR-QOL).

Methods

We examined the baseline data from 4,480 healthy workers in Japan (3,668 men and 812 women) aged 19?C69?years. We assessed HR-QOL based on scores for five scales of the SF-36. We defined four components for MetS in this study as follows: (1) high blood pressure (BP); (2) dyslipidemia; (3) impaired glucose tolerance; and (4) overweight: a body mass index ??25?kg/m². Logistic regression analysis adjusted for lifestyle factors was used to examine the association of the number of MetS-DC with the HR-QOL sub-scales.

Results

Those who had 0?C4 MetS-DC accounted for 2,287, 1,135, 722, 282, and 54 participants. The number of MetS-DC inversely contributed significantly to General Health (norm-based scoring >50) (odd ratios [OR] 0.59?C0.82, P?P?Conclusion When adjusted for lifestyle factors, the number of MetS-DC was inversely associated with General Health and positively with Mental Health in men and women.     

Validity of self-reported BMI in older adults and an adjustment model

Study objectives

To determine reporting bias of self-reported vs. measured anthropometrics (body weight, height, body mass index, BMI), and to adjust self-reported BMI regarding the bias.

Methods

We compared self-reported with measured anthropometrics utilizing 659 control persons (age mean 68; range 37 to 80 years) from a case-control stroke study. The Bland-Altman approach examined the agreement between self-reported and measured values. A linear model was applied to correct the bias dependent on sex, age and self-reported BMI.

Results

Under-reporting of weight and over-reporting of height was found. On average, this resulted in lower self-reported BMIs by 1.0 kg/m² in men, 1.2 kg/m² in women (p?<?0.001). Bias correction of self-reported BMIs was derived from self-reported BMI (p?<?0.001), age (p?<?0.001), age-BMI interaction (p?<?0.001) and sex (p?<?0.05). Under-estimation of correct BMI resulted in the under-estimation of an overweight prevalence, with relatively low sensitivity regarding self-reported values (88 %). Our estimates should be recalibrated, if applied to other studies.

Conclusion

Self-reported anthropometric measures are systematically biased despite high correlations with measured values. A correction removes the average bias and improves accuracy.     

Experimental exposure of healthy subjects with emissions from a gas metal arc welding process—part II: biomonitoring of chromium and nickel

Objectives

The objective of this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between the external exposure dose of chromium and nickel caused by a metal active gas welding process with a solid high-alloyed steel welding wire and inner exposure of subjects. In order to perform welding fume exposure under controlled and standardized conditions, the investigations were conducted in the “Aachen Workplace Simulation Laboratory”.

Methods

To perform biological monitoring of chromium and nickel, blood and urine samples of 12 healthy male non-smokers who never worked as welders were collected before and after a 6-h exposure to ambient air (0 mg/m³) and to welding fumes of a metal active gas welding process once with a concentration of the welding fume of 1 mg/m³ and once with a concentration of 2.5 mg/m³.

Results

Although the internal exposure to chromium and nickel in this study was comparatively low, the subjects showed significantly increased concentrations of these metals in urine after exposure to welding fume compared to the values at baseline. Moreover, the observed increase was significantly dose dependent for both of the substances.

Conclusion

For the biological monitoring of chromium and nickel in urine of subjects exposed to welding fumes, a dependency on exposure dose was seen under standardized conditions after a single exposure over a period of 6 h. Thus, this study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between ambient and biological exposures from welding fumes and provides a good basis for evaluating future biological threshold values for these metals in welding occupation.     

The effect of family-based multidisciplinary cognitive behavioral treatment on health-related quality of life in childhood obesity

Purpose

To evaluate the effect of multidisciplinary treatment on obesity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Methods

Obese children were randomized to a multidisciplinary lifestyle treatment, including medical, nutritional, physical, and psychological counseling during 3?months, (n?=?40, BMI-SDS; 4.2?±?0.7, age; 13.3?±?2.0) or standard care, including an initial advice on nutrition and physical activity by the pediatrician (n?=?39, BMI-SDS; 4.3?±?0.7, age; 13.1?±?1.9). At baseline, after 3?months of treatment and at 12?months follow-up, data were collected for BMI-SDS and a European validated questionnaire for assessing HRQOL (DISABKIDS).

Results

A significantly reduced BMI-SDS was found for the intervention group after 3?months treatment (4.0?±?0.9 vs. 4.2?±?0.7, P?=?0.02) and at 12?months follow-up (3.8?±?1.1 vs. 4.2?±?0.7, P?=?0.03). HRQOL in the intervention group was significantly improved at 12?months follow-up and unchanged in the obese control group. Agreement between child and parent report was moderate (67?C85%), with parents reporting a lower HRQOL for their obese children than children themselves in both groups.

Conclusion

Multidisciplinary treatment is effective in reducing BMI-SDS and improving HRQOL after 12?months follow-up.     

Moderate physical training attenuates muscle-specific effects on fibre type composition in adult rats submitted to a perinatal maternal low-protein diet

Aim

To verify whether moderate physical training affects the muscle fibre composition of adult rats subjected to a low protein diet during the perinatal period.

Methods

Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups according to their mother’s diet during gestation and lactation: control (17% casein, C) and low-protein (8% casein, LP). On postnatal day 60, half of each group was submitted to moderate physical training (8?weeks, 5?days/week^?1, 60?min/day^?1, at 70% of VO_2max, T) or not. After the physical training period, soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles were removed. Myofibrillar ATPase staining was used to classify muscle fibres as type I, IIa, IIb, and intermediate.

Results

In the EDL muscle, LP rats showed no changes in the fibre type proportion. Both the C?+?T and LP?+?T groups showed a higher percentage of fibres of type IIa, and a lower proportion of fibres of type IIb. In the soleus muscle, LP animals showed a reduction in the proportion of fibre types I and intermediate. C?+?T rats showed an increase in the fibre type I and IIa. In the LP?+?T rats, the proportions of the fibre types remained similar to control rats.

Conclusions

Moderate physical training acts as a positive environmental stimulus that reverts the effects of a perinatal low-protein diet on the proportion of fibre types in skeletal muscle.     

Metal-induced asthma and chest X-ray changes in welders

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the coexisting factors and usefulness of diagnostic methods in metal-induced asthma in Polish welders.

Materials and Methods

Examination of 50 welders occupationally exposed to metals and with suspicion of metal-induced asthma (group A), 100 welders occupationally exposed to metals but without suspicion of metal-induced asthma (group B), and two control groups (10 patients with atopic asthma and 10 healthy subjects) was carried out. Questionnaire survey, clinical examination, skin prick tests to common aeroallergens and metal salts, rest spirometry tests, X-ray, metacholine challenge and a single-blind, placebo controlled specific inhalation challenge tests with metals (or work-like conditions challenge tests) were performed.

Results

In group A ?? in 9 cases we obtained positive results of specific inhalation challenge tests with metals (in 3 cases with nickel, in 4 cases with chromium, in 1 case with cobalt and in 1 case with manganese). Nine cases of metal-induced occupational asthma were recognized. In group B ?? only in one case we obtained positive results of work-like conditions challenge test (clinical and spirometry changes, eosinophil influx in induced sputum), which confirmed the diagnosis of occupational asthma. In most of examined welders (62%), pulmonary changes in chest X-ray images were noted. The statistical analysis revealed that working as a welder for more than 10 years is the coexisting factor of presence of chest X-ray changes (p- or q-type nodular changes or interstitial changes). Positive results of skin prick tests with metal salts were the coexisting factors of occupational asthma due to metals among examined group of welders.

Conclusions

Specific inhalation challenge plays the key role in diagnostics of metal-induced asthma in welders. Pulmonary changes in chest X-ray were found in a significant percentage of examined welders.     

Acute effects of mechanical shocks on finger blood flow: influence of shock repetition rate and shock magnitude

Objectives

Finger blood flow is reduced by hand-transmitted vibration but there has been little study of the peripheral vascular response to repetitive mechanical shocks. This study investigated how reductions in finger blood flow depend on shock repetition rate and the peak and rms magnitude of acceleration.

Methods

Subjects attended seven sessions: six with repetitive mechanical shocks and a control session with no shocks. Each session comprised five successive 5-min periods: (1) no force and no vibration, (2) force and no vibration, (3) force and vibration, (4) force and no vibration and (5) no force and no vibration. During the second–fourth periods, the palm of the right hand applied 2-N force to a vibrator. During the third period, a 125-Hz mechanical shock was applied with one of four repetition rates (1.3, 5.3, 21 or 83.3/s) and one of three acceleration magnitudes (2.5, 5 or 10?ms^?2 rms, unweighted). Finger blood flow was measured every 30?s in the middle and little fingers of the right (exposed) hand and the left (unexposed) hand.

Results

Different repetition rates (1.3–83.3?s^?1) and different peak magnitudes (10–88?ms^?2 peak) but the same rms acceleration (10?ms^?2 rms) caused similar decreases in blood flow in fingers on exposed and unexposed hands. Shocks with a 83.3?s^?1 repetition rate, peak magnitude of 10?ms^?2 and rms acceleration of 10?ms^?2 provoked greater reduction in finger blood flow than shocks with the same peak magnitude but lower repetition rate (21 or 5.3?s^?1) and lower rms acceleration (5 or 2.5?ms^?2).

Conclusions

For shocks similar to those based on 125-Hz oscillations with repetition rates between 1.3 and 83.3?s^?1, acute reductions in finger blood flow can be predicted from the rms acceleration.     

The impact of functional constipation on quality of life of middle-aged Black Americans: a prospective case–control study

Purpose

To quantify the impact of constipation on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Black Americans.

Methods

Case?Ccontrol design. Black subjects referred for colon cancer screening with a Bristol Stool Score of 3?C5 for >75% of bowel movements served as controls. Frequency-matched functional constipation subjects had to fulfill Rome III criteria. Both groups completed demographic and health surveys. Short Form-36 assessed HRQoL.

Results

We recruited 102 constipated patients and 100 controls. The groups were well matched demographically. After adjustment for comorbidities, SF-36 scores for vitality, bodily pain, social functioning, and role-emotional were significantly lower in constipated patients. Unadjusted physical and mental component summary scores (PCS and MCS) were significantly higher in the control group (47.1?±?10.6 vs. 43.3?±?8.6; P?=?0.005 and 50.6?±?12.4 vs. 43.4?±?11.8; P?<?0.001, respectively). After adjustment for comorbidities, PCS differences were no longer significant (P?=?0.54); however, MCS differences were significant (P?=?0.004). Marginal mean scores for the MCS for controls and constipated subjects were 49.9?±?1.2 and 43.6?±?1.2, respectively. The presence of a comorbidity was independently associated with PCS (P?<?0.001) and MCS (P?=?0.026) results.

Conclusions

Functional constipation has a significant impact on HRQoL in middle-aged Black Americans, particularly in regard to mental well-being.     

Lifetime exposure to arsenic in residential drinking water in Central Europe

Objective

Methods and results are presented for an arsenic exposure assessment integral to an epidemiological case–control study of arsenic and cancer—the European Commission funded ASHRAM (Arsenic Health Risk Assessment and Molecular Epidemiology) study carried out in some counties of Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.

Methods

The exposure history of each participant (N = 1,392) was constructed by taking into account how much water they consumed (as water, in drinks and in food), sources of drinking water in their various residences over their lifetime, and the concentrations of arsenic in their various water supplies measured by Hydride Generation-Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (HG-AAS). Concentrations of arsenic in previous water supplies were either derived from contemporary analyses of the same source, or from routine historical data from measurements performed by the authorities in each country. Using this approach, 80% of the recorded lifetime residential history was matched to an arsenic concentration. Seven indices of current, life time, and peak exposure were calculated.

Results

The exposure indices were all log-normally distributed and the mean and median lifetime average concentrations were in Hungary 14.7 and 13.3 μg l^?1, Romania 3.8 and 0.7 μg l^?1 and in Slovakia 1.9 and 0.8 μg l^?1, respectively. Overall 25% of the population had average concentrations over 10 μg l^?1 and 8% with exposure over 50 μg l^?1.

Conclusions

Careful assessment of arsenic in drinking water supplies (both current and previous) enabled the majority of study participants’ cumulative lifetime of potential exposure to arsenic in residential water to be characterised.     

Factors influencing self- and parent-reporting health-related quality of life in children with brain tumors

Purpose

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is not only a degree of health but also reflects patient perceptions and expectations of health. For children with brain tumors, better understanding of HRQOL requires the use of complementary reports from parents and interviewer-administered reports for children. Here, we aimed to test whether or not the trait anxiety of children and the psychological distress of their parents influence children’s and parents’ responses to HRQOL questionnaires, and whether or not the report-administration method for children influences children’s responses to HRQOL questionnaires.

Methods

One hundred and thirty-four children aged 5–18 with brain tumors and one of their parents completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory^? (PedsQL^?) Brain Tumor Module questionnaires. In addition, the children also completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), and the parents also completed the Kessler-10 (K10) and health and sociodemographic characteristics questionnaires. The child questionnaires were administered either by the child (self-administered) or an interviewer. Rater-dependent perceptions about HRQOL were derived from the subscales scores of the PedsQL^? Brain Tumor Module using structural equation modeling based on a multitrait-multimethod model. The STAIC trait-anxiety score, K10 score, report-administration method, and other health and sociodemographic factors related to each child’s or parent’s perceptions were identified through multiple linear regression analyses of the questionnaire responses. We used a path analysis to estimate the change in a PedsQL^? child-reported score that occurs when interviewer-administration changes the child’s perception about HRQOL.

Results

Surveys for 89 children were self-administered while those for 45 were interviewer-administered. The perceptions of the children and parents were calculated by fitting data to the model (chi-squared P = 0.087, normed fit index = 0.932, comparative fit index = 0.978, standardized root mean squared residual = 0.053, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.054). The children’s perception of HRQOL was affected by their STAIC trait-anxiety score (b = ?0.43, 95% CI [?0.60, ?0.25]). The parent’s perception was affected by their child’s treatment status (b = 0.26, 95% CI [0.09, 0.43]), the parent’s K10 score (b = ?0.21, 95% CI [?0.37, ?0.04]), and by education level (b = 0.17, 95% CI [0.00, 0.34]). The change in the child-reported PedsQL^? score in relation to the method of administration ranged from ?1.1 (95% CI: ?3.5, 1.3) on the procedural anxiety subscale to ?2.5 (95% CI: ?7.6, 2.6) on the movement and balance subscale.

Conclusion

Child-reporting of HRQOL is little influenced by the method of administration. Children’s perception about HRQOL tended to be influenced by their trait anxiety, while parents’ perception was influenced by their psychological distress, academic background, and their child’s treatment status.     

Moderate effects of apple juice consumption on obesity-related markers in obese men: impact of diet–gene interaction on body fat content

Purpose

The effect of polyphenol-rich cloudy apple juice (CloA) consumption on plasma parameters related to the obesity phenotype and potential effects of interactions between CloA and allelic variants in obesity candidate genes were assessed in obese men.

Methods

In this controlled, randomized, and parallel study, n?=?68, non-smoking, non-diabetic men with a BMI ≥27?kg/m² received 750?mL/day CloA (802.5?mg polyphenols) or 750?mL/day control beverage (CB, isocaloric equivalent to CloA) for 4?weeks. Further, study participants were genotyped for single-nucleotide polymorphisms in PPARγ (rs1801282), UCP3 (rs1800849), IL-6 (rs1800795), FABP2 (rs1799883), INSIG2 (rs7566605), and PGC1 (rs8192678) genes. At the beginning and at the end of intervention plasma lipids, distinct adipokines and cytokines as well as anthropometric parameters were determined.

Results

CloA compared to CB had no significant effect on plasma lipids, plasma adipokine and cytokine levels, BMI, and waist circumference. However, CloA consumption significantly reduced percent body fat compared to CB (? % body fat: CloA: ?1.0?±?1.3 vs. CB: ?0.2?±?0.9, p?Conclusion The observed diet–gene interaction might be a first indication for the impact of individual genetic background on CloA-mediated bioactivity on obesity-associated comorbidities.     

The contribution of school breaks to the all-day physical activity of 9- and 10-year-old overweight and non-overweight children

Objectives

This study examines whether moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), in at least 30-min school breaks (SB), helps to achieve the health-related amount of daily physical activity (PA) and whether these exercises influence after-school PA.

Methods

The ActiTrainer-based PA was monitored over two school days in 239 children aged from 9 to 10 (57.3% female; 20.1% overweight, and 19.2% obese), in Katowice, in February 2010. PA was assessed based on steps, heart rate, and duration of PA.

Results

MVPA, for 30?min during SB, represented an average of 1,258 steps for overweight girls and 1,620 steps for boys, and 1,336 steps for non-overweight girls and 1,758 steps for boys. Children with 30?min of MVPA during SB attained a higher daily amount of steps (p?p?Conclusion The daily 30?min of MVPA during SB amounts to 12.5% of the overall number of steps for girls and 16.3% for boys, thus contributing to higher school PA and overall PA and leading to the achievement of the health-related minimum of PA.     

Evidence of altered biochemical composition in the hearts of adult intrauterine growth-restricted rats

Purpose

Epidemiological studies clearly link intrauterine growth restriction with increased risk of cardiac disease in adulthood. The mechanisms leading to this increased risk are poorly understood; remodeling of the myocardium is implicated. The aim was to determine the effect of early life growth restriction on the biochemical composition of the left ventricular myocardium in adult rats.

Methods

Wistar Kyoto dams were fed either a low protein diet (LPD; 8.7 % casein) or normal protein diet (NPD; 20 % casein) during pregnancy and lactation; from weaning, the offspring were fed normal rat chow. At 18 weeks of age, the biochemical composition of the hearts of NPD control (n = 9) and LPD intrauterine growth-restricted (n = 7) offspring was analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) micro-spectroscopy.

Results

Body weights at postnatal day 4 were significantly lower and remained lower throughout the experimental period in the LPD offspring compared to controls. FTIR analysis of the infrared absorption spectra across the whole “fingerprint” region (1,800–950 cm^?1) demonstrated wider variation in absorbance intensity in the LPD group compared to controls. In particular, there were marked differences detected in the protein (1,540 cm^?1), lipid (1,455 and 1,388 cm^?1), proteoglycan (1,228 cm^?1) and carbohydrate (1,038 cm^?1) bands, indicating increased lipid, proteoglycan and carbohydrate content in the growth-restricted myocardium.

Conclusion

In conclusion, changes in the biochemical composition of the myocardium provide a likely mechanism for the increased vulnerability to cardiovascular disease in offspring that were growth restricted in early life.     

Regulation of iron metabolism in Hamp −/− mice in response to iron-deficient diet

Background

Hepcidin, the liver-secreted iron regulatory peptide, maintains systemic iron homeostasis in response to several stimuli including dietary iron levels and body iron status. In addition, iron metabolism is controlled by several local regulatory mechanisms including IRP and Hif-2α activities independently of hepcidin. However, the roles of these mechanisms and their interaction particularly in hepcidin-deficient individuals are not yet fully understood. We, therefore, aimed to explore whether Hamp disruption affects iron homeostatic responses to dietary iron deficiency.

Methods

Hepcidin1 knockout (Hamp ^?/?) mice and heterozygous littermates were fed with control or iron-deficient diet for 2 weeks. The expression of iron-related genes and proteins were determined by quantitative PCR and Western blot, respectively.

Results

Two-week iron-deficient diet feeding in Hamp ^?/? mice did not alter serum iron but significantly reduced liver non-heme iron levels. This was also associated with increased ferroportin protein expression in the duodenum and spleen, whereas decreased expression was found in the liver. In addition, significant inductive effects of iron-deficient diet on Dcytb and DMT1 mRNA expression in the duodenum were noted with more pronounced effects in Hamp ^?/? mice compared with controls.

Conclusions

Hamp ^?/? mice exhibited a more dramatic increase in the expression of iron transport machinery, which may be responsible for the unaltered serum iron levels upon iron-deficient diet feeding in these mice. Despite the lack of hepcidin, Hamp ^?/? mice can maintain a degree of iron homeostasis in response to altered dietary iron through several hepcidin-independent mechanisms.     

Zinc deficiency in a semiurban Nigerian community: prevalence and relationship with socioeconomic status and indices of metabolic syndrome

Aim

The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of zinc deficiency in a semiurban community in Nigeria and to determine its relationship with the socioeconomic status and indices of metabolic syndrome in that community.

Subjects and method

Serum zinc concentrations were measured in 212 subjects during a community health screening programme. We determined zinc deficiency in the subjects using a normal reference range for serum zinc of 8–20 μmol/l.

Results

Two hundred twelve participants were enrolled in the study. Of these, 112 (52.83 %) were females. The average age of the study subjects was 44.6?±?14.2 years. Prevalence of zinc deficiency in the community was estimated to be 50 %. The mean serum zinc level was significantly higher in participants older than 60 years compared with younger age groups (F (2,209)?=?5.88, p?p?r?=??0.104, p?>?0.05) and random blood sugar (r?=??0.026, p?>?0.05). No significant difference was observed between social class categories using the Registrar General’s scale of social classes (F (4,207)?=?1.97, p?>?0.05).     

Prevalence of hypersensitivity reactions against drugs among adult population in Turkey: a self-reported survey

Aim

There is currently no data available regarding hypersensitivity reactions to drugs in an adult population in Turkey. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of self-reported drug hypersensitivity reactions among adults in Turkey and related factors.

Subjects and methods

A structured self-administered questionnaire was sent to the parents of 6th grade elementary students who represented different socioeconomic levels of populations in Ankara/Turkey.

Results

A total of 1,370 adults (mean age: 23.88?±?6.48?years, female/male: 710/660) responded to the survey. The prevalence of self-reported drug hypersensitivity was 13.4% (183/1,370). The most frequently drugs involved were beta-lactams (n?=?63, 34.4%), followed by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (n?=?52, 28.4%), general anesthetics (n?=?29, 15.8%) and radio contrast media (n?=?25, 13.7%). Factors related with reported reactions were age (p?<?0.0001, odds ratio: 2.27); personal history of allergic (p: 0.001, odds ratio: 7.32), nonallergic diseases (p?<?0.0001, odds ratio: 39.93), and family history of drug hypersensitivity (p?<?0.0001, odds ratio: 17.00). Less than half of the subjects had solicited medical assistance during the acute stages of a reaction and 9.7% of them had been referred to an allergist for further evaluation of a drug allergy.

Conclusion

This survey showed that self-reported hypersensitivity reactions to drugs are highly prevalent among parents of elementary students and its prevalence seems to be affected by age, personal allergic and nonallergic diseases, and family history of drug hypersensitivity.     

Differences in health-related quality of life between Roma and non-Roma coronary heart disease patients: the role of hostility

Objectives

The aim of this study was to assess differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) between Roma and non-Roma coronary heart disease (CHD) patients, and whether differences in hostility contribute to this association.

Methods

We examined 570 CHD patients (mean age 57.8, 28.1 % female) scheduled for coronary angiography, 88 (15.4 %) of whom were Roma. Hostility was measured using the 27-item Cook-Medley Scale and HRQoL using the Short-Form Health Survey 36, from which the mental and physical component summary (MCS, PCS) were calculated. The relationship between ethnicity, hostility and HRQoL was examined using regression analyses.

Results

Roma ethnicity was associated with poorer MCS (B = ?3.44; [95 % CI = ?6.76; ?0.13] and poorer PCS (B = ?4.16; [95 % CI = ?7.55; ?0.78]) when controlled for age, gender and socioeconomic status. Adding hostility to the model weakened the strength of the association between Roma ethnicity and MCS (B = ?1.87; [95 % CI = ?5.08; 1.35]) but not between Roma ethnicity and PCS (B = ?4.07; [95 % CI = ?7.50; ?0.64]).

Conclusions

Roma ethnicity is associated with poorer MCS and PCS. Hostility may mediate the association between Roma ethnicity and MCS. The poorer HRQoL of Roma CHD patients requires attention in both care and research, with special attention on the role of hostility.