Food composition database harmonization for between-country comparisons of nutrient data in the TEDDY Study

The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young Study (TEDDY) aims at examining the associations between islet autoimmunity and various environmental exposures, (e.g. diet) in Finland, Germany, Sweden and the United States (US). In order to produce comparable results from dietary assessments, the national food composition databases (FCDB) must contain mutually comparable food composition data. Systematic comparison (definition, unit of measurement, and method of analysis) of energy, protein, fats, carbohydrates, cholesterol, fiber, 13 vitamins, and 8 minerals was carried out among the FCDB of the four countries. Total fat, cholesterol, vitamin A: retinol equivalents and beta-carotene, thiamin, riboflavin, pyridoxine, vitamin B(12), calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, and zinc are comparable across all four databases. Carbohydrates, fiber, sugars, fatty acids, vitamin D, vitamin E: alpha-tocopherol, vitamin K, vitamin C, pantothenic acid, niacin, manganese, and copper are comparable or can be converted comparable at least across three of the databases. Vitamin E: alpha-tocopherol equivalents, will be comparable across all databases after Finland and Germany subtract tocotrienols from their values. Nitrogen values were added to the Swedish and US databases. After recalculation of protein from nitrogen (Sweden and US), and subtraction of fiber from the total carbohydrate (Finland) followed by recalculations of energy, these values will be comparable across the countries. Starch and folate are not comparable.     

Malnutrition in geriatric patients: a neglected problem?

The nutrient intake in geriatric long-stay patients and the mortality risk associated with low energy intake were studied in 61 patients, 43 women and 18 men, with a mean age of 87 years, at a geriatric long-stay care hospital during a 6-month follow-up. Dietary intake was assessed with a 9-day dietary record. Energy expenditure was calculated assuming a physical activity level of 1.33 × basal metabolic rate (BMR), predicted from equations given by FAO/WHO. Mean energy intakes were 1557 kcal in men and 1280 kcal in women; 84% of the patients had an intake below estimated energy expenditure and 30% were below estimated BMR. Only 5% received dietary supplement. Eleven out of the 61 patients died during the follow-up and the deceased had lower energy intake than the others (1185 kcal vs 1401 kcal, P <0.05). An energy intake below median (1378 kcal) was associated with an age adjusted increased 6-month mortality risk, odds ratio 12.5. A high proportion of geriatric long-stay patients report dietary intake far below present recommendations and are thereby at risk for having/developing malnutrition. Improved surveillance of geriatric long-stay patients'dietary habits seems justified.     

Regional changes in 2-deoxyglucose uptake associated with neuroleptic-induced tardive dyskinesia in the Cebus monkey.

The neural mechanisms that mediate a primate model of tardive dyskinesia have been investigated using the 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) uptake technique. Three groups of Cebus monkeys were used. Some of the animals received long-term neuroleptic treatment. These animals were allotted to one of two groups depending on whether they developed tardive dyskinesia or not. A third group of animals served as untreated controls. The neuroleptic-treated dyskinetic animals showed reduced uptake of 2-DG in the medial segment of the globus pallidus and in the ventral anterior (VA) and ventral lateral (VL) nuclei of the thalamus relative to that seen in the equivalent structures in the neuroleptic-treated nondyskinetic and untreated control animals. The data are interpreted as suggesting that tardive dyskinesia is mediated by underactivity of the pathways from the subthalamic nucleus to the medial pallidal segment and the substantia pars nigra pars reticulata, which in turn result in a loss of gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic inhibition of the VA and VL thalamic nuclei. This suggests that tardive dyskinesia shares a common underlying neural mechanism with other hyperkinesias such as chorea and ballism.     

Acute and repeated treatment with L-DOPA increase c-jun expression in the 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned forebrain of rats and common marmosets

L-DOPA was acutely or repeatedly administered to rats and common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) denervation of the dopamine inputs to the forebrain. Using in situ hybridization it was found that L-DOPA-treated animals exhibited a pronounced induction in the gene expression of both c-jun and c-fos in striatum and cerebral cortex restricted to the dopamine-depleted hemisphere. In contrast, acute treatment with cocaine induced c-fos mRNA, but not c-jun mRNA, in the striatum of normal animals. These data suggest that dopamine denervation leads to neurochemical adaptations which enables L-DOPA to induce a sustained gene expression of c-jun. Such aberrant gene regulation may underlie the development of L-DOPA-induced movement disorders which are commonly found in patients with Parkinson's disease.