Comparison of standardised dietary folate intake across ten countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

Folate plays an important role in the synthesis and methylation of DNA as a cofactor in one-carbon metabolism. Inadequate folate intake has been linked to adverse health events. However, comparable information on dietary folate intake across European countries has never been reported. The objective of the present study was to describe the dietary folate intake and its food sources in ten countries in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted in 36?034 participants (aged 35-74 years) who completed a single 24?h dietary recall using a computerised interview software program, EPIC-Soft? (International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon). Dietary folate intake was estimated using the standardised EPIC Nutrient DataBase, adjusted for age, energy intake, weight and height and weighted by season and day of recall. Adjusted mean dietary folate intake in most centres ranged from 250 to 350?μg/d in men and 200 to 300?μg/d in women. Folate intake tended to be lower among current smokers and heavier alcohol drinkers and to increase with educational level, especially in women. Supplement users (any types) were likely to report higher dietary folate intake in most centres. Vegetables, cereals and fruits, nuts and seeds were the main contributors to folate intake. Nonetheless, the type and pattern of consumption of these main food items varied across the centres. These first comparisons of standardised dietary folate intakes across different European populations show moderate regional differences (except the UK health conscious group), and variation by sex, educational level, smoking and alcohol-drinking status, and supplement use.     

Intake estimation of total and individual flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanidins and theaflavins, their food sources and determinants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study

Epidemiological studies suggest health-protective effects of flavan-3-ols and their derived compounds on chronic diseases. The present study aimed to estimate dietary flavan-3-ol, proanthocyanidin (PA) and theaflavin intakes, their food sources and potential determinants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) calibration cohort. Dietary data were collected using a standardised 24?h dietary recall software administered to 36?037 subjects aged 35-74 years. Dietary data were linked with a flavanoid food composition database compiled from the latest US Department of Agriculture and Phenol-Explorer databases and expanded to include recipes, estimations and retention factors. Total flavan-3-ol intake was the highest in UK Health-conscious men (453·6?mg/d) and women of UK General population (377·6?mg/d), while the intake was the lowest in Greece (men: 160·5?mg/d; women: 124·8?mg/d). Monomer intake was the highest in UK General population (men: 213·5?mg/d; women: 178·6?mg/d) and the lowest in Greece (men: 26·6?mg/d in men; women: 20·7?mg/d). Theaflavin intake was the highest in UK General population (men: 29·3?mg/d; women: 25·3?mg/d) and close to zero in Greece and Spain. PA intake was the highest in Asturias (men: 455·2?mg/d) and San Sebastian (women: 253?mg/d), while being the lowest in Greece (men: 134·6?mg/d; women: 101·0?mg/d). Except for the UK, non-citrus fruits (apples/pears) were the highest contributors to the total flavan-3-ol intake. Tea was the main contributor of total flavan-3-ols in the UK. Flavan-3-ol, PA and theaflavin intakes were significantly different among all assessed groups. This study showed heterogeneity in flavan-3-ol, PA and theaflavin intake throughout the EPIC countries.     

Syndrome de Sharp réversible après l’ablation d’un schwannome bénin : un syndrome paranéoplasique ?

Paraneoplastic syndromes commonly occur in malignancies and often precede the first symptoms of the tumor. By definition, paraneoplastic syndromes are only associated with malignancies although some exceptions have been reported, occurring with benign tumors. We report a patient presenting with a clinical and serological Sharp syndrome, followed a few months later by a cervical schwannoma. Curative surgical resection of the mass resulted in a clinical and serological healing from the Sharp syndrome. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a benign schwannoma complicated by a possible paraneoplastic Sharp syndrome.     

Assessment of insulin resistance in fructose-fed rats with <Superscript>125</Superscript>I-6-deoxy-6-iodo-<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">D</Emphasis>-glucose,a new tracer of glucose transport

Purpose Insulin resistance, characterised by an insulin-stimulated glucose transport defect, is an important feature of the pre-diabetic state that has been observed in numerous pathological disorders. The purpose of this study was to assess variations in glucose transport in rats using ¹²⁵I-6-deoxy-6-iodo-D-glucose (6DIG), a new tracer of glucose transport proposed as an imaging tool to assess insulin resistance in vivo. Methods Two protocols were performed, a hyperinsulinaemic–euglycaemic clamp and a normoinsulinaemic–normoglycaemic protocol, in awake control and insulin-resistant fructose-fed rats. The tracer was injected at steady state, and activity in 11 tissues and the blood was assessed ex vivo at several time points. A multicompartmental mathematical model was developed to obtain fractional transfer coefficients of 6DIG from the blood to the organs. Results Insulin sensitivity of fructose-fed rats, estimated by the glucose infusion rate, was reduced by 40% compared with control rats. At steady state, 6DIG uptake was significantly stimulated by insulin in insulin-sensitive tissues of control rats (basal versus insulin: diaphragm, p < 0.01; muscle, p < 0.05; heart, p < 0.001), whereas insulin did not stimulate 6DIG uptake in insulin-resistant fructose-fed rats. Moreover, in these tissues, the fractional transfer coefficients of entrance were significantly increased with insulin in control rats (basal vs insulin: diaphragm, p < 0.001; muscle, p < 0.001; heart, p < 0.01) whereas no significant changes were observed in fructose-fed rats. Conclusion This study sets the stage for the future use of 6DIG as a non-invasive means for the evaluation of insulin resistance by nuclear imaging.     

Physical activity, sex steroid, and growth factor concentrations in pre- and post-menopausal women: a cross-sectional study within the EPIC cohort

Purpose

Increased physical activity (PA) is associated with a reduced risk of several cancers. PA may reduce cancer risk by changing endogenous hormones levels, but relatively little research has focused on this topic. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the relation between PA and endogenous hormone concentrations.

Methods

A cross-sectional analysis of 798 pre- and 1,360 post-menopausal women included as controls in case–control studies on endogenous hormones (steroids, progesterone, sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and growth factors) levels, and cancer risk nested within European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort was performed. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to compare geometric mean levels of hormones and SHBG by categories of PA.

Results

In pre-menopausal women, active women had 19 % significantly lower concentrations of androstenedione, 14 % lower testosterone, and 20 % lower free testosterone than inactive women, while no differences were observed for estrogens, progesterone, SHBG, and growth factors. In post-menopausal women, active women had 18 % significantly lower estradiol and 20 % lower free estradiol concentrations than inactive women, while no differences were observed for the other hormones and SHBG. More vigorous forms of physical activity were associated with higher insulin-like growth factor-I concentrations. Adjustment for body mass index did not alter the associations. Overall, the percentage of variance in hormone concentrations explained by PA levels was <2 %.

Conclusions

Our results support the hypothesis of an influence, although small in magnitude, of PA on sex hormone levels in blood, independent of body size.     

Lipopeptide-based liposomes for DNA delivery into cells expressing neuropilin-1

In this paper, liposomes containing a lipopeptide bearing a ligand specifically recognized by neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) have been used to target a human breast cancer cell line overexpressing this receptor. The synthesis of this lipopeptide, C16-A7R, formed by the sequence of 7 aminoacids ATWLPPR, linked to a palmitoyl fatty chain by an amide bond was described. After the characterisation of cationic liposomes formulated with the lipopeptide, the results obtained using various techniques showed that the lipopeptide-based liposomes were well accumulated in cells of the human breast cancer line MDA-MB-231 overexpressing NRP-1. Delivery of reporter genes expressing either β-galactosidase (β-gal) or green fluorescent protein (GFP) was selectively enhanced in these cells when compared with NRP-1-negative cells. In MDA-MB-231 cells, an increase by 250% in β-gal activity was observed when delivered by lipopeptide-based liposomes compared to cationic liposomes alone.     

Estimated dietary intakes of flavonols, flavanones and flavones in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) 24 hour dietary recall cohort

Flavonols, flavanones and flavones (FLAV) are sub-classes of flavonoids that exert cardioprotective and anti-carcinogenic properties in vitro and in vivo. We aimed to estimate the FLAV dietary intake, their food sources and associated lifestyle factors in ten European countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. FLAV intake and their food sources for 36?037 subjects, aged between 35 and 74 years, in twenty-seven study centres were obtained using standardised 24?h dietary recall software (EPIC-SOFT). An ad hoc food composition database on FLAV was compiled using data from US Department of Agriculture and Phenol-Explorer databases and was expanded using recipes, estimations and flavonoid retention factors in order to increase its correspondence with the 24?h dietary recall. Our results showed that the highest FLAV-consuming centre was the UK health-conscious group, with 130·9 and 97·0?mg/d for men and women, respectively. The lowest FLAV intakes were 36·8?mg/d in men from Ume? and 37·2?mg/d in women from Malm? (Sweden). The flavanone sub-class was the main contributor to the total FLAV intake ranging from 46·6 to 52·9?% depending on the region. Flavonols ranged from 38·5 to 47·3?% and flavones from 5·8 to 8·6?%. FLAV intake was higher in women, non-smokers, increased with level of education and physical activity. The major food sources were citrus fruits and citrus-based juices (especially for flavanones), tea, wine, other fruits and some vegetables. We concluded that the present study shows heterogeneity in intake of these three sub-classes of flavonoids across European regions and highlights differences by sex and other sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.