The Association Between Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ) and Glioma and Evaluation of Nutrient Intakes of These Patients: A Case-Control Study

Introduction: Glioma is the most common adult brain tumors. Dietary factors may play a role in the etiology of glioma. The Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ) provides a general overview for the nutrient content of a food or a diet. This study aimed to investigate the association between INQ and glioma and nutrient intakes. Material and methods: This study was included 128 patients and 256 controls. Dietary intakes of the subjects were evaluated by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and FFQ-derived dietary data were used to calculate INQ scores. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results: Cases had higher intake of total fat, saturated fatty acid (SFA), meats, hydrogenated oils and controls had higher intake of monounsaturated fatty acid, polyunsaturated fatty acid, calcium, dairy, fruits, and nuts. Only the INQ of vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, and fiber are higher in controls. An inverse association was observed between glioma and INQ of calcium, vitamin E, vitamin C, and fiber. Conclusion: The results of this study propose a healthy diet such as high intake of vitamins C and E, calcium, fiber, food groups like fruits and vegetables, and low-fat milk and nuts; and low consumption of total fat, SFA, and red meat may be protective against glioma.     

Effect of Continuous Glucose Monitoring Accuracy on Clinicians’ Retrospective Decision Making in Diabetes: A Pilot Study

Background:

The use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in clinical decision making in diabetes could be limited by the inaccuracy of CGM data when compared to plasma glucose measurements. The aim of the present study is to investigate the impact of CGM numerical accuracy on the precision of diabetes treatment adjustments.

Method:

CGM profiles with maximum 5-day duration from 12 patients with type 1 diabetes treated with a basal-bolus insulin regimen were processed by 2 CGM algorithms, with the accuracy of algorithm 2 being higher than the accuracy of algorithm 1, using the median absolute relative difference (MARD) as the measure of accuracy. During 2 separate and similar occasions over a 1-month interval, 3 clinicians reviewed the processed CGM profiles, and adjusted the dose level of basal and prandial insulin. The precision of the dosage adjustments were defined in terms of the interclinician agreement and the intraclinician reproducibility of the decisions. The Cohen’s kappa coefficient was used to assess the precision of the decisions. The study was based on retrospective and blind CGM data.

Results:

For the interclinician agreement, in the first occasion, the kappa of algorithm 1 was .32, and that of algorithm 2 was .36. For the interclinician agreement, in the second occasion, the kappas of algorithms 1 and 2 were .17 and .22, respectively. For the intraclinician reproducibility of the decisions, the kappas of algorithm 1 were .35, .22, and .80 and the kappas of algorithm 2 were .44, .52, and .32, for the 3 clinicians, respectively. For the interclinician agreement, the relative kappa change from algorithm 1 to algorithm 2 was 86.06%, and for the intraclinician reproducibility, the relative kappa change from algorithm 1 to algorithm 2 was 53.99%.

Conclusions:

Results indicated that the accuracy of CGM algorithms might potentially affect the precision of the CGM-based insulin adjustments for type 1 diabetes patients. However, a larger study with several clinical centers, with higher number of clinicians and patients is required to validate the impact of CGM accuracy on decisions precision.     

A threshold concentration of FSH is needed during IVM of ex vivo collected human oocytes

Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics - To investigate the effect of different FSH concentrations on human oocyte maturation in vitro and its impact on gene expression of key factors in the...     

Is access to neighborhood green space associated with BMI among Egyptians? A multilevel study of Cairo neighborhoods

Evidence of a link between green space and obesity has increased in the developed world, but few studies have been conducted in the developing world. Our study tests whether availability of neighborhood green space is associated with BMI among adults in Cairo, Egypt. Using data from the 2007 Cairo Urban Inequity Study, we conducted multilevel analyses and found no significant green space-BMI association, leading us to conclude that this intervention may not be as promising in this developing world context as it has been in some western urban contexts. Other aspects of the urban environment should be evaluated to better understand neighborhood variations in obesity in Cairo.     

Evaluation of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORMs) in Inorganic and Organic Oilfield Scales from the Middle East

The distribution of natural nuclide gamma-ray activities and their respective annual effective dose rates, produced by potassium-40 (⁴⁰K), uranium-238 (²³⁸U), thorium-232 (²³²Th), and radium-226 (²²⁶Ra), were determined for 14 oilfield scale samples from the Middle East. Accumulated radioactive materials concentrate in tubing and surface equipment, and workers at equipment-cleaning facilities and naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) disposal facilities are the population most at risk for exposure to NORM radiation. Gamma-spectra analysis indicated that photo-gamma lines represent the parents of 10 radioactive nuclides: ²³⁴Th, plutonium-239, actinium-228, ²²⁶Ra, lead-212 (²¹²Pb), ²¹⁴Pb, thallium-238 (²⁰⁸Tl), bismuth-212 (²¹²Bi), ²¹⁴Bi, and ⁴⁰K. These nuclides represent the daughters of the natural radioactive series ²³⁸U and ²³²Th with ⁴⁰K as well. The mean activity concentration of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K were found to be 25.8 ± 11.6, 18.3 ± 8.1, and 4487.2 ± 2.5% Bq kg⁻¹ (average values for 14 samples), respectively. The annual effective dose rates and the absorbed doses in air, both indoor and outdoor, for the samples were obtained as well. The results can be used to assess the respective hazard on workers in the field and represent a basis for revisiting current engineering practices.     

Relationship between the paraoxonase 1 gene glutamine 192 to arginine polymorphism and gestational diabetes mellitus in Saudi women

Objectives

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is recognized as an imbalance between insulin resistance and insulin secretion, leading to maternal hyperglycemia. Previous studies in a Saudi population indicated a high frequency of Paraoxonase 1 glutamine 192 to arginine (PON1 Q192R) polymorphism, suggesting this polymorphism as an additional risk factor. The present study was designed to explore the possible association between the PON1 Q192R polymorphism and GDM in a Saudi population.

Methods

This case–control study was carried out in 500 pregnant women, including 200 GDM cases and 300 non-GDM women. Genotyping for PON1 Q192R (rs662) variants was performed by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP).

Results

The results of the present study indicates that Q192R polymorphism was significantly associated with GDM in a Saudi population with the minor allele frequency (MAF) (p = 0.0007). Q192R genotypes and alleles showed a strong association with GDM (p = 0.009 and p = 0.0007, respectively).

Conclusion

In conclusion, these findings suggest that the PON1 Q192R polymorphism has high MAF in GDM in the studied Saudi population.