Flavonoid and lignan intake and pancreatic cancer risk in the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition cohort

Despite the potential cancer preventive effects of flavonoids and lignans, their ability to reduce pancreatic cancer risk has not been demonstrated in epidemiological studies. Our aim was to examine the association between dietary intakes of flavonoids and lignans and pancreatic cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. A total of 865 exocrine pancreatic cancer cases occurred after 11.3 years of follow‐up of 477,309 cohort members. Dietary flavonoid and lignan intake was estimated through validated dietary questionnaires and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Phenol Explorer databases. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using age, sex and center‐stratified Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for energy intake, body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol and diabetes status. Our results showed that neither overall dietary intake of flavonoids nor of lignans were associated with pancreatic cancer risk (multivariable‐adjusted HR for a doubling of intake = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.95–1.11 and 1.02; 95% CI: 0.89–1.17, respectively). Statistically significant associations were also not observed by flavonoid subclasses. An inverse association between intake of flavanones and pancreatic cancer risk was apparent, without reaching statistical significance, in microscopically confirmed cases (HR for a doubling of intake = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.91–1.00). In conclusion, we did not observe an association between intake of flavonoids, flavonoid subclasses or lignans and pancreatic cancer risk in the EPIC cohort.     

Suburban clustering of vitamin D deficiency in Melbourne, Australia

OBJECTIVE: A high prevalence of mild to moderate vitamin D deficiency has been observed in women who have recently arrived from the horn of Africa and living in inner Melbourne. Vitamin D status of women with differ-ing age and ethnic distributions residing in other suburbs is unknown. METHOD: A tertiary referral Women's hospital-based survey of serum 25(OH)D concentrations in 2,690 women aged 14-78 years residing in Mel-bourne between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2005. We computed odds of serum 25(OH)D concentrations<50 nmol/L and used tests of homogeneity across different suburbs in Melbourne, Victoria. RESULTS: Women with moderate vitamin D deficiency from all suburbs were young [29.1+/-7.2 years (mean+/-standard deviation)]. The odds of moderate vitamin D deficiency were highest in inner suburbs and Greenvale, Coburg, Pascoe Vale South, Fawkner, Broadmeadows and Campbellfield from the Hume-Moreland municipality (p value for homogeneity of odds<0.001). CONCLUSION: Vitamin D deficiency ap-pears to be a growing health concern in Australia and may be more prevalent in younger women in Victoria than anticipated.     

A case report on fixation instability in Parkinson's disease with bilateral deep brain stimulation implants

We report on fixation instabilities in a patient diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD). This patient underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery bilaterally in the vicinity of the subthalamic nuclei (STN). Examination of the eye movements of this patient revealed marked fixation instability compared with a healthy age matched control. The eye movements occurring during fixation differed from other reports of fixation instabilities in that they interrupted fixation for only brief durations. These interruptive saccades (IS) had saccade-like amplitude velocity relationships. The frequency of these IS was higher in the patient with PD than in the healthy age matched control. Furthermore, the frequency of the IS in the patient reduced toward control with application of bilateral DBS in the vicinity of the STN. From our observations we conclude that fixation ability may be altered in PD and improved with DBS.     

Subparsec-scale structure and evolution of Centaurus A (NGC5128)

We present a series of 8.4-GHz very-long-baseline radio interferometry images of the nucleus of Centaurus A (NGC5128) made with a Southern Hemisphere array, representing a 3.3-year monitoring effort. The nuclear radio jet is approximately 50 milliarcseconds in extent, or at the 3.5-megaparsec distance of NGC5128, approximately 1 parsec in length. Subluminal motion is seen and structural changes are observed on time scales shorter than 4 months. High-resolution observations at 4.8 and 8.4 GHz made in November 1992 reveal a complex morphology and allow us to unambiguously identify the self-absorbed core located at the southwestern end of the jet.     

Dynamics of three-dimensional telomere profiles of circulating tumor cells in patients with high-risk prostate cancer who are undergoing androgen deprivation and radiation therapies

Introduction

Accurate assessment and monitoring of the therapeutic efficacy of locally advanced prostate cancer remains a major clinical challenge. Contrary to prostate biopsies, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a cellular source repeatedly obtainable by blood sampling and could serve as a surrogate marker for treatment efficacy. In this study, we used size-based filtration to isolate and enumerate CTCs from the blood of 20 patients with high-risk (any one of cT3, Gleason 8–10, or prostate-specific antigen>20 ng/ml), nonmetastatic, and treatment-naive prostate cancer before and after androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and radiation therapy (RT).

NHS overseas enterprises: gateway to the British NHS

For a good while the NHS has been providing consultancy and other services to overseas countries. Valerie Wark explains how this service has been systematised and developed.