Tomorrow's healthy society - Research priorities for foods and diets

Health promotion and disease prevention through provision and consumption of healthy diets are increasingly recognised as crucial, both socially and economically, in the face of strained healthcare systems, an ageing population, and the high individual and economic costs of diseases.The Foresight study ‘Tomorrow's healthy society – research priorities for foods and diets’ was initiated to inform the selection of research challenges to receive funding under the Horizon 2020 programme. The exploratory scenario-building approach focused on the European consumer with the year 2050 as a long-term time horizon. Four different future scenarios were developed using the extremes of two main drivers – agricultural commodity prices (low or high) and societal values (community spirit or individualistic society). The scenarios provided the basis for the identification and prioritisation of research needs to address the challenges and opportunities arising from the different scenarios. The resulting ten research priorities fall into four thematic areas: Towards healthier eating: integrated policy-making; Food, nutrients and health: cross-interactions and emerging risks; Making individualised diets a reality; and Shaping and coping with the 2050 food system.JRC.DDG.02-Foresight and Behavioural Insight

Reliability, construct and criterion validity of the KIDSCREEN-10 score: a short measure for children and adolescents’ well-being and health-related quality of life

Background To assess the criterion and construct validity of the KIDSCREEN-10 well-being and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) score, a short version of the KIDSCREEN-52 and KIDSCREEN-27 instruments. Methods The child self-report and parent report versions of the KIDSCREEN-10 were tested in a sample of 22,830 European children and adolescents aged 8–18 and their parents (n = 16,237). Correlation with the KIDSCREEN-52 and associations with other generic HRQoL measures, physical and mental health, and socioeconomic status were examined. Score differences by age, gender, and country were investigated. Results Correlations between the 10-item KIDSCREEN score and KIDSCREEN-52 scales ranged from r = 0.24 to 0.72 (r = 0.27–0.72) for the self-report version (proxy-report version). Coefficients below r = 0.5 were observed for the KIDSCREEN-52 dimensions Financial Resources and Being Bullied only. Cronbach alpha was 0.82 (0.78), test–retest reliability was ICC = 0.70 (0.67) for the self- (proxy-)report version. Correlations between other children self-completed HRQoL questionnaires and KIDSCREEN-10 ranged from r = 0.43 to r = 0.63 for the KIDSCREEN children self-report and r = 0.22–0.40 for the KIDSCREEN parent proxy report. Known group differences in HRQoL between physically/mentally healthy and ill children were observed in the KIDSCREEN-10 self and proxy scores. Associations with self-reported psychosomatic complaints were r = −0.52 (−0.36) for the KIDSCREEN-10 self-report (proxy-report). Statistically significant differences in KIDSCREEN-10 self and proxy scores were found by socioeconomic status, age, and gender. Conclusions Our results indicate that the KIDSCREEN-10 provides a valid measure of a general HRQoL factor in children and adolescents, but the instrument does not represent well most of the single dimensions of the original KIDSCREEN-52. Test–retest reliability was slightly below a priori defined thresholds

The KIDSCREEN-52 Quality of Life Measure for Children and Adolescents: Psychometric Results from a Cross-Cultural Survey in 13 European Countries

Les peptides constituent un moyen simplifié d’étudier le fonctionnement des protéines et des moyens thérapeutiques potentiellement très intéressants. Ce travail a permis l’investigation de deux peptides, le peptide synthétique LAH4 et le domaine T de la protéine diphtérique en interaction avec d’autres macromolécules. Le peptide LAH4 conçu et synthétisé par notre laboratoire, présente les propriétés générales des peptides amphipathiques et se lie également fortement à l’ADN permetant son transfert dans les cellules en tant que vecteur de transfection. Dans le but de mieux comprendre l’activité du peptide LAH4 pendant la transfection, j’ai examiné ses propriétés biophysiques par ITC (isothermal titration calorimetry), CD (Circular Dichroism) et RMN du solide. Les resultats montrent que la structure en hélice-αdu peptide est maintenue après complexation de l’ADN. A pH neutre des liaisons électrostatiques lient les molécules de façon non spécifique et un ratio très élevé de LAH4 est requis pour la saturation et la condensation de l’ADN. A plus faible pH des interactions électrostatiques et des contributions hydrophobes stabilisent le complexe peptide/ADN, et le ratio de saturation est réduit de presque moitié. Les données concordent à l’élaboration d’un model d’action du peptide LAH4 pendant les premières étapes de la transfection. En parallèle, nous avons developé une strategie d’expression du LAH4 chez E.coli afin de le marquer 13C uniformément pour son étude par RMN. Des études par RMN du solide ont été entreprises sur le domaine T de la toxine diphtérique afin de comprendre la topologie dans des vésicules membranaires. Des échantillons de domaine T uniformément marqués en 15N ont été préparés en reconstituant les conditions présentes dans l’endosome de façon très simplifiée. Les résultats montrent un rôle important joué autant par le lipide anionique POPG que par le pH dans l’insertion du peptide dans la membrane et dans l’interruption de celle-ci. Membrane associated proteins and peptides constitute a privileged medical target. Some of them also present also an important potential in therapeutics. This work has permitted the investigation of two peptides, the synthetic peptide LAH4 and the diphtherias toxin T domain in interaction with other macromolecules. The LAH4 peptide designed and synthesized in our laboratory, presents all the general properties of amphipathic peptides and also binds strongly to the DNA allowing its transfer into the cells. In order to better understand the activity of the LAH4 peptide during transfection, I have examined its biophysical properties by ITC (Isothermal Titration Calorimetry), CD (Circular Dichroism) and solid-state NMR. The resultats show that the α-helical structure of the peptide is maintained after DNA complexation. At neutral pH, the molecules are bound in an electrostatic non-specific manner and a high ratio of LAH4 is required for DNA saturation and condensation. At low pH electrostatic interactions and hydrophobic contributions stabilize the complex and the saturation ratio is reduced. The data lead to the elaboration of a model of action for the LAH4 peptide during the first steps of transfection. In parallel, we have developed a strategy of expression of the LAH4 peptide in E.coli in order to uniformly label the peptide 13C for its study by NMR. Solid state NMR studies have been undertaken on the diphtheria toxin domain T in order to investigate its topology inside membrane vesicles. The samples of 15N uniformly labeled T domain were prepared in a simplified system mimicking endosomal conditions. The data show an important role of the pH and of the anionic lipid POPG in the peptides membrane insertion and interruption

Health-related quality of life in small-cell lung cancer: a systematic review on reporting of methods and clinical issues in randomised controlled trials

Small-cell lung cancer represents about 15% of all lung cancers; increasingly, randomised controlled trials of this disease measure the health-related quality of life of patients. In this Systematic Review we assess the adequacy of reporting of health-related quality-of-life methods in randomised controlled trials of small-cell lung cancer, and the potential effect of this reporting on clinical decision making. Although overall reporting of health-related quality of life was acceptable, improvements are needed to optimise the use of health-related quality of life in randomised controlled trial