Putting the Whole Grain Puzzle Together: Health Benefits Associated with Whole Grains—Summary of American Society for Nutrition 2010 Satellite Symposium123

The symposium “Putting the Whole Grain Puzzle Together: Health Benefits Associated with Whole Grains” sponsored by the ASN brought together researchers to review the evidence regarding the health benefits associated with whole grains. Current scientific evidence indicates that whole grains play an important role in lowering the risk of chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and also contribute to body weight management and gastrointestinal health. The essential macro- and micronutrients, along with the phytonutrients present in whole grains, synergistically contribute to their beneficial effects. Current evidence lends credence to the recommendations to incorporate whole grain foods into a healthy diet and lifestyle program. The symposium also highlighted the need for further research to examine the role of whole grain foods in disease prevention and management to gain a better understanding of their mechanisms of action

Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality – a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies

Background: Questions remain about the strength and shape of the dose-response relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and mortality, and the effects of specific types of fruit and vegetables. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to clarify these associations. Methods: PubMed and Embase were searched up to 29 September 2016. Prospective studies of fruit and vegetable intake and cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality were included. Summary relative risks (RRs) were calculated using a random effects model, and the mortality burden globally was estimated; 95 studies (142 publications) were included. Results: For fruits and vegetables combined, the summary RR per 200 g/day was 0.92 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.90–0.94, I2 = 0%, n = 15] for coronary heart disease, 0.84 (95% CI: 0.76–0.92, I2 = 73%, n = 10) for stroke, 0.92 (95% CI: 0.90–0.95, I2 = 31%, n = 13) for cardiovascular disease, 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95–0.99, I2 = 49%, n = 12) for total cancer and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.87–0.93, I2 = 83%, n = 15) for all-cause mortality. Similar associations were observed for fruits and vegetables separately. Reductions in risk were observed up to 800 g/day for all outcomes except cancer (600 g/day). Inverse associations were observed between the intake of apples and pears, citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, and salads and cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, and between the intake of green-yellow vegetables and cruciferous vegetables and total cancer risk. An estimated 5.6 and 7.8 million premature deaths worldwide in 2013 may be attributable to a fruit and vegetable intake below 500 and 800 g/day, respectively, if the observed associations are causal. Conclusions: Fruit and vegetable intakes were associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and all-cause mortality. These results support public health recommendations to increase fruit and vegetable intake for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and premature mortality

An Introduction to Neonatal Screening

Neonatal Screening, a simple test which began in the 1960s, has become an integral part of many societies as governments attempt to curb the devastating effects of inborn errors of metabolism through early detection. The lecture. to be carried out by Dr. George Sahyoun (Head of Section, Metabolic Disorders at Med Labs), will give an overview of Neonatal Screening in terms of the diseases screened for, the technology used to accurately achieve the screening, the benefits and pitfalls associated with neonatal screening and a brief oven/iew of what is currently available in Jordan. Below is an outline of the lecture to be given: - Introducing neonatal screening, its early beginnings. - The diseases currently screened for by the Jordanian government and MedLabs . - The latest technology being used to affectively achieve this goal. » The benefits and pitfalls of neonatal screening. - A brief look at some of the most common disorders affecting the Arab population - A question and answer session, allowing the audience to explore the topic further

Appendiceal adenocarcinoma is associated with better prognosis than cecal adenocarcinoma: a population-based comparative survival study

Objective Although appendiceal cancer remains a rare gastrointestinal malignancy compared with colorectal cancer, incidence rates of appendiceal cancer have increased in the last two decades. Appendiceal and cecal adenocarcinomas have distinct genomic profiles, but chemotherapy protocols for these malignancies are the same and survival outcomes between them have not been compared extensively. To this end, we conducted a comparative survival analysis of appendiceal and cecal adenocarcinomas.Design Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database, we identified individuals ≥30 years of age with appendiceal or cecal adenocarcinoma from 1975 to 2016. Demographic, clinical and county-level socioeconomic data were extracted using SEER*Stat software. Survival was compared by Mantel-Haenszel log-rank test, and survival curves were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Relative HRs for death in the 5-year period following diagnosis were calculated using multivariable Cox regression analysis, adjusted for all other covariates. The significance level was set at p<0.05 for two-tailed tests. Data were analysed using SAS V.9.4 and R software.Results We identified 6491 patients with appendiceal adenocarcinoma and 99 387 patients with cecal adenocarcinoma. Multivariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated significantly higher cancer-specific and overall survival in appendiceal adenocarcinoma compared with cecal adenocarcinoma. Male sex, older age, earlier year of diagnosis, black race, single marital status, non-Hispanic ethnicity, and non-mucinous histology were associated with increased mortality rates. In addition, counties with lower percentage of individuals below the poverty line and higher colorectal cancer screening rates had better survival.Conclusion This is the first study to show greater survival in appendiceal adenocarcinoma compared with cecal adenocarcinoma. We also highlighted novel associations of county-level socioeconomic factors with increased mortality in appendiceal adenocarcinoma. Future efforts to develop targeted molecular therapies and reduce socioeconomic barriers to diagnosis and treatment are warranted to improve survival

The polyunsaturated fatty acids, EPA and DPA exert a protective effect in the hippocampus of the aged rat

noAge is characterized by deficits in synaptic function identified by decreased performance of aged animals in spatial learning tasks and reduced ability of animals to sustain long-term potentiation (LTP). Several cellular and molecular events are correlated with these deficits, many of which are indicative of cell stress. Thus there is evidence of age-related neuroinflammatory stress and oxidative stress and these have been linked with microglial activation which is likely to be primarily responsible for the age-related increase in production of proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species. It is significant that agents which decrease microglial activation are commonly associated with restoration of function. We set out to examine whether the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), which is a metabolite of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), could modulate the age-related increase in microglial activation and the associated increase in oxidative changes and therefore impact on synaptic function in aged rats. We demonstrate that DPA possesses neurorestorative effects and is capable of downregulating microglial activation. The data show that it also decreases the coupled activation of sphingomyelinase and caspase 3, probably as a result of its ability to decrease age-related oxidative changes, and consequently attenuates the age-related decrease in spatial learning and LTP