Still's disease - juvenile arthritis with systemic onset

Peer reviewe

Dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid and alpha-linolenic acid are associated with physical capacity measure but not muscle mass in older women 65–72 years

Abstract Purpose The aim was to investigate the cross-sectional association of dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids PUFA (alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)) intake with multiple physical functions, muscle mass and fat mass in older women. Method Study subjects were 554 women from the Osteoporosis Risk Factor and Prevention Fracture Prevention Study, with dietary intake assessed with 3-day food record. Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Physical function measures included walking speed 10 m, chair rises, one leg stance, knee extension, handgrip strength and squat. Short physical performance battery (SPPB) score was defined based on the European working group on sarcopenia criteria. Results The multivariable adjusted models showed statistically significant associations for dietary ALA with higher SPPB (β = 0.118, P = 0.024), knee extension force at baseline (β = 0.075, P = 0.037) and lower fat mass (β = − 0.081, P = 0.034), as well as longer one-leg stance (β = 0.119, P = 0.010), higher walking speed (β = 0.113, P = 0.047), and ability to squat to the ground (β = 0.110, P = 0.027) at baseline. Total dietary omega-3 PUFA was associated with better SPPB (β = 0.108, P = 0.039), one-leg stance (β = 0.102, P = 0.041) and ability to squat (β = 0.110, P = 0.028), and with walking speed (β = 0.110, P = 0.028). However, associations for dietary EPA and DHA with physical function and body composition were not significant. Conclusion Dietary omega-3 and ALA, but not EPA and DHA, were positively associated with muscle strength and function in older women. The intake of omega-3 and its subtypes was not associated with muscle mass. Longitudinal studies are needed to show whether omega-3 intake may be important for muscle function in older women. </jats:sec

Medical treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Peer reviewe

Mobile Air Quality Studies (MAQS) - an international project

Due to an increasing awareness of the potential hazardousness of air pollutants, new laws, rules and guidelines have recently been implemented globally. In this respect, numerous studies have addressed traffic-related exposure to particulate matter using stationary technology so far. By contrast, only few studies used the advanced technology of mobile exposure analysis. The Mobile Air Quality Study (MAQS) addresses the issue of air pollutant exposure by combining advanced high-granularity spatial-temporal analysis with vehicle-mounted, person-mounted and roadside sensors. The MAQS-platform will be used by international collaborators in order 1) to assess air pollutant exposure in relation to road structure, 2) to assess air pollutant exposure in relation to traffic density, 3) to assess air pollutant exposure in relation to weather conditions, 4) to compare exposure within vehicles between front and back seat (children) positions, and 5) to evaluate "traffic zone"- exposure in relation to non-"traffic zone"-exposure. Primarily, the MAQS-platform will focus on particulate matter. With the establishment of advanced mobile analysis tools, it is planed to extend the analysis to other pollutants including including NO2, SO2, nanoparticles, and ozone

Spotlights on Contemporary Family Life

Spotlights on Contemporary Family Life covers four issues of cross-cutting importance to families Structures and forms of families: issues relating to a diversification of families away from the ‘traditional nuclear family form’ are relatively uncontroversial from an academic perspective, but much more so for policy makers and family associations. Chapter 1 provides a thorough overview of the state of contemporary European families. Solidarities in families: too often the issue of an ‘ageing society’ is simply reduced to the problem of over-burdening social care systems, but longevity also represents opportunities for new kinds of solidarities inside families and family networks, and new relations between family members – not to mention the satisfaction felt by people who can continue to live fulfilling and rewarding lives long after they’re considered ‘elderly’. Chapter 2 gives voice to authors who identify these new opportunities and challenges. Demographic change: women are having fewer children and having them later in life. Having children is now a conscious decision and fertility rates have declined below the level required to sustain our current populations. At the same time we witness the ‘greying’ of Europe, which brings with it a whole host of opportunities and challenges. Chapter 3 raises important issues for policy makers today. Volunteering: inspired by family associations who could not survive without the support of volunteers, this chapter gives an overview of what’s known - and what isn’t - about volunteering. Coinciding with the European Year of Volunteering 2011, this chapter takes a timely look at the efforts that families put into volunteering across Europe and the important benefits that Europe gains from all of this combined voluntary effort. Linden Farrer and William Lay work for the Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union (COFACE). This publication was produced by FAMILYPLATFORM, a project funded by the European Commission

Impact of extramedullary disease in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation: A study from the Chronic Malignancies Working Party of the EBMT

We investigated extramedullary disease in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients and its impact on outcome following first line autologous stem cell transplantation. We identified 3744 adult myeloma patients who received upfront single (n = 3391) or tandem transplantation (n = 353) between 2005 and 2014 with available data on extramedullary in-volvement at diagnosis. The overall incidence of extramedullary disease was 18.2% (n = 682) and increased per year from 6.5% (2005) to 23.7% (2014). Paraskeletal involvement was found in 543 (14.5%) and extramedullary organ involvement in 139 (3.7%) while the majority of 3062 (81.8%) patients had no extramedullary disease. More patients with extramedul-lary organ involvement had multiple involved sites (>/=2;) (p < 0.001). In patients with single sites compared to patients without the disease, upfront transplantation resulted in at least similar 3-year progression-free survival (paraskeletal: p = 0.86, and extramedullary organ: p = 0.88). In single paraskeletal involvement, this translated less clearly into 3-year overall survival (p = 0.07) while single organ involvement was significantly worse (p = 0.001). Multiple organ sites were associated with worse outcome (p < 0.001 and p = 0.01). First line treatment with tandem compared with single transplantation resulted in similar survival in patients with extramedullary disease at diagnosis (p = 0.13, respectively)

Impact of extramedullary disease in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation: a study from the Chronic Malignancies Working Party of the EBMT

We investigated extramedullary disease in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients and its impact on outcome following first-line autologous stem cell transplantation. We identified 3744 adult myeloma patients who received up-front single (n=3391) or tandem transplantation (n=353) between 2005 and 2014 with available data on extramedullary involvement at diagnosis. The overall incidence of extramedullary disease was 18.2% (n=682) and increased per year from 6.5% (2005) to 23.7% (2014). Paraskeletal involvement was found in 543 (14.5%) and extramedullary organ involvement in 139 (3.7%). More patients with extramedullary organ involvement had multiple involved sites (>= 2; P<0.001). In a comparison of patients with single sites with patients without the disease, up-front transplantation resulted in at least similar 3-year progression-free survival (paraskeletal: P=0.86, and extramedullary organ: P=0.88). In single paraskeletal involvement, this translated less clearly into worse 3-year overall survival (P=0.07) while single organ involvement was significantly worse (P=0.001). Multiple organ sites were associated with worse outcome (P<0.001 and P=0.01). First-line treatment with tandem compared with single transplantation resulted in similar survival in patients with extramedullary disease at diagnosis (P=0.13 for both)

A combination of plasma phospholipid fatty acids and its association with incidence of type 2 diabetes: The EPIC-InterAct case-cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Combinations of multiple fatty acids may influence cardiometabolic risk more than single fatty acids. The association of a combination of fatty acids with incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) has not been evaluated. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We measured plasma phospholipid fatty acids by gas chromatography in 27,296 adults, including 12,132 incident cases of T2D, over the follow-up period between baseline (1991-1998) and 31 December 2007 in 8 European countries in EPIC-InterAct, a nested case-cohort study. The first principal component derived by principal component analysis of 27 individual fatty acids (mole percentage) was the main exposure (subsequently called the fatty acid pattern score [FA-pattern score]). The FA-pattern score was partly characterised by high concentrations of linoleic acid, stearic acid, odd-chain fatty acids, and very-long-chain saturated fatty acids and low concentrations of γ-linolenic acid, palmitic acid, and long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids, and it explained 16.1% of the overall variability of the 27 fatty acids. Based on country-specific Prentice-weighted Cox regression and random-effects meta-analysis, the FA-pattern score was associated with lower incident T2D. Comparing the top to the bottom fifth of the score, the hazard ratio of incident T2D was 0.23 (95% CI 0.19-0.29) adjusted for potential confounders and 0.37 (95% CI 0.27-0.50) further adjusted for metabolic risk factors. The association changed little after adjustment for individual fatty acids or fatty acid subclasses. In cross-sectional analyses relating the FA-pattern score to metabolic, genetic, and dietary factors, the FA-pattern score was inversely associated with adiposity, triglycerides, liver enzymes, C-reactive protein, a genetic score representing insulin resistance, and dietary intakes of soft drinks and alcohol and was positively associated with high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and intakes of polyunsaturated fat, dietary fibre, and coffee (p < 0.05 each). Limitations include potential measurement error in the fatty acids and other model covariates and possible residual confounding. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of individual fatty acids, characterised by high concentrations of linoleic acid, odd-chain fatty acids, and very long-chain fatty acids, was associated with lower incidence of T2D. The specific fatty acid pattern may be influenced by metabolic, genetic, and dietary factors