Ethnic differences in dietary intake at age 12 and 18 months: the Born in Bradford 1000 Study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the intake of key indicator foods at age 12 months and 18 months between infants of Pakistani and White British origin. DESIGN: Logistic regression was used to model associations between ethnicity and consumption of key indicator foods defined by high or low energy density using an FFQ at age 12 and 18 months. SETTING: Born in Bradford 1000 study, Bradford, UK. SUBJECTS: Infants (n 1259; 38 % White British, 49 % Pakistani), mean age 12·7 (sd 1·0) months and toddlers (n 1257; 37 % White British, 49 % Pakistani), mean age 18·7 (sd1·0) months. RESULTS: At 12 months, Pakistani infants consumed more commercial sweet baby meals than White British infants, with greater odds for being above average consumers (adjusted OR (AOR)=1·90; 95 % CI 1·40, 2·56), more chips/roast potatoes (AOR=2·75; 95 % CI 2·09, 3·62), less processed meat products (AOR=0·11; 95 % CI 0·08, 0·15), more fruit (AOR=2·20; 95 % CI 1·70, 2·85) and more sugar-sweetened drinks (AOR=1·68; 95 % CI 1·29, 2·18). At 18 months these differences persisted, with Pakistani infants consuming more commercial sweet baby meals (AOR=4·57; 95 % CI 2·49, 8·39), more chips/roast potato shapes (AOR=2·26; 95 % CI 1·50, 3·43), more fruit (AOR=1·40; 95 % CI 1·08, 1·81), more sugar-sweetened drinks (AOR=2·03; 95 % CI 1·53, 2·70), more pure fruit juice (AOR=1·82; 95 % CI 1·40, 2·35), more water (AOR=3·24; 95 % CI 2·46, 4·25) and less processed meat (AOR=0·10; 95 % CI 0·06, 0·15) than White British infants. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary intake during infancy and the early toddlerhood period is associated with ethnicity, suggesting the importance of early and culturally adapted interventions aimed at establishing healthy eating behaviours

Global gene expression analysis of canine osteosarcoma stem cells reveals a novel role for COX-2 in tumour initiation

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone tumour of both children and dogs. It is an aggressive tumour in both species with a rapid clinical course leading ultimately to metastasis. In dogs and children distant metastasis occurs in >80% of individuals treated by surgery alone. Both canine and human osteosarcoma has been shown to contain a sub-population of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which may drive tumour growth, recurrence and metastasis, suggesting that naturally occurring canine osteosarcoma could act as a preclinical model for the human disease. Here we report the successful isolation of CSCs from primary canine osteosarcoma, as well as established cell lines. We show that these cells can form tumourspheres, and demonstrate relative resistance to chemotherapy. We demonstrate similar results for the human osteosarcma cell lines, U2OS and SAOS2. Utilizing the Affymetrix canine microarray, we are able to definitively show that there are significant differences in global gene expression profiles of isolated osteosarcoma stem cells and the daughter adherent cells. We identified 13,221 significant differences (p = 0.05), and significantly, COX-2 was expressed 141-fold more in CSC spheres than daughter adherent cells. To study the role of COX-2 expression in CSCs we utilized the COX-2 inhibitors meloxicam and mavacoxib. We found that COX-2 inhibition had no effect on CSC growth, or resistance to chemotherapy. However inhibition of COX-2 in daughter cells prevented sphere formation, indicating a potential significant role for COX-2 in tumour initiation

Primer sequences for the amplification of RT-PCR products from canine cell lines.

<p>Primer sequences for the amplification of RT-PCR products from canine cell lines.</p

Spheres are resistant to replicative cell death after doxorubicin treatment.

<p>Colony forming ability after doxorubicin treatment was determined in KTOSA5 cells (* <i>p</i> = 0.008; ** <i>p</i><0.001) (A) and U2OS cells (♮ <i>p</i> = 0.008; ♮♮ <i>p</i><0.001) (B).</p

Cancer stem cells are resistant to the cytotoxic effects of doxorubicin.

<p>Spheres were isolated from the canine osteosarcoma cell lines; KTOSA5 (A) and CSKOS (B), and the human osteosarcoma cell lines U2OS (C) and SAOS2 (D). Spheres and adherent cells were treated with the indicated doses of doxorubicin and cell viability was assayed 48 hr after treatment (* <i>p</i><0.005).</p

Top ten upregulated genes in KTOSA5 spheres compared to adherent cells (FDR = 0.005).

<p>Top ten upregulated genes in KTOSA5 spheres compared to adherent cells (FDR = 0.005).</p

Gene expression analysis of canine osteosarcoma stem cells.

<p>A three-dimensional representation of a principle component analysis of expression microarray data derived from KTOSA5 adherent cells, spheres and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) (A). Heirarchial clustering analysis of the expression data (cut off p-value of 0.005). Expression values are represented by colours: blue squares represent low-expressed genes, red squares represent high-expressed genes (B). Biological process analysis of differentially expressed genes in KTOSA5 spheres compared to adherent cells (FDR = 0.005) (C).</p

COX-2 inhibition suppresses sphere forming ability.

<p>KTOSA cells were pre-treated for 24 hr with the indicated doses of meloxicam prior to assaying for sphere forming ability (* <i>p</i><0.001) (A). KTOSA5 (B), CSKOS (C), U2OS (D) and SAOS2 (E) cells were pre-treated for 24 hr with the long-acting COX-2 inhibitor mavacoxib prior to assaying for sphere forming ability (* <i>p</i><0.001).</p

Cancer stem cells express a higher level of COX-2.

<p>Validation of microarray with qRT-PCR (A). Expression of COX-2 protein (B).</p