Dietary intake of trans fatty acids and breast cancer risk in 9 European countries

Background: Trans fatty acids (TFAs) have been hypothesised to influence breast cancer risk. However, relatively few prospective studies have examined this relationship, and well-powered analyses according to hormone receptor-defined molecular subtypes, menopausal status, and body size have rarely been conducted. Methods: In the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), we investigated the associations between dietary intakes of TFAs (industrial trans fatty acids [ITFAs] and ruminant trans fatty acids [RTFAs]) and breast cancer risk among 318,607 women. Multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for other breast cancer risk factors. Results: After a median follow-up of 8.1 years, 13,241 breast cancer cases occurred. In the multivariable-adjusted model, higher total ITFA intake was associated with elevated breast cancer risk (HR for highest vs lowest quintile, 1.14, 95% CI 1.06-1.23; P trend = 0.001). A similar positive association was found between intake of elaidic acid, the predominant ITFA, and breast cancer risk (HR for highest vs lowest quintile, 1.14, 95% CI 1.06-1.23; P trend = 0.001). Intake of total RTFAs was also associated with higher breast cancer risk (HR for highest vs lowest quintile, 1.09, 95% CI 1.01-1.17; P trend = 0.015). For individual RTFAs, we found positive associations with breast cancer risk for dietary intakes of two strongly correlated fatty acids (Spearman correlation r = 0.77), conjugated linoleic acid (HR for highest vs lowest quintile, 1.11, 95% CI 1.03-1.20; P trend = 0.001) and palmitelaidic acid (HR for highest vs lowest quintile, 1.08, 95% CI 1.01-1.16; P trend = 0.028). Similar associations were found for total ITFAs and RTFAs with breast cancer risk according to menopausal status, body mass index, and breast cancer subtypes. Conclusions: These results support the hypothesis that higher dietary intakes of ITFAs, in particular elaidic acid, are associated with elevated breast cancer risk. Due to the high correlation between conjugated linoleic acid and palmitelaidic acid, we were unable to disentangle the positive associations found for these fatty acids with breast cancer risk. Further mechanistic studies are needed to identify biological pathways that may underlie these associations

Post COVID-19 irritable bowel syndrome

Objectives: The long-term consequences of COVID-19 infection on the gastrointestinal tract remain unclear. Here, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms and post-COVID-19 disorders of gut-brain interaction after hospitalisation for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Design: GI-COVID-19 is a prospective, multicentre, controlled study. Patients with and without COVID-19 diagnosis were evaluated on hospital admission and after 1, 6 and 12 months post hospitalisation. Gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiety and depression were assessed using validated questionnaires. Results: The study included 2183 hospitalised patients. The primary analysis included a total of 883 patients (614 patients with COVID-19 and 269 controls) due to the exclusion of patients with pre-existing gastrointestinal symptoms and/or surgery. At enrolment, gastrointestinal symptoms were more frequent among patients with COVID-19 than in the control group (59.3% vs 39.7%, p<0.001). At the 12-month follow-up, constipation and hard stools were significantly more prevalent in controls than in patients with COVID-19 (16% vs 9.6%, p=0.019 and 17.7% vs 10.9%, p=0.011, respectively). Compared with controls, patients with COVID-19 reported higher rates of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) according to Rome IV criteria: 0.5% versus 3.2%, p=0.045. Factors significantly associated with IBS diagnosis included history of allergies, chronic intake of proton pump inhibitors and presence of dyspnoea. At the 6-month follow-up, the rate of patients with COVID-19 fulfilling the criteria for depression was higher than among controls. Conclusion: Compared with controls, hospitalised patients with COVID-19 had fewer problems of constipation and hard stools at 12 months after acute infection. Patients with COVID-19 had significantly higher rates of IBS than controls. Trial registration number: NCT04691895

Static secondary ion mass spectrometry investigation of corrosion inhibitor Irgamet®39 on copper surfaces treated in power transformer insulating oil

Static secondary ion mass spectrometry was used to study the corrosion inhibitor Irgamet®39 on the surface of copper treated in insulating oils and the effect of temperature changes, by means of temperature programmed desorption experiments under vacuum, on metal coverage. Four commercial oils, both corrosive and non-corrosive, showed no significant influence on the stability of the tolyltriazole layer and the energy of its main desorption event from copper was calculated around 100 kJ mol?1. Finally, an example of ion imaging as diagnostic tool to track the distribution of corrosion inhibitor and by-products in decommissioned or failed power transformers is described

The Period Rooms / Allestimenti storici tra arte, collezionismo e museologia

Dopo una lunga eclissi dovuta all\u2019incontestato trionfo del modello del "White Cube" nei dispositivi di allestimento, come all\u2019invenzione di nuovi tipi di museo di societ\ue0, oggi le sale storiche fanno il loro ritorno nei musei come testimoniano, un po\u2019 ovunque, le recenti riaperture e le reinstallazioni di "period rooms". Nello stesso tempo numerosi artisti contemporanei utilizzano questi dispositivi all\u2019interno di installazioni di diverso tipo. La storia della costruzione delle "period rooms" si iscrive in una storia pi\uf9 vasta degli interni e del museo, e dei loro rispettivi ideali, attraverso le vicende del gusto antiquario e del commercio delle arti decorative. La prima parte del volume \ue8 dedicata ai dibattiti teorici e metodologici e allo sviluppo delle considerazioni storiche e critiche che hanno accompagnato, dalle sue origini a oggi, la definizione di "period room" determinandone le funzioni quanto i pubblici di riferimento. Il secondo insieme di testi illustra la diversit\ue0 di \u201cpassioni private\u201d e di intenti che hanno animato questi innumerevoli progetti di risurrezione della Storia grazie alla vita di relazione tra le cose. L\u2019ultima parte \ue8 dedicata alla attualit\ue0 delle "period rooms" che sottolinea legami con la storia del design e dell\u2019arredamento. L\u2019attenzione delle scienze umane e sociali \ue8 cos\uec sollecitata da un tale particolare modo di rapportarsi col passato, di scrittura della storia e di intervento critico. Il volume di 303 pagine riunisce saggi in italiano, francese e inglese di specialisti di storia del collezionismo, di critica d\u2019arte e di museologia e costituisce la pi\uf9 internazionale ed aggiornata ricerca sul tema degli allestimenti storici dei musei, che vengono analizzati sia dal punto di vista della storia della critica e del gusto che da quello museologico in una prospettiva culturale ed antropologica

Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection: Results of the Prospective Controlled Multinational GI-COVID-19 Study

INTRODUCTION: Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) have been reported with great variability and without standardization. In hospitalized patients, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of GI symptoms, factors associated with their occurrence, and variation at 1 month. METHODS: The GI-COVID-19 is a prospective, multicenter, controlled study. Patients with and without COVID-19 diagnosis were recruited at hospital admission and asked for GI symptoms at admission and after 1 month, using the validated Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale questionnaire. RESULTS: The study included 2036 hospitalized patients. A total of 871 patients (575 COVID+ and 296 COVID-) were included for the primary analysis. GI symptoms occurred more frequently in patients with COVID-19 (59.7%; 343/575 patients) than in the control group (43.2%; 128/296 patients) (P < 0.001). Patients with COVID-19 complained of higher presence or intensity of nausea, diarrhea, loose stools, and urgency as compared with controls. At a 1-month follow-up, a reduction in the presence or intensity of GI symptoms was found in COVID-19 patients with GI symptoms at hospital admission. Nausea remained increased over controls. Factors significantly associated with nausea persistence in COVID-19 were female sex, high body mass index, the presence of dyspnea, and increased C-reactive protein levels. DISCUSSION: The prevalence of GI symptoms in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 is higher than previously reported. Systemic and respiratory symptoms are often associated with GI complaints. Nausea may persist after the resolution of COVID-19 infection