Feeding trials in organic food quality and health research

Feeding experiments comparing organically and conventionally produced food are performed to assess the overall impact on the animals' health as a model for the effects experienced by the human consumers. These experiments are based on systems research and characterized by their focus on production methods, whole food testing and procedures in accordance with the terms of organic farming. A short review of such experiments shows that the majority of these tests revealed effects of the organically produced feed on health parameters such as reproductive performance and immune responses. Systems research is not just about simple cause-effect chains, but rather about the pluralism of interactions in biological networks; therefore, the interpretation of the outcome of whole food experiments is difficult. Furthermore, the test diets of organic and conventional origin can be constituted in different ways, compensating for or maintaining existing differences in nutrient and energy contents. The science-based results suggest positive influences from organic feeds, but there is still a need for confirmation in animals and, finally, in humans. For this purpose animal feeding trials with feed from different production systems should be conducted, with the aims to define health indicators and to establish biomarkers as a basis for future dietary intervention studies in humans

Food and welfare in India, c. 1900–1950

In 2001, the People's Union for Civil Liberties submitted a writ petition to the Supreme Court of India on the “right to food.” The petitioner was a voluntary human rights organization; the initial respondents were the Government of India, the Food Corporation of India, and six state governments. The petition opens with three pointed questions posed to the court: * A. Does the right to life mean that people who are starving and who are too poor to buy food grains ought to be given food grains free of cost by the State from the surplus stock lying with the State, particularly when it is reported that a large part of it is lying unused and rotting? * B. Does not the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India include the right to food? * C. Does not the right to food, which has been upheld by the Honourable Court, imply that the state has a duty to provide food especially in situations of drought, to people who are drought affected and are not in a position to purchase food

Exploring Prehistoric Tuberculosis in Britain: A Combined Macroscopic and Biomolecular Approach

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial, infectious disease, currently responsible for millions of deaths worldwide. Although the aetiology of the disease in its current form is well documented in the clinical literature, little is known of the form the disease took in earlier times, or the time at which it first entered Britain. This study aimed to test the hypotheses that TB was present in British prehistory, (as it was in Europe), prior to that previously identified in the Iron Age (Mays and Taylor, 2003) and that the infection was caused by both M. tuberculosis and M. bovis; the latter most commonly contracted from cattle. The objective of the project was to use ancient DNA (aDNA) from human skeletons to study the bacteria responsible for TB (M. tuberculosis complex) in order to then study the origin and evolution of the strains of the bacteria causing TB in prehistoric Britain. Thirteen individuals from Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age sites in the south of England (comprising inhumations of reasonable preservation), were selected for inclusion in the project, based on non-specific evidence of infection, potentially representative of early tuberculous skeletal involvement. A biocultural approach was employed in order to better understand the environmental and social context from which the samples originated. The geographical area under study was limited to the south of Britain, (with the exception of Wetwang Slack in Yorkshire) because of the direct contact between Britain and the continent in this region. Biomolecular analysis did not produce positive results for TB, the reasons for which may include poor preservation of pathogen aDNA, and thus, no conclusive evidence was found of the presence of TB in prehistoric Britain prior to that already identified. Problems encountered during the project were highlighted in an effort to improve efficiency of future projects, with suggestions as to how this study may be extended in order to allow development of a much more comprehensive history of TB in Britain to be formed; its origins, spread and possible impact on ancient British populations

Dilated cardiomyopathy in a national paediatric population

Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common form of childhood cardiomyopathy and is known to result in significant morbidity and mortality. This study aims to review the aetiology and associated outcomes of DCM. The median age at diagnosis was 6 months (0–42 months); n = 23 (43.3%) were idiopathic; n = 11 (20.9%) secondary to a viral infection; n = 12 (22.6%) genetic disorders and n = 7 (13.2%) as a result of vitamin D deficiency. There was a significant correlation between aetiology and mortality, r = 0.85, with a lower survival rate in idiopathic and genetic cohorts. Males were significantly less likely to survive to 1 year of age, p = 0.035. The age at diagnosis did not alter survival to 1 year and the predicted survival beyond 1 year was 84.3% (95% CI, 71.3 to 94.5%). Severely impaired left ventricular fractional shortening at presentation (< 15%) was an independent predictor of death, p = 0.002, (95% CI, 11.2 to 14.2%). Conclusion: Paediatric DCM is a heterogeneous disease resulting in significant morbidity. The aetiology alters the age of presentation. Identification of a specific cause is a useful for risk stratification and prognostication. The first year after diagnosis is a critical time period reflected by the significant morbidity and mortality.What is Known:•Paediatric dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the commonest of the childhood cardiomyopathies, with significant associated morbidity and mortality.•DCM is most commonly idiopathic.What is New:•Identifying the aetiology of DCM in the paediatric population aids risk stratification and prognostication.•The first year after diagnosis of DCM is associated with significant mortality

The prevalence of hypertension in paediatric Turner syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Cardiovascular related deaths account for over 40% of the excess mortality in Turner syndrome (TS). Hypertension, a modifiable risk factor for both aortic dilatation and dissection, is more commonly encountered in TS during childhood and adolescence. Treatment of hypertension is currently recommended beyond the age of 16 years in TS to help reduce the risk of aortic dissection. This study aims to determine the prevalence of hypertension in paediatric patients with TS and explore the associated methodologies of blood pressure evaluation reported in these studies. Three online databases were searched (Medline, Embase and Web of Science) for literature which reported a prevalence, or allowed calculation of prevalence, of hypertension in patients with TS who were 18 years of age or younger. Seventeen studies which met the primary eligibility criteria, with a total of 1948 patients, were included. The estimated pooled prevalence of hypertension in children and adolescents with TS was 16% (95% CI: 8.9–24.6%). There was significant heterogeneity detected between the studies. The prevalence of hypertension in those studies which assessed 24-h Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) was 21.1% (95% CI: 15.2–27.6%) compared those which used another method of blood pressure measurement which was 13.5% (95% CI: 5.2–24.4%). Given the impact of hypertension with long-term health outcomes and the reversibility of these same outcomes by addressing abnormal blood pressure, prompt and early diagnosis of hypertension in young girls with TS should be prioritised. We recommend the use of 24-h ABPM in screening for hypertension in the paediatric TS population

Pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: a systematic review

Background: Long term glucocorticoid treatment in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is associated with a high incidence of fragility fractures. This systematic review aims to assess the current evidence for pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment for osteoporosis in children and adults with DMD. Methods: Three online databases (Embase, Medline, Cochrane Library) were searched for studies that evaluated interventions for treatment or prevention of osteoporosis in DMD. Included studies had to report changes in bone mineral density (BMD) or bone mineral content (BMC) Z-scores or fracture incidence. Results: Nineteen studies were identified, including twelve that evaluated bisphosphonate, three evaluated testosterone (2 studies of the same patient group), one evaluated vitamin D/calcium, one teriparatide, and two evaluated vibration therapy. Only two randomised-controlled trials were found, one of intravenous bisphosphonate and one of vibration therapy. Changes in lumbar spine BMD ranged from −0.3 to +1.3 in studies of bisphosphonate and − 0.2 to 0.0 with vibration therapy, whereas this was +0.38 with testosterone and + 0.9 with vitamin D/calcium. There was limited information on impact on fracture in all studies. None of the pharmacological studies involved a fracture naïve group at baseline. In addition, none addressed a group of individuals over 18 years at baseline. Conclusion: This systematic review provides evidence for the effectiveness of bisphosphonate therapy in improving bone density in children and adolescents with DMD. However, there is less information on the impact on fracture. The review did not find studies exclusively in those over 18 years old with DMD and limited information on non-bisphosphonate pharmacological agents

Meat Intake and the Dose of Vitamin B3 - Nicotinamide:Cause of the Causes of Disease Transitions, Health Divides, and Health Futures?

Meat and vitamin B 3 – nicotinamide – intake was high during hunter-gatherer times. Intake then fell and variances increased during and after the Neolithic agricultural revolution. Health, height, and IQ deteriorated. Low dietary doses are buffered by ‘welcoming’ gut symbionts and tuberculosis that can supply nicotinamide, but this co-evolved homeostatic metagenomic strategy risks dysbioses and impaired resistance to pathogens. Vitamin B 3 deficiency may now be common among the poor billions on a low-meat diet. Disease transitions to non-communicable inflammatory disorders (but longer lives) may be driven by positive ‘meat transitions’. High doses of nicotinamide lead to reduced regulatory T cells and immune intolerance. Loss of no longer needed symbiotic ‘old friends’ compounds immunological over-reactivity to cause allergic and auto-immune diseases. Inhibition of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide consumers and loss of methyl groups or production of toxins may cause cancers, metabolic toxicity, or neurodegeneration. An optimal dosage of vitamin B 3 could lead to better health, but such a preventive approach needs more equitable meat distribution. Some people may require personalised doses depending on genetic make-up or, temporarily, when under stress