Macromineral and trace element concentrations and their seasonal variation in milk from organic and conventional dairy herds

To study the effects of dairy production system on milk macromineral and trace element concentrations, milk samples were collected monthly in 2019 from 43 conventional and 27 organic farms. Organic milk contained more Ca (1049.5 vs. 995.8 mg/kg), K (1383.6 vs. 1362.4 mg/kg), P (806.5 vs. 792.5 mg/kg) and Mo (73.3 vs. 60.6 μg/kg) but less Cu (52.4 vs. 60.6 μg/kg), Fe (0.66 vs 2.03 mg/kg), Mn (28.8 vs. 45.0 μg/kg), Zn (4.51 vs. 5.00 mg/kg) and Al (0.32 vs. 1.14 μg/kg) than conventional milk. Significant seasonal variation was observed in all determined minerals’ concentrations. Milk I concentration was not consistently affected by production system, whereas organic milk contained less I in June and July than conventional milk. Dietary factors contributing to different milk mineral concentrations between production systems included intakes of maize silage, dry-straights and oils (higher in conventional diets), and pasture, clover and wholecrop (higher in organic diets)

A sequence variant at 4p16.3 confers susceptibility to urinary bladder cancer

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldPreviously, we reported germline DNA variants associated with risk of urinary bladder cancer (UBC) in Dutch and Icelandic subjects. Here we expanded the Icelandic sample set and tested the top 20 markers from the combined analysis in several European case-control sample sets, with a total of 4,739 cases and 45,549 controls. The T allele of rs798766 on 4p16.3 was found to associate with UBC (odds ratio = 1.24, P = 9.9 x 10(-12)). rs798766 is located in an intron of TACC3, 70 kb from FGFR3, which often harbors activating somatic mutations in low-grade, noninvasive UBC. Notably, rs798766[T] shows stronger association with low-grade and low-stage UBC than with more aggressive forms of the disease and is associated with higher risk of recurrence in low-grade stage Ta tumors. The frequency of rs798766[T] is higher in Ta tumors that carry an activating mutation in FGFR3 than in Ta tumors with wild-type FGFR3. Our results show a link between germline variants, somatic mutations of FGFR3 and risk of UBC.info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/21807

Use of a bereavement risk assessment checklist in an Icelandic hospital

To access publisher's site click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the pageThere are many factors influencing people’s response to the loss of a loved one, including previous experience of death and bereavement, social circumstances, age, relationship to the deceased and personality. Each death – and each bereaved person – is unique and the need for support therefore varies

Use of a bereavement risk assessment checklist in an Icelandic hospital

To access publisher's site click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the pageThere are many factors influencing people’s response to the loss of a loved one, including previous experience of death and bereavement, social circumstances, age, relationship to the deceased and personality. Each death – and each bereaved person – is unique and the need for support therefore varies

Hereditary cystatin C (gamma-trace) amyloid angiopathy of the CNS causing cerebral hemorrhage

Hereditary CNS amyloid angiopathy occurring in Icelanders is the first human disorder known to be caused by deposition of cystatin C amyloid fibrils in the walls of the brain arteries leading to single or or multiple strokes with fatal outcome. One or more affected members have been verified by histological examination in 8 families containing 127 affected. These originated from the same geographic area. Abnormally low value of cystatin C found in the cerebrospinal fluid of those affected can be used to support or make diagnosis of this disease, also in asymptomatic relatives. By amino acid sequence analysis the amyloid fibrils in the patients are found to be a variant of cystatin C (gamma-trace), a major cysteine proteinase inhibitor. The variant protein has an amino acid substitution (glutamine for leucine) at position 58 in the amyloid molecule. It is postulated that a point mutation has occurred leading to production of amyloidogenic protein causing the disorder

Positive association between plasma antioxidant capacity and n-3 PUFA in red blood cells from women.

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldPUFA are susceptible to oxidation. However, the chain-reaction of lipid peroxidation can be interrupted by antioxidants. Whether an increased concentration of PUFA in the body leads to decreased antioxidant capacity and/or increased consumption of antioxidants is not known. To elucidate the relationship between plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC), the concentration of antioxidant vitamins, and the proportion of PUFA in red blood cells (RBC), plasma TAC was measured by a Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assay in blood samples from 99 Icelandic women. Concentrations of tocopherols and carotenoids in the plasma were determined by HPLC, and the FA composition of RBC total lipids was analyzed by GC. Plasma TAC and the plasma concentration of alpha-tocopherol correlated positively with the proportion of total n-3 PUFA, 20:5n-3, and 22:6n-3 in RBC, whereas the plasma lycopene concentration correlated negatively with the proportion of total n-3 PUFA and 20:5n-3. On the other hand, plasma TAC correlated negatively with the proportion of n-6 PUFA in RBC. Plasma TAC also correlated positively with the plasma concentration of alpha-tocopherol, alcohol consumption, and age. Both the plasma concentration of alpha-tocopherol and age correlated positively with the proportion of n-3 PUFA in RBC; however, n-3 PUFA contributed independently to the correlation with plasma TAC. Because the proportion of n-3 PUFA in RBC reflects the consumption of n-3 PUFA, these results suggest that dietary n-3 PUFA do not have adverse effects on plasma TAC or the plasma concentration of most antioxidant vitamins