7 research outputs found

    Quality and Safety Aspects of Infant Nutrition

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    Quality and safety aspects of infant nutrition are of key importance for child health, but oftentimes they do not get much attention by health care professionals whose interest tends to focus on functional benefits of early nutrition. Unbalanced diets and harmful food components induce particularly high risks for untoward effects in infants because of their rapid growth, high nutrient needs, and their typical dependence on only one or few foods during the first months of life. The concepts, standards and practices that relate to infant food quality and safety were discussed at a scientific workshop organized by the Child Health Foundation and the Early Nutrition Academy jointly with the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, and a summary is provided here. The participants reviewed past and current issues on quality and safety, the role of different stakeholders, and recommendations to avert future issues. It was concluded that a high level of quality and safety is currently achieved, but this is no reason for complacency. The food industry carries the primary responsibility for the safety and suitability of their products, including the quality of composition, raw materials and production processes. Introduction of new or modified products should be preceded by a thorough science based review of suitability and safety by an independent authority. Food safety events should be managed on an international basis. Global collaboration of food producers, food-safety authorities, paediatricians and scientists is needed to efficiently exchange information and to best protect public health. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

    Is Drinking Water a Major Route of Human Exposure to Alkylphenol and Bisphenol Contaminants in France?

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    International audienceThe main objective of this study was to evaluate potential exposure of a significant part of the French population to alkylphenol and bisphenol contaminants due to water consumption. The occurrence of 11 alkylphenols and bisphenols was studied in raw water and treated water samples from public water systems. One sampling campaign was performed from October 2011 to May 2012. Sampling was equally distributed across 100 French departments. In total, 291 raw water samples and 291 treated water samples were analyzed in this study, representing approximately 20 % of the national water supply flow. The occurrence of the target compounds was also determined for 29 brands of bottled water (polyethylene terephthalate [PET] bottles, polycarbonate [PC] reusable containers, and aluminum cans [ACs]) and in 5 drinking water networks where epoxy resin has been used as coating for pipes. In raw water samples, the highest individual concentration was 1,430 ng/L for bisphenol A (BPA). Of the investigated compounds, nonylphenol (NP), nonylphenol 1-carboxylic acid (NP1EC), BPA, and nonylphenol 2-ethoxylate (NP2EO) predominated (detected in 18.6, 18.6, 14.4, and 10 % of samples, respectively). Geographical variability was observed with departments crossed by major rivers or with high population densities being more affected by contamination. In treated water samples, the highest individual concentration was 505 ng/L for NP. Compared with raw water, target compounds were found in lower amounts in treated water. This difference suggests a relative effectiveness of certain water treatments for the elimination of these pollutants; however, there is also their possible transformation by reaction with chlorine. No target compounds were found in drinking water pipes coated with epoxy resin, in PET bottled water, or in water from ACs. However, levels of BPA in PC bottled water ranged from 70 to 4,210 ng/L with greater level observed in newly manufactured bottles. 4-Tert-butylphenol was only detected in recently manufactured bottles. The values observed for the monitored compounds indicate that drinking water is most likely not the main source of exposure

    In vivo confocal microscopy of the ocular surface: from bench to bedside

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    In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) is an emerging technology that provides minimally invasive, high resolution, steady-state assessment of the ocular surface at the cellular level. Several challenges still remain but, at present, IVCM may be considered a promising technique for clinical diagnosis and management. This mini-review summarizes some key findings in IVCM of the ocular surface, focusing on recent and promising attempts to move “from bench to bedside”. IVCM allows prompt diagnosis, disease course follow-up, and management of potentially blinding atypical forms of infectious processes, such as acanthamoeba and fungal keratitis. This technology has improved our knowledge of corneal alterations and some of the processes that affect the visual outcome after lamellar keratoplasty and excimer keratorefractive surgery. In dry eye disease, IVCM has provided new information on the whole-ocular surface morphofunctional unit. It has also improved understanding of pathophysiologic mechanisms and helped in the assessment of prognosis and treatment. IVCM is particularly useful in the study of corneal nerves, enabling description of the morphology, density, and disease- or surgically induced alterations of nerves, particularly the subbasal nerve plexus. In glaucoma, IVCM constitutes an important aid to evaluate filtering blebs, to better understand the conjunctival wound healing process, and to assess corneal changes induced by topical antiglaucoma medications and their preservatives. IVCM has significantly enhanced our understanding of the ocular response to contact lens wear. It has provided new perspectives at a cellular level on a wide range of contact lens complications, revealing findings that were not previously possible to image in the living human eye. The final section of this mini-review provides a focus on advances in confocal microscopy imaging. These include 2D wide-field mapping, 3D reconstruction of the cornea and automated image analysis
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