Cognitive performance: a cross-sectional study on serum vitamin D and its interplay with glucose homeostasis in Dutch older adults

Objectives First, the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and cognitive performance was examined. Second, we assessed whether there was evidence for an interplay between 25(OH)D and glucose homeostasis in the association with cognitive performance. Design, Setting, and Participants Associations were studied using cross-sectional data of 776 (3 domains) up to 2722 (1 domain) Dutch community-dwelling older adults, aged 65 years or older. Measurements Serum 25(OH)D, plasma glucose, and insulin concentrations were obtained. Cognitive performance was assessed with an extensive cognitive test battery. Prevalence ratios (PRs) were calculated to quantify the association between 25(OH)D and cognition; poor performance was defined as the worst 10% of the distribution of the cognitive scores. Results The overall median MMSE score was 29 (IQR 28–30). Higher serum 25(OH)D was associated with better attention and working memory, PR 0.50 (95% CI 0.29–0.84) for the third serum 25(OH)D tertile, indicating a 50% lower probability of being a poor performer than participants in the lowest tertile. Beneficial trends were shown for 25(OH)D with executive function and episodic memory. Serum 25(OH)D was not associated with plasma glucose or insulin. Plasma insulin only modified the association between serum 25(OH)D and executive function (P for interaction: .001), suggesting that the improvement in executive function with high 25(OH)D concentrations is stronger in participants with high plasma insulin concentrations compared with those with low plasma insulin concentrations. Conclusion Higher 25(OH)D concentrations significantly associated with better attention and working memory performance. This study does not demonstrate an interplay between serum 25(OH)D and glucose homeostasis in the association with cognitive performance

The Certification of the Number of Colony Forming Particles of Salmonella Typhimurium and Number-Fraction of Negative Capsules from Artificially Contaminated Milk Powder CRM 507R.

Abstract not availableJRC.D-Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (Geel

Prevalence of potentially pathogenic Bacillus cereus in food commodities in The Netherlands

Randomly selected food commodities, categorized in product groups, were investigated for the presence and number of Bacillus cereus bacteria. If positive, and when possible, five separate colonies were isolated and investigated for the presence of four virulence factors: presence of genes encoding three enterotoxins (hemolysin BL [HBL], nonhemolytic enterotoxin [NHE], and cytotoxin K) and the ability to produce cereulide. In addition, the presence of psychrotrophic and mesophilic signatures was determined. The genes for NHE are found in more than 97% of the isolates, those for HBL in approximately 66% of the isolates, and the gene for cytotoxin K in nearly 50% of the isolates. Significant associations between product groups and (combinations of) virulence factors were the relatively low percentage of isolates from the "flavorings" group containing genes encoding NHE and the higher-than-average occurrence of both the genes encoding HBL and NHE in the "pastry" group. Cereulide was produced by 8.2% of the isolates but only in combination with the presence of genes for one or more other virulence factors. Most isolates (89.9%) were mesophilic; minorities of the isolates were psychrotrophic (4.4%) or of intermediate signature (5.7%). In the product group "milk and milk products," the incidence of strains with psychrotrophic or intermediate signatures is significantly higher than in the other product groups. In the product groups "flavorings," "milk and milk products," "vegetable(s) and vegetable products," "pastry," and "ready-to-eat foods," a relatively high number of samples contain high numbers of B. cereus bacteria. Within the product group "ready-to-eat foods," the products containing rice and pasta show a relatively high incidence of high numbers of B. cereus bacteri

Surveillance van STEC in Nederland, 2018

In 1999 startte de surveillance van shigatoxineproducerende Escherichia coli (STEC) in Nederland met de meldingen van STEC O157-infecties. In 2007 zijn STEC non-O157-infecties hieraan toegevoegd. Per juli 2016 is de focus van de STEC-surveillance verschoven naar acute en ernstige(re) infecties middels nieuwe meldingscriteria. In 2018 werden 488 patiënten met een STEC-infectie gemeld, waarvan 59 patiënten met een STEC O157-infectie, 87 met een STEC non-O157-infectie, waaronder 23 STEC O26, en 342 patiënten met STEC zonder verdere typering. 21 patiënten werden gemeld met hemolytisch-uremisch syndroom (HUS) (5x O157, 6x O26, 10x zonder informatie over O-typering). STEC O157 blijft daarmee het belangrijkste serotype in Nederland, gevolgd door STEC O26. Voor het vaststellen van mogelijke bronnen van infectie onderzoekt de Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit (NVWA) monsters van voedsel en landbouwhuisdieren op STEC. In de niet-humane isolaten werden voornamelijk STEC O146, O113, O38 en O91 aangetroffen. Door de overstap naar het gebruik van whole genome sequencing (WGS) voor alle STEC-isolaten, is de clusterdetectie versneld en verbeterd. Er werden in 2018 meerdere WGS-clusters van patiëntisolaten gezien, maar geen met zowel humane als voedselisolaten. Met de invoering van de nieuwe meldingscriteria is het aantal meldingen gedaald, maar stijgt het aandeel meldingen zonder isolaat. Dit vormt een bedreiging voor de surveillance, omdat het opsporen van een cluster zeer afhankelijk is van de beschikbaarheid van een STEC-typering, en de bevestiging van een cluster met WGS wordt gedaan.STEC is een bacterie die maag-darmklachten kan veroorzaken. De symptomen variëren van diarree tot hemorragische colitis en HUS. (1) STEC is een zoönose waarvan herkauwers, met name runderen, het belangrijkste reservoir zijn. (2) STEC-infecties zijn vaak het gevolg van de consumptie van besmet voedsel, maar transmissie via het milieu lijkt ook belangrijk. (2, 3) Acute STEC-infecties zijn meldingsplichtig volgens de Wet publieke gezondheid (Wpg), vanwege de ernst van de ziekte - vooral bij kleine kinderen en ouderen - en het risico op grootschalige uitbraken. In dit artikel presenteren we de resultaten van de surveillance voor het jaar 2018

Consumption of raw vegetables and fruits: a risk factor for Campylobacter infections

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of Campylobacter in fresh vegetables and fruits at retail level in the Netherlands, and to estimate its implications on the importance of vegetables and fruits as risk factor for campylobacteriosis. Thirteen of the 5640 vegetable and fruit samples were Campylobacter positive, resulting in a prevalence of 0.23% (95% confidence interval (Cl): 0.12–0.39%). The prevalence of packaged products (0.36%, 95% Cl: 0.17–0.66) was significantly higher than of unpackaged products (0.07; 95% Cl: 0.01–0.27). No statistical differences were found between seasons. Combining the mean prevalence found in this study with data on the consumption of vegetables and fruits, an exposure of 0.0048 campylobacters ingested per person per day in the Netherlands by transmission via vegetables and fruits, was calculated. This exposure, as input in a Beta-Poisson dose–response model, resulted in an estimated number of 5.3 × 105 cases of infection with Campylobacter per year for the whole Dutch population. This constitutes the consumption of raw vegetables and fruits, especially when packaged, to be a risk factor for Campylobacter infection

Consumption of raw vegetables and fruits: a risk factor for Campylobacter infections

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of Campylobacter in fresh vegetables and fruits at retail level in the Netherlands, and to estimate its implications on the importance of vegetables and fruits as risk factor for campylobacteriosis. Thirteen of the 5640 vegetable and fruit samples were Campylobacter positive, resulting in a prevalence of 0.23% (95% confidence interval (Cl): 0.12–0.39%). The prevalence of packaged products (0.36%, 95% Cl: 0.17–0.66) was significantly higher than of unpackaged products (0.07; 95% Cl: 0.01–0.27). No statistical differences were found between seasons. Combining the mean prevalence found in this study with data on the consumption of vegetables and fruits, an exposure of 0.0048 campylobacters ingested per person per day in the Netherlands by transmission via vegetables and fruits, was calculated. This exposure, as input in a Beta-Poisson dose–response model, resulted in an estimated number of 5.3 × 105 cases of infection with Campylobacter per year for the whole Dutch population. This constitutes the consumption of raw vegetables and fruits, especially when packaged, to be a risk factor for Campylobacter infection

Systematic review on daily vitamin B12 losses and bioavailability for deriving recommendations on vitamin B12 intake with the factorial approach

Aims: To systematically review the literature on daily losses and bioavailability of vitamin B12. These estimates could be used for deriving recommendations on vitamin B12 intake for adults and elderly. Methods: We identified publications on daily vitamin B12 losses (July 2011) and publications on the bioavailability of vitamin B12 from foods or diets (June 2010) in MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library. Results: A pooled analysis of five studies (52 subjects) showed that 0.13 ± 0.03% of the total body store is lost per day. Absorption of vitamin B12 ranged from 4.5 (dose of 38 µg from consumption of liver) to 83% (dose of 3.0 µg from consumption of mutton meat). Data from eight studies including 83 subjects suggested that the amount of vitamin B12 absorbed from food (Ai) increased with increasing doses of vitamin B12 (Di) as described by the equation: ln(Ai) = 0.7694 * ln(Di) - 0.9614. Conclusion: Daily vitamin B12 losses in apparently healthy adults and elderly probably range from 1.4 to 5.1 µg. Vitamin B12 intakes needed to compensate for these losses seem to range from 3.8 to 20.7 µg. More evidence is needed on the relationships between biochemical markers of vitamin B12 status, vitamin B12 body store and long-term health outcomes to evaluate whether current recommendations on vitamin B12 intake (1.4-3 µg) need to be changed