Raw and Processed Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and 10-Year Coronary Heart Disease Incidence in a Population-Based Cohort Study in the Netherlands

Background: Prospective cohort studies have shown that high fruit and vegetable consumption is inversely associated with coronary heart disease (CHD). Whether food processing affects this association is unknown. Therefore, we quantified the association of fruit and vegetable consumption with 10-year CHD incidence in a population-based study in the Netherlands and the effect of processing on these associations. Methods: Prospective population-based cohort study, including 20,069 men and women aged 20 to 65 years, enrolled between 1993 and 1997 and free of cardiovascular disease at baseline. Diet was assessed using a validated 178-item food frequency questionnaire. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated for CHD incidence using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Results: During a mean follow-up time of 10.5y, 245 incident cases of CHD were documented, which comprised 211 nonfatal acute myocardial infarctions and 34 fatal CHD events. The risk of CHD incidence was 34 % lower for participants with a high intake of total fruit and vegetables (.475 g/d; HR: 0.66; 95 % CI: 0.45–0.99) compared to participants with a low total fruit and vegetable consumption (#241 g/d). Intake of raw fruit and vegetables (.262 g/d vs #92 g/d; HR: 0.70; 95 % CI: 0.47–1.04) as well as processed fruit and vegetables (.234 g/d vs #113 g/d; HR: 0.79; 95 % CI: 0.54–1.16) were inversely related with CHD incidence

Effectiveness of customary use of phytosterol/-stanol enriched margarines on blood cholesterol lowering.

Postlaunch monitoring of functional foods can encompass monitoring of effectiveness under conditions of customary use. To this end, the effectiveness of phytosterol/-stanol enriched margarine consumption in free-living conditions was investigated with data from the Dutch "Doetinchem cohort study". In total, 4,505 subjects (aged 26-70 years) were examined in 1994-1998 and re-examined during 1999-2003. A general and a food frequency questionnaire and non-fasting blood samples for total and HDL cholesterol determination were obtained. Subjects were stratified into phytosterol/-stanol enriched margarine users (n = 84) and non-users (n = 4,421) based on the re-examination data, as these margarines were available on the Dutch market from 1999 onwards. Mean spontaneous daily use (g +/- SD) of phytosterol-containing margarine (n = 71) was 15 +/- 8 and of phytostanol-containing margarine (n = 13) 9+/-6. After five years, total blood cholesterol had increased with 0.26 mmol/l in non-users while it had not significantly changed in users. The difference in total blood cholesterol change in users versus non-users was -0.30 mmol/l (p < 0.001). The beneficial effect of the phytosterol/-stanol enriched margarine, used under customary conditions can be characterized as a stabilization of cholesterol levels. This is the first report finding a modest beneficial effect on blood cholesterol level under customary conditions thereby partly confirming findings from clinical trials

Проблема развития финансовой системы Украины в условиях глобализации

Целью исследования является изучение взаимодействия фондовых рынков Восточной Европе на примере нескольких стран.Метою дослідження є вивчення взаємодії фондових ринків Східної Європи на прикладі декількох країн

Hypertension is frequently present in patients with reflux esophagitis or Barrett's esophagus but not in those with non-ulcer dyspepsia

Background: Elevated mortality due to cardiovascular disease has been reported for patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE). We compared the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in patients with BE, reflux esophagitis (RE), and non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) with that of the general population. Methods: Patients with upper gastrointestinal complaints and BE, RE, or NUD were compared with a matched cohort from the general population using a questionnaire and blood pressure and cholesterol measurements. Results: Hypertension occurred more frequently in patients with BE (odds ratio 5.1, P<0.0001) and RE (odds ratio 3.8, P<0.001), but not in those with NUD. Serum total cholesterol was higher in BE (P=0.02) and borderline in RE (P=0.06) but not in NUD. Mean HDL cholesterol levels, body mass index, and smoking did not differ. Conclusions: This study suggests that BE and RE found at diagnostic endoscopy are associated with an increased prevalence of hypertension and a higher total cholesterol level than in the general population. If so, this would explain the increased mortality during the follow-up of BE patients, and it should be taken into account when designing or evaluating follow-up studies of BE

Sitting Behaviors and Mental Health among Workers and Nonworkers: The Role of Weight Status

Objective. To explore the associations between sitting time in various domains and mental health for workers and nonworkers and the role of weight status. Design. Cross-sectional analyses were performed for 1064 respondents (47% men, mean age 59 years) from the Doetinchem Cohort Study 2008-2009. Sedentary behavior was measured by self-reported time spent sitting during transport, leisure time, and at work. Mental health was assessed by the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5). BMI was calculated based on measured body height and weight. Results. Neither sitting time during transport nor at work was associated with mental health. In the working population, sitting during leisure time, and particularly TV viewing, was associated with poorer mental health. BMI was an effect modifier in this association with significant positive associations for healthy-weight non-workers and obese workers. Conclusion. Both BMI and working status were effect modifiers in the relation between TV viewing and mental health. More longitudinal research is needed to confirm the results and to gain insight into the causality and the underlying mechanisms for the complex relationships among sedentary behaviors, BMI, working status, and mental health

SOX9 has distinct roles in the formation and progression of different non-small cell lung cancer histotypes

The transcription factor SOX9 is a key regulator of multiple developmental processes and is frequently re-expressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Its precise role in the progression of NSCLC histotypes has, however, remained elusive. We show that SOX9 expression relates to poor overall survival and invasive histopathology in human non-mucinous adenocarcinoma and is absent in murine early minimally invasive and low in human in situ adenocarcinoma. Interestingly, despite wide SOX9 expression across advanced NSCLC histotypes, its genetic deletion in the murine Kras(G12D);Lkb1(fl/fl) model selectively disrupted only the growth of papillary NSCLC, without affecting the initiation of precursor lesions or growth of mucinous or squamous tissue. Spatial tissue phenotyping indicated a requirement of SOX9 expression for the progression of surfactant protein C-expressing progenitor cells, which gave rise to papillary tumours. Intriguingly, while SOX9 expression was dispensable for squamous tissue formation, its loss in fact led to enhanced squamous tumour metastasis, which was associated with altered collagen IV deposition in the basement membrane. Our work therefore demonstrates histopathology-selective roles for SOX9 in NSCLC progression, namely as a promoter for papillary adenocarcinoma progression, but an opposing metastasis-suppressing role in squamous histotype tissue. This attests to a pleiotropic SOX9 function, linked to the cell of origin and microenvironmental tissue contexts. (c) 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.Peer reviewe

Health literacy among older adults is associated with their 10-years' cognitive functioning and decline - the Doetinchem Cohort Study.

Many older adults have low levels of health literacy which affects their ability to participate optimally in healthcare. It is unclear how cognitive decline contributes to health literacy. To study this, longitudinal data are needed. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the associations of cognitive functioning and 10-years' cognitive decline with health literacy in older adults

The beginning of time? Evidence for catastrophic drought in Baringo in the early nineteenth century

New developments in the collection of palaeo-data over the past two decades have transformed our understanding of climate and environmental history in eastern Africa. This article utilises instrumental and proxy evidence of historical lake-level fluctuations from Baringo and Bogoria, along with other Rift Valley lakes, to document the timing and magnitude of hydroclimate variability at decadal to century time scales since 1750. These data allow us to construct a record of past climate variation not only for the Baringo basin proper, but also across a sizable portion of central and northern Kenya. This record is then set alongside historical evidence, from oral histories gathered amongst the peoples of northern Kenya and the Rift Valley and from contemporary observations recorded by travellers through the region, to offer a reinterpretation of human activity and its relationship to environmental history in the nineteenth century. The results reveal strong evidence of a catastrophic drought in the early nineteenth century, the effects of which radically alters our historical understanding of the character of settlement, mobility and identity within the Baringo–Bogoria basin