Oncostatin M: Risks and Benefits of a Novel Therapeutic Target for Atherosclerosis

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death worldwide. It is predicted that approximately 23.6 million people will die from CVDs annually by 2030. Therefore, there is a great need for an effective therapeutic approach to combat this disease. The European Cardiovascular Target Discovery (CarTarDis) consortium identified...

Quantitative risk reduction through peanut immunotherapy: Safety benefits of an increased threshold in Europe

Background: The clinical relevance of increasing an allergic individual's peanut sensitivity threshold by immunotherapy, that is, eliciting dose (ED) to 300 or 1000 mg peanut protein, has not been previously characterized in a European population. In this study, we quantify the clinical benefits of an increased threshold of reaction following...

To screen or not to screen for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis? A review of the literature

Objectives: Over the years, there has been much debate about the desirability and efficacy of screening for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. To analyse the current evidence from a public health point of view a renewed evaluation of the literature was performed. Study design: Literature review. Methods: We performed two literature searches: from...

Personalised nutrition: Status and perspectives

Personalised, genotype-based nutrition is a concept that links genotyping with specific nutritional advice in order to improve the prevention of nutrition-associated, chronic diseases. This review describes the current scientific basis of the concept and discusses its problems. There is convincing evidence that variant genes may indeed determine...

Alcohol and ischaemic heart disease [7]

Meta-analysis of the relationship between alcohol consumption and coronary heart disease and mortality in type 2 diabetic patients

Aims/hypothesis: This systematic review examines the relationship between alcohol consumption and long-term complications of type 2 diabetes. Meta-analyses could only be performed for total mortality, mortality from CHD, and CHD incidence, because the availability of articles on other complications was too limited. Materials and methods: A...

Nutrigenomics: Exploiting systems biology in the nutrition and health arenas

Time to threshold (TT), a safety parameter for heating by diagnostic ultrasound

Activities in the standardisation of medical ultrasonic imaging and monitoring devices have been undertaken to ensure the safe application and to provide the user with tools to perform risk-to-benefit analysis. Internationally, agreement has not been reached to implement a system based on a physical quantity such as temperature rise. Therefore,...

The Effect of Various Inulins and Clostridium difficile on the Metabolic Activity of the Human Colonic Microbiota in vitro

The influence of inulins with different average degree of polymerization (ranging from 3 to 25) on the metabolic activity of the human colonic microbiota with or without the addition of Clostridium difficile was investigated in vitro. The in vitro system used was a dynamic, computer-controlled model that simulates the conditions of the proximal...

The Effect of Lactulose on the Composition of the Intestinal Microbiota and Short-chain Fatty Acid Production in Human Volunteers and a Computer-controlled Model of the Proximal Large Intestine

The objective of this study was to compare the in vivo effect of lactulose on faecal parameters with the effect in a dynamic, computer-controlled in vitro model of the proximal large intestine (TIM-2). Faecal samples from 10 human volunteers collected before (non-adapted) and after 1 week of treatment (10 g/day) with lactulose (lactulose-adapted...

Health promotion and disease prevention as a complement to community health indicators: Working group 1

The aim of Working Group 1 has been to assess health promotion and disease prevention activities in terms of benefits, risks, and economic, social, and ethical implications as a complement to community health indicators. Objectives: The objectives delineated for Working Group 1 were: 1) to analyze current initiatives to assess health promotion...

Responding to consumer needs: Risk-benefit analysis of fortification

In spite of an on average adequate dietary nutrient intake and status in most European countries, for some micronutrients (e.g. folate, vitamin D, B2, B6, B12 (in elderly), iron and iodine) subgroups have been identified which may be at risk and may benefit from a higher intake, especially elderly and (pregnant) women. In this paper the...

Lactulose stimulates calcium absorption in postmenopausal women

Animal studies have indicated that calcium absorption is increased by lactulose, a synthetic disaccharide. Therefore, the influence of lactulose on calcium absorption was measured in postmenopausal women who may benefit from the possible enhancing effect of lactulose on calcium absorption. Twelve postmenopausal women drank 100 ml of water...

Risk assessment and management of new and existing chemicals

An evaluation was made of the recently developed risk assessment methodologies for new and existing chemicals in the European Communities. The evaluation also included the methodologies to prioritize chemicals and procedures for risk management, i.e., the (draft) guidance document for the development of strategies for risk reduction. The way in...