1. The results obtained for 236 Viennese schoolchildren between 11 and 12 years of age indicated that 38% of children had an increased concentration of cholesterol in their serum and 3% had an increased serum triglyceride concentration..

2. The results of the preliminary study suggested that, by extending the dimensions of the screening, further problems, for example the correlation between different ‘risk’ factors and the significance of nutritional habits, might be studied.

The present study evaluated levels of growth factors and their associations with nutritional status with emphasis on stunting in children at 1 and 3 years of age. A follow-up study on a birth cohort (n 219) of children from villages in the central region of the Limpopo Province was undertaken. Of the original cohort, 156 and 162 could be traced and assessed at ages 1 and 3 years, respectively. Data collected included socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, dietary intake and fasting blood (collected from 116 and 145 children at 1 and 3 years, respectively) for growth factor analysis (insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, IGF binding protein (BP)-1, IGFBP-3, leptin, glucose and insulin). At 1 year it was found that stunted children had lower leptin levels while their IGFBP-1 levels were higher than that in normal children. These differences were, however, not observed at 3 years. Furthermore at 1 year the biochemical parameters were more related to length measures whereas at 3 years the parameters were more associated with weight measures. The observed stunting in this group of children may be a result of chronic undernutrition resulting in long-term growth faltering which is already evident at 1 year. Thus the observed phenomenon might be an adaptive mechanism adopted by children's metabolic processes as they grow up in an environment with inadequate essential nutrients due to poor weaning practices and consumption of a diet of poor quality, resulting in them gaining more weight at the expense of linear growth.

Selenium (Se) is essential for selenoprotein synthesis, being thus important for immune and thyroid function, and for antioxidant defence. Some studies have shown that low levels of Se may associate with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). Nevertheless, evidence supporting Se supplementation in pregnant or childbearing-age women is still lacking. In this context, this work aimed to systematically review the most recent scientific evidence to understand the relationship between Se levels and HDP. We performed a systematic review (protocol number: CRD42022310424) with literature of the last decade. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, registers and grey literature were searched to identify studies reporting measurement of Se levels in normotensive and hypertensive pregnant women (supplemented or not with Se). Study quality was assessed using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Study Quality Assessment Tools. Among the thirty included studies, a majority, 61 % (n 19) of the ‘good’ or ‘fair’ studies, reported a negative association between Se and HDP, and some studies, 39 % (n 11) of the ‘good’ or ‘fair’ studies, reported a lack of association. This review provides an important amount of quality evidence suggesting that low Se levels associate with the occurrence of HDP. Nevertheless, the gathered information is not enough to underlie a recommendation for Se supplementation in pregnancy to protect against HDP. Thus, this review emphasises the need for further well-designed randomised controlled trials that may provide blunt evidence regarding the benefits of Se supplementation during pregnancy.

The aim of this study was to assess the bioequivalence of H13CO-3 and H14CO-3, by administering both labels simultaneously by single infusion and comparing their recovery in breath CO2 and urinary urea. Six healthy male subjects (age range 24–41 years; weight 76·7 (SD, 18·6) KG; HEIGHT 1·79 (sd 0·05) m) were infused with unprimed solutions of HCO3- (110·0 mmol/kg) labelled with 13C (0·76 mmol 13C/h) and 14C (48 Bq/h) at a constant rate for 6 h, in a whole-body calorimeter (1400 litres) for measurement of CO2 production. Samples of breath were collected hourly in a Douglas bag and all urine was collected into two batches (0–4 h and 4–6 h) for estimating recovery of infused label by measurement of enrichment or specific activity. Recovery in breath CO2 of both labels increased from about 25% for the first hour to 88% and above for hours 3–4 onwards. Mean recovery of 13C in breath CO2 was slightly higher than that of 14C for all periods (mean difference always less than 1 % of infused label) but was significant only for the first 3h (P < 0·05). Recovery of 14C in urea was significantly higher (P < 0·01) than 13C, but was confounded by substantial variability and uncertainties concerning 13CO2 background enrichments. These results suggest that there is no compelling need to alter factors currently used for recovery of 14C in breath when using 13C instead, and vice versa.

The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of soya and whey milk protein, α-lactalbumin (α-LA), on mammary gland morphology and the structural support of the gland, in pre-pubertal mice after 7 d of treatment. In Expt 1, weaned (day 21) CD1 mice were given one of the four treatments, three included dietary supplements: (1) control diet, casein, (2) soya, (3) α-LA and (4) subcutaneous injection of 2·5 μg oestradiol benzoate in 20 μl maize oil and fed the control diet. All diets were isoenergetic with equal protein concentrations. All groups that were not treated with oestradiol received the vehicle. Whole-mount analyses were performed to determine longitudinal ductal growth and terminal end bud development. DNA was extracted from the gland and assessed by spectrophotometry (260/280 nm). Tissue extracts for extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2), tissue inhibitor of MMP2 (TIMP2), and serum oestradiol and mammary tissue epidermal growth factors (EGF) were measured by immunoassays. Expt 2 utilised the Her2/neu transgenic strain, with the same protocols. Statistical significance was determined by one-way ANOVA. From Expt 1 and 2, soya and α-LA significantly increased ductal elongation when compared with the oestrogen and control groups. These results were corroborated by data on total DNA and the ratio of MMP2:TIMP2. The ratio of MMP2:TIMP2 was affected by α-LA. Serum oestradiol was decreased only in the oestradiol-treated groups in both experiments. Soya is known to be oestrogenic and can act on epithelia directly. The mechanism by which α-LA affects glandular development is by modulating the ECM or by promoting the synthesis/activity of EGF.

1. The effects of incorporation of copper sulphate supplying 250 mg copper/kg semi-purified diet with graded amounts of calcium pantothenate (CaPa) were studied in chicks.

2. When the doses of CaPa were marginally adequate or less the Cu supplementation induced severe signs of pantothenic acid (PaA) deficiency.

3. Livers of the Cu-treated birds given low doses of PaA had lower concentrations of total and bound PaA than those of the corresponding control birds. The bound:total PaA value was also reduced.

4. The amount and concentration of coenzyme A (CoA) were significantly less in the livers of Cu-treated chicks. Fatty acid synthetase activity was not reduced.

5. It is suggested that high dietary supplements of CuSO4, induce PaA deficiency through interference in the biosynthesis of CoA.

The effects of the trace lipids (Ll and L2) extracted from two kinds of whey-mineral complex on bone metabolism were studied in young ovariectomized (OW) rats. The concentrations of oestradiol in the L1 and L2 oils were 305 and 1313 pg/ml respectively, wbile the concentrations of progesterone were 34.3 and 36.9 ng/ml respectively. Trace amounts of lα, 25dibydroxycbolecalciferol (lα29(0H)2D) were detected: 56 pg/ml in the L1 oil and 132 pg/ml in the L2 oil. The OVX rats were orally given 0.4 ml each test oil twice weekly. Other animals were given with only a vehicle (control) or an oil mixture with similar levels of oestradiol and progesterone to those in L2 oil (PE oil) for comparison. The Ca absorption rate, bone density of the humerus and femoral Ca content in the rats given L2 were significantly higher than those in the control rats (P < 0.05). Serum calcitonin and lα,25-(OH)2D from rats given L2 were both sigdicantly higher than those from the control rats, while serum progesterone in the L2 group was slightly lower. It is suggested that the bone metabolism of rats given L2 reflected the compound effect of 1,2yOH), D and oestradiol in the L2 oil. In contrast, the relatively low level of these hormones might have been associated with the mediacre bone cbarocteriStcs of the L1 group. It is suggested from these results that the trace level of hormones could be one of the reasons why wbey-mineral complex showed good Ca availability.

1. DNA synthesis in the bone marrow and lymphocytes of the vitamin B12-deficient fruit bat (Rosettus Aegyptiacus) has been studied via the deoxyuridine (dU) suppression test.

2. In contrast to vitamin B12 deficiency in man, the dU suppression test was not abnormal in the vitamin B12-deficient bat, and this correlates with the reported finding that the latter does not develop megaloblastic anaemia.

3. The protection of haemopeiesis from vitamin B12 deficiency in the bat is probably related to the presence in the bat of separate pools of methylfolate and tetrahydrofolate, which enables the bat to overcome the trapping of methylfolate attendant on vitamin B12 deficiency.

4. These results confirm the central role of the vitamin B12 and folate-dependent pathway of de novo synthesis of DNA in the pathogenesis of vitamin B12-deficient megaloblastic anaemia.

1. Sheep given constant feed were exposed to environments in which the oxygen concentration in air was either 200 or 150 ml/l. There were no differences in daily heat production, methane production, urinary energy or faecal energy losses measured over periods of 4 d.

2. When the sheep were fasted there were no differences in heat production to be ascribed to the O2 concentration in air. The thermic response to feed was unaffected by the O2 concentration in the air.

Isoflavone intake is associated with various properties beneficial to human health which are related to their antioxidant activity, for example, to their ability to increase LDL oxidation resistance. However, the distribution of isoflavones among plasma lipoproteins has not yet been elucidated in vivo. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the association between daidzein (DAI) and lipoproteins in human plasma upon administration of the aglycone and glucoside form. Five men aged 22–30 years participated in a randomised, double-blind study in cross-over design. After ingestion of DAI and daidzein-7-O-β-d-glucoside (DG) (1 mg DAI aglycone equivalents/kg body weight) blood samples were drawn before isoflavone administration as well as 1, 2, 3, 4·5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24 and 48 h post-dose. Concentrations of DAI in the different lipoprotein fractions (chylomicrons, VLDL, LDL, HDL) and in the non-lipoprotein fraction were analysed using isotope dilution capillary GC/MS. The lipoprotein fraction profiles were similar for all subjects and resembled those obtained for plasma in our previously published study. The lipoprotein distribution based on the area under the concentration–time profiles from 0 h to infinity in the different fractions were irrespective of the administered form: non-lipoprotein fraction (53 %) > LDL (20 %) > HDL (14 %) > VLDL (9·5 %) > chylomicrons (2·5 %). Of DAI present in plasma, 47 % was associated to lipoproteins. Concentrations in the different lipoprotein fractions as well as in the non-lipoprotein fraction were always higher after the ingestion of DG than of DAI. Taken together, these results demonstrate an association between isoflavones and plasma lipoproteins in vivo.

To investigate the chronological changes in conjunctival epithelium after supplementation with a massive oral dose of vitamin A, conjunctival impression cytology (CIC) with transfer was carried out repeatedly among 200 children aged 6–120 months in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in Chandigarh (India). Significant conversion to normal CIC started 71–80 d after vitamin A supplementation and by 101–110d conversion had taken place in all children. Compared with the placebo group, plasma retinol concentration at 100d post-supplement was found to be significantly higher in the vitamin A-supplemented group P = 0·04. This study demonstrates that CIC responds to a massive oral dose of vitamin A 3–4 months after supplementation. These findings should guide future studies and evaluations in which CIC is used to assess response to vitamin A interventions.

The mechanism underlying the reduced Cu status in rats fed on a high-sulphide diet was investigated. Male rats aged 6 weeks were fed ad libitum on purified diets containing either 0 or 500 mg S2-/kg and demineralized water for a period of 2 weeks. The high-sulphide diet had no effect on feed intake, body-weight gain or weight of liver and kidney bat significantly reduced Cu concentrations in plasma and kidney. Biliary Cu excretion was decreased significantly in rats fed on the high-sulphide diet. Apparent Cu absorption (Cu intake -faecal Cu) and true Cu absorption (Cu intake - (faecal Cu - biliary Cu)) were significantly lowered after sulphide feeding for 2 weeks. Rats fed on the high-sulphide diet excreted less Cu in urine than did the controls. We conclude that high sulphide intake reduces Cu status in rats through inhibition of Cu absorption which is reflected by a decrease in biliary Cu excretion as a secondary feature

To investigate exogenous triacylglycerol turnover, the time courses for labelled triolein in the liver, plasma and epididymal adipose tissue (adipose tissue) after oral administration to rats fed a fat-free or 10 % corn oil diet for 3 d after fasting overnight were examined for 10 d. After the administration of labelled triolein to rats fed the fat-free diet, the incorporation (dpm/g) into total lipids of the liver and adipose tissue each reached the maximum in 8 h and was seven times higher in the adipose tissue than in the liver. The half-lives of total lipid radioactivities during the decreasing phases were 0·39 and 2·58 d, respectively, in the rapid and slow phases of the decay curve in the liver, and 4·78 d in only one phase of the adipose tissue. Radioactivity after administration of labelled triolein was mostly found in the oleic acid in the tissues. The half-life of oleic acid was 3·92 d in the adipose tissues. These half-lives were similar in both dietary groups. Thus, although dietary corn oil reduced the triolein incorporation to cellular lipids in comparison to the fat-free diet, it did not affect these half-lives. The labelled triacylglycerol–oleic acid stayed abundantly intact for a long time in the adipose tissue and was scarcely changed to other fatty acids, whereas it was slightly incorporated into total lipids and quickly metabolized in the liver. Non-essential fatty acids may be mostly endogenous in the liver but may be exogenous and endogenous in adipose tissue.

We previously developed a malnutrition risk index, the Elderly Nutritional Index for Geriatric Malnutrition Assessment (ENIGMA) with good predictive accuracy for mortality risk in an original population cohort (SLAS1). Herein, we further evaluate the concurrent and predictive validity of the ENIGMA construct in an external validation cohort (SLAS-2) of 2824 community-dwelling older adults aged 55+ years. They were assessed on the ENIGMA index, Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) and the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), known correlates of malnutrition, and baseline and follow-up functional dependency and 10-year mortality risk. Higher ENIGMA risk categories were significantly associated (P < 0·001) with lower education, living alone, smoking, low physical activity, BMI < 18·5 kg/m2, poorer muscle strength and functional mobility, exhaustion, physical frailty, homocysteine, glomerular filtration rate, Hb, red and white blood cell counts, platelets, systemic inflammation indexes, metabolic syndrome, CVD, cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale ≥ 5). ENIGMA scores showed statistically significant (P < 0·001) correlations but low-to-moderate concordance with MNA-SF (r = 0·148, agreement = 45·9 %, kappa = 0·085) and GNRI scores (r = 0·156, agreement = 45·8 %, kappa = 0·096). Controlling for known correlates of malnutrition, only high-risk ENIGMA among the indexes significantly predicted baseline functional dependency (OR = 1·64, 95 % CI 1·01, 2·65) and mortality (hazard ratio = 1·65 (95 % CI 1·04, 2·62). ENIGMA marginally out-performed MNA-SF and GNRI in predicting baseline functional dependency (AUC: 0·625 v. 0·584 v. 0·526), follow-up functional dependency (AUC: 0·594 v. 0·525 v. 0·479) and 10-year mortality risk (AUC: 0·641 v. 0·596 v. 0·595). The concurrent and predictive validity of the ENIGMA construct is replicated in an external evaluation study of community-dwelling older persons.

Infants with slow weight gain cause concern in parents and professionals, but it is difficult to be certain whether such infants are genetically small or whether their energy intake is insufficient. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of diet and feeding behaviours on slow weight gain early in infancy. The sample was 11 499 term infants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). A total of 507 cases of slow weight gain from birth to 8 weeks were identified and the remaining 10 992 infants were used as controls. It was found that infants who gained weight slowly between birth and 8 weeks were more likely to exhibit feeding problems such as weak sucking and slow feeding during this period. Feeding problems were substantially reduced during the recovery phase (8 weeks to 2 years) when these infants exhibited enhanced catch-up in weight. The proportion of mothers breast-feeding in the 4th week after birth was higher for slow weight gainers, but they were more likely to switch to formula at the start of recovery. During recovery, slow-weight gain infants had a slightly higher energy intake from formula and solids than controls. In conclusion, feeding problems seem to be the most important factors associated with the onset of early slow weight gain. Subsequently, a reduction of feeding problems and an increase in overall energy intake may contribute to their weight recovery. Health professionals should look for feeding problems in the first few weeks after birth and help mothers establish adequate feeding practices.