Novel relationships between B12, folate and markers of inflammation, oxidative stress and NAD(H) levels, systemically and in the CNS of a healthy human cohort.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between folate, cobalamin (Cbl), and homocysteine (Hcy), and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress within the periphery and central nervous system (CNS) of a healthy human cohort.

Methods: Thirty-five matched cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma samples were collected from consenting participants who required a spinal tap for the administration of anaesthetic. Plasma concentrations of Hcy and both plasma and CSF levels of folate, Cbl, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(H)) and markers of inflammation (interleukin-6, IL-6), and oxidative stress (F2-isoprostanes, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC)) were quantified.

Effect of umbilical cord blood prefreeze variables on postthaw viability.

Background: Assessment of the overall postthaw (PT) viability of an umbilical cord blood (UCB) unit is an important criterion for determining the quality of the unit for transplantation. Overall PT viability is a measure of cellular damage that can occur to the UCB during collection, storage, processing, freezing, and thawing.

Study Design And Methods: This study investigated factors measured before freezing of the UCB that could affect overall PT viability of the stem cell unit from 257 collected cord blood samples.

Effect of maternal iron status on the number of CD34+ stem cells harvested from umbilical cord blood.

Background: Hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) from umbilical cord blood (UCB) are an alternative source of stem cells. However an adequate number of HPCs must be harvested from each UCB sample to make therapeutic applications possible. This study investigated the impact of selected maternal indices (in particular iron status) on the number of CD34+ cells collected in the UCB.

Dietary factors influence production of the soy isoflavone metabolite s-(-)equol in healthy adults.

S-(-)equol, an intestinally derived metabolite of the soy isoflavone daidzein, is proposed to enhance the efficacy of soy diets. Adults differ in their ability to produce equol when consuming soy foods for reasons that remain unclear. Therefore, we performed a comprehensive dietary analysis of 143 macro- and micronutrients in 159 healthy adults in the United States (n = 89) and Australia (n = 70) to determine whether the intake of specific nutrients favors equol production.

Vitamin B₁₂ and vegetarian diets.

Vitamin B₁₂ is found almost exclusively in animal-based foods and is therefore a nutrient of potential concern for those following a vegetarian or vegan diet. Vegans, and anyone who significantly limits intake of animal-based foods, require vitamin B₁₂-fortified foods or supplements. Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency has several stages and may be present even if a person does not have anaemia.

Predicting overall viability of cord blood harvests.

Background: Cord blood (CB) is a product rich in primitive adult stem cells used in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. After collection, the CB is transported to a facility where the unit is processed and then frozen up to 48 hours later. These processes can lead to compromised white blood cell (WBC) viability.

The relative impact of a vegetable-rich diet on key markers of health in a cohort of Australian adolescents.

Childhood obesity is a widespread health problem in Australia. Overweight in childhood can lead to adult overweight and the development of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Effective strategies for reducing childhood obesity are urgently required.

Macrocytosis--an Australian general practice perspective.

Background: Clinicians' approaches to identifying and investigating red blood cell macrocytosis are variable. There is little literature on the Australian primary care approach.

Methods: Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in blood counts from an urban Australian general practice were calculated and general practitioners in the surrounding division were surveyed on their experience of and approach to investigating macrocytosis.

Comparison of the dietary cobalt intake in three different Australian diets.

Differences in the dietary intake of cobalt were assessed for vegans, lacto-ovo-vegetarian and non-vegetarian Australians using food intake logs, and daily or average trend recall over three months. A significant decrease in cobalt intake was observed for the lacto-ovo-vegetarian population compared with the intake in vegans and omnivores. There is no RDI for cobalt, however, the cobalt intake of Australians was similar to that reported in other countries.

Analysis of the cobalt content in Australian foods.

The cobalt content of Australian foods is unknown, and as this content is, at least in part, related to the respective concentrations in the Australian soil, data collected previously in other countries may not reflect the levels in Australian produce. To compare reported food cobalt levels to that found in Australian foods, one hundred and fifty different food and beverage items from each of the major food groups were selected for analysis, based on annual sales figures in Australia. Food digests were analysed for cobalt content using a Finnigan High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer.