Dairy products, calcium, and prostate cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Background: Dairy product and calcium intakes have been associated with increased prostate cancer risk, but whether specific dairy products or calcium sources are associated with risk is unclear.

Objective: In the Continuous Update Project, we conducted a meta-analysis of prospective studies on intakes of dairy products and calcium and prostate cancer risk.

Design: PubMed and several other databases were searched up to April 2013.

Visceral adiposity and colorectal adenomas: dose-response meta-analysis of observational studies.

Background: Obesity-related hormonal and metabolic perturbations implicated in colorectal carcinogenesis are mainly driven by visceral adipose tissue (VAT) rather than subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT). Yet, most epidemiologic studies have examined the relationship between excess adiposity and colorectal neoplasia using body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). Due to the inability of BMI and WC to distinguish VAT from SAT, they are likely to have underestimated the true association.

Childhood body mass index and wheezing disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: It has been claimed that overweight/obesity, childhood asthma and wheezing disorders are associated, although the results of observational studies have remained inconsistent. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate this.

Methods: An online search of published papers linking childhood asthma and wheezing with overweight/obesity up to May 2014 using EMBASE and MEDLINE medical research databases was carried out.

Dietary fibre intake and risk of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke in the UK Women's Cohort Study.

Background: Stroke risk is modifiable through many risk factors, one being healthy dietary habits. Fibre intake was associated with a reduced stroke risk in recent meta-analyses; however, data were contributed by relatively few studies, and few examined different stroke types.

Methods: A total of 27,373 disease-free women were followed up for 14.

Fruits, vegetables, and bladder cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Smoking is estimated to cause about half of all bladder cancer cases. Case-control studies have provided evidence of an inverse association between fruit and vegetable intake and bladder cancer risk. As part of the World Cancer Research/American Institute for Cancer Research Continuous Update Project, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies to assess the dose-response relationship between fruit and vegetables and incidence and mortality of bladder cancer.

Anthropometric factors and ovarian cancer risk: a systematic review and nonlinear dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies.

In the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research report from 2007 the evidence relating body fatness to ovarian cancer risk was considered inconclusive, while the evidence supported a probably causal relationship between adult attained height and increased risk. Several additional cohort studies have since been published, and therefore we conducted an updated meta-analysis of the evidence as part of the Continuous Update Project. We searched PubMed and several other databases up to 20th of August 2014.

Toward the harmonization of result presentation for the eosin-5'-maleimide binding test in the diagnosis of hereditary spherocytosis.

Background: The eosin-5'-maleimide (EMA) Binding test measures reduced mean channel fluorescence (MCF) reading of EMA-labeled red cells (EMA-RBCs) from patients with hereditary spherocytosis (HS). Reporting test results can be either in the actual MCF reading or as a ratio by normalization of the test MCF result to the mean MCF value of six normal controls. The latter format has potential for universal reporting.

Congenital scoliosis in non-identical twins: case reports and literature review.

Congenital scoliosis due to vertebral anomalies may occur in less than 0.1% of the population. Several different theories have been put forth in the literature to account for the etiology of congenital scoliosis and the vertebral anomalies which contribute to its development.

Caffeine intake during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

Caffeine is commonly consumed during pregnancy, crosses the placenta, with fetal serum concentrations similar to the mother's, but studies of birth outcome show conflicting findings. We systematically searched Medline and Embase for relevant publications. We conducted meta-analysis of dose-response curves for associations between caffeine intake and spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, preterm delivery, low birth weight and small for gestational age (SGA) infants.

Towards the harmonization of result presentation for the eosin-5'- maleimide (EMA) binding test in the diagnosis of hereditary spherocytosis.

Background: The EMA Binding test measures reduced mean channel fluorescence (MCF) reading of EMA-labeled red cells (EMA-RBCs) from patients with hereditary spherocytosis (HS). Reporting test results can be either in the actual MCF reading or as a ratio by normalization of the test MCF result to the mean MCF value of 6 normal controls. The latter format has potential for universal reporting.

Calcium intake and colorectal adenoma risk: dose-response meta-analysis of prospective observational studies.

Evidence from randomized controlled trials suggests that calcium may protect against recurrence of colorectal adenomas, which could lead to the subsequent prevention of cancer. Yet the trials used only a large single dose and were of small sizes, and thus, knowledge of the dose-response relationship and influence on high-risk adenomas is limited. To address these issues, we conducted linear and nonlinear dose-response meta-analyses primarily based on prospective observational studies published up to July 2014 identified from PubMed and Embase.

Use of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to detect substances of nanomolar concentration in the coronary effluent of isolated perfused hearts.

When the heart is stretched there is an abrupt increase in force that coincides with the stretch that is then followed by a second phase that develops slowly over a period of minutes, known as the "slow force response", or "SFR". The SFR is accompanied by a slow increase in the Ca(2+) transients, but the underlying cellular mechanisms are still debated. We therefore devised a simple bioassay system to investigate whether stretch released autocrine/paracrine factors that could explain the stretch-dependent Ca(2+) influx during the SFR.

Dietary patterns derived with multiple methods from food diaries and breast cancer risk in the UK Dietary Cohort Consortium.

Background/objectives: In spite of several studies relating dietary patterns to breast cancer risk, evidence so far remains inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate associations of dietary patterns derived with three different methods with breast cancer risk.

Subjects/methods: The Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), principal components analyses (PCA) and reduced rank regression (RRR) were used to derive dietary patterns in a case-control study of 610 breast cancer cases and 1891 matched controls within four UK cohort studies.

The intrinsically disordered structural platform of the plant defence hub protein RPM1-interacting protein 4 provides insights into its mode of action in the host-pathogen interface and evolution of the nitrate-induced domain protein family.

Arabidopsis thaliana (At) RPM1-interacting protein 4 (RIN4), targeted by many defence-suppressing bacterial type III effectors and monitored by several resistance proteins, regulates plant immune responses to pathogen-associated molecular patterns and type III effectors. Little is known about the overall protein structure of AtRIN4, especially in its unbound form, and the relevance of structure to its diverse biological functions. AtRIN4 contains two nitrate-induced (NOI) domains and is a member of the NOI family.

Association between sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened soft drinks and type 2 diabetes: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies.

The intake of sugar-sweetened soft drinks has been reported to be associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, but it is unclear whether this is because of the sugar content or related lifestyle factors, whether similar associations hold for artificially sweetened soft drinks, and how these associations are related to BMI. We aimed to conduct a systematic literature review and dose-response meta-analysis of evidence from prospective cohorts to explore these issues. We searched multiple sources for prospective studies on sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened soft drinks in relation to the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Telehealth Remote Monitoring Systematic Review: Structured Self-monitoring of Blood Glucose and Impact on A1C.

The aim was to summarize research on telehealth remote patient monitoring interventions that incorporate key elements of structured self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) identified as essential for improving A1C. A systematic review was conducted using the Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EMBASE, and OVID Medline databases with search terms "Telemedicine" AND "Monitoring, Physiologic" AND "Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2." Study selection criteria included original randomized clinical trials evaluating the impact of telehealth remote patient monitoring on A1C among adults with type 2 diabetes and incorporated 1 or more essential elements of SMBG identified by the International Diabetes Federation (patient education, provider education, structured SMBG profile, SMBG goals, feedback, data used to modify treatment, interactive communication or shared decision making).

Fossil palm beetles refine upland winter temperatures in the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum.

Eocene climate and associated biotic patterns provide an analog system to understand their modern interactions. The relationship between mean annual temperatures and winter temperatures-temperature seasonality-may be an important factor in this dynamic. Fossils of frost-intolerant palms imply low Eocene temperature seasonality into high latitudes, constraining average winter temperatures there to >8 °C.

General supplement use, subsequent use and cancer risk in the UK Women's Cohort Study.

Background/objectives: To determine whether general dietary supplement use is associated with cancer risk in UK women and to estimate risks related to use at one and two recording points.

Subjects/methods: Cox's proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate cancer risks for 32 665 middle-aged women in the UK Women's Cohort Study relating to any current supplement use recorded in a baseline questionnaire. During a median follow-up of 15 years, there were 3936 registered cancer incidences, including 1344 breast, 429 smoking-related and 362 colorectal cancers.

Body mass index and survival in women with breast cancer-systematic literature review and meta-analysis of 82 follow-up studies.

Background: Positive association between obesity and survival after breast cancer was demonstrated in previous meta-analyses of published data, but only the results for the comparison of obese versus non-obese was summarised.

Methods: We systematically searched in MEDLINE and EMBASE for follow-up studies of breast cancer survivors with body mass index (BMI) before and after diagnosis, and total and cause-specific mortality until June 2013, as part of the World Cancer Research Fund Continuous Update Project. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted to explore the magnitude and the shape of the associations.

A Comparison of In-person, Telephone, and Secure Messaging for Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management Support.

Unlabelled: Ongoing interaction between diabetes educators and patients is necessary for making and sustaining behavior changes essential for glycemic control and subsequently reducing the complications of diabetes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of diabetes self-management support (DSMS) delivered via telephone or secure message and to compare clinical outcomes (A1C, LDL), behavioral goal achievement, and health maintenance task completion.

Methods: In sum, 150 persons with type 2 diabetes who completed diabetes self-management education self-selected DSMS methods: 1 in-person visit (n = 47), 3 brief visits by phone (n = 44), or 3 by secure message (n = 59) through electronic health record.

Calcium intake and colorectal cancer risk: dose-response meta-analysis of prospective observational studies.

Mechanistic and epidemiologic studies provide considerable evidence for a protective association between calcium intake and incident colorectal cancer (CRC). While the relationship has not been substantiated by short-duration randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of CRC, trials do show a benefit on adenomas, a precursor to CRC. To address some of this inconsistency, we conducted dose-response meta-analyses by sources of calcium intake, based on prospective observational studies published up to December 2013 identified from PubMed, Embase, and BIOSIS.

Maternal alcohol intake prior to and during pregnancy and risk of adverse birth outcomes: evidence from a British cohort.

Background: Evidence is conflicting regarding the relationship between low maternal alcohol consumption and birth outcomes. This paper aimed to investigate the association between alcohol intake before and during pregnancy with birth weight and gestational age and to examine the effect of timing of exposure.

Methods: A prospective cohort in Leeds, UK, of 1303 pregnant women aged 18-45 years.

Adapting the Group Lifestyle Balance™ Program for Weight Management Within a Large Health Care System Diabetes Education Program.

Purpose: The purpose of this translation study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of an adapted Group Lifestyle Balance (GLB) intervention for weight management implemented through an existing diabetes education program within a large health care delivery system for overweight/obese individuals with diabetes, prediabetes, or neither condition.

Methods: Adults with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m participated in an adapted GLB intervention designed to be appropriate regardless of diabetes status. Effectiveness was based on changes in weight and minutes of physical activity between baseline and completion of the 12-week core.

Associations of maternal iron intake and hemoglobin in pregnancy with offspring vascular phenotypes and adiposity at age 10: findings from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

Background: Iron deficiency is common during pregnancy. Experimental animal studies suggest that it increases cardiovascular risk in the offspring.

Objective: To examine the relationship between maternal pregnancy dietary and supplement iron intake and hemoglobin, with offspring's arterial stiffness (measured by carotid-radial pulse wave velocity), endothelial function (measured by brachial artery flow mediated dilatation), blood pressure, and adiposity (measured by body mass index), test for mediation by cord ferritin, birth weight, gestational age, and child dietary iron intake, and for effect modification by maternal vitamin C intake and offspring sex.

A prospective cohort study of prognostic factors for the healing of heel pressure ulcers.

Background: pressure ulcers, 25-30% of which are on the heels are a major burden to patients and healthcare systems. A better understanding of factors associated with healing is required to inform treatment and research priorities.

Objectives: to identify patient and pressure ulcer characteristics associated with the healing of heel pressure ulcers.