Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free Oats: A Canadian Position Based on a Literature Review.

This paper provides an overview of the latest scientific data related to the safety of uncontaminated oats (<20 ppm of gluten) in the diet of individuals with celiac disease (CD). It updates the previous Health Canada position posted on the Health Canada website in 2007 and a related paper published in 2009. It considers a number of recent studies published between January 2008 and January 2015.

Developmental neurotoxicity of polybrominated diphenyl ethers mixture de71 in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are a class of brominated flame retardants that are recognized as global environmental contaminants and a potential adverse health risk. The objective of this study was to evaluate the developmental impacts on rat Sprague-Dawley (SD) pups at postnatal day (PND) 11, 21, 50, 105, and 250 after perinatal exposure to a DE71 mixture. These PNDs corresponded to juveniles, young, and mature adults, respectively.

Clinical features and symptom recovery on a gluten-free diet in Canadian adults with celiac disease.

Background: Celiac disease can present with mild or nongastrointestinal symptoms, and may escape timely recognition. The treatment of celiac disease involves a gluten-free diet, which is complex and challenging.

Objective: To evaluate clinical features and symptom recovery on a gluten-free diet in a Canadian adult celiac population.

Effects of environmentally relevant mixtures of persistent organic pollutants on the developmental neurobiology in rats.

We report the developmental neuropathology for rat pups at postnatal day (PND) 37 and PND 77 and the molecular biomarkers for PND 35, 75, and 350 after perinatal exposure to a reconstituted mixture of persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs) based on the blood profiles of people living in the Great Lake Basin. The developmental neuropathology included routine histopathology evaluation, quantification of cell proliferation and death in the subventricular zone, linear morphometric measurements, and transcriptional analysis. No histopathological, structural, or stereological changes were observed in animals treated with the POPs or Aroclor 1254, on PND 37 or PND 77.

Introduction of oats in the diet of individuals with celiac disease: a systematic review.

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disease, triggered in genetically susceptible individuals by ingested gluten from wheat, rye, barley, and other closely related cereal grains. The only treatment for celiac disease is a strict gluten-free diet for life. This paper presents a systematic review of the scientific literature on the safety of pure oats for individuals with celiac disease, which historically has been subject to debate.

Domoic acid toxicologic pathology: a review.

Domoic acid was identified as the toxin responsible for an outbreak of human poisoning that occurred in Canada in 1987 following consumption of contaminated blue mussels [Mytilus edulis]. The poisoning was characterized by a constellation of clinical symptoms and signs. Among the most prominent features described was memory impairment which led to the name Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning [ASP].

Regional susceptibility to domoic acid in primary astrocyte cells cultured from the brain stem and hippocampus.

Domoic acid is a marine biotoxin associated with harmful algal blooms and is the causative agent of amnesic shellfish poisoning in marine animals and humans. It is also an excitatory amino acid analog to glutamate and kainic acid which acts through glutamate receptors eliciting a very rapid and potent neurotoxic response. The hippocampus, among other brain regions, has been identified as a specific target site having high sensitivity to DOM toxicity.

Neuroexcitatory targets in the female reproductive system of the nonhuman primate (Macaca fascicularis).

Glutamate receptors (GluRs) have been implicated in brain function and pathology. Their presence in peripheral tissues suggests a vital role in the pathophysiology of various organ systems. In earlier studies, the authors reported the differential distribution of ionotropic and metabotropic GluRs in neural and nonneural peripheral tissues of the rat.

Toxicological effects of in utero and lactational exposure of rats to a mixture of environmental contaminants detected in Canadian Arctic human populations.

As part of the program to investigate mixture effects of environmental pollutants, this study describes clinical, biochemical, and histopathological effects in rats perinatally exposed to a mixture of persistent organochlorine pollutants and methylmercury that simulates the blood contaminant profile of humans residing in the Canadian Arctic. Groups of pregnant rats were administered orally 0, 0.05, 0.

Consumption of pure oats by individuals with celiac disease: a position statement by the Canadian Celiac Association.

The treatment of celiac disease is a strict adherence to a gluten-free diet for life. In the past, oats were considered to be toxic to individuals with celiac disease and were not allowed in a gluten-free diet. However, recent evidence suggests that oats that are pure and uncontaminated with other gluten-containing grains, if taken in limited quantities, are safe for most individuals with celiac disease.

Human heart glutamate receptors - implications for toxicology, food safety, and drug discovery.

Excitatory amino acids (EAAs) mediate their effects through the glutamate receptors (GluRs) in the brain. GluRs play an important role in the treatment of a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions and are central to the neurotoxicity of EAAs such as domoic and kainic acid. Unstained histological preparations of human heart tissues were used for the histopathological assessment, the anatomical identification of specific cardiac structures and the presence of the GluRs.

Toxicological effects of gestational and lactational exposure to a mixture of persistent organochlorines in rats: systemic effects.

A large multi-disciplinary study was conducted to investigate the systemic, neurodevelopmental, neurochemical, endocrine, and molecular pathological effects of a mixture of reconstituted persistent organochlorine pollutants (POP) based on the blood profiles of Canadians residing in the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence region. This report outlines the overall study design and describes the systemic effects in rat offspring perinatally exposed to the POP mixture.

Early developmental neurotoxicity of a PCB/organochlorine mixture in rodents after gestational and lactational exposure.

The developmental and neurobehavioral effects of gestational and lactational exposure to a mixture of 14 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 11 organochlorine pesticides was examined and compared against the commercial PCB mixture Aroclor 1254. The mixture was based on blood levels reported in Canadian populations living in the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence basin.

Neural injury biomarkers of novel shellfish toxins, spirolides: a pilot study using immunochemical and transcriptional analysis.

In 1991, routine biotoxin monitoring of bivalve molluscs at aquaculture sites along the eastern shore of Nova Scotia, Canada revealed a group of novel seafood toxins called spirolides, whose origin was the dinoflagellate Alexandrium ostenfeldii. Result from this preliminary study in rodents demonstrates a highly toxic lethal response in rats and mice after intraperitoneal injections of lipophilic extracts. To elucidate the modes of action and toxicologic pathology, brain and internal organs were examined by histology and various biomarkers of neural injury were monitored by immunohistochemistry (IH) and/or transcriptional analysis.

The monkey (Macaca fascicularis) heart neural structures and conducting system: an immunochemical study of selected neural biomarkers and glutamate receptors.

The neural markers, protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5), neurofilaments (NF) and glutamate receptors (GluRs) were visualized by immunohistochemistry in the monkey heart.