Effect of investigative laparoscopy on bladder pain syndrome: a prospective cohort trial.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Chronic pelvic pain is a debilitating condition, and establishing both an etiology and a successful management plan is challenging. Bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is one such etiology, with some studies reporting a prevalence of up to 50% in women with chronic pelvic pain (Van De Merwe et al. Eur Urol 53: 60-67, 2008; Cervigni and Natale Int J Urol 21: 85-88, 2014).

Systematic review using meta-analyses to estimate dose-response relationships between iodine intake and biomarkers of iodine status in different population groups.

The objective of this systematic review was to identify studies investigating iodine intake and biomarkers of iodine status, to assess the data of the selected studies, and to estimate dose-response relationships using meta-analysis. All randomized controlled trials, prospective cohort studies, nested case-control studies, and cross-sectional studies that supplied or measured dietary iodine and measured iodine biomarkers were included. The overall pooled regression coefficient (β) and the standard error of β were calculated by random-effects meta-analysis on a double-log scale, using the calculated intake-status regression coefficient (β) for each individual study.

Biomarker responses to folic acid intervention in healthy adults: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: The task of revising dietary folate recommendations for optimal health is complicated by a lack of data quantifying the biomarker response that reliably reflects a given folate intake.

Objective: We conducted a dose-response meta-analysis in healthy adults to quantify the typical response of recognized folate biomarkers to a change in folic acid intake.

Design: Electronic and bibliographic searches identified 19 randomized controlled trials that supplemented with folic acid and measured folate biomarkers before and after the intervention in apparently healthy adults aged ≥18 y.

EURRECA-Estimating zinc requirements for deriving dietary reference values.

Zinc was selected as a priority micronutrient for EURRECA, because there is significant heterogeneity in the Dietary Reference Values (DRVs) across Europe. In addition, the prevalence of inadequate zinc intakes was thought to be high among all population groups worldwide, and the public health concern is considerable. In accordance with the EURRECA consortium principles and protocols, a series of literature reviews were undertaken in order to develop best practice guidelines for assessing dietary zinc intake and zinc status.

EURRECA-Estimating selenium requirements for deriving dietary reference values.

Current reference values for selenium, an essential micronutrient, are based on the intake of selenium that is required to achieve maximal glutathione peroxidase activity in plasma or erythrocytes. In order to assess the evidence of relevance to setting dietary reference values for selenium, the EURRECA Network of Excellence focused on systematic searches, review, and evaluation of (i) selenium status biomarkers and evidence for relationships between intake and status biomarkers, (ii) selenium and health (including the effect of intake and/or status biomarkers on cancer risk, immune function, HIV, cognition, and fertility), (iii) bioavailability of selenium from the diet, and (iv) impact of genotype/single nucleotide polymorphisms on status or health outcomes associated with selenium. The main research outputs for selenium and future research priorities are discussed further in this review.

EURRECA-Estimating iron requirements for deriving dietary reference values.

Currently, a factorial approach is used to derive reference values for iron. Calculations include the use of a bioavailability factor to convert the physiological requirement, derived from obligatory losses and requirements for growth and development, into a dietary intake value. A series of systematic reviews undertaken by the EURRECA Network of Excellence aimed to identify data that may increase the accuracy of factorial calculations across all population groups.

EURRECA-Evidence-based methodology for deriving micronutrient recommendations.

The EURopean micronutrient RECommendations Aligned (EURRECA) Network of Excellence explored the process of setting micronutrient recommendations to address the variance in recommendations across Europe. Work centered upon the transparent assessment of nutritional requirements via a series of systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses. In addition, the necessity of assessing nutritional requirements and the policy context of setting micronutrient recommendations was investigated.

Effect of iron intake on iron status: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: The response of status biomarkers to an increase in iron supply depends on several physiologic and environmental factors, which make it difficult to predict the outcome of an intervention.

Objective: We assessed effects of baseline iron status, sex, menopausal status, duration of intervention, iron form, and daily dose on the change in iron status in response to iron supplementation.

Design: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of iron-supplementation and -fortification trials that assessed effects on hemoglobin, serum ferritin (SF), soluble transferrin receptor, or body iron was conducted.

Selenium and prostate cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Prostate cancer is a growing public health problem. Several human studies have shown a potentially protective effect of selenium, but the conclusions from published reports are inconsistent.

Objective: The objective was to examine the evidence for relations between selenium intake, selenium status, and prostate cancer risk.

EURRECA's approach for estimating micronutrient requirements.

In Europe, micronutrient dietary reference values have been established by (inter)national committees of experts and are used by public health policy decision-makers to monitor and assess the adequacy of diets within population groups. The approaches used to derive dietary reference values (including average requirements) vary considerably across countries, and so far no evidence-based reason has been identified for this variation. Nutrient requirements are traditionally based on the minimum amount of a nutrient needed by an individual to avoid deficiency, and is defined by the body's physiological needs.

Estimating the bioavailability factors needed for setting dietary reference values.

Estimated average requirements for micronutrients are central to deriving Dietary Reference Values. These are used for nutrition policies and programs, and also for regulatory and labeling purposes, and are traditionally devised to cover the needs of virtually all individuals in any population group. In order to estimate the average requirement, an appropriate endpoint (biomarker) is selected which describes the relationship between dietary intake and health.

Low-pH cola beverages do not affect women's iron absorption from a vegetarian meal.

Preliminary data in the literature indicate that iron absorption from a meal may be increased when consumed with low-pH beverages such as cola, and it is also possible that sugar iron complexes may alter iron availability. A randomized, crossover trial was conducted to compare the bioavailability of nonheme iron from a vegetarian pizza meal when consumed with 3 different beverages (cola, diet cola, and mineral water). Sixteen women with serum ferritin concentrations of 11-54 µg/L were recruited and completed the study.

Risk-benefit analysis of mineral intakes: case studies on copper and iron.

Dietary reference values for essential trace elements are designed to meet requirements with minimal risk of deficiency and toxicity. Risk-benefit analysis requires data on habitual dietary intakes, an estimate of variation and effects of deficiency and excess on health. For some nutrients, the range between the upper and lower limits may be extremely narrow and even overlap, which creates difficulties when setting safety margins.

Selenium in human health and disease.

This review covers current knowledge of selenium in the environment, dietary intakes, metabolism and status, functions in the body, thyroid hormone metabolism, antioxidant defense systems and oxidative metabolism, and the immune system. Selenium toxicity and links between deficiency and Keshan disease and Kashin-Beck disease are described. The relationships between selenium intake/status and various health outcomes, in particular gastrointestinal and prostate cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and male fertility, are reviewed, and recent developments in genetics of selenoproteins are outlined.

Micronutrient bioavailability research priorities.

A micronutrient bioavailability workshop, which involved international experts and members of the scientific community and the food industry, with interactive breakout sessions based on synectics principles, was organized by the International Life Sciences Institute Europe Addition of Nutrients to Food Task Force and the European Commission Network of Excellence European Micronutrient Recommendations Aligned. After presentations by experts, a series of "challenge statements" was discussed. The aim was to address topical issues, in particular those that linked bioavailability with the derivation of micronutrient requirements and dietary recommendations, to identify gaps in knowledge and to consider research priorities.

Selenium bioavailability: current knowledge and future research requirements.

Information on selenium bioavailability is required to derive dietary recommendations and to evaluate and improve the quality of food products. The need for robust data is particularly important in light of recent suggestions of potential health benefits associated with different intakes of selenium. The issue is not straightforward, however, because of large variations in the selenium content of foods (determined by a combination of geologic/environmental factors and selenium supplementation of fertilizers and animal feedstuffs) and the chemical forms of the element, which are absorbed and metabolized differently.

Plasma hepcidin concentrations significantly predict interindividual variation in iron absorption in healthy men.

Background: Iron absorption is proposed to be regulated by circulating hepcidin, but, to date, little data are available to evaluate this relation in humans.

Objective: Stored samples from a human iron absorption study were used to test the hypothesis that differences in plasma hepcidin explain interindividual variation in iron absorption.

Design: Hepcidin-25 concentrations were measured in fasting samples from men aged > or = 40 y (n = 33) recruited to a study investigating the relation between the HFE genotype, iron absorption, and iron status.

Relative bioavailability of micronized, dispersible ferric pyrophosphate added to an apple juice drink.

Background: Food iron fortification is a sustainable and relatively simple strategy to reduce/prevent iron deficiency but is a challenge for the food industry because of possible adverse organoleptic changes caused by the added iron. A micronized dispersible ferric pyrophosphate, trademarked as SunActive Fe, has recently been developed. SunActive Fe has a small particle size, is water soluble and may be suitable for fortifying liquid products.