Fortification of curry powder with NaFe(111)EDTA in an iron-deficient population: initial survey of iron status.

A survey of iron status was conducted in 984 volunteers (404 males and 580 females) from an Fe-deficient population before an Fe-fortification trial. Hemoglobin, percentage saturation of transferrin, and serum ferritin were used to assess Fe status and to calculate body Fe stores. Almost 30% of males and 60% of females had evidence of Fe deficiency. The distribution of body Fe stores for both males and females was shifted to the left compared with a population in the United States. In females 24% had Fe-deficiency anemia, 13% Fe-deficient erythropoiesis, and 16% depleted stores. Multiple regression analysis failed to show any relationship in women between age, parity, and duration of menses and measurements of Fe status. In males Fe deficiency was more frequent for those less than 18 y and alcohol abusers had increased serum ferritin and calculated body Fe compared with nondrinkers.

Fortification of curry powder with NaFe(111)EDTA in an iron-deficient population: report of a controlled iron-fortification trial.

A targeted, double-blind controlled iron fortification trial using Fe(111)-EDTA in masala (curry powder) was directed towards an Fe-deficient Indian population for 2 y. The Fe status of the fortified group improved more than that of control subjects. Improvement reached significance over control subjects for females in hemoglobin (p = 0.0005), ferritin (p = 0.0002), and body Fe stores (p = 0.001) and for males in ferritin (p = 0.04). The prevalence of Fe-deficiency anemia (IDA) decreased from 22 to 5% in fortified females. Premenopausal women, multipara women, and women with prolonged menstruation or initial IDA benefitted most from fortification. The mean increase in body Fe stores in females with initial IDA was 9.0 +/- 1.3 mmol, representing an increased absorption of 12 mumol/d. Fortified subjects with normal Fe status did not accumulate excessive body Fe and there was no alteration in serum Zn concentrations. Targeted fortification is a safe and effective means of combatting Fe deficiency.

Ascorbic acid prevents the dose-dependent inhibitory effects of polyphenols and phytates on nonheme-iron absorption.

The effects of maize-bran phytate and of a polyphenol (tannic acid) on iron absorption from a white-bread meal were tested in 199 subjects. The phytate content was varied by adding different concentrations of phytate-free and ordinary maize bran. Iron absorption decreased progressively when maize bran containing increasing amounts of phytate phosphorous (phytate P) (from 10 to 58 mg) was given. The inhibitory effect was overcome by 30 mg ascorbic acid. The inhibitory effects of tannic acid (from 12 to 55 mg) were also dose dependent. Studies suggested that greater than or equal to 50 mg ascorbic acid would be required to overcome the inhibitory effects on iron absorption of any meal containing greater than 100 mg tannic acid. Our findings indicate that it may be possible to predict the bioavailability of iron in a diet if due account is taken of the relative content in the diet of the major promoters and inhibitors of iron absorption.

Curry powder as a vehicle for iron fortification: effects on iron absorption.

Curry powder was investigated as a vehicle for targeted iron (Fe) fortification, and especially for NaFeEDTA, by assessing its acceptability to consumers and its effects on Fe absorption. A random survey in an Indian community in the Republic of South Africa, indicated that fortified premixed curry powder was acceptable in terms of color, palatability, and stability. The effect of curry powder on Fe absorption from a potato meal was assessed in 64 Indian housewives. Curry powder caused a significant though modest rise in Fe absorption in two of the studies (t = 2.716, p less than 0.05 and t = 3.126, p less than 0.025) but, in the third, the effect was noted only in the more Fe-depleted subjects. There was no enhancement of Fe absorption from a dhal soup of low-Fe bioavailability (t = 0.224, p greater than 0.1). The results of both the human and animal studies suggested that curry powder's overall mild enhancing effect on Fe absorption was due to its capacity to stimulate gastric acid secretion.

Inhibitory effect of nuts on iron absorption.

The effects on iron absorption of nuts, an important source of dietary protein in many developing countries, were measured in 137 Indian women. When the absorption from bread and nut meals (walnuts, almonds, peanuts, and hazelnuts) was compared with that from bread meals, the overall geometric mean absorption from the nut meals (1.8%) was significantly less than from the bread meals alone (6.6%, t = 9.8, p less than 0.0005). In contrast, coconut did not reduce absorption significantly. All the nuts tested contained significant amounts of two known inhibitors of Fe absorption (phytates and polyphenols) but the amounts in coconut were significantly less than in the other nuts. Fifty milligrams ascorbic acid overcame the inhibitory effects of two nuts that were tested (Brazil nuts and peanuts). This is different from that found previously for soy protein, another potent inhibitor of Fe absorption.

The relative effect of ascorbic acid on iron absorption from soy-based and milk-based infant formulas.

The effect of varying concentrations of ascorbic acid on the absorption of iron from a soy-based infant milk formula containing 6 mg iron/100 g was examined in 64 adult Indian females using the extrinsic radioactive tag method. The corrected geometric mean absorption from the basic soy formula was only 1.8%. Addition of ascorbic acid in a concentration of 40 mg/100 g, did not significantly increase absorption (3.3%; t = 1.8, p greater than 0.07) but raising the concentration to 80 mg/100 g did so (6.9%; t = 2.4, p less than 0.02). No further significant increase was noted when the concentration of ascorbic acid was increased to 160 mg/100 g (7.7%; t = 0.4, p greater than 0.7). The inhibitory effect of soy on iron absorption was further demonstrated by a direct comparison between the soy-based formula and a similar product based on cows' milk. The comparison was made at two concentrations of ascorbic acid. At 40 mg/100 g the geometric mean iron absorption from the soy formula was 2.4% compared with 5.3% from the milk formula (t = 2.8, p less than 0.02), while the corresponding values at 80 mg ascorbic acid/100 g were 7.2 and 19.5%, respectively (t = 3.4, p less than 0.02). The present results confirm the marked inhibitory effect of soy protein on iron absorption and calculations from the absorption figures suggest that such formulas should contain at least 12 mg/100 g iron together with ascorbic acid in a molar ratio of approximately 4:1 if they are to be adequate in terms of iron nutrition.

Effect of traditional oriental soy products on iron absorption.

The effect of a variety of traditional oriental unfermented and fermented soy products on iron absorption was evaluated in 242 Indian women. When compared with a soy-flour meal containing an equal amount of protein, iron absorption was found to be significantly improved with silken tofu, natto, tempeh, rice miso, barley miso, and soybean miso. This improvement could not be adequately explained except with reference to changes in the protein composition of the products. The protein fraction profiles of the soy products were obtained by size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography. An inverse relationship between food iron absorption and the high-molecular-weight fraction of the soy products was demonstrated (r = 0.66, p = 0.01). However, anomalous results obtained with three products (sufu, tempeh, and fully hydrolyzed isolated soy protein) did not make it possible to reach firm conclusions concerning the effect of the protein fraction of soy on iron bioavailability.

Morbidity from urinary schistosomiasis in relation to intensity of infection in the Natal Province of South Africa.

Morbidity from urinary schistosomiasis was assessed on clinical, radiological, parasitologic and biochemical evidence in 510 schoolchildren living in a Schistosoma haematobium endemic area. The results were viewed against the background of the prevalence and intensity of infection in the subjects. Clinical morbidity correlated well with the intensity of infection, the latter in turn being influenced by factors such as water contact pattern, sex and water source. A surprisingly high prevalence (42%) of abnormalities was observed in the urinary tract of subjects, but no relationship could be demonstrated between the intensity of infection and structural damage to the urinary tract. Urographic changes were more severe in the 11-15 year age group than in the 6-10 year group. Significant rectal involvement (76%) in S. haematobium-infected subjects was regarded as a reflection of the heavy worm burdens borne by these children. The morbidity described in this study indicates a definite degree of pathology in the infected children but the impression was that they suffered only mild disability. However, given the structural lesions seen on urography and the limited sensitivity of the biochemical tests used for the assessment of renal function, renal pathology cannot be ruled out. Further studies on the renal status of these subjects are essential.

The effect of disinfectants on perforated gloves.

Three types of gloves, 'Biogel', 'Regent Dispo Surgical' gloves and Ansell gammex were perforated, and contaminated with Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas aeruginosa as test organisms applied either to the hand or the glove surface. The glove surface was decontaminated with alcoholic chlorhexidine ('Hibisol'), methylated spirit, or soap and water. The experiments were performed in triplicate on three separate days. The experiments were designed to study the ability of the three disinfection methods to reduce the bacterial count of 10(6) colony forming units (cfu) ml-1 (applied to perforated gloves or hands) sufficiently to permit the re-use of such gloves for non-sterile ward procedures. The best method of disinfection was using alcoholic chlorhexidine which not only reduced glove surface carriage but also reduced transfer of bacteria to the hands through the perforation in the gloves. Soap and water was the least effective. Escherichia coli was more easily removed than P. aeruginosa. We recommend that non-sterile ward procedures may be carried out even after gloves have been perforated provided alcoholic chlorhexidine is used between each procedure to reduce cross-infection between patients.

Risk factors leading to coronary heart disease among the black, Indian and white peoples of Durban.

This paper compares and contrasts the important risk factors which may predispose to coronary heart disease (CHD) in the Black, Indian and White peoples of Durban. CHD is very common the Whites and Indians in South Africa. In contrast CHD is still uncommon in the Blacks of South Africa. Indians living in South Africa have a higher prevalence of CHD compared to Indians in India.

Study of risk factors leading to coronary heart disease in urban Zulus.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is still relatively uncommon in the black population of South Africa. We embarked on a study to determine the prevalence of risk factors leading to CHD in the black population of Durban. The study sample was selected from patients attending a dental clinic at a hospital. A total of 458 Zulus (age range 16-69 years) were studied. The prevalence of CHD was 2.4%. The prevalence percentage of selected risk factors were: hypertension (SBP > or = 140 mmHg and/or a DBP > or = 90 mmHg) was 28%, males 31.9%, females 25.4%; protective levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol/total cholesterol (HDLC/TC) (> or = 20%) were 81.3%; diabetes, males 4.9%, females 2.9%; smoking > or = ten cigarettes per day, males 28.1%, females 3.4%; obesity, males 3.7%, females 22.6%. We have found the Minnesota Coding System for ECG changes of CHD and Rose questionnaire to be unreliable for eliciting CHD in Blacks. Hypercholesterolaemia is less common and this may explain the low incidence of CHD in Blacks. Epidemics of CHD as seen in the Indian, 'mixed' and white South Africans can still be prevented in the black population but preventive measures must be instituted rapidly.

Effect of lupines, a protein-rich legume, on iron absorption.

The absorption of iron from lupines, a protein-rich legume, was assessed in 35 parous Indian women. Iron bioavailability was shown to be as low for lupines as soybeans (geometric mean absorptions 0.9 and 1.7 per cent respectively, P less than 0.005). The addition of 30 mg of ascorbic acid moderately improved the geometric mean iron absorption from 1.0 to 5.3 per cent (P less than 0.0001), and 60 mg ascorbic acid from 0.7 to 6.9 per cent (P less than 0.0001). The phytate and polyphenol content of lupines was negligible. The demonstration of poor iron bioavailability from a legume of otherwise rich nutritional potential has important implications in nutritional planning programmes for developing countries.

The promotive effect of soy sauce on iron absorption in human subjects.

The effects on iron absorption of a traditionally fermented Japanese soy sauce added to soy and rice meals were assessed. The addition of soy sauce to a soy flour meal could not overcome the strong inhibition of iron absorption (geometric mean absorption 7.2 per cent with soy sauce vs. 8.7 per cent without, P = 0.5). However, soy sauce added to a rice meal instead of soy flour significantly improved the geometric mean iron absorption (13.9 per cent with soy sauce vs. 5.2 per cent with soy flour, P = 0.002) and had a promotory effect on absorption from a rice meal alone (11.4 per cent with soy sauce vs. 3.5 per cent without, P = 0.0002). Although soy sauce contains appreciable amounts of organic acids, the addition of 340 mg lactic acid to rice did not enhance iron absorption (3.1 per cent with lactic acid vs. 2.2 per cent without, P = 0.11). The promotory effect of soy sauce on iron absorption appears to be due not only to its lack of soy protein content but may also be due to the presence of fermentation products other than organic acids.

GATE: a simulation toolkit for PET and SPECT.

Monte Carlo simulation is an essential tool in emission tomography that can assist in the design of new medical imaging devices, the optimization of acquisition protocols and the development or assessment of image reconstruction algorithms and correction techniques. GATE, the Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission, encapsulates the Geant4 libraries to achieve a modular, versatile, scripted simulation toolkit adapted to the field of nuclear medicine. In particular, GATE allows the description of time-dependent phenomena such as source or detector movement, and source decay kinetics. This feature makes it possible to simulate time curves under realistic acquisition conditions and to test dynamic reconstruction algorithms. This paper gives a detailed description of the design and development of GATE by the OpenGATE collaboration, whose continuing objective is to improve, document and validate GATE by simulating commercially available imaging systems for PET and SPECT. Large effort is also invested in the ability and the flexibility to model novel detection systems or systems still under design. A public release of GATE licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License can be downloaded at http:/www-lphe.epfl.ch/GATE/. Two benchmarks developed for PET and SPECT to test the installation of GATE and to serve as a tutorial for the users are presented. Extensive validation of the GATE simulation platform has been started, comparing simulations and measurements on commercially available acquisition systems. References to those results are listed. The future prospects towards the gridification of GATE and its extension to other domains such as dosimetry are also discussed.

[Appearance of hepatitis C virus replication and increase of aminotransferase activity after corticoid treatment of presumed autoimmune hepatitis. 2 cases]. / Apparition d'une réplication du virus de l'hépatite C et augmentation de l'activité des aminotransférases après traitement corticoïde d'une hépatite présumée auto-immune. Deux observations.

Autoimmune-related and hepatitis C virus-related chronic hepatitis are sometimes difficult to differentiate. We report two cases of chronic hepatitis with high levels of serum anti-smooth muscle antibodies, positive hepatitis C virus serology, and negative serum RNA, which were first treated with corticotherapy. Both patients responded with marked increases in aminotransferase levels, and positive RNA. The first case may have been type 1 autoimmune hepatitis with hepatitis C virus infection, and the second chronic hepatitis C with positive serum auto-antibodies. The increase in viral antigen expression on the surface of the hepatocytes following corticosteroid treatment may have favoured a direct cytopathogenic effect of hepatitis C virus.

The microbe file.

SPIROCHAETES - 2 Other Treponemata(non-venereal syphilis) Treponema pertenue causes yaws, a chronic disease in Africa and South America. Spread: direct contact with infected lesions.

Development of a µ-TPC detector as a standard instrument for low-energy neutron field characterisation.

In order to measure the energy and fluence of neutron fields, in the energy range of 8 to 1 MeV, a new primary standard is being developed at the Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN). This project, Micro Time Projection Chamber (µ-TPC), carried out in collaboration with the Laboratoire de Physqique Subatomique et de Cosmologie (LPSC), is based on the nucleus recoil detector principle. The measurement strategy requires track reconstruction of recoiling nuclei down to a few kiloelectronvolts, which can be achieved using a micro-pattern gaseous detector. A gas mixture, mainly isobutane, is used as an n-p converter to detect neutrons within the detection volume. Then electrons, coming from the ionisation of the gas by the proton recoil, are collected by the pixelised anode (2D projection). A self-triggered electronics system is able to perform the anode readout at a 50-MHz frequency in order to give the third dimension of the track. Then, the scattering angle is deduced from this track using algorithms. The charge collection leads to the proton energy, taking into account the ionisation quenching factor. This article emphasises the neutron energy measurements of a monoenergetic neutron field produced at 127 keV. The fluence measurement is not shown in this article. The measurements are compared with Monte Carlo simulations using realistic neutron fields and simulations of the detector response. The discrepancy between experiments and simulations is 5 keV mainly due to the calibration uncertainties of 10 %.