Family resemblance in energy and macronutrient intakes: the Stanislas Family Study.

BACKGROUND: There seems to be a consensus that family influences on dietary habits are important but few studies have addressed this issue directly. The purpose of this study was to determine if and how dietary intake aggregates within families. METHODS: We examined the family aggregation of energy intake and the proportion of protein, fat and carbohydrate in the diet, estimated by a 3-day food consumption diary in 387 middle-class French families. RESULTS: For energy and all macronutrients, spouse-spouse and child-child correlations were higher than parent-child correlations suggesting the minor contribution of genetics and the preponderant role of cultural and residual random environment. Variance component analysis confirmed the absence of genetic component for energy and all macronutrients and underlined the important role of a cohabitational effect for parents. Cultural inheritance represented 30-40% of dietary intake variance for children. Families who shared meals together more often had a lower residual random component. With the increasing number of meals eaten together (> 45/week versus < or = 45/week), between-generation components increased by about 10% for fat and carbohydrate, while for protein intake, the between-generation component for both parents (about 27%) and children (about 37%) remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: The general finding that dietary intake aggregates within families and that the individual behaviours are greatly influenced by characteristics within the family unit such as the number of meals eaten together provides additional justification for health promotion programmes that target the family as the unit for intervention.

Numerical simulation of band-broadening during hydrodynamic relaxation in frit-inlet field-flow fractionation channels.

The frit-inlet technique is a promising implementation of hydrodynamic relaxation of samples in field-flow fractionation (FFF). The optimization of the process is of great importance in order to maximize overall system efficiency. The mechanism of band-broadening that takes place during hydrodynamic relaxation has been examined using a three-dimensional simulation of the flow inside the triangular end-piece of the channel. This is the first time this contribution to band-broadening has been considered and studied. Particle trajectories in the absence of a transverse field were numerically calculated, thereby isolating this effect from the familiar field-driven relaxation effect. As a first step towards an optimization of the system, the influence of the length of frit element was examined. Band-broadening was examined by determining the number of particles passing through the triangular end-piece as a function of transit time for a uniform particle distribution at the injection point. Due to the complexity of the flow patterns within the system, it is concluded that such numerical simulations are necessary for the optimization of the design and operation of this type of channel.

[Neurotoxicity of formyl leurosine. An experimental and clinical study (author's transl)]. / Neurotoxicité de la formyl leurosine. Etude expérimentale et clinique.

Leg paralysis and wallerian degeneration of sciatic nerve fibres have been produced in rats by intraneural injection of 0.5, 1 or 5 microgram of vincristine (VCR) or formyl leurosine (FLR) dissolved in 5 microliter of saline. Nerve lesions were dose-related, and were similar for equal concentrations of the two drugs. Six patients received one to three 5-day courses of FLR. The total dose of FLR administered ranged from 15 to 131 mg (mean 83 mg). Clinical signs of peripheral neuropathy were absent in four patients, and limited to orthostatic hypotension in one case and transient depression of reflexes in another. Motor conduction velocities measured in four peripheral nerves, and muscle evoked potentials remained unchanged throughout the treatment in all patients.

[Neurotoxicity of formyl leurosine. An experimental and clinical study (author's transl)]. / Neurotoxicité de la formyl leurosine. Etude expérimentale et clinique.

Leg paralysis and wallerian degeneration of sciatic nerve fibres have been produced in rats by intraneural injection of 0.5, 1 or 5 micrograms of vincristine (VCR) or formyl leurosine (FLR) dissolved in 5 microliters of saline. Nerve lesions were dose-related, and were similar for equal concentrations of the two drugs. Six patients received one to three 5-day courses of FLR. The total dose of FLR administered ranged from 15 to 131 mg (mean 83 mg). Clinical signs of peripheral neuropathy were absent in four patients, and limited to orthostatic hypotension in one case and transient depression of reflexes in another. Motor conduction velocities measured in four peripheral nerves, and muscle evoked potentials remained unchanged throughout the treatment in all patients.

[Histamine food poisoning]. / Les intoxications alimentaires histaminiques.

The authors describe a collective histamine related food-poisoning epidemic that occurred in the Navy due to the consumption of imported smoked swordfish (Xyphias gladius). Twenty cases were detected. The relative risk among consumers of swordfish is at 7.44 (C.I. of 95%: 2.57-21.59) and the doses of histamine were from 2.030 to 4.750 ppm in 9 samples of tested fish (N < 200 ppm). The interest in using a high-resolution chromatographic liquid to ensure a diagnosis, and in using the community norms in force are shown. A recent review of the literature serves to show the variety of fish responsible for this type of accident, to insist on the mildness, elusiveness, variability, and lack of specificity of clinical signs and therefore risks error in diagnoses, treatment and under-reporting of this type of collective food-poisoning.