Plasma and dietary vitamin C levels and risk of gastric cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-EURGAST).

Vitamin C is an antioxidant and inhibitor of carcinogenic N-nitroso compound production in the stomach. Higher dietary vitamin C consumption is associated with decreased risk of gastric cancer (GC) in numerous case-control studies, but data from prospective studies are limited, particularly so for blood measures of vitamin C. The objective of this study was to determine the association of plasma and dietary vitamin C levels with the risk of GC in a case-control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), a large cohort involving 10 European countries. Using a fluorometric method, vitamin C was measured in pre-diagnostic plasma from 215 GC cases (matched controls = 416). Conditional logistic regression models adjusted by body mass index, total energy intake, smoking status/duration/intensity and Helicobacter pylori infection status were used to estimate relative cancer risks. No association with GC risk was observed for dietary vitamin C, whereas an inverse GC risk was observed in the highest versus lowest quartile of plasma vitamin C [odds ratio (OR) = 0.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.31-0.97, P(trend) = 0.043], which was maintained after exclusion of cases with

Bordetella pertussis toxin induces the release of inflammatory cytokines and dendritic cell activation in whole blood: impaired responses in human newborns.

Bordetella pertussis toxin (PTX), a key component of acellular pertussis vaccines, is known to be endowed with adjuvant properties. In experiments designed to get insights into the interactions between PTX and circulating immune cells, we first observed that addition of PTX to adult whole blood induced the release of IL-12 and TNF-alpha as well as maturation of myeloid dendritic cells (DC). These effects were still present with a toxin mutant devoid of ADP-ribosyltransferase activity but not with a formaldehyde-inactivated toxin. These findings indicate that cytokine production and DC maturation require the intact structure of PTX but not its enzymatic activity. Secondly, studies on DC generated in vitro by culturing monocytes with IL-4 and GM-CSF showed that PTX directly stimulates MHC class II and costimulatory molecules up-regulation, cytokine synthesis and NF-kappa B activation. Finally, comparison of data obtained in adult vs. cord blood revealed deficient responses of neonatal DC to PTX. These data suggest new applications of PTX and PTX mutants as vaccine adjuvants.