Selenium status and blood lipids: the cardiovascular risk in Young Finns study.

BACKGROUND: Concern has been recently raised about possible adverse cardio-metabolic effects of high selenium status, such as increased risks of diabetes and hyperlipidaemia. However, most of the evidence comes from selenium-replete populations such as that of the United States. OBJECTIVES: To examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of serum selenium with cardiovascular risk factors in Finland where selenium levels were amongst the lowest in the world until the early 1980s before the implementation of a nationwide selenium fertilization programme. METHODS: Serum selenium was measured in 1235 young Finns aged 3-18 years at baseline in 1980 (prefertilization) and in a subgroup (N = 262) at the 6-year follow-up (1986, postfertilization). During the 27-year follow-up, serum lipids, blood pressure, body mass index and smoking were assessed five times (1980, 1983, 1986, 2001 and 2007). RESULTS: Mean (±SD) serum selenium concentrations were 74.3 ± 14.0 ng mL(-1) in 1980 and 106.6 ± 12.5 ng mL(-1) in 1986 (average increase 32.3 ng mL(-1); 95% CI: 30.3 to 34.3, P < 0.0001). In univariate and multivariable cross-sectional models in 1980 and 1986, increased serum selenium levels were consistently associated with increased total, HDL and Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. However, the average longitudinal changes in lipids were -0.20 mmol L(-1) (95% CI: -0.30 to -0.10, P < 0.0001) for total cholesterol, 0.06 mmol L(-1) (95% CI: 0.03 to 0.10, P < 0.0001) for HDL cholesterol, and -0.23 mmol L(-1) (95% CI: -0.31 to -0.14, P < 0.0001) for LDL cholesterol. Selenium measured in 1986 was not associated with lipids assessed in 2001 and 2007. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-sectional findings from the Young Finns study corroborate positive associations of selenium status with serum lipids. However, longitudinal evidence does not support the causality of this link.

Correlation between Chenopodiacea/Amaranthacea pollen counts and allergic symptoms in Salsola kali monosensitized patients.

UNLABELLED: We performed a prospective observational study to establish a relationship between pollen counts of Chenopodiacea/Amaranthacea and clinical symptoms of rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma in a group of monosensitised patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 60 patients (19 with asthma) were included in the study. All patients collected daily symptom scores during the summer months of 1999, 2000 and 2001. The questionnaire included ocular, nasal and pulmonary symptoms. Pollen counts were expressed as pollen grains/m3. Symptom scores and pollen counts were correlated using correlation coefficients and Log transformed variables. RESULTS: In the 3 seasons studied we identified a peak of pollen and clinical symptoms in the second half of August and first half of September. In 1999, there was a significant positive correlation between total symptoms and daily pollen grains/m3 (p<0.005, r = 0.347). This correlation was not significant for the summers of 2000 and 2001. After further analysis, and by displacing one of both variables between 11 to 17 days, the correlation coefficients for total symptoms, improved for 1999 (r = 0. 744; p < 0.0001) and became significant for 2000 (r = 0. 521; p < 0.0001) and 2001 (r = 0.635; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: We identified a significant time lag between pollen counts and symptom scores in S. kali monosensitized patients.