Insights into high-solids anaerobic digestion of food waste concomitant with sorbate: Performance and mechanisms.

High-solids anaerobic digestion (HS-AD) of food waste is increasingly applied commercially. Sorbate, a food preservative extensively used in the food industry, induces potential environmental risks. Results indicated sorbate at 0-10 mg/g volatile solids (VS) slightly inhibited methane production, and the cumulative methane yield suggested a negative correlation with 25 mg/g VS sorbate, with a reduction of 15.0% compared to the control (from 285.7 to 253.6 mL CH4/g VS). The reduction in methane yield could be ascribed to the promotion of solubilization and inhibition of acidogenesis and methanogenesis with sorbate addition. Excessive sorbate (25 mg/g VS) resulted in the inhibition of aceticlastic metabolism and the key enzymes activities (e.g., acetate kinase and coenzyme F420). This study deeply elucidated the response mechanism of HS-AD to sorbate, supplemented the potential ecological risk assessment of sorbate, and could provide insights to further prevent the potential risk of sorbate in anaerobic digestion of food waste.

Effect of folic acid supplementation in the association between short sleep duration and gestational diabetes mellitus.

PURPOSE: To examine whether or not folic acid (FA) supplementation may modify the relationships between duration or quality of sleep and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk. METHODS: In a case-control study of patients with GDM and controls, mothers were interviewed face-to-face at enrollment. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale was used to assess duration and quality of sleep during early pregnancy, and information on FA supplementation and covariates was obtained using a semiquantitative questionnaire. RESULTS: Among 396 patients with GDM and 904 controls, GDM risk increased by 328% and 148% among women with short (< 7 h) and long (≥ 9 h) sleep durations, respectively, compared to those averaging 7-8.9 h sleep. Mothers with poor sleep quality increased their GDM risk by an average of 75% (all p < 0.05). The effect of short sleep duration on GDM risk was much weaker among women with adequate FA supplementation (taking supplements containing ≥ 0.4 mg FA daily for each day of the first three months of pregnancy) than that among women with inadequate FA supplementation, with a p-value for interaction = 0.003. There were no significant effects of FA on links among long duration and poor quality of sleep with GDM risk. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep duration and quality in early gestation were related to increased GDM risks. FA supplementation may reduce GDM risk associated with short sleep duration.

U-shaped Association Between Folic Acid Supplementation and the Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Chinese Women.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim in this study was to assess the association between folic acid (FA) supplementation before and during pregnancy and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Chinese women. METHODS: This case-control study was conducted at 2 hospitals in central China. A total of 1,300 pregnant women, including 396 GDM patients and 904 controls, participated in the study. Information on the dose and duration of FA supplementation was collected using a self-report questionnaire at enrolment (24 to 28 weeks of gestation). RESULTS: We observed a U-shaped association between FA supplementation and GDM risk that demonstrated a 228% increased risk of GDM among women who never took FA supplements, a 28% increased risk among women who took supplements containing <400 µg/day FA or took FA supplements for <1 month and a 188% increased risk among women who took supplements containing ≥800 µg/day FA for an adequate duration (>1 month before pregnancy and >3 months during pregnancy) compared with women who took supplements containing 400 to 799 µg/day FA for an adequate duration (all p<0.05). For women who took supplements containing ≥800 µg/day FA for an adequate duration, the association between FA supplementation and GDM risk appeared to be stronger among those women with a prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) of ≥25 kg/m2 than among those with a prepregnancy BMI of <25 kg/m2 (p=0.006 for interaction). CONCLUSIONS: There was a U-shaped association of FA supplementation with GDM risk; that is, FA supplementation both below and above the recommended levels may increase the risk of GDM.

Relationship Between Iodine Concentration in Maternal Colostrum and Neurobehavioral Development of Infants in Shanghai, China.

It is well known that iodine plays an important role in the process of early growth and development of most organs, especially the brain. However, iodine concentration in the colostrum and its association with the neurobehavioral development of infants remains unclear. Colostrums from 150 women were collected, and their iodine concentrations were measured. The median colostrum iodine level was 187.8 µg/L. The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III test was performed when the infants were about 18 months. The mean cognitive, language, and motor composite scores were 105.3 ± 9.8, 105.2 ± 11.1, and 104.6 ± 6.7, respectively. And the mean scores of the 5 subtests were 11.1 ± 2.0, 9.3 ± 2.0, 12.4 ± 2.3, 11.1 ± 1.2, and 10.4 ± 1.2, respectively. No statistically significant difference was observed in the cognition, language, or motor development of infants across different levels of colostrum iodine. After adjusting for a range of confounding factors, colostrum iodine concentration was a predictor of motor development, specifically gross motor development.

Urinary iodine level and its determinants in pregnant women of Shanghai, China.

It is known that iodine deficiency during pregnancy can interfere with normal fetal growth and development. However, iodine levels of pregnant women in Shanghai, China, and factors that could influence its levels remain unclear. A total of 916 pregnant women were selected from the Maternal and Child Care Service Centre of Minhang District in Shanghai. Morning urinary iodine (UI) and iodine content of salt from the participants' home were measured, and UI concentration was adjusted by creatinine concentrations. Serum tri-iodothyronine, thyroxin, free tri-iodothyronine, free thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone were tested in the second trimester of pregnancy by time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay. The median levels of UI in pregnant women were 156.3, 176.9 and 175.1 µg/g creatinine in the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy, respectively. The prevalence of UI deficiency (UI < 150 µg/g creatinine) was 48.3, 34.2 and 36.2% in the three trimesters of pregnancy, respectively. Factors that significantly influenced the UI levels include the following: iodine content of household salt; age; occupation; multivitamin supplement with iodine; seaweed intakes. Furthermore, UI and iodine content of salt were moderately correlated (r 0.406, P < 0.001). In addition, there was no significant association between UI and thyroid hormone levels. The present study showed a high prevalence of UI deficiency in pregnant women in Shanghai, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Both iodine content of household salt and multivitamin supplement with iodine are the main determinants of UI levels in Shanghai.

Vitamin D status and related factors in newborns in Shanghai, China.

With the increasing recognition of the importance of the non-skeletal effects of vitamin D (VitD), more and more attention has been drawn to VitD status in early life. However, the VitD status of newborns and factors that influence VitD levels in Shanghai, China, remain unclear. A total of 1030 pregnant women were selected from two hospitals in Shanghai, one of the largest cities in China located at 31 degrees north latitude. Umbilical cord serum concentrations of 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] were measured by LC-MS-MS, and questionnaires were used to collect information. The median cord serum 25(OH)D concentration was 22.4 ng/mL; the concentration lower than 20 ng/mL accounted for 36.3% of the participants, and the concentration lower than 30 ng/mL for 84.1%. A multivariable logistic regression model showed that the determinants of low 25(OH)D status were being born during autumn or winter months and a lack of VitD-related multivitamin supplementation. The relative risk was 1.7 for both autumn (95% CI, 1.1-2.6) and winter (95% CI, 1.1-2.5) births (p < 0.05). VitD-related multivitamin supplementation more than once a day during pregnancy reduced the risk of VitD deficiency [adjusted OR (aOR) = 0.6, 95% CI (0.45-1.0) for VitD supplementation] (p < 0.05). VitD deficiency and insufficiency are common in newborns in Shanghai, China, and are independently associated with season and VitD supplementation. Our findings may assist future efforts to correct low levels of 25(OH)D in Shanghai mothers and their newborn children.

Tea consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: a dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Tea consumption has inconsistently been shown to be associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aim of the present study was to conduct a dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies assessing the association between consumption of tea and risk of developing T2D. Pertinent studies were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Science and EMBASE through 31 March 2013. A total of sixteen cohorts from fifteen articles that reported 37,445 cases of diabetes among 545,517 participants were included. A significant linearly inverse association between tea consumption and T2D risk was found (P for linear trend = 0.02). An increase of 2 cups/d in tea consumption was found to be associated with a 4.6 (95% CI 0.9, 8.1) % reduced risk of T2D. On the basis of the dose-response meta-analysis, the predicted relative risks of diabetes for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 cups of tea consumed per d were 1.00 (referent), 0.97 (95% CI 0.94, 1.01), 0.95(95% CI 0.92, 0.98), 0.93 (95% CI 0.88, 0.98), 0.90 (95% CI 0.85, 0.96), 0.88 (95 % CI 0.83, 0.93) and 0.85 (95% CI 0.80, 0.91), respectively. There was a statistically significant heterogeneity within the selected studies (Q= 45.32, P< 0.001, I 2= 60.3 %). No evidence of substantial small-study bias was found (P= 0·46). Our findings suggest that tea consumption could be linearly inversely associated with T2D risk. Future well-designed observational studies that account for different characteristics of tea such as tea types, preparation methods and tea strength are needed to fully characterise such an association.