Ubiquitin-mediated regulation of APE2 protein abundance.

APE2 plays important roles in the maintenance of genomic and epigenomic stability including DNA repair and DNA damage response. Accumulating evidence has suggested that APE2 is upregulated in multiple cancers at the protein and mRNA levels and that APE2 upregulation is correlative with higher and lower overall survival of cancer patients depending on tumor type. However, it remains unknown how APE2 protein abundance is maintained and regulated in cells. Here, we provide the first evidence of APE2 regulation via the posttranslational modification ubiquitin. APE2 is poly-ubiquitinated via K48-linked chains and degraded via the ubiquitin-proteasome system where K371 is the key residue within APE2 responsible for its ubiquitination and degradation. We further characterize MKRN3 as the E3 ubiquitin ligase for APE2 ubiquitination in cells and in vitro. In summary, this study offers the first definition of the APE2 proteostasis network and lays the foundation for future studies pertaining to the posttranslational modification regulation and functions of APE2 in genome integrity and cancer etiology/treatment.

Malnutrition, nutritional deficiency and alcohol: A guide for general practice.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol use has an effect on nutritional status, with nutritional deficiencies being a major contributor to morbidity, for example Wernicke's encephalopathy. Currently, there is an absence of best-practice guidelines to support general practitioners (GPs) in the identification and management of malnutrition and nutritional risk factors in patients who drink at risky levels. OBJECTIVE: This article reviews some of the nutritional considerations in patients who drink at risky levels or who have alcohol dependence, with the aim of enhancing GPs' awareness of the nutritional considerations in this patient group. DISCUSSION: Nutritional risk factors extend beyond body mass index (BMI), and patients might present with a healthy BMI and be malnourished. Screening for risk of malnutrition and other nutritional deficiencies followed by supplementation and consideration of referral to multidisciplinary services, including a dietitian, is likely to improve patient outcomes.

The role of multidisciplinary MS care teams in supporting lifestyle behaviour changes to optimise brain health among people living with MS: A qualitative exploration of clinician perspectives.

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare professionals have an important role in advocating for the adoption of a brain-healthy lifestyle for optimal multiple sclerosis (MS) care. Nonetheless, studies to date have mainly focussed on the consumer perspective. Herein, we aimed to explore the current practices of how healthcare professionals support protective, lifestyle-related behaviour changes to optimise brain health among people living with MS (plwMS), and their perspectives of professional roles. METHODS: Australian healthcare professionals were recruited via study advertisements, purposive and snowball sampling, to participate in an online, semi-structured and audio-recorded interview. Clinicians were eligible if they had a minimum of a tertiary Bachelor's degree and 12-months experience working with plwMS, access to the Internet and sufficient time to participant. An inductive, data-driven form of reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken before thematic categorisation of the quotes from transcripts. Data analysis was guided by the methods of Braun and Clark and the study's underpinnings drew on the constructs of the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). RESULTS: Six physicians, 10 MS nurses, 18 allied health professionals, one exercise therapist and one alternative therapist were interviewed. Three primary themes encompassing the perceived role of healthcare professionals in supporting a brain-healthy lifestyle were identified: (1) the empowering role, (2) collaborative role and (3) communicative role. External factors/forces including time constraints, professional expertise, training and skill set, power dynamics, consumer readiness, health literacy, self-efficacy and motivation are at play, and affect how/when healthcare professionals may support behaviour change to optimise lifelong brain health for plwMS. CONCLUSION: Healthcare professionals recognise their critical role in encouraging and supporting the adoption of a brain-healthy lifestyle to optimise lifelong brain health for plwMS. However, discord is evident when they underestimate the complexity of translating knowledge of lifestyle-related behaviour change(s) into action. Greater awareness must be made in recognising and addressing the bidirectionality of external factors such as those in the SCT, that may influence how behaviour change occurs. PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Healthcare professionals volunteered to be interviewed as part of the data collection phase of this study.

Consumer perceptions of nutrient content claims in Australia: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Nutrition and health claims influence consumer purchasing. Claims include content claims, which refer to the amount of a nutrient contained in a product, and health claims, which refer to health benefits of foods or nutrients in a product. Products that display a health claim must meet the Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC). The present study aimed to explore consumer perceptions of content claims used on food and beverage labelling and advertisements. METHODS: Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with Australian consumers. Analysis involved an inductive, reflexive approach to thematic analysis. RESULTS: Six focus groups involving 26 participants were conducted. Four main interconnected themes were generated: (1) complex factors influence food choice; (2) content claim scepticism; (3) the difference between content and health claims is unclear; and (4) the regulation of content claims is not common knowledge. Content claims were used, although generally viewed through a lens of scepticism and mistrust, and seen as a promotional tool for the food industry. Product complexity appeared to increase content claim use as a result of consumer uncertainty of the content of complex products, such as ultraprocessed foods. Most participants were aware that content and health claims were in some way regulated. Overall, they did not know further detail, including the relevant regulatory body. CONCLUSIONS: For content claims to support the consumer they need to be accurate and their use limited to healthier foods. This can be achieved by requiring products with content claims to meet NPSC thresholds, as required for products making health claims.

Assessing the Response of Biomarkers to Anti-Inflammatory Medications in PIMS-TS by Longitudinal Multilevel Modeling: Real-World Data from a UK Tertiary Center.

Background: Pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporarily associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (PIMS-TS) is an acute complication of previous SARS-CoV-2 exposure. The relationship between inflammatory markers and anti-inflammatory medication in PIMS-TS is unknown. We retrospectively investigated the relationship between demographics, biomarkers, treatment, and length of stay (LOS) in this novel disease. Methods: We reviewed the case notes and blood tests of all patients who met the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health diagnostic criteria for PIMS-TS at a large tertiary center in the United Kingdom. Biomarker trajectories were modeled using log linear mixed effects, and factors affecting LOS in hospital were evaluated using multiple regression. Results: Between March 2020 and May 2022, a total of 56 patients attended Sheffield Children's Hospital with PIMS-TS, 70% male. Mean age was 7.4 ± 3.7 years and mean LOS 8.7 ± 4.5 days with 50% requiring intensive care and 20% requiring inotropes. Older males had shorter LOS than younger males (P = 0.04), not seen in females. Treatment included intravenous glucocorticoids in 93%, intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) in 77%, Anakinra in 11%, and infliximab in 1.8%. Biomarkers correlated poorly with trajectories that peaked at different times. C-reactive protein peaked first after median 1.3 days postadmission; while LFT's and neutrophils peaked after 3 days. Age had a large effect on some biomarkers, with older children having larger troponin and ferritin, and lower lymphocytes and platelets. Cumulative dose of glucocorticoids and IVIG had a statistically significant effect on some biomarkers, but effect size was small. Conclusions: The heterogenous nature of PIMS-TS highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach. Worse inflammatory markers in older children within our cohort may be an indication of a different disease process occurring at different ages. Future work to investigate the association between age and troponin and ferritin in hyperinflammatory states is warranted.

APE1 recruits ATRIP to ssDNA in an RPA-dependent and -independent manner to promote the ATR DNA damage response.

Cells have evolved the DNA damage response (DDR) pathways in response to DNA replication stress or DNA damage. In the ATR-Chk1 DDR pathway, it has been proposed that ATR is recruited to RPA-coated single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) by direct ATRIP-RPA interaction. However, it remains elusive how ATRIP is recruited to ssDNA in an RPA-independent manner. Here, we provide evidence that APE1 directly associates ssDNA to recruit ATRIP onto ssDNA in an RPA-independent fashion. The N-terminal motif within APE1 is required and sufficient for the APE1-ATRIP interaction in vitro and the distinct APE1-ATRIP interaction is required for ATRIP recruitment to ssDNA and the ATR-Chk1 DDR pathway activation in Xenopus egg extracts. In addition, APE1 directly associates with RPA70 and RPA32 via two distinct motifs. Taken together, our evidence suggests that APE1 recruits ATRIP onto ssDNA in an RPA-dependent and -independent manner in the ATR DDR pathway.

APE2: catalytic function and synthetic lethality draw attention as a cancer therapy target.

AP endonuclease 2 (APE2, APEX2 or APN2) is an emerging critical protein involved in genome and epigenome integrity. Whereas its catalytic function as a nuclease in DNA repair is widely accepted, recent studies have elucidated the function and mechanism of APE2 in the immune response and DNA damage response. Several genome-wide screens have identified APE2 as a synthetic lethal target for deficiencies of BRCA1, BRCA2 or TDP1 in cancer cells. Due to its overexpression in several cancer types, APE2 is proposed as an oncogene and could serve as prognostic marker of overall survival of cancer treatment. However, it remains to be discovered whether and how APE2 catalytic function and synthetic lethality can be modulated and manipulated as a cancer therapy target. In this review, we provide a current understanding of alterations and expression of APE2 in cancer, the function of APE2 in the immune response, and mechanisms of APE2 in ATR/Chk1 DNA damage response. We also summarize the role of APE2 in DNA repair pathways in the removal of heterogenous and complexed 3'-termini and MMEJ. Finally, we provide an updated perspective on how APE2 may be targeted for cancer therapy and future directions of APE2 studies in cancer biology.

APE1 assembles biomolecular condensates to promote the ATR-Chk1 DNA damage response in nucleolus.

Multifunctional protein APE1/APEX1/HAP1/Ref-1 (designated as APE1) plays important roles in nuclease-mediated DNA repair and redox regulation in transcription. However, it is unclear how APE1 regulates the DNA damage response (DDR) pathways. Here we show that siRNA-mediated APE1-knockdown or APE1 inhibitor treatment attenuates the ATR-Chk1 DDR under stress conditions in multiple immortalized cell lines. Congruently, APE1 overexpression (APE1-OE) activates the ATR DDR under unperturbed conditions, which is independent of APE1 nuclease and redox functions. Structural and functional analysis reveals a direct requirement of the extreme N-terminal motif within APE1 in the assembly of distinct biomolecular condensates in vitro and DNA/RNA-independent activation of the ATR DDR. Overexpressed APE1 co-localizes with nucleolar NPM1 and assembles biomolecular condensates in nucleoli in cancer but not non-malignant cells, which recruits ATR and activator molecules TopBP1 and ETAA1. APE1 protein can directly activate ATR to phosphorylate its substrate Chk1 in in vitro kinase assays. W119R mutant of APE1 is deficient in nucleolar condensation, and is incapable of activating nucleolar ATR DDR in cells and ATR kinase in vitro. APE1-OE-induced nucleolar ATR DDR activation leads to compromised ribosomal RNA transcription and reduced cell viability. Taken together, we propose distinct mechanisms by which APE1 regulates ATR DDR pathways.

Psychological/social factors associated with transfer readiness in young people with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between psychological/social factors and transfer readiness from paediatric to adult rheumatology services in pre- and post-transfer young people (YP) with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Participants completed questionnaires measuring a broad range of psychological/social factors (generalised anxiety, pain-specific anxiety, pain-related thoughts, depression, prosocial behaviours, problem behaviours, arthritis-related quality of life (QoL), social support, family functioning) and transfer readiness (transfer-related knowledge and skills, health-related self-efficacy). JIA disease activity was measured on the same day as the questionnaires. This study received all relevant ethical and regulatory approvals, and informed consent was received from or on behalf of all participants. In total, 40 pre-transfer YP with JIA aged 10-16 years (M = 13.54 years, 26 females) and their parents/guardians participated at Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, and 40 post-transfer YP with JIA aged 16-24 years (M = 20.16 years, 26 females) participated at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. For both pre- and post-transfer YP, greater transfer readiness was associated with lower generalised anxiety levels, lower pain-specific anxiety levels, fewer pain-related thoughts, lower depression levels, fewer problem behaviours, better arthritis-related QoL, better social support, and better family functioning. Greater transfer readiness was also associated with less JIA disease activity for post-transfer YP only. A broad range of psychological/social factors were associated with transfer readiness in pre- and post-transfer YP with JIA. This highlights the importance of assessing and addressing YP's psychological/social well-being during their transition to adult services. Key Points • A wide range of psychological and social factors may be associated with how ready young people with juvenile idiopathic arthritis feel to move from paediatric to adult rheumatology services. • Transition outcomes may be improved by comprehensively assessing and addressing young people's psychological and social well-being.

The therapeutic relationship between a client and dietitian: A systematic integrative review of empirical literature.

AIM: Scientific evidence underpins dietetics practice; however, evidence of how the therapeutic relationship influences outcomes is limited. This integrative review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the topic of the therapeutic relationship between clients and dietitians in the individual counselling context by summarising empirical literature into qualitative themes. METHODS: An electronic literature search of the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsychInfo, Scopus and Web of Science databases was conducted in October 2018 and repeated in February 2021. Studies were included if they explicitly referred to the therapeutic relationship (or associated terms), were based on study data and available in full text. Extracted data were checked by a second researcher and the methodological quality was evaluated independently by two researchers using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. An iterative process of qualitatively coding, categorising and comparing data to examine recurring themes was applied. RESULTS: Seventy-six studies met the inclusion criteria. Five themes were identified which showed the extent and nature of research in this area. Studies revealed the therapeutic relationship: (i) is valued within clinical dietetic practice, (ii) involves complex and multifactorial interactions, (iii) is perceived as having a positive influence, (iv) requires skills training and (v) is embedded in practice models and tools. CONCLUSION: Studies show the therapeutic relationship is a valued and multifactorial component of clinical dietetic practice and is perceived to positively influence the client and dietitian. Observational data are needed to assess the extent to which the strength of the therapeutic relationship might contribute to clients' health outcomes.

Development of the Australian National Meal Guidelines for home-delivered and centre-based meal programs for older adults.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: This research aimed to develop and disseminate National Meal Guidelines for Australian home-delivered and centre-based meal programs. METHODS: Development was led by a project group of dietitians and a steering group of representatives from the Australian Meals on Wheels Association. The process framework included three phases: (1) Review of existing standards and guidelines and systematic literature review (SLR), (2) stakeholder consultation conducted via six workshops, across six states (N = 212) and surveys with service providers, health professionals (N = 289) and customers (N = 337) and (3) review of the draft guidelines by stakeholders. RESULTS: The final guidelines address: nutritional needs of older adults; meal and menu planning including nutrient requirements for meal components; presentation and meal enjoyment; special diets; and enhancing the meal service. CONCLUSION: These guidelines provide consistent guidance to services providing home-delivered and centre-based meal programs. Further evaluation of their uptake and impact on service practices and customer nutrition and satisfaction is required. SO WHAT?: The National Meal Guidelines provide nationally consistent, evidence-based guidance on menu planning and nutritional quality of meals to services providing home-delivered and centre-based meal programs. The guideline development framework outlined here also provides a process for future food service guideline development.

APE2 Is a General Regulator of the ATR-Chk1 DNA Damage Response Pathway to Maintain Genome Integrity in Pancreatic Cancer Cells.

The maintenance of genome integrity and fidelity is vital for the proper function and survival of all organisms. Recent studies have revealed that APE2 is required to activate an ATR-Chk1 DNA damage response (DDR) pathway in response to oxidative stress and a defined DNA single-strand break (SSB) in Xenopus laevis egg extracts. However, it remains unclear whether APE2 is a general regulator of the DDR pathway in mammalian cells. Here, we provide evidence using human pancreatic cancer cells that APE2 is essential for ATR DDR pathway activation in response to different stressful conditions including oxidative stress, DNA replication stress, and DNA double-strand breaks. Fluorescence microscopy analysis shows that APE2-knockdown (KD) leads to enhanced γH2AX foci and increased micronuclei formation. In addition, we identified a small molecule compound Celastrol as an APE2 inhibitor that specifically compromises the binding of APE2 but not RPA to ssDNA and 3'-5' exonuclease activity of APE2 but not APE1. The impairment of ATR-Chk1 DDR pathway by Celastrol in Xenopus egg extracts and human pancreatic cancer cells highlights the physiological significance of Celastrol in the regulation of APE2 functionalities in genome integrity. Notably, cell viability assays demonstrate that APE2-KD or Celastrol sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells to chemotherapy drugs. Overall, we propose APE2 as a general regulator for the DDR pathway in genome integrity maintenance.

A Cross-Sectional Audit of Nutrition and Health Claims on Dairy Yoghurts in Supermarkets of the Illawarra Region of New South Wales, Australia.

Health and nutrition claims are used by consumers to guide purchasing decisions. In consequence, monitoring and evaluation of such claims to ensure they are accurate and transparent is required. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of nutrition and health claims on dairy-yoghurt products within select Australian supermarkets and assess their compliance with the revised Food Standards Code (FSC). Nutrition, health, and related claims on yoghurt products were assessed in a cross-sectional audit of five supermarkets in the Illawarra region of New South Wales. Claim prevalence, type, and compliance were assessed and products were compared against current rating measures. A total of n = 340 dairy yoghurt products were identified. Most products (97.9%) carried at least one nutrition and/or health claim, with nutrition-content claims (93.9%) the most prevalent. Most products (n = 277) met the nutrient profiling scoring criterion; while 87.9% of products did not carry the health star rating. Almost all claims surveyed (97.4%) were compliant with the FSC. Health and nutrition claims are highly prevalent across yoghurt categories, with the majority of these compliant with regulations. The ambiguity surrounding the wording and context of claims challenges researchers to investigate consumers' interpretations of health messaging within the food environment.

Function and molecular mechanisms of APE2 in genome and epigenome integrity.

APE2 is a rising vital player in the maintenance of genome and epigenome integrity. In the past several years, a series of studies have shown the critical roles and functions of APE2. We seek to provide the first comprehensive review on several aspects of APE2 in genome and epigenome integrity. We first summarize the distinct functional domains or motifs within APE2 including EEP (endonuclease/exonuclease/phosphatase) domain, PIP box and Zf-GRF motifs from eight species (i.e., Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, Xenopus laevis, Ciona intestinalis, Arabidopsis thaliana, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Trypanosoma cruzi). Then we analyze various APE2 nuclease activities and associated DNA substrates, including AP endonuclease, 3'-phosphodiesterase, 3'-phosphatase, and 3'-5' exonuclease activities. We also examine several APE2 interaction proteins, including PCNA, Chk1, APE1, Myh1, and homologous recombination (HR) factors such as Rad51, Rad52, BRCA1, BRCA2, and BARD1. Furthermore, we provide insights into the roles of APE2 in various DNA repair pathways (base excision repair, single-strand break repair, and double-strand break repair), DNA damage response (DDR) pathways (ATR-Chk1 and p53-dependent), immunoglobulin class switch recombination and somatic hypermutation, as well as active DNA demethylation. Lastly, we summarize critical functions of APE2 in growth, development, and diseases. In this review, we provide the first comprehensive perspective which dissects all aspects of the multiple-function protein APE2 in genome and epigenome integrity.

Healthcare professionals' perspectives on the role of dietitians within multidisciplinary head and neck cancer teams: A qualitative multi-site study.

AIM: Evidence-based guidelines provide recommendations on how dietitians should work with patients with head and neck cancer for best outcomes. Research with healthcare professionals from head and neck cancer teams would provide insight into how these recommendations are implemented in practice. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore how the role of the dietitian is perceived and enacted in different head and neck cancer teams from the perspective of healthcare professionals. METHODS: This qualitative study recruited radiation oncologists, nurses, dietitians and speech pathologists from four different head and neck cancer teams in Australia and the United States. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analysed using a grounded-theory approach. RESULTS: Seventeen radiation oncologists, 12 nurses, 11 dietitians and six speech pathologists participated. Perceptions on the role of dietitians were summarised by the category: "Providing expertise in nutritional care: A core role in head and neck cancer." Five categories summarised perceptions of factors that can influence how the role of the dietitian is enacted in practice: "having experience in head and neck cancer"; "initiating nutritional care plans and the role of doctors and nurses"; "clinic structuring"; "an evolving culture in healthcare services" and "the presence of evidence-based guidelines." CONCLUSIONS: While dietitians can be perceived to be the experts in nutritional care, several factors influence how their role is enacted in head and neck cancer teams. Further research on patient nutritional outcomes and on clinic structures that best use dietetic expertise is required to strengthen recommendations on how dietitians should work with head and neck cancer patients internationally.

The views, experiences and expectations of Australian Meals on Wheels customers: A national survey.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate views and expectations of Australian Meals on Wheels (MOW) customers to inform the development of National Meal Guidelines and improve current services. METHODS: A survey was designed through literature review and consultations with key stakeholders. National convenience sampling returned  337 surveys. Descriptive statistics and chi-squared analyses were applied to the survey data. RESULTS: Meals on Wheels customers reported satisfaction with their current service, with the meal itself found to be the most valuable aspect. People living in small country towns were more likely to value the social contact provided by MOW than those in major cities (P = .001). Delivery of pantry items was the most popular additional option for future services. CONCLUSION: Valuable information for inclusion in the development of the National Meal Guidelines was provided: nutritional content of meals, meal variety, packaging and presentation, opportunities for nourishing snacks and pantry items, and social contact.

Collaborative, interprofessional nutritional care within head and neck cancer teams: an international multi-site qualitative study.

Evidence-based guidelines (EBGs) for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) recommend that nutritional care is delivered by an interprofessional team inclusive of dietitians, doctors, nurses, and speech pathologists. Barriers to collaboration exist within interprofessional teams. However, research on this is currently lacking in the HNC setting, particularly with regard to the provision of nutritional care. This study aimed to explore what facilitates collaborative nutritional care for patients with HNC from the perspectives of different healthcare professionals. This qualitative study used a grounded theory approach. Healthcare professionals from two radiotherapy departments in the United States and two in Australia were interviewed. Forty-six interviews were completed with 17 radiation-oncologists, 12 nurses, eleven dietitians, and 6 speech-pathologists. Collaborative nutritional care for patients with HNC was underpinned by three categories and six sub-categories: access to dietitians (facilitated by funding for dietitians and the strength of evidence), communication (facilitated by team meetings, communication systems, and multidisciplinary clinics), and role-clarity (facilitated by non-clinical activities and respect). This study highlights opportunities for enhancing collaborative nutritional care within HNC teams. Further studies on the impact of the dietitian, interprofessional education, team meetings, and multidisciplinary clinics are required to promote collaborative nutritional care for HNC patients.

How is the client-dietitian relationship embedded in the professional education of dietitians? An analysis of curriculum documentation and program coordinators' perspectives in Australia.

AIM: How dietitians are trained to develop relationships with clients is not clearly articulated despite its importance being well-documented. This study aimed to describe how this relationship is expressed and addressed in curriculum documents of Australian dietetics education programs, and to explore program coordinators' perspectives of this description and how relationship development is actually taught. METHODS: Data extracted from subject outlines included subject descriptions, learning outcomes, assessments, readings and the mode of delivery (eg, lectures). Guided by a pre-existing coding framework, deductive thematic analysis was utilised to explore qualitative themes from subject outline data. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 10 program coordinators and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Subject outlines for 122 subjects across all 21 accredited Australian programs were analysed. The over-arching theme was the wide "variability" in the ways that the client-dietitian relationship was expressed across subject outlines. Program coordinators perceived that findings from the analysis of subject outlines made sense, however, acknowledged limitations of analysing data from curriculum documents. The relationship appeared ambiguously defined amongst programs and was described as occurring mostly in communication, counselling and medical nutrition therapy subjects and through theoretical and practical learning. CONCLUSION: The client-dietitian relationship appears inconsistently embedded in the curriculum of Australian dietetics education programs despite widespread acceptance of its importance to practice. Further research is needed to investigate if training programs should embed more consistent language around therapeutic relationships, and how this might be achieved to reflect current competency standards.

Prevalence and Credibility of Nutrition and Health Claims: Policy Implications from a Case Study of Mongolian Food Labels.

Nutrition and health claims should be truthful and not misleading. We aimed to determine the use of nutrition and health claims in packaged foods sold in Mongolia and examine their credibility. A cross-sectional study examined the label information of 1723 products sold in marketplaces in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The claim data were analysed descriptively. In the absence of national regulations, the credibility of the nutrition claims was examined by using the Codex Alimentarius guidelines, while the credibility of the health claims was assessed by using the European Union (EU) Regulations (EC) No 1924/2006. Nutritional quality of products bearing claims was determined by nutrient profiling. Approximately 10% (n = 175) of products carried at least one health claim and 9% (n = 149) carried nutrition claims. The credibility of nutrition and health claims was very low. One-third of nutrition claims (33.7%, n = 97) were deemed credible, by having complete and accurate information on the content of the claimed nutrient/s. Only a few claims would be permitted in the EU countries by complying with the EU regulations. Approximately half of the products with nutrition claims and 40% of products with health claims were classified as less healthy products. The majority of nutrition and health claims on food products sold in Mongolia were judged as non-credible, and many of these claims were on unhealthy products. Rigorous and clear regulations are needed to prevent negative impacts of claims on food choices and consumption, and nutrition transition in Mongolia.