Dietary Oily Fish Intake is Inversely Associated with Severity of White Matter Hyperintensities of Presumed Vascular Origin. A Population-Based Study in Frequent Fish Consumers of Amerindian Ancestry.

BACKGROUND: Oily fish is a major dietary source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients that may reduce the expression of cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) biomarkers, including white matter hyperintensities (WMH) of presumed vascular origin. However, information on this relationship is limited. We aimed to assess the association between oily fish intake and WMH severity in a population of frequent fish consumers. METHODS: The study included 572 individuals aged ≥60 years living in three neighboring rural villages of coastal Ecuador. Dietary oily fish intake was calculated and all participants received a brain MRI. Logistic regression models, adjusted for demographics, level of education, cardiovascular risk factors and other cSVD biomarkers, were fitted to assess the independent association between amounts of oily fish intake and WMH severity. RESULTS: Overall, the mean intake of oily fish was 8.5 ± 4.7 servings per week, and 164 individuals (29%) had moderate-to-severe WMH (according to the modified Fazekas scale). A multivariate logistic regression model disclosed a significant inverse association between the amount of oily fish intake and the presence of moderate-to-severe WMH (OR: 0.89; 95% C.I.: 0.85-0.94; p < 0.001). Predictive margins revealed an almost linear inverse relationship between quartiles of oily fish intake and probabilities of WMH severity, which became significant when the 1st quartile was compared with the 3rd and 4th quartiles. CONCLUSIONS: Increased amounts of oily fish intake are inversely associated with WMH severity. Further studies are warranted to determine whether oily fish intake reduces the risk of cSVD-related cerebrovascular complications.

Minimizing the risk of preoperative brain injury in neonates with aortic arch obstruction.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether prenatal diagnosis lowers the risk of preoperative brain injury by assessing differences in the incidence of preoperative brain injury across centers. STUDY DESIGN: From 2 prospective cohorts of newborns with complex congenital heart disease studied by preoperative cerebral magnetic resonance imaging, one cohort from the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU) and a combined cohort from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and University of British Columbia (UBC), patients with aortic arch obstruction were selected and their imaging and clinical course reviewed. RESULTS: Birth characteristics were comparable between UMCU (n = 33) and UCSF/UBC (n = 54). Patients had a hypoplastic aortic arch with either coarctation/interruption or hypoplastic left heart syndrome. In subjects with prenatal diagnosis, there was a significant difference in the prevalence of white matter injury (WMI) between centers (11 of 22 [50%] at UMCU vs 4 of 30 [13%] at UCSF/UBC; P < .01). Prenatal diagnosis was protective for WMI at UCSF/UBC (13% prenatal diagnoses vs 50% postnatal diagnoses; P < .01), but not at UMCU (50% vs 46%, respectively; P > .99). Differences in clinical practice between prenatally diagnosed subjects at UMCU vs UCSF/UBC included older age at surgery, less time spent in the intensive care unit, greater use of diuretics, less use of total parenteral nutrition (P < .01), and a greater incidence of infections (P = .01). In patients diagnosed postnatally, the prevalence of WMI was similar in the 2 centers (46% at UMCU vs 50% at UCSF/UBC; P > .99). Stroke prevalence was similar in the 2 centers regardless of prenatal diagnosis (prenatal diagnosis: 4.5% at Utrecht vs 6.7% at UCSF/UBC, P = .75; postnatal diagnosis: 9.1% vs 13%, respectively, P > .99). CONCLUSION: Prenatal diagnosis can be protective for WMI, but this protection may be dependent on specific clinical management practices that differ across centers.