Dietary non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity and the risk of myocardial infarction: a case-control study in Italy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Oxidative processes have been related to atherosclerosis, but there is scanty information on the role of dietary antioxidants in the prevention of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS AND RESULTS: The relationship between non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity (NEAC) and the risk of nonfatal AMI was investigated in a case-control study conducted in Milan, Italy, between 1995 and 2003. Cases were 760 patients below 75 years with a first episode of AMI and controls were 682 patients admitted to hospitals for acute conditions, who completed an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire, tested for validity and reproducibility. NEAC (excluding coffee) was measured using Italian food composition tables in terms of ferric reducing-antioxidant power (FRAP), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP). The odds ratios (OR) of AMI, and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI), were obtained by multiple logistic regression models including terms for main risk factors of AMI and total energy intake. NEAC was inversely related with the risk of AMI. The ORs for the highest quintile compared with the lowest one were 0.41 (95% CI, 0.27-0.63) for FRAP, 0.42 (95% CI, 0.27-0.65) for TEAC and 0.41 (95% CI, 0.27-0.62) for TRAP, with significant trends in risk. The inverse relationship was apparently stronger in women and in subjects aged ≥ 60 years. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support a favorable role of dietary NEAC in the prevention of AMI, and encourage a high consumption of fruit and vegetables and a moderate consumption of wine and whole cereals.

[Epidemiological aspects of keratoconus in children]. / Aspects épidémiologiques du kératocône chez l'enfant.

PURPOSE: To study the epidemiological aspects of keratoconus in children. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of patients with keratoconus diagnosed prior to age 15 or after age 27. Age, gender, reason for consultation, ethnicity, personal and family history, allergic history, eye rubbing, optical and surgical treatment, and educational and professional background were identified. Data from each group were compared by Chi(2) testing. RESULTS: Forty-nine children and 167 adults were studied. The majority of patients were Caucasian. Children were more frequently male (P=0.0386) and allergic (67.35% versus 47.31% in adults, P=0.0136). Eye rubbing was found in 91.84% of children and 70.06% of adults (P=0.002). In total, 12.24% of children had a family history of keratoconus versus 14.97% of adults (P=0.6324). Totally, 68.09% of children were fitted with rigid contact lenses versus 15.66% of adults (P=0.0909). In all, 80.5% of surgically treated children underwent corneal collagen cross-linking versus 30% of adults. DISCUSSION: Younger patients are more often male, with women being older at time of diagnosis. Allergy is a frequent association. However, 25% of children in the general population display allergies. In any event, eye rubbing is a common feature, whether due to itching or induced ametropia. CONCLUSION: In order to detect the disease early, corneal topography could be performed routinely in all young, allergic boys with a history of eye rubbing and recent-onset corneal astigmatism.

Dietary glycemic load and gastric cancer risk in Italy.

We investigated gastric cancer risk in relation to dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL), which represent indirect measures of carbohydrate absorption and consequently of dietary insulin demand, in a case-control study conducted in northern Italy between 1997 and 2007, including 230 patients with the incident, histologically confirmed gastric cancer and 547 frequency matched controls, admitted to the same hospitals as cases with acute non-neoplastic conditions. We used conditional logistic regression models, including terms for major recognised gastric cancer risk factors and non-carbohydrate energy intake. The odds ratios (ORs) in the highest vs lowest quintile were 1.9 (95% CI: 1.0-3.3) for GI and 2.5 (95% CI: 1.3-4.9) for GL. Compared with participants reporting low GL and high fruits/vegetables intake, the OR rose across strata of high GL and low fruits/vegetables, to reach 5.0 (95% CI: 2.2-11.5) for those reporting low fruits/vegetables intake and high GL. Our study may help to explain the direct relation observed in several studies between starchy foods and gastric cancer risk.