The Association of Consumption of Animal Proteins and the Risk of Esophageal Cancer.

Aim: Esophageal cancer (EC) is considered one of the most common types of cancer in the world. High intake of dietary proteins is suggested to increase EC. This study examined associations between intake of red meats, processed meat, poultry, and fish and the risk of EC. Methods: This hospital-based Case-Control study included 96 people with EC and 187 people without EC from Bojnurd, Iran. Socio-demographic data was collected from all participants at enrollment using general information questionnaire. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated 168 item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Results: After adjusting for potential confounders, there was a significant association between the consumption of beef (P = 0.04), processed meats (sausages) (P = 0.01), and chicken with skin (P = 0.001) with the risk of EC. Conclusion: We observed a positive association between red meat, processed meats (sausages), chicken with skin and the risk of EC. The use of lamb meat and fish had no significant association with the risk of EC.

Procalcitonin in inflammatory bowel disease: A diagnostic or prognostic marker.

Serological biomarkers have been rapidly progressing as non-invasive tests for the early detection of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Procalcitonin (PCT) is a novel acute-phase reactant protein that is elevated in the inflammatory process, especially in bacterial infections. This study aimed to review the diagnostic value of PCT in IBD activity. However, there were controversies about the role of PCT in the detecting of IBD disease activity. Studies showed varied diagnostic cut-points (ranging from 0.13 to 1.0 ng/dl) and sensitivity up to 93 %. Although the clear role of PCT as a valuable diagnostic marker was not identified in determining disease activity, PCT measurement in addition to other inflammatory markers can improve the diagnostic value of these markers. Moreover, further studies are required to confirm PCT's value in distinguishing IBD disease activity.

Do sufficient vitamin D levels at the end of summer in children and adolescents provide an assurance of vitamin D sufficiency at the end of winter? A cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The changes in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in adolescents from summer to winter and optimal serum vitamin D levels in the summer to ensure adequate vitamin D levels at the end of winter are currently unknown. This study was conducted to address this knowledge gap. METHODS: The study was conducted as a cohort study. Sixty-eight participants aged 7-18 years and who had sufficient vitamin D levels at the end of the summer in 2011 were selected using stratified random sampling. Subsequently, the participants' vitamin D levels were measured at the end of the winter in 2012. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine optimal cutoff points for vitamin D at the end of the summer to predict sufficient vitamin D levels at the end of the winter. RESULTS: The results indicated that 89.7% of all the participants had a decrease in vitamin D levels from summer to winter: 14.7% of them were vitamin D-deficient, 36.8% had insufficient vitamin D concentrations and only 48.5% where able to maintain sufficient vitamin D. The optimal cutoff point to provide assurance of sufficient serum vitamin D at the end of the winter was 40 ng/mL at the end of the summer. Sex, age and vitamin D levels at the end of the summer were significant predictors of non-sufficient vitamin D at the end of the winter. CONCLUSIONS: In this age group, a dramatic reduction in vitamin D was observed over the follow-up period. Sufficient vitamin D at the end of the summer did not guarantee vitamin D sufficiency at the end of the winter. We found 40 ng/mL as an optimal cutoff point.