scholarly journals Intestinal absorption of different types of folate in healthy subjects with an ileostomy

2002 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik J. M. Konings ◽  
Freddy J. Troost ◽  
Jacqueline J. M. Castenmiller ◽  
Harry H. S. Roomans ◽  
Piet A. van den Brandt ◽  
...  

Our knowledge on the absorption of folate is incomplete. The deconjugation process as a possible limiting factor in the absorption of folates was investigated. The study also attempted to validate the use of the area under the serum response curve (AUC) from food compared with folic acid as a proxy variable for food folate bioavailability. Folate absorption was determined in healthy ileostomy volunteers (n11) using a single-dose short-term protocol. In a randomised crossover design, volunteers received spinach meals and a supplement. Based on analysis of test meals and ileostomy effluents, there was no difference in folate absorption between spinach with a mono-:polyglutamate ratio 40:60 and the same spinach with a 100:0 ratio. The absolute absorption of spinach folate (79 %) calculated from the difference between folate intake and folate content of ileostomy effluents was approximately equal to the relative absorption (81 %) calculated from the AUC after consumption of spinach meals in relation to the AUC after consumption of the folic acid supplement. We conclude that the deconjugation process is not a limiting factor in the absorption of spinach folates. Comparison of AUC of food folatev.folic acid in a short-term protocol may be suitable for assessing food folate bioavailability.

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (Special Issue) ◽  
pp. 89-89
Author(s):  
Sabine Hauser ◽  
◽  
Rouven Porz ◽  
Maria Aluaș ◽  
◽  
...  

"In March 2020, many countries in commissions and medical societies moved very quickly to draft fair and transparent triage guidelines; this in order to plan ahead for possible resource bottlenecks in the treatment of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units. There are a lot of consciously chosen (but also less reflected) ethical values in these guidelines. Our presentation compares the values of eight of such guidelines, but first shows how to read such values in the first place. Many health professionals are hardly aware of the explicit presentation of ethical-philosophical values. From a methodological point of view, this presentation is based on a hermeneutic-ethical approach. The guidelines are interpreted, an interpretation aid is developed, and the values of the guidelines are reconsidered in comparison. On a meta-level, we could identify different types of values, besides medical and ethical values, the guidelines were also filled with procedural, structural and legal-political values. On a content level, the unreflective handling of the value of autonomy, which often competes with the value of public health, is particularly evident. This competition is little reflected. Another point of divergence between the guidelines is the degree of precision or the difference between long-term and short-term medical prognosis. We believe that with our analysis we can contribute to making value discussions in health care more open and explicit. We would like to present these conclusions for discussion at this year’s EACME conference in Cluj. "


Author(s):  
Arjumand Nazir ◽  
Fayaz A. Wani ◽  
Sumaya Shah ◽  
Saleema Dar

Background: It is generally recognized that most children with amblyopia have an improvement of visual acuity (VA) with treatment, little is known about the course of vision once treatment is decreased or stopped in a child. The treatment of amblyopia in children is frequently discussed in the literature; however, there is a lack of research into which method of treatment cessation is the most appropriate once therapy has been completed. We undertook this specifically designed prospective study to directly compare the potential relationship between the method of therapy cessation and the short-term (12-weeks) recurrence of amblyopia.Methods: Fifty children of 5-14 years of age group with different types of amblyopia fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Once BCVA was achieved, the subjects were randomized into one of two groups; abrupt cessation group or therapy tapering group. In subjects of tapered group occlusion was reduced from full-time occlusion to 50% of waking hours at BCVA and then additional by 50% at the 4-week’s study visit with occlusion being discontinued completely at the 8-week’s visit. All subjects in the abrupt cessation group stopped their full-time occlusion completely at the Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA). All subjects were followed for 3 consecutive 4-weeks intervals, for a total of 12 weeks, to assess the short-term recurrence rate of amblyopia.Results: The overall results show that at 12-weeks study outcome visit, 9 of the 50 subjects developed recurrence. Out of the total of 9 recurrences, 5 (20%) occurred in abrupt cessation group and 4 (16%) occurred in gradual cessation group. Comparing the time of occurrence of recurrence of amblyopia between the 2 studied groups, the recurrence of amblyopia was more during first 4 weeks of study 60% in abrupt group, whereas in gradual group all the recurrences occurred between 8 and 12 weeks visits. The pre-treatment VA and BCVA had a significant impact on the recurrence of amblyopia.Conclusions: In present study, the results demonstrate that the overall risk of amblyopia recurrence is 18% and the difference in the risk of amblyopia recurrence between the abrupt cessation group and the gradual cessation group (20% vs. 16%) is not statistically significant.


1937 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Shlaer

1. An apparatus for measuring the visual acuity of the eye at different illuminations is described. The test object is continuously variable in size and is presented at a fixed distance from the eye in the center of a 30° field. Observation of the field is through an artificial pupil. The maximum intensity obtainable is more than enough to cover the complete physiological range for the eye with white light though only 110 watts are consumed by the source. Means for varying the intensity over a range of 1:1010 in small steps are provided. 2. The relation of visual acuity and illumination for two trained observers was measured, using two different types of test object, a broken circle and a grating. The measurements with both test objects show a break at a visual acuity of 0.16, all values below that being mediated by the rods and those above by the cones. The grating gives higher visual acuities at intensities less than about 30 photons and lower visual acuities above that. The maximum visual acuity attainable with the grating under the same conditions is about 30 per cent lower than that with the C. It is shown that the limiting factor in the resolution of the eye for the grating is the diameter of the pupil when it is less than 2.3 mm. and the size of the central cones when the pupil is larger than that. The value of the diameter of the cone derived on that basis from the visual acuity data agrees with that derived from direct cone count in a unit of area. 3. The data for the cones made with both test objects are adequately described by one and the same form of the stationary state equation derived by Hecht for the photoreceptor system. This fact, together with certain considerations about the difference in the nature of the two test objects with regard to the resolvable area, leads to the conclusion that detail perception is a function of a distance rather than an area. All the data for the rods can likewise be described by another variety of the same equation, although the data are too fragmentary to make the choice of the form as certain as might be desired.


2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Grabianowski ◽  
Kristina Castel‐Roberts ◽  
Amanda Wittmann ◽  
David Maneval ◽  
Linda Young ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 208
Author(s):  
Hasan Arifuddin

Abstract Rose and Nicholl’s  view dealing with the effectiveness of multisensory learning seems contradictory with Pease and Pease’s theory regarding with gender-based multitasking. The present study aims at: 1)  determining the significance of the difference of STM of English vocabulary between males and females learned through different types of modalities; 2) testing  whether multimodality lowers  males’  STM of English vocabulary; and 3) exploring the trainees’ modality preference and their reasons based on sex.  This mix-methods study involved 60 subjects drawn through Allocation Random Sampling. Data were collected with tests, a structured questionnaire, an interview, a tape-recorder, observations and note-taking. They were analyzed with Two-way Anova, Chi-square (χ2) and cyclical qualitative analysis. It shows that: 1) there is a significant difference of  STM of English vocabulary between males and females trained with different types of modalities; 2) multimodality did not lower males’ STM of English vocabulary; and 3) Pease and Pease’s theory is not accepted. The effectiveness of a certain type of modality, their learning habits, and their school regulations  contribute to their  modality preference. Key words:  multitasking, multimodality, sex, short-term memory, training, development


2004 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 529-536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene McNulty ◽  
Kristina Pentieva

The achievement of optimal folate status to prevent neural-tube defects, and possibly other diseases, is hindered by the well-recognised incomplete bioavailability of the natural folates found in foods compared with the synthetic vitamin, folic acid. Folate bioavailability from different foods is considered to be dependent on a number of factors, including the food matrix, the intestinal deconjugation of polyglutamyl folates, the instability of certain labile folates during digestion and the presence of certain dietary constituents that may enhance folate stability during digestion. There is conflicting evidence as to whether the extent of conjugation of polyglutamyl folate (in the absence of specific inhibitors of deconjugation in certain foods) is a limiting factor in folate bioavailability. Estimates of the extent of lower bioavailability of food folates compared with folic acid (relative bioavailability) show great variation, ranging anywhere between 10 and 98%, depending on the methodological approach used. The lack of accurate data on folate bioavailability from natural food sources is of particular concern in those countries in which there is no mandatory folic acid fortification, and therefore a greater reliance on natural food folates as a means to optimise status. Apart from the incomplete bioavailability of food folates, the poor stability of folates in foods (particularly green vegetables) under typical conditions of cooking can substantially reduce the amount of vitamin ingested and thereby be an additional factor limiting the ability of food folates to enhance folate status. A recent workshop convened by the Food Standards Agency concluded that gaining a better understanding of folate bioavailability in representative human diets is a high priority for future research.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 543-553
Author(s):  
Luciana Y. Tomita ◽  
Andréia C. da Costa ◽  
Solange Andreoni ◽  
Luiza K.M. Oyafuso ◽  
Vânia D’Almeida ◽  
...  

Background: Folic acid fortification program has been established to prevent tube defects. However, concern has been raised among patients using anti-folate drug, i.e. psoriatic patients, a common, chronic, autoimmune inflammatory skin disease associated with obesity and smoking. Objective: To investigate dietary and circulating folate, vitamin B12 (B12) and homocysteine (hcy) in psoriatic subjects exposed to the national mandatory folic acid fortification program. Methods: Cross-sectional study using the Food Frequency Questionnaire, plasma folate, B12, hcy and psoriasis severity using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score. Median, interquartile ranges (IQRs) and linear regression models were conducted to investigate factors associated with plasma folate, B12 and hcy. Results: 82 (73%) mild psoriasis, 18 (16%) moderate and 12 (11%) severe psoriasis. 58% female, 61% non-white, 31% former smokers, and 20% current smokers. Median (IQRs) were 51 (40, 60) years. Only 32% reached the Estimated Average Requirement of folate intake. Folate and B12 deficiencies were observed in 9% and 6% of the blood sample respectively, but hyperhomocysteinaemia in 21%. Severity of psoriasis was negatively correlated with folate and B12 concentrations. In a multiple linear regression model, folate intake contributed positively to 14% of serum folate, and negative predictors were psoriasis severity, smoking habits and saturated fatty acid explaining 29% of circulating folate. Conclusion: Only one third reached dietary intake of folate, but deficiencies of folate and B12 were low. Psoriasis severity was negatively correlated with circulating folate and B12. Stopping smoking and a folate rich diet may be important targets for managing psoriasis.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 331
Author(s):  
Melissa van der Windt ◽  
Sam Schoenmakers ◽  
Bas van Rijn ◽  
Sander Galjaard ◽  
Régine Steegers-Theunissen ◽  
...  

Preconception folic acid supplement use is a well-known method of primary prevention of neural tube defects (NTDs). Obese women are at a higher risk for having a child with a NTD. As different international recommendations on folic acid supplement use for obese women before and during pregnancy exist, this narrative review provides an overview of epidemiology of folate deficiency in obese (pre)pregnant women, elaborates on potential mechanisms underlying folate deficiency, and discusses considerations for the usage of higher doses of folic acid supplements. Women with obesity more often suffer from an absolute folate deficiency, as they are less compliant to periconceptional folic acid supplement use recommendations. In addition, their dietary folate intake is limited due to an unbalanced diet (relative malnutrition). The association of obesity and NTDs also seems to be independent of folate intake, with studies suggesting an increased need of folate (relative deficiency) due to derangements involved in other pathways. The relative folate deficiency, as a result of an increased metabolic need for folate in obese women, can be due to: (1) low-grade chronic inflammation (2) insulin resistance, (3) inositol, and (4) dysbiotic gut microbiome, which plays a role in folate production and uptake. In all these pathways, the folate-dependent one-carbon metabolism is involved. In conclusion, scientific evidence of the involvement of several folate-related pathways implies to increase the recommended folic acid supplementation in obese women. However, the physiological uptake of synthetic folic acid is limited and side-effects of unmetabolized folic acid in mothers and offspring, in particular variations in epigenetic (re)programming with long-term health effects, cannot be excluded. Therefore, we emphasize on the urgent need for further research and preconception personalized counseling on folate status, lifestyle, and medical conditions.


2021 ◽  
pp. 193896552110335
Author(s):  
John W. O’Neill ◽  
Jihwan Yeon

In recent years, short-term rental platforms in the lodging sector, including Airbnb, VRBO, and HomeAway, have received extensive attention and emerged as potentially alternative suppliers of services traditionally provided by established commercial accommodation providers, that is, hotels. Short-term rentals have dramatically increased the available supply of rooms for visitors to multiple international destinations, potentially siphoning demand away from hotels to short-term rental businesses. In a competitive market, an increase in supply with constant demand would negatively influence incumbent service providers. In this article, we examine the substitution effects of short-term rental supply on hotel performance in different cities around the world. Specifically, we comprehensively investigate the substitution effects of short-term rental supply on hotel performance based on hotel class, location type, and region. Furthermore, we segment the short-term rental supply based on its types of accommodations, that is, shared rooms, private rooms, and entire homes, and both examine and quantify the differential effects of these types of short-term rentals on different types of hotels. This study offers a comprehensive analysis regarding the impact of multiple short-term rental platforms on hotel performance and offers both conceptual and practical insights regarding the nature and extent of the effects that were identified.


2021 ◽  
Vol 256 ◽  
pp. 19-43
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Castle ◽  
Jurgen A. Doornik ◽  
David F. Hendry

The Covid-19 pandemic has put forecasting under the spotlight, pitting epidemiological models against extrapolative time-series devices. We have been producing real-time short-term forecasts of confirmed cases and deaths using robust statistical models since 20 March 2020. The forecasts are adaptive to abrupt structural change, a major feature of the pandemic data due to data measurement errors, definitional and testing changes, policy interventions, technological advances and rapidly changing trends. The pandemic has also led to abrupt structural change in macroeconomic outcomes. Using the same methods, we forecast aggregate UK unemployment over the pandemic. The forecasts rapidly adapt to the employment policies implemented when the UK entered the first lockdown. The difference between our statistical and theory based forecasts provides a measure of the effect of furlough policies on stabilising unemployment, establishing useful scenarios had furlough policies not been implemented.


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