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ObjectiveFFQ are commonly used to rank individuals by their food and nutrient intakes in large epidemiological studies. The purpose of the present study was to develop and validate an FFQ to rank individuals participating in an ongoing Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study in Chile.DesignAn FFQ and four 24 h dietary recalls were completed over 1 year. Pearson correlation coefficients, energy-adjusted and de-attenuated correlations and weighted kappa were computed between the dietary recalls and the FFQ. The level of agreement between the two dietary assessment methods was evaluated by Bland–Altman analysis.SettingTemuco, Chile.SubjectsOverall, 166 women and men enrolled in the present study. One hundred men and women participated in FFQ development and sixty-six individuals participated in FFQ validation.ResultsThe FFQ consisted of 109 food items. For nutrients, the crude correlation coefficients between the dietary recalls and FFQ varied from 0·14 (protein) to 0·44 (fat). Energy adjustment and de-attenuation improved correlation coefficients and almost all correlation coefficients exceeded 0·40. Similar correlation coefficients were observed for food groups; the highest de-attenuated energy-adjusted correlation coefficient was found for margarine and butter (0·75) and the lowest for potatoes (0·12).ConclusionsThe FFQ showed moderate to high agreement for most nutrients and food groups, and can be used to rank individuals based on energy, nutrient and food intakes. The validation study was conducted in a unique setting and indicated that the tool is valid for use by adults in Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: As the primary source of dietary vitamin C is fruit and to some extent vegetables, the plasma level of vitamin C has been considered a good surrogate or predictor of vitamin C intake by fruit and vegetable consumption. The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the relationship between dietary vitamin C intakes measured by different dietary methods and plasma levels of vitamin C. Method: We searched the literature up to May 2006 through the OVID interface: MEDLINE (from 1960) and EMBASE (from 1988). We also reviewed the reference lists in the articles, reviews, and textbooks retrieved. A total of 26 studies were selected and their results were combined using meta-analytic techniques with random-effect model approach. Results: The overall result of this study showed a positive correlation coefficient between Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and biomarker (r = 0.35 for "both" genders, 0.39 for females, and 0.46 for males). Also the correlation between Dietary Recalls (DR)/diary and biomarker was 0.46 for "both" genders, 0.44 for females, and 0.36 for males. An overall correlation of 0.39 was found when using the weight record method. Adjusting for energy intake improved the observed correlation for FFQ from 0.31 to 0.41. In addition, we compared the correlation for smokers and non-smokers for both genders (FFQ: for non-smoker r = 0.45, adjusted for smoking r = 0.33). Conclusion: Our findings show that FFQ and DR/diary have a moderate relationship with plasma vitamin C. The correlation may be affected/influenced by the presence of external factors such as vitamin bioavailability, absorption condition, stress and food processing and storage time, or by error in reporting vitamin C intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thyroid cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide. Genetic and epigenetic alterations are one of the main causes of thyroid tumor that is responsible to the activation of oncogenes as well as the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. This research aimed to investigate the relationship of promoter methylation patterns with the expression of P38α in Iranian patients with thyroid cancer., Methods: We collected 40 thyroid tumor samples and 40 adjacent normal thyroid samples from 40 Iranian patients with papillary thyroid cancer. The promoter methylation pattern of P38α gene was investigated by methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MS-HRM) method. Moreover, mRNA expression of P38α was investigated by Real-Time PCR method. Further validation of the obtained results was performed by the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset., Results: The obtained results indicated that the expression of the P38α (MAPK-14) gene in the thyroid cancer sample was considerably higher than tumor margin sample. Also, P38α gene promoter methylation was higher in thyroid margin tissue as compared to tumor tissue. These results were additionally confirmed by TCGA analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed a high accuracy of P38α gene expression as a diagnostic biomarker for thyroid malignancy., Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that the P38α expression level gene was associated with thyroid cancer pathogenesis among the Iranian population. We suggested that this gene expression might be used as a biomarker for diagnosis of thyroid tumor.

Major scholars in the field, on the basis of a 3-day consensus, created an in-depth review of current knowledge on the role of diet in cardiovascular disease (CVD), the changing global food system and global dietary patterns, and potential policy solutions. Evidence from different countries and age/race/ethnicity/socioeconomic groups suggesting the health effects studies of foods, macronutrients, and dietary patterns on CVD appear to be far more consistent though regional knowledge gaps is highlighted. Large gaps in knowledge about the association of macronutrients to CVD in low- and middle-income countries particularly linked with dietary patterns are reviewed. Our understanding of foods and macronutrients in relationship to CVD is broadly clear; however, major gaps exist both in dietary pattern research and ways to change diets and food systems. On the basis of the current evidence, the traditional Mediterranean-type diet, including plant foods and emphasis on plant protein sources provides a well-tested healthy dietary pattern to reduce CVD., (Copyright © 2015 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To validate the original food frequency questionnaire in Turkish adult population., Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in June and December 2008 and 2009, and comprised adults of either gender aged 30-70 years. All subjects were Caucasians and were native Turkish speakers. The food frequency questionnaire containing 229 most frequently consumed foods under 7 topics was used for data collection. It was completed twice and the 24-hour dietary recall four times in a year. In order to assess the validity of the questionnaire, Pearson correlation, attenuation coefficient, measures of agreement between the two methods, weighted kappa statistics and Bland-Altman plots were employed. SPSS 16 was used for statistical analysis., Results: Of the 120 subjects in the study, 71(59%) were males and 49(41%) were females with an overall mean age of 50.16±9.76 years. The correlation of estimated nutrient intake between the food frequency questionnaire and 24-hour dietary recall varied between 0.200 and 0.468, energy-adjusted regression was between 0.044 and 0.611 and attenuation coefficients of regression were between 0.339 and 0.658 for the selected macro and micro nutrients. Bland-Altman plots showed an acceptable agreement between the two methods. When nutrient intake was categorised in quartiles, proportions of the same or adjacent quartiles were 98.3%, 98.4%, 98.3%, 96.7% and 95% for energy, fat, protein, carbohydrates and fibre, respectively., Conclusions: The first food frequency questionnaire developed in Turkish language was an adequate and valid tool to assess the nutritional habits of the local population.

Objective: The aim of this cohort study was to evaluate selected mineral and vitamin intake of the Polish-Norwegian Study (PONS) participants., Methods: Daily mineral and vitamin intake of PONS study participants was estimated using Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Overall, 3,862 inhabitants of Świętokrzyskie Province aged 45-64 (2,572 females and 1,290 males) enrolled in the study., Results: Mean calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium intake were, in males: 660.6 mg/day, 15.4 mg/day, 218.5 mg/day, 889.3 mg/day, 2,453.4 mg/day and 2,571.5 mg/day, and in females: 703.6 mg/day, 13.9 mg/day, 220.8 mg/day, 916.3 mg/day, 2,497.3 mg/day and 2,301.8 mg/day, respectively. Iron and sodium intake was significantly higher in males compared to females. Calcium intake was lower in males than in females and in participants aged 55-64 then those aged 45-54. Estimated daily sodium intake was similar among individuals with and without hypertension. Mean vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, A and E were, in males: 80.1 mg/day, 1.3 mg/day, 1.5 mg/day, 1.6 mg/day, 8,454.0 IU/day and 5.4 mg/day and in females: 83.7 mg/day, 1.1 mg/day, 1.6 mg/day, 1.6 mg/day, 9,494.6 IU/day and 4.9 mg/day, respectively. Females had a higher intake of vitamin C and A , while males had higher thiamin and vitamin E intakes. Higher daily vitamin C intake was observed in the younger than in the older group, and in participants with higher education than those with a lower level of education., Conclusion: Significant differences were observed in daily intake of some vitamins and minerals by gender, age, level of education, and place of residence. Some participants had a lower intake of some minerals and vitamins than Polish recommendations.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the dietary intake of participants in the Polish-Norwegian Study (PONS)., Methods: The presented study comprised 3,862 inhabitants of Świętokrzyskie Province aged 45-64 (2,572 females and 1,290 males). Daily intakes of energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat and fatty acid were estimated using the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ)., Results: Energy intake was significantly higher in males than females (1,461.4 vs 1,320.7 kcal/day), and in participants aged 45-54 than in those aged 55-64 (1,409.5 vs 1,338.5 kcal/day). The percentage of energy from saturated fatty acids was higher than dietary recommendations. Protein, fat and carbohydrate intakes were significantly higher in males compared to females, and in younger than in older group. Daily cholesterol intake was significantly higher in males compared to females and in younger than in older group. People with a higher level of education had a higher energy, protein and fat intake., Conclusion: Under-reporting of energy intake was observed in a significant percentage of participants, especially in males. Gender, age and education status had statistically significant impact on dietary intake. Increase in the intake of dietary fibre, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids with diet by the studied participants will make the diets more healthy.

Objectives: To examine the validity of self-reported body mass index (BMI) in estimating the prevalence of obesity in the Canadian population, and to suggest a model for predicting actual BMI from self-reported data., Methods: This analysis is based on 1131 participants with both self-reported and measured height and weight from the Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 2.2 dataset. We estimated the prevalence of obesity as well as the mean and standard deviation (SD) of BMI according to sex, age group, and measured weight classification. Multiple regression analysis was used to build a model to assess the relation between actual BMI and variables of age, sex, and self-reported BMI., Results: The overall prevalence of obesity was 23.0% based on measured BMI, and 15.6% based on self-reported BMI. Estimated mean (SD) for self-reported and measured BMI were 25.8 (4.8) and 26.9 (5.0) kg/m(2), respectively. Only 74.3% of obese men and 56.2% of obese women were correctly classified as obese on the basis of self-reported measures. Females and heavier respondents showed more BMI under-reporting than others., Conclusions: To estimate overweight and obesity in etiological and disease relationship studies, the use of measured height and weight in BMI estimation is preferable to the use of self-reported values. However, if self-reported height and weight are used in population studies, our proposed model can be used to reliably predict the actual BMI with a narrow 95% confidence interval.