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Background: As protein is considered to increase thermogenesis and satiety more than other macronutrients, it may have beneficial effects on prevention of weight gain and weight maintenance.Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the association between the amount and type of dietary protein, and subsequent changes in weight and waist circumference (WC).Methods: 89 432 men and women from five countries participating in European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) were followed for a mean of 6.5 years. Associations between the intake of protein or subgroups of protein (from animal and plant sources) and changes in weight (g per year) or WC (cm per year) were investigated using gender and centre-specific multiple regression analyses. Adjustments were made for other baseline dietary factors, baseline anthropometrics, demographic and lifestyle factors and follow-up time. We used random effect meta-analyses to obtain pooled estimates across centres.Results: Higher intake of total protein, and protein from animal sources was associated with subsequent weight gain for both genders, strongest among women, and the association was mainly attributable to protein from red and processed meat and poultry rather than from fish and dairy sources. There was no overall association between intake of plant protein and subsequent changes in weight. No clear overall associations between intakes of total protein or any of the subgroups and changes in WC were present. The associations showed some heterogeneity between centres, but pooling of estimates was still considered justified.Conclusion: A high intake of protein was not found associated with lower weight or waist gain in this observational study. In contrast, protein from food items of animal origin, especially meat and poultry, seemed to be positively associated with long-term weight gain. There were no clear associations for waist changes. International Journal of Obesity (2011) 35, 1104-1113; doi:10.1038/ijo.2010.254; published online 7 December 2010

Selenium status is suboptimal in many Europeans and may be a risk factor for the development of various cancers, including those of the liver and biliary tract. Objective: We wished to examine whether selenium status in advance of cancer onset is associated with hepatobiliary cancers in the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) study. Design: We assessed prediagnostic selenium status by measuring serum concentrations of selenium and selenoprotein P (SePP; the major circulating selenium transfer protein) and examined the association with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; n = 121), gallbladder and biliary tract cancers (GBTCs; n = 100), and intrahepatic bile duct cancer (IHBC; n = 40) risk in a nested case-control design within the EPIC study. Selenium was measured by total reflection X-ray fluorescence, and SePP was determined by a colorimetric sandwich ELISA. Multivariable ORs and 95% CIs were calculated by using conditional logistic regression. Results: HCC and GBTC cases, but not IHBC cases, showed significantly lower circulating selenium and SePP concentrations than their matched controls. Higher circulating selenium was associated with a significantly lower HCC risk (OR per 20-mg/L increase: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.23, 0.72) but not with the risk of GBTC or IHBC. Similarly, higher SePP concentrations were associated with lowered HCC risk only in both the categorical and continuous analyses (HCC: P-trend ≤ 0.0001; OR per 1.5-mg/L increase: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.21, 0.63). Conclusion: These findings from a large prospective cohort provide evidence that suboptimal selenium status in Europeans may be associated with an appreciably increased risk of HCC development. © 2016 American Society for Nutrition.

There are inconsistent and limited data available to assess the relationship between fat intake and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We examined the consumption of total fat, fat sources and fat subtypes in relation to risk of EOC and its major histologic subtypes in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition which includes incident invasive (n = 1095) and borderline (n = 96) EOC. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In multivariate models, we observed no association with consumption of total fat, animal or plant fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, monounsaturated fat, or fatty fish and risk of invasive EOC. There was, however, an increased risk of invasive EOC in the highest category of intake (Quartile 4 vs. Quartile 1) of polyunsaturated fat (HR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.02-1.48, P-trend = 0.02). We did not observe heterogeneity in the risk associations in comparisons of serous and endometrioid histologic subtypes. This study does not support an etiological role for total fat intake in relation to EOC risk; however, based on observations of a positive association between intake of polyunsaturated fat and invasive EOC risk in the current and previous studies, this fat subtype warrants further investigation to determine its potential role in EOC development. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aspirin has detrimental effects on the gastrointestinal tract mucosa and may play a role in the aetiology of inflammatory bowel disease.To investigate if the regular use of aspirin is associated with the development of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) using, for the first time, a prospective cohort study design.A total of 135,780 men and women in Europe, aged 30-74years, were recruited into the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. Participants completed questionnaires at baseline detailing their regular aspirin use and were then followed up to identify those who developed either incident CD or UC. Each case was matched with four controls and odds ratios (OR) were calculated, adjusting for cigarette smoking. Potential interactions between aspirin and smoking were assessed.A total of 35 participants developed CD and a further 84 were diagnosed with UC. Regular aspirin intake was positively associated with the risk of developing CD (OR=6.14, 95% CI=1.76-21.35). In those who took aspirin and smoked there was no detectable increased risk of CD (OR=0.30, 95% CI=0.03-3.08). No association was found between regular aspirin use and UC (OR=1.29, 95% CI=0.67-2.46).A strong positive association between regular aspirin use and CD, but not UC, was observed. The data suggest that regular aspirin use should be measured in epidemiological work on CD. If such findings are consistent in other work then aspirin may affect the development of CD in a middle-aged to elderly population.

To cite this article: Schlehofer B, Siegmund B, Linseisen J, Schüz J, Rohrmann S, Becker S, Michaud D, Melin B, Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita H, Peeters PHM, Vineis P, Tjonneland A, Olsen A, Overvad K, Romieu I, Boeing H, Aleksandrova K, Trichopoulou A, Bamia C, Lagiou P, Sacerdote C, Palli D, Panico S, Sieri S, Tumino R, Sanchez M-J, Rodriguez L, Dorronsoro M, Duell EJ, Chirlaque M-D, Barricarte A, Borgquist S, Manjer J, Gallo V, Allen NE, Key TJ, Riboli E, Kaaks R, Wahrendorf J. Primary brain tumours and specific serum immunoglobulin E: a case-control study nested in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort. Allergy 2011; DOI: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2011.02670.x. ABSTRACT: Background: Case-control studies suggest that patients with allergic diseases have a lower risk of developing glioma but not meningioma or schwannoma. However, those data can be differentially biased. Prospective studies with objective measurements of immunologic biomarkers, like immunoglobulin E (IgE), in blood obtained before cancer diagnosis could help to clarify whether an aetiological association exists. Methods: The present case-control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) measured specific serum IgE as a biomarker for the most common inhalant allergens in 275 glioma, 175 meningioma and 49 schwannoma cases and 963 matched controls using the ImmunoCAP specific IgE test. Subjects with an IgE level ≥0.35 kUA/l (kilo antibody units per litre) were classified as sensitized by allergens. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated by adjusted conditional logistic regression models for each tumour subtype. The effect of dose-response relationship was assessed in five increasing IgE level categories to estimate P-values for trend. Results: The risk of glioma was inversely related to allergic sensitization (OR = 0.73; 95% CI 0.51-1.06), especially pronounced in women (OR = 0.53; 95% CI 0.30-0.95). In dose-response analyses, for high-grade glioma, the lowest OR was observed in sera with the highest IgE levels (P for trend = 0.04). No association was seen for meningioma and schwannoma. Conclusion: The results, based on serum samples prospectively collected in a cohort study, provide some support for the hypothesis that individuals with allergic sensitization are at reduced risk of glioma and confirm results from previous case-control studies.

OBJECTIVE To study the association between adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) and risk of developing type 2 diabetes, across European countries. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We established a case-cohort study including 11,994 incident type 2 diabetic case subjects and a stratified subcohort of 15,798 participants selected from a total cohort of 340,234 participants with 3.99 million person-years of follow-up, from eight European cohorts participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. The relative Mediterranean diet score (rMED) (score range 0–18) was used to assess adherence to MDP on the basis of reported consumption of nine dietary components characteristic of the Mediterranean diet. Cox proportional hazards regression, modified for the case-cohort design, was used to estimate the association between rMED and risk of type 2 diabetes, adjusting for confounders. RESULTS The multiple adjusted hazard ratios of type 2 diabetes among individuals with medium (rMED 7–10 points) and high adherence to MDP (rMED 11–18 points) were 0.93 (95% CI 0.86–1.01) and 0.88 (0.79–0.97), respectively, compared with individuals with low adherence to MDP (0–6 points) (P for trend 0.013). The association between rMED and type 2 diabetes was attenuated in people

Udgivelsesdato: 2010-Jan-28 Abstract. Bamia C, Halkjaer J, Lagiou P, Trichopoulos D, Tjønneland A, Berentzen TL, Overvad K, Clavel-Chapelon F, Boutron-Ruault M-C, Rohrmann S, Linseisen J, Steffen A, Boeing H, May AM, Peeters PH, Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita H, van den Berg SW, Dorronsoro M, Barricarte A, Rodriguez Suarez L, Navarro C, González CA, Boffetta P, Pala V, Hallmans G, Trichopoulou A (University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Copenhagen, Denmark; Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Bureau of Epidemiologic Research, Athens, Greece; Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece; Institute of Preventive Medicine, Copenhagen, Denmark; Institute of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Center for Cardiovascular Research, Aalborg, Denmark; Institut Gustave-Roussy, Paris, France; German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany; Institute of Epidemiology, Potsdam, Germany; German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Potsdam, Germany; University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Public Health and Primary Care, London, UK; National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands; Public Health Department of Gipuzkoa & Ciberesp, San Sebastian, Spain; Health Institute of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain; Health and Healthcare services council, Asturias, Spain; Murcia Regional Health Council, Murcia, Spain; Catalan Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain; International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France; Fondazione IRCSS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy; and Nutritional Research, Umea, Sweden). Weight change in later life and risk of death amongst the elderly: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Elderly Network on Ageing and Health study. J Intern Med 2010; 000: 000-000. Objective. Later life weight change and mortality amongst elders. Design. Nested case-control study. Setting. Six countries from the European Investigation into Cancer and nutrition - Elderly, Network on Ageing and Health. Subjects. A total of 1712 deceased (cases) and 4942 alive (controls) were selected from 34 239 participants, >/= 60 years at enrolment (1992-2000) who were followed-up until March 2007. Annual weight change was estimated as the weight difference from recruitment to the most distant from-date-of-death re-assessment, divided by the respective time. Outcome measures. Mortality in relation to weight change was examined using conditional logistic regression. Results. Weight loss >1 kg year(-1) was associated with statistically significant increased death risk (OR = 1.65; 95% CI: 1.41-1.92) compared to minimal weight change (+/-1 kg year(-1)). Weight gain >1 kg year(-1) was also associated with increased risk of death (OR = 1.15; 95% CI: 0.98-1.37), but this was evident and statistically significant only amongst overweight/obese (OR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.17-2.05). In analyses by time interval since weight re-assessment, the association of mortality with weight loss was stronger for the interval proximal (

Objectives:To investigate whether dietary glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) were associated with subsequent weight and waist circumference change.Design:Population-based prospective cohort study.Setting:Five European countries, which are Denmark, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom.Participants:A total of 89 432 participants, aged 20-78 years (mean =53 years) at baseline and followed for 1.9-12.5 years (mean=6.5 years). All participants were free of self-reported cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at baseline.Methods:Glycaemic index and GL were calculated on the basis of dietary intake assessed by food frequency questionnaires and by using a GI table developed for this study with published GI values as the main sources. Anthropometric data were collected both at baseline and at the end of follow-up. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted in each centre and random-effect meta-analyses were used to combine the effects. Adjustment was made for baseline anthropometrics, demographic and lifestyle factors, follow-up duration and other dietary factors.Results:Mean GI and GL were 57 and 134, respectively. Associations of GI and GL with subsequent changes of weight and waist circumference were heterogeneous across centres. Overall, with every 10-unit higher in GI, weight increased by 34 g per year (95% confidence interval (CI): -47, 115) and waist circumference increased by 0.19 cm per year (95% CI: 0.11, 0.27). With every 50-unit higher in GL, weight increased by 10 g per year (95% CI: -65, 85) and waist circumference increased by 0.06 cm per year (95% CI: -0.01, 0.13).Conclusions:Our findings do not support an effect of GI or GL on weight change. The positively significant association between GI, not GL, and subsequent gain in waist circumference may imply a beneficial role of lower GI diets in the prevention of abdominal obesity. However, further studies are needed to confirm this finding given the small effect observed in this study.International Journal of Obesity advance online publication, 25 August 2009; doi:10.1038/ijo.2009.163.

Alcohol is a risk factor for several types of cancer. However, the results for prostate cancer have been inconsistent, with most studies showing no association. Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, detailed information were collected from 142,607 male participants on the intake of alcoholic beverages at recruitment (for 100% of the cohort) and over lifetime (for 76% of the cohort) between 1992 and 2000. During a median follow-up of 8.7 years, 2,655 prostate cancer cases were observed. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the association of alcohol consumption at recruitment and average lifetime alcohol consumption with prostate cancer adjusted for age, center, smoking, height, weight, physical activity, and nonalcohol energy intake. Overall, neither alcohol consumption at baseline nor average lifetime alcohol consumption was associated with the risk for prostate cancer in this cohort of men. Men who consumed >= 60 g alcohol per day had a relative risk of 0.88 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.72-1.081 compared with men with an intake of 0.1-4.9 g/d; the respective relative risk for average lifetime intake was 1.09 (95% CI, 0.86-1.39). For advanced prostate cancer (n=537), the relative risks for >= 60 and 0.1-4.9 g alcohol per day at baseline were 0.98 (95% CI, 0.66-1.44) and 1.28 (95% CI, 0.79-2-07), respectively, for average lifetime intake. No statistically significant association was observed for alcohol intake from specific alcoholic beverages. Our results indicate no association between the consumption of alcohol and prostate cancer in this cohort of European men.

The aim of the present study was to quantify the impact of different dietary factors on the mortality from ischaemic heart disease in Denmark.Relative risks and knowledge on the distribution of different dietary factors were used to estimate etiological fractions.It is estimated that an intake of fruit and vegetables and saturated fat as recommended would prevent 12 and 22%, respectively, of deaths from ischaemic heart disease in Denmark. An intake of fish among those at high risk for ischaemic heart disease, would lead to a 26% lower mortality, while alcohol intake among abstainers would have no significant quantitative effect.These results suggest that changes in dietary habits according to current recommendations would have an impact on public health in Denmark.

In order to test hypotheses on diet and the risk of cancer, a prospective cohort study was established. A total of 57,055 persons living in Copenhagen and Aarhus, between 50 and 65 years of age, visited a study clinic between December 1993 and May 1997. The participants provided questionnaire data on diet and lifestyle. Furthermore, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure and biological material were collected. All participants will be followed by linkage to health registries including the Cancer Registry and by self-administered follow-up questionnaires. The purpose of this publication is to describe the data-base, which will be available for research in the years to come including the results of the first two years of follow-up.

Variation in diet associated with drinking patterns may partly explain why wine seems to reduce ischaemic heart disease mortality. In a cross-sectional study conducted in Copenhagen and Aarhus from 1995 to 1997 including 23,284 men and 25,479 women aged 50-64 years, the relation between intake of different alcoholic beverages and selected indicators of a healthy diet was investigated. In multivariate analyses, wine, as compared with other alcoholic drinks, was associated with a higher intake of fruit, fish, cooked vegetables, salad, the use of olive oil for cooking and not using fat spread on rye bread. In conclusion, the association between wine drinking and an intake of a healthy diet may have implications for the interpretation of previous reports of the relation between type of alcoholic beverage and ischaemic heart disease mortality.

The aim of the study was to examine the effect of 24-hour nicotine patches in smoking cessation among over-the-counter customers in Denmark based on a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants were consecutive customers to whom nicotine patches were offered free of charge and as the only treatment. Forty-two pharmacies in the areas of Aarhus and Copenhagen in Denmark participated in the trial, and 522 customers who smoked 10 or more cigarettes per day were randomized to either nicotine or placebo patches from January to March 1994. Twenty-four-hour patches were offered for a three-month period. Those smoking 20 or more cigarettes per day started on 21 mg/day patches. Customers who smoked less started on 14 mg/day patches and all the participants were gradually reduced to 7 mg/day patches during the study period. Smoking behaviour and compliance were recorded by means of self-administered question-naires and telephone interviews. Smoking status was recorded following each four-week treatment period, and 26 weeks after inclusion. There was a significant increase in smoking cessations rates, but only among smokers who started on 21 mg/day patches after eight weeks of follow-up. No significant differences in smoking cessation rates were seen among smokers who started with the low dose nicotine or placebo patches.

Three hundred and seventy-four general practitioners (GPs) in Denmark filled in a questionnaire on practices regarding prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD), cancer, osteoporosis, and overweight/underweight. Half of the GPs were questioned about the issue of prevention based upon female case stories and the other half on male case stories with identical wording. The GPs more often in relation to: Prevention of CHD gave dietary counselling and recommended weight loss to slightly overweight male than female patients. Prevention of cancers gave dietary counselling and recommended weight loss and increase of exercise to female than to male patients. Prevention of osteoporosis recommended a supplement of calcium and vitamin D to female than to male patients. Treatment of underweight recommended weight gain and discussion of psycho-social issues to underweight female than male patients. In conclusion, GPs distinguish between men and women in relation to prevention strategies in general practice. There is a need for well-described prevention and action strategies with relevant gender differentiation for use in general practice.

Three hundred and seventy-four general practitioners (GPs) in Denmark filled in a questionnaire on attitudes to include information on gender and diet in the strategy for prevention of coronary heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and overweight/underweight. Risk factors for disease in general were ranked as follows: smoking, alcohol, stress, diet, physical exercise, heredity and hygiene. The patients' lack of motivation, insufficient time for each patient, and inadequate knowledge about nutrition were stated as barriers to dietary counselling. The GPs stated that the gender of the patient was important only to the counselling on osteoporosis. Lack of time and insufficient knowledge were perceived as barriers for including gender specific issues in prevention. It is concluded that GPs consider dietary counselling important but lack time and knowledge. The results point at a need for better pre- and postgraduate training in nutrition, and for a better reimbursement system for time spent on prevention.

The literature concerning the importance of Q10 for health and disease has been reviewed. Dietary intake together with normal in vivo synthesis seems to fulfil the body's demands for Q10 in younger, healthy individuals. The importance of Q10 in general well-being has not been investigated in controlled experiments. The literature allows no firm conclusions about the significance of Q10 in physical activity. In different cardiovascular diseases a positive effect of oral Q10 supplementation has been reported, especially in chronic heart failure. These effects should be further examined. No important adverse side effects have been reported from experiments using daily supplements of up to 200 mg of Q10 for six to twelve months, and 100 mg daily for up to six years.

In the early 1980s, Doll and Peto estimated that about 35% of all deaths from cancer in the United States were attributable to dietary factors, with a margin of uncertainty ranging from 10 to 70%. Since then, several dietary factors, e.g. fat and meat, have been suggested to increase the risk for cancer, while other factors, e.g. fibre, fruit and vegetables, have been suggested to decrease the risk. The case-control and cohort studies have, however, given ambiguous results, and the overall evidence is far from conclusive. The major findings on dietary factors that increase risk have been reported from case-control studies, but have not been confirmed in large population-based cohort studies. Although the research in this area indicates that diet is important in cancer prevention, current knowledge does not allow reliable estimates of the numbers and proportions of cancers that could be avoided through well-described modifications of dietary habits. During the last 10 years, low physical activity has been pinpointed as a risk factor for cancers at various sites, especially the colon; however, the causal mechanism is still unknown. Obesity, defined as a body mass index of 30 or more, is consistently associated with endometrial and gall-bladder cancers in women and renal-cell cancer in both men and women. As the prevalence of obesity was between 5 and almost 20% in the Nordic populations in 1995, 625 cancer cases (310 endometrial cancers, 270 renal-cell cancers in men and women and 45 gall-bladder and bile-duct cancers among women) can be predicted in the Nordic countries around the year 2000 to be caused by obesity. This implies that about 1% of all cancers in Nordic women and less than 1% of those in Nordic men could be avoided around the year 2000 if a healthy body weight could be maintained by all inhabitants.

The average salt intake (sodium chloride) in Denmark is about 10 g/person/day, which is approximately 8 times higher than the estimated need. Salt added during industrial processing of foods constitutes more than 50% of the daily salt intake. Observational and experimental epidemiological studies indicate no decisive effects on blood pressure in humans caused by considerable variations in the daily salt intake. However, a small group of patients with hypertension may lower their blood pressure by reducing the daily intake of salt to 5 g. It has not been convincingly documented that high salt intake is an independent risk factor in the pathogenesis of asthma, osteoporosis, toxaemia of pregnancy or apoplectic stroke. On the other hand, several epidemiological studies point to the fact that the intake of salted foods may increase the risk of gastric cancer. It is recommended 1) that the food industry as far as possible limits the addition of salt, 2) that foods are supplied with a declaration of the salt content, and 3) that the research in this field is strengthened to facilitate the identification of persons at increased risk of developing disorders associated with high salt intake.

In 1968-1975, a cohort of 5,100 ostensibly healthy women was established on the island of Guernsey, England, for investigation of the influence of hormonal factors on breast cancer. At the women's entry into the study, blood samples were drawn from each participant, and each woman completed a questionnaire that provided information on established risk indicators in human mammary carcinogenesis. Plasma copper levels were measured in 46 breast cancer cases diagnosed an average of 11 years (standard deviation (SD), 4) after entry into the study cohort and in an age-stratified random sample of 138 women drawn from the total initial cohort at risk. Plasma copper levels were 1.31 mg/liter (SD, 0.37) in the cases and 1.26 mg/liter (SD, 0.36) in the controls; the 95% confidence interval for the overall difference was -0.07 to 0.17. A U-shaped relation between premorbid plasma copper levels and the risk of developing breast cancer was seen. Adjusted odds ratios for breast cancer were 1.8, 1.0, 1.6, and 3.2, respectively, in the four quartiles of the copper distribution. No major changes in the risk estimates were observed when statistical evaluation was restricted to cases diagnosed more than 10 years after collection of blood samples.

In order to examine the levels of serum selenium in Europe, a collaborative study was conducted under the auspices of "The Working Group on Diet and Cancer" under "The European Organisation for Cooperation in Cancer Prevention Studies". A total of 502 serum samples was obtained from healthy, non-institutionized individuals, aged between 20 and 65 years, from 17 locations in 10 different countries in Europe. The selenium content of the samples was determined by a fluorometric method. All analyses were performed in one laboratory. Mean +/- standard deviation of the serum selenium given in microgram/l for the combined male and female data from the individual regions was: Belgium: 100 +/- 9; Denmark: Aarhus 78 +/- 15; France: Grenoble 79 +/- 15; Paris 82 +/- 11; W. Germany: Bavaria 70 +/- 10 Giessen 68 +/- 10, Heidelberg 76 +/- 9; Greece 63 +/- 14; Netherlands: 93 +/- 12; Portugal: Lissabon 102 +/- 10; Spain: Barcelona 87 +/- 14; Sweden: Göteborg 77 +/- 11, Malmö 90 +/- 14, Umeå 82 +/- 8, Uppsala 81 +/- 15; United Kingdom: Ipswich 107 +/- 13, London 109 +/- 14. None of the values represented toxic or overt deficiency levels.

Time-dependent changes in serum selenium concentrations were studied in 28 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and the concentrations were related to disease activity. The mean length of the observation period was 7.3 years and a mean of 6 analyses was performed for each patient. Serum selenium fluctuated with disease activity in most patients and a relatively low concentration was recorded in periods of high disease activity. Gold treatment had no influence on the selenium concentrations and selenium levels measured within the first year of the disease were not demonstrated to have any prognostic significance.

Groups of 48 Wistar rats were subjected to thrice-weekly palatal application of the carcinogen 4-nitro-quinoline 1-oxide (4NQO) in propylene glycol 18, 12, 6 or 2 times, each 255 nmol 4NQO, in order to examine the relationship between the dose of the carcinogen and the tumour response. Other groups were treated with solvent alone or were left untreated. When the carcinogen was applied 18 or 12 times, squamous cell or verrucous carcinomas developed in 50% of the rats in 11 and 12 months, respectively, whereas rats subjected to the carcinogen 6 times demonstrated a 50% cancer rate in 23 months. Rats twice exposed to the carcinogen demonstrated a tumour rate of 25% in 30 months. Decreasing doses of 4NQO thus prolonged the latency period and decreased the tumour rate. The tumour development in the animals subjected to two carcinogen applications was significantly different from the tumour development among the solvent-treated animals, indicating that application of 255 nmol may approximate the initiating dose of 4NQO to be used in a two- or multi-stage carcinogenesis protocol. Most of the carcinomas, either squamous cell or verrucous, were located to the hard palate and to the gingival region of the upper jaw. Impaction of hair, bedding material and food was thought to promote the carcinogenic process.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.101091.]., (© 2024 The Author(s).)