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OBJECTIVE: Although breastfeeding has been suggested as a candidate for the prevention of obesity and allergies, recent studies have reported mixed results. The aim of the study was (1) to assess breastfeeding length in obese children or children with allergic diseases compared to healthy children; (2) to evaluate the impact of the duration of breastfeeding on the incidence of obesity, allergy rhinitis and asthma PATIENTS AND METHODS: 408 children were evaluated (mean age 11.9±3.7 years; M/F 220/188) and divided into three groups (Obesity, n=103; Allergy, n=163; and Healthy, n=142). Breastfeeding history was collected during an interview. Physical examination, anthropometry, allergy (skin prick test with aeroallergens; Allergopharma) and a spirometry (Jaeger) assessment were performed in each participant. RESULTS: Most of the children (75%) were breastfed with a mean duration of 7.5 months (range 0-36; SD=7.9 months). The time of breastfeeding was longer in the healthy compared to the obese and allergic groups (p=0.003) and was correlated with BMI centile in all groups of subjects (R Spearman = -0.2, p<0.05). There was a higher number of subjects with hypersensitivity to the allergen of house dust mites and animals in the non-breastfed compared to the breastfed children (p<0.003, p<0.000, respectively). Non-breastfed children compared to the breastfed presented more often asthma (chi2=3.6 df=1 p=0.05), but not allergic rhinitis (chi2=9.0 df=1 p=0.002). Non-breastfed asthmatics, compared to the breastfed asthmatics, presented a significantly higher severity of asthma (OR=0.43; p=0.008). In multivariate regression models, a short breastfeeding time was associated with a higher risk of both obesity and asthma. CONCLUSIONS: School-age children with obesity and asthma were breastfed less often and for a shorter duration than their healthy peers. Longer breastfeeding may result in a reduced number of children with obesity, asthma, and allergy to house dust mites, but further investigation is needed on a larger population of school-age children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: There are 7 designated conditions under the category of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), including chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and classical MPN, that is, polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythaemia (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). Recently, reports about Philadelphia and JAK2 V617F‐positive MPN cases have been described in literature. The coexistence of different molecular defects may change the clinical and laboratory manifestation of MPN and may result in an inappropriate interpretation of the response to treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors in CML patients. Methods: The morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic data from a retrospective analysis of 592 adult patients aged 18‐86 years diagnosed with CML were analyzed. Results: In 5 CML patients, the presence of JAK2 V617F or CALR mutation was confirmed. Three of 4 TKI‐treated patients did not reach complete hematologic response due to the persistence of thrombocytosis and/or splenomegaly. In all of them (in 3 with JAK2 V617F mutation and 1 with CALR mutation), thrombocytosis was present at the time when complete cytogenetic response was documented. In 3 out of 4 reported CML patients, thrombocytosis and/or splenomegaly were still present even at the time when deep molecular response was reached. Conclusion: In our opinion, a detailed evaluation and appropriate interpretation of clinical and laboratory data in such a category of patients seem to be extremely important, especially when a decision about the TKI change due to therapy failure is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subject and purpose of work: In recent years, kitchen incubators have captured increasingly larger and more sophisticated titles in the local and national press. Organised local producers have been applying for funds to build such facilities. This article aims to introduce the notion of a kitchen incubator, its functioning, as well as present its role in the local development in the food production industry.

The article discusses the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of hypertrophic olivary degeneration in a 64-year-old woman. Ischemic infarction and demyelination are among the differential diagnosis of an abnormal localized signal intensity in the olive and pontomedullary area. Also noted are the patterns of hypertrophic olivary degeneration in relation to the primary lesion location. One the common symptoms of the degeneration is palatal myoclonus.

Background: Obstructive pulmonary diseases are common in the elderly but often remain underdiagnosed due to limited spirometry availability or challenges with patient cooperation during testing. This study evaluated the potential of the forced oscillation technique (FOT) as a diagnostic tool for bronchial asthma in individuals over 60 years old., Research Design and Methods: A total of 189 patients diagnosed with asthma after age 60 and a control group of nonasthmatic seniors were included. Participants underwent spirometry, FOT, and bronchial reversibility testing using both methods. The primary outcomes were correlations between positive results from resting spirometry and FOT in asthmatics and the agreement between reversibility test results across the two methods., Results: FOT parameters (FEV1, V5, R5) effectively distinguished asthmatics from nonasthmatics. Positive reversibility test results were observed in 71 (73.2%) patients using FOT and 68 (70.1%) using spirometry, with both methods aligning in 64 (66%) cases., Conclusion: These results highlight the value of FOT, particularly for bronchial reversibility testing, in improving asthma diagnosis in seniors. FOT offers a practical alternative for patients who face difficulties performing spirometry, addressing a critical need in this population.

Objectives: Arterial hypertension (AH) is one of the most common disorders affecting the human population. The diet of patients with AH can influence the course of the disease and prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in nutrition in hospitalised and non-hospitalised hypertensive patients, compared to control groups of non-hypertensive patients from the same medical centres. Methods: Patients from nine centres-six hospitals and three ambulatory care centres-were surveyed. The Questionnaire for the Assessment of Dietary Habits, Lifestyle, and Nutrition Knowledge (KomPAN) was administered by interviewers. Results: Complete results were obtained from 172 hospitalised and 63 non-hospitalised patients. A significantly higher mean body mass index was found for the hypertensive patients ( p < 0.001), and a higher unhealthy diet index score was also shown for the hypertensive patients ( p = 0.003). Over and above this, a lower mean health-promoting diet index score was found in the hospitalised group (who were on a hospital diet) for the hypertensive patients ( p = 0.018). Summary: The study highlights a strong positive correlation between body mass index (BMI) and arterial hypertension (AH), with patients exhibiting higher BMI levels compared to a control group. A BMI of over 25 significantly increases the likelihood of developing AH, and obesity is associated with a higher risk in both men and women. Conclusions: The study indicates that a hospital diet may not be suitable for people with AH. Further research should be conducted to obtain reliable results. Clinical implications: The study showed which factors should be considered when composing a diet for people with hypertension, the relevance of which was demonstrated in the discussion. The study shows that the problem that clinicians have been struggling with for years is still present and inadequately remedied.

Background/objectives: Cow's milk allergy is one of the most common food allergies in children, and its pathomechanism is still under investigation. Recently, an increasing number of studies have linked food allergy to intestinal barrier dysfunction. The present study aimed to investigate changes in the intestinal microenvironment during the development of β -lactoglobulin ( β -lg) allergy under conditions of early intestinal dysfunction., Methods: BALB/c mice received intraperitoneal β -lg with Freund's adjuvant, followed by oral β -lg while receiving dextran sulphate sodium salt (DSS) in their drinking water (0.2% w / v ). The immunized group without DSS and the groups receiving saline, oral β -lg, or DSS served as controls., Results: The study showed that the immunization effect was greater in mice with mild intestinal barrier dysfunction. Although DSS did not affect the mice's humoral response to β -lg, in combination with β -lg, it significantly altered their cellular response, affecting the induction and distribution of T cells in the inductive and peripheral tissues and the activation of immune mediators. Administration of β -lg to sensitized mice receiving DSS increased disease activity index (DAI) scores and pro-inflammatory cytokine activity, altered the distribution of claudins and zonulin 1 (ZO-1) in the colonic tissue, and negatively affected the balance and activity of the gut microbiota., Conclusions: The research model used appears attractive for studying food allergen sensitization, particularly in relation to the initial events leading to mucosal inflammation and the development of food hypersensitivity.

The progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)requires the assessment of nutritional disturbances at each stage of the disease. The purpose of this study was to assess the nutritional status in various ages of boys with DMD using screening and in-depth evaluation methods. Body composition by Dual X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA), basal metabolic rate (BMR) by indirect calorimetry, a questionnaire of nutritional status-Pediatric Nutrition Screening Tool (PNST)-and laboratory parameters were performed. In the cohort of 93 boys aged 8.54 (5.9-12.6 years), inappropriate nutritional status occurred in 41.8% of boys (underweight 11.8%, overweight 16.0%, and obesity 14.0%). In the 10-13 age group, the occurrence of overweight and underweight was the highest. Based on PNST, 15.1% of patients were at nutritional risk (≥2 points)-the most in the 14-17 age group (29%). A negative correlation was identified between PNST and z-scores of body weight, BMI, and FFMI (r Spearman = -0.49, -0.46, and -0.48, respectively; p < 0.05). There were no differences between BMR results from indirect calorimetry and calculations from the Schofield formula for any age group. In obese boys, the caloric requirement in indirect calorimetry was significantly lower than that indicated by the calculations according to the Schofield formula ( p < 0.028). Inappropriate nutritional status occurred in almost half of the children with DMD. The age group in which nutritional disorders were most frequently identified was 10-13 years old. PNST could be considered a tool for screening malnutrition after testing a larger group of DMD patients.

Treatment-free remission (TFR) is achieved in approximately half of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The mechanisms responsible for TFR maintenance remain elusive. This study aimed to identify immune markers responsible for the control of residual CML cells early in the TFR (at 3 months), which may be the key to achieving long-term TFR and relapse-free survival (RFS) after discontinuation of imatinib. Our study included 63 CML patients after imatinib discontinuation, in whom comprehensive analysis of changes in the immune system was performed by flow cytometry, and changes in the BCR::ABL1 transcript levels were assessed by RQ-PCR and ddPCR. We demonstrated a significant increase in the percentage of CD8 + PD-1 + cells in patients losing TFR. The level of CD8 + PD-1 + cells is inversely related to the duration of treatment and incidence of deep molecular response (DMR) before discontinuation. Analysis of the ROC curve showed that the percentage of CD8 + PD-1 + cells may be a significant factor in early molecular recurrence. Interestingly, at 3 months of TFR, patients with the e13a2 transcript had a significantly higher proportion of the PD-1-expressing immune cells compared to patients with the e14a2. Our results suggest the important involvement of CD8 + PD-1 + cells in the success of TFR and may help in identifying a group of patients who could successfully discontinue imatinib.

Membrane transporters are important determinants of drug bioavailability. Their expression and activity affect the intracellular drug concentration in leukemic cells impacting response to therapy. Pharmacogenomics represents genetic markers that reflect allele arrangement of genes encoding drug transporters associated with treatment response. In previous work, we identified SNP rs460089 located in the promotor of SLC22A4 gene encoding imatinib transporter OCTN1 as influential on response of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia treated with imatinib. Patients with rs460089-GC pharmacogenotype had significantly superior response to first-line imatinib treatment compared to patients with rs460089-GG. This study investigated whether pharmacogenotypes of rs460089 are associated with sustainability of treatment-free remission (TFR) in patients from the EUROpean Stop Kinase Inhibitor (EURO-SKI) trial. In the learning sample, 176 patients showed a significantly higher 6-month probability of molecular relapse free survival (MRFS) in patients with GC genotype (73%, 95% CI: 60-82%) compared to patients with GG (51%, 95% CI: 41-61%). Also over time, patients with GC genotype had significantly higher MRFS probabilities compared with patients with GG (HR: 0.474, 95% CI: 0.280-0.802, p = 0.0054). Both results were validated with data on 93 patients from the Polish STOP imatinib study. In multiple regression models, in addition to the investigated genotype, duration of TKI therapy (EURO-SKI trial) and duration of deep molecular response (Polish study) were identified as independent prognostic factors. The SNP rs460089 was found as an independent predictor of TFR., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Dietary patterns are changing severely, especially the consumption of highly processed foods with lots of spices is increasing, carrying an increased risk of immediate hypersensitivity (type I), in sensitised individuals, due to the possible presence of allergens, especially the hidden ones. Paprika is a fruit of the Capsicum genus, which belongs to the Solanaceae family and is commonly consumed fresh or as a spice. Despite recorded cases of anaphylaxis, its allergenicity has yet to be clearly investigated. In this study, we research to identify proteins that could trigger a severe allergic reaction in patients with an equivocal clinical picture. Two types of protein extracts extracted from 3 different paprika spices were immunoblotted with sera from patients with severe allergic symptoms, presumably to paprika. Proteins from the IgE reactive bands obtained were subjected to LC-MS/MS identification and then in silico analysis to assess their possible sensitising capacity and proinflammatory potential using online tools. The spices were shown to contain a number of incompletely investigated highly immunoreactive allergenic proteins, including proteins of foreign origin (contaminants), the presence of which can stimulate inflammatory mechanisms and cross-reactivity with other food allergens, which can threaten life and health and should be investigated in detail., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Objective: Little is known whether diet quality modulates lung cancer risk in smokers. The aim of the study was to assess the dietary habits of a large group of volunteers participating in the lung cancer screening program., Methods: The 62-item food frequency questionaire was completed by 5997 participants, 127 of whom (2.1%) were later diagnosed with lung cancer. Two approaches were applied to identify dietary habits. The non-healthy diet index was calculated, and a direct analysis of the frequency of consumption was used. A logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the association between food product intake and the risk of lung cancer., Results: The study population did not follow the Polish nutritional recommendations. They consumed fruits and vegetables too rarely and far too often ate non-recommended foods, such as processed meat, refined products, sugar, sweets, and salty snacks. Participants diagnosed with lung cancer more often consumed low-quality processed meat, red meat, fats, and refined bread and less often whole-grain products, tropical fruits, milk, fermented unsweetened milk drinks, nuts, honey, and wine. The non-healthy diet index score was significantly higher in those with cancer diagnosis compared with those without lung cancer (11.9 ± 5.2 versus 10.9 ± 5.3; P < 0.001)., Conclusions: The surveyed population of smokers did not follow dietary recommendations; there was a particularly high index of an unhealthy diet in by people diagnosed with lung cancer. Prevention programs should be based on encouraging smoking cessation, lifestyle modification, and methods of early detection of lung cancer. Lifestyle modification should include changing eating habits based on a healthy diet, which may be an additional factor in reducing the risk of developing cancer., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)