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Epidemiological studies indicate that the increased consumption of sugars including sucrose and fructose in beverages correlate with the prevalence of obesity, type-2 diabetes, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypertension in humans. A few reports suggest that fructose extends lifespan in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In Anopheles gambiae, fructose, glucose, or glucose plus fructose also extended lifespan. New results presented here suggest that fructose extends lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) wild type (N2). C. elegans were fed standard laboratory food source (E. coli OP50), maintained in liquid culture. Experimental groups received additional glucose (111 mM), fructose (55 mM, 111 mM, or 555 mM), sucrose (55 mM, 111 mM, or 555 mM), glucose (167 mM) plus fructose (167 mM) (G&F), or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS, 333 mM). In four replicate experiments, fructose dose-dependently increased mean lifespan at 55 mM or 111 m Min N2, but decreased lifespan at 555 mM (P < 0.001). Sucrose did not affect the lifespan. Glucose reduced lifespan (P < 0.001). Equal amount of G&F or HFCS reduced lifespan (P < 0.0001). Intestinal fat deposition (IFD) was increased at a higher dose of fructose (555 mM), glucose (111 mM), and sucrose (55 mM, 111 mM, and 555 mM). Here we report a biphasic effect of fructose increasing lifespan at lower doses and shortening lifespan at higher doses with an inverse effect on IFD. In view of reports that fructose increases lifespan in yeast, mosquitoes and now nematodes, while decreasing fat deposition (in nematodes) at lower concentrations, further research into the relationship of fructose to lifespan and fat accumulation in vertebrates and mammals is indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Foods that enhance satiety can help consumers to resist environmental cues to eat and help adherence to calorie restriction. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of 2 oat-based breakfast cereals on appetite, satiety, and food intake.Methods: Forty-eight healthy individuals, 18 years of age or older, were enrolled in a randomized, crossover trial. Subjects consumed isocaloric servings of either oatmeal or an oat-based ready-to-eat breakfast cereal (RTEC) in random order at least a week apart. Visual analogue scales measuring appetite and satiety were completed before breakfast and throughout the morning. Lunch was served 4 hours after breakfast. The physicochemical properties of oat soluble fiber (β-glucan) were determined. Appetite and satiety responses were analyzed by area under the curve. Food intake and β-glucan properties were analyzed using t tests.Results: Oatmeal increased fullness (p = 0.001) and reduced hunger (p = 0.005), desire to eat (p = 0.001), and prospective intake (p = 0.006) more than the RTEC. Energy intake at lunch was lower after eating oatmeal compared to the RTEC (p = 0.012). Oatmeal had higher viscosity (p = 0.03), β-glucan content, molecular weight (p < 0.001), and radius of gyration (p < 0.001) than the RTEC.Conclusions: Oatmeal suppresses appetite, increases satiety, and reduces energy intake compared to the RTEC. The physicochemical properties of β-glucan and sufficient hydration of oats are important factors affecting satiety and subsequent energy intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inverse hypergeometric distribution is of interest in applications of inverse sampling without replacement from a finite population where a binary observation is made on each sampling unit. Thus, sampling is performed by randomly choosing units sequentially one at a time until a specified number of one of the two types is selected for the sample. Assuming the total number of units in the population is known but the number of each type is not, we consider the problem of estimating this parameter. We use the Delta method to develop approximations for the variance of three parameter estimators. We then propose three large sample confidence intervals for the parameter. Based on these results, we selected a sampling of parameter values for the inverse hypergeometric distribution to empirically investigate performance of these estimators. We evaluate their performance in terms of expected probability of parameter coverage and confidence interval length calculated as means of possible outcomes weighted by the appropriate outcome probabilities for each parameter value considered. The unbiased estimator of the parameter is the preferred estimator relative to the maximum likelihood estimator and an estimator based on a negative binomial approximation, as evidenced by empirical estimates of closeness to the true parameter value. Confidence intervals based on the unbiased estimator tend to be shorter than the two competitors because of its relatively small variance but at a slight cost in terms of coverage probability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the effects of an egg breakfast on lunchtime energy intake in children (age 4-6 years) and adolescents (age 14-17 years).Methods: In 2 randomized crossover trials, participants received either an egg breakfast or an isocaloric bagel breakfast. In both trials, subsequent lunchtime energy intake was the primary outcome. The trial with adolescents also measured each participant's serum ghrelin, serum peptide YY (PYY), and self-assessment of appetite rated using a visual analog scale.Results: Lunchtime food intakes after egg and bagel breakfasts were not significantly different for either age group. Visual analog scale ratings of hunger and satiety were also not different between the 2 treatments in adolescents. Consumption of the egg breakfast led to a significant increase in serum PYY levels (p = 0.0001) in adolescents. However, increased levels of PYY were not correlated with reduced food intake.Conclusion: Short-term food intake in children and adolescents is not differentially altered by an egg breakfast compared to a bagel breakfast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preventing weight gain rather than treating recognized obesity is an important economic and public health response to the growing levels of obesity nationwide. Community centers offer potential sites for community health promotion programs targeting African Americans. In this article, results from a pilot health promotion program at a community center are reported. The purpose of this 12-month pilot program was to improve diet and increase physical activity to prevent weight gain in African-American adults by delivering a lifestyle intervention. Fifty-one African-American adults were randomized into two groups: lifestyle intervention or financial counseling, and 73% completed the program. At the end of 12 months, weight for all participants was maintained from baseline to completion with no significant differences between the groups. Both lifestyle intervention and financial counseling groups were approximately 87% food secure with improvements observed in self-esteem and total quality of life scores. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses research on the effect of oatmeal on appetite and satiety as compared to a ready-to-eat breakfast cereal. It references a study by N. A. Schwarz and colleagues, published in the 2011 issue of the "Journal of Nutrition Metabolism". The researchers used a randomized crossover trial to study forty eight individuals measured with visual analogue scales. They discovered that the hydration properties and viscosity of oatmeal contribute to its ability to control appetite.

Spunbond, nonwoven fabrics consisting of polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate, which meet food contact requirements, may be used as pouch materials for products containing food and/or flavor ingredients that are held in the mouth. In these situations ingestion may occur, resulting in exposure to the fabric and potentially antimony, a catalyst used in polyethylene terephthalate. To assess potential adverse effects when such a material is ingested, a 13 week dietary study in Sprague-Dawley CD rats and a Salmonella reverse mutation assay were conducted. Ground fabric was dosed at target concentrations of 0.5%, 2.5%, and 5% in the dietary study. Antimony trioxide in the polyethylene terephthalate was used to determine the test material concentration in the diet and was also assessed for bioavailability. Detectable levels of antimony were found in 2/20 blood samples of control rats, and in 20/20 high-dose group rats. No toxicologically relevant treatment related effects were observed in any of end points evaluated in the feeding study. In the mutagenicity assay, ground fabric was extracted in phosphate buffered saline or dimethysulfoxide and tested in Salmonella strains TA98, TA100, TA102, TA1535, and TA1537 with and without S9 activation. No mutagenic response was observed at any dose level tested. These results demonstrate that repeated daily ingestion of a spunbond, nonwoven polymer fabric consisting of polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate for up to 13 weeks is well tolerated in rats, with no apparent target-organ toxicity at dietary levels up to 5%, and that fabric extracts are not mutagenic in a bacterial reverse mutation assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Some patients with diabetic gastroparesis exhibit cyclical symptoms. The purpose of this work was to study the subset of patients with cyclic vomiting characteristics, described as a cyclic vomiting pattern, in a population of patients with symptoms of diabetic gastroparesis. Material and methods. Sixty-seven patients with symptoms of diabetic gastroparesis were investigated. The patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or lack of cyclic symptoms, and stratified by demographics, medical history, hemoglobin A1C, total symptom score (TSS), standardized gastric emptying test (GET), and electrogastrography (EGG). Results. Of these 67 patients, 38 (56%) had cyclic symptoms. The two groups were similar in age, gender, illness duration, insulin use, hemoglobin A1C values, and TSS. There were noteworthy differences regarding migraine headache (47.4% versus 20.7%, p=0.02), gastric emptying study (GES) at 1 h (84.1% versus 59.9%, p=0.02), EGG frequency (4.9 versus 3.6 cpm, p=0.05), and gastric emptying area under the curve (p=0.06). Conclusions. A sizeable percentage of patients have cyclic symptom patterns and have a higher incidence of migraine headaches, a greater delay in gastric emptying, and more abnormal EGG frequencies than other patients with symptoms of diabetic gastroparesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiologic data suggest that soy consumption may protect against cancer induction in several tissues in humans. Although the soy components responsible for this activity remain unidentified, isoflavones (e.g., genistein) and protease inhibitors (e.g., Bowman-Birk inhibitor complex [BBIC]) demonstrate chemopreventive activity in several animal cancer models. As part of their preclinical development for cancer prevention, PTI G-2535 (a soy isoflavone mixture containing 45% genistein, 23% daidzein, and 4% glycitein) and BBIC were evaluated for oncogenicity in p53 (+/-) mice. In separate studies, groups of 25 p53 (+/-) mice/sex received daily gavage exposure to PTI G-2535 (0, 250, 1000, or 2500 mg/kg/day) or BBIC (0, 500, 1000, or 2000 mg/kg/day) for 6 months. The high doses of both PTI G-2535 and BBIC were limited by viscosity. p -Cresidine (400 mg/kg/day) served as a positive-control article in both studies. PTI G-2535 induced no gross toxicity in any animal, but did induce a dose-related suppression of body weight gain in male mice. Modest hematologic alterations and increased liver and spleen weights were seen in both sexes exposed to the isoflavone mixture. BBIC had no significant effect on body weight, food consumption, clinical pathology, or organ weights in either sex. Histopathologic evaluations demonstrated no increases in the incidence of either benign or malignant tumors in any group of p53 (+/-) mice exposed to PTI G-2535 or to BBIC. By contrast, the positive-control article, p -cresidine, induced urinary bladder cancers in both studies. Neither PTI G-2535 nor BBIC demonstrates any evidence of oncogenicity in the p53 (+/-) mouse model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide variety of paired-comparison experiments and surveys may be viewed within the framework of "incomplete" contingency table analysis, Bradley-Terry models for such data can be chosen and further examined by a noniterative logit analysis. Multivariate paired comparisons with factor structure can be analyzed through reparameterization of the underlying models for each combination of factor levels. The method is subject to sample-size restrictions but allows the experimenter to design his survey without complex symmetry conditions or independence assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matrix algorithms are presented which generate estimates of t-year survival rates for patients with chronic disease from a categorical data approach. Weighted least squares has been applied to the resulting estimates to fit linear models which, together with large sample theory, provide a straightforward and unified method for testing hypotheses of interest. The sequential use of cross-product and hierarchical structures in a stepwise manner is described in detail as a useful descriptive approach to formulating efficient models. These results can be applied as a basis for "clustering" combinations of clinical findings into groups indicative of stage of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technique of general weighted least squares is shown to be a useful tool in the formulation and evaluation of certain models appropriate to data in the form of multidimensional contingency tables. This is demonstrated for the Ries-Smith [1963] data by fitting a series of linear regression models which are directed at determining that model which explains almost all of the statistically significant variation among the cell frequencies in terms of a minimum number of parameters. The spirit of this approach is analogous to that used in stepwise regression for continuous data. The test criteria are Wald statistics or minimum-Neyman-chi-square as described by Bhapkar and Koch [1968]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the effects of cadmium and lead on heart-related disease in North Carolina. Increase of a risk of heart-related mortality; Roles in an additive statistical model; Relationship between softness of drinking water and sudden heart death.

Examines the relationship between cancer with smoking, residence in urban communities and residence in the wetlands in Louisiana. Application of multiple regression analysis to cancer mortalities; Selection of physiological sites for correlational data; Comparison of urban-adjusted mortality rates to race-sex group.