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INTRODUCTION It is well known that malnutrition is common among patients with head and neck (HN) cancer, both during active treatment as well as for a long period after treatment. [...], BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Malnutrition decreases the cancer patient's ability to manage treatment, affects quality of life and survival, and is common among head and neck (HN) cancer patients due to the tumour location and the treatment received. In this study, advanced HN cancer patients were included and followed during 2 years in order to measure their energy intake, choice of energy sources and to assess problems with dysphagia. The main purpose was to explore when and for how long the patients had dysphagia and lost weight due to insufficient intake and if having a PEG (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) in place for enteral nutrition made a difference. SUBJECTS/METHODS: One hundred thirty-four patients were included and randomised to either a prophylactic PEG for early enteral feeding or nutritional care according to clinical praxis. At seven time points weight, dysphagia and energy intake (assessed as oral, nutritional supplements, enteral and parenteral) were measured. RESULTS: Both groups lost weight the first six months due to insufficient energy intake and used enteral nutrition as their main intake source; no significant differences between groups were found. Problems with dysphagia were vast during the 6 months. At the 6-, 12- and 24-month follow-ups both groups reached estimated energy requirements and weight loss ceased. Oral intake was the major energy source after 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: HN cancer patients need nutritional support and enteral feeding for a long time period during and after treatment due to insufficient energy intake. A prophylactic PEG did not significantly improve the enteral intake probably due to treatment side effects. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2013) 67, 47-52;doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2012.172;published online 21 November 2012 Keywords: head and neck cancer; energy intake; nutrition sources; enteral nutrition; weight loss; dysphagia

INTRODUCTION Prevention of dementia, and particularly of Alzheimer's disease (AD), is a major challenge for researchers and clinicians. As treatment options for dementia still are very limited, knowledge of whether [...], BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: It is unknown if a specific fatty-acid composition influences the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Nutrition is a possible target for prevention of dementia and especially omega-3-based fatty acids (n-3 FAs) have previously been suggested to be beneficial for cognition. The objective was to ascertain whether serum FAs predicts the risk of incident AD and dementia in a longitudinal population-based cohort. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men started in 1970. The proportions of FAs in serum cholesteryl esters were estimated in men (n = 2009) who were 50 years old at baseline. During a 35 year follow-up time, 213 men had developed dementia, out of which 91 AD. The associations were analyzed with Cox proportional hazards and logistic regression; adjusted for age, education and vascular risk factors. RESULTS: Subjects with a higher proportion of saturated FAs had a decreased risk of AD in crude and multi-adjusted models (hazard ratio for 1-s.d. increase in palmitic acid 0.72;95% confidence intervals: 0.59-0.89). These associations persisted even in the group of approximately 85-year-old survivors. n-3 FAs FAs were not associated with decreased risk of AD or dementia. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to experimental studies, saturated FAs were inversely associated with risk of AD. No evidence of a protective effect of n-3 FAs against dementia was found. The results remained essentially unchanged if competing risk from mortality was taken into account. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2012) 66, 885-890; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2012.63; published online 20 June 2012 Keywords: fatty acid; dementia; Alzheimer's disease

WIDESPREAD USE OF METHAMPHETAM1NE and cocaine has become a recent phenomenon in many rural areas of the United States, with some rural states overwhelmed dealing with the legal consequences and [...], Objective: Substance use is associated with poor mental health, but little is known regarding how use of multiple substances is associated with mental health, particularly longitudinally, in community studies. This article examines this issue in a large (N = 710), natural-history study of rural stimulant (cocaine and/or methamphetamine) users in three states. Method: Respondent-driven sampling recruited recent (past-30-day) stimulant users in three counties each in Arkansas, Kentucky, and Ohio. Participants were interviewed every 6 months for 3 years. Mental health was measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory, and prior 6 months' substance use was measured for 17 possible substances. Data analysis used generalized estimating equations for longitudinal data with the Global Severity Index of the Brief Symptom Inventory as the dependent variable at each interview and substance use as predictor variables measured by number of substances used in the past 6 months and, separately, the 17 individual substances, adjusting for use of substance-use treatment, demographics, and recruitment site. Results: On average, both Global Severity Index score and use of many substances declined over the course of study. Global Severity Index score was significantly associated with (a) greater number of substances used in the past 6 months (p < .0001) and (b) use of crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and nonprescription use of prescription painkillers and tranquilizers. Conclusions: Multiple and specific substances appear to incrementally increase psychological distress. Users of cocaine and methamphetamine are present in rural areas; these associations with poor psychological health raise concerns regarding availability of local treatment services for individuals with mental-health problems, as well as substance abuse. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 71, 258-267, 2010)

Abstract. This study, set in the context of a longitudinal interpretative case study of the literacy learning of one child, Sarah, from age 2-5, documents the role and significance Sarah's [...]

Hormonally active environmental agents may alter the course of pubertal development in girls, which is controlled by endogenous steroids and gonadotropins. Wolff et al. (p. 1039) investigated associations of concurrent [...]