Publications

<p> </p> <p><strong>Objective: </strong>We examined the relationship between ultra-processed food (UPF) intake and type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk among 3 large U.S. cohorts, conducted a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies, and assessed meta-evidence quality.</p> <p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>We included 71,871 women from Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), 87,918 women from NHSII, and 38,847 men from Health Professional Follow-Up Study. Diet was assessed using food frequency questionnaires and UPF were categorized per the Nova classification. Associations of total and subgroups of UPF with T2D were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models. We subsequently conducted a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies on total UPF and T2D risk, and assessed meta-evidence quality using NutriGrade.</p> <p><strong>Results: </strong>Among the U.S. cohorts (5,187,678 person-years; 19,503 T2D cases), the hazard ratio for T2D comparing extreme quintiles of total UPF intake (percent of grams/day) was 1.46 (95% CI: 1.39, 1.54). Among subgroups, refined breads; sauces, spreads and condiments; artificially-and sugar-sweetened beverages; animal-based products; and ready-to-eat mixed dishes were associated with higher risk. Cereals; dark and whole-grain breads; packaged sweet and savory snacks; fruit-based products; and yogurt and dairy-based desserts were associated with lower risk. In the meta-analysis (415,554 participants; 21,932 T2D cases), each 10% increment in total UPF was associated with a 12% (95% CI: 10%, 13%) higher risk. Per NutriGrade, high quality evidence supports this relationship.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>High quality meta-evidence shows that total UPF consumption is associated with higher T2D risk. However, some UPF subgroups were associated with lower risk in the U.S. cohorts.</p>

A mechanism-based theory of strain gradient (MSG) plasticity has been proposed in Part I of this paper. The theory is based on a multiscale framework linking the microscale notion of statistically stored and geometrically necessary dislocations to the mesoscale notion of plastic strain and strain gradient. This theory is motivated by our recent analysis of indentation experiments which strongly suggest a linear dependence of the square of plastic flow stress on strain gradient. Such a linear dependence is consistent with the Taylor plastic work hardening model relating the flow stress to dislocation density. This part of this paper provides a detailed analysis of the new theory, including equilibrium equations and boundary conditions, constitutive equations for the mechanism-based strain gradient plasticity, and kinematic relations among strains, strain gradients and displacements. The theory is used to investigate several phenomena that are influenced by plastic strain gradients. In bending of thin beams and torsion of thin wires, mechanism-based strain gradient plasticity gives a significant increase in scaled bending moment and scaled torque due to strain gradient effects. For the growth of microvoids and cavitation instabilities, however, it is found that strain gradients have little effect on micron-sized voids, but submicron-sized voids can have a larger resistance against void growth. Finally, it is shown from the study of bimaterials in shear that the mesoscale cell size has little effect on global physical quantities (e.g. applied stresses), but may affect the local deformation field significantly.

OBJECTIVE—To determine the effects of soy consumption on markers of inflammation and endothelial function in postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—This randomized cross-over clinical trial included 42 postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome. Participants were randomly assigned to consume a control diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension [DASH]), soy protein diet, or soy nut diet, each for 8 weeks. Red meat in the DASH diet (one serving/day) was replaced by soy protein in the soy protein diet and by soy nut in the soy nut diet. RESULTS—For nitric oxide levels, the difference from the control diet was 9.8% (P < 0.01) on the soy nut and −1.7% (P = 0.10) on the soy protein diets. The difference from the control diet for serum E-selectin was −11.4% (P < 0.01) on the soy nut consumption and −4.7% (P = 0.19) on the soy protein diet. Soy nut consumption reduced interleukin-18 compared with the control diet (difference from the control diet: −9.2%, P < 0.01), but soy protein did not (difference from the control diet: −4.6%, P = 0.14). For C-reactive protein, the difference from the control diet was −8.9% (P < 0.01) on the soy nut diet and −1.6% (P < 0.01) on the soy protein diet. CONCLUSIONS—Short-term soy nut consumption reduced some markers of inflammation and increased plasma nitric oxide levels in postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome.

Introduction: The role of dietary choices in the prevention of cardiovascular hard-outcome among type 2 diabetes patients has not been studied well. We examined whether there is an association between dietary quality after diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and major cardiovascular events among women using long-term prospective cohort study. Hypothesis: Healthy dietary pattern after type 2 diabetes diagnosis is associated with decreased risk for major cardiovascular events among women. Methods: The women with type 2 diabetes (n=6,895, mean age 64 years old) from the Nurses’ Health Study with no baseline cancer or cardiovascular disease were selected. Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess the multivariate association between the alternate Healthy Eating Index (aHEI) and the first episode of major cardiovascular events (coronary heart disease (CHD) or stroke). Results: During 26 years of follow-up (75, 276 person-years), a total of the 705 major cardiovascular events (432 cases of CHD, 314 cases of stroke, 41 cases of both CHD and stroke) were documented. The age-adjusted relative risks of major cardiovascular events across quintiles of aHEI score (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5) were 1, 0.99 (95% CI, 0.80 to 1.22), 0.84 (CI, 0.67 to 1.05), 0.57 (CI, 0.44 to 0.72), and 0.66 (CI, 0.52 to 0.84) (P < 0.0001 for trend). These figures did not change materially after adjustment for body mass index, physical activity, smoking and other cardiovascular risk factors (1, 1.00, 0.91, 0.63, and 0.80, respectively; P = 0.008 for trend). The multivariate relative risks for stroke and CHD across quintiles of aHEI score were 1, 0.72, 0.80, 0.46, and 0.72 (P = 0.028 for trend) and 1, 1.21, 0.96, 0.72, and 0.73 (p=0.014 for trend), respectively. Conclusions: Healthier dietary habits after the diagnosis of diabetes are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular events including stroke and coronary heart disease.

Objectives: To evaluate the association of sweetened beverages and their plasma proteomic signatures with the risk of adverse liver outcomes. Methods: We used data from the UK Biobank with 173,840 participants (40-69 years). Sugar- and artificially sweetened beverage intake were assessed by multiple 24-hour dietary recalls. Liver outcomes were ascertained using data from the in-hospital records, cancer registry, and death registry, including a full spectrum of liver disease and mortality. We used elastic net regression to calculate the proteomic score (Olink platform) related to sweetened beverage intake and Cox proportional hazards regression models to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for sweetened beverage intake or proteomic signatures and liver outcomes adjusting for multiple confounding factors. Results: After a median follow-up of 8.9 years, we documented 1112 NAFLD, 954 cirrhosis, 204 liver cancer, 548 severe liver diseases (SLD), and 60 chronic liver disease (CLD) deaths. One serving increment of sugar-sweetened beverage daily was positively associated with risk of NAFLD (HR [95% CI]: 1.10 [1.02-1.19]), cirrhosis (1.21 [1.12-1.32]), SLD (1.18 [1.06-1.31]), and CLD mortality (1.37 [1.06-1.78]), but nonsignificant association with liver cancer. Artificially sweetened beverage intake was positively associated with risk of NAFLD (1.15 [1.07-1.23]), SLD (1.14 [1.02-1.26]), and CLD deaths (1.41 [1.13-1.75]). The proteomic score of sugar-sweetened beverages (96 proteins) and artificially sweetened beverages (105 proteins) showed stronger positive associations with the risk of NAFLD, liver cirrhosis, and SLD (all Ptrend< 0.05) with HRs for one-unit standard deviation increase ranging from 1.57 for cirrhosis to 2.34 for SLD. Conclusions: In this prospective cohort, sugar- and artificially sweetened beverages intake and their proteomic signatures are associated with a spectrum of liver diseases indicating the potential importance of reducing sweetened beverage intake to improve liver health. Funding Sources: Xuehong Zhang is supported by NIH/NCI R21 CA238651, R21 CA252962, R37 CA262299, U01 CA259208, U01 CA272452, American Cancer Society (RSG NEC-130476, PASD-22-1003396).

The Horizon2020 LifeCycle Project is a cross-cohort collaboration which brings together data from multiple birth cohorts from across Europe and Australia to facilitate studies on the influence of early-life exposures on later health outcomes. A major product of this collaboration has been the establishment of a FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) data resource known as the EU Child Cohort Network. Here we focus on the EU Child Cohort Network's core variables. These are a set of basic variables, derivable by the majority of participating cohorts and frequently used as covariates or exposures in lifecourse research. First, we describe the process by which the list of core variables was established. Second, we explain the protocol according to which these variables were harmonised in order to make them interoperable. Third, we describe the catalogue developed to ensure that the network's data are findable and reusable. Finally, we describe the core data, including the proportion of variables harmonised by each cohort and the number of children for whom harmonised core data are available. EU Child Cohort Network data will be analysed using a federated analysis platform, removing the need to physically transfer data and thus making the data more accessible to researchers. The network will add value to participating cohorts by increasing statistical power and exposure heterogeneity, as well as facilitating cross-cohort comparisons, cross-validation and replication. Our aim is to motivate other cohorts to join the network and encourage the use of the EU Child Cohort Network by the wider research community.

Abstract Die Synthese der Titelverbindung (III) (PRPP) im 75 mmol Maßstab wird beschrieben.