This study investigated the prevalence of breastfeeding and its association with wheezing/asthma and atopic disease in 1-3-year-old

children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.\n\nSubjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study of children attending routine “well-baby” clinics in three Saudi State Hospitals in Riyadh. An interviewer administered a questionnaire to collect data on sociodemographics, breastfeeding, wheezing symptoms, asthma, and atopic disease.\n\nResults: selleck chemical In total, 622 children 1-3 years old were recruited. Of these, 75% of children were ever breastfed, and 36% of children were fully breastfed, with 20% of children being fully breastfed for >= 3 months. Increasing duration of full breastfeeding was associated with a reduced likelihood of maternal reporting of her child having “ever wheezed,” “wheezed’ in the last 12 months,” and “ever having asthma,”

with adjusted odds ratio for full breastfeeding >= 12 months versus never breastfed of 0.51 (95% confidence interval 0.29-0.90), 0.48 (0.26-0.88), and FK228 0.46 (0.22-0.94), respectively. No associations were demonstrable between full or ever breastfeeding and atopic dermatitis/eczema, irrespective of family history of atopic disease.\n\nConclusions: Although breastfeeding does not protect children from developing eczema in Riyadh, full breastfeeding is associated with reduced childhood wheezing and possibly asthma. Further efforts should be made to promote breastfeeding in Saudi Arabia.”
“Aronia berries are known for their high content of anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin. Four different cultivars of aronia berries, Aronia melanocarpa ‘Moskva’, ‘Hugin’, ‘Nero’ and Aronia prunifolia, find more were studied with respect to their phenolic composition, antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities.

Quantification of anthocyanins was determined by HPLC and separation was accomplished in less than 4 mm. Cyanidin 3-galactoside was the major anthocyanin in all cultivars, with the highest content in A. prunifolia (497 +/- 20 mg/100 g FW). A. prunifolia was also found to have the highest content of polyphenols (2996 +/- 172 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g FW) and proanthocyanidins (4.79 g procyanidin 82 equivalents/100 g FW). As antioxidants and enzyme inhibitors, the differences between extracts from the tested berries were minor. Berries from A. prunifolia constitute the richest source of polyphenols and might be the species of choice in order to attain berries with a high content of anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Background: Osteopontin (OPN) is a secreted phosphoprotein often overexpressed at high levels in the blood and primary tumors of breast cancer patients.