Preparation of Dutch food consumption data for risk assessment

NUTRARET: Effect of 2-Year Nutraceutical Supplementation on Redox Status and Visual Function of Patients With Retinitis Pigmentosa: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Oxidative stress plays a major role in the pathogenesis of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The main goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of 2-year nutritional intervention with antioxidant nutraceuticals on the visual function of RP patients. Secondly, we assessed how nutritional intervention affected ocular and systemic redox status. We carried out a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Thirty-one patients with RP participated in the study. RP patients randomly received either a mixture of nutraceuticals (NUT) containing folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin A, zinc, copper, selenium, lutein, and zeaxanthin or placebo daily for 2 years. At baseline and after 2-year of the nutritional supplementation, visual function, dietetic-nutritional evaluations, serum concentration of nutraceuticals, plasma and aqueous humor concentration of several markers of redox status and inflammation were assessed. Retinal function and structure were assessed by multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG), spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and automated visual field (VF) tests. Nutritional status was estimated with validated questionnaires. Total antioxidant capacity, extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD3), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, protein carbonyl adducts (CAR) content, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formation (as indicator of lipid peroxidation), metabolites of the nitric oxide (NOX) and cytokine (interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha) concentrations were assessed by biochemical and immunological techniques in aqueous humor or/and blood. Bayesian approach was performed to determine the probability of an effect. Region of practical equivalence (ROPE) was used. At baseline, Bayesian analysis revealed a high probability of an altered ocular redox status and to a lesser extent systemic redox status in RP patients compared to controls. Twenty-five patients (10 in the treated arm and 15 in the placebo arm) completed the nutritional intervention. After 2 years of supplementation, patients who received NUT presented better retinal responses (mfERG responses) compared to patients who received placebo. Besides, patients who received NUT showed better ocular antioxidant response (SOD3 activity) and lower oxidative damage (CAR) than those who received placebo. This study suggested that long-term NUT supplementation could slow down visual impairment and ameliorate ocular oxidative stress.

Heavy Metals and Probabilistic Risk Assessment via Pheretima (a Traditional Chinese Medicine) Consumption in China

Earthworms are known to accumulate inorganic contaminants from the soil; they are also used as a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) called Pheretima, which might cause safety problems with long-term exposure. Here, this study was conducted to determine and analyze the level of heavy metal contamination such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) in Pheretima and then explore the probabilistic health risks caused by 8 heavy metals in 98 batches of Pheretima using Monte Carlo simulation. A risk assessment strategy was conducted to assess heavy metal-associated health risk of Pheretima based on consumption data. For random consumption sampling, the results found that the non-carcinogenic risk of As is higher than the acceptable level, and the carcinogenic risk levels of As and Cr exceeded the acceptable risk recommended by the USEPA. Cr and As were regarded as the priority metals for risk control in the present study. Finally, it was recommended that the dosing frequency should be less than 24 d/y. In general, this study conducted a probabilistic risk assessment of heavy metals in Pheretima, which would be of significance for policy makers to take effective strategies to improve the quality and safety of Pheretima.