Effects of isoflavones on breast tissue and the thyroid hormone system in humans: a comprehensive safety evaluation.

Isoflavones are secondary plant constituents of certain foods and feeds such as soy, linseeds, and red clover. Furthermore, isoflavone-containing preparations are marketed as food supplements and so-called dietary food for special medical purposes to alleviate health complaints of peri- and postmenopausal women. Based on the bioactivity of isoflavones, especially their hormonal properties, there is an ongoing discussion regarding their potential adverse effects on human health. This review evaluates and summarises the evidence from interventional and observational studies addressing potential unintended effects of isoflavones on the female breast in healthy women as well as in breast cancer patients and on the thyroid hormone system. In addition, evidence from animal and in vitro studies considered relevant in this context was taken into account along with their strengths and limitations. Key factors influencing the biological effects of isoflavones, e.g., bioavailability, plasma and tissue concentrations, metabolism, temporality (pre- vs. postmenopausal women), and duration of isoflavone exposure, were also addressed. Final conclusions on the safety of isoflavones are guided by the aim of precautionary consumer protection.

[Preliminary results using a combined xylose absorption/hydrogen exhalation test in horses]. / Erste Erfahrungen mit dem Kombinierten Xylose-Absorptions-/Hydrogen-Exhalationstest beim Pferd.

In the present study the breath hydrogen (H2) excretion test was combined with the xylose absorption test in 4 normal horses and 9 clinical patients with chronic diarrhea (n = 3) or chronic weight loss without diarrhea (n = 6). All horses underwent a thorough clinical examination. Laboratory evaluations consisted of haematology and serum biochemistry as well as bacteriological and parasitological examination of feces. In addition, serum electrophoresis and abdominocentesis was performed in all the clinical patients. Gastroscopy was carried out in 6 patients and rectal biopsies were obtained from 4 animals. Two animals were euthanized within 4 weeks after the evaluation. The diagnosis of chronic granulomatous enteritis was confirmed in one of them at necropsy, the cause of weight loss in the other remained unexplained. In the remaining animals, specific causes such as management, parasites, chronic infections and diseases of liver, kidneys and heart were excluded, but no specific diagnosis could be obtained. For the combined xylose absorption/H2 excretion test, the animals were starved overnight and given 0.5/kg/bwt xylose as a 10% solution by stomach tube the next morning. Blood samples were collected for plasma xylose analysis at 30 min intervals for 4 hrs, and breath samples were also collected at 30 min intervals for 8 hrs. With the exception of the animal with granulomatous enteritis, the diseased horses showed only slight alterations in either peak concentrations or times to reach peak levels of plasma xylose. None of the healthy animals showed an increase in breath H2 production after xylose administration, whereas five of the diseased animals showed distinct increases of variable heights. In addition, the diseased horses showed higher fasting breath H2 levels (range 7.5-61.5 ppm) than normal horses (range 0-5 ppm). It is concluded that gastrointestinal disorders might be influenced or even induced by a change in intestinal microbial composition, as evidenced by an increased hydrogenic metabolism.

Contrasting task demands alter the perceived duration of brief time intervals.

Four experiments were performed to assess the effects of task differences on duration judgments. Experiments 1 and 2 used the method of reproduction in prospective, within-subjects designs; their results supported previous research on the effects of task difficulty. Both experiments, using tasks that varied along somewhat different dimensions, found that subjects provided reproduction values that varied inversely with task difficulty. That is, while subjects tended to underreproduce across all tasks, the more difficult the task performed during the target interval, the greater the extent of the underreproduction. Experiments 3 and 4 used a modification of the reproduction method by placing demands upon the subjects during both the target interval and the reproduction phase of each trial; they demonstrated that the greater the degree of contrast between demands made by the task performed during the target interval and those made during reproduction, the less accurate the duration reproduction. The results are discussed in terms of the contextual and resource allocation models of duration estimation.

[Noise emission in dwellings]. / Lärmimmissionen im wohnbereich

A social survey in 800 dwellings showed - among other results - the relation between the intensity of traffic noise and the annoyance due to this exposure.