OBJECTIVE -The goal of this study was to examine whether maternal dietary intake of vitamin D, -3 fatty acids, and -6 fatty acids during pregnancy is associated with the appearance of islet autoimmunity (IA) in offspring. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -The Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in theYoung (DAISY) is recruiting at birth and following children at increased risk for type 1 diabetes, as determined by HLA-DR genotype or by family history of type 1 diabetes. A total of 233 mothers of newly recruited DAISY subjects were asked to recall their intake of food and nutritional supplements during the third trimester of pregnancy using the Willett food frequency questionnaire. Children were followed for an average of 4 years (range 0.8 -7.3 years) for the appearance of insulin, GAD 65 , and IA-2 autoantibodies. Sixteen children developed at least one autoantibody during this period. Unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for the development of IA were estimated with survival analysis using a Weibull distribution.RESULTS -Maternal intake of vitamin D via food was significantly associated with a decreased risk of IA appearance in offspring, independent of HLA genotype, family history of type 1 diabetes, presence of gestational diabetes mellitus, and ethnicity (adjusted HR ϭ 0.37; 95% CI 0.17-0.78). Vitamin D intake via supplements, -3 fatty acids, and -6 fatty acids intake during pregnancy were not associated with appearance of IA in offspring.CONCLUSIONS -Our findings suggest that maternal intake of vitamin D through food during pregnancy may have a protective effect on the appearance of IA in offspring. Diabetes Care 26:3237-3242, 2003T ype 1 diabetes is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of insulinproducing ␤-cells of the pancreas. The causes of type 1 diabetes are unknown, yet low concordance rates among monozygotic twins (1), a 10% progression rate among those genetically susceptible (2), migratory studies (3), and increasing worldwide incidence rates (4) suggest that genetic factors interact with environmental factors in the development of type 1 diabetes. These environmental factors have not been clearly identified.Type 1 diabetes is preceded by a preclinical stage termed islet autoimmunity (IA) that signals the beginning of ␤-cell destruction with the presence of autoantibodies against islet autoantigens. IA appears typically by 2 years of age and sometimes as early as 3 months of age in individuals with type 1 diabetic firstdegree relatives (5-7). Autoantibodies can be persistent for months or years, often predicting clinical diagnosis, or can be transient. Transient autoantibody positivity has not been associated with genetic risk factors (7,8), suggesting that environmental factors may be involved in suppressing persistent ␤-cell destruction.Increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines may be associated with the appearance and persistence of IA (9). Vitamin D and the -3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been shown to modify th...

One-third of infertile couples may have a male factor present. Illicit drug use can be an important cause of male factor infertility and includes use of anabolic-androgenic steroids, marijuana, opioid narcotics, cocaine, and methamphetamines. The use of these illicit drugs is common in the United States, with a yearly prevalence rate for any drug consistently higher in males compared with females. We aim to provide a review of recent literature on the prevalence and effects of illicit drug use on male fertility and to aid health professionals when counseling infertile men whose social history suggests illicit drug use. Anabolic-androgenic steroids, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines, and opioid narcotics all negatively impact male fertility, and adverse effects have been reported on the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis, sperm function, and testicular structure. The use of illicit drugs is prevalent in our society and likely adversely impacting the fertility of men who abuse drugs.

BackgroundUrolithiasis affects an estimated 5% of the population and the lifetime risk of passing a stone in the urinary tract is estimated to be 8–10%. Urinary calculus formation is highly variable and while certain risk factors such as age, gender, seasonality, anatomic abnormality, and metabolic diseases have been identified, not much is known regarding the association of environmental factors such as lunar phases on renal colic. We conducted a retrospective study to test the hypothesis that full moon phase is an environmental factor associated for increased emergency department (ED) visits for renal colic due to ureteral calculus.MethodsWe analyzed 559 renal colic diagnoses by the ED at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in a 24-month period and compared them with corresponding lunar phases as well as supermoon events. The lunar phases were defined as full moon ± two days, new moon ± two days, and the days in-between as normal days according to the lunar calendar. Supermoon event dates were obtained from NASA.Results90 cases (16.1%) were diagnosed during full moon phase, 89 cases (15.9%) were diagnosed during new moon phase, and 380 cases (68.0%) were diagnosed during normal days. The incidence of renal colic showed no statistically significant association with lunar phases or supermoon events.ConclusionIn this retrospective longitudinal study with adequate power, neither full moon phase nor supermoon event exhibited an association with increased renal colic diagnoses due to ureteral calculus by the ED at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

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