Bernard M Corfe

The University of Sheffield | Sheffield

Ratings of appetite are commonly used to assess appetite modification following an intervention. Subjectively rated appetite is a widely employed proxy measure for energy intake (EI), measurement of which requires greater time and resources. However, the validity of appetite as a reliable predictor of EI has not yet been reviewed systematically. Th...

Vitamin D deficiency has been associated or implicated with the pathophysiology of the gastrointestinal conditions inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer, as well as with depression. No trials or epidemiology studies to date have investigated a link with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A single case report has suggested a benefit in IBS o...

The short-chain fatty acid butyrate is classically referred to as an inhibitor of histone deacetylases (HDACi), however evidence from direct assays is both sparse and contradictory. This paper assesses the strength of the historical evidence, potential gaps, inadequacies and simplifications in the butyrate-as-HDACi hypothesis. An alternate model to...

Previous reports have suggested that the VEGF receptor neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) is expressed in a singly dispersed subpopulation of cells in the normal colonic epithelium, but that expression becomes dysregulated during colorectal carcinogenesis, with higher levels in tumour suggestive of a poor prognosis. We noted that the spatial distribution and mor...

Butyrate, a known histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) and product of fibre fermentation, is postulated to mediate the protective effect of dietary fibre against colon cancer. The transcription factor Sp1 is a target of acetylation and is known to be associated with class I HDACs, including HDAC1. Sp1 is a ubiquitous transcription factor and Sp1-r...

The 2nd Nutrition and Cancer Networking Meeting “Nutrition and Breast Cancer: Translating Evidence into Practice” was held at Newcastle University in May 2022, with support from the Nutrition Society and British Association for Cancer Research. The first meeting in this series was held in Sheffield in 2019(1) . The aim of this joint meeting was to...

Adequate dietary protein intake is important in human subjects for maintaining muscle turnover, determining the protein content of tissues and thus the preservation of muscle mass and function as we age. A screening tool to assess if an older individual is likely to have a lower dietary protein intake (predicted probability of protein intake ≤1⋅0 g...

Goals: The aim of this study is to assess the spatial relationship between index and metachronous colorectal adenoma location. Background: After the complete excision of a human sporadic colorectal adenoma, patients are at elevated risk of developing a further metachronous adenoma. Data regarding the occurrence site of a metachronous colorectal...

Metastasising cells express the intermediate filament protein vimentin, which is used to diagnose invasive tumours in the clinic. We aimed to clarify how vimentin regulates the motility of metastasising fibroblasts. STED super-resolution microscopy, live-cell imaging and quantitative proteomics revealed that oncogene-expressing and metastasising fi...

Purpose Several small trials suggest a benefit of vitamin D supplementation in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The generalisability of these reports is limited by their design and scale. This study aimed to assess whether vitamin D supplementation improved IBS symptoms in a UK community setting. Methods This was a randomised, double-blind, placebo...

The lockdown restrictions imposed as a result of COVID-19 impacted on many areas of daily life including dietary behaviours. A cohort of middle-older age adults (n=17), who had previously provided 3-day food diaries in May 2019 were asked to record their 3 day dietary intake in May 2020 when the UK was under lockdown restrictions. Mean (SD) energy...

The colon mucosa is lined with crypts of circa 300 cells, forming a continuous barrier whose roles include absorption of water, recovery of metabolic energy sources (notably short chain fatty acids), secretion of a protective mucus barrier, and physiological signalling. There is high turnover and replenishment of cells in the mucosa, disruption of...

Ageing is associated with a reduction in muscle mass and strength, termed sarcopenia. Dietary protein is important for the maintenance of muscle mass through the promotion of muscle protein synthesis. However, protein is also reported to be a highly satiating nutrient. This raises concerns that protein intake for musculoskeletal health reasons in o...

With ageing there is a reduction in muscle mass and strength, termed sarcopeniaReference Santilli, Bernetti, Mangone and Paoloni1; this can have negative impacts including loss of independence and reduced quality of life. Ageing is also associated with reduced appetite, termed anorexia of ageing, and this can result in reduced energy intakes and ma...

Background: The present study assessed the quantity and quality of nutritional advice and support given to colorectal cancer survivors in the UK. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was completed by 75 colorectal cancer survivors recruited through social media and bowel cancer support groups in the UK. The survey consisted of open-ende...

Background: Our ability to understand population-level dietary intake patterns is dependent on having access to high quality data. Diet surveys are common diet assessment methods, but can be limited by bias associated with under-reporting. Food purchases tracked using supermarket loyalty card records may supplement traditional surveys, however the...

Introduction With ageing there is a reduction in muscle mass and strength, termed sarcopenia. A further consequence of ageing is a reduction in appetite and this can result in a reduced energy intake and malnutrition. Increased dietary protein intake may reduce the risk of sarcopenia, however, protein is particularly satiating. Increasing protein i...

A positive association has been reported between vitamin D status, muscle strength and physical function in older Caucasian women. However, little is known about this relationship in UK South Asian older women. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the association between vitamin D status, muscle strength and physical function in UK South Asi...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most common cancer in the UK; 95% of CRCs develop from colorectal adenomas. Adults in England aged 60–74 years are screened for colorectal cancer through the national Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) which aims to detect colorectal cancer early, and also remove colorectal adenomas. However, adenoma recur...

The Nutrition Society's 1st Annual Nutrition and Cancer Networking Conference brought together scientists from the fields of Nutrition, Epidemiology, Public Health, Medical Oncology and Surgery with representatives of the public, cancer survivors and cancer charities. Speakers representing these different groups presented the challenges to collabor...

Effect of vitamin D supplementation on irritable bowel syndrome symptom severity and quality of life - Volume 79 Issue OCE1 - Claire E. Williams, Elizabeth A. Williams, Bernard M. Corfe

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer mortality. It is known that loss of APC gene function through mutation is followed by the expansion of a field of mutated tissue, but the mechanisms behind this expansion are poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the processes involved in field expansion using two agent-based computational...

Background Vitamin D is critical for skeletal health, and is increasingly associated with other pathologies encompassing gastrointestinal, immunological and psychological effects. A significant proportion of the population exhibits suboptimal levels of vitamin D, particularly in Northern latitudes in winter. Supplementation is advocated, but few da...

Background: Calorie for calorie, protein is more satiating than carbohydrate or fat. However, it remains unclear whether humans perceive calories derived from these macronutrients equally and whether lean mass is associated with a tendency to "value" protein when dietary decisions are made. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the test-rete...

Background Gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is difficult to diagnose without invasive testing. Peptest (RD Biomed, Hull, UK) is a recently marketed diagnostic tool which aims to quantify salivary pepsin as a marker of reflux, providing a rapid alternative to invasive procedures. Aim To evaluate optimal timing for sampling, and to evaluate...

Linked Content This article is linked to Race et al and Dettmar et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15138 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15213.

Background: Colorectal cancer remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. The UK Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) has demonstrated that detection of colorectal cancer at an earlier stage and identification of advanced pre-malignant adenomas reduces mortality and morbidity. Aim: To assess the utility of volatile organic compounds a...

Background and Aims Psychological morbidity is increased in young people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Illness perceptions may be an important factor. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and severity of psychological morbidity and examine relationships between baseline illness perceptions and anxiety, depression and health-related...

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic relapsing/remitting inflammatory illness of the gastrointestinal tract of unknown aetiology. Despite recent advances in decoding the pathophysiology of IBD, many questions regarding disease pathogenesis remain. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and knockout mouse models have significantly advanced...

Efficacy and comparative uptake rates of sublingual and capsular vitamin D preparations - Volume 77 Issue OCE4 - C.E. Williams, E.A. Williams, B.M. Corfe

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s12953-018-0131-y.].

With an ageing population, dietary approaches to promote health and independence later in life are needed. In part, this can be achieved by maintaining muscle mass and strength as people age. New evidence suggests that current dietary recommendations for protein intake may be insufficient to achieve this goal and that individuals might benefit by i...

Ageing well’ has been highlighted as an important research area by the World Health Organization. In the UK, healthy ageing has been identified as a priority research area by multiple Research Councils and is a key NHS priority. Sarcopaenia, the decline of muscle mass/strength and a key component of healthy ageing, can have a major impact on qualit...

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide. However, its molecular pathogenesis is incompletely characterized and clinical biomarkers remain scarce. The aims of these experiments were to identify and characterize liver protein alterations in an animal model of early, diet-related, liver injury...

Nutritional screening, assessment and provision of advice for people living with and beyond cancer – a UK survey of clinicians - Volume 77 Issue OCE1 - B.M. Corfe, J.L. Murphy, F.P. Davey, L.J. Miller, M.A. Lloyd, S. Burden, F. Munir, T. Wiseman, M. Barrett, S.A. Wootton

Diet advice in colorectal cancer survivors - are we doing enough? - Volume 77 Issue OCE1 - S.L. Matsell, M.A. Sanchez Garcia, E.A. Williams, B.M. Corfe

Background: Low vitamin D status is associated with risk of colorectal cancer and has been implicated in inflammatory bowel disease. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic, relapsing, functional bowel disorder. A nascent literature suggests a role for vitamin D in IBS, but this has not been collated or critiqued. To date, seven studies have b...

Mental, neurological and substance-use disorders presently represent the greatest global burden of disease. Likewise, depression and other psychopathologies are elevated risk comorbidities of other health hazards, such as obesity. Nutrition has been implicated in behaviour, mood and in the pathology and treatment of mental illness. In this brief ed...

Introduction Health-related behaviours in adolescence affect health at the time and into adulthood. Insufficient physical activity and obesity are determinants of premature mortality (1), with obesity resulting in low self-esteem and educational attainment (2). Young people (YP) with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) describe difficulties with eatin...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer mortality; loss of the Apc gene is an early step in the formation of CRC. A new computational model of the colonic crypt has been developed to simulate the effects of Apc loss. The model includes a region of flat mucosa, which has not previously been considered in the context of Apc loss. The model...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer mortality. Colon crypts are multi-cellular flask-shaped invaginations of the colonic epithelium, with stem cells at their base which support the continual turnover of the epithelium with loss of cells by anoikis from the flat mucosa. Mutations in these stem cells can become embedded in the crypts,...

The effects of probiotic supplementation on emotional memory and pain response - Volume 76 Issue OCE1 - E.A. Noorwali, J.D. Beaumont, B.M. Corfe, L. Owen

div class="title">Systematic Literature Review Shows That Appetite Rating does Not Predict Energy Intake - Volume 75 Issue OCE3 - Guy M. Holt, Lauren J. Owen, Sophie Till, Yanying Cheng, Vicky A. Grant, Charlotte J. Harden, Bernard M. Corfe

Introduction Young people (YP) with any chronic illness are 3 times more likely to engage in health risk behaviours (HRBs) than healthy peers.¹ HRBs are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, and are associated with poor self-management skills in adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of HRBs in YP with inflammatory...

Introduction Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide. The incidence has increased by 6% in the last decade and it is the third most common malignancy in the UK, accounting for approximately 15,000 deaths annually. The UK Bowel Cancer Screening Programme has demonstrated that detection of CRC at an earlier stage and id...

Background Psychological morbidity in young people aged 10-24 years, with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increased, but risk factors for and impacts of this are unclear. AimTo undertake a systematic literature review of the risk factors for and impact of psychological morbidity in young people with IBD. Methods Electronic searches for English-...

Background and aims: Colorectal cancer screening programmes that target detection and excision of adenomatous colonic polyps have been shown to reduce colorectal cancer related mortality. Many screening programmes include an initial faecal occult blood test (FOBt) prior to colonoscopy. To refine the selection of patients for colonoscopy other faec...

Short chain fatty acids (SCFA), principally acetate, propionate, butyrate and valerate, are produced in pharmacologically relevant concentrations by the gut microbiome. Investigations indicate that they exert beneficial effects on colon epithelia. There is increasing interest in whether different SCFAs have distinct functions which may be exploited...

Health claims made by the food industry need to be objective and substantiated in order to achieve approval by the European Food Standard Agency. Formulations aimed at modifying energy intake (EI) to manage obesity require objective measures of appetite (AP). Gut hormone levels provide objective measures but invasive blood sampling, itself influenc...

Introduction Intermediate filaments (IF), which mainly consist of keratins (K), are one of the main components of the human cell cytoskeleton. K8, K18 and K19 constitute the main keratins in the intestinal epithelial cells. Keratin alterations may play a role in the pathophysiology of ulcerative colitis (UC). We have previously shown reduced expres...

Introduction Intermediate filaments (IF), which mainly consist of keratins (K), are one of the main components of the human cell cytoskeleton. K8, K18 and K19 constitute the main keratins in the intestinal epithelial cells. We have previously shown increased expression of epithelial keratins in the IF fraction from long-standing UC (>20 years) in r...

Introduction Young people (YP) living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at risk of increased psychological morbidity, with increased rates of anxiety and depression at a life stage characterised by change, exploration, risk-taking and identity development whilst learning to manage and adjust to living with IBD as an adult. This is in the co...

The incidence of both esophageal adenocarcinoma and its precursor, Barrett’s Metaplasia, are rising rapidly in the western world. Furthermore esophageal adenocarcinoma generally has a poor prognosis, with little improvement in survival rates in recent years. These are difficult conditions to study and there has been a lack of suitable experimental...

Background: Keratins are intermediate filament (IF) proteins, which form part of the epithelial cytoskeleton and which have been implicated pathology of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Methods: In this study biopsies were obtained from IBD patients grouped by disease duration and subtype into eight categories based on cancer risk and inflamma...

Patients with adenomatous colonic polyps are at increased risk of developing further polyps suggesting field-wide alterations in cancer predisposition. The current study aimed to identify molecular alterations in the normal mucosa in the proximity of adenomatous polyps and to assess the modulating effect of butyrate, a chemopreventive compound prod...

Medication may be used to manage discomfort during colonoscopy but practice varies. The relationship between medication use and comfort during colonoscopy was examined in the English Bowel Cancer Screening Programme. Data related to patient comfort and medication use from all 113 316 examinations performed within the English Bowel Cancer Screening...

There is growing evidence that dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is associated with the pathogenesis of both intestinal and extra-intestinal disorders. Intestinal disorders include inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and coeliac disease, while extra-intestinal disorders include allergy, asthma, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascul...

The recent availability of high-throughput nucleic acid sequencing technologies has rapidly advanced approaches to analysing the role of the gut microbiome in governance of human health, including gut health, and also metabolic, cardiovascular and mental health, inter alia. Recent scientific studies suggest that energy intake (EI) perturbations at...