Global standard for the composition of infant formula: Recommendations of an ESPGHAN coordinated international expert group

The Codex Alimentarius Commission of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) develops food standards, guidelines and related texts for protecting consumer health and ensuring fair trade practices globally. The major part of the world's population lives in more than 160 countries that are members of the Codex Alimentarius. The Codex Standard on Infant Formula was adopted in 1981 based on scientific knowledge available in the 1970s and is currently being revised. As part of this process, the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses asked the ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition to initiate a consultation process with the international scientific community to provide a proposal on nutrient levels in infant formulae, based on scientific analysis and taking into account existing scientific reports on the subject. ESPGHAN accepted the request and, in collaboration with its sister societies in the Federation of International Societies on Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, invited highly qualified experts in the area of infant nutrition to form an International Expert Group (IEG) to review the issues raised. The group arrived at recommendations on the compositional requirements for a global infant formula standard which are reported here.

Functional characterization and genomic organization of the human Na+-sulfate cotransporter hNaS2 gene (SLC13A4)

Sulfate plays an essential role in human growth and development. Here, we characterized the functional properties of the human Na+-sulfate cotransporter (hNaS2), determined its tissue distribution, and identified its gene (SLC13A4) structure. Expression of hNaS2 protein in Xenopus oocytes led to a Na+-dependent transport of sulfate that was inhibited by thiosulfate, phosphate, molybdate. selenate and tungstate, but not by oxalate, citrate, succinate, phenol red or DIDS. Transport kinetics of hNaS2 determined a K, for sulfate of 0.38 mM, suggestive of a high affinity sulfate transporter. Na+ kinetics determined a Hill coefficient of 1.6 +/- 0.6, suggesting a Na: SO42- stoichiometry of 2:1. hNaS2 mRNA was highly expressed in placenta and testis, with intermediate levels in brain and lower levels found in the heart, thymus, and liver. The SLC13A4 gene contains 16 exons, spanning over 47 kb in length. Its 5'-flanking region contains CAAT- and GC-box motifs, and a number of putative transcription factor binding sites, including GATA-1, AP-1, and AP-2 consensus sequences. This is the first study to characterize hNaS2 transport kinetics, define its tissue distribution, and resolve its gene (SLC13A4) structure and 5' flanking region. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.