Effect of Dimethoate Residues on Soil Micro-arthropods Population in the Valley of Zendan,Yemen

The present study aimed to screen the effect of overuse of the insecticide Dimethoate and its residues within 0 -15 cm soil layer on the soil micro-arthropods population, which play a very important role in maintenance of the fertility of the soil. The valley of Zendan is located in Arhab Destrict, Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. The valley is about 50 km north-east of Sana'a city and this geographical area is a large producer of Qat (Catha edulis Forsk); the plant which most of the people in the country chew. In this study the valley divided into three stations, each station contained three treated substations and three control substations. The control substations selected from the farms, which are historically free from pesticides. Due care has been taken to insure that the treated sub-stations were from the closest area to the control substations. The average use of Dimethoate 40% E.C is 1-2 ml/L water. The treatment replication was 1-3 times within the period of 2-3 weeks. In this study also, we analyzed the total concentration of Dimethoate, and its metabolite; Omethoate in the soil layer of 0-15 cm. The analysis of Dimethoate and Omethoate residues from representative soil samples covered the major part of the Zendan valley was done by the technique of LC-MS, and the results revealed that the detected levels ranged from 0.914 to 5.180 mg/kg air-dried soil for Dimethoate residues and 0.001 to 0.067 mg/kg air-dried soil for Omethoate residues. For studying the effect of Dimethoate residues on the soil micro-arthropods population, soil samples from each substation were collected with core sampler. The soil micro-arthropods were extracted for 48 hours and collected in vials containing 70% alcohol by using the extraction funnels technique. The number and type of soil micro-arthropods extracted from each substation were separated and recorded and the data obtained was analyzed. The outcomes of the study revealed that Dimethoate and Omethoate residues are beyond the Total Threshold Limit Concentration (TTLC) and significantly reduced the population of the non-target soil micro-arthropods that included mainly mites, collembolans, beetle larvae, trips, cutworms, symphyla and seed corn maggot. Mites and collembolans were the most affected micro-arthropods by Dimethoate and Omethoate residues. The reduction in the soil micro-arthropods population varied from 59% to 69% as compared to its population in control substations. The maximum decline of soil microarthropods was found to be in substations where the highest residues of Dimethoate and Omethoate were recorded. Thus indiscriminate use of pesticides such as Dimethoate will definitely affect the soil fertility in the area and that will reduce the crop yield in future. @JASE

Joint Associations of Activity Energy Expenditure and Sedentary Behaviors with Adolescent's Obesity and Dietary Habits

PURPOSE: Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors are thought to be independent entities and differently associate with adverse health outcomes. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the joint associations of physical activity and sedentary behaviors with obesity indices and dietary habits among adolescents from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. METHODS: Data were from the Arab Teens Lifestyle Study (ATLS), a school based, cross-sectional lifestyle study. The present analysis included 6279 adolescents (49.4% males) aged 14-20 years, randomly selected from eight major cities in the GCC countries, using a multistage stratified cluster sampling technique. Anthropometric and self-reported lifestyle data were obtained from participants. Adolescents were classified into four categories: high active & low sedentary (HA-LS), high active & high sedentary (HA- HS), low active & low sedentary (LA-LS) and low active & high sedentary (LA-HS), based on cut off scores of total activity energy expenditure and daily screen time above and below 1680 METs-min/week and above or below 3 hours/day, respectively. RESULTS: Results of MANCOVA tests controlling for age revealed that compared with those with LA-HS, adolescents with HA-LS had signifi cantly (<0.001) lower mean (SD) values for BMI (22.6 (5.5) vs 23.7 (6.2)), waist to height ratio (0.45 (.07) vs 0.48 (.08)), and less frequent intakes of sugar-sweetened drinks (3.7 (2.5) vs 4.5 (2.3)), fast foods (2.2 (1.9) vs 2.9 (1.9)), French fries/potato chips (2.1 (2.0) vs 2.9 (2.1)), cakes/donuts (2.4 (2.1) vs 2.7 (2.1)) and sweets (2.5 (2.1)) vs 3.8 (2.3) but more frequent intakes of breakfast (3.9 (2.7) vs 3.3 (2.6)), vegetables (4.4 (2.3) vs 3.5 (2.4)), fruits (4.2 (2.3) vs 2.8 (2.2)) and milk (4.3 (2.5) vs 3.6 (2.5)). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with combined high activity energy expenditure and low sedentary behaviors tend to have lower risk of obesity and have more favorable (healthy) dietary habits. These findings carry important implications for adolescent’s health promotion and obesity prevention.American College of Sports Medicin

Evaluation of the Efficacy of Single Anastomosis Sleeve Ileal (SASI) Bypass for Patients with Morbid Obesity: a Multicenter Study

Background: Single anastomosis sleeve ileal (SASI) bypass is a newly introduced bariatric and metabolic procedure. The present multicenter study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the SASI bypass in the treatment of patients with morbid obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Methods: This is a retrospective, seven-country, multicenter study on patients with morbid obesity who underwent the SASI bypass. Data regarding patients' demographics, body mass index (BMI), percentage of total weight loss (%TWL), percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL), and improvement in comorbidities at 12 months postoperatively and postoperative complications were collected. Results: Among 605 patients who underwent the SASI, 54 were excluded and 551 (390; 70.8% female) were included. At 12 months after the SASI, a significant decrease in the BMI was observed (43.2 ± 12.5 to 31.2 ± 9.7 kg/m2; p < 0.0001). The %TWL was 27.4 ± 13.4 and the %EWL was 63.9 ± 29.5. Among the 279 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), complete remission was recorded in 234 (83.9%) patients and partial improvement in 43 (15.4%) patients. Eighty-six (36.1%) patients with hypertension, 104 (65%) patients with hyperlipidemia, 37 (57.8%) patients with sleep apnea, and 70 (92.1%) patients with GERD achieved remission. Fifty-six (10.1%) complications and 2 (0.3%) mortalities were recorded. Most complications were minor. All patients had 12 months follow-up. Conclusions: The SASI bypass is an effective bariatric and metabolic surgery that achieved satisfactory weight loss and improvement in medical comorbidities, including T2DM, hypertension, sleep apnea, and GERD, with a low complication rate.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The association between academic performance indicators and lifestyle behaviors among Kuwaiti college students

Abstract Background Lifestyle behaviors are developed during young adulthood and carried through life. Accordingly, early detection of unhealthy behaviors can help prevent the increase in non-communicable diseases in the population. College students are an especially vulnerable group who, upon entering a new environment, tend to engage in unhealthy behaviors. Objective The present study aims to evaluate the lifestyle behaviors of Kuwaiti college students and their association with markers of academic achievements. Methods One thousand two hundred fifty-nine students participated in the present study and answered an online questionnaire pertaining to their sociodemographic status, academic performance indicators, body weight and height, and lifestyle behaviors. Data were collected from November 2020 to February 2021. Results Results of the present study showed that obesity was significantly more prevalent among male participants than among females even though males were more physically active. Alternatively, females had a greater grade point average in college, slept more, and had more screen time. Interestingly, we were unable to detect a significant correlation between lifestyle behaviors and academic achievements. Conclusion The observed differences in body mass index between genders may have been attributed to energy intake rather than energy expenditure

How COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions Affected Kuwaiti College Students’ Anthropometry, Lifestyle Behaviors, and Dietary Habits

The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures implemented to control it have led to widespread lifestyle changes globally. While previous studies have explored these effects across different age groups, this research focuses uniquely on college students in Kuwait. A cross-sectional study (N = 1259) was conducted among college students using a validated online questionnaire covering various aspects, including demographics, academic performance, self-reported body weight and height, sleep duration, dietary habits, and physical activity. There were equal proportions of individuals reporting decreased, increased, or no change in body weight, BMI, and dietary habits due to COVID-19, with no significant gender differences observed. A higher decrease (44.3%) than increase (29.2%) occurred due to COVID-19 in the proportion of college students engaging in physical activity. Significant differences were found in the students’ responses to most of the eating behavior questions, concerning the changes attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Multivariable analysis showed significant interaction effects for gender by losing above 9 kg during the last 6 months in age (p = 0.037), total physical activity in METs-min/week (p = 0.048), and cake/donuts intake (p = 0.006). Logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, revealed that a decrease in BMI was associated with an increase in daily vegetable intake (aOR = 1.531, p = 0.031), whereas increases in BMI were associated with an increased intake of sugar-sweetened drinks equal to or above 4 days/week (aOR = 1.551, p = 0.032) and increased chocolates/candy intake equal to or above 4 days/week (aOR = 1.792, p = 0.037). It was concluded that, in response to a major epidemic, such as COVID-19, college students, as a population, are susceptible to significant changes in lifestyle and eating behaviors that can impact their health and well-being. Future risks for college students’ health can be reduced through appropriate lifestyle interventions

Physical activity interventions promoted in the Arabic-speaking region: A review of the current literature

The Arabic-speaking region suffers from insufficient levels of physical activity (PA). Assessing the effectiveness of PA interventions presents a scientifically evaluated method to reduce and prevent the current high burden of noncommunicable diseases affecting this region. This review examined implemented PA interventions and corresponding measured health outcomes in this region. The review was limited to studies prior to January 2020 using nine electronic academic databases. Only intervention-focused articles incorporating PA as the primary intervention or as a component of a multibehavioural intervention were included. Thirty-nine PA intervention studies were identified. Published PA interventions were implemented among 50% of the countries in the region. Seventy percent of the studies were conducted in the Gulf region and 25% in North Africa. A third of the studies was designed for children and adolescents. Accordingly, 40% of interventions were for patients living with comorbidities. Seventy percent of the studies included PA as part of a multidisciplinary intervention. Most studies included body mass index as an outcome parameter. Significant improvement (P \u3c .05) in measured health outcomes was seen in 97% of studies. Thorough analysis includes social and culturally congruent aspects of the PA interventions and discussion of resultant health outcomes. This information furthers the understanding of effective PA interventions that can be adapted to target sedentary lifestyle behaviours in this region