Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from pulmonary trunk in an 11 year old girl - a case report

Abstract: A case of 11 year old girl with the anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from pulmonary trunk is presented. Initially the patient was treated conservatively, however, after demonstrating myocardial ischaemia during SPECT, she was selected for surgical treatment

Age- and trait-dependent breeding responses to environmental variation in a short-lived songbird

Abstract Breeding responses of organisms to environmental changes may profoundly depend on an individual’s age, as an age-environment interaction may be expected to affect the expression of reproductive traits. However, little is known about how this interaction affects short-lived species that experience various environmental conditions in adulthood. Here, we used a 32-year dataset from the collared flycatcher, Ficedula albicollis, population to test whether and how the environment interacts with age to shape female age-specific reproduction. To characterise environmental variation, we applied the remotely sensed normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), estimating vegetation productivity, and used it as a surrogate for habitat quality. Then, we analysed how within-individual age and NDVI determine patterns in laying date, clutch size, offspring production, and recruitment. We found that young and old females, but not middle-aged females, breeding under low NDVI started to lay eggs later and produced smaller clutches than females of the same age breeding under higher NDVI. No such effects were observed for offspring production or recruitment. Our study provides evidence that both an individual’s age and the environmental variation experienced during adulthood may be crucial for shaping reproductive patterns in short-lived avian species, as has been found in long-lived birds

Impact of a Fruit–Vegetable Preparation Fortified with Potato Starch Resistant Dextrin on Selected Health Indicators in Overweight Children

Developing modified dietary fibers that maintain prebiotic benefits without significantly affecting meal taste is of high importance in the midst of the obesity pandemic. These benefits include regulating the composition of gut microbiota, increasing feelings of fullness, and improving human metabolic parameters. This study investigated the use of a resistant dextrin (RD) derived from potato starch, which possesses prebiotic properties, as a potential additive in vegetable–fruit preparations that aid weight loss and improve health markers in overweight children. HPLC was employed to examine metabolites like lactic acid, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs; formic, acetic, propionic, butyric, and valeric acids), and branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs; isobutyric and isovaleric acids). The activities of α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase, α-galactosidase, β-galactosidase, and β-glucuronidase enzymes in fecal samples were measured using spectrophotometric analysis at a wavelength of 400 nm. Incorporating the RD into vegetable–fruit preparations yielded favorable outcomes in terms of increased concentrations of the tested metabolites (SCFAs and BCFAs) and enhanced fecal enzyme activities after 6 months of consuming the preparations. Furthermore, these effects were found to last for an extended period of 3 months even after discontinuing the treatment. The study has shown that including RD into vegetable–fruit preparations enhances the metabolic parameters of obese and overweight children, hence providing a strong rationale for the widespread usage of these preparations in the industry

Breastfeeding and overweight in European preschoolers : the ToyBox study

he benefits of breastfeeding (BF) include risk reduction of later overweight and obesity. We aimed to analyse the association between breastfeeding practices and overweight/obesity among preschool children participating in the ToyBox study. Data from children in the six countries, participating in the ToyBox-study (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Spain) 7554 children/families and their age is 3.5–5.5 years, 51.9% were boys collected cross-sectionally in 2012. The questionnaires included parents’ self-reported data on their weight, height, socio-demographic status, and infant feeding practices. Measurements of preschool children’s weight and height were done by trained researchers using standard protocols and equipment. The ever breastfeeding rate in the total sample was 85.0% (n = 5777). Only 6.3% (n = 428) of the children from the general sample were exclusively breastfed (EBF) for the duration of the first six months. EBF for four to six months was significantly (p < 0.001) less likely among mothers with formal education < 12 years (adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.61; 95% Confidence interval (CI) 0.44–0.85), smoking throughout pregnancy (adjusted OR = 0.39; 95% CI 0.24–0.62), overweight before pregnancy (adjusted OR = 0.67; 95%CI 0.47–0.95) and ≤25 years old. The median duration of any breastfeeding was five months. The prevalence of exclusive formula feeding during the first five months in the general sample was about 12% (n = 830). The prevalence of overweight and obesity at preschool age was 8.0% (n = 542) and 2.8% (n = 190), respectively. The study did not identify any significant association between breastfeeding practices and obesity in childhood when adjusted for relevant confounding factors (p > 0.05). It is likely that sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with breastfeeding practices may have an impact on childhood obesity. The identified lower than desirable rates and duration of breastfeeding practices should prompt enhanced efforts for effective promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding across Europe, and in particular in regions with low BF rates

Longitudinal associations between food parenting practices and dietary intake in preschool children : the ToyBox study

Introduction Food Parenting Practices (FPPs) include the practices parents use in the act of feeding their children, which may further influence their health. Objectives To assess associations between changes in FPPs (permissiveness, food availability, guided choices, water encouragement, rules and limits and the use of food as reward) over 1 year and dietary intake (water, energy-dense/nutrient-poor and nutrient-dense foods) at follow-up in 4- to 6-year-old preschool-aged children. Methods Longitudinal data from the control group of the ToyBox study, a cluster-randomized controlled intervention study, was used (NCT02116296). Multilevel ordinal logistic regression analyses including FPP as the independent variables and dietary intake as outcome. Results Nine hundred sixty-four parent-child dyads (50.5% boys and 95.0% mothers) were included. Limited changes on the use of FPPs were observed over time. Nevertheless, in boys, often having F&V at home was associated with higher F&V consumption (OR = 6.92 [1.58; 30.38]), and increasing home availability of F&V was directly associated with higher water consumption (OR = 7.62 [1.63; 35.62]). Also, not having sweets or salty snacks available at home was associated with lower consumption of desserts (OR = 4.34 [1.75; 10.75]). In girls, having F&V availability was associated with higher F&V consumption (OR = 6.72 [1.52; 29.70]) and lower salty snack consumption (OR = 3.26 [1.50; 7.10]) and never having soft drinks at home was associated with lower consumption of sweets (OR = 7.89 [6.32; 9.86]). Also, never being permissive about soft drink consumption was associated with lower soft drink consumption (OR = 4.09 [2.44; 6.85]). Conclusion Using favorable FPPs and avoiding the negative ones is prospectively associated with healthier dietary intake, especially of F&V, and less intake of soft drinks, desserts, and salty snacks

Longitudinal Associations between Food Parenting Practices and Dietary Intake in preschool Children: The ToyBox Study

Introduction Food Parenting Practices (FPPs) include the practices parents use in the act of feeding their children, which may further influence their health. Objectives To assess associations between changes in FPPs (permissiveness, food availability, guided choices, water encouragement, rules and limits and the use of food as reward) over 1 year and dietary intake (water, energy-dense/nutrient-poor and nutrient-dense foods) at follow-up in 4- to 6-year-old preschool-aged children. Methods Longitudinal data from the control group of the ToyBox study, a cluster-randomized controlled intervention study, was used (NCT02116296). Multilevel ordinal logistic regression analyses including FPP as the independent variables and dietary intake as outcome. Results Nine hundred sixty-four parent-child dyads (50.5% boys and 95.0% mothers) were included. Limited changes on the use of FPPs were observed over time. Nevertheless, in boys, often having F&V at home was associated with higher F&V consumption (OR = 6.92 [1.58; 30.38]), and increasing home availability of F&V was directly associated with higher water consumption (OR = 7.62 [1.63; 35.62]). Also, not having sweets or salty snacks available at home was associated with lower consumption of desserts (OR = 4.34 [1.75; 10.75]). In girls, having F&V availability was associated with higher F&V consumption (OR = 6.72 [1.52; 29.70]) and lower salty snack consumption (OR = 3.26 [1.50; 7.10]) and never having soft drinks at home was associated with lower consumption of sweets (OR = 7.89 [6.32; 9.86]). Also, never being permissive about soft drink consumption was associated with lower soft drink consumption (OR = 4.09 [2.44; 6.85]). Conclusion Using favorable FPPs and avoiding the negative ones is prospectively associated with healthier dietary intake, especially of F&V, and less intake of soft drinks, desserts, and salty snacks