Mapping child growth failure across low- and middle-income countries

Childhood malnutrition is associated with high morbidity and mortality globally1. Undernourished children are more likely to experience cognitive, physical, and metabolic developmental impairments that can lead to later cardiovascular disease, reduced intellectual ability and school attainment, and reduced economic productivity in adulthood2. Child growth failure (CGF), expressed as stunting, wasting, and underweight in children under five years of age (0�59 months), is a specific subset of undernutrition characterized by insufficient height or weight against age-specific growth reference standards3�5. The prevalence of stunting, wasting, or underweight in children under five is the proportion of children with a height-for-age, weight-for-height, or weight-for-age z-score, respectively, that is more than two standard deviations below the World Health Organization�s median growth reference standards for a healthy population6. Subnational estimates of CGF report substantial heterogeneity within countries, but are available primarily at the first administrative level (for example, states or provinces)7; the uneven geographical distribution of CGF has motivated further calls for assessments that can match the local scale of many public health programmes8. Building from our previous work mapping CGF in Africa9, here we provide the first, to our knowledge, mapped high-spatial-resolution estimates of CGF indicators from 2000 to 2017 across 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where 99 of affected children live1, aggregated to policy-relevant first and second (for example, districts or counties) administrative-level units and national levels. Despite remarkable declines over the study period, many LMICs remain far from the ambitious World Health Organization Global Nutrition Targets to reduce stunting by 40 and wasting to less than 5 by 2025. Large disparities in prevalence and progress exist across and within countries; our maps identify high-prevalence areas even within nations otherwise succeeding in reducing overall CGF prevalence. By highlighting where the highest-need populations reside, these geospatial estimates can support policy-makers in planning interventions that are adapted locally and in efficiently directing resources towards reducing CGF and its health implications. © 2020, The Author(s)

Genome-wide association and Mendelian randomisation analysis provide insights into the pathogenesis of heart failure

Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A small proportion of HF cases are attributable to monogenic cardiomyopathies and existing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have yielded only limited insights, leaving the observed heritability of HF largely unexplained. We report results from a GWAS meta-analysis of HF comprising 47,309 cases and 930,014 controls. Twelve independent variants at 11 genomic loci are associated with HF, all of which demonstrate one or more associations with coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation, or reduced left ventricular function, suggesting shared genetic aetiology. Functional analysis of non-CAD-associated loci implicate genes involved in cardiac development (MYOZ1, SYNPO2L), protein homoeostasis (BAG3), and cellular senescence (CDKN1A). Mendelian randomisation analysis supports causal roles for several HF risk factors, and demonstrates CAD-independent effects for atrial fibrillation, body mass index, and hypertension. These findings extend our knowledge of the pathways underlying HF and may inform new therapeutic strategies

Registration of Common Bacterial Blight Resistant Pinto Bean Germplasm Line ABCP-8

Pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) germplasm line ABCP-8 (Reg. no. GP-237, PI 635118) was developed by the University of Nebraska Agricultural Research Division in cooperation with USDA-ARS and released in 2004. This line was bred specifically for enhanced resistnace to common bacterial blight [caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli (Smith) Dye]. Pinto and other dry bean market classes (dark red kidney, great northern, navy, etc.) grown in the U.S.A. east of the continental divide are often attacked by common bacterial blight, a seed-transmitted disease that causes up to 40% yield loss in susceptible cultivars as well as reduction of seed quality through discoloration of infected seed. Development of cultivars with genetic resistance combined from different sources is the most cost effective method to control common bacterial blight

Caracteres agronómicos en el cultivo de espárrago de diferentes edades y manejos Agronomic characters in asparagus of different ages and crop systems

El objetivo del trabajo fue evaluar el efecto de la edad de la planta y la respuesta a los manejos en 11 híbridos de espárrago (Asparagus officinalis L.). Se utilizó un diseño en bloques completos aleatorios con tres repeticiones de 20 plantas por parcela, con tres y cuatro años de edad, según dos sistemas de manejo: con surcos alomados para la producción de espárrago blanco y surcos sin alomar para espárrago verde. Con el manejo para espárrago blanco se obtuvieron mayores valores promedio para días a brotación, rendimiento de mercado, rendimiento total, número de turiones y peso promedio del turión. Sin embargo, la tasa de incremento del primer al segundo año de cosecha para rendimiento de mercado y rendimiento total resultó superior en el manejo verde debido a una tasa de incremento superior para número de turiones. Para días a brotación y peso promedio del turión, la respuesta debida al efecto del manejo y de la edad del cultivo fue similar, mientras que días al 50% de parcela brotada se vio afectada principalmente por la edad de la planta.<br>Age and crop system effects on agronomic response were evaluated in 11 hybrids of Asparagus officinalis L. The experimental design was a complete randomized block with three replicates of 20 plants of 3 or 4 years old, conducted either in mounded soil over plants for blanched asparagus, or in raised beds without ridging for green asparagus. The highest mean values were obtained under the blanched production for days to harvest, market yield, total yield, spears number and the spear mean weight. However, under the green production, the rate of increment from first to second year was superior for market yield and total yield due to an augmented rate of increment of spears number. Type and year of production effects were similar for days to first harvest and spears mean weight, meanwhile days to 50% of sprout plot was affected mainly by the year of production

Eficiência de linhagens de milho na absorção e utilização de fósforo em solução nutritiva Efficiency of corn inbred lines in phosphorus uptake and use in nutrient solutions

Mediante solução nutritiva, definiu-se uma metodologia para avaliação e seleção de plantas de milho mais eficientes na absorção e utilização do fósforo, em condições de sua baixa concentração. Quarenta linhagens de milho foram cultivadas em solução nutritiva completa, contendo 6,0mg de P/vaso de 2,8 litros, sem renovação da solução e com geração contínua. As plantas foram deixadas crescer durante 20 dias, sem reposição do P, até aparecerem sintomas de deficiência. Observaram-se variações no crescimento das linhagens, tanto nas raízes como na parte aérea, afetando o peso da matéria seca e a altura das plantas. As variações observadas no conteúdo total de P das plantas crescidas nas mesmas condições, acompanharam proporcionalmente as variações observadas no peso da matéria seca. Entretanto, a capacidade de produção de matéria seca por unidade de P absorvido (relação de eficiência) variou pouco. Assim, atribuíram-se as diferenças no crescimento das plantas muito mais ao mecanismo de absorção de P do que ao de sua utilização. As linhagens foram também avaliadas quanto aos sintomas visuais de deficiência de P. A classificação do material foi baseada nos pesos de matéria seca, dispostos numa curva de distribuição "t" de médias. De acordo com o intervalo de confiança da média geral, calculado com 99,9% de probabilidade, separou-se o material em 11 linhagens ineficientes (com peso abaixo de 5,28g), 20 linhagens medianamente eficientes (com peso entre 5,28 e 6,04g) e 9 linhagens eficientes (com peso acima de 6,040g).<br>A methodology was defined, using nutrient solution as growth medium, to evaluate and select more efficient corn (Zea mays L.) inbred lines in regard to P uptake and use, under low P conditions. Plants of 40 corn inbred lines were allowed to grow in nutrient solutions for 20 days, with 6.0 mg P/2.8 liters and continuous aeration, without renewing the solution until P-deficiency symptoms appeared. Differential top and root growth was observed among inbred lines. Plants differed with respect to dry matter weight, plant height, total P content and dry matter produced per unit P absorbed (efficiency ratios). The variation found for whole plant P content followed, proportionally, the variation observed for dry matter weight. The relation ship between plant growth and efficiency ratio was less evident, indicating that differentes in dry matter weight were mostly due to the differential P uptake rather than to the P use mechanism. The genetic materials were then classified based on the total dry matter weight means, which were fitted by a Student's t distribution. The confidence interval for this distribution, calculated with 99.9% probability, allowed to separate 9 P-efficient inbred lines (total dry weight above 6.04 g), 11 P-inefficient inbred lines (total dry weight below 5.28 g) and 20 intermediary lines (total dry weight between 5.28 and 6.04 g)

Evaluation of the Proportion of Phases and Mechanical Strength of Two-Phase Steels Using Barkhausen Noise Measurements: Application to Commercial Dual-Phase Steel

International audienc