Challenges and facilitators to healthy eating in pregnancy: a systematic review

The aim of this review is to synthesize previous research findings on the barriers and enablers towards healthy eating in pregnancy. The following areas will be explored: • What are the views of pregnant women on challenges/barriers towards healthy eating? • What are the views of pregnant women on enablers/facilitators of healthy eating

Do theories of change enable innovation platforms?

Theories of change (ToCs) are increasingly used to articulate pathways for interventions and to support learning. This responds to the recognition of the complexity of agricultural development. Through two examples, this paper examines how ToCs have enabled practitioners to navigate towards impact in settings characterized by a multiplicity of views from different actors on issues of joint concern. The cases discuss how the intervention programs test the ToCs, as well as organize and reflect on feedback. The cases reveal that one cannot predict the route to impact, but one can compose plausible story lines explicating the assumptions. Developing and using ToCs takes time and requires a deliberate effort to monitor actions and changes. Connecting practitioners with researchers makes it possible to use more intermediate theorisations tailored to situated and specific impact pathways. However, the dynamics captured by ToCs may contrast with the donors’ demands for accountability and consistent reliance on a rigid log-frame approach to determine project activities and outputs. Therefore, it is relevant to make explicit choices about how to relate ToCs to M&E efforts

Diversity of lactase persistence in African milk drinkers

The genetic trait of lactase persistence is attributable to allelic variants in an enhancer region upstream of the lactase gene, LCT. To date, five different functional alleles, -13910*T, -13907*G, -13915*G, -14009*G and -14010*C, have been identified. The co-occurrence of several of these alleles in Ethiopian lactose digesters leads to a pattern of sequence diversity characteristic of a 'soft selective sweep'. Here we hypothesise that throughout Africa, where multiple functional alleles co-exist, the enhancer diversity will be greater in groups who are traditional milk drinkers than in non-milk drinkers, as the result of this sort of parallel selection. Samples from 23 distinct groups from 10 different countries were examined. Each group was classified 'Yes 'or 'No' for milk-drinking, and ethnicity, language spoken and geographic location were recorded. Predicted lactase persistence frequency and enhancer diversity were, as hypothesised, higher in the milk drinkers than the non-milk-drinkers, but this was almost entirely accounted for by the Afro-Asiatic language speaking peoples of east Africa. The other groups, including the 'Nilo-Saharan language speaking' milk-drinkers, show lower frequencies of LP and lower diversity, and there was a north-east to south-west decline in overall diversity. Amongst the Afro-Asiatic (Cushitic) language speaking Oromo, however, the geographic cline was not evident and the southern pastoralist Borana showed much higher LP frequency and enhancer diversity than the other groups. Together these results reflect the effects of parallel selection, the stochastic processes of the occurrence and spread of the mutations, and time depth of milk drinking tradition

Review

Previous surgical procedures devised for intractable pain are the excision of painful area of the skin, peripheral neurotomy, intraspinal or intracranial posterior rhizotomies, anterolateral spinal cordotomy, spinothalamic tractotomy at medulla and mesencephalon for the pain of organic origin, and the prefrontal lobotomy for psychogenic pain. Unfortunately, these procedures are followed either by disturbance of physiologic sensory function or by changes of affect and personality. Partial gasserian gangliolysis successfully alleviated the trigeminal neuralgia without significant sensory disturbance of the face. Recent advances in stereotaxic technique has enabled us to attack the thalamus and other deep subcortical centers. This new method, together with recent neuroanatomico-physiological progress in regard to pain tract through intralaminar nuclear complex, resulted in discovery of thalamotomy destroying the nucleus centrum medianum with or without adjacent intralaminar nuclei, which eliminates the organic pain without any detectable sensory deficit. Anterior cingulectomy or cingulumotomy has developed to alleviate the psychogenic pain without psychological changes. These are the ideal pain-relieving procedures. A new method of percutaneous cervical cordotomy can be safely used for the debilitated patients with terminal malignant diseases

Antibiosis and GC-MS of secondary metabolites of rhizosphere bacteria from Manatee foodplants in the humic freshwater ecosystem of Eniong river, Nigeria

Microorganisms are able to synthesize secondary metabolites of various structures and bioactivities. These metabolites are produced to help the organism compete successfully with other organisms in their natural habitat and adapt with changing environmental milieu. The ability of rhizosphere bacteria (Bacillus subtilis NC_000964.3 and Pseu-domonas aeruginosa NC_002516.2) isolated from the rhizospheric soil of Manatee food plants Mimosa pygra, Ipomeoa aquatica and Pistia stratoites to inhibit the growth of human pathogens (P. aeruginosa, E. coli, S. aureus and B. subtilis) was evaluated using standard methods. It was observed that the growth extracts of B. subtilis strains M5, M8 and P7 and P. aeruginosa strains I3 and M9 contained useful bioactive compound. GC-MS analysis of the cell -free methanol extract of the antibiotic producing bacterial strains was also evaluated and the results showed that their inhibitory potentials against bacterial pathogens are due to the presence of phenylethyl alcohol, 2-ethyl-4-methyl-1,3-dioxolane, bicyclo [4.2.0] octa-1,3,5-triene and 4-amino-2-methyl-5,6-dimethyl pyrimidine for B. subtilis and 3,4-dimethyl tetrahydrofuran, 4,6-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-5- heptenoic acid and 2,4-dimethyl-4-heptanol for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These strains of rhizosphere bacteria may be exploited to produce new antibiotics

The African Genome Variation Project shapes medical genetics in Africa.

Given the importance of Africa to studies of human origins and disease susceptibility, detailed characterization of African genetic diversity is needed. The African Genome Variation Project provides a resource with which to design, implement and interpret genomic studies in sub-Saharan Africa and worldwide. The African Genome Variation Project represents dense genotypes from 1,481 individuals and whole-genome sequences from 320 individuals across sub-Saharan Africa. Using this resource, we find novel evidence of complex, regionally distinct hunter-gatherer and Eurasian admixture across sub-Saharan Africa. We identify new loci under selection, including loci related to malaria susceptibility and hypertension. We show that modern imputation panels (sets of reference genotypes from which unobserved or missing genotypes in study sets can be inferred) can identify association signals at highly differentiated loci across populations in sub-Saharan Africa. Using whole-genome sequencing, we demonstrate further improvements in imputation accuracy, strengthening the case for large-scale sequencing efforts of diverse African haplotypes. Finally, we present an efficient genotype array design capturing common genetic variation in Africa

Source Evaluation and Trace Metal Contamination in Benthic Sediments from Equatorial Ecosystems Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques

race metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Pb) concentrations in benthic sediments were analyzed through multi-step fractionation scheme to assess the levels and sources of contamination in estuarine, riverine and freshwater ecosystems in Niger Delta (Nigeria). The degree of contamination was assessed using the individual contamination factors (ICF) and global contamination factor (GCF). Multivariate statistical approaches including principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis and correlation test were employed to evaluate the interrelationships and associated sources of contamination. The spatial distribution of metal concentrations followed the pattern Pb>Cu>Cr>Cd>Ni. Ecological risk index by ICF showed significant potential mobility and bioavailability for Cu, Cu and Ni. The ICF contamination trend in the benthic sediments at all studied sites was Cu>Cr>Ni>Cd>Pb. The principal component and agglomerative clustering analyses indicate that trace metals contamination in the ecosystems was influenced by multiple pollution sources

Association of blood lead concentrations with mortality in older women: a prospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Blood lead concentrations have been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular, cancer, and all-cause mortality in adults in general population and occupational cohorts. We aimed to determine the association between blood lead, all cause and cause specific mortality in elderly, community residing women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Prospective cohort study of 533 women aged 65–87 years enrolled in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures at 2 US research centers (Baltimore, MD; Monongahela Valley, PA) from 1986–1988. Blood lead concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. Using blood lead concentration categorized as < 8 μg/dL (0.384 μmol/L), and ≥ 8 μg/dL (0.384 μmol/L), we determined the relative risk of mortality from all cause, and cause-specific mortality, through Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mean blood lead concentration was 5.3 ± 2.3 μg/dL (range 1–21) [0.25 ± 0.11 μmol/L (range 0.05–1.008)]. After 12.0 ± 3 years of > 95% complete follow-up, 123 (23%) women who died had slightly higher mean (± SD) blood lead 5.56 (± 3) μg/dL [0.27(± 0.14) μmol/L] than survivors: 5.17(± 2.0) [0.25(± 0.1) μmol/L] (<it>p </it>= 0.09). Women with blood lead concentrations ≥ 8 μg/dL (0.384 μmol/L), had 59% increased risk of multivariate adjusted all cause mortality (Hazard Ratio [HR], 1.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–2.49) (p = 0.041) especially coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality (HR = 3.08 [CI], (1.23–7.70)(p = 0.016), compared to women with blood lead concentrations < 8 μg/dL(< 0.384 μmol/L). There was no association of blood lead with stroke, cancer, or non cardiovascular deaths.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Women with blood lead concentrations of ≥ 8 μg/dL (0.384 μmol/L), experienced increased mortality, in particular from CHD as compared to those with lower blood lead concentrations.</p