The effect of a combination of nutrition education, soy and vegetable gardening, and food preparation skill training interventions on dietary intake and diversity in women: a case study from Qwa-Qwa

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine if an integrated food and nutrition intervention, including home gardening, nutrition education and recipe development and training, would improve dietary diversity in women.Design: This was a single-system case study.Setting: The study setting was peri-urban Qwa-Qwa, Free State province, South Africa.Subjects: Fifty randomly selected women were included in the study from three purposively selected tribes.Outcome measures: Three 24-hour recall questionnaires were used to determine dietary intake and nutrient adequacy, a dietary diversity questionnaire to calculate the dietary diversity scores (DDSs), and the Radimer-Cornell Hunger Scale questionnaire to ascertain food insecurity.Results: The median food variety score (FVS) was 23 at baseline, and improved significantly (p-value 0.002) to 29 at follow-up. Micronutrient intake was consistently low, despite the median adequacy ratio (MAR) improving significantly (p-value 0.002) from 0.49 to 0.63 at follow-up. Despite a significantly improved MAR at follow-up, the nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR) for only three nutrients met 100% at follow-up, namely dietary iron, phosphate and vitamin B3. A strong significant positive correlation existed between FVS and the food group diversity score (r = 0.617, p-value 0.000). The FVS and DDS were higher in the food-secure group (n = 16, 32%) than in the food-insecure group (n = 34, 68%), but not significantly. Although most food groups were consumed by the women, limited foods from each group were included.Conclusion: Women in this resource-poor community lacked a variety of food in their diet, despite a high overall DDS. Thus, they had inadequate micronutrient intake and adequacy. A combination of nutrition education, soy and vegetable gardening, and food preparation skill training interventions, seemed to positively influence the nutrient adequacy and overall dietary diversity of the women participating in this study

Dietary aflatoxin exposure and impaired growth in young children from Benin and Togo: cross sectional study

Fetal and early childhood environment, including the nutritional status of the pregnant mother and the infant, are considered critical for growth and risk of disease in later life. Many people in developing coun­ tries are not only malnourished but also chronically exposed to high levels of toxic fungal metabolites (mycotoxins). One family of mycotoxins, the aflatoxins, are carcinogenic and immunotoxic and cause growth retardation in animals. Aflatoxins contaminate staple foods in West Africa, particularly maize and ground­ nuts, as a result of hot, humid storage conditions that promote fungal growth. High exposure to aflatoxins occurs throughout childhood in the region, suggest­ ing that growth and development could be critically affected.We assessed exposure to aflatoxins in relation to anthropometric measures in children in Benin and Togo

Change in soy and nutrition knowledge and perceptions of smallholder South African farmers after attending a single one day soy nutrition training workshop: A pilot study

The main aim of this pilot study was to assess smallholder soy farmers’ knowledge and perceptions of soy immediately before and after participating in a one-day soy nutrition training workshop. A pre-post study design was used among a convenience sample of 78soy smallholder farmers from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (SA). A total of 78 men and five women participated in the training, but  because only five women attended, gender comparison analysis was not carried out. A soy nutrition training workshop, including soy cooking demonstrations, tasting, recipe development, that is based on the Social Cognitive Theory, was implemented for eight  consecutive hours with one break of 30 minutes. Pre- and post-quantitative data measuring,soy knowledge and perceptions werecollected using a modified version of a survey, tested for face and content validity and reliability, and used previously in other research study projects by the same authors among low-resource communities in SA. The data from the pre and post questionnaires indicated that only 41% of the soy smallholder farmers used soy in the household and mainly in meat dishes. The rest of the harvested soy was either sold or used for animal feed. The mean±standard deviation (SD) score of taste preference changed significantly (p=0.002) from 4.60±0.84 before, to 4.93±0.13 after the training (p=0.002) and the majority of the participants perceived it was easy to prepare soy foods; 82.1% and 88.5% before and after the training, respectively (p=0.013). Participants’ soy knowledge improved significantly (p<0.001) from a mean± (SD) score of 26.33±4.06 before to 32.00±9.46 after the intervention, indicating a significant improvement of 5.67±9.11 [13.83%] in the total score. The results from this study indicate that there is a need for nutrition education programs for smallholder farmers. Thus, improvement in both soy knowledge and preference should result in more soy being consumed first for household nutritional needs before giving it to either animals or sell it on the market. Since smallholder farmers’ nutrition education can impact both food insecurity and nutritional status improvement in one setting, more interventions of this kind are needed to further advance the frontier of this niche area of research. Key words: nutrition education, smallholder famers, soy training, South Africa emerging farmers, Knowledge perceptio

Activity of the Eta-Aquariid and Orionid meteor showers

We present a multi-instrumental, multidecadal analysis of the activity of the Eta-Aquariid and Orionid meteor showers for the purpose of constraining models of 1P/Halley's meteoroid streams. The interannual variability of the showers' peak activity and period of duration is investigated through the compilation of published visual and radar observations prior to 1985 and more recent measurements reported in the International Meteor Organization (IMO) Visual Meteor DataBase, by the IMO Video Meteor Network and by the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR). These techniques probe the range of meteoroid masses from submilligrams to grams. The Eta-Aquariids and Orionids activity duration, shape, maximum zenithal hourly rates (ZHR) values, and the solar longitude of annual peaks since 1985 are analyzed. When available, annual activity profiles recorded by each detection network were measured and are compared. Observations from the three detection methods show generally good agreement in the showers' shape, activity levels, and annual intensity variations. Both showers display several activity peaks of variable location and strength with time. The Eta-Aquariids are usually two to three times stronger than the Orionids, but the two showers display occasional outbursts with peaks two to four times their usual activity level. CMOR observations since 2002 seem to support the existence of an ~12 year cycle in Orionids activity variations; however, additional and longer term radar and optical observations of the shower are required to confirm such periodicity.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics (date of acceptance: 10/06/2020

Vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for infection, sepsis and mortality in the critically ill: systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: In Europe, vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent varying between 40% and 60% in the healthy general adult population. The consequences of vitamin D deficiency for sepsis and outcome in critically ill patients remain controversial. We therefore systematically reviewed observational cohort studies on vitamin D deficiency in the intensive care unit.METHODS: Fourteen observational reports published from January 2000 to March 2014, retrieved from Pubmed and Embase, involving 9,715 critically ill patients and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25 (OH)-D) concentrations, were meta-analysed.RESULTS: Levels of 25 (OH)-D less than 50 nmol/L were associated with increased rates of infection (risk ratio (RR) 1.49, 95% (confidence interval (CI) 1.12 to 1.99), P = 0.007), sepsis (RR 1.46, 95% (CI 1.27 to 1.68), P <0.001), 30-day mortality (RR 1.42, 95% (CI 1.00 to 2.02), P = 0.05), and in-hospital mortality (RR 1.79, 95% (CI 1.49 to 2.16), P <0.001). In a subgroup analysis of adjusted data including vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for 30-day mortality the pooled RR was 1.76 (95% CI 1.37 to 2.26, P <0.001).CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that vitamin D deficiency increases susceptibility for severe infections and mortality of the critically ill

Використання в курсі «соціологія» творчих завдань для формування критичного мислення студентів

Figure S1. Funnel plot used to assess the presence of publication bias in the performed analysis. (PDF 53 kb

High Early Fluid Input After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Combined Report of Association With Delayed Cerebral Ischemia and Feasibility of Cardiac Output–Guided Fluid Restriction

Background: Guidelines on the management of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) recommend euvolemia, whereas hypervolemia may cause harm. We investigated whether high early fluid input is associated with delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), and if fluid input can be safely decreased using transpulmonary thermodilution (TPT). Methods: We retrospectively included aSAH patients treated at an academic intensive care unit (2007-2011; cohort 1) or managed with TPT (2011-2013; cohort 2). Local guidelines recommended fluid input of 3 L daily. More fluids were administered when daily fluid balance fell below +500 mL. In cohort 2, fluid input in high-risk patients was guided by cardiac output measured by TPT per a strict protocol. Associations of fluid input and balance with DCI were analyzed with multivariable logistic regression (cohort 1), and changes in hemodynamic indices after institution of TPT assessed with linear mixed models (cohort 2). Results: Cumulative fluid input 0 to 72 hours after admission was associated with DCI in cohort 1 (n=223; odds ratio [OR] 1.19/L; 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.32), whereas cumulative fluid balance was not. In cohort 2 (23 patients), using TPT fluid input could be decreased from 6.0 ± 1.0 L before to 3.4 ± 0.3 L; P =.012), while preload parameters and consciousness remained stable. Conclusion: High early fluid input was associated with DCI. Invasive hemodynamic monitoring was feasible to reduce fluid input while maintaining preload. These results indicate that fluid loading beyond a normal preload occurs, may increase DCI risk, and can be minimized with TPT

Nutritional and phenotypical characterization of two South African maize (Zea mays L) varieties sampled in the Qwa-Qwa region

Zea mays L represents one of the main source of energy in the diet in many African countries, especially in the sub-Saharan regions. White maize varieties, characterized by the lack of carotenoids, are usually widely preferred in Africa for human consumption, and this contributes to the occurrence of Vitamin A deficiency; yellow varieties, often derived from commercial hybrids, are usually destined for animal feeding. In this study we characterized from the phenotypical and nutritional points of view one white and one yellow South African landrace maize cultivar obtained directly from the farmers in the rural region of Qwa-Qwa (Free State Province). Calorific value, oil, protein, starch, minerals, flavonoids and carotenoids content were determined, together with free and phytic phosphorus (P). Both of the varieties showed lower protein and Fe content in comparison to the ones used as control, and the yellow one also had a low content of Zn. The white variety was characterized by a higher free P content but also by a very low level of carotenoids. Our data show that there are no nutritional reasons to prefer the white variety for human consumption, with the exception of the large size of the seeds, which make them particularly adapted for milling; hence the nutritional value of these varieties, and in particular of the white one, should be improved (protein, Fe and carotenoids), contributing in this way to tackle the problem of malnutrition in South African rural areas

Technical Design Report EuroGammaS proposal for the ELI-NP Gamma beam System

The machine described in this document is an advanced Source of up to 20 MeV Gamma Rays based on Compton back-scattering, i.e. collision of an intense high power laser beam and a high brightness electron beam with maximum kinetic energy of about 720 MeV. Fully equipped with collimation and characterization systems, in order to generate, form and fully measure the physical characteristics of the produced Gamma Ray beam. The quality, i.e. phase space density, of the two colliding beams will be such that the emitted Gamma ray beam is characterized by energy tunability, spectral density, bandwidth, polarization, divergence and brilliance compatible with the requested performances of the ELI-NP user facility, to be built in Romania as the Nuclear Physics oriented Pillar of the European Extreme Light Infrastructure. This document illustrates the Technical Design finally produced by the EuroGammaS Collaboration, after a thorough investigation of the machine expected performances within the constraints imposed by the ELI-NP tender for the Gamma Beam System (ELI-NP-GBS), in terms of available budget, deadlines for machine completion and performance achievement, compatibility with lay-out and characteristics of the planned civil engineering