214 research outputs found
Vitamin A and iron supplementation of Indonesian pregnant women benefits vitamin A status of their infants
Multiple common garden experiments suggest lack of local adaptation in an invasive ornamental plant
Aims: Adaptive evolution along geographic gradients of climatic conditions is suggested to facilitate the spread of invasive plant species, leading to clinal variation among populations in the introduced range. We investigated whether adaptation to climate is also involved in the invasive spread of an ornamental shrub, Buddleja davidii, across western and central Europe. Material and Methods: We combined a common garden experiment, replicated in three climatically different central European regions, with reciprocal transplantation to quantify genetic differentiation in growth and reproductive traits of 20 invasive B. davidii populations. Additionally, we compared compensatory regrowth among populations after clipping of stems to simulate mechanical damage. Important findings: Our results do not provide evidence for clinal variation among invasive B. davidii populations: populations responded similarly to the different environments, and trait values were not correlated to climatic conditions or geographic coordinates of their home sites. Moreover, we did not detect differences in the compensatory ability of populations. We suppose that the invasive spread of B. davidii has been facilitated by phenotypic plasticity rather than by adaptation to climate, and that continent-wide shuffling of cultivars due to horticultural trade may have limited local adaptation so far
Sains Permakanan: Makanan Berfungsi
Kebanyakan pakar farmakologi
mengakui bahawa permakanan
penting unluk kesihatan dan
kesejahteraan. Pada tahun 500 sebelum
masihi, hubungan antara farmakologi dengan
pemakanan adalah rapat sebagaimana yang
dinyatakan oleh Hippocrates, 'Biarkan
makanan menjadi ubat anda dan biarkan
ubat meniadi makanan anda. Hanya
rawatan semulajadi yang memenuhi
kritera tersebut.'
Orang Yunan kuno membahagikan
perubatan kepada tiga kategori, atau diet,
farmasi dan perubatan surgeri. Hal ini
menunjukkan bahawa adalah makanan
sebahagian daripada perubatan yang
diamalkan. Dalam sistem perubatan
tradisional seperti Ayurveda dan perubatan
tradisional Cina, juga tidak ada perbezaan
antara makanan dengan ubalan ialtu
rnakanan adalah bahagan yang penting
untuk mencegah penyakit dan menjaga
kesihatan
Determinants of frequent and infrequent STI testing and STI diagnosis related to test frequency among men who have sex with men in the eastern part of the Netherlands: a 6-year retrospective study.
Men who have sex with men (MSM) remain vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and are advised to be tested at least twice a year. The aim of this study was to assess the determinants of test frequency and their associations with an STI diagnosis
Body fat measurement among Singaporean Chinese, Malays and Indians: a comparative study using a four-compartment model and different two-compartment models
This cross-sectional study compared body fat percentage (BF€obtained from a four-compartment (4C) model with BF␏rom hydrometry (using 2H2O), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and densitometry among the three main ethnic groups (Chinese, Malays and Indians) in Singapore, and determined the suitability of two-compartment (2C) models as surrogate methods for assessing BFmong different ethnic groups. A total of 291 subjects (108 Chinese, seventy-six Malays, 107 Indians) were selected to ensure an adequate representation of age range (18-75 years) and BMI range (16-40 kg/m2) of the general adult population, with almost equal numbers from each gender group. Body weight was measured, together with body height, total body water by 2H2O dilution, densitometry with Bodpod? and bone mineral content with Hologic? QDR-4500. BF␖easurements with a 4C model for the subgroups were: Chinese females 33?5 (SD 7?5), CHINESE MALES 24?4 (sd 6?1), Malay females 37?8 (sd 6?3), Malay males 26?0 (sd 7?6), Indian females 38?2 (sd 7?0), Indian males 28?1 (sd 5?5). Differences between BF␖easured by the 4C and 2C models (hydrometry, DXA and densitometry) were found, with underestimation of BF␒n all the ethnic-gender groups by DXA of 2?1-4?2 BFnd by densitometry of 0?5-3?2 BFŽ On a group level, the differences in BF␋etween the 4C model and 2H2O were the lowest (0?0-1?4 BF␒n the different groups), while differences between the 4C model and DXA were the highest. Differences between the 4C model and 2H2O and between the 4C model and DXA were positively correlated with the 4C model, water fraction (fwater) of fat-free mass (FFM) and the mineral fraction (fmineral) of FFM, and negatively correlated with density of the FFM (DFFM), while the difference between 4C model and densitometry correlated with these variables negatively and positively respectively (i.e. the correlations were opposite). The largest contributors to the observed differences were fwater and DFFM. When validated against the reference 4C model, 2C models were found to be unsuitable for accurate measurements of BFt the individual level, owing to the high errors and violation of assumptions of constant hydration of FFM and DFFM among the ethnic groups. On a group level, the best 2C model for measuring BFmong Singaporeans was found to be 2H2O
Four-year clinical outcome following randomised use of zotarolimus-eluting stents versus everolimus-eluting stents in all-comers: Insights from the DUTCH PEERS trial
Background: The DUTCH PEERS (TWENTE II) trial (clinicaltrials.gov NCT01331707) is a randomised, multicenter, single-blinded, investigator initiated all-comers trial. All coronary syndromes were permitted with no limit for lesion length, reference size, or number of lesions or diseased vessels to be treated. In total, 1811 patients were 1:1 randomised to cobalt chromium-based zotarolimuseluting stents (ZES) versus platinum chromium-based everolimus-eluting stents (EES). These durable polymer-based drug-eluting stents (DES) were developed to facilitate device deliverability and to improve stent apposition to the vessel wall. Purpose: We assessed the 4-year clinical outcome of the DUTCH PEERS trial in terms of safety and efficacy. Methods: Clinical outcome was assessed by means of follow-up data of the trial participants. The primary endpoint target vessel failure (TVF) is a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction (MI) or target vessel revascularization. Secondary endpoints included the individual components of the TVF and the incidence of definite-or-probable stent thrombosis. Endpoints were analyzed by the logrank test by comparing the time to the endpoint, using the Kaplan-Meier method. Independent contract research organizations performed the study monitoring and clinical event adjudication. Results: The 4-year clinical follow-up data were available in 1802 patients (99.5%; 4 patients were lost to follow-up and 5 withdrew consent). The ZES and EES groups showed favourable outcomes with a similar incidence of TVF (12.1% vs. 12.1%; Logrank p=0.95). The rates of the individual components of TVF were also similar for both stent arms: cardiac death (3.9% vs. 3.7%; Logrank p=0.78); target vessel-related MI (3.2% vs. 2.5%; Logrank p=0.38); and target vessel revascularization (6.8% vs. 7.5%; Logrank p=0.55), respectively. In addition, the incidence of definite-or-probable stent thrombosis was similar for patients treated with ZES versus EES (1.5% vs. 1.2%; Logrank p=0.67). Conclusion: At 4-year follow-up, ZES and EES showed similar and sustained results in terms of safety and efficacy for treating all-comer patients
Effect of dietary fat supplementation during late pregnancy and first six months of lactation on maternal and infant vitamin A status in rural Bangladesh
Dietary fat intake is extremely low in most communities with vitamin A
deficiency. However, its role in vitamin A status of pregnant and
lactating women is poorly understood. The aim of the study was to
examine the effect of supplementing women with fat from mid-/late
pregnancy until six months postpartum on their vitamin A status and
that of their infants. Women recruited at 5-7 months of gestation were
supple-mented daily with 20 mL of soybean-oil (n=248) until six months
postpartum or received no supplement (n=251). Dietary fat intake was
assessed by 24-hour dietary recall at enrollment and at 1, 3 and 6
months postpartum. Concentrations of maternal plasma retinol,
\u3b2-carotene, and lutein were measured at enroll-ment and at 1, 3
and 6 months postpartum, and those of infants at six months postpartum.
Concentration of breastmilk retinol was measured at 1, 3 and 6 months
postpartum. The change in concentration of plasma retinol at three
months postpartum compared to pregnancy was significantly higher in the
supple-mented compared to the control women (+0.04 vs -0.07 \u3bcmol/L
respectively; p<0.05). Concentrations of plasma \u3b2-carotene and
lutein declined in both the groups during the postpartum period but the
decline was significantly less in the supplemented than in the control
women at one month \u3b2-carotene -0.07 vs -0.13 \u3bcmol/L,
p<0.05); lutein -0.26 vs -0.49 \u3bcmol/L, p<0.05) and three
months \u3b2-carotene -0.04 vs -0.08 \u3bcmol/L, p<0.05; lutein
-0.31 vs -0.47 \u3bcmol/L, p<0.05). Concentration of breastmilk
retinol was also signifi-cantly greater in the supplemented group at
three months postpartum than in the controls (0.68\ub10.35 vs
0.55\ub10.34 \u3bcmol/L respectively, p<0.03). Concentrations of
infants\u2032 plasma retinol, \u3b2-carotene, and lutein, measured at
six months of age, did not differ between the groups. Fat
supplementation during pregnancy and lactation in women with a very low
intake of dietary fat has beneficial effects on maternal postpartum
vitamin A status
Interrelationship between vitamin A, iodine and iron status in schoolchildren in Shoa Region, Central Ethiopia
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