Impact of diet on vitamin D status in a selected population of pregnant mothers in Sri Lanka

Context: Results of various studies have shown severe vitamin D deficiency in the Indian subcontinent in all age groups and insufficiency in populations of South-East and East Asia.  There are no data available in Sri Lanka on vitamin D status in pregnant mothers. Vitamin D supplements are not provided routinely in state sector clinics. Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in the USA recommends safe upper limit of dietary vitamin D as 4000 IU.Aims: Thus, our aim of this study was to assess vitamin D status and adequacy of vitamin D intake through diet among pregnant mothers.Settings and Design: This is a secondary analysis of data of a prospective cohort study.Methods and Material: 89 pregnant mothers in their 3rd trimester were recruited. Food frequency questionnaire based on 7-day estimated food record method was used. Analysis of blood sample was done for vitamin D, parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium, inorganic phosphorous and alkaline phophatase levels.Statistical analysis used: Spearman’s correlation and independent sample t-test were performed.Results: We found that 12.4%, 50.6% and 37.1% were vitamin D deficient, insufficient and sufficient respectively. 25(OH)D and PTH showed a significant negative correlation (r=0.296; P240 IU/L). Average daily intake of vitamin D through diet was 1289.4 ± 1225.6 IU/day (range 56 IU- 5400 IU). Significant Main source of vitamin D was fortified milk powder and small fish.Conclusions: High rate of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency was observed and this novel finding in our cohort suggests investigating vitamin D status in pregnant mothers at a national level. Vitamin D intake through diet was not adequate in our study sample. Further, rigorous trails are needed to evaluate the requirement for supplementation to optimise the bone metabolism during pregnancy in Sri Lanka. 

Proton form factor ratio, μ_pG_E^P/G_M^P from double spin asymmetry

The form factors are fundamental properties of the nucleon representing the effect of its structure on its response to electromagnetic probes such as electrons. They are functions of the four-momentum transfer squared Q{sup 2} between the electron and the proton. This thesis reports the results of a new measurement of the ratio of the electric and magnetic form factors of the proton up to Q{sup 2} = 5.66 (GeV/c){sup 2} using the double spin asymmetry with a polarized beam and target. Experiment E07-003 (SANE, Spin Asymmetries of the Nucleon Experiment) was carried out in Hall C at Jefferson Lab in 2009 to study the proton spin structure functions with a dynamically polarized ammonia target and longitudinally polarized electron beam. By detecting elastically scattered protons in the High-Momentum Spectrometer (HMS) in coincidence with the electrons in the Big Electron Telescope Array (BETA), elastic measurements were carried out in parallel. The elastic double spin asymmetry allows one to extract the proton electric to magnetic form factor ratio G{sup p}{sub E}/G{sup p}{sub M} at high-momentum transfer, Q{sup 2} = 5.66 (GeV/c){sup 2}. In addition to the coincidence data, inclusively scattered electrons from the polarized ammonia target were detected by HMS, which allows to measure the beam-target asymmetry in the elastic region with the target spin nearly perpendicular to the momentum transfer, and to extract G{sup p}{sub E}/G{sup p}{sub M} at low Q{sup 2} = 2.06 (GeV/c){sup 2}. This alternative measurement of G{sup p}{sub E}/G{sup p}{sub M} has verified and confirmed the dramatic discrepancy at high Q{sup 2} between the Rosenbluth and the recoil-polarization-transfer iv method with a different measurement technique and systematic uncertainties uncorrelated to those of the recoil-polarization measurements. The measurement of the form factor ratio at Q{sup 2} = 2.06 (GeV/c){sup 2} has been determined as {mu}{sub p}G{sup p}{sub E}/G{sup p}{sub M} = 0.605{+-}0.178{sub stat}{+-}0.033{sub sys} which is in agreement with an earlier measurement with the polarized target technique at similar kinematics. The measurement of the form factor ratio at Q{sup 2} = 5.66 (GeV/c){sup 2} has been determined as {mu}{sub p}G{sup p}{sub E}/G{sup p}{sub M} = 0.672 {+-} 0.362{sub stat} which represents the highest Q{sup 2} reach with the double spin asymmetry to date

Impact of diet on vitamin D status in a Sri Lanka-based sample of pregnant women

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency is common during pregnancy in Asian countries. However, there is little knowledge about vitamin D status of pregnant mothers and, therefore, supplements are not routinely provided in public clinics and government hospitals in Sri Lanka. Therefore, aim of this study was to assess vitamin D status and adequacy of vitamin D intake in a sample of pregnant mothers. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of existing data from a prospective cohort study. A convenience sample of 89 healthy and non-vitamin D supplemented Sri Lanka-based pregnant mothers was recruited during the third trimester of their pregnancy. Dietary vitamin D intake was assessed through a food frequency questionnaire, while serum was analysed for vitamin D, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and other markers of bone biochemistry. Results: In our sample, average daily dietary intake of vitamin D was 1,289.4 ± 1,225.6 IU/day (range: 56 - 5400 IU). A significant proportion of mothers (45%) consumed < 600 IU of vitamin D per day. More than half of our sample (56.9%) received vitamin D though fortified milk powder and 36% from fish consumption. Most of mothers (69%) consumed small fish and none of them received vitamin D supplementation. There was a significant positive correlation between dietary vitamin D and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) (r = 0.355, P < 0.01). 12.4%, 50.6% and 37% of the mothers were vitamin D deficient, insufficient and sufficient, respectively. We showed a significant difference in levels of dietary vitamin D intake between serum 25(OH)D deficient/insufficient (dietary vitamin D: 1,083.6 ± 1,026.4 IU/day) and 25(OH)D sufficient (dietary vitamin D: 1,638.5 ± 1,456.1 IU/day) groups. Discussion and Conclusion: Dietary intake of vitamin D was inadequate in Sri Lankan non-vitamin D supplemented mothers. Further evaluation of vitamin D status and requirement for supplementation in a nationally representative sample is essential

Quality of sleep and perceived stress among nurses during COVID 19 critical illness

INTRODUCTION: Adequate sleep protects the mental and physical health of individuals while boosting brain and body functions. Significant lifestyle changes due to COVID 19 can affect the sleep quality and level of stress among nurses. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between sleep quality and perceived stress among nurses during this COVID 19 outbreak. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 292 registered nurses in Sri Lanka through an anonymous online survey. Data were collected using self-administered, structured questionnaire that included Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). SPSS 25 software (version 25) was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The majority (79.8%) were between 26-35 years and females (93.5%). Among all participants, the average hours of sleep per night was 5.50 (±1.07). The results of the PSQI scale revealed that 78.4 % of nurses had poor sleep quality (PSQI &gt; 5points), while 67.1% of nurses had moderate level of perceived stress according to the PSS scale. Pearson’s coefficient correlation demonstrated that, as nurses’ sleep quality decreased, stress level of the nurses increased moderately (r=0.53). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of nurses had poor sleep quality and moderate stress. Furthermore, it showed that there is a moderate positive correlation (r=0.53) between the PSQI global score and the perceived stress scale score

LERF - New Life for the Jefferson Lab FEL

International audienceIn 2012 Jefferson Laboratory's energy recovery linac (ERL) driven Free Electron Laser successful completed a transmission test in which high current CW beam (4.3 mA at 100 MeV) was transported through a 2 mm aperture for 7 hours with beam losses as low as 3 ppm. The purpose of the run was to mimic an internal gas target for DarkLight* - an experiment designed to search for a dark matter particle. The ERL was not run again until late 2015 for a brief re-commissioning in preparation for the next phase of DarkLight. In the intervening years, the FEL was rebranded as the Low Energy Recirculator Facility (LERF), while organizationally the FEL division was absorbed into the Accelerator division. In 2016 several weeks of operation were allocated to configure the machine for Darklight with the purpose of exercising - for the first time - an internal gas target in an ERL. Despite a number of challenges, including the inability to energy recover, beam was delivered to a target of thickness 10¹⁸ cm⁻² which represents a 3 order of magnitude increase in thickness from previous internal target experiments. Details of the machine configuration and operational experience will be discussed