Establishment of the nasal microbiota in the first 18 months of life: Correlation with early-onset rhinitis and wheezing.

BACKGROUND: Dynamic establishment of the nasal microbiota in early life influences local mucosal immune responses and susceptibility to childhood respiratory disorders. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this case-control study was to monitor, evaluate, and compare development of the nasal microbiota of infants with rhinitis and wheeze in the first 18 months of life with those of healthy control subjects. METHODS: Anterior nasal swabs of 122 subjects belonging to the Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) birth cohort were collected longitudinally over 7 time points in the first 18 months of life. Nasal microbiota signatures were analyzed by using 16S rRNA multiplexed pair-end sequencing from 3 clinical groups: (1) patients with rhinitis alone (n = 28), (2) patients with rhinitis with concomitant wheeze (n = 34), and (3) healthy control subjects (n = 60). RESULTS: Maturation of the nasal microbiome followed distinctive patterns in infants from both rhinitis groups compared with control subjects. Bacterial diversity increased over the period of 18 months of life in control infants, whereas infants with rhinitis showed a decreasing trend (P < .05). An increase in abundance of the Oxalobacteraceae family (Proteobacteria phylum) and Aerococcaceae family (Firmicutes phylum) was associated with rhinitis and concomitant wheeze (adjusted P < .01), whereas the Corynebacteriaceae family (Actinobacteria phylum) and early colonization with the Staphylococcaceae family (Firmicutes phylum; 3 weeks until 9 months) were associated with control subjects (adjusted P < .05). The only difference between the rhinitis and control groups was a reduced abundance of the Corynebacteriaceae family (adjusted P < .05). Determinants of nasal microbiota succession included sex, mode of delivery, presence of siblings, and infant care attendance. CONCLUSION: Our results support the hypothesis that the nasal microbiome is involved in development of early-onset rhinitis and wheeze in infants

Impact of an Interactive Health Corner Using the Culinary Education Approach in Promoting Long-Term Dietary Changes among Patients Who Seek Public Primary Care Services

An unhealthy diet is a major risk factor for chronic diseases. Although nutrition education and cooking demonstrations have resulted in favourable dietary changes, it is unclear whether this is sustainable for longer periods. This study aims to evaluate the long-term impact of a nutrition-led cooking intervention using the culinary education approach on dietary patterns based on My Healthy Plate (MHP). This was a quasi-experimental study involving patients who sought public primary care services in two polyclinics (mean age 59.3 years old). A self-administered survey was done at baseline, 6 months, and 1 year for both the intervention and the comparison groups. Participants in the intervention group were exposed to the health corner, which provided nutrition education and cooking demonstrations using the culinary education approach. A total of 216 participants completed the study at 1 year with a follow-up rate of 86%. Adjusted risk ratios (aRR) were obtained from negative binomial regression. Compared with the comparison group, participants in the intervention group were more likely to report adhering to the requirements of MHP at 6 months (aRR 1.83, 95% CI 1.12&ndash;2.99) and 1 year (aRR 1.54, 95% CI 1.10&ndash;2.16). Participants in the intervention group were less likely to add salt or sauces to food at 6 months (aRR 0.29, 95% CI 0.12&ndash;0.75) and 1 year (aRR 0.21, 95% CI 0.07&ndash;0.61) and more likely to remove fat when eating meat at 1 year (aRR 0.30, 95% CI 0.13&ndash;0.67) than the comparison group. The interventions at the health corner had a positive impact in helping patients achieve MHP recommendations, not adding salt and sauces to their food, and removing animal fat before eating. There is potential for expanding this initiative to improve healthy eating practices in other polyclinics

Correlates, Facilitators and Barriers of Healthy Eating Among Primary Care Patients with Prediabetes in Singapore—A Mixed Methods Approach

Healthy diet remains the primary means to prevent chronic diseases among those with prediabetes. We conducted a mixed methods study, consisting of a cross-sectional survey and in-depth interviews to assess factors associated with fulfilling the healthy plate recommendation, and to explore reasons for the behaviour among primary care patients with prediabetes in Singapore. The prevalence of meeting the recommendation was 57.3%. This was positively associated with being married and negatively associated with being Malay, frequency of eating out weekly and frequency of deep-fried food consumption weekly. The recurrent themes for not meeting the recommendation included family influence, perception of healthy food being not tasty, lack of skills to prepare or choose healthy food, difficulty in finding healthier options when eating out, and healthy food being costly. The recurrent themes for meeting the recommendation included family influence, self-discipline, fear of disease complications, education by healthcare professionals, mass media influence and health promotion campaigns. Much more remains to be done to promote healthy eating among these patients. There were different levels of facilitators and barriers to healthy eating. Apart from the individual and interpersonal levels, practitioners and policy makers need to work together to address the organisational, community and policy barriers to healthy eating

Maternal PUFA status and offspring allergic diseases up to the age of 18 months

10.1017/S000711451500001XBritish Journal of Nutrition1136975-983GUSTO (Growing up towards Healthy Outcomes