Dietary habits of a Mediterranean population of women in an agricultural region of Morocco

Knowing food habits of populations is of importance to better define appropriate public health interventions. The objective of this study was to assess and describe the dietary intake and major food sources of energy and nutrients in a women sample selected from an agricultural region of Morocco. A total of 191 adult women 18–55 years old resident in urban areas in El Jadida, a costal province of Moroccowas selected. Dietary habits were assessed using a combination of a 24-h dietary recall during 3 non consecutive days and a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Food habits are characterized by large consumption of cereals, meat and poultry, fish and sea foods, eggs, fruits and vegetables, but low intake of olive oil. The total energy intake was high and not balanced by physical activity levels. The contribution of lipids to the energy was low but high in saturated fat (39 %) reflected in the higher PUFA/SFA ratio (0.76 ± 0.62). The total carbohydrate consumption was high (61 % of daily energy) and that of fiber was low 18.07 ± 11.44 g. Furthermore a significantly high intake of saturated and monounsaturated fat is observed in the youngest women and women with a higher education level. Except for the intakes of phosphorus and sodium, all minerals and vitamins assessed are below or close to the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) while all vitamins are consumed at rates below two-third of RDA by a large proportion of women. The nutrient intake of the studied population is not in line with that recommended for women despite a large consumption of the majority of food groups. Data indicate that dietary guidelines should not consider only quantitative intake but must address adequate numbers of servings and favorable food choices that may explain, in part, the nutritional and metabolic disorders reported in this population.Keywords: women, Diet - intake - habits, Mediterranean, Morocc

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

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Lipid profile and prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in a Mediterranean population of women in nutrition transition

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Nutritional characteristics in a Mediterranean community among procreating Moroccan women

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InAs three quantum dots as working substance for quantum heat engine

Heat engines are considered a valuable resource for modern society. The development of these systems leads to the production of heat engines with high efficiency despite their small size, called quantum heat engines. Among these, the quantum Otto cycle which is considered a fundamental thermodynamic cycle in classical heat engines, has also found applications in the realm of quantum heat engines. In this paper, we consider three InAs quantum dots as a working substance, which allows the engine to operate at very small scales, in the presence of an electric field, and the Forster mechanism, which describes the transfer of energy between quantum dots and affects thus the engine's behavior. In this regard, we study the behavior of the work performed by the engine and the entanglement in the system as the Forster parameter is varied. We find that the work performed by the engine is affected by the Forster interaction and the electric field and that the entanglement in the system also changed as the Forster parameter was changed. Finally, we study the influence of entanglement on the work performed by the engine. We find and discuss the intricate relation between the entanglement and the performance of the engine.Comment: No comment

A special case of the Garnier system, the quartic potential Vααααββββ and its integrability

In this paper we discuss some algebraic and the structure of the phase space of an integrable quartic potential. It is a special case of the so-called Garnier system: H = 1/2 ( P21 + P22) + (q22 + q12 )² + aq12 + bq22 In order to carry out the analytical invertigation we get first the separability of the variables (separation of the Hamilton -Jacobi equation); afterwards we give a complete description of the real phase space topology.In this paper we discuss some algebraic and the structure of the phase space of an integrable quartic potential. It is a special case of the so-called Garnier system: H = 1/2 ( P21 + P22) + (q22 + q12 )² + aq12 + bq22 In order to carry out the analytical invertigation we get first the separability of the variables (separation of the Hamilton -Jacobi equation); afterwards we give a complete description of the real phase space topology

Study of the association of the nutritional profile of pregnant women with the birth weight of newborns in Morocco

Background. Low birth weight (LBW) is an important predictor of neonatal morbidity and mortality. It reflects the nutritional status of the mother and the quality of health care services during pregnancy. Objective. The objective of this study is to determine the factors associated with low birth weight of children born to Moroccan pregnant women in the province of El Jadida. Material and Methods. This cross-sectional case-control study was carried out in the maternity ward of El Jadida provincial hospital on 344 parturient women, half of whom had given birth to children with an LBW and the other half of children with normal weight (NW) at birth. Information on maternal gestational and socioeconomic characteristics as well as eating habits was collected using a questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were taken on the newborns. Results. The study identified 172 parturient who gave birth to newborns with LBW and 172 parturient who gave birth to newborns of NW. The proportions of LBW are greater in first-time mothers (50.6%) and professionally inactive (86.6%). The mean weight of LBW newborns is 2013.95 ± 372.95g compared to 3380 ± 217.59g for NW newborns. The determined factors associated with LBW are the low socio-economic level (OR = 3.18; 95% CI: 1.09-9.23), insufficient monitoring of prenatal consultation (OR = 2.91; 95% CI: 1, 71-4.95), origin from rural areas (OR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.30-0.91) and lack of nutritional education (OR = 0.17; 95% CI: 0, 09-0.34). The daily calcium intake in mothers of newborns with LBW is 33.82% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA), the daily iron requirement coverage was 50%, folates 66, 16% and zinc 87.72% of the RDA. Conclusions. Well-targeted and coordinated education and awareness-raising actions on early pregnancy and feeding pregnant women could have a positive impact on improving the birth rate of children with a weight deficit

Effects of music therapy on occupational stress and burn-out risk of operating room staff

The operating theatre staff is exposed to various constraints such as excessive working hours, severe medical conditions and dreadful consequences in case of malpractice. These working conditions may lead to high and chronic levels of stress, which can interfere with medical staff well-being and patients quality of care. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of music therapy on stress levels and burn-out risk on the operating room staff. This is a pre-experimental study including the operating rooms staff of urology and maxillofacial surgery in the academic hospital of Sahloul Sousse (Tunisia) over a period of six weeks. The study consisted of three phases. The first was an initial assessment of stress level with a predefined survey. The second included three music therapy sessions per day over one month. The third was an immediate stress level reassessment following the intervention. Stress levels were evaluated using the Perceived Stress Scale version PSS-10 and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The overall response rate was 73.9%.The average age of the study population was 37.8 ± 7.7 years with a female predominance (64.7%). After the music therapy program, Perceived Stress Scale average score decreased from 22 ± 8.9 to 16 ± 7.9 (p = 0.006). Concerning the burnout, only the average score of emotional exhaustion decreased signifi- cantly from 27 ± 10.8 to 19.2 ± 9.5 (p = 0.004). Music therapy is an innovative approach that seems to reduce operating theatre staff stress. It must be considered as a non pharmacological, simple, economic and non invasive preventive tool

Human dental stem cell derived transgene-free iPSCs generate functional neurons via embryoid body-mediated and direct induction methods.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) give rise to neural stem/progenitor cells, serving as a good source for neural regeneration. Here, we established transgene-free (TF) iPSCs from dental stem cells (DSCs) and determined their capacity to differentiate into functional neurons in vitro. Generated TF iPSCs from stem cells of apical papilla and dental pulp stem cells underwent two methods-embryoid body-mediated and direct induction, to guide TF-DSC iPSCs along with H9 or H9 Syn-GFP (human embryonic stem cells) into functional neurons in vitro. Using the embryoid body-mediated method, early stage neural markers PAX6, SOX1, and nestin were detected by immunocytofluorescence or reverse transcription-real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). At late stage of neural induction measured at Weeks 7 and 9, the expression levels of neuron-specific markers Nav1.6, Kv1.4, Kv4.2, synapsin, SNAP25, PSD95, GAD67, GAP43, and NSE varied between stem cells of apical papilla iPSCs and H9. For direct induction method, iPSCs were directly induced into neural stem/progenitor cells and guided to become neuron-like cells. The direct method, while simpler, showed cell detachment and death during the differentiation process. At early stage, PAX6, SOX1 and nestin were detected. At late stage of differentiation, all five genes tested, nestin, βIII-tubulin, neurofilament medium chain, GFAP, and Nav, were positive in many cells in cultures. Both differentiation methods led to neuron-like cells in cultures exhibiting sodium and potassium currents, action potential, or spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic potential. Thus, TF-DSC iPSCs are capable of undergoing guided neurogenic differentiation into functional neurons in vitro, thereby may serve as a cell source for neural regeneration. J Tissue Eng Regen Med 2018 Apr; 12(4):e1836-e1851