Iodine and pregnancy – a qualitative study focusing on dietary guidance and information

Iodine is essential for thyroid hormones synthesis and normal neurodevelopment; however, ~60% of pregnant women do not meet the WHO (World Health Organization) recommended intake. Using a qualitative design, we explored the perceptions, awareness, and experiences of pregnancy nutrition, focusing on iodine. Women in the perinatal period (n = 48) were interviewed and filled in a food frequency questionnaire for iodine. Almost all participants achieved the recommended 150 μg/day intake for non-pregnant adults (99%), but only 81% met the increased demands of pregnancy (250 μg/day). Most were unaware of the importance, sources of iodine, and recommendations for iodine intake. Attitudes toward dairy products consumption were positive (e.g., helps with heartburn; easy to increase). Increased fish consumption was considered less achievable, with barriers around taste, smell, heartburn, and morning sickness. Community midwives were the main recognised provider of dietary advice. The dietary advice received focused most often on multivitamin supplements rather than food sources. Analysis highlighted a clear theme of commitment to change behaviour, motivated by pregnancy, with a desired focus on user-friendly documentation and continued involvement of the health services. The study highlights the importance of redirecting advice on dietary requirements in pregnancy and offers practical suggestions from women in the perinatal period as the main stakeholder group

Emergence of seaweed and seaweed-containing foods in the UK: focus on labeling, iodine content, toxicity and nutrition

Seaweed (edible algae) is not a staple food in the Western diet, despite occasional use as a traditional ingredient in coastal areas. High nutritional value, combined with the expansion of the health-food industry, has led to a resurgence of seaweed in the British diet. While seaweed could be useful in tackling dietary iodine insufficiency, consumption of some species and sources of seaweed has also been associated with risks, such as toxicity from high iodine levels, or accumulation of arsenic, heavy metals and contaminants. The current retail level of seaweed and edible algae in the UK market, either as whole foods or ingredients, was evaluated with particular focus on labelling and iodine content. Seaweed-containing products (n = 224) were identified. Only 22 products (10%) stated information regarding iodine content and another 40 (18%) provided information sufficient to estimate the iodine content. For these products, the median iodine content was 110 μg/g (IQR 21–503) and 585 μg per estimated serving (IQR 105–2520). While calculations for iodine exposure per serving relied on assumptions, 26 products could potentially lead to an iodine intake above the (European) tolerable adult upper level of 600 μg/day. In the context of the data presented, there is scope to improve product labelling (species, source, processing, content)

The Journal of Apicultural Research welcomes the publication of research findings from around the globe

The Journal of Apicultural Research (JAR) is a peer-reviewed, scientific journal dedicated to examining and publishing the latest research on bees from around the world. JAR publishes many different types of articles to reach different international audiences, from career scientists to students and well-informed beekeepers. These comprise original, theoretical, and experimental research papers, as well as authoritative notes, comments, and reviews on scientific aspects of all types of bees (superfamily Apoidea). As of 2021, JAR has an Impact Factor of 2.407 and is ranked 33rd out of 100 in the Entomology category (© InCites Journal Citation Reports®, Clarivate Analytics, 2022). Five regular issues are published per year and special issues are added when timely topics arise, the latest being a special issue on stingless bees (2022) and review papers (2023). In the last decade, COLOSS BEEBOOK chapters are published in JAR. These open-access chapters are a collection of the Standard Methods used in honey bee research, including the study of parasites, pests, and hive products. They are a primary reference resource for bee researchers across the globe and facilitate new projects that might not otherwise be undertaken by laboratories that are new to apidology (236,516 downloads - Taylor & Francis 3,028 citations - Web of Science, 2022). The Journal of Apicultural Research was founded by the International Bee Research Association (IBRA) in 1962. The very first issue included a Note from the first Editors, Dr. Eva Crane & Dr. James Simpson, who introduced JAR as a new opportunity for publication: “The journal will cover all aspects of bees, Apis and non-Apis, and substances used or produced by them, their pollinating activities, and organisms causing diseases or injuries to them.” Since the first issue, this legacy has been maintained in more than 2,800 scientific articles, co-authored by some 1,900 researchers, published so far in JAR, making our journal a key forum for the international exchange of scientific data in apidology. We encourage colleagues from around the globe to continue to participate in sharing their research with the scientific community by publishing in JAR.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Molecular detection and phylogenetic assessment of six honeybee viruses in Apis mellifera L. colonies in Bulgaria

Honey bee colonies suffer from various pathogens, including honey bee viruses. About 24 viruses have been reported so far. However, six of them are considered to cause severe infection which inflicts heavy losses on beekeeping. The aim of this study was to investigate incidence of six honey bee viruses: deformed wing virus (DWV), acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV), sacbrood virus (SBV), kashmir bee virus (KBV), and black queen cell virus (BQCV) by a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A total of 250 adult honey bee samples were obtained from 50 colonies from eight apiaries situated in three different parts of the country (South, North and West Bulgaria). The results showed the highest prevalence of DWV followed by SBV and ABPV, and one case of BQCV. A comparison with homology sequences available in GenBank was performed by phylogenetic analysis, and phylogenetic relationships were discussed in the context of newly described genotypes in the uninvestigated South Eastern region of Europe. In conclusion, the present study has been the first to provide sequencing data and phylogenetics analyses of some honey bee viruses in Bulgaria

Population Structure and Diversity in European Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.)-An Empirical Comparison of Pool and Individual Whole-Genome Sequencing

Background: Whole-genome sequencing has become routine for population genetic studies. Sequencing of individuals provides maximal data but is rather expensive and fewer samples can be studied. In contrast, sequencing a pool of samples (pool-seq) can provide sufficient data, while presenting less of an economic challenge. Few studies have compared the two approaches to infer population genetic structure and diversity in real datasets. Here, we apply individual sequencing (ind-seq) and pool-seq to the study of Western honey bees (Apis mellifera). Methods: We collected honey bee workers that belonged to 14 populations, including 13 subspecies, totaling 1347 colonies, who were individually (139 individuals) and pool-sequenced (14 pools). We compared allele frequencies, genetic diversity estimates, and population structure as inferred by the two approaches. Results: Pool-seq and ind-seq revealed near identical population structure and genetic diversities, albeit at different costs. While pool-seq provides genome-wide polymorphism data at considerably lower costs, ind-seq can provide additional information, including the identification of population substructures, hybridization, or individual outliers. Conclusions: If costs are not the limiting factor, we recommend using ind-seq, as population genetic structure can be inferred similarly well, with the advantage gained from individual genetic information. Not least, it also significantly reduces the effort required for the collection of numerous samples and their further processing in the laboratory.This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31902219) and Modern Agro-industry Technology Research System (Grant No. CARDS-45-KXJ1). The SmartBees project was funded by the European Commission under its FP7 KBBE programme (2013.1.3-02, SmartBees Grant Agreement number 613960). MP and J.L were supported by the Applied Genomics and Bioinformatics research group (IT1233-19) funded by the Basque Government grant IT1233-19. Additionally, JL was funded by the grant PRE_2017_2_0169 from the Department of Education of the Basque Government

COLOSS survey : global impact of COVID-19 on bee research

The socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on society have yet to be truly revealed; there is no doubt that the pandemic has severely affected the daily lives of most of humanity. It is to be expected that the research activities of scientists could be impacted to varying degrees, but no data exist on how COVID-19 has affected research specifically. Here, we show that the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has already diversely and negatively affected bee research at a global level. An online survey disseminated through the global COLOSS honey bee research association showed that every participant (n¼230 from 56 countries) reported an impact on one or more of their activities. Activities that require travelling or the physical presence of people (meetings and conferences, teaching and extension) were affected the most, but also laboratory and field activities, daily operations, supervision and other activities were affected to varying degrees. Since the basic activities are very similar for many research fields, it appears as if our findings for bee research can be extrapolated to other fields. In the light of our data, we recommend that stakeholders such as governments and funding bodies who support research should facilitate the wide implementation of web-based information technology required for efficient online communication for research and education, as well as adequately loosened restriction measures with respect to field and laboratory work. Finally, increased flexibility in administration and extension of research grants and fellowships seem to be needed. It is apparent that adequate responses by all stakeholders are required to limit the impact of COVID-19 and future pandemics on bee science and other research fields.The Ricola Foundation Nature and Culture and Vetopharma.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tjar20am2020Zoology and Entomolog

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons bioaccessibility in seafood: Culinary practices effects on dietary exposure

This work aimed to determine the effect of culinary practices on the contamination level and bioaccessibility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in seafood. The selected farmed seafood species (marine shrimp, clams and seaweed) were commercially available in Portugal. The mean concentrations of PAHs varied between 0.23 and 51.8 µg kg-1, with the lowest value being observed in raw shrimp and the highest in dried seaweed. The number of compounds detected in seaweed and clams (naphthalene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene and benzo(j)fluoranthene) were higher than in shrimp (fluorene and pyrene). Among the PAHs measured, fluorene was the predominant one. There was a significant interaction effect between species and culinary treatment (p < 0.05), thus boiled and dried seaweed samples presented the lowest and the highest levels of fluorene (0.13 and 1.8 µg kg-1), respectively. The daily intake of PAHs decreased with bioaccessibility, varying from 22% for benzo(k)fluoranthene (in raw clam) to 84% for phenanthrene (in steamed clam). According to the potency equivalent concentrations, screening values and bioaccessibility of PAHs, the consumption of marine shrimp, clam and seaweed is considered as safe for consumers.This work received financial support from European (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and Portuguese funds (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia Project UID/QUI/50006/2013). The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology supported the Ph.D. Grant of ALM (SFRH/BD/103569/2014) as well as the post-doc Grant of P.A. (SFRH/BPD/100728/2014) and the IF2014 contract of AM.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Authoritative subspecies diagnosis tool for European honey bees based on ancestryinformative SNPs

Background With numerous endemic subspecies representing four of its five evolutionary lineages, Europe holds a large fraction of Apis mellifera genetic diversity. This diversity and the natural distribution range have been altered by anthropogenic factors. The conservation of this natural heritage relies on the availability of accurate tools for subspecies diagnosis. Based on pool-sequence data from 2145 worker bees representing 22 populations sampled across Europe, we employed two highly discriminative approaches (PCA and F-ST) to select the most informative SNPs for ancestry inference. Results Using a supervised machine learning (ML) approach and a set of 3896 genotyped individuals, we could show that the 4094 selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) provide an accurate prediction of ancestry inference in European honey bees. The best ML model was Linear Support Vector Classifier (Linear SVC) which correctly assigned most individuals to one of the 14 subspecies or different genetic origins with a mean accuracy of 96.2% +/- 0.8 SD. A total of 3.8% of test individuals were misclassified, most probably due to limited differentiation between the subspecies caused by close geographical proximity, or human interference of genetic integrity of reference subspecies, or a combination thereof. Conclusions The diagnostic tool presented here will contribute to a sustainable conservation and support breeding activities in order to preserve the genetic heritage of European honey bees.The SmartBees project was funded by the European Commission under its FP7 KBBE programme (2013.1.3-02, SmartBees Grant Agreement number 613960) https://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7.MP was supported by a Basque Government grant (IT1233-19). The funders provided the financial support to the research, but had no role in the design of the study, analysis, interpretations of data and in writing the manuscript

Queen rearing and selection practices and their impact on the genetic diversity and fitness of honey bee colonies

The Apimondia working group on honey bee diversity and fitness (AWG 7) was created on October 25, 2010 as a Scientific Working Group of Apimondia. The aim of this AWG is to collect information on honey bee queen rearing practices, and examine their impact on the genetic variability and general health of honey bee colonies. The AWG consists of 23 members from 16 different countries. The world wide survey being conducted by this AWG is focused on gathering information on how selection methods, instrumental insemination, disease management procedures, introduction of exotic bee lines, queen replacement strategies, and loss of local colony populations due to introduced parasites and pathogens, affect the ability of our bees to survive and reproduce. The information collected will contribute on an international level to our understanding of how apiculture practices affect honey bee genetics, health and productivity

Contemporary challenges and opportunities for iodine nutrition

Iodine deficiency has been a public health concern for many decades in countries of the developing world. Recently renewed concern was expressed in industrialised countries over mild insufficiency in high-risk groups of the population (pregnant and lactating women and their infants). The main sources of iodine in the UK diet are dairy, and fish and seafood products, while iodised salt is not widely available and does not contribute to iodine intake, contrary to most countries in Europe and globally. Iodine is essential for thyroid hormone synthesis, which are crucial for the neurodevelopment of the fetus and infant. Goiter is a visible symptom of severe iodine deficiency (ID), and consequences of ID during pregnancy vary from development of hypothyroidism to cretinism. Consequences of mild-to-moderate deficiency are less well described, with a reduction of IQ in children born to mothers with mild iodine deficiency. As such, pregnant women, lactating mothers and their infants are at risk of the irreversible consequences of low iodine intake. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends an iodine intake approximately 80% higher during pregnancy and lactation. The proposed strategy to combat ID worldwide has been universal salt iodisation. The UK has not implemented any prophylactic measures for ID and the female population in the perinatal period of life remain at risk, with up to 60% of women in pregnancy having insufficient iodine intake. The aim of this thesis was to explore the role that dietary guidance can play in tackling iodine insufficiency in women of childbearing age (pregnant and lactating) in the UK. The MABY study (Chapter 2) examined the iodine intake of pregnant women in the UK and its association with mother’s (postpartum) and infant’s iodine status. This longitudinal study of 609 pregnant women in the 28th week of gestation showed that only 34% achieved the recommended daily iodine intake during pregnancy (recommendation 250 μg/day; median 199 μg/day; IQR 121-274). The iodine status of infants was sufficient, as measured in spot urine samples five days postpartum (median 118 μg/l; IQR 71–201). However, 41% of the group remained below the 100 μg/l cut-off point for sufficiency. Breastfed infants had 37% higher UIC compared to formula fed infants (p=0.002), although lactating mothers had 34% lower UIC compared to formula feeders (p=0.002), highlighting a potentially protective effect in newborns. Overall, iodine insufficiency in pregnant and lactating women in the UK remains an existing public health concern, which requires actions to address it. To explore effective ways to eliminate iodine insufficiency using food and educational strategies, Chapter 3 presents a systematic review of the intervention studies that aimed to increase iodine-rich foods consumption (milk, fish, seaweed), with iodine status as an outcome. Only three studies were included in the review, one of which was a published protocol for an intervention. None of the studies reported improved iodine status. However, knowledge, attitude and practice scores (measured with a questionnaire) improved after an educational intervention in Iran. Chapter 3 confirmed a lack of intervention studies using dietary guidance, education, or provision of iodine-rich foods to increase iodine status, showing a gap in the literature. Awareness and knowledge on iodine are low in women and healthcare professionals. Chapter 4 tested perceptions on dietary guidance related to iodine and pregnancy, using a mixed-methods design in 48 women. Participants in the perinatal period of life were unaware of the importance, sources and recommendations for iodine intake. Attitudes to dairy product consumption were positive, but increased fish consumption was considered less achievable. Barriers included taste, smell, heartburn and morning sickness in pregnancy. The main recognised provider of dietary advice were community midwives, although the dietary advice received focused most often on multivitamin supplements rather than food sources. Thematic analysis highlighted a clear theme of commitment to change behaviour, motivated by pregnancy, with a desired focus on user-friendly documentation. Two cross-sectional questionnaire surveys, described in Chapters 5 and 6, investigated the perception, knowledge, awareness and practice towards dairy and seafood products in UK residents. The Theory of Planned Behaviour informed the design of the questionnaires. Less than two dairy servings per day were consumed by 46% of the population (median daily servings 2.2; IQR 1.2-3.5) and less than two fish and seafood servings per week were consumed by 53% (median daily servings 1.9; IQR 0.9-3.7). Knowledge, intentions and attitudes towards behaviour were higher both for “high” consumers (defined as those consuming >2 servings of dairy per day or >2 servings of fish per week). Main factors influencing the choice of these iodine-rich foods were the sensory attributes of the products, both as barriers and as facilitators of consumption, due to the variety and different characteristics of dairy and seafood products. An intervention was designed based on the findings of Chapters 4, 5 and 6, to increase the iodine status of pregnant women and women trying to conceive. The PICk study, a single-blind randomised control trial was conducted in Glasgow, UK, and a feasibilityanalysis of the first 33 participants completed was performed. The educational intervention, based on regular text messages on iodine nutrition, was well-accepted by women. Burden was low, although dropout rates have been higher than those initially calculated (24% versus 15%). The study has been shown to be feasible and acceptable in these population groups. At the moment, the sample size limits interpretation of the interim findings, and further analysis after the completion of the study will indicate whether iodine status can be improved through the intervention. It is important that iodine insufficiency should be tackled, to avoid the irreversible consequences on the population. To address iodine insufficiency effectively, solutions should be designed and work synergistically. Changing dietary patterns is challenging, but pregnancy offers the opportunity for implementation of changes, due to higher motivation and health consciousness. Increasing awareness and knowledge of the population, healthcare professionals and government organisations might be the key for future action. High quality and consistent results from research studies are needed to inform policy changes. This thesis identifies that knowledge and intentions of the population are important targets for public health interventions and offers suggestions on different approaches for the elimination of ID in the UK