3 research outputs found
The Exploitation of Orphan Legumes for Food, Income, and Nutrition Security in Sub-Saharan Africa
Poverty, food, and nutrition insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have
become major concerns in recent times. The effects of climate change,
drought, and unpredictable rainfall patterns threaten food production
and sustainable agriculture. More so, insurgency, youth restiveness, and
politico-economic instability amidst a burgeoning population requiring a
sufficient and healthy diet remain front-burner issues in the region.
Overdependence on only a few major staple crops is increasingly
promoting the near extinction of many crops, especially orphan legumes,
which possess immense potentials as protein and nutritional security
crops. The major staple crops are declining in yield partly to their inability to adapt to the continuously changing climatic conditions.
Remarkably, the orphan legumes are climate-smart crops with enormous
agronomic features which foster sustainable livelihood. Research efforts
on these crops have not attained a reasonable comparative status with
most commercial crops. Though many research organizations and
scientists have made efforts to promote the improvement and utilization
of these orphan legumes, there is still more to be done. These legumes’
vast genetic resources and economic utility are grossly under-exploited,
but their values and promising impacts are immeasurable. Given the
United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) of zero hunger,
improved nutrition, health, and sustainable agriculture, the need to
introduce these crops into food systems in SSA and other poverty-prone
regions of the world is now more compelling than ever. This review
unveils inherent values in orphan legumes needing focus for
exploitation viz-a-viz cultivation, commercialization, and social
acceptance. More so, this article discusses some of the nutraceutical
potentials of the orphan legumes, their global adaptability, and modern
plant breeding strategies that could be deployed to develop superior
phenotypes to enrich the landraces. Advanced omics technologies, speed
breeding, as well as the application of genome editing techniques, could
significantly enhance the genetic improvement of these useful but
underutilized legumes. Efforts made in this regard and the challenges of
these approaches were also discussed
Quality of Life of Patients With Osteosarcoma in the European American Osteosarcoma Study-1 (EURAMOS-1): Development and Implementation of a Questionnaire Substudy
The quality of life (QoL) of patients with osteosarcoma (OS) may be adversely affected by the disease or its treatment. Therefore, it is important to understand the QoL of patients undergoing treatment for OS to improve the QoL. We report on the first prospective international QoL study that was embedded within a large randomized clinical trial from 4 national study groups.
This paper aimed to describe the QoL study development, methodology, accrual details, and characteristics of the QoL cohort.
A total of 2260 patients registered in the EURopean AMerican Osteosarcoma Study-1 (EURAMOS-1), of whom 97.92% (2213/2260) were eligible for the optional QoL assessment and could participate in terms of questionnaire availability. Overall, 61.86% (1369/2213) of patients and/or proxies completed the QoL evaluation at the first assessment time point (E1) after the start of preoperative treatment. The QoL measures used (self- and/or proxy reports) depending on the patient’s age and national study group. Participants and nonparticipants in the ancillary QoL study were compared regarding relevant demographic and disease-related characteristics at registration in the trial.
The participation rate at time point E1 did not differ with regard to age, gender, the occurrence of pathological fracture, or the presence of any metastases at diagnosis. No differences were found regarding the primary tumor site. Only the national study group affiliation had an influence on participation. Participation decreased linearly with trial progress up to 20% at the final time point of QoL assessment.
This study demonstrates the feasibility of international cooperation for the purpose of assessing and understanding the QoL of pediatric and adolescent/young adult patients with cancer. Future outcomes of this QoL substudy will help to adapt interventions to improve QoL
Quality of life of patients with osteosarcoma in the european american osteosarcoma study-1 (EURAMOS-1) : Development and implementation of a questionnaire substudy
Background: The quality of life (QoL) of patients with osteosarcoma (OS) may be adversely affected by the disease or its treatment. Therefore, it is important to understand the QoL of patients undergoing treatment for OS to improve the QoL. We report on the first prospective international QoL study that was embedded within a large randomized clinical trial from 4 national study groups. Objective: This paper aimed to describe the QoL study development, methodology, accrual details, and characteristics of the QoL cohort. Methods: A total of 2260 patients registered in the EURopean AMerican Osteosarcoma Study-1 (EURAMOS-1), of whom 97.92% (2213/2260) were eligible for the optional QoL assessment and could participate in terms of questionnaire availability. Overall, 61.86% (1369/2213) of patients and/or proxies completed the QoL evaluation at the first assessment time point (E1) after the start of preoperative treatment. The QoL measures used (self- and/or proxy reports) depending on the patient’s age and national study group. Participants and nonparticipants in the ancillary QoL study were compared regarding relevant demographic and disease-related characteristics at registration in the trial. Results: The participation rate at time point E1 did not differ with regard to age, gender, the occurrence of pathological fracture, or the presence of any metastases at diagnosis. No differences were found regarding the primary tumor site. Only the national study group affiliation had an influence on participation. Participation decreased linearly with trial progress up to 20% at the final time point of QoL assessment. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the feasibility of international cooperation for the purpose of assessing and understanding the QoL of pediatric and adolescent/young adult patients with cancer. Future outcomes of this QoL substudy will help to adapt interventions to improve QoL