Characterization of crested wheatgrass germplasms for plant maturity and associated physiological and morphological traits

Crested wheatgrass [Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.] is a drought tolerant, winter hardy perennial grass used for early spring grazing in western Canada. This grass matures early, and mature plants are not palatable for grazing animals. The objectives of this study were: 1) determine DNA content and ploidy level of 45 crested wheatgrass accessions 2) to characterize crested wheatgrass germplasm for plant maturity and associated agronomic characteristics to identify superior germplasm with late maturity; 3) to evaluate flowering time of selected germplasms of crested wheatgrass under a controlled environment. A field plot was established using 45 crested wheatgrass accessions in July 2014 at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Saskatoon Research Center at Saskatoon SK, Canada using a randomized complete block design with four replications with data collected in 2015, 2016 and 2017. On the basis of DNA content (pg 2C-1 =DNA content of diploid somatic nucleus), mean DNA content was 14.12 pg 2C-1 for diploid, 28.02 pg 2C-1 and 39.48 pg 2C-1 for tetraploid and hexaploid crested wheatgrass, respectively. Among the 45 accessions, there were 8 diploid, 31 tetraploid, and 6 hexaploid accessions. Plant maturity and other measured characteristics differed significantly among the ploidy levels. Days to heading, plant height, leaf-to-stem ratio, forage DM yield, leafiness and plant vigor and nutritive value (crude protein, neutral detergent and acid detergent fibers) differed significantly (P ≤ 0.05) among accessions at flowering stage. In this study, days to heading showed a positive correlation with leaf-to-stem ratio (r=0.23, P<0.0001), indicating that selection for later maturity in crested wheatgrass may lead to an increase in leafiness. When all 45 accessions were considered, there was a non-significant correlation between days to heading and DM yield (r= 0.07, P=0.09), but this relationship was significant (r=0.34, P<0.0001) when only Canadian breeding lines and cultivars were considered. Based on agronomic performance and nutritive value, the 45 crested wheatgrass accessions were grouped into three main clusters. In addition, ranking of days to heading among selected accessions was consistent in field and controlled environments. In conclusion, plant maturity varied within- and among- accessions, among ploidy levels, and selection for late maturity may simultaneously increase forage DM yield and leaf-to-stem ratio in crested wheatgrass. Information obtained from this study on agro-morphological traits, nutritive values and ploidy determination among the 45 crested wheatgrass accessions will be useful for future crested wheatgrass breeding programs

Perspective: Food environment research priorities for Africa—Lessons from the Africa Food Environment Research Network

Over the last 2 decades, many African countries have undergone dietary and nutrition transitions fuelled by globalization, rapid urbanization, and development. These changes have altered African food environments and, subsequently, dietary behaviors, including food acquisition and consumption. Dietary patterns associated with the nutrition transition have contributed to Africa's complex burden of malnutrition—obesity and other diet-related noncommunicable diseases (DR-NCDs)—along with persistent food insecurity and undernutrition. Available evidence links unhealthy or obesogenic food environments (including those that market and offer energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and beverages) with suboptimal diets and associated adverse health outcomes. Elsewhere, governments have responded with policies to improve food environments. However, in Africa, the necessary research and policy action have received insufficient attention. Contextual evidence to motivate, enable, and create supportive food environments in Africa for better population health is urgently needed. In November 2020, the Measurement, Evaluation, Accountability, and Leadership Support for Noncommunicable Diseases Prevention Project (MEALS4NCDs) convened the first Africa Food Environment Research Network Meeting (FERN2020). This 3-d virtual meeting brought researchers from around the world to deliberate on future directions and research priorities related to improving food environments and nutrition across the African continent. The stakeholders shared experiences, best practices, challenges, and opportunities for improving the healthfulness of food environments and related policies in low- and middle-income countries. In this article, we summarize the proceedings and research priorities identified in the meeting to advance the food environment research agenda in Africa, and thus contribute to the promotion of healthier food environments to prevent DR-NCDs, and other forms of malnutrition

The Climate of Barbados.

The aim of this thesis is (a) to analyse five years of published climatological data in order to obtain detailed climatological statistics for reasearch workers, and also to serve as a basis for describing the climate of Barbados. This is the main part of the thesis. (b) to give explanatory causes of the variations in climate, both seasonal and aperiodic, especially of temperature and rainfall regimes, at Waterford in particular, and the whole island in general. [...

Demographic, Clinical Profile of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Their Association with Disease Severity in Ghana

Background. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the frequent chronic, systemic, inflammatory autoimmune disorders with an estimated global prevalence of 1%. RA leads to joint destruction and disability if left untreated. Ghana has seen very few studies on RA, and little is known about the disease’s severity and related variables. This study sought to characterize the clinical presentation and determine disease severity and associated risk factors with disease severity among RA patients in a tertiary hospital in Ghana. Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2020 and August 2021. This study included 56 consecutively consenting RA patients from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital orthopaedic unit. Diagnosis of RA was based on the updated American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) 2022 rheumatoid arthritis classification criteria by a rheumatologist. A study questionnaire was used to gather participant demographics and clinical features, and results from the laboratory were taken from the patients’ charts and medical records. The patients’ disease severity was evaluated based on the rheumatoid arthritis disease activity score, which is based on a 28-joint count (DAS28), and their functioning was evaluated using the modified health assessment questionnaire. Results. The participants’ mean age was 51.25±13.22 years. Out of the total participants, 46 were females, and 10 were males (female-to-male ratio 4.6 : 1). Moreover, 37.50% had arthritis of the hand; 5.30% had severe disease, and 94.60% were not severe. A majority (76.80%) were on methotrexate medication. The most frequently involved joints were the knee (42.90%), wrist (32.10%), and elbow (12.50%). There was no statistically significant association with disease severity and a functional status score of >0.5 (cOR: 10.60, 95% CI (0.52-217.30); p=0.124). In addition, marital status (p=0.04), disease duration (p=0.04), family complaints (p=0.02), and ESR (p=0.03) were significantly associated with disease severity. Conclusion. RA is predominant among elder populations and females. Disease duration, family complaints, and ESR are associated with disease severity. The findings of this study call for interventions towards ensuring early diagnosis of RA among high-risk populations to enhance good management practices

Reference intervals for selected haematological and biochemical parameters among apparently healthy adults in different eco-geographical zones in Ghana.

BackgroundDue to the influence of gender, race/genetics, age, lifestyle habits and geography on the references intervals (RIs), the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) recommends the determination of population-specific RIs. Ghana continues to depend on pre-established RIs from other countries which poses the risk of misdiagnoses and wrong treatment. This study presents the haemato-biochemical RIs from four eco-geographical zones in Ghana.MethodsIn this population-based cross-sectional study, a total of 1227 randomly selected healthy voluntary blood donors from the four eco-geographic zones (Coastal Savannah, Rain Forest, Savannah and Transitional) were enrolled and screened. Based on the CLSI Guidance Document C28A2992, the data of eligible participants were used to non-parametrically determine the RIs for the haemato-biochemical parameters at the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles. Comparison of analytes by gender was done by Wilcoxon rank sum test and eco-geographic differences were assessed using the Kruskal-Wallis with the Dunn post hoc multiple comparison tests.ResultsThere were statistically significant differences in most of the haematological parameters (RBC, Hb, HCT, MCV, PLT, WBC; p-values ConclusionThis study reports significant inter-sex and inter-geographical differences in haemato-biochemical RIs in Ghana as well as differences in RIs with both the RIs accompanying the analyzers and those of other countries. Determining RIs representative of populations and including them in the report systems of laboratories to ensure effective and efficient healthcare service delivery is thus recommended