Dietary Nutrition Research Articles

Nutritional Composition, Mineral Profiling, In Vitro Antioxidant, Antibacterial and Enzyme Inhibitory Properties of Selected Indian Guava Cultivars Leaf Extract.

Psidium guajava L. is a small evergreen tree known for its magnificent medicinal and nutritional value. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional profile and in vitro pharmacological potentialities of the different leaf extracts of four cultivars of Psidium guajava namely Surka chitti, Allahabad safeda, Karela, and Lucknow-49. The standard procedures of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) were followed to carry out the nutritional analysis and all of the cultivars recorded the presence of elements at a nominal range. The highest presence of phenols (125.77 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (92.38 mg QE/g) in the methanolic leaf extract of the Karela cultivar was recorded. A wide range of minerals such as sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and boron were recorded with a higher percentage in the Karela cultivar of Psidium guajava. In the enzyme inhibitory assays, Allahabad safeda showed potential inhibition with an IC50 of 113.31 ± 1.07, 98.2 ± 0.66 and 95.73 ± 0.39 μg/mL in α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and tyrosinase inhibition assays, respectively. The strong antioxidant effect was established by Lucknow-49 (IC50 of 74.43 ± 1.86 μg/mL) and Allahabad safeda (IC50 of 78.93 ± 0.46 μg/mL) for ABTS and DPPH assays, respectively. The ethyl acetate and methanolic leaf extracts of the Allahabad safeda cultivar showed better inhibition against Pseudomonas aeruginosa with an MIC of 14.84 and 28.69 µg/mL, respectively. A decent mean zone of inhibition was recorded in methanolic leaf extract that ranged from 21-25 mm in diameter against the tested bacterial strains (Proteus vulgaris, Bacillus subtilis, and P. aeruginosa). This is the first scientific report on the comparative and comprehensive analysis of indigenous guava cultivars to evidently shortlist the elite cultivars with enriched dietary nutrition and biological activities.

Sports nutrition knowledge, attitude, and practice among male gymnasium users in Jordan

Introduction: Proper nutrition is important for the health and performance of athletes. However, a lack of knowledge might lead to negative attitude and poor dietary practices. This study aimed to determine the levels of nutrition knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) among male gymnasium users in Jordan. Methods: A total of 138 male gymnasium users (21.1±2.8 years) from Jordan were recruited. Their height, weight, body mass index, and age were recorded. The KAP-Sports nutrition questionnaire that contains 25 questions regarding knowledge on basic sports nutrition, 12 questions regarding usual food choices and practices, and 20 questions on attitude towards nutrition and sports-enhancing diet were administrated. Descriptive and Pearson correlation analyses were used to analyse the data. Results: Majority of the participants had moderate knowledge on sports nutrition (77.6%), neutral attitude (84.7%), and fair dietary practice (67.4%). Mean score for knowledge, attitude and practice were 18.1±2.6, 58.8±6.2, and 29.7±3.6, respectively. There was significant, weak correlation between knowledge and attitude (r=0.18, p=0.048), as well as between knowledge and practice (r=0.20, p=0.018). Conclusion: Knowledge is important to affect positive attitude and good dietary practices. However, gymnasium users in Jordan did not have a high level of knowledge that could lead to their positive attitude and good dietary practices. Thus, sports nutrition education is recommended to ensure that adequate and correct knowledge are disseminated to gymnasium users.

Design and preparation of multifunctional astaxanthin nanoparticles with good acid stability and hepatocyte-targeting ability for alcoholic liver injury alleviation

As a dietary nutrition supplement, astaxanthin (AXT) has attracted much attention in alleviating ethanol-induced liver injury due to its superior antioxidant ability. However, the poor water solubility and pH-vulnerable characteristics of AXT significantly restrict its application in nutrition intervention. In this study, multifunctional astaxanthin nanoparticles (LAD6:1@AXT) with good acid stability and hepatocyte-targeting ability were designed and prepared using 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, lactobionic acid, and sodium alginate as raw materials. At pH 2.0, LAD6:1@AXT displayed a double reservation rate of the relative AXT content compared to free AXT. Significant antioxidative activity of LAD6:1@AXT was observed in cellular experiments. Ex vivo experiments revealed that the astaxanthin nanoparticles showed 90 % increased accumulation in the liver after oral administration for 24 h. A strong hepatic-targeting effect was found for LAD6:1@AXT, which could effectively ameliorate alcoholic liver injury. Our data indicated that the developed astaxanthin nanoparticles have the potential of nutrition intervention for alcohol-induced liver impairment.

Impact of nutrition education programme and controlled dietary modification on nutritional status in young male athletes

PurposeThe current study sought to assess the synergistic effects of an eight-week nutrition education program (NEP) and controlled dietary modification (CDM) on the nutrition knowledge (NK), nutrition practice (NP), and daily dietary intake of nutrition counselling group (NCG) versus ad-libitum group (ALG), as well as to identify the dietary factors predicting athletes' NP. MethodsA total of 105 male players (14–18 years) from the sports disciplines-football, hockey, swimming, and athletics-were block randomized into the NCG and the ALG. The NCG underwent an 8-week nutritional intervention (NI) that included NEP and CDM, while ALG did not participate in the NI and followed ad-libitum dietary intake. Primary data on each subject's NK, NP, daily food intake, and anthropometric measurements were collected before and after the intervention period for paired and case-control analysis. ResultsA strong association has been depicted between players’ NK and NP. Daily intake of carbohydrate, protein, calcium, and dietary fibre could be referred to as the significant positive predictors of NP, while fat intake is the negative predictor. The synergistic implementation of NEP and CDM reduced the energy deficits among the NCGby significantly increasing their daily calorie intake to an average of 97%. Protein intake was significantly increased, thus meeting 88% of the recommendation, while the increase in carbohydrate intake was insignificant, meeting 89% of the standards post-NI. Further, the NCG showed significant increases in intake of minerals like calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and selenium, while the ALG had substantial reductions. The former also exhibited significant rises in vitamin A, B9, B12, C, and E intakes. The most significant spikes in macro and micronutrient intake were observed in the footballers and hockey players, who were also the groups with the largest increases in NK and NP scores. ConclusionThe equilibrium in macronutrient bifurcations and relative macronutrient and micronutrient intake post-intervention indicates the effectiveness of nutritional enactment through an 8-week controlled dietary modification and systematic nutrition education programme on the nutritional status of young athletes. Therefore, good nutrition knowledge may improve the dietary patterns and nutrition intake of athletes. Intervention studies should emphasize nutrition education, aiming for improved athletic performance.

An Innovative Approach to Promote Weight Loss Among Mexican Immigrants: A Pilot Study.

Mexican Americans are among the highest risk groups for obesity and its associated health consequences, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.154 overweight/obese Mexican Americans recruited from the Mexican Consulate in New York City were enrolled in COMIDA (Consumo de Opciones Más Ideales De Alimentos) (Eating More Ideal Food Options), a 12-week Spanish-language lifestyle intervention that included a dietary counseling session, weight-loss resources, and thrice-weekly text messages. Participants' weight (primary outcome); dietary intake, physical activity, and nutrition knowledge (secondary outcomes) were assessed pre- and post-intervention.Of the 109 who completed follow-up, 28% lost ≥ 5% of their baseline body weight. Post-intervention, participants consumed more fruit and less soda, sweet pastries, fried foods and red meat; increased physical activity; and evidenced greater nutrition knowledge.A community-based lifestyle intervention with automated components such as text messaging may be a scalable, cost-effective approach to address overweight/obesity among underserved populations.

Carotenoids in maternal and cord blood, breast milk and their association with maternal dietary intake: a longitudinal study in Shanghai, China.

Carotenoids are important bioactive substances in breast milk, the profile of which is seldom studied. This study aimed to explore the profile of carotenoids in breast milk and maternal/cord plasma of healthy mother-neonate pairs in Shanghai, China, and their correlation with dietary intake. Maternal blood, umbilical cord blood and breast milk samples from five lactation stages (colostrum, transitional milk and early-, mid- and late-term mature milk) were collected. Carotenoid levels were analysed by HPLC. Carotenoid levels in breast milk changed as lactation progressed (P < 0·001). β-Carotene was the primary carotenoid in colostrum. Lutein accounted for approximately 50 % of total carotenoids in transitional milk, mature milk and cord blood. Positive correlations were observed between five carotenoids in umbilical cord blood and maternal blood (P all < 0·001). β-Carotene levels were also correlated between maternal plasma and three stages of breast milk (r = 0·605, P < 0·001; r = 0·456, P = 0·011, r = 0·446; P = 0·013, respectively). Dietary carotenoid intakes of lactating mothers also differed across lactation stages, although no correlation with breast milk concentrations was found. These findings suggest the importance of exploring the transport mechanism of carotenoids between mothers and infants and help guide the development of formulas for Chinese infants as well as the nutritional diets of lactating mothers.

A Comprehensive Review of Medovaha Srotodushti w.s.r Hyperlipidaemia

Hyperlipidaemia does not bear a precise reference in Ayurveda though the study of Ayurvedic literature bears some implicit allusions. This might be due to the fact that it is a metabolic disorder and not a full-fledged disease in itself. The term hyperlipidemia is not used in our classic. But we can correlate it with Medovaha Sroto Dushti. Hyperlipidaemia is term used to denote raised serum levels of cholesterol or triglycerides or both. Raised total cholesterol is a major cause of disease burden in both the developed and developing world as a risk factor for ischemic heart disease and stroke. CVDs accounts for one third of total deaths around the world, it is believed that CVDs will turn out to be the main cause of death and disability worldwide by the year 2020. Lack of exercise and Kaphavardhak Ahar Vihar are the two main causes of vitiation of Medovaha Srotas. Dietary low fat intake or nutrition supplementation is the key of lowering blood lipids as art for keeping hyperlipidaemia in control and manageable.

Memory Abilities Are Selectively Related to Food Label and Numeracy Nutrition Skills

ObjectiveWe investigated the relationship between nutrition literacy, diet quality, carotenoid status, and cognition. MethodsAdults aged 37.5 ± 17.0 years (n = 52) completed the 42-item Nutrition Literacy Assessment Instrument (NLit). The Dietary History Questionnaire III was analyzed to determine the Healthy Eating Index. Skin carotenoids were assessed as a diet quality biomarker. Selective attention, relational memory, and pattern separation abilities were assessed using the flanker, spatial reconstruction, and mnemonic similarity tasks, respectively. Statistical adjustments included age, sex, education, and body mass index. ResultsNo correlations were observed for NLit scores and NLit subscales with Healthy Eating Index and skin carotenoid status. However, the NLit's food label and numeracy subscale was related to greater pattern separation abilities (ρ = 0.33, r2 = 0.11, P = 0.03). Conclusions and ImplicationsComprehension of food labels and numeracy information was associated with memory abilities. Future work is needed to test whether targeting working memory and attentional processes during memory retrieval in larger samples may facilitate the acquisition of nutrition knowledge.

Is a gluten-free diet enough to treat celiac disease?

Celiac disease is a chronic gluten-induced autoimmune enteropathy in genetically predisposed individuals with specific HLA genotypes carrying the DQ2 (DQA1*0501 and DQB1*0201) or DQ8 (DQA1*0301 and DQB1*0302) alleles. The overall global prevalence of celiac disease is 0.7–1.4%. The increase in the incidence rate is associated with significant consumption of gluten over the last century, which has a peculiar effect on the small intestine mucosa. Atrophic processes in the intestine mucosa contribute to malabsorption and development of gluten-dependent clinical symptoms, however, the manifestation of the disease can occur at any age. The small intestine disease with the development of hyper-regenerative atrophy of the small intestine mucosa is recognized as a systemic disease accompanied by various deficiency conditions both with and without atrophy of the small intestine mucosa. Long-term adherence to a gluten-free diet entails certain deficiency conditions, such as vitamins B, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and folic acid deficiencies, as well as a decrease in body mass index. To ensure adequate nutritional intake, patients with celiac disease require additional resources, namely specialized dietary nutrition products. The issues of understanding the need for enteral nutrition in the management of patients with celiac disease are stressed. The article presents a clinical observation of the nutritional support for a female patient with a typical course of celiac disease, grade 2 protein-energy malnutrition, which demonstrated that the use of specialized food products as additional nutrition can significantly improve the nutritional status and somatometric indicators in a patient with celiac disease on a gluten-free diet.

Analysis of fat content and fatty acid composition of aquaculture products in Hainan Province

To investigate the composition of fat and fatty acid in 12 kinds of aquaculture products in Hainan Province. A total of 12 aquatic products were monitored in 8 breeding bases in Hainan Province, the edible parts were tested for fat and fatty acid. The content and composition of fat and fatty acid were analyzed. A total of 12 aquaculture products were monitored, including 6 freshwater aquaculture products and 6 mariculture aquatic products. The contents of crude fat and total fatty acid(TFA) ranged from 1.2 to 20 g/100 g edible and 1.0 to 15 g/100 g edible, and they were positively correlated(r=0.989, P&lt;0.01). A total of 18-30 fatty acids were detected. Among them, 12 were saturated fatty acids(SFA), ranging from 0.34 to 6.4 g/100 g edible, mainly palmitic acid, eight were monounsaturated fatty acids(MUFA), mainly oleic acid. Ten were polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFA), ranging from 0.28 to 2.6 g/100 g edible, It was mainly composed of linoleic acid(LA), docosahexaenoic acid(DHA), α-linolenic acid(ALA) and eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA). The composition of fatty acid in aquaculture products in Hainan Province is mainly unsaturated fatty acids(UFA), and most aquatic products are rich in n-3PUFA, and the ratio of n-6PUFA to n-3PUFA is less than 6, which has high nutritional and health value, and is beneficial to the nutritional diet balance of of population.

Assessment of yield performances for grain sorghum varieties by AMMI and GGE biplot analyses

Grain sorghum is an exceptional source of dietary nutrition with outstanding economic values. Breeding of grain sorghum can be slowed down by the occurrence of genotype × environment interactions (GEI) causing biased estimation of yield performance in multi-environments and therefore complicates direct phenotypic selection of superior genotypes. Multi-environment trials by randomized complete block design with three replications were performed on 13 newly developed grain sorghum varieties at seven test locations across China for two years. Additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) and genotype + genotype × environment (GGE) biplot models were adopted to uncover GEI patterns and effectively identify high-yielding genotypes with stable performance across environments. Yield (YLD), plant height (PH), days to maturity (DTM), thousand seed weight (TSW), and panicle length (PL) were measured. Statistical analysis showed that target traits were influenced by significant GEI effects (p &amp;lt; 0.001), that broad-sense heritability estimates for these traits varied from 0.40 to 0.94 within the medium to high range, that AMMI and GGE biplot models captured more than 66.3% of total variance suggesting sufficient applicability of both analytic models, and that two genotypes, G3 (Liaoza No.52) and G10 (Jinza 110), were identified as the superior varieties while one genotype, G11 (Jinza 111), was the locally adapted variety. G3 was the most stable variety with highest yielding potential and G10 was second to G3 in average yield and stability whereas G11 had best adaptation only in one test location. We recommend G3 and G10 for the production in Shenyang, Chaoyang, Jinzhou, Jinzhong, Yulin, and Pingliang, while G11 for Yili.

Bilateral Pleural Chylothorax from A Blunt Chest Trauma

Introduction: Bilateral traumatic chylothorax is a very rare condition. Approximately80% of chylothorax are unilateral and usually 2/3 of cases on the right side [1]. The chyle leakage shows a milky white appearance, inexhaustible, in a consideration amount. Purpose: To report the management of bilateral traumatic chylothorax as a very rare condition. Material and methods: We present a patient with bilateral pleural chylothorax from a blunt chest trauma which is combined with a vertebral thoracal fracture of Th8, Th10.We present the diagnostic basis, treatment and evolution of chilies leakage. Results: A 36 years old man involved in a car crash. He was hospitalized with a diagnose such as right pleural effusion and thoracal vertebral fractures of the Th8, Th10.2 days after trauma the scan examination showed a large amount of effusion in the right hemithorax and minimal effusion in the left hemithorax. From the drainage tube in the right pleural cavity there was a flow of about 1000ml with a milky appearance. The biochemical analyses of the pleural effusion showed the presence of triglycerides with more than 1.24mmol /l and the cholesterol level with less than 5.18mmol/l which support the diagnosis of chylothorax. Initial treatment was conservative. A zero nutritional regimen was implemented for the first 10 days, being replaced by total parenteral nutrition such as plasma, albumin, electrolytes, vitamins. After that we passed to a fat-free nutritional diet. In the scan examination 6 days after the trauma, there was an increase in the amount of pleural effusion on the left side. A chest tube was performed from which there was 700 ml leakage, which had the appearance of chyle. The biochemical tests confirmed the diagnose of chylothorax. The chest tube of the left pleural cavity was removed after 5 days. The chyle leakage from the right pleural cavity has continued for about 3 weeks in a quantity ranging from 150-300 ml in 24 hours. After this period, approximately for 1 week the chyle leakage was in an amount of less than 1000ml in 24 hours. In the 5th week, the chest tube was removed, since the leaks were reduced to about 20-30 ml in 24 hours. The patient left the hospital after 30 days. The patient was completely recovered. Conclusions: The case was managed conservatively, based on a bilateral pleural drainage and a diet without fats, which proved to be successful.

Do Household Headship and Gender Affect Diet Quality under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)?

Examine whether the association between Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation and diet quality is different by gender and household headship. Quantitative, cross-sectional. The 2007-2018 waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). 6180 individuals aged 20 to 65 with household annual income below 130% of the poverty level. The outcome of diet quality was measured using the 2015 Healthy Eating Index (HEI) based on dietary intake from 24-hour diet recall. The exposures were self-reported participation in SNAP and socio-demographic variables. Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression models. The study found that female household heads had higher average total HEI scores relative to their male and non-head counterparts (β = 1.81, 95% CI: -.27, 3.88). However, for SNAP participants, female household heads had lower average total HEI scores (β = -3.67, 95% CI: -7.36, .11). Female household heads are more likely to experience difficulty in maintaining diet quality relative to their counterparts. The study suggests that intra-household effort allocation may play an important role in differentiating and maintaining diet quality.

The Influence of Lifestyle on High-Density Lipoprotein Concentration among Mexican Emerging Adults.

Previous studies have highlighted the role of lifestyle on HDL-C concentrations in adults. To our knowledge, the health and nutritional status of emerging adults have been understudied. The present study aimed to explore the most important lifestyle factors, including micronutrient intake adequacy and the percentage of energy from food processing, according to HDL-C concentrations in emerging adults. In this context, a cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 261 Mexican emerging adults who were apparently healthy. Lifestyle factors were collected through a structured survey and the prevalence of micronutrient intake inadequacy was estimated using the estimated average requirement cut-point method. The percentage of energy from ultra-processed foods was assessed using the NOVA system. HDL-C was determined using the enzymatic colorimetric method. Statistical analyses were conducted in SPSS. The results revealed that lifestyle factors do not differ according to HDL-C status. The participants showed a poor nutritional diet that was energy-dense and micronutrient-inadequate. Nearly half of their energy came from processed and ultra-processed foods. Most participants did not meet the recommendations for key nutrients (ϖ3 fatty acids and phytosterols) that promote a healthy lipid status. In conclusion, regardless of their HDL-C levels, emerging adults exhibited lifestyle-related risk factors. The persistence of these findings over time could contribute to the development of metabolic disorders in the future. It is crucial to increase understanding and to develop effective nutritional interventions during this critical phase of life.

BMI Increases in Individuals with COVID-19-Associated Olfactory Dysfunction.

(1) Background: Reports suggest COVID-19-associated olfactory dysfunction (OD) may result in alterations in dietary behaviors and perceived weight change, but few studies using psychophysical evaluation of post-COVID-19-associated chemosensory dysfunction and body mass index (BMI) exist. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of both quantitative and qualitative features of COVID-19-associated OD on BMI; (2) Methods: Recruitment of thirty-one participants with self-reported OD in the form of quantitative loss with and without qualitative features. Surveys with questions specific to qualitative olfactory function, Sniffin' Sticks tests, and BMI measures were completed at two visits, one year apart. Group differences were assessed with Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and the Holm-Bonferroni method; (3) Results: Individuals with persistent quantitative OD (n = 15) and self-reported parosmia (n = 19) showed statistically significant increases in BMI after 1 year (p = 0.004, adjusted α = 0.0125; p = 0.011, adjusted α = 0.0167). Controls with transient quantitative OD (n = 16) and participants without self-reported parosmia (n = 12) showed no statistically significant changes in BMI over the same time period (p = 0.079, adjusted α = 0.05; p = 0.028, adjusted α = 0.025); (4) Conclusions: This study shows an association between COVID-19-associated OD and BMI, suggesting olfaction may play a role in altering dietary habits and nutrition in this population. Larger study cohorts are needed to further evaluate this relationship.

Factors associated with child and maternal dietary diversity in the urban areas of Bangladesh.

Dietary diversity is an indicator of nutrition that has been found positively associated with diet quality, micronutrient adequacy, and improved maternal health and child growth. Due to the cultural responsibility of women in providing food at the household level, their status is very important to perform this role. Hence, this study has been conducted on the status of dietary diversity of the mother and child to understand how it relates to various factors of women in urban settings. Data were obtained from 1978 mother-child pairs living in different cities in Bangladesh. The foods taken by the women and children were categorized into 10 and 7 groups to measure women's dietary diversity (WDD) and children's dietary diversity (CDD), respectively. The study found that more than three-fourths of the mothers and half of the children had low dietary diversity. The household wealth holdings and access to resources by the women were found inadequate, while two-thirds of them had the lowest to medium level of nutritional knowledge. The binomial logistic regression model was used to measure the factors influencing WDD and CDD. The findings also indicated that children's dietary diversity was influenced by the mother's age, education, supportive attitude and behavior of husband, and access to and control over resources. While the household wealth index can enhance both child and mother's dietary variety, nutrition knowledge, dietary counseling, and access to and control over resources can improve maternal dietary diversity. This study recommends improving women's socioeconomic status by increasing their wealth and access to resources and enhancing their nutrition knowledge by providing food and nutrition counseling.

Food Neophobia and its Association with Nutritional Status and Diet Quality in Children Ages 2 to 5 in Barangay Gulang-gulang, Lucena City, Philippines

Food neophobia (FN) is the reluctance to eat novel foods. It peaks around the toddler and preschool years, a sensitive time for developing dietary habits. If this eating behavior persists, children are susceptible to acquiring lifelong unhealthy dietary habits, ultimately affecting their development. Hence, this cross-sectional study involved 88 parents or caregivers of children ages 2 to 5 to describe FN relative to nutritional status (NS) and diet quality (DQ) and identify factors affecting its development. Data were collected using a computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) online survey. Weight-for-height and height-for-age measurements were used to assess NS. While dietary diversity score (DDS) and Menu Eval Plus for DQ. The Child Food Neophobia Scale was adopted to measure FN. No significant associations were noted regarding NS and DQ. However, food-neophobic children had fewer intakes of legumes (p-value=0.041) and non-vitamin A-rich vegetables (p-value=0.048) and excessive intakes of phosphorus (p-value=0.002), vitamin A (p-value=0.027), and riboflavin (p-value=0.037). Snacks and discretionary foods are also frequently consumed as they are readily available and accessible. This behavior may probably be due to the innate preference of children for sweet and salty over bitter and sour flavors. Results warrant further research to develop interventions to address FN in children.

Bio-Inspired Spotted Hyena Optimizer with Deep Convolutional Neural Network-Based Automated Food Image Classification.

Food image classification, an interesting subdomain of Computer Vision (CV) technology, focuses on the automatic classification of food items represented through images. This technology has gained immense attention in recent years thanks to its widespread applications spanning dietary monitoring and nutrition studies to restaurant recommendation systems. By leveraging the developments in Deep-Learning (DL) techniques, especially the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), food image classification has been developed as an effective process for interacting with and understanding the nuances of the culinary world. The deep CNN-based automated food image classification method is a technology that utilizes DL approaches, particularly CNNs, for the automatic categorization and classification of the images of distinct kinds of foods. The current research article develops a Bio-Inspired Spotted Hyena Optimizer with a Deep Convolutional Neural Network-based Automated Food Image Classification (SHODCNN-FIC) approach. The main objective of the SHODCNN-FIC method is to recognize and classify food images into distinct types. The presented SHODCNN-FIC technique exploits the DL model with a hyperparameter tuning approach for the classification of food images. To accomplish this objective, the SHODCNN-FIC method exploits the DCNN-based Xception model to derive the feature vectors. Furthermore, the SHODCNN-FIC technique uses the SHO algorithm for optimal hyperparameter selection of the Xception model. The SHODCNN-FIC technique uses the Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) model for the detection and classification of food images. A detailed set of experiments was conducted to demonstrate the better food image classification performance of the proposed SHODCNN-FIC technique. The wide range of simulation outcomes confirmed the superior performance of the SHODCNN-FIC method over other DL models.

Preventing Child Wasting in Africa's Dryland: An Exploratory Review of the Enabling Environment in 8 Sub-Saharan Countries Using a Food Systems Lens.

Persistent child wasting is evident across the Sahel and Horn of Africa, much of which is typically dryland and dependent on agropastoralism. Two events in 2021, the United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit and the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit, represented a watershed moment for the alignment of food systems and nutrition. Against this backdrop, the costed country operational roadmaps, developed in 22 countries as part of the joint UN Global Action Plan on Child Wasting (UNICEF 2021), recognized the importance of preventing child wasting using a multisectoral approach. We use a food systems lens to assess how current governance mechanisms, policies, and programming priorities in 8 sub-Saharan countries are responsive to the food security and nutritional needs of the most vulnerable people. For governance mechanisms, we draw from a narrative review of joint annual assessments conducted by the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement's national multistakeholder platforms since 2016. For policy frameworks, we analyze recommendations included in operational roadmaps and findings from the review of national multisectoral nutrition plans. For programming priorities, we analyze the typologies of costed interventions in the food and social protection systems. We present how nutrition and healthy diets were factored into national food systems pathways and how Government commitments to Nutrition for Growth integrate food systems and resilience. Results of this exploratory review suggest opportunities offered by the implementation of the country roadmaps should rely on a fundamental understanding of context-specific risks and vulnerabilities embedded in the systems and their dynamics.

Genome-Wide Association and Pathway Analysis of Carcass and Meat Quality Traits in Karachai Young Goats.

Goats with diverse economic phenotypic traits play an important role in animal husbandry. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying complex phenotypic traits are unclear in goats. Genomic studies of variations provided a lens to identify functional genes. The work aimed to search for candidate genes related to body measurements and body weight of Karachai goats and develop an experimental PCR-RV test system for genotyping significant SNPs. Comparison of GWAS results for ages 4 and 8 months revealed 58 common SNPs for significant genotypes. 11 common SNPs were identified for body weight, 4 SNPs-for group of traits withers height, rump height, body length, 2 SNPs-for withers height and rump height, 1 SNP-for body length and chest depth. Structural annotation of genomic regions covering a window of ±0.20 Mb showed the presence of 288 genes; 52 of them had the described functions in accordance with gene ontology. The main molecular functions of proteins encoded by these genes are the regulation of transcription, cell proliferation, angiogenesis, body growth, fatty acid and lipid metabolism, nervous system development, and spermatogenesis. SNPs common to body weight and localized within a window of ±200 kb from the structural genes CRADD, HMGA2, MSRB3, FUT8, MAX, and RAB15 were selected to create a test system. The study of meat productivity after slaughter and chemical analysis of muscle tissue in Karachai goats at the age of 8 months of different genotypes according to the identified SNPs revealed that rs268269710 is the most promising for further research and use in breeding. The GG genotype is associated with a larger live weight of animals, a larger carcass yield, the content of the boneless part in it, and the ratio of protein and adipose tissue in meat preferred for dietary nutrition. These results will contribute to the genetic improvement of Karachai goats.