Amount Of Diet Research Articles

The effect of diet on melanin pigmentation in animals

Abstract Melanin, including both eu‐ and pheomelanin forms, is the most common pigment type in animals and plays numerous adaptive roles. However, the effect of diet on melanin pigmentation is not well reviewed or synthesized. Understanding how diet influences melanin may lead to valuable insights such as explaining intraspecific variation or explaining when melanin‐based traits are plastic or condition dependent versus when they are prioritized or canalized. In order to assess the state of the literature and the current understanding of the effects of diet on melanin pigmentation we conducted a systematic literature search. We use the search results to highlight common patterns across animals. In particular we focus on three questions: Which dietary components can influence melanin? Which aspects of melanin‐based traits are influenced by diet? What factors can mediate the influence of diet on melanin? The effect of diet on melanin is complex and multifaceted. Diet itself can vary in a number of ways including diet quantity, protein content, fatty acid content and amount of metals and other micronutrients. We discuss the mechanisms by which these components influence melanin pigmentation. Diet can influence the size, darkness and colour of melanin‐based traits. Often, diet influences one of these aspects but not another, which may reflect the processes of melanin synthesis and distribution. Factors that mediate whether melanin pigmentation responds to dietary variation include the type of trait, life stage, sex and environmental stress. Methodology (e.g. degree of manipulation relative to natural conditions) can also influence results. These nuances should be considered when developing hypotheses about the effects of diet on melanin pigmentation. We conclude with important areas for future research, including the proximate mechanisms connecting diet and melanin, how diet affects internal melanin, how diet mediates costs of melanin pigmentation and how diet affects the evolution of melanin‐based traits. Overall, diet has important and complex effects on melanin and likely plays an important role in the ecology and evolution of melanin pigmentation. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Rural Livelihood Strategies and Food Security: The Case of Bensa Woreda, Sidama National Regional State, Ethiopia

Livelihood diversification by rural households is expected to contribute significantly to household living standard and food security. Nevertheless, a livelihood strategy plays a crucial role for household income and food security, and still empirically its contribution is unidentified in Bensa woreda. The study addressed three objectives: these are assessing livelihood strategies pursued by rural households based on their wealth status in achieving food security, determining the status of food security as an outcome of different livelihood strategies pursued by rural households and identifying the determinants of rural households` choice of livelihood strategies. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select 190 household heads. The data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. To achieve the first and second objectives, descriptive statistics such as percentage, mean, chi-square, t and F-tests were used to analyze the socio-economic characteristics of households by wealth status, livelihood diversification strategies, and food security status. The third objective was achieved by using a multinomial regression model (MNL) using data collected through a semi-structured questionnaire involving 190 respondents. The study found that 12.6% of better of (rich) households had diversify their livelihoods by combining from all sources (on-farm+ off farm+ non-farm), 16.2, 13.8 % and 7.5 % of medium farmers diversify their livelihoods mainly from on-farm, combining on-farm and off farm, and from combining on-farm and non-farm, respectively. The result briefly indicates that, more proportion 32.20 % of food secure households was attaining their food from combining on-farm, off farm and non-farm. The study found that 62.11 % and 37.89 % of households were food secure and food insecure respectively in the study area. Furthermore, the result indicated that the mean Kcal of food secure and insecure households is 1210.75, and 4266.241AE. Based on diet quantity analysis, the mean household calorie consumption was 2655.49kcal per AE. The MNL model of marginal effect reveals that age, access to education, land size, livestock holding, extension contact, credit, distance from market, target for Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) and dependency ratio of household were significantly affecting choice the of livelihood strategies. The study, therefore recommends that investing in natural assets such as farm land and livestock ownership by networking valuable extension contact and market access, needs consideration in promoting rural livelihood diversification. Local government should intervene help educate and train rural households by supporting credit access for profitable diversification to off farm, and non-farm besides on farm to sustain their livelihood and ensure food security. Keywords: Livelihood/on farm, off farm, non-farm/: Food security, Multinomial logit models DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/12-22-01 Publication date: November 30 th 2022

Does diet influence ejaculate expenditure under experimentally altered risk of sperm competition in guppies?

According to the sperm competition risk (SCR) model, males should increase their investment in ejaculates when there is a high chance that their sperm will compete for fertilization with those from another male. However, as ejaculates are energetically costly to produce, the extent to which males can adjust ejaculate investment may depend on the availability of metabolic resources. We tested these ideas using the guppy, Poecilia reticulata, a livebearing fish known to exhibit strong condition dependence in ejaculate traits and among the highest recorded polyandry rates in any vertebrate. Specifically, we manipulated SCR by visually exposing mature males to females either in the presence (high SCR) or absence (low SCR) of a rival male over 1 month, which comprises a full spermatogenic cycle. To test for condition dependence in male response to SCR, both groups were further subdivided into two diet quantity treatments (high and low), enabling us to test fixed and interactive effects of SCR and diet treatment on ejaculate expenditure (sperm production, sperm length and sperm velocity). Contrary to our predictions, we found no evidence that males increase ejaculate expenditure under high SCR, and indeed report the opposite pattern (higher expenditure under low SCR) for sperm velocity. Furthermore, we found no evidence that dietary restriction (when administered to mature adult males over 1 month) affected any ejaculate traits, leading us to suspect that ejaculates may only be susceptible to dietary restriction effects during a critical ontogenetic stage of development. We discuss these unexpected findings in the context of guppy biology, which may render the species less likely to exhibit long-term adjustments in ejaculates when perceiving short-term changes in SCR. Moreover, the high polyandry rates in this species may mean that the visual presence of a rival is a cue of altered sperm competition intensity, rather than risk.

Microbe Profile: Wigglesworthia glossinidia: the tsetse fly's significant other.

Wigglesworthia glossinidia is an obligate, maternally transmitted endosymbiont of tsetse flies. The ancient association between these two organisms accounts for many of their unique physiological adaptations. Similar to other obligate mutualists, Wigglesworthia's genome is dramatically reduced in size, yet it has retained the capacity to produce many B-vitamins that are found at inadequate quantities in the fly's vertebrate blood-specific diet. These Wigglesworthia-derived B-vitamins play essential nutritional roles to maintain tsetse's physiological homeostasis as well as that of other members of the fly's microbiota. In addition to its nutritional role, Wigglesworthia contributes towards the development of tsetse's immune system during the larval period. Tsetse produce amidases that degrade symbiotic peptidoglycans and prevent activation of antimicrobial responses that can damage Wigglesworthia. These amidases in turn exhibit antiparasitic activity and decrease tsetse's ability to be colonized with parasitic trypanosomes, which reduce host fitness. Thus, the Wigglesworthia symbiosis represents a fine-tuned association in which both partners actively contribute towards achieving optimal fitness outcomes.

Longitudinal associations between physical activity and other health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic: a fixed effects analysis

Government enforced restrictions on movement during the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to have had profound impacts on the daily behaviours of many individuals, including physical activity (PA). Given the associations between PA and other health behaviours, changes in PA during the pandemic may have been detrimental for other health behaviours. This study aimed to evaluate whether changes in PA during and after the first national lockdown in the United Kingdom (UK) were associated with concurrent changes in alcohol consumption, sleep, nutrition quality, diet quantity and sedentary time. Data were derived from the UCL COVID-19 Social Study, in which 52,784 adults were followed weekly across 22 weeks of the pandemic from 23rd March to 23rd August 2020. Fixed effects regression models showed that greater PA was positively associated with improved sleep and nutrition quality. However, increases in PA also showed modest associations with increased alcohol consumption and sedentary time. Encouraging people to engage in PA may lead to wider changes in other health behaviours in times of adversity. These associations could be a result of increases in available leisure time for many people during COVID-19 restrictions and are of ongoing importance given the emerging long-term changes to lifestyle and working patterns.

202 An Update on in Vitro and in Situ Experimental Techniques for Approximation of Ruminal Fiber Degradation

Abstract Measures of the quantity of chemical components are used to make certain assumptions about forage or feed quality. However, additional ruminal degradation kinetic measures are necessary for modern nutrient requirement models and more accurate estimates of intake and digestibility. The extent and rate of ruminal degradation is most easily and inexpensively measured with in vitro and in situ experimental techniques. This presentation is a summary of updates to these techniques in the last thirty years. The Daisy Incubator by ANKOM Technology has been marketed for over twenty-five years. This product resulted in standardization of materials and methods used to measure in vitro true digestibility. The biological component of the technique, ruminal fluid, is still a variable component since it is influenced by fistulated animal diet and collection and transport procedures. Despite several calls through review papers over the last thirty years, the in situ experimental technique is not standardized and there remains variation among laboratories and experiments. Animal species, ingredients and quantity of animal diet, grind size of the test material, bag pore size, ratio of the sample: surface area of bag, replications, sample treatment prior to incubation and after removal, incubation method, microbial contamination, bag washing, and even laboratory balance weigh method contribute to the variation among in situ experiments. Once in situ data is obtained, it is typically fitted to a first order exponential model and parameters estimated without determining if the model is the best fit. Perhaps understanding the reasons that standardization of in situ methodology have failed would facilitate ways to make standardization possible. In the meantime, careful in situ experimental technique results in measures that are valuable inputs into models for nutrient requirements, intake, and digestibility and an increase in knowledge about ruminal degradation kinetics, despite the inability to compare results across laboratories or experiments.

Effect of different front-of-package food labels on identification of unhealthy products and intention to purchase the products– A randomised controlled trial in South Africa

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different labels on participants identifying products high in nutrients of concern; identifying unhealthy products, and intention to purchase unhealthy products. This blinded randomised controlled trial included a representative sample of South African households (n = 1951). Per household we selected a member primarily responsible for food purchases. Participants were randomised into the Warning Label (WL), Guideline Dietary Amounts (GDA) or Multiple Traffic Light (MTL) arms. Each participant answered questions in a no label condition (control) followed by same questions in the label condition (experiment). Complete data were collected and analysed for 1948 participants (WL = 33.7%, GDA = 32.1% and MTL = 34.2%). The probability of correctly identifying products high in nutrients of concern and identifying products as being unhealthy was higher with the WL compared to the GDA or MTL for most items. There was no difference in performance between the GDA and the MTL when considering all items together. A higher percentage of participants reported a lower intention to purchase an unhealthy product after exposure to the WL compared to MTL for 5 out of 6 products; 2 out of 6 products for the WL compared to GDA and 2 out of 6 products for GDA compared to MTL. Compared to the control condition, exposure to each of the labels resulted in better identification of nutrients of concern, unhealthy products and a lower intention to purchase when considering all specific outcome items together. The WL showed a higher potential to enable South African consumers to identify products high in nutrients of concern, identify unhealthy products and discourage purchasing of unhealthy products.

Effects of Dietary Inclusion of Sericea Lespedeza Hay on Feed Intake, Digestion, Nutrient Utilization, Growth Performance, and Ruminal Fermentation and Methane Emission of Alpine Doelings and Katahdin Ewe Lambs.

Simple SummaryRuminants contribute to global greenhouse gas production, mainly through enteric methane emission (EME). Different dietary strategies have been explored to mitigate EME, including the use of forages rich in tannins that inhibit methanogenic activity in the rumen. Feeding the condensed tannin-containing forage Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) has reduced EME by small ruminants in previous studies. In the present experiment, the digestion of fiber, and in particular of nitrogen, decreased as the concentration of lespedeza increased. Similar metabolizable energy intake and retained energy among diets suggests that decreasing digested nitrogen intake and protein status were responsible for marked declines in growth performance as the dietary amount of lespedeza increased. In contrast to many other reports, the dietary concentration of lespedeza did not affect EME by goats or sheep under these feeding conditions.Twenty-four Alpine doelings, initial 25.3 ± 0.55 kg body weight (BW) and 10.4 ± 0.11 mo of age, and 24 Katahdin ewe lambs, 28.3 ± 1.02 kg BW and 9.6 ± 0.04 mo of age, were used to determine effects of dietary inclusion of Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) hay on feed intake, digestion, growth performance, energy metabolism, and ruminal fermentation and methane emission. There were four periods, the first three 42 days in length and the fourth 47 days. Diets consumed ad libitum contained 75% coarsely ground hay with alfalfa (ALF), a 1:1 mixture of ALF and LES (ALF+LES), and LES (10.0% condensed tannins; CT). The intake of dry matter (DM) tended to be greater (p = 0.063) for Katahdin than for Alpine (4.14 vs. 3.84% BW; SEM = 0.110). The dry matter intake was similar among the diets (3.97, 4.10, and 3.89% BW for ALF, ALF+LES, and LES, respectively; SEM = 0.134). The digestion of organic matter (75.3, 69.3, and 65.5%; SEM = 0.86), neutral detergent fiber (61.7, 50.5, and 41.4%; SEM = 1.49), and nitrogen (78.8, 66.9, and 50.8% for ALF, ALF+LES, and LES, respectively; SEM = 0.92) decreased as the dietary concentration of lespedeza increased (p < 0.05). However, there was an interaction (p < 0.05) between the breed and diet in nitrogen digestion, with a greater value for goats vs. sheep with LES (54.4 vs. 47.3%; SEM = 1.30). The digested nitrogen intake decreased markedly with the increasing quantity of lespedeza (38.0, 27.5, and 15.7 g/day for ALF, ALF+LES, and LES, respectively; SEM = 1.26). The average daily gain was greater for Katahdin than for Alpine (p < 0.001; 180 vs. 88 g, SEM = 5.0) and ranked (p < 0.05) ALF > ALF+LES > LES (159, 132, and 111 g, respectively; SEM = 6.1). The ruminal methane emission differed (p < 0.05) between animal types in MJ/day (1.17 and 1.44), kJ/g DM intake (1.39 and 1.23), and kJ/g ADG (18.1 and 9.8 for Alpine and Katahdin, respectively). Regardless of the period and animal type, diet did not impact methane emission in MJ/day or relative to DM intake, BW, or ADG (p > 0.05). The digestible and metabolizable energy intakes, heat production, and retained energy were not affected by diet (p > 0.05). In conclusion, future research should consider the marked potential effect of CT of forages such as lespedeza on nitrogen digestion and associated effects on protein status and other conditions that may be impacted.

Development of larviculture protocols for the long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum) and enhanced performance with diets containing the cryptophyte Rhodomonas lens

Slow or nonexistent natural recovery of the Caribbean long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum) following a mass mortality event in 1983–1984 has prompted interest in hatchery-origin production and restocking to aid coral-reef restoration. A critical first step is the ability to propagate D. antillarum from gametes, at scale. However, a unique larval biology and difficult and lengthy culture period of ~ 40 days has resulted in inconsistent success over the past 20-plus years. The purpose of this study was to develop protocols for rearing D. antillarum within a novel 1800-L recirculating aquaculture system capable of scaled production. Five separate experiments investigated larval development in response to diet quantity, diet composition, and initial stocking density within 40-L replicate culture tanks. The initial experiment was used to develop a microalgae reference diet consisting of Tisochrysis lutea and Chaetoceros sp. and revealed similar growth and survival between high quantity (40.0 × 103 cells mL−1) and low quantity (10.0 × 103 cells mL−1) treatments at 21 days post-fertilization (DPF). Experiments 2–4 examined diet quality by comparing carbon-equivalent microalgae compositions. Mixed diets containing Rhodomonas lens outperformed the reference diet in multiple experiments and a tripartite diet containing all three species resulted in significantly higher survival at 42 DPF. The highest growth overall occurred from a monoalgal R. lens diet, which indicated that this species is critically important. Further observations of density-dependent growth dynamics revealed that initial stocking densities > 1 larvae mL−1 significantly reduced growth over 28 DPF. Data generated were used to establish fundamental larviculture protocols that have since led to the production of over 1000 juveniles.

Male Layer Chicken's Response to Dietary Moringa oleifera Meal in a Tropical Climate.

Simple SummaryIn the egg industry, most slow-growing chicks are usually euthanized at 1-day-old even though it has been demonstrated that they are well-suited to production systems with outdoor access. However, the rearing of these birds, as an option to address the ethical concerns related to their disposal at such an early age, is impaired by high feeding costs. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate non-conventional feeding materials that could be incorporated into their diets. Moringa is a non-traditional feed for poultry; nevertheless, studies investigating slow-growing breeds’ performance when fed Moringa while given access to outdoors in the tropics are limited. Thus, the current study evaluated slow-growing chickens’ response to dietary Moringa in terms of production performance, carcass yield, and blood parameters. The results revealed that all cumulative traits were not negatively affected by the treatments (except for feed conversion). Additionally, both breast weight and yield and gizzard weight and yield significantly increased with dietary Moringa, while blood parameters remained unaltered. It is concluded that Moringa, as a feed ingredient, could be added to the diets of slow-growing male chickens grown with outdoor access in the tropics to improve productive and carcass traits, but feed conversion could be increased.This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different dietary amounts of Moringa oleifera meal (MOM), consisting of leaves and small edible green stems, on growth performance, carcass traits, and blood parameters of finisher male layer-type slow-growing chickens raised with outdoor access. A total of 198 Dominant Blue D 107, 72-day-old male chickens were randomly assigned to tree dietary treatments containing 0, 30, and 60 g/kg MOM that corresponded to T1 or control, T2, and T3, separately. Each treatment was divided into 6 replicates of 11 birds apiece, and all birds had access to the outdoors. After 7 weeks of experimental rearing, live weight was 2218.1, 2164.4, and 2176.6 g for birds raised in T1, T2 and T3, respectively, without statistical differences (p ≥ 0.05). Live weight gain and daily live weight gain increased (p ≤ 0.05) in favor of the control group during the first 4 weeks but decreased (p ≤ 0.05) in the last 3 weeks of the trial. Overall feed intake was not influenced by the treatments (p ≥ 0.05). Birds raised with MOM in their diets had higher feed conversion (p ≤ 0.05). T2 diet considerably increased (p ≤ 0.05) birds’ breast and gizzard weight and yield while decreasing feet weight and yield, in comparison to T1. Dietary MOM inclusion did not impair or improve (p ≥ 0.05) blood parameters. The results of this study suggest that up to 60 g/kg MOM could be included in the diets of slow-growing Dominant Blue D 107 male chickens grown with access to outdoors without compromising their productive performance (except for feed conversion), slaughter characteristics, and health status.

Effects of diet quantity on growth performance of juvenile sea cucumbers Holothuria scabra

Sea cucumbers are in high demand in the world market due to their nutritional and medicinal values. In this study, the growth performance of juvenile sea cucumbers Holothuria scabra fed with different proportions of two feeds was analyzed. Commercially available sea cucumber feed (feed-A) and formulated feed (feed-B) were used for the experiments. Animals fed with 2% feed-A showed a negative growth rate. Maximum growth was observed in animals fed with 8% feed-A and feed-B. While feed-A treated groups showed significant variation (P &lt; 0.05) in growth performance between different percentages of diets, feed-B treated animals showed no such variation. Feed-B treated animals showed higher growth rates compared to feed-A treated sea cucumbers. Water quality parameters and anoxic conditions of the soil in culture tanks did not change due to the higher percentage of feeds. In conclusion, this study showed that diet percentage is an important factor for the optimum growth of sea cucumbers.

989 IS DIET QUALITY AS IMPORTANT AS DIET QUANTITY IN THE OLDER ADULT? MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCY, FRAILTY AND SARCOPENIA

Abstract Introduction Dietary research in older adults has focused on energy content, macronutrient composition and diet quantity. Dietary antioxidants can theoretically ameliorate oxidative stress, which is widely implicated in age-related degeneration. Additional vital micronutrients are magnesium, being a co-factor for antioxidant enzyme function, and potassium, given its role in nerve and muscle function, and fluid balance. This study sought to investigate diet quality, specifically micronutrient content, and independent nutritional risk factors for frailty and sarcopenia. Method Secondary analysis of NUTRICOM 2015–2018 study participants (NIHR 19045)—exploring the impact of malnutrition on community-dwelling older adults—was conducted. Dietary intake was assessed using multiple-pass 24-hour dietary recall, nutrition risk status (NRS) using Guy’s and St Thomas’ NRS Tool, frailty using the 7-point Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and sarcopenia using EWGSOP2 handgrip strength cut-offs. Mann–Whitney U-Test assessed differences in dietary intake between malnutrition risk groups. Multivariable regression models, adjusting for age, gender, deprivation and comorbidities, established nutritional correlates of frailty and sarcopenia. Results 142 participants; mean age 77.4(SD 8.4) years, 83(59%) female, mean BMI 26.05(SD 5.35). 79%–91% of older adults showed dietary deficiency in zinc, selenium, copper, magnesium and potassium. CFS increase was independently associated with NRS, and deficiency of potassium, copper and cumulative micronutrients, by 1.52, 1.19, 0.82 and 0.28 respectively (p &amp;lt; 0.05). Individuals with dietary zinc deficiency were 3.25 times more likely to have sarcopenia than individuals with sufficient zinc intake (95%CI: 1.04–10.16, p = 0.042). Conclusion Routine nutrition risk screening (accounting for macronutrient intake) finds only about 5% of older adults to be at-risk of malnutrition, whilst assessment of dietary intake in this study suggests dietary micronutrient deficiency is very common and is associated with increased frailty. 24-hour recall only provides a snapshot of dietary intake; further studies should be conducted using method that measure habitual dietary intake e.g. 7-day dietary diary.

Gender Differences in Diet Quality and Quantity in Rural Bangladesh. Are Men Still Favored?

ObjectivesStudies from Bangladesh have long documented pro-male biases in intrahousehold food allocation. However, many of these earlier studies were conducted against the backdrop of caloric scarcity and since then, food availability and affordability in the country have significantly improved. This study re-examines gender differences in diet quantity and quality in rural Bangladesh with 2012 data. MethodsThe study uses 24-hour dietary recall data collected in 2012 (12,970 individuals within 5,000 households, ages 15+) from ultra-poor rural Bangladeshi households and OLS regressions to test for gender differences in constructed diet measures. Measures include caloric intake, Caloric Adequacy Ratio (CAR: intake divided by estimated requirements based on sex, occupation, and life stage), Dietary Diversity Score (DDS; range 0–10), Global Dietary Quality Score (DGQS; range 0–49), food group intakes (intake per GDQS food group, grams), and ratios of food group intake to total intake. Between-household differences are accounted for by adjusting for demographic and geographic factors. ResultsPreliminary results show that men consume more calories than women (mean kcal: male = 2217.99, female = 2022.25, p < 0.001), but women consume more in reference to their caloric needs (CAR: m = 0.75, f = 0.90, p < 0.001). Men also score higher on diet quality measures (DDS: m = 3.43, f = 3.32, p < 0.001; GDQS: m = 8.27, f = 7.69, p < 0.001) and have greater mean intakes in 18 of the 25 GDQS food groups, but the absolute magnitude of male-female differences is small (e.g., < 10 gr. differences in all animal sourced foods). Moreover, compared to women, men did not consume significantly higher proportions of nutrient-dense foods groups. ConclusionsResults indicate that while men’s intake quantities and diet quality scores are marginally higher, the slight male advantage disappears when energy requirements and food group proportions are accounted for. Accordingly, the study results do not provide evidence of male favoritism in household food allocation. Funding SourcesNational Institutes of Health (award T32DK007158), German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, UK Department for International Development, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, UN Development Programme, World Food Programme.

Eating in a losing cause: limited benefit of modified macronutrient consumption following infection in the oriental cockroach Blatta orientalis

BackgroundHost–pathogen interactions can lead to dramatic changes in host feeding behaviour. One aspect of this includes self-medication, where infected individuals consume substances such as toxins or alter their macronutrient consumption to enhance immune competence. Another widely adopted animal response to infection is illness-induced anorexia, which is thought to assist host immunity directly or by limiting the nutritional resources available to pathogens. Here, we recorded macronutrient preferences of the global pest cockroach, Blatta orientalis to investigate how shifts in host macronutrient dietary preference and quantity of carbohydrate (C) and protein (P) interact with immunity following bacterial infection.ResultsWe find that B. orientalis avoids diets enriched for P under normal conditions, and that high P diets reduce cockroach survival in the long term. However, following bacterial challenge, cockroaches significantly reduced their overall nutrient intake, particularly of carbohydrates, and increased the relative ratio of protein (P:C) consumed. Surprisingly, these behavioural shifts had a limited effect on cockroach immunity and survival, with minor changes to immune protein abundance and antimicrobial activity between individuals placed on different diets, regardless of infection status.ConclusionsWe show that cockroach feeding behaviour can be modulated by a pathogen, resulting in an illness-induced anorexia-like feeding response and a shift from a C-enriched to a more P:C equal diet. However, our results also indicate that such responses do not provide significant immune protection in B. orientalis, suggesting that the host’s dietary shift might also result from random rather than directed behaviour. The lack of an apparent benefit of the shift in feeding behaviour highlights a possible reduced importance of diet in immune regulation in these invasive animals, although further investigations employing pathogens with alternative infection strategies are warranted.

Resource limitation has a limited impact on the outcome of virus-fungus co-infection in an insect host.

Infection by pathogens is strongly affected by the diet or condition of the prospective host. Studies that examine the impact of diet have mainly focused on single pathogens; however, co‐infections within a single host are thought to be common. Different pathogen groups might respond differently to resource availability and diverse infections could increase the costs of host defense, meaning the outcome of mixed infections under varying dietary regimes is likely to be hard to predict. We used the generalist cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni and two of its pathogens, the DNA virus T. ni nucleopolyhedrovirus (TniSNPV) and the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana to examine how nutrient reduction affected the outcome of mixed pathogen infection. We challenged insects with a low or high effective dose of virus, alone or combined with a single dose of fungus. We manipulated food availability after pathogen challenge by diluting artificial diet with cellulose, a non‐nutritious bulking agent, and examined its impact on host and pathogen fitness. Reducing diet quantity did not alter overall or pathogen‐specific mortality. In all cases, TniSNPV‐induced mortality was negatively affected by fungus challenge. Similarly, B. bassiana‐induced mortality was negatively affected by TniSNPV challenge, but only at the higher virus dose. Dietary dilution mainly affected B. bassiana speed of kill when mixed with a high dose of TniSNPV, with an increase in the duration of fungal infection when cellulose was low (high quantity). One pathogen dominated the production of transmission stages in the cadavers and co‐infection did not affect the yield of either pathogen. There was no evidence that co‐infections were more costly to the survivors of pathogen challenge. In conclusion, dietary dilution did not determine the outcome of mixed pathogen infection, but it had more subtle effects, that differed between the two pathogens and could potentially alter pathogen recycling and host–pathogen dynamics.

Examining adolescents' obesogenic behaviors on structured days: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The structured days hypothesis posits that 'structured days' (i.e., days with pre-planned, segmented, and adult-supervised environments) reduce youth obesogenic behaviors. Structured days may be especially important for adolescents', as adolescence (12-19 years) is a period of developmental milestones and increased autonomy. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the relationship between structured days and adolescents' obesogenic behaviors (i.e., physical activity, diet, screen time, and/or sleep). From February to April of 2020, four databases (i.e., Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and PsychINfo) were searched for cross-sectional, longitudinal, and intervention (i.e., baseline data only) studies reporting obesogenic behaviors on more structured versus less structured days (i.e., weekday versus weekend or school year versus summer/holiday). A total of 42,878 unique titles and abstracts were screened with 2767 full-text articles retrieved. After review of full-text articles, 296 studies were identified (sleep k = 147, physical activity k = 88, screen time k = 81, diet k = 8). Most studies were conducted in North America, Europe & Central Asia, or East Asia & the Pacific used self-report measures and compared school days to weekend days. Meta-analyses indicated that adolescents' physical activity (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.25 [95%CI - 0.48, -0.03]) and screen time (SMD = -0.48 [95%CI - 0.66, -0.29]) were less healthy on less structured days. Differences did not reach statistical significance for sleep (SMD = -0.23 [95%CI - 0.48, 0.02]) and diet (SMD = -0.13 [95%CI - 0.77, 0.51]), however, sleep timing (SMD = -1.05 [95%CI - 1.31, -0.79]) and diet quantity (SMD = -0.29 [95%CI - 0.35, -0.23]) were less healthy on less structured days. The review identified studies with large heterogeneity. Findings indicate that adolescents' physical activity, screen time, sleep timing, and diet quantity are less healthy on less structured days. Interventions for adolescents to prevent and treat obesity may be more successful if they are designed to target times that are less structured.

Assessment of Nutritional Status among Male and Female Undergraduate Students of Saveetha Dental College

A rational way of nourishment, combined with adequate physical activity, are the basic components of maintaining proper body condition. The aim of the study was to evaluate nutritional status among male and female undergraduate students of Saveetha dental college. A cross sectional survey of different questions, dietary patterns was conducted with a sample of 184 students (I, II, III, IV, and V students). Survey was conducted via google form through random sampling to identify undernutrition in the sample. Questionnaires were based on dietary health patterns and nutritional status in day to day life. The sample size for this study is about 184 participants and at the end of the survey, all the data were collected and analysed by using IBM SPSS software. The results obtained was the majority of the students are at normal weight and the scores met optimal levels. This suggests good quality and quantity of diet.

The effects of beta-cypermethrin, chlorbenzuron, chlorothalonil, and pendimethalin on Apis mellifera ligustica and Apis cerana cerana larvae reared in vitro.

Declines in bee populations and diversity have drawn international attention. The long-term use of chemical pesticides has affected bee behavior and physiology. This study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic exposure to four commonly used chemical pesticides (beta-cypermethrin, chlorbenzuron, chlorothalonil and pendimethalin) on the growth of Apis mellifera ligustica and Apis cerana cerana larvae reared in vitro. Pesticide type and concentration were the main factors affecting honeybee fitness. Beta-cypermethrin and chlorbenzuron had chronic toxic effects on bee larvae. They reduced the fitness of A. m. ligustica and A. c. cerana even at low doses of 323.5ng g-1 for beta-cypermethrin and 62.6ng g-1 for chlorbenzuron in bee bread. The effects were positively associated with the dietary amounts of pesticides. By contrast, chlorothalonil and pendimethalin exposure did not affect bee larvae despite changes in enzyme activities. Caution is still needed with chlorothalonil, which led to a decrease in harvest adult bee numbers at a high dose (6937.2ng g-1 ). Furthermore, a difference in pesticide resistance was observed, suggesting that A. m. ligustica may tolerate toxic effects better than A. c. cerana. This study sheds new light on chronic toxicity in bee larvae exposed to residues in bee bread. The results could guide the scientific and rational use of chemical pesticides to reduce the potential risks to A. m. ligustica and A. c. cerana. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

РАЗРАБОТКА И НАЗНАЧЕНИЕ ФУНКЦИОНАЛЬНОГО ПИТАНИЯ ПАЦИЕНТАМ, ПОЛЬЗУЮЩИМСЯ ЗУБНЫМИ ПРОТЕЗАМИ

Till present times nutritiology and dietology in dental practice are at rudimentary level. At the same time it is a well-known fact the chewing efficiency is much higher in case of having fixed prosthesis comparing with their removable denture counterpart. As for elderly population nourishment it is important to take into consideration the complexity of receiving of all the necessary nutrients. Quantity and quality of the food diet will directly affect their quality of life.&#x0D; Aim. Development of the functional food diet ration for specific groups of dental patients &#x0D; Materials and Methods. We surveyed 244 patients (84 males, 160 females) in the age range from 60 to 85 years (mean value 75.4+/-2.4) with different types of implant supported prostheses. We used clinical, sociological, nutritiological evaluation methods. Besides that we used GOHAI questionnaire and modified Wolfart questionnaire. &#x0D; Results. We defined basic groups of dental patients who have indications for prescribing functional food diet:&#x0D; a) patients utilizing removable dentures, especially full dentures, in the situation where antagonists would be intact dentition or dental arches with conventional or implant supported fixed bridges;&#x0D; b) patients treated with immediate removable dentures, fixed implant supported prostheses, especially in case of big span bridges with limited amount of fixtures;&#x0D; c) patients using removable implant supported overdentures;&#x0D; d) Patients older than 70 years of age.&#x0D; We established food rations based on intaking soft low viscosity liquid meal. High GOHAI scores (56.1+/-1.49) were the prove of the high efficiency and efficacy of the rehabilitation per se and also of the functional diet regimen recommended to the examined patients.&#x0D; Conclusions. We developed functional food diet taking into consideration the short and long term period after finishing the implant supported or conventional, immediate or delayed prosthetic rehabilitation with the use of total prosthesis predominately for edentulous patients. Incorporation of these types of diet regimen in the rehabilitation plan oriented towards increasing the efficiency of the main treatment arrangements.

Effects of tannins supplementation to sheep diets on their performance, carcass parameters and meat fatty acid profile: A meta-analysis study

This study was carried to evaluate the effects of tannins supplementation to sheep diets on their performance, carcass parameters and meat fatty acid profile through meta-analysis. Seventy-four peer-reviewed publications with 183 treatment means were included in the data set. The effects of tannins as an additive in sheep diets were evaluated by examining the weighted mean difference (WMD) between tannins treatment (diets with tannins inclusion) and control treatment (diets with no tannins). Heterogeneity was explored by meta-regression and subgroup analysis performed for: genetic group; animal age; tannins supplementation period, experimental design; amount of condensed tannins and concentrate in diet. Based on our results, tannins should not be fed to lamb younger than 3 months of age due to their negative effect on carcass weight. Enteric methane emissions (CH4 g/kg DMI) reduced by 17.5 % with tannins supplementation. Tannins supplementation also altered N metabolism by increasing N intake (2.10 %), retained N (5.44 %) and fecal N excretion (2.99 %) and reducing urinary N excretion (9.7 %). Nevertheless, the effects of tannins feeding on N metabolism varied according to the experimental design used (rotative vs. continuos). Therefore, the use of rotative experimental design in studies carried to evaluate the response of sheep to tannins can result in responses with confounded error due to the possibility of having residual effects of treatments. Increased meat concentrations of fatty acid with human health benefits were reported with tannins supplementation. Concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA C20:5 ω-3; 26.63 %), docosapentaenoic (DPA C22:5 ω-3; 12.08 %), docosahexaenoic (DHA C22:6 ω-3; 10.59 %) and total omega-3 (14.01 %) were all higher in meat from sheep fed tannins compared to those fed control diet (diets with no tannins). Additionally, condensed tannins inclusion to sheep diets in amounts ranging from 20.0 to 25.0 g/kg of DM increased meat concentrations of arachidonic acid, EPA C20:5 ω-3, DPA C22:5 ω-3, DHA C22:6 ω-3, total PUFA, total omega-3 and total omega-6.