Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MicroRNAs are absorbed in biologically meaningful amounts from nutritionally relevant doses of cow milk and affect gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, HEK-293 kidney cell cultures, and mouse livers.

BACKGROUND MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate genes in animals and plants and can be synthesized endogenously. In milk, miRNAs are encapsulated in exosomes, thereby conferring protection against degradation and facilitating uptake by endocytosis. The majority of bovine miRNAs have nucleotide sequences complementary to human gene transcripts, suggesting that miRNAs in milk might regulate human genes. OBJECTIVES We tested the hypotheses that humans absorb biologically meaningful amounts of miRNAs from nutritionally relevant doses of milk, milk-borne miRNAs regulate human gene expression, and mammals cannot compensate for dietary miRNA depletion by endogenous miRNA synthesis. METHODS Healthy adults (3 men, 2 women; aged 26-49 y) consumed 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 L of milk in a randomized crossover design. Gene expression studies and milk miRNA depletion studies were conducted in human cell cultures and mice, respectively. For comparison, feeding studies with plant miRNAs from broccoli were conducted in humans. RESULTS Postprandial concentration time curves suggest that meaningful amounts of miRNA (miR)-29b and miR-200c were absorbed; plasma concentrations of miR-1 did not change (negative control). The expression of runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), a known target of miR-29b, increased by 31% in blood mononuclear cells after milk consumption compared with baseline. When milk exosomes were added to cell culture media, mimicking postprandial concentrations of miR-29b and miR-200c, reporter gene activities significantly decreased by 44% and 17%, respectively, compared with vehicle controls in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. When C57BL/6J mice were fed a milk miRNA-depleted diet for 4 wk, plasma miR-29b concentrations were significantly decreased by 61% compared with miRNA-sufficient controls, i.e., endogenous synthesis did not compensate for dietary depletion. Broccoli sprout feeding studies were conducted as a control and elicited no detectable increase in Brassica-specific miRNAs. CONCLUSION We conclude that miRNAs in milk are bioactive food compounds that regulate human genes.
Estimated dietary acid load is not associated with blood pressure or hypertension incidence in men who are approximately 70 years old.

BACKGROUND Dietary acid load affects acid-base homeostasis, which may be associated with blood pressure (BP). Previous research on dietary acid load and BP in the community has provided conflicting results, which may be confounded by underlying kidney function with inability to eliminate acid excess. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine whether dietary acid load is associated with blood pressure or the incidence of hypertension in older men taking into account each individual's kidney function. METHODS We included 673 men aged 70-71 y and not receiving antihypertensive medication from the Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men. Of those, 378 men were re-examined after 7 y. Dietary acid load was estimated at baseline by potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP), based on nutrient intake assessed by 7-d food records at baseline. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) was performed at both visits. Cystatin C-estimated kidney function allowed identification of underlying chronic kidney disease. RESULTS Median estimated PRAL and NEAP were 3.3 and 40.7 mEq/d, respectively. In cross-section, PRAL was in general not associated with ABPM measurements (all P > 0.05, except for the 24-h diastolic BP). During follow-up, PRAL did not predict ABPM changes (all P > 0.05). When individuals with baseline hypertension (ABPM ≥ 130/80 mm Hg) or nondippers (with nighttime-to-daytime systolic BP ratio > 0.9) were excluded, PRAL was not a predictor of incident cases (P > 0.30). Kidney function did not modify these null relations. Similar findings were obtained with the use of NEAP as the exposure. CONCLUSION Our analyses linking estimated dietary acid load with BP outcome measurements both cross-sectionally and after 7 y in community-based older Swedish men of similar age did not reveal an association between dietary acid load and BP.
Bovine osteopontin modifies the intestinal transcriptome of formula-fed infant rhesus monkeys to be more similar to those that were breastfed.

BACKGROUND Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional protein found in human milk at high concentration. OBJECTIVE The impact of supplemental bovine OPN on growth, body composition, and the jejunal transcriptome was assessed. METHODS Newborn rhesus monkeys were randomly assigned to be breastfed (n = 4) or to receive formula [formula fed (FF), n = 6] or formula supplemented with 125 mg/L of bovine OPN (bOPN, n = 6) for 3 mo. Jejunal mRNA was extracted and subjected to microarray analysis. RESULTS Growth was similar among all the treatment groups, but breastfed monkeys were ∼25% leaner at 3 mo. Pairwise comparisons demonstrated that 1017 genes were differentially expressed between breastfed and FF groups, 217 between breastfed and bOPN groups, and 119 between FF and bOPN groups. The data were also analyzed with the use of weighted gene coexpression network analysis, which revealed 6 modules of coexpressed genes that differed among the 3 treatments. Nearly 50% of genes were assigned to one module in which breastfed differed from FF and bOPN expression was intermediate. This module was enriched for genes related to cell adhesion and motility, cytoskeletal remodeling, wingless and integration site signaling, and neuronal development. Most of these canonical pathways centered on integrins, which are receptors for OPN. CONCLUSIONS The intestinal transcriptome of breastfed and FF monkeys differs, but bovine OPN at levels similar to human milk shifts gene expression profiles to be more similar to breastfed monkeys.
A study of risk factors of acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) of under five age group in uban and rural communities of Ahmedabad district, Gujarat.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory tract infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing and also developed countries. About 13 million children under 5 years of age die every year in the world; 95% of them in developing countries and one third of total deaths due to ARI. OBJECTIVE: To study some of the risk factors which are responsible for occurrence of ARI in under five age groups living in urban and rural areas of Ahmedabad district. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross sectional study covering 500 under five children in urban (five zone) and rural (five PHC of sanand taluka) area of Ahmedabad district from September 2008 to March 2009. RESULTS: A significant association was found between ARI and low birth weight, timely initiation of breast feeding, prelactal feeding, timely given complementary feeding and immunization status. No significant association was found between ARI and duration of breast feeding. Occurrence of ARI was found to be 22%. It was more in low birth weight babies (<2.5 kg) (36.18%). Occurrence of ARI was lower in urban area (17.2%) as compared to rural area (26.8%) . In rural area, it is more because of lack of basic health services, lack of awareness etc,
Distribution of HbA1c Levels For Children and Young Adults in the U.S.: Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

OBJECTIVE—To describe the distribution of HbA1c levels among children and young adults in the U.S. and to evaluate the effects of age, sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, parental history of diabetes, overweight, and serum glucose on HbA1c levels. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We analyzed HbA1c data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994, for 7,968 participants aged 5–24 years who had not been treated for diabetes. After adjusting for the complex sample design, we compared the distributions of HbA1c in subgroups and developed multiple linear regression models to examine factors associated with HbA1c. RESULTS—Mean HbA1c level was 4.99% (SD 0.50%) and varied from 4.93% (95% CI ±0.04) in non-Hispanic whites to 5.05% (±0.02) in Mexican-Americans to 5.17% (±0.02) in non-Hispanic blacks. There were very small differences among subgroups. Within each age- group, among men and women, among overweight and nonoverweight subjects, and at any level of education, mean HbA1c levels were higher in non-Hispanic blacks than in non-Hispanic whites. After adjusting for confounders, HbA1c levels for non-Hispanic blacks (5.15%, 95% CI ±0.04) and Mexican-Americans (5.01%, ±0.04) were higher than those for non-Hispanic whites (4.93%, ±0.04). CONCLUSIONS—These data provide national reference levels for HbA1c distributions among Americans aged 5–24 years and show statistically significant racial/ethnic differences in HbA1c levels that are not completely explained by demographic and health-related variables.
The relationship between perceived parenting styles and resilience during adolescence

Objective — The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between perceived parenting styles and resilience in adolescence. Method — The respondents were a sample of 360 English speaking subjects, with a mean age of 17.6 years. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to investigate this relationship. The criterion variables included sense of coherence and problem-focused, emotion-focused and dysfunctional coping strategies. The predictor variables included six scales. Results — Authoritative parenting provided the most significant contribution to the explanation of the variance in resilience for black and white adolescents, and both genders. Surprisingly, the findings suggest that there is a positive relationship between fathers' authoritarian styles and emotion-focused coping strategies in white adolescent learners. In contrast, other researchers found that authoritarian and harsh parental styles are closely related to psychological disturbance. Conclusions — The identified relationships between the criterion and predictor variables found in this study for both black and white adolescents of both genders have distinct and far-reaching implications for envisaged interventions. A future study might also investigate the present study qualitatively. Further research will be necessary to enhance and develop appropriate parenting styles that facilitate resilience in adolescent children. Making use of more sophisticated methodologies, paying greater attention to the interaction between internal and external circumstances and refining theories to make specific predictions about how input variables influence components, should be considered in future.
Oligosaccharide composition of breast milk influences survival of uninfected children born to HIV-infected mothers in Lusaka, Zambia.

BACKGROUND Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) have multiple immunomodulatory functions that influence child health. OBJECTIVE In this study we investigated whether HMO composition influences survival to 2 y of age in HIV-infected and HIV-exposed, uninfected (HEU) children during and after breastfeeding. METHODS In the context of an early weaning trial in 958 HIV-infected women in Lusaka, Zambia, we conducted a nested case-cohort analysis of mortality to 2 y of age among 103 HIV-infected and 143 HEU children. Breast-milk samples collected at 1 mo postpartum were analyzed for HMO content. Samples were selected to include mothers of all HIV-infected children detected by 6 wk of age, of whom 63 died at <2 y of age; mothers of all HEU children who died at <2 y of age (n = 66); and a random sample of 77 HEU survivors. Associations before and after weaning in HIV-infected and HEU infants separately were investigated by using Cox models. RESULTS Among HEU children, higher maternal breast-milk concentrations of 2-linked fucosylated HMOs [2'-fucosyllactose and lacto-N-fucopentaose (LNFP) I] (HR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.74) as well as non-2-linked fucosylated HMOs (3-fucosyllactose and LNFP II/III; HR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.67) were significantly associated with reduced mortality during, but not after, breastfeeding after adjustment for confounders. Breastfeeding was protective against mortality only in HEU children with high concentrations of fucosylated HMOs. Among HIV-infected children, no consistent associations between HMOs and mortality were observed, but breastfeeding was protective against mortality. CONCLUSIONS The oligosaccharide composition of breast milk may explain some of the benefits of breastfeeding in HEU children. HIV infection may modulate some of the consequences of HMOs on child survival.
Seasonality modifies the effect of a lipid-based nutrient supplement for pregnant rural women on birth length.

BACKGROUND Maternal nutritional status is a major determinant of low birth weight and fluctuates across seasons. Seasonality may influence the outcome of prenatal nutrition interventions that aim to enhance fetal growth. OBJECTIVE This study investigated seasonal modifications of the efficacy of a randomized controlled prenatal nutrition intervention trial in pregnant women to improve fetal growth in rural Burkina Faso. METHODS The second Micronutriments et Santé de la Mère et de l'Enfant study compared a lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) fortified with multiple micronutrients (MMNs) to an MMN supplement. Truncated Fourier series were used to characterize seasonality in birth outcomes. Models that included the Fourier series and newborn and maternal characteristics were used to assess seasonal effect modifications of prenatal supplementation on birth outcomes. RESULTS Birth weight, birth length, small for gestational age as a proxy for intrauterine growth retardation, and preterm birth were significantly related to date of birth and showed important seasonal variations. LNSs, which supply energy in addition to MMNs, resulted in a significant increase in birth length (+13.5 mm, 95% CI: 6.5, 20.5 mm) at the transition from rain to dry season (September to November) compared to MMNs alone. CONCLUSIONS The climatologic and agricultural seasonal patterns in Burkina Faso affect the efficacy of prenatal LNSs on birth length. In this context, prenatal MMN supplementation programs should be complemented by energy supplementation during the annual rain season to promote fetal growth. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00909974.
A 2-year integrated agriculture and nutrition and health behavior change communication program targeted to women in Burkina Faso reduces anemia, wasting, and diarrhea in children 3-12.9 months of age at baseline: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Among young children in Burkina Faso, anemia and chronic and acute undernutrition are widespread. OBJECTIVE This study assessed the impact of Helen Keller International's (HKI) 2-y integrated agriculture [homestead food production (HFP)] and nutrition and health behavior change communication (BCC) program, targeted to women, on children's (3-12.9 mo old at baseline) anthropometry (stunting, wasting, and underweight), mean hemoglobin (Hb), anemia (Hb < 11 g/dL), and diarrhea prevalence. METHODS We used a cluster-randomized controlled trial, with 55 villages randomly assigned to a control group (n = 25) or 1 of 2 treatment groups (n = 15 each), which differed by who delivered the BCC messages [older women leaders or health committee (HC) members]. We used difference-in-difference (DID) estimates to assess impacts on child outcomes. RESULTS We found marginally significant (P < 0.10) impacts on Hb (DID: 0.51 g/dL; P = 0.07) and wasting [DID: -8.8 percentage point (pp); P = 0.08] and statistically significant (P < 0.05) impacts on diarrhea (-15.9 pp; P = 0.00) in HC compared with control villages among children aged 3-12.9 mo and larger impacts for anemia (DID: -14.6 pp; P = 0.03) and mean Hb (DID: 0.74 g/dL; P = 0.03) among younger children (aged 3-5.9 mo). However, we found no significant impacts on stunting or underweight prevalence. Plausibility was supported by greater improvements in women's agricultural production and maternal infant and young child feeding and care knowledge and practices in HC compared with control villages. CONCLUSIONS HKI's 2-y integrated HFP+BCC program (HC group) significantly improved several child outcomes, including wasting (marginal), diarrhea, Hb, and anemia, especially among the youngest children. This is the first cluster-randomized controlled trial of an HFP program that documents statistically significant positive effects on these child nutrition outcomes. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01825226.
Impact of an Alzheimer's Disease Education Program

Abstract This article reports on a multidimensional educational program for health care providers that provided information about Alzheimer's disease, and about cultural factors affecting how Hispanic families interpret this illness. The purpose was to disseminate current knowledge and then measure subsequent use of this knowledge in staff behaviors in their interactions with Hispanic Alzheimer's patients and their families. Health care workers who completed both pretest and post-test measures indicated an increase in both knowledge about Alzheimer's and about Hispanic beliefs, and demonstrated positive changes in self-reported patient care behaviors. Implications of these findings are discussed for health care practice.
Endogenous human milk peptide release is greater after preterm birth than term birth.

BACKGROUND Hundreds of naturally occurring milk peptides are present in term human milk. Preterm milk is produced before complete maturation of the mammary gland, which could change milk synthesis and secretion processes within the mammary gland, leading to differences in protein expression and enzymatic activity, thereby resulting in an altered peptide profile. OBJECTIVE This study examined differences in peptides present between milk from women delivering at term and women delivering prematurely. METHODS Nano-LC tandem mass spectrometry was employed to identify naturally occurring peptides and compare their abundances between term and preterm human milk samples at multiple time points over lactation. Term milk samples were collected from 8 mothers and preterm milk was collected from 14 mothers. The 28 preterm and 32 term human milk samples were divided into 4 groups based on day of collection (<14, 14-28, 29-41, and 42-58 d). RESULTS Preterm milk peptide counts, ion abundance, and concentration were significantly higher in preterm milk than term milk. Bioinformatic analysis of the cleavage sites for peptides identified suggested that plasmin was more active in preterm milk than term milk and that cytosol aminopeptidase and carboxypeptidase B2 likely contribute to extensive milk protein breakdown. Many identified milk peptides in both term and preterm milk overlapped with known functional peptides, including antihypertensive, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory peptides. CONCLUSION The high protein degradation by endogenous proteases in preterm milk might attenuate problems because of the preterm infant's immature digestive system. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01817127.
Nerve fibre extraction in confocal corneal microscopy images for human diabetic neuropathy detection using gabor filters

Recently CCM images have shown a great potential to be a non-invasive a nd hence reiterative surrogate for accurate and reliable detection and quantification of human diabetic neu ropathy. This paper presents a comparison between two methods to detect the nerves fibres in the CCM images: a we ll documented line operator (Linop) and a method based on Gabor filtering. The evaluation of the extraction is me asured according to ground truth data that has been manually extracted. The Gabor filtering method has achieve d a reduction of11.82% in the overall EER of the Linop method at the best operation points.
Feasibility of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in assessing children's mental health in primary care: Finnish parents’, teachers’ and public health nurses’ experiences with the SDQ

Background The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Method Following the administration of the SDQ in medical check-ups of 4–9 year-old children (n = 2 682) the involved parents, teachers and public health nurses were asked to complete a feedback questionnaire of the SDQ. Results Parents took a maximum of 10–15 minutes to complete the SDQ, and only the public health nurses reported that its use was rather burdensome. The SDQ was an age-appropriate method and it was helpful in increasing information and agreement about the child's mental health and need for support. Using the SDQ was a positive experience for parents, but they expected more dialogue with the professionals about the child's situation. The respondents criticised the questionnaire somewhat for being difficult to interpret and complete. Conclusions The SDQ was found to be a feasible method for screening children's mental health in primary health care together with parents, teachers and public health nurses. Using the SDQ was a positive experience for parents. However, they reminded the professionals of the importance of sensitive dialogue when assessing the mental health of the child.
“They laugh when I sing”: perceived effects of caregiver social support on child wellbeing among South African caregivers of children

Objective: Social support provided to caregivers of children has been shown to be protective for caregiver health, parenting and child psychosocial outcomes. However, little work in Southern Africa provides insight on the relationship between caregiver social support and child wellbeing. This report discusses exploratory qualitative findings from a larger mixed methods study, on caregivers’ perceptions of the pathways through which received support affects their children's lives. Methods: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 adult primary caregivers of children (aged 10–17 years) living in an HIV-endemic resource-constrained urban South African community. Thematic analysis of the data was supported by NVivo. Results: Caregivers perceived the social support they received to positively affect their children's health and behaviour, both directly and through a positive influence on their (the caregivers’) mental health, parenting and decision making. Information, advice and encouragement emerged as key types of support explaining perceived effects. Conclusion: Future research should continue to explore pathways explaining the relationship between caregiver social support and child psychosocial wellbeing with similar populations, and quantitatively investigate direct and indirect effects of potential mediating factors. Findings speak both to the importance of psychosocial support for parenting interventions and the potential to strengthen child-focused interventions through the broader family social network.