bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vertical contact tightness of occlusion comparison between orofacial myalgia patients and asymptomatic controls: a pilot study
Authors: Qi Kun , Xu Yi-Fei , Guo Shao-Xiong , Xiong Wei , Wang Mei-Qing
Published: November 2018

Objective

The association between occlusal contact and orofacial pain remains unclear. The aim of this study was to detect occlusal contact tightness by using a new method and to compare differences between patients and asymptomatic controls.

Methods

Fifteen female patients with orofacial myalgia and fifteen age- and sex-matched asymptomatic controls were enrolled. Occlusal contacts were recorded by making bite imprints. The numbers, sizes, and distributions of the contacts were detected by making photos of bite imprints after biting. The Mann-Whitney U test and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis.

Results

In myalgia patients, impact contacts at the molar regions were more frequent, larger in number and area size, and were distributed more on guiding cusps, compared with impact contacts in asymptomatic controls.

Conclusion

Our new method revealed more prevalent and more severe impact contacts in orofacial myalgia patients, compared with asymptomatic controls.
Changing objective: Re-examining The Journalist and the Murderer
Authors: Walters Patrick
Published: November 2018

This study assesses whether the ethics guidelines of modern media organizations reflect an adherence to the messages Janet Malcolm sent in her controversial 1990 book, The Journalist and the Murderer, particularly on the meaning of “truth,” on maintaining objectivity, on avoiding conflicts of interest and on journalistic transparency. This assessment finds the policies of The New York Times, the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists reflect that Malcolm’s once-controversial arguments have become central in today’s mainstream journalistic ethical guidelines.
Man-Made Mineral Fibers (Mmmf): Human Exposures and Health Risk Assessment
Authors: Lippmann Morton
Published: November 2018

MMMF are made by spraying or extruding molten glass, furnace slag, or mineral rock. Health concerns are based on the morphological and toxicological similarities between MMMF and asbestos, and the well-documented evidence that asbestos fibers can cause lung fibrosis (asbestosis), bronchial cancer, and mesothelioma in humans. Epidemiological evidence for human disease from inhalation exposures to fibrous glass is largely negative. Some positive associations have been reported for slag and rockwools. Most of the toxicological evidence for MMMF toxicity in laboratory animals is based on non-physiological exposures such as intratracheal instillation or intraperitoneal injection of fiber suspensions.

The risks for lung fibrosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma for industrial exposures to most fibrous glass products are either low or negligible for a variety of reasons. First, most commercial fibrous glass products have mean fiber diameters of ∼ 7.5 μm, which results in mean aerodynamic diameters > 22 μm. Thus, most glass fibers, even if dispersed into the air, do not penetrate into the lung to any great extent. Second, the small fraction of smaller diameter fibers which do penetrate into the lungs are not persistent within the lungs for most fibrous glass products, due to mechanical breakage into shorter lengths and dissolution. Dissolution is most rapid for the smaller diameters (< 0.1 μm) capable of producing mesothelioma. The greater hazards for slag and rockwools, in comparison to conventional fibrous glass, appear to be related to their smaller diameters and greater durability within the lungs.
A comparative immunohistochemical study of epidermal and dermal/perifollicular Langerhans cell concentration in discoid lupus erythematosus and lichen planopilaris: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Nasiri S , Bidari Zerehpoosh F , Abdollahimajd F , Younespour S , Esmaili Azad M
Published: October 2018

Background

There are times when differentiation between discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) and lichen planopilaris (LPP) becomes quite challenging clinicopathologically.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the concentration, distribution pattern and role of Langerhans cells (LCs), identified by CD1a staining in DLE and LPP.

Methods

Twenty-five specimens of skin biopsies from patients diagnosed with LPP and DLE were included. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed against CD1a antigen to assess and compare the concentration and distribution pattern of LCs.

Results

Compared with LPP, the mean number of epidermal CD1a+ cells per three high power fields was significantly lower in DLE ( p = 0.003). On the other hand, DLE cases had a significantly higher mean number of dermal/perifollicular CD1a+ cells in three high power fields than LPP cases ( p = 0.01).

Limitations

A small sample size and limited IHC markers.

Conclusions

There are differences in the density and distribution pattern of LCs in LPP and DLE in the epidermis and perifollicular regions. Our findings of a statistically significant decrease in LC concentration in the epidermis of DLE cases and also in the perifollicular region of LPP may serve as helpful clues in further characterization of these entities, especially in equivocal cases. However, more extensive studies are required to better understand the underlying immunopathogenesis of these diseases in providing further clues to a specific diagnosis.
Properties of radiation vulcanised natural rubber latex (RVNRL)–graphene nanocomposites
Authors: Anand K , Varghese Siby , Kurian Thomas
Published: November 2018

Graphene-related materials such as graphene oxide (GO)/exfoliated graphene oxide (XGO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) recently achieved much interest in nanocomposite research. In this study, we report the synthesis of RGO by a green route, and its efficacy as a potential filler for radiation-vulcanised natural rubber latex (RVNRL) was explored. The synthesised XGO and RGO suspensions were characterised. The mechanical, morphological and electrical properties of the RVNRL-XGO/RGO nanocomposites were evaluated as a function of filler content. The percolation threshold of the RVNRL-RGO composite was 0.1 wt%. Compared with gum RVNRL, significant improvements in tensile strength and elongation at break were obtained for RVNRL-XGO nanocomposites at 1 wt% XGO loading, indicating increased polymer–filler interaction. The morphological results showed aggregation of filler particles at a concentration of 1.25 wt%.
A Bibliometric Analysis of Cleft Lip and Palate-Related Publication Trends From 2000 to 2017
Authors: Zhang Qiang , Yue Yuanyi , Shi Bei , Yuan Zhengwei
Published: October 2018

Objective:

Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is the most common human cranial and maxillofacial birth defect. The aim of this bibliometric analysis was to provide an overview of the development of CLP-related research.

Method:

Cleft lip and palate-related studies published from 2000 to 2017 were retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expanded core database. Publication date, journal, authors, first authors, keywords, and citations were extracted and quantitatively analyzed using Bibliographic Item Co-Occurrence Matrix Builder software. The word matrix and co-occurrence matrix were established, and the co-citation analysis, keyword clustering, and social network analysis (SNA) of highly cited papers were completed.

Results:

A total of 9040 articles were retrieved from the 18 years of publications that were searched. The number of documents steadily increased over the period of interest, with a slight decrease in 2016 and 2017. This article separately examined the top most cited papers and high-frequency keywords from 3 time periods: 2000 to 2005, 2006 to 2011, and 2011 to 2017. The strategy coordinates of citation reflect TGF-β3, MSX1 gene, technique for cleft lip repair, TTF2, P63, IRF6 gene, FGF signaling, PVRL1, TGFBR2, and BMP4 gene as areas of research interest in the field. Moreover, the SNA of keywords highlighted new research topics: meta-analysis, cone beam computed tomography, tooth agenesis, case–control study, association study, micrognathia, DiGeorge syndrome, NSCL/P, UCLP, GWAS, MTHFR, and CLPTM1L.

Conclusion:

We conducted bibliometric research of CLP across an 18-year span. The results help to define an overall command of the latest topics in CLP and provide insight for launching new projects.
Presidents Abroad: The Politics of Personal Diplomacy
Authors: Ostrander Ian , Rider Toby J.
Published: November 2018

A president’s most precious commodity is time, and nowhere is this scarcity more apparent than with respect to international travel. Personal presidential involvement in diplomatic relations has proven to yield significant benefits, and yet traveling to engage in face-to-face diplomacy is often prohibitively expensive for American executives in time and attention. Given such restrictions, when and where do presidents choose to travel? We use a data set of more than 750 presidential trips spanning more than one hundred countries and a century of history to investigate the domestic and international factors influencing when, where, and for what reason presidents are likely to travel abroad. We provide a detailed examination of presidential travel over time and find that domestic political contexts influence presidential propensities to travel consistent with expectations based on allocating time and attention as limited resources.
AOFAS Position Statement Regarding Patient-Reported Outcome Measures
Authors: Kitaoka Harold B. , Meeker James E. , Phisitkul Phinit , Adams Samuel B. , Kaplan Jonathan R. , Wagner Emilio
Published: October 2018

Outcome measures evaluate various aspects of patient health, and when appropriately utilized can provide valuable information in both clinical practice and research settings. The orthopedic community has placed increasing emphasis on patient-reported outcome measures, recognizing their value for understanding patients’ perspectives of treatment outcomes. Patient-reported outcomes are information directly reported by patients regarding their perceptions of health, quality of life, or functional status without interpretation by healthcare providers. The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) supports the use of validated patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments to assess patient general health, functional status, and outcomes of treatment. It is not possible to recommend a single instrument to collect quality orthopedic data as the selection is dependent on the population being examined and the question being asked. We support the use of the PROMIS Physical Function Computerized Adaptive Test (PF CAT) or Lower Extremity Computerized Adaptive Test (LE CAT), which can be assessed with other domains such as Pain Interference. In addition, a disease-specific measure can be used when available.
The Long Run: A Story About Filmmaking as Qualitative Research
Authors: Douglas Kitrina , Carless David
Published: November 2018

Against the logic that if you aren’t a film maker, you shouldn’t make films, we hope to shed light on why qualitative researchers might consider a filmmaking journey. Research-based films are an accessible genre through which to raise issues in an empowering way, about the lives of stigmatized and marginalized people. For us, a vital step in the production of films has been through writing stories and songs. As a reflexive resource, a song anchors a researcher in a multidimensional way to events and relationships. We use a storytelling format here to illuminate these interrelated processes while giving support to the philosophy of “slow” scholarship.
Characterization of the effect of intracorneal ring segment in corneal ectasia after laser refractive surgery
Authors: Peris-Martínez Cristina , Bueno-Gimeno Inmaculada , Alvarez-Arana Izaskun , Piñero David P , Gené-Sampedro Andrés
Published: November 2018

Purpose:

To evaluate the visual, refractive, topographic, pachymetric, and biomechanical outcomes after intracorneal ring segment implantation in corneas with post-LASIK ectasia.

Methods:

Retrospective longitudinal study enrolling 26 eyes of 22 patients with post-LASIK ectasia and undergoing intracorneal ring segment implantation (KeraRing®, Mediphacos) using a 60-kHz femtosecond laser (IntraLase®, IntraLase Corp.) for corneal tunnelization. Visual, refractive, anterior, and posterior corneal topographic (Pentacam HR, Oculus), pachymetric, and corneal biomechanical changes (Ocular response Analyzer, Reichert) were evaluated during a 12-month follow-up. Vector analysis of astigmatic changes was performed.

Results:

A statistically significant reduction of sphere (p = 0.043) was observed at 1 month after surgery, with a significant improvement of uncorrected distance visual acuity associated (p = 0.019). Likewise, a significant reduction of anterior corneal power measurements (p ⩽ 0.014) and steepest posterior keratometric reading (p = 0.006) were observed at 1 month postoperatively, with no significant changes afterwards (p ⩾ 0.133). No significant changes were observed in manifest cylinder (p ⩾ 0.175), corrected distance visual acuity (p ⩾ 0.174), flattest posterior keratometric measurement (p ⩾ 0.282), volumetric measurements (p ⩾ 0.051), and corneal biomechanical parameters (p ⩾ 0.068). Vector analysis revealed an initial trend to overcorrection of astigmatism, with a trend to undercorrection at the end of follow-up and a significant variability in the outcome achieved in each patient.

Conclusion:

The implantation of KeraRing segments in post-LASIK corneal ectasia generates a significant modification of spherical refraction and a visual improvement due to a central corneal flattening generated. More refined nomograms of implantation in these cases should be developed to achieve a more predictable correction of astigmatism.
Acute Unilateral Papillitis versus Retrobulbar Neuritis: Relation to Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Frederiksen JL , Olesen J , Larsson HBW , Petrera J , Sellebjerg FT
Published: November 2018

Prospectively referred patients with unilateral acute optic neuritis (ON) (n=223; aged 12–57; 158 women), either idiopathic or part of clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS), were systematically examined by the same physician. We analysed whether the 161 patients with retrobulbar neuritis and the 62 patients with papillitis differed from each other clinically or according to paraclinical tests. The following characteristics were observed in retrobulbar ON respectively papillitis: median age 33 and 33 years, women 70% and 73%, clinically definite MS 30% and 27%. Abnormal results in retrobulbar ON and in papillitis (indicated in brackets) did not differ significantly and were found as follows: cerebral MRI in 56% (63%), VEP from the eye with acute ON in 82% (88%), VEP from the eye without acute ON in 38% (33%), SEP from median nerves in 9% (10%), SEP from tibial nerves in 22% (22%) and biotesiometry in 32% (27%). In the CSF, oligoclonal bands were present in 42% (53%), increased IgG-index in 40% (44%) and increased leucocyte count in 39% (29%). The HLA-DR15 tissue type was present in 47% (43%). There were no significant differences between retrobulbar ON and papillitis when the idiopathic cases and cases with clinically definite MS were analysed separately. Our data document that unilateral retrobulbar ON and papillitis are both part of the MS spectrum and not different from each other with regard to clinical and paraclinical parameters, indicating that the two groups can be pooled in future treatment trials.
Acculturation of university students in Northern Cyprus
Authors: Gűrsoy Salih , Kunt Naciye
Published: October 2018

This study addresses learner acculturation in the English Preparatory School of Eastern Mediterranean University in Famagusta, Northern Cyprus, and it examines the role of learners’ social and cultural identities conveyed through teaching English in a foreign language context. Qualitative research using in-depth interviews with 10 participants of Turkish, Azeri, Uygur (China) origin, and Palestinian students, was employed to gain a nuanced understanding of how the acculturation process is experienced, and what role cultural and motivational factors play. The findings of this study reveal that participants are closely aligned with their home cultures, and thus have little motive to distance themselves and integrate into the host culture. Although Turkish students have more motivation to integrate with the host culture, the results reveal that all students involved in the acculturation process display a separation strategy, and therefore find themselves facing difficulty integrating themselves within different cultures in the English as a Foreign Language context. For this reason, the type of motivation participants display changes from intrinsic to extrinsic and instrumental motivation can be seen as depending on the students’ overall motivation patterns as well as their cultural backgrounds. The closer the students’ culture to the culture of the target language and host culture, the better the acculturation process will prove to be. Finally, the findings show that cultural background, language learning, and motivation are closely interrelated in the learner acculturation process.
Digital fanfic in negotiation: LiveJournal, Archive of Our Own, and the affordances of read–write platforms
Authors: Fathallah Judith
Published: October 2018

Fanfic is the unauthorized rewriting or adaptation of popular media narratives, utilizing corporately owned characters, settings and storylines to tell an individual writer’s own story. It is often abbreviated to fanfic or even fic and exists in a thoroughly grey legal area between copyright infringement and fair use. Although there were a few cases of cease-and-desist letters sent to fan writers in the 20th century, media corporations now understand it is useless to attempt to prosecute fanfic writers – for one thing, there are simply too many of us and for another it would be terrible publicity. Although modern fanfic can be reliably dated to the 1960s, it is now primarily an online practice and the fastest growing form of writing in the world. This article uses participant observation and online ethnography to explore how fanfic archives utilize digital affordances. Following Murray, I will argue that a robust understanding of digital read–write platforms needs to account for the social and legal context of digital fiction as well as its technological affordances. While the online platform LiveJournal in some ways channels user creativity towards a more self-evidentially ‘digital’ text than its successor in the Archive of Our Own (AO3), the Archive encourages greater reader interactivity at the level of archive and sorting. I will demonstrate that in some ways, the AO3 recoups some of the cultural capital and use value of print. I argue that a true appreciation of digital fiction is less about projecting fiction as becoming more and more ‘digital’ along a linear trajectory than application of a nuanced sociotechnological perspective that addresses the aims, ideology and provision of particular platforms in practice.
Automated Field-In-Field (FIF) Plan Framework Combining Scripting Application Programming Interface and User-Executed Program for Breast Forward IMRT
Authors: Kim Hojin , Kwak Jungwon , Jung Jinhong , Jeong Chiyoung , Yoon Kyoungjun , Lee Sang-wook , Ahn Seung Do , Choi Eun Kyung , Kim Su Ssan , Cho Byungchul
Published: November 2018

Purpose:

To develop an one-click option on treatment planning system that enables for the automated breast FIF planning by combining the Eclipse Scripting application programming interfaces and user-executed programming in Windows.

Methods:

Scripting application programming interfaces were designed to promote automation in clinical workflow associated with radiation oncology. However, scripting cannot provide all functions that users want to perform. Thus, a new framework proposes to integrate the benefits of the scripting application and user-executed programming for the automated field-in-field technique. We adopted the Eclipse Scripting applications, which provide an interface between treatment planning system server and client and enable for running the executed program to create dose clouds and adjust the planning parameters such as multi-leaf collimator placements and monitor unit values. Importantly, all tasks are designed to perform with one-click option on treatment planning system, including the automated pushback of the proposed plan to the treatment planning system.

Results:

The plans produced from the proposed framework were validated against the manual field-in-field plans with 40 retrospective breast patient cases in planning efficiency and plan quality. The elapsed time for running the framework was less than 1 minute, which significantly reduced the manual multi-leaf collimator/monitor unit adjustment time. It decreased the total planning time by more than 50%, relative to the manual field-in-field planning. In dosimetric aspects, the mean and maximum dose of the heart, lung, and whole breast did not exceed 1% deviation from the manual plans in most patient cases, while maintaining the target dose coverage and homogeneity index inside the target volume. From numerical analysis, the automated plans were demonstrated to be sufficiently close to the manual plans.

Conclusion:

The combination of scripting applications and user-executed programming for automated breast field-in-field planning accomplished a significant enhancement in planning efficiency without degrading the plan quality, relative to the manual field-in-field procedure.
Topography design in model membranes: Where biology meets physics
Authors: Chand Sarina , Beales Paul , Claeyssens Frederik , Ciani Barbara
Published: October 2018

Phospholipid membranes are necessary for the compartmentalization of chemistries within biological cells and for initiation and propagation of cell signaling. The morphological and chemical complexities of cellular membranes represent a challenge for dissecting the biochemical processes occurring at these interfaces. Therefore, investigations of the biological events occurring at the membrane require suitable models to reproduce the intricacy of this surface. Solid-supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) are simplified physical replicas of biological membranes that allow for bottom-up reconstruction of the molecular mechanisms occurring at cellular interfaces. In this brief review, we introduce how the properties of SLBs can be tuned to mimic biological membranes, highlighting the engineering approaches for creating spatially resolved patterns of lipid bilayers and supported membranes with curved geometries. Additionally, we present how SLBs have been employed to reconstitute molecular mechanisms involved in intercellular signaling and more recently, membrane trafficking.

Impact statement

Artificial membranes with complex topography aid the understanding of biological processes where membrane geometry plays a key regulatory role. In this review, we highlight how emerging material and engineering technologies have been employed to create minimal models of cell signaling pathways, in vitro. These artificial systems allow life scientists to answer ever more challenging questions with regards to mechanisms in cellular biology. In vitro reconstitution of biology is an area that draws on the expertise and collaboration between biophysicists, material scientists and biologists and has recently generated a number of high impact results, some of which are also discussed in this review.
13C Breath Tests in Infections and Beyond
Authors: Kurpad Anura V. , Ajami Alfred , Young Vernon R.
Published: November 2018

Stable isotope labeled compounds are widely used as diagnostic probes in medicine. These diagnostic stable isotope probes are now being expanded in their scope, to provide precise indications of the presence or absence of etiologically significant change in metabolism due to a specific disease. This concept exploits a labeled tracer probe that is a specifically designed substrate of a “gateway” enzyme in a discrete metabolic pathway, whose turnover can be measured by monitoring unidirectional precursor product mass flow. An example of such a probe is the 13C-urea breath test, where labeled urea is given to patients with H. pylori infection. Another example of this kind of probe is used to study the tripeptide glutathione (glu-cys-gly, GSH), which is the most abundant cellular thiol, and protects cells from the toxic effects of reactive oxygen species. Within the gamma glutamyl cycle, 5-oxoproline (L-pyroglutamic acid) is a metabolite generated during GSH catabolism, and is metabolized to glutamic acid by 5-oxoprolinase. This enzyme can also utilize the substrate L-2-oxothiazolidone-4-carboxylate (OTC), to generate intracellular cysteine, which is beneficial to the cell. Thus, labeled (13C) OTC would, under enzymatic attack yield cysteine and 13CO2, and can thus track the state and capacity of glutathione metabolism. Similarly, stable isotope labeled probes can be used to track the activity of the rate of homocysteine clearance, lymphocyte CD26, and liver CYP (cytochrome P450) enzyme activity. In the future, these applications should be able to titrate, in vivo, the characteristics of various specific enzyme systems in the body and their response to stress or infection as well as to treatment regimes.
New Iodine Models Family for Simulation of Short-Term Biokinetics Processes, Pregnancy and Lactation
Authors: Berkovski Vladimir
Published: November 2018

Research on iodine metabolism was reviewed with special reference to short-term processes, pregnancy, and lactation. A detailed discussion of the new physiologically-oriented biokinetic model and a model parameterization procedure are given. Predictions of the new model are applicable for the analysis of in vivo and in vitro clinical data gained using iodine or radioactive tracers, as well as for the assessment of radiation exposure doses to mothers and offspring. The model can be used to simulate biokinetic processes in the human body, for prediction of biokinetic parameters such as the time course of thyroid uptake (both for mother and fetus), the rate of exertion with urine, and the level of iodine secretion with saliva and breastmilk. The structure of the model is applicable in a wide range of stable iodine in the diet, both for pregnant and non-pregnant persons.
Body Composition in Mexican Adults by Air Displacement Pletismography (ADP) with the Bod-Pod and Deuterium Oxide Dilution Using Infrared Spectroscopy (IRS-DOD)
Authors: Macías Nayeli , de la Barca Ana María Calderón , Bolaños Adriana V. , Alemán Heliodoro , Esparza Julián , Valencia Mauro E.
Published: November 2018

Thirty four subjects (13 men and 21 women), 24 to 70 years old from northern Mexico, were measured for body density by air displacement plethysmography (ADP) with the BOD-POD, and for total body water by deuterium oxide dilution and infrared spectroscopy (IRS-DOD). Subjects were given a 30 g dose of deuterium oxide. Saliva samples were filtered, sublimated, and deuterium was measured using a Miran 1 FF, IRS. Linear regression of the fat mass (FM) derived from both methods showed that the intercept (0.071) was not different from zero (p = .96) and the slope was 0.96 (p < .0001) demonstrating the techniques to be equivalent. Further, mean FM was 26.7 ± 12.4 and 25.6 ± 12.4 kg, for IRS-DOD and ADP techniques, respectively (p = .08). Precision analysis by the model R2 showed that 92.3% of the variability was explained (SEM = 3.4 kg). Bland-Altman analysis showed no significant bias (r = 0.017; p = .93). Mean difference between methods was −1.08 (CI: −2.3 to + 0.13) kg FM.
Stable Isotope Aided Evaluation of Community Nutrition Program: Effect of Food Supplementation Schemes on Maternal and Infant Nutritional Status
Authors: Cissé Aïta Sarr , Dossou Nicole , Ndiaye Mamadou , Guèye Amadou Lamine , Diop El Hadji Issakha , Diaham Babou , Guiro Amadou Tidiane , Cissé Djibril , Sarr Cheikh Saad Bouh , Wade Salimata
Published: November 2018

The supplementation program of the community nutrition project (PNC) launched by the Senegalese Government in order to protect the most vulnerable groups (children and women) was evaluated. Using a stable isotope (deuterium), we assessed the effect of the PNC on breastmilk output, mother's body composition, and baby's growth at three months of lactation. Breastmilk triglycerides, lactose, protein, and zinc were also determined. Mothers who were supplemented more than 60 days during pregnancy showed a significant increase in fat-free mass as compared to those who were supplemented for less than 30 days (p = .03). Breastmilk output was not influenced by the supplementation, but breastmilk lactose, total protein, and zinc contents increased significantly (p < .01) in the supplemented mothers. Growth of the babies of the supplemented mothers was better than that of those whose mothers were not supplemented. It was concluded that the food supplementation had beneficial effects on both mothers’ and babies’ nutritional status depending on the onset of the supplementation.
Application of Stable Isotopic Techniques in the Prevention of Degenerative Diseases like Obesity and NIDDM in Developing Societies
Authors: Shetty Prakash , Iyengar Venkatesh , Sawaya Ana , Diaz Erik , Ma Guansheng , Hernandez-Triana Manuel , Forrester Terrence , Valencia Mauro , Rush Elaine , Adeyemo Adebowale , Jahoor Farook , Roberts Susan , Yajnik Chittaranjan Sakarlal
Published: November 2018

Economic development in developing societies characterized by idustrialization, urbanization, and globalization has seen the emergence of an epidemic of diet- and life-style-related chronic degenerative diseases. A research project was initiated under the aegis of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria under its Coordinated Research Programme (CRP) to promote the use of stable isotopic techniques to document the extent of the problem and to understand the determinants of this epidemic. The principal objectives of this CRP involving countries both in the North and the South are to define the magnitude of the problem of obesity and non-insulin dependant diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in developing countries, to identify the vulnerable groups at increased risk, and to attempt to describe the metabolic and physiological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. These comparative international studies of obesity and NIDDM are looking at the effects of childhood malnutrition (Brazil) and socioeconomic differentials (Mexico) on adult risk factors; the composition of the daily diet on obesity (Chile); levels of patterns of physical activity of older adults (China) as well as their influence on weight gain and obesity (Cuba, Nigeria); the impact of body composition and energy expenditure on the evolution frank diabetes from impaired glucose tolerance (Jamaica), and of body compositional changes and the role of inflammatory cytokines on impaired glucose tolerance (India). The last study conducted in New Zealand was aimed at comparing the energy expenditures of Maori (Pacific Island) with New Zealanders of European descent.
Validating the Analytical Methodologies for Determining Some Important Trace Elements in Food Consumed in India
Authors: Jaiswal Deo Das , Dang Harmider Singh , Nair Suma , Sharma Ramesh Chandra
Published: November 2018

This paper reports on the development, standardization, and application of instrumental as well as radiochemical neutron activation analysis (INAA and RNAA) techniques for determining the concentrations of iron, zinc, cobalt, cesium, strontium, selenium, thorium, and calcium in food consumed in India. Based on the analysis of 20 diet samples, prepared as per the data on dietary intake patterns of an adult in four provinces of India and that of an average adult Indian, the geometric mean (GM) intake of various elements for the reference Indian man was estimated to be 15.9 (10.7–34.4) mg for iron, 8.6 (5.1–15.6) mg for zinc, 17.0 (8.3–31.4) μg for cobalt, 4.76 (2.8–11.8) μg for cesium, 1.46 (0.79–2.96) mg for strontium, 52.4 (35.0–130.8) μg for selenium, 0.75 (0.44–1.75) μg for thorium, and 0.35 (0.17–0.67) mg for calcium. A comparison of the daily dietary intakes of these trace elements by the reference Indian man was made with that of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) reference man and also with the world average compiled by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). When compared with the ICRP reference man data, the daily dietary intakes of all the eight elements by the reference Indian man were considerably lower by factors ranging from 1.4 for strontium to as much as 18.0 for cobalt. However, when compared with the world average, daily dietary intakes by the reference Indian man were comparable for iron and lower by factors 1.2 to 1.9 for zinc, selenium, and calcium.
Study of Essential Elements in Cattle Tissues from a Tropical Country Using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis
Authors: Avelar Artur Canella , Menezes Maria Angela de B. C. , Veado Julio Cesar C.
Published: November 2018

There has been increasing interest in the elemental composition of animal tissues to support health and nutritional studies. Determining the elemental concentration in cattle tissues is especially important because these materials are used for multipurpose objectives such as the assessment of animal health, the quality of human foods consumed, and as a potential environmental biomonitor. Chromium, copper, sodium, potassium, iron, and zinc levels were determined in bovine tissues—kidney, liver and muscle—from cattle bred and raised in a potentially metal contaminated region because of mineral activities. The Brazilian data were obtained using k0-instrumental neutron activation analysis, performed at the Nuclear Development Technology Centre/Nuclear Energy National Commission (CDTN/CNEN) in Minas Gerais State. The values of international organizations and the Brazilian analytical data are compatible. This study indicates that the nuclear technique is an efficient tool to determine elemental concentration in animal biological samples.
Effect of Traditional Fermentation and Malting on Phytic Acid and Mineral Availability from Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor) and Finger Millet (Eleusine Coracana) Grain Varieties Grown in Kenya
Authors: Makokha Anselimo O. , Oniang'o Ruth K. , Njoroge Simon M. , Kamar Oliver K.
Published: November 2018

Sorghum and finger millet grains are traditional staple foods in Kenya. However, they have naturally occurring anti-nutritional factors, such as phytic acid, that decrease their dietary availability. This work determined the effect of fermentation and malting on the phytic acid content of, and mineral availability in five varieties of sorghum and four varieties of finger millet grain grown in Kenya. Phytic acid ranged from 875.1 to 2,211.9 mg/100 g in sorghum. The levels in finger millet ranged from 851.6 to 1,419.4 mg/100 g grain. Fermentation resulted in a mean decrease of phytic acid in of 64.8% after 96 hours and 39.0% after 72 hours in sorghum grain. In finger millet, there was a mean decrease of 72.3% and 54.3% after 96 and 72 hours, respectively. Malting also resulted in a mean decrease of 23.9 and 45.3% after 72 and 96 hours, respectively. The extent of decrease of phytic acid differed among the grain varieties. Fermentation increased the rate of available iron, manganese, and calcium in both sorghum and finger millet. The available minerals were generally higher in finger millet than in sorghum after fermentation. Fermentation was also more effective than malting in reducing phytic acid in sorghum and finger millet. Simple traditional food processing methods can therefore be used to increase mineral availability.
Nutritional Status and Body Composition in Chilean Preschool Children Attending Day Care Centers
Authors: Velasquez Milagros Marcia , Salazar Gabriela , Vio Fernando , Hernandez Jimmy , Rojas Juana
Published: November 2018

Obesity increased in preschool children attending day care centers in Chile from 5% in 1985 to 10.8% in 2000. We assessed the nutritional status and body composition by deuterium dilution, in preschool children attending day care centers. In the whole group (n = 681), 3 to 5 year old children were classified according to weight-for-height (ZWH) and height-for-age (ZHA) Z scores from the NCHS reference. We found 28.5% overweight, 13.2% obese, and 18.6% deficient in height-for-age. From this group, 239 children were evaluated for total body water (TBW) and fat percentage. Normal children in this group have a lower percentage of water (59.6 ± 3.9%) and higher fat (22.2 ± 4.7%) than the reference child. The association between the percentage of fat and skinfolds’ sum (tricipital, bicipital, suprailiac, subescapular), was greater for overweight and obese children (r = 0.70). At present, validation of anthropometric models to evaluate fat and water content is underway in Chile.
Hunger, Health, and Society
Authors: Reutlinger Shlomo , Katona-Apte Judit
Published: November 2018

Our theoretical and empirical analysis leads us to suggest some propositions that we present here by way of a summary.

1. Food aid is more nutritionally cost-effective than money aid whenever the a value of the commodity is greater than unity. This would be the case whenever the value of the commodity to the recipient exceeds its cost to the aid providing agency. We cited several reasons why this could occur, with illustrations of actual cases. 2. We do not know whether food aid is more or less cost-effective than money aid if the a value is less than unity. The marginal propensity to spend on better nutrition may be higher for food aid than for money aid. If such differences do not exist, or if they could be eliminated with nutrition education, nutritional cost-effectiveness could be enhanced by turning into cash commodities that have an a value of less than unity. 3. For foods that are found in the diets of the recipients in excess of the amounts supplied through the supplementary food aid package, the relative nutritional cost-effectiveness of commodities is always in direct proportion to their a values. 4. The precise nutritional impact of any commodity depends on the marginal propensity of the recipients to allocate additional income (conveyed through the food aid) to improving their nutritional status. If the recipients response is judged to be unsatisfactory with respect to energy (calorie) cost-effectiveness, the only possible remedy is to provide nutrition education. The cost-effectiveness of food aid in terms of protein or any other specific nutrient might also be increased by supplying a suitable commodity (such as a fortified food) that will be consumed in lieu of another commodity in the current diet. In this case, there is likely to be a trade-off of, perhaps, more protein for less energy as a consequence of selecting the commodity with the lower a value. This is sensible only if protein content is judged to be more deficient than the energy content in the recipients’ diets. 5. Selection of commodities on the basis of the or value criterion is particularly important when the intent of the programme is to improve nutrition indirectly through providing the beneficiaries with an incentive to participate in nutrition education or work programmes. 6. Substitution of the new commodity selection criteria for those currently in use in food aid programmes could bring about a large increase in nutritional cost effectiveness. Moreover, the data requirements are low and could be met at minimal cost.
Indigenous Fermented-Food Technologies for Small-Scale Industries
Authors: Steinkraus Keith H.
Published: November 2018

The developing world is rich in indigenous food fermentations that can contribute significantly to world small-scale food processing and consumption over the next 20 to 50 years as population reaches six to eight billion. The world needs low-cost methods of providing nutritious protein rich meat analogues for its millions of consumers. The Indonesian tempe fermentation can serve as a model. A bacterium present in commercial tempe can be used to add vitamin B12 to other vegetarian foods. Fuel requirements for cooking can be decreased by applying a fungal fermentation of the tempe/ontjom type to legume substrates. The world needs high-quality meat flavours derived from vegetable protein. The soy-sauce (kecap)/ miso (tauco) processes and the fishlshrimp sauce and paste processes can be modified to yield a wide variety of meat-like flavours for use in formulating new foods. The protein content of high-starch substrates can be increased by applying the Indonesian tape fermentation. Leavened sourdough bread like products can be produced without the use of wheat or rye flours, using the Indian idli-dosai fermentation process. Production of such foods by small-scale food processors will contribute both to the economy of the country and to the nutritional improvement of consumers.
Development of Energy-Saving Technologies for the Food Processing Industry
Authors: Amla B. L. , Potty V. H.
Published: November 2018

Awareness of the importance of energy saving in manufacturing processes was kindled only when fossil fuels registered dramatic price increases in 1973. These increases led to evolving strategies to conserve energy resources, especially exhaustible sources, by reducing their consumption and developing renewable sources of energy. To achieve any significant savings in energy consumption in manufacturing processes, the food industry must reliably assess energy consumption at each unit operation. Estimation of gross energy requirement can be used for deciding on technology options. Two approaches for achieving significant savings in energy consumption in the food industry could be: (a) improving the efficiency of each unit operation by design improvement; (b) developing new processes or products that consume less energy than traditional processes. The latter approach may be suitable for developing countries like India, which is promoting its processed food industry on a priority basis. A few technologies that require considerably less energy to process products developed in India are highlighted in this paper.
Nutrition Education
Authors: Gwatkin Davidson R.
Published: November 2018

While such differences of opinion about channels seem likely to continue, a broad consensus appears to exist on many other issues related to nutrition education. No one, for example, seems to doubt the ineffectiveness of the traditional nutrition education approaches. There seems to be general agreement about the kinds of problems that nutrition education can and cannot reasonably be expected to help solve. Most - perhaps almost all - of those familiar with recent experimentation with nutrition education agree that it has produced impressive results. They also seem to agree on most of the features of these experimental programmes responsible for their apparent successes, the controversial question of channels being a central part of only one of the six characteristics of successful programmes noted in the previous section.

Even with respect to channels, the differences are not so great as they might at first appear. No one seems to be taking an either-or position. There is general appreciation of the need for mutually reinforcing messages through multiple channels. The question is, rather, the relative emphasis to be given to each - or, in the more helpful way that Smith puts it, how the different channels used can best relate to one another.

All in all, then, the teapot in which the passions are raging is a rather small one. Perhaps the challenge of the years ahead is not so much to reach consensus where it has not yet emerged as to build upon the broad agreement that exists in so many other areas: to see whether and how the programme elements generally recognized as important in the successful experimental efforts Hornik describes can be applied to the design of the large-scale, ongoing, effective nutrition education programmes that are so badly needed.
Ethics and Child Nutrition
Authors: Jonsson Urban
Published: November 2018

All problems in society have a scientific and an ethical aspect. Science tells us what can be done, whereas ethics tells us what should be, ought to be, or must be done. Actions that both should be done and can be done are doable actions. Science is advanced mostly by observation and logical deduction or induction. Ethics, in contrast, is advanced by consensus through reflection, dialogue, enquiry, and sometimes struggle. Adequate care of children and women has only recently been fully recognized as a human right. The UNICEF triple-A approach of assessment, analysis, and action is designed to lead to more effective and better-focused actions for ensuring adequate care of underprivileged women and children. A rights-based approach, combining goal-based and duty-based ethical theories, is also proposed. Combined with the triple-A process, this provides a holistic response for addressing nutrition problems. The international goals of the World Summit for Children represent moral minima, accepted and supported by all major religions and political ideologies.
Optimal Complementary Feeding Practices to Prevent Childhood Malnutrition in Developing Countries
Authors: Brown Kenneth H. , Creed-Kanashiro Hilary , Dewey Kathryn G.
Published: November 2018

Optimal nutritional care of young children requires application of feeding guidelines based on scientific knowledge of children's nutrient requirements and the ability of breastmilk and other foods to satisfy these nutritional needs. This paper reviews recent information on the appropriate duration of exclusive breastfeeding and timing of introduction of complementary foods; the relationship between frequency of feeding, dietary energy density, and total daily energy consumption; and the importance of nutrient composition and selected organoleptic characteristics of complementary foods as determinants of dietary intake. The role of child appetite is also discussed Finally, programmatic options for the promotion of enhanced complementary feeding and relevant practical experiences in Peru are reviewed.
Nutritional Management of Diarrhoea
Authors: Martínez Homero , Tomkins Andrew M.
Published: November 2018

Diarrhoeal disease may cause, precipitate, or exacerbate protein-energy and micronutrient malnutrition through five possible mechanisms: 1) reduced food intake-reduction of food intake during diarrhoea may be due to the child's anorexia, maternal food-withholding behaviour, or both; 2) decreased absorption of nutrients-structural damage to the intestine, as well as the physical action of increased intestinal movement and reduced fluid transit time, interact to produce decreased absorption of nutrients; 3) increased catabolic losses-under the influence of the inflammatory process, diarrhoea of infectious origin induces an average daily negative nitrogen balance of 0.9 g/kg/day, as muscle protein is converted to glucose through gluconeogenesis by the liver; this glucose is used as a fuel by tissues to sustain the hypermetabolism associated with fever; 4) nutrient loss from the intestine-in diarrhoea nutrients are lost directly from the intestinal tract; 5) metabolic inefficiency due to micronutrient deficiency-the increased rate of tissue synthesis displayed by children recovering from protein-energy malnutrition may be hampered by a limited supply of nutrients from the body pool, which in turn may not be replenished fast enough by dietary intake. The two main driving forces that determine nutritional care of the sick child in the home are advice from healthcare providers (mainly physicians) and the mothers’ own beliefs; a third determinant of care is the social support network available to mothers or social pressure to act in a determined way. Therefore, health providers should be knowledgeable about appropriate feeding management of illness, and should provide sound advice to mothers.

The likelihood that mothers will follow the recommendations given by the health-care system (whether formal or informal) will be greater if these conform to mothers’ cultural norms and their explanatory model of disease. Feeding practices followed in health facilities should be consistent with those advised for the mothers at home. In order to make a successful change in a given practice, culture-sensitive interventions should be used.