bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Paper by Invitation: Imaging Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy
Authors: Duncan John S. 
Published: November 2015

It has been traditionally held that there is no radiological abnormality in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). Sophisticated image processing and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies suggest that, in some cases, there may be a subtle structural abnormality. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy indicates neuronal dysfunction with differing patterns of abnormality in the IGE sub-syndromes, and high levels of glutamate and glutamine have been suggested in the frontal lobes, and low GABA levels in the occipital lobe. Studies reflecting cerebral blood flow at the time of absences have given complex results. The principal consensus is of an increase in the thalamus and broad decreases in the neocortex, reflecting a suppression of neuronal activity, but with the possibility of some increases, that could perhaps reflect focal areas of neuronal activation. PET ligand studies with an opioid tracer have implied neocortical release of endogenous opioids at the time of serial absences. In combination with high time-resolution neurophysiological methods, static and dynamic PET studies with specific ligands have the potential to elucidate the functional anatomy and neurochemical circuits that underlie IGE.
Possible Contributions of the Philippine Agricultural Research System to Improving Human Nutrition
Authors: Castillo Gelia T. 
Published: November 2015

The need for participatory approaches has been mentioned several times. For the skeptics about the role of participation in research, let me say that participation is not a substitute for science. It enhances the practice of science, because it elaborates on its human purpose. About research partnerships, please look beyond the national agricultural research institutes. We have excellent researchers, many of whom are not in the national agricultural research institutes. But please treat national researchers as partners. We must do more adoption and impact-assessment studies so that our evaluation culture will grow, and press releases do not substitute for impact. Please do all you can to keep research output in the public domain so that the poor can afford them. Nutritional status should be the bottom-line indicator of human development. In presenting statistics on micronutrient deficiencies, we need to give these numbers a human face—most likely a female face. I have always believed that research must have a human purpose, and when the best of science and scientists are devoted to the problems of those who have less in life, that is ethics and equity at its best. Nutritional status is about as human as we can get.
Serum Copper Levels among a Tribal Population in Jharkhand State, India: A Pilot Survey
Authors: Kapil Umesh , Singh Preeti 
Published: November 2015

Background Copper is an essential trace element that plays a pivotal role in cell physiology. Dietary intake of copper by a population of low-income groups in India has been found to be low, and hence the possibility of dietary copper deficiency exists. Objective To determine serum copper levels among tribal populations in India, an area in which data are limited. Methods The study was conducted among tribal populations 18 to 75 years of age residing in Sahibganj, Jharkhand. Two blocks in the district were selected (from a total of eight) for the detailed study. A semistructured pretested questionnaire was used to collect demographic and socioeconomic information about subjects. A total of 995 subjects were enrolled for the present study. Blood was drawn from the antecubital vein and collected in previously labeled polypropylene tubes. Serum copper was determined by the atomic absorption spectrophotometry method and serum samples with copper levels less than 80 μg/dL were considered to have low serum copper levels. Results The mean serum copper concentration of the study subjects was 91.18 ± 35.48 μg/dL. Thirty-four percent of the study subjects had low serum copper levels (< 80 μg/dL). Nearly 35% of males and 34.4% of females had low serum copper levels. Conclusions This study documented a high prevalence of low serum copper levels among the studied tribal population. Further multicenter studies with larger sample sizes are needed to assess the biological implications of copper deficiency among the tribal populations in India.
Vitamin A Deficiency and Child Survival in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Reappraisal of Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Aguayo Victor M. , Baker Shawn K. 
Published: November 2015

Background Children with vitamin A deficiency have higher risk of morbidity and mortality than vitamin A–sufficient children. Estimates on the potential child survival benefits of vitamin A deficiency control are needed for policy and program advocacy. Objective To determine the current prevalence of children at risk for vitamin A deficiency in sub-Saharan Africa in order to estimate the potential child-survival benefits of effective and sustained policies and programs for the control of vitamin A deficiency in this region. Methods Estimates of the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency generated in 1998, data from 11 nationally representative vitamin A deficiency surveys conducted in sub-Saharan Africa between 1997 and 2003, and the measured effects of vitamin A deficiency on child mortality were combined to estimate the prevalence of children at risk for vitamin A deficiency in sub-Saharan Africa and the potential child-survival benefits of effective and sustained policies and programs for the control of vitamin A deficiency in this region. Results Our analysis shows that in the absence of effective and sustained policies and programs for the control of vitamin A deficiency, an estimated 42.4% of children 0 to 59 months of age in sub-Saharan Africa (43.2 million children) are at risk for vitamin A deficiency. Such effective and sustained policy and program action for the control of vitamin A deficiency can bring about a potential 25% reduction in mortality in children 0 to 59 months with respect to 1995 mortality levels (i.e., before the onset of large-scale vitamin A supplementation programs in sub-Saharan Africa). Conclusions Effective and sustained control of vitamin A deficiency has the potential to be among the most cost-effective and high-impact child-survival interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. A stronger political commitment and a more appropriate level of investment in the effective control of vitamin A deficiency could make a large contribution toward the attainment of the Millennium Development Goal for the reduction of child mortality rates by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. Among the many challenges that Africa will need to face in the coming years, vitamin A deficiency is one that can be overcome. The need is urgent, and the solutions are known, effective, and affordable.
School Feeding, School Reform, and Food Security: Connecting the Dots
Authors: Levinger Beryl 
Published: November 2015

Universal access to basic education is a prerequisite for long-term food security, which, in turn, is critical to achieving the Millennium Development goals. This paper examines how Food for Education interventions can contribute to improved food security, improved education outcomes, and a broader set of development goals. Food for Education entails the distribution of food commodities to children who attend school. The commodities may be locally grown and purchased or contributed by aid donors. The food may be consumed by students in school snack, breakfast, or lunch programs. Alternatively, it may be given as a take-home ration for consumption by a family that regularly sends “at-risk” children (usually girls) to school. Four interrelated ideas are discussed: (1) the universalization of primary school education is a prerequisite for food security (defined here as availability of, access to, and proper biologic utilization of food supplies); (2) Food for Education boosts primary school participation and, therefore, food security; (3) the effects of primary school education on food security are greatest wherever “quality standards” are met, although important effects are present even when education quality is modest; and (4) efforts to improve primary education participation (demand) and efforts to improve primary education quality (supply) are highly interrelated and mutually reinforcing. Food for Education is a versatile resource that can be used to address a broad range of issues related to both education supply and demand. To be effective, Food for Education interventions must reflect local education supply and demand realities.
Impact of a Multiple-Micronutrient Food Supplement on the Nutritional Status of Schoolchildren
Authors: Kumar Malavika Vinod , Rajagopalan S. 
Published: November 2015

Background Multiple-micronutrient deficiencies exist in many developing nations. A system to deliver multiple micronutrients effectively would be of value in these countries. Objective To evaluate the delivery of multiple micronutrients through the food route. The goal was to test the stability of the supplement during cooking and storage and then to test its bioefficacy and bioavailability in residential schoolchildren 5 to 15 years of age. Methods A pre- and post-test design was used to study children 5 to 15 years of age, with an experimental and a control group. The experimental group ( n = 211) consisted of children from two residential schools, and the control group ( n = 202) consisted of children from three residential schools. The experimental group received a micronutrient supplement containing vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid, niacin, calcium pantothenate, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, lysine, and calcium daily for 9 months. There was no nutritional intervention in the control group. Children in the experimental and control groups were matched by socioeconomic status, age, and eating habits at baseline. All of the children in the experimental and control schools were dewormed at baseline, after 4 months, and at the endpoint. Biochemical measurements (hemoglobin, serum vitamin A, serum vitamin E, serum vitamin B12, and serum folic acid) were measured at baseline, after 4 months, and at the endpoint (after 9 months). The heights and weights of the children were also measured at baseline and endpoint. Serum vitamins A and E were measured in a subsample of 50% and vitamin B12 and serum folic acid measured in a subsample of 25% of the children. Results In the experimental group, the mean gains in hemoglobin, serum vitamin A, serum vitamin E, serum vitamin B12, and serum folic acid over 9 months were 0.393 g/dL, 6.0375 μg/dL, 1037.45 μg/dL, 687.604 pg/mL, and 1.864 ng/mL, respectively. In the control group, the mean losses in hemoglobin and serum vitamin A over 9 months were 0.9556 g/dL and 10.0641 μg/dL, respectively, and the mean gains in serum vitamin E, vitamin B12, and folic acid were 903.52 μg/dL, 233.283 pg/mL, and 0.0279 ng/mL. The mean gain in all biochemical measurements was significantly higher (p < .05) in the experimental group than in the control group. Conclusions Vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B12, folic acid, and iron are bioavailable from the multiple-micronutrient food supplement used in this study. This method of micronutrient delivery has been beneficial. We believe the study intervention was beneficial because of small doses of the micronutrients added but delivered many times through meals throughout the day, over a period of 9 months.
Milk Thickeners Do Not Influence Anthropometric Indices in Childhood
Authors: Santos Iná S. , Matijasevich Alicia , Valle Neiva C. J. , Gigante Denise P. , de Moura Danilo R. 
Published: November 2015

Background Pediatric obesity is an important risk factor for chronic diseases in adulthood. Some infant feeding practices may contribute to childhood obesity. Objective To investigate whether the introduction of milk thickeners to bottle-fed infants between 3 and 6 months of age was associated with higher anthropometric measurements and indices at 1 and 4 years of age. Methods A population-based birth cohort study was conducted in 1993 in the urban area of Pelotas, Brazil. Information was obtained at birth, at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, and at 4 years. Data were analyzed from the 596 children for whom information was available from all follow-up visits. The exposure of interest was the use of milk thickener (flour added to cow's milk) between the third and sixth months of life. The outcomes investigated were weight and length/height and the anthropometric indices weight-for-age, length/height-for-age, and weight-for-length/height z-scores at 1 and 4 years. Results The prevalence of use of milk thickener at any time between the third and sixth months was 44.6%. In the adjusted analysis, children who received milk thickener were, on average, 160 g heavier and 0.5 cm longer at 1 year than those who did not receive it. Weight-for-age and length-for-age z-scores were positively associated with use of milk thickener. No association was observed between this feeding practice and weight-for-length z-score. In the adjusted analysis, no effect of use of milk thickener on any of the anthropometric outcomes studied was observed at 4 years. Conclusions No association was found between the use of milk thickeners and weight-for-length/height z-scores in the first and fourth years of life. Future studies in other contexts would be helpful to further test this hypothesis.
Carotenoid Content and Flesh Color of Selected Banana Cultivars Growing in Australia
Authors: Englberger Lois , Wills Ron B. H. , Blades Barbara , Dufficy Lisa , Daniells Jeff W. , Coyne Terry 
Published: November 2015

Background The problems of vitamin A deficiency and chronic diseases have emerged in recent years in some countries in the Micronesian region. These problems are associated with the dietary shift towards imported processed foods and lifestyle changes. Research in the Federated States of Micronesia indicates that yellow- and orange-fleshed banana cultivars contain significant levels of provitamin A carotenoids. Objective To identify further banana cultivars that may be promoted to alleviate vitamin A deficiency among children and women and chronic disease problems among adults. Methods Ripe fruit of banana cultivars growing in Australia (sourced mostly from a field research collection) were assessed for carotenoid content and flesh color. Ten cultivars with yellow or yellow/orange flesh color (including common cultivars of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands) were selected and compared with two cream-fleshed cultivars, including Williams, of the Cavendish group, the most commonly marketed banana worldwide. Carotenoid content was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Flesh color was analyzed by HunterLab colorimetry. Results The yellow/orange-fleshed Asupina (a Fe'i banana) contained the highest level (1,412 μg/100 g) of trans β-carotene, the most important provitamin A carotenoid, a level more than 20 times higher than that of Williams. All 10 yellow or yellow/orange-fleshed cultivars ( Asupina, Kirkirnan, Pisang Raja, Horn Plantain, Pacific Plantain, Kluai Khai Bonng, Wain, Red Dacca, Lakatan, and Sucrier) had significant carotenoid levels, potentially meeting half or all of the estimated vitamin A requirements for a nonpregnant, nonlactating adult woman within normal consumption patterns. All were acceptable for taste and other attributes. The cream-fleshed cultivars had minimal carotenoid levels. There was a positive significant correlation between carotenoid content and deeper yellow/orange coloration indicators. Conclusions These yellow- or yellow/orange-fleshed carotenoid-rich banana cultivars should be considered for promotion in order to alleviate vitamin A deficiency and chronic disease in susceptible target communities and to provide variety and enjoyment as exotic fruits in both developing and industrialized countries.
Iodine Deficiency Persists in the Zanzibar Islands of Tanzania
Authors: Assey V. D. , Greiner T. , Mzee R. K. , Abuu H. , Mgoba C. , Kimboka S. , Peterson S. 
Published: November 2015

Background Iodine is an essential micronutrient for normal human growth and development. It is estimated that more than 1.6 billion people live in iodine-deficient environments, yet there are still some countries and areas where the prevalence of iodine-deficiency disorders is unknown. Objective To establish the prevalence of iodine-deficiency disorders in the Zanzibar Islands, a community assumed to have ready access to iodine-rich seafoods. Methods In a cross-sectional study, 11,967 schoolchildren were palpated for goiter prevalence, a subsample was evaluated for urinary iodine concentration, and the availability of iodated salt was assessed at the household and retail levels. Results The mean total goiter prevalence was 21.3% for Unguja and 32.0% for Pemba. The overall median urinary iodine concentration was 127.5 μg/L. For Unguja the median was 185.7 μg/L, a higher value than the median of 53.4 μg/L for Pemba ( p < .01). The household availability of iodated salt was 63.5% in Unguja and 1.0% in Pemba. The community was not aware of the iodine-deficiency problem and had never heard of iodated salt. Conclusions The inadequate intake of iodine documented in the Zanzibar Islands belies the common assumption that an island population with access to seafood is not at risk for iodine-deficiency disorders. We urge health planners to implement mandatory salt iodation and education efforts to alleviate the situation.
Maternal Income-Generating Activities, Child Care, and Child Nutrition in Mali
Authors: Pierre-Louis June N. , Sanjur Diva , Nesheim Malden C. , Bowman Dwight D. , Mohammed Hussni O. 
Published: November 2015

Background Women in sub-Saharan Africa play a key role in household food security. The income-generating activities of mothers are postulated to be related to the nutritional status of children. Objective The objective of the study was to examine whether maternal income-generating activities, maternal food production, and child care were determinants of the nutritional status of children in rural West Africa. The study hypotheses were that maternal income-generating activities and maternal food production are positively associated with children's dietary intake and anthropometry, and that maternal income-generating activities are not associated with child care. Methods Data were collected from a cross-sectional sample of mother–child pairs on maternal time use, child anthropometry, maternal food production, dietary intake, parasitic infection, and household, maternal, and child determinants of child nutritional status. The children were 12 to 36 months of age and included breastfed and nonbreastfed children. Food intake was assessed by the 24-hour recall method. The data were analyzed by multivariate regression and controlled for confounding variables. Results Time spent by the mother in income-generating activities was negatively associated with children's animal protein intake and height-for-age (p < .05). Maternal cash crop production was positively associated with children's weight-for-height, whereas maternal staple food production was negatively associated with energy intake from non-breastmilk foods (p < .05). The negative relationships observed for children's animal protein intake and children's height-for-age were not mediated by any child-care variable. Maternal supervision of feeding was a positive predictor of children's animal protein intake. Giardia infection was negatively related to children's weight gain (p < .05). Conclusions Own-account cash crop farming by mothers benefits children's nutrition. Maternal income-generating activities in the context of extended families, sibling caretaking, and prolonged breastfeeding do not adversely affect child care.
Breastfeeding and Mixed Feeding Practices in Malawi: Timing, Reasons, Decision Makers, and Child Health Consequences
Authors: Kerr Rachel Bezner , Berti Peter R. , Chirwa Marko 
Published: November 2015

Background In order to effectively promote exclusive breastfeeding, it is important to first understand who makes child-care and child-feeding decisions, and why those decisions are made; as in most parts of the world, exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age is uncommon in Malawi. Objective To characterize early infant foods in rural northern Malawi, who the decision-makers are, their motivation, and the consequences for child growth, in order to design a more effective program for improved child health and nutrition. Methods In a rural area of northern Malawi, 160 caregivers of children 6 to 48 months of age were asked to recall the child's age at introduction of 19 common early infant foods, who decided to introduce the food, and why. The heights and weights of the 160 children were measured. Results Sixty-five percent of the children were given food in their first month, and only 4% of the children were exclusively breastfed for 6 months. Mzuwula and dawale (two herbal infusions), water, and porridge were common early foods. Grandmothers introduced mzuwula to protect the children from illness; other foods were usually introduced by mothers or grandmothers in response to perceived hunger. The early introduction of porridge and dawale, but not mzuwula, was associated with worse anthropometric status. Mzuwula, which is not associated with poor growth, is usually made with boiled water and given in small amounts. Conversely, porridge, which is associated with poor child growth, is potentially contaminated and is served in larger amounts, which would displace breastmilk. Conclusions Promoters of exclusive breastfeeding should target their messages to appropriate decision makers and consider targeting foods that are most harmful to child growth.
The Human and Economic Cost of Hidden Hunger
Authors: Stein Alexander J. , Qaim Matin 
Published: November 2015

Background Micronutrient malnutrition is a public health problem in many developing countries. Its negative impact on income growth is recognized in principle, but there are widely varying estimates of the related economic cost. Objective To discuss available studies that quantify the cost of micronutrient malnutrition, and to develop an alternative framework and apply it to India. Methods Detailed burden of disease calculations are used to estimate the economic cost of micronutri- ent malnutrition based on disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost. Results The short-term economic cost of micronutri- ent malnutrition in India amounts to 0.8% to 2.5% of the gross domestic product. Conclusions Although the results confirm that micro- nutrient malnutrition is a huge economic problem, the estimates are lower than those of most previous studies. The differences may be due to differences in underlying assumptions, quality of data, and precision of calculation, but also to dynamic interactions between nutrition, health, and economic productivity, which are difficult to capture. Clear explanation of all calculation details would be desirable for future studies in order to increase credibility and transparency.