Carotenoid intakes, assessed by food-frequency questionnaires (FFQs), are associated with serum carotenoid concentrations in the Jackson Heart Study: validation of the Jackson Heart Study Delta NIRI Adult FFQs

OBJECTIVES: Intake and status of carotenoids have been associated with chronic disease. The objectives of this study were to examine the association between carotenoid intakes as measured by two regional food-frequency questionnaires (FFQs) and their corresponding measures in serum, and to report on dietary food sources of carotenoids in Jackson Heart Study (JHS) participants. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of data for 402 African American men and women participating in the Diet and Physical Activity Sub-Study (DPASS) of the JHS. RESULTS: Mean serum carotenoid concentrations and intakes in this population were comparable to those reported for the general US population. After adjustment for covariates, correlations between serum and dietary measures of each carotenoid, for the average of the recalls (deattenuated), the short FFQ and the long FFQ, respectively, were: 035 and 0-carotene; 026 and 0-carotene; 017 and 0-carotene; 034 and 0-cryptoxanthin; 015 and 037, 014 for lycopene. Major dietary sources of -carotene and lutein plus zeaxanthin, mustard, turnip and collard greens; of beta-cryptoxanthin, orange juice; and of lycopene, tomato juice. CONCLUSIONS: On average, carotenoid intakes and serum concentrations are not lower in this southern African American population than the general US population. The two regional FFQs developed for a southern US population and used as dietary assessment tools in the JHS appear to provide reasonably valid information for most of these carotenoids.     

Antiparasitic efficacy of dietary administration of trichlorfon (Masoten®) in the control of Neoechinorhynchus buttnerae (Neochinorhynchidae) in Colossoma macropomum (Serrasalmidae)

Aquaculture International - This study investigated the efficacy of trichlorfon against Neoechinorhynchus buttnerae, as well as its palatability, residue analysis, and the blood parameters of...     

Blind inlets: conservation practices to reduce herbicide losses from closed depressional areas

Purpose

In a 6-year study, we investigated the effectiveness of blind inlets as a conservation practice in reducing pesticide losses compared to tile risers from two closed farmed depressional areas (potholes) in the US Midwest under a 4-year cropping rotation.

Materials and methods

In two adjacent potholes within the same farm and having similar soils, a conventional tile riser and blind inlet were installed. Each draining practice could be operated independent of each other in order to drain and monitor each depression with either practice. Sampling events (runoff events) were collected from the potholes from 2008 to 2013 using autosamplers. The samples were analyzed for atrazine, metolachlor, 2,4-D, glyphosate, and deethylatrazine.

Results and discussion

The results of this study demonstrated that the blind inlet reduced analyzed pesticide losses; however, the level of reduction was compound dependent: atrazine (57 %), 2,4-D (58 %), metolachlor (53 %), and glyphosate (11 %).

Conclusions

Results from this study corroborate previous research findings that blind inlets are an effective conservation practice to reduce discharge and pollutants, including pesticides from farmed pothole surface runoff in the US Midwest.

     

Cation exchange capacity of density fractions from paired conifer/grassland soils

The cation exchange capacity (CEC) of a soil depends on the type and amount of both mineral and organic surfaces. Previous studies that have sought to determine the relative contribution of organic matter to total soil CEC have not addressed differences in soil organic matter (SOM) composition that could lead to differences in CEC. The objectives of this study were (1) to compare the CEC of two distinct SOM pools, the “light fraction (LF)” composed of particulate plant, animal, and microbial debris, and the “heavy fraction (HF)” composed of mineral-bound organic matter; and (2) to examine the effects of differences in aboveground vegetation on CEC. Soil samples were collected from four paired grassland/conifer sites within a single forested area and density fractionated. LF CEC was higher in conifer soils than in grassland soils, but there was no evidence of an effect of vegetation on CEC for the HF or bulk soil. LF CEC (but not HF CEC) correlated well with the C concentration in the fraction. The mean CEC of both fractions (per kg fraction) exceeded that of the bulk soil; thus, when the LF and HF CEC were combined mathematically by weighting values for each fraction in proportion to dry mass, the resulting value was nearly twice the measured CEC of bulk soil. On a whole soil basis, the HF contributed on average 97% of the CEC of the whole soil, although this conclusion must be tempered given the inflation of CEC values by the density fractionation procedure.     

Nitrogen and Phosphorus Levels in Sediments from Tropical Catatumbo River (Venezuela)

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations were determined in sediment samples along the bed of Catatumbo river in both Colombian and Venezuelan territories until the river outlet in Maracaibo lake. Total phosphorus was determined by digestion with HCl followed by analysis using the ascorbic acid method and total nitrogen was done using the standard microkjeldahl method plus nitrate-nitrite. Ammonium, orthophosphate and nitrate were determined using standard methods after extraction steps. The mean concentrations along the river bed were found in an interval of 0.035 and 1.492 mg g^-1 dry sed. for nitrogen and 0.027 and 1.039 mg g^-1 dry sed. for phosphorus at 95% confidence level. The mean molar ratio N/P in the river bed was 4.42 and 3.46 for river outlet zones in the lake, which indicates that nitrogen is the limiting nutrient. For comparison with previous results of lake sediments from sites near the river outlet it was concluded that Catatumbo river is a significant source of nutrients to the Maracaibo Lake system because sediment nutrients concentrations from Catatumbo river were higher than the ones in Maracaibo Lake. Statistic studies showed significant differences between countries, zones and similar behaviour in the river bed as related to the affluent rivers.     

Is there a link between pollutant exposure and emerging infectious disease?

A scoping literature review found evidence supporting the hypothesis that a population’s pollution status could help refine classification of emerging infectious disease (EID) hotspots. Systematic literature reviews and studies designed to specifically test the predictive value of pollutant status on EID risk are recommended.     

Do artificial and natural defoliation have similar effects on physiology of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. seedlings?

? Artificial defoliation is often used to simulate defoliation by herbivory and is usually considered a good indication of a plant’s response to a given type of damage. However, the findings of studies directly comparing the two defoliation types are inconsistent.

? Here, the short term effects of artificial and insect defoliation by larvae of Paropsisterna agricola on growth, biomass allocation and photosynthetic capacity of Eucalyptus globulus seedlings were compared in a glasshouse experiment. The artificial defoliation was carried out to closely resemble the spatial patterns observed for insect defoliation.

? Height and diameter increments were reduced as a result of insect defoliation, whereas artificial defoliation had no significant effect on height. Increased photosynthetic capacity was observed in response to both treatments, but the magnitude of this increase was larger in insect-than in artificially-defoliated seedlings. Significant reductions in foliar carbohydrate content and total biomass were noticeable in artificially-defoliated seedlings. Although the foliar carbohydrate levels also decreased across the crown zones following insect defoliation treatment, seedlings allocated a large amount of their biomass in the branches of the damaged zone.

? Despite our best endeavours to simulate insect defoliation in the artificial treatment, the latter may not reflect accurately the full strength of the effects. However, artificial and insect defoliation were similar in their direction of the responses they caused in E. globulus seedlings.

     

Prevention of organ allograft rejection by a specific Janus kinase 3 inhibitor

Because of its requirement for signaling by multiple cytokines, Janus kinase 3 (JAK3) is an excellent target for clinical immunosuppression. We report the development of a specific, orally active inhibitor of JAK3, CP-690,550, that significantly prolonged survival in a murine model of heart transplantation and in cynomolgus monkeys receiving kidney transplants. CP-690,550 treatment was not associated with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or lymphoproliferative disease. On the basis of these preclinical results, we believe JAK3 blockade by CP-690,550 has potential for therapeutically desirable immunosuppression in human organ transplantation and in other clinical settings.     

The political ecology of dietary transitions: Changing production and consumption patterns in the Kolli Hills,India

Using a case study from the Kolli Hills, India, I suggest that political ecology provides a useful theoretical basis for considering localized dietary transitions in rural, agricultural communities in developing countries. By examining the reasons for the near-disappearance of local minor millets as staple foods in three small-farmer communities, I argue that an explicit, actor-oriented analysis allows for an integration of food issues with considerations of environmental circumstances, local aspirations, and labor concerns. That is, an agricultural shift that abandons minor millets as a food resource reflects environmental changes and household economic aspirations. Such an analysis has implications for the creation of practical food security projects through the recognition and incorporation of small-farmer experiences, voices, and priorities. This research was undertaken through ethnographic fieldwork, using semi-structured interviews and participant observation as the primary methods. Elizabeth Finnis obtained her PhD from McMaster University in Canada and is currently a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Anthropology and the Centre for Society, Technology, and Development at McGill University.