Blommccarthy3853

Oysters hold a unique place within the field of aquaculture as one of the only organisms that is regularly shipped live to be consumed whole and raw. The microbiota of oysters is capable of adapting to a wide range of environmental conditions within their dynamic estuarine environments; however, human aquaculture practices can challenge the resilience of this microbial community. Several discrete stages in oyster cultivation and market processing can cause disruption to the oyster microbiota, thus increasing the possibility of proliferation by pathogens and spoilage bacteria. These same pressure points offer the opportunity for the application of probiotics to help decrease disease occurrence in stocks, improve product yields, minimize the risk of shellfish poisoning, and increase product shelf life. This review provides a summary of the current knowledge on oyster microbiota, the impact of aquaculture upon this community, and the current status of oyster probiotic development. In response to this biotechnological gap, the authors highlight opportunities of highest potential impact within the aquaculture pipeline and propose a strategy for oyster-specific probiotic candidate development.PURPOSE Under-carboxylated osteocalcin (UcOC), a bone-released hormone is suggested to regulate energy metabolism. Pregnancy and lactation physiological conditions that require high levels of energy. The current study attempts to examine whether UcOC is involved in regulating energy metabolism during these conditions using adult Wistar rats. METHODS AND RESULTS Insulin tolerance tests indicated insulin resistance during late pregnancy (day 19 of pregnancy; P19) and insulin sensitivity during early lactation (day 6 of lactation; L6). Gene expression analyses suggested that muscle glucose metabolism was downregulated during P19 and enhanced during L6. Concomitantly, circulatory UcOC levels were lower during pregnancy but higher during early lactation; the rise in UcOC levels was tightly linked to the lactation process. Altering endogenous UcOC levels pharmacologically with warfarin and alendronate in P19 and L6 rats changed whole-body insulin response and muscle glucose transporter (Glut4) expression. Glut4 expression can be increased by either UcOC or estrogen receptors (ERs), both of which act independent of each other. A high fat diet decreased UcOC levels and insulin sensitivity in lactating rats, suggesting that diet can compromise UcOC-established energy homeostasis. Gene expression of lipid metabolism markers and triglyceride levels suggested that UcOC suppression during early pregnancy is an essential step in maternal lipid storage. CONCLUSION Taken together, we found that UcOC plays an important role in energy homeostasis via regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism during pregnancy and lactation.BACKGROUND School feeding program (SFP) increases access to education and to better health. This study aims to evaluate the effects of SFP on physical growth, cognitive development, psychosocial behavior, and learning achievement of school children. METHODS A quasi-experimental study was conducted. The intervention group included 903 pupils in the fifth grade receiving the school meal, while the control group included 886 pupils, matched for age and sex, without meal. The meal consisted of a pie made of flour fortified with vitamins A, B6, B12, C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, calcium, iron, zinc, and phosphorus. Socioeconomic position, nutritional status, and dietary behavior were evaluated. Neuropsychological tests were done. Psychosocial behavior was rated and educational achievement was recorded. Post hoc and independent sample t tests were used to detect the association of the studied parameters with the intake of school snack. RESULTS Children who took the meal had better scores on visual memory, auditory vigilance tests (9.71 ± 2.80 vs. 7.45 ± 3.25; 25.02 ± 3.36 vs. 10.82 ± 8.92, respectively, P  less then  0.001), the afternoon attention and working memory test (8.20 ± 2.21vs. 7.75 ± 3.05) (P  less then  0.001), but less score of externalizing behavior (P  less then  0.001) than the control group. No significant changes of children's nutritional status were detected between the two groups. School meal was the main predictor of visual memory and auditory vigilance (P  less then  0.001), and was the strongest predictor of academic achievements when combined with family size and meals' frequency (P  less then  0.001). CONCLUSION School meal improves academic achievements of school children.Beginning with Pavlov (1927), there has been great interest in how associative learning processes affect eating behavior. For instance, flavors can become preferred when paired with calories or, conversely, become aversive when paired with illness. This relationship between flavors and caloric or toxic outcomes has been investigated by a number of theorists. We studied the effect of daily consumption of a flavor that was either paired or unpaired with calories provided by sugar on body weight change and daily food consumption over a 21-day period. Over three experiments, we observed an unanticipated attenuation of weight gain following consumption of flavored liquid solutions, particularly when those solutions were non-caloric. However, we did not find any impact of consuming the flavored liquid solutions on appetite. Given differences in weight gain in the absence of differences in the amount of food consumed, we suggest that unconditioned metabolic responses are elicited to initially novel flavor stimuli, even if those flavors are not followed by caloric outcomes. Potential dieting interventions based on these findings are discussed as is how they inform our understanding of the balance between unconditioned and conditioned responses.BACKGROUND Prevention of secondary stroke following initial ictus is an important focus of after-stroke care. Blood pressure (BP) is a key risk factor, so usual care following stroke or transient ischaemic attack includes regular BP checks and monitoring of anti-hypertensive medication. This is traditionally carried out in primary care, but the evidence supporting self-monitoring and self-guided management of BP in the general population with hypertension is growing. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to estimate the cost effectiveness of treatment as usual (TAU) versus (1) self-monitoring of BP (S-MON) and (2) self-monitoring and guided self-management of anti-hypertensive medication (S-MAN). METHODS This was a within-trial economic evaluation of a randomised controlled trial estimating the incremental cost per 1 mmHg BP reduction and per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained over a 6-month time horizon from the perspective of the UK National Health Service (NHS). RESULTS Data were evaluable for 140 participants. Costs per patient were £473, £853 and £1035; mean reduction in systolic BP (SBP) was 3.6, 6.7 and 6.1 mmHg, and QALYs accrued were 0.427, 0.422 and 0.423 for TAU, S-MON and S-MAN, respectively. No statistically significant differences in incremental costs or outcomes were detected. On average, S-MAN was dominated or extended dominated. The incremental cost per 1 mmHg BP reduction from S-MON versus TAU was £137. CONCLUSION On average, S-MAN is an inefficient intervention. S-MON may be cost effective, depending on the willingness to pay for a 1 mmHg BP reduction, although it yielded fewer QALYs over the within-trial time horizon. read more Decision modelling is required to explore the longer-term costs and outcomes.INTRODUCTION Medulloblastoma is a malignant embryonal tumor of the cerebellum that occurs predominantly in children. To find germline genetic variants associated with medulloblastoma risk, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) including 244 medulloblastoma cases and 247 control subjects from Sweden and Denmark. METHODS Genotyping was performed using Illumina BeadChips, and untyped variants were imputed using IMPUTE2. RESULTS Fifty-nine variants in 11 loci were associated with increased medulloblastoma risk (p  less then  1 × 10-5), but none were statistically significant after adjusting for multiple testing (p  less then  5 × 10-8). Thirteen of these variants were genotyped, whereas 46 were imputed. Genotyped variants were further investigated in a validation study comprising 249 medulloblastoma cases and 629 control subjects. In the validation study, rs78021424 (18p11.23, PTPRM) was associated with medulloblastoma risk with OR in the same direction as in the discovery cohort (ORT = 1.59, pvalidation = 0.02). We also selected seven medulloblastoma predisposition genes for investigation using a candidate gene approach APC, BRCA2, PALB2, PTCH1, SUFU, TP53, and GPR161. The strongest evidence for association was found for rs201458864 (PALB2, ORT = 3.76, p = 3.2 × 10-4) and rs79036813 (PTCH1, ORA = 0.42, p = 2.6 × 10-3). CONCLUSION The results of this study, including a novel potential medulloblastoma risk loci at 18p11.23, are suggestive but need further validation in independent cohorts.PURPOSE Resection of skull base malignancies that would have been associated with unacceptable morbidity and mortality in the past are now performed with reliable results due in large part to advancements in reconstructive surgery. The goal of this review is to describe the best evidence-based methods of reconstruction following open surgery for skull base tumors in order to attain improved outcomes for patients. METHODS A review of recent studies involving reconstruction following open skull base surgeries was performed. RESULTS Free flaps are now the most commonly recommended method for reconstruction following open skull base surgery, although pedicled regional flaps such as the temporalis muscle, supraclavicular, and submental flaps may be good alternatives in specific cases. Recent series suggest high reconstructive free flap survival rates and low levels of recipient site complications, including neurosurgical complications such as cerebrospinal fluid leak. The location of the resection defect predicts the reconstructive challenges and guides pedicled and free flap selection. CONCLUSION Refinements in flap selection and reconstructive technique continue to improve patient outcomes and decrease complication rates following open surgery for skull base malignancies.PURPOSE To describe the burden, and characteristics, of influenza-like illness (ILI) associated with non-influenza respiratory viruses (NIRV). METHODS We performed a prospective, multicenter, observational study of adults admitted with ILI during three influenza seasons (2012-2015). Patients were screened for picornavirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), coronavirus, human metapneumovirus, adenovirus, bocavirus, parainfluenza virus, and influenza, by PCR on nasopharyngeal samples. We excluded patients coinfected with NIRV and influenza. RESULTS Among 1421 patients enrolled, influenza virus was detected in 535 (38%), and NIRV in 215 (15%), mostly picornavirus (n = 61), RSV (n = 53), coronavirus 229E (n = 48), and human metapneumovirus (n = 40). In-hospital mortality was 5% (NIRV), 4% (influenza), and 5% (no respiratory virus). As compared to influenza, NIRV were associated with age (median, 73 years vs. 68, P = 0.026), chronic respiratory diseases (53% vs. 45%, P = 0.034), cancer (14% vs. 9%, P = 0.029), and immunosuppressive drugs (21% vs.