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Hard to predict! No clear effects of home-field advantage on leaf litter decomposition in tropical heath vegetation
- Mery I. G. de Alencar, André Y. S. P. Belo, José L. A. Silva, Ana E. B. Asato, Eduarda F. Gomes, Valéria S. de Oliveira, Jesiel de O. Teixeira, Otávio de S. Monte, Adriano S. Mota, Vitória M. L. Pereira, Sibele S. Dantas, Gabriel H. S. Silva, Bruno T. Goto, Alexandre F. Souza, Adriano Caliman
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- Journal:
- Journal of Tropical Ecology / Volume 38 / Issue 6 / November 2022
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 October 2022, pp. 462-471
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The home-field advantage (HFA) hypothesis establishes that plant litter decomposes faster at ‘home’ sites than in ‘away’ sites due to more specialized decomposers acting at home sites. This hypothesis has predominantly been tested through ‘yes or no’ transplanting experiments, where the litter decomposition of a focal species is quantified near and away from their conspecifics. Herein, we evaluated the occurrence and magnitude of home-field effects on the leaf litter decomposition of Myrcia ramuliflora (O.Berg) N. Silveira (Myrtaceae) along a natural gradient of conspecific litterfall input and also if home-field effects are affected by litter and soil traits. Litter decomposition of M. ramuliflora was assessed through litterbags placed in 39 plots in a tropical heath vegetation over a period of 12 months. We also characterized abiotic factors, litter layer traits, and litter diversity. Our results indicated the occurrence of positive (i.e. Home-field advantage) and negative (i.e. Home-field disadvantage) effects in more than half of the plots. Positive and negative effects occurred in a similar frequency and magnitude. Among all predictors tested, only the community weighted mean C/N ratio of the litterfall input was associated with home-field effects. Our results reinforce the lack of generality for home-field effects found in the literature and thus challenge the understanding of litter-decomposer interaction in tropical ecosystems.
BMI, waist-to-height ratio and body fat mass in older adults: results from the Pronutrisenior project
- Flora Correia, Bruno M. P. M. Oliveira, Rui Poínhos, Anzhela Sorokina, Cláudia Afonso, Bela Franchini, Bárbara Pereira, Luís Fonseca, Miguel Sousa, Ana Monteiro, Maria Daniel Vaz de Almeida
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- Journal:
- Proceedings of the Nutrition Society / Volume 79 / Issue OCE2 / 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 10 June 2020, E222
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Near 20% of the Portuguese population is aged 65 years or above, a value similar to most developed countries. This older adult population also suffers from obesity and obesity-related pathologies. The environment encompasses a set of obesity determinants and knowing the associations between the environment and obesity may help health professionals and caregivers to provide for the older adults.
In this study, we aimed to relate anthropometric measures with socio-demographic data in older adults.
This is a cross-sectional study using data from the Pronutrisenior project, collected in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. The sample consists of 456 older adults, aged 65 to 92 years without cognitive impairment. The sample consisted of older adults living at their homes. Socio-demographic, clinical, geographical, and anthropometric data was collected. The statistical analysis used IBM-SPSS-22.0 and consisted on descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations and UniANOVA. Significantly results (p < 0.05) are reported.
These older adults were mostly females (54.2%) with a mean age of 73.8 years (sd = 6.3), mean body mass index (BMI) of 29.1kg/m2 (sd = 4.8), mean waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) of 0.623 (sd = 0.073) and mean percentage of body fat mass (%BFM) of 40.7% (sd = 8.9%) for females and 30.2% (sd = 8.5%) for males. BMI, WHtR and %BFM were positively correlated. In this sample of older adults, higher values of these measures were associated to being female, younger, less educated; to having articular pains and respiratory problems, and not having insomnia, hypertension, chewing problems nor hearing problems; to drink more liquids but not consuming dairy products daily; to not take nutritional supplements but to take more medicines; to be without somebody to talk to and to be more dependent; and to live in a house without stairs to climb and to live near other older adults, and in a more urbanized area with streets with steeper slopes.
In this sample of older adults, obesity is related with health characteristics and those are related with socio-demographic and geographical characteristics of the area of residence. Besides the identification of risk factors for the older adult population, this information may help designing health care policies that takes in consideration the physical and geographical characteristics of the neighbourhood of the area of residence of the older adults.
Malnutrition and its risk among Portuguese older adults: Prevalence and underestimation using the short form of the Mini Nutritional Assessment
- Rui Poínhos, Bruno M. P. M. Oliveira, Anzhela Sorokina, Bela Franchini, Cláudia Afonso, Maria Daniel Vaz de Almeida
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- Journal:
- Proceedings of the Nutrition Society / Volume 79 / Issue OCE2 / 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 10 June 2020, E223
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Malnutrition is a serious health problem among older adults. The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) is the most used tool to assess malnutrition among older adults. It was proposed that the Screening section could be used as a short form of the MNA (MNA-SF), but the study of the two forms show a wide range of agreement (71.8 to 93.3% and Cohen's kappa from 0.52 to 0.78). Nevertheless, most of the studies recommend the use of the MNA-SF, but in some this conclusion is not completely congruent with the results. The aims of this work were to study the agreement between the nutritional status classification using the MNA-SF and the MNA-FF among Portuguese older adults living in the community, to compare the scores in each question of the MNA-FF between participants correctly or incorrectly classified using the MNA-SF, and to develop a more sensible version of the MNA-SF. The current study is part of the PRONUTRISENIOR project. Data from 456 older adults (54.2% females) aged 65 to 92 years (mean = 73; SD = 6) living in the community (Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal) were analyzed. The agreement between the two classifications is 82.7%, but Cohen's k shows a weak agreement (weighted k = 0.497; p < 0,001). MNA-SF showed a very low sensitivity (42.6%) detecting participants malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Participants classified as normal using the MNA-SF despite at risk using the MNA-SF presented lower scores in two items from the Assessment section: number of full meals eaten daily and amount of fluid consumed per day. These two items were included in MNA-SF to obtain an extended short-version (MNA-SF8), which presented a sensitivity of 91.8% (and a specificity of 79.9%). The areas under the ROC curves were 0.858 and 0.929, respectively for MNA-SF and MNA-SF8. The addition of two items to the MNA-SF provides a more sensible tool to detect risk of malnutrition among elderly. These findings suggest that, among the studied population, general eating-related questions regarding (full meals and fluid intake) are relevant to assess malnutrition. Similar studies should be carried out among other populations in order to verify the possibility of their generalization. [The PRONUTRISENIOR project was financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants (PT06 – Public Health Initiatives, reference 81NU5).]
Pre and postoperative deficiencies in iron, ferritin and B12 vitamin among portuguese patients undergoing bariatric surgery
- Mariana Santos Lopes, Bruno M. P. M. Oliveira, Olga Neves, Diva Melim, Paula Freitas, AMTCO Group, Flora Correia
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- Journal:
- Proceedings of the Nutrition Society / Volume 79 / Issue OCE2 / 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 10 June 2020, E508
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Introduction:
According to the World Health Organization obesity it's the result of an abnormal or excessive body fat accumulation, which presents a high risk for the health. Bariatric surgery appears as an alternative to the conventional treatment for the morbid obese individuals. However, this type of intervention causes changes in the anatomy and physiology of the gastrointestinal tract, which may lead to the development of nutritional deficiencies in patients, in particular anemia.
Aim:To evaluate micronutrient deficiencies in patients submitted to bariatric surgery in preoperative and postoperative periods, in particular iron, ferritin, and B12 vitamin.
Methods:In this longitudinal study, we evaluated, retrospectively and prospectively, patients who attended the nutrition appointment at a central hospital. We completed a preexisting database containing anthropometric and biochemical data, adding biochemical data, at various periods: pre at 6th, 12th, 18th, 24th, 30th and 36th months post-surgery.
Results:from the 121 patients submitted to bariatric surgery, 79,3% were female. The prevalence or iron deficiency reached 15%, ferritin deficiency reached almost 10% and B12 vitamin deficiency reached 18%. Furthermore there were deficiencies in other nutrients, e.g., vitamin D, magnesium and zinc. There was more than 85% adhesion to take the multivitamin supplementation and frequent use of specific supplementation.
Conclusion:The prevalence of nutritional deficiencies is high, with a tendency to persist over time even with use of multivitamin supplementation, leading to the need for complementary supplementation, in particular to prevent the risk of anemia. Hence, periodic and long term monitoring is fundamental.
Eating behaviour, health locus of control and stages of change towards healthy eating among Portuguese undergraduate students
- Marta Are, Eduila Santos, Bruno M. P. M. Oliveira, Flora Correia, Rui Poínhos
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- Journal:
- Proceedings of the Nutrition Society / Volume 79 / Issue OCE2 / 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 10 June 2020, E614
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Eating behaviour refers to quantitative and qualitative features of the selection and decision on the foods to be consumed. Knowledge on determinants of eating behaviour increases the success of actions and interventions aiming to promote healthy eating habits and to prevent diseases. Several constructs facilitate the comprehension of health-related changes, among which the Locus of Control (LoC) and Stages of Change (SoC). Our aim was to study the relationships between several dimensions of eating behaviour with the health LoC and SoC towards healthy eating among Portuguese higher education students. Data from 267 higher education students (63.7% females) aged 18 to 27 years were assessed regarding health LoC (Health Locus of Control Scale; Ribeiro, 1994), SoC towards healthy eating (question and items from Kearney et al. (1999), adapted to refer specifically to the adoption of healthy eating) and eating behaviour. Emotional and external eating were measured using the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, flexible and rigid control of eating behaviour was measured with the Portuguese version of the subscales proposed by Westenhoefer et al. (1999), the Portuguese version of the Binge Eating Scale was used to assess binge eating severity, and eating self-efficacy was measured using the General Eating Self-Efficacy Scale. BMI was calculated using self-reported weight and height. No significant associations were found between BMI and health LoC. In the female subsample, i-LoC assessed through the factor “locus of control” was negatively associated with binge eating and positively with eating self-efficacy. However, we also found a negative association between eating self-efficacy and i-LoC assessed by the factor “other powerful”. Among men, none of the eating behaviour dimensions presented an association with health LoC. Regarding SoC, participants in the maintenance stage presented lower external eating and binge eating (both sexes), lower emotional eating and higher eating self-efficacy (women) and dietary restraint (higher rigid control among men but higher flexible control among women), when compared to those in the pre-contemplation/ contemplation stages. Our results suggest that SoC and LoC may be useful to achieve deeper knowledge on eating behaviour. Their assessement may also help designing early and sex-directed (namely regarding the different types of dietary restraint) programs and interventions focusing eating behaviour.
Comparison of Portuguese and Turkish older adults’ nutritional status assessed by MNA-FF
- Bruno M. P. M. Oliveira, Meryem Elif Öztürk, Rui Poínhos, Cláudia Afonso, Nurcan Yabancı Ayhan, Maria Daniel Vaz de Almeida
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- Journal:
- Proceedings of the Nutrition Society / Volume 79 / Issue OCE2 / 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 10 June 2020, E619
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Malnutrition is associated to a progressive decline in health, reduced physical and cognitive functional status and mortality. However, the malnutrition prevalence differs across countries. Previous studies reported 19% of malnourished elderly in Turkey and 1.3% in Portugal.
We aimed to compare the nutritional status between between Portuguese and Turkish older adults using the Mini-Nutritional Assessment.
This is a cross-sectional study using data from the Pronutrisenior project, collected in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal (n = 430), and a study in Ankara, Turkey (n = 162). The sample consisted of older adults living at their homes. Socio-demographic data, clinical data from the medical records, the full form of Mini-Nutrititional Assessment, MNA-FF and anthropometry (weight, height, BMI, mid-arm circumference and calf circumference) were collected.
Turkish older adults lived more frequently with children, are more likely to be widow/widower, and have a higher probability of being housewife/househusband. A larger proportion of the Portuguese have tooth loss, diabetes, hypertension, oncologic diseases, kidney diseases, osteoarticular problems, or eye problems and a larger proportion of the Turkish have anemia. The BMI average is smaller in the Turkish sample, while the calf circumference average is larger. Turkish have a larger proportion of malnourished or at risk of malnutrition (4.9% and 31.5% vs. 1.2% and 24.0%, respectively). The average MNA-FF score is higher among the Portuguese, males and on people using denture, and without: toothloss, hypertension, CVD, anemia and oncological diseases. Moreover, higher MNA-FF scores were associated with younger ages, higher BMI and higher calf circumference.The effect size was larger for CVD and sex.
The prevalence of malnutrition in European and American populations ranges from 1% to 15% in ambulatory living elders, more common among females as in this work. Other studies showed that higher BMI is related with lower malnutrition prevalence and higher prevalence of obesity-related chronic diseases. Tooth loss was more frequent in the Portuguese, which may be due to a higher intake of sweets or packaged food. Portuguese elders had lower calf circumferences but higher BMI, which may be related to lower muscle mass and/or higher fat mass. The differences between the Portuguese and the Turkish may be related to the different per capita gross national product, positively correlated with BMI and the consumption of processed foods. Anemia in Turkish elders may be related with BMI and their lower consumption of meat and the higher tea intake that may reduce iron absorption, as reported by other studies.
Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial
- Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Dayanna Barreto, Heloisa Onias, Katia C. Andrade, Morgana M. Novaes, Jessica A. Pessoa, Sergio A. Mota-Rolim, Flávia L. Osório, Rafael Sanches, Rafael G. dos Santos, Luís Fernando Tófoli, Gabriela de Oliveira Silveira, Mauricio Yonamine, Jordi Riba, Francisco R. Santos, Antonio A. Silva-Junior, João C. Alchieri, Nicole L. Galvão-Coelho, Bruno Lobão-Soares, Jaime E. C. Hallak, Emerson Arcoverde, João P. Maia-de-Oliveira, Dráulio B. Araújo
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 49 / Issue 4 / March 2019
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 15 June 2018, pp. 655-663
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Background
Recent open-label trials show that psychedelics, such as ayahuasca, hold promise as fast-onset antidepressants in treatment-resistant depression.
MethodsTo test the antidepressant effects of ayahuasca, we conducted a parallel-arm, double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial in 29 patients with treatment-resistant depression. Patients received a single dose of either ayahuasca or placebo. We assessed changes in depression severity with the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Hamilton Depression Rating scale at baseline, and at 1 (D1), 2 (D2), and 7 (D7) days after dosing.
ResultsWe observed significant antidepressant effects of ayahuasca when compared with placebo at all-time points. MADRS scores were significantly lower in the ayahuasca group compared with placebo at D1 and D2 (p = 0.04), and at D7 (p < 0.0001). Between-group effect sizes increased from D1 to D7 (D1: Cohen's d = 0.84; D2: Cohen's d = 0.84; D7: Cohen's d = 1.49). Response rates were high for both groups at D1 and D2, and significantly higher in the ayahuasca group at D7 (64% v. 27%; p = 0.04). Remission rate showed a trend toward significance at D7 (36% v. 7%, p = 0.054).
ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first controlled trial to test a psychedelic substance in treatment-resistant depression. Overall, this study brings new evidence supporting the safety and therapeutic value of ayahuasca, dosed within an appropriate setting, to help treat depression. This study is registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02914769).