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Scipion3: A workflow engine for cryo-electron microscopy image processing and structural biology
- Pablo Conesa, Yunior C. Fonseca, Jorge Jiménez de la Morena, Grigory Sharov, Jose Miguel de la Rosa-Trevín, Ana Cuervo, Alberto García Mena, Borja Rodríguez de Francisco, Daniel del Hoyo, David Herreros, Daniel Marchan, David Strelak, Estrella Fernández-Giménez, Erney Ramírez-Aportela, Federico Pedro de Isidro-Gómez, Irene Sánchez, James Krieger, José Luis Vilas, Laura del Cano, Marcos Gragera, Mikel Iceta, Marta Martínez, Patricia Losana, Roberto Melero, Roberto Marabini, José María Carazo, Carlos Oscar Sánchez Sorzano
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- Journal:
- Biological Imaging / Volume 3 / 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 29 June 2023, e13
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Image-processing pipelines require the design of complex workflows combining many different steps that bring the raw acquired data to a final result with biological meaning. In the image-processing domain of cryo-electron microscopy single-particle analysis (cryo-EM SPA), hundreds of steps must be performed to obtain the three-dimensional structure of a biological macromolecule by integrating data spread over thousands of micrographs containing millions of copies of allegedly the same macromolecule. The execution of such complicated workflows demands a specific tool to keep track of all these steps performed. Additionally, due to the extremely low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the estimation of any image parameter is heavily affected by noise resulting in a significant fraction of incorrect estimates. Although low SNR and processing millions of images by hundreds of sequential steps requiring substantial computational resources are specific to cryo-EM, these characteristics may be shared by other biological imaging domains. Here, we present Scipion, a Python generic open-source workflow engine specifically adapted for image processing. Its main characteristics are: (a) interoperability, (b) smart object model, (c) gluing operations, (d) comparison operations, (e) wide set of domain-specific operations, (f) execution in streaming, (g) smooth integration in high-performance computing environments, (h) execution with and without graphical capabilities, (i) flexible visualization, (j) user authentication and private access to private data, (k) scripting capabilities, (l) high performance, (m) traceability, (n) reproducibility, (o) self-reporting, (p) reusability, (q) extensibility, (r) software updates, and (s) non-restrictive software licensing.
Health-related cues on the packages of processed and ultra-processed products: prevalence and policy implications
- Florencia Alcaire, Leticia Vidal, Leandro Machín, Lucía Antúnez, Ana Giménez, María Rosa Curutchet, Gastón Ares
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- Journal:
- British Journal of Nutrition / Volume 130 / Issue 1 / 14 July 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 07 October 2022, pp. 174-184
- Print publication:
- 14 July 2023
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The information included on food packages has a crucial role in influencing consumer product associations and purchase decisions. In particular, visual and textual cues on processed and ultra-processed products can convey health-related associations that influence consumer healthiness perception and purchase decisions. In this context, the present work aimed to explore the use of health-related cues on the packages of processed and ultra-processed products sold in Uruguay to provide insights for policy making. A total of 3813 products from thirty-four different food categories found in four of the most important supermarket chains in Uruguay were surveyed. The textual and visual information included on the packages as well as the nutritional composition of the products were analysed. Results showed that 67 % of the products included at least one health-related cue. Pictures of culinary ingredients, natural and minimally processed foods were the most frequent health-related cue, followed by references to naturalness and claims related to critical nutrients. The prevalence of health-related cues largely differed across product categories, ranging from 100 to 17 %. The relationship between the presence of health-related cues on the packages and the excessive content of nutrients associated with non-communicable diseases was assessed using a gradient boosting model, which showed limited predictive ability. This suggests that the inclusion of health-related cues on food packages was not strongly related to the nutritional composition of products and therefore cannot be regarded as a healthiness indicator. These results stress the need to develop stricter labelling regulations to protect consumers from misleading information.
LHX6 promoter hypermethylation in oncological pediatric patients conceived by IVF
- Gustavo Dib Dangoni, Anne Caroline Barbosa Teixeira, Carolina Sgarioni Camargo Vince, Estela Maria Novak, Thamiris Magalhães Gimenez, Mariana Maschietto, Vicente Odone Filho, Ana Cristina Victorino Krepischi
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- Journal:
- Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease / Volume 14 / Issue 1 / February 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 26 September 2022, pp. 140-145
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The multifactorial etiology of pediatric cancer is poorly understood. Environmental factors occurring during embryogenesis can disrupt epigenetic signaling, resulting in several diseases after birth, including cancer. Associations between assisted reproductive technologies (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), and birth defects, imprinting disorders and other perinatal adverse events have been reported. IVF can result in methylation changes in the offspring, and a link with pediatric cancer has been suggested. In this study, we investigated the peripheral blood methylomes of 11 patients conceived by IVF who developed cancer in childhood. Methylation data of patients and paired sex/aged controls were obtained using the Infinium MethylationEPIC Kit (Illumina). We identified 25 differentially methylated regions (DMRs), 17 of them hypermethylated, and 8 hypomethylated in patients. The most significant DMR was a hypermethylated genomic segment located in the promoter region of LHX6, a transcription factor involved in the forebrain development and interneuron migration during embryogenesis. An additional control group was included to verify the LHX6 methylation status in children with similar cancers who were not conceived by ART. The higher LHX6 methylation levels in IVF patients compared to both control groups (healthy children and children conceived naturally who developed similar pediatric cancers), suggested that hypermethylation at the LHX6 promoter could be due to the IVF process and not secondary to the cancer itself. Further studies are required to evaluate this association and the potential role of LHX6 promoter hypermethylation for tumorigenesis.
Dietary diversity and depression: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses in Spanish adult population with metabolic syndrome. Findings from PREDIMED-Plus trial
- Naomi Cano-Ibáñez, Lluis Serra-Majem, Sandra Martín-Peláez, Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Dolores Corella, Camille Lassale, Jose Alfredo Martínez, Ángel M Alonso-Gómez, Julia Wärnberg, Jesús Vioque, Dora Romaguera, José López-Miranda, Ramon Estruch, Ana María Gómez-Pérez, José Lapetra, Fernando Fernández-Aranda, Aurora Bueno-Cavanillas, Josep A Tur, Naiara Cubelos, Xavier Pintó, José Juan Gaforio, Pilar Matía-Martín, Josep Vidal, Cristina Calderón, Lidia Daimiel, Emilio Ros, Alfredo Gea, Nancy Babio, Ignacio Manuel Gimenez-Alba, María Dolores Zomeño-Fajardo, Itziar Abete, Lucas Tojal Sierra, Rita P Romero-Galisteo, Manoli García de la Hera, Marian Martín-Padillo, Antonio García-Ríos, Rosa M Casas, JC Fernández-García, José Manuel Santos-Lozano, Estefanía Toledo, Nerea Becerra-Tomas, Jose V Sorli, Helmut Schröder, María A Zulet, Carolina Sorto-Sánchez, Javier Diez-Espino, Carlos Gómez-Martínez, Montse Fitó, Almudena Sánchez-Villegas
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- Journal:
- Public Health Nutrition / Volume 26 / Issue 3 / March 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 19 July 2022, pp. 598-610
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Objective:
To examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal (2-year follow-up) associations between dietary diversity (DD) and depressive symptoms.
Design:An energy-adjusted dietary diversity score (DDS) was assessed using a validated FFQ and was categorised into quartiles (Q). The variety in each food group was classified into four categories of diversity (C). Depressive symptoms were assessed with Beck Depression Inventory-II (Beck II) questionnaire and depression cases defined as physician-diagnosed or Beck II >= 18. Linear and logistic regression models were used.
Setting:Spanish older adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS).
Participants:A total of 6625 adults aged 55–75 years from the PREDIMED-Plus study with overweight or obesity and MetS.
Results:Total DDS was inversely and statistically significantly associated with depression in the cross-sectional analysis conducted; OR Q4 v. Q1 = 0·76 (95 % CI (0·64, 0·90)). This was driven by high diversity compared to low diversity (C3 v. C1) of vegetables (OR = 0·75, 95 % CI (0·57, 0·93)), cereals (OR = 0·72 (95 % CI (0·56, 0·94)) and proteins (OR = 0·27, 95 % CI (0·11, 0·62)). In the longitudinal analysis, there was no significant association between the baseline DDS and changes in depressive symptoms after 2 years of follow-up, except for DD in vegetables C4 v. C1 = (β = 0·70, 95 % CI (0·05, 1·35)).
Conclusions:According to our results, DD is inversely associated with depressive symptoms, but eating more diverse does not seem to reduce the risk of future depression. Additional longitudinal studies (with longer follow-up) are needed to confirm these findings.
Impact of maternal age on infants' emotional regulation and psychomotor development
- Alba Moreno-Giménez, Laura Campos-Berga, Alicja Nowak, Rosa Sahuquillo-Leal, Ana D'Ocon, David Hervás, Pablo Navalón, Máximo Vento, Ana García-Blanco
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 52 / Issue 15 / November 2022
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 05 March 2021, pp. 3708-3719
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Background
Maternal age has progressively increased in industrialized countries. Most studies focus on the consequences of delayed motherhood for women's physical and mental health, but little is known about potential effects on infants' neurodevelopment. This prospective study examines the association between maternal age and offspring neurodevelopment in terms of both psychomotor development (Ages & Stages Questionnaires-3) and emotional competences (Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire).
MethodsWe evaluated a cohort of healthy pregnant women aged 20–41 years and their offspring, assessed at 38 weeks gestation (n = 131) and 24 months after birth (n = 101). Potential age-related variables were considered (paternal age, education level, parity, social support, maternal cortisol levels, and maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms). Bayesian ordinal regression models were performed for each neurodevelopmental outcome.
ResultsMaternal age was negatively associated with poor child development in terms of personal-social skills [odds ratio (OR) −0.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77–0.99] and with difficult temperament in terms of worse emotional regulation (OR −0.13, 95% CI 0.78–0.96) and lower positive affect (OR 0.16, 95% CI 0.75–0.95). As for age-related variables, whereas maternal anxiety symptoms and cortisol levels were also correlated with poor child development and difficult temperament, maternal social support and parental educational level were associated with better psychomotor and emotional competences.
ConclusionIncreasing maternal age may be associated with child temperament difficulties and psychomotor delay in terms of social interaction skills. Early detection of neurodevelopment difficulties in these babies would allow preventive psychosocial interventions to avoid future neuropsychiatric disorders.
The idealisation of bottle feeding: content analysis of feeding bottles and teats packages in Uruguay
- Florencia Alcaire, Lucía Antúnez, Leticia Vidal, Carolina de León, Alejandra Girona, Raquel Rodríguez, Ana Giménez, Isabel Bove, Gastón Ares
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- Journal:
- Public Health Nutrition / Volume 24 / Issue 10 / July 2021
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 22 October 2020, pp. 3147-3155
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Objective:
The information displayed on the packages of feeding bottles and teats commercialised in Montevideo (Uruguay) was analysed using content analysis with the goal of identifying key marketing practices that may discourage breast-feeding.
Design:The study was conducted as part of the periodic assessment performed by the Uruguayan government to monitor the marketing of breast milk substitutes. All the feeding bottles and teats sold in forty-four retail outlets selling breast milk substitutes were purchased. The information available on the packages was analysed using content analysis and descriptive statistics.
Setting:Montevideo, Uruguay.
Results:A total of 197 feeding bottles and 71 teats were found. The majority of the packages included information to enable caregivers to adequately use the products, including recommended age, instructions on how to use the products and instructions on the use of hygienic practices. However, the packages frequently included information that implied that bottle feeding was equivalent to breast-feeding, particularly from a physiological perspective, or that idealised product use. Idealisations included ability to reduce colic, improvements in the feeding experience and improvements in children’s health, well-being and development. Statements on the superiority of breast-feeding were infrequent.
Conclusions:The results from the present work showed the high prevalence of marketing practices on the packages of feeding bottles and teats that may discourage breast-feeding. Stricter and more detailed regulations seem necessary to enable caregivers to make informed feeding decisions for infants.
Infection Control, Antimicrobial Consumption, and Hospital-Acquired Clostridioides difficile Infection in Acute-Care Hospitals in Catalonia
- Esther Calbo, Laia Castellà, Ana Hornero, Nieves Larrosa, Nieves Sopena, Santiago Grau, Sergi Hernández, Montserrat Gimenez, Susana Melendo, Lucía Boix-Palop, Juan P. Horcajada
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- Journal:
- Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology / Volume 41 / Issue S1 / October 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 November 2020, pp. s483-s484
- Print publication:
- October 2020
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Background: Hospital-acquired Clostridioides difficile infection (HA-CDI) is a major infection control challenge. Using whole-genome sequencing, <40% of HA-CDI cases have been estimated to have been acquired from other inpatient cases. Huge regional variations have been described depending on the prevalence of epidemic ribotypes. We hypothesized that, according to the geographical area, variations in HA-CDI rates between hospitals could be attributable either to differences in infection control policies or to antimicrobial consumption. Objectives: To assess the association of HA-MRSA rates (a surrogate marker of infection control policies) and antimicrobial consumption with HA-CDI incidence from 2011 to 2018 in hospitals reporting at the VINCat-program (Infection Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship Catalan Program). Methods: Data on 45 hospitals in Catalonia (with 70.5% of all adult acute-care hospital beds) reporting antimicrobial consumption, HA-MRSA, and HA-CDI new cases to the VINCat-program since 2011 to 2018 were analyzed. To report antimicrobial consumption, the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification (ATC) defined daily dose (DDD) index 2018 was used. Participating hospitals were classified into 3 groups according to size: group 1 (>500 beds), 9 hospitals; group 2 (500–200 beds), 15 hospitals; and group 3 (<200 beds), 21 hospitals. The number of hospitalization days recorded at the participating hospitals increased from 2,828,101 in 2011 to 3,201,680 in 2018. To analyze the association between HA-MRSA rate, antimicrobial consumption and the rate of CDI-HA, a Poisson regression model was used. HA-CDI annually new cases have been defined as a dependent variable, the stays as an offset of the model and the HA-MRSA rates and antimicrobial consumption (measured in DDD) as independent factors. The exponents of model coefficients are equal to incidence rate ratios (IRR). Results: The regression model showed an association of with antimicrobial consumption with HA-CDI (IRR,1.05; 95% CI, 1.03–1.07; P < .001) and a lack of association with HA-MRSA (IRR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.46–1.48; P = .52). Conclusions: The HA-CDI incidence rate grew annually by 5% for an increase of 1 DDD in annual antibiotic consumption. No association HA-MRSA rates was detected, suggesting that antimicrobial stewardship programs are urgently needed to improve the control of HA-CDI in Catalonia, a geographical area with a low prevalence of epidemic ribotypes.
Funding: None
Disclosures: Juan Pablo Horcajada reports consulting fees from MSD, Pfizer, and Menarini and speaker honoraria from MSD, Pfizer, and Zambon.
Immediate effects of the implementation of nutritional warnings in Uruguay: awareness, self-reported use and increased understanding
- Gastón Ares, Lucía Antúnez, María Rosa Curutchet, Luis Galicia, Ximena Moratorio, Ana Giménez, Isabel Bove
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- Public Health Nutrition / Volume 24 / Issue 2 / February 2021
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 August 2020, pp. 364-375
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Objective:
To assess the effects of nutritional warnings during the first month after the date of full compliance by the food industry in Uruguay in terms of citizen awareness, self-reported use and ability to understand nutritional information.
Design:The present work encompassed two online studies, conducted before (Study 1) and during the first month after the date of full compliance by the food industry (Study 2). An after-only design was used to assess awareness of the policy, exposure to nutritional warnings on food packages and self-reported use of warnings for making purchase decisions in Study 2. An after-only with control group experimental design was used to assess the effect of nutritional warnings on understanding of nutrition information in Studies 1 and 2.
Setting:Uruguay, one of the Latin American countries, that has recently implemented nutritional warnings.
Participants:A non-probabilistic sample of 1772 participants was recruited using Facebook advertisements targeted at Uruguayan adult users.
Results:High awareness and self-reported use of nutritional warnings during the first month after the date of full compliance in Uruguay were observed. In addition, the before and after comparison showed that the implementation of warnings increased citizens’ ability to use nutritional information to compare products and to identify products with excessive content of sugar, fat, saturated fat and sodium.
Conclusions:The current study confirms results from experimental studies and provides additional evidence to support the implementation of nutritional warnings as one of the public policies that can contribute to tackle obesity and non-communicable diseases.
Consumer accounts of favourable dietary behaviour change and comparison with official dietary guidelines
- Gastón Ares, Jessica Aschemann-Witzel, Leticia Vidal, Leandro Machín, Ximena Moratorio, Elisa Bandeira, María Rosa Curutchet, Isabel Bove, Ana Giménez
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- Public Health Nutrition / Volume 21 / Issue 10 / July 2018
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 20 February 2018, pp. 1952-1960
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Objective
The current study aimed to assess Uruguayan consumers’ accounts of their own need to change their dietary patterns, their intended changes and the barriers related to doing so, and to compare the intentions and barriers with the recommendations of the national dietary guidelines.
DesignAn online survey with 2381 Uruguayan employed adults, aged between 18 and 65 years, 65 % females, was conducted. Participants had to answer two open-ended questions related to changes they could make in the foods they eat and/or the way in which they eat to improve the quality of their diet and the reasons why they had not implemented those changes yet. Content analysis using inductive coding by two researchers was used to analyse the responses.
ResultsConsumers mainly intended to change consumption of types of foods, particularly eating more fruits, vegetables and legumes and consuming less flour, but also intended to alter their eating patterns. Lack of time and the fact that healthy foods are perceived as being more expensive than unhealthy foods were major barriers to behaviour change. Some of the recommendations of the dietary guidelines, particularly those related to enjoying cooking and meals and engaging in it as a social activity, were not represented in consumer accounts.
ConclusionsAccompanying policies to the dietary guidelines need to underline the importance of changes in dietary patterns, including greater enjoyment and sharing food preparation and meals in the company with others, address misconceptions about flour, and provide concrete, consumer-derived recommendations on how to enact the guidelines.
Nutrition warnings as front-of-pack labels: influence of design features on healthfulness perception and attentional capture
- Manuel Cabrera, Leandro Machín, Alejandra Arrúa, Lucía Antúnez, María Rosa Curutchet, Ana Giménez, Gastón Ares
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- Public Health Nutrition / Volume 20 / Issue 18 / December 2017
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 October 2017, pp. 3360-3371
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Objective
Warnings are a new directive front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling scheme that highlights products with high content of key nutrients. The design of warnings influences their ability to catch consumers’ attention and to clearly communicate their intended meaning, which are key determinants of their effectiveness. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of design features of warnings as a FOP nutrition labelling scheme on perceived healthfulness and attentional capture.
DesignFive studies with a total of 496 people were carried out. In the first study, the association of colour and perceived healthfulness was evaluated in an online survey in which participants had to rate their perceived healthfulness of eight colours. In the second study, the influence of colour, shape and textual information on perceived healthfulness was evaluated using choice-conjoint analysis. The third study focused on implicit associations between two design features (shape and colour) on perceived healthfulness. The fourth and fifth studies used visual search to evaluate the influence of colour, size and position of the warnings on attentional capture.
ResultsPerceived healthfulness was significantly influenced by shape, colour and textual information. Colour was the variable with the largest contribution to perceived healthfulness. Colour, size and position of the warnings on the labels affected attentional capture.
ConclusionsResults from the experiments provide recommendations for the design of warnings to identify products with unfavourable nutrient profile.
Can nutritional information modify purchase of ultra-processed products? Results from a simulated online shopping experiment
- Leandro Machín, Alejandra Arrúa, Ana Giménez, María Rosa Curutchet, Joseline Martínez, Gastón Ares
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- Public Health Nutrition / Volume 21 / Issue 1 / January 2018
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 18 July 2017, pp. 49-57
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Objective
The aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of two front-of-pack nutrition information schemes (traffic-light system and Chilean warning system) on consumer purchase of ultra-processed foods in a simulated online grocery store.
DesignFollowing a between-subjects design, participants completed a simulated weekly food purchase in an online grocery store under one of three experimental conditions: (i) a control condition with no nutrition information, (ii) a traffic-light system and (iii) the Chilean warning system. Information about energy (calories), sugar, saturated fats and salt content was included in the nutrition information schemes.
SettingParticipants were recruited from a consumer database and a Facebook advertisement.
SubjectsPeople from Montevideo (Uruguay), aged 18–77 years (n 437; 75 % female), participated in the study. All participants were in charge of food purchase in the household, at least occasionally.
ResultsNo significant differences between experimental conditions were found in the mean share of ultra-processed foods purchased by participants, both in terms of number of products and expenditure, or in the mean energy, sugar, saturated fat and salt content of the purchased items. However, the Chilean warning system decreased intended purchase of sweets and desserts.
ConclusionsResults from this online simulation provided little evidence to suggest that the traffic-light system or the Chilean warning system in isolation could be effective in reducing purchase of ultra-processed foods or improving the nutritional composition of the purchased products.
Warnings as a directive front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme: comparison with the Guideline Daily Amount and traffic-light systems
- Alejandra Arrúa, Leandro Machín, María Rosa Curutchet, Joseline Martínez, Lucía Antúnez, Florencia Alcaire, Ana Giménez, Gastón Ares
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- Journal:
- Public Health Nutrition / Volume 20 / Issue 13 / September 2017
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 19 June 2017, pp. 2308-2317
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Objective
Warnings have recently been proposed as a new type of directive front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling scheme to flag products with high content of key nutrients. In the present work, this system was compared with the two most common FOP nutrition labelling schemes (Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) and traffic-light system) in terms of goal-directed attention, influence on perceived healthfulness and ability to differentiate between products.
Design/Setting/SubjectsGoal-directed attention to FOP labels was evaluated using a visual search task in which participants were presented with labels on a computer screen and were asked to indicate whether labels with high sodium content were present or absent. A survey with 387 participants was also carried out, in which the influence of FOP labels on perceived healthfulness and ability to identify the healthful alternative were evaluated.
ResultsWarnings improved consumers’ ability to correctly identify a product with high content of a key nutrient within a set of labels compared with GDA and received the highest goal-directed attention. In addition, products with high energy, saturated fat, sugar and/or sodium content that featured warnings on the label were perceived as less healthful than those featuring the GDA or traffic-light system. Warnings and the traffic-light system performed equally well in the identification of the most healthful product.
ConclusionsResults from the present work suggest that warnings have potential as directive FOP nutrition labels to improve consumer ability to identify unhealthful products and highlight advantages compared with the traffic-light system.
Influence of sociodemographic characteristics on different dimensions of household food insecurity in Montevideo, Uruguay
- Máximo Rossi, Zuleika Ferre, María Rosa Curutchet, Ana Giménez, Gastón Ares
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- Journal:
- Public Health Nutrition / Volume 20 / Issue 4 / March 2017
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 17 October 2016, pp. 620-629
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Objective
To determine the factor structure of the Latin American & Caribbean Household Food Security Scale (ELCSA) and to study the influence of sociodemographic characteristics on each of the identified dimensions in Montevideo, Uruguay.
DesignCross-sectional survey with a representative sample of urban households. Household food insecurity was measured using the ELCSA. The percentage of respondents who gave affirmative responses for each of the items of the ELCSA was determined. Exploratory factor analysis was carried out to determine the ELCSA’s factor structure. A probit model was used to determine the impact of some individual and household sociodemographic characteristics on the identified dimensions of food insecurity.
SettingMetropolitan area centred on Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay, April–September 2014.
SubjectsAdults aged between 18 and 93 years (n 742).
ResultsThe percentage of affirmative responses to the items of the ELCSA ranged from 4·4 to 31·7 %. Two factors were identified in the exploratory factor analysis performed on data from households without children under 18 years old, whereas three factors were identified for households with children. The identified factors were associated with different severity levels of food insecurity. Likelihood of experiencing different levels of food insecurity was affected by individual characteristics of the respondent as well as characteristics of the household.
ConclusionsThe influence of sociodemographic variables varied among the ELCSA dimensions. Household income had the largest influence on all dimensions, which indicates a strong relationship between income and food insecurity.
Identifying key habitat and seasonal patterns of a critically endangered population of killer whales
- Ruth Esteban, Philippe Verborgh, Pauline Gauffier, Joan Giménez, Isabel Afán, Ana Cañadas, Pedro García, Jose Luis Murcia, Sara Magalhães, Ezequiel Andreu, Renaud de Stephanis
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- Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom / Volume 94 / Issue 6 / September 2014
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 24 September 2013, pp. 1317-1325
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Killer whales have been described in the Gulf of Cadiz, southern Spain, in spring and in the Strait of Gibraltar in summer. A total of 11,276 cetaceans sightings coming from different sources (dedicated research surveys, whale watching companies and opportunistic observations) were used to create two presence–‘pseudo-absence’ predictive generalized additive models (GAM), where presence data were defined as sightings of killer whales and ‘pseudo-absence’ data as sightings of other cetacean species. One model was created using spring data when killer whales’ main prey, Atlantic bluefin tuna, enter the Mediterranean Sea, and the other model used summer data when Atlantic bluefin tuna return to the Atlantic Ocean. Both model predictions show that killer whales are highly associated with a probable distribution of bluefin tuna during their migration throughout the study area, constraining their distribution to the Gulf of Cadiz in spring and the Strait of Gibraltar in spring and summer. Knowledge of the distribution of killer whales in the study area is essential to establish conservation measures for this population.
Contributors
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- By Rose Teteki Abbey, K. C. Abraham, David Tuesday Adamo, LeRoy H. Aden, Efrain Agosto, Victor Aguilan, Gillian T. W. Ahlgren, Charanjit Kaur AjitSingh, Dorothy B E A Akoto, Giuseppe Alberigo, Daniel E. Albrecht, Ruth Albrecht, Daniel O. Aleshire, Urs Altermatt, Anand Amaladass, Michael Amaladoss, James N. Amanze, Lesley G. Anderson, Thomas C. Anderson, Victor Anderson, Hope S. Antone, María Pilar Aquino, Paula Arai, Victorio Araya Guillén, S. Wesley Ariarajah, Ellen T. Armour, Brett Gregory Armstrong, Atsuhiro Asano, Naim Stifan Ateek, Mahmoud Ayoub, John Alembillah Azumah, Mercedes L. García Bachmann, Irena Backus, J. Wayne Baker, Mieke Bal, Lewis V. Baldwin, William Barbieri, António Barbosa da Silva, David Basinger, Bolaji Olukemi Bateye, Oswald Bayer, Daniel H. Bays, Rosalie Beck, Nancy Elizabeth Bedford, Guy-Thomas Bedouelle, Chorbishop Seely Beggiani, Wolfgang Behringer, Christopher M. Bellitto, Byard Bennett, Harold V. Bennett, Teresa Berger, Miguel A. Bernad, Henley Bernard, Alan E. Bernstein, Jon L. Berquist, Johannes Beutler, Ana María Bidegain, Matthew P. Binkewicz, Jennifer Bird, Joseph Blenkinsopp, Dmytro Bondarenko, Paulo Bonfatti, Riet en Pim Bons-Storm, Jessica A. Boon, Marcus J. Borg, Mark Bosco, Peter C. Bouteneff, François Bovon, William D. Bowman, Paul S. Boyer, David Brakke, Richard E. Brantley, Marcus Braybrooke, Ian Breward, Ênio José da Costa Brito, Jewel Spears Brooker, Johannes Brosseder, Nicholas Canfield Read Brown, Robert F. Brown, Pamela K. Brubaker, Walter Brueggemann, Bishop Colin O. Buchanan, Stanley M. Burgess, Amy Nelson Burnett, J. Patout Burns, David B. Burrell, David Buttrick, James P. Byrd, Lavinia Byrne, Gerado Caetano, Marcos Caldas, Alkiviadis Calivas, William J. Callahan, Salvatore Calomino, Euan K. Cameron, William S. Campbell, Marcelo Ayres Camurça, Daniel F. Caner, Paul E. Capetz, Carlos F. Cardoza-Orlandi, Patrick W. Carey, Barbara Carvill, Hal Cauthron, Subhadra Mitra Channa, Mark D. 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- Edited by Daniel Patte, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee
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- The Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity
- Published online:
- 05 August 2012
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- 20 September 2010, pp xi-xliv
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Vitamin A deficiency modifies lipid metabolism in rat liver
- Liliana B. Oliveros, María A. Domeniconi, Verónica A. Vega, Laura V. Gatica, Ana M. Brigada, María S. Gimenez
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- Journal:
- British Journal of Nutrition / Volume 97 / Issue 2 / February 2007
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 February 2007, pp. 263-272
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- February 2007
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Liver fatty acid metabolism of male rats fed on a vitamin A-deficient diet for 3 months from 21 d of age was evaluated. Vitamin A restriction produced subclinical plasma and negligible liver retinol concentrations, compared with the control group receiving the same diet with 4000 IU vitamin A (8 mg retinol as retinyl palmitate)/kg diet. Vitamin A deficiency induced a hypolipidaemic effect by decreasing serum triacylglycerol, cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol levels. The decrease of liver total phospholipid was associated with low phosphatidylcholine synthesis observed by lower [14C]choline incorporation into phosphatidylcholine, compared with control. Also, liver fatty acid synthesis decreased, as was indicated by activity and mRNA expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), and incorporation of [14C]acetate into saponified lipids. A decrease of the PPARα mRNA expression was observed. Liver mitochondria of vitamin A-deficient rats showed a lower total phospholipid concentration coinciding with a decrease of the cardiolipin proportion, without changes in the other phospholipid fractions determined. The mitochondria fatty acid oxidation increased by 30 % of the control value and it was attributed to a high activity and mRNA expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I (CPT-I). An increase in serum β-hydroxybutyrate levels was observed in vitamin A-deficient rats. Vitamin A deficiency alters the mitochondria lipid composition and also enhances fatty acid oxidation by modifiying the production of malonyl-CoA, the endogenous inhibitor of CPT-I, due to decreased activity of liver ACC. The incorporation of vitamin A into the diet of vitamin A-deficient rats reverted all the changes observed.