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School-based health clinics: the role for nutrition.

There are three primary areas for nutrition intervention in schools: direct nutrition care in a school-based health clinic, school meals, and nutrition education in the classroom and of school staff. Dietitians can positively affect students' nutrition health by providing nutrition guidance in the clinic and by creating a positive nutrition environment in the school through increased nutrition education in the classroom and healthful, tasty meals in the cafeteria.

Dietary Services↗

[Scientific bases of rational nutrition for children and adolescents].

Among diversified conditions of the environment, nutrition factor is of no less importance for harmonic physical and intellectual development of the growing organism. The paper summarizes the main principles of organizing rational nutrition for the growing organism. Demonstrates the significance of a comprehensive study of actual nutrition, physical development and the health status of children and adolescents in specifying the consumption rates of foods and energy with a purpose of organizing rational nutrition. Recommends new consumption rates of foods and energy for children and adolescents with due regard for results of investigations carried out in the RSFSR (Moscow) and other republics of this country, approved by the Board of the USSR Ministry of Health in 1982. Notes that the use of industrial products having an increased biological value plays an essential part in rationalization of children and adolescents' nutrition.

Adolescent↗

Effects of nutrition and growth rate on Lrp levels in Escherichia coli.

Lrp (leucine-responsive regulatory protein) activates some Escherichia coli operons that function in anabolism and represses others involved in catabolism (for a review, see J. M. Calvo and R. G. Matthews, Microbiol. Rev. 58:466-490, 1994). This overall pattern suggests that Lrp may help cells adapt to changes in the nutritional environment. Here, we tested the idea that the nutritional richness of the medium determines the amount of Lrp in cells. Lrp was measured directly by Western blotting (immunoblotting) in cells grown in a chemically defined rich medium or in a minimal medium. In addition, transcription from the lrp promoter was assessed with a lacZ reporter gene. The results with these two different measurements were nearly the same, indicating that under the conditions employed, beta-galactosidase measurements can accurately reflect Lrp levels. For cells in a minimal medium, Lrp levels were consistently lowest during the logarithmic phase of growth, but overall, there was not much variation in levels as a function of growth phase (1.3-fold difference between highest and lowest values). However, for cells in a rich medium, Lrp levels dropped 3- to 4-fold during the lag phase, remained constant during the log phase, and then rose to starting levels upon entry into the stationary phase. When cells in the log phase were compared, Lrp levels were 3- to 4-fold higher in cells growing in a minimal medium than those in a rich medium. The levels of lrp expression were the same or slightly higher in strains containing mutations in rpoS, cya, or crp compared with wild-type strains, suggesting that neither RpoS nor the cyclic AMP (cAMP) receptor protein-cAMP complex is required for expression. On the other hand, lrp expression was severely restricted in cells that could not make ppGpp because of mutations in relA and spoT. The reduced expression of lrp during logarithmic growth in a rich medium may be due to low ppGpp levels under these conditions. The repressive effects of rich medium and the stimulatory effects of ppGpp were also observed with a construct having only a minimal lrp promoter (-57 to +21). The results of other experiments suggest that Lrp levels vary inversely with the growth rate of cells instead of being determined by some component of the medium.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

A microarray analysis of genes involved in relating egg production to nutritional intake in Drosophila melanogaster.

Egg chambers of Drosophila are reabsorbed under conditions of nutritional shortage by inducing apoptosis at stages 8 and 9, midway through oogenesis. Nutritional shortage leads to an increase in ecdysone concentration in flies. Apoptosis at stage 8/9 is also induced by 20-hydroxyecdysone injection into the females maintained with adequate nutrition. The expression pattern in the ovary of some ecdysone response genes, E75A, BR-C, is different according to the nutritional environment and the overexpression of these genes induces apoptosis. Apoptosis is suppressed by Juvenile hormone analog treatment of females under nutritional shortage. We predict nutritional and stress response genes control hormone levels and the increase in ecdysone concentration in the flies following starvation induces the ovarian apoptosis. We therefore used a microarray approach to identify the genes involved in receiving the nutritional signal from the environment and translating it in the ovary, thus initiating and executing apoptosis.

Animal Feed↗

Early growth and chronic disease: a public health overview.

Infant and childhood growth result from and reflect a range of influences in pre- and postnatal life. These include nutrition, burden of infection and the psycho-social environment. Nutrition in young children is dependent on individual level factors such as fetal experience, infant feeding and weaning practices, and on societal factors such as education of women and economic conditions. The relationship of early postnatal growth to adult disease may be indicative or causal, and may reveal both biological and sociological processes. Although non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and obesity are risk factors for ischaemic heart disease, the relationships of these three conditions to infant growth differ. Poor infant growth has been associated with higher levels of NIDDM and ischaemic heart disease, but lower levels of adult obesity. Most research has been of populations living in developed countries at different stages of nutritional transition. However, differences in context are not simply limited to the stage of the nutritional transition. They also need to consider the nature of that transition and its social correlates, which may result in the clustering of aetiological influences such as increased body mass and poverty. The size of effect of the relationship of infant growth to adult disease is important not only to determine its relative aetiological importance but also for its potential for public health policy. Such policy also needs to consider the relationships of infant growth to a range of outcomes, both health and human capital, which are not the subject of this workshop.

Adolescent↗

Significance of altered carbon flow in aromatic amino acid synthesis: an approach to the isolation of regulatory mutants in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa displays a native resistance to a variety of inhibitory compounds, including many analogues of amino acids, purines, and pyrimidines. Therefore, it has been difficult to isolate analogue-resistant regulatory mutants which have been so valuable in other microbial species for the study of enzyme control mechanisms and for the study of amino acid transport and its regulation. However, we have found that increased sensitivity to growth inhibition by analogues can be demonstrated by manipulation of the nutritional environment. When P. aeruginosa is grown with fructose as the nutritional source of carbon and energy, the cells become sensitive to growth inhibition by beta-2-thienylalanine and p-amino-phenylalanine, analogues of phenylalanine and tyrosine, respectively. Thus, mutants were isolated which are resistant to growth inhibition by beta-2-thienylalanine and p-amino-phenylalanine when fructose is the carbon source, and many of the beta-2-thienylalanine-resistant mutants overproduce phenylalanine. Several lines of evidence suggest that the increased sensitivity to growth inhibition by analogues of phenylalanine and tyrosine reflects a decreased rate of synthesis of aromatic amino acids or their precursors when fructose is the carbon source. This general approach promises to be valuable in the study of regulatory phenomena in microorganisms which, like P. aeruginosa, are naturally resistant to many metabolite analogues.

Alanine↗

Swine management to increase gilt reproductive efficiency.

Management practices to improve reproductive efficiency of the gilt will enable more efficient introduction of gilts into the breeding herd. In this paper, puberty and continuation of regular estrous cycles, ovulation rate and embryonic/fetal survival are the aspects of gilt reproductive efficiency to be considered. Within each of these reproductive areas, factors such as genetics, environment, nutrition, etc., are reviewed and general management practices are proposed. Because of the diversity of swine production systems, the proposed management practices to improve gilt reproductive performance must be considered and incorporated into individual herds on a trial basis.

Age Factors↗

From concept to practice: using the School Health Index to create healthy school environments in Rhode Island elementary schools.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing, and schools are ideal places to support healthy eating and physical activity. In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed the School Health Index, a self-assessment and planning tool that helps schools evaluate and improve physical activity and nutrition programs and policies. Although many state education agencies, health departments, and individual schools have used the School Health Index, few systematic evaluations of the tool have been performed. We examined the physical activity and nutrition environments in Rhode Island's public elementary schools with high and low minority student enrollments and evaluated a school-based environmental and policy intervention that included implementation of the School Health Index. METHODS: As part of a CDC Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity cooperative agreement awarded to the Rhode Island Department of Health, we conducted a needs assessment of 102 elementary schools and implemented an intervention in four inner-city elementary schools. In phase 1, we analyzed the Rhode Island Needs Assessment Tool (RINAT), a telephone survey of principals in approximately 50% of all Rhode Island public elementary schools in the state during the 2001-2002 school year (n = 102). Comparisons of the nutrition and physical activity environments of schools with low and high minority enrollment were calculated by cross-tabulation with the chi-square test. In phase 2, we used process and outcome evaluation data to assess the use of the School Health Index in creating healthier environments in schools. Our intervention--Eat Healthy and Get Active!--involved implementing three of the eight School Health Index modules in four Rhode Island elementary schools. RESULTS: Survey data revealed that schools with high minority enrollment (student enrollment of > or =10% black, > or =25% Hispanic, or both) offered few programs supporting healthy eating and physical activity (P < .05). Schools with high and low minority enrollment both offered nonnutritious foods and beverages. Process evaluation data revealed that 1) principals play a pivotal role on School Health Index teams, 2) schoolwide validation of a team's small successes is crucial for sustaining a commitment to healthy lifestyle policies and programs, and 3) external facilitators are essential for implementation success. Outcome data showed that all schools developed at least one policy or environmental strategy to create a healthy school environment. Only two schools implemented immediate changes. CONCLUSION: Needs assessment, external facilitation, and evaluation are the foundation for sustainable school-based policies. Although the School Health Index is universally perceived as a user-friendly assessment tool, implementation is likely to be less successful in schools with low staff morale, budgetary constraints, and inconsistent administrator support.

Child↗

Inversion of helix orientation in Bacillus subtilis macrofibers.

The ability of helical macrofibers of Bacillus subtilis to convert from left- to right-handed structures or vice versa has been known to be controlled by the nutritional environment (N. H. Mendelson, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 75:2478-2482, 1978). lyt mutants (Ni15, FJ3, FJ6, and FJ7) and also lyt phenocopies of wild-type strain FJ8 were able to undergo helix hand inversion as a function of temperature. The transition between right- and left-handed structures was in a very narrow range (about 2.5 degrees C) in the low to mid-40 degrees C. The helix orientation of these strains was also influenced by the concentration of divalent ions. Macrofiber handedness is governed, therefore, by at least four factors: genetic composition, temperature, and nutritional and ionic environments. Conditions normally used for growth fall, within this matrix, in the region favoring right-handed structures. Inhibition studies suggest that cell growth must occur for helix hand inversion.

Bacillus subtilis↗

Effects of stress combinations on the expression of additive genetic variation for fecundity in Drosophila melanogaster.

To test whether stressful conditions altered levels of heritable variation in fecundity in Drosophila melanogaster, parent-offspring comparisons were undertaken across three generations for flies reared in a combined stress (ethanol, cold shock, low nutrition) environment or a control environment. The stressful conditions did not directly influence fecundity but did lead to a reduced fecundity in the offspring generations, perhaps reflecting cross-generation maternal effects. Both the heritability and evolvability estimates were higher in the combined stress treatment, reflecting an apparent increase in the additive genetic variance under stress. In contrast, there were no consistent changes in the environmental variance across environments.

Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena↗

Starting a nutrition support team: short-term pain for long-term gain.

This article relates the collective wisdom of five nutrition support professionals who share their experience in starting a nutrition support team. These professionals describe how to navigate the administrative--and political--waters, which are often murky and filled with obstacles. In addition, a hospital administrator discloses what CEO types look for when clinicians propose starting up a nutrition support team in their institutions. The upshot: In this rapidly changing environment, nutrition support professionals would do well to hone their political skills and use them to persuade their administrators that nutrition support is indeed a cost-effective therapy that benefits patients--and that it is best delivered in an interdisciplinary approach.

Clinical Competence↗

Understanding barriers to implementing quality lunch and nutrition education.

Food services and nutrition education are priorities for the Coordinated School Health Program in Massachusetts, which is a CDC funded partnership between the Massachusetts Departments of Education and Public Health. Despite funding and resources provided by governmental and non-governmental agencies, schools are facing barriers in effectively creating a healthy nutritional environment. A qualitative survey was conducted to understand barriers to implementing quality lunch and nutrition education programs perceived by superintendents, principals, food service directors, nurses, and health educators in Massachusetts. The results suggest that while funding can initially enable schools to provide quality lunch, but without changes in students' preference for unhealthy food and parental and community involvement in fostering students' healthy eating behavior, the lunch programs cannot achieve a sustainable success. Lack of opportunity for communication among food service staff, health educators, and teachers appears to hinder the coordination necessary to promote school lunch as well as school-wide nutrition education. Respondents acknowledged that the state's academic assessment system is the priority issue in their schools, but expressed that the interests and initiatives of superintendents and principals in the lunch and nutrition education programs can be enhanced. Overall, the results suggest that successful implementation of quality lunch and nutrition education programs require not only the collaborative efforts of school administration and staff but also the support of parents, community, and the mass media.

Child↗

[Risk factors and risk reduction of breast cancer].

Because of its increasing incidence, breast cancer is a significant burden for women worldwide. In industrialized countries, breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women, and it is estimated that 1 in every 8 women will develop the disease during her lifetime. Sufficient evidence indicates that a number of genetic, environmental and lifestyle risk exposures during life may play important roles in the etiology of this disease. The purpose of this paper is to review some etiologic factors and underlying mechanisms in relation to breast cancer risk. Based on the published literature, there is sufficient evidence that some established factors are associated with breast cancer risk. Age, early age at menarche, late menopause, height, post-menopausal obesity, family history of breast cancer, ionizing radiation, oral contraceptives, hormonal replacement therapy, mammographic density, some gene mutations and clinical conditions, such as benign breast disease, are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. The risk decreases with early childbearing, high parity and physical activity, and breastfeeding. Alcohol increases the risk, while caloric restriction may confer protection from breast cancer. Epidemiological evidence for other nutritional factors is insufficient. These results suggest that breast cancer is a multifactorial disease where genetic susceptibility, environment, nutrition and other lifestyle risk factors interact. Better identification of modifiable risk factors and risk reduction of breast cancer may allow implementation of useful strategies for prevention.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Genomics and proteomics: importance for the future of nutrition research.

A huge number of genes within the human genome code for proteins that mediate and/or control nutritional processes. Although a large body of information on the number of genes, on chromosomal localisation, gene structure and function has been gathered, we are far from understanding the orchestrated way of how they make metabolism. Nevertheless, based on the genetic information emerging on a daily basis, we are offered fantastic new tools that allow us new insights into the molecular basis of human metabolism under normal as well as pathophysiological conditions. Recent technological advancements have made it possible to analyse simultaneously large sets of mRNA and/or proteins expressed in a biological sample or to define genetic heterogeneity that may be important for the individual response of an organism to changes in its nutritional environment. Applications of the new techniques of genome and proteome analysis are central for the development of nutritional sciences in the next decade and its integration into the rapidly developing era of functional genomics.

Colonic Neoplasms↗

Weight and body shape changes in a treatment-naive population after 6 months of nevirapine-based generic highly active antiretroviral therapy in South India.

BACKGROUND: The nutritional and body shape response after the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in resource-limited environments has not been documented. In this environment, nutritional compromise is a common complication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study of 190 HIV-infected patients who initiated a nevirapine-based HAART regimen. CD4+ T cell count, body weight, body mass index, anthropometry, and bioelectrical impedance data were collected prior to initiation of therapy and after 6 months of therapy. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 35 years, 85% of participants were male, and 59% received stavudine as 1 of the nucleosides in their initial HAART regimen. The members of the cohort were malnourished before the initiation of therapy and had a mean body mass index of 20.1 (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters). Overall, body weight increased a mean of 2.8 kg (range, -12.5 to 22.5 kg), and CD4+ T cell counts increased by a mean of 140 cells/mm3. Patients were stratified into those who lost weight (loss of >1 kg, 22%; n=41), those whose weight remained stable (19%; n=37), and those who gained weight (gain of >1 kg, 59%; n=112). Patients in all groups retained body shape symmetry and experienced no change in waist-to-hip ratio or regional body shape by anthropometry. CONCLUSIONS: The group that lost weight and the group whose weight remained stable experienced significant CD4+ T cell count increases at 6 months. Although the majority of HIV-infected patients who received nevirapine-based HAART gained weight, there were participants who lost weight despite initiating their first HAART therapy.

Adult↗

Host-derived amino acids support the proliferation of symbiotic bacteria.

Animals are typically colonized by diverse bacterial symbionts, many of which are commensal and, in numerous cases, even essential for their host's proper development and growth. In exchange, the host must supply a sufficient array and quantity of nutrients to support the proliferation and persistence of its microbial community. In this investigation, we have examined such a nutritional environment by determining the symbiotic competence of auxotrophic mutants of the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri, and have demonstrated that the host squid Euprymna scolopes provides at least 9 aa to the growing culture of symbiotic V. fischeri present in its light-emitting organ. We also collected and analyzed the extracellular fluid from this organ, in which the symbionts reside, and confirmed that it contained significant amounts of amino acids. The combined results suggested that host-derived free amino acids, as well as peptides or proteins, are a source of the amino acids that support the growth of the symbionts. This work describes a technique to sample the symbionts and their surrounding environment without contamination by host tissue components and, in combination with molecular genetic studies, allows the characterization of the nutritional conditions that support a cooperative animal-bacterial symbiosis.

Amino Acids↗

Weaning weight inheritance in environments classified by maternal body weight change.

In good environments, cow intake is sufficient for their own growth and for milk production to support their calf. In poor environments, cows lose BW or may reduce milk supply to maintain themselves. Heritability for direct genetic and maternal components of weaning weight as well as the correlations between these components might be expected to vary according to these circumstances. The purpose of this study was to estimate heritability and genetic correlations for the direct genetic and maternal components of weaning weight classified in 2 environments according to maternal BW gain and to identify whether a single heritability estimate is appropriate for the differing environments experienced by cows from year to year. Data used in this analysis was obtained from the Red Angus Association of America and consisted of 96,064 cow BW observations and 27,534 calf weaning weight observations. A dam's change in BW from one year to the next was used to classify each calf's weaning weight into 1 of 2 environmental groups, those being good or poor. Best linear unbiased estimates of the change in cow BW with age were obtained from analysis of cow BW using a repeatability model. If the phenotypic change in cow BW exceeded this average BW change, the calf's weaning weight associated with the end of this time frame was classified as having been observed in a good environment. If not, the calf's corresponding weaning weight was classified as having occurred in a poorer than average environment. Heritability estimates of 0.24 +/- 0.03, 0.24 +/- 0.03, 0.13 +/- 0.02, and 0.14 +/- 0.02 were obtained for weaning weight good direct, poor direct, good maternal, and poor maternal, respectively. Correlations between direct genetic and maternal weaning weight components in the good and poor environments were -0.47 +/- 0.08 and -0.20 +/- 0.09, respectively. These variance components are not sufficiently distinct to warrant accounting for dam nutritional environment in national cattle evaluation.

Aging↗

Measuring the 'obesogenic' food environment in New Zealand primary schools.

Childhood obesity is an increasing health problem in New Zealand and many other countries. Information is needed to guide interventions that reduce the 'obesogenic' (obesity-promoting) elements of school environments. The aim of this study was to identify and measure the obesogenic elements of the school environment and the canteen sales of energy-dense foods and drinks. A self-completion questionnaire was developed for assessing each school's nutrition environment and mailed to a stratified random sample of New Zealand schools. The responses from primary schools (n = 200, response rate 61%) were analysed. Only 15.5% of schools had purpose-built canteen facilities and over half ran a food service for profit (31% profit to the school, 24.5% profit for the contractors). Only 16.5% of schools had a food policy, although 91% of those rated the policy as effective or very effective. The most commonly available foods for sale were pies (79%), juice (57%) and sausage rolls (54.5%). Filled rolls were the most expensive item (mean dollars 1.79) and fruit the least expensive (mean dollars 0.47). The ratio of 'less healthy' to 'more healthy' main choices was 5.6:1, for snacks it was 9.3:1 and for drinks it was 1.4:1. In contrast, approximately 60% of respondents said that nutrition was a priority for the school. Only 50% felt there was management support for healthy food choices and only 39% agreed that mainly nutritious food was offered by the food service. 'Less healthy' choices dominated food sales by more than 2:1, with pies being the top selling item (>55000 per week). We found that the food environment was not conducive to healthy food choices for the children at New Zealand schools and that this was reflected in the high sales of relatively unhealthy foods from the school food services. Programmes that improve school food through policies, availability, prices and school ethos are urgently needed.

Beverages↗