scholarly journals Modeling the effects of Aedes aegypti’s larval environment on adult body mass at emergence

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. e1009102
Author(s):  
Melody Walker ◽  
Karthikeyan Chandrasegaran ◽  
Clément Vinauger ◽  
Michael A. Robert ◽  
Lauren M. Childs
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Larval Density ◽  
Information Criterion ◽  
The Body ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Model Complexity ◽  
Adult Body Mass ◽  
The Impact

Mosquitoes vector harmful pathogens that infect millions of people every year, and developing approaches to effectively control mosquitoes is a topic of great interest. However, the success of many control measures is highly dependent upon ecological, physiological, and life history traits of mosquito species. The behavior of mosquitoes and their potential to vector pathogens can also be impacted by these traits. One trait of interest is mosquito body mass, which depends upon many factors associated with the environment in which juvenile mosquitoes develop. Our experiments examined the impact of larval density on the body mass of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are important vectors of dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and other pathogens. To investigate the interactions between the larval environment and mosquito body mass, we built a discrete time mathematical model that incorporates body mass, larval density, and food availability and fit the model to our experimental data. We considered three categories of model complexity informed by data, and selected the best model within each category using Akaike’s Information Criterion. We found that the larval environment is an important determinant of the body mass of mosquitoes upon emergence. Furthermore, we found that larval density has greater impact on body mass of adults at emergence than on development time, and that inclusion of density dependence in the survival of female aquatic stages in models is important. We discuss the implications of our results for the control of Aedes mosquitoes and on their potential to spread disease.

scholarly journals Modeling the effects of Aedes aegypti's larval environment on adult body mass at emergence

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melody Walker ◽  
Karthikeyan Chandrasegaran ◽  
Clement Vinauger ◽  
Michael Robert ◽  
Lauren M. Childs
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Larval Density ◽  
Information Criterion ◽  
The Body ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Model Complexity ◽  
Adult Body Mass ◽  
Aedes Mosquitoes ◽  
The Impact

Mosquitoes vector harmful pathogens that infect  millions  of people every year, and developing approaches to effectively control mosquitoes is a topic of great interest. However, the success of many control measures is highly dependent upon ecological, physiological, and life history traits of the mosquito species. The behavior of mosquitoes and their potential to vector pathogens can also be impacted by these traits. One trait of interest is mosquito body mass, which depends upon many factors associated with the environment in which juvenile mosquitoes develop. Our experiments examined the impact of larval density on the body mass of Aedes aegypti  mosquitoes, which are important vectors of dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and other pathogens. To investigate the interactions between the larval environment and mosquito body mass, we built a discrete time  mathematical model that incorporates body mass, larval density, and food availability and fit the model to our experimental data. We considered three categories of model complexity informed by data, and selected the best model within each category using Akaike's Information Criterion. We found that the larval environment is an important determinant of the body mass of mosquitoes upon emergence. Furthermore, we found that larval density has greater impact on body mass of adults at emergence than on development time, and that inclusion of density dependence in the survival of female aquatic stages in models is important.  We discuss the implications of our results for the control of Aedes  mosquitoes and on their potential to spread disease.

scholarly journals Body Mass Index, Multi-Morbidity, and COVID-19 Risk Factors as Predictors of Severe COVID-19 Outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110185
Author(s):  
Sanjeev Nanda ◽  
Audry S. Chacin Suarez ◽  
Loren Toussaint ◽  
Ann Vincent ◽  
Karen M. Fischer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Risk Score ◽  
The Body ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Morbidity Score ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of the present study was to investigate body mass index, multi-morbidity, and COVID-19 Risk Score as predictors of severe COVID-19 outcomes. Patients Patients from this study are from a well-characterized patient cohort collected at Mayo Clinic between January 1, 2020 and May 23, 2020; with confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis defined as a positive result on reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assays from nasopharyngeal swab specimens. Measures Demographic and clinical data were extracted from the electronic medical record. The data included: date of birth, gender, ethnicity, race, marital status, medications (active COVID-19 agents), weight and height (from which the Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated, history of smoking, and comorbid conditions to calculate the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) multi-morbidity score. An additional COVID-19 Risk Score was also included. Outcomes included hospital admission, ICU admission, and death. Results Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the impact on mortality or hospital admission. Age, sex, and race (white/Latino, white/non-Latino, other, did not disclose) were adjusted for in the model. Patients with higher COVID-19 Risk Scores had a significantly higher likelihood of being at least admitted to the hospital (HR = 1.80; 95% CI = 1.30, 2.50; P < .001), or experiencing death or inpatient admission (includes ICU admissions) (HR = 1.20; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.42; P = .028). Age was the only statistically significant demographic predictor, but obesity was not a significant predictor of any of the outcomes. Conclusion Age and COVID-19 Risk Scores were significant predictors of severe COVID-19 outcomes. Further work should examine the properties of the COVID-19 Risk Factors Scale.

scholarly journals The Impact of Nutritional Status and Body Mass Index on Rehabilitation Outcomes in Patients Receiving Home-Based Medical Care

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Kanako Eiwa ◽  
Naomi Nakayama ◽  
Yumi Takami ◽  
Shuko Iwasaki ◽  
Yoshinori Hino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Functional Independence ◽  
The Body ◽  
Rehabilitation Outcomes ◽  
Home Based ◽  
The Impact

Background: Home-based medical care is expanding rapidly in Japan.Objectives: We aimed to identify the factors associated with outcomes of therapy in patients receiving home-visit rehabilitation.Methods: One hundred twenty-one patients receiving home-based rehabilitation were investigated. Nutritional status was assessed by the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF). The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) was employed to assess the activities of daily living (ADL). The body mass index (BMI), medical history, and orthopedic disease-related pain were also recorded. The primary outcome was the improvement in FIM scores in one year.Results: A total of 19 (17%) patients were malnourished and 58 (48%) were at risk of malnutrition. Malnourished patients had a lower FIM score at initiation than those at risk of malnutrition or with normal nutritional status. Only changes in patients’ BMI and MNA-SF scores over one year were significantly associated with improved FIM scores (p = 0.0079 and p = 0.0049, respectively). No association was noted with the other factors.Conclusions: This is the first report to demonstrate that changes in MNA-SF scores and BMI are significantly associated with rehabilitation outcomes in home-based care. Nutritional management is essential along with rehabilitation to improve ADL in the long-term home care setting.

scholarly journals The Scarcity of Specific Nutrients in Wild Bee Larval Food Negatively Influences Certain Life History Traits

Biology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 462
Author(s):  
Zuzanna M. Filipiak ◽  
Michał Filipiak
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Behavioral Ecology ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Chemical Elements ◽  
Nutritional Ecology ◽  
Larval Food ◽  
Male Mortality ◽  
Wild Bee ◽  
The Impact

Bee nutrition studies have focused on food quantity rather than quality, and on details of bee biology rather than on the functioning of bees in ecosystems. Ecological stoichiometry has been proposed for studies on bee nutritional ecology as an ecosystem-oriented approach complementary to traditional approaches. It uses atomic ratios of chemical elements in foods and organisms as metrics to ask ecological questions. However, information is needed on the fitness effects of nutritional mismatches between bee demand and the supply of specific elements in food. We performed the first laboratory feeding experiment on the wild bee Osmia bicornis, investigating the impact of Na, K, and Zn scarcity in larval food on fitness-related life history traits (mortality, cocoon development, and imago body mass). We showed that bee fitness is shaped by chemical element availability in larval food; this effect may be sex-specific, where Na might influence female body mass, while Zn influences male mortality and body mass, and the trade-off between K allocation in cocoons and adults may influence cocoon and body development. These results elucidate the nutritional mechanisms underlying the nutritional ecology, behavioral ecology, and population functioning of bees within the context of nutrient cycling in the food web.

The Impact of the Body Mass Index on Outcome After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Neurosurgery ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Platz ◽  
Erdem Güresir ◽  
Patrick Schuss ◽  
Jürgen Konczalla ◽  
Volker Seifert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Glasgow Outcome Scale ◽  
The Body ◽  
Favorable Outcome ◽  
World Federation ◽  
Obese Patients ◽  
Aneurysm Size ◽  
The Impact

Abstract BACKGROUND: Obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and associated with a poor outcome, especially for intensive care patients. However, recent studies have described favorable outcomes of obese patients after stroke, a phenomenon called the “obesity paradox.” OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of the body mass index (BMI) on outcome after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS: We analyzed the data for 741 SAH patients. A BMI greater than 25 kg/m2 was considered overweight and greater than 30 kg/m2 obese. The outcome according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale at discharge and after 6 months was assessed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: According to the BMI, 268 patients (36.2%) were overweight and 113 (15.2%) were obese. A favorable outcome (Glasgow Outcome Scale score &gt;3) was achieved in 53.0% of overweight patients. In contrast, 61.4% of the 360 patients with a normal BMI had a favorable outcome (P = .021). However, in the multivariate analysis, only age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.051, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-1.07, P &lt; .001), World Federation of Neurological Surgeons grade (OR: 2.095, 95% CI: 1.87-2.35, P &lt; .001), occurrence of vasospasm (OR: 2.90, 95% CI: 1.94-4.34, P &lt; .001), and aneurysm size larger than 12 mm (OR: 2.215, 95% CI: 1.20-4.10, P = .011) were independent predictors of outcome after 6 months. Of the 321 poor grade patients (World Federation of Neurological Surgeons score &gt;3), 171 (53.3%) were overweight. Of these, 21.6% attained a favorable outcome compared with 35.3% of normal-weight patients (P = .006). CONCLUSION: Although many physicians anticipate a worse outcome for obese patients, in our study, the BMI was not an independent predictor of outcome. Based on the BMI, obesity seems to be negligible for outcome after SAH compared with the impact of SAH itself, the patient's age, occurrence of vasospasm, or aneurysm size.

Costs and benefits of post-weaning associations in mountain goats

Behaviour ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 155 (4) ◽  
pp. 295-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karina Charest Castro ◽  
Mathieu Leblond ◽  
Steeve D. Côté
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
The Body ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Maternal Characteristics ◽  
Oreamnos Americanus ◽  
Lactating Mothers ◽  
Mountain Goats

Abstract To better understand the potential costs and benefits of prolonged parental care in gregarious species, we studied post-weaning associations in a marked population of mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) monitored for 22 years. We calculated the occurrence and frequency of associations involving 1- and 2-year-old juveniles. We investigated (1) the influence of maternal characteristics and population size on the formation of post-weaning associations, (2) the short-term costs of associations on maternal reproductive success, and (3) the short-term benefits of associations on life-history traits of juveniles. We found that barren mothers associated more frequently with 1-year-olds than summer yeld and lactating mothers. Associations with 2-year-olds tended to increase the probability that a mother would be barren the following year. Post-weaning associations did not influence the body mass of newborn kids nor the body mass and survival of juveniles. We discuss how benefits for associated juveniles may appear later in life.

scholarly journals Estimating bias in derived body mass index in the Maternity Experiences Survey

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 185-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Dzakpasu ◽  
J. Duggan ◽  
J. Fahey ◽  
R. S. Kirby
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Caesarean Section ◽  
Random Sample ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Measured Data ◽  
The Body ◽  
Large For Gestational Age ◽  
Maternity Experiences Survey ◽  
The Impact

Introduction The objective of this study was to assess bias in the body mass index (BMI) measure in the Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey (MES) and possible implications of bias on the relationship between BMI and selected pregnancy outcomes. Methods We assessed BMI classification based on self-reported versus measured values. We used a random sample of 6175 women from the MES, which derived BMI from self-reported height and weight, and a random sample of 259 women who had previously given birth from the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS), which derived BMI from self-reported and measured height and weight. Two correction equations were applied to self-reported based BMI, and the impact of these corrections on associations between BMI and caesarean section, small-for-gestational age (SGA) and large-for-gestational age (LGA) births was studied. Results Overall, 86.9% of the CHMS subsample was classified into the same BMI category based on self-reported versus measured data. However, misclassification had a substantial effect on the proportion of women in underweight and obese BMI categories. For example, 14.5% versus 20.8% of women were classified as obese based on self-reported data versus measured data. Corrections improved estimates of obesity prevalence, but over- and underestimated other BMI categories. Corrections had nonsignificant effects on the associations between BMI and SGA, LGA, and caesarean section. Conclusion While there was high concordance in BMI classification based on selfreported versus measured height and weight, bias in self-reported based measures may slightly over- or underestimate the risks associated with a particular BMI class. However, the general trend in associations is unaffected.

scholarly journals Actual Nutrition and Dietary Supplementation in Lithuanian Elite Athletes

Medicina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 247
Author(s):  
Marius Baranauskas ◽  
Valerija Jablonskienė ◽  
Jonas Algis Abaravičius ◽  
Rimantas Stukas
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Body Composition ◽  
Lean Body Mass ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
Dietary Supplementation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Physical Strain ◽  
The Impact

Background and objectives: Health is partly determined by the state of one’s nutrition; it stimulates the body’s functional and metabolic adaptations to physical strain and helps one prevent sports injuries and get in shape in terms of body composition. This study aims to investigate the actual nutrition and dietary supplements taken by elite Lithuanian athletes and to identify the relationship between the dietary intake, dietary supplementation and body composition of elite athletes. Materials and Methods: The research subjects were 76.7% of Lithuanian elite athletes (N = 247). The actual diet was investigated using the 24 h recall dietary survey method. Dietary supplementation was studied applying the questionnaire method. Measurements of body composition were performed using the BIA (bioelectrical impedance analysis) tetra-polar electrodes and measuring resistivity with 8–12 tangent electrodes at different frequencies of signal: 5, 50 and 250 kHz. Results: Results indicate that among the athletes, 62% use too few carbohydrates and 77% use too much fat. Although the 3.5% increase in lean body mass (95% CI: −0.107, 7.070) helps gain an increased protein intake with food (p = 0.057), 38% of athletes consume too little protein with food. The athletes mostly use carbohydrates (86%), vitamins (81%), protein supplements (70%), and multivitamins (62%). We did not determine the impact (p > 0.05) of individual or complex supplement use on the lean body mass (%) or fat mass (%) values of athletes. Conclusions: Athletes consume insufficient carbohydrates, vitamin D, calcium, polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and too much fat, saturated fatty acids, cholesterol, and they use proteins irrationally. Sport nutritionists should also focus on the risk of malnutrition for female athletes. Nutritional supplements partially offset macronutrient and micronutrient deficiency. Nevertheless, the effect of food supplements on the body composition of athletes is too small compared to the normal diet. Athletes ought to prioritize the formation of eating habits and only then use supplements.

scholarly journals The relationship between body mass index, body image, and sexual function: A survey on Iranian pregnant women

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahtab Senobari ◽  
Elham Azmoude ◽  
Marziyeh Mousavi
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Sexual Function ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
The Body ◽  
Female Sexual Function ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Background: The prevalence of sexual problems is high during pregnancy. Despite this, there are limited data about the impact of physical and psychological factors such as body weight and body image on sexual function in pregnant women. Objective: To investigate the relationship between body mass index, body image, and sexual function among pregnant women. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 206 Iranian pregnant women (106 with normal weight and 100 overweight women) in their 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy were surveyed. Survey instruments included the Female Sexual Function Index and Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of female sexual disorder was 72.3% in this survey. Diminished sexual desire/appetite was the most common problem reported by the participants (37.9%). The mean score of sexual problem and body image were not significantly different among overweight and normal weight women in the 2nd (p = 0.945 and p = 0.800, respectively) and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy (p = 0.310 and p = 0.507, respectively). Further, there were no relationships between the body mass index plus body image and the total female sexual function score (p = 0.44 and p = 0.837, respectively). However, the relationship between the appearance evaluation with lubrication (p = 0.043) and subjective weight with two subscales of sexual satisfaction (p = 0.005) and orgasm (p = 0.019) were significant. Conclusion: The findings from this study revealed that there were no relationships between body mass index plus body image score and the sexual function in pregnancy. Therefore, a further research is recommended to study other potential factors affecting sexual function during pregnancy.

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