scholarly journals Biofortification of Cereals and Pulses Using New Breeding Techniques: Current and Future Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahil Shahzad ◽  
Shakra Jamil ◽  
Shakeel Ahmad ◽  
Amina Nisar ◽  
Sipper Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Essential Amino Acids ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Transgenic Crop ◽  
Future Perspectives ◽  
Mineral Fertilization ◽  
Crop Varieties ◽  
Uptake Of Nutrients ◽  
New Breeding Techniques ◽  
Breeding Techniques

Cereals and pulses are consumed as a staple food in low-income countries for the fulfillment of daily dietary requirements and as a source of micronutrients. However, they are failing to offer balanced nutrition due to deficiencies of some essential compounds, macronutrients, and micronutrients, i.e., cereals are deficient in iron, zinc, some essential amino acids, and quality proteins. Meanwhile, the pulses are rich in anti-nutrient compounds that restrict the bioavailability of micronutrients. As a result, the population is suffering from malnutrition and resultantly different diseases, i.e., anemia, beriberi, pellagra, night blindness, rickets, and scurvy are common in the society. These facts highlight the need for the biofortification of cereals and pulses for the provision of balanced diets to masses and reduction of malnutrition. Biofortification of crops may be achieved through conventional approaches or new breeding techniques (NBTs). Conventional approaches for biofortification cover mineral fertilization through foliar or soil application, microbe-mediated enhanced uptake of nutrients, and conventional crossing of plants to obtain the desired combination of genes for balanced nutrient uptake and bioavailability. Whereas, NBTs rely on gene silencing, gene editing, overexpression, and gene transfer from other species for the acquisition of balanced nutritional profiles in mutant plants. Thus, we have highlighted the significance of conventional and NBTs for the biofortification of cereals and pulses. Current and future perspectives and opportunities are also discussed. Further, the regulatory aspects of newly developed biofortified transgenic and/or non-transgenic crop varieties via NBTs are also presented.

The Current Status of GM and GE Crops

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-52
Author(s):  
Ken Pallett
Keyword(s):  
Genetically Engineered ◽  
Current Status ◽  
New Crops ◽  
Crop Varieties ◽  
Assessment Policies ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
New Breeding Techniques ◽  
New Crop ◽  
Breeding Techniques

In recent months there have been regular announcements of new crops developed via new breeding techniques (NBTs) such as gene editing (GE) and the debate continues whether they should be considered as GM or not in the UK and Europe. It is not surprising that countries who approve cultivation of GM crops are also approving new crops derived from GE technologies, so will gain an advantage from cultivation of these new crop varieties over the UK and Europe. The USA, Brazil and Argentina have a flexible approach for the regulation of crops derived from new breeding techniques such as GE. Canada has recently (March 2021) reassessed their risk assessment policies for genetically engineered (GE) plants and food products and have started approvals.

Profiting from New Breeding Techniques: The Latest Technical Seminar Organised Jointly by BCPC and the Farmers Club 11 July 2019

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 224-226
Author(s):  
Ken Pallett
Keyword(s):  
Future Development ◽  
The Other ◽  
Regulatory Issues ◽  
The Third ◽  
Crop Varieties ◽  
Breeding Technology ◽  
Mixed Feelings ◽  
New Breeding Techniques ◽  
New Crop ◽  
Breeding Techniques

This Technical Seminar was the third in a series organised jointly by BCPC and the Farmers Club, explaining the science, benefits, drawbacks and regulatory issues surrounding new breeding technology (NBT). Overall, the author left the seminar with mixed feelings. He felt optimistic that NBTs can make a difference in future development of new crop varieties due to the positive messages from all the speakers on the technology and its benefits. However, the scientists and the other stakeholders in agriculture need to convince the politicians and society in general, that this technology will be critical to feeding the future world and that it can be responsibly and effectively managed so that it poses no threat to man and the environment.

scholarly journals Micronutrient Biofortification in Rice through New Breeding Techniques (NBTs): Bangladesh Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bishajit Sarkar ◽  
Fayza Akter ◽  
Fatema Tuz Johora ◽  
Md. Asad Ullah ◽  
Abdullah Mohammad Shohael
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Engineering ◽  
Genome Editing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rice Grain ◽  
Rice Cultivars ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Conventional Breeding ◽  
Vitamin B9 ◽  
New Breeding Techniques ◽  
Breeding Techniques

Background: Micronutrient deficiencies are serious health issues in developing countries of Asia and Africa, where millions of people are suffering from inadequate micronutrient intake. In Bangladesh, micronutrient deficiencies are found severe due to low income, food habits, and rice-based staple food consumption, (rice has an insufficiency of different types of vitamins and minerals). To lessen micronutrient malnutrition, supplementation has been employed but has not yet reached the goal. Agronomic and genetic biofortification has the potential to address micronutrient deficiencies. Biofortification in Rice grain is a convenient and affordable way to supply the desired micronutrients. The development of micronutrient-rich popular rice cultivars through conventional breeding is currently being harnessed for the limitation of natural resources of the related donor rice cultivars containing the required amount of micronutrients. To overcome these hurdles of conventional breeding, genetic engineering and genome editing have emerged as promising tools of micronutrient biofortification in rice. Methods: Identify the needs and explore the potential strategies by the search for relevant literature known to the authors was carried out to complete this review. Results: Highlighted here the sources, functions, and requirements of iron, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B9, and betanin in rice and their biofortification through conventional breeding, genetic engineering, and genome editing including their promises and hindrances. Conclusion: New breeding techniques are timely alternatives for developing nutrient-rich rice cultivars to eliminate hidden hunger and poverty in Bangladesh.

scholarly journals The Economics of Feeding Infants: Least-Cost Nutrient Adequate Diets From 6 to 23 Months of Age Using Breastmilk and Locally Available Foods in 31 Low-Income Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 623-623
Author(s):  
Yan Bai ◽  
Lieven Huybregts ◽  
Lora Iannotti ◽  
Melissa Chapnick ◽  
Andrew Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Nutrient Retention ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Essential Amino Acids ◽  
Food Composition ◽  
Food Prices ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Complementary Foods ◽  
Gates Foundation ◽  
Targeted Assistance

Abstract Objectives Meeting infant needs requires complementing breastmilk with the gradual introduction of solid foods after 6 months. Existing studies have limited evidence on the availability and cost of complementary foods needed during the 6–23 month window when millions of children experience irreversible harm from inadequate diets. Methods Using food prices from the World Bank on 374 items potentially used for infant foods and available for sale in 31 low-income countries, food composition data, and dietary reference intakes (DRIs), we compute least-cost diets for children between 6–23 months. We further used data for food yield and nutrient retention factors and introduced volume constraints. DRIs differ for children aged 6–8 months, 9–11 months, and 12–23 months. We used lower and upper bounds on 25 different nutrients plus fiber and sodium. Our primary specification (Scenario I) considers only total protein and fats, while a more restrictive Scenario II also considers 11 essential amino acids and fatty acids. Results The cost of complementary foods to replace breastmilk is $1–2/day at 6–8 months when small quantities of high-cost ingredients are needed, then declines to below $/1day at 9–11 months when lower-cost foods can be used before rising above $1/day again as children grow. Increased breastfeeding substitutes for complementary foods to a limited degree, as shown by the small decline in cost as breastmilk intake rises, and there is a clear threshold beyond which sufficiently nutrient-dense ingredients are very expensive or entirely unavailable. Average intake recommendation levels of breastmilk measured in low-income countries are close to that which makes complementary feeding least expensive, except in Scenario II for the youngest children. Conclusions We find that sufficient nutrients from complementary foods for infants from 6 to 23 months are not affordable for many households in these countries, implying a need for targeted assistance, especially in settings where household incomes are below the global poverty line of $1.90/person/day. Funding Sources This study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the project Advancing Research on Nutrition and Agriculture (AReNA), Phase II (Investment ID: OPP1177007), jointly with the project Food Prices for Nutrition (INV-016158) funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and UKAid.

Three Cases of Joubert Syndrome in a Consanguineous Syrian Family and a Interesting Case of Multinational Collaboration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davor Petrović ◽  
Vida Čulić ◽  
Zofia Swinderek-Alsayed
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Autosomal Recessive ◽  
Autosomal Recessive Disorder ◽  
Joubert Syndrome ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Ocular Motor ◽  
Quality Health Care ◽  
Quality Health ◽  
Motor Apraxia

AbstractJoubert syndrome (JS) is a rare congenital, autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a distinctive brain malformation, developmental delay, ocular motor apraxia, breathing abnormalities, and high clinical and genetic heterogeneity. We are reporting three siblings with JS from consanguineous parents in Syria. Two of them had the same homozygous c.2172delA (p.Trp725Glyfs*) AHI1 mutation and the third was diagnosed prenatally with magnetic resonance imaging. This pathogenic variant is very rare and described in only a few cases in the literature. Multinational collaboration could be of benefit for the patients from undeveloped, low-income countries that have a low-quality health care system, especially for the diagnosis of rare diseases.

Reviewing the Development of Rural Finance in Vietnam

2013 ◽  
pp. 121-136
Author(s):  
Duong Pham Bao
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Financial System ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Rural Finance ◽  
Market Mechanisms ◽  
Rural Credit ◽  
Rural Organizations ◽  
Doi Moi

The objective of this article is to review the development of the rural financial system in Vietnam in recent years, especially, after Doi moi. There are two opposite schools of thought in the literature on rural credit policies in developing countries. One is the conventional supply-side (government-led) approach while the other is called “a new paradigm” that emphasizes the importance of the viability of financial providers and the well functioning of rural credit markets. Conventional theories of rural finance contend that rural finance in low-income countries is generally accompanied by many failures. Contrary to these theories, rural finance in Vietnam does not encounter the above-mentioned failures so far. Up to the present time, it is progressing well. Using a supply-side approach, methodologically, this study reviews the development of the rural financial system in Vietnam. The significance of this study is to challenge the extreme view of dichotomizing between the old and the new credit paradigms. Analysis in this study contends that a rural financial market that, (1) is initiated and spurred by government; (2) operates principally under market mechanisms; and (3) is strongly supported by rural organizations (semi-formal/informal institutions) can progress stably and well. Therefore, the extremely dichotomizing approach must be avoided.

Abdominal Textiloma Mimicking as Left Colic Tumour: A Postoperative Complication Still Common in Low-Income Countries

EMJ Radiology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Fistula Formation ◽  
Emergency Laparotomy ◽  
Intermittent Fever ◽  
Gastrointestinal Complications ◽  
Surgical Safety ◽  
Surgical Teams ◽  
Safety Rules

Retained foreign bodies have become very rare in countries where the safety rules in the operating theatre are very rigorous and follow precise guidelines. There are low-income countries where hospital structures are precarious, in which the implementation of surgical safety rules has only been effective recently. Surgical teams in these countries are not yet well trained in the observance of the guidelines concerning swab count, meaning that textilomas are not uncommon. Abdominal textiloma may be asymptomatic, or present serious gastrointestinal complications such as bowel obstruction, perforation, or fistula formation because of misdiagnosis. It may mimic abscess formation in the early stage or soft tissue masses in the chronic stage. This case report presents a 27-year-old female who underwent an emergency laparotomy in a rural surgical centre for an ectopic pregnancy. Two months later, a swelling had appeared on the left side of her abdomen, gradually increasing in size, which was not very painful but caused digestive discomfort and asthenia. Intermittent fever was described and treated with antibiotics. The patient was referred to a better equipped centre to benefit from a CT scan. A textiloma was strongly suspected on the CT but a left colic mass was not excluded. Laparotomy confirmed the diagnosis of textiloma and the postoperative course was uneventful. Prevention rules must be strengthened in these countries where patients can hardly bear the costs of iterative surgeries for complications that are avoidable.

Assessment of knowledge and practice of vaccination of dogs against rabies by dog owners in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Audu Onyemocho ◽  
Agwa Moses ◽  
Aboh Kisani ◽  
Omole Namben Victoria ◽  
Anejo-Okopi Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Life Time ◽  
Knowledge Score ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Knowledge And Practice ◽  
Dog Owners ◽  
The Relationship

Objective: Rabies, one of the oldest and fatal infectious diseases known to human race, is transmitted by infected dogs. The global target of zero dog-mediated rabies human deaths has been set for 2030; however, the realization of this goal poses challenges in most low-income countries where rabies is endemic due to weak surveillance. Dogs have been increasingly deployed for domestic uses over the years, especially for security purposes. This study assessed the assessment of knowledge and practice of vaccination of dogs against rabies by dog owners. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was employed to study 400 dog owners in Makurdi metropolis through multistage sampling techniques. Sighting of valid dog vaccination card was used as criteria for current vaccination. Bivariate analysis was carried out to establish the relationship between the respondent knowledge of rabies and dog vaccination with significant value set at P < 0.05. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 31 (Â ± 0.8) years, majority of them had tertiary and secondary education (40.0% and 39.0%, respectively), 26.0% were traders, and 50.0% were married. Overall, 73.0% of the respondents had good knowledge score, 61.0% had seen at least a rabid dog in their life time, and 74.0% have a history of dog vaccination, but evidence of up to date vaccination of dogs by owners was seen in only 18.0% of all the vaccination cards sighted. The relationship between the educational status of the respondents, their knowledge score, and their dog vaccination was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Knowledge of rabies among dog owners in Makurdi was good, but the practice of dog vaccination was poor. Educational status was a good predictor of practice. Awareness campaign on dog vaccination should be strengthened and adequate measures should be put in place at the veterinary hospitals in Makurdi for vaccination of dogs.

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