Nutritional Deficiencies and Features of Nutritional Provision in Primary School Children

Introduction. The nutrition of primary school children does not always meet modern nutritional standards. The frequency of nutritional deficiencies, including calcium and vitamin D, among this age group remains unstudied. The aim of the study. To establish the characteristics of nutritional provision and the prevalence of nutrient deficiencies in the daily nutrition of primary school children, including calcium and vitamin D deficiencies and to propose methods of correction. Materials and methods. 5 consecutive stages of the study were conducted. At the first stage in 2019, the assessment of eating behavior in 190 children of grades 1-4 of two schools in the city of Lviv was conducted using a questionnaire. In the second stage, the features of the diet and ration and daily nutritional intake were determined using a special licensed program Dietplan 7 (UK). The analysis of daily nutrient intake was performed for 172 children. In the third stage, a study was conducted on the level of total, ionized calcium and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the blood, and a study on the calcium content in the hair of 56 children with insufficient daily intake of calcium and / or vitamin D. In the fourth stage, 30 children with reduced levels of calcium in the hair were detected, differentiated correction measures were performed. To do this, the children were divided into two groups: the control group - 15 children whose deficiencies were corrected by diet modification, and the main group - 15 children - whose deficiencies were corrected by diet modification and the intake of calcium at a dose of 500.0 mg and vitamin D at a dose of 5.0 mg (200.0 IU) once a day for three months. In the fifth stage, to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment after three months of follow-up, all 30 children were re-analyzed for calcium content in the hair using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results. Appetite disturbance was observed in 28.9 % of schoolchildren, 17.4 % ate under duress, 14.3 % ate irregularly, 13.7% ate insufficient portions, 11.0 % were on different diets, many schoolchildren had eating disorders: ate before sleep (83.6 %), while watching TV (33.6 %). The diet was often unbalanced, children consumed insufficient fish (58.9 %), vegetables (43.2 %), dairy products (33.7 %), meat (26.8 %) Low calcium intake was observed in 50.6 % boys and 70.7 % of girls, vitamin D in 84.9 % of boys and 96.9 % of girls. Among children with a reduced daily intake of calcium and vitamin D, 42.9 % of children had a reduced level of total and / or ionized calcium, 48.2 % had a reduced level of vitamin D in the blood serum, and 53.6 % had a reduced calcium content in the hair. After 3 months of correction, we found that in the hair of children in the main group, who underwent dietary correction and were prescribed calcium and vitamin D, a significant increase in the average calcium content (up to 293.6 ± 80.6 mg/kg; p < 0.01) was observed, while in control group children who received only a modified diet, had only a tendency to increase the average amount of calcium in the hair (up to 185.14 ± 82.38 mg/kg; p > 0.05). Conclusions. For most primary school children, nutrition is unbalanced, which does not meet all the needs of a rapidly growing and intensively developing child's metabolism. A significant number of children have eating disorders: they do not eat regularly, do not eat enough food, eat food while watching TV, just before bed, do not have lunch at school, like fast food, 10% of students are on various diets. Almost a third of schoolchildren have a deficiency of daily intake of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and energy, and half of schoolchildren have a deficiency in the consumption of dietary fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids. Most students have a daily deficiency of iodine, magnesium, selenium, iron and calcium, vitamin E, biotin, vitamin D, retinol, vitamin C, carotene, pantothenate. Among children with reduced daily intake of calcium and vitamin D in 42.9 % of children a reduced content of total and / or ionized calcium in the blood was found, and in 53.6 % of children in this group - in the hair. The use of a non-invasive method of studying the calcium content in the hair allows to determine the calcium deficiency in the child's body and control the process of its recovery. For children with insufficient daily intake of calcium and vitamin D, it is advisable to recommend a diet modification with increased consumption of milk, dairy products, yogurt and cheese, beans, spinach, broccoli, other leafy greens, wheat germ, nuts, sesame seeds, fish. To correct the existing calcium deficiency, it is advisable to use calcium supplements with vitamin D, combining this with a modification of the diet with an increase in food that contains the nutrients mentioned above. Keywords: schoolchildren, food deficiencies, calcium, vitamin D.

Non-linear prediction model for egg production of quails the tropics with methionine supplementation

This study aimed to predict the egg production of quails receiving methionine supplementation. Two hundred and four quails were divided into two treatment diets, and six replicates with 17 quails each. The treatment diets were control (P0) and 0.12% methionine supplementation (P1). Egg production data were collected for eleven weeks, and a T-test was performed. Next, the data was plotted to get the actual egg production curve. We used a logistic regression model to predict the egg production pattern and calculated the model’s fitness with the coefficient of determination (R2). The results showed that methionine supplementation increased egg production by 9.43% (p<0.01). Based on the actual production curve, the increase in initial production to peak production of P1 was slower than P0, but P1 had a higher egg production than P0. The logistic model predicts that peak production of P1 was higher than P0 (62.74% vs. 56.79%), although the production rate of P1 was lower than P0 (0.21 vs. 0.36). In addition, the accuracy of both P0 and P1 models was 0.88 and 0.92, respectively. Thus, the logistic model can predict quail egg production in the tropics due to diet modification with high accuracy.

622 CORRELATION ANALYSIS BETWEEN MAJOR FOOD GROUPS' CONSUMPTION AND THE RESULTS OF 24-HOURS OESOPHAGEAL PH-IMPEDANCE STUDIES

Aim To evaluate association of number of gastroesophageal refluxes detected with oesophageal pH-impedance study with dietary patterns. Methods Food frequency questionnaire (Nutrilogic, Russia) was used to assess diet of subjects enrolled in the study in terms of nutrients consumption and food groups' structure. Dietary patterns were calculated according to the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), for the following major groups of foods: grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meats, fats and confectioneries. The results are shown as a quotient of a division of actual values by the recommended. Oesophageal 24-hours pH-impedance (Ohmega, Laborie, the Netherlands) parameters were analysed. Spearman rank R was used to reveal correlation between number and type of gastroesophageal refluxes (GER) and the dietary patterns assessment. Results Forty consecutive patients (12 with gastroesophageal reflux disease, 28 females, age: 52.2 ± 12.9 y.o.) were enrolled. Mean energy value of the ration was 2302 ± 1391 kcal/day. Pattern of major food groups consumption was as follows: grains 1.4 ± 0.7, vegetables 1.1 ± 0.7, fruits 0.8 ± 0.9, dairy products 0.6 ± 0.6, meats 1.7 ± 1.0, fats 0.6 ± 0.8, confectioneries 0.3 ± 0.5. Mean number of GERs was 43.8 ± 24.4, acid GERs—26.2 ± 20.5 a day. Pattern of dairies consumption correlated with total number of GERs (Spearman R = 0.47, p &lt; 0.05), weak-acid GERs (R = 0.49, p &lt; 0.05), and non-acid GERs (R = 0.62, p &lt; 0.05). Consumption of confectioneries correlated with high (at 17 cm above LES) GERs: R = 0.47, p &lt; 0.05. Conclusion Type and number of gastroesophageal refluxes correlate with major food groups consumption. This preliminary results may serve as a basis for further research in larger comparative trials and may be considered when diet modification is planned for patients with GERD.

Patterns and determinants of treatment compliance among hypertensive patients

Logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of pharmacological and lifestyle compliance among hypertensive patients. Patients attending health insurance clinics for prescription refills were randomly selected and interviewed [n = 316]. Blood pressure was controlled for 53.2% of patients but 25.9% were non-compliant with medication. Common barriers to compliance were: feelings of normal blood pressure, forgetfulness, drug holidays and drug side-effects. Patients were non-compliant with smoking cessation [43.6%], weight reduction [59.3%], and dietary salt [22.4%] and fat restriction [26.5%]. Misconceptions about smoking cessation and costs of preparing special dishes were common. Independent predictors of compliance were: controlled blood pressure, diet modification, drug side-effects, and perceptions of management benefits and susceptibility to related complications

A Preliminary Study of Nursing Practice Patterns Concerning Dysphagia Diet Modification: Implications for Interprofessional Education With SLPs

Purpose Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are trained to evaluate and treat dysphagia. One treatment method is to modify diet consistency or viscosity to compensate for swallowing dysfunction and promote a safer intake; this typically involves softening solids and thickening liquids. Thickening liquids is not safer for all patients, and modification of dysphagia diets without adequate training may reduce the quality of dysphagia patient care. Over 90% of SLPs working in health care report exposure to nurses who regularly downgrade dysphagia diets without an SLP consult. This study explores dysphagia diet modification practices of nursing staff with and without dysphagia training. Method Practicing nurses and student nurses ( N = 298) in the United States were surveyed regarding their dysphagia diet modification training and practice patterns. Additionally, a pre-/posttest design was used to determine the efficacy of a short general tutorial on willingness to modify diets without an SLP consult. Results Downgrading diets without an SLP consult is a common practice. Fewer than one third of nurses (31.41%) would avoid it, whereas 73.65% would avoid upgrading without SLP consult. Formal dysphagia training made little difference to this practice. The short general tutorial also had no beneficial effect, in fact slightly reducing the willingness to consult SLPs. Conclusions Dysphagia diet modification practice by nurses is pervasive in U.S. health care. This is a previously unexplored but common issue SLPs face in work settings. This study identifies a need to clarify guidelines and increase interprofessional education between both professions to improve patient care.

Association between Gut Microbiota and Development of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Background: It is well known that women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have gut dysbiosis. However, the dynamic alterations of gut microbiota in GDM are unclear. Additionally, the effects of maternal gut microbiota on the gut microbiota of their newborns remains controversial. The primary objective of this study is to determine the association between types and amounts of gut microbiota and development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: Eighty-eight pregnant women, including 39 non-GDM and 49 GDM, and their 88 offspring were enrolled. Maternal feces were collected at the time of GDM diagnosis (24–28 weeks of gestation) and at before delivery (≥37 weeks of gestation). Meconium and the first feces of their newborns were also obtained. Results: from quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) showed that maternal Lactobacillales was decreased from baseline to the time before delivery in both non-GDM and GDM. Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio at before delivery was higher in the GDM group. However, there was no difference of neonatal gut microbiota between groups. Conclusions: Although we found only few gut microbiota that demonstrated the difference between GDM and non-GDM, gut microbiota may play a more important role in the development of severer GDM. Therefore, a further study comparing the gut microbiota composition among non-GDM, GDM with diet modification only, GDM with insulin therapy, GDM with successful treatment, and GDM with failure of treatment is needed.

Nutritional Aspects of Pediatric Gastrointestinal Diseases

In the last decade, the role of nutritional management in pediatric gastrointestinal diseases has gained increasing popularity. Disease-specific diets have been introduced as conventional treatments by international guidelines. Patients tend to more willingly accept food-based therapies than drugs because of their relatively “harmless” nature. Apart from a diet’s therapeutic role, nutritional support is crucial in maintaining growth and improving clinical outcomes in pediatric patients. Despite the absence of classical “side effects”, however, it should be emphasized that any dietary modification might have negative consequences on children’s growth and development. Hence, expert supervision is always advised, in order to support adequate nutritional requirements. Unfortunately, the media provide an inaccurate perception of the role of diet for gastrointestinal diseases, leading to misconceptions by patients or their caregivers that tends to overestimate the beneficial role of diets and underestimate the potential adverse effects. Moreover, not only patients, but also healthcare professionals, have a number of misconceptions about the nutritional benefits of diet modification on gastrointestinal diseases. The aim of this review is to highlight the role of diet in pediatric gastrointestinal diseases, to detect misconceptions and to give a practical guide for physicians on the basis of current scientific evidence.

CONCEPT OF ’YAMDANSHTRA’ IN AYURVED AND RISE IN CASES OF COVID 19 PANDEMIC

Upon observation of the steep rise in Covid cases patients all over the world, it seems to be clear that along with conventional methods for prevention and cure of this unpredictable disease, something more requires employment. This paper proposes that the concept of ’Yamdanshtra’ (described in Sharangdhar Samhita)1/ ”Ritusandhi”(described in Charak Samhita)2 is a viable solution. A specific ’diet modification pattern’(Padanshik Tyag vidhi) is recommended for better immunity. Detailed graphical studies have been shown about rela- tionship of the number of cases of Covid and the periods of Yamdanshtra or Ritusandhi(cusp between two seasons) in Bharat and three more countries viz. USA,UK and Russia. It was concluded in the study that a positive relation between Covid cases and transition periods can be established. In countries other than Bharat, the rise in Covid cases was present but not significant. It is hypothesized that that may be because the seasons do not show much differ- ence in climatic conditions or in other parameters. For Bharat, the Padanshik Tyag3 method of diet modification during transition periods may work,while other countries may prefer taking a lighter diet during them.