Phytoplankton Growth Rate and Microzooplankton Grazing under Conditions of Climatic Changes and Anthropogenic Pollution in the Coastal Waters of the Black Sea (Sevastopol Region)

In the coastal waters of the Black Sea near Sevastopol, a gradual temperature elevation and an increase in anthropogenic pressure since the early 2000s have caused significant structural and functional changes in phytoplankton. Currently, there is a significant decrease in the contribution of small diatom species (Skeletonema sp. and Chaetoceros socialis H.S.Lauder as well as coccolithophorids Emiliania huxleyi (Lohmann) W.W.Hay and H.P.Mohler) to the total phytoplankton biomass in these waters. Previously these species caused regular weak blooms. In the warm periods (from May to October), during which the main phytoplankton biomass is formed, large diatom species Pseudosolenia calcar-avis (Schultze) B.G.Sundström, 1986, Proboscia alata (Brightwell) Sundström and dinoflagellates predominate. Therefore, the maximum values of the phytoplankton community’s specific growth rate are about two times lower than in the preceding periods and do not exceed 1.10–1.40 day−1. There was also a decrease observed in the microzooplankton grazing rate, which, during the year, was no higher than 0.70–1.20 day−1. This is primarily conditioned by the increased role of large algae in phytoplankton, which means a decline in nutrition quality for microzooplankton. As a result of the joint influence of nutrition quality and water pollution, the relative share of net primary production consumed by microzooplankton in the warm periods of the year averaged only 32%, which is two times lower than the average values generally accepted for marine ecosystems. This means that the transfer of matter and energy from phytoplankton to higher trophic levels is significantly decreased.

NUQUEST—NUtrition QUality Evaluation Strengthening Tools: Development of tools for the evaluation of risk of bias in nutrition studies

ABSTRACT Background Dietary exposure assessments are a critical issue in evaluating human nutrition studies; however, nutrition-specific criteria are not consistently included in existing bias assessment tools. Objective Our objective was to develop a set of Risk of Bias (RoB) tools that integrated nutrition-specific criteria into validated generic assessment tools to address RoB issues, including those specific to dietary exposure assessment. Methods Nutrition QUality Evaluation Strengthening Tools (NUQUEST) development and validation process included eight steps. The first steps identified: 1) a development strategy; 2) generic assessment tools with demonstrated validity; and 3) nutrition-specific appraisal issues. This was followed by: 4) generation of nutrition-specific items, and 5) development of guidance to aid users of NUQUEST. The final steps used established ratings of selected studies and feedback from independent raters to: 6) assess reliability and validity; 7) assess formatting and usability; and 8) finalize NUQUEST. Results NUQUEST is based on the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network checklists for randomized controlled trials, cohort studies and case-control studies. Using a purposive sample of 45 studies representing the three study designs, inter-rater reliability was high (Cohen's kappa 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.52, 0.93) across all tools and at least moderate for individual tools (range 0.57 to 1.00). The use of a worksheet improved usability and consistency of overall inter-rater agreement across all study designs (40% without worksheet, 80–100% with worksheet). When compared to published ratings, NUQUEST ratings for evaluated studies demonstrated high concurrent validity (93% perfect or near-perfect agreement). Where there was disagreement, the nutrition-specific component was a contributing factor in discerning exposure methodological issues. Conclusion NUQUEST integrates nutrition-specific criteria with generic criteria from assessment tools with demonstrated reliability and validity. NUQUEST represents a consistent and transparent approach for evaluating RoB issues related to dietary exposure assessment commonly encountered in human nutrition studies.

Breakfast Skipping, Weight, Cardiometabolic Risk, and Nutrition Quality in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled and Intervention Longitudinal Trials

Breakfast skipping increases with age, and an association with a high risk of being overweight (OW) and of obesity (OB), cardiometabolic risk, and unhealthy diet regimen has been demonstrated in observational studies with children and adults. Short-term intervention trials in adults reported conflicting results. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the association of breakfast skipping with body weight, metabolic features, and nutrition quality in the groups of young people that underwent randomized controlled (RCT) or intervention longitudinal trials lasting more than two months. We searched relevant databases (2000–2021) and identified 584 articles, of which 16 were suitable for inclusion. Overall, 50,066 children and adolescents were included. No studies analyzed cardiometabolic features. Interventions were efficacious in reducing breakfast skipping prevalence when multi-level approaches were used. Two longitudinal studies reported a high prevalence of OW/OB in breakfast skippers, whereas RCTs had negligible effects. Ten studies reported a lower-quality dietary intake in breakfast skippers. This review provides insight into the fact that breakfast skipping is a modifiable marker of the risk of OW/OB and unhealthy nutritional habits in children and adolescents. Further long-term multi-level intervention studies are needed to investigate the relationship between breakfast, nutrition quality, chronotypes, and cardiometabolic risk in youths.

Awareness and Contribution of African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables to Household Wellbeing: A Case of Smallholder Farmers in Kisii County, Kenya

This study investigated the contribution of African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables (AILVs) to the welfare of smallholder farmers in Kisii County. AILVs have recently been attracting research attention not only in terms of their inherent nutrition quality and healing properties but also for their economic potential that is brought about by increased consumer demand of these vegetables. Despite having multiple benefits and positive promise towards contributing to household food dietary quality and income, utilization of African indigenous Leafy Vegetables (AILVs) by farming households is still low as indicated by a constant deficit in supply. Based on the claimed benefits in the face of low volumes in terms of utilization, this study sought to examine the socioeconomic characteristics of AILVs smallholders and factors that influence production of these vegetables in Bomachoge Borabu Sub-County, Kisii County Kenya. A Multistage sampling method was used to obtain a sample of 150 AILV farmers. Questionnaires were used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the socio-economic characteristics while Tobit model was utilized in analyzing the factors that influence production of AILVs. The Tobit regression results indicated that age, gender, education, value awareness, occupation and household income significantly influenced AILV production. The study concluded that engagement in AILVs utilization brings along unmatched benefits. The study recommends a long term campaign majorly targeting the young and the non-growing communities in creation of value awareness to improve on the utilization of the vegetables. The study also recommends a similar study in regions of the Country that record low levels of utilization.