How to Tackle the Relationship between Autoimmune Diseases and Diet: Well Begun Is Half-Done

Nutrition and immunity are closely related, and the immune system is composed of the most highly energy-consuming cells in the body. Much of the immune system is located within the GI tract, since it must deal with the huge antigenic load introduced with food. Moreover, the incidence of immune-mediated diseases is elevated in Westernized countries, where “transition nutrition” prevails, owing to the shift from traditional dietary patterns towards Westernized patterns. This ecological correlation has fostered increasing attempts to find evidence to support nutritional interventions aimed at managing and reducing the risk of immune-mediated diseases. Recent studies have described the impacts of single nutrients on markers of immune function, but the knowledge currently available is not sufficient to demonstrate the impact of specific dietary patterns on immune-mediated clinical disease endpoints. If nutritional scientists are to conduct quality research, one of many challenges facing them, in studying the complex interactions between the immune system and diet, is to develop improved tools for investigating eating habits in the context of immunomediated diseases.

Observational study of the association between diverse licensed premises types and alcohol-related violence in an inner-London borough

BackgroundAn ecological correlation has been observed between licensed premises and alcohol-related violence (ARV). In the UK to date, no evidence directly connects alcohol-related harm to a single premises type. Recent policies have called for a diversified alcohol offer, yet quantitative evidence in support remains sparse. This study aims to inform policy by determining whether diversification of the alcohol economy is desirable and to inform the licensing process and submission of public health evidence.MethodsUsing 11 years of local licensing data from the London Borough of Southwark, alcohol availability over time was approximated by the number of extant alcohol licences, categorised by outlet type: drinking establishments, eateries, takeaways, off-sales and ‘other’. Harm was quantified drawing on law enforcement intelligence that recorded ARV. A linked data set was analysed using negative binomial regression, contrasting cumulative impact zones (CIZ)—a common alcohol control policy—with non-CIZ geographies.ResultsEach licensed drinking establishment was associated with a 1.6% (95% CI 0.7% to 2.6%; p=0.001) increase in ARV, respectively. ‘Other’ outlets had a protective effect and were associated with a 1.8% (95% CI 1.0% to 2.5%; p<0.001) decrease in ARV.ConclusionThis study provides direct evidence for an association between alcohol-related harm and licensed premises. The varying associations between outlet type and ARV provide local public health stakeholders with an evidence base upon which to advocate for licensing policies that diversify alcohol availability.

Bivariate Spatial Pattern between Smoking Prevalence and Lung Cancer Screening in US Counties

Objectives: Lung cancer screening (LCS) with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) has been a reimbursable preventive service covered by Medicare since 2015. Geographic disparities in the access to LDCT providers may contribute to the low uptake of LCS. We evaluated LDCT service availability for older adults in the United States (US) based on Medicare claims data and explored its ecological correlation with smoking prevalence. Materials and Methods: We identified providers who provided at least 11 LDCT services in 2016 using the Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data: Physician and Other Supplier Public Use File. We constructed a 30-mile Euclidian distance buffer around each provider’s location to estimate individual LDCT coverage areas. We then mapped the county-level density of LDCT providers and the county-level prevalence of current daily cigarette smoking in a bivariate choropleth map. Results: Approximately 1/5 of census tracts had no LDCT providers within 30 miles and 46% of counties had no LDCT services. At the county level, the median LDCT density was 0.5 (interquartile range (IQR): 0–5.3) providers per 1000 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, and cigarette smoking prevalence was 17.5% (IQR: 15.2–19.8%). High LDCT service availability was most concentrated in the northeast US, revealing a misalignment with areas of high current smoking prevalence, which tended to be in the central and southern US. Conclusions: Our maps highlight areas in need for enhanced workforce and capacity building aimed at reducing disparities in the access and utilization of LDCT services among older adults in the US.

Study on the relationship between small and micro hydropower cascade development and ecology

Micro hydropower and small hydropower are densely distributed, and coincide naturally with the core area of the ecological barrier. In view of the conflict of interests between small and micro hydropower and ecological equilibrium, and based on the existing research results of green small hydropower evaluation criteria, a relatively complete diagnostic index system of small and micro hydropower cascade development and ecological correlation is established from four aspects of environment, economy, management and sociality. The diagnostic index system of hair and ecology correlation suggests that people should not only develop and utilize water energy resources, but also give priority to the dream of protecting the natural ecological environment.

Ecological correlation between aquatic vegetation and freshwater fish populations in Perak River, Malaysia

Ismail SN, Abd Hamid M, Mansor M. 2018. Ecology, diversity and seasonal distribution of wild mushrooms in a Nigerian tropical forest reserve. Biodiversitas 19: 279-284. Aquatic plants play a crucial role in an aquatic ecosystem partly because these plant communities provide suitable habitats and food items to other aquatic organisms especially fish. Many fish communities use vegetation as breeding sites, nurseries and refuges for their juveniles. Therefore, this study was conducted to provide baseline data on the correlation between the aquatic plants and freshwater fishes in Perak River. Based on the findings, the abundance of aquatic plant influences the growth and health of the fish. Habitats with moderate amounts of aquatic vegetation provide the optimal environment for many fish and hence, increase the fish diversity, feeding, growth, and reproduction. In contrast, both limited and excessive vegetation may decrease fish growth rates at 75% to 85% of plant community coverage. The recent trip along the Perak discloses the presence of these aquatic plants at certain habitats. There is a positive correlation between aquatic plants and freshwater fish. The association between aquatic plants and fish assemblages has been documented in scientific studies with the conclusion that moderate plant densities could enhance the fish diversity, feeding, growth, and reproduction.

Diversity and ecology of bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae, Streblidae) from Cat Ba National Park

Cat Ba National Park contains a high diversity fauna of bats including a species endemic to Vietnam. Since 1999, we conducted a series of bat surveys in the park with an investigation into bat files. All individuals of flies collected from each bat individual were preserved in a plastic tube filled with pure alcohol. They were analysed and identified at the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources. Results from our research provide records of 8 bat fly species belonging to 4 genera, 2 families; of these, 3 species belong to the family Nycteribiidae (Basila roylii, B. burmensis, B. pundibunda) and 5 remaining ones belong the family Streblidae (Ascodipteron phyllorhinae, A. wenzeli, Brachytarsina amboiensis, B. cucullata, Maabella stomalata). These fly species parasitize 8 bat species belonging to 4 families: 5 species of Hipposideridae (Hipposideros alongensis, H. armiger, H. grandis, H. khoukhouayensis, H. pomona), 1 species of Miniopteridae (Miniopterus fuliginosus), 1 species of Rhinolophidae (Rhinolophus marshalli) and 1 species of Vespertilionidae (Hypsugo pulveratus). Basilia pundibunda was the most common bat fly species within the study area. The first data on ecological correlation between flies and bats from Vietnam were also recorded and given in this paper. Citation: Nguyen Thanh Luong, Ta Huy Thinh, Vu Dinh Thong, 2018. Diversity and ecology of bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae, Streblidae) from Cat Ba National Park. Tap chi Sinh hoc, 40(1): x-xx. DOI: 10.15625/0866-7160/v40n1.10746. *Corresponding author: [email protected] Received 22 September 2017, accepted 2 December 2017

Pace of Life in Cities and the Emergence of Town Tweeters

Long-standing results in urban studies have shown correlation of population and population density to a city’s pace of life, empirically tested by examining whether individuals in bigger cities walk faster, spend less time buying stamps, or make greater numbers of telephone calls. Contemporary social media presents a new opportunity to test these hypotheses. This study examines whether users of the social media platform Twitter in larger and denser American cities tweet at a faster rate than their counterparts in smaller and sparser ones. Contrary to how telephony usage and productivity scale superlinearly with city population, the total volume of tweets in cities scales sublinearly. This is similar to the economies of scale in city infrastructures like gas stations. When looking at individuals, however, greater population density is associated with faster tweeting. The discrepancy between the ecological correlation and individual behavior is resolved by noting that larger cities have sublinear growth in the number of active Twitter users. This suggests that there is a more concentrated core of more active users that may serve an information broadcast function for larger cities, an emerging group of “town tweeters” as it were.