Observation of Traditional Caregiver-Infant Feeding Behaviours and Porridge and Energy Intakes during One Meal to Define Key Messages for Promoting Responsive Feeding in the Amparafaravola District, Rural Madagascar

Undernutrition is highly prevalent in young children in Madagascar and insufficient intake per meal could be one of the main causes. A cross-sectional survey of infant feeding practices including video-recorded meal observations was carried out with 101 caregiver–infant pairs in the Amparafaravola district, Northeast Madagascar. The objective was to quantify the porridge/energy intake of 9–11-month-old children and assess its association with the caregiver–infant feeding behaviours. Then, key messages for promoting responsive feeding (RF) were developed and tested through focus group discussions. The mean porridge intake was 12.8 ± 7.5 g/kg body weight (BW)/meal, corresponding to hardly one-third of the 300 kcal recommended from complementary foods for 9–11-month-old children. Analysis of meal videos suggested that mothers practiced the five positive feeding behaviours (self-feeding, responsive, active, social, and distraction), and rarely the negative ones. Only 6.9% of mothers used positive RF “very frequently”, although it was associated with higher intakes (p < 0.05), with mean intake reaching 21 g/kg BW. In focus groups, caregivers approved the six RF messages and related counselling cards. They suggested some modifications to improve their understanding, and counselling cards were revised accordingly. The long-term impact of RF-promoting card use on the meal intakes and the nutritional status of young children must now be assessed.

Neuropeptide signalling shapes feeding and reproductive behaviours in male C. elegans

Sexual dimorphism occurs where different sexes of the same species display differences in characteristics not limited to reproduction. For the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, in which the complete neuroanatomy has been solved for both hermaphrodites and males, sexually dimorphic features have been observed both in terms of the number of neurons and in synaptic connectivity. In addition, male behaviours, such as food-leaving to prioritise searching for mates, have been attributed to neuropeptides released from sex-shared or sex-specific neurons. In this study, we show that the lury-1 neuropeptide gene shows a sexually dimorphic expression pattern; being expressed in pharyngeal neurons in both sexes but displaying additional expression in tail neurons only in the male. We also show that lury-1 mutant animals show sex differences in feeding behaviours, with pharyngeal pumping elevated in hermaphrodites but reduced in males. LURY-1 also modulates male mating efficiency, influencing motor events during contact with a hermaphrodite. Our findings indicate sex-specific roles of this peptide in feeding and reproduction in C. elegans, providing further insight into neuromodulatory control of sexually dimorphic behaviours.

Feeding Behaviour and Lifestyle of Children and Adolescents One Year after Lockdown by the COVID-19 Pandemic in Chile

Lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced feeding behaviour and lifestyle in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to analyse feeding behaviour and lifestyle in children and adolescents one year after lockdown by the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile. In this cross-sectional study an online survey was implemented in 1083 parents and caregivers regarding their children’s feeding behaviour and lifestyle and sociodemographic background. The results showed that “eat breakfast daily” (89.2%), “not overnight food intake” (69.9%) and “not fast-food intake” (66.0%) were the most frequent reported feeding behaviours, particularly in pre-school children. Respondents declaring healthy feeding behaviours and lifestyle were 23.4 and 23.7%, respectively, with no significant differences by sex. In pre-school children, families with three or fewer members and parents or caregivers with an undergraduate or postgraduate degree reported a significantly better feeding behaviour and lifestyle compared to families with more than three members and parents or caregivers without an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. In conclusion, the pandemic lockdown had a negative impact in lifestyle in children and particularly in adolescents. Healthier feeding behaviour was associated with fewer family members and parents or caregivers with at least an undergraduate degree.

A comparison of the retinal structure in the zebra-snout seahorse (Hippocampus barbouri Jordan & Richardson, 1908) between juveniles and adults in captivity

The activity of the sensory organ in the eye structure of the teleost fish is essential as it plays an important role in regulating fish-feeding behaviours. Unfortunately, the above information of zebra-snout seahorse Hippocampus barbouri, an aquaculture species in Thailand, has not been described. In this study, the eye structure, together with the retinal structure of juvenile [5th and 20th day after birth (DAB)] and adult (35th DAB), H. barbouri reared in captivity was investigated. All DABs were carried out and histologically observed. Light microscopic level explored the external-lateral surface of eye structure of H. barbouri, which consisted of the external, middle, and inner layers, as similarly reported in other teleost species. A well-differentiated retinal and photoreceptor cell layer were observed at 35th DAB compared to that at other DABs. This feature might be adequate to support the base of the increased feeding activity of adult seahorse in captivity for further research.

Drosophila Central Taste Circuits in Health and Obesity

When there is a perturbation in the balance between hunger and satiety, food intake gets mis-regulated leading to excessive or insufficient eating. In humans, abnormal nutrient consumption causes metabolic conditions like obesity, diabetes, and eating disorders affecting overall health. Despite this burden on society, we currently lack enough knowledge about the neuronal circuits that regulate appetite and taste perception. How specific taste neuronal circuits influence feeding behaviours is still an under explored area in neurobiology. The taste information present at the periphery must be processed by the central circuits for the final behavioural output. Identification and understanding of central neural circuitry regulating taste behaviour and its modulation by physiological changes with regard to internal state is required to understand the neural basis of taste preference. Simple invertebrate model organisms like Drosophila melanogaster can sense the same taste stimuli as mammals. Availability of powerful molecular and genetic tool kit and well characterized peripheral gustatory system with a vast array of behavioural, calcium imaging, molecular and electrophysiological approaches make Drosophila an attractive system to investigate and understand taste wiring and processing in the brain. By exploiting the gustatory system of the flies, this chapter will shed light on the current understanding of central neural taste structures that influence feeding choices. The compiled information would help us better understand how central taste neurons convey taste information to higher brain centers and guide feeding behaviours like acceptance or rejection of food to better combat disease state caused by abnormal consumption of food.

Nutritional Implications of Baby-Led Weaning and Baby Food Pouches as Novel Methods of Infant Feeding: Protocol for an Observational Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The complementary feeding period is a time of unparalleled dietary change for every human, during which the diet changes from one that is 100% milk to a diet that resembles that of the wider family, in less than a year. Despite this major dietary shift, we know relatively little about food and nutrient intake in infants worldwide, and virtually nothing about the impact of baby food ‘pouches’ and ‘Baby-Led Weaning’ (BLW); infant feeding approaches that are becoming increasingly popular. Pouches are squeezable containers with a plastic spout that have great appeal for parents, as evidenced by their extraordinary market share worldwide. Baby-Led Weaning is an alternative approach to introducing solids that promotes the infant self-feeding whole foods rather than being fed purées, and is popular and widely advocated on social media. The nutritional and health impacts of these novel methods of infant feeding have not yet been determined. OBJECTIVE The aim of the First Foods New Zealand study is to determine the iron status, growth, food and nutrient intakes, breast milk intake, eating and feeding behaviours, dental health, oral motor skills, and choking risk, of New Zealand infants in general, and of those using pouches or BLW compared to those who are not. METHODS Dietary intake (two 24-hour recalls supplemented with food photographs), iron status (haemoglobin, plasma ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor), weight status (body mass index), food pouch use and extent of BLW (questionnaire), breast milk intake (deuterium oxide ‘dose-to-mother’ technique), eating and feeding behaviours (questionnaires and video recording of an evening meal), dental health (photographs of upper and lower teeth for counting of caries and developmental defects of enamel), oral motor skills (questionnaires), and choking risk (questionnaire) will be assessed in 625 infants aged 7.0-9.9 months. Propensity score matching will be used to address bias caused by differences in demographics between groups so that the results more closely represent a potential causal effect. RESULTS This observational study has full ethical approval from the Health and Disability Ethics Committees New Zealand (19/STH/151) and was funded in May 2019 by the Health Research Council (HRC) of New Zealand (grant 19/172). Data collection commenced in July 2020 and first results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2022. CONCLUSIONS This large study will provide much needed data on the implications for nutritional intake and health of the use of baby food pouches, and BLW, in infancy. CLINICALTRIAL Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (www.anzctr.org.au, registration number: ACTRN12620000459921).

Scraping and grazing herbivorous/detritivorous fish display opposite feeding behaviours under different protection regulations

Background:Functional groups, especially herbivorous fishes, are important for mediating benthic community structure on coral reefs. Herbivorous and detritivorous fish display complex feeding behaviour, and research into schooling feeding behaviour and feeding rates, and how these change with environmental and social behavioural variables is lacking. Such knowledge is imperative to infer how herbivory/detritivory will change, in light of changing resources and communities, specifically whether reefs can recover from disturbance. Differences in abundance, feeding rate, body length, diet preferences, and schooling size of three major functional groups, scrapers, grazers and browsers were examined across reef habitats under different fishing regulations, such as no-take restricted zones and open-fishing general use zones. Although marine protected areas have been implemented to conserve reef fish species; further precise management based on ecological behaviour of functional groups is necessary.Results:Scrapers and grazers which were mostly parrotfishes and surgeonfishes were more abundant on reef flats and also displayed the highest feeding rates on reef flats. Although scrapers mainly resided inside the restricted zone, more grazers were found in the general use zone where macroalgae abundance was highest, indicating a higher availability of nutritional resources. Browsers, mostly rabbitfishes, were seldom observed and patchily gathered on the reef flat and slope in both zones. Thus, fishing protection did not appear to benefit grazers and browsers, whereas scrapers gathered on shallow reef flats in the protection zone. Lastly, scraper and grazer feeding rates increased from an individual to paired feeding, and increased with body size, these factors led to variations in feeding behaviours on different habitats under different protection regulations.Conclusions:Fishing protection benefits scrapers which subsequently appears to be resulting in a reduction in algal coverage, and variation in feeding rates was largely related to school sizes. The density of these functionally important grazers was influenced more by changes to benthic composition than protection status. The opposite feeding behaviours of two herbivorous/detritivorous functional groups indicates not only protection status, but fishing gear and size limit regulations are needed to help maintain fisheries and diversity on coral reefs in Taiwan.

Widespread zoophagy and detection of Plasmodium spp. in Anopheles mosquitoes in southeastern Madagascar

Background Malaria is a top cause of mortality on the island nation of Madagascar, where many rural communities rely on subsistence agriculture and livestock production. Understanding feeding behaviours of Anopheles in this landscape is crucial for optimizing malaria control and prevention strategies. Previous studies in southeastern Madagascar have shown that Anopheles mosquitoes are more frequently captured within 50 m of livestock. However, it remains unknown whether these mosquitoes preferentially feed on livestock. Here, mosquito blood meal sources and Plasmodium sporozoite rates were determined to evaluate patterns of feeding behaviour in Anopheles spp. and malaria transmission in southeastern Madagascar. Methods Across a habitat gradient in southeastern Madagascar 7762 female Anopheles spp. mosquitoes were collected. Of the captured mosquitoes, 492 were visibly blood fed and morphologically identifiable, and a direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to test for swine, cattle, chicken, human, and dog blood among these specimens. Host species identification was confirmed for multiple blood meals using PCR along with Sanger sequencing. Additionally, 1,607 Anopheles spp. were screened for the presence of Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax-210, and P. vivax 247 circumsporozoites (cs) by ELISA. Results Cattle and swine accounted, respectively, for 51% and 41% of all blood meals, with the remaining 8% split between domesticated animals and humans. Of the 1,607 Anopheles spp. screened for Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax 210, and Plasmodium vivax 247 cs-protein, 45 tested positive, the most prevalent being P. vivax 247, followed by P. vivax 210 and P. falciparum. Both variants of P. vivax were observed in secondary vectors, including Anopheles squamosus/cydippis, Anopheles coustani, and unknown Anopheles spp. Furthermore, evidence of coinfection of P. falciparum and P. vivax 210 in Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) was found. Conclusions Here, feeding behaviour of Anopheles spp. mosquitoes in southeastern Madagascar was evaluated, in a livestock rich landscape. These findings suggest largely zoophagic feeding behaviors of Anopheles spp., including An. gambiae s.l. and presence of both P. vivax and P. falciparum sporozoites in Anopheles spp. A discordance between P. vivax reports in mosquitoes and humans exists, suggesting high prevalence of P. vivax circulating in vectors in the ecosystem despite low reports of clinical vivax malaria in humans in Madagascar. Vector surveillance of P. vivax may be relevant to malaria control and elimination efforts in Madagascar. At present, the high proportion of livestock blood meals in Madagascar may play a role in buffering (zooprophylaxis) or amplifying (zoopotentiation) the impacts of malaria. With malaria vector control efforts focused on indoor feeding behaviours, complementary approaches, such as endectocide-aided vector control in livestock may be an effective strategy for malaria reduction in Madagascar.