Perceived Stress as a Pathway for the Relationship Between Neighborhood Factors and Glycemic Control in Adults With Diabetes

Purpose Neighborhood factors such as crime, discrimination, and violence are increasingly recognized as correlates of poor glycemic control. However, pathways for these relationships are unclear. This study examined stress and self-efficacy as potential pathways for the relationship between neighborhood factors and glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Two primary care clinics in southeastern US. Participants 615 adults aged 18 years and older. Measures Validated measures were used to capture neighborhood factors, stress, and self-efficacy, while hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was abstracted from the electronic health record. Analysis Path analysis was used to investigate direct and indirect relationships between neighborhood factors, stress, self-efficacy, and glycemic control. Results In the final model, violence (r = .17, P = .024), discrimination (r = .46, P < .001), and crime (r = .36, P = .046) were directly associated with higher perceived stress. Stress (r = −.5, P < .001) was directly associated with lower self-efficacy. Self-efficacy was directly associated with better general diet (r = .12, P < .001), better specific diet (r = .04, P < .001), more exercise (r = .08, P < .001), and lower HbA1c (r = −.11, P < .001). Stress (r = .05, P < .001), crime (r = .20, P < .001), and discrimination (r = .08, P < .001) were indirectly associated with higher HbA1c. Conclusion Stress and self-efficacy are potential pathways for the relationship between neighborhood factors like violence, discrimination, and crime and glycemic control. Interventions aimed at mitigating stress and improving self-efficacy may improve self-care behaviors and glycemic control.

A complete dietary review of Japanese birds with special focus on molluscs

Birds often hold important positions in the food webs of ecosystems. As a result, interactions between birds and their prey have attracted attention not only in ecology, but also in fields like agriculture and conservation. Avian food resources are well researched in Japan, however there is no database critically reviewing molluscs as a food resource for birds. Here, we present a new database reviewing dietary information for all Japanese bird species. In addition to addressing general diet categories and specific food habits for each bird, we include detailed data on the molluscan prey observed for all species that consume them. The information within this database was collected through intense literary review to provide a complete look at bird species historically present around the country. We also include new information on snail species found in the upper digestive tract of harvested wild birds. This database is publicly available in the Zenodo repository. The information should aid research around the Japanese archipelago, especially projects involving birds or molluscs.

Morphology, Food and Feeding Habit of Goby Fish, Parachaeturichthys ocellatus from the Creeks of Mumbai

Goby fish Parachaeturichthys ocellatus, native to the creeks of Mumbai coast forms a major part of creek fishery for the fishing community inhabiting areas near the creeks. The food and feeding habits of the fish were studied by collecting fish samples every month in from June 2010 to September 2011 from the creeks of Mumbai. The length of the fishes studied ranged between 66mm to 185mm.The body morphology of fish revealed it to be carnivorous benthic and predatory fish. The gut contents of the fish showed the presence of crustaceans as basic food, mollusc and pisces formed the secondary food while detritus formed obligatory food and planktons and other miscellaneous food (larvae of insects, worms, rotiferons, dinoflegellates foraminiferons etc.) were incidental food. An analysis of seasonal variation in food preference and feeding intensity reveal that the male and female P.ocellatus had the same preference throughout the seasons but was different for the juveniles. In P.ocellatus cannibalism was observed, but its occurrence was not regular in the general diet. The relative gut length was 0.68 in male, 0.70 in female and 0.79 in juvenile. The empty guts of P.ocellatus seem to indicate predatory mode of feeding. P.ocellatus occupy the position of secondary and tertiary consumers in the food chain determined by the size and type of the food consumed by the fish.

Validation of semiquantitative FFQ administered to adults: a systematic review

Objective: To conduct a systematic review of studies for the validation of semiquantitative FFQ (SFFQ) that assess food intake in adults. Design: The authors conducted a systematic search in PubMed for articles published as late as January 2020 in Spanish, English, French and Portuguese. Individual searches (twelve in total) paired three hyphenated and non-hyphenated variations of ‘semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire’ with both ‘validity’ and ‘validation’ using the ‘all fields’ and the ‘title/abstract’ retrieval categories. Independent extraction of articles was performed by four authors using predefined data fields. Setting: We searched for original SFFQ validation studies that analysed general diet composition (nutrients with or without food groups or energy analysis) in healthy adults, in any setting, and that also reported correlation coefficients. Participants: Healthy adults. Results: Sixty articles were included. The preferred comparison standard for validation was food records (n 37). The main correlation coefficients used were Pearson’s (n 41), and validity coefficients varied from −0·45 to 1. Most correlation coefficients were adjusted by energy (twelve studies presented only crude values). The elements mentioned most frequently were energy, macronutrients, cholesterol, SFA, PUFA, fibre, vitamin C, Ca and Fe. Conclusions: Although all these SFFQ are reported as validated, coefficients may vary across groups of foods and nutrients. Based on our findings, we suggest researchers to consult our revision before choosing a SFFQ and to review important issues about them, such as their validation, number of items, number of participants, etc. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO number CRD42017064716. Available at: http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42017064716.

Association Between Dissatisfaction With Care and Diabetes Self-Care Behaviors, Glycemic Management, and Quality of Life of Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Purpose The purpose of the study was to examine the associations between patient dissatisfaction and diabetes outcomes among patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods Primary data from 615 adults with type 2 diabetes from 2 adult primary care clinics completed validated questionnaires. Patient dissatisfaction was measured by asking participants to what degree over the past 12 months were they very dissatisfied with the care they received from their primary care provider. Diabetes outcomes included self-care behaviors, quality of life, and A1C. A1C was abstracted from the medical record. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess associations between patient dissatisfaction, self-care, blood glucose, and quality of life. Results After adjusting for covariates, this study demonstrated that higher patient dissatisfaction was significantly associated with poor general diet, worse blood glucose levels, and lower mental component score for quality of life. Conclusions In patients with type 2 diabetes, patient dissatisfaction had a significant association with higher blood glucose levels, poor general diet, and low quality of life. Demographic factors driving patient dissatisfaction included young age, low income, and low health literacy. Future studies should investigate how to address patient satisfaction in an effort to improve health outcomes.

Biological substantiation of improvement of biotechnological map of production of aquaculture products "eco-direction"

The influence of the forage factor on the rate of development of tilapia during cultivation in recirculating aquaculture systems has been investigated. Positive results were obtained regarding the feeding of natural feeds after pre-treatment of the basic medium for cultivation. A model installation of tilapia cultivation with advanced technology of feeding functionally active components is offered, which maximally brings aquaculture production to organic. The efficiency of tilapia cultivation in the polyculture of Orеochromis mosambicus and Florida Red was evaluated. The results of the morphometric evaluation of hydrobionts with a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of the use of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis, Artemia salina and amaranth flour in the general diet of tilapia are presented.

The effect of different dietary structure on gastrointestinal dysfunction in children with cerebral palsy and epilepsy based on intestinal flora

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) difficulties are very common among children with cerebral palsy (CP) and comorbid epilepsy. GI function is influenced by dietary structure on intestinal flora. The aim of this study was to compare intestinal flora changes in two dietary groups of this population and examine whether such differences are related to GI dysfunction. Methods: Forty children with CP and epilepsy were recruited from among patients being cared for at a social welfare center, including 23 consuming a (semi)fluid diet (liquid diet group) and 17 consuming a normal diet (general diet group). Bacterial DNA was extracted from feces, the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified from the DNA, and high-throughput sequencing of the amplified sequences was performed. Microbe prevalence levels were compared on multiple phylogenic levels. Results: Gut microbial populations differed substantially between the liquid diet and general diet groups. The only two phyla that differed significantly between the two groups were Bacteroidetes ( p = 0.034) and Actinobacteria ( p = 0.013). Regarding representation of genera, Prevotella species were selectively predominant in the general diet group (25.849% vs. 3.612% in the liquid diet group , p < 0.001), while Bifidobacterium species were selectively predominant in the liquid diet group (24.929% vs. 12.947% in the general diet group, p = 0.013). The gut flora of children in the general diet group contained more butyric acid-producing flora which was also common in healthy people (e.g. Lachnoclostridium, Dorea, Ruminococcus, Faecalibacterium, Roseburia, and Coprococcus ). The gut flora of children in liquid diet group however, were rich in symbiotic pathogenic bacteria (e.g. Collinsella , Alistipes , and Eggerthella ). Conclusion: The intestinal flora of children with CP and epilepsy consuming a liquid diet had elevated levels of symbiotic pathogens and diminished intestinal barrier protection bacteria, relative to a general diet group. These alterations in bacterial flora were associated with GI dysfunction symptoms. Key words Obstipation; Cerebral palsy; Epilepsy; Intestinal flora; Gastrointestinal dysfunction

The Validity and Reliability of The Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities Questionnaire: An Indonesian Version

Introduction: Diabetes self-care activities is a complex regimen, that required an appropriate tools to asses. The Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) questionnaire is the most widely used tool for assess diabetes self-care activities. The study aimed to testing validity and reliability of the Bahasa Indonesia version of the SDSCA. Methods: The study applied a forward-backward translation strategy. A pretest and a validation study were conducted. The Bahasa Indonesia version of the SDSCA was reviewed by an expert panel for conceptual and content equivalence to the English version. Furthermore, forty-five and 125 patients with T2DM participated in the pretest and the validation study, respectively. The psychometric properties were evaluated in terms of internal consistency, content validity, concurrent validity, and construct validity. Results: The content validity index (CVI) and the internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) were satisfactory, which are 0.98, and 0.72, respectively. The exploratory factor analysis revealed that SDSCA-I are consistent with the original English version. There are significant correlations between three subscales of SDSCA-I and the diabetes knowledge levels namely general diet (r = 0.274, p = 0.002), physical activity (r = 0.269, p = 0.002), and foot care (r = 0.297, p = 0.001). SDSCA-I was significantly correlated with HbA1c values, in term of general diet (r = -0.205, p = 0.022) and self-monitoring of blood glucose (r = -0.265, p = 0.003). Conclusions: The translation and psychometric test of the SDSCA-I were satisfactory. The tool could assess the self-care activities of Indonesians with T2DM in all settings.