Search Results (1,219)

Children’s food choices are shaped early in life through cognitive, social, and environmental influences, yet relatively little is known about how school-based nutrition education supports these processes in routine settings. This study examined mechanisms potentially relevant to children’s food choices using a multi-source process evaluation of the municipal “I Know What I Eat” program implemented in Warsaw primary schools. A prospective observational implementation study was conducted in 81 public schools, covering 198 workshop cycles for students aged 8–9 years. Data were obtained from teacher-observers (n = 198), trained program implementers (n = 6), and implementation records. The evaluation focused on implementation quality, fidelity, acceptability, and mechanisms relevant to food-related decision-making. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Kruskal–Wallis tests, and Spearman correlations; qualitative comments were examined using content analysis. The program was implemented with high quality and consistency, with mean ratings ranging from 4.88 to 4.96 on a five-point scale and no significant differences by implementer or class size. Qualitative findings indicated that experiential learning, practical food preparation, peer interaction, and active participation supported children’s engagement. These findings suggest that school-based nutrition education can create conditions relevant to food-related decision-making, although direct behavioral measures are needed. Full article

This review analyzes the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) production and its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A scoping review following PRISMA-ScR guidelines was conducted using the Web of Science (2020–2026), resulting in 225 included studies. Buffalo production is a multipurpose system that generates value through milk, meat, hides, manure, draft power, and animal-assisted services, with greater longevity than most livestock species. Economically, it supports income diversification, resource efficiency, and functions as a financial asset that can be sold to cover unexpected expenses. Socially, it enhances food security by providing nutrient-dense products, particularly milk with bioactive compounds associated with potential health benefits, and promotes women’s participation in livestock management and household economies. Environmentally, buffalo systems efficiently utilize low-quality forages, are adapted to marginal conditions, contribute to wetland conservation, and provide ecosystem services. These contributions align with several SDGs (1, 2, 5, 8, 12, 13, and 15). However, sector expansion is constrained by limitations in nutrition, management, veterinary services, and reproductive efficiency, as well as environmental challenges related to methane emissions and life cycle impacts. While global methane emissions from buffalo are lower due to their smaller population, emission intensity remains system-dependent and represents a critical challenge. In conclusion, water buffalo production represents a multifunctional and context-dependent system with significant potential to support sustainable development, although targeted innovations are required to improve productivity and address environmental challenges. Future research should integrate One Health and One Welfare approaches, develop long-term studies, and expand research under diverse experimental and field conditions to better characterize the potential health implications of buffalo-derived products. In addition, strengthening circular economy strategies, including region-specific diets to reduce emissions, remains a priority. Full article

This study comprehensively explores the environmental implications of two feeding strategies in pig farming, focusing on three scenarios: Brazilian tables (BT-2017), NRC (NRC-2012), and AGPIC (AGPIC-2021). The comparison involves conventional phase-feeding (CON) and the daily fit model (DFM). The five-phase system provided the same diet to all pigs within a group during each proposed phase. In contrast, the DFM adjusted the diet based on the nutritional requirements of pigs, anticipating subsequent diets through daily adjustments. We employed a cradle-to-gate approach, with the functional unit defined as one barrow with an initial body weight of 20.61 ± 0.85 kg, raised to 138.94 ± 0.90 kg over a 120-day growing-finishing period. Input data were sourced from observed commercial records from pig farms in Brazil, including over 1,000,000 data points from pigs raised under standard industry conditions. We evaluated the impact of the life cycle by considering factors such as acidification, climate change, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, land use, resource use, and water use. The OpenLCA software (version 1.11.0) and the Environmental Footprint 3.0 impact assessment method were used. Our results indicate that the DFM consistently outperforms the CON strategy in terms of reducing environmental impacts. Among the three scenarios, BT-2017 results in higher environmental impact reductions compared with NRC-2012 and AGPIC-2021. This is due to the higher concentration of corn and soybean meal in diets. Notable reductions include in relation to land use-related climate change impacts (12.55%), freshwater eutrophication (6.21%), mineral and metal resource depletion (6.11%), and fossil resource use (4.88%). These findings highlight that even modest adjustments to feeding strategies can effectively reduce the environmental footprint of pig farming. Full article

Heavy metals, such as lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd), pose significant public health risks even at low levels of exposure. This study examined temporal trends in blood heavy metal concentrations among Korean adults over a 12-year period using nationally representative data. We analyzed data from 17,192 adults aged ≥ 20 years who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) Cycles 3–7 (2005, 2008–2009, 2010–2012, 2013, and 2016–2017). Blood Pb, Hg, and Cd concentrations, along with relevant covariates, were measured using standardized methods. Temporal trends and sociodemographic disparities were assessed according to sex, age, body mass index, education, income, occupation, residential area, smoking status, and alcohol consumption. All three metals exhibited statistically significant declining trends over the 12-year study period (all p for trend < 0.001). Males consistently had higher Pb and Hg concentrations than females; however, the decline in Cd was steeper in men compared to women, resulting in a reversal of the sex difference, with females having higher Cd levels than males by Cycle 7. Older adults, current smokers, blue-collar workers, and individuals with lower educational attainment had persistently elevated Pb concentrations. For Hg, individuals aged 40–59 years and alcohol consumers had the highest concentrations, whereas education, income, and residential area were not significantly associated with Hg levels. For Cd, older age, smoking, and lower educational attainment were associated with higher concentrations, with the sex difference reversing over time. These findings demonstrate the need for targeted public health strategies, including occupational Pb control, dietary guidance to reduce Hg exposure, and smoking cessation programs. Full article

The search for a healthy diet has increased the consumption of kale, a vegetable recognized for its high nutritional value, mineral content, and antioxidant properties. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient in this context, acting in energy transfer and root development, which favors productivity and product quality. This study evaluated the effect of two phosphorus sources, bone meal (BM) and thermophosphate Yoorin^® (TY), and five phosphorus (P₂O₅) doses (0, 160, 320, 480, and 640 kg ha⁻¹) on kale yield and quality. The experiment used a randomized complete block design with four replications and ten treatments in a 2 × 5 factorial arrangement in a protected environment over a cycle of 155 days after transplanting. Marketable yield with BM reached an estimated maximum of 1.54 kg plant⁻¹ at 525 kg ha⁻¹ P₂O₅ (54% over control), while TY showed a linear increase up to 1.57 kg plant⁻¹ (59%). Photosynthetic pigments, antioxidant activity, ascorbic acid, and total phenolic compounds fitted quadratic models, with gains of up to 36%, 73%, 51%, and 57%, respectively. Contents of P, K, Ca, and Fe increased significantly with P doses, with Fe gains reaching 110–180%. Phosphate fertilization with BM, a renewable P source, increases kale yield and nutritional quality, highlighting its potential for organic farming systems. Full article

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common age-related neurodegenerative disorder with extremely low drug development success rates, making nutritional intervention a promising strategy. Cerebral energy metabolism dysfunction is a core pathological feature of AD. Odd-chain fatty acids (OCFAs) can generate propionyl-CoA via β-oxidation to replenish the impaired tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. This study characterized the lipid composition of OCFAs-enriched algal oil by UPC²-Q-TOF-MS, evaluated its neuroprotective effects on Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) models with AD, Parkinson’s disease (PD), and Huntington’s disease (HD), and explored the metabolic mechanism of its key component pentadecanoic acid (C15:0) using untargeted metabolomics. Results showed that triglycerides (TAGs) represented the predominant lipid class, accounting for 97.3% of the total lipid content in the algal oil. Among all the identified TAG molecular species, TAGs containing C15:0/C17:0 accounted for more than 90%. OCFAs-enriched algal oil exhibited disease-selective neuroprotection. It significantly improved locomotor function in AD nematodes, moderately ameliorated PD-related deficits, whereas showed no efficacy in HD nematodes. Metabolomics revealed that C15:0 produced propionyl-CoA to rescue TCA cycle dysfunction and energy deficits, upregulated membrane phospholipids to repair membrane integrity, and reduced abnormal metabolites to restore metabolic homeostasis. KEGG analysis confirmed that C15:0 globally regulated core metabolic pathways including amino acid, cofactor, nucleotide, and carbon metabolism. OCFAs-enriched algal oil exerted selective anti-AD effects by repairing energy metabolism, remodeling membrane phospholipids, and restoring metabolic homeostasis, providing a novel nutritional candidate for AD intervention. Full article

Polyphenols act in humans through authentic metabolites, including regio-isomeric glucuronides/sulphates, O-methylated forms, and microbiota products (urolithins, γ-valerolactones, equol), that reach targets by spatiotemporally gated exposure. Vectorial transport (MRP2/BCRP/P-gp), enterohepatic cycling, and β-glucuronidase hubs create early, surface-proximal microbursts of aglycone/catechol, whereas microbiota metabolites arrive systemically 6–24 h later. Signalling emerges from a continuum of weak noncovalent modulation, conditionally gated electrophile/redox relays (catechol → o-quinone, reversible Michael adduction plus signalling-range H₂O₂), and PTM cascades (phosphorylation → acylation → proteostasis) that reprogram NRF2/Keap1, NF-κB/IKK, AMPK/MAPK/PI3K-Akt, SIRT1/HDACs, PPARγ, AhR, and TFEB according to where and when metabolites appear. We provide methods and standards to dose isomer-resolved metabolites at physiological free concentrations (nM-low µM) in transport-competent systems, with PK-informed sampling across seconds–minutes, 15/60/240 min, and 6–24 h, and we outline a research agenda (reference panels, spatial exposure atlases, metabotype-stratified trials, safety windows). Framed this way, polyphenols shift from vague “antioxidants” to programmable dietary signals that enable precision nutrition targeting transcription-factor and proteostasis programmes in vivo. Full article

Duolang sheep, an indigenous breed of southern Xinjiang, are significant for their agricultural systems due to their adaptation to arid and semi-arid environments. This review integrates recent advancements in Duolang’s reproductive biology, genomic studies, and management strategies to address the breed’s reproductive efficiency under challenging ecological conditions. Reproductive traits such as puberty onset, estrous cycle characteristics, and seasonal breeding are influenced by complex genetic and several environmental factors. Numerous remarkable genomic findings highlight key loci related to fecundity, including the Booroola FecB mutation, as well as genes involved in steroidogenesis, folliculogenesis, and HPG axis regulation. Despite the genetic potential for increased prolificacy, Duolang sheep often exhibit low litter sizes, largely constrained by detrimental environmental factors and management practices. This review emphasizes the significance of integrating genetics, nutrition, and reproductive management to optimize productivity. Strategies such as nutritional flushing, hormone-based estrous synchronization, and selective breeding for increased litter size are discussed, with a focus on minimizing the risks associated with early puberty and lamb survival. Furthermore, the review explores the potential of genomic selection, marker-assisted breeding, and advanced reproductive technologies to enhance the breed’s performance. Finally, the review outlines future research directions, necessitating the development of genomic resources, precise breeding programs, and field trials on reproductive interventions to accelerate genetic gains in Duolang sheep. This integrated approach promises to improve reproductive outcomes, with implications for sustainable sheep production in Xinjiang and similar environments across the globe. Full article

Freshwater snails, specifically those belonging to the genus Bellamya, are increasingly recognized as important components of sustainable aquaculture and aquatic ecosystem management. This review synthesizes current knowledge on their ecological roles, aquaculture practices, utilization, and associated risks to evaluate their potential as a multifunctional resource. Available evidence shows that Bellamya species function as bioindicators of environmental change and contribute to water purification through grazing, nutrient cycling, and interactions with aquatic plants. In aquaculture, diverse production systems, including rice–snail co-culture and pond-based farming, have been developed, demonstrating high resource-use efficiency and economic value. In addition to their nutritional importance as a protein source, freshwater snails provide opportunities for value-added products in food, biomaterials, and health-related applications. However, challenges remain, including parasite transmission, the bioaccumulation of environmental pollutants, genetic resource degradation, and ecological carrying capacity constraints under intensive farming. Future development depends on advances in breeding, nutrition, and intelligent farming technologies, as well as improved environmental monitoring and regulatory frameworks. Overall, freshwater snail aquaculture represents a promising pathway for integrating food production with ecosystem restoration, but its sustainable expansion requires coordinated efforts in research, management, and industry development. Full article

This study investigated the reformulation of traditional Anatolian flatbread (bazlama), a staple food of the Mediterranean diet, into a functional product with enhanced nutritional quality. High-amylose refined (white) flour obtained from high-amylose Svevo (Svevo-HA) wheat and resistant starch produced via repeated autoclaving–cooling cycles were incorporated to increase resistant starch content and antioxidant capacity, reduce the predicted glycemic response, and evaluate the resulting changes in textural attributes. Six bazlama formulations were produced using white flours of normal Svevo, Svevo-HA, and recombined Svevo-HA flour containing resistant starch and gluten, with and without vital gluten supplementation. Color, texture profile, phenolic content, antioxidant capacity (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP), resistant starch content, and in vitro glycemic index (GI) were evaluated. Bazlama samples enriched with resistant starch exhibited significantly higher total antioxidant activity (113.7–174.7 mg Trolox equivalent/100 g dw) and resistant starch (9.1–10.3%) levels, along with reduced GI values (53.8–54 < 55), classifying them as low-GI foods. The results demonstrate that incorporating high-amylose wheat–derived resistant starch can successfully convert bazlama into a functional flatbread with improved health-promoting properties. Full article

Lentinula edodes (L. edodes) is a significant edible and medicinal mushroom with essential nutrient elements for its growth, including Fe²⁺, K⁺, and Mn²⁺. However, the molecular mechanisms by which these metal ions regulate the mycelial growth of L. edodes have been poorly elucidated at the transcriptomic level. In this study, plate culture was performed using concentration gradients to screen for optimal concentrations. Based on the plate culture assay results, L. edodes strain 1303 was treated with 40 μg/mL Fe²⁺, 1200 μg/mL K⁺, and 50 μg/mL Mn²⁺, with a control group (CK) without additional metal ion supplementation. Three biological replicates were set for each treatment, and the mycelia were collected for transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). The results showed that Fe²⁺ at concentrations above 20 µg/mL significantly inhibited mycelial growth; K⁺ at 1200 µg/mL and Mn²⁺ at 50 µg/mL significantly promoted mycelial growth, with increases in mycelial growth radius on day 7 of 21.22% and 10.77%, respectively, compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Transcriptomic analysis revealed that Fe²⁺ was associated with impaired protein folding-related functions and suppressed material and energy metabolism, which may contribute to the inhibition of mycelial growth. Mycelial growth promotion by K⁺ was associated with enhanced detoxification and secondary metabolism, as well as suggested enrichment of mitochondrial function and the oxidative phosphorylation pathway. Mn²⁺ may contribute to mycelial growth via mechanisms related to DNA repair and recombination, cell cycle progression, and detoxification. This study elucidates the differential gene expression patterns and regulatory effects of the three exogenous metal ions on the mycelial growth of L. edodes at the transcriptomic level, offering a rationale basis for mineral nutrition optimization during the mycelial stage. However, these interpretations are based on transcriptomic data only and lack direct evidence from ion uptake, proteomic, or metabolomic validation. Future studies will focus on validating these results through multilevel omics and functional experiments. Full article

Objectives: This study compared the efficacy and safety of a single oral dose of a fixed-dose combination of netupitant and palonosetron (NEPA) with an intravenous regimen of fosaprepitant (FosAPR, 150 mg) plus palonosetron (PALO, 0.25 mg) in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC). Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study included patients with stage III–IVa NPC who received cisplatin-based induction chemotherapy (IC) followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) from January 2020 to October 2025. Propensity score matching (PSM) generated 214 patients per group. All patients also received olanzapine and dexamethasone. Complete response (CR, defined as no emesis and no rescue medication), nausea control, adverse events, and nutritional status changes were assessed across the acute, delayed, overall, and extended (0–168 h) phases. Results: After PSM, 214 patients were included in each group. During the first IC cycle, the oral NEPA group achieved a higher CR rate in the extended overall phase (0–168 h) than the FosAPR + PALO group (80.0% vs. 70.1%, p = 0.019). A similar difference was seen in the first CCRT cycle (74.8% vs. 64.5%, p = 0.021). The advantage persisted across subsequent cycles, with no between-group difference in the acute phase. Nausea control also favored oral NEPA: rates of no significant nausea (visual analog scale < 25 mm) during the extended overall phase were 77.1% versus 65.9% in the first IC cycle (p= 0.010) and 72.9% versus 60.3% in the first CCRT cycle (p = 0.006). Fewer patients in the NEPA group required rescue antiemetics (14.5% vs. 22.0% in the first IC cycle, p = 0.045), and the median time to first rescue was longer (58.3 vs. 51.3 h, p < 0.001). Adverse event profiles were similar between groups, with constipation being the most common. Nutritional outcomes, including weight loss ≥ 5% and severe malnutrition, did not differ significantly. Conclusions: For patients with LA-NPC receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC), oral NEPA appears to offer superior and sustained chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) prophylaxi with a simplified administration schedule compared with the intravenous FosAPR plus PALO regimen. These findings warrant confirmation in prospective studies. Full article

The analysis of soil carbon helps various sectors, including agriculture, in the context of monitoring soil health. In precision agriculture, decisions are made on the basis of site-specific information and thus have the potential to increase crop productivity more than is possible with traditional high-input agriculture. Site-specific information-based nutrition management, pest and disease management, and water management are the main areas of interest in the era of precision agriculture. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is one of the main components of the carbon cycle and impacts soil physical and chemical properties. Soil color is considered an indicator of soil carbon. In relation to soil physical properties, soil color has been used to determine SOC level and classification throughout history in a qualitative manner, and recently, researchers have shown interest in relating soil color data to quantify soil chemical properties. From spectroscopy-based color analysis to image-based color analysis, research has shown strong relationships between SOC and color properties. Therefore, with the improvement of technology to create smaller and portable sensors, the potential exists to automate the processes of soil chemical analysis to use them in precision agriculture. Two of the major limitations of these methodologies in research are the number of known soil samples required to calibrate a model (the majority of the models require more than 100 samples) and the use of expensive spectrometers with complex processes. Thus, the potential of individual farmers to deploy these methods is limited. This research was conducted to develop a methodology with complete guidelines and a set of tools to allow farmers to analyze SOC themselves. Furthermore, by encouraging farmers to analyze their farmland soils for SOC and update the data, the research enables them to potentially use this information to manage their agronomic practices, including the addition of organic fertilizer to reduce soil carbon pool inefficiencies and decisions regarding the mode of tillage and water management. During this research, three sensors and different combinations of sensors were used to capture soil surface color, temperature, and reflectance and were considered for model development. The highest-model-fit equation was obtained from the thermal image and red, green, and blue (RGB) image combinations (R² = 0.65 and MSE = 0.0335). The variables used for X from the color models were hue values and redness (a), and those from the thermal image minimum and maximum temperature data were used. Finally, using a regression equation along with the image data and SOC data from the chemical analysis, a farmer-feedback-based SOC prediction model was developed. Full article

In the scenario of ongoing climate changes, the selection of plant genotypes with high salt tolerance is emerging as the most sustainable strategy to safeguard crop yield and quality and make productive use of salinized soils. Glassworts are annual and perennial halophytes found in inner and coastal wastelands, indistinctly consumed as high-nutritional green vegetables. Traditional taxonomic classification based on morphological traits can be very challenging in glasswort, due to phenotypic plasticity, reduced plant morphology, and inbreeding. In this work, we used DNA-based molecular tools to overcome such constraints and assess inter-generic and inter-specific genetic diversity in a collection of ecotypes from different Apulian areas. A fast and reliable Allele-Specific PCR assay was optimized to enable molecular detection of annual and perennial genera. Species-level classification was obtained through a similarity- and phylogeny-based approach relying on matK and rbcL DNA barcoding. Combined DNA tools identified perennial samples as Sarcocornia fruticosa and Arthrocaulon macrostachyum, along with annual Salicornia europaea, and phylogenetic trees unveiled genetic distances between glassworts, which clustered according to life cycle. The relationship between genotypes and nutritional profiles was finally investigated, suggesting that environmental factors may play a predominant role over taxonomic relatedness in shaping interspecific differences in nutrient composition of the analyzed samples. Full article

Background/Objectives: Lower circulating testosterone concentrations in postmenopausal women have been associated with adverse sexual, skeletal, and metabolic outcomes, yet population-level prevalence estimates remain inconsistent. In the absence of universally accepted diagnostic thresholds for androgen deficiency in women, interpretation of serum testosterone concentrations remains variable. This study aimed to describe the distribution of serum total testosterone and to evaluate demographic and hormonal correlates among physiologic postmenopausal women in the United States. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed women meeting criteria for physiologic menopause from the 2011–2016 and 2021–2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles. Participants using androgenic medications were excluded. Because no universally accepted diagnostic threshold exists for testosterone deficiency in women, serum total testosterone <30 ng/dL was used as an operational, population-based reference point, with <20 ng/dL evaluated as a sensitivity threshold. Survey-weighted analyses characterized the cohort and examined associations between testosterone concentrations below the <30 ng/dL operational threshold and demographic and hormonal variables using logistic regression. Results: Among 2707 postmenopausal women, the weighted mean total testosterone was 25.2 ± 1.1 ng/dL. Using operational, distribution-based thresholds, 56.0% of women had testosterone concentrations <20 ng/dL and 79.9% had concentrations <30 ng/dL (Rao–Scott χ², p < 0.001). In the weighted distribution, both thresholds lay above the weighted median, with 30 ng/dL exceeding the 75th percentile. The proportion of women with testosterone concentrations below the <30 ng/dL threshold differed significantly by race/ethnicity (p < 0.01) and age group (p < 0.01), highest among Non-Hispanic Asian (87.7%) and Mexican American (89.4%) women and lowest among Non-Hispanic Black women (75.5%). In multivariable models, higher sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) (adjusted OR = 0.720; 95% CI: 0.633–0.820; p < 0.001) and higher estradiol (adjusted OR = 0.577; 95% CI: 0.389–0.856; p < 0.05) were independently associated with lower odds of testosterone concentrations below the <30 ng/dL threshold. Conclusions: Testosterone concentrations below operational thresholds are highly prevalent among U.S. postmenopausal women, although estimates vary depending on the cutoff applied. Higher SHBG and estradiol levels were inversely associated with testosterone concentrations below these thresholds, underscoring the physiologic interrelationship of these hormones in postmenopausal women. These findings highlight the need for standardized, population-specific reference thresholds and clearer clinical frameworks for interpreting androgen levels in women. Full article