Stress, locus of control, hope and depression as determinants of quality of life of pregnant women: Croatian Islands' Birth Cohort Study (CRIBS).

The aims were to investigate determinants of the quality of life (QoL) of pregnant women. Total of 302 healthy women 18 to 28 weeks of gestation participated in prospective study. WHOQOL-bref, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scales, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and the perceived stress appraisals were administered. Various patterns of predictors for four domains of QoL were identified, for psychological (42% variance explained), social relationship (29%), environmental (29%) and physical health (25%). Depression and hope, together with the extent to which one's health is influenced by powerful other or chance should be targeted in health promotion strategies during pregnancy.

Pharmacokinetic Analysis of Ethanol in a Human Study: New Modification of Mathematic Model.

In the pharmacokinetic analysis of ethanol after oral administration, only single- or two-compartment models are used, but their precision in estimating pharmacokinetic parameters might be insufficient. In a recent study, pharmacokinetic analysis using a modified Norberg three-compartment model was performed after oral administration of differently sweetened alcoholic solutions and compared to pharmacokinetic analysis using the classic Widmark model. On three occasions, eight male volunteers consumed differently sweetened alcoholic solutions: non-sweetened, sweetened with sucrose, and sweetened with steviol glycoside. Blood ethanol concentration was determined from samples obtained at t = 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180 min after consumption. Pharmacokinetic analysis was performed model independently, using the classic Widmarks model and using the modified Norberg model. Results showed that estimated pharmacokinetic parameters depend on the type of model used. The classic Widmark model in particular overestimated the fraction of absorbed ethanol from the gastrointestinal system to systemic circulation. Furthermore, the type of sweetener also affected pharmacokinetic parameters, although the difference was not statistically significant. In conclusion, the novel pharmacokinetic model, while being more physiological, fits experimental data better and hence is more suitable for modelling real-life alcohol consumption. In addition, the effect of natural non-caloric sweetener steviol glycoside on ethanol pharmacokinetics, analysed for the first time in the current research, might be different when compared to the common-used sweetener sucrose.

The Impact of Long-Term Clinoptilolite Administration on the Concentration Profile of Metals in Rodent Organisms.

Heavy metals are dangerous systemic toxicants that can induce multiple organ damage, primarily by inducing oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage. Clinoptilolite is a highly porous natural mineral with a magnificent capacity to eliminate metals from living organisms, mainly by ion-exchange and adsorption, thus providing detoxifying, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory medicinal effects. The in vivo efficiency and safety of the oral administration of clinoptilolite in its activated forms, tribomechanically activated zeolite (TMAZ) and Panaceo-Micro-Activated (PMA) zeolite, as well as the impact on the metallic biodistribution, was examined in healthy female rats. Concentration profiles of Al, As, Cd, Co, Pb, Ni and Sr were measured in rat blood, serum, femur, liver, kidney, small and large intestine, and brain using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a 12-week administration period. Our results point to a beneficial effect of clinoptilolite materials on the concentration profile of metals in female rats supplemented with the corresponding natural clinoptilolite materials, TMAZ and PMA zeolite. The observed decrease of measured toxicants in the kidney, femur, and small and large intestine after three months of oral intake occurred concomitantly with their most likely transient release into the bloodstream (serum) indicative of a detoxification process.

Food Choice Motives and COVID-19 in Belgium.

To investigate the main motives driving dietary intake changes potentially introduced by preventive measures to address the pandemic, an online survey, using a 36-item Food Choice Questionnaire applied for the period before (the year 2019) and during (2020-2021) the pandemic, was distributed between July and October 2021 among adult residents from Belgium. A total of 427 eligible respondents, the majority Dutch-speaking, were included for analyses. The importance of nine motives for food choices, including health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, price, weight control, familiarity and ethical concerns, was assessed by scoring from 1 to 5, and comparing mean scores from the during period with the before period. Sensory appeal was the most important food choice motive before (mean score of 4.02 ± 0.51) and during (3.98 ± 0.48) the pandemic. Convenience and health also ranked among the main motives, with health observed to become more important during the pandemic (3.69 ± 0.60 during vs. 3.64 ± 0.59 before). Additionally, mean scores of mood (3.41 ± 0.71 vs. 3.32 ± 0.58), natural content (3.35 ± 0.84 vs. 3.26 ± 0.85) and weight control (3.33 ± 0.79 vs. 3.25 ± 0.76) were significantly higher during as compared to before. The extent of change in the level of importance for natural content was smaller with increasing age, and for health larger for urban areas, but for other motives there were no significant differences across population subgroups. Changes in the level of importance were observed in both directions, while a moderate share of respondents declared no change, suggesting some persistence of food choice motives. Further activities within public health monitoring should be considered to fully understand the COVID-19 implications on food choice motives together with people's food behaviors and consumption.

Evaluation of the Food Choice Motives before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study of 1232 Adults from Croatia.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic brought changes to almost every segment of our lives, including dietary habits. We present one among several studies, and the first on the Croatian population, aiming at investigating changes of food choice motives before and during the pandemic. The study was performed in June 2021 as an online-based survey, using a 36-item Food Choice Questionnaire applied for both the periods before and during the pandemic. The final sample consisted of 1232 adults living in Croatia. Sensory appeal was ranked as the number one most important food choice motive before, whereas health was ranked as the number one most important food choice motive during the pandemic. Ethical concern was reported as the least important food choice motive both before and during the pandemic. In women, natural content (p = 0.002), health, convenience, price, weight control, familiarity, and ethical concern (all p < 0.001) became more important during the pandemic, while price (p = 0.009), weight control, familiarity, and ethical concern (all p < 0.001) became more relevant for men. All together, these can be considered favorable changes toward optimal diets and may result in beneficial influences on health and lifestyle. Education strategies and efficiently tackling misinformation are prerequisites for informed food choice, which will ensure long-lasting positive effects of such changes.