Effectiveness of current protein recommendations in adolescent athletes on a low-carbon diet.

Adolescent athletes require adequate energy and nutrient supply to support growth, development, and the demands associated with exercise and training. However, they are susceptible to nutritional inadequacies affecting their health and physical performance. Food choices with nutrient adequacy and environmental protection is crucial for a sustainable diet. Therefore, we aimed to assess the adequacy of low-carbon diets to meet the protein requirements of adolescent athletes. Therefore, a cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 91 adolescent athletes from sports clubs in Rio de Janeiro who underwent anthropometric and food consumption assessments. To estimate the environmental impact of anthropogenic activities, the sustainability indicators carbon footprint (CF) and water footprint (WF) were used. The CF of the athlete's diet was compared with the benchmark of 1,571 g CO2eq/cap/d estimated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Protein recommendations according to the American Dietetic Association (ADA) for athletes and protein food groups according to the low-carbon EAT-Lancet reference diet were used as references. The results were stratified by sport modality, age, sex, and income range. The Mann-Whitney test was performed, followed by the Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn's post-hoc test to assess the differences between groups using the statistical program GraphPad PRISM® version 8.0. CF and WF were directly associated with total energy intake, total protein intake, animal-origin protein intake, and the food groups of meat and eggs. Significant differences were observed in the environmental impact of diet based on sports groups and gender. The athletes' profile with higher environmental impact was male, middle-income class, and of any age group. The quartiles of CF of the overall diets were above the 1,571 g CO2eq/cap/d benchmark. Additionally, ADA's recommended range of daily protein consumption was met by most athletes, even in the lowest quartile of CF. Thus, a diet with a lower environmental impact can meet protein recommendations in adolescent athletes. The results found are of interest to the sports and food industries. It could help in designing a balanced diet for athletes as well as ensure less negative environmental impacts of food production and consumption.

High-Throughput DNA sequencing of ancient wood.

Reconstructing the colonization and demographic dynamics that gave rise to extant forests is essential to forecasts of forest responses to environmental changes. Classical approaches to map how population of trees changed through space and time largely rely on pollen distribution patterns, with only a limited number of studies exploiting DNA molecules preserved in wooden tree archaeological and subfossil remains. Here, we advance such analyses by applying high-throughput (HTS) DNA sequencing to wood archaeological and subfossil material for the first time, using a comprehensive sample of 167 European white oak waterlogged remains spanning a large temporal (from 550 to 9,800 years) and geographical range across Europe. The successful characterization of the endogenous DNA and exogenous microbial DNA of 140 (~83%) samples helped the identification of environmental conditions favouring long-term DNA preservation in wood remains, and started to unveil the first trends in the DNA decay process in wood material. Additionally, the maternally inherited chloroplast haplotypes of 21 samples from three periods of forest human-induced use (Neolithic, Bronze Age and Middle Ages) were found to be consistent with those of modern populations growing in the same geographic areas. Our work paves the way for further studies aiming at using ancient DNA preserved in wood to reconstruct the micro-evolutionary response of trees to climate change and human forest management.

Basic nursing care to prevent nonventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia.

PURPOSE: Nonventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP) is an underreported and unstudied disease, with potential for measurable outcomes, fiscal savings, and improvement in quality of life. The purpose of our study was to (a) identify the incidence of NV-HAP in a convenience sample of U.S. hospitals and (b) determine the effectiveness of reliably delivered basic oral nursing care in reducing NV-HAP. DESIGN: A descriptive, quasi-experimental study using retrospective comparative outcomes to determine (a) the incidence of NV-HAP and (b) the effectiveness of enhanced basic oral nursing care versus usual care to prevent NV-HAP after introduction of a basic oral nursing care initiative. METHODS: We used the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Problems (ICD-9) codes for pneumonia not present on admission and verified NV-HAP diagnosis using the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention diagnostic criteria. We completed an evidence-based gap analysis and designed a site-specific oral care initiative designed to reduce NV-HAP. The intervention process was guided by the Influencer Model (see Figure) and participatory action research. FINDINGS: We found a substantial amount of unreported NV-HAP. After we initiated our oral care protocols, the rate of NV-HAP per 100 patient days decreased from 0.49 to 0.3 (38.8%). The overall number of cases of NV-HAP was reduced by 37% during the 12-month intervention period. The avoidance of NV-HAP cases resulted in an estimated 8 lives saved, $1.72 million cost avoided, and 500 extra hospital days averted. The extra cost for therapeutic oral care equipment was $117,600 during the 12-month intervention period. Cost savings resulting from avoided NV-HAP was $1.72 million. Return on investment for the organization was $1.6 million in avoided costs. CONCLUSIONS: NV-HAP should be elevated to the same level of concern, attention, and effort as prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia in hospitals. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Nursing needs to lead the way in the design and implementation of policies that allow for adequate time, proper oral care supplies, ease of access to supplies, clear procedures, and outcome monitoring ensuring that patients are protected from NV-HAP.

The iron exporter ferroportin/Slc40a1 is essential for iron homeostasis.

Ferroportin (SLC40A1) is an iron transporter postulated to play roles in intestinal iron absorption and cellular iron release. Hepcidin, a regulatory peptide, binds to ferroportin and causes it to be internalized and degraded. If ferroportin is the major cellular iron exporter, ineffective hepcidin function could explain manifestations of human hemochromatosis disorders. To investigate this, we inactivated the murine ferroportin (Fpn) gene globally and selectively. Embryonic lethality of Fpn(null/null) animals indicated that ferroportin is essential early in development. Rescue of embryonic lethality through selective inactivation of ferroportin in the embryo proper suggested that ferroportin has an important function in the extraembryonic visceral endoderm. Ferroportin-deficient animals accumulated iron in enterocytes, macrophages, and hepatocytes, consistent with a key role for ferroportin in those cell types. Intestine-specific inactivation of ferroportin confirmed that it is critical for intestinal iron absorption. These observations define the major sites of ferroportin activity and give insight into hemochromatosis.