The evaluation of health recommender systems: A scoping review.

Background: People often look online for information about health concerns, but the vast amount of available and unregulated content can cause misinformation and potential harm. Health recommender systems (HRSs) can address this issue by recommending personalised health information. Previous research has evaluated individual systems, but there is a lack of reviews synthesising their evaluation findings.

Estimating food consumption, micronutrient intake and the contribution of large-scale food fortification to micronutrient adequacy in Tanzania.

Objective: To assess the potential contribution of large-scale food fortification (LSFF) towards meeting dietary micronutrient requirements in Tanzania.

Design: We used household food consumption data from the National Panel Survey 2014-15 to estimate fortifiable food vehicle coverage and consumption (standardised using the adult female equivalent approach) and the prevalence at risk of inadequate apparent intake of five micronutrients included in Tanzania's fortification legislation. We modelled four LSFF scenarios: no fortification, status quo (i.

Musculoskeletal Failure.

Osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and sarcopenia are prevalent musculoskeletal disorders that significantly impact the aging population's health and quality of life. Osteoarthritis, characterized by joint inflammation, leads to pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility. Osteoporosis, a condition marked by bone density loss, increases fracture susceptibility, especially in postmenopausal women and older adults.

Burden of selenium deficiency and cost-effectiveness of selenium agronomic biofortification of staple cereals in Ethiopia.

Selenium (Se) deficiency among populations in Ethiopia is consistent with low concentrations of Se in soil and crops that could be addressed partly by Se-enriched fertilisers. This study examines the disease burden of Se deficiency in Ethiopia and evaluates the cost-effectiveness of Se agronomic biofortification. A disability-adjusted life years (DALY) framework was used, considering goiter, anaemia, and cognitive dysfunction among children and women.

Food-based dietary guidelines for optimizing calcium intakes for reproductive-aged women in Ethiopia using local foods.

Increasing dietary calcium intakes of Ethiopian women of reproductive age (WRA) is a public health priority for reducing pre-eclampsia in pregnancy. Using linear programming, we determined whether locally available foods consumed by WRA in nine regions (urban and rural) and two administrative cities of Ethiopia could provide 1000 mg/day of dietary calcium, and we identified food-based recommendations (FBRs) to improve dietary calcium adequacy in each region. Results showed that diets providing 1000 mg/day of calcium were feasible in eight regions (40%) of the target populations examined.

Modeling the Contribution of Multiple Micronutrient Fortification of Salt to Daily Nutrient Intake Among the Ethiopian Population.

Background: Salt is an affordable commodity and has wide coverage regardless of economic and social status and, hence, could be suitable vehicle for multiple micronutrient fortification.

Objectives: This study aimed to simulate the contribution folic acid and zinc fortification of iodized salt to nutrient intake among the Ethiopian population.

Methods: The 2013 Ethiopian National Food Consumption Survey and various food composition tables were used to estimate baseline individual-level micronutrient intake.

A relational approach to youth healthcare: Examining young people's, parents' and clinicians' experiences in the context of variations in sex characteristics.

According to popular understandings, children grow from a state of dependence to eventually become independent adults. Interdependence helps to disrupt the in/dependence binary and is a useful concept for making sense of the experiences young people with variations in sex characteristics in relation to healthcare. This study used semi-structured interviews with 32 health professionals, 33 caregivers and 12 young people recruited in the UK and Sweden.

Social support and psychotherapy outcomes for international students in university/college counseling centers.

: To explore the relationship between international students' social support at intake and international student distress at end of treatment. : Data was collected from participants ( = 40,085) from 90 United States universities using the Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH) database. : Participants completed measures of psychological distress and perceived social support.

Projecting the Contribution of Provitamin A Maize Biofortification and Other Nutrition Interventions to the Nutritional Adequacy and Cost of Diets in Rural Zimbabwe.

Background: Evidence of the effectiveness of biofortified maize with higher provitamin A (PVA) to address vitamin A deficiency in rural Africa remains scant.

Objectives: This study projects the impact of adopting PVA maize for a diversity of households in an area typical of rural Zimbabwe and models the cost and composition of diets adequate in vitamin A.

Methods: Household-level weighed food records were generated from 30 rural households during a week in April and November 2021.

Auditory Brainstem Response in a Child with Mitochondrial Disorder-Leigh Syndrome.

The mitochondrial disorder-Leigh syndrome is a neurodegenerative disorder often manifested with brainstem abnormalities. The case report highlights the auditory brainstem response in a child with medical findings suggestive of Leigh syndrome. The case report also emphasizes the importance of ruling out any underlying neural pathology before making a clinical impression in children with developmental delays.

Urine Se concentration poorly predicts plasma Se concentration at sub-district scales in Zimbabwe, limiting its value as a biomarker of population Se status.

Introduction: The current study investigated the value of urine selenium (Se) concentration as a biomarker of population Se status in rural sub-Saharan Africa.

Method: Urine and plasma Se concentrations were measured among children aged 6-59 months ( = 608) and women of reproductive age (WRA,  = 781) living in rural Zimbabwe (Murehwa, Shamva, and Mutasa districts) and participating in a pilot national micronutrient survey. Selenium concentrations were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and urine concentrations were corrected for hydration status.

Implementation of Exercise Management Services Among Sports Medicine Physicians in the United States.

Objective: Assessment of physical activity and exercise prescription has been widely supported by many organizations, yet provision of such services remains limited in the United States. We sought to uncover why such services have not been widely adopted.

Design: The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine organized a task force to canvas physicians and survey the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine membership.

A Retrospective Chart Review Suggests That Coordinated, Multidisciplinary Treatment for Patients with Anorexia Nervosa Improves Odds of Weight Restoration.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to conduct a secondary data analysis of clinical information documented in the electronic medical record to assess the clinical outcomes of patients who received three different treatment approaches on clinical outcomes for treatment of patients with anorexia nervosa (AN).

Patients And Methods: Historical electronic medical record (EMR) data on patients aged 6 to 80 years diagnosed with AN seen in a healthcare system between 2007 and 2017 were stratified, according to services received, into three groups: Group A (n = 48) received hospital-based services; Group B (n = 290) saw one or two provider types; Group C (n = 26) received outpatient coordinated multidisciplinary care from three provider types. Clinical outcomes [body mass index for adults (BMI), body mass index percentile (BMI%ile) for pediatric patients] defined AN severity and weight restoration.

Differences in the nutritional quality of improved finger millet genotypes in Ethiopia.

Improved crop genotypes are constantly introduced. However, information on their nutritional quality is generally limited. The present study reports the proximate composition and the concentration and relative bioavailability of minerals of improved finger millets of different genotypes.

Dietary selenium intake among Ethiopian children in areas known for selenium spatial variability.

Introduction: There is spatial variability of selenium (Se) in soil and crops in Ethiopia. We assessed the Se content of food items, breast milk, and urine among infants in Ethiopia from two areas with contrasting Se concentrations in soils.

Methods: Dietary Se intakes among children (6-23 months) were evaluated using a weighed food record on two non-consecutive days.

Increasing fibre in white flour and bread: Implications for health and processing.

Dietary fibre is beneficial for human health, but dietary intakes are below recommended levels in most countries. Cereals are the major source of dietary fibre in Western diets, with bread providing about 20% of the daily intake in the United Kingdom. Despite the promotion of fibre-rich wholegrain products, white bread (which has a lower fibre content) remains dominant in many countries due to cultural preferences.

Azithromycin downregulates ICOS (CD278) and OX40 (CD134) expression and mTOR activity of TCR-activated T cells to inhibit proliferation.

The precise mechanism of macrolide antibiotic azithromycin (AZM) mediated CD4+ T cell suppression is not fully understood. Given the crucial role of co-stimulatory signaling in T-lymphocyte function, we tested in vitro effects of AZM on two of the most extensively investigated costimulatory molecules, ICOS and OX40 in context to CD4+ T cell proliferation. Using multi-color flow cytometry approach on TCR-activated healthy donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells, we observed a marked reduction in the frequencies and surface expression of ICOS and OX40 receptors following AZM treatment.

Do agronomic approaches aligned to regenerative agriculture improve the micronutrient concentrations of edible portions of crops? A scoping review of evidence.

Regenerative Agriculture (RA) is used to describe nature-based agronomic approaches that aim to build soil health and crop resilience, minimize negative environmental outcomes, and improve farmer livelihoods. A benefit that is increasingly attributed to crops grown under RA practices is improved nutritional content. However, we do not know the extent to which RA influences crop nutritional quality and under what management approaches and context, can such effects be realized.

A pilot survey of selenium status and its geospatial variation among children and women in three rural districts of Zimbabwe.

Introduction: Selenium (Se) deficiency is increasingly recognized as a public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: The current cross-sectional study assessed the prevalence and geospatial patterns of Se deficiency among children aged 6-59 months ( = 741) and women of 15-49 years old ( = 831) selected by simple random sampling in rural Zimbabwe (Murewa, Shamva, and Mutasa districts). Venous blood samples were collected and stored according to World Health Organization guidelines.

Micronutrients and socio-demographic factors were major predictors of anaemia among the Ethiopian population.

Anaemia is characterised by low hemoglobin (Hb) concentration. Despite being a public health concern in Ethiopia, the role of micronutrients and non-nutritional factors as a determinant of Hb concentrations has been inadequately explored. This study focused on the assessment of serum micronutrient and Hb concentrations and a range of non-nutritional factors, to evaluate their associations with the risk of anaemia among the Ethiopian population ( 2046).

Impact of zinc and iron agronomic biofortification on grain mineral concentration of finger millet varieties as affected by location and slope.

Background: Food crop micronutrient concentrations can be enhanced through agronomic biofortification, with the potential to reduce micronutrient deficiencies among rural population if they have access to fertilizers. Here we reported the impact of agronomic biofortification on finger millet grain zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) concentration.

Methods: A field experiment was conducted in farmers' fields in Ethiopia in two locations; over two seasons in one district (2019 and 2020), and over a single season (2019) in a second district.