The mutational constraint spectrum quantified from variation in 141,456 humans.

Genetic variants that inactivate protein-coding genes are a powerful source of information about the phenotypic consequences of gene disruption: genes that are crucial for the function of an organism will be depleted of such variants in natural populations, whereas non-essential genes will tolerate their accumulation. However, predicted loss-of-function variants are enriched for annotation errors, and tend to be found at extremely low frequencies, so their analysis requires careful variant annotation and very large sample sizes. Here we describe the aggregation of 125,748 exomes and 15,708 genomes from human sequencing studies into the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD).

Determinants of pet food purchasing decisions.

The objective of this study was to identify determinants of pet food purchasing decisions. An online survey was administered e-mail, newsletters, and social media. A total of 2181 pet owners completed the survey: 1209 dog owners and 972 cat owners; 26% of respondents were animal professionals.

Scalable whole-exome sequencing of cell-free DNA reveals high concordance with metastatic tumors.

Whole-exome sequencing of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) could enable comprehensive profiling of tumors from blood but the genome-wide concordance between cfDNA and tumor biopsies is uncertain. Here we report ichorCNA, software that quantifies tumor content in cfDNA from 0.1× coverage whole-genome sequencing data without prior knowledge of tumor mutations.

Energy Contents of Frequently Ordered Restaurant Meals and Comparison with Human Energy Requirements and U.S. Department of Agriculture Database Information: A Multisite Randomized Study.

Background: Excess energy intake from meals consumed away from home is implicated as a major contributor to obesity, and ∼50% of US restaurants are individual or small-chain (non-chain) establishments that do not provide nutrition information.

Objective: To measure the energy content of frequently ordered meals in non-chain restaurants in three US locations, and compare with the energy content of meals from large-chain restaurants, energy requirements, and food database information.

Design: A multisite random-sampling protocol was used to measure the energy contents of the most frequently ordered meals from the most popular cuisines in non-chain restaurants, together with equivalent meals from large-chain restaurants.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Offering Higher- Compared with Lower-Dairy Second Meals Daily in Preschools in Guinea-Bissau Demonstrates an Attendance-Dependent Increase in Weight Gain for Both Meal Types and an Increase in Mid-Upper Arm Circumference for the Higher-Dairy Meal.

Background: Controversy remains over the most effective approaches to prevent childhood malnutrition.

Objectives: We tested the feasibility and effectiveness of delivering ready-to-use supplementary foods (RUSFs) as a second daily meal in preschool children aged 3-5 y in Guinea-Bissau, and compared RUSFs with different levels of dairy protein.

Methods: This study was a 3 mo cluster-randomized controlled pilot trial of 2 RUSFs differing in dairy protein in 533 boys and girls from 9 preschools.

The relationship of major American dietary patterns to age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: We hypothesized that major American dietary patterns are associated with risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: We classified 8103 eyes in 4088 eligible participants in the baseline Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS).

Diminishing risk for age-related macular degeneration with nutrition: a current view.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. Clinical hallmarks of AMD are observed in one third of the elderly in industrialized countries. Preventative interventions through dietary modification are attractive strategies, because they are more affordable than clinical therapies, do not require specialists for administration and many studies suggest a benefit of micro- and macro-nutrients with respect to AMD with few, if any, adverse effects.

Review of Tai Chi as an effective exercise on falls prevention in elderly.

The risk of accidental falls and fall-related injuries increases with age. Regular physical exercises can delay the age-related changes affecting postural balance and reduce the risk of falls. Although Tai Chi (TC) has become a popular exercise among the elderly, does regular TC exercise lead to fewer falls and fall-related injuries? Who would receive the most benefit from TC exercise? What style of TC is best for fall risk reductions? What is the minimum amount of TC exercise needed before its positive effect is observed? How does the effect of TC exercise compare to other physical exercises? The goal of this study is to conduct a systematic review of recent literature on TC's effectiveness for reducing fall risks in elders.