Int J Parasitol
Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Western Bank, The University of Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.
Published: July 2007
The feeding frequency of blood-feeding invertebrates in the wild is largely unknown but is an important predictor for the potential of disease transmission and for estimating the effects blood feeding may have on the host population. We present a method to estimate the mean feeding frequency per individual parasite from the frequency distribution of fed and unfed individuals in the wild. We used three populations of the cimicid species, Afrocimex constrictus, that parasitises the fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus. We found that the area occupied by a bug refugium was a good predictor of the number of bugs in that refugia. The estimated parasite population sizes ranged from ca. 25,000 to 3 million bugs. Their mean abundance was 1-15 bugs per host individual. Preventing feeding by bugs in their natural habitat showed that bugs took approximately 20 days to return to an unfed stage. A formula is presented by which the distribution of digestion stages in the samples was used to calculate that A. constrictus feeds approximately every 7-10 days. The dry weight of a full blood meal was approximated as 13.3 mg. Therefore A. constrictus is estimated to draw an average of 1-28 microL blood per host per day. We suggest that any of our methods can be adjusted to be used in other haematophagous insects to estimate host and parasite population size, mean parasite abundance and blood meal size as well as mean feeding frequency in the wild, including the bed bug species that parasitise humans.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2007.01.013 | DOI Listing |
J Hum Nutr Diet
February 2025
School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
Background: Meeting protein intake recommendations is relevant for maintaining muscle mass. This study aimed to describe protein intake and its association with meal patterns and dietary patterns.
Methods: An in-house designed, web-based 4-day record was used in the national dietary survey (in 2010/2011).
Front Child Adolesc Psychiatry
January 2024
National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Introduction: Regulatory problems of eating, sleeping, and crying in infancy may index mental health vulnerability in older ages, and knowledge is needed to inform strategies to break the developmental trajectories of dysregulation in early childhood. In this study, we examined the prospective associations between infant regulatory problems at the age of 8-10 months identified by community health nurses (CHN) and mental disorders diagnosed in hospital settings in children aged 1-8 years.
Methods: From a cohort of all newborn children in 15 municipalities in the Capital Region of Copenhagen ( = 43,922) we included all children who were examined by CHNs at the scheduled home visit at the age of 8-10 months ( = 36,338).
Narra J
December 2024
Department of Pediatric and Maternity Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted maternal and perinatal healthcare worldwide, including in Indonesia. Restrictions on access to health services have forced mothers to adapt to new challenges in breastfeeding during the pandemic. The aim of this study was to evaluate mothers' breastfeeding experiences and the role of husbands in providing support during this period.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNarra J
December 2024
Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
Premature and low birth weight neonates often struggle with oral intake due to immaturity or respiratory distress. Forkhead box protein 2 gene () is predicted to influence oral feeding ability in newborns, but studies assessing the role of this gene in influencing oral feeding ability are limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of gene polymorphism, particularly single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs17137124, on the duration of orogastric tube (OGT) use in moderate to late preterm neonates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Intellect Dev Disabil
March 2024
Clinical and Professional Development, Melmark New England, Andover, MA, USA.
Background: Some adults with intellectual disabilities do not acquire oral feeding skills and are dependent on gastrostomy tube supplementation.
Methods: Two adults with intellectual and multiple disabilities received intervention for oral consumption during daily meals (standardised food and liquid quantities, individualised procedural guidelines, and consumption-contingent consequences) while the frequency and amount of gastrostomy tube feedings were gradually decreased and eliminated.
Results: Compared to baseline (pre-intervention) conditions, the adults increased oral consumption of food and liquid during the intervention and gastrostomy tube supplementation was eliminated.
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