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Dietary Differences (dietary + difference)
Selected AbstractsLateral plate asymmetry, diet and parasitism in threespine sticklebackJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2001T. E. Reimchen Individuals with random left,right departures from bilateral symmetry are predicted to exhibit fitness reduction including increased parasitism. In an insular lake population of stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from the Queen Charlotte Islands, Western Canada, phenotypes with high or low number of lateral bony plates exhibited increased plate asymmetry relative to modal phenotypes. Asymmetric lateral plate phenotypes had increased prevalence and to a lesser extent intensity of parasitism relative to symmetric individuals, suggesting that differences in genetic resistance to pathogens contributed to unequal parasitism. The effect occurred mainly in the larger adults and during the warmest season, which may be due to the high metabolic costs incurred during the summer breeding season. Dietary differences between symmetric and asymmetric phenotypes were also detected and could contribute to unequal infection rates by mediating exposure to infected prey items. Our study, which is one of the first long-term field assessments of asymmetry and parasitism, yields results that are consistent with studies linking asymmetry to reduced fitness and indicate that lateral plate asymmetry can be an indicator of poor individual quality, despite its apparent directionality. [source] Dental pathology and diet at Apollonia, a Greek colony on the Black SeaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 3 2008A. Keenleyside Abstract Dental pathology has the potential to provide insight into the composition of the diet and to reveal dietary differences based on age, sex and social status. Human skeletal remains from the Greek colonial site of Apollonia (5th to 2nd centuries BC) on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria were analysed for various forms of dental pathology in order to: assess the prevalence of dental disease in the population; compare the dental pathology data from Apollonia with dietary data derived from ancient literary texts and from previous stable isotopic analysis of the colonists' remains; explore variations in dental disease with respect to age and sex; and compare the prevalence of dental pathology in the Apollonians with that of other Greek populations. The composition of the diet, as indicated by the dental pathology data, is consistent with the stable isotopic evidence from Apollonia and with the ancient literary texts, both of which indicate the consumption of a relatively soft, high carbohydrate diet. The higher frequency of dental caries, abscesses, calculus, and antemortem tooth loss in older adults compared with younger ones reflects the age-progressive nature of these conditions. The lack of significant sex differences in caries, abscesses, calculus and tooth loss corresponds with the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic data derived from bone collagen, which indicate no significant sex differences in the consumption of dietary protein. In contrast, these findings conflict with the ancient literary texts, which refer to distinct dietary differences between males and females, and with the stable carbon isotopic values derived from bone carbonate, which indicate sex differences with respect to the overall diet. Despite the lack of marked sex differences in dental pathology, overall trends point to subtle dietary differences between males and females. A greater degree of tooth wear in males also hints at possible sex differences in the use of the teeth as tools. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Diet of the Brown Trout Salmo trutta (L.) during the Reproductive Period: Size-Related and Sexual EffectsINTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF HYDROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2006Albert Montori Abstract We investigated the autumnal diet of the brown trout Salmo trutta, in a Prepyrenean stream (NW Iberian Peninsula) focusing on intraspecific dietary differences related to size and sex. The diet of trout included 18 types of prey, with Plecoptera and Ephemeroptera nymphs and Diptera larvae as the most consumed taxa. Large trout ate larger prey, than did small trout, and also increased the consumption of terrestrial-surface prey with respect to aquatic-benthic prey. As terrestrial-surface preys were larger than aquatic-benthic prey, the size-related differences in the diet of trout were related to gape-limitations. Although male and female trout did not differ in size, we found that males foraged on a more diverse type of prey than females, probably owing to male territoriality during the reproductive period. This study provides new evidence of dietary plasticity in the brown trout and confirms the importance of local dietary studies to better understand factors which drive trophic ecology of predators. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Deficiencies in nutritional intake in patients admitted with diabetes-related foot complicationsNUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 3 2007Sarah PITT Abstract Aim:, Adequate nutritional intake is an essential component for timely wound healing. The present research aimed to identify the frequency of inadequate dietary intake, including the specific nutritional elements most frequently lacking, in a group of patients admitted with diabetes-related foot complications. Methods:, Consecutive patients admitted to a diabetic foot unit underwent a dietary assessment, which included the retrospective collection of a seven-day food history for the period just prior to admission. The collected data were entered into FoodWorks, and comparisons were made with recommendations made by national guidelines. Results:, Thirty-five patients underwent nutritional assessment, 74% male and 26% having impaired renal function. Protein consumption was in excess of daily recommended intake, and although the overall fat intake as a percentage of total calories consumed was in keeping with national guidelines, the intake of saturated fat was inappropriately high. Of the 12 micronutrients assessed, niacin and vitamin C were appropriately consumed by all; average intake of potassium, phosphorus and thiamine approached recommended levels, while the intake of magnesium, calcium, zinc, riboflavin, folate and vitamin A all fell short of recommended daily requirements. No dietary differences were identified between individuals with normal and abnormal renal function, but deficiencies in calcium and iron were identified only in women. Conclusion:, Dietary deficiencies of macronutrients were not identified in individuals admitted with diabetes-related foot complications, but many patients were found to be consuming well below the daily recommended daily intake of one or more of the micronutrients deemed necessary for normal wound healing. [source] Stable isotope analysis of modern human hair collected from Asia (China, India, Mongolia, and Pakistan)AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2010A.H. Thompson Abstract We report isotopic data (,2H, ,18O n = 196; ,13C, ,15N n = 142; ,34S n = 85) from human hair and drinking water (,2H, ,18O n = 67) collected across China, India, Mongolia, and Pakistan. Hair isotope ratios reflected the large environmental isotopic gradients and dietary differences. Geographic information was recorded in H and O and to a lesser extent, S isotopes. H and O data were entered into a recently developed model describing the relationship between the H and O isotope composition of human hair and drinking water in modern USA and pre-globalized populations. This has anthropological and forensic applications including reconstructing environment and diet in modern and ancient human hair. However, it has not been applied to a modern population outside of the USA, where we expect different diet. Relationships between H and O isotope ratios in drinking water and hair of modern human populations in Asia were different to both modern USA and pre-globalized populations. However, the Asian dataset was closer to the modern USA than to pre-globalized populations. Model parameters suggested slightly higher consumption of locally producedfoods in our sampled population than modern USA residents, but lower than pre-globalized populations. The degree of in vivo amino acid synthesis was comparable to both the modern USA and pre-globalized populations. C isotope ratios reflected the predominantly C3 -based regional agriculture and C4 consumption in northernChina. C, N, and S isotope ratios supported marine food consumption in some coastal locales. N isotope ratios suggested a relatively low consumption of animal-derived products compared to western populations. Am J Phys Anthropol 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Stable isotope evidence for the consumption of millet and other plants in Bronze Age ItalyAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Mary Anne Tafuri Abstract Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis was carried out on human and animal bones from four inland Early and Middle Bronze Age sites in Northern and Southern Italy. The main aims of the investigation were to explore the contribution of plant foods to the human diet and to examine any dietary differences between and within each of the sites. At two of the sites in Northern Italy, human and animal bones were significantly enriched in 13C. This finding was attributed to the consumption of domestic millets (Panicum miliaceum and/or Setaria italica), which are C4 pathway plants. Conversely, individuals from the two Bronze Age sites in Southern Italy were significantly depleted in 13C compared to those from the north. Here, millet was absent from the diet, and protein from C3 plants made a much greater dietary contribution than animal protein. This finding highlights the importance of cereal cultivation, most likely of wheat and barley, in the south of Italy during the Bronze Age. Overall, our results support the idea that the widespread cultivation of millet first occurred in Northern Italy, following its introduction from across the Alps in Central Europe. Finally, we found no significant differences in the stable isotope values between individuals at each site, when grouped by their sex or presence of grave goods. This leads to the conclusion that any status difference that may have existed is not reflected in the long-term dietary record, or at least not as measurable by stable isotope analysis. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Do mandibular cross-sectional properties and dental microwear give similar dietary signals?AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 4 2006Jason M. Organ Abstract Previous animal experimental work evaluating the effects of dietary consistency on mastication was generally limited to studies of either mandibular structure or rates and types of tooth wear. Control groups fed hard diets (HD) consistently exhibited increased cortical remodeling and/or bone strength when compared to groups fed soft diets (SD). Results of tooth-wear studies showed faster rates of tooth wear in HD animals. This study evaluates the effects of dietary differences on both mandibular structural morphology and postcanine dental microwear in the same animals. We examined mandibles and dentitions from eight miniature swine, raised from 4 weeks to 9 months of age on HD and SD (n = 4, each group). Mandibular structural properties were calculated from peripheral quantitative computed tomography slices at the dp3,dp4 and dp4,M1 junctions. Dental microwear analysis was performed on mandibular lingual crushing facets of dp4 and M1, using photomicrographs of high-resolution casts taken at 500× magnification in a scanning electron microscope. Our results suggest that between the dp3,dp4 contact, HD animals have mandibles that are stronger and more rigid mediolaterally than SD animals. At the dp4,M1 contact, HD animals have mandibles that are stronger and more rigid mediolaterally, dorsoventrally, and in torsion than SD animals. Dental microwear results indicate that SD pigs have higher incidences of pitting and more overall microwear features on their premolars than do HD pigs, yet there are no significant differences in molar microwear morphology between the dietary groups. Near-significant correlations exist between pit size and dorsoventral bending strength, but only for HD pigs. These results suggest that dietary consistency significantly affects both mandibular structure and dental microwear, yet direct correlations between the two are complicated by a number of factors Am J Phys Anthropol, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Comparative fatty acid composition of eggs from wild and captive black sea bass, Centropristis striata L.AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 6 2009Gloria T Seaborn Abstract Lipid content, lipid class and fatty acid compositions were determined in eggs from wild and captive black sea bass, Centropristis striata L., from northern (New England) and southern (South Carolina) regions to determine the effects of diet on egg composition and fertilization success. The formulated diets fed to the northern captive (NC) fish were higher in total lipids (22%) compared with the cut fish and squid diet fed to the southern fish (SC; 3.3% lipid) and had a higher relative amount of linoleic acid (LA) and lower relative amounts of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA). These dietary differences were broadly reflected in the egg lipid composition. The LA levels were higher in all lipid classes in eggs of NC fish while AA levels were lower. The DHA was higher in the major polar lipids (PL) (phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine) of SC eggs compared with NC. Compared with wild fish, both captive groups produced eggs with PLs richer in LA and lower in DHA and AA. Over all fish groups, fertilization success was directly correlated with levels of DHA and AA in the PLs and was inversely correlated with LA levels. [source] The ,microflora hypothesis' of allergic diseasesCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 12 2005M. C. Noverr Summary Increasingly, epidemiologic and clinical data support the hypothesis that perturbations in the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota because of antibiotic use and dietary differences in ,industrialized' countries have disrupted the normal microbiota-mediated mechanisms of immunological tolerance in the mucosa, leading to an increase in the incidence of allergic airway disease. The data supporting this ,microflora hypothesis' includes correlations between allergic airway disease and (1) antibiotic use early in life, (2) altered fecal microbiota and (3) dietary changes over the past two decades. Our laboratory has recently demonstrated that mice can develop allergic airway responses to allergens if their endogenous microbiota is altered at the time of first allergen exposure. These experimental and clinical observations are consistent with other studies demonstrating that the endogenous microbiota plays a significant role in shaping the development of the immune system. Data are beginning to accumulate that a ,balanced' microbiota plays a positive role in maintaining mucosal immunologic tolerance long after post-natal development. Other studies have demonstrated that even small volumes delivered to the nasopharynx largely end up in the GI tract, suggesting that airway tolerance and oral tolerance may operate simultaneously. The mechanism of microbiota modulation of host immunity is not known; however, host and microbial oxylipins are one potential set of immunomodulatory molecules that may control mucosal tolerance. The cumulative data are beginning to support the notion that probiotic and prebiotic strategies be considered for patients coming off of antibiotic therapy. [source] | ||||||||||||||||