Associations between Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Increased Consumption of Diverse Legumes: A South African Food and Nutrition Security Programme Case Study.

The programme aimed to improve selected cardiometabolic risk (CMR) variables using a nutritional intervention among farmers who reported hypertensive disorders as hindrances during agricultural activities. The intervention had two case controls (n = 103) [experimental group-EG (n = 53) and control group-CG (n = 50)] which were tracked and whose blood pressure measurements, dietary intake, blood indices for cholesterol concentration and glucose levels from pre- and post-intervention surveys after the baseline survey (n = 112) were analysed. The interval for data collection was 12 weeks (±120 days) after five legume varieties were consumed between 3 and 5 times a day, and servings were not <125 g per at least three times per week. Sixty-five per cent of farmers were above 60 years old, with mean age ranges of 63.3 (SD ± 6.3) years for women and 67.2 (SD ± 6.7) for men. The post-intervention survey revealed that EG blood results indicated nutrient improvement with p <= 0.05 for blood glucose (p = 0.003) and cholesterol (p = 0.001) as opposed to the CG. A trend analysis revealed that cholesterol (p = 0.033) and systolic blood pressure (SBP); (p = 0.013) were statistically significant when comparing genders for all study phases. Interventions focusing on legumes can improve hypertension and cardiovascular disease and fast-track the achievement of SGDs 3 and 12 through community-based programmes.

Midgut bacterial diversity of a leaf-mining beetle, Dactylispa xanthospila (Gestro) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae).

Microorganisms play an essential role in the growth and development of numerous insect species. In this study, the total DNA from the midgut of adults of Dactylispa xanthospila were isolated and bacterial 16S rRNA sequenced using the high-throughput Illumina MiSeq platform. Then, the composition and diversity of the midgut bacterial community were analysed with QIIME2. The results showed the midgut bacteria of D. xanthospila belong to 30 phyla, 64 classes, 135 orders, 207 families and 369 genera. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the dominant bacteria, accounting for 91.95%, 3.44% and 2.53%, respectively. The top five families are Enterobacteriaceae (69.51%), Caulobacteraceae (5.24%), Rhizobiaceae (4.61%), Sphingomonadaceae (4.23%) and Comamonadaceae (2.67%). The bacterial community's primary functions are carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism and cofactor and vitamin metabolism, which are important for the nutritional requirements of plant-feeding insects.

A preliminary world checklist of fern-mining insects.

Compared to the leaf-miners and stem-miners on flowering plants, the miners on ferns (including both Lycopodiophyta and Polypodiophyta in the broad sense) are less known. Knowledge of miners and their host plants is essential to fully understand plant-insect interactions. Although there are many scattered records on fern miners, a worldwide checklist has not been reported. We provide a preliminary checklist of fern-mining insects and their host plants worldwide. Altogether, we found records for 128 species and 18 families of fern miners, mainly that feed on Dennstaedtiaceae, Equisetaceae, Polypodiaceae and Aspleniaceae. Fern miners belonged to four orders: Diptera (51 species; 39.8%), Coleoptera (33 species; 25.8%), Lepidoptera (28 species; 21.9%) and Hymenoptera (16 species; 12.5%). They are primarily known from the Palaearctic Region, Nearctic Region, Neotropical Region and Oriental Region.

Mathematical Analyses on the Effects of Control Measures for a Waterborne Disease Model with Socioeconomic Conditions.

Waterborne diseases are present major health problems to humanity especially in rural communities where many individuals belong to the lower socioeconomic classes (SECs). The impacts of introducing waterborne disease control measures for such communities are investigated by considering a waterborne disease model. The model is extended by introducing treatment of infected individuals and water purification as control measures. The possible benefits of considering these control measures for the various SECs are investigated. Further analyses show how different degrees of control impact the rate at which waterborne diseases are spread across SECs. The disease control model is validated by using it to study the cholera outbreak in Haiti.