Breastfeeding Duration Reduces the Risk of Childhood Leukemia and Modifies the Risk of Developing Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders.

Objective: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the duration of breastfeeding in infancy reduces the risk of childhood leukemia or lymphoma, and modifies the risk of developing functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs). Subjects and Methods: This case-control study involved the recruitment of children with lymphoid malignancy and functional gastrointestinal symptoms with healthy children as controls. Focused questionnaires were used to collect data on breastfeeding history and other key risk factors. Univariate and multivariate analyses were undertaken. Results: Of the 334 children with lymphoid malignancy, 65% were male. The control group included 334 age- and sex-matched participants. Most (n = 189; 56.6%) of the children with leukemia were <10 years of age. Differences between cases and controls included the duration of breastfeeding (p < 0.0001), mean birthweight (p < 0.001), maternal age (p < 0.001), paternal age (p < 0.001), birth order (p < 0.001), mean number of children (p < 0.001), BMI percentile (p = 0.042), and maternal smoking (p = 0.012). Breastfeeding duration of up to 6 months' duration, when compared with feeding of longer than 6 months, was associated with increased odds ratios (OR) for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (OR = 3.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.37-4.98; p < 0.001), Hodgkin's lymphoma (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 0.88-2.84, p = 0.120), Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.25-3.65, p = 0.005), and overall (OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.40-2.71, p < 0.001). Cases also differed from controls with regard to FGIDs, such as stomach ache (p < 0.001), dyspepsia (p < 0.001), early satiety (p = 0.017), bowel satisfaction (p < 0.001), bloating (p < 0.001), nausea (p = 0.005), vomiting (p = 0.039), constipation (p = 0.003), diarrhea (p = 0.010), gastrointestinal canal congestion (p =0.039), muscle aches pains (p = 0.008), fecal incontinence (p = 0.021), and indigestion (p = 0.003). A multivariate stepwise regression analysis revealed that maternal smoking (p < 0.001), formula feeding (p < 0.001), duration of breastfeeding (p < 0.001), birth order (p = 0.002), mother's age (p = 0.004) and the child's birthweight (p = 0.009) were predictors for leukemia. Further analysis showed that dyspepsia (p < 0.001), gastrointestinal tract canal congestion (p < 0.001), constipation (p = 0.009), diarrhea (p = 0.013), bowel satisfaction (p = 0.021), bloating (p = 0.022), duration of breastfeeding (p < 0.001), and stomach ache (p = 0.025) were significant predictors for developing FGID symptoms after adjusting for age, gender, and other confounding variables. Conclusion: This study confirmed that breastfeeding has some effect on reducing possible risk of childhood lymphoma and leukemia and FGID symptoms compared with healthy control children.

Plaat1l1 controls feeding induced NAPE biosynthesis and contributes to energy balance regulation in zebrafish.

Dysregulation of energy balance leading to obesity is a significant risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis. In rodents and several other vertebrates, feeding has been shown to induce a rapid rise in the intestinal levels of N-acyl-ethanolamines (NAEs) and the chronic consumption of a high fat diet abolishes this rise. Administering NAEs to rodents consuming a high fat diet reduces their adiposity, in part by reducing food intake and enhancing fat oxidation, so that feeding-induced intestinal NAE biosynthesis appears to be critical to appropriate regulation of energy balance. However, the contribution of feeding-induced intestinal NAE biosynthesis to appropriate energy balance remains poorly understood in part because there are multiple enzymes that can contribute to NAE biosynthesis and the specific enzyme(s) that are responsible for feeding-induced intestinal NAE biosynthesis have not been identified. The rate-limiting step in the intestinal biosynthesis of NAEs is formation of their immediate precursors, the N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamines (NAPEs), by phosphatidylethanolamine N-acyltransferases (NATs). At least six NATs are found in humans and multiple homologs of these NATs are found in most vertebrate species. In recent years, the fecundity and small size of zebrafish (Danio rerio), as well as their similarities in feeding behavior and energy balance regulation with mammals, have led to their use to model key features of cardiometabolic disease. We therefore searched the Danio rerio genome to identify all NAT homologs and found two additional NAT homologs besides the previously reported plaat1, rarres3, and rarres3l, and used CRISPR/cas9 to delete these two NAT homologs (plaat1l1 and plaat1l2). While wild-type fish markedly increased their intestinal NAPE levels in response to a meal after fasting, this response was completely ablated in plaat1l1-/-fish. Furthermore, plaat1l1-/- fish fed a standard flake diet had increased weight gain and glucose intolerance compared to wild-type fish. The results support a critical role for feeding-induced NAPE and NAE biosynthesis in regulating energy balance and suggest that restoring this response in obese animals could potentially be used to treat obesity and cardiometabolic disease.

Leach's storm-petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous), a long-lived seabird shows flexible, condition-dependent, feeding strategies in response to poor chick condition.

BACKGROUND: Parent-offspring conflict represents the sensitive balance of resource allocation between self-maintenance and reproduction. Two strategies have been proposed to better understand how species manage this conflict. In fixed-level feeding behavior, parents feed offspring consistent quantities of food; while flexible feeding shows plasticity in parental allocation based on offspring need. Life-history theory predicts that parents of long-lived species prioritize their survival and may favor the fixed-level hypothesis to maximize lifetime reproductive success. In this study, we highlight the natural variation of parent-offspring allocation strategies within a unique population of Leach's storm-petrels (Hydrobates leucorhous), and through month-long food supplementation and restriction manipulations, we investigate how chick condition affects parental provisioning during the chick-rearing period of reproduction. RESULTS: We show that the parents upregulated chick feeding frequency of nutritionally deprived chicks, resulting in a larger total amount of food delivered during the study period. Additionally, the proportion of nights when both parents fed was highest in restricted chicks, and the proportion of nights when neither parents fed was lowest in restricted chicks, suggesting that storm-petrel parents shorten their foraging bouts to deliver food more often when their chicks are in relatively poor condition. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support that Leach's storm-petrels use a flexible-level feeding strategy, suggesting that parents can assess offspring condition, and respond by feeding chicks at higher frequencies. These data provide insight on how a long-lived seabird balances its own energetic demands with that of their offspring during the reproductive period.

Prevalence of supplement usage and related attitudes and reasons among fitness athletes in the gyms of Kashan and its relationship with feeding behavior: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The overuse of supplements among athletes is a widespread issue affecting the health of both male and female athletes. However, research on supplements usage among female fitness athletes is limited, and there is little information on the feeding behavior of fitness athletes who use supplements. This study aimed to fill the gap in knowledge by examining the prevalence of supplement usage and its related attitudes and reasons among fitness athletes in the gyms of Kashan. It further aimed to investigate the correlation between supplements usage and the feeding behavior of fitness athletes. METHODS: For these purposes, in this cross-sectional study, 433 fitness athletes (15‒46 years old) in 28 gyms in the city of Kashan were surveyed using a researcher-made questionnaire in 2023. Five experts confirmed the validity of the questionnaire. The present study considered the supplements based on the Australian Institute of Sport position statement. A Chi-square analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between the study variables and supplement usage. RESULTS: Overall, 272 male and 161 female fitness athletes participated in this study. The results revealed that 57.9% of participants used supplements, most commonly vitamin C, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and whey protein. The main reason for using supplements was to speed up body repair after exercise (69.5%). Additionally, 41.8% of these athletes believed that using supplements improves their overall performance, and 21.9% thought that supplements do not harm the body. Moreover, a correlation was observed between feeding behavior and the consumption of supplements. It was found that athletes who use supplements tend to eat more white meat, seeds, and nuts and fewer high-fat dairy products than those who do not consume them. CONCLUSION: Using supplements among fitness athletes in the gyms of Kashan is common. The main reason for using these substances was to speed up body repair after exercise, and nearly half of the athletes believed that supplements improved their performance. In addition, it was revealed that athletes who take supplements have healthier feeding behaviors than those who do not. Thus, these findings confirm the necessity of informing fitness athletes about using supplements.

Falas maternas sobre alimentação infantil / Maternal discourses on child feeding / Recuerdos maternos de la alimentación de sus hijos

Introdução: A alimentação aparece em todas as explicações sobre os processos e ações humanas, o que confirma o fato de não ser uma conduta natural, mas efeito da interação entre indivíduos, inaugurada na relação mãe-bebê. Objetivo: Identificar apagamentos, lapsos e resistência nas memórias de mães de crianças, adolescentes e jovens adultos primogênitos, sobre o processo de alimentação de seus filhos. Método: descritivo, exploratório realizado com mães de crianças, adolescentes e adultos com desenvolvimento típico que responderam a um questionário sobre a alimentação. Resultados: As perguntas relativas à amamentação e ao desmame foram respondidas de forma assertiva, mostrando que estes são fatos simbólicos, que marcam a lembrança materna. Conclusão: As lembranças maternas sobre as cenas alimentares com seus filhos mostram os movimentos de união e separação entre o par interacional. É possível apontar que apenas para as perguntas relativas à amamentação e ao desmame as respostas são totalmente assertivas, indiciando que são fatos simbólicos que marcam a memória materna. (AU)

Introduction: Feeding appears in all explanations about human processes and actions, which confirms the fact that it is not a natural behavior, but an effect of the interaction between individuals, initiated in the mother-baby relationship. Objective: To identify erasures, lapses and resistance in the memories of mothers of first-born children, adolescents and young adults, about the process of feeding their children. Method: descriptive, exploratory carried out with mothers of children, adolescents and adults with typical development who responded to a questionnaire about nutrition. Results: Questions regarding breastfeeding and weaning were answered assertively, showing that these are symbolic facts, which mark maternal memories. Conclusion: Maternal memories of eating scenes with their children show the movements of union and separation between the interactional pair. It is possible to point out that only for the questions related to breastfeeding and weaning the answers are completely assertive, indicating that they are symbolic facts that mark maternal memory. (AU)

Introducción: La alimentación aparece en todas las explicaciones sobre los procesos y acciones humanas, lo que confirma que no es un comportamiento natural, sino un efecto de la interacción entre individuos, iniciada en la relación madre-bebé. Objetivo: Identificar borramientos, lapsos y resistencias en los recuerdos de madres de primogénitos, adolescentes y adultos jóvenes, sobre el proceso de alimentación de sus hijos. Método: descriptivo, exploratorio realizado con madres de niños, adolescentes y adultos con desarrollo típico que respondieron un cuestionario sobre nutrición. Resultados: Las preguntas sobre lactancia materna y destete fueron respondidas de manera asertiva, demostrando que se trata de hechos simbólicos, que marcan los recuerdos maternos. Conclusión: Los recuerdos maternos de escenas de comida con sus hijos muestran los movimientos de unión y separación entre la pareja interaccional. Es posible señalar que sólo para las preguntas relacionadas con la lactancia materna y el destete las respuestas son completamente asertivas, indicando que son hechos simbólicos que marcan la memoria materna. (AU)

Novel program for automatic calculation of EPG variables.

The electrical penetration graph (EPG) technique is the most powerful tool for studying the feeding behavior of pierce-sucking insects. However, calculating EPG variables is often very time-consuming, and consequently, several software programs have been developed for the automatic calculation of EPG variables. Here we present a new user-friendly Excel Workbook that uses a standardized list of EPG variables and follows expert guidelines for calculating them. The program developed in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is a step up from the existing software and allows easy data analysis and interpretation. It also includes a novel option for dealing with the common problem of "truncated"-waveforms artificially terminated by the end of recording. The only requirement to run the program is Microsoft Excel software running under a PC environment. The Workbook was validated by calculating variables from EPG recordings of aphids and psyllids and the results obtained were compared with those of existing software such as the Sarria Workbook. Our EPG Workbook provides researchers with a reliable and standardized tool for the automatic calculation of up to 127 EPG variables from phloem-sap-sucking insects.

Hypothalamic AgRP neurons regulate the hyperphagia of lactation.

OBJECTIVE: The lactational period is associated with profound hyperphagia to accommodate the energy demands of nursing. These changes are important for the long-term metabolic health of the mother and children as altered feeding during lactation increases the risk of mothers and offspring developing metabolic disorders later in life. However, the specific behavioral mechanisms and neural circuitry mediating the hyperphagia of lactation are incompletely understood. METHODS: Here, we utilized home cage feeding devices to characterize the dynamics of feeding behavior in lactating mice. A combination of pharmacological and behavioral assays were utilized to determine how lactation alters meal structure, circadian aspects of feeding, hedonic feeding, and sensitivity to hunger and satiety signals in lactating mice. Finally, we utilized chemogenetic, immunohistochemical, and in vivo imaging approaches to characterize the role of hypothalamic agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons in lactational-hyperphagia. RESULTS: The lactational period is associated with increased meal size, altered circadian patterns of feeding, reduced sensitivity to gut-brain satiety signals, and enhanced sensitivity to negative energy balance. Hypothalamic AgRP neurons display increased sensitivity to negative energy balance and altered in vivo activity during the lactational state. Further, using in vivo imaging approaches we demonstrate that AgRP neurons are directly activated by lactation. Chemogenetic inhibition of AgRP neurons acutely reduces feeding in lactating mice, demonstrating an important role for these neurons in lactational-hyperphagia. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results show that lactation collectively alters multiple components of feeding behavior and position AgRP neurons as an important cellular substrate mediating the hyperphagia of lactation.

Nutritional Quality of the Mid-Afternoon Snack of Schooled Children between the Ages of 3 and 12 Years in Three Areas in Spain.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the nutritional quality of mid-afternoon snacks for schooled children aged 3 to 12 years in three areas of Catalonia (Spain). METHODS: A descriptive observational study collected information on habits and the mid-afternoon snack of 782 schooled children aged 3 to 12 years in three cities, Barcelona, Girona, and Lleida, located in Catalonia (Spain). The children's families voluntarily agreed to complete an online questionnaire that collected information about demographic data and snacking habits in the afternoon, as well as a record of mid-afternoon snack intake over three school days. RESULTS: A total of 2163 mid-afternoon snacks were analyzed from a sample of 764 families with 3 to 12 year-old children. Sandwiches emerged as the most prevalent choice, accounting for 41.89%, followed by pastries at 23.86%, fruit at 14.38%, and a combination of fruit and pastries at 6.29%. Of the mid-afternoon snacks recorded, 22.19% were healthy, 20.90% were quite healthy, 12.85% were quite unhealthy, and 44.06% were unhealthy. CONCLUSIONS: The nutritional quality of mid-afternoon snacks for a large majority of schooled children should be improved. It is essential to develop food education programs to improve the quality of this intake from early childhood and to consider it as an opportunity to adjust the daily dietary requirements of Spanish children.

Association of adverse childhood experiences with dietary patterns of school-age children: evidence from the birth cohort Generation XXI.

BACKGROUND: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been associated with health-risk behaviors and several chronic diseases in adulthood. However, the relationship between exposure to ACEs and dietary patterns at school age is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between ACEs and dietary patterns of 10-year-olds. METHODS: The study included 5034 children from the Generation XXI cohort, recruited in 2005/2006 in Porto, Portugal. ACEs were assessed through a self-administered questionnaire covering the first 10 years (y) of life, quantified and grouped into 5 dimensions: "abuse," "school problems," "death/severe disease," "life changes," and "household dysfunction." Dietary patterns were identified by latent class analysis using data collected with a validated food frequency questionnaire. Five dietary patterns were studied: "low consumption," "energy-dense foods," "snacking," "intermediate consumption," and "healthier" (used as reference). Multinomial regression analyses were conducted, adjusted for the child's sex, household income, family structure, and mother's age [odds ratio (OR) and 99% confidence intervals (CIs)]. RESULTS: Most children were exposed to ≥1 ACE (96%), and ∼27% had reported 6 or more ACEs throughout life. Those reporting 4-5 and ≥6 ACEs were more likely to follow the "Energy-dense foods" dietary pattern compared with those with no ACEs (OR: 2.41; 99% CI: 1.00, 5.77 and OR: 2.65; 99% CI: 1.10, 6.39, respectively). Children exposed to "abuse" in the first 10 y showed 28% higher odds of following the "low consumption" dietary pattern when compared to children with no reported ACEs and using the "healthier" dietary pattern as a reference (OR: 1.28; 99% CI: 1.00, 1.63). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to ACEs was associated with less healthy dietary patterns in school-aged children. Results suggest a cumulative effect of the adverse experiences resulting in a dietary pattern higher in energy-dense foods. Children with ACEs reported under the dimension of "abuse" seemed to have reduced food consumption.

Augmenting Aquaculture Efficiency through Involutional Neural Networks and Self-Attention for Oplegnathus Punctatus Feeding Intensity Classification from Log Mel Spectrograms.

Understanding the feeding dynamics of aquatic animals is crucial for aquaculture optimization and ecosystem management. This paper proposes a novel framework for analyzing fish feeding behavior based on a fusion of spectrogram-extracted features and deep learning architecture. Raw audio waveforms are first transformed into Log Mel Spectrograms, and a fusion of features such as the Discrete Wavelet Transform, the Gabor filter, the Local Binary Pattern, and the Laplacian High Pass Filter, followed by a well-adapted deep model, is proposed to capture crucial spectral and spectral information that can help distinguish between the various forms of fish feeding behavior. The Involutional Neural Network (INN)-based deep learning model is used for classification, achieving an accuracy of up to 97% across various temporal segments. The proposed methodology is shown to be effective in accurately classifying the feeding intensities of Oplegnathus punctatus, enabling insights pertinent to aquaculture enhancement and ecosystem management. Future work may include additional feature extraction modalities and multi-modal data integration to further our understanding and contribute towards the sustainable management of marine resources.

Survey on the Patterns of Feeding Difficulties and Behaviors in Filipino Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Seen in a Philippine Tertiary Hospital and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: To describe patterns of feeding difficulties and behaviors of Filipino children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: An electronic mealtime survey was administered to caregivers of 3- to 9-year-old children diagnosed with ASD in a Philippine tertiary government hospital. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses between feeding difficulties measured as Mealtime Survey Score, sociodemographic data, and early feeding history were performed. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to these was analyzed through a binomial test. Results: All of the 115 study subjects reported at least one problematic feeding behavior, with picky eating being the most frequent (61.74%). Significantly, more feeding difficulties were observed among the children with reported early feeding difficulties during their 2nd and 3rd year of life. There were no documented statistically significant changes in feeding behaviors during the past six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of feeding difficulties and problematic feeding behavior among Filipino children with ASD, however no significant changes to these during the past six months of the COVID-19 pandemic were documented. Present feeding difficulties and behaviors were associated with history of early feeding difficulties, highlighting the need to include feeding difficulties in screening tools, and early training programs and interventions for children with ASD.

Online feeding behavior monitoring of individual group-housed grow-finish pigs using a low-frequency RFID electronic feeding system.

Early identification of animals in need of management intervention is critical to maximize animal health and welfare and minimize issues with productivity. Feeding behavior, captured by automated feeding systems, can be used to monitor the health and welfare status of individual pigs. Here, we present a framework for monitoring feeding behavior of grow-finish pigs in real time, using a low-frequency radio frequency identification (RFID) system. Using historical data, an autoregressive linear model for predicting daily time at the feeder was developed and utilized to detect anomalous decreases in feeding behavior associated with health status of the pig. A total of 2,826 pigs were individually monitored with our warning system over the entire grow-finish period, and health warnings were compared to caretaker diagnoses. The system detected 55.7% of the caretaker diagnoses, and on average these events were detected 2.8 d earlier than diagnosis by the caretaker. High numbers of potentially spurious health warnings, generated by the system, can be partly explained by the lack of a reliable and repeatable gold standard reference data set. Results from this work provide a solid basis for monitoring individual animals, but further improvements to the system are necessary for practical implementation.

New record of Epinephelus quoyanus (Valenciennes, 1830) predation on green sea turtle hatchlings at a turtle nesting site.

This paper presents the observations of predation by the grouper Epinephelus quoyanus on sea turtle hatchlings in Chagar Hutang bay, Redang Island, Malaysia. Two of the eight collected specimens had hatchlings in their guts, whereas the remaining specimens had empty stomachs. This field report provides an in-depth understanding of the E. quoyanus diet and new insights into its feeding behavior.

GhHAM regulates GoPGF-dependent gland development and contributes to broad-spectrum pest resistance in cotton.

Cotton is a globally cultivated crop, producing 87% of the natural fiber used in the global textile industry. The pigment glands, unique to cotton and its relatives, serve as a defense structure against pests and pathogens. However, the molecular mechanism underlying gland formation and the specific role of pigment glands in cotton's pest defense are still not well understood. In this study, we cloned a gland-related transcription factor GhHAM and generated the GhHAM knockout mutant using CRISPR/Cas9. Phenotypic observations, transcriptome analysis, and promoter-binding experiments revealed that GhHAM binds to the promoter of GoPGF, regulating pigment gland formation in cotton's multiple organs via the GoPGF-GhJUB1 module. The knockout of GhHAM significantly reduced gossypol production and increased cotton's susceptibility to pests in the field. Feeding assays demonstrated that more than 80% of the cotton bollworm larvae preferred ghham over the wild type. Furthermore, the ghham mutants displayed shorter cell length and decreased gibberellins (GA) production in the stem. Exogenous application of GA3 restored stem cell elongation but not gland formation, thereby indicating that GhHAM controls gland morphogenesis independently of GA. Our study sheds light on the functional differentiation of HAM proteins among plant species, highlights the significant role of pigment glands in influencing pest feeding preference, and provides a theoretical basis for breeding pest-resistant cotton varieties to address the challenges posed by frequent outbreaks of pests.

5-HT Neurons Integrate GABA and Dopamine Inputs to Regulate Meal Initiation.

Obesity is a growing global health epidemic with limited effective therapeutics. Serotonin (5-HT) is one major neurotransmitter which remains an excellent target for new weight-loss therapies, but there remains a gap in knowledge on the mechanisms involved in 5-HT produced in the dorsal Raphe nucleus (DRN) and its involvement in meal initiation. Using a closed-loop optogenetic feeding paradigm, we showed that the 5-HTDRN→arcuate nucleus (ARH) circuit plays an important role in regulating meal initiation. Incorporating electrophysiology and ChannelRhodopsin-2-Assisted Circuit Mapping, we demonstrated that 5-HTDRN neurons receive inhibitory input partially from GABAergic neurons in the DRN, and the 5-HT response to GABAergic inputs can be enhanced by hunger. Additionally, deletion of the GABAA receptor subunit in 5-HT neurons inhibits meal initiation with no effect on the satiation process. Finally, we identified the instrumental role of dopaminergic inputs via dopamine receptor D2 in 5-HTDRN neurons in enhancing the response to GABA-induced feeding. Thus, our results indicate that 5-HTDRN neurons are inhibited by synergistic inhibitory actions of GABA and dopamine, which allows for the initiation of a meal.

Multi-Target Feeding-Behavior Recognition Method for Cows Based on Improved RefineMask.

Within the current process of large-scale dairy-cattle breeding, to address the problems of low recognition-accuracy and significant recognition-error associated with existing visual methods, we propose a method for recognizing the feeding behavior of dairy cows, one based on an improved RefineMask instance-segmentation model, and using high-quality detection and segmentation results to realize the recognition of the feeding behavior of dairy cows. Firstly, the input features are better extracted by incorporating the convolutional block attention module into the residual module of the feature extraction network. Secondly, an efficient channel attention module is incorporated into the neck design to achieve efficient integration of feature extraction while avoiding the surge of parameter volume computation. Subsequently, the GIoU loss function is used to increase the area of the prediction frame to optimize the convergence speed of the loss function, thus improving the regression accuracy. Finally, the logic of using mask information to recognize foraging behavior was designed, and the accurate recognition of foraging behavior was achieved according to the segmentation results of the model. We constructed, trained, and tested a cow dataset consisting of 1000 images from 50 different individual cows at peak feeding times. The method's effectiveness, robustness, and accuracy were verified by comparing it with example segmentation algorithms such as MSRCNN, Point_Rend, Cascade_Mask, and ConvNet_V2. The experimental results show that the accuracy of the improved RefineMask algorithm in recognizing the bounding box and accurately determining the segmentation mask is 98.3%, which is higher than that of the benchmark model by 0.7 percentage points; for this, the model parameter count size was 49.96 M, which meets the practical needs of local deployment. In addition, the technologies under study performed well in a variety of scenarios and adapted to various light environments; this research can provide technical support for the analysis of the relationship between cow feeding behavior and feed intake during peak feeding periods.

How Dietary Choices and Nutritional Knowledge Relate to Eating Disorders and Body Esteem of Medical Students? A Single-Center Cross-Sectional Study.

Eating disorders and body image concerns are increasingly prevalent issues among young individuals, with medical students being particularly vulnerable due to heightened stress levels. This study enrolled 879 medical students to investigate these concerns. The KomPAN questionnaire was utilized to assess dietary habits and knowledge, the Body Esteem Scale (BES) to evaluate body satisfaction, and The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) to identify eating disorders. A higher level of nutritional knowledge was found to be statistically significantly associated with attempts at excessive calorie restriction among women (ß = 0.0864) and negatively among men (ß = -0.2039). Moreover, it was negatively associated with self-control of food intake only among men (ß = -0.2060). Furthermore, a higher BMI was associated with attempts of excessive calorie restriction in both women and men (ß = 0.1052 and ß = 0.1656, respectively) and negatively with self-control of food intake (ß = -0.0813 and ß = -0.1453, respectively). A higher BMI was associated with poorer body esteem across all variables in both genders, except for upper body strength among men. Nutritional knowledge did not correspond with any of these variables, while dietary quality was positively associated with physical condition in women and with physical condition, physical attractiveness, and upper body strength in men. Our study findings suggest that dietary interventions could be improved by considering gender-based behavioral differences and focusing on portion control for individuals with a higher BMI. Caution is warranted in extrapolating the results to the general population due to the specific nature of the study population.

Stress-impaired reward pathway promotes distinct feeding behavior patterns.

Although dietary behaviors are affected by neuropsychiatric disorders, various environmental conditions can have strong effects as well. We found that mice under multiple stresses, including social isolation, intermittent high-fat diet, and physical restraint, developed feeding behavior patterns characterized by a deviated bait approach (fixated feeding). All the tested stressors affected dopamine release at the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) shell and dopamine normalization reversed the feeding defects. Moreover, inhibition of dopaminergic activity in the ventral tegmental area that projects into the NAcc shell caused similar feeding pattern aberrations. Given that the deviations were not consistently accompanied by changes in the amount consumed or metabolic factors, the alterations in feeding behaviors likely reflect perturbations to a critical stress-associated pathway in the mesolimbic dopamine system. Thus, deviations in feeding behavior patterns that reflect reward system abnormalities can be sensitive biomarkers of psychosocial and physical stress.

The Impact of Caregiver Pressure to Eat on Food Neophobia in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study.

(1) Background: With autistic children's high pervasiveness of eating problems and inappropriate feeding behaviors by their caregivers, this study wanted to inspect the connection between caregivers' pressure to eat and food neophobia in these children. (2) Methods: Cross-sectional overview of 160 guardians of kids aged 2 to 7 years. After one-on-one questioning by the researcher, the collected information on the socio-demographic characteristics of the children with autism, caregiver feeding behavior, and new food neophobia (FN) scores was entered into the Questionnaire Star system. (3) Results: The mean FN score was 25.56 ± 6.46. The caregiver's pressure to eat positively related to children's FN (ß = 0.164 95% CI, 0.078, 2.163). In these children, we found a negative correlation between FN score and the frequency of vegetable intake (p ≤ 0.001), fruit intake (p ≤ 0.05), aquatic product intake (p ≤ 0.05), and dietary diversity score (p ≤ 0.01), and positively correlated with the frequency of snack intake (p ≤ 0.05). (4) Conclusions: Caregiver pressure to eat was positively associated with high levels of FN in Chinese kids with ASD, which in turn negatively impacted dietary quality. To improve eating habits, caregivers should reconsider their feeding strategies and avoid using forceful methods to ease food neophobia in these children.

Effects of the level and source of dietary physically effective fiber on feed intake, nutrient utilization, heat energy, ruminal fermentation, and milk production by Alpine goats.

Thirty-two primiparous and 31 multiparous Alpine goats were used to determine influences of diets varying in level and source of forage on performance in early to mid-lactation for 16 wk. Diets consisted of 40%, 50%, 60%, and 70% forage (designated as 40F, 50F, 60F, and 70F, respectively) with 60F and 70F containing coarsely ground grass hay (primarily orchardgrass) and 40F and 50F containing cottonseed hulls, alfalfa pellets, and coarsely ground wheat hay. Diets contained 15.9% to 16.3% crude protein and 37.8%, 42.1%, 53.5%, and 55.4% neutral detergent fiber (NDF) with 10.0%, 15.8%, 50.1%, and 55.5% particle retention on a 19-mm sieve, and 26.1%, 29.6%, 38.3%, and 40.0% physically effective NDF (peNDF) for 40F, 50F, 60F, and 70F, respectively. Dry matter intake (2.71, 2.75, 1.96, and 1.95 kg/d) and milk yield (2.82, 2.71, 2.23, and 2.10 kg/d for 40F, 50F, 60F, and 70F, respectively) were lower (P < 0.05) for the two diets highest in forage. Digestion of organic matter was similar among diets (P > 0.05), but digestibility of NDF was greater (P < 0.05) for 60F and 70F (57.5%, 58.4%, 68.9%, and 72.2% for 40F, 50F, 60F, and 70F, respectively). Diet affected (P < 0.05) milk fat (3.16%, 3.37%, 2.93%, and 2.97%) and protein concentrations (2.62%, 2.69%, 2.58%, and 2.52% for 40F, 50F, 60F, and 70F, respectively). Milk energy yield was greater (P < 0.05) for the two diets lowest in forage (7.51, 7.45, 5.68, and 5.34 MJ/d), although yield relative to dry matter intake was not affected (P > 0.05) by diet and was lower (P < 0.05) for primiparous vs. multiparous goats (2.71 and 3.09 MJ/kg). Ruminal pH and acetate proportion were greater for 60F and 70F than for the other diets and the proportion of butyrate was lower for the two diets highest in fiber. The mean lengths of time spent ruminating, eating, standing, and lying were not affected (P > 0.05) by diet or parity, but many interactions involving diet, period, hour, and parity were significant (P < 0.05). In conclusion, lactational performance of Alpine goats in early to mid-lactation will be constrained with diets high in forage of moderate quality, peNDF content, and large particle size, which appeared related to limited feed intake.