Modification of Mediterranean Diet Pyramid from an Island's perspective / Alteração da Pirâmide Alimentar Mediterrânea na perspectiva de uma Ilha

ABSTRACT Objective The present study aimed to determine traditional and local food consumption and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in Cyprus. And also, aimed to improve their adherence to the Mediterranean diet and traditional and local food consumption. From this point, this current study aimed to revise the Cyprus Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, based on the Current Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. Methods The sample size was calculated as a minimum of 386 according to a 95.0% confidence interval, and a 5.0% error. This study was conducted online between November 2020-April 2021 in Cyprus. All volunteers were invited to this study on the national public internet platforms. Participant´s adherence to the Mediterranean diet was determined by the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener. Traditional and local food consumption frequencies were determined by a Food Frequency Questionnaire. A novel Cyprus Mediterranean Diet Pyramid was developed with traditional and local food items for Cyprus. The modification was also aimed to safeguard planet health, to increase traditional food consumption and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Results 1,007 adults (78.0% native islanders/Cypriots) participated voluntarily in the current study. The mean Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener score was 7.55±2.30 points and only 34.4% had high adherence to the Mediterranean diet. According to their responses, there was a need to increase use of olive oil, vegetables, fruits, fish, and red wine consumption and to decrease red meat and dessert consumption. According to responses to the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener and their traditional/local food consumption frequencies an up-to-date Cyprus Mediterranean Diet Pyramid was done hence a national food pyramid for Cyprus. Commonly consumed traditional and local foods were added to the pyramid to facilitate increased adaptation of the Mediterranean diet in the general population. Adequately consumed foods were added to make it more region-specific and rarely consumed foods were added to help to increase consumption. Conclusion This modification is believed to be instrumental to increase Mediterranean diet adaptation, traditional/local food consumption and decrease the impact of nutrition on the planet´s health. And also, this modification can shed light on the development of the other traditional food pyramids.

RESUMO Objetivo Este estudo teve como objetivo determinar o consumo alimentar tradicional e local, bem como a adesão à dieta mediterrânea no Chipre. Também teve como objetivo melhorar a adesão à dieta mediterrânea e ao consumo de alimentos tradicionais e locais. A partir desse ponto, este trabalho atual teve como objetivo revisar a Pirâmide da Dieta Mediterrânea do Chipre, que é baseada na Pirâmide da Dieta Mediterrânea Atual. Métodos O tamanho da amostra foi calculado com um mínimo de 386 de acordo com intervalo de confiança de 95,0% e erro de 5,0%. Este estudo foi realizado online entre novembro de 2020 e abril de 2021 em Chipre. Todos os voluntários foram convidados para esta análise nas plataformas públicas nacionais de internet. A adesão dos participantes à dieta mediterrânea foi avaliada pelo Medidor de Adesão à Dieta Mediterrânea. As frequências de consumo alimentar tradicional e local foram determinadas pelo Questionário de Frequência Alimentar. Foi desenvolvida uma nova Pirâmide da Dieta Mediterrânica de e para o Chipre, com alimentos tradicionais e locais. A modificação teve também como objetivo salvaguardar a saúde do planeta, aumentar o consumo de alimentos tradicionais e a adesão à dieta mediterrânea. Resultados No total de 1.007 adultos (78,0% naturais da ilha/cipriotas) participaram voluntariamente no estudo. A pontuação média obtida no Medidor de Adesão à Dieta Mediterrânea foi de 7,55±2,30 pontos, com apenas 34,4% aderindo fortemente à dieta mediterrânea. De acordo com as suas respostas, houve necessidade de aumentar a utilização de azeite, vegetais, frutas, peixe e vinho tinto, bem como de diminuir o consumo de carnes vermelhas e sobremesas. Com base nas suas respostas ao Medidor de Adesão à Dieta Mediterrânea e as suas frequências de consumo alimentar tradicional/local, foi feita uma pirâmide da Dieta Mediterrânea do Chipre atualizada, ou seja, uma pirâmide alimentar nacional para o Chipre. Alimentos locais e regionais comumente consumidos foram adicionados à pirâmide para aumentar a adesão à dieta mediterrânea. Alimentos consumidos de acordo com as recomendações foram adicionados para torná-los específico da região, e alimentos pouco consumidos foram adicionados para ajudar a aumentar o consumo. Conclusão Acredita-se que esta modificação seja determinante para aumentar a adaptação da dieta mediterrânea e o consumo de alimentos tradicionais e locais, além de diminuir o impacto da nutrição na saúde do planeta. Ainda, essa modificação pode lançar luz sobre o desenvolvimento das outras pirâmides alimentares tradicionais.

Morphometric characteristics and seasonal proximity to water of the Cypriot bluntnosed viper Macrovipera lebetina lebetina (Linnaeus, 1758)

Background:The blunt-nosed viperMacrovipera lebetina(Linnaeus, 1758) is a medically important snake species inthe Middle East. Its nominate subspeciesMacrovipera l. lebetinais confined to Cyprus, where it is the only dangerouslyvenomous snake species and heavily pursued. Despite the vipers large size, data on its body mass and sex-specificmorphological differences are scarce. It is commonly believed thatM. l. lebetinaprefers freshwater proximity duringsummer. Hence, we aimed at investigatingM. l. lebetinasex-specific morphological differences and its possibleattraction to freshwater bodies in late summer.Methods:Morphometric characteristics, proximity to water and conservation status ofM. l. lebetinawere investigatedin Paphos district (Cyprus) in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Vipers were caught in different habitats, examined morphologicallyfor metric and meristic characters, and released back into their habitat. Additionally, local people were interviewedabout the conservation situation of the species.Results:Of 38 recorded blunt-nosed vipers, morphological characteristics were collected from 34 (10 adult males, 16adult females, eight unsexed juveniles). Rounded total length (ToL) ranged from 23.5 cm to 133.0 cm and weightbetween 10 g and 1456 g. Adult males significantly exceeded adult females in tail length (TaL), ToL and head length(HL). No significant sex-specific differences were found in snout-vent length (SVL), head width (HW), weight or bodycondition index (BCI), nor for the ratios TaL / SVL, TaL / ToL, HL / SVL or HL / HW. Adult females from late summer(2015) had a significantly lower mean BCI than those from spring (2014).Distances of blunt-nosed vipers to the nearest water bodies (natural and artificial...(AU)

Morphometric characteristics and seasonal proximity to water of the Cypriot blunt-nosed viper Macrovipera lebetina lebetina (Linnaeus, 1758).

BACKGROUND: The blunt-nosed viper Macrovipera lebetina (Linnaeus, 1758) is a medically important snake species in the Middle East. Its nominate subspecies Macrovipera l. lebetina is confined to Cyprus, where it is the only dangerously venomous snake species and heavily pursued. Despite the viper's large size, data on its body mass and sex-specific morphological differences are scarce. It is commonly believed that M. l. lebetina prefers freshwater proximity during summer. Hence, we aimed at investigating M. l. lebetina sex-specific morphological differences and its possible attraction to freshwater bodies in late summer. METHODS: Morphometric characteristics, proximity to water and conservation status of M. l. lebetina were investigated in Paphos district (Cyprus) in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Vipers were caught in different habitats, examined morphologically for metric and meristic characters, and released back into their habitat. Additionally, local people were interviewed about the conservation situation of the species. RESULTS: Of 38 recorded blunt-nosed vipers, morphological characteristics were collected from 34 (10 adult males, 16 adult females, eight unsexed juveniles). Rounded total length (ToL) ranged from 23.5 cm to 133.0 cm and weight between 10 g and 1456 g. Adult males significantly exceeded adult females in tail length (TaL), ToL and head length (HL). No significant sex-specific differences were found in snout-vent length (SVL), head width (HW), weight or body condition index (BCI), nor for the ratios TaL / SVL, TaL / ToL, HL / SVL or HL / HW. Adult females from late summer (2015) had a significantly lower mean BCI than those from spring (2014).Distances of blunt-nosed vipers to the nearest water bodies (natural and artificial, respectively) did not differ significantly between spring (2014) and late summer (2015). There was also no significant difference between the distances of vipers to natural and to artificial water bodies in spring (and late summer). CONCLUSIONS: Adult male blunt-nosed vipers exceed adult females in TaL, ToL and HL. Adult females are likely in a more vulnerable body condition in late summer than in spring. Periodic drying out of freshwater bodies in summer probably does not affect the species' occurrence. Educational workshops and habitat conservation are recommended for reducing human-viper conflict.

Morphometric characteristics and seasonal proximity to water of the Cypriot bluntnosed viper Macrovipera lebetina lebetina (Linnaeus, 1758)

The blunt-nosed viper Macrovipera lebetina (Linnaeus, 1758) is a medically important snake species in the Middle East. Its nominate subspecies Macrovipera l. lebetina is confined to Cyprus, where it is the only dangerously venomous snake species and heavily pursued. Despite the viper's large size, data on its body mass and sex-specific morphological differences are scarce. It is commonly believed that M. l. lebetina prefers freshwater proximity during summer. Hence, we aimed at investigating M. l. lebetina sex-specific morphological differences and its possible attraction to freshwater bodies in late summer. Methods: Morphometric characteristics, proximity to water and conservation status of M. l. lebetina were investigated in Paphos district (Cyprus) in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Vipers were caught in different habitats, examined morphologically for metric and meristic characters, and released back into their habitat. Additionally, local people were interviewed about the conservation situation of the species. Results: Of 38 recorded blunt-nosed vipers, morphological characteristics were collected from 34 (10 adult males, 16 adult females, eight unsexed juveniles). Rounded total length (ToL) ranged from 23.5 cm to 133.0 cm and weight between 10 g and 1456 g. Adult males significantly exceeded adult females in tail length (TaL), ToL and head length (HL). No significant sex-specific differences were found in snout-vent length (SVL), head width (HW), weight or body condition index (BCI), nor for the ratios TaL / SVL, TaL / ToL, HL / SVL or HL / HW. Adult females from late summer (2015) had a significantly lower mean BCI than those from spring (2014). Distances of blunt-nosed vipers to the nearest water bodies (natural and artificial, respectively) did not differ significantly between spring (2014) and late summer (2015). There was also no significant difference between the distances of vipers to natural and to artificial water bodies in spring (and late summer). Conclusions: Adult male blunt-nosed vipers exceed adult females in TaL, ToL and HL. Adult females are likely in a more vulnerable body condition in late summer than in spring. Periodic drying out of freshwater bodies in summer probably does not affect the species' occurrence. Educational workshops and habitat conservation are recommended for reducing human-viper conflict.(AU)

HLA-G variability and haplotypes detected by massively parallel sequencing procedures in the geographicaly distinct population samples of Brazil and Cyprus.

The HLA-G molecule presents immunomodulatory properties that might inhibit immune responses when interacting with specific Natural Killer and T cell receptors, such as KIR2DL4, ILT2 and ILT4. Thus, HLA-G might influence the outcome of situations in which fine immune system modulation is required, such as autoimmune diseases, transplants, cancer and pregnancy. The majority of the studies regarding the HLA-G gene variability so far was restricted to a specific gene segment (i.e., promoter, coding or 3' untranslated region), and was performed by using Sanger sequencing and probabilistic models to infer haplotypes. Here we propose a massively parallel sequencing (NGS) with a bioinformatics strategy to evaluate the entire HLA-G regulatory and coding segments, with haplotypes inferred relying more on the straightforward haplotyping capabilities of NGS, and less on probabilistic models. Then, HLA-G variability was surveyed in two admixed population samples of distinct geographical regions and demographic backgrounds, Cyprus and Brazil. Most haplotypes (promoters, coding, 3'UTR and extended ones) were detected both in Brazil and Cyprus and were identical to the ones already described by probabilistic models, indicating that these haplotypes are quite old and may be present worldwide.

Distribution and prevalence of major risk factors of noncommunicable diseases in selected countries: the WHO Inter-Health Programme.

The Inter-Health Programme was launched in 1986 by WHO, with the collaboration of a coordination centre (National Public Health Institute, Finland) to control and prevent chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCDs) among adults. Programmes for action were organized based on the concept that most major CNCDs share common risk factors and that those that are lifestyle related are modifiable through efficient interventions using multifactorial strategies involving community participation and behaviour changes carried out at the primary health care level. Twelve countries from all WHO Regions have joined the programme. A baseline survey was undertaken in all countries with a common protocol, following the criteria and methods employed in the MONICA Project. Altogether 36815 men and women aged 35-64 years were included in the present analysis from the following Inter-Health countries: Chile, China, Cyprus, Finland, Lithuanian SSR, Malta, Mauritius, Russian SFSR, United Republic of Tanzania, and USA. In addition to individual country analysis, centralized analysis was carried out at the Finnish National Public Health Institute and the Department of Community Health, Kuopio University, Finland. Reported here are the mean values of blood pressure, body mass index, and serum total cholesterol as well as specific prevalences of smoking, hypertension, obesity, and hypercholesterolaemia.

PIP: The Inter-Health Program was launched in 1986 by the World Health Organization (WHO) with the collaboration of Finland's National Public Health Institute to control and prevent chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCDs) among adults. The program consists of interventions designed to modify the levels of the major risk factors of CNCDs in the community through an integrated, community-oriented approach to health promotion and maintenance. 12 countries from all WHO regions have joined the program. The effects of intervention activities were measured by examining changes in the status of risk factors in populations before and after a given intervention. A baseline survey was conducted in all of the Inter-Health countries with a common protocol to identify the relevant risk factors. 36,815 men and women aged 35-64 from Chile, China, Cyprus, Finland, Lithuania, Malta, Mauritius, Russia, Tanzania, and the US were surveyed. This paper reports the mean values of blood pressure, body mass index, and serum total cholesterol as well as specific prevalences of smoking, hypertension, obesity, and hypercholesterolemia.