1. Kale (Brassica oleracea) and ryegrass (Lolium perenne)–clover (Trifolium repens) pasture grown under similar soil conditions were grazed in the vegetative state by growing lambs of 23·6 kg initial live weight for 24 weeks. Forty-eight lambs grazed each forage. The kale and pasture contained respectively 4 and 14 mg copper/kg dry matter (DM), 7·2 and 3·1 g total sulphur/kg DM and 0·4 and 1·1 mg molybdenum/kg DM.

2. Subcutaneous injections of Cu (12 mg) were given to half the animals grazing each forage during weeks 1, 6, 12 and 18.

3. All ninety-six animals were slaughtered at the end of the experiment and an additional group of twelve animals was slaughtered when the experiment commenced. Liver Cu was determined on all slaughtered animals and heart muscle cytochrome oxidase (EC 1.9.3.1) activity on those slaughtered at week 24. Blood samples removed at 6-week intervals were assayed for activity of superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1; SOD) and serum Cu concentration determined. Wool growth, live-weight gain and cytochrome oxidase activity of biopsied hind-limb muscle were also measured at 6-week intervals.

4. Control animals grazing pasture showed an accumulation of total liver Cu during the experiment. Animals grazing this diet and given Cu injections showed an additional accumulation of liver Cu equivalent to the supplementary Cu administered, but Cu supplementationdid not affect the activity of any of the Cu-containing enzymes measured and did not affect live-weight gain or wool growth.

5. Control animals grazing kale showed a depletion of total liver Cu and reductions in serum Cu concentrations during weeks 18 and 24. However, cytochrome oxidase activity inheart and hind-limb muscle was similar to that of pasture-fed lambs. Blood SOD activity was reduced by kale feeding, but a laboratory study showed this enzyme was not inactivatedby dimethyl disulphide produced from rumen fermentation of S-methyl-L-cysteine sulphoxide(SMCO) which occurs in kale.

6. Cu supplementation of kale-fed lambs had no effect on hind-limb cytochrome oxidaseactivity, but considerably increased total cytochrome oxidase activity in the heart and minimized the reduction in blood SOD activity. Both are considered to represent defence mechanisms against the haemolytic anaemia caused by SMCO. However, Cu supplementation did not affect live-weight gain or wool growth.

7. The proportion of injected Cu not recovered in the liver at slaughter was greater for lambs grazing kale than ryegrass–clover pasture and the same result was calculated from Barry et al. (1981) for growing cattle. It was therefore concluded that Cu requirements must be greater for growing sheep and cattle grazing kale than ryegrass-clover pasture.

The present study examined whether exposure to vitamin D from fortified margarine and milk during prenatal life influenced mean birth weight and the risk of high or low birth weight. The study was based on the Danish vitamin D fortification programme, which was a societal intervention with mandatory fortification of margarine during 1961–1985 and voluntary fortification of low-fat milk between 1972 and 1976. The influence of prenatal vitamin D exposure on birth weight was investigated among 51 883 Danish children, by comparing birth weight among individuals born during 2 years before or after the initiation and termination of vitamin D fortification programmes. In total, four sets of analyses were performed. Information on birth weight was available in the Copenhagen School Health Record Register for all school children in Copenhagen. The mean birth weight was lower among the exposed than non-exposed children during all study periods (milk initiation − 20·3 (95 % CI − 39·2, − 1·4) g; milk termination − 25·9 (95 % CI − 46·0, − 5·7) g; margarine termination − 45·7 (95 % CI − 66·6, − 24·8) g), except during the period around the initiation of margarine fortification, where exposed children were heavier than non-exposed children (margarine initiation 27·4 (95 % CI 10·8, 44·0) g). No differences in the odds of high (>4000 g) or low ( < 2500 g) birth weight were observed between the children exposed and non-exposed to vitamin D fortification prenatally. Prenatal exposure to vitamin D from fortified margarine and milk altered birth weight, but the effect was small and inconsistent, reaching the conclusion that vitamin D fortification seems to be clinically irrelevant in relation to fetal growth.

This study determined the validity, reproducibility and usability of a smartphone app – APPetite – for the measure of free-living, subjective appetite. Validity was assessed compared with the criterion tool of pen-and-paper visual analogue scale (VAS) (n 22). Appetite was recorded using APPetite and VAS, one immediately after the other, upon waking and every hour thereafter for 12 h. This was repeated the next day with the order of tool reversed. Agreement between tools was assessed using Bland–Altman analysis. Reproducibility and usability were assessed in a separate experiment (n 22) of two trials (APPetite v. VAS), separated by 7 d. Appetite was recorded in duplicate upon waking and every hour for 12 h using APPetite or VAS. Agreement between duplicate measures was assessed using Bland–Altman analysis and CV was compared between tools. Usability was assessed by comparing compliance and by qualitative evaluation. APPetite demonstrated good criterion validity with trivial bias of 1·65 units/mm·h–1 between APPetite- and VAS-derived AUC appetite scores. Limits of agreement were within a maximum allowed difference of 10 %. However, proportional bias was observed. APPetite demonstrated high reproducibility, with minimal bias (–0·578 units·h–1) and no difference in CV between APPetite and VAS (1·29 ± 1·42 % v. 1·54 ± 2·36 %, P = 0·64). Compliance was high with APPetite (92·7 ± 8·0 %) and VAS (91·6 ± 20·4 %, P = 0·81). Ninety percent of participants preferred APPetite, citing greater accessibility, simplified process and easier/quicker use. While proportional bias precludes using APPetite and VAS interchangeably, APPetite appears a valid, reproducible and highly usable tool for measuring free-living appetite in young-to-middle-aged adults.

A healthful diet and sufficient physical activity (PA) are related to several health outcomes. However, there is a paucity of data on the association of PA and dietary pattern with life satisfaction (LS) in the older adults aged ≥65. The present study investigated the independent and combined association of PA and Baltic Sea diet (BSD) score with LS in older Finnish women. Subjects were 554 women aged 65–72 years from the Osteoporosis Risk Factor and Prevention – Fracture Prevention Study. Women reported the hours and type of PA and lifestyle factors via questionnaires and dietary intake using the 3-d food record. Adequate PA was considered according to WHO recommendation: PA = 0, 0 < PA < 2·5 and ≥2·5 h/week. BSD score was categorised as <13 or ≥13 based on the median score. LS was self-reported using LS scale with four items on current ‘interest’, ‘happiness in life’, ‘ease of living’ and ‘feelings of loneliness’ (range: 4–20, lower score representing higher satisfaction). After adjusting for the confounders, PA was statistically significantly associated with lower LS score (β coefficient = −0·207, P = 0·001), where women with PA ≥ 2·5 h/week had the lowest LS score followed by women with 0 < PA < 2·5 and PA = 0 (Pfor trend = 0·020). Association between BSD and LS was NS. Only among women with BSD score ≥ 13, but not BSD < 13, PA ≥ 2·5 h/week was statistically significantly associated with lower LS score (mean = 9·3), followed by 0 < PA < 2·5 (mean = 9·9) and PA = 0 groups (mean = 11·8) (Pfor trend = 0·033). In conclusion, adequate PA according to WHO recommendation independently and in combination with higher BSD score may be associated with higher LS in older women.

Nutritional therapy should follow evidence-based practice, thus several societies regarding nutrition and critical care have developed specific Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG). However, to be regarded as trustworthy, the quality of the CPG for critically ill patients and its recommendations need to be high. This systematic review aimed to appraise the methodology and recommendations of nutrition CPG for critically ill patients. We performed a systematic review (protocol number CRD42020184199) with literature search conducted on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and other four specific databases of guidelines up to October 2021. Two reviewers, independently, assessed titles and abstracts and potentially eligible full-text reports to determine eligibility and subsequently four reviewers appraised the guidelines quality using the Advancing Guideline Development, Reporting and Evaluation in Health Care instrument II (AGREE-II) and AGREE-Recommendation Excellence (AGREE-REX). Ten CPG for nutrition in critically ill patients were identified. Only Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and European Society of Intensive Care Medicine had a total acceptable quality and were recommended for daily practice according AGREE-II. None of the CPG recommendations had an overall quality score above 70 %, thus being classified as moderate quality according AGREE-REX. The methodological evaluation of the critically ill adult patient CPG revealed significant discrepancies and showed a need for improvement in its development and/or reporting. In addition, recommendations about nutrition care process presented a moderate quality.

The effect and the mechanism of high glucose on fish muscle cells are not fully understood. In the present study, muscle cells of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) were treated with high glucose (33 mM) in vitro. Cells were incubated in three kinds of medium containing 5 mM glucose, 5 mM glucose and 28 mM mannitol (as an isotonic contrast) or 33 mM glucose named the Control group, the Mannitol group and the high glucose (HG) group, respectively. Results showed that high glucose increased the ADP:ATP ratio and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), induced the release of cytochrome C (CytC) and cell apoptosis. High glucose also led to cell glycogen accumulation by increasing the glucose uptake ability and affecting the mRNA expressions of glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase. Meanwhile, it activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), inhibited the activity of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway and the expressions of myogenic regulatory factors (MRF). The expressions of myostatin-1 (mstn-1) and E3 ubiquitin ligases including muscle RING-finger protein 1 (murf-1) and muscle atrophy F-box protein (mafbx) were also increased by the high glucose treatment. No difference was found between the Mannitol group and the Control group. These results demonstrate that high glucose has the effects of inducing apoptosis, increasing glycogen accumulation and inhibiting protein synthesis on muscle cells of olive flounder. The mitochondria-mediated apoptotic signalling pathway, AMPK and mTOR pathways participated in these biological effects.

Evidence from randomised controlled trials supports beneficial effects of total dairy products on body weight, fat and lean mass, but evidence on associations of dairy types with distributions of body fat and lean mass is limited. We aimed to investigate associations of total and different types of dairy products with markers of adiposity, and body fat and lean mass distribution. We evaluated cross-sectional data from 12 065 adults aged 30–65 years recruited to the Fenland Study between 2005 and 2015 in Cambridgeshire, UK. Diet was assessed with an FFQ. We estimated regression coefficients (or percentage differences) and their 95 % CI using multiple linear regression models. The medians of milk, yogurt and cheese consumption were 293 (interquartile range (IQR) 146–439), 35·3 (IQR 8·8–71·8) and 14·6 (IQR 4·8–26·9) g/d, respectively. Low-fat dairy consumption was inversely associated with visceral:subcutaneous fat ratio estimated with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (–2·58 % (95 % CI –3·91, –1·23 %) per serving/d). Habitual consumption per serving/d (200 g) of milk was associated with 0·33 (95 % CI 0·19, 0·46) kg higher lean mass. Other associations were not significant after false discovery correction. Our findings suggest that the influence of milk consumption on lean mass and of low-fat dairy consumption on fat mass distribution may be potential pathways for the link between dairy consumption and metabolic risk. Our cross-sectional findings warrant further research in prospective and experimental studies in diverse populations.

1. In sheep, provided with re-entrant cannulas in the caudal duodenum and with an infusion tube into the abomasal fundus, emptying of the liquid phase of the abomasal contents was studied with [57Co]EDTA. Radioactivity was measured continuously with Geiger-Müller counters placed along the re-entrant cannulas.

2. It appeared that first-order kinetics could be applied to the elimination of [57Co]EDTA from the abomasum. Mean retention time of this label in the abomasum was 40–50 min.

3. Infusion of a suspension of soya-bean protein in saline (9 g sodium chloride/l) caused an initially decreased rate of abomasal emptying, but after 48 h an adaptation had occurred to the original rate of emptying producing an increased volume of abomasal contents and increased flow-rate of digesta into the duodenum.

1. An experiment was conducted with 4600 children in nine schools, in which an attempt was made to persuade a greater number of children to take school milk. The proportion taking the milk before the experiment ranged from about 25 to 65%.

2. Four methods of nutrition education were used: posters, lectures and films each in two schools, and pamphlets in one school. The remaining two schools acted as controls.

3. The material was used for one term in all seven ‘experimental’ schools, and again for the following term in one of the schools receiving each of the different forms of education.

4. Although it appears that there was a small increase in the number of children that said they would take milk, there was no significant increase in the number that did in fact do so, in either the first or the first or the second term.

5. The analysis of the possible causes for this failure to increase milk consumption suggests that nutrition education does not affect dietary behaviour if the factors that limit consumption are sufficiently strong.

Whether starchy and non-starchy vegetables have distinct impacts on health remains unknown. We prospectively investigated the intake of starchy and non-starchy vegetables in relation to mortality risk in a nationwide cohort. Diet was assessed using 24-h dietary recalls. Deaths were identified via the record linkage to the National Death Index. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI were calculated using Cox regression. During a median follow-up of 7·8 years, 4904 deaths were documented among 40 074 participants aged 18 years or older. Compared to those with no consumption, participants with daily consumption of ≥ 1 serving of non-starchy vegetables had a lower risk of mortality (HR = 0·76, 95 % CI 0·66, 0·88, Ptrend = 0·001). Dark-green and deep-yellow vegetables (HR = 0·79, 95 % CI 0·63, 0·99, Ptrend = 0·023) and other non-starchy vegetables (HR = 0·80, 95 % CI 0·70, 0·92, Ptrend = 0·004) showed similar results. Total starchy vegetable intake exhibited a marginally weak inverse association with mortality risk (HR = 0·89, 95 % CI 0·80, 1·00, Ptrend = 0·048), while potatoes showed a null association (HR = 0·93, 95 % CI 0·82, 1·06, Ptrend = 0·186). Restricted cubic spline analysis suggested a linear dose–response relationship between vegetable intake and death risk, with a plateau at over 300 and 200 g/d for total and non-starchy vegetables, respectively. Compared with starchy vegetables, non-starchy vegetables might be more beneficial to health, although both showed a protective association with mortality risk. The risk reduction in mortality plateaued at approximately 200 g/d for non-starchy vegetables and 300 g/d for total vegetables.

To examine the associations of salt perception with salt intake and blood pressure levels in general populations, we performed a cross-sectional study in two communities where salt intake level is different, Akita and Osaka in Japan. Taste perception (detection for certain taste and recognition for salt taste) was determined using a Na-impregnated test strip for 1024 Akita and 1199 Osaka adults aged 30–74 years. The proportions of detection for 0·1 % salt were 61, 62, 79, and 79 % in Akita men, Osaka men, Akita women and Osaka women, respectively. The corresponding proportions of not recognising of 1·6 % salt taste (>1·6 %) were 34, 30, 16 and 21 %. Detection threshold was higher in Akita than in Osaka for women aged 60–74 years, and recognition threshold was lower in Akita than in Osaka for women aged 30–59 and 60–74 years. The high detection (≥0·4 %) and recognition (>1·6 %) thresholds of salt taste were associated with higher salt intake scores for Akita men aged 30–59 years, whose detection and recognition thresholds tended be positively associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP) after adjustment for potential confounders. Among Akita elderly men, detection threshold tended to be positively associated with SBP and DBP, while among Akita middle-aged women, recognition threshold was associated with SBP. In conclusion, the high thresholds of salt perception were inversely associated with salt intake for Akita middle-aged men and with blood pressure levels for Akita middle-aged and elderly men and middle-aged women.

Identifying nutritional deficits and implementing appropriate interventions in patients requiring vascular surgery is challenging due to the paucity of appropriate screening and assessment tools in this group. This retrospective study aimed to determine the validity of the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) in identifying protein–energy malnutrition (PEM) in inpatients admitted to a vascular surgery unit, using the PG-SGA as the comparator. Diagnostic accuracy and consistency were determined between the GLIM and the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) global rating. The GLIM determination was made retrospectively using the relevant parameters collected at baseline in the original study. Two hundred and twenty-four (70·1 % male) participants were included. The prevalence of PEM was 28·6 % on GLIM and 17 % via the PG-SGA. Compared with the PG-SGA, the GLIM achieved sensitivity of 73·7 % and specificity of 80·6 %; however positive predictive value was 43·7 % indicating that the GLIM over-diagnosed malnutrition compared with the PG-SGA. Kappa reached 0·427 indicating moderate diagnostic consistency. Due to the absence of an ideal instrument and the complexity of malnutrition often seen in this group which extends beyond PEM to significant micronutrient deficiencies, further work is required to determine the most appropriate instrument in this patient group, and how micronutrient status can also be included in the overall assessment given the critical role of micronutrients in this group.

Using data from a nationally generalisable birth cohort, we aimed to: (i) describe the cohort’s adherence to national evidence-based dietary guidelines using an Infant Feeding Index (IFI) and (ii) assess the IFI’s convergent construct validity, by exploring associations with antenatal maternal socio-demographic and health behaviours and with child overweight/obesity and central adiposity at age 54 months. Data were from the Growing Up in New Zealand cohort (n 6343). The IFI scores ranged from zero to twelve points, with twelve representing full adherence to the guidelines. Overweight/obesity was defined by BMI-for-age (based on the WHO Growth Standards). Central adiposity was defined as waist-to-height ratio > 90th percentile. Associations were tested using multiple linear regression and Poisson regression with robust variance (risk ratios, 95 % CI). Mean IFI score was 8·2 (sd 2·1). Maternal characteristics explained 29·1 % of variation in the IFI score. Maternal age, education and smoking had the strongest independent relationships with IFI scores. Compared with children in the highest IFI tertile, girls in the lowest and middle tertiles were more likely to be overweight/obese (1·46, 1·03, 2·06 and 1·56, 1·09, 2·23, respectively) and boys in the lowest tertile were more likely to have central adiposity (1·53, 1·02, 2·30) at age 54 months. Most infants fell short of meeting national Infant Feeding Guidelines. The associations between IFI score and maternal characteristics, and children’s overweight/obesity/central adiposity, were in the expected directions and confirm the IFI’s convergent construct validity.

A dynamic model was developed to assess insulin sensitivity and pancreatic response in lactating dairy cows. The model is based on a simultaneous analysis of insulin and glucose intravenous tolerance tests. It comprises five compartments corresponding to insulin in portal–hepatic plasma, and insulin or glucose in both systemic plasma and in interstitial fluid. Insulin secretion rate is a sigmoidal function of glucose in plasma. Insulin is cleared from hepatic plasma and from the interstitial fluid. The glucose entry rate is constant and glucose utilization rate is a sigmoidal function of insulin in the interstitial fluid. Six parameters were estimated: two for insulin secretion rate, two for insulin clearance, one for glucose entry rate and one for glucose utilization rate. After integration of the functions, the model yielded a relative estimate of the quantities of insulin secreted and cleared, as well as the glucose entering and utilized during each test. Using an experimental dataset composed of ten pairs of tolerance tests, the explained variations for plasma insulin and glucose concentrations were 96·0 and 98·3 % and standard errors of estimates were 0·032 nmol/l and 0·14 mmol/l respectively. Except in the early stages after injection, residual errors were low. A Jackknife analysis showed that the estimated parameters exhibited low statistical bias. This model simplifies the interpretation of both tests through a simulation based on six common parameters. Compared to a classical analysis of tolerance tests, it may improve the analysis of modifications in the key functions regulating glucose homeostasis in ruminants.