scholarly journals Triiodothyronine (T3) levels fluctuate in response to ambient temperature rather than nutritional status in a wild tropical ungulate

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Hunninck ◽  
C R Jackson ◽  
R May ◽  
E Røskaft ◽  
R Palme ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Ambient Temperature ◽  
Food Quality ◽  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Food Competition ◽  
Physiological Status ◽  
Human Disturbances ◽  
Poor Nutritional Status

Abstract Animals can employ a range of physiological mechanisms in response to unpredictable changes within their environment, such as changes in food availability and human disturbances. For example, impala exhibit higher faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) levels—indicative of physiological stress—in response to low food quality and higher human disturbance. In this study, we measured faecal triiodothyronine (T3) metabolite (FTM) levels in 446 wild impala from 2016 to 2018 to test the hypothesis that environmental and human disturbances would affect their physiological status. We also validated a faecal thyroid hormone assay. T3 levels mainly regulate metabolic rate and drive thermoregulation—increasing with colder temperatures. We predicted that individuals would have lower FTM levels, indicative of poor physiological status, (i) when food quality was poor, (ii) when ambient temperature (Ta) was high, (iii) in areas of high human disturbance (due to food competition with livestock) and (iv) when FGM levels were high. Interestingly, we found that Ta was the most important predictor of FTM—FTM levels decreased by 70% from lowest to highest Ta—and food quality and human disturbance only influenced FTM levels when Ta was accounted for. FTM levels also tended to increase with increasing FGM levels, opposite our predictions. Our results suggest that food quality and availability may only partially influence FTM levels and that fluctuations in Ta are a significant driver of FTM levels in a wild tropical ungulate. Given that thyroid hormones are primarily responsible for regulating metabolic rate, they may be better indicators of how wild animals metabolically and energetically respond to environmental factors and only indicate poor nutritional status in extreme cases.

scholarly journals Physiological stress and behavioural responses of European Rollers and Eurasian Scops Owls to human disturbance differ in farming habitats in the south of Spain

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-235
Author(s):  
MÓNICA EXPÓSITO-GRANADOS ◽  
DESEADA PAREJO ◽  
OLIVIER CHASTEL ◽  
JESÚS M. AVILÉS
Keyword(s):  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Activity Rhythm ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Feeding Rates ◽  
The South ◽  
Human Disturbances ◽  
Nest Distribution

SummaryHuman activities are altering ecosystems and threatening the well-being of wildlife. The study of the stressful effects of human disturbances on animal distribution, physiology and behaviour can provide fundamental insights for wildlife conservation. Here, we assess how two declining birds, the European Roller Coracias garrulus and the European Scops Owl Otus scops, cope with alteration by human activities in farming habitats of the south of Spain. We studied nest distribution, quantified nestling physiology (corticosterone levels in plasma and feathers and body weight close to fledgling) and parental behaviour (feeding rates) of both species along a human alteration gradient. Rollers and Scops Owls used the same type of habitat and their spatial distribution was not determined by individual quality. In Rollers, nestlings raised in scrubland areas had high stress-induced corticosterone levels, possibly due to high predation risk in this habitat. In addition, Rollers and Scops Owls showed opposite relationships with farming activity and human disturbance. Nestling Rollers showed the highest corticosterone levels in feathers, weight and parental feeding rates in areas with intense farming activity. These results suggest that despite the disturbance produced by farming activities, inducing a higher stress in these areas, cultivated areas may, simultaneously, provide parents with a higher abundance of prey which would trigger increased feeding rates and, hence, higher nestling weights. Furthermore, nestling Scops Owls showed the highest stress-induced corticosterone levels in areas close to roads, suggesting that they would be affected by human disturbance due to infrastructures that disturb also at night when Scops Owls are active. Therefore, susceptibility to human disturbance may vary between species, probably due to variation in the daily pattern of human activities and the species’ activity rhythm, buffering or exacerbating the effects, which should be considered in future studies on human alterations and birds.

A High Masticatory Muscle Tone Predicts the Risk of Malnutrition and Frailty in Inpatient Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Gerontology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Yin-Hwa Shih ◽  
Zhen-Rong Hong ◽  
Shih-Min Hsia ◽  
Shang-Yu Yang ◽  
Tzong-Ming Shieh
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Masseter Muscle ◽  
Muscle Tone ◽  
Handgrip Strength ◽  
Muscle Performance ◽  
Masticatory Muscle ◽  
Masticatory Performance ◽  
Poor Nutritional Status

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The prevalence of malnutrition among inpatient older adults is as high as 20∼50%. Masticatory performance is known to affect the nutritional status of individuals. However, an objective measurement to reflect the real status of masticatory muscle performance is lacking at the bedside. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This pilot study analyzed the masticatory performance using surface electromyography (sEMG) of masticatory muscles that measures both muscle strength and muscle tone at the bedside. The nutritional status was measured using the Mini Nutritional Assessment tool. The handgrip strength was measured using a hand dynamometer. The statistical data were analyzed using SPSS 25 software. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The data revealed that female inpatient older adults more frequently had substandard handgrip strength (<i>p</i> = 0.028), an at-risk and poor nutritional status (<i>p</i> = 0.005), and a higher masseter muscle tone (<i>p</i> = 0.024). Inpatient older adults with an at-risk and poor nutritional status had an older age (<i>p</i> = 0.016), lower handgrip strength (<i>p</i> = 0.001), and higher average masseter muscle tone (<i>p</i> = 0.01). A high masseter muscle tone predicted the risk of having an at-risk and poor nutritional status. The at-risk or poor nutritional status predicted having a substandard handgrip strength by 5-fold. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> A high masticatory muscle tone predicts malnutrition and frailty. Medical professionals should combat masticatory dysfunction-induced malnutrition by detecting masticatory muscle performance using sEMG and referring patients to dental professionals. Additionally, encouraging inpatient older adults to perform oral motor exercise is recommended.

scholarly journals The relationship between poor nutritional status and progression of aortic calcification in patients on maintenance hemodialysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teppei Okamoto ◽  
Shingo Hatakeyama ◽  
Hirotake Kodama ◽  
Hirotaka Horiguchi ◽  
Yuka Kubota ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Aortic Calcification ◽  
Maintenance Hemodialysis ◽  
Poor Nutritional Status ◽  
The Relationship

scholarly journals Prevalence and Determinants of Nutritional Status Among Women and Children in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanumant Waghmare ◽  
Shekhar Chauhan ◽  
Santosh Kumar Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Urban Women ◽  
Wealth Quintile ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
Household Wealth ◽  
Poor Nutritional Status ◽  
Women And Children ◽  
Status Of Women

Abstract Background: Nutrition has been a low-priority area in Pakistan, with low visibility from the political leadership. Despite various efforts, Pakistan has been reported to have one of the highest prevalence of child and women malnutrition compared to other developing counties. Therefore, this study intends to examine the prevalence and determinants of nutritional status of women and children in Pakistan.Methods: The present study uses the Demographic Health Survey (DHS) data from Pakistan 2012-13 (PDHS-3). The nutritional status of women was examined through Body-Mass Index (Underweight, normal, overweight, & obese), and that of children was examined through stunting (severe and moderate), wasting (severe, moderate, overweight), and underweight (severe, moderate, overweight). Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis have been used along with multinomial logistic regression.Results: A higher proportion of children in rural areas were severely stunted (19.57% vs. 12.49%), severe wasted (2.36% vs. 2.23%), and severe underweight (9.37% vs. 6%) than their urban counterparts. A higher proportion of rural women (9.5% vs. 5.45%) were underweight than urban women, whereas a higher proportion of urban women were obese (24.32% vs. 19.01%) than rural women. The odds of severe stunting (OR= 0.24; C.I.=0.15-0.37), severe underweight (OR= 0.11; C.I.=0.05-0.22) were lower among children from the richest wealth quintile than their poorest counterparts. The Relative Risk Ratio (RRR) of being overweight (RRR= 3.7; C.I.=2.47-5.54) and Obese (RRR= 4.35; C.I.=2.67-7.07) than normal BMI were higher among women from richest wealth quintile than women belonged to poorest wealth quintile.Conclusion: This study has highlighted determinants associated with maternal and child nutritional status, whereby child’s nutritional status was measured by stunting, wasting, and underweight, and the mother’s nutritional status was measured by BMI. The main risk factors for child’s poor nutritional status include low household wealth, urban residence, and mother’s educational status. Similarly, the main risk factors for women’s poor nutritional status include increasing the women's age, educational status, rural residence, and household wealth. Emphasis should be placed on educating mothers as it would improve their nutritional status and improve their child’s nutritional status simultaneously.

scholarly journals Npvf: Hypothalamic Biomarker of Ambient Temperature Independent of Nutritional Status

PLoS Genetics ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e1005287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Jaroslawska ◽  
Agnieszka Chabowska-Kita ◽  
Monika M. Kaczmarek ◽  
Leslie P. Kozak
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Ambient Temperature
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