The state of food systems worldwide in the countdown to 2030

This Analysis presents a recently developed food system indicator framework and holistic monitoring architecture to track food system transformation towards global development, health and sustainability goals. Five themes are considered: (1) diets, nutrition and health; (2) environment, natural resources and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience. Each theme is divided into three to five indicator domains, and indicators were selected to reflect each domain through a consultative process. In total, 50 indicators were selected, with at least one indicator available for every domain. Harmonized data of these 50 indicators provide a baseline assessment of the world's food systems. We show that every country can claim positive outcomes in some parts of food systems, but none are among the highest ranked across all domains. Furthermore, some indicators are independent of national income, and each highlights a specific aspiration for healthy, sustainable and just food systems. The Food Systems Countdown Initiative will track food systems annually to 2030, amending the framework as new indicators or better data emerge.

Aquatic food loss and waste rate in the United States is half of earlier estimates

Food loss and waste (FLW) is a major challenge to food system sustainability, including aquatic foods. We investigated aquatic FLW in the food supply of the United States, the largest importer of aquatic food globally, using primary and secondary data and life cycle methodology. We show that there are significant differences in FLW among species, production technology, origin and stage of supply chain. We estimate total aquatic FLW was 22.7%, which is 43-55% lower than earlier estimates reported in the literature, illustrating the importance of applying a disaggregated approach. Production losses associated with imported food contribute over a quarter of total FLW, and addressing these losses requires multinational efforts to implement interventions along the supply chain. These findings inform prioritization of solutions-including areas of need for innovations, government incentives, policy change, infrastructure and equity.

A systems approach to assessing environmental and economic effects of food loss and waste interventions in the United States

Reducing food loss and waste (FLW) is critical for achieving healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Within the United States, 30% to 50% of food produced is lost or wasted. These losses occur throughout multiple stages of the food supply chain from production to consumption. Reducing FLW prevents the waste of land, water, energy, and other resources embedded in food and is therefore essential to improving the sustainability of food systems. Despite the increasing number of studies identifying FLW reduction as a societal imperative, we lack the information needed to assess fully the effectiveness of interventions along the supply chain. In this paper, we synthesize the available literature, data, and methods for estimating the volume of FLW and assessing the full environmental and economic effects of interventions to prevent or reduce FLW in the United States. We describe potential FLW interventions in detail, including policy changes, technological solutions, and changes in practices and behaviors at all stages of the food system from farms to consumers and approaches to conducting economic analyses of the effects of interventions. In summary, this paper comprehensively reviews available information on the causes and consequences of FLW in the United States and lays the groundwork for prioritizing FLW interventions to benefit the environment and stakeholders in the food system.

Altered primary myogenesis in NFATC3(-/-) mice leads to decreased muscle size in the adult

Signal transduction pathways involving calcineurin and its downstream effector NFAT have been implicated in regulating myogenesis. Several isoforms of NFAT exist that may differentially contribute to regulating skeletal muscle physiology. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of the NFATC3 isoform in skeletal muscle development. Adult mice lacking NFATC3 have reduced muscle mass compared to control mice. The smaller size of the muscles is not due to atrophy or blunted myofiber growth, but rather to a reduced number of myofibers. This reduction in myofiber number is not limited to a specific fiber type nor are the proportions of fiber types altered. The lower fiber number found in the adult NFATC3(-/-) mice is a consequence of impaired muscle development during embryogenesis. Immunohistochemical studies of E15 EDL muscles indicate that the total number of primary myofibers is decreased in NFATC3(-/-) embryos. At E17.5 no further decrease in primary myofiber number occurs; the size and organization of the myofibers are unaltered, and secondary myogenesis proceeds normally, suggesting a role for NFATC3 during early events in primary myogenesis. These results suggest a heretofore unknown role for the transcription factor NFAT in early skeletal muscle development.

Substantially reduced risk of cancer of the aerodigestive tract in subjects with variant--463A of the myeloperoxidase gene

Myeloperoxidase (MPO), an enzyme that is highly expressed in neutrophil leukocytes, transforms precarcinogens such as benzo(a)pyrene and aromatic amines to highly reactive intermediates. A G/A polymorphism located 463 bp upstream of exon 1 in the promoter region strongly reduces MPO mRNA expression. In a matched case-control study, 196 lung cancer, 245 laryngeal cancer, and 255 pharyngeal cancer patients from the Berlin area were investigated for frequency of the G-463A polymorphism by PCR/RFLP, using AciI. They were matched by age and gender to hospital patients without known malignancies. Moreover, 270 healthy volunteers were genotyped, obtaining 61.1% of individuals with MPO genotype -463G/G, 34.8% of individuals with genotype G/A, and 4.1% of individuals with genotype A/A. In lung and laryngeal cancer patients, but not in pharyngeal cancer patients, mutant genotypes were significantly less frequent. Crude odds ratios for carriers of one or two A alleles, compared to wild-type G/G, were 0.58 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.38-0.88; P = 0.011] for lung cancer patients, 0.63 (95% CI, 0.43-0.92; P = 0.017) for laryngeal cancer patients, and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.57-1.17; P = 0.27) for pharyngeal cancer patients. The relative risks, adjusted for age, gender, and extent of cigarette smoking were 0.47 (95% CI, 0.28-0.79; P = 0.004), 0.66 (95% CI, 0.44-1.01; P = 0.054), and 0.75 (95% CI, 0.51-1.12; P = 0.16) for lung, larynx, and pharyngeal cancer, respectively. Strikingly, relative risk for carriers of -463A among adenocarcinoma of the lung was 0.24 (95% CI, 0.10-0.58; P = 0.002). Two cases with larynx cancer, one case with lung cancer, and one reference subject displayed novel G/A mutations at -297 nucleotide and -296 nucleotide, destroying a constitutive AciI cleavage site. Our data finally suggest that the MPO -463A variant is a protective factor in the etiology of lung and larynx cancer, but possibly not of pharyngeal cancer.

Systemic administration of the NF-kappaB inhibitor curcumin stimulates muscle regeneration after traumatic injury

Skeletal muscle is often the site of tissue injury due to trauma, disease, developmental defects or surgery. Yet, to date, no effective treatment is available to stimulate the repair of skeletal muscle. We show that the kinetics and extent of muscle regeneration in vivo after trauma are greatly enhanced following systemic administration of curcumin, a pharmacological inhibitor of the transcription factor NF-kappaB. Biochemical and histological analyses indicate an effect of curcumin after only 4 days of daily intraperitoneal injection compared with controls that require >2 wk to restore normal tissue architecture. Curcumin can act directly on cultured muscle precursor cells to stimulate both cell proliferation and differentiation under appropriate conditions. Other pharmacological and genetic inhibitors of NF-kappaB also stimulate muscle differentiation in vitro. Inhibition of NF-kappaB-mediated transcription was confirmed using reporter gene assays. We conclude that NF-kappaB exerts a role in regulating myogenesis and that modulation of NF-kappaB activity within muscle tissue is beneficial for muscle repair. The striking effects of curcumin on myogenesis suggest therapeutic applications for treating muscle injuries.

Interdisciplinary education in adolescent health

To date, evidence suggests that, across disciplines, the educational preparation of health professionals has not kept pace. Those involved in the education of clinicians, researchers, and educators in adolescent health are currently faced with the need to rethink traditional educational strategies. Concurrent with a shift in the primary causes of morbidity and mortality in adolescence, from infectious to social aetiologies, is an emerging clarity about the success of integrated comprehensive service settings in addressing adolescents' health needs. One approach for better preparing health providers to work in multiservice settings is to provide training in interdisciplinary programmes. Various models for interdisciplinary education in adolescent health exist; characteristics common to all are delineated. Whereas obstacles to the creation and implementation of interdisciplinary programmes, including institutional, financial, and educational barriers, are great, the need to overcome them is critical if we are to keep pace with the changing needs of the adolescent population.

Health insurance coverage of adolescents: a current profile and assessment of trends

Data from the National Health Interview Survey reveal that 4.7 million or 15% of US adolescents aged 10 through 18 were uninsured in 1989. Among adolescents, 73% were privately insured, 10% were publicly insured, and 2% were both privately and publicly insured. Poor, near-poor, and minority adolescents were at the greatest risk for lack of health insurance coverage. Among adolescents without insurance, cost continued to be cited as the leading barrier to obtaining coverage. A comparison of 1989 National Health Interview Survey data with a previous analysis, in which 1984 data were used, revealed a 10% increase in the proportion of adolescents without insurance coverage. The increase in the proportion of uninsured adolescents was entirely attributable to an erosion of private health insurance coverage. No significant change occurred in the proportion of adolescents with coverage under public programs. Planned expansions of the federally and state-financed Medicaid programs will help to stem further increases in the size of the uninsured adolescent population. However, unless marked improvements occur in the private health insurance sector, progress will be limited.

Nursing competence in adolescent health: anticipating the future needs of youth

The health problems of youth have dramatically shifted in the last 30 years from biological to social causes of morbidity and mortality. To assess the adequacy of nurses' knowledge and skills in adolescent health, a national survey of 445 nurses, including members of the American Public Health Association, the American School Health Association, and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates and Practitioners, was undertaken in 1985. Results indicated that even among nurses who work with young people the most, areas of greatest knowledge and skill deficiencies included common social morbidities of adolescents. In addition to self-assessed inadequacies in knowledge and skills, nurses identified excessive time demands as a primary obstacle to the provision of health services to adolescents. To assure adequate preparation of nurses, it is recommended that accreditation criteria for baccalaureate and graduate programs specify essential adolescent health content for curricula compared to current accreditation criteria that generalizes "across the life span." Focusing on the enhancement of educational opportunities in adolescent health, nurses identified strategies for further education that would bridge the gap between the health needs of youth and nurse's self-perceived competencies in providing these services.