The detection of erythropoietin (Epo) protein by Western blotting has required pre-purification of the sample. We developed a new Western blot method to detect plasma and urinary Epo using deglycosylation. Epo in urine and tissue, and erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) in urine were directly detected by our Western blotting. Plasma Epo and ESAs were not detected by direct application but were detected by our Western blotting after deglycosylation. The broad bands of Epo and ESAs were shifted to 22 kDa by deglycosylation except for PEG-bound epoetin β pegol. The 22 kDa band from an anemic patient's urine was confirmed by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS) to contain human Epo.
Severe hypoxia (7% O2, 4 hr) caused a 400-fold increase in deglycosylated Epo expression in rat kidneys, which is consistent with the increases in both Epo gene expression and plasma Epo concentration. Immunohistochemistry showed Epo expression in nephrons but not in interstitial cells under control conditions, and hypoxia increased Epo expression in interstitial cells but not in tubules. These data show that intrinsic Epo and all ESAs can be detected by Western blot either directly in urine or after deglycosylation in blood, and that the kidney but not the liver is the main site of Epo production in control and severe hypoxia. Our method will make the tests for Epo doping and detection easy.
Introduction Food insecurity is prevalent in the U.S. and is associated with deleterious health, behavioral, and social consequences. Food insecurity is currently addressed largely through public and private food assistance programs (e.g., the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program, and food pantries). A body of research has explored racial and ethnic disparities and differences in food insecurity and coping strategies. However, limited literature has explored these experiences among Asian Americans and Asian origin groups in the United States. Objective The aim of this review is to establish what is known about the experience of food insecurity and nutrition program participation in the Asian American population and among Asian origin groups and to suggest further research and policy action to better address food insecurity in this population. Methods Our review is guided by the methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley and refined and outlined by Levac and colleagues and the Joanna Briggs Institute. We will search key terms related to food insecurity and Asian Americans in Medline (Ovid), the Cochrane Library (Wiley), CINAHL Plus with Full Text (Ebsco), PsycINFO (Ebsco), and Scopus (Elsevier). An article will be included if it was published in the English language; is a peer reviewed research manuscript and reports primary research findings from analyses; and describes food insecurity or strategies to cope with food insecurity among individuals of Asian origins living in the U.S. An article will be excluded if it is a book, conference proceedings, or grey literature (e.g., thesis or dissertation); is a commentary, editorial, or opinion piece without primary research data; contains only research conducted outside of the U.S.; includes Asians in the sample but does not provide separate data on food insecurity or strategies to cope with food insecurity among Asians; and describes only dietary changes or patterns but not food insecurity. Two or more reviewers will participate in the study screening and selection process. We will record information from the final articles chosen to be included in the review in a data table template and will also prepare a summary narrative with key findings. Expected outputs Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. The findings from this review will be of interest to researchers and practitioners and inform further research and policy to better address food insecurity among this population.
Background: Childhood undernourishment is a major public health problem globally, and being responsible for higher mortalities in children and enormous health costs in sub-Saharan Africa. However, scarcity of data on the magnitude of malnutrition and its underlying causes, especially in the pastoral system, limits the effectiveness of potential interventions. This study addresses the nutritional status and factors associated with malnutrition among children in Borana pastoral system, southern Ethiopia. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study, using multistage cluster sampling, was conducted from August to October 2015. Dietary diversity score (DDS), milk and meal frequencies, anthropometric measurements, and socio-economic variables were recorded for 538 children aged 6–59 months. Multivariable generalized linear model (GLM) with log link function was applied to ascertain determinants of malnutrition. The strength of association was assessed based on prevalence ratio (PR). Results: Prevalence of underweight, stunting, and wasting were 28.3 % (95 % CI: 24.4–32.1), 41.1 % (95 % CI: 36.7–45.1), and 9.8 % (95 % CI: 7.3, 12.4), respectively. Children who consumed more diverse foods were at a lower risk of being underweight (PR = 0.72, 95 % CL: 0.59–0.88), stunted (PR = 0.80, 95 % CL: 0.68–0.93) and wasted (PR = 0.42, 95 % CL: 0.27–0.66). Intake of increased milk frequency was also associated with lower risk of underweight (PR = 0.86, 95 %CL: 0.76–0.97), stunting (PR = 0.83, 95 %CL: 0.75–0.91) and wasting (PR = 0.73, 95 %CL: 0.56–0.96). The risk of underweight (PR = 1.02, 95 %CL: 1.01–1.03), stunting (PR = 1.01, 95 %CL: 1.00–1.02) and wasting (PR = 1.01, 95 %CL: 1.00–1.04) had increased with age, and no difference was observed between boys and girls. Children who lived far away from health care facilities were 1.2 and 2.4 times more likely to be stunted and wasted, respectively than those residing near a health care facility. Ownership of toilet and living close to market were associated with reduced stunting, whereas illness was associated with increased risk of underweight. Conclusions: The high prevalence of stunting among pastoral children is a serious public health concern and calls for urgent action. Association of nutritional status of children with dietary intake, and health status, access to health services and toilet availability underlines the need for improved nutrition practices, health care facilities and sanitary conditions in the study area.
Changes in food choice often accompany globalization and economic growth. These changes have not been well documented in rural settings and among young people. To advance research on food choice, we demonstrate adolescents’ selection of local vs.non-local foods in a rural area of India where globalization is just reaching. A representative sample of 237 school-going adolescents in a village in Southern India completed a survey in 2019 to understand how adolescents decide among foods traditional to the area and foods arriving from other parts of the country and the world. Adolescents most frequently consumed local foods but also occasionally consumed non-local items. In hypothetical scenarios, 81% of the adolescents reported being most interested in substituting local foods with non-local foods if they were to have more money. Among the few who currently consumed non-local snacks and drinks, very few would be willing to replace them with local alternatives, particularly if they were to have more money (snacks: 10% and drinks: 5% respectively). Overall, adolescents were most interested in switching to non-local items when considering fruits, vegetables and snacks. As India faces the dual burden of undernutrition and overnutrition, understanding the changing food environment may help inform efforts to improve nutrition.
Adaptation Pathways have emerged as promising approaches for exploring sequences of actions to address challenges in uncertain conditions. This study elaborates on how pathway approaches operate in practice by applying a learning framework that identifies guiding propositions for successful adaptation pathways. The framework is used to analyze a transformative scenario planning case study from rural Mali. Findings confirm that adaptation pathways are highly context-specific, grounded in local institutions. The study also emphasizes that the adaptation pathways process requires a sufficient timeframe to allow for cross-level interactions and institutional changes to unfold as needed. The case demonstrates that the framework can be a useful tool for reflexive learning and identifying gaps in a structured way during pathway development. However, it needs to be adjusted to specific contexts to better capture the influence of and implications for power relations and social inequality in future adaptation plans.
Most climate change studies that address potential impacts and potential adaptation strategies are largely based on modelling technologies. While models are useful for visualizing potential future outcomes and evaluating options for potential adaptation, they do not adequately represent and integrate adaptive human agency. Richards’ concept of ‘agriculture as performance’ is useful in counterbalancing the modelling approach to adaptation because it highlights how adaptive processes and technologies, whether short term or long term, are more than simple technical responses to biophysical conditions. Instead, adaptive processes are social phenomena whose significance and effects expand well beyond changing climate conditions. This examination of agriculture as performance in the context of climate adaptation draws on two different examples. The first example explores how technical aspects of climate adaptation in Mali are situated within the enactment of ethnic identities and political struggles between farmers and herders. The second example shows how farmers in southeastern United States approach climate variability and climate forecasts as risk management tools. There are substantial differences between approaching adaptation as a dynamic process that is socially embedded and approaching adaptation as a set of modelled responses to anticipated future conditions. It is unlikely that either is adequate to meet the challenges posed by the uncertainties associated with climate change. However, building a synergistic relationship between the two promises to be as difficult as it is necessary.
Agricultural land reforms are crucial to promote investments in sustainable land management and food production amidst accelerating urbanization and increasing population growth. However, notable gaps remain in the literature regarding how land reforms designed at the national level are implemented in localized contexts, especially as they interplay with customary tenure regimes. Adopting an institutional bricolage perspective, we explore interactions between local tenure arrangements and government land reforms and the resulting implications for food production in rural Mali. We show that specific market-based land tenure arrangements in the study area emerged from a combination of urbanization pressures and government-designed land reform. We find that tenure security is linked to agricultural investment decisions, as also documented by previous studies. We likewise show that anxieties and ambiguities stemming from state-mandated land registration foster the emergence of monetized forms of access to collective land. These new market-based systems drive greater out-migration of productive community members, leading to labour shortages and weakening the social cohesion and mutual support systems upon which the most vulnerable depend. The findings show that top-down land reforms in rural Mali lead to disruptions of the social fabric, along with re-organizations of tenure systems to accommodate social norms and priorities. We illustrate how, in the context of centralized policy making with limited local consultation, community members resist cooperating and creatively search for alternatives to achieve their social goals. Empirical investigations of socio-institutional challenges such as land tenure arrangements are critical for effective scaling of agricultural innovations and sustainable food production.
For two decades, Ethiopia has been one of the world’s leading recipients of food aid and the largest recipient in Africa. There are frequent claims that rural Ethiopia suffers from a food aid dependency syndrome that constrains productive investments and hinders sustainable development. Yet, is it true that rural households in Ethiopia are excessively dependent on food aid?
This research brief addresses food aid dependency in one of Ethiopia’s most chronically food insecure areas: South Wollo (including the neighboring Oromiya Zone), which has been referred to as the buckle in the country’s so-called “famine belt.” Using household and community data from a three-year study, this brief argues that, while large numbers of Ethiopians receive food aid, only a small percentage are highly dependent on it, even during the frequent droughts. Instead of food aid, households often rely on purchases, gifts, and other sources to meet consumption needs. Uncertainties surrounding the amounts and timing of food aid delivery have taught local farmers not to depend on it. Yet, official perceptions of food aid dependency can be used to justify socially and economically costly programs like resettlement, while discouraging investments in local livelihoods. The research findings caution that these perceptions might be mistaken
This paper outlines a proposed research plan for examining socio-economic change in the pastoral economy of the lowland region of Baringo Districta Kenya. Specially, it focuses on changes which are occurring because of (1) deterioration in the "terms of trade” with the agricultural sector (i.e., Tugen Hills) and (2) increasing demographic pressure. It is suggested that to understand socioeconomic change in a pastoral society a regional approach which includes neighboring agriculturalists must be adopted. This study should contribute to a better understanding of East African pastoralism through investigation of production strategies among pastoralists especially decisions concerning agricultural production and specialization in livestock in relation to both trade relations with agriculturalists and a changing land/people ratio. Moreover, by examining social organizational changes which are taking place because of transformations in the pastoral economy attention will be given to the manner in which the developmental cycle of the household economy interacts and sometimes constrains the pastoralist decision-maker's ability to pursue certain economic opportunities. It is hoped that the proposed research, with its focus on production alternatives to pastoralism will provide a valuable data base for the current Baringo Semi-Arid Area Development Project.
This study is part of a project on "Adaptation to Climate Change of Smallholder Agriculture in Kenya" was launched by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the University of Georgia (UGA) funded by the World Bank. This project aims to support policymakers’ efforts to promote adaptation to climate change by determining where major hotspots of vulnerability are located, identifying farm- and community-level adaptation strategies, assessing the factors which influence adoption of adaptation practices at the farm level—particularly sustainable land management practices—as well as farmers’ perceptions of climate risks, and identifying adaptation options that provide the most benefits in terms of their impact and synergies with agricultural productivity and mitigation objectives.