Do Dietary Trajectories between Infancy and Toddlerhood Influence IQ in Childhood and Adolescence? Results from a Prospective Birth Cohort Study

Objective

We examined whether trajectories of dietary patterns from 6 to 24 months of age are associated with intelligence quotient (IQ) in childhood and adolescence.

Methods

Participants were children enrolled in a prospective UK birth cohort (n = 7652) who had IQ measured at age 8 and/or 15 years. Dietary patterns were previously extracted from questionnaires when children were aged 6, 15 and 24 months using principal component analysis. Dietary trajectories were generated by combining scores on similar dietary patterns across each age, using multilevel mixed models. Associations between dietary trajectories and IQ were examined in generalized linear models with adjustment for potential confounders.

Results

Four dietary pattern trajectories were constructed from 6 to 24 months of age and were named according to foods that made the strongest contribution to trajectory scores; Healthy (characterised by breastfeeding at 6 months, raw fruit and vegetables, cheese and herbs at 15 and 24 months); Discretionary (biscuits, chocolate, crisps at all ages), Traditional (meat, cooked vegetables and puddings at all ages) and, Ready-to-eat (use of ready-prepared baby foods at 6 and 15 months, biscuits, bread and breakfast cereals at 24 months). In fully-adjusted models, a 1 SD change in the Healthy trajectory was weakly associated with higher IQ at age 8 (1.07 (95%CI 0.17, 1.97)) but not 15 years (0.49 (−0.28, 1.26)). Associations between the Discretionary and Traditional trajectories with IQ at 8 and 15 years were as follows; Discretionary; 8 years −0.35(−1.03, 0.33), 15 years −0.73(−1.33, −0.14) Traditional; 8 years −0.19(−0.71, 0.33)15 years −0.41(−0.77, −0.04)). The Ready-to-eat trajectory had no association with IQ at either age (8 years 0.32(−4.31, 4.95), 15 years 1.11(−3.10, 5.33).

Conclusions

The Discretionary and Traditional dietary pattern trajectories from 6 to 24 months of age, over the period when food patterns begin to emerge, are weakly associated with IQ in adolescence.     

Altered conductance and permeability of Cx40 mutations associated with atrial fibrillation

Gap junctions ensure the rapid propagation of the action potential throughout the myocardium. Three mutant forms of connexin40 (Cx40; A96S, M163V, and G38D), the primary component of the atrial gap junction channel, are associated with atrial fibrillation and retain the ability to form functional channels. We determined the biophysical properties of these mutant gap junctions in transiently transfected HeLa and N2A cells. All three mutants showed macroscopic junctional conductances over the range of 0.5 to 40 nS, and voltage dependences comparable to those of wild-type (WT) Cx40. However, the unitary conductance of G38D channels was ∼1.6-fold higher than that of WT Cx40 channels (∼220 vs. ∼135 pS), whereas the unitary conductances of the A96S and M163V mutants were similar to that of WT Cx40. Furthermore, the M163V and G38D channels exhibited approximately two- and approximately fivefold higher permeability to the anionic dye Lucifer yellow (LY) relative to K⁺ (LY/K⁺) compared with that of WT Cx40, whereas A96S LY transfer was similar to that of WT (G38D > M163V > A96S ≈ Cx40WT). In contrast, G38D channels were almost impermeable to cationic ethidium bromide (EtBr), suggesting that G38D alters channel selectivity. Conversely, A96S and M163V channels showed enhanced EtBr permeability relative to WT Cx40, with the following permeability order: M163V > A96S > Cx40WT > G38D. Altered conductive and permeability properties of mutant channels suggest an essential role for Cx40-mediated biochemical and electrical coupling in cardiac tissues. The altered properties of the three single-base substitution mutants may play a role in mechanisms of reentry arrhythmias.     

Biochemical and agro-biological diversity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Viburnum opulus</Emphasis> genotypes

Interest in the biochemical composition of Viburnum opulus fruit has intensified due to the food industry’s demand for natural vitamins, pigments and other substances that enhance the value of different foods. The present study was conducted to determine the agro-biological and biochemical variability of V. opulus and to select the genotypes that could best serve as sources of health promoting substances. Twelve selected genotypes were evaluated. ‘Leningradskaya Otbornaya’, V. opulus var. americanum, ‘Zarnitsa’, and local clone P2 were determined to be the best genotypes for growth in commercial plantations. Fruits of the local clone P3 were characterised by large amounts of total phenolics, ascorbic acid, and reducing sugars. V. opulus var. sargentii and V. opulus var. americanum contained exceptionally large amounts of total phenolics, 1460.0 and 1400.0 mg/100 g, respectively. The amount of ascorbic acid varied from 12.4 to 41.4 mg/100 g, the amount of carotenoids varied from 1.4 to 2.8 mg/100 g, the amount of anthocyanins varied from 23.2 to 44.6 mg/100 g, and the amount of total phenolics varied from 753.0 to 1460.0 mg/100 g. The presence of these large amounts of biologically active compounds enables their use as potent antioxidants. The data describing agro-biological characteristics, biochemical components, and health promoting activities of V. opulus fruits will increase the understanding of this plant and facilitate its use in the food and pharmaceuticals industry.     

The influence of spring floods on small mammal communities in the Nemunas River Delta, Lithuania

The influence of the annual spring floods on small mammal communities was studied in the Nemunas River Delta, SW Lithuania. The aim of the investigation was to compare the diversity of small mammals inhabiting spring-flooded meadows, meadows not subjected to flooding and spring-flooded forest in years characterized by differing heights and durations of spring flood. In the years of the high flood, the number of species and diversity index were higher, while index of dominance was less than in the years of low flood. Significantly, the highest proportions of Apodemus agrarius were recorded in spring-flooded meadows in years of high flood (41.7%), while Microtus oeconomus occurred in the highest proportions in spring-flooded meadows in years of low flood (66.8%) and in meadows not subjected to flooding (47.1%). In non-flooded areas, M. Oeconomus is not expelled by the floods and outcompetes other species. After high levels of flooding, during the process of re-population, the voles may be outcompeted by A. agrarius. In the absence of dominant species, greater opportunities existed for the establishment of more species (13 species in flooded meadows). Micromys minutus accounted for up to 19.5–30.1% in the years of high flood. We concluded that the annual spring floods in the Nemunas Delta had no long-term negative effects, the number of small mammal species and their abundance had been restored in just a few months. The worst consequences of the high flood were recorded in forest habitat. Spring floods, and especially the higher floods, are natural environmental agents, maintaining the high diversity of small mammals in meadows and reed-beds.     

Three wild Lithuanian strawberry species and their pollinators

The European wild strawberry species Fragaria vesca L., Fragaria viridis Weston, and Fragaria moschata Weston are sympatric and bloom concurrently, introducing the possibilities of cooperation and competition for pollinators. We studied the pollination biology of strawberries that were grown in rectangular plots at a field site near Vilnius city in Lithuania. The number of open flowers, the number of insects visiting flowers, and the plot area covered by strawberry plants were recorded. Wild strawberries were visited by solitary bees (38.5%), flies (31.4%), and other hymenopterans (21%; ants accounted for approximately 98% of this group). Coleopterans, lepidopterans and honey bees together represented less than 10% of the insects recorded on strawberries. Fragaria viridis and F. moschata flowers were more attractive to pollinators than those of F. vesca. The main visitors of F. viridis were small solitary bees; those of F. moschata were ants, while F. vesca flowers were visited by solitary bees, ants and flies in comparable numbers. We discuss competition for pollinators and the possible impact of climate fluctuation on strawberry-pollinator interactions.     

Embryogenesis following cryopreservation in isolated microspores of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)

A simple procedure is described for cryopreservation of isolated microspores of rapeseed in liquid nitrogen without loss of embryogenic capacity (i.e. embryogenes is can still be induced following freezing). Microspores frozen in Lichter's (1982) medium with 13% sucrose produced ca. 10% of the embryos yielded by an unfrozen control. Microspores frozen in Lichter's medium with 13% sucrose, and supplemented with 0.5 M glycerol and 0.5 M DMSO produced no embryos. Regeneration of embryos obtained from frozen microspores yielded 88% diploid and 12% haploid plants, while embryos from unfrozen controls produced 7% diploids and 93% haploids. The potential to increase the efficiency of the rapeseed haploidy system using cryopreservation is discussed in light of these results.     

Chromosome numbers for three species of medicinal leeches (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hirudo</Emphasis> spp.)

Karyological preparations were made from the testisacs of three medicinal leech species Hirudo medicinalis Linnaeus, 1758, H. verbana Carena, 1820 and H. orientalis Utevsky & Trontelj, 2005 . The samples originated from different populations in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The chromosome numbers were determined both from mitotic and meiotic stages of spermatogenesis using the propionic haematoxylin staining technique. All three species were found to have different haploid chromosome numbers: H. medicinalis 14, H. verbana 13 and H. orientalis 12, thus corroborating the validity of these taxa. The chromosomes can be classified as meta-, submetacentric and acrocentric. The chromosome numbers obtained are similar to that of the related species Haemopis sanguisuga (Linnaeus, 1758), which has 13 pairs.     

Climate warming causes photobiont degradation and carbon starvation in a boreal climate sentinel lichen

Premise

The long-term potential for acclimation by lichens to changing climates is poorly known, despite their prominent roles in forested ecosystems. Although often considered “extremophiles,” lichens may not readily acclimate to novel climates well beyond historical norms. In a previous study (Smith et al., 2018), Evernia mesomorpha transplants in a whole-ecosystem climate change experiment showed drastic mass loss after 1 yr of warming and drying; however, the causes of this mass loss were not addressed.

Methods

We examined the causes of this warming-induced mass loss by measuring physiological, functional, and reproductive attributes of lichen transplants.

Results

Severe loss of mass and physiological function occurred above +2°C of experimental warming. Loss of algal symbionts (“bleaching”) and turnover in algal community compositions increased with temperature and were the clearest impacts of experimental warming. Enhanced CO₂ had no significant physiological or symbiont composition effects. The functional loss of algal photobionts led to significant loss of mass and specific thallus mass (STM), which in turn reduced water-holding capacity (WHC). Although algal genotypes remained detectable in thalli exposed to higher stress, within-thallus photobiont communities shifted in composition toward greater diversity.

Conclusions

The strong negative impacts of warming and/or lower humidity on Evernia mesomorpha were driven by a loss of photobiont activity. Analogous to the effects of climate change on corals, the balance of symbiont carbon metabolism in lichens is central to their resilience to changing conditions.