Excavating the quantitative trait locus (QTL) associated with rice cooking quality, analyzing candidate genes, and improving cooking quality-associated traits of rice varieties by genetic breeding can effectively improve the taste of rice. In this study, we used the indica rice HZ, the japonica rice Nekken2 and 120 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) populations constructed from them as experimental materials to measure the gelatinization temperature (GT), gel consistency (GC) and amylose content (AC) of rice at the maturity stage. We combined the high-density genetic map for QTL mapping. A total of 26 QTLs associated with rice cooking quality (1 QTL associated with GT, 13 QTLs associated with GC, and 12 QTLs associated with AC) were detected, among which the highest likelihood of odd (LOD) value reached 30.24. The expression levels of candidate genes in the localization interval were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and it was found that the expression levels of six genes were significantly different from that in parents. It was speculated that the high expression of LOC_Os04g20270 and LOC_Os11g40100 may greatly increase the GC of rice, while the high expression of LOC_Os01g04920 and LOC_Os02g17500 and the low expression of LOC_Os03g02650 and LOC_Os05g25840 may reduce the AC. The results lay a molecular foundation for the cultivation of new high-quality rice varieties, and provide important genetic resources for revealing the molecular regulation mechanism of rice cooking quality.
Quantitative Trait Loci ; Oryza/genetics* ; Plant Breeding ; Cooking ; Genetic Association Studies

Objective To explore the overall level,distribution characteristics,and differences in household fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) pollution caused by fuel burning in urban and rural areas in China. Methods The relevant articles published from 1991 to 2021 were retrieved and included in this study.The data including the average concentration of household PM_2.5 and urban and rural areas were extracted,and the stoves and fuel types were reclassified.The average concentration of PM_2.5 in different areas was calculated and analyzed by nonparametric test. Results The average household PM_2.5 concentration in China was (178.81±249.91) μg/m³.The mean household PM_2.5 concentration was higher in rural areas than in urban areas[(206.08±279.40) μg/m³ vs. (110.63±131.16) μg/m³;Z=-5.45,P<0.001] and higher in northern areas than in southern areas[(224.27±301.66) μg/m³ vs.(130.11±140.61) μg/m³;Z=-2.38,P=0.017].The north-south difference in household PM_2.5 concentration was more significant in rural areas than in urban areas[(324.19±367.94) μg/m³ vs.(141.20±151.05) μg/m³,χ²=-5.06,P<0.001].The PM_2.5 pollution level showed differences between urban and rural households using different fuel types (χ²=92.85,P<0.001),stove types (χ²=74.42,P<0.001),and whether they were heating (Z=-4.43,P<0.001).Specifically,rural households mainly used solid fuels (manure,charcoal,coal) and traditional or improved stoves,while urban households mainly used clean fuels (gas) and clean stoves.The PM_2.5 concentrations in heated households were higher than those in non-heated households in both rural and urban areas (Z=-4.43,P<0.001). Conclusions The household PM_2.5 pollution caused by fuel combustion in China remains a high level.The PM_2.5 concentration shows a significant difference between urban and rural households,and the PM_2.5 pollution is more serious in rural households.The difference in the household PM_2.5 concentration between urban and rural areas is more significant in northern China.PM_2.5 pollution in the households using solid fuel,traditional stoves,and heating is serious,and thus targeted measures should be taken to control PM_2.5 pollution in these households.
Humans ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Air Pollution, Indoor/analysis* ; Cooking ; Environmental Exposure/analysis* ; China ; Rural Population

Aluminum is one of the most abundant elements on earth. Aluminum compounds are widely used in food additives, antacids, cooking utensils and so on. Human exposure to aluminum is mainly through diet and drinking water, while excessive intake of aluminum can accumulate in tissues and cause toxic reactions. In the central nervous system, aluminum exposure is closely related to a series of nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Epigenetic modification refers to the regulation of gene expression without changing the DNA sequence, and its regulatory disorders can lead to abnormalities and diseases of the central nervous system. This paper describes the regulation of epigenetics and its components, including DNA methylation, histone modification and non-coding RNA, in aluminum-induced neurotoxicity, in order to provide insights into the epigenetic mechanism of aluminum-induced neurotoxicity.
Aluminum/toxicity* ; Alzheimer Disease ; Cooking ; DNA Methylation ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) and indoor air pollution (IAP) are equally critical public health issues in the developing world. Mongolia is experiencing the double burden of TB and IAP due to solid fuel combustion. However, no study has assessed the relationship between household solid fuel use and TB in Mongolia. The present study aimed to assess the association between household solid fuel use and TB based on data from the Mongolian National Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey (MNTP Survey). METHOD: The MNTP Survey was a nationally representative population-based cross-sectional survey targeting households in Mongolia from 2014 to 2015, with the aim of evaluating the prevalence of TB. The survey adopted a multistage cluster sampling design in accordance with the World Health Organization prevalence survey guidelines. Clusters with at least 500 residents were selected by random sampling. A sample size of 98 clusters with 54,100 participants was estimated to be required for the survey, and 41,450 participants were included in the final analysis of the present study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on environmental and individual factors related to TB. Physical examination, chest X-ray, and sputum examinations were also performed to diagnose TB. RESULTS: The use of solid fuels for heating (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.5; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1-2.1), male gender (aOR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.6-3.2), divorced or widowed (aOR: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.7-3.8), daily smoker (aOR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.3-2.5), contact with an active TB case (aOR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.2-2.3), being underweight (aOR: 3.7; 95% CI: 2.4-5.7), and previous history of TB (aOR: 4.3; 95% CI: 3.0-6.1) were significantly associated with bacteriologically confirmed TB after adjusting for confounding variables. CONCLUSION The use of solid fuels for heating was significantly associated with active TB in Mongolian adults. Increased public awareness is needed on the use of household solid fuels, a source of IAP.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Air Pollution, Indoor/adverse effects* ; Cooking ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Heating/adverse effects* ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mongolia/epidemiology* ; Prevalence ; Tuberculosis/epidemiology* ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Household air pollution from biomass fuels burning in traditional cookstoves currently appeared as one of the most serious threats to public health with a recent burden estimate of 2.6 million premature deaths every year worldwide, ranking highest among environmental risk factors and one of the major risk factors of any type globally. Improved cookstove interventions have been widely practiced as potential solutions. However, studies on the effect of improved cookstove interventions are limited and heterogeneous which suggested the need for further research. METHODS: A cluster randomized controlled trial study was conducted to assess the effect of biomass-fuelled improved cookstove intervention on the concentration of household air pollution compared with the continuation of an open burning traditional cookstove. A total of 36 clusters were randomly allocated to both arms at a 1:1 ratio, and improved cookstove intervention was delivered to all households allocated into the treatment arm. All households in the included clusters were biomass fuel users and relatively homogenous in terms of basic socio-demographic and cooking-related characteristics. Household air pollution was determined by measuring the concentration of indoor fine particulate, and the effect of the intervention was estimated using the Generalized Estimating Equation. RESULTS: A total of 2031 household was enrolled in the study across 36 randomly selected clusters in both arms, among which data were obtained from a total of 1977 households for at least one follow-up visit which establishes the intention-to-treat population dataset for analysis. The improved cookstove intervention significantly reduces the concentration of household air pollution by about 343 μg/m CONCLUSIONS: The biomass-fuelled improved cookstove intervention significantly reduces the concentration of household air pollution compared to the traditional method. This suggests that the implementation of these cookstove technologies may be necessary to achieve household air pollution exposure reductions. TRIAL REGISTRATION The trial project was retrospectively registered on August 2, 2018, at the clinical trials.gov registry database ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ ) with the NCT03612362 registration identifier number.
Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Air Pollution, Indoor/prevention & control* ; Biomass ; Cluster Analysis ; Cooking/methods* ; Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Food safety and hygiene are currently a global health apprehension especially in unindustrialized countries as a result of increasing food-borne diseases (FBDs) and accompanying deaths. This study aimed at assessing knowledge, attitude, and hygiene practices (KAP) of food safety among street-cooked food handlers (SCFHs) in North Dayi District, Ghana. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on 407 SCFHs in North Dayi District, Ghana. The World Health Organization's Five Keys to Safer Food for food handlers and a pretested structured questionnaire were adapted for data collection among stationary SCFHs along principal streets. Significant parameters such as educational status, average monthly income, registered SCFHs, and food safety training course were used in bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models to calculate the power of the relationships observed. RESULTS: The majority 84.3% of SCFHs were female and 56.0% had not attended a food safety training course. This study showed that 67.3%, 58.2%, and 62.9% of SCFHs had good levels of KAP of food safety, respectively. About 87.2% showed a good attitude of separating uncooked and prepared meal before storage. Good knowledge of food safety was 2 times higher among registered SCFHs compared to unregistered [cOR=1.64, p=0.032]. SCFHs with secondary education were 4 times good at hygiene practices of food safety likened to no education [aOR=4.06, p=0.003]. Above GHc1500 average monthly income earners were 5 times good at hygiene practices of food safety compared to below GHc500 [aOR=4.89, p=0.006]. Registered SCFHs were 8 times good at hygiene practice of food safety compared to unregistered [aOR=7.50, p<0.001]. The odd for good hygiene practice of food safety was 6 times found among SCFHs who had training on food safety courses likened to those who had not [aOR=5.97, p<0.001]. CONCLUSIONS Over half of the SCFHs had good levels of KAP of food safety. Registering as SCFH was significantly associated with good knowledge and hygiene practices of food safety. Therefore, our results may present an imperative foundation for design to increase food safety and hygiene practice in the district, region, and beyond.
Adult ; Attitude ; Cooking/methods* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Food Safety ; Ghana ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Globally, over four million deaths are attributed to exposure to household air pollution (HAP) annually. Evidence of the association between exposure to HAP and under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is insufficient. We assessed the association between exposure to HAP and under-five mortality risk in 14 SSA countries. METHODS: We pooled Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 14 SSA countries (N = 164376) collected between 2015 and 2018. We defined exposure to HAP as the use of biomass fuel for cooking in the household. Under-five mortality was defined as deaths before age five. Data were analyzed using mixed effects logistic regression models. RESULTS: Of the study population, 73% were exposed to HAP and under-five mortality was observed in 5%. HAP exposure was associated with under-five mortality, adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.33 (95% confidence interval (CI) [1.03-1.71]). Children from households who cooked inside the home had higher risk of under-five mortality compared to households that cooked in separate buildings [0.85 (0.73-0.98)] or outside [0.75 (0.64-0.87)]. Lower risk of under-five mortality was also observed in breastfed children [0.09 (0.05-0.18)] compared to non-breastfed children. CONCLUSIONS HAP exposure may be associated with an increased risk of under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. More carefully designed longitudinal studies are required to contribute to these findings. In addition, awareness campaigns on the effects of HAP exposure and interventions to reduce the use of biomass fuels are required in SSA.
Africa South of the Sahara ; Air Pollution, Indoor/adverse effects* ; Biomass ; Cooking ; Female ; Health Surveys ; Housing ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Mortality ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Mortality

BACKGROUND: Among the environmental risk factors, household air pollution exposure from traditional cooking practices is one of the biggest killers globally, which mainly impacts developing countries where many families rely on traditional cooking practices. Although improved cookstove adoption is central to tackle this public health issue, the efforts to disseminate cookstove technologies have faced challenges, and the adoption rates are reported to be very low in many developing countries including Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the magnitude and identify potential factors that may act as facilitators or barriers to adoption from users' point of view. METHODS: As part of the wider stove trial project, a cross-sectional study was conducted among a total of 5830 households under randomly selected clusters. The required data were collected through face-to-face interviews, and a backward stepwise logistic regression analysis technique was applied to evaluate the effect of potential predictor variables on adoption using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) as measures of effect. RESULTS: The prevalence of adoption was found to be 12.3% (95% CI 11.5-13.2), and households headed by females (AOR 1.96; 95% CI 1.24-3.10), private house ownership (AOR 4.58; 95% CI 3.89-6.19), separate cooking location (AOR 1.84; 95% CI 1.49-2.78), fuel purchasing (AOR 2.13; 95% CI 1.64-2.76), health benefit (AOR 1.76; 95% CI 1.15-2.70), optimistic social interaction (AOR 1.81; 95% CI 1.46-2.26), traditional suitability (AOR 1.58; 95% CI 1.28-1.95), stove use demonstration experience (AOR 2.47; 95% CI 1.98-3.07), cheap price (AOR 2.48; 95% CI 1.91-3.21), availability (AOR 1.81; 95% CI 1.5-1, 2.17), fuel-saving benefit (AOR 1.63; 95% CI 1.18-2.24), and more durable stove (AOR 1.71; 95% CI 1.30-2.26) of cookstove played a significant role as facilitators to adoption. In addition, lower educational level of head (AOR 0.31; 95% CI 0.23-0.42) and fuel processing requirement (AOR 0.55; 95% CI 0.44-0.70) of cookstove were found to be barriers for adoption. CONCLUSIONS Extremely lower improved cookstove adoption was observed due to household- and setting-related, cookstove technology-related, user knowledge- and perception-related, and financial- and market development-related factors. Therefore, to gain successful adoption, implementers and policymakers should consider those important factors in the implementation of clean cooking solutions to the community.
Air Pollution, Indoor ; Cooking ; methods ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Environmental Health ; Ethiopia ; Household Articles ; statistics & numerical data

Coicis Semen is widely used as a raw material which can be used as both medicine and food among people. According to the ancient monographs on materia medica and relevant documents on the processing specifications in various provinces and cities, herba logical study on the historical evolution of the processing methods of Coicis Semen was conducted in this paper from the aspects of collecting and processing methods of Coicis Semen, the processing methods in the past dynasties and the nature, flavour and efficacy of Coicis Semen. The results showed that the processing methods of Coicis Semen recorded in monographs on materia medica mainly included stir-frying, glutinous rice stir-frying, salt processing(including salt cooking and salt stir-frying), stir-frying with the earth scraped from the wall facing east, and ginger juice stir-frying, etc. Among them, stir-frying, and stir-frying with the earth scraped from the wall facing east are still used nowadays. The bran stir-frying is the improved version of glutinous rice stir-frying in order to be adaptive to the modern-day situation and the needs of the present. In addition, the ancient shell removal and kernel keeping method are also included in the processing procedures in modern local processing specifications, which are combined with frying to form a new method named "Fazhi" processing( "Fazhi" means a processing method of multiple procedures). The 2015 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia records that Coicis Semen is helpful to clear dampness and promote diuresis, strengthen the spleen and prevent diarrhea, eliminate impediment, discharge pus, resolve toxin and a mass, etc., which are consistent with those contained in ancient monographs on materia medica. After the "Fazhi" processing, the cold nature of Coicis Semen has been removed and its nature,flavour and meridian tropism have been changed, so its application scopes expanded. The results of this study clearly traced the history of the collecting and proces-sing of Coicis Semen, summarized the nature, flavour and efficacy of Coicis Semen contained in both ancient and modern literature, and provided a historical basis for the standardization of the subsequent processing technology of Coicis Semen, the clinical application of various processed products, and the further development and utilization of medicinal materials.
Coix ; Cooking ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Ginger ; Materia Medica ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Oryza

OBJECTIVES: Young athletes require adequate nutrition to maintain their athletic performance, growth and health. This study examined the status and needs of nutrition management and meal services for student athletes among the athlete's parents. METHODS: The subjects were parents of elementary, middle, and high school athletes (n=323) from 18 schools participating mainly in the Sports Food Truck. The questionnaire included general characteristics, status and needs on nutrition management and meal service for student athletes, and satisfaction with the Food Truck. The survey was done during 2018. The data were analyzed according to the school groups using a χ2-test or ANOVA. RESULTS: Approximately 45% of subjects had difficulty in the nutrition management of athletes, and 87.1% had not received nutrition education. Approximately 74% wanted nutrition education held for athletes, and mainly wanted topics on nutrition management for health and eating for athletic performance. The preferred methods were lectures and cooking activity. The responses on the necessity of nutrition education for athletes, desired education topics, and desired times for education differed significantly according to the school groups (p < 0.05). Most subjects also wanted nutrition information mainly through SNS. In the athlete's meal, breakfast and snacks were highlighted as the meal to supplement. Approximately 90.3% responded that providing a meal service is necessary. The subjects preferred snacks before/after exercise and dinner if a meal service was provided. They preferred Korean food, followed by snacks, and a dish meal. As the meal type, the subjects wanted the Food Truck and packed meal. The responses on necessity of a meal service (p < 0.05), preferred food (p < 0.001), and meal type (p < 0.001) in the meal service differed significantly according to the school groups. Approximately 43% were satisfied with the Food Truck and 50.8% responded as average. They made suggestions for the Food Truck in terms of foods, operations and frequency. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the study results, nutrition education and meal service may support nutrition for student athletes considering the needs of the parents according to the school groups.
Athletes ; Athletic Performance ; Breakfast ; Cooking ; Eating ; Education ; Humans ; Lectures ; Meals ; Motor Vehicles ; Needs Assessment ; Parents ; Snacks ; Sports