Public Health

,

Coffee time: Caffeine improves reaction to moving targets

Coffee time Caffeine improves reaction to moving targets - تاثیر قهوه بر تمرکز

That morning coffee might be even more helpful than you think.

In the first study of its kind to explore caffeine’s effects on dynamic visual skills, researchers concluded that caffeine increases alertness and detection accuracy for moving targets. Caffeine also improved participants’ reaction times.

Visual acuity, also known as clarity of vision or sharpness of vision, refers to a person’s ability to detect and recognize small details and can be measured under static (stationary) or dynamic (moving) conditions. While both static and dynamic visual acuity provide important information about how we interact with the world around us, dynamic visual acuity skills are especially important in the many daily activities in which we, or objects around us are moving.

The study, Effects of caffeine ingestion on dynamic visual acuity, co-authored by Waterloo’s School of Optometry & Vision Science’s Dalton, and the University of Granada’s Redondo, Raimundo Jiménez, Rubén Molina and Jesús Vera, was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology .

Release date: 01 December 2021
Source: University of Waterloo

Study links high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease to plastics

Study links high cholesterol cardiovascular disease to plastics مواد پلاستیکی تهدیدکننده سلامت قلبی عروقی

Plastics, part of modern life, are useful but can pose a significant challenge to the environment and may also constitute a health concern. Indeed, exposure to plastic-associated chemicals, such as base chemical bisphenol A and phthalate plasticizers, can increase the risk of human cardiovascular disease. What underlying mechanisms cause this, however, remain elusive.

“We found dicyclohexyl phthalate, or DCHP, strongly binds to a receptor called pregnane X receptor, or PXR,” said Zhou, who is a professor in the UCR School of Medicine. “DCHP ‘turns on’ PXR in the gut, inducing the expression of key proteins required for cholesterol absorption and transport. Our experiments show that DCHP elicits high cholesterol by targeting intestinal PXR signaling.”

DCHP, a widely used phthalate plasticizer, has recently been proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency as a high-priority substance for risk evaluation. Not much is known yet about DCHP’s adverse effects in humans.

Zhou was joined in the research by Zhaojie Meng, Jinwei Liu, Rebecca Hernandez, and Miko Gonzales of UCR; and Yipeng Sui, Taesik Gwag, and Andrew J. Morris of the University of Kentucky. The study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a top journal in the environmental health field.

Release date: 30 November 2021
Source: University of California – Riverside

Rates of type 2 diabetes are higher in people with one of various common psychiatric disorders

Rates of type 2 diabetes are higher in people with one of various common psychiatric disorders - شیوع بالاتر دیابت در اختلالات روانپزشکی

A new study published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)) finds that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is elevated in people with a psychiatric disorder compared with the general population. The research was conducted by Nanna Lindekilde, Department of Psychology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark, and colleagues.

Psychiatric disorders are common, impair the quality of life and are associated with increased mortality rates. This excess mortality is caused in part by more frequent suicides and accidents, but also by an elevated risk of developing physical conditions known to be linked to mental health problems such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Diabetes is an increasingly common disease throughout the world and estimates suggest that 6% to 9% of the global general population are currently affected. Rates have been rising since 1990 onwards in a trend that is expected to continue for the next 20 years.

Release date: 29 November 2021
Source: Diabetologia

,

Telehealth-delivered diet and exercise program eased knee pain and triggered weight loss

Telehealth-delivered diet and exercise program eased knee pain and triggered weight loss - تله مدیسین و درد زانو

New research investigating the benefits of telehealth-delivered exercise and diet programs has found 80 per cent of participants experienced improvement in knee pain and an average of 10 per cent in loss of body weight, with one man shedding 39 kilograms.

More than 400 individuals with knee osteoarthritis participated in the Better Knee, Better Me trial, developed by the University of Melbourne in partnership with Medibank and Austin Health.

Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the study shows researchers evaluated two six-month telehealth-delivered exercise programs, one with and one without a weight-loss dietary program, compared with an information-only control group.

During the trial, participants in the intervention groups were provided support from physiotherapists and dietitians via Zoom and a suite of resources. Those in the exercise plus diet group also received meal replacements so they could undertake a ketogenic low energy diet.

Compared to the group that only received information, both intervention programs resulted in benefits for pain, function and quality of life. Compared to the exercise-only program, the combined exercise and diet program led to additional benefits – including a greater reduction in pain, greater improvements in physical function, lower use of pain medications, and significant weight loss. After both programs, participants were also less willing to undergo knee joint replacement surgery.

Lead researcher and Director of the Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine at the University of Melbourne Professor Kim Bennell, said participants lost on average 10.2 kilograms over a six-month period with four out of five participants achieving significant improvement in pain. She said 30 per cent of participants lived in regional and rural Australia.

Release date: 30 November 2021
Source: University of Melbourne

,

Extent of healthcare avoidance during COVID-19

extent of healthcare avoidance during COVID-19 - اجتناب بیماران از دریافت مشاوره پزشکی در زمان قرنطینه

One in five individuals avoided healthcare during lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic, often for potentially urgent symptoms, according to a new study publishing in  PLOS Medicine by Silvan Licher of Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, consultations in both primary and specialist care declined compared to pre-pandemic levels. It is unclear to what extent healthcare avoidance by the general population contributed to these declines. In the new study, researchers sent out a paper questionnaire to 8,732 participants of the Rotterdam Study, a cohort study designed to investigate chronic diseases in mid to late-life, covering several COVID-19 related topics, including healthcare avoidance. 73% of participants responded between April and July 2020 and the final population for the study was 5,656 individuals residing in the same district in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

About one in five (20.2%) of participants reported having avoided healthcare during the pandemic. Of those, 414 participants (36.3% of avoiders) reported symptoms that potentially warranted urgent medical attention, including limb weakness (13.6%), palpitations (10.8%) and chest pain (10.2%). However, there was no data available on the severity of symptoms. Groups most likely to have avoided healthcare included females (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.38-1.82), those with poor self-appreciated health (per level decrease 2.00, 95% CI 1.80‑2.22), and those with high levels of depression (per point increase 1.13, 95% CI 1.11-1.14) and anxiety (per point increase 1.16, 95% CI 1.14-1.18). Lower educational level, older age, unemployment, smoking and concern about contracting COVID-19 were also associated with healthcare avoidance.

Release date: 23 November 2021
Source: EurekAlert 

Poor sleep linked to feeling older and worse outlook on ageing, which can impact health

Poor sleep linked to feeling older and worse outlook on ageing which can impact health - بدخوابی و احساس پیری

Poor sleep in the over 50s is linked to more negative perceptions of ageing, which in turn can impact physical, mental and cognitive health, new research has revealed.

A study led by the University of Exeter and found that people who rated their sleep the worst also felt older, and perceived their own physical and mental ageing more negatively.

Lead author Serena Sabatini, of the University of Exeter, said: “As we age, we all experience both positive and negative changes in many areas of our lives. However, some people perceive more negative changes than others. As we know that having a negative perception of ageing can be detrimental to future physical health, mental health, and cognitive health, an open question in ageing research is to understand what makes people more negative about ageing. Our research suggests that poor sleepers feel older, and have a more negative perception of their ageing. We need to study this further – one explanation could be that a more negative outlook influences both. However, it could be a sign that addressing sleep difficulties could promote a better perception of ageing, which could have other health benefits.”

Researchers surveyed 4,482 people aged 50 and over who are part of the PROTECT study. Run by the University of Exeter and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, and funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, PROTECT is an innovative online study in which participants take regular cognitive tests and complete lifestyle questionnaires. The study aims to understand what helps people stay cognitively healthy in later life.

As a result of such comments, the team decided to conduct a questionnaire looking specifically at sleep. In the research, published in Behavioral Sleep Medicine, participants were asked whether they had experienced a list of negative age-related changes, such as poorer memory, less energy, increased dependence on the help of others, decreased motivation, and having to limit their activities. They also rated their quality of sleep. The participants completed both questionnaires twice, one year apart.

Release date: 22 November 2021
Source: University of Exeter

, ,

Coffee could lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Coffee could lower risCoffee could lower risk of Alzheimer disease - کاهش خطر ابتلا به آلزایمر خبری خوش برای دوستداران قهوهk of Alzheimer disease - کاهش خطر ابتلا به آلزایمر خبری خوش برای دوستداران قهوه

Good news for those of us who can’t face the day without their morning flat white: a long-term study has revealed drinking higher amounts of coffee may make you less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

As part of the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle Study of ageing, researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) investigated whether coffee intake affected the rate of cognitive decline of more than 200 Australians over a decade.

Lead investigator Dr Samantha Gardener said results showed an association between coffee and several important markers related to Alzheimer’s disease.

‘Higher Coffee Consumption Is Associated With Slower Cognitive Decline and Less Cerebral Aβ-Amyloid Accumulation Over 126 Months: Data From the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle Study’ was published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.

Release date: 23 November 2021
Source: Edith Cowan University

,

Plant-derived antiviral drug is effective in blocking highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant

Plant-derived antiviral drug is effective in blocking highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant - تاپسیگارگین فرآورده گیاهی با خاصیت ضد کرونا

A plant-based antiviral treatment for Covid-19, recently discovered by scientists at the University of Nottingham, has been found to be just as effective at treating all variants of the virus SARS-CoV-2, even the highly infectious Delta variant.

The struggle to control the Covid-19 pandemic is made more difficult by the continual emergence of virulent SARS-CoV-2 variants, which are either more infectious, cause more severe infection, or both.

In a new study published in Virulence, a group of scientists, led by Professor Kin-Chow Chang from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University, found that the Delta variant, compared with other recent variants, showed the highest ability to multiply in cells, and was most able to directly spread to neighbouring cells. In co-infections with two different SARS-CoV-2 variants, the Delta variant also boosted the multiplication of its co-infected partners.

The study also showed that a novel natural antiviral drug called thapsigargin (TG), recently discovered by the same group of scientists to block other viruses, including the original SARS-CoV-2, was just as effective at treating all of the newer SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the Delta variant.

In their previous studies* the team showed that the plant-derived antiviral, at small doses, triggers a highly effective broad-spectrum host-centred antiviral innate immune response against three major types of human respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2.

In this latest study, the team set out to find out how well the emergent Alpha, Beta and Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 are able to multiply in cells relative to each other as single variant infections and in co-infections- where cells are infected with two variants at the same time. The team also wanted to know just how effective TG was at blocking these emergent variants.

Our new study has given us better insights into the dominance of the Delta variant. Even though we have shown that this variant is clearly the most infectious and promotes production of other variants in co-infections, we are pleased to have shown that TG is just as effective against all of them. Together, these results point to the antiviral potential of TG as a post-exposure prophylactic and an active therapeutic agent.” Professor Kin Chow Chang, lead author of the study

Release date: 19 November 2021
Source: University of Nottingham

,

Unborn babies could contract Covid-19 finds study, but it would be uncommon

Unborn babies could contract Covid 19 finds study - اثر ویروس کرونا بر جنین

An unborn baby could become infected with Covid-19 if their gut is exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, finds a new study led by UCL researchers with Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and the NIHR Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre.

Although the study did not look specifically at mothers with Covid-19 and whether their infection was transmitted to an unborn baby, it found that certain fetal organs, such as the intestine, are more susceptible to infection than others.

However, researchers say, that opportunities for the Covid-19 virus infecting the fetus are extremely limited, as the placenta acts as a highly effective and protective shield, and evidence suggests fetal infection, known as vertical transmission, is extremely uncommon.

For the study, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, researchers set out to understand how newborn babies could have developed Covid-19 antibodies, as has been reported in a small number of cases.

Specifically, they wanted to know if and how the virus could be passed from an infected mother to the unborn fetus.

To answer this question, researchers examined various fetal organs and placenta tissue to see if there was any presence of the cell surface protein receptors, ACE2 and TMPRSS2. These two receptors sit on the outside of cells and both are needed for the SARS-Cov-2 virus to infect and spread.

Researchers found the only fetal organs* to feature both the ACE2 and TMPRSS2 were the intestines (gut) and the kidney; however the fetal kidney is anatomically protected from exposure to the virus and is therefore less at risk of infection.

Therefore, the team concluded that the SARS-CoV-2 virus could only infect the fetus via the gut and through fetal swallowing of amniotic fluid, which the unborn baby does naturally for nutrients.

After birth ACE2 and TMPRSS2 receptors are known to be present in combination on the surface of cells in the human intestine as well as the lung. The gut and lung are suspected to be the main routes for Covid-19 infection, but in younger children, the intestine appears to be most important for virus infection.

Release date: 19 November 2021
Source: University College London

,

Optimized second-generation mRNA vaccine demonstrated improved protection against COVID-19 in preclinical testing

Optimized second generation mRNA vaccine demonstrated improved protection against COVID19 - واکسن های جدید کرونا

In a recent phase 2b/3 clinical trial, a third mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 — known as CVnCoV and developed by CureVac — reported approximately 48 percent efficacy against symptomatic disease. In a head-to-head test of a revised version of the vaccine, CV2CoV, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) assessed the vaccines’ ability to provoke an immune response as well as their protective efficacy against COVID-19 in non-human primates. Their findings, published in Nature, show the modifications made to the second-generation CV2nCoV induced a ten-fold higher antibody response than the original version, CVnCoV.

Release date: 18 November 2021
Source: Deaconess Medical Center