Public Health Archives - Page 34 of 52 - Dr Amin Azhari

Moms with MS at no more risk of pregnancy complications than moms without MS

Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) may not be at a higher risk of pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes, emergency cesarean section or stillbirth than women who do not have the disease, according to a study in the February 3, 2021, online issue issue of Neurology® Clinical Practice, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology. However, the study did find that babies born to mothers with MS had a higher chance of being delivered by elective cesarean section (c-section) or induced delivery, and being small for their age compared to babies of women who did not have the disease.

Researchers found no difference in risk of several pregnancy complications between women with MS and women without it. No differences were found in risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, placenta complications, emergency c-section, instrumental delivery, stillbirth, preterm birth, congenital malformations or low Apgar score. Apgar score is a test of a newborn’s health, including measures like heart rate, reflexes and muscle tone immediately after birth.

Release date: 03 February 2021
Source: American Academy of Neurology

Neurologic disorders

Air pollution poses risk to thinking skills

Exposure to air pollution in childhood is linked to a decline in thinking skills in later life, a study suggests.

A greater exposure to air pollution at the very start of life was associated with a detrimental effect on people’s cognitive skills up to 60 years later, the research found.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh tested the general intelligence of more than 500 people aged approximately 70 years using a test they had all completed at the age of 11 years.

The participants then repeated the same test at the ages of 76 and 79 years.

A record of where each person had lived throughout their life was used to estimate the level of air pollution they had experienced in their early years.

The team used statistical models to analyse the relationship between a person’s exposure to air pollution and their thinking skills in later life.

The study is published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease .

Release date: 02 February 2021
Source: University of Edinburgh

Working outdoors linked to lower risk of breast cancer among older women

Outdoor workers are able to make more vitamin D which may be protective, say researchers.

Working outdoors over many years is linked to a lower risk of breast cancer in women after the age of 50, finds research published online in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine.

Outdoor workers are exposed to more sunlight, boosting their levels of vitamin D, which may protect against the disease, say the researchers.

Vitamin D has a well recognised role in maintaining bone and musculoskeletal health, but it may have other roles, including helping to ward off infection and cancer.

The primary source of vitamin D is UVB sunlight. However, concerns about skin cancer risk and the increasing use of computers for both work and leisure have decreased the amount of time people spend outdoors.

Release date: 01 February 2021
Source: BMJ

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Does aspirin lower colorectal cancer risk in older adults?

Current guidelines support routine use of aspirin for prevention of cardiovascular events and colorectal cancer in many adults aged 50 to 59. There is controversy over whether aspirin is beneficial for older adults, especially those over age 70. This study looked at the impact of regular aspirin use in adults aged 70 and older.

Regular aspirin use has clear benefits in reducing colorectal cancer incidence among middle-aged adults, but also comes with some risk, such as gastrointestinal bleeding. And when should adults start taking regular aspirin and for how long?

There is substantial evidence that a daily aspirin can reduce risk of colorectal cancer in adults up to age 70. But until now there was little evidence about whether older adults should start taking aspirin.

A team of scientists set out to study this question. They were led by Andrew T. Chan MD, MPH, a gastroenterologist and chief of the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Their report appears in JAMA Oncology.

Release date: 21 January 2021
Source: Massachusetts General Hospital

One small alcoholic drink a day is linked to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation

The study in the European Heart Journal, found that, compared to drinking no alcohol at all, just one alcoholic drink a day was linked to a 16% increased risk of atrial fibrillation over an average (median) follow-up time of nearly 14 years. This means that while four teetotallers in 100 might develop atrial fibrillation over the period of the study, five per 100 might develop the condition if they consumed alcohol starting with slightly more than an alcoholic drink a week and more than 75% of them consumed up to one drink a day [2]. The researchers categorised one alcoholic drink as containing 12 g of ethanol, which is the equivalent of a small (120 ml) glass of wine, a small beer (330 ml) or 40 ml of spirits.

These findings are important as the regular consumption of alcohol, the ‘one glass of wine a day’ to protect the heart, as is often recommended for instance in the lay press, should probably no longer be suggested without balancing risks and possible benefits for all heart and blood vessel diseases, including atrial fibrillation.

In addition to the 16% increased risk of atrial fibrillation compared to teetotallers seen in people who consumed only one alcoholic drink a day, the researchers found that the risk increased with increasing alcohol intake; up to two drinks a day was associated with a 28% increased risk and this went up to 47% for those who consumed more than four.

Release date: 13 January 2021
Source: European Society of Cardiology

Covid-19

NSAIDs Might Exacerbate or Suppress COVID-19 Depending on Timing

New research shows that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – NSAIDs reduced both antibody and inflammatory responses to COVID-19 infection in mice. The study appears this week in the Journal of Virology, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology.

The research is important because “NSAIDs are arguably the most commonly used anti-inflammatory medications,” said principal investigator Craig B. Wilen, Assistant Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Immunology, Yale University School of Medicine.

In addition to taking NSAIDs for chronic conditions such as arthritis, people take them “for shorter periods of time during infections, and [during] acute inflammation as experienced with COVID-19, and for side effects from vaccination, such as soreness, fever, and malaise,” said Dr. Wilen. “Our work suggests that the NSAID meloxicam dampens the immune response to COVID-19 infection.” The research also suggests that the consequences of NSAID use during natural infection and vaccination should be evaluated in humans, said Dr. Wilen. “This data likely exists, particularly in the clinical trials for the vaccines, so it should be mined to see if it produces antibody responses in people.”

Release date: 22 January 2021
Source: American Society for Microbiology

Street trees close to the home may reduce the risk of depression

Street trees near the home may reduce the risk to suffer from depression

More trees immediately around the home (less than 100 meters) was associated with a reduced risk of being prescribed antidepressant medication. This association was especially strong for socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. As these social groups are at the greatest risk for being prescribed antidepressants in Germany, street trees in cities can thereby serve as a nature-based solution for good mental health, the researchers write. At the same time, street trees may also help reduce the ‘gap’ in health inequality between economically different social groups. No association of tree types, however, and depression could be shown in this study.

Urban street tree biodiversity and antidepressant prescriptions, Scientific Reports.

Release date: 25 January 2021
Source: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig

Covid-19

People more likely to follow Covid-19 rules when friends and family do

New research has shown that people are more likely to follow Covid-19 rules based on what their friends and family do, rather than their own principles.

Research led by the University of Nottingham carried out in partnership with experts in collective behaviour from British, French, German and American universities shows how social influence affects people’s adherance to government restrictions. The researchers found that the best predictor of people’s compliance to the rules was how much their close circle complied with the rules, which had an even stronger effect than people’s own approval of the rules.

The research published in British Journal of Psychology highlights a blindspot in policy responses to the pandemic. It also suggests that including experts in human and social behaviour is crucial when planning the next stages of the pandemic response, such as how to ensure that people comply with extended lockdowns or vaccination recommendations.

Release date: 21 January 2021
Source: University of Nottingham

Geriatrics

Afternoon napping linked to better mental agility

Associated with better locational awareness, verbal fluency, and working memory

Taking a regular afternoon nap may be linked to better mental agility, suggests research published in the online journal General Psychiatry.

It seems to be associated with better locational awareness, verbal fluency, and working memory, the findings indicate.

Longer life expectancy and the associated neurodegenerative changes that accompany it, raise the prospect of dementia, with around 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 affected in the developed world.

As people age, their sleep patterns change, with afternoon naps becoming more frequent. But research published to date hasn’t reached any consensus on whether afternoon naps might help to stave off cognitive decline and dementia in older people or whether they might be a symptom of dementia.

Release date: 25 January 2021
Source: BMJ

Mothers, but not fathers, with multiple children report more fragmented sleep

Mothers with multiple children report more fragmented sleep than mothers of a single child, but the number of children in a family doesn’t seem to affect the quality of sleep for fathers, according to a study from McGill University.

A total of 111 parents (54 couples and 3 mothers of single-parent families) participated in the study published in the Journal of Sleep Research led by McGill doctoral student Samantha Kenny under the supervision of Marie-Hélène Pennestri, Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology.

Participants’ sleep patterns were studied for two weeks. Mothers with one baby reported having less interrupted and better-quality sleep than mothers with more than one child, although the total amount of sleep did not differ depending on the number of children. No difference was noted in fathers.

Release date: 12 January 2021
Source: McGill University