Public Health Archives - Page 8 of 52 - Dr Amin Azhari

TV watching linked with potentially fatal blood clots

Environmental and Occupational Aspects of Heart DiseaseRisk Factors and Prevention
Sophia Antipolis, 20 January 2022: Take breaks when binge-watching TV to avoid blood clots, say scientists. The warning comes as a study reports that watching TV for four hours a day or more is associated with a 35% higher risk of blood clots compared with less than 2.5 hours. The research is published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

The study examined the association between TV viewing and venous thromboembolism (VTE). VTE includes pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs) and deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in a deep vein, usually the legs, which can travel to the lungs and cause pulmonary embolism).

To conduct the study, the researchers conducted a systematic review to collect the available published evidence on the topic and then combined the results using a process called meta-analysis. “Combining multiple studies in a meta-analysis provides a larger sample and makes the results more precise and reliable than the findings of an individual study,” explained Dr. Kunutsor.

The analysis included three studies with a total of 131,421 participants aged 40 years and older without pre-existing VTE. The amount of time spent watching TV was assessed by questionnaire and participants were categorised as prolonged viewers (watching TV at least four hours per day) and never/seldom viewers (watching TV less than 2.5 hours per day).

The average duration of follow-up in the three studies ranged from 5.1 to 19.8 years. During this period, 964 participants developed VTE. The researchers analysed the relative risk of developing VTE in prolonged versus never/seldom TV watchers. They found that prolonged viewers were 1.35 times more likely to develop VTE compared to never/seldom viewers.

Release date: 20 January 2022
Source: European Society of Cardiology

Covid-19, Public Health

One in ten people may still be infectious for COVID after ten days

One in 10 people may have clinically relevant levels of potentially infectious SARS-CoV-2 past the 10 day quarantine period, according to new research.

The study, led by the University of Exeter and funded by Animal Free Research UK, used a newly adapted test which can detect whether the virus was potentially still active. It was applied to samples from 176 people in Exeter who had tested positive on standard PCR tests.

The study, published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases found that 13 per cent of people still exhibited clinically-relevant levels of virus after 10 days, meaning they could potentially still be infectious. Some people retained these levels for up to 68 days. The authors believe this new test should be applied in settings where people are vulnerable, to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Professor Lorna Harries, of the University of Exeter Medical School, oversaw the study. She said: “While this is a relatively small study, our results suggest that potentially active virus may sometimes persist beyond a 10 day period, and could pose a potential risk of onward transmission. Furthermore, there was nothing clinically remarkable about these people, which means we wouldn’t be able to predict who they are”.

Conventional PCR tests work by testing for the presence of viral fragments. While they can tell if someone has recently had the virus, they cannot detect whether it is still active, and the person is infectious. The test used in the latest study however gives a positive result only when the virus is active and potentially capable of onward transmission.

Release date: 14 January 2022
Source: University of Exeter

Public Health

Pregnancy-related sleep changes linked to depression and anxiety

Changes in sleep patterns during late pregnancy and shortly afterwards are closely related to severe depression and anxiety, a new McMaster-led study finds.

Senior author Benicio Frey said an estimated 15 to 18 per cent of mothers experience anxiety, and another 7 to 13 per cent have depression during the peripartum period.

As well, nearly 10 per cent of new mothers experience clinical levels of comorbid anxiety and depression during this time.

Researchers identified several variables linked to depression and anxiety, including changes in the strength of the circadian rhythms, the average amount of activity during night-time rest and fragmented sleep. All three were strongly linked to higher depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Researchers recruited 100 women, 73 of whom they followed from the start of the third trimester to three months postpartum. They analyzed subjective and objective measures of sleep, biological rhythms, melatonin levels, and light exposure using a variety of tools, including questionnaires, actigraphs (wearable sleep monitors), laboratory assays, and other methods.

For example, higher fragmentation of nighttime rest was linked to a decrease in depressive symptoms at six to 12 weeks postpartum, a period that tends to coincide with a higher risk of developing postpartum depression, which suggests that mothers with fewer symptoms of depression were more responsive to the overnight baby’s needs.

The comprehensive findings were published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. The study was the largest to date investigating sleep and biological rhythms during the peripartum period.

Release date: 18 January 2022
Source: McMaster University

Covid-19, Public Health

Maternal COVID-19 Infection Increases Risks of Preterm Birth, Low Birth Weight and Stillbirth

People who contracted COVID-19 while pregnant were more likely to have poor birth outcomes including preterm birth, small for gestational age, low birth weight, and stillbirth. The poor outcomes of preterm birth and stillbirth were observed primarily with those infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the first or second trimester, whereas increased rates of small for gestational age were driven largely by third trimester infection.

An Institute for Systems Biology-led study examined the electronic health records of more than 18,000 people with SARS-CoV-2 tests during pregnancy. Researchers compared outcomes of unvaccinated people with a positive test during pregnancy – 882 in total – to those who tested negative.

The people in the study had mild or moderate SARS-CoV-2 infections. Severity of maternal COVID-19 infection was not correlated with gestational age at delivery. Additionally, poor birth outcomes were present even if maternal COVID-19 didn’t result in severe respiratory problems during infection.

The findings were published in the journal The Lancet Digital Health and are among the first that account for the trimester of SARS-CoV-2 infection on birth outcomes.

Release date: 13 January 2022
Source: Institute for Systems Biology

Neurologic disorders, Public Health

Epstein-Barr virus may be leading cause of multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive disease that affects 2.8 million people worldwide and for which there is no definitive cure, is likely caused by infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), according to a study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers.

Their findings were published online in Science.

“The hypothesis that EBV causes MS has been investigated by our group and others for several years, but this is the first study providing compelling evidence of causality,” said Alberto Ascherio, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard Chan School and senior author of the study. “This is a big step because it suggests that most MS cases could be prevented by stopping EBV infection, and that targeting EBV could lead to the discovery of a cure for MS.”

MS is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that attacks the myelin sheaths protecting neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Its cause is not known, yet one of the top suspects is EBV, a herpes virus that can cause infectious mononucleosis and establishes a latent, lifelong infection of the host. Establishing a causal relationship between the virus and the disease has been difficult because EBV infects approximately 95% of adults, MS is a relatively rare disease, and the onset of MS symptoms begins about 10 years after EBV infection. To determine the connection between EBV and MS, the researchers conducted a study among more than 10 million young adults on active duty in the U.S. military and identified 955 who were diagnosed with MS during their period of service.

Release date: 13 January 2022
Source: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Public Health

The artificial pancreas can help protect very young children with Type 1 Diabetes

Members of the Hovorka Group teamed with an international team of researchers have compared the performance, in children, of the artificial pancreas against ‘sensor-augmented pump therapy’. The artificial pancreas uses an algorithm run by a mobile phone app (CamAPS FX) to automate delivery of insulin according to need. They found that it is both safe to use and more effective at managing their blood sugar levels than current technology. The research is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

CamAPS FX has been shown to work in older children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Today’s study is the first time that it has been shown to be effective over several months in very young children. Management of type 1 diabetes is challenging in very young children for several reasons including high variability in levels of insulin required and unpredictable eating and activity patterns. Children are particularly at risk of dangerously low and high blood sugar levels, which can lead to adverse outcomes.

Current technology – sensor-augmented pump therapy – requires parents to review their child’s glucose levels using a monitor and then manually adjust the amount of insulin administered by the pump. These devices have proved successful to an extent in older children, but not in very young children.

On average, children spent around three-quarters of their day (71.6%) in the target range for their glucose levels when using CamAPS FX – an additional 125 minutes per day in the target range compared to those using the currently available approach.

Release date: 20 January 2021
Source: University of Cambridge

Public Health

Breastfeeding reduces mothers’ cardiovascular disease risk

Women who breastfed at some time in their lives were less likely to develop heart disease or stroke, compared to women who did not breastfeed, according to a meta-analysis of previous studies.
Breastfeeding was also associated with a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease for the women.
Previous research has also noted that the maternal health benefits of breastfeeding are associated with a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and some cancers.

Women who breastfed were less likely to develop heart disease or a stroke, or die from cardiovascular disease than women who did not breastfeed, according to a meta-analysis published today in a pregnancy spotlight issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA), an open access, peer-reviewed Journal of the American Heart Association.

The health benefits of breastfeeding for children are well known. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is linked with fewer respiratory infections and lower risk of death from infectious diseases among the children who were breastfed. Breastfeeding also has been linked to maternal health benefits, including lower risk for Type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer and breast cancer.

Release date: 11 January 2021
Source: American Heart Association

Neurologic disorders, Public Health

Remembering faces and names can be improved during sleep

For those who rarely forget a face, but struggle with names, the remedy for boosting learning may as near as your pillow.

New research by Northwestern University is the first to document the effect reactivating memory during sleep has on face-name learning.

The researchers found that people’s name recall improved significantly when memories of newly learned face-name associations were reactivated while they were napping. Key to this improvement was uninterrupted deep sleep.

The research team found that for study participants with EEG measures (a recording of electrical activity of the brain picked up by electrodes on the scalp) that indicated disrupted sleep, the memory reactivation didn’t help and may even be detrimental. But in those with uninterrupted sleep during the specific times of sound presentations, the reactivation led to a relative improvement averaging just over 1.5 more names recalled.

The study was conducted on 24 participants, aged 18-31 years old, who were asked to memorize the faces and names of 40 pupils from a hypothetical Latin American history class and another 40 from a Japanese history class. When each face was shown again, they were asked to produce the name that went with it. After the learning exercise, participants took a nap while the researchers carefully monitored brain activity using EEG measurements. When participants reached the N3 “deep sleep” state, some of the names were softly played on a speaker with music that was associated with one of the classes.

When participants woke up, they were retested on recognizing the faces and recalling the name that went with each face.

The paper, “Targeted memory reactivation of face-name learning depends on ample and undisturbed slow-wave sleep,” will publish Jan. 12 in the Nature partner journal “NPJ: Science of Learning.”

Release date: 12 January 2022
Source: Northwestern University

Nutrition in rehabilitation, Public Health

Higher Olive Oil Intake May Be Associated With Lower Risk of CVD Mortality

Consuming more than 7 grams (>1/2 tablespoon) of olive oil per day may be associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, cancer mortality, neurodegenerative disease mortality and respiratory disease mortality, according to a study published Jan. 10 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The study found that replacing about 10 grams/day of margarine, butter, mayonnaise and dairy fat with the equivalent amount of olive oil is associated with lower risk of mortality as well.

Marta Guasch-Ferré, PhD, et al., analyzed 60,582 women and 31,801 men from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study who were free of cardiovascular disease and cancer at the study baseline in 1990. During 28 years of follow-up, diet was assessed by a questionnaire every four years.

Olive oil consumption was calculated from the sum of three items in the questionnaire: olive oil used for salad dressings, olive oil added to food or bread, and olive oil used for baking and frying at home. One tablespoon was equivalent to 13.5 grams of olive oil. Olive oil consumption was categorized as follows: Never or <1 time per month; >0 to ≤4.5 grams/day (>0 to ≤1 teaspoon); >4.5 to ≤7 grams/day (>1 teaspoon to ≤1/2 tablespoon); and >7 grams/day (>1/2 tablespoon).

The consumption of other vegetable oils was calculated based on the participants reported oil brand and type of fat used for cooking at home. Margarine and butter consumption was based on the reported frequency of stick, tub or soft margarine consumption, and the amount of margarine or butter added from baking and frying at home. Intakes of dairy and other fats and nutrients were also calculated.

The researchers found olive oil consumption increased from 1.6 grams/day in 1990 to about 4 grams/day in 2010, while margarine consumption decreased from about 12 grams/day in 1990 to about 4 grams/day in 2010. The intake of other fats remained stable.

Release date: 10 January 2022
Source: American College of Cardiology

Covid-19, Public Health

Vaccinated women pass COVID-19 antibodies to breastfeeding babies

Women vaccinated against COVID-19 transfer SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to their breastfed infants, potentially giving their babies passive immunity against the coronavirus, according to University of Massachusetts Amherst research.

The study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, measured the immune response to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in both breast milk and the stools of breastfed infants.

Thirty lactating women from across the U.S. – most of them healthcare workers – were enrolled in the study. They received the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine between January and April 2021. The women provided breast milk samples before they were vaccinated, across two to three weeks after their first vaccine dose and across three weeks after the second dose. They also gave samples of their blood, spotted on cards, 19 days after the first dose and 21 days after the second dose. Infant stool samples were collected 21 days after the mothers’ second vaccination. Pre-pandemic samples of breast milk, dried blood spots and infant stools were used as controls for the study.

The samples were tested for receptor-binding domain (RBD)-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgG antibodies. In the breast milk samples, anti-RBD IgG antibodies were found to neutralize the protein spike of SARS-CoV-2, as well as four variants. A significant increase in cytokine levels also revealed the immune response in breast milk samples.

Anti-RBD IgG and anti-RBD IgA antibodies were detected in 33% and 30% of infant stool samples, respectively. The levels of antibodies correlated with the vaccine side effects the mother experienced.

Release date: 07 January 2022
Source: University of Massachusetts Amherst