Tag Archives: health

Exposure to air pollution in infancy alters gut microorganisms, may boost disease risk [Preventive Steps]

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Exposure to air pollution in the first six months of life impacts a child’s inner world of gut bacteria, or microbiome, in ways that could increase risk of allergies, obesity and diabetes, and even influence brain development, suggests new CU Boulder research.

“This study adds to the growing body of literature showing that air pollution exposure, even during infancy, may alter the gut microbiome, with important implications for growth and development,” said senior author Tanya Alderete, assistant professor of Integrative Physiology at CU Boulder.

At birth, an infant hosts little resident bacteria. Over the first two to three years of life, exposure to mother’s milk, solid food, antibiotics and other environmental influences shape which microorganisms take hold. Those microbes, and the metabolites, or byproducts, they produce when they break down food or chemicals in the gut, influence a host of bodily systems that shape appetite, insulin sensitivity, immunity, mood and cognition. While many are beneficial, some microbiome compositions have been associated with Chrohn’s disease, asthma, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic illnesses.

Air pollution/photo:en.wikipedia.org

“The microbiome plays a role in nearly every physiological process in the body, and the environment that develops in those first few years of life sticks with you,” said first author Maximilian Bailey, who graduated in May with a master’s in Integrative Physiology and is now a medical student at Stanford University.

Boosting inflammation

For the study, the researchers obtained fecal samples from 103 healthy, primarily breast-fed Latino infants enrolled in the Southern California Mother’s Milk Study and used genetic sequencing to analyze them.

Using their street addresses and data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality System, which records hourly data from monitoring systems, they estimated exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 (fine inhalable particles from things like factories, wildfires and construction sites) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), a gas largely emitted from cars.

“Overall, we saw that ambient air pollution exposure was associated with a more inflammatory gut-microbial profile, which may contribute to a whole host of future adverse health outcomes,” said Alderete.

For instance, infants with the highest exposure to PM2.5 had 60% less Phascolarctobacterium, a beneficial bacterium known to decrease inflammation, support gastrointestinal health and aid in neurodevelopment. Those with the highest exposure to PM10 had 85% more of the microorganism Dialister, which is associated with inflammation.

infant-small child/photo:en.wikipedia.org

Infants are particularly vulnerable to the health hazards of air pollution because they breathe faster and their gut microbiome is just taking shape.

“This makes early life a critical window where exposure to air pollution may have disproportionately deleterious health effects,” they write.

Meantime, Alderete advises everyone to take these steps to reduce their exposure to both indoor and outdoor pollutants:

  • Avoid walking outdoors in high-traffic zones
  • Consider a low-cost air-filtration system, particularly for rooms children spend a lot of time in
  • If you are cooking, open the windows
  • And for new moms, breastfeed for as long as possible

“Breast milk is a fantastic way to develop a healthy microbiome and may help offset some of the adverse effects from environmental exposures,” Alderete said.

DNA screen: World-first preventative saliva test for cancer and heart disease risk

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Young Australians can now access a free DNA saliva test to learn whether they face increased risk of some cancers and heart disease, which can be prevented or treated early if detected, in a world-first DNA screening study.

The nationally collaborative project, led by Monash University and supported by researchers and clinicians across Australia, will screen at least 10,000 people aged 18-40 for genes that increase risk of certain types of cancers and heart disease that often go undetected.

Those found to be at high risk after DNA testing – about one in 75 or 1.3 per cent – will have their situation explained by experts and be offered genetic counselling and prevention measures, such as regular scans and check-ups.

cancer/photo:en.wikipedia.org

Until now, genetic testing for the DNA changes that increase disease risk has only been available on a small scale for those with a known family history or prior disease diagnosis. Population testing, open to everyone, has the potential to drastically improve access and maximize the preventive benefits of DNA testing.

Monash University’s Associate Professor Paul Lacaze said the project enabled a more efficient and equitable approach to genetic testing, identifying far more people at high risk than current testing methods.

“We hope to identify those at risk while they are young and healthy, not after the fact, and empower them to make more informed decisions about their health,” he said. “For some people, this could save their lives through early detection and prevention of cancer and heart disease. This will also save considerable health system costs in Australia through prevention.

“Providing genetic testing based on family history alone is not enough. Up to 90 per cent of those at high risk in the general population are not identified by current family history-based testing. Most people don’t find out about their genetic risk until it’s too late, like after an incurable cancer or heart attack is diagnosed. We want to change that.”

DNA Screen will identify people with DNA variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that lead to an increased risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in women. These genes are also linked to breast and prostate cancer in men, although not as strongly. Men and women who carry DNA variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes can also pass them onto their children.

The DNA Screen test will also focus on Lynch Syndrome – another condition that increases risk for colorectal, endometrial, and other gastrointestinal cancers. Both cancer-related conditions have effective, proven interventions available to reduce risk if identified early.

This includes attending annual check-ups and screens from age 30, and the option of risk-reducing surgery for some people. Early detection and prevention are often life-saving for cancer.

The DNA test also encompasses heart disease risk, focusing on familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) or ‘genetic high cholesterol’, which results in high risk of heart disease from a young age. Despite effective medications such as statins being available to reduce risk, an estimated 95 per cent of FH carriers are currently undiagnosed.

Associate Professor Lacaze, from the Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, is leading a team of national collaborators who were awarded a $2.97 million Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant for the project. The project is supported by the Precision Medicine laboratory at Monash University and the state-of-the-art Biobanking Victoria facility.

The eventual goal is to develop a new population-based DNA screening program that could be offered through the Australian public healthcare system, available to everyone but targeted on certain medically-actionable conditions where early detection is key.

“We expect to identify about 1 in 75 people at high risk of these diseases. Those found to be high risk won’t necessarily get the disease, but pinpointing risk before symptoms appear enables prevention through regular check-ups, medication, or risk-reducing surgery. It could save their life.

DNA Screen, which is recruiting young people via social media, is expected to save lives and could lead to a wide scale preventive DNA testing program for cancer and heart disease risk, where early detection and prevention can be life-saving.

DNA Screen is the world’s first preventive DNA screening study designed specifically to assess population DNA screening through a national healthcare system. The test is free and involves placing a saliva sample into a small tube received by mail, and sending it back in a postage paid envelope. People can sign up online at dnascreen.monash.edu

 

Fish oil, vitamin D supplements during pregnancy lower risk of croup in babies

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Babies and children under three years old are less likely to develop croup if their mothers took fish oil and vitamin D supplements during pregnancy, according to new results from a clinical trial.

Croup is a viral chest infection that affects young children. It causes a characteristic ‘barking’ cough, a hoarse voice and difficulty breathing. Croup is common and usually mild, but some children will need hospital treatment and breathing support.

The study was presented by Dr Nicklas Brustad, a clinician and postdoctoral researcher working on the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) at Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.

He told the Congress: “There is currently no vaccine against the pathogen that causes this disease. Therefore, other preventive strategies are needed, and measures initiated during pregnancy might be important since croup occurs in babies and young children. For such purpose, there is evidence that both vitamin D and fish oil could have an influence on the immune system.”

croup-chest infection/photo:en.wikipedia.org

The study included 736 pregnant women being cared for by COPSAC from 2010. The women were divided up into four groups. One group were given a high-dose vitamin D supplement (2800 international units per day) and fish oil containing long-chain n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (2.4 grams), the second group were given high-dose vitamin D and olive oil, the third group were given standard-dose vitamin D (400 international units per day) and fish oil, and the final group were given standard-dose vitamin D and olive oil. All the women took the supplements daily from their 24th week of pregnancy until one week after their babies were born. Neither the women nor the researchers knew which supplements they were taking until the end of the study.

Researchers monitored the children until they were three years old and any who were suspected of suffering from croup were diagnosed by a doctor or via their medical records. There was a total of 97 cases of croup amongst the children.

Vitamins-Fish oil supplements/photo:en.wikipedia.org

Overall, children whose mothers took the fish oil had an 11% risk of croup, compared to 17% in the children whose mothers took olive oil (a 38% decrease). Children whose mothers took high-dose vitamin D had an 11% risk of croup, compared to an 18% risk in those whose mothers took the standard-dose vitamin D (a 40% decrease).

Dr Brustad said: “Our findings suggest that vitamin D and fish oil could be beneficial against childhood croup in sufficiently high doses. These are relatively cheap supplements meaning that this could be a very cost-effective approach to improving young children’s health.

Vitamin D and fish oil can stimulate the immune system to help babies and young children clear infections more effectively.”

The research team working at COPSAC have already investigated other potential benefits of vitamin D and fish oil during pregnancy, including its effects on bone development, the central nervous system, body composition and asthma. They will continue to follow the children in the study and plan to investigate why some children are more prone to infections in childhood than others.

Professor Rory Morty from the University of Heidelberg is chair of European Respiratory Society’s lung and airway developmental biology group and was not involved in the research. He said: “We know that lung health in babies and young children can be influenced during pregnancy. For example, babies whose mothers smoke tend to have worse lung health. We are increasingly seeing that elements of a mother’s diet can also help or hinder a baby’s lung development.

“This research suggests that taking vitamin D and fish oil supplements during pregnancy could have benefits for babies and young children. We would like to see further research in this area to support these findings as this could lead to new recommendations for supplementation during pregnancy. Pregnant women should always speak to their doctor before taking supplements.”

 

 

Air pollution is more dangerous for women than men: Study

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The impact of breathing diesel exhaust fumes may be more severe for females than males, according to new research that will be presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Barcelona, Spain [1].

Researchers looked for changes in people’s blood brought about by exposure to diesel exhaust. In both females and males, they found changes in components of the blood related to inflammation, infection and cardiovascular disease, but they found more changes in females than males.

The research was presented by Dr Hemshekhar Mahadevappa, from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada and was a collaboration between two research groups led by Professor Neeloffer Mookherjee at the University of Manitoba and Professor Chris Carlsten at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Dr Mahadevappa told the Congress: “We already know that there are sex differences in lung diseases such as asthma and respiratory infections.

Air pollution/Photo:en.wikipedia.org

Research showed that breathing diesel exhaust creates inflammation in the lungs and has an impact on how the body deals with respiratory infections. In this study, we wanted to look for any effects in the blood and how these differ in females and males.”

The study involved ten volunteers, five female and five male, who were all healthy non-smokers. Each volunteer spent four hours breathing filtered air and four hours breathing air containing diesel exhaust fumes at three different concentrations – 20, 50 and 150 micrograms of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) per cubic metre – with a four-week break in between each exposure.

Volunteers donated blood samples 24 hours after each exposure and the researchers made detailed examinations of the volunteers’ blood plasma. Plasma is the liquid component of the blood that carries blood cells as well as hundreds of proteins and other molecules around the body. Using a well-established analysis technology called liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, the researchers looked for changes in the levels of different proteins following exposure to diesel exhaust and compared the changes in females and males.

Airpollution/Photo:en.wikipedia.org

Comparing the plasma samples, the researchers found levels of 90 proteins that were distinctly different between female and male volunteers following exposure to diesel exhaust. Among the proteins that differed between females and males, were some that are known to play a role in inflammation, damage repair, blood clotting, cardiovascular disease and the immune system. Some of these differences became clearer when volunteers were exposed to the higher levels of diesel exhaust.

Professor Mookherjee explained: “These are preliminary findings, however they show that exposure to diesel exhaust has different effects in female bodies compared to male and that could indicate that air pollution is more dangerous for females than males.

“This is important as respiratory diseases such as asthma are known to effect females and males differently, with females more likely to suffer severe asthma that does not respond to treatments. Therefore, we need to know a lot more about how females and males respond to air pollution and what this means for preventing, diagnosing and treating their respiratory disease.”

Air pollution/photo:en.wikipedia.org

Professor Zorana Andersen from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, is Chair of the European Respiratory Society Environment and Health Committee and was not involved in the research. She said: “We know that exposure to air pollution, especially diesel exhaust, is a major risk factor in diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There is very little we can do as individuals to avoid beathing polluted air, so we need governments to set and enforce limits on air pollutants.

 

Being away from excessive blue light from our gadgets slows ageing process

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Changes in cell chemistry from blue light exposure observed in fruit flies could also potentially cause detrimental effects on our body, including accelerated aging.

Too much screen use has been linked to obesity and psychological problems. Now a new study has identified a new problem – a study in fruit flies suggests our basic cellular functions could be impacted by the blue light emitted by these devices. These results are published in Frontiers in Aging.

“Excessive exposure to blue light from everyday devices, such as TVs, laptops, and phones, may have detrimental effects on a wide range of cells in our body, from skin and fat cells, to sensory neurons,” said Dr Jadwiga Giebultowicz, a professor at the Department of Integrative Biology at Oregon State University and senior author of this study. “We are the first to show that the levels of specific metabolites –  chemicals that are essential for cells to function correctly – are altered in fruit flies exposed to blue light.“

“Our study suggests that avoidance of excessive blue light exposure may be a good anti-aging strategy,” advised Giebultowicz.

Mobile Phone/Photo:indiainternationaltimes

Turn off the light

The researchers at Oregon State University have previously shown that fruit flies exposed to light ‘turn on’ stress protective genes, and that those kept in constant darkness lived longer.

“To understand why high-energy blue light is responsible for accelerating aging in fruit flies, we compared the levels of metabolites in flies exposed to blue light for two weeks to those kept in complete darkness,” explained Giebultowicz.

Blue light exposure caused significant differences in the levels of metabolites measured by the researchers in the cells of fly heads. In particular, they found that the levels of the metabolite succinate were increased, but glutamate levels were lowered.

“Succinate is essential for producing the fuel for the function and growth of each cell. High levels of succinate after exposure to blue light can be compared to gas being in the pump but not getting into the car,” said Giebultowicz. “Another troubling discovery was that molecules responsible for communication between neurons, such as glutamate, are at the lower level after blue light exposure.”

Accelerating aging

The changes recorded by the researchers suggest that the cells are operating at suboptimal level, and this may cause their premature death, and further, explain their previous findings that blue light accelerates aging.

“LEDs have become the main illumination in display screens such as phones, desktops and TVs, as well as ambient lighting, so humans in advanced societies are exposed to blue light through LED lighting during most of their waking hours. The signaling chemicals in the cells of flies and humans are the same, so the there is potential for negative effects of blue light on humans,“ explains Giebultowicz.

Future work hopes to study the effects directly on human cells.

“We used a fairly strong blue light on the flies – humans are exposed to less intense light, so cellular damage may be less dramatic. The results from this study suggests that future research involving human cells is needed to establish the extent to which human cells may show similar changes in metabolites involved in energy production in response to excessive exposure to blue light,“ concluded Giebultowicz.

How to detect nanoplastics present in air

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Large pieces of plastic can break down into nanosized particles that often find their way into the soil and water. Perhaps less well known is that they can also float in the air. It’s unclear how nanoplastics impact human health, but animal studies suggest they’re potentially harmful. As a step toward better understanding the prevalence of airborne nanoplastics, researchers have developed a sensor that detects these particles and determines the types, amounts and sizes of the plastics using colorful carbon dot films.

The researchers will present their results today at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Fall 2022 is a hybrid meeting being held virtually and in-person Aug. 21–25, with on-demand access available Aug. 26–Sept. 9. The meeting features nearly 11,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics.

“Nanoplastics are a major concern if they’re in the air that you breathe, getting into your lungs and potentially causing health problems,” says Raz Jelinek, Ph.D., the project’s principal investigator. “A simple, inexpensive detector like ours could have huge implications, and someday alert people to the presence of nanoplastics in the air, allowing them to take action.”

Of the many well-documented risks of dirty air, one potential danger is lesser known: chronic kidney disease. Learn about new research and how to protect yourself. CREDIT: Michigan Medicine

Millions of tons of plastic are produced and thrown away each year. Some plastic materials slowly erode while they’re being used or after being disposed of, polluting the surrounding environment with micro- and nanosized particles. Nanoplastics are so small — generally less than 1-µm wide — and light that they can even float in the air, where people can then unknowingly breathe them in. Animal studies suggest that ingesting and inhaling these nanoparticles may have damaging effects. Therefore, it could be helpful to know the levels of airborne nanoplastic pollution in the environment.

Previously, Jelinek’s research team at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev developed an electronic nose or “e-nose” for monitoring the presence of bacteria by adsorbing and sensing the unique combination of gas vapor molecules that they release. The researchers wanted to see if this same carbon-dot-based technology could be adapted to create a sensitive nanoplastic sensor for continuous environmental monitoring.

Carbon dots are formed when a starting material that contains lots of carbon, such as sugar or other organic matter, is heated at a moderate temperature for several hours, says Jelinek. This process can even be done using a conventional microwave. During heating, the carbon-containing material develops into colorful, and often fluorescent, nanometer-size particles called “carbon dots.” And by changing the starting material, the carbon dots can have different surface properties that can attract various molecules.

To create the bacterial e-nose, the team spread thin layers of different carbon dots onto tiny electrodes, each the size of a fingernail. They used interdigitated electrodes, which have two sides with interspersed comb-like structures. Between the two sides, an electric field develops, and the stored charge is called capacitance. “When something happens to the carbon dots — either they adsorb gas molecules or nanoplastic pieces — then there is a change of capacitance, which we can easily measure,” says Jelinek.

Then the researchers tested a proof-of-concept sensor for nanoplastics in the air, choosing carbon dots that would adsorb common types of plastic — polystyrene, polypropylene and poly(methyl methacrylate). In experiments, nanoscale plastic particles were aerosolized, making them float in the air. And when electrodes coated with carbon-dot films were exposed to the airborne nanoplastics, the team observed signals that were different for each type of material, says Jelinek. Because the number of nanoplastics in the air affects the intensity of the signal generated, Jelinek adds that currently, the sensor can report the amount of particles from a certain plastic type either above or below a predetermined concentration threshold. Additionally, when polystyrene particles in three sizes — 100-nm wide, 200-nm wide and 300-nm wide — were aerosolized, the sensor’s signal intensity was directly related to the particles’ size.

The team’s next step is to see if their system can distinguish the types of plastic in mixtures of nanoparticles. Just as the combination of carbon dot films in the bacterial e-nose distinguished between gases with differing polarities, Jelinek says it’s likely that they could tweak the nanoplastic sensor to differentiate between additional types and sizes of nanoplastics. The capability to detect different plastics based on their surface properties would make nanoplastic sensors useful for tracking these particles in schools, office buildings, homes and outdoors, he says.

COVID mRNA vaccines are safe in patients with heart failure

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COVID mRNA vaccines are associated with a decreased risk of death in patients with heart failure, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2022.1 The study also found that the vaccines were not associated with an increased risk of worsening heart failure, venous thromboembolism or myocarditis in heart failure patients.

“Our results indicate that heart failure patients should be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters,” said study author Dr. Caroline Sindet-Pedersen of Herlev and Gentofe Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark. “COVID-19 vaccines will continue to be important for preventing morbidity and mortality in vulnerable patient populations. Thus, studies emphasising the safety of these vaccines are essential to reassure those who might be hesitant and ensure continued uptake of vaccinations.”

Patients with heart failure are at increased risk of hospitalisation, need for mechanical ventilation, and death due to COVID-19.2 Vaccination reduces the risk of serious illness from COVID-19. However, “Due to perceptions about possible cardiovascular side effects from mRNA vaccines in heart failure patients, this study examined the risk of cardiovascular complications and death associated with mRNA vaccines in a nationwide cohort of patients with heart failure,” said Dr. Sindet-Pedersen.

The study included 50,893 unvaccinated patients with heart failure in 2019 and 50,893 patients with heart failure in 2021 who were vaccinated with either of the two mRNA vaccines (BNT162B2 or mRNA-1273).3 The two groups were matched for age, sex, and duration of heart failure. The median age of participants was 74 years and 35% were women. The median duration of heart failure was 4.1 years. Participants were followed for 90 days for all-cause mortality, worsening heart failure, venous thromboembolism, and myocarditis, starting from the date of the second vaccination for the 2021 group and the same date in 2019 for the unvaccinated group.

The researchers compared the risk of adverse outcomes in the two groups, after standardising for age, sex, heart failure duration, use of heart failure medications, ischaemic heart disease, cancer, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and admission with heart failure less than 90 days before the first date of follow up. Dr. Sindet-Pedersen explained: “Standardisation imitates a randomised trial and is a way to obtain a better causal interpretation of the results from observational studies.”

Among 101,786 heart failure patients, the researchers found that receiving an mRNA vaccine was not associated with an increased risk of worsening heart failure, myocarditis or venous thromboembolism but was associated with a decreased risk of all-cause mortality. The standardised risk of all-cause mortality within 90 days was 2.2% in the 2021 cohort (vaccinated) and 2.6% in the 2019 cohort (not vaccinated), showing a significantly lower risk for all-cause mortality in 2021 versus 2019. The standardised risk of worsening heart failure within 90 days was 1.1% in both cohorts. Similarly, no significant differences were found between groups for venous thromboembolism or myocarditis.

Dr. Sindet-Pedersen concluded: “The study suggests that there should be no concern about cardiovascular side effects from mRNA vaccines in heart failure patients. In addition, the results point to a beneficial effect of vaccination on mortality.”

 

Black tea may help with weight loss, too

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UCLA researchers have demonstrated for the first time that black tea may promote weight loss and other health benefits by changing bacteria in the gut. In a study of mice, the scientists showed that black tea alters energy metabolism in the liver by changing gut metabolites.

The research is published in the European Journal of Nutrition.

The study found that both black and green tea changed the ratio of intestinal bacteria in the animals: The percentage of bacteria associated with obesity decreased, while bacteria associated with lean body mass increased.

Previous studies indicated that chemicals in green tea called polyphenols are absorbed and alter the energy metabolism in the liver. The new findings show that black tea polyphenols, which are too large to be absorbed in the small intestine, stimulate the growth of gut bacterium and the formation of short-chain fatty acids, a type of bacterial metabolites that has been shown to alter the energy metabolism in the liver.

“It was known that green tea polyphenols are more effective and offer more health benefits than black tea polyphenols since green tea chemicals are absorbed into the blood and tissue,” said Susanne Henning, the study’s lead author and an adjunct professor at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, which is part of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “Our new findings suggest that black tea, through a specific mechanism through the gut microbiome, may also contribute to good health and weight loss in humans.”

“The results suggest that both green and black teas are prebiotics, substances that induce the growth of good microorganisms that contribute to a person’s well-being,” she said.

In the study, four groups of mice received different diets — two of which were supplemented with green tea or black tea extracts:

Low-fat, high-sugar
High-fat, high-sugar

High-fat, high-sugar and green tea extract

High-fat, high-sugar and black tea extract

After four weeks, the weights of the mice that were given green or black tea extracts dropped to the same levels as those of the mice that received the low-fat diet throughout the study.

The researchers also collected samples from the mice’s large intestines (to measure bacteria content) and liver tissues (to measure fat deposits). In the mice that consumed either type of tea extract, there was less of the type of bacteria associated with obesity and more of the bacteria associated with lean body mass.

However, only the mice that consumed black tea extract had an increase in a type of bacteria called Pseudobutyrivibrio, which could help explain the difference between how black tea and green tea change energy metabolism.

Dr. Zhaoping Li, director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, chief of the UCLA Division of Clinical Nutrition and the study’s senior author, said the findings suggest that the health benefits of both green tea and black tea go beyond their antioxidant benefits, and that both teas have a strong impact on the gut microbiome.

“For black tea lovers, there may be a new reason to keep drinking it,” she said.

The findings build on a 2015 UCLA study that demonstrated that both green tea and black tea helped prevent obesity in mice that consumed a high-fat, high-sugar diet.

Sedentary behavior increases risk of death for frail, inactive adults

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Sedentary time, for example, time spent sitting, increases the risk of death for middle-aged and older people who are frail and inactive, but does not appear to increase the risk for nonfrail people who are inactive, according to a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Many studies have looked at the benefits of physical activity on health, although little data exists on sedentary behaviour and risk of death linked to levels of frailty. Frailty refers to a person’s overall health state, determined by the number of health problems this person has.

To understand if level of frailty and prolonged sitting are linked to a higher risk of death, researchers looked at data on 3141 adults aged 50 and over in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2003/04 and 2005/06. Participants used activity trackers during waking hours and were assessed using a 46-item frailty index; they were then followed until 2011 or date of death.

“We found that in people who scored low on the frailty index, sitting time was not linked to risk of death,” states Dr. Olga Theou, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. “Prolonged sitting was associated with a higher risk of death only in vulnerable or frail people who did not meet the weekly recommendation for 2.5 hours of moderate physical activity.”

The authors note study limitations such as limited activity tracking data for people with higher levels of frailty, which prevented them from segmenting people with severe frailty into one category for analysis.

“Physicians should stress the harms of inactivity with patients, similar to the harms of smoking, to encourage movement,” states Dr. Olga Theou. “Even something as simple as getting up and walking around the house with a walker or cane can benefit frailer people.”

The authors suggest this key public health message should be included in health promotions about the importance of healthy behaviours.

Depression overshadows the past as well as the present

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Depressed people have a peculiar view of the past – rather than glorifying the ‘good old days’, they project their generally bleak outlook on to past events, according to new research.

It is known depression makes sufferers see the present and the future as sad, but this is the first time research has shown it also casts a long shadow over people’s memories of the past.

Psychologists at Germany’s Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf and at the UK’s University of Portsmouth published their research in Clinical Psychological Science.

It establishes the first clear link between depression and hindsight bias, or a distorted view of the past.

Dr Hartmut Blank, in the University of Portsmouth’s Department of Psychology, is one of the authors.

He said: “Depression is not only associated with a negative view of the world, the self and the future, but we now know with a negative view of the past.”

Hindsight bias includes three core elements: exaggerated perceptions of foreseeability – we think we knew all along how events would turn out; inevitability – something ‘had’ to happen; and memory bias – misremembering what we once thought when we know the outcome of something.

Hindsight bias has been studied in various settings, including sports events, political elections, medical diagnoses or bankers’ investment strategies. Until now, it hasn’t been used to study depression.

Dr Blank said: “Everyone is susceptible to hindsight bias, but it takes on a very specific form in depression. While non-depressed people tend to show hindsight bias for positive events but not negative events, people with depression show the reverse pattern.

“Making things worse, depressed people also see negative event outcomes as both foreseeable and inevitable – a toxic combination, reinforcing feelings of helplessness and lack of control that already characterise the experience of people with depression.

“Everyone experiences disappointment and regret from time to time and doing so helps us adapt and grow and to make better decisions. But people with depression struggle to control negative feelings and hindsight bias appears to set up a cycle of misery.

“We have shown hindsight bias in people who are depressed is a further burden on their shoulders, ‘helping’ to sustain the condition in terms of learning the wrong lessons from the past.”

The researchers tested over 100 university students, about half of whom suffered from mild to severe depression. They were asked to imagine themselves in a variety of everyday scenarios with positive or negative outcomes (from different domains of everyday life, e.g. work, performance, family, leisure, social, romantic). For each scenario, the researchers then collected measures of hindsight bias (foreseeability, inevitability and distorted memory for initial expectations).

The results showed that with increasing severity of depression, a specific hindsight bias pattern emerged – exaggerated foreseeability and inevitability of negative (but not positive) event outcomes, as well as a tendency to misremember initial expectations in line with negative outcomes. Characteristically, this ‘depressive hindsight bias’ was strongly related to clinical measures of depressive thinking, suggesting that it is part of a general negative worldview in depression.

Dr Blank said: “This is only a first study to explore the crucial role of hindsight bias in depression; more work needs to be done in different experimental and real-life settings, and also using clinical samples, to further examine and establish the link between hindsight bias and depression.”

Kidney, Heart Transplants On Rise

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As per the data available with National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), 54, 110, 235 and 190 heart transplants and 720, 1024, 1368 and 805 kidney transplants have been undertaken in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. The State/UT wise details of heart and kidney transplants are given below:

 

S.No. States 2014   2015   2016   2017  
Heart Kidney   Heart Kidney   Heart Kidney   Heart Kidney  
1 Tamilnadu 41 227   51 290   100 339   Consolidate data for year 2017 Consolidate data for year 2017  
2 Kerala 6 104   14 132   18 113    
3 Maharashtra 0 89   5 106   34 229    
4 Telangana & Andhra Pradesh 1 92   19 168   15 182    
  Andhra Pradesh x x   x x   18 87    
5 Karnataka 5 72   11 91   14 142    
6 Gujarat 0 55   0 77   4 83    
7 Madhya Pradesh x x   1 6   7 28    
8 Uttar Pradesh 0 14   0 8   1 16    
9 Delhi /NCR 0 32   6 45   18 62    
10 Puducherry 0 26   1 18   1 20    
11 Chandigarh 1 9   1 69   2 51    
12 Rajasthan x x   1 14   3 16    
  Total 54 720   110 1024   235 1368   190 805  

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Smt Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.

Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY) to be Launched

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The Government of India has decided to launch a new sub-scheme named “Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY)” as part of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). The Self Help Groups under DAY-NRLM will operate road transport service in backward areas. This will help to provide safe, affordable and community monitored rural transport services to connect remote villages with key services and amenities (such as access to markets, education and health) for the overall economic development of backward rural areas. This will also provide an additional avenue of livelihood for SHGs. The basic outline of AGEY was discussed in a meeting of State Transport Ministers of 13 States held in June 2016 at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh and all the Transport Ministers had expressed their appreciation of this initiative.

The Community Investment Fund (CIF) provided to Community Based Organization (CBOs) under DAY-NRLM will be utilized to support the SHG members in this new livelihoods initiative. The beneficiary SHG member will be provided an interest free loan by the CBO from its Community Investment Fund upto Rs.6.50 lakh for purchase of the vehicle. Alternative, CBO will own the vehicle and lease it to an SHG member to operate the vehicle and pay lease rental to the CBO

AGEY will be initially implemented in 250 Blocks in the country on pilot basis with each Block provided upto 6 vehicles to operate the transport services. During the current year implementation of the scheme has been so far approved for 52 Blocks in 8 States namely Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand and West Bengal with a total provision of Rs.16.06 Crore of which the Government of India share would be Rs.10.16 Crore. The balance funding would be provided by the respective States.

The Blocks will be selected by States from among the Blocks where NRLM is being implemented intensively and where mature CBOs are already functioning. Backwardness, lack of transportation links and sustainability of service would be the guiding factors in the selection of Blocks and routes.

The State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) will do a feasibility study and traffic survey in the selected blocks to identity the routes and the number and capacity of vehicles which can be operated on sustainable basis. The study will be conducted by technically sound organizations with expertise in transport network planning. The choice of vehicle could be either e-riksha, 3 wheeler or 4 wheeler within a cost ceiling of Rs.6.50 lakh.

The SRLMs will be co-ordinating with State Transport Department for issue of permit for the vehicle. The SHG member operating the vehicle shall ensure that all necessary legal and statutory requirement such as valid permit, road tax permit, valid insurance policy etc. are met.

The SHG member shall run the vehicle on approved routes at pre-determined frequency as jointly agreed between the CBO and the SHG operator based on financial viability and the need for transport link.

All vehicles under the scheme shall have a defined colour code and carry AGEY branding to ensure their identity and avoid diversion to other routes.

The State Rural Livelihood Mission will arrange capacity building for their staff at State, District and Block levels for operating the Scheme. The members of the CBO and the beneficiary SHG member shall also be provided adequate training in the Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) and other partner organizations.

Early puberty may mean less time in education for girls

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The age at which girls have their first period may influence how long they stay in education.

The findings come from a study in which researchers have tried to untangle the effect of the age at first period from other complex factors that might affect time spent in education, revealing that young women who start their periods earlier may spend less time in the education system.

Previous research has indicated girls who reach sexual maturity earlier may be more prone to developing depression and, in low and middle income countries, more vulnerable to early pregnancy and negative sexual health outcomes, but whether it affects how long they spend in education was unclear.

Studies trying to pick apart the link between the age at which a girl has her first period — called menarche — and how long they spend in education can be muddied by numerous factors, including obesity, socio-economic status, and parental education level.

Now, a team led by researchers at Imperial College London has tried to untangle this complex relationship by turning to genetic markers as a proxy for the age of first period. Using a statistical method called Mendelian randomization, they attempted to remove the influence of external factors such as diet and lifestyle — which are known to be associated with both early menarche and less time in education.

By using genetic markers known to be associated with menarche, the researchers have revealed an impact of the age of first menstruation on the amount of time spent in education.

“It’s well established that the length of time that someone spends in education can have repercussions later on in life,” said Dr Dipender Gill, a Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellow at Imperial and lead author of the study. “It is associated with socio-economic status, rates of depression, risk-taking behaviour and a range of health outcomes, so clearly time spent in education is important. This study identifies that the age of puberty may have an effect on the length of time that women spend in education.”

In the study, published in the journal Behaviour Genetics, researchers looked at data from more than 180,000 European women, where 122 points in the genome where a single ‘letter’ difference in the DNA — called a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) — were associated with the onset of menstruation in girls.

The effects of these markers on time spent in education were then estimated using a separate dataset including more than 118,000 women over the age of 30 and of European descent, where participants had provided the number of years spent in education.

Analysis revealed a small but statistically significant causal link between markers for age at menarche and the length of time women spent in education. The findings showed that on average, starting menstruation one year later was associated with approximately an additional 53 days spent in education.

According to the researchers, one possible explanation for the observed effect could be due to young women being treated as more mature due to physical changes, while their emotional development takes time to catch up. Such a delay between physical and mental maturation may give rise to factors which lead to less time spent in education, such as increased risk-taking behaviour, or a failure to adapt psychologically to changes in how they are treated.

The group reports that the data could be skewed by women self-reporting the age they had their first period. In addition, the extended age ranges of women in the study group — born over nine decades (1901 to 1989) — overlaps with societal changes and the establishment of educational programmes. They add that the findings cannot be used to predict how long a young woman might stay in education, based on her age at her first period.

According to the researchers, now that a link has been established, the next step is to work out why age of menarche is having such an effect.

“Once we understand the mechanism, it might give us the opportunity address the discrepancies that we’re seeing,” explained Dr Gill.

“Going through puberty is associated with various physiological and psychological changes,” he adds. “It might be that girls who go through puberty earlier are less well-equipped to deal with the pressures. They may be suffering as a result and this might be manifest in the length of time that they spend in school.”

‘Age at menarche and time spent in education: a Mendelian Randomization study’ by Gill, D. et al, is published in the journal Behavior Genetics.

Action plan for new generation of youths

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The Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel said in the Rajya Sabha today that for unleashing the creative power and commitment of the new generation of youth, the Government has introduced the National Youth Policy, 2014 (NYP-2014). The vision of the Policy is “To empower youth of the country to achieve their full potential, and through them enable India to find its rightful place in the community of nations”. The policy lays down five well thought out objectives and 11 priority areas, namely, Education, Employment and Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Health and Healthy Lifestyle, Sports, Promotion of Social Values, Community Engagement, Participation in politics and governance, Youth engagement, Inclusion and Social Justice.

In a written reply he said, the implementation of the Policy is the collective responsibility of all concerned Central Ministries/Departments, State Governments as well as other stakeholders. A number of Central Ministries/Departments, including the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, are implementing schemes/programmes having bearing on development and empowerment of youth in the 11 specified priority areas. The Department of Youth Affairs is playing the coordinating/ facilitating role, for implementation of the Policy, besides directly implementing some Schemes/ Programmes for development and empowerment of youth.

Electronic Health Records

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A scheme to set up an ‘Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) to create the Electronic Health Records (EHRs) of citizens and to be made available nationwide online for medical history, with the help of Health Information Exchange(s), has been approved and is being implemented.

MoHFW has notified Electronic Health Record (EHR) Standards Version 2016 for India in December 2016 (whilst the earlier version of EHR Standards was notified in September 2013) with the intent to bring standardisation and homogeneity, inter-operability in capture, storage, transmission, use etc. of healthcare information across various health IT systems.

State/UTs have been advised and are already working on computerisation and implementation of hospital information system (for creation electronic records) in their hospitals/health facility with support under National Health Mission.

With the advent of the envisaged system of EHRs of citizens in an inter-operable manner pan-nation, online availability and accessibility would be ensured facilitating continuity of care, better affordability, better health outcome and better decision support system. This is expected to help in reducing expenditure on avoidable repetitive and similar diagnostic tests.

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Smt Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.

Cheap Medicines

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The Drugs Policy as amended from time to time envisages making available quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses. National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority (NPPA) under the Department of Pharmaceuticals has fixed the ceiling price of drugs placed in the first schedule to the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013. In case of non-scheduled formulations, the Maximum Retail Prices (MRP) cannot be increased by more than 10% during the preceding 12 month period.

Public Health and hospitals being a state subject, the States/UTs also take requisite action to ensure the availability of cheap/free medicines for the people. The Central Government, under the National Health Mission (NHM), provides financial and technical support to theStates/UTs for strengthening their healthcare delivery system including support for provision of essential drugs free of cost to those who access public health facilities under the NHM Free Drugs Service Initiative. All the States/UTs have reported that they have notified free drug policy in their respective States/UTs.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals has prepared a Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) which has been implemented by pharmaceutical companies with effect from 01.01.2015.

Further, Medical Council of India (MCI) or the appropriate State Medical Councils have been empowered to take disciplinary action against a doctor for violation of the provisions of the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002.

In order to promote the use of cheap generic drugs in the country including in rural areas and with the objective of making available quality generic drugs at affordable prices to all, 2052 Kendras have been startedin the country under a countrywide campaign in the name of ‘PradhanMantriBhartiyaJanaushadhiPariyojana’ (PMBJP).

Further, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has started AMRIT (Affordable Medicines and Reasonable Implants for Treatment) stores where essential life saving medicines and implants including stents are being provided at a substantial discount vis-à-vis the Maximum Retail Price.

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Sh Faggan Singh Kulaste stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.

Life Style Diseases

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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is conducting a study namely ICMR-INDIAB involving all States and Union Territories – both urban and rural population for ascertaining the exact number of Diabetic patients. 15 States have been covered so far and the prevalence of diabetes varies from 4.3% in Bihar to 13.6% in Chandigarh.

According to report published by International Diabetes Federation (IDF; 6th Edition, 2013), number of people with diabetes (20-79 years) in Urban setting of India were about 30.5 millions in 2013.

As informed by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), current estimates from one-time cross sectional studies conducted in different regions of country indicate that the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) is between 8-10 percent in urbanand 3 to 4 percent in rural India.

As informed by ICMR the estimated prevalence of cancer cases in India during 2013, 2014 and 2015 are 2934314, 3016628 and 3101467 respectively.

Nationwide scientific estimation of number of patients of Chronic Kidney Diseases (CKD) has not been carried out. However, in some of the small population based studies, it was found to be in 0.79 % in North India and 0.16% in South India.

National Center for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), Bengaluru is running Hospital and Population based Cancer Registries. As informed by ICMR some studies have been conducted on NCDs. A study is commissioned to ICMR on Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases and Associated Risk Factors for India (BOD-NCD).

The factors responsible for increase in Lifestyle Diseases (NCDs) are unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, harmful use of alcohol, overweight, obesity, tobacco use, etc.

Public health is a State subject, however, under National Health Mission(NHM), financial and technical support is provided to States/UTs to strengthen their healthcare systems including setting up of / upgradation of public health facilities, based on the requirements posed by the States/UTs in their Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs).

Government of India is implementing National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) for interventions up to District level under the National Health Mission. Under NPCDCS, diagnosis and treatment facilities are provided through different levels of healthcare by setting up NCD Clinics in District Hospitals and Community Health Centres (CHCs). Intervention of Chronic Kidney Diseases (CKD) has also been included in NPCDCS for proper management.

For early diagnosis, Population-based Screening of common NCDs viz. Diabetes, Hypertension and Common cancers (Oral, Breast, Cervical) is initiated under NHM utilizing the services of the Frontline- workers and Health-workers under existing Primary Healthcare System. This process will also generate awareness on risk factors of common NCDs.

Under strengthening of Tertiary Care for Cancer Centre (TCCC) Scheme, Government of India is assisting States to set up / establish State Cancer Institute (SCI) and Tertiary Care Cancer Centres (TCCCs) in different parts of the country. Support under the National Health Mission (NHM) is also being provided to States for provision of dialysis services free of cost to the poor under Pradhanmantri National Dialysis Programme (PNDP).

The Central Government, through its hospitals augments the efforts of the State Governments for providing health services in the country. Under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), 6 new AIIMS have been set up and upgradation of identified medical colleges has been undertaken which will also improve health care facilities.

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Smt Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.

Queen Elizabeth’s Health Triggers Anxiety Levels in London

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The long-reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II’s health after she missed mass on Christmas Day for the first time in six decades has fuelled enough fire over the next course of events in Buckingham Palace. The palace, however, said the queen had a “heavy cold” and preferred to stay indoors, though she would participate in other ceremonies.

Queen Elizabeth II is longest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom surpassing the earlier record created by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who took over India’s Queen in 1857, heralding the long British rule in the country. She is the only monarch who has visited over 115 countries so far.

Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne on February 6, 1952, at the age of 25 years and now she is 90. While other media outlets rubbished the reports in some quarters of the British media, the BBC said it was merely "undue concern”.

The queen has four children – Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. The ledest Prince Charles is the heir to the throne even if the Queen relinquishes her throne or dies.

Weight Loss, Diabetes Interlinked, Says New Study

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Since diabetes can only be controlled by an individual either by medicines, diet contrl or regular exercise, experts have come out with the finding that diabetes can be reversed if people who reversed it keep their weight considerably low.

A study by Roy Taylor at the Newcastle University showed that those with Type 2 diabetes who were able to loose their weight could also successfully reverse the chronic ailment because the excess fat remooved from the pancreas helped normal production of insulin.

The researchers studied 30 volunteers who have Type 2 diabetes for 10 years or less and found that it may not apply to those with more than 10 years of chronic ailment. Out of 30 volunteers, 12 had the ailment for less than 10 years and were able to reverse their condition and remain free from diabetes after six months, said the study published in Diabetes Care.

The volunteers reducedd their weight by a strict diet of 600 to 700 calories per day, mostly consisting of three diet shakes per day and 240 grams of non-starchy vegetables for 8 weeks. Later they returned to their normal food but within the control regime for next two weeks. Later, they ate only one-third of their normal food to maintain their weight loss.

For those who had diabetes for over 10 years, Taylor has an advice: “If you had the diagnosis for longer than that, then don’t give up hope – major improvement in blood sugar control is possible.”

Explaining the Personal Fat Threshold theory, he said:“If a person gains more weight than they personally can tolerate, then diabetes is triggered, but if they lose that amount of weight then they go back to normal.” It depends on each individual as to how much weight they can afford to keep their metabolism in tact, said Taylor.

Even 70% of those who are obese are not necessarily diabetics. Even the 13 volunteers who reversed their condition were either overweight or obese, but their insulin production levels remained the same, he explained. Taylor is planning a bigger sample of 280 volunteers to study the finding in-depth.

About two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, facing an increased risk for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, osteoarthritis, stroke, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, while India is also increasingly facing the problem of obesity and overweight, thanks to modern life and TV viewing by kids and adults alike.