scholarly journals Can Yoga-Based Diabetes Management Studies Facilitate Integrative Medicine in India Current Status and Future Directions

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 125-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepak Kumar Pal ◽  
Ashish Bhalla ◽  
Sridhar Bammidi ◽  
Shirley Telles ◽  
Adarsh Kohli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Integrative Medicine ◽  
Diabetes Management ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Risk Of Mortality ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The World ◽  
Patients With Diabetes ◽  
Traditional Approaches

Background: India is fast becoming the diabetic capital in the world according to a recent report. Patients with diabetes are at increased risk of mortality due to diabetic complications, which has enormous implications for the health budget. Objectives: The main objective of this review is to provide an overview of the work carried out in the world, including modern and traditional approaches for the prevention and management of diabetes and reducing the chances of onset of further complications via cost-effective lifestyle interventions and integrative medicine. Material and Methods: We performed a literature search from various databases like PubMed, Scopus, Google scholar, etc., using the keywords diabetes, prediabetes, MCI and prediabetes, diabetes and yoga, diabetes. Results: Upon reviewing the published articles, it was noticed that one of the most neglected complications of diabetes, namely cognitive dysfunction, which is characterized by a pattern of vascular dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD), has been largely ignored, and there has been no large study investigating the role of yoga intervention in diabetes and/or associated cognitive impairment. Conclusion: The review article opens new paradigms for researchers to evaluate the connection between diabetes and AD through a yoga-based national campaign on diabetes. This paves the way towards the goal of integrative medicine.

scholarly journals Vaccines in support of globalisation: the current status of coronavirus and future implementation challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Pavlakis
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Scientific Progress ◽  
World Order ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Emerging Viruses ◽  
Global Village ◽  
The World

Abstract The key aspects to be discussed by this panelist are the role of vaccines in the support of globalization and the life style of global village, and the current status of coronavirus vaccines and future challenges of implementation. The present pandemic made obvious to the general public the central role of vaccines in the support of modern lifestyle. It also revealed the possibility (or near certainty) of totally new pandemics, for which the world had ample warnings, with AIDS, Ebola, Zika, Lassa, Hendra, SARS, MERS, and many other emerging viruses threatening the world order. We entered a new era of pandemics as the last areas of the planet become members of the global village and due to climate change. Therefore, the world will go through a period of new threats that become more intense due several factors. These include the climate change, the dense co-habitation of large number of humans and their food, the rapid, cheap and universal travel, and the public health rules and traditions. Vaccines and immunotherapies are among the best and most cost-effective ways to address new and established epidemic threats. Work on a safe and effective coronavirus vaccines progresses with unprecedented speed and substantial resources. Vaccines may be available in a year, and this time could be shortened if emergency approval of a safe but not fully tested vaccine is allowed. Production ability is expected to address the challenge of high demand, but the worrisome signals are that, even under the conditions of a spreading epidemic, a sector of the population is not convinced about the remedies, whether they are public health measures, or preventive vaccines. Addressing the reasons for the denial of scientific method and conclusions is a major priority for everybody involved in the fight of this and other epidemics. Scientific progress and implementation of the results is the only way forward.

scholarly journals The Role of Earth Observation in Achieving Sustainable Agricultural Production in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions of the World

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 3382
Author(s):  
Sarchil Hama Qader ◽  
Jadu Dash ◽  
Victor A. Alegana ◽  
Nabaz R. Khwarahm ◽  
Andrew J. Tatem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yield ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Spatial Prediction ◽  
The World ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Crop Area ◽  
Traditional Approaches ◽  
Semi Arid

Crop production is a major source of food and livelihood for many people in arid and semi-arid (ASA) regions across the world. However, due to irregular climatic events, ASA regions are affected commonly by frequent droughts that can impact food production. In addition, ASA regions in the Middle East and Africa are often characterised by political instability, which can increase population vulnerability to hunger and ill health. Remote sensing (RS) provides a platform to improve the spatial prediction of crop production and food availability, with the potential to positively impact populations. This paper, firstly, describes some of the important characteristics of agriculture in ASA regions that require monitoring to improve their management. Secondly, it demonstrates how freely available RS data can support decision-making through a cost-effective monitoring system that complements traditional approaches for collecting agricultural data. Thirdly, it illustrates the challenges of employing freely available RS data for mapping and monitoring crop area, crop status and forecasting crop yield in these regions. Finally, existing approaches used in these applications are evaluated, and the challenges associated with their use and possible future improvements are discussed. We demonstrate that agricultural activities can be monitored effectively and both crop area and crop yield can be predicted in advance using RS data. We also discuss the future challenges associated with maintaining food security in ASA regions and explore some recent advances in RS that can be used to monitor cropland and forecast crop production and yield.

scholarly journals Systematic Review of the Integrative Medicine Recommendations for Patients with Pancreatic Cancer

Surgeries ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-230
Author(s):  
Andrew A. Gumbs ◽  
Manana Gogol ◽  
Gaya Spolverato ◽  
Hebatallah Taher ◽  
Elie K. Chouillard
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Integrative Medicine ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Nutrition Supplementation ◽  
Traditional Therapies ◽  
Traditional Approaches

Introduction: Integrative medicine (IM) is a relatively new field where non-traditional therapies with peer-reviewed evidence are incorporated or integrated with more traditional approaches. Methods: A systematic review of the literature from the last 10 years was done by searching clinical trials and randomized-controlled trials on Pubmed that discuss nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle changes associated with “Pancreatic Cancer.” Results: Only 50 articles ultimately met the inclusion criteria for this review. A total of 15 articles discussed the role of obesity and 10 discussed the influence of stress in increasing the risk of pancreatic cancer. Six discussed the potential beneficial role of Vitamins, 5 of cannabinoids, 4 an anti-inflammatory diet, 3 of nut consumption, 2 of green tea consumption, 2 of curcumin supplementation, 1 role of melatonin, and 1 of probiotics. One article each was found on the theoretical benefits of adhering to either a Mediterranean or ketogenic diet. Discussion: As more surgeons become interested in IM, it is hoped that more diseases where the curative treatment is mainly surgical can benefit from the all-encompassing principles of IM in an effort to improve quality of life and survival in patients with pancreatic cancer.

scholarly journals Role of depressive symptoms in cardiometabolic diseases and subsequent transitions to all-cause mortality: an application of multistate models in a prospective cohort study

2021 ◽  
pp. svn-2020-000693
Author(s):  
Yanan Qiao ◽  
Siyuan Liu ◽  
Guochen Li ◽  
Yanqiang Lu ◽  
Ying Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Disease ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
European Population ◽  
Multistate Models ◽  
Cardiometabolic Diseases ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
All Cause Mortality ◽  
Patients With Diabetes

Background and purposeThe role of depression in the development and outcome of cardiometabolic diseases remains to be clarified. We aimed to examine the extent to which depressive symptoms affect the transitions from healthy to diabetes, stroke, heart disease and subsequent all-cause mortality in a middle-aged and elderly European population.MethodsA total of 78 212 individuals aged ≥50 years from the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe were included. Participants with any baseline cardiometabolic diseases including diabetes, stroke and heart disease were excluded. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Euro-Depression scale at baseline. Participants were followed up to determine the occurrence of cardiometabolic diseases and all-cause mortality. We used multistate models to estimate the transition-specific HRs and 95% CIs after adjustment of confounders.ResultsDuring 500 711 person-years of follow-up, 4742 participants developed diabetes, 2173 had stroke, 5487 developed heart disease and 7182 died. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with transitions from healthy to diabetes (HR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.20), stroke (HR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.18 to 1.44), heart disease (HR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.18 to 1.34) and all-cause mortality (HR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.34 to 1.49). After cardiometabolic diseases, depressive symptoms were associated with the increased risk of all-cause mortality in patients with diabetes (HR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.25 to 1.89), patients who had stroke (HR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.61) and patients with heart disease (HR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.44).ConclusionsDepressive symptoms increase the risk of diabetes, stroke and heart disease, and affect the risk of mortality after the onset of these cardiometabolic conditions. Screening and treatment of depressive symptoms may have profound implications for the prevention and prognosis of cardiometabolic diseases.

The Susceptibility of Healthy People to COVID-19 Infection and the Role of ACE2

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Kushkestani ◽  
Mohsen Parvani ◽  
Bakhtyar Tartibian ◽  
Rasoul Eslami
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Normal Subjects ◽  
Definitive Treatment ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Physical Activity Levels ◽  
Ace2 Gene

The COVID-19 virus has caused many deaths of people worldwide since the pandemic began. However, no definitive treatment for this infection has been discovered so far. It has been shown that comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases are associated with an increased risk of SARS-COV-2 infection. Interestingly, SARS-COV-2, like SARS-COV, uses the ACE2 gene to enter the host cell. Also, changes or imbalance in ACE2.ACE can affect SARS-COV-2 susceptibility, related outcomes and mortality. Regarding the crucial role of ACE2 protein in COVID-19 infection, the effect of different factors such as age, BMI, physical activity levels, nutritional status, altitude, as well as blood group was assessed on the level of this protein. Further, to our knowledge, no study has been conducted to examine factors that increase or decrease the risk of COVID-19 and its related severity and outcome in normal subjects emphasizing the pivotal role of ACE2. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to investigate the involved mechanisms of ACE2 protein and other risk factors causing infection in different situations and finally, to introduce a safe, accurate, and cost-effective approach to prevent SARS-COV-2 infection and hard clinical outcomes in normal subjects.

scholarly journals Belt and Road Initiative: Interim Results and Challenges During Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 42-51
Author(s):  
N. Pyzhikov ◽  
E. Gushchin
Keyword(s):  
Selection Process ◽  
Foreign Debt ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Chinese Investment ◽  
The World ◽  
Belt And Road

The article analyses the current status of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), its key achievements and challenges, including those related to the COVID 19 pandemic. In the 2010s China has become one of world’s largest investors and BRI is one of the most important tools of Chinese investment policy. Due to its flexible structure, BRI has been able to adjust and develop in the context of the U.S. – China trade war and the growing anti-Chinese sentiment in the world that included the concerns over so called China’s debt diplomacy. But this lack of rigidity is also a challenge to those who study BRI because there is no official list of projects (estimations vary between 118 and 374) and countries participating in BRI (up to 138). China’s key BRI partner is Pakistan. The total value of projects implemented by China in Pakistan as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was initially estimated at $46 billion but now exceeds $70 billion (new projects were signed even during the pandemic). BRI is increasing the number of its participants. In March 2019 Italy became the first G7 country to sign a BRI MoU with China. While implementing BRI China has faced such challenges as rising concerns of “China’s debt trap”, as well as ecological and political issues. In 2020 BRI is facing a new challenge with the COVID-19 pandemic. Some BRI projects were postponed because of the pandemic, but in some cases they were unaffected. There are 64 out of 138 countries participating in BRI that come from low and lower-middle income groups according to the World Bank classification. Their average ratio of foreign debt to GDP was 54% in 2018–2019. It is most likely that these countries will be hit hard by the coronacrisis. Thus the pandemic will encourage China to tighten the selection process for BRI projects with a focus on the most strategically important and cost effective ones. From the point of view of China’s BRI partners, the effect can be two-fold: the most unstable economies will increase their dependence on China, while with the economically strong countries China will be more willing to make concessions and offer more favorable conditions for cooperation.

scholarly journals Supper Timing and Cardiovascular Mortality: The Japan Collaborative Cohort Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 3389
Author(s):  
Jingyun Tang ◽  
Jia-Yi Dong ◽  
Ehab S. Eshak ◽  
Renzhe Cui ◽  
Kokoro Shirai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hemorrhagic Stroke ◽  
Proportional Hazards ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards ◽  
Stroke Mortality ◽  
Hazard Ratios ◽  
Risk Of Mortality ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Study Participants

Evidence on the role of supper timing in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is limited. In this study, we examined the associations between supper timing and risks of mortality from stroke, coronary heart disease (CHD), and total CVD. A total of 28,625 males and 43,213 females, aged 40 to 79 years, free from CVD and cancers at baseline were involved in this study. Participants were divided into three groups: the early supper group (before 8:00 p.m.), the irregular supper group (time irregular), and the late supper group (after 8:00 p.m.). Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for stroke, CHD, and total CVD according to the supper time groups. During the 19-year follow-up, we identified 4706 deaths from total CVD. Compared with the early supper group, the multivariable HR of hemorrhagic stroke mortality for the irregular supper group was 1.44 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.97). There was no significant association between supper timing and the risk of mortality from other types of stroke, CHD, and CVD. We found that adopting an irregular supper timing compared with having dinner before 8:00 p.m. was associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke mortality.

A Refresher on Herpes Zoster, Current Status on Vaccination, and the Role of the Dermatologist

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 185-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyn C. Guenther ◽  
Charles W. Lynde
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Herpes Zoster ◽  
Preventive Medicine ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Increased Risk

Background: Herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) have a significant impact on quality of life. PHN is often chronic and difficult to treat. Dermatologists have always been involved in making the diagnosis of these conditions and, most recently, teaching the need for early antiviral therapy. Objective: With the introduction of a new vaccine, HZ and its difficult-to-treat complication PHN can be prevented or minimized. Preventive medicine is important and has been supported by dermatologists with sun safety programs. Patients receiving biologics are at increased risk of developing zoster. Conclusion: Dermatologists should embrace zoster vaccination and recommend routine vaccination of immunocompetent individuals > age 60 years, as well as patients of any age who are starting immunosuppressants, including biologics. Given that individuals over age 50 years are at risk for PHN and studies have shown that the vaccine's immunogenicity and safety are maintained in individuals age 50 to 59 years, vaccination in this age group may be considered. Some dermatologists may consider vaccinating their own patients, but most will likely recommend that vaccination be performed by their patients' primary care physicians.

The Challenge of Lipid Management in Patients with Diabetes or Other Endocrine Disorders

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Alberico L Catapano ◽  
Liliana Grigore ◽  
Angela Pirillo ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statin Therapy ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Endocrine Disorders ◽  
Lipid Management ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Patients With Diabetes ◽  
Associated Risk Factors

Diabetes increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), and several guidelines suggest that subjects with diabetes are at high risk of developing CVD. The increased risk can be attributed, at least in part, to associated risk factors, including hypertension and dyslipidaemia. The role of statins in primary and secondary prevention of CVD is well established, and the positive effect has been clearly demonstrated also in patients with type 2 diabetes. A number of studies have evaluated the effect of statin therapy on incident CVD and shown that statin therapy produces a great reduction in cardiovascular risk, but a recent meta-analysis revealed a slight increase in the risk of developing diabetes. Such risk is, however, low, especially when compared with the reduction in cardiovascular events and should not interfere with the choice of treating diabetic patients with a cholesterol-lowering therapy.

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