scholarly journals Methylmercury Impact on Adult Neurogenesis: Is the Worst Yet to Come From Recent Brazilian Environmental Disasters?

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramon da Silva Raposo ◽  
Daniel Vieira Pinto ◽  
Ricardo Moreira ◽  
Ronaldo Pereira Dias ◽  
Carlos Alberto Fontes Ribeiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Adult Brain ◽  
Neurogenic Niche ◽  
Environmental Disasters ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Abnormalities ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Impact

Worldwide environmental tragedies of anthropogenic origin causing massive release of metals and other pollutants have been increasing considerably. These pollution outbreaks affect the ecosystems and impact human health. Among those tragedies, recent large-scale environmental disasters in Brazil strongly affected riverside populations, leading to high-risk exposure to methylmercury (MeHg). MeHg is highly neurotoxic to the developing brain. This toxicant causes neural stem cell dysfunction and neurodevelopmental abnormalities. However, less is known about the effects of MeHg in the postnatal neurogenic niche, which harbors neural stem cells and their progeny, in the adult brain. Therefore, taking in consideration the impact of MeHg in human health it is urgent to clarify possible associations between exposure to mercury, accelerated cognitive decline, and neurodegenerative diseases. In this perspectives paper, we discuss the neurotoxic mechanisms of MeHg on postnatal neurogenesis and the putative implications associated with accelerated brain aging and early-onset cognitive decline in populations highly exposed to this environmental neurotoxicant.

scholarly journals Exposure to airborne gold nanoparticles: a review of current toxicological data on the respiratory tract

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara De Berardis ◽  
Magda Marchetti ◽  
Anna Risuglia ◽  
Federica Ietto ◽  
Carla Fanizza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Nanoparticles ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Engineered Nanoparticles ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Field Exposure ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn recent years, the introduction of innovative low-cost and large-scale processes for the synthesis of engineered nanoparticles with at least one dimension less than 100 nm has led to countless useful and extensive applications. In this context, gold nanoparticles stimulated a growing interest, due to their peculiar characteristics such as ease of synthesis, chemical stability and optical properties. This stirred the development of numerous applications especially in the biomedical field. Exposure of manufacturers and consumers to industrial products containing nanoparticles poses a potential risk to human health and the environment. Despite this, the precise mechanisms of nanomaterial toxicity have not yet been fully elucidated. It is well known that the three main routes of exposure to nanomaterials are by inhalation, ingestion and through the skin, with inhalation being the most common route of exposure to NPs in the workplace. To provide a complete picture of the impact of inhaled gold nanoparticles on human health, in this article, we review the current knowledge about the physico-chemical characteristics of this nanomaterial, in the size range of 1–100 nm, and its toxicity for pulmonary structures both in vitro and in vivo. Studies comparing the toxic effect of NPs larger than 100 nm (up to 250 nm) are also discussed.

scholarly journals Computational Modeling of the Human Microbiome

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 197
Author(s):  
Shomeek Chowdhury ◽  
Stephen S. Fong
Keyword(s):  
Computational Modeling ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Human Microbiome Project ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Microbiome Research ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

The impact of microorganisms on human health has long been acknowledged and studied, but recent advances in research methodologies have enabled a new systems-level perspective on the collections of microorganisms associated with humans, the human microbiome. Large-scale collaborative efforts such as the NIH Human Microbiome Project have sought to kick-start research on the human microbiome by providing foundational information on microbial composition based upon specific sites across the human body. Here, we focus on the four main anatomical sites of the human microbiome: gut, oral, skin, and vaginal, and provide information on site-specific background, experimental data, and computational modeling. Each of the site-specific microbiomes has unique organisms and phenomena associated with them; there are also high-level commonalities. By providing an overview of different human microbiome sites, we hope to provide a perspective where detailed, site-specific research is needed to understand causal phenomena that impact human health, but there is equally a need for more generalized methodology improvements that would benefit all human microbiome research.

A User-Centric Approach in E-Government Policies

2010 ◽  
pp. 20-36
Author(s):  
Pieter Verdegem ◽  
Laurence Hauttekeete
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Theoretical Discussion ◽  
The Public ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Electronic Service ◽  
User Centric ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Theoretical Considerations

E-government is given a central role in the modernization debate of the public sector. Despite large-scale investments the electronic public services do not (yet) seem to come up to the promising expectations. As a result, consensus seems to exist that e-government policies require a rethinking. In this chapter the origins and objectives of the electronic service delivery are discussed. The authors state that the development of e-government suffers from deterministic conceptions. Consequently, the user seems to be neglected and minor attention is given to the impact of the electronic services on the customer. As a contribution to the theoretical discussion of e-government, the authors explain why a two-fold paradigm shift is needed. The user-oriented rethinking comprises both the development of e-government services as the evaluation of its policies. At the end of this chapter, the theoretical considerations are linked to daily-based activities by presenting briefly some Belgian e-government practices.

The Next ‘Spring’ is Certain to Come – and Certain to be Missed

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 382-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Witold Mucha
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
The Political ◽  
International Crisis ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
To Come ◽  
International Crisis Group ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
The Impact

The Arab Spring took policymakers and academics by surprise. The starting point, the scope, nor the impact had been seen coming. This was primarily because of academics’ irrevocable belief in the stabilising power of authoritarian regimes. In light of this failing, the article will critically discuss the production of crisis knowledge on the basis of four major early warning tools. These are World Bank’s greed/grievance model, the predictive model by the Political Instability Task Force, the risk and capacity approach applied by the Failed States Index, and the International Crisis Group. The article will add to the debate in two ways. First, the analysis will show that prevention research can be biased in ways that crucially influence policymakers’ assessment of states at risk. Second, the article will argue in favour of a complementary perspective that includes the analysis of conflicts that do not erupt into large-scale violence against all odds (so-called ‘negative cases’).

scholarly journals Transmission Dynamics of Resistant Bacteria in a Predator-Prey System

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Xubin Gao ◽  
Qiuhui Pan ◽  
Mingfeng He
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Equilibrium Points ◽  
Predation Rate ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Mathematical Methods ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Prey System ◽  
The Stability ◽  
The Impact

This paper discusses the impact on human health caused by the addition of antibiotics in the feed of food animals. We use the established transmission rule of resistant bacteria and combine it with a predator-prey system to determine a differential equations model. The equations have three steady equilibrium points corresponding to three population dynamics states under the influence of resistant bacteria. In order to quantitatively analyze the stability of the equilibrium points, we focused on the basic reproduction numbers. Then, both the local and global stability of the equilibrium points were quantitatively analyzed by using essential mathematical methods. Numerical results are provided to relate our model properties to some interesting biological cases. Finally, we discuss the effect of the two main parameters of the model, the proportion of antibiotics added to feed and the predation rate, and estimate the human health impacts related to the amount of feed antibiotics used. We further propose an approach for the prevention of the large-scale spread of resistant bacteria and illustrate the necessity of controlling the amount of in-feed antibiotics used.

scholarly journals Diet modulates brain network stability, a biomarker for brain aging, in young adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (11) ◽  
pp. 6170-6177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilianne R. Mujica-Parodi ◽  
Anar Amgalan ◽  
Syed Fahad Sultan ◽  
Botond Antal ◽  
Xiaofei Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ketogenic Diet ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Detection Sensitivity ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Standard Diet ◽  
Network Stability ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ketone Ester

Epidemiological studies suggest that insulin resistance accelerates progression of age-based cognitive impairment, which neuroimaging has linked to brain glucose hypometabolism. As cellular inputs, ketones increase Gibbs free energy change for ATP by 27% compared to glucose. Here we test whether dietary changes are capable of modulating sustained functional communication between brain regions (network stability) by changing their predominant dietary fuel from glucose to ketones. We first established network stability as a biomarker for brain aging using two large-scale (n= 292, ages 20 to 85 y;n= 636, ages 18 to 88 y) 3 T functional MRI (fMRI) datasets. To determine whether diet can influence brain network stability, we additionally scanned 42 adults, age < 50 y, using ultrahigh-field (7 T) ultrafast (802 ms) fMRI optimized for single-participant-level detection sensitivity. One cohort was scanned under standard diet, overnight fasting, and ketogenic diet conditions. To isolate the impact of fuel type, an independent overnight fasted cohort was scanned before and after administration of a calorie-matched glucose and exogenous ketone ester (d-β-hydroxybutyrate) bolus. Across the life span, brain network destabilization correlated with decreased brain activity and cognitive acuity. Effects emerged at 47 y, with the most rapid degeneration occurring at 60 y. Networks were destabilized by glucose and stabilized by ketones, irrespective of whether ketosis was achieved with a ketogenic diet or exogenous ketone ester. Together, our results suggest that brain network destabilization may reflect early signs of hypometabolism, associated with dementia. Dietary interventions resulting in ketone utilization increase available energy and thus may show potential in protecting the aging brain.

The Impact of Moisture and Temperature on Human Health in Heat Waves

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Wehner ◽  
Federico Castillo ◽  
Dáithí Stone
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Extreme Heat ◽  
Radiative Energy ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Intense Heat

Extremely high air temperatures are uncomfortable for everyone. For some segments of the population, they can be deadly. Both the physical and societal aspects of intense heat waves in a changing climate warrant close study. The large-scale meteorological patterns leading to such events lay the framework for understanding their underlying causal mechanisms, while several methods of quantifying the combination of heat and humidity can be used to determine when these patterns result in stressful conditions. We examine four historic heat waves as case studies to illustrate differences in the structure of heat waves and the variety of effects of extreme heat on humans, which are characterized in terms of demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic impacts, including mortality and economic ramifications. Weather station data and climate model projections for the future point to an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme heat waves as the overall climate gets warmer. Changes in the radiative energy balance of the planet are the principal culprit behind this increase. Quantifying changes in the statistics of extreme heat waves allows for examination of changes in their potential contribution to human health risk. Large-scale mortality during heat waves always occurs within a context of other factors, including public health policy, rural and urban management and planning, and cultural practices. Consequently, the impacts of heat waves can be reduced, and may in many places be manageable into the future, through implementation of such measures as public health warning systems, effective land management, penetration of air conditioning, and increased monitoring of vulnerable or exposed individuals. Given the potential for severe impacts of the more intense heat waves that are virtually certain to occur in the warmer future, it is critical that both the physical and social sciences be considered together to enable society to adapt to these conditions.

scholarly journals Setting-up a European Cross-Provider Data Collection on Open Online Courses

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Kalz ◽  
Karel Kreijns ◽  
Jaap Walhout ◽  
Jonatan Castaño-Munoz ◽  
Anna Espasa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Outcome Expectations ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Impact

<p class="BODYTEXT">While MOOCS have emerged as a new form of open online education around the world, research is stilling lagging behind to come up with a sound theoretical basis that can cover the impact of socio-economic background variables, ICT competences, prior experiences and lifelong learning profile, variance in intentions, environmental influences, outcome expectations, learning experience and economic return on taking and completing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The potential diversity of participants of MOOCs has been taken as a starting point to develop a theoretical model and survey instrument with the goal to establish a large-scale, cross-provider data collection of participants of (European) MOOCs. This article provides and overview of the theoretical model begin the project and reflects about first experiences with the cross-provider data collection.</p>

scholarly journals Cardiovascular Prevention of Cognitive Decline

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Jacques Monsuez ◽  
Aude Gesquière-Dando ◽  
Sofia Rivera
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cardiovascular Risk ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cardiovascular Risk Factors ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cognitive Outcome ◽  
Progression Rate ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Incidence Of Dementia

Midlife cardiovascular risk factors, including diabetes, hypertension, dyslipemia, and an unhealthy lifestyle, have been linked to subsequent incidence, delay of onset, and progression rate of Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia. Conversely, optimal treatment of cardiovascular risk factors prevents and slows down age-related cognitive disorders. The impact of antihypertensive therapy on cognitive outcome in patients with hypertension was assessed in large trials which demonstrated a reduction in progression of MRI white matter hyperintensities, in cognitive decline and in incidence of dementia. Large-scale database correlated statin use and reduction in the incidence of dementia, mainly in patients with documented atherosclerosis, but clinical trials failed to reach similar conclusions. Whether a multitargeted intervention would substantially improve protection, quality of life, and reduce medical cost expenditures in patients with lower risk profile has not been ascertained. This would require appropriately designed trials targeting large populations and focusing on cognitive decline as a primary outcome endpoint.

Impact of COVID-19 on Nuclear Medicine in Germany, Austria and Switzerland: An International Survey in April 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (04) ◽  
pp. 294-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lutz S. Freudenberg ◽  
Ulf Dittmer ◽  
Ken Herrmann
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Medicine ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Diagnostic Procedures ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Public Versus Private ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction Preparations of health systems to accommodate large number of severely ill COVID-19 patients in March/April 2020 has a significant impact on nuclear medicine departments. Materials and Methods A web-based questionnaire was designed to differentiate the impact of the pandemic on inpatient and outpatient nuclear medicine operations and on public versus private health systems, respectively. Questions were addressing the following issues: impact on nuclear medicine diagnostics and therapy, use of recommendations, personal protective equipment, and organizational adaptations. The survey was available for 6 days and closed on April 20, 2020. Results 113 complete responses were recorded. Nearly all participants (97 %) report a decline of nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures. The mean reduction in the last three weeks for PET/CT, scintigraphies of bone, myocardium, lung thyroid, sentinel lymph-node are –14.4 %, –47.2 %, –47.5 %, –40.7 %, –58.4 %, and –25.2 % respectively. Furthermore, 76 % of the participants report a reduction in therapies especially for benign thyroid disease (-41.8 %) and radiosynoviorthesis (–53.8 %) while tumor therapies remained mainly stable. 48 % of the participants report a shortage of personal protective equipment. Conclusions Nuclear medicine services are notably reduced 3 weeks after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic reached Germany, Austria and Switzerland on a large scale. We must be aware that the current crisis will also have a significant economic impact on the healthcare system. As the survey cannot adapt to daily dynamic changes in priorities, it serves as a first snapshot requiring follow-up studies and comparisons with other countries and regions.

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