biological outcomes
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2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Steven R. H. Beach ◽  
Frederick X. Gibbons ◽  
Sierra E. Carter ◽  
Mei Ling Ong ◽  
Justin A. Lavner ◽  
...  

Abstract We expand upon prior work (Gibbons et al., 2012) relating childhood stressor effects, particularly harsh childhood environments, to risky behavior and ultimately physical health by adding longer-term outcomes – deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation-based measures of accelerated aging (DNAm-aging). Further, following work on the effects of early exposure to danger (McLaughlin et al., 2014), we also identify an additional pathway from harsh childhood environments to DNAm-aging that we label the danger/FKBP5 pathway, which includes early exposure to dangerous community conditions that are thought to impact glucocorticoid regulation and pro-inflammatory mechanisms. Because different DNAm-aging indices provide different windows on accelerated aging, we contrast effects on early indices of DNAm-aging based on chronological age with later indices that focused on predicting biological outcomes. We utilize data from Family and Community Health Study participants (N = 449) from age 10 to 29. We find that harshness influences parenting, which, in turn, influences accelerated DNAm-aging through the risky cognitions and substance use (i.e., behavioral) pathway outlined by Gibbons et al. (2012). Harshness is also associated with increased exposure to threat/danger, which, in turn, leads to accelerated DNAm-aging through effects on FKBP5 activity and enhanced pro-inflammatory tendencies (i.e., the danger/FKBP5 pathway).


Author(s):  
David Victorson ◽  
Gretchen Doninger ◽  
Scott Victorson ◽  
Gwen Victorson ◽  
Lars Hall ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic has left many individuals suffering from “connection deficit disorder” given changes to the way we work, go to school, socialize, and engage in daily activities. Young adults affected by cancer between the ages of 18–39 have known this connection deficit long before the pandemic. Being diagnosed and treated for cancer during this time can significantly disrupt engagement in important educational, career, social, and reproductive pursuits, and contribute to increased stress, anxiety, depression, and other negative outcomes. Experiencing meaningful connection—with nature, with peers who understand, and with oneself, may help assuage this adverse effect of disconnect. A single arm within-subjects program evaluation was conducted to examine outcomes following participation in immersive, multi-night, mindfulness-based treks in nature in a sample of young adults (n = 157) and caregivers (n = 50) affected by cancer from 2016–2021. Pre to post-trek changes included significant (p < 0.001) self-reported improvements in feeling connected to nature (d = 0.93–0.95), peers (d = 1.1–1.3), and oneself (d = 0.57–1.5); significant (p < 0.001) improvements on PROMIS Anxiety (d = 0.62–0.78), Depression (d = 0.87–0.89), and Sleep Disturbance (d = 0.37–0.48) short forms; and significant (p < 0.05) changes in pro-inflammatory biomarkers (d = 0.55–0.82). Connection-promoting experiences like this have the potential to improve health and wellbeing in this population and serve as a model for others.


Life Sciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 284 ◽  
pp. 119916
Author(s):  
Santiago Alonso Tobar Leitão ◽  
Douglas dos Santos Soares ◽  
Nelson Carvas Junior ◽  
Rafael Zimmer ◽  
Nataniel Floriano Ludwig ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Othman Sentissi ◽  
Gabrielle Zosso ◽  
Anouck Cogordon ◽  
Chiarra Chilla

Abstract Background and objectives: The present study aims to investigate the effect of the 4-F (Fit, Fun, Feel and Food) group-based program on physical, clinical and biological outcomes in young patients suffering from serious psychiatric disorders.Methods: To prevent weight gain and improve mental and physical health in young patients, we investigated in a naturalistic design, the effect of a group-based intervention through an exploratory study.Results: We observed that out of the 61 outpatients initially included in the program, 71% were overweight or obese. The 24 patients who completed the full program showed no significant decrease in weight or body composition. Our main findings were the significant improvement in muscular endurance as well as coordination from T0 (M=13.65, SD=±1.93) compared to T1 (M=12.49, SD= ±1.81), (t(20) = 3.072 p = <0.05) and the increase in the general mental well-being of these patients from baseline to the end of the program. According to the type of psychopathology, (F(3,10) = 4.25, p < .05), we also noticed a slight modification in eating behaviour with a tendency to decrease in the TFEQ hunger’s level.Conclusion: Despite the limitations, the findings of this exploratory study demonstrated that this program is feasible and resulted in better physical conditions with enhanced mental well-being in young patients suffering from psychiatric disorders, sedentary behaviour and unhealthy lifestyles. Further research is warranted in controlled and larger population samples to further our understanding of the effect of such interventions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitra Totou ◽  
Olga Naka ◽  
Shamir B. Mehta ◽  
Subir Banerji

Abstract Background The choice of the appropriate implant abutment is a critical step for a successful outcome. Titanium abutments have demonstrated high survival rates, due to their excellent biocompatibility and high mechanical strength, although they often result in a grayish discoloration of the peri-implant mucosa. This esthetic concern culminated in the introduction of ceramic abutments. The aim of this review was to assess the esthetic, mechanical, and biological outcomes as well as the survival of the different types of abutments used for single-implant restorations in the anterior area. Material and methods An electronic search was conducted in Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central databases using the appropriate Mesh terms and predetermined eligibility criteria. The quality of the studies was assessed using the ROB 2 tool. The last search was conducted on 18th of March 2020. Results From the 2074 records initially identified, 23 randomized controlled trials (32 publications) were included for qualitative analysis. Data were classified based on study information, specific characteristics of the intervention and comparator, and information related to the outcome measures. Seven studies exhibited an overall low risk of bias, while twelve studies raised some concerns. Conclusions The rate of abutment failure was low and was associated with the ceramic abutments, especially those with internal connection. Limited correlation was noted between soft tissue thickness and color difference. Titanium abutments caused significantly more discoloration to the soft tissues than ceramic abutments, while hueing (gold or pink) slightly improved their color performance. Zirconia allowed a better color match than titanium or gold abutments, still discolored slightly the soft tissues. The submucosally modified zirconia abutments exhibited encouraging results. No significant difference was reported between materials or different types of retention on recession, papillary fill, and biological outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louisa Manby ◽  
Catherine Aicken ◽  
Marine Delgrange ◽  
Julia V. Bailey

AbstractHIV is still the leading cause of death in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), despite medical advances. eHealth interventions are effective for HIV prevention and management, but it is unclear whether this can be generalised to resource-poor settings. This systematic review aimed to establish the effectiveness of eHealth interventions in SSA. Six electronic databases were screened to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published between 2000 and 2020. Meta-analyses were performed, following Cochrane methodology, to assess the impact of eHealth interventions on HIV-related behaviours and biological outcomes. 25 RCTs were included in the review. Meta-analyses show that eHealth interventions significantly improved HIV management behaviours (OR 1.21; 95% CI 1.05–1.40; Z = 2.67; p = 0.008), but not HIV prevention behaviours (OR 1.02; 95% CI 0.78–1.34; Z = 0.17; p = 0.86) or biological outcomes (OR 1.17; 95% CI 0.89–1.54; Z = 1.10; p = 0.27) compared with minimal intervention control groups. It is a hugely important finding that eHealth interventions can improve HIV management behaviours as this is a low-cost way of improving HIV outcomes and reducing the spread of HIV in SSA. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020186025.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rongjun He ◽  
Stephanie A. Mowery ◽  
Joseph Chabenne ◽  
Brian Finan ◽  
John P. Mayer ◽  
...  

Optimization of peptides for therapeutic purposes often includes chemical conjugation or modification with substituents that serve to broaden pharmacology or improve pharmacokinetics. We report a convenient and rapid procedure for one-pot, site-specific conjugation of two cysteine-containing peptides that utilizes a bivalent linker comprising maleimide and iodoacetyl functional groups. Following maleimide-mediated peptide conjugation the linker was converted from an unstable thiosuccinimide to a stable thioether bond suitable for biological study by mild aqueous hydrolysis. The procedure is exemplified by peptide-peptide, peptide-small molecule, and peptide-fatty acid conjugations. The method provides a facile approach to search for enhanced biological outcomes through additive and sustained peptide pharmacology unencumbered by the prospect of chemical rearrangement in the course of biological study.


Toxics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 178
Author(s):  
Federica Ghelli ◽  
Valeria Bellisario ◽  
Giulia Squillacioti ◽  
Marco Panizzolo ◽  
Alfredo Santovito ◽  
...  

Despite the toxicity and health risk characteristics of formaldehyde (FA), it is currently used as a cytological fixative and the definition of safe exposure levels is still a matter of debate. Our aim was to investigate the alterations in both oxidative and inflammatory status in a hospital working population. The 68 workers recruited wore a personal air-FA passive sampler, provided a urine sample to measure 15-F2t-Isoprostane (15-F2t-IsoP) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and a blood specimen to measure tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα). Subjects were also genotyped for GSTT1 (Presence/Absence), GSTM1 (Presence/Absence), CYP1A1 exon 7 (A > G), and IL6 (−174, G > C). Workers were ex post split into formalin-employers (57.3 μg/m3) and non-employers (13.5 μg/m3). In the formalin-employers group we assessed significantly higher levels of 15-F2t-IsoP, MDA and TNFα (<0.001) in comparison to the non-employers group. The air-FA levels turned out to be positively correlated with 15-F2t-IsoP (p = 0.027) and MDA (p < 0.001). In the formalin-employers group the MDA level was significantly higher in GSTT1 Null (p = 0.038), GSTM1 Null (p = 0.031), and CYP1A1 exon 7 mutation carrier (p = 0.008) workers, compared to the wild type subjects. This study confirms the role of FA in biomolecular profiles alterations, highlighting how low occupational exposure can also result in measurable biological outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjie Ge ◽  
Yudong Wang ◽  
Shanliang Zheng ◽  
Dong Zhao ◽  
Xingwen Wang ◽  
...  

Abstractp53 and NF-κBp65 are essential transcription factors (TFs) in the cellular response to stress. Two signaling systems can often be entwined together and generally produce opposing biological outcomes in a cell context-dependent manner. Inhibitor of apoptosis-stimulating protein of p53 (iASPP) has the potential to inhibit both p53 and NF-κBp65, yet how such activities of iASPP are integrated with cancer remains unknown. Here, we utilized different cell models with diverse p53/NF-κBp65 activities. An iASPP(295–828) mutant, which is exclusively located in the nucleus and has been shown to be essential for its inhibitory effects on p53/NF-κBp65, was used to investigate the functional interaction between iASPP and the two TFs. The results showed that iASPP inhibits apoptosis under conditions when p53 is activated, while it can also elicit a proapoptotic effect when NF-κBp65 alone is activated. Furthermore, we demonstrated that iASPP inhibited the transcriptional activity of p53/NF-κBp65, but with a preference toward p53, thereby producing an antiapoptotic outcome when both TFs were simultaneously activated. This may be due to stronger binding between p53 and iASPP than NF-κBp65 and iASPP. Overall, these findings provide important insights into how the activities of p53 and NF-κBp65 are modulated by iASPP. Despite being a well-known oncogene, iASPP may have a proapoptotic role, which will guide the development of iASPP-targeted therapies to reach optimal outcomes in the future.


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