Assessment of Effect of Exercise on Body Composition in Obese and Overweight

Background: Aim: To assess the effect of exercise on body composition in obese and overweight. Methods: A total of seventy- two overweight subjects of either gender were enrolled for the study. Two groups were prepared. One group was experimental group (n=36) and the second group was control group (n=36). Parameter such as age, height and weight was recorded. On the basis of variables body mass Index and body fat percentage of every subject was determined. The experiment group were put on aerobic exercises spread over duration of four weeks. Results: The mean height in group I was 163.7 cm and 165.4 cm in group II. Weight was 65.2 kg and 63.5 kgs in group II, BMI (Kg/m2) was 29.4 and 29.1, body fat was 29.3% and 29.6% in group I and II respectively. A significant difference was observed (P< 0.05). The mean pre- test BMI was 29.6 and 38.5 and post- test value was 26.4 and 38.9 in group I and II respectively. A significant difference was observed (P< 0.05). Conclusions: Regular physical activity appears to confer a health benefit to the people. There was a positive relationship between aerobic exercises and overweight women in order to reduce the value of fat in the body.

Could Lower Testosterone in Older Men Explain Higher COVID-19 Morbidity and Mortalities?

The health scourge imposed on humanity by the COVID-19 pandemic seems not to recede. This fact warrants refined and novel ideas analyzing different aspects of the illness. One such aspect is related to the observation that most COVID-19 casualties were older males, a tendency also noticed in the epidemics of SARS-CoV in 2003 and the Middle East respiratory syndrome in 2012. This gender-related difference in the COVID-19 death toll might be directly involved with testosterone (TEST) and its plasmatic concentration in men. TEST has been demonstrated to provide men with anti-inflammatory and immunological advantages. As the plasmatic concentration of this androgen decreases with age, the health benefit it confers also diminishes. Low plasmatic levels of TEST can be determinant in the infection’s outcome and might be related to a dysfunctional cell Ca2+ homeostasis. Not only does TEST modulate the activity of diverse proteins that regulate cellular calcium concentrations, but these proteins have also been proven to be necessary for the replication of many viruses. Therefore, we discuss herein how TEST regulates different Ca2+-handling proteins in healthy tissues and propose how low TEST concentrations might facilitate the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the lack of modulation of the mechanisms that regulate intracellular Ca2+ concentrations.

Determination of Mercury, Methylmercury and Selenium Concentrations in Elasmobranch Meat: Fish Consumption Safety

This study measures total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg) and selenium (Se) concentrations in elasmobranch fish from an Italian market with the aim of evaluating the risk-benefit associated with their consumption, using estimated weekly intake (EWI), permissible safety level (MeHgPSL), selenium health benefit value (HBVSe) and monthly consumption rate limit (CRmm) for each species. THg and Se were analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry, while MeHg was determined by HrGc/Ms. THg and MeHg concentrations ranged from 0.61 to 1.25 μg g−1 w.w. and from 0.57 to 0.97 μg g−1 w.w., respectively, whereas Se levels were 0.49–0.65 μg g−1 w.w. In most samples European Community limits for THg were surpassed, while for MeHg none of the fish had levels above the limit adopted by FAO/WHO. EWIs for THg and MeHg in many cases were above the provisional tolerable weekly intakes (PTWIs). MeHgPSL estimate showed that fish should contain approximately 50% of the concentration measured to avoid exceeding the PTWI. Nevertheless, the HBVSe index indicated that solely skates were safe for human consumption (HBVSe = 3.57–6.22). Our results highlight the importance of a constant monitoring of THg and MeHg level in fish, especially in apex predators, to avoid the risk of overexposure for consumers.

The Clash of Microbiomes: From the Food Matrix to the Host Gut

Food fermentation has led to the improvement of the safety characteristics of raw materials and the production of new foodstuffs with elevated organoleptic characteristics. The empirical observation that these products could have a potential health benefit has garnered the attention of the scientific community. Therefore, several studies have been conducted in animal and human hosts to decipher which of these products may have a beneficial outcome against specific ailments. However, despite the accumulating literature, a relatively small number of products have been authorized as ‘functional foods’ by regulatory bodies. Data inconsistency and lack of in-depth preclinical characterization of functional products could heavily contribute to this issue. Today, the increased availability of omics platforms and bioinformatic algorithms for comprehensive data analysis can aid in the systematic characterization of microbe–microbe, microbe–matrix, and microbe–host interactions, providing useful insights about the maximization of their beneficial effects. The incorporation of these platforms in food science remains a challenge; however, coordinated efforts and interdisciplinary collaboration could push the field toward the dawn of a new era.

A Novel ILP Formulation for PCB Maintenance Considering Electrical Measurements and Aging Factors: A “Right to Repair” Approach

The design of longer-lasting products, such as domestic electric appliances, is a key-stone approach of the circular economy to reduce the use of non-reusable materials and the number of wastes to be managed at the end of the product’s life as well as to extend it. The manufacturing of modern electric appliances includes the incorporation of printed circuit boards (PCBs). PCBs provide mechanical support and electrically connect electrical or electronic components using conductive trackpads and other features etched from one or more sheet layers of copper laminated onto and/or between sheet layers of a non-conductive substrate. This paper proposes a PCB maintenance framework, fully compliant with the “Right to Repair” concept, considering the impact of their aging failures based on measurements made on them, as well as the repair and replacement costs of their components. Herein, we present an algorithm that assesses the problem of handling the repair and replacement cost corresponding to specific failures while ensuring that the total cost of repair does not exceed a predefined value. This is achieved through an integer linear programming (ILP) formulation which maximizes the benefit to the life expectancy, Li, of an appliance, constrained by a customer’s limited budget. The proposed methodology is tested with different PCBs and considers different types of appliances. More specifically, two cases concerning PCBs of washing and dishwasher machines are studied to examine the dependency of the solutions on the aging rate of their various components. The simulation results show that considering a medium budget, after 3 years, we can achieve a health benefit of 92.4% for a washing machine’s PCB, while for a dishwasher’s PCB, the health benefit drops to 86.3%.

Consumer-generated discourse on cannabis as a medicine: Review of techniques (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Medicinal cannabis is increasingly being used for a variety of physical and mental health conditions. Social media and online health platforms provide a valuable real time and cost-effective surveillance resource for individuals who use cannabis for medicinal purposes. This is especially important considering evidence for the optimal use of medicinal cannabis is still emerging. Despite the online marketing of medicinal cannabis to consumers, currently, there is no robust, regulatory framework to measure clinical health benefit or individual experience of adverse events. OBJECTIVE We reviewed research approaches and methodologies of studies that utilize online user-generated text to study the use of cannabis as a medicine. METHODS We conducted the review using PRISMA guidelines, searching Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and Embase databases from their respective inceptions until May 2021. Studies were included if they aimed to understand online user-generated text related to health conditions where cannabis is used as a medicine, or where health was mentioned in general cannabis conversations. RESULTS Thirty-eight articles were included in the review. Of these, Twitter was used three times more than other computer-generated sources including Reddit, online forums, GoFundMe, YouTube, and Google Trends. Analytic methods included sentiment assessment, thematic analysis (manual and automatic), social network analysis, and geographic analysis. CONCLUSIONS This study is the first to systematically review techniques utilized by research on consumer-generated text for understanding cannabis as a medicine. It is increasingly evident that consumer-generated data offers opportunities for a greater understanding of individual behavior, population health outcomes. Yet research using this data has some limitations that include difficulties in establishing sample representativeness, and a lack of methodological best practice. To address these, publicly available de-identified annotated data sources; determination of posts origins (organizations, bots, power users, or ordinary individuals); and more powerful analytical techniques can be employed.

Ethnic Composition of Couples and Mutual Health Benefit Receipt: Register-Based Evidence from Finland

The literature on health dependencies among partners typically ignores diversity of partnership characteristics. One salient example is the ethnic composition. We extend prior work on partnerships and health by investigating how married and cohabiting partners mutually influence each other’s receipt of health-related benefits, focusing on how such correlations vary with the couple’s ethnic composition. We study partners’ mutual receipt of sickness allowance and disability pension in ethnically endogamous and exogamous couples in Finland. The population consists of native individuals in similar socioeconomic positions but belonging to two different ethnic groups—Finnish and Swedish speakers—who differ in health and family life. Using data from population registers, we estimate discrete-time hazard models for first-time benefit receipt, as related to partner’s benefit receipt, among midlife couples. We found evidence of mutual receipt of health benefits in both endogamous and exogamous couples, the correlation being strongest for disability pension. Partner correlation in disability pension receipt is slightly stronger in endogamous Swedish than in endogamous Finnish couples, while women in exogamous couples are slightly less sensitive to men’s receipt than vice versa. The results show that mutual health may be heterogeneous across couples that differ in ethnic composition.

Acceptability of home fortification with multiple micro-nutrients among Sri Lankan children

Micronutrient deficiencies are mostly hidden; clinically less visible compared to macronutrient deficiencies. Food fortification with multiple micronutrients (MMN) is provided for children between 6–23 months, daily for two months at three-time points. We assessed the acceptance and adherence of this nutritional intervention in an urban community setting in Sri Lanka. This cross-sectional study enrolled caregivers of children aged 7 to 23 months with a cluster sampling method. Caregivers ’ acceptance of taste and smell, health gains, ease of use, and need perception (Cronbach’s reliability: 0.801) were assessed. Also, anemia knowledge (Cronbach’s reliability: 0.642), MMN knowledge, and reported adherence (number of sachets consumed per month) were evaluated through a self-administered questionnaire. Adequate adherence was defined as the use of ≥80% sachets. The univariate and multivariate statistical analysis examined the association of acceptability, adherence, and anemia knowledge with independent variables (socio-demographic, household characteristics, and knowledge). The survey included 153 respondents. The Median (range) age of children was 12 months (7–23). The mean (SD) acceptability score was 66.82% (9.78%). Acceptance of sensory qualities (smell/taste) had a lower score than perceived health benefit. Most consumed MMN adequately (72.5%). The mean (SD) anemia knowledge score was 62.20% (25.79%). In multivariate analysis, child’s age (OR: -0.360, 95% CI:-0.510,-0.211) and father’s education (OR: 2.148, 95% CI: 0.439, 3.857) were independently associated with acceptability. Child’s age (OR: -0.108, 95% CI:0.818, 0.985), anemia knowledge (OR:0.016, 95% CI: 1.003, 1.031) and acceptability (OR:0.236, 95% CI:1.140, 1.406) were significant determinants of adherence. Anemia knowledge was significantly associated with the mother’s education and household income when adjusted. In conclusion, unpleasant smell/taste and daily schedule were reported as barriers to MMN use. Yet, perception and trust regarding health benefits were encouraging. Reported adherence was somewhat high. Improving acceptability and anemia knowledge could enhance adherence further in this population.