Association of Circulating Magnesium Levels in Patients With Alzheimer's Disease From 1991 to 2021: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains a medical and social challenge worldwide. Magnesium (Mg) is one of the most frequently evaluated essential minerals with diverse biological functions in human body. However, the association between circulating Mg levels and AD remains controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis of 21 studies published between 1991 and 2021 to determine whether the Mg levels in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are abnormal in AD. Literatures were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Data without language limitations. A pooled subject sample including 1,112 AD patients and 1,001 healthy controls (HCs) was available to assess Mg levels in serum and plasma; 284 AD patients and 117 HCs were included for Mg levels in CSF. It was found that serum and plasma levels of Mg were significantly reduced in AD patients compared with HCs (standardized mean difference [SMD] = −0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI] [−1.36, −0.43]; P = 0.000). There was statistically non-significant for Mg level in CSF between AD and HCs, whereas a decreased tendency were detected (SMD = −0.16; 95% CI [−0.50, 0.18]; P = 0.364). .In addition, when we analyzed the Mg levels of serum, plasma and CSF together, the circulating Mg levels in AD patients was significantly lower (SMD = −0.74, 95% CI [−1.13; −0.35]; P = 0.000). These results indicate that Mg deficiency may be a risk factor of AD and Mg supplementation may be a potentially valuable adjunctive treatment for AD.Systematic Review Registration:www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, registration number CRD42021254557.

HouseMate: A proposed national institution to build new homes and sell them cheap to any citizen who does not own a home

• In a world of unequal wealth and incomes, market provision of housing usually fails to provide quality housing options to young and low-income households. Like other necessary goods characterised by monopoly, like healthcare and pharmaceuticals, access to them via pricing creates inherent social challenges.• Historically, the social challenge of unequal access to housing was solved with public intervention to offer non-market housing at lower regulated price to first time buyers and renters.• The proposed HouseMate program is a 21st century housing supplier, copying the best features of Singapore’s successful housing system. • It will sell new homes to eligible Australian citizens at construction cost price, offering them a discounted mortgage, with purchasers able to pay deposit and repayments using their compulsory super contributions. • This new housing alternative will operate in parallel with the private purchase and rental markets. HouseMate owners will have all the rights and obligations of private homeowners, but with a mandatory occupancy period. • The design of HouseMate addresses all the key housing policy challenges in Australia, includingohigh deposit hurdles for first homebuyers,ouncertainty and high rents for low-income households,oyounger households tying up income in super when homeownership is a higher priority for retirement, oprice effects and inefficiencies of demand-only subsidy programs to homebuyers (like FHB grants) and renters (NRAS payments), and olimited innovation of design and construction in private housing markets.• If secure, low-cost housing via homeownership is a policy priority, there is no reason not to try the HouseMate program.

Is Social Impact the Goal?

This chapter suggests several reasons that networks fall short of social impact. First, it defines social impact as distinct from outcomes. Further, it indicates that networks may intentionally focus on results other than social impact. The chapter introduces a typology of social impact. Second, the chapter explores how the complexity of various social issues such as climate change or education typically involves diverse stakeholders who approach the problem differently. Social problems that are simple, obvious, or chaotic usually do not require a network response. In contrast, wicked problems that are complicated or complex benefit from network solutions. Throughout the chapter, various cases illustrate how networks might engage a social challenge and what outcomes may result. It includes a description and templates for root cause analysis.

Reasoning and Argumentation

The psychology of reasoning and argumentation studies how people reason and persuade others using language. Influenced by analytic philosophy, much early work focused on the degree to which verbal reasoning is captured by or diverges from classical deductive logic. From this viewpoint, human thinking can seem prone to substantial and systematic bias. Since 1994, verbal reasoning has been set in the context of uncertain, common-sense reasoning rather than deduction, and reasoning has been seen as continuous with the social challenge of real-world argumentation. From this perspective, the human ability to reason and argue with words is better considered not as flawed logical reasoning, but as often highly competent reasoning and persuasion in an uncertain and contested world.

Effect of short-term high tryptophan diet fed to sows on their subsequent piglet behavior

Housing sows in groups creates the challenge of decreasing fighting amongst sows. One proposed method to do so is to feed a high tryptophan diet, but the effect on the fetus is unkown. To investigate this, 66 sows were fed 1 of 3 diets: Control (0.14 % SID tryptophan), Medium (0.28 % SID tryptophan), or High (0.4 2% SID tryptophan), from d 28 to 35 of gestation. Sows gestated in standard gestation stalls. Blood samples were taken on d 27 prior to and on d 35 after tryptophan supplementation. On d 1 and d 2, 3 nursing bouts were observed so as to record disputes and displacements from teat competition. The piglets’ activity and fighting were recorded on d 3, 7, and 11 from 0700 h to 1700 h. On d 12, 4 piglets per litter were blood sampled, 2 to be used in later behavior tests and 2 to act as controls for blood cortisol levels. On d 14, the 2 behavior test piglets from each litter were subjected to a 10-min Isolation Test and 5-min Human Approach Test. On d 15, the behavior test piglets were paired by sex and treatment (for example, a male Medium piglet paired with another male Medium piglet from a different crate) and each pair was subjected to a 10-min Social Challenge Test and immediately blood sampled. Piglet cortisol and serotonin did not differ among treatments (P > 0.10). There were no differences (P > 0.10) for number born (12.7 ± 0.4), born alive (11.7 ± 0.4), or mortality (1.1 ± 0.2). Behavior during nursing bouts was similar, with no treatment differences in number of disputes or displacements, and similar bout lengths among treatments (199.5 ± 4.6 s, P > 0.10). No differences were detected for any of the variables for Isolation or the Human Approach Tests (P > 0.10). During the Social Challenge Test, High piglets had more contacts approaching the head of the companion piglet than did either Medium or Control piglets (14.3 ± 1.1, 10.7 ± 1.1, and 9.69 ± 0.8 respectively, P < 0.02). Total number of aggressive interactions during the test tended to be greater for Medium piglets compared to High piglets (9.3 ± 1.5 vs 5.1 ± 0.9, P < 0.07). Time budget data of the litter indicate that piglets from all 3 treatments spent equal amounts of time active and inactive (P > 0.10). Aggression was low with 0.3 ± 0.04 % of piglets displaying aggressive behavior. Feeding high concentrations of tryptophan for a short duration early in gestation does not have a negative impact on sows’ subsequent offspring.

Studying C-reactive protein and D-dimer levels in blood may prevent severe complications: A Study in Bangladeshi COVID-19 patients

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been a scientific, medical and social challenge. Since clinical course of this disease is largely unpredictable and can develop rapidly causing severe complications, it is important to identify laboratory biomarkers which may help to classify patient’s severity during initial stage. Previous studies have suggested C - reactive protein (inflammatory) and D-dimer (biochemical) as an effective biomarker. The differential severity in patients across the world and our limited understanding in the progression of the disease calls for a multi-country analysis for biomarkers. Therefore, we have analyzed these biomarkers among 228 Bangladeshi COVID-19 patients. We show significant association of COVID-19 severity with these two biomarkers. Thus, we suggest using these biomarkers for Bangladeshi COVID-19 patients for disease monitoring. Such validated preventive measures may decrease the case fatality ratio substantially.