Environmental implications of fluoride presence in drinking water along the southeastern of El Bajío Guanajuatese, Guanajuato, Mexico: sources and health effects

Chronic exposure from drinking water with naturally high concentrations of fluoride (F⁻) has serious health consequences in several regions across the world including north-central Mexico as Guanajuato State, where the rural population is particularly dependent on untreated groundwater pumped from wells that have natural F- concentrations higher than those allowed by national and international regulations. The contaminated aquifers in the area are usually located in fractured volcanic environment that interacts with sedimentary basins and have a carbonate basement. Few studies focused on identifying the origin and hydrogeochemical processes related to fluoride release and mobilization have been developed, and even fewer that quantify the natural content of F in the geological environment. In this study, an evaluation of fluoride in volcanic rocks collected from 11 sampling sites along the Sierra de Codornices (Guanajuato State, Central Mexico) was carried out. The fluoride content is disseminated in volcanic rocks and the highest contents were obtained in felsic rocks. According to results obtained of a sampling campaign of 32 wells in 2019 their statistical and hydrogeochemical evaluation suggest that F- mobilization in groundwater from Juventino Rosas and Villagran municipalities, is a product of volcanic glass dissolution, a process involved in alkaline desorption occurring on the surfaces of F-containing minerals, and possibly on ion exchange occurring in minerals and some clays or even in deep fluids enriched in F. All these processes may be accelerated by the geothermal characteristics of the groundwater in the study area. The hydrogeochemical results and the epidemiological survey conducted indicate that children and older adults of Praderas de la Venta are at risk of exposure to F- due to the high concentrations ingested over a long period of time, to the toxicity of the element and its ability to accumulate in the bones. Prolonged exposure to high concentrations increases the risk.

Sun, Sleep, and Satisfaction: Mediating Role of Depression and Source of Endogeneity among Middle-aged and Older Adults in China

Purpose To examine: (i) depression as a mediator in effects of sleep duration and quality on life satisfaction (LS), (ii) source of endogeneity in self-reported data on sleep, and (iii) predictive power of sleep duration and quality on LS. Methods Panel data of 22,674 observations from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (2015 & 2018) was used. Sleep was assessed with self-reported duration and quality. Depression was measured by the 10-question version of the Center for Epidemiological Survey - Depression. LS was rated by five scales. Fixed-effects ordered logit models were used to determine the effect of sleep duration and quality on life satisfaction and the mediating role of depression. We used instrumental variable strategy to explore the source of endogeneity. Information value and random forest model were used to examine the predictive power of sleep measures duration and quality. Results Sleep duration and quality were found to improve life satisfaction via lower depression score. Non-agricultural employed population with urban hukou (household registration) accounted for the endogeneity, but the instrument variable sunset failed the weak instrument test. Sleep measures were found to predict life satisfaction, especially for the lower life satisfaction groups. Conclusion Our findings suggest the importance of sleep and the study of the associations between solar cues, social schedules, and sleep. Policy makers of social care of older adults might consider sleep intervention among this population.

Factors preventing nosocomial outbreak following a single case of COVID-19 diagnosed during hospitalization: A retrospective review

Objective: Our hospital experienced a hospital shutdown and quarantine for two weeks after one case of COVID-19 was diagnosed during hospitalization. We analyzed the reopening process following hospital closure and possible factors that prevented hospital spread. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the confirmed patient’s medical records and results of epidemiological survey available from the infection control team of our hospital. Results: A total of 117 hospital staff members were tested, 26 of whom were self-isolated. Of the 54 inpatients tested, 28 on the same floor and two close contacts in the endoscopic room were quarantined in a single room. Finally, all quarantined hospital staff, inpatients and outpatients were tested for COVID-19 on the 14th day of close contact. The results were all negative, and the hospital work completely resumed. Conclusion: Although closing and isolating the hospital appeared to have played a useful role in preventing the spread of COVID-19 inside the hospital and to the local community, it is still debated whether or not the duration of hospital closure or quarantine was appropriate. The lessons from the two-week hospital closure suggest that wearing a mask, hand hygiene and the ward environment are important factors in preventing nosocomial outbreaks of COVID-19.

History of COVID-19 Symptoms and Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in HIV-Infected Patients in Northern France after the First Wave of the Pandemic

To assess the prevalence of COVID-19 in people living with HIV (PLWHIV), we performed an epidemiological survey from 1 April through 1 August 2020 in an HIV reference center in Northern France. PLWHIV completed a questionnaire about risk exposures and symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and performed a SARS-CoV-2 serology. Among the 600 PLWHIV included, 16 have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms consistent with COVID-19 were frequent both in SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative patients (67% vs. 32%, p = 0.02). Among SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, one (6%) has been hospitalized and five (31%) have been asymptomatic. Close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case was the only factor associated with COVID-19 acquisition (40% vs. 13%, p = 0.01). The prevalence of COVID-19 in PLWHIV was 2.5%, half of the overall population estimate after the first wave of the pandemic in France. In conclusion, proportion of asymptomatic COVID-19 was high in PLWHIV. The prevalence of COVID-19 in PLWHIV was two times lower than in the general population.

COT-18 Trends in Primary Brain Tumors in Kumamoto Prefecture with Declining Birthrate and Aging Population - Kumamoto Prefecture Brain Tumor Epidemiological Survey

Backgrounds: The demographic characteristics of Kumamoto Prefecture are that there is little population movement and the total population remains constant at about 1.8 million, but in recent years the birthrate is declining and the population is aging. We have been conducting the Kumamoto Prefecture Brain Tumor Epidemiological Survey since 1989 in cooperation with neurosurgical institutions in the prefecture. In this study, we examined whether recent demographic changes have affected the incidence of primary brain tumors (BT). Methods: Patients with primary BT were collected annually from 44 institutions in Kumamoto Prefecture (as of 2020), and the number of incidences per 100,000 population was calculated for each BT for each year, excluding patients living outside the prefecture and duplicate cases. Results: The total number of primary BT was 11441 (top 3: meningioma 40%, pituitary adenoma 17%, glioma 17%). Of 4261 men with primary BT, the top 3 were meningioma (27%), glioma (23.7%), and pituitary adenoma (18.4%)), and 7180 women (top 3: meningioma (47.7%), pituitary adenoma (16.2%), and glioma (12.9%)). The number of primary BT increased every year, and the incidence increased significantly when comparing 1989–2004 and 2005–2020 (13.6 vs. 25.0/100,000, p<0.000001). Typical brain tumors (meningioma, pituitary adenoma, glioma, schwannoma, malignant lymphoma) also increased year by year, especially asymptomatic meningioma. The median age of asymptomatic meningiomas was significantly higher than that of symptomatic meningiomas (69 vs. 65 years, p<0.0001). Gliomas increased significantly in the later stages compared with the early stages in children (0–14 years) and the elderly (65 years and older). Conclusion: Our results suggest that an increase in the number of BT such as glioblastoma, which are more common in the elderly, as well as an increase in the number of opportunities for intracranial examinations in the aging of the population may be responsible for the increased incidence of primary BT.

Arterial Hypotension Epidemiology In Adolescents And Youth In Fergana

The study analyzed data from a representative sample of adolescents and young men, 1465 people involved in a one-stage epidemiological survey. The prevalence of arterial hypotension (AH) was 18.6% (among adolescents - 10.8% and among youth - 45.2%; P<0.001). The revealed results should be considered when developing and implementing preventive programs for adolescent and young populations living in the regions of Uzbekistan.