Lifestyle and Hepatocellular Carcinoma What Is the Evidence and Prevention Recommendations

The increasing burden of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) emphasizes the unmet need for primary prevention. Lifestyle measures appear to be important modifiable risk factors for HCC regardless of its etiology. Lifestyle patterns, as a whole and each component separately, are related to HCC risk. Dietary composition is important beyond obesity. Consumption of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as fish and poultry, are inversely associated with HCC, while red meat, saturated fat, and cholesterol are related to increased risk. Sugar consumption is associated with HCC risk, while fiber and vegetable intake is protective. Data from multiple studies clearly show a beneficial effect for physical activity in reducing the risk of HCC. However, the duration, mode and intensity of physical activity needed are yet to be determined. There is evidence that smoking can lead to liver fibrosis and liver cancer and has a synergistic effect with alcohol drinking. On the other hand, an excessive amount of alcohol by itself has been associated with increased risk of HCC directly (carcinogenic effect) or indirectly (liver fibrosis and cirrhosis progression. Large-scale intervention studies testing the effect of comprehensive lifestyle interventions on HCC prevention among diverse cohorts of liver disease patients are greatly warranted.

Factors Associated with Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure in Polish Regions

Out-of-pocket (OOP) payments are perceived as the most regressive means of health financing. Using the panel-data approach and region-aggregated data from Statistics Poland, this research investigated associations between socio-economic factors and OOP health spending in 16 Polish regions for the period 1999–2019. The dependent variable was real (inflation-adjusted) monthly OOP health expenditure per person in Polish households. Potential independent variables included economic, labour, demographic, educational, health, environmental, and lifestyle measures based on previous research. A set of panel-data estimators was used in regression models. The factors that were positively associated with OOP health spending were disposable income, the proportions of children (aged 0–9) and elderly (70+ years) in the population, healthcare supply (proxied by physicians’ density), air pollution, and tobacco and alcohol expenditure. On the other hand, the increased unemployment rate, life expectancy at age 65, mortality rate, and higher sports participation were all related to lower OOP health spending. The results may guide national strategies to improve health-care allocations and offer additional financial protection for vulnerable groups, such as households with children and elderly members.

PREVENTIVE AND THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF YOGĀSANA AND PRĀNĀYAM IN THE PATIENTS OF DIABETES MELLITUS: AN OVERVIEW

Objective: The present review was carried out with the objectives of identifying the role of Yogāsana (yogic practices) and Prānāyam (breathing practices) as a modality to prevent and treat diabetes. Data Source: The fea- sible beneficial effects of Yogāsana (yogic practices) and Prānāyam (breathing practices) on diabetes were as- sessed, which is based on relevant classical texts along with textbooks of contemporary medical sciences. Be- sides, recent research articles related to clinical studies conducted in various institutions as available on the inter- net and published in authentic databases (Pub-Med, Google Scholar, Web of Science etc.) were also referred through the ancestry approach. Review Methods: The possible correlation has been made between collected in- formation and has been presented systematically. The quality of the studies was assessed by the author and logi- cally presented in this context. Result and Discussion: Yoga offers a non-invasive way to manage various clini- cal conditions up to some extent. It can be prescribed with other systems of medicines as an adjuvant for health promotion. Recent evidence suggests that Yoga and controlled lifestyle measures reduce blood sugar load in peo- ple with diabetes. Keywords: Yoga, Yogāsana, Prānāyam, Diabetes mellitus, Insulin resistance, lifestyle disease.

Curiosity for information predicts well-being during COVID-19 Pandemic: Contributions of loneliness and daily lifestyle

The COVID-19 pandemic confronted humans with high uncertainty and lockdowns, which severely disrupted people’s daily social and health lifestyles, enhanced loneliness and reduced well-being. Curiosity and information-seeking are central to behavior, fostering well-being and adaptation in changing environments. They may be particularly important to maintain well-being during the pandemic. Here, we investigated which motives drive information-seeking, and whether and how curiosity and information-seeking related to well-being and mood (excitement, anxiety). Additionally, we tested whether daily diet contributed to this relationship during lockdown. Participants (N=183) completed questionnaires measuring curiosity, information-seeking, social and mental health. Using a smartphone app, participants submitted their daily food intake and lifestyle ratings for a week. We found participants had highest motivation to seek positive (vs. negative) information, concerning themselves more than others. Both trait curiosity and information-seeking predicted higher well-being, by reduced loneliness. Trait curiosity also predicted well-being and excitement days later. Considering diet, people with lower curiosity consumed food high in dopamine precursor tyrosine, whereas high-sugar intake increased anxiety, only in people with relatively low, but not high, trait curiosity. Taken together, curiosity and information-seeking may benefit well-being and mood in high uncertain and challenging times, by interacting with lifestyle measures (loneliness and nutrition).

Medicinal treatment of multiple renal calculi (Hisat-E-Kulyah) and bilateral ureteric calculi (Hisat-E-Halib) by Unani Pharmacopoeial formulations – A Case Study

Hisat-e-Kulyah (nephrolithiasis) is one of the most common urological diseases affecting approximately 15 % population worldwide and about 2.3% population of India. It results from a complex process of several physicochemical events including supersaturation, nucleation, growth, aggregation and retention with the kidney. A kidney stone is a hard crystalline mineral material formed within the kidney or urinary tract. Various dietary, non-dietary and urinary risk factors contribute to their formation. High fluid intake and adopting healthy lifestyle measures are some of the cost-effective measures in preventing renal stones. The present paper deals with a case study was conducted on a 13 years old male having multiple calculi (8-10) in left kidney and bilateral ureteric stones, were treated with Qurs-e-Kaknaj, Qurs Kushta Hajrul Yahood, Sharbat-e-Bazoori Motadil. The efficacy of the drugs was assessed based on subjective and objective parameters. Ultrasonography (USG) of the abdomen was performed at baseline and after treatment of 1 month. The follow-up observation was 1 week and the duration of the study was 4 weeks. The clinical improved response was excellent and significant after 7 days of treatment. USG finding was suggestive of the absence of any calculus in the left kidney and ureter after 1 month of Unani treatment without any surgical intervention. The formulations were found to be safe, effective and to prevent urinary supersaturation of lithogenic substances.

Telemedicine Improves the Short-Term Medical Care of Acute ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction After Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Objectives: Telemedicine appears to be a promising tool for healthcare professionals to deliver remote care to patients with cardiovascular diseases especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed in this study to evaluate the value of telemedicine added to the short-term medical care of acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods: Two hundred acute STEMI patients after primary PCI were randomly divided into two groups. One hundred patients in group A (study group) received a monthly videoconferencing teleconsultation using a smartphone application for 3 months starting 1 week after discharge and at least a single face-to-face (F2F) clinic visit. We reviewed in each virtual visit the symptoms of patients, adherence to healthy lifestyle measures, medications, smoking cessation, and cardiac rehabilitation. Group B (control group) included 100 patients who received at least a single F2F clinic visit in the first 3 months after discharge. Both groups were interviewed after 4 months from discharge for major adverse cardiac events (MACE), adherence to medications, smoking cessation, and cardiac rehabilitation. A survey was done to measure the satisfaction of patients with telemedicine.Results: There was no significant difference between both groups in MACE and their adherence to aspirin, P2Y12 inhibitor, and beta-blockers. However, group A patients had better adherence to statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, smoking cessation, and cardiac rehabilitation. Sixty-one percent of patients stated that these videoconferencing teleconsultations were as good as the clinic visits, while 87% of patients were satisfied with telemedicine.Conclusions: Telemedicine may provide additional benefit to the short-term regular care after primary PCI to STEMI patients through videoconferencing teleconsultations by increasing their adherence to medications and healthy lifestyle measures without a significant difference in the short-term MACE. These virtual visits gained a high level of satisfaction among the patients.

An Update on the Current State of Management and Clinical Trials for IgA Nephropathy

IgA nephropathy remains the most common primary glomerular disease worldwide. It affects children and adults of all ages, and is a leading cause of end-stage kidney disease, making it a considerable public health issue in many countries. Despite being initially described over 50 years ago, there are still no disease specific treatments, with current management for most patients being focused on lifestyle measures and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockade. However, significant advances in the understanding of its pathogenesis have been made particularly over the past decade, leading to great interest in developing new therapeutic strategies, and a significant rise in the number of interventional clinical trials being performed. In this review, we will summarise the current state of management of IgAN, and then describe major areas of interest where new therapies are at their most advanced stages of development, that include the gut mucosal immune system, B cell signalling, the complement system and non-immune modulators. Finally, we describe clinical trials that are taking place in each area and explore future directions for translational research.

Trends of Healthy Lifestyles Among Adolescents: An Analysis of More Than Half a Million Participants From 32 Countries Between 2006 and 2014

The purpose of this study was to provide data regarding the prevalence and trends of adolescents' healthy lifestyles from 32 countries between 2006 and 2014 by sex and age interval. The data used in the present study were derived from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) 2006, 2010, and 2014 international database. Healthy lifestyle was assessed using the combination of daily physical activity, daily fruit and vegetable consumption, <2 h daily on screen-based behaviors, abstinence from alcohol, and abstinence from tobacco products. Healthy lifestyle measures were based on self-report. The final sample comprised 519,371 adolescents (aged between 10 and 16 years old). The prevalence of healthy lifestyle behaviors increased between 2006 and 2014. The healthy lifestyle score worsened with advancing age for boys and girls. Comparing countries, for boys, the highest values were observed in adolescents from Ireland (5.2%, 95% CI: 3.9, 6.4), and for girls, the highest values were observed in adolescents from Iceland (4.2%, 95% CI: 3.6, 4.7). The present study showed a slight trend to an improved healthy lifestyle among adolescents, although much more has to be done. A joint effort from multiple areas of knowledge must be made to improve adolescent health policies, since lifestyles in adolescence play an important role for the development of vulnerability and health in later life.

Adherence to street code and violent victimization and delinquent offending of youth in Turkey: An analysis of mediation and moderation effects

In this study, we estimated a model of youth violent victimization and delinquent offending in Turkey using the subculture of violence thesis. Specifically, we employed adherence to street code and risky lifestyle measures to understand the relationship between these factors and the odds of youth violent victimization and the incidence rate ratio of delinquent offending, controlling for social ties such as family and peer-related measures and demographics, in a sample of 2627 students from 18 schools in Bagcilar county of Istanbul, Turkey. Moreover, we also explored the mediation and moderation effects among adherence to street culture and lifestyle measures. We found that risky lifestyle corresponds with higher odds of victimization and a higher incidence rate ratio of offending. Moreover, we found that adherence to street code has direct and indirect effects on offending, but it has only an indirect effect on victimization. In other words, lifestyle measures fully mediated the effect of street culture on victimization. Finally, we also found moderation effects of adherence to street culture on the relationship between lifestyle, victimization, and delinquent offending. Implications of our findings are discussed.