Investigating mangrove-human health relationships: A review of recently reported physiological benefits
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PROVIDER: S-EPMC10954016 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:PurposeIncreasing the level of gravity passively on a centrifuge, should be equal to or even more beneficial not only to astronauts living in a microgravity environment but also to patients confined to bed. Gravity therapy (GT) may have beneficial effects on numerous conditions, such as immobility due to neuromuscular disorders, balance disorders, stroke, sports injuries. However, the appropriate configuration for administering the Gz load remains to be determined.MethodsTo address these issues, we studied graded G-loads from 0.5 to 2.0g in 24 young healthy, male and female participants, trained on a short arm human centrifuge (SAHC) combined with mild activity exercise within 40-59% MHR, provided by an onboard bicycle ergometer. Hemodynamic parameters, as cardiac output (CO), stroke volume (SV), mean arterial pressure (MAP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) were analyzed, as well as blood gas analysis. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA and pairwise comparisons were conducted with a level of significance p < 0.05.ResultsSignificant changes in heart rate variability (HRV) and its spectral components (Class, Fmax, and VHF) were found in all g loads when compared to standing (p < 0.001), except in 1.7 and 2.0g. There were significant changes in CO, cardiac index (CI), and cardiac power (CP) (p < 0.001), and in MAP (p = 0.003) at different artificial gravity (AG) levels. Dose-response curves were determined based on statistically significant changes in cardiovascular parameters, as well as in identifying the optimal G level for training, as well as the optimal G level for training. There were statistically significant gender differences in Cardiac Output/CO (p = 0.002) and Cardiac Power/CP (p = 0.016) during the AG training as compared to standing. More specifically, these cardiovascular parameters were significantly higher for male than female participants. Also, there was a statistically significant (p = 0.022) gender by experimental condition interaction, since the high-frequency parameter of the heart rate variability was attenuated during AG training as compared to standing but only for the female participants (p = 0.004).ConclusionThe comprehensive cardiovascular evaluation of the response to a range of graded AG loads, as compared to standing, in male and female subjects provides the dose-response framework that enables us to explore and validate the usefulness of the centrifuge as a medical device. It further allows its use in precisely selecting personalized gravity therapy (GT) as needed for treatment or rehabilitation of individuals confined to bed.
| S-EPMC8144521 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Simple Summary Bonds with companion animals are believed to benefit human physical, psychological, and social health. Most research into the human–animal bond has focused on dogs, cats, and horses. However, many people have close relationships with other species such as fish, birds, and reptiles, yet there is limited research into human health benefits that relationships with these animals might offer. This review identified empirical studies and newspaper articles which examined health benefits from bonds with any animal species that was not cat, dog, or horse. We found studies on the health benefits of bonds with companion birds, fish, snakes, tortoises, insects, and amphibians. We also found media articles discussing the health benefits of bonds with rabbits and rats. Studies were primarily descriptive and media articles anecdotal. Nevertheless, the results suggest that non-conventional companion animal species do benefit human health. Further research is needed that examines the human–animal bond, including non-traditional companion animal species, drawing on rigorous empirical methodologies. Abstract Research investigating health benefits from household human–animal bonds has focused mostly on bonds with companion dogs, cats, and horses. Wellbeing benefits associated with other companion animal species such as birds, fish, and reptiles are described and anecdotally reported, but there is little empirical literature supporting this. The literature suggests that health benefits of companion animals are predicated on human perceptions of the animal rather than the animal’s species. Therefore, relationships with non-conventional companion animals of diverse species may benefit the health of their human guardians as do dogs, cats, and horses. This narrative review summarizes the current literature exploring perceived health benefits gained from non-conventional companion animals. Searches were conducted for published literature and grey literature up to October 2022 across PsycINFO and PubMed databases, and Newsbank media database for commercial media publications. Nineteen studies and 10 media articles were included in the review. Gaps in the literature include a lack of rigorous research to investigate the health benefits of non-conventional companion animals. Non-conventional companion animals may benefit their guardians by providing social support through acting as attachment figures, facilitating social opportunities and daily routines, fulfilling cognitive needs, and recreating restorative capacities of mindfully observing natural landscapes. Further high-quality research into the human-non-conventional companion animal bond is warranted.
| S-EPMC9817996 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionPoor mental health is one of the greatest causes of disability in the world. Evidence increasingly shows that population mental health may be influenced by national social security policies. This systematic review aims to establish the relationship between social security and mental health in order to help inform recommendations for policy-makers, practitioners and future research.Methods and analysisA systematic review of quantitative observational studies investigating mental health outcomes related to changes in social security policies will be conducted. Six major databases, including Medline, PsychInfo, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Applied Social Sciences Index Abstracts and Scopus, as well as Research Papers in Economics will be searched from January 1979 to April 2020. The electronic database searches will be supplemented by reference and citation searches as well as hand-searching of key journals. The outcomes of interest are objective or subjective mental health outcomes, including stress, anxiety, depression, self-reported mental health scores, subjective well-being and suicide. Study selection will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, and the quality of the studies will be assessed by the validity assessment framework designed for appraising econometric studies. A narrative synthesis will be conducted for all included studies. If data permit, study findings will be synthesised by conducting a meta-analysis.Ethics and disseminationAs it will be a systematic review, without primary data collection, there will be no requirement for ethical approval. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and in various media, for example, conferences or symposia.Prospero registration numberCRD42019154733.
| S-EPMC7322275 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundFor women with pre-existing and gestational diabetes mellitus, pregnancy involves specialized and intensive medical care to improve maternal and infant outcomes. Medical management for patients with diabetes in pregnancy typically occurs via frequent face-to-face outpatient appointments. Barriers to face-to-face care during the COVID-19 pandemic have signaled the need for high-quality, patient-centered virtual health care modalities, such as mobile health (mHealth).ObjectiveThe objective of the proposed scoping review is to identify the patient-reported benefits and limitations of mHealth technology among women with diabetes in pregnancy. We also aim to determine how the women's experiences align with the best practice standards for patient-centered communication.MethodsArksey and O'Malley's framework for conducting scoping reviews with refinements by Levac et al will be used to guide the conduct of this scoping review. Relevant studies will be identified through comprehensive database searches of MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, and PsycINFO. Following database searches, studies will be screened for eligibility at the title, abstract, and full-text level by two independent reviewers, with the inclusion of a third reviewer if required to reach consensus. Data charting of included studies will be conducted by one reviewer using a standardized data extraction form and verified independently by a second reviewer. Synthesis of results will be guided by Thomas and Harden's "Methods for the Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Research in Systematic Reviews."ResultsAs of August 2020, we have carried out the qualitative searches in the electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, and PsycINFO (Ovid interface) for a combined total of 8207 articles. Next, we plan to conduct the quantitative searches in the electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, and Emcare (Ovid interface). We also plan to review the reference lists of relevant studies to identify additional eligible studies.ConclusionsWith the results of this review, we hope to describe the patient-reported benefits and limitations of mHealth technology for women with diabetes in pregnancy. Furthermore, we aim to determine how women's experiences align with the best practice standards for patient-centered communication. Ultimately, our review can provide valuable information for guideline developers, policy makers, and clinicians related to mobile technologies to support virtual care delivery for women with diabetes in pregnancy.International registered report identifier (irrid)PRR1-10.2196/29727.
| S-EPMC8590183 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:The One Health concept promotes the enhancement of human, animal and ecosystem health through multi-sectorial governance support and policies to combat health security threats. In Vietnam, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animal and human health settings poses a significant threat, but one that could be minimised by adopting a One Health approach to AMR surveillance. To advance understanding of the willingness and abilities of the human and animal health sectors to undertake investigations of AMR with a One Health approach, we explored the perceptions and experiences of those tasked with investigating AMR in Vietnam, and the benefits a multi-sectorial approach offers. METHODS:This study used qualitative methodology to provide key informants' perspectives from the animal and human health sectors. Two scenarios of food-borne AMR bacteria found within the pork value chain were used as case studies to investigate challenges and opportunities for improving collaboration across different stakeholders and to understand benefits offered by a One Health approach surveillance system. Fifteen semi-structured interviews with 11 participants from the animal and six from the human health sectors at the central level in Hanoi and the provincial level in Thai Nguyen were conducted. RESULTS:Eight themes emerged from the transcripts of the interviews. From the participants perspectives on the benefits of a One Health approach: (1) Communication and multi-sectorial collaboration; (2) Building comprehensive knowledge; (3) Improving likelihood of success. Five themes emerged from participants views of the challenges to investigate AMR: (4) Diagnostic capacity; (5) Availability and access to antibiotics (6) Tracing ability within the Vietnamese food chain; (7) Personal benefits and (8) Managing the system. CONCLUSION:The findings of this study suggest that there is potential to strengthen multi-sectorial collaboration between the animal and human health sectors by building upon existing informal networks. Based on these results, we recommend an inclusive approach to multi-sectorial communication supported by government network activities to facilitate partnerships and create cross-disciplinary awareness and participation. The themes relating to diagnostic capacity show that both sectors are facing challenges to undertake investigations in AMR. Our results indicate that the need to strengthen the animal health sector is more pronounced.
| S-EPMC7014660 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A recent publication by Seng et al. in this journal reports the crystallographic structure of refolded, full-length SMN protein and two disease-relevant derivatives thereof. Here, we would like to suggest that at least two of the structures reported in that study are incorrect. We present evidence that one of the associated crystallographic datasets is derived from a crystal of the bacterial Sm-like protein Hfq and that a second dataset is derived from a crystal of the bacterial Gab protein. Both proteins are frequent contaminants of bacterially overexpressed proteins which might have been co-purified during metal affinity chromatography. A third structure presented in the Seng et al. paper cannot be examined further because neither the atomic coordinates, nor the diffraction intensities were made publicly available. The Tudor domain protein SMN has been shown to be a component of the SMN complex, which mediates the assembly of RNA-protein complexes of uridine-rich small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (UsnRNPs). Importantly, this activity is reduced in SMA patients, raising the possibility that the aetiology of SMA is linked to RNA metabolism. Structural studies on diverse components of the SMN complex, including fragments of SMN itself have contributed greatly to our understanding of the cellular UsnRNP assembly machinery. Yet full-length SMN has so far evaded structural elucidation. The Seng et al. study claimed to have closed this gap, but based on the results presented here, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that the Seng et al. study is largely invalid and should be retracted from the literature.
| S-EPMC5418738 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThis systematic review was conducted with the first objective aimed at providing an overview of the physiological characteristics commonly evaluated in rugby and the corresponding tests used to measure each construct. Secondly, the measurement properties of all identified tests per physiological construct were evaluated with the ultimate purpose of identifying tests with strongest level of evidence per construct.MethodsThe review was conducted in two stages. In all stages, electronic databases of EBSCOhost, Medline and Scopus were searched for full-text articles. Stage 1 included studies examining physiological characteristics in rugby. Stage 2 included studies evaluating measurement properties of all tests identified in Stage 1 either in rugby or related sports such as Australian Rules football and Soccer. Two independent reviewers screened relevant articles from titles and abstracts for both stages.ResultsSeventy studies met the inclusion criteria for Stage 1. The studies described 63 tests assessing speed (8), agility/change of direction speed (7), upper-body muscular endurance (8), upper-body muscular power (6), upper-body muscular strength (5), anaerobic endurance (4), maximal aerobic power (4), lower-body muscular power (3), prolonged high-intensity intermittent running ability/endurance (5), lower-body muscular strength (5), repeated high-intensity exercise performance (3), repeated-sprint ability (2), repeated-effort ability (1), maximal aerobic speed (1) and abdominal endurance (1). Stage 2 identified 20 studies describing measurement properties of 21 different tests. Only moderate evidence was found for the reliability of the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness. There was limited evidence found for the reliability and/or validity of 5 m, 10 m, 20 m speed tests, 505 test, modified 505 test, L run test, Sergeant Jump test and bench press repetitions-to-fatigue tests. There was no information from high-quality studies on the measurement properties of all the other tests identified in stage 1.ConclusionA number of physiological characteristics are evaluated in rugby. Each physiological construct has multiple tests for measurement. However, there is paucity of information on measurement properties from high-quality studies for the tests. This raises questions about the usefulness and applicability of these tests in rugby and creates a need for high-quality future studies evaluating measurement properties of these physiological tests.Trial registrationsPROSPERO CRD 42015029747.
| S-EPMC5745687 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Xylitol has been widely documented to have dental health benefits, such as reducing the risk for dental caries. Here we report on other health benefits that have been investigated for xylitol. In skin, xylitol has been reported to improve barrier function and suppress the growth of potential skin pathogens. As a non-digestible carbohydrate, xylitol enters the colon where it is fermented by members of the colonic microbiota; species of the genus Anaerostipes have been reported to ferment xylitol and produce butyrate. The most common Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species do not appear to be able to grow on xylitol. The non-digestible but fermentable nature of xylitol also contributes to a constipation relieving effect and improved bone mineral density. Xylitol also modulates the immune system, which, together with its antimicrobial activity contribute to a reduced respiratory tract infection, sinusitis, and otitis media risk. As a low caloric sweetener, xylitol may contribute to weight management. It has been suggested that xylitol also increases satiety, but these results are not convincing yet. The benefit of xylitol on metabolic health, in addition to the benefit of the mere replacement of sucrose, remains to be determined in humans. Additional health benefits of xylitol have thus been reported and indicate further opportunities but need to be confirmed in human studies.
| S-EPMC6723878 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In this paper the scientific literature on the association between forests, stress relief and relaxation is reviewed with the purpose to understand common patterns of research, the main techniques used for analysis, findings relevant to forest-therapy-oriented management, and knowledge gaps. The database of studies was collected with a keyword search on the Web, which returned a set of 32 studies that were included in the analysis. The main findings and patterns were identified with a text mining analysis of the abstract to search for keyword patterns across studies. The analysis indicates that most studies compared rest and relaxation performances across urban and forest environments and used a combination of self-reported measure of stress or rest collected with validate scales, e.g., the Profile of Mood of States (POMS) and the Restoration Outcome Scale (ROS), and a minority-only set of these two groups of indicators. Results of this review indicate that primary studies identified a positive association between forest exposure and mental well-being, in particular when compared to urban environments, thus suggesting that forest are effective in lowering stress levels. This study found that, to date, the characteristics of forests and characteristics of the visit are little investigated in the literature. For this reason, more research with a focus on forest variables such as tree species composition, tree density and other variables affecting forest landscape should be further investigated to inform forest management. Similarly, the characteristics of the visits (e.g., length of visit and frequency) should be further explored to provide robust forest therapy guidelines.
| S-EPMC7504269 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Ageing is characterized by degeneration and loss of function across multiple physiological systems. To study the mechanisms and consequences of ageing, several metrics have been proposed in a hierarchical model, including biological, phenotypic and functional ageing. In particular, phenotypic ageing and interconnected changes in multiple physiological systems occur in all ageing individuals over time. Recently, phenotypic age, a new ageing measure, was proposed to capture morbidity and mortality risk across diverse subpopulations in US cohort studies. Although phenotypic age has been widely used, it may overlook the complex relationships among phenotypic biomarkers. Considering the correlation structure of these phenotypic biomarkers, we proposed a composite phenotype analysis (CPA) strategy to analyse 71 biomarkers from 2074 individuals in the Rugao Longitudinal Ageing Study. CPA grouped these biomarkers into 18 composite phenotypes according to their internal correlation, and these composite phenotypes were mostly consistent with prior findings. In addition, compared with prior findings, this strategy exhibited some different yet important implications. For example, the indicators of kidney and cardiovascular functions were tightly connected, implying internal interactions. The composite phenotypes were further verified through associations with functional metrics of ageing, including disability, depression, cognitive function and frailty. Compared to age alone, these composite phenotypes had better predictive performances for functional metrics of ageing. In summary, CPA could reveal the hidden relationships of physiological systems and identify the links between physiological systems and functional ageing metrics, thereby providing novel insights into potential mechanisms underlying human ageing.
| S-EPMC8672793 | biostudies-literature