scholarly journals The cognitive consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic: collateral damage?

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Ritchie ◽  
Dennis Chan ◽  
Tam Watermeyer
Keyword(s):  
Neurological Disorders ◽  
Memory Impairment ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Cognitive Difficulties ◽  
System A ◽  
Cognitive Consequences ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Recovery from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will be principally defined in terms of remission from respiratory symptoms; however, both clinical and animal studies have shown that coronaviruses may spread to the nervous system. A systematic search on previous viral epidemics revealed that while there has been relatively little research in this area, clinical studies have commonly reported neurological disorders and cognitive difficulties. Little is known with regard to their incidence, duration or underlying neural basis. The hippocampus appears to be particularly vulnerable to coronavirus infections, thus increasing the probability of post-infection memory impairment, and acceleration of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Future knowledge of the impact of COVID-19, from epidemiological studies and clinical practice, will be needed to develop future screening and treatment programmes to minimize the long-term cognitive consequences of COVID-19.

scholarly journals Nutritional programming of gastrointestinal tract development. Is the pig a good model for man?

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Guilloteau ◽  
Romuald Zabielski ◽  
Harald M. Hammon ◽  
Cornelia C. Metges
Keyword(s):  
Gastrointestinal Tract ◽  
Animal Models ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Reference Model ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Nutritional Programming ◽  
The Impact

The consequences of early-life nutritional programming in man and other mammalian species have been studied chiefly at the metabolic level. Very few studies, if any, have been performed in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) as the target organ, but extensive GIT studies are needed since the GIT plays a key role in nutrient supply and has an impact on functions of the entire organism. The possible deleterious effects of nutritional programming at the metabolic level were discovered following epidemiological studies in human subjects, and confirmed in animal models. Investigating the impact of programming on GIT structure and function would need appropriate animal models due to ethical restrictions in the use of human subjects. The aim of the present review is to discuss the use of pigs as an animal model as a compromise between ethically acceptable animal studies and the requirement of data which can be interpolated to the human situation. In nutritional programming studies, rodents are the most frequently used model for man, but GIT development and digestive function in rodents are considerably different from those in man. In that aspect, the pig GIT is much closer to the human than that of rodents. The swine species is closely comparable with man in many nutritional and digestive aspects, and thus provides ample opportunity to be used in investigations on the consequences of nutritional programming for the GIT. In particular, the ‘sow–piglets’ dyad could be a useful tool to simulate the ‘human mother–infant’ dyad in studies which examine short-, middle- and long-term effects and is suggested as the reference model.

scholarly journals Alteration of Genomic Imprinting after Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Long-Term Health

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 728
Author(s):  
Eguzkine Ochoa
Keyword(s):  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Genomic Imprinting ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Early Embryonic Development ◽  
Global Methylation ◽  
The Impact

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are the treatment of choice for some infertile couples and even though these procedures are generally considered safe, children conceived by ART have shown higher reported risks of some perinatal and postnatal complications such as low birth weight, preterm birth, and childhood cancer. In addition, the frequency of some congenital imprinting disorders, like Beckwith–Wiedemann Syndrome and Silver–Russell Syndrome, is higher than expected in the general population after ART. Experimental evidence from animal studies suggests that ART can induce stress in the embryo and influence gene expression and DNA methylation. Human epigenome studies have generally revealed an enrichment of alterations in imprinted regions in children conceived by ART, but no global methylation alterations. ART procedures occur simultaneously with the establishment and maintenance of imprinting during embryonic development, so this may underlie the apparent sensitivity of imprinted regions to ART. The impact in adulthood of imprinting alterations that occurred during early embryonic development is still unclear, but some experimental evidence in mice showed higher risk to obesity and cardiovascular disease after the restriction of some imprinted genes in early embryonic development. This supports the hypothesis that imprinting alterations in early development might induce epigenetic programming of metabolism and affect long-term health. Given the growing use of ART, it is important to determine the impact of ART in genomic imprinting and long-term health.

Depression in heart failure

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Sharp ◽  
Monica McCowat
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Cardiac Health ◽  
Prevalence Of Depression ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Heart failure is one of the most prevalent long-term physical health conditions. It is suggested that up to 26 million people are living with it worldwide including approximately 920 000 people in the UK. Evidence has consistently demonstrated the links between cardiac health and mental health; therefore, this article will explain depression and its presentation in heart failure, as these two conditions have been strongly and consistently linked. The prevalence of depression in heart failure will be reviewed from epidemiological studies and an overview of the impact of comorbid depression in heart failure will be provided, with a particular focus on mortality, morbidity and quality of life outcomes. The relationship between depression and heart failure will be discussed by examining pathophysiological and behavioural mechanisms, as well as evidence regarding the appropriate identification and subsequent management of heart failure depression will be reviewed.

scholarly journals The effects of storms and a transient sandy veneer on the interannual planform evolution a low-relief coastal cliff and wave-cut platform at Sargent Beach, Texas, USA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose V. Palermo ◽  
Anastasia Piliouras ◽  
Travis E. Swanson ◽  
Andrew D. Ashton ◽  
David Mohrig
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Image ◽  
Storm Event ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
System A ◽  
Coastal Cliff ◽  
Sediment Cover ◽  
Evolving Model ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Cliff Retreat

Abstract. Coastal cliff erosion is alongshore-variable and episodic, with retreat rates that depend upon sediment as either tools of abrasion or protective cover. However, the feedbacks between coastal cliff planform morphology, retreat rate, and sediment cover are poorly quantified. This study investigates Sargent Beach, Texas, USA at the annual to interannual scale to explore (1) the relationship between temporal and spatial variability in both cliff retreat rate and roughness and (2) the response of retreat rate and roughness to changes in sediment cover of the underlying mud substrate and the impact of major storms, using the low-lying mudstone cliff as a rapidly evolving model of a larger cliff system. A storm event in 2009 increased the planform roughness and sinuosity of the coastal cliff at Sargent Beach, TX. Following the storm, satellite image-derived shorelines with annual resolution show a decrease in average alongshore erosion rates from 4 to 12 m yr−1, coincident with a decrease in shoreline roughness and sinuosity (smoothing). A storm event in 2017 again increased the planform roughness and sinuosity of the cliff. The occurrence of storms and the presence of sediment to laterally erode the cliff influence the planform morphology and subsequent retreat. Over shorter timescales, monthly retreat of the sea cliff occurred only when the platform was sparsely covered with sediment cover on the wave cut platform, indicating that the tools and cover effects can significantly affect short-term erosion rates. The timescale to return to a smooth shoreline with a long-term steady-state erosion rate following a storm or roughening event is approximately five years, with the long-term rate suggesting a minimum of ~38 years until Sargent Beach breaches, compromising the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) under current conditions and assuming no future storms or intervention. The observed retreat rate varies, both spatially and temporally, with cliff face morphology, demonstrating the importance of multi-scale measurements and analysis for interpretation of coastal processes and patterns of cliff retreat.

scholarly journals Early low-level developmental arsenic exposure impacts mouse hippocampal synaptic function

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl F Foley ◽  
Daniel Barnett ◽  
Deborah A Cory-Slechta ◽  
Houhui Xia
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Transmission ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Arsenic Exposure ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Synaptic Function ◽  
Learning Deficits ◽  
Term Potentiation ◽  
The Impact

Background: Arsenic is a well-established carcinogen known to increase all-cause mortality, but its effects on the central nervous system are less well understood. Recent epidemiological studies suggest that early life exposure to arsenic is associated with learning deficits and behavioral changes, and increased arsenic exposure continues to affect an estimated 200 million individuals worldwide. Previous studies on arsenic exposure and synaptic function have demonstrated a decrease in synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation in adult rodents, but have relied on in vitro or extended exposure in adulthood. Therefore, little is known about the effect of arsenic exposure in development. Objective: Here, we studied the effects of gestational and early developmental arsenic exposure in juvenile mice. Specifically, our objective was to investigate the impact of arsenic exposure on synaptic transmission and plasticity in the hippocampus. Methods: C57BL/6 females were exposed to arsenic (0, 50ppb, 36ppm) in their drinking water two weeks prior to mating and continued to be exposed to arsenic throughout gestation and after parturition. We then performed field recordings in acute hippocampal slices from the juvenile offspring prior to weaning (P17-P23). In this paradigm, the juvenile mice are only exposed to arsenic in utero and via the mothers milk. Results: High (36ppm) and relatively low (50ppb) arsenic exposure both lead to decreased basal synaptic transmission in the hippocampus of juvenile mice. There was a mild decrease in paired-pulse facilitation in juvenile mice exposed to high, but not low, arsenic, suggesting the alterations in synaptic transmission are primarily post-synaptic. Finally, high developmental arsenic exposure led to a significant increase in long-term potentiation. Discussion: These results suggest that indirect, ecologically-relevant arsenic exposure in early development impacts hippocampal synaptic transmission and plasticity that could underlie learning deficits reported in epidemiological studies.

scholarly journals High Caloric Diet Induces Memory Impairment and Disrupts Synaptic Plasticity in Aged Rats

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 2305-2319
Author(s):  
Sara L. Paulo ◽  
Catarina Miranda-Lourenço ◽  
Rita F. Belo ◽  
Rui S. Rodrigues ◽  
João Fonseca-Gomes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Plasticity ◽  
Memory Impairment ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Synaptic Function ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Standard Diet ◽  
Aged Rats ◽  
High Caloric Diet ◽  
The Impact

The increasing consumption of sugar and fat seen over the last decades and the consequent overweight and obesity, were recently linked with a deleterious effect on cognition and synaptic function. A major question, which remains to be clarified, is whether obesity in the elderly is an additional risk factor for cognitive impairment. We aimed at unravelling the impact of a chronic high caloric diet (HCD) on memory performance and synaptic plasticity in aged rats. Male rats were kept on an HCD or a standard diet (control) from 1 to 24 months of age. The results showed that under an HCD, aged rats were obese and displayed significant long-term recognition memory impairment when compared to age-matched controls. Ex vivo synaptic plasticity recorded from hippocampal slices from HCD-fed aged rats revealed a reduction in the magnitude of long-term potentiation, accompanied by a decrease in the levels of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor receptors TrkB full-length (TrkB-FL). No alterations in neurogenesis were observed, as quantified by the density of immature doublecortin-positive neurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. This study highlights that obesity induced by a chronic HCD exacerbates age-associated cognitive decline, likely due to impaired synaptic plasticity, which might be associated with deficits in TrkB-FL signaling.

scholarly journals Endobolome, a New Concept for Determining the Influence of Microbiota Disrupting Chemicals (MDC) in Relation to Specific Endocrine Pathogenesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarita Aguilera ◽  
Yolanda Gálvez-Ontiveros ◽  
Ana Rivas
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Steroid Hormones ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Host Susceptibility ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting ◽  
The Impact

Endogenous steroid hormones and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDC) interact with gut microbiota through different pathways. We suggest the use of the term “endobolome” when referring to the group of gut microbiota genes and pathways involved in the metabolism of steroid hormones and EDC. States of dysbiosis and reduced diversity of the gut microbiota may impact and modify the endobolome resulting at long-term in the development of certain pathophysiological conditions. The endobolome might play a central role in the gut microbiota as seen by the amount of potentially endobolome-mediated diseases and thereby it can be considered an useful diagnostic tool and therapeutic target for future functional research strategies that envisage the use of next generation of probiotics. In addition, we propose that EDC and other xenobiotics that alter the gut microbial composition and its metabolic capacities should be categorized into a subgroup termed “microbiota disrupting chemicals” (MDC). This will help to distinguish the role of contaminants from other microbiota natural modifiers such as those contained or released from diet, environment, physical activity and stress. These MDC might have the ability to promote specific changes in the microbiota that can ultimately result in common intestinal and chronic or long-term systemic diseases in the host. The risk of developing certain disorders associated with gut microbiota changes should be established by determining both the effects of the MDC on gut microbiota and the impact of microbiota changes on chemicals metabolism and host susceptibility. In any case, further animal controlled experiments, clinical trials and large epidemiological studies are required in order to establish the concatenated impact of the MDC-microbiota-host health axis.

Actuarial Applications of a Statistical Model for Long-Term Care Insurance Operated with a Score-based Grading System: A Case Study of Korean Long-Term Care Insurance (K-LTCI)

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyuk-Sung Kwon ◽  
Bangwon Ko ◽  
Ji-Hae Kim
Keyword(s):  
Financial Risk ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Grading System ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Suggested Approach ◽  
System A ◽  
Long Term Care Insurance ◽  
The Impact

AbstractLong-term care insurance plays a very important role as providing a protection against financial risk of an individual when he/she becomes in a health condition incurring significant costs for long-term care. Construction of an appropriate actuarial model for long-term care is an integral part of maintaining and improving a long-term care insurance system. A model is suggested for analyzing the impact of change in score-based long-term care grading system and for estimating future cost of long-term care insurance. A spliced distribution was used to model assigned scores for long-term care insurance in Korea based on experience data. The suggested approach is quite flexible, as it allows us to adapt to possible changes in the grading system.

scholarly journals Using epidemiology to estimate the impact and burden of exposure to air pollutants

2020 ◽  
Vol 378 (2183) ◽  
pp. 20190321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison M. Gowers ◽  
Heather Walton ◽  
Karen S. Exley ◽  
J. Fintan Hurley
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Particulate Air Pollution ◽  
Reduce Emissions ◽  
Methodological Considerations ◽  
The Impact

This paper focuses on the use of results of epidemiological studies to quantify the effects on health, particularly on mortality, of long-term exposure to air pollutants. It introduces health impact assessment methods, used to predict the benefits that can be expected from implementation of interventions to reduce emissions of pollutants. It also explains the estimation of annual mortality burdens attributable to current levels of pollution. Burden estimates are intended to meet the need to communicate the size of the effect of air pollution on public health to policy makers and others. The implications, for the interpretation of the estimates, of the assumptions and approximations underlying the methods are discussed. The paper starts with quantification based on results obtained from studies of the association of mortality risk with long-term average concentrations of particulate air pollution. It then tackles the additional methodological considerations that need to be addressed when also considering the mortality effects of other pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ). Finally, approaches that could be used to integrate morbidity and mortality endpoints in the same assessment are touched upon. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Air quality, past present and future’.

scholarly journals Modelling the epidemiology of Escherichia coli ST131 and the impact of interventions on the community and healthcare centres

2016 ◽  
Vol 144 (9) ◽  
pp. 1974-1982 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. TALAMINOS ◽  
L. LÓPEZ-CERERO ◽  
J. CALVILLO ◽  
A. PASCUAL ◽  
L. M. ROA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Antimicrobial Agents ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Term Care ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
The Impact

SUMMARYST131 Escherichia coli is an emergent clonal group that has achieved successful worldwide spread through a combination of virulence and antimicrobial resistance. Our aim was to develop a mathematical model, based on current knowledge of the epidemiology of ESBL-producing and non-ESBL-producing ST131 E. coli, to provide a framework enabling a better understanding of its spread within the community, in hospitals and long-term care facilities, and the potential impact of specific interventions on the rates of infection. A model belonging to the SEIS (Susceptible–Exposed–Infected–Susceptible) class of compartmental models, with specific modifications, was developed. Quantification of the model is based on the law of mass preservation, which helps determine the relationships between flows of individuals and different compartments. Quantification is deterministic or probabilistic depending on subpopulation size. The assumptions for the model are based on several developed epidemiological studies. Based on the assumptions of the model, an intervention capable of sustaining a 25% reduction in person-to-person transmission shows a significant reduction in the rate of infections caused by ST131; the impact is higher for non-ESBL-producing ST131 isolates than for ESBL producers. On the other hand, an isolated intervention reducing exposure to antimicrobial agents has much more limited impact on the rate of ST131 infection. Our results suggest that interventions achieving a continuous reduction in the transmission of ST131 in households, nursing homes and hospitals offer the best chance of reducing the burden of the infections caused by these isolates.

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