Category: Environment

Environment, Infectivology

MIT researchers say time spent indoors increases risk of #Covid at 6 feet or 60 feet in new study challenging social distancing policies

The risk of being exposed to Covid-19 indoors can be as great at 60 feet as it is at 6 feet in a room where the air is mixed.Existing safety guidelines have omitted too many factors to accurately quantify the risk of airborne transmission, such as time, mask use and ventilation rates.Bazant and Bush question long-held Covid-19 guidelines that recommend 6 feet of distance between … Continue reading MIT researchers say time spent indoors increases risk of #Covid at 6 feet or 60 feet in new study challenging social distancing policies

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Environment, Gynaecology

Early-life #environmental exposure determinants of child #behavior in Europe: A longitudinal, population-based study

BackgroundEnvironmental exposures in early life influence the development of behavioral outcomes in children, but research has not considered multiple exposures. We therefore aimed to investigate the impact of a broad spectrum of pre- and postnatal environmental exposures on child behavior. Methods and findingsWe used data from the HELIX (Human Early Life Exposome) project, which was based on six longitudinal population-based birth cohorts in Europe. At … Continue reading Early-life #environmental exposure determinants of child #behavior in Europe: A longitudinal, population-based study

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Cardiology, Environment

Associations of #Job Strain, #Stressful Life Events, and Social Strain With Coronary Heart Disease in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study

The association between psychosocial stress and coronary heart disease (CHD) may be stronger in women than men and may differ across types of stressors. In this study, we assessed associations of psychosocial stressors, including job strain, stressful life events, and social strain with the incidence of CHD in women. Methods and Results We used longitudinal data from 80 825 WHI‐OS (Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study) … Continue reading Associations of #Job Strain, #Stressful Life Events, and Social Strain With Coronary Heart Disease in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study

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Environment, Infectivology, Pneumology

#COVID-19 Pandemic: A Wake-Up Call for Clean #Air

..Since its identification in Wuhan, China, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected more than 104 million and killed over 2.2 million people worldwide (1). Recent studies of air pollution and COVID-19 cases and mortality in diverse international settings add convincingly to a large body of evidence showing that exposure to air pollution exacerbates viral respiratory infections and consequently widens health disparities. Meanwhile, the global lockdown … Continue reading #COVID-19 Pandemic: A Wake-Up Call for Clean #Air

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Environment, Psychiatry

#Income robustly predicts self-regard #emotions

There is robust evidence that higher income makes people evaluate their lives more favorably, but there is no consistent evidence on whether it makes people feel better. Analyzing data from five large surveys spanning 162 countries, we predicted and found the most comprehensive evidence to date that income reliably predicted greater positive self-regard emotions (e.g., pride) and lower negative self-regard emotions (e.g., anxiety). In contrast, … Continue reading #Income robustly predicts self-regard #emotions

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Diet, Environment, Psychiatry

#Obesity and Responsiveness to #Food Marketing Before and After #Bariatric Surgery

Although food marketing is often accused of increasing population obesity, the relationship between individual responsiveness to marketing and obesity has yet to be established: Are people with obesity more responsive to food marketing and, if so, is it a stable trait or can it be reversed by bariatric surgery? We studied the responses to three common marketing tactics that frame foods and portions as healthier … Continue reading #Obesity and Responsiveness to #Food Marketing Before and After #Bariatric Surgery

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Environment, Infectivology, Psychiatry

Online #Mindfulness May Target Psychological #Distress and Mental Health during #COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected mental health, creating an urgent need for convenient and safe interventions to improve well-being. Online mindfulness interventions show promise for improving depression, anxiety, and general well-being. Objective To assess: 1) the impact of online mindfulness on psychological distress, 2) altruistic efforts, and 3) the quantity, quality, and availability of online mindfulness resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods 233 participants … Continue reading Online #Mindfulness May Target Psychological #Distress and Mental Health during #COVID-19

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Environment, Psychiatry

The mixed benefits of a #stressor-free life.

Research documents the pernicious effects of daily stressors on well-being, but often ignored in these studies are people reporting no stressors. The current study compared adults who reported no daily stressors with adults who reported at least one stressor across 8 consecutive days on measures of well-being. Of the 2,804 respondents (age range = 25–75 years, M = 53.46) from the Midlife in the United … Continue reading The mixed benefits of a #stressor-free life.

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Environment, Psychiatry

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Transcendental #Meditation as Treatment for #Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans

Preliminary studies have demonstrated the efficacy of Transcendental Meditation (TM) for treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study extended previous research with a pilot trial of TM as a treatment for PTSD via a single‐blinded, randomized controlled design. veterans with PTSD (N = 40) were assigned to a TM intervention or treatment‐as‐usual (TAU) control group. Participants in the TM group engaged in 16 sessions … Continue reading A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Transcendental #Meditation as Treatment for #Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans

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Endocrinology, Environment

Hallmarks of #environmental insults

Environmental insults impair human health around the world. Contaminated air, water, soil, food, and occupational and household settings expose humans of all ages to a plethora of chemicals and environmental stressors. We propose eight hallmarks of environmental insults that jointly underpin the damaging impact of environmental exposures during the lifespan. Specifically, they include oxidative stress and inflammation, genomic alterations and mutations, epigenetic alterations, mitochondrial dysfunction, … Continue reading Hallmarks of #environmental insults

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Cardiology, Environment, Pediatry

Analysis of Active and Passive #Tobacco Exposures and Blood #Pressure in US Children and Adolescents

..Elevated blood pressure, classified as greater than 90% for a child’s age, sex, and height according to the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice Guidelines. The a priori hypothesis that there is a positive association between tobacco exposure and elevated blood pressure in the study population was tested. Analysis included logistic regression with adjustment for possible confounders. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were conducted. Results … Continue reading Analysis of Active and Passive #Tobacco Exposures and Blood #Pressure in US Children and Adolescents

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Environment, Infectivology

#Hydrating the respiratory tract: an alternative explanation why masks lower severity of #COVID-19

The seasonality of respiratory diseases has been linked, among other factors, to low outdoor absolute humidity and low indoor relative humidity, which increase evaporation of water in the mucosal lining of the respiratory tract. We demonstrate that normal breathing results in an absorption-desorption cycle inside facemasks, in which supersaturated air is absorbed by the mask fibers during expiration, followed by evaporation during inspiration of dry … Continue reading #Hydrating the respiratory tract: an alternative explanation why masks lower severity of #COVID-19

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