Mindfulness meditation improves quality of life in heart attack survivors

USING THIS IN ALBERTA FOR STROKE PATIENTS

EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CARDIOLOGY

Research News

An eight-week programme of mindfulness meditation improves quality of life and reduces fear of activity in heart attack patients, according to research presented today at ESC Acute CardioVascular Care 2021, an online scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1

"A heart attack is a serious life-threatening event and survivors can suffer from low quality of life," said study author Dr. Canan Karadas of Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. "One reason is a fear of movement, called kinesiophobia, which limits daily activity due to concerns of another heart attack."

"Mindfulness refers to the mental state achieved by focusing awareness on the present moment, including thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations," continued Dr. Karadas. "It has drawn increasing attention for treating chronic conditions such as high blood pressure. Our study examined its effect on fatigue, kinesiophobia, and quality of life after an acute myocardial infarction."

The study included 56 patients who had experienced a heart attack. The average age at enrolment was 55 years. Participants were randomly assigned to a mindfulness or control group for eight weeks. Patients in the control group attended one 15-minute individual education session on the structure and function of the heart, the coronary arteries, and diseases of the heart.

Patients assigned to the mindfulness intervention attended an individual session which included a 15-minute description of the technique. This was followed by 15 minutes of supervised practice: patients were asked to sit comfortably on a chair with their backs straight and eyes closed. They were then instructed to breathe deeply - inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth using the diaphragm - and focus on their breathing and the present moment. Participants received a recording of the instructions via WhatsApp and were asked to repeat the 15-minute session every day at home in a quiet room. Daily reminders (text messages or phone calls) were used to motivate patients to practice the meditation and to evaluate their compliance with the study protocol.

Fatigue, kinesiophobia, and quality of life were assessed at baseline and weeks four, eight and 12 using the Piper Fatigue Scale, Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia Heart questionnaire, and MacNew Heart Disease Health-Related Quality of Life questionnaire which examines patients' feelings about how their heart condition affects daily function overall and in three areas (physically, emotionally, and socially).

At baseline, there were no differences in the three variables between the intervention and control groups. By week four, patients in the mindfulness group had less fear of movement compared to the control group - a benefit that was sustained at weeks eight and 12. Patients in the mindfulness group had better quality of life overall and in all three areas than those in the control group at week eight, while at week 12 they continued to report better emotional function. Measurements of fatigue did not vary between the two groups at any time point.

Dr. Karadas noted that participants only reported mild fatigue at the beginning of the study which may explain why meditation did not have any impact.

She said: "Our study shows that mindfulness can reduce fear of movement and improve quality of life in heart attack survivors, with effects extending beyond the completion of the intervention. One explanation may be that meditation replaces catastrophic thinking with positive thoughts, making patients feel less emotionally and physically vulnerable. The findings suggest that mindfulness may be considered in the rehabilitation of patients after a heart attack. These results are very encouraging but more studies are needed to confirm our findings."

###

Authors: ESC Press Office
Tel: +33 (0)4 89 87 20 85
Mobile: +33 (0)7 8531 2036
Email: press@escardio.org
Follow us on Twitter @ESCardioNews

Notes to editor

Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Disclosures: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

References and notes

1Abstract title: Effects of daily mindfulness practice on fatigue, kinesiophobia, and quality of life in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a randomized controlled trial.

About the Association for Acute CardioVascular Care

The Association for Acute CardioVascular Care (ACVC) is a branch of the ESC. Its mission is to improve the quality of care and outcomes of patients with acute cardiovascular disease.

About ESC Acute CardioVascular Care Congress 2021 #ACVC2021

ESC Acute CardioVascular Care Congress 2021 is the online annual congress of the Association for Acute CardioVascular Care of the ESC.

About the European Society of Cardiology

The European Society of Cardiology brings together health care professionals from more than 150 countries, working to advance cardiovascular medicine and help people lead longer, healthier lives.

Information for journalists about registration for ESC Acute CardioVascular Care 2021

ESC Acute CardioVascular Care 2021 takes place 13 and 14 March online.

* Free registration applies only to accredited press.

* Credentials: A valid press card or appropriate letter of assignment with proof of three recent published articles (cardiology or health-related or referring to a previous ESC event). Read the ESC media and embargo policy.

* The ESC Press Office will verify the documents and confirm by email that your press accreditation is valid.

* The ESC Press Office decision is final regarding all press registration requests.

Mindfulness program in campus dorms, groups improved students' mental health

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Research News

 

As experts nationwide point to a mental health crisis among teens and young adults, a pilot program teaching mindfulness and coping techniques to students at the University of Washington has helped lower stress and improve emotional well-being.

New studies by the psychology researchers who created the program find that the strategies, offered first in residence halls and later through classes and other organized campus groups, have provided participants with successful methods for coping with stress, managing their emotions and learning self-compassion.

Researchers say the results show the potential for preventive mental health services offered in an accessible, peer-group environment.

"This program is not a substitute for campus mental health services for students. But with a preventive program, our goal is to reduce general distress in college students and hopefully prevent need for increased or more intensive services," said Liliana Lengua, psychology professor and director of the Center for Child and Family Well-Being at the UW.

Recent studies of the program's rollout point to its success. Results from the program's first year, when it was offered in 2017-2018 in residence halls on the UW's Seattle campus, were published March 10 in Anxiety, Stress & Coping. Results of its second year, provided during the 2019-2020 academic year by trained university staff in campus settings such as classes and student organizations, were published Feb. 12 in Frontiers in Psychiatry. Student participants reported significant improvements in their psychological well-being that lasted three months after the sessions ended.

During the pandemic -- with millions of young people studying remotely -- the importance of teen and college student mental health has grown. According to the CDC, 1 in 4 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 has considered suicide in the past year, while separate studies of college students in recent months have found more than 70% report serious distress.

But even before the pandemic, campuses nationwide were reporting high levels of student stress and anxiety, with college mental health directors noting need for services that far outpaced availability. Academic demands, financial pressures, social tumult and, especially among first-year students, the transition to campus life all affect student mental health.

Against this backdrop, the authors decided to come up with a short intervention at the UW that would provide real-world coping strategies in an environment that students could access easily -- without an appointment or any fee, in the casual atmosphere of a group, and where they already live, study or socialize. The program, called Be REAL, or Resilient Attitudes and Living, combined traditional cognitive behavioral coping strategies -- such as planning, positive reframing and acceptance -- with mindfulness practices focused on regulating breathing, meditation and accessing feelings of compassion, tolerance and gratitude toward oneself and others. By having staff who are already working with student in various settings offer the program, it can potentially reach more students.

"The idea behind Be REAL was to have a new model to promote student well-being and mental health. Traditional counseling systems are unlikely to keep pace with demand, so we wanted to think of a program that could be delivered more broadly by nonclinical staff members," said Robyn Long, director of community programs and training for the Center for Child and Family Well-Being.

The first year, 208 students signed up for the program across three academic quarters. Facilitators trained in mindfulness techniques led six evening sessions at four residence halls. Among the more than 80% of students who attended the majority of the sessions, results from pre- and post-surveys showed significant improvements in mindfulness and self-compassion, greater resilience and lower stress. These findings held steady in a three-month follow-up survey of participants.

Those results led to the expansion of the program to other campus settings, with associated university staff -- from the recreation department, for example, as well as those connected to student organizations -- voluntarily trained in the Be REAL program. This approach aimed to reach additional students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, in spaces they already frequent. Of the 271 students who enrolled in Be REAL programming, 116 agreed to participate in the study; more than half were students of color.

Researchers found results that were similar to the residence hall study, especially regarding stress and emotional regulation. In their comments on post-study surveys, students reported using meditation and breathing techniques to help focus or calm down, and developing habits to handle stress.

The results raised other issues that researchers are exploring further, such as whether providing the lessons in a class that students take for credit creates more of a perceived burden -- and thus, leaves less of an impact -- than sessions in which students simply choose to participate.

A new, ongoing study is examining how about 100 university staff from all three UW campuses, trained in offering the program remotely, along with still more students, respond to the techniques for improving mental health. Those results may suggest opportunities for students and staff alike to benefit from the strategies in a range of environments, on any college campus, and to possibly change a campus culture around supporting student well-being. The Center for Child and Family Well-Being is collaborating with the UW Resilience Lab to expand the program and facilitator training to staff.

"Expanding Be REAL to promote staff well-being and training is important because their work, especially with the pandemic, can be stressful," Long said. "They've even shared how the practices are shifting their interactions with children and loved ones at home. Our expansion of the program goes beyond individual well-being -- it's also about strengthening our community on campus."

###

Both published studies were funded by the Maritz Family Foundation. Max Halvorson, a doctoral student in the UW Department of Psychology, was a co-author of the study published in Anxiety, Stress & Coping. Co-authors of the study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry were Katie Malloy Spink, research coordinator for the Center for Child & Family Well-Being, and Megan Kennedy, director of the UW Resilience Lab.

For more information, contact Lengua at liliana@uw.edu or Long at rblong2@uw.edu.

NO PRONOUNS

Biological differences between females, males need to be considered in scientific studies

Endocrine Society issues Scientific Statement on sex differences in research

THE ENDOCRINE SOCIETY

Research News

 

WASHINGTON--Biological differences between females and males affect virtually every aspect of medicine and biomedical research. In a new Scientific Statement released today, the Endocrine Society called for sex differences to be studied thoroughly to improve public health.

"When we understand the ways sex differences operate at baseline in health, which can either worsen the course of a disease to amplify differences in health outcomes, or protect against it, we can more effectively prevent and treat medical conditions," said Aditi Bhargava, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Francisco in San Francisco, Calif., and the chair of the writing group that authored the Society's Scientific Statement.

For instance, SARS CoV-2 infection, cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, disproportionately affects men. A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found the overall case-fatality ratio was about 2.4 times higher in men than women.

Failing to consider sex differences can lead to the failure of promising drug candidates. Drugs are tested in cell lines or animals before drug trials are conducted in humans, and most of these foundational studies rely predominantly on male animals or cell lines. Many published studies that use animal models either do not report the breakdown of animals by sex or do not aggregate results by the sex. Clinical studies similarly fail to consider sex as a variable and instead often report it as a confounding factor.

"Without exploring sex differences, some drug candidates that could be beneficial to women never have the chance to make it to market," Bhargava said. "The process of developing drugs using only males of a species in pre-clinical studies likely contributes to the higher rates of adverse drug reactions in women compared to men, failure to see efficacy in clinical trials, and translation to therapeutics."

The statement explores three areas of biological differences between females and males. Imaging has found anatomical and volume differences in the brains of women and men, but these differences do not reveal any functional differences between the sexes. Heart and kidney diseases present differently in women and men. Although twice as many women as men report stress-related diseases, few studies are designed to explore mechanisms that highlight both similarities and difference between the sexes.

Biological sex is often confused with gender in our society. The two sexes are differentiated as females, who have ovaries and produce eggs, and males, who have testes and produce sperm. In mammals, females typically have XX chromosomes and males typically have XY chromosomes. All sex differences in the zygote, or fertilized egg, stem from harboring two different sex chromosomes. Both sexes have all classes of reproductive hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, albeit at different levels. Differences in sexual development may result in a person's biological sex not aligning with these traditional definitions.

Biological sex is separate from gender identity, which may or may not align with an individual's biological sex. Transgender or gender diverse individuals should be screened for sex-specific medical conditions such as prostate cancer and cervical cancer based on body parts and tissues that are present, according to the Society's Clinical Practice Guideline on Endocrine Treatment of Gender-Dysphoric/Gender-Incongruent Persons.

###

Other authors of the statement are: Arthur P. Arnold, Arpana Gupta and Emeran A. Mayer of the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, Calif.; Debra A. Bangasser of Temple University in Philadelphia, Penn.; Kate M. Denton and Lucinda M. Hilliard Krause of Monash University in Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Margaret McCarthy of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md.; Walter L. Miller of UCSF in San Francisco, Calif.; Armin Raznahan of the National Institutes of Mental Health in Bethesda, Md.; and Ragini Verma of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn.

The authors have no disclosures.

The statement, "Considering Sex as a Biological Variable in Basic and Clinical Studies: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement," was published online in the Society's journal Endocrine Reviews.

Endocrinologists are at the core of solving the most pressing health problems of our time, from diabetes and obesity to infertility, bone health, and hormone-related cancers. The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest and largest organization of scientists devoted to hormone research and physicians who care for people with hormone-related conditions.

The Society has more than 18,000 members, including scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in 122 countries. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at http://www.endocrine.org.

Follow us on Twitter at @TheEndoSociety and @EndoMedia.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of ne

Hunker down' stress genes boosted in women who live in violent neighborhoods

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, NEWS BUREAU

Research News

 

IMAGE: LIVING IN A VIOLENT NEIGHBORHOOD INCREASED STRESS-RELATED GENE ACTIVITY IN LOW-INCOME BLACK MOTHERS, A STUDY FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AND COLLABORATORS FOUND. ILLINOIS PROFESSORS PICTURED, FROM LEFT: SANDRA RODRIGUEZ-ZAS, ANIMAL... view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO BY L. BRIAN STAUFFER

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The chronic stress of living in neighborhoods with high rates of violence and poverty alters gene activity in immune cells, according to a new study of low-income single Black mothers on the South Side of Chicago.

The changes in stress-related gene expression reflect the body's "hunker down" response to long-term threat, a physiological strategy for lying low and considering new actions rather than launching an immediate "fight-or-flight" response. This has implications for health outcomes in communities of color and other marginalized populations, said researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators at the University of Kentucky and UCLA. The researchers published the study in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.

"The question we asked is, how does stress get under the skin to affect health and wellness? We wanted to hear the stories of low-income single Black mothers on the South Side of Chicago and really try to understand what it's like to live in neighborhoods with high levels of violence and how it affects these women," said study leader Ruby Mendenhall, an Illinois professor of African American studies and of sociology, and the assistant dean for diversity and democratization of health innovation at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine.

Mendenhall's group surveyed 68 women from high-violence neighborhoods. They shared stories, filled out stress assessments and gave blood samples.

From the women's accounts and surveys, as well as from police records of violent crime, the researchers measured levels of stress related to racism, poverty and neighborhood violence.

Then, the researchers studied how genes related to stress and immunity were expressed in white blood cells, called leukocytes, found in the participants' blood samples.

"Leukocytes are part of the immune system. They become activated to help fight disease and infection, and also respond to certain stress hormones, and that means their genes are good indicators for the effects of stress on health and well-being," said study co-author Gene Robinson, an entomology professor and the director of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology and interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the U. of I.

When looking at genes associated with a flight-or-flight stress pathway, the researchers saw no significant differences between participants who perceived their neighborhoods as dangerous and those who did not. However, they found that women who reported greater neighborhood danger showed significantly greater activity of genes regulated by the glucocorticoid receptor - a stress-response pathway that previously has been documented in animals' hunker-down response to persistent, overwhelming threat, said study co-author Steve Cole, a professor at UCLA.

"These hunker-down responses are the body's strategy for conserving resources and persevering in the face of overwhelming adversity," Cole said. "Instead of preparing to fight or flee, the body bides its time and preserves itself for better days in the future. But it's important to get to that better future, or the hunkered-down body may not do the ongoing maintenance work needed for optimal health."

The distinction between the two stress pathways is important for planning health interventions and improving health outcomes, said study co-author Clare Rittschof, a professor at the University of Kentucky and former postdoctoral researcher in Robinson's group.

"Increased glucocorticoid activity is typically associated with aging, so it's as if these women are showing signs of accelerated aging, which is thought to be one reason that stress can lead to worse health outcomes," Rittschof said.

Next, the researchers are exploring the cultural coping mechanisms the Black women in the study community rely on in their daily lives, as well as training health care and social services providers and policymakers on ways to decrease stress, improve health outcomes, decrease disparities and foster health equity.

"These efforts must be coupled with policies broadly aimed to eliminate structural racism in our society, a big source of stress for African Americans," the authors said in a joint statement. "This is consistent with medical schools around the country declaring racism as a health crisis, including the Carle Illinois College of Medicine."

###

Illinois graduate student Meggan Lee, Illinois professors Andrew Greenlee and Sandra Rodriguez-Zas, and Vanderbilt University professor Kedir Turi were co-authors of the paper. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Richard and Margaret Romano Professorial Scholarship and the USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health supported this work.

Editor's notes: To reach Ruby Mendenhall, email rubymen@illinois.edu. To reach Gene Robinson, email generobi@illinois.edu. To reach Clare Rittschof, email clare.rittschof@uky.edu.

The paper "Transcriptomic analyses of black women in neighborhoods with high levels of violence" is available online.

 

Starting small to answer the big questions about photosynthesis

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

Research News

  E-MAIL

IMAGE: LIGHT IS ABSORBED BY LIGHT-HARVESTING PROTEINS IN THE PLANT MEMBRANE. THE ENERGY EXCITES THE PROTEINS AND THE WAY THEY ARRANGE THEMSELVES DETERMINES THE WAY ENERGY IS TRANSFERRED THROUGH THE PLANT.... view more 

CREDIT: SOPHIE MEREDITH, UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

New scientific techniques are revealing the intricate role that proteins play in photosynthesis.

Despite being discovered almost 300 years ago, photosynthesis still holds many unanswered questions for science, particularly the way that proteins organise themselves to convert sunlight into chemical energy and at the same time, protect plants from too much sunlight.

Now a collaboration between researchers at the University of Leeds and Kobe University in Japan is developing a novel approach to the investigation of photosynthesis.

Using hybrid membranes that mimic natural plant membranes and advanced microscopes, they are opening photosynthesis to nanoscale investigation - the study of life at less than one billionth of a metre - to reveal the behaviour of individual protein molecules.

Dr Peter Adams, Associate Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leeds, who supervised the research, said: "For many decades scientists have been developing an understanding of photosynthesis in terms of the biology of whole plants. This research is tackling it at the molecular level and the way proteins interact.

"A greater understanding of photosynthesis will benefit humankind. It will help scientists identify new ways to protect and boost crop yields, as well as inspire technologists to develop new solar-powered materials and components."

The findings are published in the academic journal Small.

Photosynthesis happens when photons or packets of light energy cause pigments inside light-harvesting proteins to become excited. The way that these proteins arrange themselves determines how the energy is transferred to other molecules.

It is a complex system that plays out across many different pigments, proteins, and layers of light-harvesting membranes within the plant. Together, it regulates energy absorption, transfer, and the conversion of this energy into other useful forms.

To understand this intricate process, scientists have been using a technique called atomic force microscopy, which is a device capable of revealing components of a membrane that are a few nanometres in size.

The difficulty is that natural plant membranes are very fragile and can be damaged by atomic force microscopy.

But last year, the researchers at Kobe University announced that they had developed a hybrid membrane made up of natural plant material and synthetic lipids that would act as a substitute for a natural plant membrane - and crucially, is more stable when placed in an atomic force microscope.

The team at the University of Leeds used the hybrid membrane and subjected it to atomic force microscopy and another advanced visualisation technique called fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, or FLIM.

PhD researcher Sophie Meredith, also from the School of Physics at the University of Leeds, is the lead author in the paper. She said: "The combination of FLIM and atomic force microscopy allowed us to observe the elements of photosynthesis. It gave us an insight into the dynamic behaviors and interactions that take place.

"What is important is that we can control some of the parameters in the hybrid membrane, so we can isolate and control factors, and that helps with experimental investigation.

"In essence, we now have a 'testbed' and a suite of advanced imaging tools that will reveal the sub-molecular working of photosynthesis."

###

The research was supported by the Royal Society, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Medical Research Council and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

The paper - Model Lipid Membranes Assembled from Natural Plant Thylakoids into 2D Microarray Patterns as a Platform to Assess the Organization and Photophysics of Light-Harvesting Proteins - is available to download at https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202006608

For further information, please contact David Lewis in the press office at the University of Leeds: d.lewis@leeds.ac.uk or on +44 (0)7710 013287

The is an image that goes with the story. The caption is: Light is absorbed by light-harvesting proteins in the plant membrane. The energy excites the proteins and the way they arrange themselves determines the way energy is transferred through the plant.

Please credit the image: Sophie Meredith, University of Leeds.

University of Leeds

The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK, with more than 37,000 students from more than 150 different countries, and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. The University plays a significant role in the Turing, Rosalind Franklin and Royce Institutes.

We are a top ten university for research and impact power in the UK, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, and are in the top 100 of the QS World University Rankings 2019.

The University was awarded a Gold rating by the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework in 2017, recognising its 'consistently outstanding' teaching and learning provision. Twenty-six of our academics have been awarded National Teaching Fellowships - more than any other institution in England, Northern Ireland and Wales - reflecting the excellence of our teaching. http://www.leeds.ac.uk

A new model predicts snakebites to save human lives

Tel Aviv University participates in international study

TEL-AVIV UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

IMAGE: EYAL GOLDSTEIN view more 

CREDIT: TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY

About 1.8 million envenoming snakebites occur around the world annually, killing about 94,000 people. In tropical areas, especially in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, snakebites are considered a major cause of death, especially among farmers who encounter snakes in their fields. In response, the World Health Organization has launched a strategic plan to reduce snakebites by 50% by 2030. An important basis for attaining this goal is expanding relevant scientific research.

An international research group, including researchers from Tel Aviv University, has recently created an innovative simulation model for predicting snakebites, based on an improved understanding of interactions between farmers and snakes, in both time and space.

The purpose of the model is to determine the probability of a snakebites occurring in certain places (for example in rice fields vs. tea fields) at various times (hours of the day and months of the year). The study is founded upon extensive research and data from Sri Lanka, where about 30,000 envenoming snakebites kill approximately 400 people every year. It focused on 6 types of snakes, some numbered among the most venomous in the world (cobra, Russell's viper, saw-scaled viper, hump-nosed viper, common krait and Ceylon krait), matching them with farmers who grow the three most common crops in the area: rice, tea and rubber. Thus for example, the model predicts that the bites of Russell's viper peak in rice fields during February and August, while the hump-nosed viper prefers rubber plantations in April and May. The model also determines that in the southeastern part of the studied region, the largest number of snakebites are inflicted by Russell's viper, one of the world's most dangerous snakes, while in other parts of this area snakebites of the less lethal hump-nosed viper are the most common.

The study was led by Dr. Takuya Iwamura (currently at Oregon State University) and Eyal Goldstein of the School of Zoology at Tel Aviv University, and Dr. Kris Murray of Imperial College London and the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in London. Other participants included researchers from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Lancaster University and the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. The paper was published in February 2021 in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Eyal Goldstein explains: "We built a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary model, which includes the behavior patterns of both sides - snakes and humans, identifying risk factors at various times and places, and warning against them. For example, the model can differentiate between low-risk and high-risk areas, a difference that can be manifested in double the number of snakebites per 100,000 people."

Dr. Murray explains that "Both snakes and people go about their business at different times of the day, in different seasons and in different types of habitats - the model captures all of this to predict encounters between people and snakes in areas where farmers are working. We then factor in the aggressiveness of different snake species to work out how likely an encounter is to result in a bite."

Dr. Iwamura emphasizes that "Our approach is to mathematically analyze interactions between snakes and humans, with an emphasis on the ecological perspective. This is a completely new approach to understanding the mechanism that causes snakebites. Unlike most studies, which have so far focused mainly on social and economic risk factors, we chose to focus on the ecological aspects - such as snakes' movements and habitats, the impact of climate and rainfall, and the respective behaviors of farmers and snakes - as a key to predicting potential encounters."

Verified against existing data in Sri Lanka , the model was proved very accurate in predicting snakebite patterns in different areas and different seasons, as well as the relative contribution of various types of snakes to the overall picture as seen in hospital data. Now the researchers intend to implement the model in places that don't yet have accurate snakebite data. They will and also use it to predict future changes resulting from climate change - such as increased rainfall leading to greater snake activity, as well as changes in land use and habitats available to snakes.

Dr. Iwamura concludes: "Our model can help focus the efforts of snakebite reduction policies, and serve as a tool for warning, raising awareness and saving human lives. Moreover, we regard this study as a first stage in a broader project. In the future we intend to develop more complex models of encounters between humans and wildlife, to support both public health and nature preservation policies in the real world."

###

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for th

Fossilized feeding frenzy

47 million year old fly found with a full belly

UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA

Research News 

IMAGE: © SENCKENBERG view more 

CREDIT: © SENCKENBERG

It was not the fly itself that caught the scientists' attention, but its bulging abdomen suggesting it was still full with the fly's last food intake. Surprisingly, analysis of the stomach content revealed it was full with pollen from different plants. The fossil pollen from the fly's stomach was used to reconstruct the ancient environment inhabited by the fly, the biotic interactions between plant and fly, and the fly's behaviour during feeding.

Flies as pollinators

Today, bees, butterflies and bumblebees are the typical pollinators, which are also known to feed on pollen. That flies also play an important role in pollination is rarely addressed. "The rich pollen content we discovered in the fly's stomach suggests that flies were already feeding and transporting pollen 47 million years ago and shows it played an important role in the pollen dispersal of several plant taxa", says Fridgeir Grímsson from the Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research of the University of Vienna. "Flies were major pollinators in ancient (sub-)tropical equivalent ecosystems and might even have outshined the bees", the scientist concludes.

Short-distance flights for food

The extracted pollen was dominated by grains of Decodon (waterwillow) and Parthenocissus (virgin ivy). Today, the waterwillow is a sub-shrub growing in wetlands and the shallows of lakes, suggesting open low canopy habitat. The co-dominance of virgin ivy also suggests that the fly fed on plants growing at the forest margin surrounding the ancient Messel lake. "It is likely that the fly avoided long-distance flights between food sources and sought pollen from closely associated plants", says Grímsson.

###

Publication in Current Biology: S. Wedmann, T. Hörnschemeyer, M.S. Engel, R. Zetter, F. Grímsson. The last meal of an Eocene pollen-feeding fly. Current Biology (2021) DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.02.025

Marjoram supports health and weight gain in carps, say biologist from RUDN University

RUDN UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

IMAGE: BIOLOGISTS FROM RUDN UNIVERSITY SUGGESTED ADDING A MARJORAM-BASED SUPPLEMENT TO THE DIET OF COMMON CARP TO SUPPORT THE GROWTH OF THE FISH AND IMPROVE THEIR RESISTANCE TO BACTERIAL INFECTIONS. view more 

CREDIT: RUDN UNIVERSITY

Biologists from RUDN University suggested adding a marjoram-based supplement to the diet of common carp to support the growth of the fish and improve their resistance to bacterial infections. The results of the study were published in the Fish & Shellfish Immunology journal.

Cyprinus carpio is a type of large omnivore fish that grows 35-40 cm long in three to five years. 4 mln tons of carps were bred in aquacultural farms in 2010. Such farms protect natural populations of Cyprinus carpio while at the same time satisfying the market demand. However, as farmers strive for higher productivity, aquacultural farms become more and more crowded which leads to the lack of nutrients and harms the health of the fish. A team of veterinarians from RUDN University tested the effect of a dietary supplement based on marjoram (a herb from the genus Origanum) on farm-bred carps.

"The profitability of a fish farm directly correlates with the stability and efficiency of production which is based on the health of the fish. Fish under stress are more susceptible to disease, and after being treated with antibiotics for some time they develop resistance. Moreover, antibiotics are harmful to the environment and can potentially affect the health of consumers. The best way to combat diseases is via dietary supplements that suppress stress, improve the health of the fish, and support their immunity," said Morteza Yousefi, PhD, an assistant professor at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, RUDN University.

The team divided 360 fish into four groups and fed them dietary supplements with different concentrations of marjoram for eight weeks. A control group did not receive marjoram at all, while the other three got 100, 200, and 400 mg per 1 kg of body mass, respectively. After 60 days of the diet, 30 fish from each group were injected with the bacterial culture of Aeromonas hydrophila, one of the most dangerous pathogens for carps that breaks down hemoglobin, enters the organs of a fish body, and then begins to produce aerolysin, a toxic substance that causes cell death and tissue damage. Then, the team spent 10 days monitoring the survival rates of the infected fish.

Only 50% of the fish from the control group successfully overcame the infection, while the share of survivors among the fish that received marjoram was 80%. The group that received 200 mg of the supplement demonstrated the most prominent positive effect including a 1.5 times increase in erythrocyte count and hemoglobin, immunoglobulins, lysozyme, and alkaline phosphatase levels. This group also showed the lowest feed conversion rate, i.e. it required less food to gain 1 kg of weight (1.32 mg against 1.62 mg in the control group). According to the veterinarians, it indicated higher immune activity and better barrier functions of the mucus in the fish that received the marjoram supplement.

"The fish that received 200 mg/kg of marjoram demonstrated the highest survival rate. Our study confirms that marjoram extract is an effective dietary supplement for the common carp: it stimulates growth, the production of antioxidants, and the work of the immune system. All these factors helped the fish infected with Aeromonas hydrophila combat the disease," added Morteza Yousefi from RUDN University.

###

PERSEPHONE'S FRUIT

Lower risk of brain injury for at-risk infants whose mothers consumed pomegranate juice

Preliminary findings from a randomized controlled trial suggest pomegranate juice may provide neuroprotection in pregnancies with intrauterine growth restriction

BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL

Research News

 

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is common and concerning, but few therapeutic options exist for pregnant mothers who receive this diagnosis. IUGR is a condition in which a baby in the womb is measuring small for its gestational age, often because of issues with the placenta, resulting in compromised or insufficient transfer of oxygen and nutrients to the growing fetus. The developing fetal brain is particularly vulnerable to these effects. One out of every 10 babies is diagnosed with IUGR, and infants with IUGR are at increased risk of death and neurodevelopmental impairment. Recent research on polyphenol-rich pomegranate juice has suggested that it may help protect the brain from injury. In an exploratory, randomized, controlled clinical trial, supported by philanthropic funding and a gift from POM Wonderful, the largest grower and producer of fresh pomegranates and pomegranate juice in the United States, investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital enrolled pregnant mothers whose infants were diagnosed with IUGR. The team found evidence that drinking pomegranate juice daily may reduce risk of brain injury in IUGR infants, especially during the third trimester when the infant brain may be particularly vulnerable. Findings are published in Scientific Reports.

"There are dietary factors that may influence neuroprotection, especially in high-risk settings such as during labor and delivery," said co-author Terrie Inder, MBCHB, chair of the Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine at the Brigham. "We were intrigued by findings from preclinical research suggesting that polyphenols, which are found at high concentrations in pomegranate juice, might be highly protective. Our clinical trial provides the most promising evidence to date that polyphenols may provide protection from risk of brain injury in IUGR infants."

"While exploratory, our results are promising and suggest that being able to intervene before birth may aid in protecting the newborn brain from the devastating effects of brain injury," said corresponding author Lillian G. Matthews, PhD, a neuroscientist at Monash Biomedical Imaging and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health in Australia. Prior to joining Monash, Matthews was at Harvard Medical School and the Brigham in the Department of Pediatric and Newborn Medicine, where she maintains a current affiliation.

Polyphenols are part of a class of antioxidants found in certain foods and beverages, including almonds, berries, red wine and teas. Pomegranate juice is a particularly rich source of these molecules. Polyphenols are known to cross the blood-brain barrier, and studies in animal models have demonstrated protective effects against neurodegenerative diseases.

For their clinical trial, Inder and colleagues recruited 99 pregnant mothers at the Brigham. The participants were randomly assigned to consume either 8 ounces of pomegranate juice or a polyphenol-free beverage matched for color, taste and calorie-count. Participants drank the juice daily from the time of enrollment until delivery.

The team performed fetal MRI measurements on approximately half of the participants prior to mothers starting the juice regimen and found no evidence of fetal brain injury at that time. After delivery, neonatal MRI measurements showed that infants whose mothers consumed pomegranate juice were less likely to have brain injury compared to those randomized to placebo. Infants had lower risk of cortical grey matter injury and white matter injury. The team also found no evidence of ductal constriction, a potential safety concern.

Given the exploratory nature of the study and its limited size, the authors caution that larger controlled trials are needed. The team also plans to continue studying infants enrolled in their study over the next 2-3 years to assess the infants' neurodevelopmental outcome.

"Our neurodevelopmental follow-up studies are ongoing, and we encourage other investigators studying high-risk infant populations to consider the influence of polyphenols for neuroprotection," said Inder. "My dream is that we will one day be able to offer women a way to help shield their infant's brain from potential injury. In the meantime, we'll continue to follow participants to provide further insight into the potential clinical implications of prenatal pomegranate juice."

###

This work was supported by the Brigham and Women's Hospital Program for Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Award and a gift to Brigham and Women's Hospital from POM Wonderful, Los Angeles.

Paper cited: Ross MM et al. "A randomized controlled trial investigating the impact of maternal dietary supplementation with pomegranate juice on brain injury in infants with IUGR" Scientific Reports DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82144-0

Healthy Diet Index supports diet quality assessment and dietary counselling in healthcare

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

Research News

 

IMAGE: DIETARY COUNSELLING PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LIFESTYLE DISEASES. THE HEALTHY DIET INDEX DEVELOPED BY FINNISH NUTRITION EXPERTS FACILITATES THE ASSESSMENT OF DIET QUALITY. view more 

CREDIT: UEF/RAIJA TÖRRÖNEN

The Healthy Diet Index developed by Finnish nutrition experts facilitates the assessment of diet quality. Its effectiveness was demonstrated in a recently published study.

Dietary counselling plays a crucial role in the prevention and treatment of chronic lifestyle diseases. In healthcare settings, dietary counselling is often provided by professionals without specific training in nutrition, and there is a demand for tools for reliable and easy assessment of diet quality. One such tool is the Healthy Diet Index developed in the recently completed Stop Diabetes (StopDia) project.

The Healthy Diet Index describes the quality of the diet in relation to nutrition recommendations, and to a diet that prevents type 2 diabetes. The scale of the index is from 0 to 100. In addition, the Healthy Diet Index also gives a score to different domains of the diet, including meal pattern, grains, fruit and vegetables, fats, fish and meat, dairy and snacks and treats. The aim was to create scoring method that is sensitive even to minor changes in eating habits, which facilitates the monitoring of changes and may give additional motivation to implement dietary changes.

The Healthy Diet Index was created in collaboration between nutrition experts from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the University of Eastern Finland, Tampere University Hospital and Pirkanmaa Hospital District. The Healthy Diet Index is based on a validated food intake questionnaire previously developed and used as part of Finland's national programme for the prevention and care of diabetes (DEHKO). However, it is difficult to perceive the whole diet on the basis of individual questions. Dietary counselling is easier and more concrete for the client when the diet is assessed as a whole instead of individual nutrients, and when food-specific advice is given.

The recently published study compared the Healthy Diet Index to the nutrient intake calculated from food diaries (n = 77). The researchers also examined the association of the Healthy Diet Index score with the risk factors of chronic diseases in 3,100 people who had an elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and who participated in the StopDia study. The Healthy Diet Index score was found to associate with the intake of energy nutrients, fibre, and several vitamins and minerals. In the StopDia dataset, a higher Healthy Diet Index score was associated with a lower body mass index, waist circumference, and blood glucose and triglyceride levels in both men and women. The study was published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

"The results provide support for the importance of dietary changes in the prevention of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Even minor improvements to eating habits are important for health, when they are repeated daily. The impact on health is visible even if a person's weight does not go down," says Early Stage Researcher Kirsikka Aittola, who is writing a PhD thesis on the StopDia Study at the University of Eastern Finland.

Scoring methods measuring diet quality have been developed also in the past, including the DASH index for the prevention of high blood pressure, but these often require completing a time-consuming food frequency questionnaire.

"The new Healthy Diet Index is fairly similar to previous scoring methods, but it also assesses the meal pattern, which has often been highlighted as a stumbling block in weight management when working with patients. Importantly, the Healthy Diet Index has been created on the basis of the nutrition recommendations," Professor of Nutrition Therapy Ursula Schwab from the University of Eastern Finland says.

The food intake questionnaire is easy and quick to fill out but computing the Healthy Diet Index requires automation.

"An automated and clearly visualised Healthy Diet Index would be an excellent tool for healthcare professionals to support dietary counselling. It would therefore be important to integrate it into electronic healthcare services and different digital care paths. It could also serve as a self-monitoring tool for patients, and it could include clear tips on how to make dietary changes based on one's own responses," Aittola says.

###

Research article: Lindström, J.; Aittola, K.; Pölönen, A.; Hemiö, K.; Ahonen, K.; Karhunen, L.; Männikkö, R.; Siljamäki-Ojansuu, U.; Tilles-Tirkkonen, T.; Virtanen, E.; Pihlajamäki, J.; Schwab, U. Formation and Validation of the Healthy Diet Index (HDI) for Evaluation of Diet Quality in Healthcare. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 2362. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052362 Link: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/5/2362

The food intake questionnaire and the scoring of the Healthy Diet Index are available at: https://sites.uef.fi/stopdia/material-bank/?lang=en