Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Non-biological factors and social determinants of health important in women’s CVD risk assessment

A new American Heart Association scientific statement notes that current CVD risk assessments fall short for women from diverse races and ethnicities other than white

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION

Statement Highlights:

  • A new American Heart Association scientific statement reviews research about racial and ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk factors among women in the U.S.
  • In addition to traditional risk factors, women of underrepresented races or ethnicities experience challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular conditions due to language barriers, discrimination, difficulties in acculturation or assimilation, lack of financial resources or health insurance, or lack of access to health care.
  • Women of racial and ethnic backgrounds other than white have been underrepresented in research, therefore, current risk calculators have limitations for Black, Hispanic/Latina, American Indian/Alaska Native and Asian women in the U.S.
  • Expanding cardiovascular risk assessment calculators to include social determinants of health and non-biological variables is necessary to address cardiovascular disease among women of underrepresented races or ethnicities.

DALLAS, April 10, 2023 — Non-biological factors and social determinants of health are important to include in CVD risk assessment for women, particularly for women of diverse races and ethnicities other than white, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published today in Circulation, the Association’s flagship, peer-reviewed journal.

“Risk assessment is the first step in preventing heart disease, yet there are many limitations to traditional risk factors and their ability to comprehensively estimate a woman’s risk for cardiovascular disease,” said Jennifer H. Mieres, M.D., FAHA, vice chair of the scientific statement writing committee and a professor of cardiology at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell in Hempstead, N.Y. Of note, large patient data registries used to develop cardiovascular risk assessment formulas or algorithms lack racial and ethnic diversity, so they may not accurately reflect risk for women of underrepresented groups.

A 2022 American Heart Association presidential advisory deemed it critical to understand the impact of race and ethnicity on cardiovascular risk factors in women in order to incorporate those specific risks into prevention plans and reduce the high burden of CVD among women from diverse backgrounds. This new scientific statement responds to the presidential advisory as a review of the current evidence on racial and ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk factors for women in the U.S.

What traditional risk formulas miss about women in general

Traditional formulas to determine cardiovascular disease risk include Type 2 diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, family history, smoking status, physical activity level, diet and weight. These formulas do not account for sex-specific biological influences on cardiovascular risk or medications and conditions that are more common among women than men.

Female-specific factors that should be included in assessing cardiovascular risk are:

  • Pregnancy-related conditions, such as preeclampsia (dangerous high blood pressure that develops late in pregnancy), preterm delivery, gestational diabetes, gestational high blood pressure or miscarriage. According to the Association of Black Cardiologists, 2 out of 3 women who experience preeclampsia will die of heart disease.
  • Menstrual cycle history, such as age at first period and at menopause.
  • Types of birth control and/or hormone replacement therapy used.
  • History of chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
  • Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) – a condition that results in hormone imbalance and irregular ovulation. PCOS affects up to 10% of women of reproductive age and is associated with higher risk for cardiovascular disease.
  • Autoimmune disorders – women are twice as likely as men to develop autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. These conditions are associated with faster build-up of plaque in the arteries, higher risk of cardiovascular disease and worse outcomes after heart attacks and strokes.
  • Depression and posttraumatic stress disorder – both are more common among women and associated with a higher risk of developing CVD.

“The delivery of equitable cardiovascular health care for women depends on improving the knowledge and awareness of all members of the health care team about the full spectrum of cardiovascular risk factors for women, including female-specific and female-predominant risk factors,” said Mieres, who is also the chief diversity and inclusion officer at Northwell Health.

Importance of social determinants of health in risk assessment

Social determinants of health play a significant role in the development of CVD among women, with disproportionate effects on women from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. These determinants include economic stability, neighborhood safety, working conditions, environmental hazards (such as exposure to air pollution), education level and access to quality health care. The impact of social factors is recognized in how they affect behavioral risk factors, such as smoking status, physical activity, diet and proper medication use.

“It is critical that risk assessment be expanded to include social determinants of health as risk factors if we are to improve health outcomes in all women,” said Laxmi S. Mehta, M.D., FAHA, chair of the writing group and director of preventative cardiology and women’s cardiovascular health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. “It is also important for the health care team to consider social determinants of health when working with women on shared decisions about cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment.”

Differences in women’s cardiovascular disease risk by race and ethnicity

Although cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for all women, the statement highlights significant racial and ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk profiles:

  • Non-Hispanic Black women (an umbrella term encompassing African American, African and Caribbean) in the U.S. have the highest prevalence of high blood pressure in the world, above 50%. They are also more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes; have obesity or extreme obesity; and to die of smoking-related diseases. Non-Hispanic Black women are disproportionately affected by traditional risk factors and experience the onset of CVD at younger ages. Social determinants of health are a key driver for this disparity, as detailed in the AHA’s 2022 Cardiovascular Disease Statistical Update.
  • Hispanic/Latina women (referring to women of any racial and ethnic background whose ancestry is from Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean or other Spanish-speaking countries) have a higher rate of obesity compared with Hispanic/Latino men. Hispanic/Latina women born in the U.S. also have higher rates of smoking than those who were born in another country and immigrated to the U.S. Paradoxically, despite higher rates of Type 2 diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome, CVD death rates are 15-20% lower in Hispanic/Latina women than among non-Hispanic white women. It’s possible that this “Hispanic paradox” is due to grouping diverse Hispanic subcultures together in research data, which does not account for different levels of risk among individual subgroups of Hispanic/Latino people or the possibility of healthy immigrant bias.
  • American Indian and Alaska Native women (a diverse population including hundreds of federally recognized and non-recognized tribes across the U.S.) have a higher rate of tobacco use than other groups, with 1 in 3 American Indian or Alaska Native women currently smoking. Type 2 diabetes is the primary risk factor for heart disease among American Indian women; however, rates vary by region, with up to 72% prevalence among American Indian women in Arizona, and just over 40% among those in Oklahoma, North Dakota and South Dakota. Unfortunately, understanding the cardiovascular health of American Indian/Alaska Native people is challenging due to small sample sizes in national data, racial and/or ethnic misclassification or other factors.
  • Asian American women (having origins in the Far East, Southeast Asia or the Indian subcontinent) have varied rates of CVD risk within Asian subgroups: high blood pressure rates are 30% among Chinese women and 53% among Filipino women; rates of low HDL (good) cholesterol and high triglycerides are highest among Asian Indian and Filipino women; and Type 2 diabetes prevalence is highest among Southeast Asian women. The BMI level for increased risk of Type 2 diabetes is lower for Asian people than for other racial groups. Asian Americans are less likely to be overweight or have obesity compared to other racial groups, however, at the same BMI they have higher rates of high blood pressure, CVD and Type 2 diabetes. Higher body fat levels and the distribution of body fat may explain these differences: Recent research shows that Asian people generally have a higher percentage of body fat than non-Hispanic white people of the same age, sex and body mass index. In addition, studies have shown that Chinese, Filipino and Asian Indian people have more abdominal fat compared with non-Hispanic white and Black people.

“When customizing CVD prevention and treatment strategies to improve cardiovascular health for women, a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to be successful,” Mieres said. “We must be cognizant of the complex interplay of sex, race and ethnicity, as well as social determinants of health, and how they impact the risk of cardiovascular disease and adverse outcomes in order to avert future CVD morbidity and mortality.”

Future cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines may be strengthened by urging culturally specific lifestyle recommendations tailored to the cultural norms and expectations that influence behaviors, beliefs and attitudes about diet, physical activity and healthy weight, according to the statement. The writing committee calls for community-based approaches, faith-based community partnerships and peer support in encouraging a healthy lifestyle to improve the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease among women from underrepresented groups. The statement also urges more research to address gaps in our knowledge about risk factors among women, including gathering data specific to subgroups of each race and ethnicity.

This scientific statement was prepared by the volunteer writing group on behalf of the American Heart Association’s Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in Women and Underrepresented Populations Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology; the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; the Council on Hypertension; the Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young; the Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; the Council on Peripheral Vascular Disease; and the Stroke Council. American Heart Association scientific statements promote greater awareness about cardiovascular diseases and stroke issues and help facilitate informed health care decisions. Scientific statements outline what is currently known about a topic and what areas need additional research. While scientific statements inform the development of guidelines, they do not make treatment recommendations. American Heart Association guidelines provide the Association’s official clinical practice recommendations.

Additional co-authors are Gladys P. Velarde, M.D., FAHA; Jennifer Lewey, M.D., M.P.H.; Garima Sharma, M.D.; Rachel M. Bond, M.D.; Ana Navas-Acien, M.D., Ph.D.; Amanda M. Fretts, M.P.H., Ph.D.; Gayenell S. Magwood, Ph.D., R.N., FAHA; Eugene Yang, M.D.; Roger S. Blumenthal, M.D., FAHA; and Rachel-Maria Brown, M.D. Authors’ disclosures are listed in the manuscript.

The Association receives funding primarily from individuals. Foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers, and the Association’s overall financial information are available here.

Additional Resources:

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

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JOURNAL

Circulation

DOI

10.1161/CIR.0000000000001139 

ARTICLE TITLE

Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Women: The Impact of Race and Ethnicity: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

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Evictions and infant and child health outcomes

JAMA Network Open

Peer-Reviewed Publication

JAMA NETWORK

About The Study: This systematic review surveyed 11 studies reporting associations between direct experience of and proximity to evictions and adverse birth outcomes. Evidence suggests that childhood exposure to evictions was associated with harms to neurodevelopment and overall health. In the context of a rental housing affordability crisis, ongoing racial disparities in evictions, and continuing harm to millions of families, health care practitioners and policy makers have an integral role to play in supporting safe, stable housing for all.

Authors: Bruce Ramphal, Sc.B., of Harvard Medical School in Boston, is the corresponding author.

(doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.7612)

Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article  time http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.7612?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=041123

About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is an online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.

JOURNAL

JAMA Network Open

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Detecting stress in the office from how people type and click

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ETH ZURICH

In Switzerland, one in three employees suffers from workplace stress. Those affected often don’t realise that their physical and mental resources are dwindling until it’s too late. This makes it all the more important to identify work-​related stress as early as possible where it arises: in the workplace.

Researchers at ETH Zurich are now taking a crucial step in this direction. Using new data and machine learning, they have developed a model that can tell how stressed we are just from the way we type and use our mouse.

And there’s more: “How we type on our keyboard and move our mouse seems to be a better predictor of how stressed we feel in an office environment than our heart rate,” explains study author Mara Nägelin, a mathematician who conducts research at the Chair of Technology Marketing and the Mobiliar Lab for Analytics at ETH Zurich. Applied correctly, these findings could be used in future to prevent increased stress in the workplace early on.

Stressed people type and click differently

The ETH researchers proved in an experiment that stressed people type and move their mouse differently from relaxed people. “People who are stressed move the mouse pointer more often and less precisely and cover longer distances on the screen. Relaxed people, on the other hand, take shorter, more direct routes to reach their destination and take more time doing so,” Nägelin says.

What’s more, people who feel stressed in the office make more mistakes when typing. They write in fits and starts with many brief pauses. Relaxed people take fewer but longer pauses when typing on a keyboard.

The connection between stress and our typing and mouse behaviour can be explained with what is known as neuromotor noise theory: “Increased levels of stress negatively impact our brain’s ability to process information. This also affects our motor skills,” explains psychologist Jasmine Kerr, who researches with Nägelin and is a coauthor of the study.  

Simulating office stress as realistically as possible

To develop their stress model, the ETH researchers observed 90 study participants in the lab performing office tasks that were as close to reality as possible, such as planning appointments or recording and analysing data. They recorded the participants’ mouse and keyboard behaviour as well as their heart rates. In addition, the researchers asked the participants several times during the experiment how stressed they felt.

While some participants were allowed to work undisturbed, others also had to take part in a job interview. Half of this group were also repeatedly interrupted with chat messages. In contrast to earlier studies by other scientists, where the control group often did not have to solve any tasks at all and could relax, in the ETH researchers’ experiment, all participants had to perform the office tasks. 

“We were surprised that typing and mouse behaviour was a better predictor of how stressed subjects felt better than heart rate,” Nägelin says. She explains that this is because the heart rates of the participants in the two groups did not differ as much as in other studies. One possible reason is that the control group was also given activities to perform, which is more in line with workplace reality.

Data must be protected

The researchers are currently testing their model with data from Swiss employees who have agreed to have their mouse and keyboard behaviour as well as their heart data recorded directly at their workplace using an app. The same app also regularly asks the employees about their subjective stress levels. Results should be available by the end of the year.

However, workplace stress detection also raises some thorny issues: “The only way people will accept and use our technology is if we can guarantee that we will anonymise and protect their data. We want to help workers to identify stress early, not create a monitoring tool for companies,” Kerr says. In another study involving employees and ethicists, the researchers are investigating which features an app needs to have to meet these requirements and ensure responsible handling of sensitive data. 

JOURNAL

Journal of Biomedical Informatics

DOI

10.1016/j.jbi.2023.104299 

ARTICLE TITLE

An interpretable machine learning approach to multimodal stress detection in a simulated office environment

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Photonic filter separates signals from noise to support future 6G wireless communication

Multi-functional filter could help advance autonomous driving and the Internet of Things

Peer-Reviewed Publication

OPTICA

Peking University research team 

IMAGE: (FROM LEFT) RESEARCHERS HAOWEN SHU, ZIHAN TAO AND XINGJUN WANG PERFORMING AN EXPERIMENT TO TEST THEIR MICROWAVE PHOTONIC FILTER. view more 

CREDIT: PEKING UNIVERSITY RESEARCH TEAM

WASHINGTON — Researchers have developed a new chip-sized microwave photonic filter to separate communication signals from noise and suppress unwanted interference across the full radio frequency spectrum. The device is expected to help next-generation wireless communication technologies efficiently convey data in an environment that is becoming crowded with signals from devices such as cell phones, self-driving vehicles, internet-connected appliances and smart city infrastructure.

“This new microwave filter chip has the potential to improve wireless communication, such as 6G, leading to faster internet connections, better overall communication experiences and lower costs and energy consumption for wireless communication systems,” said researcher Xingjun Wang from Peking University. “These advancements would directly and indirectly affect daily life, improving overall quality of life and enabling new experiences in various domains, such as mobility, smart homes and public spaces.”

In the Photonics Research journal co-published by Chinese Laser Press and Optica Publishing Group, the researchers describe how their new photonic filter overcomes the limitations of traditional electronic devices to achieve multiple functionalities on a chip-sized device with low power consumption. They also demonstrate the filter’s ability to operate across a broad radio frequency spectrum extending to over 30 GHz, showing its suitability for envisioned 6G technology.

“As the electro-optic bandwidth of optoelectronic devices continues to increase unstoppably, we believe that the integrated microwave photonics filter will certainly be one of the important solutions for future 6G wireless communications,” said Wang. “Only a well-designed integrated microwave photonics link can achieve low cost, low power consumption and superior filtering performance.”

Stopping interference

6G technology is being developed to improve upon currently-deployed 5G communications networks. To convey more data at a faster rate, 6G networks are expected to use millimeter wave and even terahertz frequency bands. As this will distribute signals over an extremely wide frequency spectrum with increased data rate, there is a high likelihood of interference between different communication channels.

To solve this problem, researchers have sought to develop a filter that can protect signal receivers from various types of interference across the full radio frequency spectrum. To be cost-effective and practical for widespread deployment, it is important for this filter to be small, consume little power, achieve multiple filtering functions and be able to be integrated on a chip. However, previous demonstrations have been limited by their few functions, large size, limited bandwidth or requirements associated with electrical components.

For the new filter, researchers created a simplified photonic architecture with four main parts. First, a phase modulator serves as the input of the radio frequency signal, which modulates the electrical signal onto the optical domain. Next, a double-ring acts as a switch to shape the modulation format. An adjustable microring is the core unit for processing the signal. Finally, a photodetector serves as the output of the radio frequency signal and recovers the radio frequency signal from the optical signal.

“The greatest innovation here is breaking the barriers between devices and achieving mutual collaboration between them,” said Wang. “The collaborative operation of the double-ring and microring enables the realization of the intensity-consistent single-stage-adjustable cascaded-microring (ICSSA-CM) architecture. Owing to the high reconfigurability of the proposed ICSSA-CM, no extra radio frequency device is needed for the construction of various filtering functions, which simplifies the whole system composition.”

Demonstrating performance

To test the device, researchers used high-frequency probes to load a radio frequency signal into the chip and collected the recovered signal with a high-speed photodetector. They used an arbitrary waveform generator and directional antennas to simulate the generation of 2Gb/s high-speed wireless transmission signals and a high-speed oscilloscope to receive the processed signal. By comparing the results with and without the use of the filter, the researchers were able to demonstrate the filter’s performance.

Overall, the findings show that the simplified photonic architecture achieves comparable performance with lower loss and system complexity compared with previous programmable integrated microwave photonic filters composed of hundreds of repeating units. This makes it more robust, more energy-efficient and easier to manufacture than previous devices.

The researchers plan to further optimize the modulator and improve the overall filter architecture to achieve a high dynamic range and low noise while ensuring high integration at both the device and system levels.

Paper: Z. Tao, Y. Tao, M. Jin, J. Qin, R. Chen, B. Shen, Y. Wu, H. Shu, S. Yu, X. Wang, “Highly reconfigurable silicon integrated microwave photonic filter towards next-generation wireless communication,” Photonics Research, vol. 11, issue 5, pp. 682-694, (2023).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1364/PRJ.476466

Illustration of how the integrated microwave photonic filter helps to separate signals of interest from background noise or unwanted interference in complex electromagnetic environments.

Schematic of the integrated microwave photonic filter chip layout. First, a phase modulator (PM) serves as the input of the radio frequency signal, which modulates the electrical signal onto the optical domain. Next, a double-ring (DR) acts as a switch to shape the modulation format. An intensity-consistent single-stage-adjustable cascaded-microring (ICSSA-CM) is the core unit for processing the signal. Finally, a photodetector (PD) serves as the output of the radio frequency signal and recovers the radio frequency signal from the optical signal.

CREDIT

Peking University research team


About Optica Publishing Group (formerly OSA)

Optica Publishing Group is a division of the society, Optica (formerly OSA), Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide. It publishes the largest collection of peer-reviewed and most-cited content in optics and photonics, including 18 prestigious journals, the society’s flagship member magazine, and papers and videos from more than 835 conferences. With over 400,000 journal articles, conference papers and videos to search, discover and access, our publications portfolio represents the full range of research in the field from around the globe.

About Photonics Research

Photonics Research disseminates fundamental and applied research progress in optics and photonics. Published by Chinese Laser Press and Optica Publishing Group and led by Editor-in-Chief Lan Yang, Washington University in St. Louis, USA. For more information, visit Photonics Research.

DOI

10.1364/PRJ.476466 

ARTICLE TITLE

Highly reconfigurable silicon integrated microwave photonic filter towards next-generation wireless communication

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

10-Apr-2023

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An embarrassment of riches

Greater fat stores and cholesterol increase with brain volume, but beyond a certain point they are associated with faster brain aging

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SANTA BARBARA

Tsimane Fishermen 

IMAGE: THE DAY'S CATCH view more 

CREDIT: MICHAEL GURVEN

Among Indigenous, rural non-industrial populations inhabiting the tropical forests of lowland Bolivia, researchers report, there appears to be an optimal balance between levels of food consumption and exercise that maximizes healthy brain aging and reduces the risk of disease.

“We hypothesize that energy gain from food intake was positively associated with late life brain health in the physically active, food-limited world of our ancestors, but that obesity and other manifestations of a Western lifestyle now lead to greater cognitive aging and dementia in middle and older ages,” said UC Santa Barbara professor of anthropology Michael Gurven, a senior co-author on a study that published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For this paper, the researchers collaborated with the Tsimané and Mosetén tribes, two Indigenous populations that live along tributaries of the Amazon River that flow through lowland Bolivia. In comparison to urban post-industrialized populations, these groups have less reliable access to food and have to exert a lot of effort to get it. They also have less access to modern health care. Meanwhile, people in wealthy countries have largely grown accustomed to eating more and exercising less — habits that are associated with decreased brain volumes and faster cognitive decline.

“We set out to compare rates of brain aging between U.S. and European populations, and two Indigenous Bolivian populations: the Tsimané, who have very low rates of heart disease and minimal dementia, and the Mosetén, who are culturally similar to the Tsimané but whose lifestyle has shifted away from subsistence,” said Gurven, who co-directs the Tsimané Health and Life History Project, a two-decade NIH-funded longitudinal study of health and aging.

The researchers enrolled 1,165 Tsimané and Mosetén adults, aged 40–94 years, and provided them transportation from their remote villages to the closest hospital with a CT scanner. They then used methods developed by study co-author Andrei Irimia, an assistant professor in the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, to accurately measure brain volume from the CT scans. They also measured the participants’ body mass index, blood pressure, total blood cholesterol and other biomarkers of cardiometabolic health.

“We found the fastest brain aging in the U.S. and European cohorts,” Gurven said. “It was slowest in Tsimané and intermediate in Mosetén.” Rates of brain atrophy, or brain shrinking, are correlated with cognitive decline and risks of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. In addition to less brain atrophy, the researchers found improved cardiovascular health in the Indigenous groups compared to industrialized populations in the U.S. and Europe.

The environment of limited food availability plays a role in the brain and cardiovascular fitness of nonindustrial societies, according to Irimia, in that “humans historically spent a lot of time exercising out of necessity to find food and their brain aging profiles reflected this lifestyle.”

Studying the Mosetén population illuminated key findings: as a “sister” population to the Tsimané, they share similar languages, ancestral history and agrarian lifestyle. However, the Mosetén have more exposure to modern technology, medicine, infrastructure and education. Based on the researchers’ results, according to Gurven, “the Mosetén’s lifestyle is more vulnerable to the chronic diseases of aging than among the Tsimane, but less so than in post-industrialized countries.”

Among the Tsimané, BMI, adiposity and higher levels of “bad” cholesterol were associated with bigger brain volumes for age. This, however, may be due to individuals being more muscular, on average, than individuals in industrialized countries who have comparable BMIs. Only at the highest levels of BMI, adiposity and cholesterol — closer to the levels more typically observed in the U.S. — was brain volume compromised.

“Our analyses suggest that ‘too much of a good thing,’ or what we call the ‘embarrassment of riches,’ seems to be what’s going on,” Gurven explained. “Greater adiposity, blood cholesterol and other indicators of nutrient intake increase with brain volume, but only up to a point — a ‘sweet spot.’ Not too little and not too much. Beyond the sweet spot, higher levels of adiposity and cholesterol are associated with a smaller brain volume — faster brain aging. That’s consistent with our current environment being mismatched to our evolved biology.”

Co-author Hillard Kaplan, an anthropologist at Chapman University and a co-director of the Tsimané Health and Life History Project, agrees. “During our evolutionary past, more food and less calories spent in getting it resulted in improved health, well-being and ultimately higher reproductive success,” he said. “This evolutionary history selected for psychological and physiological traits that made us desire extra food and less physical work, and with industrialization, those traits led us to overshoot the mark.”

According to Gurven, the study implications carry a hint of optimism. “The same active lifestyle that leads to a healthy heart seems to also lead to a healthy brain, and well into your 70s,” he said. “If people like the Tsimané and Mosetén have found a manageable life-long balance to stave off dementia, then there’s hope for the rest of us.”

JOURNAL

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2205448120 

ARTICLE TITLE

Brain volume, energy balance, and cardiovascular health in two nonindustrial South American populations

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How road rage really affects your driving – and the self-driving cars of the future

New research by the University of Warwick has identified characteristics of aggressive driving – which impact both road users and the transition to self-driving cars of the future.


Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

New research by the University of Warwick has identified characteristics of aggressive driving – which impact both road users and the transition to self-driving cars of the future.

In the first study to systematically identify aggressive driving behaviours, scientists have measured the changes in driving that occur in an aggressive state. Aggressive drivers drive faster and with more mistakes than non-aggressive drivers – putting other road users at risk and posing a challenge to researchers working on self-driving car technology.

The research comes as a leading Detective Chief Superintendent, Andy Cox, warns of the perils of such driving – warning that the four-five deaths on UK roads daily are “predominantly caused by dangerous and reckless drivers”.

The study categorised aggressive driving behaviours and showed the key aspects of this dangerous driving style. Published in Accident Analysis and Prevention, it reported key findings:

  • Aggressive drivers have a 5km/h mean faster speed than non-aggressive drivers;
  • Aggressive drivers also exhibit more mistakes than control groups – such as not indicating when changing lanes;
  • Aggressive driving is categorised as any driving behaviour that intentionally endangers others psychologically, physically, or both.

Lead author of the study Zhizhuo Su, PhD student, at the Institutes of Digital Healthcare and Intelligent Vehicles, WMG at the University of Warwick, said: “While it’s unethical to let aggressive drivers loose on the roads, participants were asked to recall angry memories, putting them in an aggressive state, while performing a driving simulation. These were compared to a control group, who weren’t feeling aggressive.

“This research is significant because, as the era of autonomous vehicles approaches, road traffic will be a mix of both autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles, driven by people that may engaged in aggressive driving. This is the first study to characterise aggressive driving behaviour quantitatively in a systematic way, which may help the autonomous vehicles identify potential aggressive driving in the surrounding environment."

Roger Woodman, Assistant Professor at WMG and co-author of the study, added: “Over the last few decades, road safety policies, infrastructure changes, and improved vehicle safety have significantly reduced road casualties. However, human error, which is often a result of aggressive driving, remains a leading cause of crashes. To make driving safer, our research focuses on methods for understanding the state of the driver, to identify risky driving behaviours, through the use of driver monitoring systems (DMS). This will enable the driver to be alerted when they are at an increased risk of an accident and allow the vehicle to deploy calming methods, such as altering the cabin noise level, playing relaxing music, or ultimately reducing the speed of the vehicle.”

Dept Chief Superintendent Andy Cox, NPCC lead for fatal crash investigation and OCU Commander at the Metropolitan Police, added: ‘In the UK, on average between four-five people die every single day in a road crash. This widespread devastation is predominantly caused by dangerous and reckless drivers. Having met many bereaved families who live with the lifelong heartache of prematurely losing a loved one in such a violent manner, I recognise the need to instigate substantial change across the road safety sphere; which includes driving culture, standards and legislative options.

“Those drivers who choose to commit road crimes such as aggressive driving, intimidating other sensible and safe road users – should recognise the risk they pose to themselves and others, and frankly the law should remember that a driving licence is assigned after a person demonstrates themselves to be safe and earns the right to drive. We should seek to maintain high standards and ensure the system sees the right to drive as a privilege rather than an entitlement. Currently I think the balance favours the individual rather than the law abiding collective.”

Read the full paper here.

DOI

10.1016/j.aap.2023.106972 

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Engineered plants produce sex perfume to trick pests and replace pesticides

Peer-Reviewed Publication

EARLHAM INSTITUTE

By using precision gene engineering techniques, researchers at the Earlham Institute in Norwich have been able to turn tobacco plants into solar-powered factories for moth sex pheromones. 

Critically, they’ve shown how the production of these molecules can be efficiently managed so as not to hamper normal plant growth. 

Pheromones are complex chemicals produced and released by an organism as a means of communication. They allow members of the same species to send signals, which includes letting others know they’re looking for love.

Farmers can hang pheromone dispersers among their crops to mimic the signals of female insects, trapping or distracting the males from finding a mate. Some of these molecules can be produced by chemical processes but chemical synthesis is often expensive and creates toxic byproducts. 

Dr Nicola Patron, who led this new research and heads the Synthetic Biology Group at the Earlham Institute, uses cutting-edge science to get plants to produce these valuable natural products. 

Synthetic biology applies engineering principles to the building blocks of life, DNA. By creating genetic modules with the instructions to build new molecules, Dr Patron and her group can turn a plant such as tobacco into a factory that only needs sunlight and water. 

“Synthetic biology can allow us to engineer plants to make a lot more of something they already produced, or we can provide the genetic instructions that allow them to build new biological molecules, such as medicines or these pheromones,” said Dr Patron.

In this latest work, the team worked with scientists at the Plant Molecular and Cell Biology Institute in Valencia to engineer a species of tobacco, Nicotiana benthamiana, to produce moth sex pheromones. The same plant has previously been engineered to produce ebola antibodies and even coronavirus-like particles for use in Covid vaccines.

The Group built new sequences of DNA in the lab to mimic the moth genes and introduced a few molecular switches to precisely regulate their expression, which effectively turns the manufacturing process on and off.

An important component of the new research was the ability to fine tune the production of the pheromones, as coercing plants to continuously build these molecules has its drawbacks. 

“As we increase the efficiency, too much energy is diverted away from normal growth and development,” explained Dr Patron. 

“The plants are producing a lot of pheromone but they’re not able to grow very large, which essentially reduces the capacity of our production line. Our new research provides a way to regulate gene expression with much more subtlety.”

In the lab, the team set about testing and refining the control of genes responsible for producing the mix of specific molecules that mimic the sex pheromones of moth species, including navel orangeworm and cotton bollworm moths.

They showed that copper sulphate could be used to finely tune the activity of the genes, allowing them to control both the timing and level of gene expression. This is particularly important as copper sulphate is a cheap and readily-available compound already approved for use in agriculture.

They were even able to carefully control the production of different pheromone components, allowing them to tweak the cocktail to better suit specific moth species.

“We’ve shown we can control the levels of expression of each gene relative to the others,” said Dr Patron. “This allows us to control the ratio of products that are made. 

“Getting that recipe right is particularly important for moth pheromones as they’re often a blend of two or three molecules in specific ratios. Our collaborators in Spain are now extracting the plant-made pheromones and testing them in dispensers to see how well they compare to female moths.”

The team hope their work will pave the way to routinely using plants to produce a wide range of valuable natural products.

“A major advantage of using plants is that it can be far more expensive to build complex molecules using chemical processes,” said Dr Patron. “Plants produce an array of useful molecules already so we’re able to use the latest techniques to adapt and refine the existing machinery.

“In the future, we may see greenhouses full of plant factories - providing a greener, cheaper and more sustainable way to manufacture complex molecules.”

The research is part of the SUSPHIRE project, which received support from ERACoBiotech funded by the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

ENDS

Notes to Editor

'Tunable control of insect pheromone biosynthesis in Nicotiana benthamiana' is published in the journal Plant Biotechnology.

The plants in this research are not designed for consumption or field growth. The intention of this project has been for biosynthesised pheromones to be extracted from plants grown in a contained environment, with the extracts used in the same way as chemically synthesised pheromone products. The biosynthesised pheromones are not volatile or released into the air by the plant.

JOURNAL

Plant Biotechnology

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Tunable control of insect pheromone biosynthesis in Nicotiana benthamiana

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

10-Apr-2023

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A novel biorefinery process with material and energy circulation by reusing by-products

Designing a process that maximizes the effective use of biomass resources

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TOKYO UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

The conceptual diagram of this study 

IMAGE: THE CONCEPTUAL DIAGRAM OF THIS STUDY view more 

CREDIT: RYU UKAWA-SATO, TOKYO UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

The research team of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) has designed and developed a novel recycling process for producing biomass-derived chemicals by reusing the by-products of the target product. In this study, the research team demonstrated a self-sustaining process that minimizes the usage of external utilities in the chemical process by numerical simulations. This achievement has significantly contributed to energy conservation by reusing by-products, which had been disposed of in the conventional process in the chemical process to ensure profitability. In addition, while previous processes were designed on a large scale, this study was designed with a biomass supply feasible in all regions. This is a completely different approach from conventional processes. With this achievement, we can significantly reduce petroleum usage in chemical processes to establish a recycling-oriented society in the future. In addition, for regional revitalization, it is expected to create a chemical industry for local production for local consumption using agricultural and forestry waste in mountainous regions.

The results have been published in Chemical Engineering Research and Design on March 1st, 2022.

Biomass is the renewable carbon resource that can replace fossil resources in chemical production. Among the biomass-derived chemicals, levulinic acid (LA) is attracting attention as a platform chemical because it can be synthesized from cellulose, which makes up about 50% of woody biomass, and is a precursor for a wide range of substances from pharmaceuticals to bio-fuels. Conventional LA production processes from biomass are large-scale processes with an annual biomass supply of more than 120,000 tonnes, and had challenges in effectively utilizing all biomass resources.

In response, this research team has developed a process that minimizes the supply of external utilities by reusing by-products produced during the production of LA from biomass as much as possible while still being able to supply all of the required energy from the combustion of by-products. Specifically, by reusing the by-product formic acid as a catalyst, using a chemical called furfural obtained from biomass as an extraction solvent to purify LA, and combusting the solid by-products, the total process energy was reduced and supplied by itself. Furthermore, it was found that the excess solid by-products could be effectively utilized for building materials and other purposes. We also found that using river water could provide all the cooling needed. The amount of river water is less than 0.12% of the minimum annual volume flow in the middle reaches of the Naka River in Tochigi Prefecture, located in a rural area of Japan.

Regarding economics, the minimum selling price of LA produced by this process was $9.59 per kilogram, which was higher than the market price of $7.17 per kilogram. The reason is due to the fact that this process allows for thin profit margins to some extent, which is an advantage of large-scale processes, and also because no separation and purification of by-products are performed. According to the above points, it can be said that the results of this research indicate that this process can be fully implemented in society for a locally produced and consumed chemical industry using agricultural and forestry waste in mountainous regions.

Credit:  Chihiro Fushimi/TUAT

###

This work was supported by the Doctoral Program for World-leading Innovative & Smart Education of Tokyo university of Agriculture and Technology (WISE Program of TUAT): "Excellent Leader Development for Super Smart Society by New Industry Creation and Diversity" granted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan.

For more information about the Fushimi laboratory, please visit https://web.tuat.ac.jp/~cfushimi/index_e.html

 

Original publication

Design and Techno–Economic Analysis of Levulinic Acid Production Process from Biomass by Using Co-product Formic Acid as a Catalyst with Minimal Waste Generation
Ryu Ukawa-Sato, Nanami Hirano, Chihiro Fushimi
Chemical Engineering Research and Design 192, 389-401, 2023
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2023.02.046

 

About Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT)

TUAT is a distinguished university in Japan dedicated to science and technology. TUAT focuses on agriculture and engineering that form the foundation of industry, and promotes education and research fields that incorporate them. Boasting a history of over 140 years since our founding in 1874, TUAT continues to take on new challenges boldly and steadily promote fields. With high ethics, TUAT fulfills social responsibility in the capacity of transmitting science and technology information towards the construction of a sustainable society where both human beings and nature can thrive in a symbiotic relationship. For more information, please visit http://www.tuat.ac.jp/en/.

 

Contact

Chihiro Fushimi, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, TUAT, Japan
cfushimi@cc.tuat.ac.jp

JOURNAL

Chemical Engineering Research and Design

DOI

10.1016/j.cherd.2023.02.046 

ARTICLE TITLE

Design and Techno–Economic Analysis of Levulinic Acid Production Process from Biomass by Using Co-product Formic Acid as a Catalyst with Minimal Waste Generation

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