Project description:BackgroundOur current understanding of Asian American mortality patterns has been distorted by the historical aggregation of diverse Asian subgroups on death certificates, masking important differences in the leading causes of death across subgroups. In this analysis, we aim to fill an important knowledge gap in Asian American health by reporting leading causes of mortality by disaggregated Asian American subgroups.Methods and findingsWe examined national mortality records for the six largest Asian subgroups (Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese) and non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) from 2003-2011, and ranked the leading causes of death. We calculated all-cause and cause-specific age-adjusted rates, temporal trends with annual percent changes, and rate ratios by race/ethnicity and sex. Rankings revealed that as an aggregated group, cancer was the leading cause of death for Asian Americans. When disaggregated, there was notable heterogeneity. Among women, cancer was the leading cause of death for every group except Asian Indians. In men, cancer was the leading cause of death among Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese men, while heart disease was the leading cause of death among Asian Indians, Filipino and Japanese men. The proportion of death due to heart disease for Asian Indian males was nearly double that of cancer (31% vs. 18%). Temporal trends showed increased mortality of cancer and diabetes in Asian Indians and Vietnamese; increased stroke mortality in Asian Indians; increased suicide mortality in Koreans; and increased mortality from Alzheimer's disease for all racial/ethnic groups from 2003-2011. All-cause rate ratios revealed that overall mortality is lower in Asian Americans compared to NHWs.ConclusionsOur findings show heterogeneity in the leading causes of death among Asian American subgroups. Additional research should focus on culturally competent and cost-effective approaches to prevent and treat specific diseases among these growing diverse populations.
Project description:Antibiotics lead to increased susceptibility to colonization by pathogenic organisms, with different effects on the host-microbiota relationship. Here, we show that metronidazole treatment of specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice results in a significant increase of the bacterial phylum Proteobacteria in fecal pellets. Furthermore, metronidazole in SPF mice decreases hind limb muscle weight and results in smaller fibers in the tibialis anterior muscle. In the gastrocnemius muscle, metronidazole causes upregulation of Hdac4, myogenin, MuRF1, and atrogin1, which are implicated in skeletal muscle neurogenic atrophy. Metronidazole in SPF mice also upregulates skeletal muscle FoxO3, described as involved in apoptosis and muscle regeneration. Of note, alteration of the gut microbiota results in increased expression of the muscle core clock and effector genes Cry2, Ror-?, and E4BP4. PPAR? and one of its important target genes, adiponectin, are also upregulated by metronidazole. Metronidazole in germ-free (GF) mice increases the expression of other core clock genes, such as Bmal1 and Per2, as well as the metabolic regulators FoxO1 and Pdk4, suggesting a microbiota-independent pharmacologic effect. In conclusion, metronidazole in SPF mice results in skeletal muscle atrophy and changes the expression of genes involved in the muscle peripheral circadian rhythm machinery and metabolic regulation.
Project description:Vision impairment (VI) can have wide ranging economic impact on individuals, households, and health systems. The aim of this systematic review was to describe and summarise the costs associated with VI and its major causes. We searched MEDLINE (16 November 2019), National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database, the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects and the Health Technology Assessment database (12 December 2019) for partial or full economic evaluation studies, published between 1 January 2000 and the search dates, reporting cost data for participants with VI due to an unspecified cause or one of the seven leading causes globally: cataract, uncorrected refractive error, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, corneal opacity, trachoma. The search was repeated on 20 January 2022 to identify studies published since our initial search. Included studies were quality appraised using the British Medical Journal Checklist for economic submissions adapted for cost of illness studies. Results were synthesized in a structured narrative. Of the 138 included studies, 38 reported cost estimates for VI due to an unspecified cause and 100 reported costs for one of the leading causes. These 138 studies provided 155 regional cost estimates. Fourteen studies reported global data; 103/155 (66%) regional estimates were from high-income countries. Costs were most commonly reported using a societal (n = 48) or healthcare system perspective (n = 25). Most studies included only a limited number of cost components. Large variations in methodology and reporting across studies meant cost estimates varied considerably. The average quality assessment score was 78% (range 35-100%); the most common weaknesses were the lack of sensitivity analysis and insufficient disaggregation of costs. There was substantial variation across studies in average treatment costs per patient for most conditions, including refractive error correction (range $12-$201 ppp), cataract surgery (range $54-$3654 ppp), glaucoma (range $351-$1354 ppp) and AMD (range $2209-$7524 ppp). Future cost estimates of the economic burden of VI and its major causes will be improved by the development and adoption of a reference case for eye health. This could then be used in regular studies, particularly in countries with data gaps, including low- and middle-income countries in Asia, Eastern Europe, Oceania, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.
Project description:Alcoholic myopathies are characterized by neuromusculoskeletal symptoms such as compromised movement and weakness. Although these symptoms have been attributed to neurological damage, EtOH may also target skeletal muscle. EtOH exposure during zebrafish primary muscle development or adulthood results in smaller muscle fibers. However, the effects of EtOH exposure on skeletal muscle during the growth period that follows primary muscle development are not well understood. We determined the effects of EtOH exposure on muscle during this phase of development. Strikingly, muscle fibers at this stage are acutely sensitive to EtOH treatment: EtOH induces muscle degeneration. The severity of EtOH-induced muscle damage varies but muscle becomes more refractory to EtOH as muscle develops. NF-kB induction in muscle indicates that EtOH triggers a pro-inflammatory response. EtOH-induced muscle damage is p53-independent. Uptake of Evans blue dye shows that EtOH treatment causes sarcolemmal instability before muscle fiber detachment. Dystrophin-null sapje mutant zebrafish also exhibit sarcolemmal instability. We tested whether Trichostatin A (TSA), which reduces muscle degeneration in sapje mutants, would affect EtOH-treated zebrafish. We found that TSA and EtOH are a lethal combination. EtOH does, however, exacerbate muscle degeneration in sapje mutants. EtOH also disrupts adhesion of muscle fibers to their extracellular matrix at the myotendinous junction: some detached muscle fibers retain beta-Dystroglycan indicating failure of muscle end attachments. Overexpression of Paxillin, which reduces muscle degeneration in zebrafish deficient for beta-Dystroglycan, is not sufficient to rescue degeneration. Taken together, our results suggest that EtOH exposure has pleiotropic deleterious effects on skeletal muscle.
Project description:Methamphetamine (METH) abuse is known to be associated with an inordinate rate of infections. Although many studies have described the association of METH exposure and immunosuppression, so far the underlying mechanism still remains elusive. In this study, we present evidence that METH exposure resulted in mitochondrial oxidative damage and caused dysfunction of primary human T cells. METH treatment of T lymphocytes led to a rise in intracellular calcium levels that enhanced the generation of reactive oxygen species. TCR-CD28 linked calcium mobilization and subsequent uptake by mitochondria in METH-treated T cells correlated with an increase in mitochondrion-derived superoxide. Exposure to METH-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in the form of marked decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, increased mitochondrial mass, enhanced protein nitrosylation and diminished protein levels of complexes I, III, and IV of the electron transport chain. These changes paralleled reduced IL-2 secretion and T cell proliferative responses after TCR-CD28 stimulation indicating impaired T cell function. Furthermore, antioxidants attenuated METH-induced mitochondrial damage by preserving the protein levels of mitochondrial complexes I, III, and IV. Altogether, our data indicate that METH can cause T cell dysfunction via induction of oxidative stress and mitochondrial injury as underlying mechanism of immune impairment secondary to METH abuse.
Project description:Explosives are a common soil contaminant at a range of sites, including explosives manufacturing plants and areas associated with landmine detonations. As many explosives are toxic and may cause adverse environmental effects, a large body of research has targeted the remediation of explosives residues in soil. Studies in this area have largely involved spiking 'pristine' soils using explosives solutions. Here we investigate the fate of explosives present in soils following an actual detonation process and compare this to the fate of explosives spiked into 'pristine' undetonated soils. We also assess the effects of the detonations on the physical properties of the soils. Our scanning electron microscopy analyses reveal that detonations result in newly-fractured planes within the soil aggregates, and novel micro Computed Tomography analyses of the soils reveal, for the first time, the effect of the detonations on the internal architecture of the soils. We demonstrate that detonations cause an increase in soil porosity, and this correlates to an increased rate of TNT transformation and loss within the detonated soils, compared to spiked pristine soils. We propose that this increased TNT transformation is due to an increased bioavailability of the TNT within the now more porous post-detonation soils, making the TNT more easily accessible by soil-borne bacteria for potential biodegradation. This new discovery potentially exposes novel remediation methods for explosive contaminated soils where actual detonation of the soil significantly promotes subsequent TNT degradation. This work also suggests previously unexplored ramifications associated with high energy soil disruption.
Project description:BackgroundWhile reaching task-failure in resistance-exercises is a topic that attracts scientific and applied interest, the underlying perceived reasons leading to task-failure remain underexplored. Here, we examined the reasons subjects attribute to task-failure as they performed resistance-exercises using different loads.MethodsTwenty-two resistance-trained subjects (11-females) completed one Repetition-Maximum (RM) tests in the barbell squat and bench-press. Then, in the next two counterbalanced sessions, subjects performed two sets to task-failure in both exercises, using either 70% or 83% of 1RM. Approximately 30 seconds after set-completion, subjects verbally reported the reasons they perceived to have caused them to reach task-failure. Their answers were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed. The differences between the frequencies of the identified categories were then tested using a mixed logistic regression model.ResultsThe most commonly reported reason was muscle fatigue (54%, p < 0.001), mostly of the target muscles involved in each exercise. However, remote muscles involved to a lesser extent in each exercise were also reported. Approximately half of the remaining reasons included general fatigue (26%), pain (12%), cardiovascular strain (11%), and negative affect (10%), with the latter three reported more often in the squat (p = 0.022).ConclusionsIn contrast to our expectations, task-failure was perceived to be caused by a range of limiting factors other than fatigue of the target muscles. It now remains to be established whether different perceived limiting factors of resistance-exercises lead to different adaptations, such as muscular strength and hypertrophy.
Project description:Previous studies demonstrate that people with less professional knowledge can achieve higher performance than those with more professional knowledge in creative activities. However, the factors related to this phenomenon remain unclear. Based on previous discussions in cognitive science, we hypothesised that people with different amounts of professional knowledge have varying attention deployment patterns, leading to different creative performances. To examine our hypothesis, we analysed two datasets collected from a web-based survey and a popular online shopping website, Amazon.com (United States). We found that during information processing, people with less professional knowledge tended to give their divided attention, which positively affected creative performances. Contrarily, people with more professional knowledge tended to give their concentrated attention, which had a negative effect. Our results shed light on the relation between the amount of professional knowledge and attention deployment patterns, thereby enabling a deeper understanding of the factors underlying the different creative performances of people with varying amounts of professional knowledge.
Project description:Diverse stresses including starvation and muscle disuse cause skeletal muscle atrophy. However, the molecular mechanisms of muscle atrophy are complex and not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible 45a protein (Gadd45a) is a critical mediator of muscle atrophy. We identified Gadd45a through an unbiased search for potential downstream mediators of the stress-inducible, pro-atrophy transcription factor ATF4. We show that Gadd45a is required for skeletal muscle atrophy induced by three distinct skeletal muscle stresses: fasting, muscle immobilization, and muscle denervation. Conversely, forced expression of Gadd45a in muscle or cultured myotubes induces atrophy in the absence of upstream stress. We show that muscle-specific ATF4 knock-out mice have a reduced capacity to induce Gadd45a mRNA in response to stress, and as a result, they undergo less atrophy in response to fasting or muscle immobilization. Interestingly, Gadd45a is a myonuclear protein that induces myonuclear remodeling and a comprehensive program for muscle atrophy. Gadd45a represses genes involved in anabolic signaling and energy production, and it induces pro-atrophy genes. As a result, Gadd45a reduces multiple barriers to muscle atrophy (including PGC-1?, Akt activity, and protein synthesis) and stimulates pro-atrophy mechanisms (including autophagy and caspase-mediated proteolysis). These results elucidate a critical stress-induced pathway that reprograms muscle gene expression to cause atrophy.
Project description:Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is often associated with protein-energy wasting (PEW), which is characterized by a reduction in muscle mass and strength. Although mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress have been implicated to play a role in the pathogenesis of muscle wasting, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we used transcriptomics, metabolomics analyses and mouse gene manipulating approaches to investigate the effects of mitochondrial plasticity and oxidative stress on muscle wasting in mouse CKD models. Our results showed that the expression of oxidative stress response genes was increased, and that of oxidative phosphorylation genes was decreased in the muscles of mice with CKD. This was accompanied by reduced oxygen consumption rates, decreased levels of mitochondrial electron transport chain proteins, and increased cellular oxidative damage. Excessive mitochondrial fission was also observed, and we found that the activation of ROCK1 was responsible for this process. Inducible expression of muscle-specific constitutively active ROCK1(mROCK1ca)exacerbated mitochondrial fragmentation and muscle wasting in CKD mice. Conversely, ROCK1 depletion (ROCK1-/-) alleviated these phenomena. Mechanistically, ROCK1 activation promoted the recruitment of Drp1 to mitochondria, thereby facilitating fragmentation. Notably, the pharmacological inhibition of ROCK1 mitigated muscle wasting by suppressing mitochondrial fission and oxidative stress. Our findings demonstrate that ROCK1 participates in CKD-induced muscle wasting by promoting mitochondrial fission and oxidative stress, and pharmacological suppression of ROCK1 could be a therapeutic strategy for combating muscle wasting in CKD conditions.