Curcumin possesses many properties which may prevent or ameliorate pathological processes underlying age-related cognitive decline, dementia or mood disorders. These benefits in preclinical studies ...have not been established in humans. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial examined the acute (1 and 3 h after a single dose), chronic (4 weeks) and acute-on-chronic (1 and 3 h after single dose following chronic treatment) effects of solid lipid curcumin formulation (400 mg as Longvida®) on cognitive function, mood and blood biomarkers in 60 healthy adults aged 60–85. One hour after administration curcumin significantly improved performance on sustained attention and working memory tasks, compared with placebo. Working memory and mood (general fatigue and change in state calmness, contentedness and fatigue induced by psychological stress) were significantly better following chronic treatment. A significant acute-on-chronic treatment effect on alertness and contentedness was also observed. Curcumin was associated with significantly reduced total and LDL cholesterol and had no effect on hematological safety measures. To our knowledge this is the first study to examine the effects of curcumin on cognition and mood in a healthy older population or to examine any acute behavioral effects in humans. Results highlight the need for further investigation of the potential psychological and cognitive benefits of curcumin in an older population.
Background
Alcohol hangover (AH) is associated with impaired attention and memory performance. However, whether this effect is related to reduced attentional resources remains unclear.
Aims
A ...dual-attention paradigm was employed to assess the effects of AH on attentional resources, delayed memory recognition, and the interaction between attentional load and AH. Mental effort and perceived performance during AH and control conditions were also assessed.
Methods
A seminaturalistic, crossover design was used. In total, 25 healthy social drinkers aged 18–35 years, visited the laboratory following a typical night out drinking (Hangover condition) and after alcohol abstinence (control) between 8:30 am and 12:30 pm, with conditions counterbalanced. Attentional load was manipulated via the presence (dual attention) or absence of psychomotor tracking during verbal memory encoding. Perceived mental effort and performance were measured using the NASA-TLX. Participants’ recollected alcohol consumption was used to compute estimated blood alcohol level (eBAC).
Results
Compared with the control visit, AH was associated with reduced recognition accuracy (particularly more false negatives), higher “tracking costs” (poorer accuracy) in the dual attention condition, increased ratings of “mental demand,” “effort,” and “frustration,” and lower ratings of task performance. There was also a significant main effect of attentional load with poorer recognition accuracy and response time in the dual attention condition. There were no significant interaction effects between hangover and attentional load.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that reduced attentional resources contribute to the cognitive deficits associated with AH including impaired memory consolidation. They further suggest that while hungover, participants are aware of these deficits but are unable to compensate.
The R1 antibiotic resistance plasmid, originally discovered in a clinical Salmonella isolate in London, 1963, has served for decades as a key model for understanding conjugative plasmids. Despite its ...scientific importance, a complete sequence of this plasmid has never been reported. We present the complete genome sequence of R1 along with a brief review of the current knowledge concerning its various genetic systems and a comparison to the F and R100 plasmids. R1 is 97,566 nucleotides long and contains 120 genes. The plasmid consists of a backbone largely similar to that of F and R100, a Tn21-like transposon that is nearly identical to that of R100, and a unique 9-kb sequence that bears some resemblance to sequences found in certain Klebsiella oxytoca strains. These three regions of R1 are separated by copies of the insertion sequence IS1. Overall, the structure of R1 and comparison to F and R100 suggest a fairly stable shared conjugative plasmid backbone into which a variety of mobile elements have inserted to form an “accessory” genome, containing multiple antibiotic resistance genes, transposons, remnants of phage genes, and genes whose functions remain unknown.
•R1 contains a conjugative plasmid backbone, a Tn21-like transposon, and a novel region resembling some Klebsiella sequences.•The conjugative plasmid backbone is highly similar to F and R100, but varies in which it most closely resembles.•The Tn21-like transposon of R1 is identical to Tn21 of R100 apart from two IS insertions and deletions.•The novel region contains a kanamycin resistance gene and putative phage genes.
Eggs are a good source of nutrients for growth and development. We hypothesized that introducing eggs early during complementary feeding would improve child nutrition.
A randomized controlled trial ...was conducted in Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador, from March to December 2015. Children ages 6 to 9 months were randomly assigned to treatment (1 egg per day for 6 months
= 83) and control (no intervention
= 80) groups. Both arms received social marketing messages to encourage participation in the Lulun Project (
meaning "egg" in Kichwa). All households were visited once per week to monitor morbidity symptoms, distribute eggs, and monitor egg intakes (for egg group only). Baseline and end point outcome measures included anthropometry, dietary intake frequencies, and morbidity symptoms.
Mothers or other caregivers reported no allergic reactions to the eggs. Generalized linear regression modeling showed the egg intervention increased length-for-age
score by 0.63 (95% confidence interval CI, 0.38-0.88) and weight-for-age
score by 0.61 (95% CI, 0.45-0.77). Log-binomial models with robust Poisson indicated a reduced prevalence of stunting by 47% (prevalence ratio PR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.37-0.77) and underweight by 74% (PR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.10-0.70). Children in the treatment group had higher dietary intakes of eggs (PR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.28-1.92) and reduced intake of sugar-sweetened foods (PR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.51-0.97) compared with control.
The findings supported our hypothesis that early introduction of eggs significantly improved growth in young children. Generally accessible to vulnerable groups, eggs have the potential to contribute to global targets to reduce stunting.
This study explored the effects of four-week multi-vitamin and mineral (MVM) supplementation on mood and neurocognitive function in healthy, young adults. Fifty-eight healthy adults, 18-40 years of ...age (M = 25.82 years, SD = 4.87) participated in this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, in which mood and blood biomarkers were assessed at baseline and after four weeks of supplementation. Compared to placebo, MVM supplementation was associated with significantly lowered homocysteine and increased blood B-vitamin levels (p < 0.01). MVM treatment was also associated with significantly improved mood, as measured by reduced scores on the "depression-dejection" subscale of the Profile of Mood States (p = 0.018). These findings suggest that the four weeks of MVM supplementation may have beneficial effects on mood, underpinned by elevated B-vitamins and lowered homocysteine in healthy young adults.
•What is already known on this subject?•Life jacket use is an evidence-based preventative measure for reducing drowning.•Life jacket wear rates are low and variable across countries and ...settings.•There is no synthesis of qualitative studies on facilitators and barriers for life jacket use.•What this study adds.•The study provides insights into facilitators and barriers for life jacket usage for recreational and occupational setting.•The results of the study potentially inform future legislative, policy and health promotion programs on drowning prevention.
Background: Drowning is a public health problem globally. Despite substantial evidence on the effectiveness of life jackets, their use for drowning prevention has remained low. This study aims to understand the barriers and facilitators of life jacket use. Methods: We searched four major electronic databases, contacted experts, hand-searched conference abstracts and screened reference lists to identify primary qualitative studies. We used the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Checklist for quality appraisal and the PROGRESS Plus framework to understand equity issues. Thematic analysis was conducted. Results: We retrieved 1153 records and finally included ten studies that met eligibility criteria. All except two studies were from high-income countries. Four key themes were identified. Firstly, life jacket use was shaped through complex interactions between lived experience and cultural norms which influenced the risk-perception of life jacket utility in preventing deaths. Secondly, the high cost of life jackets was almost always a barrier for its usage. Thirdly, adoption of laws and its subsequent enforcement was perceived to be an important facilitator for life jacket use. Lastly, design issues around comfort, fashion-sense, and shelf life influenced usage. Conclusion: The results of this qualitative evidence synthesis should be considered for health promotion, legal and policy interventions to promote the uptake of life jackets. There is a need for better understanding of perceptions and their role in the uptake of safety behaviours in different countries including the role of equity issues on the use of life jackets.
Faltering in linear growth and neurobehavioural development during early childhood are often assumed to have common causes because of their consistent association. This notion has contributed to a ...global focus on the promotion of nutrition during pregnancy and childhood to improve both conditions. Our aim was to assess whether effects of interventions on linear growth are associated with effects on developmental scores and to quantify these associations.
In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we included randomised trials done during pregnancy and in children aged 0–5 years that reported effects of any intervention on length-for-age or height-for-age Z scores (LAZ or HAZ) and on any of the following outcomes: motor, cognitive or mental, language, and social-emotional or behavioural development. We searched MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), and PsycINFO (EBSCO) from database inception to June 25, 2019. Study-level data were extracted and, when required, authors were contacted for missing information. We calculated weighted meta-regression coefficients of the association between standardised effect sizes of interventions on LAZ or HAZ and developmental outcome scores and calculated pooled effect sizes for different types of intervention.
Of the 7207 studies identified, we included 75 studies with 122 comparisons between intervention and control groups and outcomes reported for 72 275 children. Across all interventions, effect sizes on LAZ or HAZ were significantly associated with effect sizes on social-emotional scores (β 0·23, 95% CI 0·05 to 0·41; p=0·02), but not on cognitive (0·18, –0·36 to 0·72; p=0·51), language (0·12, –0·07 to 0·31; p=0·21), or motor development scores (0·23, –0·05 to 0·50; p=0·11). In studies that provided nutritional supplements, we observed positive significant pooled effect sizes on all five outcomes of LAZ or HAZ (effect size 0·05, 95% CI 0·01–0·09; p=0·01; n=50), cognitive or mental (0·06, 0·03–0·10; p<0·01; n=38), language (0·08, 0·03–0·13; p=0·01; n=21), motor (0·08, 0·04–0·12; p<0·01; n=41), and social-emotional (0·07, 0·02–0·12; p=0·01; n=20) scores. The effect sizes of nutritional supplementation on LAZ or HAZ scores were significantly associated with effect sizes on cognitive (β 0·40, 95% CI 0·04–0·77; p=0·049) and motor (0·43, 0·11–0·75; p=0·01) scores. In the 14 interventions promoting responsive care and learning opportunities, the pooled effect size on LAZ or HAZ score was not significant (–0·01, 95% CI –0·07 to 0·05; p=0·74), but pooled effect sizes on cognitive, language, and motor scores were 4 to 5 times larger (range 0·38–0·48) than the pooled effect sizes of nutritional supplementation (0·05–0·08).
In nutritional supplementation interventions, improvements in linear growth were associated with small improvements in child development, whereas nurturing and stimulation interventions had significant effects on child development but no effects on linear growth. The determinants of linear growth and neurodevelopment are only partly shared. To nurture thriving individuals and communities, interventions should specifically target determinants of neurodevelopment and not simply linear growth.
University of California Davis, US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Summary
Effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic is dependent on individual understanding of the disease and compliance to prevention measures. Early media depiction of health information about ...COVID-19 may influence public perceptions and behaviour. Media should ensure coverage is relevant, timely and actionable to encourage individuals to respond appropriately. India has been particularly affected by a large COVID-19 caseload. We analysed online reporting in India to assess how well the media represented health information about COVID-19 as per the World Health Organization’s Strategic Risk Communications guidelines. This included media coverage of symptoms, transmission and prevention. We found that limited articles (18.8%) provided actionable suggestions to readers, including urging people to stay at home and social distance. Most articles were relevant as per WHO COVID-19 updates, accurately covering symptoms, risk factors for severe symptoms, transmission and prevention. However, 40% of media coverage of treatments options provided misleading information, such as suggesting plasma therapy or chloroquine, were effective. In addition, only 1.9% of articles included discussion of equity issues, where many prevention activities such as distancing are less applicable in lower-income households. Sixty-seven per cent of articles quoting sources of information quoted credible sources such as public health agencies and researchers. Media coverage also did not appear to reflect WHO updates in a timely manner, with most of the coverage preceding these updates. The findings show that Indian media should focus on actionable and relevant reporting that provides guidance for individual response. Media should also endeavour to report on evidence-based prevention and treatment options to avert the spread of misinformation.
Lay Summary
The way media represents health information about COVID-19 may influence public understanding of the virus and behaviours they take to contain its spread. Therefore, media coverage should be accurate, timely and provide specific actions. India has been particularly affected by COVID-19. Based on the World Health Organization’s Strategic Risk Communications guidelines, we analysed online reporting in India to assess how well the media represented COVID-19 health information. This included media coverage of symptoms, transmission and prevention. We found that very few articles provided direct suggestions to readers on prevention behaviours, such as staying at home. Most articles accurately covered symptoms, risk factors for severe symptoms, transmission and prevention. However, there was limited coverage of equity issues that affect low-income households, such as their ability to social distance or hand wash. In addition, treatment options not known to be effective received high coverage, such as plasma therapy. Only some articles included credible sources of information such as quoting public health agencies and researchers. Media coverage also usually preceding official updates from WHO, rather than waiting and responding to validated information. The Media should report on evidence-based prevention and treatment options to avert the spread of misinformation and encourage appropriate behaviours.
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