•Urban exposures may increase childhood obesity risk.•Multiple exposures have scarcely been studied.•An exposure pattern of high air pollution, noise and traffic was associated with obesity ...risk.•PMcoarse, land use mix, and food environment were separately associated with obesity risk.•Urban exposures were not related to weight-related behaviours in children.
Urban environments are characterised by many factors that may influence children’s lifestyle and increase the risk of childhood obesity, but multiple urban exposures have scarcely been studied.
We evaluated the association between multiple urban exposures and childhood obesity outcomes and weight-related behaviours.
We conducted a cross-sectional study including 2213 children aged 9–12 years in Sabadell, Spain. We estimated ambient air pollution, green spaces, built and food environment, road traffic and road traffic noise at residential addresses through a total of 28 exposure variables in various buffers. Childhood obesity outcomes included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and body fat. Weight-related behaviours included diet (fast food and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption), physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep duration and well-being. Associations between exposures (urban environment) and outcomes (obesity and behaviours) were estimated in single and multiple-exposure regression models and in a hierarchical clustering on principal components (HCPC) analysis.
Forty percent of children were overweight or obese. In single exposure models, very few associations were observed between the urban exposures and obesity outcomes or weight-related behaviours after correction for multiple testing. In multiple exposure models, PMcoarse, denser unhealthy food environment and land use mix were statistically significant associated with childhood obesity outcomes (e.g 17.7 facilities/km2 increase of unhealthy food environment (OR overweight/obesity status) = 1.20 95% CI: 1.01; 1.44). Cluster analysis identified 5 clusters of urban exposures. Compared to the most neutral cluster, the cluster with high air pollution, road traffic, and road noise levels was associated with a higher BMI and higher odds of overweight and obesity (β (zBMI) = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.17; OR (overweight/obesity) = 1.36, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.85); the clusters were not associated with the weight-related behaviours.
This systematic study of many exposures in the urban environment suggests that an exposure pattern characterised by higher levels of ambient air pollution, road traffic and road traffic noise is associated with increased childhood obesity risk and that PMcoarse, land use mix and food environment are separately associated with obesity risk. These findings require follow-up in longitudinal studies and different settings.
Health care workers (HCW) are a high-risk population to acquire SARS-CoV-2 infection from patients or other fellow HCW. This study aims at estimating the seroprevalence against SARS-CoV-2 in a random ...sample of HCW from a large hospital in Spain. Of the 578 participants recruited from 28 March to 9 April 2020, 54 (9.3%, 95% CI: 7.1-12.0) were seropositive for IgM and/or IgG and/or IgA against SARS-CoV-2. The cumulative prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (presence of antibodies or past or current positive rRT-PCR) was 11.2% (65/578, 95% CI: 8.8-14.1). Among those with evidence of past or current infection, 40.0% (26/65) had not been previously diagnosed with COVID-19. Here we report a relatively low seroprevalence of antibodies among HCW at the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic in Spain. A large proportion of HCW with past or present infection had not been previously diagnosed with COVID-19, which calls for active periodic rRT-PCR testing in hospital settings.
Nutrition is critical during pregnancy for the healthy growth of the developing infant, who is fully dependent on maternal dietary omega-3 supply for development. Fatty fish, a main dietary source of ...omega-3, is associated with decreased cardiovascular risk in adults. We conducted a longitudinal study based on a mother-offspring cohort as part of the project Infancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) in order to assess whether fish intake during pregnancy relates to cardiovascular health in children. A total of 657 women were included and followed throughout pregnancy until birth, and their children were enrolled at birth and followed up until age 11-12. A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess the daily intake of foods during the 1st and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy. Cardiovascular assessments included arterial stiffness (assessed by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity PWV) and retinal microcirculation (photographic assessment of central retinal arteriolar and venular equivalent CRAE and CRVE). The association between maternal fish consumption and cardiovascular outcomes of offspring at 11 years of age was evaluated using multivariable linear regression models. There were no statistically significant differences in any cardiovascular endpoint in children whose mothers had a higher fish consumption during pregnancy compared to those with a lower fish consumption. We found a slightly higher PWV (β = 0.1, 95% CI = 0.0; 0.2,
for trend = 0.047) in children whose mothers had a higher consumption of canned tuna during the 1st trimester of pregnancy. Fish intake during pregnancy was found to be unrelated to the offspring's cardiovascular health at 11 years of age. The beneficial cardiovascular effects of fish consumption during pregnancy on the offspring are still inconclusive.
(1) Background: Lutein and zeaxanthin (L&Z) are essential dietary nutrients that are a crucial component of the human macula, contributing to visual functioning. They easily cross the placental ...barrier, so that retinal deposition commences during foetal development. This study aims to assess associations between maternal L&Z intake during pregnancy and offspring visual function at 11-12 years. (2) Methods: Using the Spanish INfancia y Medio Ambiente project (INMA) Sabadell birth cohort, 431 mother-child pairs were analysed. L&Z data were obtained from food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) at week 12 and 32 of pregnancy, alongside other nutritional and sociodemographic covariates. Contrast vision (CS) and visual acuity (VA) were assessed using the automated Freiburg Acuity and Contrast Testing (FRACT) battery. Low CS and VA were defined as being below the 20th cohort centile. Associations were explored using multiple logistic regression. (3) Results: After controlling for potential confounders, L&Z intake during the 1st and 3rd trimester did not reveal any statistically significant association with either CS or VA in offspring at age 11/12 years. (4) Conclusions: No evidence of a long-term association between L&Z intake during pregnancy and visual function in offspring was found. Further larger long-term studies including blood L&Z levels are required to confirm this result.
At the COVID-19 spring 2020 pandemic peak in Spain, prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a cohort of 578 randomly selected health care workers (HCWs) from Hospital Clínic de Barcelona was 11.2%.
A ...follow-up survey 1 month later (April-May 2020) measured infection by rRT-PCR and IgM, IgA, and IgG to the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein by Luminex. Antibody kinetics, including IgG subclasses, was assessed until month 3.
At month 1, the prevalence of infection measured by rRT-PCR and serology was 14.9% (84/565) and seroprevalence 14.5% (82/565). We found 25 (5%) new infections in 501 participants without previous evidence of infection. IgM, IgG, and IgA levels declined in 3 months (antibody decay rates 0.15 95% CI, .11-.19, 0.66 95% CI, .54-.82, and 0.12 95% CI, .09-.16, respectively), and 68.33% of HCWs had seroreverted for IgM, 3.08% for IgG, and 24.29% for IgA. The most frequent subclass responses were IgG1 (highest levels) and IgG2, followed by IgG3, and only IgA1 but no IgA2 was detected.
Continuous and improved surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 infections in HCWs remains critical, particularly in high-risk groups. The observed fast decay of IgA and IgM levels has implications for seroprevalence studies using these isotypes.
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Overweight, obesity, and accelerated growth during early childhood have been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes ...in later life. Few studies have assessed whether trajectories of accelerated growth in early childhood are associated with preclinical cardiovascular measurements. We aimed to evaluate the associations between childhood body mass index (BMI) growth trajectories and measures of macro- and microvascular function in early adolescence. Measurements of macrovascular function (systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), pulse wave velocity (PWV), and microvascular function (central retinal arteriolar/veinular equivalent) were assessed at 11 years old in a Spanish birth cohort study (n = 489). BMI trajectories from birth to 9 years were identified using latent class growth analysis. Multiple linear regression assessed the associations between the BMI trajectories and macro- and microvascular function. Compared to children with average birth size and slower BMI gain (reference), children with a lower birth size and accelerated BMI gain had increased SBP β = 6.57; (95% CI 4.00, 9.15), DBP β = 3.65; (95% CI 1.45, 5.86), and PWV β = 0.14; (95% CI 0.01, 0.27). Children with higher birth size and accelerated BMI gain had increased SBP β = 4.75; (95% CI 1.79, 7.71) compared to the reference. No significant associations between BMI trajectories and the microvascular measurements were observed. In conclusion, we found that childhood BMI trajectories characterized by accelerated growth are associated with preclinical macrovascular measurements in young adolescents.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of death worldwide. No therapy stopping progress of the disease is available.
To investigate the role of the soluble guanylate cyclase ...(sGC)-cGMP axis in development of lung emphysema and pulmonary hypertension (PH) and to test whether the sGC-cGMP axis is a treatment target for these conditions.
Investigations were performed in human lung tissue from patients with COPD, healthy donors, mice, and guinea pigs. Mice were exposed to cigarette smoke (CS) for 6 hours per day, 5 days per week for up to 6 months and treated with BAY 63-2521. Guinea pigs were exposed to CS from six cigarettes per day for 3 months, 5 days per week and treated with BAY 41-2272. Both BAY compounds are sGC stimulators. Gene and protein expression analysis were performed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. Lung compliance, hemodynamics, right ventricular heart mass alterations, and alveolar and vascular morphometry were performed, as well as inflammatory cell infiltrate assessment. In vitro assays of cell adhesion, proliferation, and apoptosis have been done.
The functionally essential sGC β1-subunit was down-regulated in patients with COPD and in CS-exposed mice. sGC stimulators prevented the development of PH and emphysema in the two different CS-exposed animal models. sGC stimulation prevented peroxynitrite-induced apoptosis of alveolar and endothelial cells, reduced CS-induced inflammatory cell infiltrate in lung parenchyma, and inhibited adhesion of CS-stimulated neutrophils.
The sGC-cGMP axis is perturbed by chronic exposure to CS. Treatment of COPD animal models with sGC stimulators can prevent CS-induced PH and emphysema.
Chagas disease is a potentially life-threatening and neglected tropical disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. One of the most important challenges related to Chagas disease is the search for new, ...safe, effective, and affordable drugs since the current therapeutic arsenal is inadequate and insufficient. Here, we report a simple and cost-effective synthesis and the biological evaluation of the second generation of Mannich base-type derivatives. Compounds 7, 9, and 10 showed improved in vitro efficiency and lower toxicity than benznidazole, in addition to no genotoxicity; thus, they were applied in in vivo assays to assess their activity in both acute and chronic phases of the disease. Compound 10 presented a similar profile to benznidazole from the parasitological perspective but also yielded encouraging data, as no toxicity was observed. Moreover, compound 9 showed lower parasitaemia and higher curative rates than benznidazole, also with lower toxicity in both acute and chronic phases. Therefore, further studies should be considered to optimize compound 9 to promote its further preclinical evaluation.
Cigarette smoke (CS) is associated with lower numbers of circulating stem cells and might severely affect their mobilization, trafficking and homing. Our study was designed to demonstrate in an ...animal model of CS exposure whether CS affects the homing and functional capabilities of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs).
Guinea pigs (GP), exposed or sham-exposed to CS, were administered via tracheal instillation or by vascular administration with 2.5 × 10
BM-MSCs obtained from CS-exposed or sham-exposed animal donors. Twenty-four hours after cell administration, animals were sacrificed and cells were visualised into lung structures by optical microscopy. BM-MSCs from 8 healthy GP and from 8 GP exposed to CS for 1 month were isolated from the femur, cultured in vitro and assessed for their proliferation, migration, senescence, differentiation potential and chemokine gene expression profile.
CS-exposed animals showed greater BM-MSCs lung infiltration than sham-exposed animals regardless of route of administration. The majority of BM-MSCs localized in the alveolar septa. BM-MSCs obtained from CS-exposed animals showed lower ability to engraft and lower proliferation and migration. In vitro, BM-MSCs exposed to CS extract showed a significant reduction of proliferative, cellular differentiation and migratory potential and an increase in cellular senescence in a dose dependent manner.
Short-term CS exposure induces BM-MSCs dysfunction. Such dysfunction was observed in vivo, affecting the cell homing and proliferation capabilities of BM-MSCs in lungs exposed to CS and in vitro altering the rate of proliferation, senescence, differentiation and migration capacity. Additionally, CS induced a reduction in CXCL9 gene expression in the BM from CS-exposed animals underpinning a potential mechanistic action of bone marrow dysfunction.
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