Impacts of changes in environmental exposures and health behaviours due to the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular and mental health : A comparison of Barcelona, Vienna, and Stockholm

Responses to COVID-19 altered environmental exposures and health behaviours associated with non-communicable diseases. We aimed to (1) quantify changes in nitrogen dioxide (NO2), noise, physical activity, and greenspace visits associated with COVID-19 policies in the spring of 2020 in Barcelona (Spain), Vienna (Austria), and Stockholm (Sweden), and (2) estimated the number of additional and prevented diagnoses of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, depression, and anxiety based on these changes. We calculated differences in NO2, noise, physical activity, and greenspace visits between pre-pandemic (baseline) and pandemic (counterfactual) levels. With two counterfactual scenarios, we distinguished between Acute Period (March 15th – April 26th, 2020) and Deconfinement Period (May 2nd – June 30th, 2020) assuming counterfactual scenarios were extended for 12 months. Relative risks for each exposure difference were estimated with exposure-risk functions. In the Acute Period, reductions in NO2 (range of change from −16.9 μg/m3 to −1.1 μg/m3), noise (from −5 dB(A) to −2 dB(A)), physical activity (from −659 MET*min/wk to −183 MET*min/wk) and greenspace visits (from −20.2 h/m to 1.1 h/m) were largest in Barcelona and smallest in Stockholm. In the Deconfinement Period, NO2 (from −13.9 μg/m3 to −3.1 μg/m3), noise (from −3 dB(A) to −1 dB(A)), and physical activity levels (from −524 MET*min/wk to −83 MET*min/wk) remained below pre-pandemic levels in all cities. Greatest impacts were caused by physical activity reductions. If physical activity levels in Barcelona remained at Acute Period levels, increases in annual diagnoses for MI (mean: 572 (95% CI: 224, 943)), stroke (585 (6, 1156)), depression (7903 (5202, 10,936)), and anxiety (16,677 (926, 27,002)) would be anticipated. To decrease cardiovascular and mental health impacts, reductions in NO2 and noise from the first COVID-19 surge should be sustained, but without reducing physical activity. Focusing on cities’ connectivity that promotes active transportation and reduces motor vehicle use assists in achieving this goal

Applying an ecosystem services framework on nature and mental health to recreational blue space visits across 18 countries

The effects of ‘nature’ on mental health and subjective well-being have yet to be consistently integrated into ecosystem service models and frameworks. To address this gap, we used data on subjective mental well-being from an 18-country survey to test a conceptual model integrating mental health with ecosystem services, initially proposed by Bratman et al. We analysed a range of individual and contextual factors in the context of 14,998 recreational visits to blue spaces, outdoor environments which prominently feature water. Consistent with the conceptual model, subjective mental well-being outcomes were dependent upon on a complex interplay of environmental type and quality, visit characteristics, and individual factors. These results have implications for public health and environmental management, as they may help identify the bluespace locations, environmental features, and key activities, that are most likely to impact well-being, but also potentially affect recreational demand on fragile aquatic ecosystems

70 лет научно-исследовательскому институту охраны материнства и детства Минздрава Беларуси

НАУЧНО-ИССЛЕДОВАТЕЛЬСКИЕ ИНСТИТУТЫМАТЕРИ И РЕБЕНКА ОХРАНЫ ЗДОРОВЬЯ ЦЕНТРЫ /ИСТМЕДИЦИНСКИЕ ИНСТИТУТЫ /ИСТНАУЧНО-ИССЛЕДОВАТЕЛЬСКАЯ РАБОТАИСТОРИЯ МЕДИЦИН

Leptin Affects Life History Decisions in a Passerine Bird: A Field Experiment

BACKGROUND: Organisms face trade-offs regarding their life-history strategies, such as decisions of single or multiple broods within a year. In passerines displaying facultative multiple breeding, the probability of laying a second clutch is influenced by several life-history factors. However, information about the mechanistic background of these trade-offs is largely lacking. Leptin is a protein hormone produced by white fat cells, and acts as a signal between peripheral energy depots and the central nervous system. In addition, leptin affects cells at all levels of the reproductive axis and plays a critical role in regulating the allocation of metabolic energy to reproduction. As such, it is possible that leptin levels influence the decision of whether or not to invest time and energy into a second clutch. Accordingly, we expect a treatment with exogenous leptin to result in an increased number of second broods. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: At a later stage during the first brood, female great tits were treated either with long-term leptin-filled cholesterol pellets (the experimental birds) or with pellets containing only cholesterol (the control birds). We found that leptin-treated females were significantly more likely to have a second brood and that the earlier females were more likely to lay a second clutch than the late females. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: As both timing of first brood and treatment with leptin were important in the decision of having multiple broods, the trade-offs involved in the breeding strategy most likely depend on multiple factors. Presumably leptin has evolved as a signal of energy supply status to regulate the release of reproductive hormones so that reproduction is coordinated with periods of sufficient nutrients. This study investigated the role of leptin as a mediator between energy resources and reproductive output, providing a fundamentally new insight into how trade-offs work on a functional basis

Genotype-Temperature Interaction in the Regulation of Development, Growth, and Morphometrics in Wild-Type, and Growth-Hormone Transgenic Coho Salmon

The neuroendocrine system is an important modulator of phenotype, directing cellular genetic responses to external cues such as temperature. Behavioural and physiological processes in poikilothermic organisms (e.g. most fishes), are particularly influenced by surrounding temperatures.By comparing the development and growth of two genotypes of coho salmon (wild-type and transgenic with greatly enhanced growth hormone production) at six different temperatures, ranging between 8 degrees and 18 degrees C, we observed a genotype-temperature interaction and possible trend in directed neuroendocrine selection. Differences in growth patterns of the two genotypes were compared by using mathematical models, and morphometric analyses of juvenile salmon were performed to detect differences in body shape. The maximum hatching and alevin survival rates of both genotypes occurred at 12 degrees C. At lower temperatures, eggs containing embryos with enhanced GH production hatched after a shorter incubation period than wild-type eggs, but this difference was not apparent at and above 16 degrees C. GH transgenesis led to lower body weights at the time when the yolk sack was completely absorbed compared to the wild genotype. The growth of juvenile GH-enhanced salmon was to a greater extent stimulated by higher temperatures than the growth of the wild-type. Increased GH production significantly influenced the shape of the salmon growth curves.Growth hormone overexpression by transgenesis is able to stimulate the growth of coho salmon over a wide range of temperatures. Temperature was found to affect growth rate, survival, and body morphology between GH transgenic and wild genotype coho salmon, and differential responses to temperature observed between the genotypes suggests they would experience different selective forces should they ever enter natural ecosystems. Thus, GH transgenic fish would be expected to differentially respond and adapt to shifts in environmental conditions compared with wild type, influencing their ability to survive and interact in ecosystems. Understanding these relationships would assist environmental risk assessments evaluating potential ecological effects

Possible Biological Mechanisms Linking Mental Health and Heat—A Contemplative Review

This review provides examples of possible biological mechanisms that could, at least partly, explain the existing epidemiological evidence of heatwave-related exacerbation of mental disease morbidity. The author reviews the complicated central processes involved in the challenge of maintaining a stable body temperature in hot environments, and the maladaptive effects of certain psychiatric medicines on thermoregulation. In addition, the author discusses some alternative mechanisms, such as interrupted functional brain connectivity and the effect of disrupted sleep, which may further increase the vulnerability of mental health patients during heatwaves

Making green infrastructure healthier infrastructure

Increasing urban green and blue structure is often pointed out to be critical for sustainable development and climate change adaptation, which has led to the rapid expansion of greening activities in cities throughout the world. This process is likely to have a direct impact on the citizens’ quality of life and public health. However, alongside numerous benefits, green and blue infrastructure also has the potential to create unexpected, undesirable, side-effects for health. This paper considers several potential harmful public health effects that might result from increased urban biodiversity, urban bodies of water, and urban tree cover projects. It does so with the intent of improving awareness and motivating preventive measures when designing and initiating such projects. Although biodiversity has been found to be associated with physiological benefits for humans in several studies, efforts to increase the biodiversity of urban environments may also promote the introduction and survival of vector or host organisms for infectious pathogens with resulting spread of a variety of diseases. In addition, more green connectivity in urban areas may potentiate the role of rats and ticks in the spread of infectious diseases. Bodies of water and wetlands play a crucial role in the urban climate adaptation and mitigation process. However, they also provide habitats for mosquitoes and toxic algal blooms. Finally, increasing urban green space may also adversely affect citizens allergic to pollen. Increased awareness of the potential hazards of urban green and blue infrastructure should not be a reason to stop or scale back projects. Instead, incorporating public health awareness and interventions into urban planning at the earliest stages can help insure that green and blue infrastructure achieves full potential for health promotion

Tillgång till bostadsnära grönska i befolkningen. Exponering, utsatta grupper och besvär

Denna studie syftade till att ge en nationell översikt av befolkningens tillgång till bostadsnäragrönska inom olika områdestyper (urban, suburban och rural), både i dag och över tid. Ettytterligare syfte var att undersöka om det finns grupper i befolkningen som är särskilt utsattagenom att oftare ha en för låg tillgång till bostadsnära grönska. Slutligen avsågundersökningen att studera samband mellan grönska, livskvalitet och hälsobesvär. Resultaten visar att 3,55 miljoner personer, motsvarande 34,5 procent av Sverigesbefolkning, bodde i miljöer med låga nivåer av bostadsnära grönska år 2019. Rapporten visarockså att det finns vissa grupper i befolkningen som oftare bor i områden med en låg tillgångtill grönska än vad andra grupper gör. Det var framför allt yngre personer (18–39 år),personer födda personer födda utanför Norden, ogifta, de med högskoleutbildning,låginkomsttagare och personer boende i flerfamiljshus som var exponerade för lägre nivåerav bostadsnära grönska än andra befolkningsgrupper. Tillgången till bostadsnära grönskaberodde således på ett flertal socioekonomiska faktorer, vilket tyder på att det i Sverige, ilikhet med internationella rapporter, är immigrantfamiljer, samt hushåll med låg inkomst,som oftare bor i områden med låga nivåer av omgivningsgrönska. Studien fann ett U-format samband mellan livskvalitet och bostadsnära grönska, samt ennegativ association mellan mängden bostadsnära grönska och förekomst av självrapporteradpollenallergi. Förekomsten av andra självrapporterade hälsoproblem, speciellt hälsobesvärsom kopplades till omgivningsmiljön, var lägre bland personer som var högexponerade förbostadsnära grönska än bland individer som var lågexponerade

Tillgång till bostadsnära grönska i befolkningen. Exponering, utsatta grupper och besvär

Denna studie syftade till att ge en nationell översikt av befolkningens tillgång till bostadsnäragrönska inom olika områdestyper (urban, suburban och rural), både i dag och över tid. Ettytterligare syfte var att undersöka om det finns grupper i befolkningen som är särskilt utsattagenom att oftare ha en för låg tillgång till bostadsnära grönska. Slutligen avsågundersökningen att studera samband mellan grönska, livskvalitet och hälsobesvär. Resultaten visar att 3,55 miljoner personer, motsvarande 34,5 procent av Sverigesbefolkning, bodde i miljöer med låga nivåer av bostadsnära grönska år 2019. Rapporten visarockså att det finns vissa grupper i befolkningen som oftare bor i områden med en låg tillgångtill grönska än vad andra grupper gör. Det var framför allt yngre personer (18–39 år),personer födda personer födda utanför Norden, ogifta, de med högskoleutbildning,låginkomsttagare och personer boende i flerfamiljshus som var exponerade för lägre nivåerav bostadsnära grönska än andra befolkningsgrupper. Tillgången till bostadsnära grönskaberodde således på ett flertal socioekonomiska faktorer, vilket tyder på att det i Sverige, ilikhet med internationella rapporter, är immigrantfamiljer, samt hushåll med låg inkomst,som oftare bor i områden med låga nivåer av omgivningsgrönska. Studien fann ett U-format samband mellan livskvalitet och bostadsnära grönska, samt ennegativ association mellan mängden bostadsnära grönska och förekomst av självrapporteradpollenallergi. Förekomsten av andra självrapporterade hälsoproblem, speciellt hälsobesvärsom kopplades till omgivningsmiljön, var lägre bland personer som var högexponerade förbostadsnära grönska än bland individer som var lågexponerade