The association of tobacco smoking and bone health in the elderly population of Iran: results from Bushehr elderly health (BEH) program

Smoking has been linked with osteoporosis, but further evidence is required, especially concerning the effects of different types of tobacco smoking. We sought to examine the association between smoking and bone health in a large cohort of elderly Iranians. Methods: The data from 2377 participants aged >60 years of Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) program were used. Regardless of the type of smoking, participants were initially classified as non-smokers, ex-smokers and current smokers. Current smokers were also categorized based on the smoking type (pure cigarette, pure hookah and both). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to evaluate bone density as well as Trabecular Bone Score (TBS). T-score ≤ −2.5 in either of the femoral neck, total hip or spinal sites was applied to determine the osteoporosis. The association of smoking and osteoporosis was assessed using multivariable modified Poisson regression model and reported as adjusted prevalence ratios (APR). The linear regression model was used to assess the association between smoking and TBS, adjusting for potential factors. Results: A total of 2377 (1225 women) were enrolled [mean age: 69.3 (±6.4) years], among which 1054 (44.3%) participants were nonsmokers. In all, 496 (20.9%) participants were current smokers. Multivariable regression analysis revealed no significant association between smoking (either current or past) and osteoporosis in women. In men, current smoking was negatively associated with osteoporosis (APR: 1.51, 95%CI: 1.16–1.96). Among current users, cigarette smoking was associated with osteoporosis (APR: 1.57, 95%CI: 1.20–2.03); however, we could not detect a significant association between current smoking of hookah and osteoporosis. In men, a significant association was also detected between current cigarette smoking and TBS (coefficient: -0.03, 95%CI: −0.01, −0.04). Conclusion: Current cigarette smoking is associated with both the quantity and quality of bone mass in elderly men. Although we could not detect a significant association between hookah and osteoporosis in men, considering the prevalence of hookah smoking in the middle eastern countries, further studies are needed to determine the effect of hookah smoking on bone health

Largest recent impact craters on Mars: Orbital imaging and surface seismic co-investigation.

Two >130-meter-diameter impact craters formed on Mars during the later half of 2021. These are the two largest fresh impact craters discovered by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter since operations started 16 years ago. The impacts created two of the largest seismic events (magnitudes greater than 4) recorded by InSight during its 3-year mission. The combination of orbital imagery and seismic ground motion enables the investigation of subsurface and atmospheric energy partitioning of the impact process on a planet with a thin atmosphere and the first direct test of martian deep-interior seismic models with known event distances. The impact at 35°N excavated blocks of water ice, which is the lowest latitude at which ice has been directly observed on Mars

Efficacy of artesunate-amodiaquine and artemether-lumefantrine fixed-dose combinations for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria among children aged six to 59 months in Nimba County, Liberia: an open-label randomized non-inferiority trial.

Prospective efficacy monitoring of anti-malarial treatments is imperative for timely detection of resistance development. The in vivo efficacy of artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) fixed-dose combination (FDC) was compared to that of artemether-lumefantrine (AL) among children aged six to 59 months in Nimba County, Liberia, where Plasmodium falciparum malaria is endemic and efficacy data are scarce

Association of the polymorphism in the 5’ flanking region of the ovine IGF-I gene with growth traits in the Baluchi sheep

The insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) gene has been described in several studies as a candidate gene for growth traits in farm animals. The present preliminary study attempts to establish associations between growth traits and genetic polymorphisms at the 5’ flanking region s IGF-I in the Baluchi sheep. The DNA of 102 sheep of the indigenous Iranian Baluchi breed was evaluated. Polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis of the 5’ flanking region (Exon1) of the ovine IGF-I gene revealed three banding patterns (genotypes) named as A/A, A/B and B/B. The evaluation of an association effect between these SSCP patterns with birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), and average daily gain from birth to weaning (GBW), weaning to six month (GWS) and from six month to yearling age (GSY) suggest a positive effect of pattern (Genotype) A/B with GBW and weaning weight (WW). Pattern (Genotype) B/B had a superior birth weight when compared to those of individuals with other patterns. Moreover, the A/A pattern (Genotype) appeared favourable for live weight at yearling age. These results confirmed the potential usefulness of this gene in marker-assisted selection programmes for sheep breeding

Uptake of household disinfection kits as an additional measure in response to a cholera outbreak in urban areas of Haiti

Médecins Sans Frontières-Operational Centre Amsterdam piloted the distribution of household disinfection kits (HDKs) and health promotion sessions for cholera prevention in households of patients admitted to their cholera treatment centres in Carrefour, Port au Prince, Haiti, between December 2010 and February 2011. We conducted a follow-up survey with 208 recipient households to determine the uptake and use of the kits and understanding of the health promotion messages. In 61% of surveyed households, a caregiver had been the recipient of the HDK and 57.7% of households had received the HDKs after the discharge of the patient. Among surveyed households, 97.6% stated they had used the contents of the HDK after receiving it, with 75% of these reporting using five or more items, with the two most popular items being chlorine and soap. A significant (p < 0.05) increase in self-reported use items in the HDK was observed in households that received kits after 24 January 2011 when the education messages were strengthened. To our knowledge, this is the first time it has been demonstrated that during a large-scale cholera outbreak, the distribution of simple kits, with readily available cleaning products and materials, combined with health promotion is easy, feasible, and valued by the target population

New data and perspectives on the early stages of the Neolithic in the Middle Kura River Valley (South Caucasus). The 2017–2019 excavations at Kiçik Tepe, Western Azerbaijan

International audienceThe factors and dynamics that initiated the Neolithisation process in the South Caucasus between the very end of the 7th and the beginning of the 6th millennium BCE are still unclear and hotly debated. It is within this framework that the excavations at Kiçik Tepe, in the middle Kura river valley of Western Azerbaijan, aim to offer new data and new perspectives on the complex interplay of environmental, social and cultural factors that contributed to this process. Excavations at Kiçik Tepe uncovered two main phases of occupation consisting of circular buildings dating to the first centuries of the 6th millennium. Architectural remains allowed us to highlight an evolutionary architectural trajectory hinting at social and productive changes in the role and structure of the households. The subsistence strategies that rely on species domesticated elsewhere show at once a series of specificities highlighting adaptation to the local environment and the exploitation of wild species possibly resulting from previous Mesolithic practices. Simultaneously, while the almost aceramic way of life at Kiçik Tepe outlines a local dialectic between Mesolithic and Neolithic cooking practices, lithic and macrolithic tools pinpoint broadly shared regional elements as well as very localised traits framed into both long and short distance contacts. As a whole the new evidence from Kiçik Tepe highlights that the Neolithisation in the South Caucasus was not a straightforward process that consisted of the abrupt and homogenous adoption of an exogenous ‘package’ but most probably of a gradual and complex process of change resulting from dynamics of resistance and innovation between old and new socio-economic and cultural models