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Polysaccharides of Grifola frondosa ameliorate oxidative stress and hypercholesterolaemia in hamsters fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet
No full text[[abstract]]Objectives: This study was to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-hypercholesterolaemia activities of Grifola frondosa in hamsters fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet.
Methods: G. frondosa, including fruiting bodies (FGF), fermented mycelia (MGF) and polysaccharides extracted from fruiting bodies (FPS), fermented mycelia (MIP) and fermented broth (BEP) were received intragastrically. Lipid profile and antioxidant status in the blood and liver of hamsters were assessed.
Key findings: FGF decreased weight gain, serum triglycerides and cholesterol and increased hepatic mRNA expression of cholesterol-7α-hydroxylase expression. FGF, MGF, FPS and MIP decreased the HFHC diet-increased area under the curve (AUC) of serum cholesterol. FGF and FPS further decreased AUC of serum triglycerides. When evaluating the redox status of erythrocytes, FPS and MIP increased non-protein sulfhydryl (NP-SH) groups, reduced glutathione (GSH) and catalase activity and FPS further increased GSH peroxidase activity. In the liver, MGF increased NP-SH groups and GSH and decreased triglycerides content. FPS, MIP and BEP decreased oxidized GSH and triglycerides content. Moreover, all treatments alleviated HFHC diet-increased LDL oxidation.
Conclusions: Fruiting bodies of G. frondosa may improve hypercholesterolaemia via increased bile acid synthesis. Additionally, fermented biomass and polysaccharides of G. frondosa may have the potential to prevent hepatic lipid accumulation
Exploring dependence structures among European electricity markets: Static and dynamic copula-GARCH and dynamic state-space approaches
No full text[[abstract]]In this paper, we examine various characteristics of both base and peak electricity spot prices and their returns, and investigate dependence structures, extreme co-movements, risk spillovers, and integration relationships among the five major European electricity markets, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK. To do so, we propose a new perspective by applying a hybrid of ARMA-GARCH, static and dynamic copulas, and dynamic state-space models with the Kalman filter to address the issue. Based on the results of the ARMA-GJR-GARCH model, we first find that there are spillover effects in the returns of both base and peak spot prices in the five European electricity markets, and there are heteroskedastic, asymmetric, and leverage effects with negative and positive shocks, including spikes and drops during both base and peak load periods. Hence, a decrease in prices will boom the variance of the returns, and a decrease in returns can lead to a much greater increase in volatility. Second, there exist some extents of positive dependencies, tail dependencies, and extreme co-movements among the European electricity markets based on the copula models. In addition, we find that the degree of (tail) dependence and the potential state of market integration are stronger and higher during the peak period than the base period, implying that the European electricity markets could boom or crash together, especially during the peak load period. Further, the results of both the dynamic copulas and dynamic state-space models show that most pairs of the European electricity markets co-move symmetrically and have a time-varying dependence, but do not appear to grow over time. Finally, we provide an application of the copula-GARCH model in estimating and predicting risk spillovers across the five European electricity markets. We document that there are high-risk spillover effects in the European electricity markets because the values of the Conditional Value-at-Risk (CoVaR) are large. Also, we find that the more integrated the market, the more the systematic risk contribution of the market as indicated by CoVaR. Our findings provide useful information regarding the dependence, integration, risk management, and asset pricing for the European electricity markets
Generation Y’s Sustainable Purchasing Intention of Organic Personal Care Products
No full text[[abstract]]Global warming and depletion of the environment are more than a hunch; they are irrefutable facts. While caring for the environment seemed like a luxurious hobby twenty years ago, it has become a crucial necessity these days. However, the sustainable demand for eco-friendly products seems to be less than it should be. In other words, the consumers seem to lack the intent to purchase green products. Therefore, studies on factors affecting sustainable green purchasing intent seem to be crucial now more than ever. This study attempts to shed some light on the matter using structural equation modeling. After receiving the answers of 357 respondents from Thai Generation Y participants, the estimations reveal that attitude towards green packaging and green marketing awareness have the strongest effects on purchasing intention. On the other hand, environmental concern seems to have the weakest effect on purchasing intention. The findings suggest that the producers must pay more attention to packaging and other novel forms of marketing to increase the customers’ intent for purchasing green products
The role of Financial Development and Technological Innovation towards Sustainable Development in Pakistan: Fresh insights from consumption and territory-based emissions
No full text[[abstract]]In the contemporary world, environmental problems are a major human concern. The status of the environment and its management are prerequisites for every country's sustainable development. Following the Paris Climate Summit (COP21), Pakistan has amplified its efforts to address environmental issues. In this pursuit, this study aims to provide a new perspective by examining the impact of economic globalization, financial development, energy use, economic development and technological innovation with consumption and territory-based emissions from 1990Q1 to 2019Q4 in Pakistan. The study used Dynamic Autoregressive-Distributed Lag (ARDL) simulations and Frequency Domain Causality (FDC) methods. The empirical evidence reveals that financial and economic development stimulate both consumption and territory-based emissions in the short and long run. However, energy use intensifies consumption and territory-based emissions only in the long run. Also, in the short-run economic globalization adversely affects consumption and territory-based emissions while in the long run rises just consumption-based emissions. However, technological innovations decrease both emissions substantially in the long term. Finally, FDC outcomes endorsed the hypothesis. The study suggests that policymakers discourage non-renewables and increase renewable energy use to decrease consumption and territory-based emissions. The results would help Pakistan reach more eco-friendly energy technologies and a more sustainable energy environment to accomplish SDG 7 and 13 goals
Association Between Young-Onset Dementia and Risk of Hospitalization for Motor Vehicle Crash Injury in Taiwan: A Nationwide Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study
No full text[[abstract]]Importance Several studies have suggested that older-onset dementia is associated with an increased risk of motor vehicle crash injury (MVCI). However, evidence of an association between young-onset dementia and the risk of MVCI is insufficient, particularly in Asia.
Objective To investigate the association between young-onset dementia and MVCI-related hospitalization in Taiwan.
Design, Setting, and Participants In this nationwide, population-based cohort study in Taiwan, a cohort of 39?344 patients aged 40 to 64 years with incident dementia diagnosed between 2006 and 2012 was matched 1:1 with a cohort of participants without dementia by age, sex, and index year (initial diagnosis of dementia). Participants were identified from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Data were analyzed between March 25 and October 22, 2021.
Exposures Dementia, defined by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes.
Main Outcomes and Measures Hospitalization for MVCI, determined using linked data from Taiwan’s Police-Reported Traffic Accident Registry and the NHIRD from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2015. Hazard ratios (HRs) for MVCI-related hospitalization were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for sex, age, salary-based insurance premium, urbanization level, and comorbidities.
Results Of the 78?688 participants, 47?034 (59.8%) were male; the mean (SD) age was 54.5 (7.4) years. During the 10-year follow-up period, the incidence density of MVCI-related hospitalization was 45.58 per 10?000 person-years (95% CI, 42.77-48.39 per 10?000 person-years) among participants with dementia and 24.10 per 10?000 person-years (95% CI, 22.22-25.99 per 10?000 person-years) among participants without dementia. Compared with participants without dementia, patients with young-onset dementia were at higher risk of MVCI-related hospitalization (adjusted HR [aHR], 1.83; 95% CI, 1.63-2.06), especially those in younger age groups (aged 40-44 years: aHR, 3.54; 95% CI, 2.48-5.07) and within a shorter period (within 1 year of follow-up: aHR, 3.53; 95% CI, 2.50-4.98) after dementia was diagnosed. Patients with young-onset dementia also had a higher risk of being a pedestrian when the crash occurred (aHR, 2.89; 95% CI, 2.04-4.11), having an intracranial or internal injury (aHR, 2.44; 95% CI, 2.02-2.94), and having a severe injury (aHR, 2.90; 95% CI, 2.16-3.89).
Conclusions and Relevance In this retrospective cohort study, patients in Taiwan with a diagnosis of young-onset dementia had a higher risk of MVCI-related hospitalization than did individuals without dementia and the risk varied by age, disease duration, transport mode, injury type, and injury severity. These findings suggest a need for the planning of strategies to prevent transportation crashes among patients with young-onset dementia
Effect of blood pressure trajectory and variability on new-onset chronic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes
No full text[[abstract]]This study aimed to evaluate the effects of BP trajectory and variability on chronic kidney disease (CKD) incidence in patients with type 2 diabetes. This retrospective longitudinal study included 4,560 participants with type 2 diabetes, aged ?30 years, free of CKD, with ?3 years of follow-up, and who attended the Diabetes Care Management Program in 2001-2013. The follow-up period ended in 2016. The adverse outcome was a new-onset CKD event, which was determined using eGFR and albuminuria. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the associations. At the end of the follow-up, 1255 participants had developed CKD, with a mean follow-up of 4.3 ± 3.2 years. Three trajectory subgroups of BP, i.e., Cluster 1: "moderate-stable" for SBP and "moderate-downward" for DBP, Cluster 2: "low-upward-downward" for both SBP and DBP, and Cluster 3: "high-downward-upward" for both SBP and DBP, were generated. The BP variability was grouped into three classes on the basis of tertiles. For the BP trajectory, patients in Cluster 3 of DBP had a higher CKD risk than those in Cluster 1 (HR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.03-1.50). For the BP variability, patients in Tertile 3 had a significantly higher CKD risk than those in Tertile 1 (SBP: 1.28, 1.11-1.47; DBP: 1.17, 1.02-1.34). Persons with type 2 diabetes who achieved a small reduction in DBP after participating in the education program but rebounded and those who had the highest variation in both SBP and DBP faced the highest increase in CKD risk
Long COVID and long chain fatty acids (LCFAs): Psychoneuroimmunity implication of omega-3 LCFAs in delayed consequences of COVID-19
No full text[[abstract]]The global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to the lasting pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the post-acute phase sequelae of heterogeneous negative impacts in multiple systems known as the "long COVID." The mechanisms of neuropsychiatric complications of long COVID are multifactorial, including long-term tissue damages from direct CNS viral involvement, unresolved systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, maladaptation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and coagulation system, dysregulated immunity, the dysfunction of neurotransmitters and hypothalamus-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis, and the psychosocial stress imposed by societal changes in response to this pandemic. The strength of safety, well-acceptance, and accumulating scientific evidence has now afforded nutritional medicine a place in the mainstream of neuropsychiatric intervention and prophylaxis. Long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 or n-3 PUFAs) might have favorable effects on immunity, inflammation, oxidative stress and psychoneuroimmunity at different stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Omega-3 PUFAs, particularly EPA, have shown effects in treating mood and neurocognitive disorders by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines, altering the HPA axis, and modulating neurotransmission via lipid rafts. In addition, omega-3 PUFAs and their metabolites, including specialized pro-resolvin mediators, accelerate the process of cleansing chronic inflammation and restoring tissue homeostasis, and therefore offer a promising strategy for Long COVID. In this article, we explore in a systematic review the putative molecular mechanisms by which omega-3 PUFAs and their metabolites counteract the negative effects of long COVID on the brain, behavior, and immunity
Patients with periodontitis are at a higher risk of stroke: A Taiwanese cohort study
No full text[[abstract]]Background: This study aimed to investigate the risk of stroke incidence in patients with periodontitis.
Methods: Data on patients diagnosed with periodontitis were collected from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database and were matched (1:1) with patients without periodontitis between 2001 and 2010. A multivariable Cox survival model was used to predict stroke between patients with and without periodontitis, and the possibility of confounders. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to explore the risk of stroke in the case and control groups. Diseases found during the follow-up period were analyzed to determine possible effects on the study. A total of 282 560 periodontitis and nonperiodontitis patients were enrolled, with most subjects aged 40 to 59 years.
Results: The overall cumulative incidence of stroke was 2.14 times higher in periodontitis than in nonperiodontitis, and the highest HR was in the more than 80 years age group (HR = 9.30; 95% CI, 7.06-12.26). The multivariate Cox model indicated that the adjusted HR (aHR) between the case and control was 2.03 (95% CI, 1.99-2.08), and a higher aHR was associated with hypertension. Atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation, obesity, kidney disease, anxiety, and gout discovered during follow-up also showed a potential risk of stroke in patients with periodontitis.
Conclusion: Therefore, this study suggests a high risk of stroke in patients with periodontitis
Utilization Intention of Community Pharmacy Service under the Dual Threats of Air Pollution and COVID-19 Epidemic: Moderating Effects of Knowledge and Attitude toward COVID-19
No full text[[abstract]]The utilization of pharmacy services in response to the threat of COVID-19 infection remains unclear in areas suffering from air pollution, and little is known regarding the effects of knowledge and attitude (KA) toward COVID-19 on this preventive behavior. This study aimed to explore how the residents perceived and reacted to the new threats of the epidemic and how KA may affect the correlation. Based on the health belief model (HBM), this research took the pharmacy service utilization (PSU) as an example to explain the preventive behavior. The samples were 375 respondents recruited from five districts near the industrial parks. T-test, ANOVA, and regression analyses of SPSS 22.0 were used to analyze the data. Test results show that self-efficacy was the strongest predictor, followed by the net perceived benefit. KA moderated the association of perceived threat and PSU intention. The levels of air pollution of a district may not be a good predictor for the preventive behavior against COVID-19
Artemisia argyi exhibits anti-aging effects through decreasing the senescence in aging stem cells
No full text[[abstract]]Aging is accompanied by functional loss of many cellular pathways, creating an increased risk of many age-related complications (ARC). Aging causes stem cell exhaustion with a concomitant increase in cellular dysfunction. Recently, interest in senotherapeutics has been growing rapidly to promote healthy aging and as an intervention for ARCs. This research focused on screening the senomorphic properties of Artemisia argyi, as an emerging strategy for longevity, and prevention or treatment of ARCs. In this study, we aimed to find the clinical efficacy of daily consumption of Artemisia argyi water extract (AAW) on aging. In vitro 0.1μM Doxorubicin induced senescent human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells was treated with different concentrations of AAW to show its anti-aging effect. 15 months old SHR rats (n=6) were treated with 7.9 mg/ml AAW for 4 weeks and anti-aging effect was evaluated. In vitro study showed the protective effect of AAW in telomere shortening and helps in maintaining a balance in the expression of anti-aging protein Klotho and TERT. AAW effectively reduced mitochondrial superoxide and also provided a protective shield against senescence markers like over-expression of p21 and formation of double strand breaks, which is known to cause premature aging. Moreover, animal studies indicated that AAW promoted the expression of Klotho in naturally aging rats. In addition, AAW successfully restored the decline cardiac function and improved the grip strength and memory of aging rat. These findings showed that therapeutic targeting of senescent stem cells by AAW restored stem cell homeostasis and improves overall health