Body Exposure Research Articles

Uncertainty Quantification of Human Electromagnetic Exposure From Electric Vehicle Wireless Power Transfer System

With the rapid development of electric vehicles (EVs), the wireless power transfer (WPT) technology of EV is becoming more and more mature. The safety of human electromagnetic exposure caused by the WPT system of EV has become the focus of research. Considering the practical application of EV WPT system, this paper studies the electromagnetic exposure of human body based on the uncertainty quantification theory. A sparse polynomial chaos expansion method is used to establish the surrogate model of the mean value of some human organs’ SAR, and the probability distribution function of SAR is calculated. The Sobol is used to quantify the impact of relevant variables on SAR. The final calculation results show that when the person is on the side of the EV, the offset between the magnetic coupling coils of the WPT and the lateral displacement of the human body on the side of the EV have a greater impact; When a person is at the rear of the EV, the vertical displacement of the magnetic coupling coils of the WPT has a greater impact on the longitudinal displacement of the human body at the rear of the vehicle. Combined with the above analysis, this paper can provide reasonable suggestions for the safety protection of electromagnetic exposure of human body in the WPT of EVs.

ОЦЕНКА РАДИАЦИОННЫХ РИСКОВ ЗАБОЛЕВАЕМОСТИ КАТАРАКТОЙ ЛИКВИДАТОРОВ ПОСЛЕДСТВИЙ АВАРИИ НА ЧЕРНОБЫЛЬСКОЙ АЭС С УЧЕТОМ ВЛИЯНИЯ СОПУТСТВУЮЩИХ БОЛЕЗНЕЙ

Purpose: To assess the radiation risk of cataracts among the Chernobyl clean-up workers (liquidators), considering the impact of concomitant diseases on this risk and to determine the dose threshold for the development of cataracts. Material and methods: Radiation risks of cataract incidence were studied in the cohort of liquidators of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, observed in the system of the National Radiation and Epidemiological Register (NRER) from 1986 to 2021. Among the 62,828 male liquidators, 9,461 new cases of cataracts were detected. The average age of the liquidators at the beginning of exposure was 34 years, the average absorbed dose of external gamma exposure of the whole body was 0.132 Gy, the maximum dose was 1.5 Gy, and the average duration of exposure was 2.5 months. To analyze the relationships of cataract incidence with other diseases and with the dose, a statistical method of link analysis, free from the type of distribution, as well as logistic regression models, were used. Results: The radiation risk of cataracts in the cohort of liquidators who did not have diagnoses of diabetes mellitus, hypoparathyroidism, malnutrition and myotonic disorders depends on the presence of concomitant diseases in the patient: glaucoma (ICD-10 H40–H42), hyperopia (H52.0), myopia (H52.1) or presbyopia (H52.4). For liquidators with comorbidities, radiation risk is statistically significant only 15 years after exposure, with an excess relative risk of ERR/Gy=0.46 with 90 % CI (0.06; 0.90). For liquidators without comorbidities, ERR/Gy decrease over time: from 4.42 with 90 % CI (0.72; 13.41) in the first 5 years, to zero risk 15 years after exposure. Nonparametric estimates of the relative risk (RR) of cataracts for the dose groups of liquidators are consistent with the estimates of ERR/Gy in the linear non-threshold (LNT) model. The determination of the dose threshold for cataracts according to the LNT model, in accordance with the recommendations of the ICRP, leads to estimates from 1.2 Gy to 13.3 Gy, depending on the presence or absence of cataract concomitant diseases in the liquidators. Conclusions: At present, there are no epidemiological evidence for reducing the equivalent dose limit for the lens of the eye for occupational exposure in planned exposure situations at the level of 150 mSv per year, previously established by the recommendations of the ICRP in 2007 and the current Russian radiation safety standards NRB-99/2009.

Behavioral adaptations to cold environments: A comparative study of active nomadic and modern sedentary lifestyles

Modern occupants hardly use their capacity to adapt to the wide range of thermal environments due to living in well-insulated buildings with indoor climatization. However, climate change with associated health hazards necessitates exploring the limits of human adaptability to extreme environments. Thus, this work compared the adaptive actions of Tuvan nomads living in lightweight yurts in Siberia and modern sedentary dwellers from the Netherlands. The descriptive analysis focused on differences in behavior, thermal exposure, and comfort expectations. Body accelerometry, skin, and exposure temperature were monitored over 3 days in wintertime using wearable sensors, while the indoor environment was monitored using stationary sensors. A significant difference in the daytime lifestyle between the Dutch and the Tuvans was reflected in the time spent indoors (66–100% vs. 15–51%), frequency of going outdoors (1–6 vs. 6–25 times), and the indoor clothing fashion (<1 clo vs. 1.1–2.3 clo). The nomadic population was exposed to a greater variation of the thermal environment (from −30 °C to +40 °C) in contrast to the Dutch (from 21 to 26 °C). Skin temperatures and the estimated Predictive Mean Vote (PMV) index indicated that Tuvans were relatively warm indoors than the Dutch, despite cold outdoors (mean −22 °C). The combination of greater clothing insulation, greater overall daily activity, elevated metabolic rate, and occasional overheating indoors defined such a difference. Nomads mainly relied on their actions rather than housing to keep themselves warm, and they had modest expectations of comfort, making them accept wider temperature variations, which was the crucial difference from modern expectations.

The Paradox of Sexual Dysfunction Observed during Pregnancy.

The aim of this study is to analyze the evolution of sexual function throughout pregnancy and highlight the predicting factors of sexual dysfunction in pregnant women. Our study included 144 participants, aged 16 to 45. Patients were evaluated three times during pregnancy by filling out the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the Body Exposure in Sexual Activities Questionnaire (BESAQ). At the time of the last evaluation, we asked patients to also fill out Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and a questionnaire regarding their psychological status and relationship satisfaction. We observed that the FSFI lubrication, satisfaction, and pain domains and the FSFI total score significantly decreased from the 1st to the 3rd evaluation. We observed that an increase in BDI score and the presence of abortion in the patient's history increase the risk of developing female sexual dysfunction (FSD). Higher BMIs were found to be a protective factor against FSD, as was being unmarried. The relationship satisfaction score was found to be an independent predictor of FSD. These findings support previous studies that indicate that pregnancy and postpartum sexuality are multifaceted phenomena and that psycho-social factors have a greater impact on sexuality than biological factors.

Rainstorm and high‐temperature disaster risk assessment of territorial space in Beijing, China

AbstractIt is important for territorial spatial planning to master meteorological disaster risk under the conditions of climate change and then carry out risk adaptation planning according to local conditions. Taking Beijing, a large city in China, as an example, a meteorological disaster risk assessment model was established based on the framework of hazard factors, disaster‐bearing body exposure, and vulnerability of underlying surface. Combined with 11 years of observation data from 293 high‐density weather stations, the rainstorm and high‐temperature risks of urban, agriculture, and ecological spaces were studied. The results show that (1) rainstorms and high‐temperature are mainly distributed in the built‐up areas of plain towns, which are the climate risk factors that need to be considered. (2) The central city of Beijing is at a high risk of rainstorms and high temperature, indicating that the underlying surface and disaster‐bearing body are highly vulnerable to meteorological disasters. (3) In suburbs with agricultural land, there is a certain rainstorm risk in Fangshan and Daxing districts, and a risk of high temperatures in the southern part of Tongzhou and Daxing. (4) The risk of high temperatures in the ecological space (eco‐zone) is relatively low, but the rainstorm risk is relatively high in Pinggu and Miyun. (5) The strategies of coping with rainstorm and high‐temperature disaster risk in Beijing's territorial space planning were discussed.

The safe use of lasers in biomedicine: Principles of laser-matter interaction.

Optical radiation sources, and in particular lasers, find an ever-increasing number of applications in the medical field. It is essential that personnel who are in the presence of an optical radiation source, whether operator, patient or researcher, know precisely the risks inherent in the exposure of the human body to radiation. In order to reduce the risk of biological damage, beyond the provisions of the law on safety regulations, the precise information and accurate preparation of personnel are the main guarantee for the correct use of these sources. In all the application fields, the possibility of a biological damage cannot be completely eliminated, assuming the connotation of occupational risks. In order to understand the risks and operate their effective mitigation, the basic knowledge of the fundamental concepts at the basis of laser-matter interaction will be presented and discussed, with a focus on the physical parameters needed to efficiently estimate and mitigate the related occupational risks, in both a laboratory and clinical context.

Estimation of the Prevalence of Occupational Exposure to Biological Fluids among Anesthesiologists: A Survey Study.

Percutaneous injuries caused by sharps and exposure to biological fluids are a serious concern for anesthesiologists and pose a significant risk of transmission of blood-borne pathogens. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of exposure to biological fluids among anesthesiologists. A questionnaire designed initially was validated after it was sent to 10 anesthesiologists with more than 5 years' experience. The validated questionnaire was then administered using Google Forms and the link was circulated electronically (e-mail, WhatsApp, and Telegram). This self-administered questionnaire was completed by 100 anesthesiologists. The various types and methods of body fluid years of exposure were also identified. The prevalence of occupational exposure to body fluids was 100%. Exposure to either blood or cerebrospinal fluids by sharps was seen in 82%. Majority of the pricks were encountered during recapping of used needles followed by pricks during intravenous cannulation. Body fluid exposure onto the bare skin most frequently encountered was blood, mostly obtained during intravenous cannulation. There were 8% patients who had exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B or C patients for which they had taken postexposure prophylaxis. Prevalence of exposure to biological fluids among anesthesiologists is alarmingly high. This poses a high risk for transmission of diseases. The use of protective gears and changing our casual attitude can prevent majority of the exposures. The practice of recapping of used needles should be stopped.

Implementation of Soil Washing in Remediation of Contaminated Soil

Many human anthropogenic activities, including as deforestation, fossil fuel combustion, industrialisation, and solid waste production, have contaminated and endangered the entire environmental ecosystem in this age of pollution. Recently, heavy metal contamination in soil particles has attracted the attention of governments around the world, as many agricultural farmlands are contaminated with heavy metal pollutants such as copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, and lead, which have negatively impacted crop development. In addition, long-term exposure of the human body to heavy metals will cause severe illnesses, including neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic diseases. These contaminated soils are extremely tough and demanding to remediate. Soil washing is one of the most effective, rapid, and straightforward ways for decontaminating heavy metal-contaminated soil. The primary purpose of soil washing is to clean the sand and gravel fractions while concentrating contaminants in the clay and silt fractions. This will aid in the removal of heavy metal particles from the soil and their transfer to the washing solution. This study will examine the fate and transport of heavy metal contaminants as well as the many forms of soil washing mechanisms. In addition, the obstacles of implementing soil washing as well as its advantages and disadvantages were explored. Further research and possibly new directions, in addition to the possibility of soil washing, would also be discussed.

Assessment of Predisposing Factors to Female Students Susceptibility to Ill-Health in Higher Educational Institutions in Benue State, Nigeria

The study aimed to examine the predisposing factors to female students’ susceptibility to ill-health in higher educational institutions in Benue State. The study was essentially a descriptive survey research. A total of 180 female students from three higher institutions of learning responded to a self-developed 20 items questionnaire with a Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of .65. Results from the descriptive analysisshows that environmental factors 75.6%, genetic/physiological factors 72%, and lifestyle 80% plays important roles as predisposing factors that influences the female students’ susceptibility to ill-health. The endogenous factors contribution to female students’ susceptibility to ill-health include genetic traits 16.3%, menstruation 73.7%, and hormone activity 10.6%. The exogenous factors have overcrowding 58.8%, poor sanitary condition 86.3%, use of poor-quality water 32.6%, poor quality of food consumed 10.6%, unhealthy environment 56.8%, risky behaviours such as drinking alcohol, smoking, abortion contribute 55.8%, body exposure from indecent dressing 28%, and exposure to severe hot weather 7%. The findings indicate that the female students genetic/physiological constitution, unhealthy environment and lifestyle in these schools could influence their susceptibility to mental and physical health disorder or disease. Thus, it is important and necessary for the Federal and State government who owned these schools gives priority attention to ensure that adequate construction of more infrastructure for healthy accommodation and learning are provided. This can be achieved by putting in place strategic monetary policy measures to finance adequate construction of infrastructures and proper maintenance of the academic environment.

Phase I study of anlotinib in pediatric patients with high-risk, recurrent, or refractory sarcomas.

e23538 Background: Anlotinib is an orally available, highly potent, novel multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which blocks VEGF signaling by selectively targeting VEGFR-2, -3 as well as FGFR-1, -2, -3, -4 with high affinity. We evaluated the toxicity, and pharmacokinetic profile of anlotinib in children with high-risk, recurrent, or refractory sarcomas. Methods: This was an open-label, single-center, single-arm phase I study, which enrolled pediatric patients with sarcoma. Pediatric patients aged 5-18 years diagnosed with high-risk, recurrent, or refractory sarcomas were enrolled and further categorized into cohort A (＜35 kg) or cohort B (≥ 35kg). Anlotinib was administered orally, once daily, 2-week on off, until disease progression, death, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent for any reasons. A fixed anlotinib level of 8 mg was given to cohort A and three dose levels (8mg, 10mg, 12mg) were evaluated using a “3 + 3” design in cohort B. Results: Between December 29, 2020, and September 7, 2022, 34 patients were enrolled to evaluate the safety and 19 (55.9%) were evaluable for efficacy. The median age was 12 (range 5-18) years old. The main subtype eligible was rhabdomyosarcoma (23.5%). Two of fifteen patients in cohort A at a dose level of 8 mg experienced dose-limiting toxicity, including grade 3 hematuria and grade 3 hand-foot syndrome. The grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (AEs) included neutropenia (3 [8.8%]), hand-foot syndrome (2 [5.9%]), headache (1 [2.9%]), hematuria (1 [2.9%]), hypertension (1 [2.9%]), and hyperbilirubinemia (1 [2.9%]). The most common AEs were grade 1 or 2 hypothyroidism (58.8%) and abdominal pain (55.9%). Twelve of 19 (63.2%) patients had a best response of stable disease with seven patients receiving ≥ 6 cycles. Age has no significant effect on the level of body exposure per unit body surface area dose, and patients younger than 12 years old had a faster elimination. Conclusions: Anlotinib in pediatric patients with sarcoma was well tolerated. The RP2D of anlotinib for future studies is 8 mg for patients＜ 35 kg and 12 mg for patients with ≥ 35kg. Clinical trial information: NCT04659733 . [Table: see text]

Emotional Perception: Divergence of Early and Late Event-related Potential Modulation.

The early posterior negativity (EPN) is a mid-latency ERP component that is reliably enhanced by emotional cues, with a deflection beginning between 150 and 200 msec after stimulus onset. The brief, bilateral occipital EPN is followed by the centroparietal late positive potential (LPP), a long duration slow-wave that is strongly associated with emotional arousal ratings of scenes. A recent study suggests that the EPN is particularly sensitive to human bodies in scenes, independent of emotional intensity. Here, we directly investigate the influence of human body features on EPN modulation, using emotional and neutral scenes depicting people across a range of body exposures and orientations, in addition to scenes of pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant animals. The results demonstrate that the EPN is quite sensitive to human body features and weakly related to arousal ratings, whereas the LPP is strongly modulated by scenes that receive high arousal ratings. Based on these results and relevant work on body-specific visual perception, we speculate that modulation of the EPN may strongly reflect the early detection of human bodies, which serves as a predictor of emotional significance, whereas LPP modulation is more closely associated with the extended elaborative processing of scenes that are explicitly judged to be emotionally arousing.

Self-Exposure on Instagram and BMI: Relations With Body Image Among Both Genders.

Social media users can actively choose how they portray themselves and review the information they share to form and manage positive impressions on their audience. A high Body Mass Index (BMI) can lead to a bias of attention towards self-reported unattractive personal body areas. This dysfunctional body-related attention can lead to increased body dissatisfaction. Concerning social networks, people who usually post more photos on Instagram more frequently show higher body satisfaction. The main objective of this work was to analyze the relationship between BMI in young people, their own exposition on Instagram, positive body image and certain psychological variables: self-esteem, coping and well-being. The population-based sample consisted of 687 young Instagram users aged between 18 to 35 years old. The results found in this work revealed that BMI had a significant influence on the body exposure on Instagram in both genders, as well as in body image and certain psychological variables, such as coping and well-being. Moreover, we found that there is not a direct relation between BMI and the exposure of the entire body on Instagram. This relationship exists through positive body image, appearance care and management appearance behaviors. These results imply that positive body image affects body's exposure, so people with obesity or overweight tend to upload less photos with half or full body visible than people with normal weight or underweight. This is not because of their weight, but their valuation and appreciation of their bodies.

Body exposure and vocal analysis: validation of fundamental frequency as a correlate of emotional arousal and valence.

Vocal analysis of fundamental frequency (f0) represents a suitable index to assess emotional activation. However, although f0 has often been used as an indicator of emotional arousal and different affective states, its psychometric properties are unclear. Specifically, there is uncertainty regarding the validity of the indices of f0mean and f0variabilitymeasures (f0dispersion, f0range, and f0SD) and whether higher or lower f0 indices are associated with higher arousal in stressful situations. The present study therefore aimed to validate f0 as a marker of vocally encoded emotional arousal, valence, and body-related distress during body exposure as a psychological stressor. N = 73 female participants first underwent a 3-min, non-activating neutral reference condition, followed by a 7-min activating body exposure condition. Participants completed questionnaires on affect (i.e., arousal, valence, body-related distress), and their voice data and heart rate (HR) were recorded continuously. Vocal analyses were performed using Praat, a program for extracting paralinguistic measures from spoken audio. The results revealed no effects for f0 and state body dissatisfaction or general affect. F0mean correlated positively with self-reported arousal and negatively with valence, but was not correlated with HRmean/maximum. No correlations with any measure were found for any f0variabililtymeasures. Given the promising findings regarding f0mean for arousal and valence and the inconclusive findings regarding f0 as a marker of general affect and body-related distress, it may be assumed that f0mean represents a valid global marker of emotional arousal and valence rather than of concrete body-related distress. In view of the present findings regarding the validity of f0, it may be suggested that f0mean, but not f0variabilitymeasures, can be used to assess emotional arousal and valence in addition to self-report measures, which is less intrusive than conventional psychophysiological measures.

Assessment of the Occupational Radiation Dose from a Handheld Portable X-ray Unit During Full-mouth Intraoral Dental Radiographs in the Dog and the Cat - A Pilot Study.

Occupational radiation protection is an important consideration in small animal clinics world-wide. With the increased use of portable handheld X-ray devices in veterinary dentistry, concerns related to occupational radiation protection are being raised. Annual occupational dose limits for dental workers are expressed as Total Dose Equivalent (TDE) or Effective Dose. The permitted TDE can vary depending on the anatomical region, ranging from 50 millisieverts (mSv) for the external whole body exposure dose to 500 mSv for external exposure of the skin or an extremity. Although several studies have been performed in human dentistry to establish the amount of backscatter radiation produced using portable handheld X-ray devices, no similar research has been conducted in veterinary dentistry. This study aimed to determine the TDE while acquiring a full mouth intraoral radiograph set in dogs and cats and to estimate the TDE for a handheld X-ray device's operator. For this, the backscatter radiation dose recorded by three sets of monitoring dosimeters located in strategic anatomical areas of the operator was assessed after taking one hundred intraoral radiographs in each group. The study concluded that the backscatter radiation levels were far below the permitted annual occupational doses in the three patient groups of this study. Even though the portable handheld X-ray unit was demonstrated to be a safe dental radiographic unit regarding backscattering radiation, the operator's eye, ovary, and breast regions were exposed to unnecessary radiation.

Effects of Hormonal Profile, Weight, and Body Image on Sexual Function in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hyperandrogenic endocrinological disorder associated with chronic oligo-anovulation and polycystic ovarian morphology. Compared to women without PCOS, women with PCOS have a risk of sexual dysfunction that is more than 30% higher. Although alterations in sex hormones and psychosocial wellbeing have been proposed, the precise mechanisms of FSD in PCOS remain unclear. The aim of our study was to analyze how the hormonal, clinical and psychometric parameters of PCOS patients are involved in the development of sexual dysfunction. The study group consisted of 54 women, aged between 21 and 32 years, diagnosed with PCOS. We collected the following parameters: age, body mass index (BMI), the Ferriman-Gallwey score (FG), maximum duration of oligomenorrhea, abdominal circumference (AC), free testosterone value (FT), luteinizing hormone/follicle stimulating hormone (LH/FSH) ratio value, serum cortisol value and ovarian ultrasound appearance. At the time of the examination, patients were asked to fill in the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the Body Exposure during Sexual Activities Questionnaire (BESAQ). Statistically significant differences were observed between normal weight and overweight women regarding BESAQ (p-value = 0.02) and FSFI total (p-value <0.001). Elevated BMI, AC or BESAQ scores correlated with a lower FSFI score. The most involved domains of the scale were orgasm, arousal, and desire. Elevated BESAQ scores increase the risk of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) by 4.24 times. FT, BESAQ score, BMI, and LH/FSH ratio were found to independently predict FSD. The cutoff point for the BESAQ score in detecting FSD was found to be 1.97. Weight, body image and anxiety related to sexual activities seem to be significant components in the development of sexual dysfunction in PCOS patients, beyond the effect due to hyperandrogenism. FT value has a U-shape effect in sexual dysfunction, because both in the case of deficit and in the case of excess, sexual function is impaired. BESAQ is a strong predictor for sexual dysfunction in women with PCOS, along with FT value, LH/FSH ratio and BMI.

Resilience, aging, and response to radiation exposure (RARRE) in nonhuman primates: a resource review.

The Wake Forest nonhuman primate (NHP) Radiation Late Effects Cohort (RLEC) is a unique and irreplaceable population of aging NHP radiation survivors which serves the nation's need to understand the late effects of radiation exposure. Over the past 16years, Wake Forest has evaluated > 250 previously irradiated rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) that were exposed to single total body irradiation (IR) doses of 1.14-8.5Gy or to partial body exposures of up to 10Gy (5% bone marrow sparing) or 10.75Gy (whole thorax). Though primarily used to examine IR effects on disease-specific processes or to develop radiation countermeasures, this resource provides insights on resilience across physiologic systems and its relationship with biological aging. Exposure to IR has well documented deleterious effects on health, but the late effects of IR are highly variable. Some animals exhibit multimorbidity and accumulated health deficits, whereas others remain relatively resilient years after exposure to total body IR. This provides an opportunity to evaluate biological aging at the nexus of resilient/vulnerable responses to a stressor. Consideration of inter-individual differences in response to this stressor can inform individualized strategies to manage late effects of radiation exposure, and provide insight into mechanisms underlying systemic resilience and aging. The utility of this cohort for age-related research questions was summarized at the 2022 Trans-NIH Geroscience Interest Group's Workshop on Animal Models for Geroscience. We present a brief review of radiation injury and its relationship to aging and resilience in NHPs with a focus on the RLEC.

Whole-body cryotherapy as a treatment for chronic medical conditions?

Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) is a controlled exposure of the whole body to cold to gain health benefits. In recent years, data on potential applications of WBC in multiple clinical settings have emerged. PubMed, EBSCO and Clinical Key search using keywords including terms 'whole body', 'cryotherapy' and 'cryostimulation'. WBC could be applied as adjuvant therapy in multiple conditions involving chronic inflammation because of its potent anti-inflammatory effects. Those might include systemic inflammation as in rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, WBC could serve as adjuvant therapy for chronic inflammation in some patients with obesity. WBC probably might be applied as an adjuvant treatment in patients with chronic brain disorders including mild cognitive impairment and general anxiety disorder and in patients with depressive episodes and neuroinflammation reduction as in multiple sclerosis. WBC effects in metabolic disorder treatment are yet to be determined. WBC presumably exerts pleiotropic effects and therefore might serve as adjuvant therapy in multi-systemic disorders, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The quality of studies on the effects of WBC in the clinical setting is in general low; hence, randomized controlled trials with adequate sample size and longer follow-up periods are needed. Further studies should examine the mechanism underlying the clinical efficacy of WBC. Multiple conditions might involve chronic inflammation, which in turn could be a potential target of WBC. Further research on the application of WBC in neurodegenerative disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders and ME/CFS should be conducted.

Eating Disorders and Dietary Supplements: A Review of the Science

Disordered eating is a serious health concern globally. The etiology is complex and multidimensional and differs somewhat for each specific eating disorder. Several risk factors have been identified which include psychological, genetic, biochemical, environmental, and sociocultural factors. Poor body image, low self-esteem, teasing, family dynamics, and exposure to media images have also been identified as risk factors. While it is enticing to consider a single behavioral risk factor, doing so fails to consider the documented environmental, social, psychological, biological, and cultural factors that contribute to the development of an eating disorder in a multidimensional and complex integration that is undoubtedly unique to everyone. Focusing only on any one factor without taking the complex etiology into account is remiss. For example, it has been suggested that the use of dietary supplements may lead to eating disorders, despite a lack of evidence to support this conjecture. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to examine the evidence-based risk factors for eating disorders and discuss why connecting dietary supplements to eating disorder etiology is not supported by the scientific literature and may interfere with treatment. Established, effective prevention and treatment approaches for eating disorders should be the focus of public health initiatives in this domain.

Procedural anxiety among children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis and their parents.

Procedural anxiety involves acute distress around medical procedures and may lead to avoidance or resistance behaviors that interfere with effectivecystic fibrosis(CF) care and health outcomes. While individuals with CFcommonly endure uncomfortable and/or distressing medical procedures, procedural anxiety among children and adolescents with CF has received little research attention. This study investigated the prevalence and correlates of procedural anxiety among individuals with CF aged 6-18 and their parents. Eighty-nine parents of children with CF completed surveys examining child procedural anxiety, anxiety, and health behaviors (including treatment adherence); and parent vicarious procedural anxiety. Seventy-five percentof participants rated at least one CF-related procedure as "extremely" anxiety-inducing for their child. Parental vicarious procedural anxiety was reported in 80.9% of participants. Procedural anxiety significantly correlated with child anxiety, treatment-resistive behaviors, and parent-vicarious procedural anxiety. Procedural anxiety was associated with younger age and frequency of distressing procedures, but not with forced expiratory volume in 1 s, body mass index, hospitalizations, or exposure to general anesthesia. Procedural anxiety is common among children, adolescents, and caregivers, and is associated with child anxiety and treatment resistance, emphasizing the importance of screening and interventions for procedural anxiety as part of routine CF care from early childhood. Implications for screening and intervention are discussed.

Urogenital Schistosomiasis Transmission and Human Water Contact Activities in Owena Reservoir/Dam, Ondo East Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria

<i>Background</i>: This study on urogenital schistosomiasis transmission and the roles played by human water contact activities was carried out in selected three communities viz Owena, Kajola and Baiken, bordering Owena Reservoir/Dam in Ondo East Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria for a period of twenty four months. <i>Objective</i>: To ascertain the effects of human water contact activities on urogenital schistosomiasis transmission. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: Each site was observed for water contact activities once every month for twenty-four months. Observation was made at each site in February (dry season), May (early rainy season), August (rainy season) and November (early dry season). During this period, records were taken about individuals entering and leaving the water. Various types of human water contact activities were grouped on the basis of general purpose of contact. With regards to degree of body exposure and mean duration of contacts; using canoe, fetching water, washing household utensils, sorting fish and washing exposed limbs, all involved exposure of only parts of the lower limbs (foot and leg) and or the upper limbs (hand and forearm) for a brief period of time grouped as partial contact activities. Water contact activities consist of washing clothes and fish nets, processing food products (such as cassava and palm oil) may involve exposure of most parts of the lower and/or the upper limbs for a longer period. Swimming and bathing commonly involve total exposure for a very long time and were designated as complete contacts. <i>Results</i>: General pattern of human water contact activities in the study revealed 34,686 (61.6%) domestic, 15,897 (28.2%) economic, 5,732 (10.2%) recreational and 15 (0.03%) religious activities. Frequency of these activities varied significantly (p<0.05) among stations and seasons but comparable from one year to the other. School children (5-19 years age group) spent more time on exposure than adults who spent more time on partial and limited exposure. As a result, the exposure index was significantly (p<0.001) age dependent and followed the same pattern as duration of contact. Site containing most infected <i>Bulinus globosus </i>snails was site 4 (KAJ 1) at Kajola community with snail infection rate of 9.2% and the same site 4 (KAJ 1) had the highest relative index of exposure (15,063.80) as well as level of total duration (14,215) of contact in minutes. <i>Conclusion</i>: Site 4 (KAJ 1) at Kajola community was the transmission site in Owena Reservoir/Dam, Ondo East Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria.