Is exposure to pesticides associated with biological aging? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Exposure to pesticides is a risk factor for various diseases, yet its association with biological aging remains unclear. We aimed to systematically investigate the relationship between pesticide exposure and biological aging. METHODS: PubMed, Embase and Web of Science were searched from inception to August 2023. Observational studies investigating the association between pesticide exposure and biomarkers of biological aging were included. Three-level random-effect meta-analysis was used to synthesize the data. Risk of bias was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. RESULTS: Twenty studies evaluating the associations between pesticide exposure and biomarkers of biological aging in 10,368 individuals were included. Sixteen reported telomere length and four reported epigenetic clocks. Meta-analysis showed no statistically significant associations between pesticide exposure and the Hannum clock (pooled ß = 0.27; 95 %CI: -0.25, 0.79), or telomere length (pooled Hedges'g = -0.46; 95 %CI: -1.10, 0.19). However, the opposite direction of effects for the two outcomes showed an indication of possible accelerated biological aging. After removal of influential effect sizes or low-quality studies, shorter telomere length was found in higher-exposed populations. CONCLUSION: The existing evidence for associations between pesticide exposure and biological aging is limited due to the scarcity of studies on epigenetic clocks and the substantial heterogeneity across studies on telomere length. High-quality studies incorporating more biomarkers of biological aging, focusing more on active chemical ingredients of pesticides and accounting for potential confounders are needed to enhance our understanding of the impact of pesticides on biological aging.

Measurement properties of the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) validation studies: a systematic review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Mental Health Literacy (MHL) is important for improving mental health and reducing inequities in treatment. The Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) is a valid and reliable assessment tool for MHL. This systematic review will examine and compare the measurement properties of the MHLS in different languages, enabling academics, clinicians and policymakers to make informed judgements regarding its use in assessments. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The review will adhere to the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) methodology for systematic reviews of patient-reported outcome measures and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Manual for Evidence Synthesis and will be presented following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis 2020 checklist. The review will be conducted in four stages, including an initial search confined to PubMed, a search of electronic scientific databases PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, MEDLINE, Embase (Elsevier), PubMed (NLM) and ERIC, an examination of the reference lists of all papers to locate relevant publications and finally contacting the MHLS original author to identify validation studies that the searches will not retrieve. These phases will assist us in locating studies that evaluate the measurement properties of MHLS across various populations, demographics and contexts. The search will focus on articles published in English between May 2015 and December 2023. The methodological quality of the studies will be evaluated using the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist, and a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative data synthesis will be performed. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not required. The publication will be in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42023430924.

Genotoxicity of Occupational Pesticide Exposures among Agricultural Workers in Arab Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Exposure to pesticides in Arab countries is a significant public health concern due to extensive agricultural activity and pesticide use. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the genotoxic effects of agricultural pesticide exposure in the region, identify research gaps, and assess methodological limitations. Following the PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search yielded five relevant studies conducted in Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. Various genotoxicity assays were employed, revealing a higher level of DNA damage in exposed compared to non-exposed individuals. Farmers exposed to pesticides exhibited a significantly higher occurrence of chromosomal translocation (t(14;18)), micronuclei, and chromosomal aberrations. However, only two studies assessed cytotoxicity indirectly. The studies predominantly focused on male participants, with variations in sample size and pesticide types. The lack of detailed exposure data necessitates cautious interpretation. This review underscores the need for further research on the genotoxicity of occupational pesticide exposure in the Middle East. Future studies should adopt robust study designs, collect biological and environmental samples, conduct repeated sampling, analyze seasonal variations, and encompass diverse study sites associated with specific crop groups.

Are encapsulated pesticides less harmful to human health than their conventional alternatives? Protocol for a systematic review of in vitro and in vivo animal model studies.

BACKGROUND: The gradual increase in the global population has led to the rising demand for agricultural products worldwide. This required the introduction of environment- and public health-friendly advanced technologies for plant protection to guard yields from pest destruction in a sustainable way. Encapsulation technology is a promising procedure to increase the effectiveness of pesticide active ingredients while reducing human exposure and environmental impact. Despite the presumed favorable properties of encapsulated pesticide formulations on human health, it is necessary to systematically assess whether they are less harmful to human health than conventional pesticide products. OBJECTIVES: We aim to systematically review the literature to answer the question of whether micro- or nano-encapsulated pesticide formulations exert different degrees of toxicity than their conventional (not-encapsulated) counterparts in in vivo animal and in vitro (human, animal, and bacterial cell) non-target models. The answer is important to estimate the possible differences in the toxicological hazards of the two different types of pesticide formulations. Because our extracted data will come from different models, we also aim to perform subgroup analyses to investigate how toxicity varies across different models. A pooled toxicity effect estimate will also be performed by meta-analysis when appropriate. METHODS: The systematic review will follow the guidelines developed by the National Toxicology Program's Office of Health Assessment and Translation (NTP/OHAT). The protocol adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and meta-analyses Protocol (PRISMA-P) statement. PubMed (NLM), Scopus (Elsevier), Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate), Embase (Elsevier), and Agricola (EBSCOhost) electronic databases will be comprehensively searched in September 2022 to identify eligible studies using multiple search terms of "pesticide", "encapsulation" and "toxicity" along with their synonyms and other words that are semantically related. The reference lists of all eligible articles and retrieved reviews will be manually screened to identify additional relevant papers. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: We will include peer-reviewed experimental (non-target in vivo animal model and in vitro human, animal, and bacterial cell cultures) studies published as full-text articles in English language that simultaneously investigate the effect of any micro- or nano-encapsulated pesticide formulation, applied in all ranges of concentrations, duration, and routes of exposure, and its corresponding active ingredient(s) or its conventional non-encapsulated product formulation(s) used in the same ranges of concentrations, duration, and routes of exposure on the same pathophysiological outcome. We will exclude studies that examine pesticidal activity on target organisms, cultures of cells isolated from target organisms exposed in vivo or in vitro, and those using biological materials isolated from target organisms/cells. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS: Studies identified by the search will be screened and managed according to the review inclusion and exclusion criteria in the Covidence systematic review tool by two reviewers, who will also blindly extract the data and assess the risk of bias of included studies. The OHAT risk of bias tool will be applied to evaluate the quality and risk of bias in the included studies. Study findings will be synthesized narratively by important features of the study populations, design, exposure, and endpoints. If findings make it possible, a meta-analysis will be performed on identified toxicity outcomes. To rate the certainty in the body of evidence, we will use the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Short-term effects of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization compared to algometry pressure release in tension-type headache: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

PURPOSES: To compare the effectiveness of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) and pressure algometry with sham ultrasound (control group) on the clinical measures of headache, pressure pain threshold (PPT) of upper trapezius and suboccipital muscles and cervical alignment in patients with tension type headache (TTH). METHODS: Seventy-two patients with TTH of both genders were randomly allocated to 3 experimental groups: a) the IASTM group (n=24), b) pressure algometry group (n=24), and c) sham ultrasound control group (n=24). Headache frequency and disability, pressure pain threshold of upper trapezius and suboccipital muscles, cervical lordosis angle (CA) and anterior head translation (AHT) were measured four weeks before and after intervention. Moreover, headache frequency was followed up for two more weeks after intervention. RESULTS: Statistically significant improvements (P <0.05; effect size ranges 1.1-1.9) were observed in all outcome measures following IASTM compared to the other two intervention methods. In the IASTM group, the headache frequency decreased from 15 to 2 days/month. Also, headache disability decreased from 19 to 10. Further, CA increased from 17.5° to 31.4° and AHT decreased from 24.1 to 15.5 mm. The pressure algometry group showed significantly lower headache frequency at the follow-up (P < 0.01) than the sham ultrasound control group. However, Similar findings in the other evaluated outcomes were found between the pressure algometry and sham ultrasound control groups (P ˃ 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate the effectiveness of IASTM in improving headache symptoms and cervical alignment in patients with TTH.

The effect of exercise training on biventricular myocardial strain in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

AIMS: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) improves peak oxygen uptake and left ventricular diastology in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, its effects on myocardial strain in HFpEF remain unknown. We explored the effects of HIIT and moderate-intensity aerobic continuous training (MI-ACT) on left and right ventricular strain parameters in patients with HFpEF. Furthermore, we explored their relationship with peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak ). METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifteen patients with HFpEF (age = 70 ± 8.3 years) were randomized to either: (i) HIIT (4 × 4 min, 85-90% peak heart rate, interspersed with 3 min of active recovery; n = 9) or (ii) MI-ACT (30 min at 70% peak heart rate; n = 6). Patients were trained 3 days/week for 4 weeks and underwent VO2peak testing and 2D echocardiography at baseline and after completion of the 12 sessions of supervised exercise training. Left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) average global peak systolic longitudinal strain (GLS) and peak systolic longitudinal strain rate (GSR) were quantified. Paired t-tests were used to examine within-group differences and unpaired t-tests used for between-group differences (α = 0.05). Right ventricular average global peak systolic longitudinal strain improved significantly in the HIIT group after training (pre = -18.4 ± 3.2%, post = -21.4 ± 1.7%; P = 0.02) while RV-GSR, LV-GLS, and LV-GSR did not (P > 0.2). No significant improvements were observed following MI-ACT. No significant between-group differences were observed for any strain measure. ΔLV-GLS and ΔRV-GLS were modestly correlated with ΔVO2peak (r = -0.48 and r = -0.45; P = 0.1, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with HFpEF, 4 weeks of HIIT significantly improved RV-GLS.

Double Chambered Right Ventricle with Ventricular Septal Defect in Adults: Case Series and Review of the Literature

Double-chambered right ventricle (DCRV) is an uncommon congenital anomaly in which anomalous muscle bands divide the right ventricle into two chambers; a proximal high-pressure and distal low-pressure chamber. It may be associated with mid right ventricular obstruction. It is commonly associated with other congenital anomalies, most frequently perimembranous ventricular septal defect (PM-VSD). We herein present 5 adult patients with concomitant DCRV and PM-VSD who varied in their symptomatic presentations and the ways of management.

Severe Form of Tetralogy of Fallot: Late Presentation

No abstract available.

Unusual Cardiac Infiltration in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

No abstract available.

Unusual Case of Cor Triatriatum Sinister

No abstract available.

Early Complication of Mustard Procedure after Late Repair

No abstract available.

La corona 3/4 cerámica reversa para dientes anteriores: diseño y preparación / The ceramic reverse three-quarter crown for anterior teeth: preparation design

Un nuevo diseño para la preparación de la corona 3/4 cerámica reversa para dientes anteriores ofrece una manera de mejorar el aspecto de los dientes anteriores con muy poca o moderada reducción de tejido dental, las ventajas y las indicaciones de este nuevo diseño se discuten en este artículo