Rodents are troublesome urban pests, with potentially serious health implications. Preventive efforts require greater understanding of social contexts in which they are prevalent. This study aimed to determine rodent prevalence and identify factors associated with rodent infestations in urban residential settings.
Methods:
The Health, Environment and Development study is a longitudinal panel study conducted in five settlements across Johannesburg. Data on socio-economic status, domestic behaviour and housing quality are collected annually. Logistic regression revealed risk factors for rodent prevalence at household level.
Results:
Rodents are a major household problem in all study areas (prevalence 54%). Factors associated with increased prevalence of rats included lower income, living in informal areas, overcrowding, cracks in dwelling walls and internal damp.
Conclusion:
Socio-economic status, housing quality, domestic behaviour and environmental health services are associated with exposure to rodents in urban Johannesburg communities. This information served as a platform to launch rodent awareness campaigns at study sites. 相似文献
To investigate the effects of lipids from goat milk containing conjugated linoleic acids on body weight and reflex ontogeny of neonatal rats treated during the prenatal and suckling periods.
Methods
Three groups were studied: soybean oil (S), coconut oil (C), and goat milk lipids (GM). Reflex maturation (palm grasp, righting reflex, cliff avoidance, vibrissae placing, negative geotaxis, auditory startle, and free-fall righting) as well as body weight evolution were recorded during lactation.
Results
Data demonstrated that the lipids from goat milk accelerated body weight evolution as well as all the reflex maturation investigated (P < 0.05).
Discussion
The supply of goat's milk offered to Wistar rats during pregnancy and lactation provided a variety of fatty acids necessary to accelerate the development of offspring. 相似文献
Vitamin D plays an important role in brain development and functioning. Low levels of vitamin D have been described in several psychiatric and neurologic conditions including autism spectrum disorder. Alexithymia that shows high comorbidity with autism is also present in the general population as well as hypovitaminosis D.
Methods
Here we assessed the relation between alexithymia as measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 and vitamin D level in healthy young adults.
Results
We found an inverse correlation between the levels of alexithymia and vitamin D.
Discussion
These data suggest the association between disturbed emotional processing and low levels of vitamin D to be present in young healthy subjects. 相似文献
Rcswch Unit in Health .ad Behaviourd Chutge. University of Edinburgh, John Wdey and Son, London, 1989, ISBN 0 471 91976 4.
The new public health
John Ashtw and RowYd Seymour. Open University Press, 1988. ISBN 0 335 15550 2, £6.95.
Infertility services-a desperate case
N d Pfeilu cmd Allison Qukk. Greater London Association of Community Health Councils, 1988.
A new kind of Doctor
Julian Tudor Hart. Merlin Press, 1988. ISBN 085036 299 7, £11.95 (hardback). 相似文献
Racial discrimination has been associated with unhealthy behaviors, but the mechanisms responsible for these associations are not understood and may be related to residential racial segregation. We investigated associations between self-reported racial discrimination and health behaviors before and after controlling for individual- and neighborhood-level characteristics; and potential effect modification of these associations by segregation.
Design
We used data from the longitudinal Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study for 1169 African-Americans and 1322 whites. To assess racial discrimination, we used a four category variable to capture the extent and persistence of self-reported discrimination between examination at years 7 (1992–1993) and 15 (2000–2001). We assessed smoking status, alcohol consumption, and physical activity at year 20 (2005–2006). Segregation was examined as the racial/ethnic composition at the Census tract level.
Results
Discrimination was more common in African-Americans (89.1%) than in whites (40.0%). Living in areas with high percentage of blacks was associated with less reports of discrimination in African-Americans but more reports in whites. After adjustment for selected characteristics including individual- and neighborhood-level socioeconomic conditions and segregation, we found significant positive associations of discrimination with smoking and alcohol consumption in African-Americans and with smoking in whites. African-Americans experiencing moderate or high discrimination were more physically active than those reporting no discrimination. Whites reporting some discrimination were also more physically active than those reporting no discrimination. We observed no interactions between discrimination and segregation measures in African-Americans or whites for any of the three health behaviors.
Conclusions
Racial discrimination may impact individuals' adoption of healthy and unhealthy behaviors independent of racial/ethnic segregation. These behaviors may help individuals buffer or reduce the stress of discrimination. 相似文献
This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of rutin against trimethyltin-induced spatial learning and memory impairment in mice. This study focused on the role of synaptophysin, growth-associated protein 43 and the action of the dopaminergic system in mechanisms associated with rutin protection and trimethyltin-induced spatial learning and memory impairment.
Methods
Cognitive learning and memory was measured by Morris Water Maze. The expression of synaptophysin and growth-associated protein 43 in hippocampus was analyzed by western blot. The concentrations of dopamine, homovanillic acid, and dihyroxyphenylacetic acid in hippocampus were detected using reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.
Results
Trimethyltin-induced spatial learning impairment showed a dose-dependent mode. Synaptophysin but not growth-associated protein 43 was decreased in the hippocampus after trimethyltin administration. The concentration of dopamine decreased, while homovanillic acid increased in the hippocampus after trimethyltin administration. Mice pretreated with 20 mg/kg of rutin for 7 consecutive days exhibited improved water maze performance. Moreover, rutin pretreatment reversed the decrease of synaptophysin expression and dopamine alteration.
Discussion
These results suggest that rutin may protect against spatial memory impairment induced by trimethyltin. Synaptophysin and the dopaminergic system may be involved in trimethyltin-induced neuronal damage in hippocampus. 相似文献
To evaluate IQ and academic skills in adults who experienced an episode of moderate-to-severe infantile malnutrition and a healthy control group, all followed since childhood in the Barbados Nutrition Study.
Methods
IQ and academic skills were assessed in 77 previously malnourished adults (mean age = 38.4 years; 53% male) and 59 controls (mean age = 38.1 years; 54% male). Group comparisons were carried out by multiple regression and logistic regression, adjusted for childhood socioeconomic factors.
Results
The previously malnourished group showed substantial deficits on all outcomes relative to healthy controls (P < 0.0001). IQ scores in the intellectual disability range (< 70) were nine times more prevalent in the previously malnourished group (odds ratio = 9.18; 95% confidence interval = 3.50–24.13). Group differences in IQ of approximately one standard deviation were stable from adolescence through mid-life.
Discussion
Moderate-to-severe malnutrition during infancy is associated with a significantly elevated incidence of impaired IQ in adulthood, even when physical growth is completely rehabilitated. An episode of malnutrition during the first year of life carries risk for significant lifelong functional morbidity. 相似文献
The protective effects of fish oil (FO) on cisplatin (CP)-induced central and peripheral neurotoxicity were investigated in rats.
Methods
Rats (n = 28) were divided equally into four groups, the first group was kept as a control. In the second and third groups, CP and FO were given at doses of 7 mg/kg and 1 softgel/rat/day, respectively. In the fourth group, CP and FO were given together at the same doses.
Results
Although CP caused significant oxidative damage, via induction of lipid peroxidation and reduction in the antioxidant defense system potency, FO treatment largely reversed these effects. CP also resulted in histopathological damage, such as apoptosis, and electromyographical changes in the sciatic nerve. FO treatment partially prevented the histopathological and electromyographical effects of CP.
Discussion
CP has severe central and peripheral neurotoxic effects in rats and these effects were largely prevented by FO treatment. Thus, it appears that co-administration of FO with CP may be a useful approach to attenuate the negative effects of CP on the nervous system. 相似文献
Protein malnutrition (PM) is a worldwide problem affecting brain development in a large number of children. The present study was aimed at studying the perturbations in antioxidant defense system resulting from protein deficiency and to evaluate the preventive effect of Se and Zn on cortex and cerebellum.
Methods
Well-fed (WF) and PM rats were fed on 16 and 5% protein diet, respectively. After 10 weeks, animals were supplemented with Se and Zn at a concentration of 0.15 and 227 mg/l in drinking water for 3 weeks.
Results
PM rats showed significant increase in lipid peroxidation, nitrite, and protein carbonyl levels. Reduction in the activity of antioxidant enzymes, thiol levels, GSH/GSSG ratio, and neurobehavioral deficits were observed in PM groups. Se and Zn supplementation reduced the levels of lipid peroxidation, nitrite, and protein carbonyl and restored the activity of antioxidant enzymes and thiol levels in the cortex and cerebellum of PM rats along with neurobehavioral deficits.
Discussion
The study showed that Se and Zn supplementation might be beneficial in preventing biochemical alterations and neurobehavioral deficits in PM children. 相似文献