The exercise pressor reflex: An update

The exercise pressor reflex is a feedback mechanism engaged upon stimulation of mechano- and metabosensitive skeletal muscle afferents. Activation of these afferents elicits a reflex increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and ventilation in an intensity-dependent manner. Consequently, the exercise pressor reflex has been postulated to be one of the principal mediators of the cardiorespiratory responses to exercise. In this updated review, we will discuss classical and recent advancements in our understating of the exercise pressor reflex function in both human and animal models. Particular attention will be paid to the afferent mechanisms and pathways involved during its activation, its effects on different target organs, its potential role in the abnormal cardiovascular response to exercise in diseased states, and the impact of age and biological sex on these responses. Finally, we will highlight some unanswered questions in the literature that may inspire future investigations in the field.

     

Genomic variants within chromosome 14q32.32 regulate bone mass through MARK3 signaling in osteoblasts

Bone mineral density (BMD) is a highly heritable predictor of osteoporotic fracture. GWAS have identified hundreds of loci influencing BMD, but few have been functionally analyzed. In this study, we show that SNPs within a BMD locus on chromosome 14q32.32 alter splicing and expression of PAR-1a/microtubule affinity regulating kinase 3 (MARK3), a conserved serine/threonine kinase known to regulate bioenergetics, cell division, and polarity. Mice lacking Mark3 either globally or selectively in osteoblasts have increased bone mass at maturity. RNA profiling from Mark3-deficient osteoblasts suggested changes in the expression of components of the Notch signaling pathway. Mark3-deficient osteoblasts exhibited greater matrix mineralization compared with controls that was accompanied by reduced Jag1/Hes1 expression and diminished downstream JNK signaling. Overexpression of Jag1 in Mark3-deficient osteoblasts both in vitro and in vivo normalized mineralization capacity and bone mass, respectively. Together, these findings reveal a mechanism whereby genetically regulated alterations in Mark3 expression perturb cell signaling in osteoblasts to influence bone mass.     

COVID-19 Gender Disparities and Mitigation Recommendations: A Narrative Review

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly created widespread impacts on global health and the economy. Data suggest that women are less susceptible to severe illness. However, sex-disaggregated data are incomplete, leaving room for misinterpretation, and focusing only on biologic sex underestimates the gendered impact of the pandemic on women. This narrative review summarizes what is known about gender disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic, domestic, and health burdens along with overlapping vulnerabilities related to the pandemic. In addition, this review outlines recommended strategies that advocacy groups, community leaders, and policymakers should implement to mitigate the widening gender disparities related to COVID-19.     

Emergency Care EMTALA Alterations During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

The coronavirus 2019 pandemic has affected almost every aspect of health care delivery in the United States, and the emergency medicine system has been hit particularly hard while dealing with this public health crisis. In an unprecedented time in our history, medical systems and clinicians have been asked to be creative, flexible, and innovative, all while continuing to uphold the important standards in the US health care system. To continue providing quality services to patients during this extraordinary time, care providers, organizations, administrators, and insurers have needed to alter longstanding models and procedures to respond to the dynamics of a pandemic. The Emergency Medicine Treatment and Active Labor Act of 1986, or EMTALA, is 1 example of where these alterations have allowed health care facilities and clinicians to continue their work of caring for patients while protecting both the patients and the clinicians themselves from infectious exposures at the same time.     

杭州市下城区中老年人对社区中医药卫生服务的需求与影响因素

目的:探究中老年人对对社区中医药卫生服务的需求及影响因素,为促进中医药在社区卫生服务中心的开展提供科学依据。方法:于2018~2019年随机抽取杭州市下城区石桥街道社区卫生服务中心诊治的40岁以上中老年人作为研究对象。采用问卷调查的方法对中老年人进行社区中医药卫生服务的需求及影响因素分析。结果:研究共纳入569例中老年人,中老年人对中医药卫生服务总体需求度为75.75%,对中医药技术服务、中医用药、中医药膳指导服务、腧穴保健指导、中医康复、情志疏导需求度分别为84.53%、75.92%、81.72%、88.75%、71.18%、65.38%。对中医药卫生服务有需求和无需求的两组研究对象中,年龄、性别、BMI、婚姻状况、学历、家庭人均年收入、是否患有慢性病的构成情况差异明显(P<0.05),高年龄、男性、高BMI、丧偶或离异或其他、高学历、高收入及患有慢性病的中老年人对中医药卫生服务需求度较高。结论:中老年人对社区中医药卫生服务的需求度较高,尤其是高年龄、女性、高收入及患有慢性病的人群。