| 1. |
- Patwary, Muhammad Mainuddin, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of extreme weather events on mental health in South and Southeast Asia : A two decades of systematic review of observational studies
- 2024
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Ingår i: Environmental Research. - : Elsevier. - 0013-9351 .- 1096-0953. ; 250
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Extreme weather events in South and Southeast Asia exert profound psychosocial impacts, amplifying the prevalence of mental illness. Despite their substantial consequences, there is a dearth of research and representation in the current literature. We conducted a systematic review of observational studies published between January 1, 2000, and January 20, 2024, to examine the impact of extreme weather events on the mental health of the South and Southeast Asian population. Quality assessment of the included studies was conducted using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) quality appraisal checklist. The search retrieved 70 studies that met the inclusion criteria and were included in our review. Most were from India (n = 22), and most used a cross-sectional study design (n = 55). Poor mental health outcomes were associated with six types of extreme weather events: floods, storm surges, typhoons, cyclones, extreme heat, and riverbank erosion. Most studies (n = 41) reported short-term outcome measurements. Findings included outcomes with predictable symptomatology, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, general psychological distress, emotional distress and suicide. Limited studies on long-term effects showed higher mental disorders after floods and typhoons, while cyclone-exposed individuals had more short-term distress. Notably, the review identified over 50 risk factors influencing mental health outcomes, categorized into six classes: demographic, economic, health, disaster exposure, psychological, and community factors. However, the quantitative evidence linking extreme weather events to mental health was limited due to a lack of longitudinal data, lack of control groups, and the absence of objective exposure measurements. The review found some compelling evidence linking extreme weather events to adverse mental health in the South and Southeast Asia region. Future research should focus on longitudinal study design to identify the specific stressors and climatic factors influencing the relationship between climate extremes and mental health in this region.
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| 2. |
- Ali, Nurshad, et al.
(författare)
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Association between arsenic exposure and plasma cholinesterase activity : a population based study in Bangladesh
- 2010
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Ingår i: Environmental Health. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1476-069X. ; 9:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Arsenic is a potent pollutant that has caused an environmental catastrophe in certain parts of the world including Bangladesh where millions of people are presently at risk due to drinking water contaminated by arsenic. Chronic arsenic exposure has been scientifically shown as a cause for liver damage, cancers, neurological disorders and several other ailments. The relationship between plasma cholinesterase (PChE) activity and arsenic exposure has not yet been clearly documented. However, decreased PChE activity has been found in patients suffering liver dysfunction, heart attack, cancer metastasis and neurotoxicity. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the PChE activity in individuals exposed to arsenic via drinking water in Bangladesh.Methods: A total of 141 Bangladeshi residents living in arsenic endemic areas with the mean arsenic exposure of 14.10 ± 3.27 years were selected as study subjects and split into tertile groups based on three water arsenic concentrations: low (< 129 μg/L), medium (130-264 μg/L) and high (> 265 μg/L). Study subjects were further sub-divided into two groups (≤50 μg/L and > 50 μg/L) based on the recommended upper limit of water arsenic concentration (50 μg/L) in Bangladesh. Blood samples were collected from the study subjects by venipuncture and arsenic concentrations in drinking water, hair and nail samples were measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). PChE activity was assayed by spectrophotometer.Results: Arsenic concentrations in hair and nails were positively correlated with the arsenic levels in drinking water. Significant decreases in PChE activity were observed with increasing concentrations of arsenic in water, hair and nails. The average levels of PChE activity in low, medium and high arsenic exposure groups were also significantly different between each group. Lower levels of PChE activity were also observed in the > 50 μg/L group compared to the ≤50 μg/L group. Moreover, PChE activity was significantly decreased in the skin (+) symptoms group compared to those without (-).Conclusions: We found a significant inverse relationship between arsenic exposure and PChE activity in a human population in Bangladesh. This research demonstrates a novel exposure-response relationship between arsenic and PChE activity which may explain one of the biological mechanisms through which arsenic exerts its neuro-and hepatotoxicity in humans.
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| 3. |
- Ashuiev, Anton, et al.
(författare)
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Geometry and electronic structure of Yb(iii)[CH(SiMe3)2]3 from EPR and solid-state NMR augmented by computations
- 2024
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Ingår i: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 26:11, s. 8734-8747
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Characterization of paramagnetic compounds, in particular regarding the detailed conformation and electronic structure, remains a challenge, and – still today it often relies solely on the use of X-ray crystallography, thus limiting the access to electronic structure information. This is particularly true for lanthanide elements that are often associated with peculiar structural and electronic features in relation to their partially filled f-shell. Here, we develop a methodology based on the combined use of state-of-the-art magnetic resonance spectroscopies (EPR and solid-state NMR) and computational approaches as well as magnetic susceptibility measurements to determine the electronic structure and geometry of a paramagnetic Yb(III) alkyl complex, Yb(III)[CH(SiMe3)2]3, a prototypical example, which contains notable structural features according to X-ray crystallography. Each of these techniques revealed specific information about the geometry and electronic structure of the complex. Taken together, both EPR and NMR, augmented by quantum chemical calculations, provide a detailed and complementary understanding of such paramagnetic compounds. In particular, the EPR and NMR signatures point to the presence of three-centre–two-electron Yb-γ-Me-β-Si secondary metal–ligand interactions in this otherwise tri-coordinate metal complex, similarly to its diamagnetic Lu analogues. The electronic structure of Yb(III) can be described as a single 4f13 configuration, while an unusually large crystal-field splitting results in a thermally isolated ground Kramers doublet. Furthermore, the computational data indicate that the Yb–carbon bond contains some π-character, reminiscent of the so-called α-H agostic interaction.
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| 4. |
- Khan, Ashraful Islam, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of exclusive breastfeeding intervention on child growth and body composition : the MINIMat trial, Bangladesh
- 2013
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Ingår i: Acta Paediatrica. - : Wiley. - 0803-5253 .- 1651-2227. ; 102:8, s. 815-823
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIM:Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for 6 months is recommended for optimal infant health, but the evidence for longer-term impacts is weak. We examined whether randomization to receive EBF counselling (BFC) in rural Bangladeshi women had an impact on childhood growth trajectories and body composition.METHODS:In the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Interventions in Matlab trial, 4436 pregnant women were randomized to six equally sized, food and micronutrient groups. Of these, 3214 were randomized during the last trimester of pregnancy to receive either BFC or the usual/standard health message (UHM). Their infants were extensively followed up, with anthropometric measurements between 0 and 54 months and assessment of body composition at 54 months.RESULTS:The mean duration of EBF in the BFC group was 111 days compared to 76 days in the UHM group (mean difference: 35.0 days, 95% CI 30.6-39.5, p < 0.001). There was no difference in growth trajectories between the BFC and UHM groups and no difference in body composition at 54 months. Children exposed to prenatal multiple micronutrients (vs 60 mg iron and folate) combined with BFC (vs UHM), however, had slower linear growth (mean difference -0.17 SD score, p < 0.01).CONCLUSION:Exclusive breastfeeding counselling resulted in neither differential growth trajectories in infancy and childhood, nor body composition differences at 54 months. The combination of prenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) and BFC was unfavourable for linear growth during 0-54 months, which raises questions about possible negative effects of MMS.
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| 5. |
- Khan, Ashraful Islam, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of prenatal food and micronutrient supplementation on child growth from birth to 54 months of age : a randomized trial in Bangladesh
- 2011
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Ingår i: Nutrition Journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1475-2891. ; 10, s. 134-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: There is a lack of information on the optimal timing of food supplementation to malnourished pregnant women and possible combined effects of food and multiple micronutrient supplementations (MMS) on their offspring's growth. We evaluated the effects of prenatal food and micronutrient interventions on postnatal child growth. The hypothesis was that prenatal MMS and early invitation to food supplementation would increase physical growth in the offspring during 0-54 months and a combination of these interventions would further improve these outcomes. METHODS: In the large, randomized MINIMat trial (Maternal and Infant Nutrition Interventions in Matlab), Bangladesh, 4436 pregnant women were enrolled between November 2001 and October 2003 and their children were followed until March 2009. Participants were randomized into six groups comprising 30 mg Fe and 400 ug folic acid (Fe30F), 60 mg Fe and 400 ug folic acid (Fe60F) or MMS combined with either an early (immediately after identification of pregnancy) or a later usual (at the time of their choosing, i.e., usual care in this community) program invitation to food supplementation. The anthropometry of 3267 children was followed from birth to 54 months, and 2735 children were available for analysis at 54 months. RESULTS: There were no differences in characteristics of mothers and households among the different intervention groups. The average birth weight was 2694 g and birth length was 47.7 cm, with no difference among intervention groups. Early invitation to food supplementation (in comparison with usual invitation) reduced the proportion of stunting from early infancy up to 54 months for boys (p=0.01), but not for girls (p=0.31). MMS resulted in more stunting than standard Fe60F (p=0.02). There was no interaction between the food and micronutrient supplementation on the growth outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Early food supplementation in pregnancy reduced the occurrence of stunting during 0-54 months in boys, but not in girls, and prenatal MMS increased the proportion of stunting in boys. These effects on postnatal growth suggest programming effects in early fetal life. The study is registered as an International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial, number ISRCTN16581394.
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