Tag: Health

‘Cropaganda’: Mythology of Corn Belt agriculture

Featured Database

Author: Hall, Anaya L. Description: Even as scholars have increasingly recognized the role of industrial agricultural practices in contributing to non-point source pollution, drinking water in the Corn Belt remains perilously contaminated with excess nitrates, which pose a significant risk to human health and the environment. A recent lawsuit filed by the city of Des Moines, Iowa against three upstream counties over chronic nitrate pollution sparked heated debate around the roles and responsibilities of agricultural production. Drawing on Barthes’ theory of mythology, this paper explores how three core myths influence…

See more and a link to full text

Disparities in potential nitrate exposures within Iowa public water systems

Featured Database

Author: Mantey, Emmanuel Padmore; Liu, Lu; Rehmann, Chris R. Description: Nitrates (measured as nitrate-nitrogen) in drinking water exceeding the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 mg L-1 can cause significant health risks, such as methemoglobinemia. Even long-term exposure to concentrations below the MCL can also increase the risks of cancer. Iowa, a major agricultural producer, has grappled with decades-long nitrate pollution in its water systems due to intensive farming practices and animal feeding operations. To help in developing interventions and policies to protect public health, this study delves into long-term…

See more and a link to full text

Shared reading interventions to promote psychosocial well-being in older adults: a systematic review

Featured Database

Author: Milani, Chiara; Biagi, Claudia; Palmieri, Ester; Rosi, Claudia; Buresta, Diletta; Iocca, Francesco; Wetzell Cabrera, Fiorenza; Zanobini, Patrizio; Lorini, Chiara; Bonaccorsi, Guglielmo Description: Participatory interventions, such as art therapy and group activities, have been shown to promote healthy aging. However, the effectiveness of shared reading among older adults requires further evidence. The aim of this systematic review was to explore the impact and effectiveness of shared reading groups in slowing cognitive impairment, improving social interaction, promoting psychosocial well-being, and enhancing functional aspects among older adults living in the community. The…

See more and a link to full text

Politics is making us sick: The negative impact of political engagement on public health during the Trump administration

Featured Database

Author: Smith, Kevin B. Description: Objectives: To quantify the effect of politics on the physical, psychological, and social health of American adults during the four-year span of the Trump administration. Methods: A previously validated politics and health scale was used to compare health markers in nationally representative surveys administered to separate samples in March 2017 (N = 800) and October 2020 (N = 700). Participants in the 2020 survey were re-sampled approximately two weeks after the 2020 election and health markers were compared to their pre-election baselines. Results: Large numbers…

See more and a link to full text
Mercury pollution sources and cycle

Mercury as a global pollutant: sources, pathways, and effects

Student Database

Author: Driscoll, Charles T.; Mason, Robert P.; Chan, Hing Man; Jacob, Daniel J.; Pirrone, Nicola Description: Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that affects human and ecosystem health. We synthesize understanding of sources, atmosphere-land-ocean Hg dynamics and health effects, and consider the implications of Hg-control policies. Primary anthropogenic Hg emissions greatly exceed natural geogenic sources, resulting in increases in Hg reservoirs and subsequent secondary Hg emissions that facilitate its global distribution. The ultimate fate of emitted Hg is primarily recalcitrant soil pools and deep ocean waters and sediments. Transfers of…

See more and a link to full text
Ways to play with cats (in this study)

Effects of the characteristic temperament of cats on the emotions and hemodynamic responses of humans

Featured Database

Author: Nagasawa, Takumi; Ohta, Mitsuaki; Uchiyama, Hidehiko Description: Cats positive effects on their owners’ physiological and psychological health, including improved mood and activation of the human prefrontal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus in the brain. However, the association between the health benefits provided by cat ownership and the characteristic behaviors and reactions of cats is unclear. We recruited 29 participants to measure human prefrontal cortex activity, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, during interactions with a cat. After the experiments, participants subjectively responded to a questionnaire regarding success rates for interactions with…

See more and a link to full text
Cat-human activities related to human well-being

Cat-human related activities associated with human well-being

Featured Database

Author: Ravenscroft, Samantha J.; Barcelos, Ana Maria; Mills, Daniel S. Description: Besides inconsistent evidence relating to the mental health benefits of pet ownership, there is a specific lack of data in relation to cat ownership. Research in this field frequently fails to consider the effect of specific cat-human relationships or activities that might impact owner well-being. This study aimed to identify and address this gap by examining the activities associated with owning a cat that were perceived by owners to impact on their well-being. Twenty cat owners (18 to 74…

See more and a link to full text
Cat attachment and effect on human health

Does cat attachment have an effect on human health? A comparison between owners and volunteers

Featured Database

Author: Dinis, Filipa A. B. S. G.; Martins, Thais Lima Fernandes Description: Cat owners and volunteers from a rehoming centre were given the Lexington Attachment to Pet Scale (LAPS) questionnaire to assess their level of attachment to their own or rescue cats. In addition, heart rate and blood pressure were measured 10 minutes before, during, and after spending time with the cats. Consistent with other studies, the results here show that spending time with a cat can reduce heart rate and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and that this…

See more and a link to full text

The Presence of Bacteriophages in the Human Body: Good, Bad or Neutral?

Featured Database

Author: Lusiak-Szelachowska, Marzanna; Weber-Dabrowska, Beata; Zaczek, Maciej; Borysowski, Jan; Gorrski, Andrzej Description: The presence of bacteriophages (phages) in the human body may impact bacterial microbiota and modulate immunity. The role of phages in human microbiome studies and diseases is poorly understood. However, the correlation between a greater abundance of phages in the gut in ulcerative colitis and diabetes has been suggested. Furthermore, most phages found at different sites in the human body are temperate, so their therapeutic effects and their potential beneficial effects remain unclear. Hence, far, no correlation has…

See more and a link to full text

All cause and cause specific mortality in obsessive-compulsive disorder: nationwide matched cohort and sibling cohort study

Featured Database

Author: Fernandez de la Cruz, Lorena; Isomura, Kayoko; Lichtenstein, Paul; Larsson, Henrik; Kuja-Halkola, Ralf; Chang, Zheng; D’Onofrio, Brian M.; Brikell, Isabell; Ruck, Christian; Sidorchuk, Anna; Mataix-Cols, David Description: OBJECTIVE: To estimate the risk of all cause and cause specific mortality in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) compared with matched unaffected people from the general population and with their unaffected siblings. DESIGN: Population based matched cohort and sibling cohort study. SETTING: Register linkage in Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: Population based cohort including 61 378 people with OCD and 613 780 unaffected people matched (1:10) on…

See more and a link to full text
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.