by
Asher Y Rosinger;
Hilary Bethancourt;
Zane S Swanson;
Rosemary Nzunza;
Jessica Saunders;
Shiva Dhanasekar;
Larry W Kenney;
Kebin Hu;
Matthew Douglass;
Emmanuel Ndiema;
David R Braun;
Herman Pontzer
Water salinity is a growing global environmental health concern. However, little is known about the relation between water salinity and chronic health outcomes in non-coastal, lean populations. Daasanach pastoralists living in northern Kenya, traditionally rely on milk, yet are experiencing socioecological changes and have expressed concerns about the saltiness of their drinking water. Therefore, this cross-sectional study conducted water quality analyses to examine how water salinity, along with lifestyle factors like milk intake, was associated with hypertension (blood pressure BP ≥140mmHg systolic or ≥90mmHg diastolic) and hyperdilute urine (urine specific gravity <1.003 g/ml, indicative of altered kidney function). We collected health biomarkers and survey data from 226 non-pregnant adults (46.9% male) aged 18+ from 134 households in 2019 along with participant observations in 2020. The salinity (total concentration of all dissolved salts) of reported drinking water from hand-dug wells in dry river beds, boreholes, and a pond ranged from 120–520 mg/L. Water from Lake Turkana and standpipes, which was only periodically used for consumption when no other drinking sources are available, ranged from 1100–2300 mg/L. Multiple logistic regression models with standard errors clustered on households indicate that each additional 100 mg/L of drinking water salinity was associated with 45% (95% CI: 1.09–1.93, P=0.010) increased odds of hypertension and 33% (95% CI: 0.97–1.83, P=0.075) increased odds of hyperdilute urine adjusted for confounders. Results were robust to multiple specifications of the models and sensitivity analyses. Daily milk consumption was associated with 61–63% (P<0.01) lower odds of both outcomes. This considerable protective effect of milk intake may be due to the high potassium, magnesium, and calcium contents or the protective lifestyle considerations of moving with livestock. Our study results demonstrate that drinking water salinity may have critical health implications for blood pressure and kidney function even among lean, active pastoralists.
by
Dashanamoorthy Ravi;
Afshin Beheshti;
Nasséra Abermil;
Frederick Lansigan;
William Kinlaw;
Nirupa R Matthan;
Maisarah Mokhtar;
Frank C Passero;
Patrick Puliti;
Kevin A David;
Gregory G Dolnikowski;
Xiaoyang Su;
Ying Chen;
Mahboubi Bijan;
Rohan R Varshney;
Baek Kim;
Sandeep S Dave;
Michael C Rudolph;
Andrew M Evens
Metabolic dysfunctions enabling increased nucleotide biosynthesis are necessary for supporting malignant proliferation. Our investigations indicate that upregulation of fatty acid synthase (FASN) and de novo lipogenesis, commonly observed in many cancers, are associated with nucleotide metabolic dysfunction in lymphoma. The results from our experiments showed that ribonucleotide and deoxyribonucleotide pool depletion, suppression of global RNA/DNA synthesis, and cell cycle inhibition occurred in the presence of FASN inhibition. Subsequently, we observed that FASN inhibition caused metabolic blockade in the rate-limiting step of the oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway (oxPPP) catalyzed by phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (PGDH). Furthermore, we determined that FASN inhibitor treatment resulted in NADPH accumulation and inhibition of PGDH enzyme activity. NADPH is a cofactor utilized by FASN, also a known allosteric inhibitor of PGDH. Through cell-free enzyme assays consisting of FASN and PGDH, we delineated that the PGDH-catalyzed ribulose-5-phosphate synthesis is enhanced in the presence of FASN and is suppressed by increasing concentrations of NADPH. Additionally, we observed that FASN and PGDH were colocalized in the cytosol. The results from these experiments led us to conclude that NADP–NADPH turnover and the reciprocal stimulation of FASN and PGDH catalysis are involved in promoting oxPPP and nucleotide biosynthesis in lymphoma. Finally, a transcriptomic analysis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (n = 624) revealed the increased expression of genes associated with metabolic functions interlinked with oxPPP, while the expression of genes participating in oxPPP remained unaltered. Together we conclude that FASN–PGDH enzymatic interactions are involved in enabling oxPPP and nucleotide metabolic dysfunction in lymphoma tumors.
During the last 10 yr, research on seasonal climate forecasts as an agricultural risk management tool has pursued three directions: modeling potential impacts and responses, identifying opportunities and constraints, and analyzing risk communication aspects. Most of these approaches tend to frame seasonal climate forecasts as a discrete product with direct and linear effects. In contrast, the authors propose that agricultural management is a performative process, constituted by a combination of planning, experimentation, and improvisation and drawing on a mix of technical expertise, situated knowledge, cumulative experience, and intuitive skill as farmers navigate a myriad of risks in the pursuit of livelihood goals and economic opportunities. This study draws on ethnographic interviews conducted with 38 family farmers in southern Georgia, examining their livelihood goals and social values, strategies for managing risk, and interactions with weather and climate information, specifically their responses to seasonal climate forecasts. Findings highlight the social nature of information processing and risk management, indicating that both material conditions and value-based attitudes bear upon the ways farmers may integrate climate predictions into their agricultural management practices. These insights translate into specific recommendations that will enhance the salience, credibility, and legitimacy of seasonal climate forecasts among farmers and will promote the incorporation of such information into a skillful performance in the face of climate uncertainty.
Agricultural workers, designated as “essential” at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, work in harsh labor conditions, and now have the added challenge of continuing to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess agricultural workers’ COVID-19 related history, employer-based safety measures, individual preventive practices, and COVID-19 vaccination uptake. A questionnaire study was conducted among agricultural workers in Central Florida about COVID-19 during the month of June 2020 and again in July 2021. Among 92 agricultural workers in June 2020, 47% were obese; 11% had had a COVID-19 nasal test; 87% were able to social distance at work and 34% reported employer provided face masks; 15% reported not willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine and 25% were unsure. 40% could self-isolate if they contracted COVID-19. In a follow-up visit in July 2021, 53% of participants reported receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Agricultural workers are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 due to existing health risk factors and lack of essential protective resources. Occupational health protections social safety net programs are urgently needed to prevent infections in vulnerable workers, and reduce community spread, and increase COVID-19 vaccination rates.
Droughts, hurricanes, and other environmental shocks punctuate the lives of poor and vulnerable populations in many parts of the world. The direct impacts can be horrific, but what are the longer-term effects of such shocks on households and their livelihoods? Under what circumstances will shocks push households into poverty traps from which recovery may not be possible without external assistance? In an effort to answer these questions, this paper analyzes the asset dynamics of Ethiopian and Honduran households in the wake of severe environmental shocks. While the patterns are different across countries, both reveal worlds in which the poorest households struggle most with shocks, adopting coping strategies which are costly in terms of both short term and long-term well being.
Even in areas that have not experienced such extreme climate change impacts as in the Arctic, local residents are beginning to notice shifts from what is their established knowledge of local climatology and normal variation within it. Rakai district in southern Uganda is located near the Equator but, due to interannual variability in the timing and amount of precipitation and the vulnerability of crops to moisture deficits, the area frequently experiences climate-related food insecurity. Rural households derive most of their food and income from rainfed agriculture, including a mix of perennial (banana, coffee) and annual crops (maize, beans, peanut). Because of the centrality of rainfall for their livelihood, at the onset of the rainy season farmers scrutinize the skies. They formulate predictions, and discuss the weather, comparing it to the recent and distant past. In particular, they note that rains are less regular and less abundant than in the past and the seasons less clearly demarcated.
by
W. C. Chuang;
A. Garmestani;
T. N. Eason;
T. L. Spanbauer;
H. B. Fried-Petersen;
C. P. Roberts;
S. M. Sundstrom;
J. L. Burnett;
D. G. Angeler;
B. C. Chaffin;
Lance Gunderson;
D. Twidwell;
C. R. Allen
Scholars from many different intellectual disciplines have attempted to measure, estimate, or quantify resilience. However, there is growing concern that lack of clarity on the operationalization of the concept will limit its application. In this paper, we discuss the theory, research development and quantitative approaches in ecological and community resilience. Upon noting the lack of methods that quantify the complexities of the linked human and natural aspects of community resilience, we identify several promising approaches within the ecological resilience tradition that may be useful in filling these gaps. Further, we discuss the challenges for consolidating these approaches into a more integrated perspective for managing social-ecological systems.
Livelihoods of Kenyan farmers are closely linked to climate conditions. Fifty-two percent of the population is below the poverty line, mostly in rural areas. While the poorest of the poor live in the northern, arid zones of the country, more than 80 percent of the rural poor are located in the highpotential areas of Lake Victoria and Mount Kenya. Almost three quarters of the Kenyan labor force still depends on agriculture for their livelihoods, and almost all farmers depend on timely and adequate rainfall for crop production and husbandry, as only 2 percent of cultivated area is equipped for irrigation. Thus, climate variability and change have and will increasingly impact agricultural livelihoods and food security in the country, making adaptation essential for rural areas in Kenya.
This report uses data gathered through a farm household survey during July 2009 to February 2010 for 710 households from 7 districts and 13 divisions of Kenya spanning the arid, semi-arid, temperate and humid agroecological zones (AEZ) of the country as well as data collected through participatory rural appraisals conducted in each AEZ. One community module was also implemented in each of the districts. These data were used to assess farmers’ exposure to climate-related shocks and coping strategies, perceptions of climate change and climate change impacts, adaptation strategies, constraints to adaptation, and the determinants of adaptation.
Background: Orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) improves vitamin A (VA) status of young children; research with pregnant and lactating women is limited.Objective: We examined the effectiveness of the Mama SASHA (Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa) program to improve nutrition knowledge, diets, and nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women (PLW) in Western Kenya.Methods: Eight health facilities were allocated to the Mama SASHA intervention or comparison arms. PLW in intervention facilities received enhanced nutrition counseling at health clinics, were linked with community-based maternal support groups, and received vouchers for OFSP vine cuttings. Control PLW received clinic-based nutrition counseling only. A total of 505 women in early and midpregnancy, attending their first antenatal care visit, and with no previous engagement in project activities were enrolled from the 8 facilities. Nutrition and health-seeking knowledge, food security, dietary patterns, and anthropometric measurements were collected at 4 time points at ≤9 mo postpartum. VA intakes were assessed with multipass 24-h recalls in a subsample of 206 mothers at 8-10 mo postpartum. VA status was assessed by using serum retinol-binding protein (RBP). Impacts were estimated with multilevel mixed models adjusted for clustering and differences at enrollment.Results: At enrollment, 22.9% of women had RBP <1.17 μmol/L. By 9 mo postpartum, intervention women had significantly higher intakes of VA [adjusted difference = 297.0 retinol activity equivalent (RAE) units; 95% CI: 82, 513 RAE units; P = 0.01; n = 206], greater consumption of VA-rich fruit and vegetables in the previous 7 d (difference-in-difference estimate: 0.40 d; 95% CI: 0.23, 0.56 d; P < 0.01), and a 45% reduction in the odds of RBP <1.17 μmol/L (OR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.33, 0.92; P = 0.01).Conclusion: Promotion of OFSP to PLW through health services is a feasible strategy to improve women's nutrition knowledge, VA intakes, and maternal RBP.
by
Stephanie N. Seifert;
Jonathan E. Schulz;
Stacy Ricklefs;
Michael Letko;
Elangeni Yabba;
Zaidoun S. Hijazeen;
Peter Holloway;
Bilal Al-Omari;
Hani A. Talafha;
Markos Tibbo;
Danielle R. Adney;
Javier Guitian;
Nadim Amarin;
Juergen A. Richt;
Chester McDowell;
John Steel;
Ehab A. Abu-Basha;
Ahmad M. Al-Majali;
Neeltje van Doremalen;
Vincent J. Munster
Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a persistent zoonotic pathogen with frequent spillover from dromedary camels to humans in the Arabian Peninsula, resulting in limited outbreaks of MERS with a high case-fatality rate. Full genome sequence data from camel-derived MERS-CoV variants show diverse lineages circulating in domestic camels with frequent recombination. More than 90% of the available full MERS-CoV genome sequences derived from camels are from just two countries, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and United Arab Emirates (UAE). In this study, we employ a novel method to amplify and sequence the partial MERS-CoV genome with high sensitivity from nasal swabs of infected camels.
We recovered more than 99% of the MERS-CoV genome from field-collected samples with greater than 500 TCID50 equivalent per nasal swab from camel herds sampled in Jordan in May 2016. Our subsequent analyses of 14 camel-derived MERS-CoV genomes show a striking lack of genetic diversity circulating in Jordan camels relative to MERS-CoV genome sequences derived from large camel markets in KSA and UAE. The low genetic diversity detected in Jordan camels during our study is consistent with a lack of endemic circulation in these camel herds and reflective of data from MERS outbreaks in humans dominated by nosocomial transmission following a single introduction as reported during the 2015 MERS outbreak in South Korea. Our data suggest transmission of MERS-CoV among two camel herds in Jordan in 2016 following a single introduction event.