Rural and urban migration to Europe in relation to cardiovascular disease risk: does it matter where you migrate from?

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether the environmental context (i.e. rural vs urban) in which individuals in low- and middle-income countries have resided most of their lives is associated with estimated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk after migration to a high-income country. STUDY DESIGN: Data from the Research on Obesity and Diabetes among African Migrants (RODAM) study were used including 1699 Ghanaian participants aged 40-79 years who had migrated to Europe from Ghana (1549 of urban origin, 150 of rural origin). METHODS: Ten-year CVD risk was estimated using the Pooled Cohort Equation, with estimates ≥7.5% defining elevated CVD risk. Comparisons between urban and rural origin migrant groups were made using proportions and adjusted odds ratios (ORs). RESULTS: The proportion of migrants with an elevated CVD-risk score was substantially higher among rural migrants than among urban migrants (45% vs. 37%, OR = 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.03-2.02), which persisted after adjustment for education level, site of residence in Europe (London, Amsterdam or Berlin), length of stay in Europe, physical activity, energy intake and alcohol consumption (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.05-2.67). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that migrants who spent most of their lives in a rural setting before migration to Europe may have a higher CVD risk than those of urban origins. Further work is needed to confirm these findings in other migrant populations and to unravel the mechanisms driving the differential CVD risk between urban and rural migrants.

From Neutral Aniline to Aniline Trication: A Computational and Experimental Study.

We report density functional theory computations and photoionization mass spectrometry measurements of aniline and its positively charged ions. The geometrical structures and properties of the neutral and singly, doubly, and triply positively charged aniline are computed using density functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation. At each charge, there are multiple isomers closely spaced in total energy. Whereas the lowest energy states of both neutral and cation have the same topology C6H5-NH2, the dication and trication have the C5NH5-CH2 topology with the nitrogen atom in the meta- and para-positions, respectively. We compute the dissociation pathways of all four charge states to NH or NH+ and NH2 or NH2+, depending on the initial charge of the aniline precursor. Dissociation leading to the formation of NH (from the neutral and cation) and NH+ (from the dication and trication) proceeds through multiple transition states. On the contrary, the dissociation of NH2 (from the neutral and cation) and NH2+ (from the dication and trication) is found to proceed without an activation energy barrier. The trication was found to be stable toward abstraction on NH+ and NH2+ by 0.96 and 0.18 eV, respectively, whereas the proton affinity of the trication is substantially higher, 1.98 eV. The mass spectra of aniline were recorded with 1300 nm, 20 fs pulses over the peak intensity range of 1 × 1013 to 3 × 1014 W cm-2. The analysis of the mass spectra suggests high stability of both dication and trication to fragmentation. The formation of the fragment NH+ and NH2+ ions is found to proceed via Coulomb explosion.

Gametogenic development and spawning of the freshwater clam, Galatea paradoxa (Born 1778) from the Volta River Estuary, Ghana.

The study focused on the reproductive cycle of Galatea paradoxa (Born 1778), a major species for artisanal fishery in the Volta River estuary, Ghana. Condition indices and histological observation of the gonads revealed that G. paradoxa has a single spawning event between July and October. Gametogenesis started in December progressing steadily to a peak in June-July when spawning began until November when individuals were spent. Condition and gonadal indices showed a clear relationship with the gametogenic stages.

Relationship between gonad maturation and heavy metal accumulation in the clam, Galatea paradoxa (Born 1778) from the Volta estuary, Ghana.

The relationship between gonadal development and the concentrations of four heavy metals Mn, Zn, Fe and Hg in the tissues of the clam Galatea paradoxa was evaluated at the Volta estuary, Ghana, over an 18-month period. Metal concentrations in the clam tissues were highly variable over the sampling period and seemed to be influenced by the reproductive cycle of the clam. Mn concentrations varied over a wide range from 49 to 867 µg/g and exhibited a significant positive correlation with gonadal development (p = 0.0146, r(2) = 0.3190). Zn and Fe concentrations ranged from 13 to 59 µg/g and 79 to 484 µg/g, respectively and both revealed negative relationships between gonad development and metal accumulation (Zn (p = 0.0554, r(2) = 0.0554) and Fe (p = 0.1040, r(2) = 0.1567)). Hg concentrations ranged from 0.026 to 0.059 µg/g over the sampling period and exhibited a slight positive relationship between gonadal development and metal accumulation (p = 0.0861, r(2) = 0.1730).

Mercury accumulation in the clam, Galatea paradoxa (Born 1778) at the Volta estuary, Ghana.

The concentration of mercury in the tissues of the clam, Galatea paradoxa at in the Volta estuary, Ghana, were analysed over an 18-month period, from March 2008 to August 2009. The concentrations were well below the International Human Consumption Advisory Limit of THg (0.5 µg/g wet weight). The concentrations in the tissues of the different clam size classes were between 6 and 18 times lower than the WHO Safety Reference Standard. Variation in the mean mercury concentration in the different clam size classes was not significant (p > 0.05) for clams from Aveglo but were highly significant (p < 0.0001) for clams from Ada, indicating a possible effect of size on accumulation. G. paradoxa is therefore suitable for human consumption based on the WHO Safety Reference Standards.

Obesity and cardiovascular disease risk among Africans residing in Europe and Africa: the RODAM study.

BACKGROUND: The association between anthropometric variables and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among Africans is unclear. We examined the discriminative ability of anthropometric variables and estimate cutoffs for predicting CVD risk among Africans. METHODS: The Research on Obesity and Diabetes among African Migrants (RODAM) study was a multisite cross-sectional study of Africans in Ghana and Europe. We calculated AHA/ACC Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE) scores for 3661 participants to ascertain CVD risk, and compared a body shape index (ABSI), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), Relative Fat Mass (RFM), and Waist to Height Ratio (WHtR). Logistic regression and receiver operating curve analyses were performed to derive cutoffs for identifying high predicted CVD risk (PCE score ≥7.5%). RESULTS: Among men, WC (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 2.25, 95% CI; 1:50-3:37) was strongly associated with CVD risk. Among women, WC (aOR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1:33-2:14) also displayed the strongest association with CVD risk in the BMI-adjusted model but WHR displayed the strongest fit. All variables were superior discriminators of high CVD risk in men (c-statistic range: 0.887-0.891) than women (c-statistic range: 0.677-0.707). The optimal WC cutoff for identifying participants at high CVD risk was 89 cm among men and identified the most cases (64%). Among women, the recommended WC cutoff of 94 cm or WHR cutoff of 0.90 identified the most cases (92%). CONCLUSIONS: Anthropometric variables were stronger discriminators of high CVD risk in African men than women. Greater WC was associated with high CVD risk in men while WHR and WC were associated with high CVD risk in women.

Efficacy and site specificity of hydrogen abstraction from DNA 2-deoxyribose by carbonate radicals.

The carbonate radical anion CO(3)(•-) is a potent reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in vivo through enzymatic one-electron oxidation of bicarbonate or, mostly, via the reaction of CO(2) with peroxynitrite. Due to the vitally essential role of the carbon dioxide/bicarbonate buffer system in regulation of physiological pH, CO(3)(•-) is arguably one of the most important ROS in biological systems. So far, the studies of reactions of CO(3)(•-) with DNA have been focused on the pathways initiated by oxidation of guanines in DNA. In this study, low-molecular products of attack of CO(3)(•-) on the sugar-phosphate backbone in vitro were analyzed by reversed phase HPLC. The selectivity of damage in double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) was found to follow the same pattern C4' > C1' > C5' for both CO(3)(•-) and the hydroxyl radical, though the relative contribution of the C1' damage induced by CO(3)(•-) is substantially higher. In single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) oxidation at C1' by CO3(•-) prevails over all other sugar damages. An approximately 2000-fold preference for 8-oxoguanine (8oxoG) formation over sugar damage found in our study identifies CO(3)(•-) primarily as a one-electron oxidant with fairly low reactivity toward the sugar-phosphate backbone.

Length-weight relationship of the freshwater clam, Galatea paradoxa (born 1778) from the Volta Estuary, Ghana.

The length-weight relationship of the threatened freshwater clam, Galatea paradoxa (Born 1778) from the Volta Estuary, Ghana was studied over a two-year period, from March 2008 to February 2010, to aid in the development of stock assessment models for the sustainable management of the remaining clam stock. Data reported in this study were collected at monthly intervals and covered varying depths of the Estuary ranging from 0.5 to about 10 m. Overall, a total of 5276 clams with shell lengths ranging from 3.40 to 89.24 mm and total weight from 0.10 to 154.00 g were sampled during the study period. The length-weight relationships were highly significant (p < 0.0001) for all the months and the b-values ranged from 2.023 (January 2010) to 3.874 (June 2009). The calculated b-values indicated that clams exhibited different growth patterns at different periods but overall, the pooled samples of 5276 individuals exhibited an isometric growth pattern (b = 3.003). The observed monthly growth patterns exhibited by G. paradoxa appeared to be largely influenced by the reproductive cycle of the organism. During the periods leading to spawning, the clams generally exhibited positive allometric growth patterns (weight increasing faster than length) which appeared to be strongly linked to the build-up of proteins and carbohydrates in their tissues. Successive negative allometric growth patterns (length increasing faster relative to weight) were, however, observed from March to June 2008 and from December 2009 to February 2010, which are possibly indicative of the loss in tissue weight that occurs as a direct result of the spawning process. It will thus be suitable to institute a close season to coincide with the spawning period of the clams to avoid the harvesting of clams during the spawning period which will enhance future recruitment of the clam stock.