Geographical pattern of minerals and its association with health disparities in the USA.

This study aimed to determine the common latent patterns of geographical distribution of health-related minerals across the USA and to evaluate the real-world cumulative effects of these patterns on overall population health. It was an ecological study using county-level data (3080 contiguous counties) on the concentrations of 14 minerals (i.e., aluminum, arsenic, calcium, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, mercury, phosphorus, selenium, sodium, titanium, zinc) in stream sediments (or surface soils), and the measurements of overall health including life expectancy at birth, age-specific mortality risks and cause-specific (summarized by 21 mutually exclusive groups) mortality rates. Latent class analysis (LCA) was employed to identify the common clusters of life expectancy-related minerals based on their concentration characteristics. Multivariate linear regression analyses were then conducted to examine the relationship between the LCA-derived clusters and the health measurements, with adjustment for potential confounding factors. Five minerals (i.e., arsenic, calcium, selenium, sodium and zinc) were associated with life expectancy and were analyzed in LCA. Three clusters were determined across the USA, the 'common' (n = 2056, 66.8%), 'infertile' (n = 739, 24.0%) and 'plentiful' (n = 285, 9.3%) clusters. Residents in counties with the 'infertile' profile were associated with the shortest life expectancy, highest mortality risks at all ages, and highest mortality rates for many reasons including the top five leading causes of death: cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms, neurological disorders, chronic respiratory conditions, and diabetes, urogenital, blood and endocrine diseases. Results remained statistically significant after confounding adjustment. Our study brings novel perspectives regarding environmental geochemistry to explain health disparities in the USA.

Geographical distribution of trace elements (selenium, zinc, iron, copper) and case fatality rate of COVID-19: a national analysis across conterminous USA.

Severe outcome particularly death is the largest burden of COVID-19. Clinical observations showed preliminary data that deficiency in certain trace elements, essential for the normal activity of immune system, may be associated with worse COVID-19 outcome. Relevant study of environmental epidemiology has yet to be explored. We investigated the geographical association between concentrations of Se, Zn, Fe and Cu in surface soils and case fatality rate of COVID-19 in USA. Two sets of database, including epidemiological data of COVID-19 (including case fatality rate, from the University of John Hopkinson) and geochemical concentration data of Se, Zn, Fe and Cu in surface soils (from the National Geochemical Survey), were mapped according to geographical location at the county level across conterminous USA. Characteristics of population, socio-demographics and residential environment by county were also collected. Seven cross-sectional sampling dates, with a 4-week interval between adjacent dates, constructed an observational investigation over 24 weeks from October 8, 2020, to March 25, 2021. Multivariable fractional (logit) outcome regression analyses were used to assess the association with adjustment for potential confounding factors. In USA counties with the lowest concentration of Zn, the case fatality rate of COVID-19 was the highest, after adjustment for other influencing factors. Associations of Se, Fe and Cu with case fatality rate of COVID-19 were either inconsistent over time or disappeared after adjustment for Zn. Our large study provides epidemiological evidence suggesting an association of Zn with COVID-19 severity, suggesting Zn deficiency should be avoided.

Hair Se Is a Sensitive Biomarker to Monitor the Effects of Se Supplementation in Elderly.

It is rapidly increasing to have selenium (Se) supplementation for urban elderly population in China since they are facing a widespread deficiency daily Se intake. However, until now, there is no low-cost, non-invasive, rapid, and reliable method to monitor the health improvement or risk for elderly Se-supplemented population in China. The present cross-sectional study (229 participants with older than 55 years old) performed in Beijing, China, revealed that the Se concentrations of non-supplementer users (n = 27) were 55 ± 23 µg/L in urine, 139.9 ± 102.3 µg/L in serum, and 487.6 ± 158.7 µg/kg in hair. But a significant increase on hair Se concentrations (615.4 ± 238.8 µg/kg) was observed for Se supplementer users (n = 202) (p < 0.05); there were no significant statistical differences in serum and urine between the Se-supplemented (n = 202) and Se non-supplemented groups (n = 27). This indicated the hair Se levels could be a more sensitive biomarker for Se-supplemented elderly population. Participants who consumed Se supplements for 7-12 months had the highest Se status based on hair and serum Se concentrations (p < 0.05). The present study also revealed that most elderly adults in Beijing just need to supplement 50 µg Se per day to achieve Se plateau status. Furthermore, hair Se levels were positively related with triglycerides/TG levels (p < 0.05) but not body mass index/BMI, total cholesterol/TC, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol/LDL, implicating Se supplementation for Se sufficiency baseline in elderly population in Beijing likely posed health risk, especially on TG because of excessive Se oxidation stress. An ongoing monitoring of Se status via hair is still warranted to prevent future Se deficiency or excess in China.

Iodine Deficiency as Assessed by Neonatal TSH in a Sample of Mother-and-Newborn Pairs in Jiangsu Province, China.

China has eliminated iodine deficiency disorders since 2011 via the implementation of universal salt iodisation. Following this, a new revised salt iodisation policy was introduced to reduce iodine content in table salt. Since maternal iodine deficiency can lead to cognitive impairment and cretinism in infants, the aim of our study was to assess if the iodine status of pregnant women and neonates was affected by the introduction of new salt iodisation policy. The medical records of the pregnant women and their neonates in the Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, between January 2018 and May 2018 were reviewed and obtained. Our study included 374 mother-and-newborn pairs. Mean age of the participants was 28 ± 4 years. TSH, FT3 and FT4 of the participants remained within the reference range. The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction was 4.3%. The overall mean neonatal TSH, birth weight and prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) was 2.56 ± 1.59 mIU/L, 3348 ± 465 g and 2.4%, respectively. The prevalence of neonatal TSH values > 5 mIU/L was 8.3%, which suggested the emergence of mild iodine deficiency (i.e. 3.0-19.9%) in our province. In conclusion, although our study reported an improvement of iodine status to mild iodine deficiency in 2017, our pregnant women remained to be iodine deficient. We recommended an ongoing monitoring of iodine status and advocate for the routine iodine supplementation together with iodised salt in Chinese pregnant women.

Ethnopharmacological Applications Targeting Alcohol Abuse: Overview and Outlook.

Excessive alcohol consumption is the cause of several diseases and thus is of a major concern for society. Worldwide alcohol consumption has increased by many folds over the past decades. This urgently calls for intervention and relapse counteract measures. Modern pharmacological solutions induce complete alcohol self-restraint and prevent relapse, but they have many side effects. Natural products are most promising as they cause fewer adverse effects. Here we discuss in detail the medicinal plants used in various traditional/folklore medicine systems for targeting alcohol abuse. We also comprehensively describe preclinical and clinical studies done on some of these plants along with the possible mechanisms of action.

Effects of Mulberry Fruit (Morus alba L.) Consumption on Health Outcomes: A Mini-Review.

Mulberry (Morus alba L.) belongs to the Moraceae family and is widely planted in Asia. Mulberry fruits are generally consumed as fresh fruits, jams and juices. They contain considerable amounts of biologically active ingredients that might be associated with some potential pharmacological activities that are beneficial for health. Therefore, they have been traditionally used in traditional medicine. Studies have reported that the presence of bioactive components in mulberry fruits, including alkaloids and flavonoid, are associated with bioactivities such as antioxidant. One of the most important compounds in mulberry fruits is anthocyanins which are water-soluble bioactive ingredients of the polyphenol class. Studies have shown that mulberry fruits possess several potential pharmacological health benefits including anti-cholesterol, anti-obesity and hepatoprotective effects which might be associated with the presence of some of these bioactive compounds. However, human intervention studies on the pharmacological activities of mulberry fruits are limited. Therefore, future studies should explore the effect of mulberry fruit consumption on human health and elucidate the detailed compounds. This paper provides an overview of the pharmacological activities of mulberry fruits.

Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties of Capparis spinosa as a Medicinal Plant.

Over the past decades, there has been increasing attention on polyphenol-rich foods including fruits and vegetables on human health. Polyphenols have been shown to possess some potential beneficial effects on human health and they are widely found in foods consumed by populations worldwide. Capparis spinosa (C. spinosa) is an important source of different secondary metabolites of interest to humankind. The traditional therapeutic applications of C. spinosa have been reported in Ancient Romans. Numerous bioactive phytochemical constituents have been isolated and identified from different parts (aerial parts, roots and seeds) of C. spinosa which are responsible alone or in combination for its various pharmacological activities. Therefore, this paper is a review of publications on the phytochemical and pharmacological properties of C. spinosa. There is insufficient evidence to suggest that C. spinosa or its extracts are able to improve the biomarkers of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. However, these studies used different parts of C. spinosa plant, methods of preparation and types of solvents, which cause the evaluation of activity of C. spinosa difficult and involve quite heterogeneous data. There is also evidence, although limited, to suggest benefits of C. spinosa in improving human health. Therefore, the relationship between C. spinosa and improved human health outcomes requires further study.

Corrigendum: Ethnopharmacological Approaches for Therapy of Jaundice: Part II. Highly Used Plant Species from Acanthaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, Combretaceae, and Fabaceae Families.

[This corrects the article on p. 519 in vol. 8, PMID: 28848436.].

Ethnopharmacological Approaches for Therapy of Jaundice: Part I.

Jaundice is a very common symptom especially in the developing countries. It is associated with several hepatic diseases which are still major causes of death. There are many different approaches to jaundice treatment and the growing number of ethnomedicinal studies shows the plant pharmacology as very promising direction. Many medicinal plants are used for the treatment of jaundice, however a comprehensive review on this subject has not been published. The use of medicinal plants in drug discovery is highly emphasized (based on their traditional and safe uses in different folk medicine systems from ancient times). Many sophisticated analytical techniques are emerging in the pharmaceutical field to validate and discover new biologically active chemical entities derived from plants. Here, we aim to classify and categorize medicinal plants relevant for the treatment of jaundice according to their origin, geographical location, and usage. Our search included various databases like Pubmed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar. Keywords and phrases used for these searches included: "jaundice," "hyperbilirubinemia," "serum glutamate," "bilirubin," "Ayurveda." The first part of the review focuses on the variety of medicinal plant used for the treatment of jaundice (a total of 207 medicinal plants). In the second part, possible mechanisms of action of biologically active secondary metabolites of plants from five families for jaundice treatment are discussed.

Ethnopharmacological Approaches for Therapy of Jaundice: Part II. Highly Used Plant Species from Acanthaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, Combretaceae, and Fabaceae Families.

In many developing countries, jaundice is the common symptom of hepatic diseases which are a major cause of mortality. The use of natural product-based therapies is very popular for such hepatic disorders. A great number of medicinal plants have been utilized for this purpose and some facilitated the discovery of active compounds which helped the development of new synthetic drugs against jaundice. However, more epidemiological studies and clinical trials are required for the practical implementation of the plant pharmacotherapy of jaundice. The focus of this second part of our review is on several of the most prominent plants used against jaundice identified in the analysis performed in the first part of the review viz. Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees, Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn., Terminalia chebula Retz., Glycyrrhiza glabra L. and some species of genus Phyllanthus. Furthermore, we discuss their physiological effects, biologically active ingredients, and the potential mechanisms of action. Some of the most important active ingredients were silybin (also recommended by German commission), phyllanthin and andrographolide, whose action leads to bilirubin reduction and normalization of the levels of relevant serum enzymes indicative for the pathophysiological status of the liver.

Adequate Iodine Status in New Zealand School Children Post-Fortification of Bread with Iodised Salt.

Iodine deficiency re-emerged in New Zealand in the 1990s, prompting the mandatory fortification of bread with iodised salt from 2009. This study aimed to determine the iodine status of New Zealand children when the fortification of bread was well established. A cross-sectional survey of children aged 8-10 years was conducted in the cities of Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand, from March to May 2015. Children provided a spot urine sample for the determination of urinary iodine concentration (UIC), a fingerpick blood sample for Thyroglobulin (Tg) concentration, and completed a questionnaire ascertaining socio-demographic information that also included an iodine-specific food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The FFQ was used to estimate iodine intake from all main food sources including bread and iodised salt. The median UIC for all children (n = 415) was 116 µg/L (females 106 µg/L, males 131 µg/L) indicative of adequate iodine status according to the World Health Organisation (WHO, i.e., median UIC of 100-199 µg/L). The median Tg concentration was 8.7 µg/L, which was <10 µg/L confirming adequate iodine status. There was a significant difference in UIC by sex (p = 0.001) and ethnicity (p = 0.006). The mean iodine intake from the food-only model was 65 µg/day. Bread contributed 51% of total iodine intake in the food-only model, providing a mean iodine intake of 35 µg/day. The mean iodine intake from the food-plus-iodised salt model was 101 µg/day. In conclusion, the results of this study confirm that the iodine status in New Zealand school children is now adequate.

Iodine Supplementation of Mildly Iodine-Deficient Adults Lowers Thyroglobulin: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

CONTEXT: An inverse relationship between thyroglobulin (Tg) and urinary iodine concentration (UIC) has been found in children, potentially making Tg a viable blood marker of iodine status. The application of Tg in adults is unknown. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the efficacy of Tg to assess iodine status in adults. DESIGN: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial. SETTING: The study was conducted in Dunedin, New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS: Mildly iodine deficient adults (n = 112) aged 18­40 years participated in the study. INTERVENTION: Participants were supplemented with 150 µg of iodine as potassium iodate or placebo daily for 24 weeks. At baseline and 24 weeks, participants provided five casual urine samples for UIC determination; serum TSH and free T4 (FT4) was also measured. Tg was determined at baseline and 8, 16, and 24 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A change in Tg concentration between the iodine-supplemented and placebo groups at 24 weeks. RESULTS: At baseline, the overall median UIC was 65 µg/L, confirming that participants were mildly iodine deficient (ie, median UIC between 50 and 99 µg/L). The overall median Tg was 16.6 µg/L; TSH and FT4 were within normal reference ranges. At 24 weeks, the median UIC of the placebo and supplemented groups was significantly different, 79 and 168 µg/L, respectively (P < .001). Tg in the iodine-supplemented group decreased by 12%, 20%, and 27% compared with the placebo group at 8 (P = .045), 16 (P < .001), and 24 weeks (P < .001); there were no significant changes in TSH and FT4. CONCLUSION: Improved iodine status as assessed by UIC was associated with a concomitant decrease in Tg concentration, demonstrating that Tg is a useful biomarker of iodine status in a group of adults.

Virgin Coconut Oil and its Cardiovascular Health Benefits.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is known as the number one cause of death worldwide. It is associated with huge health care costs and loss of productivity in the population. Poor diet is an important risk factor in CVD. Diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as virgin coconut oil (VCO), has been associated with a reduced risk of CVD. This systematic review focused on studies that reported the association between VCO and the biochemical measurements associated with CVD. These studies conclude that VCO shows promising effects in improving the biochemical derangements associated with CVD, thus lowering the CVD risk. However, most of these studies were performed in animals with very limited data from human. Future investigations are needed to examine the health benefits of VCO in human intervention studies.

Low-level seaweed supplementation improves iodine status in iodine-insufficient women.

Iodine insufficiency is now a prominent issue in the UK and other European countries due to low intakes of dairy products and seafood (especially where iodine fortification is not in place). In the present study, we tested a commercially available encapsulated edible seaweed (Napiers Hebridean Seagreens® Ascophyllum nodosum species) for its acceptability to consumers and iodine bioavailability and investigated the impact of a 2-week daily seaweed supplementation on iodine concentrations and thyroid function. Healthy non-pregnant women of childbearing age, self-reporting low dairy product and seafood consumption, with no history of thyroid or gastrointestinal disease were recruited. Seaweed iodine (712 µg, in 1 g seaweed) was modestly bioavailable at 33 (interquartile range (IQR) 28-46) % of the ingested iodine dose compared with 59 (IQR 46-74) % of iodine from the KI supplement (n 22). After supplement ingestion (2 weeks, 0·5 g seaweed daily, n 42), urinary iodine excretion increased from 78 (IQR 39-114) to 140 (IQR 103-195) µg/l (P< 0·001). The concentrations of thyroid-stimulating hormone increased from 1·5 (IQR 1·2-2·2) to 2·1 (IQR 1·3-2·9) mIU/l (P< 0·001), with two participants having concentrations exceeding the normal range after supplement ingestion (but normal free thyroxine concentrations). There was no change in the concentrations of other thyroid hormones after supplement ingestion. The seaweed was palatable and acceptable to consumers as a whole food or as a food ingredient and effective as a source of iodine in an iodine-insufficient population. In conclusion, seaweed inclusion in staple foods would serve as an alternative to fortification of salt or other foods with KI.