Sunlight: Time for a Rethink?

UVR is a skin carcinogen, yet no studies link sun exposure to increased all-cause mortality. Epidemiological studies from the United Kingdom and Sweden link sun exposure with reduced all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. Vitamin D synthesis is dependent on UVB exposure. Individuals with higher serum levels of vitamin D are healthier in many ways, yet multiple trials of oral vitamin D supplementation show little benefit. Growing evidence shows that sunlight has health benefits through vitamin D-independent pathways, such as photomobilization of nitric oxide from cutaneous stores with reduction in cardiovascular morbidity. Sunlight has important systemic health benefit as well as risks.

Dioctophimosis in a community dog from a public park in the city of Curitiba-PR: a case report from the perspective of One Health.

The present study describes from the holistic One Health perspective a case report of dioctophimosis in a community dog (defined as stray dogs managed by the local community) residing in a park in the city of Curitiba-PR, considering the multispecies collectives directly affected by the dynamics of this dangerous zoonosis. The work underlines the importance of the community dog program of the Rede de Proteção Animal, demonstrating the health barrier function of these dogs. Despite being a cosmopolitan zoonosis, dioctophimosis is of particular importance in regions of the developing world, including Latin America, because of large populations of stray animals and social inequalities. Public policies focused on raising awareness among the general population about this parasitic disease and its risks and the restraint of actions that determine risks of infection for humans and companion animals are fundamental to a One Health approach to prevent this zoonosis.

No presente estudo, é descrito um relato de caso de dioctofimose em um cão comunitário (descrito como um cão em situação de rua mantido pela comunidade local) residente em um parque da cidade de Curitiba-PR, sob a perspectiva holística da Saúde Única, considerando os coletivos multiespécies que estão diretamente envolvidos e influenciados pela dinâmica desta perigosa zoonose. O trabalho aborda a importância do programa do cão comunitário da Rede de Proteção Animal, demonstrando claramente a função de barreira sanitária desses cães. Argumenta-se que apesar de ser uma zoonose praticamente cosmopolita, a dioctofimose tem importância significativa em regiões do mundo em desenvolvimento, incluindo a América Latina, devido às grandes populações de animais errantes e às desigualdades sociais comuns nesta porção do planeta. Políticas públicas que envolvam a sensibilização da população em geral sobre esta doença parasitária e seus riscos, bem como a coibição de ações que determinem riscos de infecção para humanos e animais de companhia são fundamentais para uma abordagem de Saúde Única com objetivo de prevenir esta zoonose.

COVID-19: una oportunidad para revitalizar la autonomía alimentaria en comunidades indígenas / COVID-19: an opportunity to revitalize food autonomy in indigenous communities / Covid-19: uma oportunidade para revitalizar a autonomia alimentar nas comunidades indígenas

Resumen La autonomía alimentaria permite a las comunidades determinar sus prácticas alimentarias, comenzando con la producción agrícola en sus territorios garantizando la economía propia y la armonía con la madre tierra, en este contexto, la pandemia por COVID-19 generó cambios en las practicas sociales en las comunidades indígenas, incluidas sus prácticas alimentarias. Objetivo: Describir prácticas de autonomía alimentaria revitalizadas a partir del confinamiento por COVID-19 en una comunidad indígena Nasa del sur de Colombia. Método: Estudio cualitativo orientado en investigación participativa basada en comunidad (CBPR) realizado en una comunidad indígena Nasa del sur de Colombia. La recolección e interpretación de información se efectuó con técnicas de la investigación cualitativa: codificación abierta y axial y hasta llegar a la descripción de categorías emergentes. Resultados: Se fortalecieron prácticas ancestrales del sistema alimentario para mejorar el acceso a los alimentos sanos producidos en sus territorios, dentro de las que se destacan: tul (huerta familiar), trueque, mano-cambio, mercado Nasa y recetas tradicionales. Conclusiones: El confinamiento representó una oportunidad para retomar y revitalizar las prácticas alimentarias ancestrales de la comunidad que respondieron a necesidades concretas de salud y de alimentación, fortaleciendo el tejido social y la identidad indígena, acciones que pueden trascender a políticas públicas, planes de vida y aspiraciones de buen vivir.

Abstract Food autonomy allows communities to determine their food practices, starting with agricultural production in their territories, guaranteeing their own economy and harmony with Mother Earth. In this context, the COVID-19 pandemic generated changes in social practices in the communities. indigenous communities, including their food practices. Objective: Describe food autonomy practices revitalized following the COVID-19 confinement in a Nasa indigenous community in southern Colombia. Method: Qualitative study oriented on community-based participatory research (CBPR) carried out in a Nasa indigenous community in southern Colombia. The collection and interpretation of information was carried out with qualitative research techniques: open and axial coding and until reaching the description of emerging categories. Results: Ancestral practices of the food system were strengthened to improve access to healthy foods produced in their territories, among which the following stand out: tul (family garden), barter, hand-exchange, Nasa market and traditional recipes. Conclusions: Confinement represented an opportunity to resume and revitalize the community's ancestral food practices that responded to specific health and food needs, strengthening the social fabric and indigenous identity, actions that can transcend public policies, life plans and aspirations for a good life.

Abstract A autonomia alimentar permite que as comunidades determinem suas práticas alimentares, começando pela produção agrícola em seus territórios, garantindo sua própria economia e harmonia com a Mãe Terra. Nesse contexto, a pandemia da Covid-19 gerou mudanças nas práticas sociais nas comunidades indígenas, incluindo suas práticas alimentares. Objetivo: Descrever as práticas de autonomia alimentar revitalizadas após o confinamento da COVID-19 em uma comunidade indígena Nasa no sul da Colômbia. Método: Estudo qualitativo orientado à pesquisa participativa de base comunitária (CBPR) realizada em uma comunidade indígena Nasa no sul da Colômbia. A coleta e interpretação das informações foram realizadas com técnicas de pesquisa qualitativa: codificação aberta e axial e até chegar à descrição das categorias emergentes. Resultados: As práticas ancestrais do sistema alimentar foram fortalecidas para melhorar o acesso aos alimentos saudáveis produzidos em seus territórios, entre os quais se destacam: tul (horta familiar), escambo, troca de mãos, mercado Nasa e receitas tradicionais. Conclusões: O confinamento representou uma oportunidade para retomar e revitalizar as práticas alimentares ancestrais da comunidade que respondiam às necessidades específicas de saúde e alimentação, fortalecendo o tecido social e a identidade indígena, ações que podem transcender as políticas públicas, os planos de vida e as aspirações por uma vida boa.

Humanização na ambiência de Práticas Integrativas e Complementares: significado de bem-estar na perspectiva dos usuários / Humanisation in the Complementary and Integrative Practice ambience: the meaning of well-being from the users' perspective

Resumo Na busca pelo incremento qualitativo dos espaços de saúde e por uma experiência positiva de seus usuários, este artigo apresenta os significados de bem-estar relacionados à ambiência, atribuídos pelos usuários de ambientes terapêuticos de Práticas Integrativas e Complementares (PIC). A pesquisa qualitativa teve como um de seus objetivos "Identificar o significado de bem-estar e os estímulos que o influenciam, em ambientes de PIC". Foi realizada uma avaliação ambiental em três estudos de caso no ano de 2017, com múltiplos métodos, dos quais as entrevistas - com terapeutas, pacientes e coordenadores das instituições - e as observações sistemáticas foram os que melhor contribuíram para os resultados aqui apresentados. A categorização dos resultados sugere que os significados de bem-estar atribuídos pelos usuários de ambientes terapêuticos de PIC sejam: Acolhimento, Ânimo, Beleza, Concentração, Confiança, Relaxamento e Simplicidade. Neste artigo, apresenta-se a discussão da categorização em relação à revisão de literatura, às amostras de usuários, aos estímulos ambientais e aos métodos. Estima-se que essa categorização possa contribuir para a humanização das ambiências de PIC e para a melhoria de seus projetos arquitetônicos.

Abstract Aiming to have a qualitative increase in health spaces and provide a positive experience for its users, this article presents the meanings of well-being related to the environment, attributed by users of therapeutic environments with complementary and integrative practices (CIPs). One of the objectives of the qualitative research was to "Identify the meaning of well-being and the stimuli that influence it in CIP environments". An environmental assessment was carried out in three case studies in 2017, using multiple methods, of which interviews - with therapists, patients and coordinators from institutions - and systematic observations best contributed to the results presented here. The categorisation of the results suggests that the meanings of well-being attributed by users of therapeutic CIP environments are: Welcomeness, Motivation, Beauty, Concentration, Trust, Relaxation and Simplicity. In this article, the discussion of categorisation in relation to the literature review, user samples, environmental stimuli and methods is presented. It is estimated that this categorisation can contribute to the humanisation of CIP ambiences and to improving their architectural projects.

Spillover of zoonotic pathogens: A review of reviews.

Zoonotic spillover and subsequent disease emergence cause significant, long-lasting impacts on our social, economic, environmental and political systems. Identifying and averting spillover transmission is crucial for preventing outbreaks and mitigating infectious disease burdens. Investigating the processes that lead to spillover fundamentally involves interactions between animals, humans, pathogens and the environments they inhabit. Accordingly, it is recognized that transdisciplinary approaches provide a more holistic understanding of spillover phenomena. To characterize the discourse about spillover within and between disciplines, we conducted a review of review papers about spillover from multiple disciplines. We systematically searched and screened literature from several databases to identify a corpus of review papers from ten academic disciplines. We performed qualitative content analysis on text where authors described either a spillover pathway, or a conceptual gap in spillover theory. Cluster analysis of pathway data identified nine major spillover processes discussed in the review literature. We summarized the main features of each process, how different disciplines contributed to them, and identified specialist and generalist disciplines based on the breadth of processes they studied. Network analyses showed strong similarities between concepts reviewed by 'One Health' disciplines (e.g. Veterinary Science & Animal Health, Public Health & Medicine, Ecology & Evolution, Environmental Science), which had broad conceptual scope and were well-connected to other disciplines. By contrast, awas focused on processes that are relatively overlooked by other disciplines, especially those involving food behaviour and livestock husbandry practices. Virology and Cellular & Molecular Biology were narrower in scope, primarily focusing on concepts related to adaption and evolution of zoonotic viruses. Finally, we identified priority areas for future research into zoonotic spillover by studying the gap data.

Associations between calcium and magnesium intake and the risk of incident gastric cancer: A prospective cohort analysis of the National Institutes of Health-American Association of Retired Persons (NIH-AARP) Diet and Health Study.

Gastric cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Identifying dietary and other modifiable disease determinants has important implications for risk attenuation in susceptible individuals. Our primary aim was to estimate the association between dietary and supplemental intakes of calcium and magnesium and the risk of incident gastric cancer. We conducted a prospective cohort analysis of the National Institutes of Health-American Association of Retired Persons Diet and Health Study. We used Cox proportional hazard modeling to estimate the association between calcium and magnesium intakes with risk of incident gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) overall and by anatomic location, noncardia GA (NCGA) and cardia GA (CGA). A total of 536,403 respondents (59% males, 41% females) were included for analysis, among whom 1,518 incident GAs (797 NCGA and 721 CGA) occurred. Increasing calcium intake was associated with lower risk of GA overall (p-trend = 0.05), driven primarily by the association with NCGA, where the above median calcium intakes were associated with a 23% reduction in risk compared to the lowest quartile (p-trend = 0.05). This magnitude of NCGA risk reduction was greater among nonwhite ethnic group and Hispanics (hazard ratio [HR] 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.24-1.07, p-trend = 0.04), current/former smokers (HR 0.58, 95% CI: 0.41-0.81), obese individuals (HR 0.54, 95% CI: 0.31-0.96) and those with high NCGA risk scores (HR 0.50, 95% CI: 0.31-0.80). Among men only, increasing magnesium intake was associated with 22-27% reduced risk of NCGA (p-trend = 0.05), while for the cohort, dietary magnesium intake in the highest vs. lowest quartile was associated with a 34% reduced risk of NCGA (HR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.48-0.90). These findings have important implications for risk factor modification. Future investigations are needed not only to confirm our results, but to define mechanisms underlying these associations.

'Nutrition is out of our control': soldiers' perceptions of their local food environment.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the perceptions of soldiers participating in a US Army Office of The Surgeon General's worksite health promotion programme (WHPP) on the local food environment within their campus-style workplace. DESIGN: Focus groups were conducted to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of the WHPP implementation. Further exploration of focus group data through thematic analysis focused on perceived contributions of the military campus-style food environment to soldiers' nutrition behaviours. SETTING: Three US Army installations located in the continental USA. PARTICIPANTS: Active duty soldiers (n 366) participating in one of the fifty-eight focus groups. RESULTS: Soldiers shared a common belief of self-discipline and personal responsibility as the foothold to nutrition behaviour change. Soldiers described aspects of the military campus-style food environment as factors impeding achievement of optimal nutrition. Collectively, soldiers perceived the proximity and density of fast-food restaurants, lack of healthy alternatives on the installation and the cost of healthy food as inhibitors to choosing healthy foods. Overwhelmingly, soldiers also perceived time constraints as a factor contributing to unhealthy food choices. CONCLUSIONS: Although nutrition behaviour is individually driven, soldiers perceived the military campus-style food environment inhibits healthy decision making. Nutrition programming in military WHPP must integrate food environment changes to improve soldiers' nutrition behaviour outcomes. Applicable to the military, food choice behaviour studies suggest environmental changes must be appealing to young adults. Considerations for environmental changes should include an increased portion size for healthy options, broadened use of soldiers' daily food allowances on local produce and increased availability of grab-and-go options.

Benefits of walking and solo experiences in UK wild places.

This paper examines human-nature interaction and how therapeutic this relationship is by investigating the efficacy of structured outdoor experience. Two walking and solo experience (WSEs) explored university students' (aged 20-43 years) perceptions of walking through and being with nature. The first was a 5-day journey (n = 4; 3 females and 1 male) and the second (n = 5; 3 females and 2 males) took place over two weekends, with a 2-week interval in-between. Pre- and post-experience interviews, journal writing, group discussions and a 9-month follow-up interviews were used to collect data and thematic analysis [Braun and Clarke (Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol 2006;3:77-101.)] was applied. Both WSEs were considered together during analysis, as well as comparisons made between the two, in order to evaluate implications for practice. Benefits of the WSE that contributed to a general sense of well-being were: (i) gaining a sense of freedom and escape; (ii) gaining a sense of awareness and sensitivity to one's environment and its influence (iii) gaining confidence in being able to cope and take action; (iv) gaining a sense of perspective on and appreciation for life. Furthermore, the meaning participants formed in relation to their environment before, during and after the WSE, and the activity within that environment, played a role in their sense of well-being and in their motivations to re-access nature in other places. Findings suggest that WSEs are a cost effective way to give rise to beneficial and durable experiences, but a more holistic approach to policy is needed.

Area-based interventions to ameliorate deprived Dutch neighborhoods in practice: does the Dutch District Approach address the social determinants of health to such an extent that future health impacts may be expected?

OBJECTIVE: We studied the local manifestation of a national procedural program that addressed problems regarding employment, education, housing and the physical neighborhood environment, social cohesion, and safety in the most deprived neighborhoods in the Netherlands. We aimed to assess if such a program, without the explicit aim to improve health, results in area-based interventions that address the social determinants of health to such an extent that future health impacts may be expected. METHODS: We used standardized questionnaires and face-to-face interviews with 39 local district managers. We analyzed the content of the area-based interventions to assess if the activities addressed the social determinants of health. We assessed the duration and scale of the activities in order to estimate their potential to change social determinants of health. RESULTS: Most districts addressed all six categories of social determinants of health central to the procedural program. Investments in broad-based primary schools, housing stock, green space, and social safety seemed to have the potential to result in district-level changes in social determinants. The scale of activities aimed at employment, income, educational attainment, and the social environment seemed too small to expect an impact at the district level. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the area-based interventions addressed the neighborhood environment to such an extent that future health impacts of the Dutch District Approach may be expected. The health effects in the long term might be more substantial when area-based interventions were devoted more to the improvement of the socioeconomic circumstances of residents.