The Effects of Nature Exposure Therapies on Stress, Depression, and Anxiety Levels: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Mental well-being plays a pivotal role within the broader spectrum of health and illness, encompassing factors such as stress, depression, and anxiety. Nature-based therapeutic interventions have emerged as a promising approach to addressing these mental health challenges. This study seeks to assess the impact of these interventions on stress, depression, and anxiety levels. METHODS: We conducted an extensive search for randomized clinical trials that examined stress, anxiety, and depression levels. The selected studies underwent a rigorous risk-of-bias assessment following the guidelines outlined in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews. RESULTS: Our review encompassed findings from eight publications. Among them, two studies measuring cortisol levels revealed significant differences between the pre-test and post-test measurements within the intervention groups. In two studies that employed the Stress Response Inventory, a significant decrease in stress levels was observed within the intervention groups in contrast to the control groups. However, no significant differences were noted in studies that utilized the Restorative Outcome Scale. In the assessment of anxiety and depression levels, three studies employed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, while four studies utilized The Profile of Mood States scale; none of these studies demonstrated significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: The current body of evidence offers limited support for advocating nature-based therapeutic interventions as a primary approach to reducing stress, depression, and anxiety.

Assessment of Factors Influencing Personal Exposure to Air Pollution on Main Roads in Bogota: A Mixed-Method Study.

Background and Objectives: Particulate Matter (PM), particles of variable but small diameter can penetrate the respiratory system via inhalation, causing respiratory and/or cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to evaluate the association of environmental particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC) with respiratory health in users of different transport modes in four roads in Bogotá. Materials and Methods: this was a mixed-method study (including a cross sectional study and a qualitative description of the air quality perception), in 300 healthy participants, based on an exploratory sequential design. The respiratory effect was measured comparing the changes between pre- and post-spirometry. The PM2.5 and black carbon (BC) concentrations were measured using portable devices. Inhaled doses were also calculated for each participant according to the mode and route. Perception was approached through semi-structured interviews. The analysis included multivariate models and concurrent triangulation. Results: The concentration of matter and black carbon were greater in bus users (median 50.67 µg m-3; interquartile range (-IR): 306.7). We found greater inhaled dosages of air pollutants among bike users (16.41 µg m-3). We did not find changes in the spirometry parameter associated with air pollutants or transport modes. The participants reported a major sensory influence at the visual and olfactory level as perception of bad air quality. Conclusions: We observed greater inhaled doses among active transport users. Nevertheless, no pathological changes were identified in the spirometry parameters. People's perceptions are a preponderant element in the assessment of air quality.

Corrigendum: Cognitive Impairment After Resolution of Hepatic Encephalopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.579263.].

Cognitive Impairment After Resolution of Hepatic Encephalopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is one of the most disabling metabolic diseases. It consists of a complication of liver disease through the action of neurotoxins, such as excessive production of ammonia from liver, resulting in impaired brain function. Its prevalence and incidence are not well known, although it has been established that up to 40% of cirrhotic patients may develop HE. Patients with HE episodes display a wide range of neurological disturbances, from subclinical alterations to coma. Recent evidence suggests that the resolution of hepatic encephalopathy does not fully restore cognitive functioning in cirrhotic patients. Therefore, the aim of this review was to evaluate the evidence supporting the presence of lingering cognitive deficits in patients with a history of HE compared to patients without HE history and how liver transplant affects such outcome in these patients. We performed two distinct meta-analysis of continuous outcomes. In both cases the results were pooled using random-effects models. Our results indicate that cirrhotic patients with a history of HE show clear cognitive deficits compared control cirrhotic patients (Std. Mean Difference (in SDs) = -0.72 [CI 95%: -0.94, -0.50]) and that these differences are not fully restored after liver transplant (Std. Mean Difference (in SDs) = -0.72 [CI 95%: -0.94, -0.50]).

Seaweeds-derived compounds modulating effects on signal transduction pathways: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Recently, the study of marine natural products has gained interest due to their relevant biological activities. Specially, seaweeds produce bioactive compounds that could act as modulators of cell signaling pathways involved in a plethora of diseases. Thereby, the description of the molecular mechanisms by which seaweeds elicit its biological functions will certainly pave the way to the pharmacological development of drugs. AIM: This review describes the molecular mechanisms by which seaweeds act and its possible utilization in the design of new drugs. METHODS: This review was conducted according to the PRISMA-P guidelines for systematic reviews. Two independent authors searched into four different databases using combinations of keywords. Two more authors selected the articles following the eligibility criteria. Information extraction was conducted by two separated authors and entered into spreadsheets. Methodological quality and risk of bias were determined applying a 12-question Risk of Bias criteria tool. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We found 2360 articles (SCOPUS: 998; PubMed: 678; Wiley: 645 and EBSCO: 39) using the established keywords, of which 113 articles fit the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. This work comprises studies in cell lines, and animal models, any clinical trial was excluded. The articles were published from 2005 up to March 31st 2018. The biggest amount of articles was published in 2017. Furthermore, the seaweeds tested in the studies were collected in 15 countries, mainly in Eastern countries. We found that the main modulated signaling pathways by seaweeds-derivate extracts and compounds were: L-Arginine/NO, TNF-α, MAPKs, PI3K/AKT/GSK, mTOR, NF-κB, extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis, cell cycle, MMPs and Nrf2. Finally, the articles we analyzed showed moderate risk of bias in almost all the parameters evaluated. However, the studies fail to describe the place and characteristics of sample collection, the sample size, and the blindness of the experimental design. CONCLUSION: In this review we identified and summarized relevant information related to seaweed-isolated compounds and extracts having biological activity; their role in different signal pathways to better understand their potential to further development of cures for cancer, diabetes, and inflammation-related diseases.

Brown Seaweed Egregia menziesii's Cytotoxic Activity against Brain Cancer Cell Lines.

Brown seaweeds contain bioactive compounds that show anti-tumorigenic effects. These characteristics have been repeatedly observed in the Lessoniaceae family. Egregia menziesii, a member of this family, is distributed in the North Pacific and its properties have been barely studied. We evaluated herein the cytotoxic and anti-proliferative activity of extracts of this seaweed, through toxicity assay in Artemia salina and lymphocytes, and MTT proliferation assay, in Bergmann glia cells, 3T3-L1 and brain cancer cell lines. E. menziesii's extracts inhibited the spread of all the tested cell lines. The hexane extract showed the highest cytotoxic activity, while the methanol extract was moderately cytotoxic. Interestingly, seaweed extracts displayed a selective inhibition pattern. These results suggest that E. menziesii's extracts might be good candidates for cancer prevention and the development of novel chemotherapies due to its highest cytotoxicity in transformed cells compare to glia primary cultures.

Brain Activity during Methamphetamine Anticipation in a Non-Invasive Self-Administration Paradigm in Mice.

The ability to sense time and anticipate events is critical for survival. Learned responses that allow anticipation of the availability of food or water have been intensively studied. While anticipatory behaviors also occur prior to availability of regularly available rewards, there has been relatively little work on anticipation of drugs of abuse, specifically methamphetamine (MA). In the present study, we used a protocol that avoided possible CNS effects of stresses of handling or surgery by testing anticipation of MA availability in animals living in their home cages, with daily voluntary access to the drug at a fixed time of day. Anticipation was operationalized as the amount of wheel running prior to MA availability. Mice were divided into four groups given access to either nebulized MA or water, in early or late day. Animals with access to MA, but not water controls, showed anticipatory activity, with more anticipation in early compared to late day and significant interaction effects. Next, we explored the neural basis of the MA anticipation, using c-FOS expression, in animals euthanized at the usual time of nebulization access. In the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the pattern of c-FOS expression paralleled that of anticipatory behavior, with significant main and interaction effects of treatment and time of day. The results for the lateral septum (LS) were significant for main effects and marginally significant for interaction effects. These studies suggest that anticipation of MA is associated with activation of brain regions important in circadian timing, emotional regulation, and decision making.

Anticancer activity of seaweeds.

Cancer is a major health problem worldwide and still lacks fully effective treatments. Therefore, alternative therapies, using natural products, have been proposed. Marine algae are an important component of the marine environment, with high biodiversity, and contain a huge number of functional compounds, including terpenes, polyphenols, phlorotannins, and polysaccharides, among others. These compounds have complex structures that have shown several biological activities, including anticancer activity, using in vitro and in vivo models. Moreover, seaweed-derived compounds target important molecules that regulate cancer processes. Here, we review our current understanding of the anticancer activity of seaweeds.