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Background and objective Childhood obesity has become a significant public health challenge , with its prevalence rising globally. Obesity is defined as a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex. This study aimed to group maternal characteristics during pregnancy and assess their association with childhood obesity from ages 2 to 15 years. Methods Data from 4,060 mothers in the B cohort (wave 1, children aged 0–1 year) of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) were analysed to examine maternal characteristics during pregnancy and their association with childhood obesity across waves 2 to 8 (ages 2–15). Latent class analysis (LCA) was employed to identify distinct clusters of maternal health, lifestyle, and dietary factors as exposure variables. Associations between these clusters and childhood obesity, defined using the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) BMI ≥ 95th percentile, were assessed using Chi-square tests and multinomial logistic regression were employed to examine the identified clusters impact on childhood obesity by adjusting maternal factors (employment, education, income,) and child-specific factors (physical activity, diet, energy drink consumption). Results Five clusters emerged: (1) Health Issues with High Mental Health, Medical Needs, and Substance Use, (2) Healthiest Profile with Minimal Dietary Exclusions and Low Medical Risks, (3) Moderate Health Risks with High Smoking Prevalence, (4) Nutritional Exclusions and High Incidence of Other Birth Types, and (5) Severe Health Risks with High Obesity and Medical Dependency. Cluster 5 exhibited the highest risk of childhood obesity, followed by Clusters 3, 4, and 1. Cluster 2 consistently showed the lowest obesity risk. Socioeconomic and child factors mediated the obesity risks in Clusters 1 and 4, with risks persisting for Cluster 3, particularly in later childhood. Conclusion This study highlights the utility of LCA in identifying maternal factors influencing childhood obesity and underscores the importance of promoting maternal health, lifestyle, and dietary improvements to mitigate obesity risks in children. Targeted interventions addressing high-risk maternal profiles could be instrumental in reducing childhood obesity prevalence.

Both psychological stress (PS) and ionizing radiation (IR) cause varied detrimental effects on humans. There has been no direct evidence so far showing PS alone could cause cancer; however, long-lasting PS may affect our overall health and ability to cope with cancer. Due to their living conditions and occupations, some people may encounter concurrent exposure to both PS and IR to a high extent. In addition to possible health effects resulting directly from exposure to IR on these people, fear of IR exposure is also a cause of PS. The question of whether PS would influence susceptibility to IR, radiocarcinogenesis in particular, is of great concern by both the academic world and the public. Recently, investigations using animal PS models demonstrated that PS could modulate susceptibility to IR, causing increased susceptibility to radiocarcinogenesis in Trp53 -heterozygous mice, hematological toxicity in peripheral blood and elevated chromosome aberration (dicentrics) frequency in splenocytes of Trp53– wild-type mice. To actively reduce health risk from exposure to IR, further studies are needed to cumulate more evidence and provide insights into the mechanisms underlying the alterations in susceptibility due to PS modulation. This mini-review gives a general overview of the significance of PS effects on humans and experimental animals, with a special focus on summarizing the latest weight-of-evidence approaches to radiobiological studies on PS-induced alterations in susceptibility in experimental animal models. The susceptibility being investigated is mainly in the context of the impact of the modulatory effect of PS on radiocarcinogenesis; we seek to improve understanding of the combined effects of exposure to both PS and IR in order to facilitate, via active intervention, strategies for radiation risk reduction.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a human neurodegenerative disease, and its global prevalence is predicted to increase dramatically in the following decades. There is mounting evidence describing the effects of ionizing radiation (IR) on the brain, suggesting that exposure to IR might ultimately favor the development of AD. Therefore better understanding the possible connections between exposure to IR and AD pathogenesis is of utmost importance. In this review, recent developments in the research on the biological and cognitive effects of IR in the brain will be explored. Because AD is largely an age-related pathology, the effects of IR on ageing will be investigated.

The cause and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are poorly understood. Possible cognitive and behavioral consequences induced by low-dose radiation are important because humans are exposed to ionizing radiation from various sources. Early transcriptional response in murine brain to low-dose X-rays (100 mGy) has been reported, suggesting alterations of molecular networks and pathways associated with cognitive functions, advanced aging and AD. To investigate acute and late transcriptional, pathological and cognitive consequences of low-dose radiation, we applied an acute dose of 100-mGy total body irradiation (TBI) with X-rays to C57BL/6J Jms mice. We collected hippocampi and analyzed expression of 84 AD-related genes. Mouse learning ability and memory were assessed with the Morris water maze test. We performed in vivo PET scans with 11C-PIB, a radiolabeled ligand for amyloid imaging, to detect fibrillary amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) accumulation, and examined characteristic AD pathologies with immunohistochemical staining of amyloid precursor protein (APP), Aβ, tau and phosphorylated tau (p-tau). mRNA studies showed significant downregulation of only two of 84 AD-related genes, Apbb1 and Lrp1, at 4 h after irradiation, and of only one gene, Il1α, at 1 year after irradiation. Spatial learning ability and memory were not significantly affected at 1 or 2 years after irradiation. No induction of amyloid fibrillogenesis or changes in APP, Aβ, tau, or p-tau expression was detected at 4 months or 2 years after irradiation. TBI induced early or late transcriptional alteration in only a few AD-related genes but did not significantly affect spatial learning, memory or AD-like pathological change in mice.

Purpose: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, while its cause and progression are not well understood [ 1]. The possible cognitive and behavioral consequences induced by low-dose radiation are of great concern as humans are exposed to ionizing radiations from various sources including medical diagnosis [ 2]. A recent study in mice reported early transcriptional response in brain to low-dose X-rays (0.10 Gy) suggesting alterations of molecular networks and pathways associated with cognitive functions, advanced aging and AD. The present study is to investigate the late pathological, cognitive and behavioral consequences induced by low-dose radiation. Materials and methods: C57BL/6J mice were total-body irradiated with an acute dose from X-rays (0.10 Gy) or carbon ions (0.05 or 0.10 Gy). The hippocampus was collected and the expression of 84 AD-related genes was analyzed. Morris water maze test was applied to the measurement of the learning ability and memory of the animals. Amyloid imaging with positron emission tomography were performed to detect the accumulation of fibrillary amyloid β peptide (Aβ), and characteristic pathologies of AD were examined with immunohistochemical staining of amyloid precursor protein (APP), Aβ, tau, and phosphorylated tau. Results: For the transcriptional studies, results showed that a few genes out of 84 AD-related genes were significantly up-regulated at 4 h after irradiation and the other genes had no marked change; on the other hand, a few other genes showed a significant down-regulation, while the other genes had no marked change at 1 year after irradiation. For the behavioral studies, no significant difference on learning ability and memory was observed at 1 and 2 years after irradiation. Imaging and immunohistochemical staining showed no change in the accumulation of fibrillar amyloid and the expression of APP, Aβ, tau and phosphorylated tau were detectable in the animals 4 months and 2 years after irradiation. Conclusion: These findings suggest that total-body irradiation at a dose of 0.10 Gy could hardly induce significant early or late transcriptional alterations in most of the AD-related genes in the hippocampus, learning disability and memory impairment, and AD-like pathological change in the brain in mice [ 3].

Cropping systems in the Level Barind Tract (LBT) of Bangladesh are highly diverse, as Transplanted (T.) Aman and Boro (T. Boro) rice are a common practice in the area. Although. T. Aman is generally cultivated in the rainy (monsoon) season, but the T. Boro rice is the intensive irrigation-based winter rice with high establishment costs as a result of exhaustive tillage and high labours for transplanting of seedlings. Furthermore, pumping of a large amount of irrigation during T. Boro cultivation declines the level of groundwater, which is not environmentally friendly nor cost-effective. Therefore, the replacement of the T. Boro rice from the cropping pattern in the LBT area is the major concern of policymakers. In this context, a replicated three to four crop-based cropping systems (CS) field trial was conducted in LBT of Gaibandha, Bangladesh for consecutive three years (2018–2020) to evaluate productivity, profitability and sustainability of the multiple crop-based cropping systems. Among these CS, existing three crops based CS, CS1: T. Aman–Potato–T. Boro (introduction of the local potato in the existing cropping system) were compared with four crops based CS2: T. Aman–Potato–Cucumber–T. Aus (Introduction of high yielding potato, cucumber and T. Aus as an improved cropping system). After two years of observations, significantly higher system productivity (rice equivalent yield; REY) was found in the improved CS2 than that of existing CS1 in both years (two years’ average 49% or 11.1 t ha−1). As a result of the introduction of the high yielding potato, cucumber and T. Aus rice instead of the T. Boro rice. The CS2 was also found profitable as compared to the CS1 in terms of higher gross margin (by 74%), net return (double) and benefit-cost ratio (BCR) (1.69 vs. 1.44) due to higher gross return with slightly higher (by 28%) production cost. It is due to farmers received higher prices for potato, cucumber and two rice crops in the improved CS2 than the existing CS1. On the other hand, protein and energy output was lower (by 17% and 9%, respectively) in the CS2 than the existing CS1, due to the less content of protein and energy value in the vegetable cucumber. The results of the study revealed that crops diversification in the existing T. Boro based CS with high yielding potato, cucumber, and T. Aus rice, improved the system productivity, profitability and sustainability; which lead to improve the food security of the increasing population and also reduce the adverse effect on the environment.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a human neurodegenerative disease, and its global prevalence is predicted to increase dramatically in the following decades. There is mounting evidence describing the effects of ionizing radiation (IR) on the brain, suggesting that exposure to IR might ultimately favor the development of AD. Therefore better understanding the possible connections between exposure to IR and AD pathogenesis is of utmost importance. In this review, recent developments in the research on the biological and cognitive effects of IR in the brain will be explored. Because AD is largely an age-related pathology, the effects of IR on ageing will be investigated.

The cause and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are poorly understood. Possible cognitive and behavioral consequences induced by low-dose radiation are important because humans are exposed to ionizing radiation from various sources. Early transcriptional response in murine brain to low-dose X-rays (100 mGy) has been reported, suggesting alterations of molecular networks and pathways associated with cognitive functions, advanced aging and AD. To investigate acute and late transcriptional, pathological and cognitive consequences of low-dose radiation, we applied an acute dose of 100-mGy total body irradiation (TBI) with X-rays to C57BL/6J Jms mice. We collected hippocampi and analyzed expression of 84 AD-related genes. Mouse learning ability and memory were assessed with the Morris water maze test. We performed in vivo PET scans with super(11)C-PIB, a radiolabeled ligand for amyloid imaging, to detect fibrillary amyloid beta peptide (A beta ) accumulation, and examined characteristic AD pathologies with immunohistochemical staining of amyloid precursor protein (APP), A beta , tau and phosphorylated tau (p-tau). mRNA studies showed significant downregulation of only two of 84 AD-related genes, Apbb1 and Lrp1, at 4 h after irradiation, and of only one gene, Il1 alpha , at 1 year after irradiation. Spatial learning ability and memory were not significantly affected at 1 or 2 years after irradiation. No induction of amyloid fibrillogenesis or changes in APP, A beta , tau, or p-tau expression was detected at 4 months or 2 years after irradiation. TBI induced early or late transcriptional alteration in only a few AD-related genes but did not significantly affect spatial learning, memory or AD-like pathological change in mice.

J Bangladesh Coll Phys Surg 2012; 30: 234-235 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbcps.v30i4.14769