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INTRODUCTION: This systematic review aimed to analyze the available body of published peer-reviewed studies on the effects of combat sports compared with active/passive control on cognitive function and electrophysiological markers of brain activity in older people. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: The studies were searched in Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases from deadline to June 2023. The PRISMA, TESTEX, RoB, and GRADE scales assessed the evidence's methodological quality and certainty of evidence. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (code: CRD42022361695). EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: After reviewing 3768 studies, seven combat sports interventions (score ≥60% in methodological quality) were selected, composed of 381 older people (63% female), with a mean age of 66 years. In the selected studies, interventions based on judo, karate, and taekwondo were carried out, where it was not possible to verify the benefits of combat sports in cognitive function and electrophysiological markers of brain activity regarding active/passive control groups, although the individual results of the analyzed studies indicate that the practice of combat sports favor selective attention, divided attention, executive function, visual perception, and cognitive processing speed in older people. CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence does not allow a definite recommendation regarding combat sports as an effective cognitive function intervention in older people.
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Cognição , Artes Marciais , Idoso , Humanos , Função Executiva , Artes Marciais/fisiologia , Percepção VisualRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The use of pesticides can result in harm to both the environment and human health. There is a growing concern in the field of occupational health about the impact on the mental health of agricultural workers. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review was to systematize scientific evidence from the last ten years on the impact of occupational exposure to pesticides on the development of depression symptoms in agricultural workers. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search in the PubMed and Scopus databases from 2011 to September 2022. Our search included studies in English, Spanish, and Portuguese that examined the association between occupational exposure to pesticides and symptoms of depression in agricultural workers, following the guidelines recommended by the PRISMA statement and the PECO strategy (Population, Exposure, Comparison, and Outcomes). RESULTS: Among the 27 articles reviewed, 78% of them indicated a link between exposure to pesticides and the incidence of depression symptoms. The pesticides most frequently reported in the studies were organophosphates (17 studies), herbicides (12 studies), and pyrethroids (11 studies). The majority of the studies were rated as having intermediate to intermediate-high quality, with the use of standardized measures to assess both exposure and effect. CONCLUSION: The updated evidence presented in our review indicates a clear association between pesticide exposure and the development of depressive symptoms. However, more high-quality longitudinal studies are necessary to control for sociocultural variables and utilize pesticide-specific biomarkers and biomarkers of depression. Given the increased use of these chemicals and the health risks associated with depression, it is crucial to implement more stringent measures to monitor the mental health of agricultural workers regularly exposed to pesticides and to enhance surveillance of companies that apply these chemicals.
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Doenças dos Trabalhadores Agrícolas , Exposição Ocupacional , Praguicidas , Humanos , Praguicidas/toxicidade , Fazendeiros , Depressão/induzido quimicamente , Depressão/epidemiologia , Exposição Ocupacional/efeitos adversos , Biomarcadores , Doenças dos Trabalhadores Agrícolas/epidemiologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Multiple epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to pesticides is associated with adverse health outcomes. However, the literature on pesticide-related health effects in the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) region, an area of intensive agricultural and residential pesticide use, is sparse. We conducted a scoping review to describe the current state of research on the health effects of pesticide exposure in LAC populations with the goal of identifying knowledge gaps and research capacity building needs. METHODS: We searched PubMed and SciELO for epidemiological studies on pesticide exposure and human health in LAC populations published between January 2007 and December 2021. We identified 233 publications from 16 countries that met our inclusion criteria and grouped them by health outcome (genotoxicity, neurobehavioral outcomes, placental outcomes and teratogenicity, cancer, thyroid function, reproductive outcomes, birth outcomes and child growth, and others). RESULTS: Most published studies were conducted in Brazil (37%, n=88) and Mexico (20%, n=46), were cross-sectional in design (72%, n=167), and focused on farmworkers (45%, n=105) or children (21%, n=48). The most frequently studied health effects included genotoxicity (24%, n=62) and neurobehavioral outcomes (21%, n=54), and organophosphate (OP) pesticides were the most frequently examined (26%, n=81). Forty-seven percent (n=112) of the studies relied only on indirect pesticide exposure assessment methods. Exposure to OP pesticides, carbamates, or to multiple pesticide classes was consistently associated with markers of genotoxicity and adverse neurobehavioral outcomes, particularly among children and farmworkers. DISCUSSION: Our scoping review provides some evidence that exposure to pesticides may adversely impact the health of LAC populations, but methodological limitations and inconsistencies undermine the strength of the conclusions. It is critical to increase capacity building, integrate research initiatives, and conduct more rigorous epidemiological studies in the region to address these limitations, better inform public health surveillance systems, and maximize the impact of research on public policies. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9934.
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Exposição Ocupacional , Praguicidas , Agricultura , Carbamatos , Região do Caribe , Criança , Exposição Ambiental/análise , Feminino , Humanos , América Latina , Organofosfatos , Praguicidas/análise , Praguicidas/toxicidade , Placenta/química , GravidezRESUMO
This study protocol aims to analyze and compare the effects of an adapted taekwondo program with respect to multi-component training and walking exercise on health status in independent older women. Secondarily, we analyze the variability of the inter-individual response and compare it according to the designated training system. The sample will consist of 64 women between 60 and 65 years, randomly assigned to experimental group 1 (n = 16; adapted taekwondo), experimental group 2 (n = 16; multi-component training), experimental group 3 (n = 16, walking exercise) or control group (n = 16; no intervention). The experimental groups will perform the designated training for three sessions (60 min per session) per week over 16-weeks, while the control group will not receive any treatment. The main outcome will provide information about (i) blood pressure, (ii) lipid profile, (iii) frequency of food consumption, (iv) body composition, (v) cognitive status, (vi) brain activity, (vii) health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and (viii) physical-functional fitness. Our hypothesis indicates that adapted taekwondo produces more significant effects and greater inter-individual responses in cognitive status, brain activity, HRQoL, and postural balance than the others training methods. If this intervention proves effective, it could be an alternative for older women.
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In recent years, a growing corpus of research has been conducted utilizing a variety of behavioral and neurophysiological methodologies to investigate the relationship of emotion and cognition, yielding unique insights into fundamental concerns about the human mind and mental disease. Electroencephalography (EEG) has been utilized to investigate how emotional states alter neural markers of cognitive control. The current study is a systematic analysis of EEG research that looks at affective modulation (mood, emotion) of cognitive control and its many sub-processes (e.g., cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory). The PRISMA standards were followed in this review, which looked at experimental designs and tasks, as well as methodological elements of EEG recording and analysis across research. A total of 35 articles were chosen for qualitative synthesis as a consequence of the search. The examination of event-related potentials (ERPs), which showed affective modulation of 19 different components, was the most common electrophysiological approach used across research. The majority of the investigations focused on N2 and P3, indicating that affective induction has a strong influence on attentional processes and response inhibition. Future research should look into different methodologies such as source location and connection metrics to better understand the brain's areas and dynamic response during affective induction activities. It is also suggested that the technical components of the report be more explicit in order to promote study comparability and replication.
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Eletroencefalografia , Potenciais Evocados , Atenção/fisiologia , Cognição/fisiologia , Eletroencefalografia/métodos , Emoções/fisiologia , Potenciais Evocados/fisiologia , HumanosRESUMO
Exposure to pesticides during infancy is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. The assessment of knowledge and perception of pesticides exposure and risk among children has not been thoroughly studied. The aim of the study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of a questionnaire that measures the knowledge and perception of exposure to organophosphate pesticides among rural schoolchildren. The questionnaire was administered to 151 schoolchildren between 9 and 13years from four Chilean rural schools. An internal consistency analysis of the ordinal alpha coefficient and a polychoric factor analysis for categorical data were used. The results show that the ordinal alpha was 0.95. Polychoric matrices of rotated components show the 17 questions summarized pesticide knowledge in five factors extracted after promax rotation. This factorial model explains 56.3% of the variance. The questions were grouped as follows: knowledge about pesticides (Factor 1); knowledge of health effects related to pesticides exposure (Factor 2); pesticide exposure through the growing of fruits and vegetables (Factor 3); perception and action against pesticides exposure at school (Factor 4); and perception and action against pesticides exposure at home (Factor 5). The questionnaire provides a useful tool for examining pesticide exposure in agricultural regions, allowing younger community members to participate.
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BACKGROUND: Environmental risk assessments and interventions to mitigate environmental risks are essential to protect public health. While the objective measurement of environmental hazards is important, it is also critical to address the subjective perception of health risks. A population's perception of environmental health hazards is a powerful driving force for action and engagement in safety and health behaviors and can also inform the development of effective and more sustainable environmental health policies. To date, no instruments are available to assess risk perception of environmental health hazards in South America even though there are many concerning issues in the region, including mining. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to adapt and validate an environmental health risk perception questionnaire in a Chilean population affected by mining activity among other risks frequently reported in Latin American countries and included the collection of information on trust on public information sources. METHODS: We adapted an Australian risk perception questionnaire for validation in an adult population from a Chilean mining community. This adaptation included two blinded translations (direct, inverse), a pre-test study (n = 20) and a review by environmental health experts. Principal Component Analyses (PCA) was used to identify factors within major domains of interest. The Bartlett test of sphericity, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure and the Cronbach α test were used to assess the instrument's validity and reliability. The instrument was pilot tested in 205 adults from a mining community in Chañaral. RESULTS: The final adapted questionnaire proved to be a good instrument to measure risk perception in a community chronically exposed to mining waste. For community risks, four factors explained 59.4% of the variance. "Global Issues" (30.2%) included air pollution, contamination of mining, ozone layer depletion and vector diseases. For personal risks, the first two components explained 59.5% of the variance, the main factor (36.7%) was "unhealthy behaviors within the household". For trust in information, the first factor (36.2%) included as main sources "Media and authorities". The Cronbach α ranged between 0.68 and 0.75; and the KMO test between 0.7 to 0.79 for community and personal risks and trust. CONCLUSIONS: The final questionnaire is a simple, reliable and useful instrument that can assist in evaluating environmental health risk perceptions in Latin American countries.
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Saúde Ambiental , Percepção , Austrália , Chile , América Latina , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
In recent years, pyrethroids have emerged as a less toxic alternative to eliminate insect pests. However, some animal studies and studies with children show that these pesticides are toxic and lead to neurobehavioral effects similar to other pesticides, such as organophosphates. The purpose of this review was to systematize the epidemiological scientific evidence about the neurobehavioral, neuromotor, and neurocognitive effects in agricultural workers and their children exposed to pyrethroid pesticides. We conducted two searches (with different terms) in PubMed and Scopus databases, including articles in Spanish and English language on the effects of occupational exposure to pyrethroid pesticides associated with neurobehavioral, neuromotor, and neurocognitive functioning of agricultural workers and their children. There were no filters by year, and the search included studies till march 2021. To develop the search, we followed the recommendations contained in the PRISMA guidelines and the PICO strategy. The results show that in 66.6% of the studies reviewed (8 of 12 studies), agricultural workers or their children occupationally exposed to pyrethroid pesticides have a higher risk of presenting difficulties in their neurocognitive, neuromotor, or neurobehavioral performance, mainly associated with attention, processing speed (linked to hand-eye coordination), and motor coordination. There are still few studies that address this issue. However, the quality of most of the research conducted (83% intermediate or high quality) confirms the risk for neurobehavioral health in agricultural workers due to occupational exposure to pyrethroids. More research is required evaluating the exposure to pyrethroids, including biomarkers and validated neurobehavioral and neuromotor tests, in addition to evaluating the effect of simultaneous exposure to other hazardous pesticides. Assuming that the use of pyrethroids is increasing considerably and faster than the scientific evidence, it is suggested as a precautionary principle to regulate, more strictly, the sale of pyrethroids and other pesticides.
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Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that resist biochemical degradation, moving long distances across the atmosphere before deposition occurs. Our goal was to provide up-to-date data on the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) in breast milk from Chilean women and to estimate the exposure of infants due to breast milk consumption. In Chile, we conducted a cross-sectional study based on methodologies proposed by the WHO, with a sample of 30 women recruited from three defined areas: 10 from the Arica Region (urban; Arica and Parinacota Region), 10 from Coltauco (rural; O'Higgins Region), and 10 from Molina (40% rural; Maule Region). High-resolution gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) was performed on pooled samples from each area. We calculated equivalent toxic concentrations (WHO-TEQ) based on the current WHO Toxic Equivalency Factors (TEF). The minimum and maximum values of ∑ PCDDs/Fs + DL-PCBs-TEQ were 4.317 pg TEQ/g fat in Coltauco and 6.31 pg TEQ/g fat in Arica. Molina had a total TEQ of 5.50 pg TEQ/g fat. The contribution of PCDD/Fs was approximately five-fold higher than that of DL-PCBs. The Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) of ∑ PCDDs/Fs + DL-PCBs based on the three pooled samples ranged between 6.71 and 26.28 pg TEQ/kg body weight (bw)/day, with a mean intake of 16.11 (±6.71) pg TEQ/kg bw/day in breastfed children from 0 to 24 months old. These levels were lower than those reported in international studies. Despite the fact that the observed levels were low compared to those in most industrialized countries, the detection of a variety of POPs in breast milk from Chilean women indicates the need for follow-up studies to determine whether such exposures during childhood could represent a health risk in adulthood.
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Benzofuranos , Dioxinas , Bifenilos Policlorados , Dibenzodioxinas Policloradas , Adulto , Animais , Benzofuranos/análise , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Chile , Estudos Transversais , Dibenzofuranos , Dioxinas/análise , Feminino , Furanos , Cromatografia Gasosa-Espectrometria de Massas , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Leite Humano/química , Projetos Piloto , Bifenilos Policlorados/análise , Dibenzodioxinas Policloradas/análiseRESUMO
In the last 25 years, Chile has had an expanding role as an agro-export country in the global economy, with efficient rates of productivity in the region, based on the technological development of agriculture, with of large monocultures whose productivity depends on the intensive application of agrochemicals. This form of agriculture has also lacked efficient regulations and surveillance, so it is difficult to estimate the real magnitude of the exposed population and its effects on health in the short or long term. This systematic review compiles the epidemiological evidence generated from studies conducted in several regions of Chile regarding pesticide exposure and health effects. Of the total number of articles, 50% included agricultural workers, 25% children, and 25% women of childbearing age, with the greatest effects being the neurotoxic (54%), genotoxic (31%) and reproductive (15%). The evidence collected shows that in Chile the levels of exposure to pesticides in the general and occupational population are higher than international studies levels. It is urgent to protect the health of both the occupational and general population and especially children through a stricter control of the sale and use of pesticides, with comprehensive surveillance systems in environmental health and educational actions in the social and cultural context of rural communities. It is a priority to strengthen research with national relevance on health effects, and strictly restrict the use of pesticides already prohibited in developed countries due to their high level of risk to human and environmental health.