Environmental neurology in the tropics

Prenatal harmful substances: Thai pregnant women's experiences

Background

The exposure of unborn babies to harmful substances during prenatal stages can lead to fetal anomalies, emphasizing the significance of pregnant women's practices in ensuring optimal fetal outcomes. However, there is a lack of understanding regarding this issue from the perspective of pregnant women.

Objective

This study aimed to describe the experiences of pregnant women in avoiding harmful substances to their unborn babies.

Methods

This study used a qualitative descriptive approach. Data were collected between September 2020 and April 2021 through in-depth interviews with 17 pregnant women purposively selected from two hospitals in southern Thailand. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results

Four themes emerged from the participants' experiences: 1) understanding of harms, which included substance characteristics, exposure characteristics, body's protective mechanism, personal experiences, and obtained information; 2) practices for safety, which consisted of food safety, work safety, ambient air safety, and safety in personal/household products; 3) challenges in avoiding harmful substances, which were unrecognition, unavailability of safe substances, discomfort and inconvenience, inevitability, and family traditions; and 4) overcoming the challenges through personal changes, obtaining support, and ensuring a peaceful mind.

Conclusion

The findings provide valuable insights into prenatal exposure to harmful substances, which can serve as a basis for developing comprehensive guidelines for best practices. It is crucial for nurses to receive training that enables them to educate pregnant women, enhancing their awareness of important harmful substances and promoting effective methods for maintaining safety in their daily activities. Additionally, nurses can develop interventions to empower pregnant women to overcome challenges by involving significant individuals, particularly family members, in providing support and creating an optimal prenatal environment.

Neurodegenerative Diseases: Implications of Environmental and Climatic Influences on Neurotransmitters and Neuronal Hormones Activities

Neurodegenerative and neuronal-related diseases are major public health concerns. Human vulnerability to neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) increases with age. Neuronal hormones and neurotransmitters are major determinant factors regulating brain structure and functions. The implications of environmental and climatic changes emerged recently as influence factors on numerous diseases. However, the complex interaction of neurotransmitters and neuronal hormones and their depletion under environmental and climatic influences on NDDs are not well established in the literature. In this review, we aim to explore the connection between the environmental and climatic factors to NDDs and to highlight the available and potential therapeutic interventions that could use to improve the quality of life and reduce susceptibility to NDDs.

Global warming and neurological practice: systematic review

Background

Climate change, including global warming, will cause poorer global health and rising numbers of environmental refugees. As neurological disorders account for a major share of morbidity and mortality worldwide, global warming is also destined to alter neurological practice; however, to what extent and by which mechanisms is unknown. We aimed to collect information about the effects of ambient temperatures and human migration on the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of neurological disorders.

Methods

We searched PubMed and Scopus from 01/2000 to 12/2020 for human studies addressing the influence of ambient temperatures and human migration on Alzheimer’s and non-Alzheimer’s dementia, epilepsy, headache/migraine, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and tick-borne encephalitis (a model disease for neuroinfections). The protocol was pre-registered with PROSPERO (2020 CRD42020147543).

Results

Ninety-three studies met inclusion criteria, 84 of which reported on ambient temperatures and nine on migration. Overall, most temperature studies suggested a relationship between increasing temperatures and higher mortality and/or morbidity, whereas results were more ambiguous for migration studies. However, we were unable to identify a single adequately designed study addressing how global warming and human migration will change neurological practice. Still, extracted data indicated multiple ways by which these aspects might alter neurological morbidity and mortality soon.

Conclusion

Significant heterogeneity exists across studies with respect to methodology, outcome measures, confounders and study design, including lack of data from low-income countries, but the evidence so far suggests that climate change will affect the practice of all major neurological disorders in the near future. Adequately designed studies to address this issue are urgently needed, requiring concerted efforts from the entire neurological community.

The importance of heart and brain imaging in children and adolescents with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) recently reported in a minority of children affected by SARS-CoV-2, mimics Kawasaki disease (KD), a medium vessel vasculitis of unknown cause. In contrast to acute COVID-19 infection, which is usually mild in children, 68% of patients with MIS-C will need intensive care unit. Myocarditis and coronary artery ectasia/aneurysm are included between the main cardiovascular complications in MIS-C. Therefore, close clinical assessment is need it both at diagnosis and during follow-up. Echocardiography is the cornerstone modality for myocardial function and coronary artery evaluation in the acute phase. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) detects diffuse myocardial inflammation including oedema/fibrosis, myocardial perfusion and coronary arteries anatomy during the convalescence and in adolescents, where echocardiography may provide inadequate images. Brain involvement in MIS-C is less frequent compared to cardiovascular disease. However, it is not unusual and should be monitored by clinical evaluation and brain magnetic resonance (MRI), as we still do not know its effect in brain development. Brain MRI in MIS-C shows T2-hyperintense lesions associated with restricted diffusion and bilateral thalamic lesions. To conclude, MIS-C is a multisystem disease affecting many vital organs, such as heart and brain. Clinical awareness, application of innovative, high technology imaging modalities and advanced treatment protocols including supportive and anti-inflammatory medication will help physicians to prevent the dreadful complications of MIS-C.