Environment and health: Risk perception and its determinants among Italian university students

Among the determinants of environmental health risk perception, health literacy and social media messages have been generally neglected. This study details the environmental health risk perception and its determinants in Italian university students, including a measure of functional health literacy and an analysis of newspapers and social media. A cross sectional survey was carried out among students from 15 Italian universities and different disciplines (grouped into Scientific-Health and Humanistic-Legal-Social sectors) using a self-administered anonymous questionnaire, divided into six sections: socio-demographic characteristics, information on health and environment, environmental health risk perception, trust, attitudes and behaviors and functional health literacy. Local newspapers and tweets in the same areas and period were analyzed in relation to quantity and topics. The study population included 4778 students (65.1% female) aged 21 ± 4.3 years, and functional health literacy was low (below the cutoff value) for 44.4% of students. A new outcome of the survey is that the detected association between high functional health literacy a higher global health risk perception and trust in institutions both as sources of information and as actors for protection against environmental risks. The internet and social networks were the most frequently consulted sources of information (77.7%), which was predictive of a higher risk perception. The possible relation between environmental health risk perception and tweet communication was highlighted by a comparison between the risk perception in the city with the highest number of tweets (Modena) and another one similar for socio-demographic characteristics (Pisa). In conclusion, the results of our study may be of help to strengthen information and education programs: functional health literacy should be taken into account in school programs, to produce a basic knowledge for a better understanding of health and environment. Moreover, mass and social media should be included in planning communication intervention and in verifying their results.

Reduced Current Spread by Concentric Electrodes in Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES)

OBJECTIVE

We propose the use of a new montage for transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), called concentric electrodes tDCS (CE-tDCS), involving two concentric round electrodes that may improve stimulation focality.

METHODS

To test efficacy and focality of CE-tDCS, we modelled the current distribution and tested physiological effects on cortical excitability. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) from first dorsal interosseous (FDI) and abductor digiti minimi (ADM) were recorded before and after the delivery of anodal, cathodal and sham stimulation on the FDI hotspot for 10 minutes.

RESULTS

MEP amplitude of FDI increased after anodal-tDCS and decreased after cathodal-tDCS, supporting the efficacy of CE-tDCS in modulating cortical excitability. Moreover, modelled current distribution and no significant effects of stimulation on MEP amplitude of ADM suggest high focality of CE-tDCS.

CONCLUSIONS

CE-tDCS may allow a better control of current distribution and may represent a novel tool for applying tDCS and other transcranial current stimulation approaches.

Modulation of incipient glomerular lesions in experimental diabetic nephropathy by hypotensive and subhypotensive dosages of an ACE inhibitor

A glomerular permeability defect occurs early in the course of type 1 diabetes and precedes the onset of microalbuminuria and renal morphological changes. Recently, ACE inhibitors have been shown to prevent loss of glomerular membrane permselective function, but the mechanism of this nephroprotective effect is still being debated. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of hypotensive and subhypotensive dosages of the ACE inhibitor quinapril ex vivo and of its active metabolite quinaprilat in vitro on the glomerular albumin permeability (P(alb)) defect in the early phases of experimental diabetes. For the ex vivo study, six groups of male Wistar rats were evaluated for 4 weeks. One group served as a nondiabetic control (C); the other five groups were rendered diabetic and included untreated diabetic rats (D) and diabetic rats receiving quinapril at the dosages of 5 (DQ1), 2.5 (DQ2), 1.25 (DQ3), and 0.625 (DQ4) mg. kg(-1). day(-1). Dosage-dependent effects of quinapril on systolic blood pressure and the glomerular filtration rate were observed. In contrast, control of P(alb) in isolated glomeruli exposed to oncotic gradients, proteinuria, and glomerular and tubular hypertrophy was obtained with subhypotensive dosages (DQ3 and DQ4 groups) of the ACE inhibitor. In the in vitro study, quinaprilat reduced P(alb) significantly in concentration ranges from 10(-6) to 10(-14) mol/l compared with results in control glomeruli. The effect on P(alb) may have occurred by mechanisms different from kidney ACE inhibitor. These study results indicated that ACE inhibitor treatment prevents the early onset of the P(alb) defect in experimental diabetes. This effect seemed to occur independently of systemic or glomerular hemodynamic changes and, at least partially, from kidney ACE inhibition.

Effects of prolonged high-altitude exposure on peripheral adrenergic receptors in young healthy volunteers

The regulation of adrenergic receptors during hypoxia is complex, and the results of published reports have not been consistent. In the present study blood cell adrenoceptor characteristics at sea level (SL) before and after prolonged exposure to high altitude (HA) were measured in seven trained young male lowlanders. Sympathoadrenal activity and clinical haemodynamic parameters were also evaluated before departure (SLB), after 1 week (HA1) and 4 weeks (HA4) at HA and 1 week after return to sea level (SLA). As compared to pre-departure sea level values, urinary norepinephrine excretion increased significantly during altitude exposure [SLB: 10.26 (3.04) microg x 3 h(-1); HA1: 23.2 (4.19) microg x 3 h(-1); HA4: 20.3 (8.68) microg x 3 h(-1)] and fell to pre-ascent values 1 week after return to sea level [SLA: 9 (2.91) microg x 3 h(-1)]. In contrast, mean urinary epinephrine levels did not increase over time at HA. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressures, as well as heart rate, were increased during HA exposure. The circadian blood pressure and heart rate rhythms were preserved during all phases of altitude exposure. Mean maximal binding (Bmax) of the alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonist [3H]rauwolscine to platelet membranes was significantly reduced (P < 0.001) after exposure to chronic hypoxia [SLB: 172.6 (48.5) fmol x mg(-1) protein versus SLA: 136.8 (56.1) fmol x mg(-1) protein] without change in the dissociation constant (K(D)). Neither the lymphomonocyte beta2-adrenoceptor Bmax [SLB: 38.5 (13.6) fmol x mg(-1) protein, versus SLA: 32.4 (12.1) fmol mg(-1) protein] nor the K(D) for [3H]dihydroalprenolol was affected by chronic hypoxia. Cyclic AMP (adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophoshate) generation in lymphomonocytes by maximal isoproterenol stimulation was not modified after prolonged HA exposure. In conclusion, the down-regulation of alpha2-adrenoceptors appears to be an important component of the adrenergic system response to HA exposure.