Previous studies had linked ADHD with very high levels of childhood exposure to organophosphate pesticides, such as levels experienced by children living in farming communities that used these chemicals. But a recent study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found that even children who experience more typical levels of pesticide exposure, such as from eating pesticide-treated fruits and vegetables, have a higher risk of developing the disorder.
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Cardiovascular functions, including blood pressure and vascular functions, show diurnal oscillation. Circadian variations have been clearly shown in the occurrence of cardiovascular events such as acute myocardial infarction. Circadian rhythm strongly influences human biology and pathology. The identification and characterization of mammalian clock genes revealed that they are expressed almost everywhere throughout the body in a circadian manner. In contrast to the central clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the clock in each tissue or cell is designated as a peripheral clock. It is now accepted that peripheral clocks have their own roles specific to each peripheral organ by regulating the expression of clock-controlled genes (CCGs), although the oscillation mechanisms of the peripheral clock are similar to that of the SCN. However, little was known about how the peripheral clock in the vasculature contributes to the process of cardiovascular disorders. The biological clock allows each organ or cell to anticipate and prepare for changes in external stimuli. Recent evidence obtained using genetically engineered mice with disrupted circadian rhythm showed a novel function of the internal clock in the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction, hypertension and hemostasis. Loss of synchronization between the central and peripheral clock also contributes to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, as restoration of clock homeostasis could prevent disease progression. Identification of CCGs in each organ, as well as discovery of tools to manipulate the phase of each biological clock, will be of great help in establishing a novel chronotherapeutic approach to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disorders.
source: american journal of hypertension research
Men who take prescription drugs for erectile dysfunction (ED) may be at increased risk for sexually transmitted diseases, according to an observational study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
U.S. researchers used insurance benefits databases to assess STD rates and ED drug use among some 1.4 million men older than 40. They found that men who used ED drugs were more likely than nonusers to be treated for STDs both in the year before filling their first ED drug prescription (odds ratio, 2.8) and in the year afterward (OR, 2.7). The increased risk was mainly driven by higher rates of HIV and chlamydia.
An editorialist notes the study’s limitations but finds the results “both believable and alarming.” He concludes that it’s “critical that all ED drug prescriptions be accompanied by assessment of STD risk and counseling about safe sex” — although “routine STD testing of men requesting ED drugs may not be [warranted].”
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