Associations between Neighborhood Walkability, Physical Activity, and Chronic Disease in Nova Scotian Adults: An Atlantic PATH Cohort Study
The study investigated the association between neighbourhood walkability and chronic disease. A cross-sectional study was used to determine that there were health protective benefits of higher levels of physical activity and a reduction in the prevalence of certain chronic diseases in areas where there was a higher walk score.
Diabetes, Brain Infarcts, Cognition and Small Vessels in the Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds Study
The CAHHM study collected brain and carotid magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and two cognitive tests (DSST and MoCA) in a cross-sectional sample of 7,733 men and women. It was concluded that small vessel disease characterizes much of the relationship between diabetes and vascular brain injury. However, additional factors are required to disentangle the relationship between diabetes and cognitive impairment.
Assessing arsenic in human toenail clippings using portable X-ray fluorescence
Single toenail clippings from 60 Atlantic Canadian participants were assessed for arsenic using a new portable X-ray fluorescence approach. The portable XRF technique used in this study shows promise as a means of assessing arsenic concentration in toenail clippings.
Diet Quality and Neighborhood Environment in the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health Project
This study looked at the differences that exist beween diet quality and someone’s geographical location. It was found that diet quality tended to be lower in areas that were were more socially deprived. Areas with socially deprived and high-density areas were associated with lower-quality data.
Assessing the Variation within the Oral Microbiome of Healthy Adults
This study examined the salivary oral microbiome of 1,049 Atlantic Canadians using 16S rRNA gene sequencing to determine which dietary, lifestyle, and anthropometric features play a role in shaping microbial community composition. Results showed that while many features were significantly associated with oral microbiome composition, no single biological factor explained a variation larger than 2%.
The Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds: How well does it reflect the Canadian population?
The representativeness of the Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds (CAHHM-HSR) cohort was evaluated by comparing to region matched respondents of the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey Rapid Response module (CCHS-RR). CAHHM-HSR participants were older, more often women, more likely Chinese, and had higher education, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and cardiac testing than the general Canadian population. Despite these differences, the INTERHEART risk score was similar.
Portable X-ray Fluorescence of Zinc Applied to Human Toenail Clippings
The purpose of this study was to see if it was feasible to measure the zinc levels in the fingernails of people. They used an x-ray fluorescence to measure how much zinc was present in the nails. It was found that the latter was very sensitive at detecting zinc in the nail and would be able to measure fluctuating levels of zinc as time went on.
Burden of multimorbidity and polypharmacy among cancer survivors: a population-based nested case–control study
The purpose of this study was to investigate if adult cancer survivors showed more than one comorbidity while taking medications. The article found multimorbities in 53% of cancer survivors. Those on multiple medications showed much higher results.
Association between lifestyle behaviors and frailty in Atlantic Canadian males and females
The aim of this study was to identify lifestyle factors in males and females that are associated with a degree of frailty in a Canadian cohort. Higher frailty was more prevalent among participants with unhealthy lifestyle behaviors related to smoking, alcohol consumption, sedentary and physical activity level, diet, and sleep.
Reduced Cognitive Assessment Scores Among Individuals With Magnetic Resonance Imaging–Detected Vascular Brain Injury
This study investigated if scores on a cognitive screen were lower in individuals with higher cardiovascular risk, and those with covert vascular brain injury. Among a middle-aged community-dwelling population, scores on a cognitive screen were lower in individuals with higher cardiovascular risk factors or MRI vascular brain injury. Much of the population attributable risk of low cognitive scores can be attributed to lower educational attainment, higher cardiovascular risk factors, and MRI vascular brain injury.