Impact of internal standard selection on measurement results for long chain fatty acids in blood.

Introduction: Internal standards correct for measurement variation due to sample loss. Isotope labeled analytes are ideal internal standards for the measurement of fatty acids in human plasma but are not always readily available. For this reason, quantification of multiple analytes at once is most often done using only a single or few internal standards.

Psychedelic public health: State of the field and implications for equity.

Background: Psychedelic Public Health is an emerging discipline uniting the practices of public health with the potential benefits of psychedelics to reduce harm and promote health, wellness, and equity at community and population levels. Little is known regarding the current state of psychedelic public health despite rising psychedelic usage, evidence of its health efficacy, opening policy environments, and concerns regarding equity and potential harms.

Methods: To characterize the current state of psychedelic public health, this survey reviewed relevant webpages from 228 universities housing accredited Schools and Programs in Public Health (SPPHs) and 59 Psychedelic Research Centers (PRCs) in the US and globally.

Health impact assessment of PM2.5 from uncovered coal trains in the San Francisco Bay Area: Implications for global exposures.

Coal generates almost 40% of the world's electricity with 80 countries throughout the world using coal power. An inherent part of this generation is the rail transport of coal in uncovered cars, often up to a mile long. Existing studies document the subsequent increments of PM2.

The impact of coal trains on PM in the San Francisco Bay area.

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) is associated with adverse health effects, including mortality, even at low concentrations. Rail conveyance of coal, accounting for one-third of American rail freight tonnage, is a source of PM. However, there are limited studies of its contribution to PM, especially in urban settings where residents experience higher exposure and vulnerability to air pollution.

Cost assessment of a program for laboratory testing of plasma trans-fatty acids in Thailand.

Objectives: Intake of trans fatty acids (TFA) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Assessment of TFA exposure in the population is key for determining TFA burden and monitoring change over time. One approach for TFA monitoring is measurement of TFA levels in plasma.

Dietary Sources of Plasma Fatty Acids among Adults in the United States: NHANES 2009-2010.

Background: Intake of fatty acids (TFAs) increases LDL cholesterol, decreases HDL cholesterol, and increases the risk of heart disease morbidity and mortality. Many food products potentially contain industrially produced or ruminant TFAs. However, little is known about the dietary sources of plasma TFA concentrations.

Quantitation of Trans-Fatty Acids in Children from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Objectives: Trans-fatty acids (TFA) are geometric isomers of naturally occurring cis-fatty acids, formed industrially through partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils or naturally in ruminant animals. TFA intake has been associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease; therefore, reduced TFA consumption is a major public health objective. Food intake studies have provided estimates for TFA levels in the U.

Impact of a Municipal Policy Restricting Trans Fatty Acid Use in New York City Restaurants on Serum Trans Fatty Acid Levels in Adults.

Objectives: To estimate the impact of the 2006 policy restricting use of trans fatty acids (TFAs) in New York City restaurants on change in serum TFA concentrations in New York City adults.

Methods: Two cross-sectional population-based New York City Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys conducted in 2004 (n = 212) and 2013-2014 (n = 247) provided estimates of serum TFA exposure and average frequency of weekly restaurant meals. We estimated the geometric mean of the sum of serum TFAs by year and restaurant meal frequency by using linear regression.

Quantitation of trans-fatty acids in human blood via isotope dilution-gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization-mass spectrometry.

Trans-fatty acids (TFA) are geometric isomers of naturally occurring cis-fatty acids. High dietary TFA intake has been associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about TFA levels in humans.

Plasma -fatty acid concentrations in fasting adults declined from NHANES 1999-2000 to 2009-2010.

The consumption of fatty acids (TFAs) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and reducing their consumption is a major public health objective. Food intake studies have provided estimates for TFA concentrations in the US population; however, there is a need for data on TFA blood concentrations in the population. The objective of this study was to determine plasma TFA concentrations in a nationally representative group of fasted adults in the US population in NHANES samples from 1999-2000 and 2009-2010.

Local health department leadership strategies for healthy built environments.

Context: The built environment is an important but less-recognized health determinant, and local health departments need expanded guidance to address it. In such situations, leadership is particularly relevant.

Objective: To assess whether and how local public and environmental health leaders increase their departments' health-promoting impact on built environment design, and what pitfalls they should avoid.

LC-MS/MS quantitation of mercapturic acid conjugates of lipid peroxidation products as markers of oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress-induced lipid peroxidation (LPO) leads to the formation of cytotoxic and genotoxic 2-alkenals. LPO products such as 4-hydroxy-2(E)-nonenal (HNE) and 4-oxo-2(E)-nonenal (ONE) have been the subject of many studies due to their association with the development of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as cancer. LPO products are excreted in the urine after conjugation with glutathione (GSH) and subsequent metabolism to mercapturic acid (MA) conjugates.

Vitamin C supplementation lowers urinary levels of 4-hydroperoxy-2-nonenal metabolites in humans.

The lack of suitable biomarkers of oxidative stress is a common problem for antioxidant intervention studies in humans. We evaluated the efficacy of vitamin C supplementation in decreasing biomarkers of lipid peroxidation in nonsmokers and in cigarette smokers, a commonly studied, free-living human model of chronic oxidative stress. Participants received ascorbic acid (500mg twice per day) or placebo for 17 days in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover design study.

Impact of community-based maternal health workers on coverage of essential maternal health interventions among internally displaced communities in eastern Burma: the MOM project.

Background: Access to essential maternal and reproductive health care is poor throughout Burma, but is particularly lacking among internally displaced communities in the eastern border regions. In such settings, innovative strategies for accessing vulnerable populations and delivering basic public health interventions are urgently needed.

Methods: Four ethnic health organizations from the Shan, Mon, Karen, and Karenni regions collaborated on a pilot project between 2005 and 2008 to examine the feasibility of an innovative three-tiered network of community-based providers for delivery of maternal health interventions in the complex emergency setting of eastern Burma.

Quantitation of mercapturic acid conjugates of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal and 4-oxo-2-nonenal metabolites in a smoking cessation study.

The breakdown of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) under conditions of oxidative stress results in the formation of lipid peroxidation (LPO) products. These LPO products such as 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) and 4-oxo-2-nonenal (ONE) can contribute to the development of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Conjugation with glutathione, followed by further metabolism to mercapturic acid (MA) conjugates, can mitigate the effects of these LPO products in disease development by facilitating their excretion from the body.

Ascorbic acid promotes detoxification and elimination of 4-hydroxy-2(E)-nonenal in human monocytic THP-1 cells.

4-Hydroxy-2(E)-nonenal (HNE), a reactive aldehyde derived from oxidized lipids, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and neurological diseases, in part by its ability to induce oxidative stress and by protein carbonylation in target cells. The effects of intracellular ascorbic acid (vitamin C) on HNE-induced cytotoxicity and protein carbonylation were investigated in human THP-1 monocytic leukemia cells. HNE treatment of these cells resulted in apoptosis, necrosis, and protein carbonylation.

The MOM Project: delivering maternal health services among internally displaced populations in eastern Burma.

Alternative strategies to increase access to reproductive health services among internally displaced populations are urgently needed. In eastern Burma, continuing conflict and lack of functioning health systems render the emphasis on facility-based delivery with skilled attendants unfeasible. Along the Thailand-Burma border, local organisations have implemented an innovative pilot, the Mobile Obstetric Maternal Health Workers (MOM) Project, establishing a three-tiered collaborative network of community-based reproductive health workers.

Mercapturic acid conjugates of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal and 4-oxo-2-nonenal metabolites are in vivo markers of oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress-induced lipid peroxidation leads to the formation of cytotoxic and genotoxic 2-alkenals, such as 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) and 4-oxo-2-nonenal (ONE). Lipid-derived reactive aldehydes are subject to phase-2 metabolism and are predominantly found as mercapturic acid (MA) conjugates in urine. This study shows evidence for the in vivo formation of ONE and its phase-1 metabolites, 4-oxo-2-nonen-1-ol (ONO) and 4-oxo-2-nonenoic acid (ONA).

Mortality rates in conflict zones in Karen, Karenni, and Mon states in eastern Burma.

Objectives: To estimate mortality rates for populations living in civil war zones in Karen, Karenni, and Mon states of eastern Burma.

Methods: Indigenous mobile health workers providing care in conflict zones in Karen, Karenni, and Mon areas of eastern Burma conducted cluster sample surveys interviewing heads of households during 3-month time periods in 2002 and 2003 to collect demographic and mortality data.

Results: In 2002 health workers completed 1290 household surveys comprising 7496 individuals.