Volume 2 Issue 2
Authors: Chun-Chih Lin; Cheng-Lung Lee; Chia-Chi Lung
Abstract: The antioxidative effect of far-infrared radiation (FIR) in human was evaluated by half maximal inhibitory concentration of blood against superoxide anions. All samples ranging from 18 to 30 years old were grouped into sympathetic, parasympathetic, sympathetic plus parasympathetic and the control group. The ability of antioxidation of blood from the subjects was measured with an ultraweak chemiluminescence analyzer. According to the results, the level of superoxide anions was decreased in sympathetic, parasympathetic, and sympathetic plus parasympathetic group, while that in the control group was increased. This suggested that the FIR radiation performed a significantly antioxidative effect by defending human from oxidative damage of superoxide anions in blood. This may probably be achieved by increasing SOD concentration and/or increasing heart rate variability.
Keywords: Far-Infrared Radiation; Antioxidative Effect; Ultraweak Chemiluminescence Analyzer; Autonomic Nervous System; Superoxide Anions
Authors: Anitha Alagappan; Peter Bergquist; Belinda Ferrari
Abstract: Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite which is the most common non-viral cause of diarrhea worldwide. Currently, there are twenty recognized species of Cryptosporidium and among which, C. parvum and C. hominis are the species primarily infecting humans. FISH utilises fluorescently-labelled complementary DNA oligonucleotide probes that target specific sequences of cellular rRNA for direct identification of microorganisms. This work describes the successful development of such probes for the specific detection of the zoonotic species, C. parvum and the human host-specific species, C. hominis. The specificity of the probes was established by testing them against a range of target and non-target Cryptosporidium species using an optimised FISH assay. Validation of the C. parvum–specific probe and C. hominis-specific probe was carried out by a comparison of FISH with PCR-RFLP analysis of the 18S rRNA gene from Cryptosporidium isolated from human infections. Additionally, the C. parvum-specific probe synthesised with Cy3 dye and the C. hominis-specific probe synthesised with Cy5 dye were used in combination with the Cryptosporidium-specific monoclonal antibody CRY104-FITC, for the development of a 3-colour FISH assay that can allow identification of both C. parvum and C. hominis species simultaneously. This assay was developed and validated by using both epi-fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometric technology. Species-level identification by three-color cytometry and PCR-RFLP targeting the 18S rRNA gene was identical. The potential exists for the assay to be implemented into routine immunofluorescence detection methods for Cryptosporidium.
Keywords: Cryptosporidium; Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization; Monoclonal Antibodies; Flow Cytometry; Three-color
Authors: Anme T; Kawashima Y; Shinohara R; Sugisawa Y; Watanabe T; Tokutake K; Mochizuki Y; Morita K; Tomisaki E; Tanaka E; Ito S; Okumura R; Sugita C; Matsumoto M; Nanba M; Gan-Yadam A; Wu B
Abstract: This six-year follow-up study was designed to analyse the relationship between social interaction and the prevention of dementia. All participants (aged 65 years and above) lived in farming communities near major urban centers in Japan. The contents of the questionnaire covered social interaction (using an index of social interaction constituting 18 items), health status, physical function, age, and gender. Residents who needed care and had disease at baseline survey were excluded from analysis. After the baseline survey, 35 participants among 593 were diagnosed as dementia within the six-year period. Results showed that: (1) baseline age was related to dementia; (2) greater social interaction was positively related to reduced dementia; (3) the multiple logistic regression analysis adjusted for baseline age, gender indicated that high frequency of newspaper reading, health motivation, life style motivation, and active approach were related to dementia prevention. These findings highlight the importance of social interaction in dementia prevention.
Keywords: social interaction, dementia prevention, follow-up study
Authors: Ikuko Mohri; Yuko Ohno; Sachiko Shimizu; Shima Okada; Masako Taniike; Masaaki Makikawa; Masaaki Makikawa
Abstract: Sleep dysfunction among children is the subject of increasing research attention. However, current methods for assessing daily childhood sleep are problematic, and there are no techniques for estimating sleep stage from body movement alone. Here we propose a new method for estimating sleep stages in children using video analysis of body movement. We examined eight healthy children using polysomnography (PSG) and video analysis, comparing the results of the PSG examination with the findings of our new estimation method. The linear discriminant function method was used to predict the sleep stage from body movements. The continuous time of non-movement and the moving average amount of body movement were included as independent variables. The three sleep stages, Awake, Light & (Rapid Eye Movement) REM, and Slow Wave Sleep (SWS), were included as response variables. The results confirmed that the transition to a different sleep stage was accompanied by changes in body movement. Overall, the estimates generated by our method showed strong agreement with PSG results. The average agreement rate for sleep stage was approximately 67% for Wake, 73% for Light & REM, and 66% for SWS. The results revealed that the transition between sleep stages can be successfully estimated by body movement during sleep, providing a promising approach for developing a simple sleep disorder screening system that can be used at home.
Keywords: Body Movement; Linear Discriminant Analysis; Video Image Processing; Gross Movements
Authors: Osmar R. Zaïane; Hamman W. Samue
Abstract: The Internet is an ideal tool for promoting public health goals of prolonging life, health, and improving the quality of life. There are many websites with health-related information where one can go to as an information source, for health advice, or self-diagnosis. However, these health websites require a more acute awareness of ethical issues due to potential life threatening risks from misuse of information. Providing disclaimers and accreditation logos only goes so far in covering potential legal conflicts, but fulfilling ethical obligations for non-maleficence requires more action on our part. As such, the content lifecycle of these websites requires greater emphasis on privacy, security, and trustworthiness. We propose and give a high-level description of a Health Content Management System (HCMS) that addresses both the managerial, as well as the ethical issues with health content. Surveys of existing health websites and content management systems demonstrate the need for the proposed system. Moreover, the novelty of the proposed HCMS is appraised and asserted in comparison with similar health framework concepts. Our contributions include survey results of more than 50 health websites, taxonomy of health websites’ characteristics, discussion about legal versus ethical obligations, and a blueprint for typical and novel features for health websites. Moreover, this study presents a new approach to analysing health content via lifecycles.
Keywords: Ethics; Trust; Medical; Websites; CMS; CMF; Review; Disclaimer; Liability
Authors: A A Haule; E. A. Kaale; A.T. Mori
Abstract: ①Background: In 2003 the government of Tanzania enacted the Tobacco Products (Regulation) Act 2003, which, among other things, prohibited smoking in public places. However, smoking has persisted despite the existence of the Act. This study aims to establish the reasons behind the persistence of tobacco smoking in public places. ②Methods: This was a cross-sectional study where data were collected using pre-tested, self-administered questionnaires with both open and closed questions and documentary reviews. The study was conducted in urban, rural and semi-rural areas in three districts located in eastern, central and northern Tanzania. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 15. Qualitative data were analyzed manually using a thematic content approach. ③Results: The study involved 240 participants, of whom 67% were males. Overall smoking prevalence was 26.5% (36.3% for males and 6.4% for females, p<0.05). The prevalence of smoking in rural, urban and semi-rural settings was 34.9%, 28.6% and 36.5% respectively, (p> 0.05). About 40% of the smokers were between 25-35 years old and 52.4% had primary school as their highest level of education. About 56% of participants said they were aware of the Tobacco Regulation Act, but the majority could neither define it nor state the penalties for its infringement. Only 59.5% were aware that tobacco smoking causes lung cancer. About 4 out of 10 cigarette smokers do not adhere to NO SMOKING warnings. ④Conclusions: Cigarette smoking in public places in Tanzania has persisted mainly due to low awareness and passive implementation of the Tobacco Regulation Act, 2003. Other causes are aggressive advertising and promotion by the tobacco industry and insufficient awareness about the health effects associated with tobacco smoking. This study calls for an increase in cigarette taxation, sensitization about the dangers of both smoking and second-hand smoke and active enforcement of the act as immediate intervention strategies.
Keywords: Tanzania; Tobacco Regulation Act; Cigarette smoking; Public; Rural
Authors: Grant Wilson; Richard Laing; Mohammed Kishk
Abstract: Public spending across the United Kingdom is facing unprecedented challenges as a result of the economic downturn. Nowhere is this more keenly felt than the interface between the National Health Service (NHS) and the construction industry. Limited government investment is challenged by the ever-evolving demographics and technological changes which are driving the need for flexibility and progress throughout the NHS. In tandem with these financial and evolutionary challenges, the NHS bears a legal responsibility to reduce its Carbon Footprint significantly, in line with the requirements of the Climate Change Act. Additionally, the service is driven by the organisational and legal requirements of the wider sustainability drivers. The emphasis on construction within the NHS has focused predominantly in the area of new build within the last 10 years. This paper discusses the need to focus on the area of Refurbishment. The main aim of this paper is to present a contextual basis for an ongoing research study to develop a sustainable refurbishment model for hospitals. A comprehensive literature review has been employed as the methodology to discuss the current situation relative to organisational, financial, and sustainability factors. It is demonstrated that an understanding of the nature of refurbishment is required. Challenges specific to refurbishment, such as lack of as-built data and information on the state of the existing fabric and services, may have significant effects on the project in regard to time and cost. It is further demonstrated that the hospital facility has unique characteristics and Client expectations which do not affect a ‘standard’ commercial refurbishment.
Keywords: National Health Service (NHS); Refurbishment; Sustainability; Management; Climate Change Act; Adaptation
Authors: Waleed Waleed K. Abdullatef; Shafiq ur-Rehman; Mohammad T. Yousafzai; Abdulbari Abdulbari Bener
Abstract: The study aimed to assess the changes in the cause and sex-specific mortality and the life expectancy in Qatar from 1996-2010. Method: the electronic database, from the tertiary healthcare providers at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), and vital health statistics from Supreme Council of Health in Qatar was utilized to assess the impact of cause and sex-specific mortality on life expectancy at birth. Correlation between life expectancy at birth to causes such as cardiovascular diseases (CVD), traffic accidents, malignant neoplasm, endocrine diseases and congenital abnormalities was measured, so as to compare the potential gains from the elimination of these causes. Result: in Qatar, considering the time period of 1996-2010, the gain in life expectancy at birth was 3.6 years for men and 2.3 years for women. Overall, all cause mortality rate was 176.7 per 100,000 during 1996-2010. The mortality related to circulatory system ranked first, with mean annual mortality rate of 38.7 per 100,000, followed by road traffic accidents (27.18). Among males, mean annual mortality due to traffic accidents and circulatory systems declined from 1996 to 2010. Among females, mean mortality rate due to neoplasm mildly increased from 20.0/100,000 in 1996 to 24.8/100,000 in 2010, and that due to prenatal conditions among females declined from 12.0/100,000 in 1996, to 6.9/100,000 in 2010. Among both males and females, the mean mortality for circulatory system declined during 1996 to 2010. Overall, except for road traffic accidents (r=-0.130, p=0.494), ill-defined conditions (r=-0.235, p= 0.212), and endocrine disease (r=-0.135, p=0.476) all other leading causes of mortality showed significant negative correlation with life expectancy at birth. Conclusion: increases in life expectancy in Qatar were mostly achieved by reductions in all causes mortality, and especially from reductions in mortality from the circulatory and endocrine system diseases, and prenatal and congenital deaths. The present study provided useful information which can help the policy makers in more effective allocation of resources for public health programs in Qatar.
Keywords: Diseases; Mortality; Causes; Incidence; Life Expectancy