Substance abuse is a significant public health issue both globally and nationally. Substance abuse involves the detrimental or risky consumption of psychoactive substances, posing a significant global issue, particularly among the youth. In India, cannabis abuse is a major concern. Cannabis is consumed legally in many states as Bhang, also known as marijuana or weed, while Charas and Ganja are illegal under both international drug conventions and the Indian NDPS Act of 1985. The Cannabis users are at great risk of developing Cannabis use disorder which is a pattern of problematic cannabis use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress. It is the most widely used illegal substance worldwide, showing a high prevalence in India.

AbstractBackground: In digitalization era, health care system was conditioned with the health worker’s ability to adapt media of digital technology. Digital technology media was used to strengthening and fasted the health care for patient and community. Aims: This study aimed to explore the accurate information of health professional utilization digital technology during doing the job at the health facilities in Timor-Leste. Methods: This study was used correctional study with 56 respondents was participated in the study. Was collected the data from 1 to 30 February 2023. Was used questioner of google form based for data collection. Data collection was distributed via online with google form to social media as WhatsApp’s, email and face book and twitter to completed by respondents. The inclusive Criteria are: health professional living in Timor-Leste, to able response the questioner. Was used descriptive analysis in this study. Finding: This study was indicated that majority of health professional was participated in the study as 54,2% man then women have 45,8%. About 100% health professional used hand phone to facilitate their daily activities including related with their work activities. Other side indicated in digital technology tools use are able to use Microsoft word is 78,3%, able to use Microsoft Excel is 76,7% and able to use Power Point is 81,7%. E-mail use about 89,2%, WhatsApp’s use 81,7%, About 74,2% was used zoom/webinars/Google meet application, about 72,5% sad that they were used computer in the work place until now. Around 96.4% need to improve or deepen their knowledge and skills in using ICT in the future to facilitate they are activity. Conclusion: Majority of health professional in Timor-Leste was used the computer, internet, hand phone in daily activities. Majority need to gate the training to improve their knowledge, attitude and psychomotor in the future.

: A comprehensive analysis was performed, considering blockchain technology (BT) proprieties in digital health, addressing medico-legal, privacy, and regulatory considerations. Adherence to personal data protection and healthcare regulatory guidelines were analyzed and compared for GDPR (Europe), HIPAA (United States), CCPA (California), PIPEDA (Canada), Privacy Act of 1988 (Australia), APPI (Japan), and LGPD (Brazil). Issues such as Health Systems, Strengthening and aligning policy orientations and initiatives, and emphasizing the role of data analysis in shaping health policies were explored. The study addressed conflicts between the legal frameworks and blockchain, comparing and suggesting solutions like revision of laws and integration of com-pliance mechanisms. Additionally, it sought to enhance IT-health literacy by integrating healthcare and legal domains. Ongoing collaboration between legal, health, and IT experts is essential for designing systems that effectively balance privacy rights and data protection while maximizing the benefits of disruptive technologies like blockchain.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) exert significant burdens on individuals and society, underscoring the importance of accurate predictions using advanced machine learning (ML) algorithms. Leveraging electronic health records (EHRs) and survey data, these algorithms offer potential in forecasting such mental health conditions. Yet, the precision of these predictions can be compromised by biases or inaccuracies inherent in subjective survey responses. In this research, we assess the reliability of four prominent ML algorithms—Random Forest, XGBoost, Logistic Regression, and Naïve Bayesian—in predicting MDD and GAD. Our dataset encompasses a rich array of information, from biomedical metrics and demographic details to self-reported survey insights. A focal point of our investigation is the algorithms' performance under scenarios with varying degrees of subjective response inaccuracies, such as memory recall biases or subjective interpretation. Our findings reveal that while all algorithms exhibit commendable accuracy with pristine survey data, their performance diverges when faced with erroneous or biased responses. Notably, XGBoost remains stable and excels in identifying true positive cases, even in the presence of such noise. These observations underscore the criticality of algorithmic resilience in mental health prediction, especially when relying on subjective data. The robustness of certain algorithms to noisy inputs positions them as more reliable choices for predicting mental health conditions based on self-reported data, emphasizing the need for careful algorithm selection in such contexts.

Cheese consumption provides humans with minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins. In Mexico, several cheese varieties are produced, each with its texture, scent, and flavor. The artisanal cheeses made in the states of Tabasco and Chiapas —including, among others, the varieties named crema (cream), doble crema (double cream), oaxaca, panela, fresco, bola, poro, Cotija, and asadero— have a high demand in the domestic and foreign markets. The intensification of anthropic activity in these states causes an increased emission to the environment of contaminants like heavy metals, which could reach human foodstuffs through the food chains. In particular, heavy metal contents in cheeses consumed daily by these states' local population might represent a public health risk. Because of that, our objectives in this work were to determine the concentrations of lead, cadmium, nickel, copper, zinc, and iron in artisanal cheeses produced in the states of Tabasco and Chiapas, and to determine the values of the Hazard Quotient (HQ), Total Hazard Quotient (THQ), and Cancer Risk Total (CRT) for adult and young men and women. The results of our analyses of cheese samples from the states of Tabasco and Chiapas showed that the average concentrations (mg kg-1) of cadmium (0.0023±0.002, 0.0023±0.002 mg kg-1, respectively for each state), lead (0.0047±0.00, 0.0051±0.002), nickel (0.0039±0.0046, 0.0031±0.0039), copper (0.0199±0.021, 0.0202±0.022), zinc (0.1611±0.18, 0.194±0.21), and iron (61.84±4.23, 65.76±6.61 mg kg-1), the first three values lower than the limits established by the FAO/WHO and Codex Alimentarius. The value of THQ that we obtained was less than one, and that of CRT was within the limits established by the US-EPA, which means that the consumption of artisanal cheeses from Tabasco and Chiapas by humans does not imply a risk of disease or cancer.

Background As a major virus outbreak in the 21st century, the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to unprecedented hazards to mental health globally. Health care workers, patients with COVID-19 are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorders, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a questionnaire consisted of four parts: sociodemographic, current and previous health status, measures in a social isolation, and the Arabic version of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Results: We had 110 patients who completed the data. 89 (80.9%) of patients recovered from COVID-19. They ranged from 18-84 with a mean of 37.6 years (SD = 9.8 years). We had 33.6% of patients re-ported moderate to extremely severe depression compared to 18.2% with mild reported symptoms. The anxiety severity showed that (35.4%) out of patients had moderate to extremely severe anxiety, compared to (6.4%) who had mild anxiety. While stress severity showed that (22.7%) had moderate to extremely severe stress compared to (13.6%) who had mild stress. Conclusion: COVID-19 has caused a significant increase in the prevalence of mental health illness in the general population. Large systematic reviews are required to set the general overall of impact of this pandemic on mental health.

This article focuses on the economic dimensions of maternal health, highlighting the benefits of investing in maternal healthcare and the policy implications for sustainable development. Through a comprehensive review of the literature, the article explores the economic impact of maternal health, including its effects on human capital, productivity, and healthcare costs. It emphasizes the importance of addressing social determinants such as access to healthcare services, education, employment, income, and geographical disparities. By prioritizing maternal health, societies can unlock the economic potential of women, promote inclusive growth, and reduce gender disparities. The article discusses policy interventions, including the importance of healthcare infrastructure, financial support for maternal healthcare, and promoting gender equality. It also emphasizes the need for future research to quantify the economic benefits and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of different interventions. Overall, the article underscores the economic imperative of investing in maternal health and provides valuable insights for policymakers and researchers seeking to enhance maternal health outcomes and promote sustainable economic development.

Recent studies have shown that the prevalence of vegetarianism among the general population in western societies ranges between 2% and 9%. Information regarding the prevalence of vegetarianism among exercisers is lacking. The aim of the present pilot study was to determine the prevalence of vegetarianism among regular exercisers in Greek gyms, as well as assess their dietary habits, exercise habits, and attitudes toward health and environmental issues. 291 regular gym clients completed an anonymous descriptive online questionnaire containing 65 questions divided into five sections (demographic characteristics, dietary habits, physical activity, dietary supplements, environment). Thirty responders (10.3%) identified themselves as vegetarians, spanning the entire spectrum of vegetarianism, from raw vegan to semi-vegetarian. Compared to omnivores, vegetarians had lower body weight, were more concerned about their health and convinced about the health benefits of their dietary choices, were surrounded by more vegetarians socially, consumed fast food and ate out less often, used more dietary supplements, and were better informed about what a sustainable diet is (all p < 0.05). Vegetarians did not differ significantly from omnivores in demographic characteristics, alcohol consumption, smoking habits, prevalence of psychogenic eating disorders, or exercise practices (except for practicing more yoga/Pilates). In conclusion, we report, for the first time, a considerable prevalence of vegetarianism among regular exercisers in gyms. Our findings demonstrate important similarities and differences between exercising vegetarians and omnivores (partly at odds with those seen in the general population) and highlight nutritional and environmental issues on which both groups should be better educated.

Tobacco use is bad for your health in many ways, not just your lungs. It affects many other parts of your body, including your nervous system. This abstract looks at the link between smoking and the nervous system and shows how smoking affects the nerve system in specific ways. There are a lot of different diseases and risks that can come from smoking. By weakening blood vessels and making it easier for blood clots to form, smoking makes the chance of having a stroke much higher. Using tobacco is also linked to a drop in brain function and memory problems, as well as a higher chance of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Also, people who smoke have a higher chance of getting multiple sclerosis, which is a long-term autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. It can also cause peripheral neuropathy, which can damage nerves and cause tingling, pain, and stiffness in the limbs. Nicotine, the substance that makes tobacco addicting, changes the brain's reward circuits. This makes it hard to stop smoking because it leads to addiction. In addition to these effects on the body, smoking also has effects on the mind. It makes mood disorders like sadness and anxiety more likely, making the symptoms worse and hurting general health. Understanding the effects of smoking on the brain is important for improving overall health and getting people to stop smoking. Public health efforts, education, and targeted interventions are needed to make people aware of these risks and help them make choices about smoking that are based on accurate information. By looking at how smoking affects the brain, we can try to make people's lives better and protect their and their communities' well-being.

Introduction. Environmental Health in a Global World at New York University was re-designed as a class participatory effort, challenging undergraduate students to understand environmental hazards and the resultant adverse health outcomes by embracing the inherent complexity of environmental risks and proposing solutions. Methods. Following introductory lectures, students are placed into teams and assigned a specific perspective, or avatar, which includes learning to see the challenge from the perspective of a technical expert such as a biologist, an engineer, or an anthropologist. The teams then design specific systems maps to visualize the complex interactions that lead to adverse health outcomes after a given environmental exposure. The maps highlight potential leverage points, where relatively minor interventions can provide a disproportionate benefit in health outcomes. The teams then explore potential interventions and identify the potential unintended consequences of those actions, develop and advocate for innovative new strategies to mitigate risk and improve outcomes. Results and Discussion. Over the past 5 years we have taught this methodology to over 680 students with strong, student-oriented results. The teams created and presented more than 100 strategies, addressing a diverse set of environmental challenges that include water contamination, gun violence, air pollution, environmental justice, health security, and climate change. Developing the strategies helped the students understand environmental threats in a more holistic way, provided them with some agency in finding solutions, and offered an opportunity for them to improve their presentation skills. The responses in course evaluations have been enthusiastic, with many students reporting a deep impact on their college experience.

The chlorophyll content and mineral compositions of plants are highly dependent on the species' physiological responses and environmental stress tolerance. The chlorophyll content is important for determining abiotic stress tolerance in tomatoes and peppers. Several studies found that foliar applications of specific components increased tomato and pepper output by increasing nutrient uptake. After transferring the seedlings to the incubator, three tomatoes (Mobil, Korall, and Tyking F1) and three pepper varieties (Carma, Fokusz, and Bobita F1) were sprayed. The following solutions were applied at a rate of 4 mL to each different plant: sodium bicarbonate (0.52%), 50 mg L-1 salicylic acid, and distilled water. A chlorophyll sensor (SPAD-502) was used to collect 5 measurements from each plant after 2 days and 8 days of spraying. Five plant sap samples were collected from ten plants after 38 days of transplantation. The calcium ion (Ca+2), potassium ion (K+), and nitrate (NO3-) contents (mg L-1) in plant sap were measured using three calibrated electronic sensors of the type (HORIBA instruments LAQUA-TWIN). The factorial analysis of two factors was used in data collection and statistical analysis. The first variable was the variety and the second was the spray treatment, and each record had five observations. The Tukey-Kramer test in Minitab 20 was used to assess differences in means between groups. Minitab 20's regression response optimizer was used to determine the maximum and minimum responses to calcium, potassium, nitrate, and chlorophyll content factors in each plant. Salicylic acid 50 mg L-1 produces the strongest multiple responses, particularly in tomato cultivars (Tyking F1 and Korall). The multiple minimum responses were for the variety (Mobil). Spraying (Mobil) with salicylic acid (50 mg L-1) and sodium bicarbonate (0.52%) produced unsatisfactory results. Salicylic acid 50 mg L-1 elicits also the most powerful multiple responses, particularly in the (Carma) pepper cultivar. The results revealed multiple minimum responses for the variety (Bobita F1). Finally, it is recommended that growers grow tomatoes (Mobil) without any supportive spraying treatment because the vigor of tomato (Mobil) seedlings was significantly higher in suboptimal environmental conditions. Gardeners should consider growing (Carma) pepper with a supportive spraying application of salicylic acid 50 mg L-1.

Introduction: Parents’ behavior and practices affect many aspects of family life, including health, and many studies have proven that children's bad habits are associated with parents’ behavior and practices. Objectives: This study aimed to identify parents’ negative behaviors that might affect their families’ health and social development. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the influence of parents’ behavior and practices on their family health, in which 192 respondents participated. Results: The results clarified the influence of parents on family health in several aspects. On the behavioral side, approximately 90% of the participants agreed that the behavior of parents may affect the behavior of their families, and the social and educational side results clarified the relationship between parents' illiteracy and support for the cognitive and social health of the family. Discussion: This study clarified that there is a significant relationship between illiterate parents and their ability to support their families, illustrating that the majority of participants thought that the development of the cognitive and social health of families depends on the presence of supportive parents, which has many implications for family social and psychological health. Conclusion: Parental behaviors and practices have a strong effect on their family’s health, which affects the development of the families’ cognitive and social health. Recommendation: The study recommends the need for supportive, friendly hospitals for family social health and the provision of specialized programs that support the family’s social and psychological health.

The allocation for the use of Deconcentration Funds focuses on the seven priority health programs listed in the Regulation of the Minister of Health for the Republic of Indonesia. Therefore, this study aims to formulate a budget allocation for deconcentration funds in the health sector. Secondary data were analyzed using reports from the Ministry of Health for five years (2014-2018) on the Human Development Index (HDI), population, area, number of health workers, as well as amount and percentage for the realization of deconcentration funds. The results showed that the variables which had a significant effect were the number of districts/cities, the area, and HDI, while those without a significant effect were population, the number of health workers, and the percentage of budget realization. Political factors and regional commitment to implementing as well as using the budget were shown to also affect the deconcentration of funds both from the central and regional sources. Generally, deconcentration funds are used for non-physical tasks, including coordinating and synchronizing planning, facilitation, technical guidance, training, outreach, supervision, investigations and surveys, direction, and control. Based on the results, the budget allocation for deconcentration funds for health development needs to be calculated according to regional capacities by considering the number of districts/cities, land area, and the HDI.

Onions are an excellent source of a variety of essential antioxidants, polyphenols, and other phytonutrients. These onions were used to enhance the meal's flavour and aroma. Additionally, onions have long been recognised for their ability to change food texture, making it more pleasant for eating. Among the most significant phenolic compounds identified in onions was Quercetin, which has been proven to be very helpful for maintaining good health by reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, and a number of other severe conditions. Polyphenol extraction is essential for the effective usage and research of these phytochemicals. Previously, the extraction process was complicated by a variety of traditional methods, but with the aid of contemporary technology, the procedure was simplified. Additionally, it was found that red onions had greater health benefits than yellow onions, which were the most commonly used kind at the time. Apart from their health benefits, polyphenols were well recognised for their industrial use in dyeing, polymer manufacturing, and resin synthesis.

Insects are the dominant group of organisms and act as indicators of biodiversity, ecosystem health, and landscape degradation. The research objective was to determine the spread of insects in the Mount Nona Ambon Protected Forest. The research was conduct in January - March 2020 using Pitfall traps, light traps, Sweep nets, Bait traps, namely detergent, sugar solution and tuna fish. The research was carried out in 2 ha as many as five lanes with a systematic inventory sampling method where the length of the line was 100 meters, 20 m wide and 20 m spacing between lanes. The analysis use descriptively quantitative by calculating the Diversity Index (H ') of Shannon Winner, Abundance Index (K), Dominance Index (C) and Evenness Index. The results of the study found 4063 individuals, 13 species in five orders. The Hymenoptera order dominated the spread of insects in the protected forest of Mount Nona, the Formicidae family with the smallest number of 12 individuals, namely Isodontia auripes from the order Hymenoptera family Sphecidae, and the largest number of them was Anoplolepis gracilipes with 401 individuals from the order Hymenoptera family Formicidae. The difference in insects' spread in the observation path is thought to be caused by differences in microclimate, altitude, vegetation cover, insect movement, light intensity and food availability.

The study aimed to assess the prevalence and correlates of heavy episodic drinking (HED) among adults in Ecuador. In the national cross-sectional 2018 Ecuador STEPS survey, 4,638 persons (median age=39 years, range 18-69 years) responded to a questionnaire, physical measures, and biomedical tests. Results indicate that 24.1% had past month HED, 36.7% among men, and 12.0% of women; 40.6% past month HED among past 12-month drinkers. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, male sex (Adjusted Odds Ratio=AOR: 3.12, 95% Confidence Interval=CI: 2.50-3.89), past smoking (AOR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.09-1.76), and current smoking (AOR: 2.83, 95% CI: 2.15-3.83) were positively and persons aged 50-69 years (AOR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.38-0.66) and having underweight (AOR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.09-0.89) were negatively associated with HED. In addition, in sex-stratified analyses, among men, being African Ecuadorean or Mulato (AOR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.10-2.91), and high physical activity (AOR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.01-1.99) were positively associated with HED, and among women, being Montubia (AOR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.17-0.93) was negatively and obesity (AOR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.06, 2.44) was positively associated with HED. Almost one in four participants engaged in HED, and several sociodemographic and health indicators were identified that may facilitate public health interventions for reducing HED.

The Ijen volcano has Pleistocene age (294.00 ± 0.03 Ma), and this stratovolcano was very acidic crater water with a pH of 0-1. The acidic crater water seeps into the Banyupait river flow. Asembagus is a research area located on the northern slope of the Ijen volcano, and the Banyupait River drains this. The acidic river water flows from the Ijen Crater Lake, so the pH of the water river was very acidic. This study used several different analytic methodologies with some previous researchers, namely using the method of geological mapping, pH measurement, spectrophotometry, IRMS (Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer), and the technique of Induced Coupled Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Besides, the petrographic analysis is used to determine the composition of rock minerals due to rocks interacting with acidic water. Banyupait River water in the Asembagus area has a pH of river water around 3-7.3, SO4 (220-683 ppm), and the type of water is meteoric water. Also, concentrations of Ca, K, Mg in the west Banyupait river irrigation water flow showed higher levels when compared to the eastern Banyupait River water flow. Likewise, REE elements from the Asembagus region showed lower concentrations compared to Ijen Crater water. This change in the level of chemical elements is caused by the acidity of the Banyupait River being diluted or mixed with water from other water. However, the spring was not affected by acidic water. The process of acidic water interaction with rocks can also be observed from rocks traversed by the Banyupait River flow. Chalcedony and hematite replace the primary minerals of basaltic rocks. This research is expected to improve the quality of water needed by the Asembagus community so that people can live healthily.

The purpose of this article is to review a two year long implementation of an electronic health record (EHR) system at the outpatient department of a private hospital in Kathmandu, possibly a first implementation of its kind in Nepal. Procedures: The strategy designed for EHR implementation was based on Professor John P. Kotter's work on successful change management. Main findings: We found that keeping a close watch on the social dynamics affecting adoption decisions among users of the system was crucial for implementing the EHR; this was partly because the project received limited support from an erratically changing hospital leadership and lacked an EHR system suited to the needs of the users. Conclusions: The implementation described in this article is a good lesson on moving from control to drift in information systems implementation, and we hope this work will be useful to health IT professionals working in the space of digital transformation in resource-constrained environments.

Breast cancer is an important disease that threatens the lives of women. The majority of breast screening health education is printed promotional material, which is ineffective in enhancing women’s knowledge on breast screening in Taiwan, and showed low breast cancer screening rate in women. This provided the impetus for us to carry out this study to understand the major barrier of women on breast cancer and screening procedures. This study used quasi-experimental design and purposive sampling. The study participants were 45–69 year-old women. Data collection was carried out before and after intervention. The health belief model was used as a research framework to examine changes in the study participants after multimedia health education intervention for detecting which factors most affect women's breast cancer screening behavior. Then we could make the policy for enhancing women's breast cancer screening in the future. Our study showed that after multimedia health education intervention, the scores of perceived susceptibility, perceived seriousness, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy in the experimental group were all significantly higher than the control group. We believe that the effectiveness of multimedia health education is better than traditional health education methods, and can enhance women to receive breast cancer screening.

The goal of the project was to gain an understanding of the secondary school youth experience with food literacy and school gardens on their mental well-being. Over the course of five months, sixteen youth participated in a photovoice research project in which they expressed their personal experiences about food and gardening through photography and writing. The aspects of secondary school youths’ life experiences affected by exposure to food literacy and school gardens and their impact upon their well-being were identified. These included emotions and feelings, having a safe place, nutrition and relaxation. The youth explicitly connected relaxation with the themes of love and connectedness, growing food, garden as a place, cooking, and food choices. This was linked to nature, beauty, environment and sustainability. Youth clubs or groups were also identified as a key enabler for connection. Youth shared their food literacy experiences, observing that their engagement improved some aspect of their mental well-being. They identified food literacy and gardens as being the most important to mental well-being including: connecting, personal health and personal growth. The youth recognized that connecting comes from having community, relationships and respect. Fostering opportunities for food literacy such as growing and preparing food contributes to resiliency.

Background: To assess the incidence and characteristic of cataract surgery in Poland from 2010 to 2015 and to interpret these findings. Patients and methods: Data from all patients who underwent cataract surgery alone or in combined procedures in Poland between January 2010 and December 2015 were evaluated. Patient data were from the national database of hospitalizations maintained by National Health Fund, data on the population of Poland were obtained from Central Statistical Office of Poland. Results: In total 1,218,777 cataract extractions (alone or combined with other procedures) were performed in 1,081,345 patients during 2010 -2015. Overall, the incidence of cataract surgery increased from 5.22/1000 person-years in year 2010 to 6.17/1000 person-years in year 2015. Phacoemulsification was performed in 97.46% of cataract extractions, and 3.02% of cataract extractions were combined procedures. The rate of one-day procedures increased from 28.3% in year 2010 to 43.1% in year 2015. The probability of second-eye surgery 12 months after the first-eye surgery increased from 44% in 2010 to 73% in 2015 (log-rank test p<0.0001). Conclusion: In Poland, from 2010 to 2015 the total incidence of cataract surgery, the number of people who underwent surgery, and the numbers of one-day and combined cataract surgeries, increased significantly.

The number of families sheltered in the Paris region (France) increased by a factor of 5 between 1999 and 2009. In 2013, a survey was performed on homeless families in order to characterize their living conditions, their health needs and the developmental problems in children. This random survey was conducted in 17 languages among homeless families sheltered in emergency centers for asylum-seekers, emergency housing centers, social rehabilitation centers and social hotels in the Paris region. The situation was particularly worrying regarding their food security. Indeed, only 14.0% of people were with food security, whereas 43.3% were with low food security and 9.8% very low food security (a situation where children are also affected). Stratified multivariate robust Poisson models showed that some characteristics can lead homeless families to be at higher risk of food insecurity and/or at higher risk of falling into very low food security, such as residential instability, single parenthood, having more than 3 children, depressive symptoms, housing in social hostels, difficult access to cheap or free food locally. These harmful situations are intolerable in such a wealthy region as the Paris region. They argue for a better detection of these families, a closer social follow-up and an increase in food aid.

This study investigated the psychosocial factors influencing substance abuse among undergraduates. The study was conducted in Ekiti State university Ado Ekiti. 150 participants who are undergraduates of the university were used in this research. They consist of 82 males and 68 females selected from all faculties in the institution. 3 questionnaires were administered to respondent to measure the factors influencing substance abuse and the level at which they are abused. Independent T-test, multiple regression and Pearson Correlation method were used to analyze the data collected. Five hypotheses were tested: hypothesis 1, 2, 3 and 4 were significant while hypothesis 5 was insignificant. It was observed that there was significant influence of religiosity on substance abuse among undergraduates, the result also revealed that there was a significant influence of self-esteem on substance abuse among undergraduates, it also revealed that religiosity and self-esteem jointly predicted substance abuse among undergraduates, likewise the result also show that there was significant influence of sex on substance abuse among undergraduates and finally the result revealed there was no significant relationship between religiosity and self-esteem among undergraduates. The results were discussed in line with relevant empirical literatures, while conclusion and recommendations subsequently followed.

Abstract: Nutritional interventions have beneficial effects on certain psychiatric disorder symptomatology and common physical health comorbidities. However, studies evaluating nutritional literacy in mental health professionals (MHP) are scarce. This study aimed to assess the degree of self-rated training and literacy relating to nutrition in MHPs. We conducted a cross-sectional survey across 52-countries. Surveys were distributed via colleagues and professional societies. Data were collected regarding self-reported general nutrition knowledge, nutrition education, learning opportunities, and the tendency to recommend food supplements or specific diets in clinical practice. In total, 1056 subjects participated in the study: 354 psychiatrists, 511 psychologists, 44 psychotherapists, and 147 MHPs in-training. All participants believed the diet quality of individuals with mental disorders was poorer compared to the general population (p<0.001). The majority of the psychiatrists (74.2%) and psychologists (66.3%) reported having no training in nutrition. Nevertheless, many of them used nutrition approaches, with 58.6% recommending supplements and 43.8% recommending specific diet strategies to their patients. Only 0.8% of participants rated their education regarding nutrition as ‘very good’. Almost all (92.9%) stated they would like to expand their knowledge regarding ‘Nutritional Psychiatry’. There is an urgent need to integrate nutrition education into MHP training, ideally in collaboration with nutrition experts to achieve best practice care.

The demand for dietary supplements containing collagen has been growing for years. The speciality and uniqueness of the dietary supplement (DS) examined in our study is the presence of L-arginine and hyaluronic acid alongside collagen and vitamin C. The individual mechanisms of action and physiological role of these compounds are understood, but they have not yet been tested in the combination and amounts of the dietary supplement used in this study. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of the DS in elderly patients with musculoskeletal complaints. Somatometric, body composition, physiotherapy and laboratory tests were performed at the beginning and at the end of the study. The two-month study involved 30 people, randomly divided into two groups: a control group (CG) and an experimental group (EG). All subjects consumed 25 ml DS per day and EG members also participated in physiotherapy 3 times a week. Alongside the DS, blood lipid levels changed: LDL decreased, HDL increased, LDL/HDL ratio significantly decreased in both groups. For EG, the results improved more markedly. In 3 items of the body composition test, there was a significant improvement in both groups, which was attributed to the use of the dietary supplement. For the EG, there were significant changes in 5 additional test items, which we attribute to the addition of regular physical activity. Knee and hip joint range of motion (ROM) showed significant improvements in the study group, while in the CG the DS can cause significant improvements in joint range of motion in a passive condition as well.

Telemedicine is the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for clinical health care from a distance. The exchange of radiographic images and electronic patient health information/records (ePHI/R) for diagnostic purposes has the risk of confidentiality, ownership identity, and authenticity. In this paper, a data hiding technique for ePHI/R is proposed. The color information in the cover image is used for key generation, and stego-images are produced with ideal case. As a result, the whole stego-system is perfectly secure. This method includes the features of watermarking and steganography techniques. The method is applied to radiographic images. For the radiographic images, this method resembles watermarking, which is an ePHI/R data system. Experiments show promising results for the application of this method to radiographic images in ePHI/R for both transmission and storage purpose.

The accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of mental health disorders such as depression remain challenging owing to the complex underlying causes and varied symptomatology. Traditional information extraction methods struggle to adapt to evolving diagnostic criteria such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition (DSM-5) and to contextualize rich patient data effectively. This study proposes a novel approach for enhancing information extraction from mental health data by integrating medical knowledge graphs and large language models (LLMs). Our method leverages the structured organization of knowledge graphs specifically designed for the rich domain of mental health combined with the powerful predictive capabilities and zero-shot learning abilities of LLMs. This research enhances the quality of knowledge graphs through entity linking and demonstrates superiority over traditional information extraction techniques, making a significant contribution to the field of mental health. It enables a more fine-grained analysis of the data and the development of new applications. Our approach redefines the manner in which mental health data are extracted and utilized. By integrating these insights with existing healthcare applications, the groundwork is laid for the development of real-time patient monitoring systems. The performance evaluation of this knowledge graph highlights its effectiveness and reliability, indicating significant advancements in automating medical data processing and depression management.

There is a lack of studies on the level of stress and health of families of workers in road transport. This study aimed to evaluate the perceived stress level and Family Effectiveness of family members of road transport workers. A quantitative study was carried out with family members of road transport workers in the southern region of Brazil. For the data collection, a sociodemographic form, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Evaluation of Family Effectiveness Strategies were used. The data were analyzed by simple frequency, Spearman correlation coefficient (ρ) (p &lt; 0.05), and descriptive analysis from the perspective of the Systemic Organization. 49 family members of road transport workers were participants. Perceived stress was higher in family members who had more than nine years of schooling, the targets of Control and Growth were higher in the evaluation of Family Effectiveness. The Control target was also higher in families with more than three people. The Coherence dimension had higher levels in families with health problems and whose income was less than $792.00 US dollars per month. In the Individuation dimension, income over $792.00 had better results. The Maintenance dimension of the system was higher in families whose drivers’ activity was as an intercity driver, as well as in the Stability target. In conclusion, the social factors such as schooling, income, diseases, type of worker activity in road transport, and number of people in the family influenced perceived stress and Family Effectiveness, which demonstrates the need to increase the promotion of health care of the families of road transport workers.

In the livestock industry, maintaining the health of animals is very important, and the use of technology has greatly helped this. One of the existing challenges has been that most of the available sensors and electronic processing devices are designed to fit the human body, and the use of these devices for livestock faces limitations due to the difference in the structure of the body and skin of animals and humans. Reliable solutions tailored for animal husbandry can be achieved by modifying the physical and software structure of existing devices. In this article, we have presented the current situation, by reviewing the research done and the existing technology in the field of animal husbandry. The aim is to obtain comprehensive parameters for monitoring livestock health by leveraging available information and exploring new methods based on the Internet of Things (IOT), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). We take a proactive approach by utilizing available technologies based on sound-based diagnostic techniques. Initially, we propose utilizing piezoelectricity and amplifying received sound using a diaphragm attached to a collar. Subsequently, we discuss the results of relevant tests that can be conducted using the phonocardiography system. For the next phase of research and designing a more advanced livestock health monitoring system, we suggest employing an ultrasonic system to measure heart rate and blood pressure for the next phase of research and designing a more advanced livestock health monitoring system. This system, coupled with a piezoelectric system to make electric energy from the pulse of the veins, could be subcutaneously implanted for continuous monitoring

Sleep disorders have become a public health problem for many reasons. The aim of this systematic review is to describe social, economic, and environmental determinants of sleep disturbances in Australia and New Zealand. A total of 22 studies, 14 from Australia and 8 from New Zealand involving children, adolescents and adults are included in the review. In summary, we found that sleep health disparities among children and adolescents in both countries are strongly associated to parental SES. Overall, lower family SES such as low parental income, low parental education, low SES area index are associated with higher sleep disturbances among children and adolescents. In adults, results revealed that SES determinants such as low income, lower education, unemployment, and night work were associated with sleep disturbances. Specifically, unemployment was associated with poor sleep quality, insomnia, and increased likelihood of suboptimal sleep efficiency. Low income and lower education were associated with high risk of OSA, longer sleep duration, insomnia, higher odds of suboptimal sleep duration and sleep onset latency.

COVID-19 has brought unprecedented challenges and exacerbated existing work-related struggles resulting in heightened occupational stress and impacted work performance among health caregivers. This study utilised the transactional model of stress and coping to explore the coping strategies adopted by radiology health caregivers during the pandemic with the aim to provide baseline data for enhancing preparedness and development of interventions to support staff during future health crises. A qualitative, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) methodology coupled with constructivist and interpretivist philosophical views were utilised in a multi-method context to conduct semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions among 24 radiology health caregivers in the eThekwini district of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Data were transcribed verbatim and manually analysed using the IPA framework. The radiology health caregivers highlighted resilience, adaptability and identified emotion-focused and problem-focused coping as their mostly preferred strategies of dealing with COVID-19 related mental distress. These included accepting professional responsibilities and duties, social coping, spiritual therapy, adaptive behavioural coping, escape-avoidance and solution-oriented approaches. The findings can guide radiology departments in developing bespoke mental health interventions to support radiology health caregivers during any future health crises.

As brachycephalic dog breed ownership increases, there is a growing concern for the welfare of these breeds due to extreme brachycephalism. Understanding the motivations and behaviours of those choosing to own these breeds is important if we wish to address these concerns. The aim of this study was to investigate how owners of brachycephalic and non-brachycephalic dog breeds use social media dog breed groups to discuss common health issues. The purpose of Facebook posts in relation to common health issues, owner awareness of health issues, and the role of Facebook facilitated social support were explored between brachycephalic and non-brachycephalic dog owners. Twelve Facebook breed groups were selected (brachycephalic breed groups, n=6, non-brachycephalic breed groups, n=6). Using key word searches we extracted the first twenty posts from each group. Thematic analysis revealed three overarching themes: advice seeking, advice giving and community bonding mechanisms. Whilst the purpose of posting did not differ between groups, non-brachycephalic owners appeared to display greater awareness of breed-specific health issues, whilst social support played a more prominent role in brachycephalic groups. This research highlights that social media groups can act as platforms for knowledge exchange and emotional support. These could be utilised by owners, veterinarians and welfare organisations to more effectively enhance dog health and wellbeing.

Social media has become more popular in the last few years. It has been used in public health development and healthcare settings to promote healthier lifestyles. Given its important role in today's culture, it is necessary to understand its current trends and future directions in public health. This review aims to describe and summarize how public health professionals have been using social media to improve population outcomes. Additionally, it discusses potential future directions on how social media can be used to improve population health. The findings showed how social media has been used as a tool for research, designing and implementing health campaigns, messaging, and health promotion. In addition, social media integration with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative Pre-Trained transformers (GPT) can have a big impact and offer an innovative approach to tackle the problems and difficulties in health informatics. These innovations might improve patient participation, individualized assistance, and care experiences. The research showed how likely social media will keep growing and evolving and, if used effectively, have the potential to help close public health gaps across different cultures and improve population health.

In the context of globalization One Health enables and concurs to the achievement of Global Health. One Health approach involves wide knowledge and understanding of its critical factors, next to an adequate implementation, also in farm animal sector. Moreover, animal farming and breeding shows particularities depending on country. Therefore, well-defined and specific strategies are still needed to be developed and adapted to the current conditions found in various countries for ensuring a well implementation, thus driving to better and healthier global outcomes and security. This paper will explore the One Health status in Romania, highlighting the current progress registered until now and the future perspectives based on its potential, in the context of the livestock farming framework and challenges. Our findings may help to disclose the challenges of putting in practice One Health in Romania, alongside to the pathways showing potential to enhance sustainability in livestock farming.

This study presents the development and pilot implementation of an assessment and shared deci-sion-making methodology called the Gezamenlijk Inschatten van Zorgbehoeften (GIZ), designed for youth (health) care professionals working with children and families. The three-phase approach included a needs assessment, development of the GIZ methodology, and pilot implementation in a preventive youth health care and youth care setting, involving parents, adolescents, and youth (health) care professionals. The needs assessment produced nine criteria that the GIZ methodology needed to meet. Based on these criteria, the GIZ methodology was developed and described using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR). The pilot implementation demonstrated high client engagement, satisfaction, and feasibility in daily practice. The GIZ ap-proach promotes appropriate support for families by improving the joint assessment and shared decision-making process in youth (health) care. This study supports the implementation of GIZ in youth (health) care practice and highlights the need for further focus on implementation and sus-tainability.

Background: This study delves into the examination of racial and ethnic disparities in the distribution of the Monkeypox (MPOX) virus vaccine within the United States, offering a critical healthcare perspective on an emerging public health concern. It particularly focuses on the demographic patterns associated with MPOX transmission and the allocation of vaccines. Methods: A comprehensive analysis was conducted, drawing on a wide array of data sources to understand the vaccine distribution and demographic trends in the United States. The study scrutinized three main aspects: MPOX cases by race and ethnicity, vaccine administration across different racial and gender categories, and the potential disparities therein. Results: The findings reveal significant disparities in the distribution of vaccine doses, with males, particularly gay, bisexual, and other Men who have sex with men (MSM), receiving the majority of doses. Moreover, substantial variations in MPOX cases are observed among different racial and ethnic groups, emphasizing the need for culturally sensitive public health strategies. Conclusions: The study underscores the urgent need for targeted public health interventions to address disparities and safeguard the well-being of those at higher risk, particularly MSM. It highlights the importance of equity in vaccine distribution and culturally sensitive approaches, and serves as a foundation for shaping effective public health policies and strategies to mitigate the spread of MPOX. This research advances our understanding of healthcare disparities in the context of an emerging viral infection, providing valuable insights for future public health initiatives.

Cancer is the second major cause of disease-related dead worldwide, and its accurate early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention are fundamental for saving the patient’s life. Cancer, as a complex and heterogeneous disorder, results from disruption and alteration of a wide variety of biological entities, including genes, proteins, mRNAs, miRNAs, and metabolites that eventually emerge as clinical symptoms. Traditionally, diagnosis is based on clinical examination, blood tests for biomarkers, histopathology of biopsy, and imaging (MRI, CT, PET, US). Additionally, omics biotechnologies help to further characterize the genome, metabolome, microbiome traits of the patient that could have an impact on the prognosis and patient’s response to the therapy. The integration of all these data relies on gathering of several experts and may require considerable time, and, unfortunately, it is not without the risk of error in the interpretation and therefore in the decision. Systems biology algorithms exploit Artificial Intelligence (AI) combined with omics technologies to perform a rapid and accurate analysis and integration of patient’s big data and support the physician in making diagnosis and tailoring the most appropriate therapeutic intervention. However, AI is not free from possible diagnostic and prognostic errors in the interpretation of images or biochemical-clinical data. Here, we first describe the methods used by systems biology for combining AI with omics and then discuss the potential, challenges, limitations, and critical issues in using AI in cancer research.

The health of inmates living in a restricted environment are affected by oral health behaviours and is related to their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). We investigated oral health behaviours and oral symptoms among male inmates and analysed factors related to OHRQoL. Three hundred and seventy-six male inmates in two prisons were investigated using a self-reported questionnaire. The survey items included oral health behaviours, oral symptoms, self-esteem, and OHRQoL level. We analysed cross-correlations and factors related to OHRQoL. Toothbrushing after lunch and dinner was practiced by 83.5% of male inmates. ‘Food impaction’ was experienced by 45.4%. The OHRQoL level among male inmates was low, at 39.90 points. A hierarchical multiple regression model that controlled for general characteristics identified the following OHRQoL factors, in order of significance: trouble biting/chewing (β = -0.307), toothache (β = -0.154), temporomandibular joint disorder (β = -0.099), and periodontal health (β = 0.089). Self-esteem and OHRQoL were not significantly correlated. To ensure oral health in male inmates, the results of this study suggests that an oral health education programme, as well as provision of adequate dental care services, is required to increase appropriate oral health practice rates.

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of different inoculation technologies on the aerobic biological semi-decomposition process of bokashi-type biofertilizer formulations. We examined their effects on the chemical and biological quality of the product, as well as their influence on the agronomic and nutritional characteristics of red-beet and cabbage crops in the field. The highest yields of field-grown beet crops were obtained from seedlings produced using the following treatments: bokashi biofertilizer + biodynamic preparations 502-507 BPB (62.6 Mg ha-1), bokashi + Chamomilla 12CH (60.2 Mg ha-1), and bokashi + Carbo vegetabilis 12 CH (56.3 Mg ha-1). These results corresponded to an increase of 60.9%, 54.7%, and 44.7%, respectively, compared to the yield of the control treatment (38.9 Mg ha-1). The increase in productivity of cabbage plants was higher in the treatment bokashi + Calcarea carbônica 12 CH (35.8 Mg ha-1), being 148.6% higher than the control (14.4 Mg ha-1).The content of moisture, carbon, nitrogen, C/N ratio, and pH H2O in the majority of the evaluated formulations, comply with the standards outlined in IN Nº 61, 2020, by Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Supply, qualifying them as class "A" solid organic compound fertilizers.

Migrant population have always been vulnerable for high burden of social exclusion, mental disorders, physical illness and economic crisis. The current COVID-19 pandemic has further created the frantic plight among them, particularly for the undocumented migrant workers in global south. We have conducted a mixed method study among the undocumented Myanmar migrant workers (UMMWs) in Thailand to explore how the COVID-19 disruption has impacted on their mental health and what are the coping strategies adopted by them. Following the onset of COVID-19 and the recent coup d'etat in Myanmar, our current study is the first attempt to understand the mental health status and predicament of this neglected migrant group. A total of 398 UMMWs were included in the online survey among whom 23 participated in qualitative interviews. The major mental health issues reported by the study participants were depression, generalised anxiety disorder, frustration, stress and panic disorder while loss of employment, worries about the pandemic, social stigma, refused access to healthcare, lockdown and fear of detention were the predominant contributing factors. In response, we identified two key coping mechanisms- coping at personal layer (listening to music, playing online game, praying, self-motivation) and social layer (chatting with family and friends, visiting religious institutions). These findings point to the importance of policy and intervention programs aimed to uphold mental health at such humanitarian conditions. Sustainable institutional mental health care support and social integration for the migrant workers irrespective of their legal status should be ensured.

The implementation of One Health/EcoHealth/Planetary Health approaches has been identified as key (i) to address the strong interconnections between risk for pandemics, climate change and biodiversity loss, and (ii) to develop and implement solutions to these interlinked crises. As a response to the multiple calls of scientists in that direction, we have put forward seven long term research questions regarding COVID-19 and emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) that are based on an effective integration of environmental, ecological, evolutionary, and social sciences to better anticipate and mitigate EIDs. Research needs cover the social-ecology of infectious disease agents, their evolution, the determinants of susceptibility of humans and animals to infections, and the human and ecological factors accelerating infectious disease emergence. For comprehensive investigation, they include the development of nature-based solutions to interlinked global planetary crises, addressing ethical and philosophical questions regarding the relationship of humans to nature and regarding transformative changes to safeguard the environment and human health. In support of this research, we propose the implementation of innovative multidisciplinary facilities embedded in social-ecosystems locally: the “ecological health observatories” and the “living laboratories”. This work has been carried out in the frame of the EC project HERA (www.HERAresearchEU.eu) that aims to set the priorities for an environment, climate and health research agenda in the EU by adopting a systemic approach in the face of global environmental change.

Despite the well-documented health benefits of recreational sports, few opportunities exist in lower- and middle-income countries for adult women to participate in recreational physical activities. An explanatory sequential mixed methods approach was used to explore associations between an innovative soccer program for adult women and self-reported health status. Cross-sectional survey data were collected in 2018-2019 from 702 women in the Nikumbuke Project, a health and literacy program in southeastern rural Kenya, followed by focus group discussions with 225 women who also participated in the Project's soccer program. Quantitative findings suggest that women who participated in soccer had 67% greater odds of reporting good or excellent health than their non-soccer playing peers. Thematic analysis of qualitative data indicated that women credited soccer with less pain, fatigue, and stress, as well as weight loss and reduced dependence on medicine for hypertension, pain, and sleep problems. Women equated health benefits with greater ease and efficiency in completing chores, reduced worries, youthful energy, male-like strength, and pleased husbands. Soccer programs for adult women may be particularly effective interventions in settings where access to health care is limited and where lack of opportunity to engage in physical aerobic activity increases women's risks for poor health outcomes. .

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented changes to human lifestyles across the world. The virus and associated social restriction measures have been linked to an increase in mental health conditions. A considerable body of evidence shows that spending time in and engaging with nature can improve human health and wellbeing. Our study explores nature’s role in supporting health during the COVID-19 pandemic. We created web-based questionnaires with validated health instruments and conducted spatial analyses in a geographic information system (GIS). We collected data on people’s patterns of nature exposure, associated health and wellbeing responses, and potential socioecological drivers such as relative deprivation, access to greenspaces, and land-cover greenness. We applied a range of statistical analyses including bootstrap resampled correlations and binomial regression models, adjusting for several potential confounding factors. We found that respondents significantly changed their patterns of visiting nature as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. People spent more time in nature and visited nature more often during the pandemic. People generally visited nature for a health and wellbeing benefit and felt that nature helped them cope during the pandemic. Greater land-cover greenness within a 250 m radius around a respondent’s postcode was important in predicting higher levels of mental wellbeing. There were significantly more food-growing allotments within 100 m and 250 m of respondents with high mental wellbeing scores. The need for a mutually-advantageous relationship between humans and the wider biotic community has never been more important. We must conserve, restore and design nature-centric environments to maintain resilient societies and planetary health.

COVID-19 severity is heterogeneously distributed over age strata, but current mitigation strategies are homogeneously applied to all population. Social-distancing and stay-home are effective conservative approaches but lack economic sustainability on long term. Conversely, herd-immunity is a nonrestrictive strategy which can cost remarkable number of human lives and can melt the healthcare system down. Here I propose an Age Adaptive Social Distancing (AASD) engineering strategy to mitigate COVID-19 outbreak. AASD is based on the scientific evidence that the fatality rate grows nonlinearly with age, hence also the containing strategy should adapt nonlinearly. Essentially, AASD suggests that ‘silent spreaders’ (age 0-39) should avoid/minimize direct and indirect contacts with individuals in ‘dangerous zone’ (age 40+). The rationale is: 0-19 should follow parents strategy, healthy 20-39 (low fatality rate) might conduct screened life under active surveillance, to sustain economy and acquire rational immunity; 40-59 should respect social distancing (waiting a therapy); 60+ should stay at home (waiting a vaccine). This might save human lives, reduce healthcare demand and improve economic sustainability. The final take-home message is that future studies should design precision and personalized strategies for specific contagious diseases that integrate different social constrains, active surveillance and contact tracing.

Education and awareness raising are the primary tools of global health policy to change public behaviour. Considering the limitations of awareness agenda and the lack of social research to inform alternative approaches, our objective was to generate new empirical evidence on the consequences of antibiotic-related awareness raising in a low-income country context. We implemented an educational activity in two Lao villages to share general antibiotic-related messages, but also to learn about people’s conceptions and health behaviours. Two rounds of census survey data enabled us to assess the activity’s outputs, its knowledge outcomes, and its immediate behavioural impacts in a difference-in-difference design. Our panel data covered 1,130 adults over two rounds, including 58 activity participants and 208 villagers exposed indirectly via conversations in the village. We found that activity-related communication circulated among more privileged groups, which limited its indirect effects. Among participants, the activity influenced the awareness and understanding of “drug resistance,” while effects on attitudes were minor. Evidence on behavioural impacts was sparse and mixed, but the range of possible consequences included a disproportionate uptake of antibiotics from formal healthcare providers. Our study casts doubt on the continued dominance of awareness raising as a behavioural tool to address antibiotic resistance.

In the wake of rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and sensor technologies, a new horizon of possibilities has emerged across diverse sectors. Livestock farming, a domain often sidelined in conventional AI discussions, stands at the cusp of this transformative wave. This paper delves into the profound potential of AI and sensor innovations in reshaping animal welfare in livestock farming, with a pronounced emphasis on a human-centric paradigm. Central to our discourse is the symbiotic interplay between cutting-edge technology and human expertise. While AI and sensor mechanisms offer real-time, comprehensive, and objective insights into animal welfare, it's the farmer's intrinsic knowledge of their livestock and environment that should steer these technological strides. We champion the notion of technology as an enhancer of farmers' innate capabilities, not a substitute. Our manuscript sheds light on: Objective Animal Welfare Indicators: An exhaustive exploration of health, behavioral, and physiological metrics, underscoring AI's prowess in delivering precise, timely, and objective evaluations. Farmer-Centric Approach: A focus on the pivotal role of farmers in the adept adoption and judicious utilization of AI and sensor technologies, coupled with discussions on crafting intuitive, pragmatic, and cost-effective solutions tailored to farmers' distinct needs. Ethical and Social Implications: A discerning scrutiny of the digital metamorphosis in farming, encompassing facets like animal privacy, data safeguarding, responsible AI deployment, and potential technological access disparities. Future Pathways: Advocacy for principled technology design, unambiguous responsible use guidelines, and fair technology access, all echoing the fundamental principles of human-centric computing and analytics. In essence, our paper furnishes pioneering insights at the crossroads of farming, animal welfare, technology, and ethics. It presents a rejuvenated perspective, bridging the chasm between technological advancements and their human beneficiaries, resonating seamlessly with the ethos of the Human-Centric Intelligent Systems journal. This comprehensive analysis thus marks a significant stride in the burgeoning domain of human-centric intelligent systems, especially within the digital livestock farming landscape, fostering a harmonious coexistence of technology, animals, and humans.

Background: The pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus demonstrated the importance of prevention through a healthy diet and lifestyle, the most vulnerable people being those with severe chronic conditions, those who are overweight, and those with an unbalanced immune system. Methods: The evaluation of the eating habits and lifestyle of the Romanian population in the post-pandemic period was carried out based on a cross-sectional observational study with the help of a questionnaire. Results: 4704 valid answers were registered (3136 female and 1568 male respondents). Among the respondents, most of them belong to the young population, 2892 between the ages of 18 and 40, i.e., 61.5%. Most male respondents are overweight (1400) and obese (780). Most respondents indicated a tendency to consume 1-2 meals per day irregularly (p=0.6167). Only 974 respondents adopted a healthy diet, and 578 a healthy lifestyle. Conclusion: The present study reports low adherence to a healthy diet (20.7%) and healthy lifestyle (12.28%), especially among the young population (&lt; 30 years). In the current context, it reports a reduced tendency to consume vegetables and fruits among the population, below the daily average recommended by the nutrition guidelines, a tendency towards sedentary behavior, and even deficient hydration of some of the respondents; these negative aspects can create a long term a series of nutritional and psycho-emotional imbalances. Our results evidence that complex surveys among the population are regularly required to investigate nutritional or lifestyle deficiencies; moreover, it could be helpful in further educational measures in nutrition, food, and environmental safety.

People must have particular personality traits and social resources, also known as health literacy, in order to access, comprehend, and use information to make decisions about their health. Patients' ability to engage in complex disease management and self-care is strongly related to their level of health literacy. It can help us stay healthy by preventing illness and effectively managing existing illnesses. People with low health literacy (LHL) may find it difficult to manage their condition and prevent illness, which may lead to increased use of healthcare services. Furthermore, LHL is associated with increased hospitalizations, increased use of emergency care, decreased use of preventative services, and a worsened ability to understand labels and health messages, a worsened state of health, higher mortality, and more expensive medical care.

(1) Background: Youths with multiple risks and severe disadvantages experience poorer health and educational outcomes than less disadvantaged peers. To address problems with coping and self-regulation in this group, mental skills training (MST) approaches more commonly used in sport are an emerging intervention approach. (2) Methods and Results: This narrative review synthesizes literature to explain the need for MST, how it works, and evidence to support it works by focusing on two well evaluated programmes: LifeMatters and My Strengths Training for Life™. (3) Conclusions: To support positive youth development, MST is a strengths-based, flexible and adaptable approach to help fill the shortage of available evidence-based programs for those youths facing multiple disadvantages. The findings of this review may facilitate policy makers, commissioners, program planners, and researchers in the uptake of MST or similar psychoeducational approaches in future.

Balanced fear supports human rational decision making and useful behavioral responses. In contrast, overwhelming, persistent, and unbalanced fear can paralyze the individual and result in heightened anxiety, lack of cognitive flexibility, fear-based public compliance and serious mental health issues. Psychobiotics research has established that a healthy microbiome is required for balanced fear and mental health protection via control of fear extinction. The recent Covid-19 pandemic featured daily, persistent, fear-of-a single contagion conditioning on a global scale paired with various behavioral mandates (e.g., lockdowns of the healthy, masks, isolation from environmental microbes and each other) that degraded the human microbiome and isolated us from each other and useful environmental microbes. It also ignored the historic role of secondary bacterial pathobionts, in pandemic deaths. This narrative review examines how institutional promotion of fear-of-a single contagion, lack of balanced risk communication, and appalling disregard of our fundamental nature (as majority-microbial human superorganisms) resulted in problems rather than solutions. This review concludes that government-public health-media promotion of pervasive fear and microbiome-degrading behaviors: 1) increased public compliance, 2) reduced cognitive flexibility, and 3) increased risk of mental health conditions. It further argues that microbiome-first public health should be embraced to ensure that human freedom, rather than paralyzing fear, dominates our future.

This article analyzes some available bike mobile applications for smartphones as an alternative to bike computers (Cycle Computers or speedometer or speed sensors). We have records of a large number of MTB (Mountain Bike) datasets, 219 datasets were recorded on 4 different routes. These applications create maps and profiles from geographic data. Inputs can be in GPS data (tracks and waypoints), driving routes, street addresses, or simple coordinates. Most applications estimate fields such as speed, heading, slope, distance, VMG (velocity made good) and pace (cadence). However, it is necessary to calculate the relationship between cadence and power in pedaling so that cyclists know the appropriate moment to apply power to their legs to improve the torque. This paper shows tables, comparative graphs, and performance evaluation of biking routes in four different cycling mobile applications.

The increase in arrivals of new forest pests highlights the need for effective phytosanitary legislation and measures. This paper introduces legislation targeted at prevention and management of potential introductions of forest pests and pathogens. A summary is given on plant health regulations on a global and regional level with detailed information on the situation in the European Union (EU). The current and new European legislation is discussed and a particular focus is given on eradication and contingency plans for Fusarium circinatum.

The aim of the study is to assess enjoyment and intensity of physical exercise while practicing physical activity (PA) in immersive virtual reality (IVR) using innovative training devices (omni-directional Omni treadmill and Icaros Pro flight simulator). The study also contains the results of subjective research on the usefulness of such a form of PA in the opinion of users. In total, 61 adults (10 women and 50 men) took part in the study. To assess the enjoyment level (EL) Interest/Enjoyment subscale of Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) was used. Exercise intensity was assessed during 10-minute sessions of active video games (AVGs) in IVR based on heart rate (HR). The average enjoyment level during physical exercise in IVR on the tested training devices was relatively high (Omni 5.74 points, Icaros 5.60 points). In the opinion of the majority of participants, AVGs on IVR training devices constitute a sufficiently useful form of movement to meet the needs of PA practiced in free time, and they can even replace some of the classic forms of movement. Intensity of PA during games on training devices was at the level recommended for health benefits for 92% (Omni) and 84% (Icaros Pro) of its duration. Based on the conducted research, it can be assumed that AVGs in IVR using a multi-directional treadmill and a flight simulator can be an effective tool for increasing participation in health-oriented PA.

The COVID-19 pandemic has great adverse impacts on personal life, the U.S. economy, and the world economy. Freezing all human activities is not a sustainable measure. Thus we want to develop a public intervention framework that allows people to resume personal and economic activities. In this article, we examined transmission routes, disease severity, personal vulnerability, available treatments, and person-person interactions to establish a general public intervention framework. We divide people into risk groups, non-risk group and group that may serve as viral transmitters, explore interactions between individual persons within each group and between different groups, and propose interaction behavior modifications to mitigate viral exposures. For the non-risk groups, we identified preventive measures that can help them avoid the most serious exposures and infections that pose higher death risks. The invention measures for the vulnerable groups include prior-exposure measures, heightened protective measures, interaction behavior changes, post-exposure remedial measures, and multiple factors treatments to reduce death and disability risks. The multiple interventions and two-ways defensive behavior modifications are expected to result in reduced rate of detectable infections and lowered disease severity for the vulnerable groups. In this framework, most human activities and economic activities can continue as normal. With time passing, the population acquires population immunity against the COVID-19 virus. Implementation of this intervention framework requires considerable resources and governmental effects while the multiple factors treatment protocol requires the support of health care professionals.

Objective: To recommend how physicians can best respond to families whose hopes for a miracle via divine intervention influence their medical decisions, like, for example, making them not want to withdraw ventilatory support in cases of poor neurologic prognosis because they are still hoping for God to intervene. Methods: Auto-ethnographic analysis of chaplaincy experience in this clinical context yields a nuanced 90-second, point-of-care spiritual intervention physicians can use to address the religious aspect of families who base medical decisions on their hopes for a miracle via divine intervention. Explanation of how spiritual intervention dovetails with existing physician communication protocol for responding to families hoping for a miracle. Results: Spiritual intervention for religious aspect of miracle-hoping families is integrated into existing physician communication protocol for responding to families hoping for a miracle with recommendations for utilization of existing communication technology when necessary. Conclusion: Properly addressing the religious dimension of families hoping for a miracle may be helpful for physicians interested in decreasing their own stress levels, improving outcomes for this clinical context, and ensuring that unintentional discrimination does not perpetuate racial disparities in end-of-life care.

Water is one of the most critical factors affecting environmental health. For this reason, estimating and monitoring the behavior of water in nature and preventing water pollution before it occurs are advantageous to avoid problems that may occur in terms of environmental health. In order to predict the behavior of water, the hydrological cycle needs to be evaluated on a basin basis. At this point, hydrological models can be used to make mathematical representations of hydrologi-cal processes. These models play an essential role in predicting and monitoring problems such as poor water quality, pollution, particle and sediment transport, and proliferation of oil and petro-leum derivatives among frequently encountered issues in environmental health. In this study, a 2D surface water model was created using soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) to simulate the lotic ecosystem and existing water quality in Tatlıçay Basin and to propose solutions for im-proving environmental health in Cankiri provincial center in Türkiye. The accuracy of the input data and the validity of the model were checked with the calibration and validation studies by using the monthly or 3-monthly observation data of the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works’ flow observation & water quality stations from 2016 to 2020. The aim was to provide the opportunity to produce fast, accurate, and practical solutions in the face of negative scenarios with this model. This modelling study obtained successful results in the calibration and valida-tion process with very few observed data. With this study, a significant contribution to the litera-ture on environmental health is made, as there aren't many examples of hydrological modeling from the Middle East.

The Yezidis who represent a religious minority living in Northern Iraq were particularly affected of the persecution by ISIS that gained power after 2013. This paper gives an overview of the events and the mental health consequences as well as associated influences on affected female Yezidis. Based on systematic literature search the aspects “Persecution by ISIS and actual situation of the Yezidi community”, “Gender-specific aspects of the persecution and its consequences”, “Mental health of the affected women” and “Cultural-historical and religious context” are worked out. Research indicates a high burden of health strain and mental health problems in the surviving Yezidi women, especially PTSD and depression. Concerning transgenerational trauma, the recent genocide revive past experiences in the history of the community. Like the narrow cultural and religious rules of the community, this can be both a resource and a burden. The actual extent of the attacks is neither predictable for the affected individuals nor for the community, consequences could also be passed on descendants. Long-term care and support of the affected persons, their descendants and the Yezidi community seems indispensable.

In response to escalating global demand for poultry, the industry grapples with an array of intricate challenges, from enhancing productivity to improving animal welfare and attenuating environmental impacts. This comprehensive review explores the transformative potential of digital phenotyping, an emergent technological innovation at the cusp of dramatically reshaping broiler production. The central aim of this study is to critically examine digital phenotyping as a pivotal solution to these multidimensional industry conundrums. Our investigation spotlights the profound implications of 'digital twins' in the burgeoning field of broiler genomics, where the production of exact digital counterparts of physical entities accelerates genomics research and its practical applications. Further, this review probes into the ongoing advancements in the research and development of a context-sensitive, multimodal digital phenotyping platform, custom-built to monitor broiler health. I critically evaluate this platform's potential in revolutionizing health monitoring, fortifying the resilience of broiler production, and fostering a harmonious balance between productivity and sustainability. Subsequently, the paper provides a rigorous assessment of the unique challenges that may surface during the integration of digital phenotyping within the industry. These span from technical and economic impediments to ethical deliberations, thus offering a comprehensive perspective. The paper concludes by highlighting the game-changing potential of digital phenotyping in the broiler industry and identifying potential future directions for the field, underlining the significance of continued research and development in unlocking digital phenotyping's full potential. In doing so, it charts a course towards a more robust, sustainable, and productive broiler industry. The insights garnered from this study hold substantial value for a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the broiler industry, setting the stage for an imminent technological evolution in poultry production.

This investigation is part of a topical situation where wireless equipment is gradually being used for energy transfer, particularly for autonomous systems and the use of decarbonized en-ergies. A characteristic example of decarbonized autonomous use is linked to the substitution of thermal engine vehicles by electric vehicles (EVs) equipped with energy storage batteries. This response was considered in an ecological context of reducing air pollution and defending plane-tary biodiversity, which are currently vital. These EVs ultimately operate thanks to the wireless charging of their batteries when stationary or running. By changing long-established means of transport that have become a threat to biodiversity, it is necessary to ensure that innovative re-placement solutions protect this biodiversity. In addition, the construction of wireless power transfer (WPT) battery chargers for these EVs must offer an optimal ecology of clean energy saving. In such a context, the two concepts of One Health (OH) and Responsible Attitude (RA) will find their place in the design and control of WPT tools in EVs. This contribution aims to il-lustrate and analyze the roles of the green and non-wasteful OH and RA approaches in the de-sign and control of WPT embedded in EVs for the smart city (SC) environment. In the paper, WPT tools are first introduced. The design and control of EV battery charging tools are then examined. The biological effects on living tissues due to the electromagnetic field (EMF) radia-tion of WPT are analyzed. The phenomena and equations governing the design of WPT and the effects of EMF radiation are then exposed. The OH and RA approaches in the SC context are af-terward analyzed. The protection against the unsafe effects of WPT tools in the SC environment is consequently explored. The analyses followed in the paper are supported by examples of lit-erature.

Providing safely-managed sanitation/hygiene requires key competencies for education, training, service delivery, enterprise development and management, product and infrastructure design and development, construction and installation, governance, financing, research, etc. These strategic sanitation capacities will have to be built from higher education’s academic and professional programmes structured and designed to produce skilled and knowledgeable professionals and practitioners. This study aims to investigate the quality of the sanitation/hygiene management content of Environmental Health programmes; the adequacy of the existing central curricula; and the perception of environmental health sanitation/hygiene-trained professionals to determine the next phase for building knowledge and capacity of sanitation professionals in Nigeria through higher education institutions. A multilevel mixed method concurrent study was used for sampling and data collection with a multilevel perception analysis to examine the perceptions of students, lecturers and graduate alumni as well as employers/supervisors and clients/service-users of sanitation/hygiene related graduates. The main findings of this paper show limited understanding of the concepts of contemporary issues of sanitation/hygiene management; the central/national teaching and curricula were found to be seriously out of date; and clients/service-users were dissatisfied with the skills and knowledge levels of the graduates. The study concludes by recommending a national sanitation management higher education pathway to guide the provision of integrated sanitation/hygiene management education at higher education institutions (HEIs), to build effective, efficient, competent, and sufficient workforce for the country.

The home is becoming a key location for healthcare delivery, including the use of technology driven by autonomous systems (AS) to monitor and support healthcare plans. Using the example of a smart mirror, this paper describes the outcomes of focus groups with people with multiple sclerosis (MS; n=6) and people who have had a stroke (n=15) to understand their attitudes towards the use of AS for healthcare in the home. We thematic analysis to analyse the data. The results indicate that the use of such technology depends on the level of adaptability and responsiveness to the users’ specific circumstances, including their relationships with the healthcare system. A smart mirror would need to support manual entry, responsive goal setting, effective aggregation of data sources and integration with other technology, have a range of input methods, be supportive rather than prescriptive in messaging, and give the user full control of their data. Barriers to adoption include a perceived lack of portability and practicality, lack of accessibility and inclusivity, a sense of redundancy, being overwhelmed by multiple technological devices, and a lack of trust in data sharing. These results inform the development and deployment of future health technologies based on the lived experiences of people with health conditions who require ongoing care.

Objective: To employ Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to investigate dietary intake patterns among Sudanese children aged 0 to 2 years and to examine the association of these patterns with sociodemographic factors. Methods: This study leveraged the Sudan Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2014 data to uncover dietary intake patterns among 7,362 children using latent class analysis (LCA). We investigated class memberships concerning demographic and socioeconomic factors. The model's adequacy was determined using several fit indices, including BIC, AIC, entropy, CAIC, and SABIC, providing a holistic evaluation of the model's accuracy in capturing dietary behaviors. Results: Three latent classes were identified: Class 1 (55%) with an average nutrition composition, Class 2 (28%) with limited nutrition composition, and Class 3 (17%) with good nutrition composition. Significant associations were found between latent class membership and sociodemographic factors, particularly mother's education level and household wealth. The three-class solution provided the best balance between model fit and class distinction. Conclusions: The LCA revealed distinct dietary intake patterns and underscored the influence of sociodemographic factors on child nutrition. The findings suggest that targeted nutritional interventions should be developed according to the specific needs of different latent classes. The study also highlights the utility of LCA as a robust statistical and machine learning tool in public health research, capable of informing tailored interventions and policies for improving child nutrition. Implications: The study emphasizes the importance of maternal education and socio-economic status in shaping dietary behaviors of children in Sudan. It implies the need for policies that address educational disparities, food security, and economic development as part of comprehensive nutritional interventions.

Since the 1970s, the usefulness of nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) in the diagnosis of rheumatological disorders such as systemic sclerosis has been well known, and further studies also showed that NFC can detect non-rheumatic diseases such as diabetes, glaucoma, dermatitis, Alzheimer disease, and so on. In the past decade, the morphological changes in the nailfold capillary have been also reported in the unhealthy lifestyle habits such as smoking, inappropriate diets, sleep shortage, and even psychological stress which presents slow blood flow. Therefore, study in the relationships between the morphology of nailfold capillaries and lifestyle habits has high potential to understand the unhealthy state, or even predict the pre-disease condition. So, simple, inexpensive, and non-invasive methods such as NFC are constantly needed for routine health checkups. Thus, we undertook a systematic search in PubMed database, and summarized the studies reporting the assessment of morphological NFC in order to undertake a comprehensive review on the usefulness of NFC not only in clinical diagnosis, but also in unhealthy dietary lifestyle improvements. Here in this review paper, we finally summarized the dietary and lifestyle health promotion strategy judging from NFC- and the other relating-measurement from the viewpoint of healthy microvascular blood flow and endothelial function.

Health comprises physical, mental and social dimensions whose interactions influence users’ experiences. Health experiences are within the context of environments. These contexts are definitive contributors to experiences – primarily because of the link to social dimensions as human beings - psychological and economic. Therefore, the study aims to investigate health resort users’ psycho-social and socio-economic characteristics to improve their access to quality healthcare. The objectives are identifying the socio-economic characteristics of an inclusive health resort, analysing the psycho-social characteristics of the inclusive health resort user, and analysing the effects of users’ psycho-social and socio-economic characteristics on their access to healthcare. The study employs the mixed research method (qualitative and quantitative). The researchers engaged in a pragmatic research philosophy that underscores positivist and interpretivist paradigms. The data collection instruments include survey questionnaires, an interview guide with a digital recorder, a direct participant observation schedule, field notes and photographs. The data analysis process involves the clustering and categorisation of data and examining concepts and themes. The research findings show a correlation between the users’ socio-economic status and access to quality healthcare in an inclusive health resort. The result further reveals that psycho-social and socio-economic characteristics of health resort users are quality healthcare access predictors. Therefore, the users’ social, psychological, and economic status should play a vital role in the design of an inclusive health resort by all stakeholders.

Measles remains a highly contagious and potentially severe infectious disease, necessitating high vaccine coverage. However, misinformation and measles vaccine hesitancy/resistance posed significant challenges to achieving this goal. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these challenges, leading to a measles outbreak in Jordan in 2023. This study aimed to investigate the acceptance of the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine among parents in Jordan and identify its associated determinants. This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted using a previously Arabic-validated version of the Parental Attitudes towards Childhood Vaccines (PACV) survey instrument. Data collection took place in October 2023, and the final study sample comprised a total of 391 parents, with mothers representing 69.8% of the participants (n = 273). The majority of participating parents expressed either resistance (n = 169, 43.2%) or hesitancy (n = 168, 43.0%) towards MR vaccination, while only 54 participants (13.8%) expressed MR vaccine acceptance. Multivariate analysis revealed that trust in vaccine safety/efficacy, behavior, and having fewer offspring were significantly associated with MR vaccine acceptance. The current study revealed a concerning level of MR vaccine hesitancy/resistance among parents in Jordan. Urgent and targeted interventions are strongly recommended to address this issue, including mass campaigns aimed at building trust in the MR vaccine safety/efficacy. Additionally, there is an urgent need for effective public health initiatives to ensure sufficient measles vaccine coverage to prevent future outbreaks of this serious disease.

A systematic and comprehensive review of critical applications of Blockchain Technol-ogy with Differential Privacy integration lies within the privacy and security enhancement. This paper aims to highlight the research issues in the e-health domain (e.g., Electronic Medical Rec-ords) and to review the current research directions in Differential Privacy integration with Blockchain Technology.(1) Background: The current state of the art in the e-health domain is identified as follows: (a) healthcare information poses a high level of security and privacy concerns due to its sensitivity; (b) due to vulnerabilities surrounding the healthcare system, a data breach is common and presents a risk for attacks by an adversary; and (c) the current privacy and security apparatus needs further fortification. (2) Methods: The methodology uses a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify and select relevant research papers and academic journals in DP and BT. (3) Results: The results are categorized into: e-Health Record Privacy, Real-Time Health Data, and Health Survey Data Protection to identify inherent issues with Differential Privacy integra-tion with Blockchain and technical challenges.(4) Conclusion: This review thoroughly surveyed and summarized Differential Privacy mechanisms in EMR privacy, real-time health data, and health survey data protection while highlighting challenges.

Background/aim: Sexual harassment has become a serious social and public health problem in adolescence, causing adverse effects on mental health. Nevertheless, some behaviours arise that, due to their characteristics, might be misinterpreted as sexual harassment. A field study, a survey with a non-probabilistic accidental sampling, was designed in order to estimate the prevalence of sexual harassment victimization in the Spanish adolescent population, as well as to quantify the harms. Method: 1028 Spanish adolescents, 54.3% females and 45.7% males, aged 13-17 years (M = 15.21, SD = 1.03), responded to a diagnostic measure of sexual harassment victimization and an inventory measure of internalizing and externalizing Mental Health Problems (MHPs). Results: The results showed a significant prevalence of diagnosed sexual harassment victimization of school-aged adolescents, 24.1%, 95% [.215, 267], with adverse effects on internalizing and externalizing MHPs. As for the internalizing MHPs, the results showed moderate adverse effects on depression, anxiety, somatic burns, posttraumatic symptoms, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms; and mild adverse effects on social anxiety. With regard to externalizing MHPs, the results revealed moderate adverse effects on hyperactivity-impulsivity, anger control and antisocial behaviour; and mild adverse effects on attention problems, aggression and defiant behaviour. In addition, it was corroborated that sexual harassment victimization affects adolescent females to a greater extent, with the effect being significantly greater in internalizing than in externalizing MHPs. Conclusions: The results obtained are discussed and future lines of research and intervention are proposed to promote the implementation of prevention and intervention programs that address this phenomenon and, in turn, improve the physical, psychological, and social well-being of adolescents.

Despite air pollution being a leading cause of health issues in developing nations, public awareness and understanding of local air quality remains notably low. The present study assesses the perception, attitude, and environmental knowledge of local air pollution among adult urban residents (n=870) in a city with leading air pollution rates among cities of emerging economies: Astana, Kazakhstan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to investigate the causal relationship between perceived air quality, environmental literacy, and willingness to pay (WTP) for environmental protection. Findings indicate over 40% of residents neither consider the city being highly polluted nor recognize the association between air quality and adverse health outcomes, correlated with a generally low level of environmental literacy. The age, education, and health status of the participants significantly affected (p&lt;.001) their level of environmental knowledge and awareness. The SEM analysis indicates that knowledge is the major determinant in improving public awareness and perception of local air pollution (path value=0.626). Moreover, a close association between WTP and environmental attitude was also evident (path value=0.533). The findings of the present study may provide valuable insights for healthcare professionals, environmental researchers, and governmental institutions for implementing more effective public interventions to protect local air quality.

Best practices in global health training prioritize leadership and engagement from investigators from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), along with more conscientious community consultation and research that benefits local participants and autochthonous communities. However, well into the 20th century, international research and clinical care were rife with paternalism, extractive practices, and racist ideation, with race presumed to explain both vulnerability or protection from various diseases despite scientific evidence for more precise mechanisms for infectious disease. We highlight experiences in global research on health and illness among indigenous populations in LMICs, seeking to clarify what is both scientifically essential and ethically desirable in research with human subjects; we apply a critical view towards race and racism as historically distorting elements that must be acknowledged and overcome.

Methods to handle uncertainty in economic evaluation have gained much attention in the literature and the cost-effectiveness acceptability curve (CEAC) is the most widely used method to summarize and present uncertainty associated with program costs and effects in cost-effectiveness analysis. Some researchers have emphasized the limitations of the CEAC for informing decision and policy makers as the CEAC is insensitive to radial shifts of the joint distribution of incremental costs and effects in the North-East and South-West quadrants of the cost-effective plane (CEP). Furthermore, it has been pointed out that the CEAC does not incorporate risk-aversion in valuing uncertain costs and effects. In the present article we show that the cost-effectiveness affordability curve (CEAFC) captures both dimensions of the joint distribution of incremental costs and effects on the CEP and is therefore sensitive to radial shifts of the joint distribution on the CEP. Furthermore, the CEAFC also informs about the budget impact of a new intervention as it estimates the joint probability an intervention is both affordable and cost-effective. Moreover, we show that the cost-effectiveness risk-aversion curve (CERAC) allows to incorporate risk-aversion into the analysis and can therefore be used to inform decision-makers who are risk-averse. We use data from a published cost-effectiveness model of palbociclib in addition to letrozole versus letrozole alone for the treatment of oestrogen-receptor positive, HER-2 negative, advanced breast cancer to demonstrate the differences between CEAC, CEAFC and CERAC and show how these can jointly be used to inform decision and policy makers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating consequences for health, social, and economic domains, but what has received far less focus is the effect on people’s relationship to vital ecological supports, including access to greenspace. We assessed patterns of greenspace use in relation to individual and environmental factors and their relationship with experiencing psychological symptoms under the pandemic. We conducted an online survey recruiting participants from social media for adults in Korea for September–December 2020. The survey collected data on demographics, patterns of using greenspace during the pandemic, and major depression (MD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item (GAD-2) were applied to identify probable cases of MD and GAD. A logistic regression model assessed the association decreased visits to greenspace after the outbreak compared to 2019 and probable MD and GAD. Among the 322 survey participants, prevalence of probable MD and GAD were 19.3% and 14.9%, respectively. High rates of probable MD (23.3%) and GAD (19.4%) were found among persons currently having job-related and financial issues. Of the total participants, 64.9% reported decreased visits to greenspace after the COVID-19 outbreak. Persons with decreased visits to greenspace had 2.06 higher odds (95% CI: 0.91, 4.67) of probable MD at the time of the survey than persons whose visits to greenspace increased or did not change. Findings suggest that barriers to greenspace use could deprive people of mental health benefits and affect mental health during pandemic; an alternative explanation is that those experiencing poor mental health may be less likely to visit greenspaces during pandemic. This implies the need of adequate interventions on greenspace uses under an outbreak especially focusing on how low-income populations may be more adversely affected by a pandemic and its policy responses.

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a public health emergency of international concern, which may affect lifestyle habits and mental health. Based on national health profile assessments, this study investigates perceived changes of lifestyle habits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and associations between perceived lifestyle changes and mental health in Swedish working adults. Among 5,599 individuals (50% women, 46.3 years), the majority reported no change (sitting 77%, daily physical activity 71%, exercise 69%, diet 87%, alcohol 90%, and smoking 97%) due to the pandemic. Changes were more pronounced during the first wave (April-June) compared to the second (October-December). Women, individuals <60 years, having a university degree, being white-collar workers and having unhealthy lifestyle habits at baseline had higher odds of changing lifestyle habits compared to their counterparts. Negative changes in lifestyle habits as well as more time in mentally passive sitting at home was associated with higher odds of mental ill-health (including health anxiety regarding one’s own and relatives’ health, generalized anxiety and depression symptoms, and concerns regarding employment and economy). The results em-phasize the need to support healthy lifestyle habits to strengthen the resilience in vulnerable groups of individuals to future viral pandemics, and prevent health inequalities in society.

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a predictive early tooth loss multivariable model for periodontitis patients before periodontal treatment. A total of 544 patients seeking periodontal care at a university dental hospital were enrolled in the study. Teeth extracted after periodontal diagnosis and due to periodontal reasons were recorded. Clinical and sociodemographic variables were analyzed, considering the risk of short-term tooth loss. This study followed the Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis (TRIPOD) guidelines for development and validation, with two cohorts considered as follows: 455 patients in the development phase and 99 in the validation phase. As a result, it was possible to compute a predictive model based on tooth type and clinical attachment loss. The model explained 25.3% of the total variability and correctly ranked 98.9% of the cases. The final reduced model area under the curve (AUC) was 0.809 (95% Confidence Interval (95% CI): 0.629 - 0.989) for the validation sample and 0.920 (95% CI: 0.891 - 0.950) for the development cohort. The established model presented adequate prediction potential of early tooth loss due to periodontitis. This model may have clinical and epidemiologic relevance towards the prediction of tooth loss burden.

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is one of the worst-hit regions globally by COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, scarce literature exists that examines the research strategy of LAC in facing COVID-19. The present study aims to quantify and assess the production of COVID-19 publications in thirty-two countries in LAC during the first half of 2020. A Scopus/PubMed/LILACS search was performed to retrieve research articles related to COVID-19 published from January 1 to July 31, 2020. Subgroup analysis including only original publications was used to better ascertain the contribution of LAC countries, and standardization measures were applied to comparisons of country-specific contributions. We identified 1291 publications across the region. Overall, most articles in the region were non-original (81.6%), and the most productive countries were Brazil (43.9%), Mexico (9.14%), and Colombia (7.98%). This trend shifted to Chile after the standardization. Among original studies, the most common study design was cross-sectional (25.8%). LAC countries generate articles primarily pertaining to diagnosis and treatment (27.4%). In the subgroup analysis, however, epidemiology and surveillance was the most prevalent research focus (24.1%). LAC countries should perform more research with a higher level of evidence to inform health policy making to ease the burden of COVID-19 in the region.

Health of migrant is a widely studied topic. It has been argued that migrant health may deteriorate over time. Though migrants are ‘a hard to reach’ population in survey data, this paper builds on a unique dataset provided by Médecins du Monde from five countries. We study self perceived health (SPH) in connection with socio-economic and demographic factors and length of stay. Results show different results for men and women. Asylum seekers compared to other documented migrants have a worse health. Migrants with better living conditions tend to be in better health. Employment and stable accommodation has a positive effect on SPH. Women from poorer countries have a better physical SPH after 3 months of residing in the host country. This paper contributes widely to knowledge of health of migrants. Contrarily to other evidence, health of migrants tends to improve for some migrants.

Replacement of fee-for-service with capitation arrangements, forces physicians and institutions to minimize health care costs, while maintaining high-quality care. In this report we describe how patients, their families (and caregivers) can work with members of the medical care team to achieve these twin goals of maintaining (and perhaps improving) high-quality care and minimizing costs. We describe how increased self-management enables patients and their families/caregivers to provide electronic patient-reported outcomes (i.e., symptoms, events) (ePROs) as frequently as the patient or the medical care team consider appropriate. These capabilities also allow greater reliance on the use of mobile technologies (mHealth) to provide ongoing assessments of physiologic measurements/phenomena. Remote surveillance of these communications allows longer intervals between (fewer) visits of patients to the medical-care team when this is appropriate and earlier interventions when that is appropriate. Systems are now available that alert medical care providers to situations when interventions might be needed.

Respiratory viral infections (RVI) are common reasons for healthcare consultations. The inpatient management of RVI consumes significant resources. From 2009-2014, we assessed the costs of RVI management in 4776 hospitalized chil-dren aged 0-18 years participating in a quality improvement program, where all ILI patients underwent virologic testing at the National Reference Centre followed by de-tailed recording of their clinical course. The direct (medical or non-medical) and indirect costs of inpatient management outside the ICU (“non-ICU”) versus management requiring ICU-care (“ICU”) added up to 2,767.14€ (non-ICU) vs. 29,941.71€ (ICU) for Influenza, 2,713.14€ (non-ICU) vs. 16,951.06€ (ICU) for RSV infections, and 2,767.33€ (non-ICU) vs. 14,394.02€ (ICU) for human rhinovirus (hRV) infections, respectively. Non-ICU inpatient costs were similar for all 8 RVI studied: Influenza, RSV, hRV, ade-novirus (hAdV), metapneumovirus (hMPV), parainfluenzavirus (hPIV), bocavirus (hBoV) and seasonal coronavirus (hCoV) infections. ICU-costs for Influenza however, ex-ceeded all other RVI. At the time of the study, Influenza was the only RVI with antivi-ral treatment options available for children, but only 9.8% of Influenza patients (non-ICU) and 1.5% of ICU-patients with Influenza received antivirals; only 2.9% were vac-cinated. Future studies should investigate the economic impact of treatment and pre-vention of Influenza-, COVID-19-, and RSV post vaccine introduction.

We previously proposed a public intervention framework concept that would allow people to resume personal and economic activities. We showed that intervention measures are used in a quantitative scale to reduce transmission probabilities and disease severity. In this article, we systematically examine the origin, assumptions, performance and limitations of epidemiological models from different views used in past review. We found that nearly all model assumptions fail to hold or are remote from reality; R0 does not exit or has no utility in guiding treatment options; personalized intervention measures are vitally important to COVID-19 due to its transmission characteristic; and current epidemiological models are unable to accurately assess the true benefits of personalized intervention measures. We suggest that poor performance of the models are attributed to flawed assumption that health/disease properties can be treated as transferable properties. The flaw creates a fiction that disease properties such as infection probabilities and death risks can be transferred from any vulnerable persons to anyone in the population and thus severely limit societal ability to fight the pandemic. We finally show that the benefits of personalized mitigation measures could be determined directly by using variable Ri values for infected persons (or nodes) together assessment of death rate and disability rate; the attempt of avoiding the disease by defeating all potential transmission probabilities is unrealistic; but mitigating disease severity for specific persons is more feasible and reliable. A most reliable strategy for reviving economy is using personalized protective measures and improving person health before effective vaccine is available.

Understanding and predicting damage progression within thin plain-woven CFRP components is an essential issue for scheduling maintenance intervals and structural inspections, and typically require extensive test series. However, uncertainties always remain and result in conservative design and unnecessary downtimes due to the repeated inspections of a healthy structure. SHM can be used to reduce these uncertainties, as it allows to evaluate the condition of a mechanical structure during operation. Numerous SHM methods are developed , that achieve different levels of damage identification but are often investigated at small coupons with non-realistic structural damages and loading conditions on both, structure and sensor. The present research investigates the electrical impedance tomography (EIT) featuring an elastoresistive thin-film sensor to evaluate damage that propagates from a circular hole in a large plate under cyclic tensile-tensile multi-block loading. Applied fatigue loads were increased multiple times up to a total number of two million cycles. During the loading damage initiated at the hole and continuously propagated into the plate. Repeated EIT evaluations of the applied sensor and validating evaluations by means of digital image correlation clearly revealed the robustness of the hardware and the potential of the SHM method for damage evaluation of plain-woven CFRP components.

The accurate state of health (SOH) estimation of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) during operation is crucial to ensure optimal performance, prolonging battery life and preventing unexpected failure or safety hazards. This work presents a storage and performance optimised deep learning approach to predict the capacity based SOH of LIBs using raw sensor data from partial charging curves under constant current condition. The proposed model is based on a combination of a 1-dimensional convolutional and long-short term memory neural network and processes time, voltage and incremental capacity of partial charging curves as time series. The model is cross-validated on different aging scenarios reaching an overall MAE = 0.418% and RMSE = 0.531%, promising an accurate SOH estimation of LIBs under varying usage and environmental conditions in a real world application.

Unrecorded alcohol comprises all types of alcohol that is not registered in the jurisdiction where it is consumed. In some countries in Central and Eastern parts of Europe as well as the Balkan, the major amount of unrecorded alcohol consumption may derive from homeproduction of fruit spirits. Some studies found a high prevalence of lead and cadmium in such spirits. This article provides a quantitative comparative risk assessment using the margin of exposure (MOE) methodology for lead and cadmium, compared to ethanol, for unrecorded fruit spirits. For average concentration levels, the lowest MOE (0.8) was calculated for ethanol (alcohol itself). For lead, the MOE was 13 for moderate daily drinking and 0.9 for the worst case. For cadmium, the MOE was 1982 for moderate daily drinking and 113 for the worst case. The results of this study are consistent with previous comparative risk assessments that ethanol itself comprises by far the highest risk of all compounds in alcoholic beverages. Regarding the metal contaminants, the risk of cadmium appears negligible, however, lead may pose an additional health risk in heavy drinking circumstances. Strategies to avoid metal contamination in settings of artisanal homeproduction of spirits need to be developed.

The early detection of small cracks in large structures is a crucial requirement for the implementation of structural health monitoring (SHM) system with a low transducer density. This work presents the results of the analysis of scattering of a submillimeter notch type defect with semielliptical shape with a groove at constant width 100µm in a 4.1mm thick aluminum plate. The defect is investigated with an ultrasonic guided wave (UGW) A0 mode at 550 kHz to cover long range in a thick plate. The mode selection is obtained by interdigital transducers designed to operate with 5mm central wavelength. The novel contribution is the assessment of the scattering amplitudes at different orientations of the defect when the distance is large as 35 cm in pulse-echo mode or 70 cm in pitch-catch mode. The system model is based on Finite Element Model (FEM) simulations and the results are in good agreement with experimental tests. The detection of the defect is obtained by comparing the scattered signals from the defect with base line signals of the pristine laminate. The analysis of scattering features and the efficient excitation with a probing UGW show the potential implementation in real structural health monitoring (SHM) systems.

This review article aims to delve into several aspects of sweetpotatoes and their leaves, including their nutritional composition, health benefits, culinary uses, and potential future implications as a superfood. It suggests an in-depth exploration of sweet potatoes' history, status, and prospects, highlighting their significance and potential economic value. Sweetpotatoes, often referred to as a powerhouse of nutrients, have gained popularity recently due to their remarkable nutritional composition and versatile culinary uses. This starchy root vegetable comes from the Convolvulaceae family and is consumed worldwide, playing a significant role in diverse cultures and cuisines. Besides their vibrant colors ranging from orange to purple, sweetpotatoes offer many health benefits, making them an essential addition to a well-balanced diet. Its extraordinary nutritional profile and numerous health benefits make it a superfood. Incorporating it into the diet can improve digestion, strengthen immunity, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. With their versatility in the kitchen, there is no deficiency of charming and healthy recipes to explore. So, make room for sweet potatoes on your plate and unlock their vast potential to enhance your overall health and well-being. Overall, the future of sweetpotatoes looks bright as research and innovation aim to improve their nutritional value, adapt them to changing climate conditions, develop new varieties and products, and promote sustainable production practices. These developments can contribute to food security, economic growth, and healthier diets. Future research should focus on nutritional composition, health benefits, sustainable farming practices, cultivar development, and industrial applications to ensure sustainable and efficient production. By prioritizing research in these areas, we can enhance the utilization of sweet potatoes in various fields and secure their future for the next century.

Background: Media coverage of Lyme disease (LD) has led to an increase in consultations for presumed LD in Europe. However, LD is confirmed in only 10-20% of patients, with a significant number remaining in a diagnostic dead-end. Objectives: To reach a deeper understanding of how patients themselves contribute to the diagnostic process. To describe the genesis of the LD hypothesis in care pathways. Methods: In 2019, 30 patients from a prospective cohort consulting in the infectious diseases department at University Hospital in Marseille for presumed LD were recruited for semi-structured interviews. The inclusion criteria were : suffering from subjective symptoms for 6 months, no clinical or paraclinical argument suggesting current LD. The patients’ medical trajectories were collected using a biographical approach. Results: The diagnosis of Lyme disease was primarily triggered by identification with personal testimonies found on the internet. Most of patients were leading their own diagnostic investigation. The majority of participants were convinced they had LD despite the lack of medical evidence and the scepticism of their referring GP. Conclusion: GPs should first systematically explore patients’ etiologic representations in order to improve adherence to the diagnosis especially in the management of medically unexplained symptoms. Long COVID-19 syndrome challenge offers an opportunity to promote active patient involvement in diagnosis.

The aerospace industry develops prognosis and health management algorithms to ensure better safety on board. Particularly for in-flight controls where jamming is dreaded. For that, vibration signals are monitored to predict future defect occurrences. However, time series are not labeled according to severity level, and the user can only assess the system health from the data mining procedure. To that extent, we developed a clustering algorithm using a deep neural network core. We encoded the time series into pictures to be feed into an artificially trained neural network: U-NET. From the segmented output, one-dimensional information on cluster frontiers is extracted and filtered without any parameter selection. Then, a kernel density estimation finally transforms the signal into an empirical density. Ultimately, a Gaussian mixture model extracts the latter independent components. The method empowered us to reveal different degrees of severity faults in the studied data, with their respective likelihood without prior knowledge. We compared it to state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms. However, internal clustering results evaluation for time series is an open question. As state-of-the-art indexes were not producing relevant results, we built a new indicator to fulfill this task. We applied the whole method to an actuator consisting of an induction machine linked to a ball screw. This study lays the groundwork for future training of diagnosis and prognosis structures in the health management framework.

In this paper, we investigated transducer placement strategies for detecting crack in primary aircraft structures using ultrasonic Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). The approach developed is for an expected damage location based on fracture mechanics, for example fatigue crack growth in a high stress location. To assess the performance of the developed approach, finite-element (FE) modelling of a damage tolerant aluminum fuselage has been performed by introducing an artificial crack at a rivet hole into the structural FE model and assessing its influence on the Lamb wave propagation, compared to a baseline measurement simulation. The efficient practical sensor position was determined from the largest change in area that is covered by reflected and missing wave scatter using an additive color model. Blob detection algorithms were employed in order to determine the boundaries of this area and to calculate the blob centroid. To demonstrate that the technique can be generalized, the results from different crack lengths and from tilted crack are also presented.

Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infections are the most common sexually-transmitted infection (STI). Despite effective antibiotics for Ct, undetected infections or delayed treatment can lead to infertility, ectopic pregnancies, and chronic pelvic pain. Besides humans, chlamydia poses similar health challenges in animals such as C. suis (Cs) in pigs. Based on the similarities between humans and pigs as well as their chlamydia species, we use pigs as a large biomedical animal model for chlamydia research. In this study, we use the pig model to develop a vaccine candidate against Ct. The vaccine candidate consists of TriAdj-adjuvanted chlamydial protease-like activity factor (CPAF) protein. We tested two weekly administration options – twice intranasal (IN) followed by twice intramuscular (IM), or twice IM followed by twice IN. We assessed the humoral immune response not only in serum by CPAF-specific IgG including antibody avidity determination but also in cervical and rectal swabs by CPAF-specific IgG and IgA ELISAs. The systemic T-cell response was analyzed upon in vitro CPAF-restimulation via IFN-γ and IL-17 ELISpots as well as intracellular cytokine staining flow cytometry. Our data demonstrate that while the IN/IM vaccination mainly led to non-significant systemic immune responses, the vaccine candidate is highly immunogenic if administered IM/IN. This vaccination strategy induced high serum anti-CPAF IgG levels with strong avidity as well as high IgA and IgG levels in vaginal and rectal swabs and in uterine horn flushes. In addition, this vaccination strategy prompted a pronounced cellular immune response: Besides inducing IL-17 production, the vaccine candidate induced a strong IFN-γ response by CD4 T cells. In the IM/IN vaccinated pigs, these cells also significantly downregulated their CCR7 expression – a sign for differentiation into peripheral tissue homing effector/ memory cells. Conclusively, this study demonstrates strong immunogenicity of the IM/IN administered TriAdj-adjuvanted Ct CPAF vaccine candidate. Future studies will test vaccine efficacy of this promising Ct vaccine candidate. In addition, this project demonstrates suitability of the Cs pre-exposed outbred pig model for Ct vaccine development. Thereby, we aim to open the bottleneck of large animal models to facilitate the progression of Ct vaccine candidates into clinical trials.

High-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods are on a constant rise; however, the interaction between the user and the assistive technology is still challenged for an optimal user experience centered around the desired activity. This review presents a range of signal sensing and acquisition methods utilized in conjunction with the existing high-tech AAC platforms for speech disabled individuals, including imaging methods, touch-enabled systems, mechanical and electro-mechanical access, breath-activated methods, and brain computer interfaces (BCI). The listed AAC sensing modalities are compared in terms of ease of access, affordability, complexity, portability, and typical conversational speeds. A revelation of the associated AAC signal processing, encoding, and retrieval highlights the roles of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) in the development of intelligent AAC solutions. The demands and the affordability of most systems were found to hinder the scale of usage of high-tech AAC. Further research is indeed needed for the development of intelligent AAC applications reducing the associated costs and enhancing the portability of the solutions for a real user’s environment. The consolidation of natural language processing with current solutions also needs to be further explored for the amelioration of the conversational speeds. The recommendations for prospective advances in coming high-tech AAC are addressed in terms of developments to support mobile health communicative applications.

Quantitative research on positive aspects of work-life integration and the well-being of families with children with disabilities is scarce, especially in the national context. The aim of this study was to examine the contributions of some personal and environmental resources in explaining work-to-family (WFF) and family-to-work (FWF) facilitation and mental health of parents of children with disabilities residing in Croatia. The mediational role of WFF and FWF in the relationship between the resources and mental health was tested, while controlling for some general socio-demographic variables. A total of 571 employed parents of a child/children with disabilities completed an online self-assessment questionnaire. The results showed higher WFF (19%) was predicted by higher levels of social support at work, a higher level of education, posttraumatic growth (PTG) of personal strength, and recovery management. Higher FWF (46%) was predicted by higher levels of social support in the family, PTG of personal strength, the emotional regulation strategy of reorienting to planning, optimism, a lower age, the male gender, a greater number of children, and a higher level of education. A higher level of mental health (47%) was predicted directly by higher levels of optimism, recovery management, FWF, emotional regulation strategies of positive refocusing and planning, and a greater number of children, and indirectly by all the predictors of FWF, through a higher level of FWF (but not WFF).

The pervasive use of plastic for milk packaging has raised significant health concerns, despite its advantages in terms of cost-effectiveness, convenience, and durability. The potential correlation between cancer and plastic packaging is one of these concerns. This mini-review examines the health implications of plastic materials used in milk packaging, with a particular emphasis on their carcinogenic hazards. This work endeavors to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the influence of plastic components on human health and underscore the importance of ongoing research in this field by utilizing insights from a comprehensive review article. Harmful chemicals have been observed to leach into milk from plastics used in milk packaging, including high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), particularly under conditions of protracted storage and heat. Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, and styrene are among the most prevalent leachates. These chemicals have been associated with a variety of health issues, such as an elevated risk of cancer, and are recognized for their endocrine-disrupting properties. BPA and phthalates, in particular, have the potential to disrupt hormone function, which may result in breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other hormone-related malignancies.This review emphasizes the significance of comprehending the precise components of plastics utilized in milk packaging and their potential health consequences. It advocates for more rigorous research to completely elucidate the long-term health impacts of these materials by emphasizing the current state of knowledge and regulatory initiatives. Additionally, it underscores the necessity of innovative packaging technologies to guarantee consumer protection and mitigate the risk of exposure to carcinogenic substances.

The study examined the impact of social capital in moderating the effects of the Covid19 pandemic on workers' mental health. We posited that their level of social capital influences workers’ mental health during the Covid19 crisis. Data was sourced from a cross-sectional survey of 422 employees from various industries in Ghana, analyzed using partial least squares-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Results indicated that the pandemic adversely affected employees' mental well-being, increasing anxiety levels. However, a higher degree of social capital within the workplace buffered these negative effects, enhancing mental health during this period. Essentially, strong workplace relationships and networks mitigated the pandemic's impact on employees' mental health in Ghana. These findings underscore the importance of social capital in health outcomes, especially during crises. For industries in Ghana and beyond, the results emphasize the value of fostering strong social networks. In times of health crises, such as the Covid19 pandemic, robust social ties become crucial. As we navigate the aftermath of this pandemic and prepare for potential future crises, the lessons from this research highlight the need to integrate the knowledge gained from the Covid19 experience into our disaster response strategies. The role of social capital in such scenarios cannot be overstated

Mental disorders impact a significant portion of the global population, presenting substantial challenges to healthcare systems due to high hospitalization costs and resource demands. This narrative review explores the economic implications of mental health disorders, focusing on hospitalization costs, the effectiveness of interventions, and the outcomes of recent research. Materials and Methods: A narrative review was conducted, sourcing articles from PubMed and Google Scholar published between 2014 and 2024. The search terms included combinations related to mental illness, costs, hospital care, and mental healthcare interventions. A total of 1,110 articles were initially identified, with 37 studies meeting the inclusion criteria after rigorous screening by two independent researchers. These studies included quantitative and qualitative data covering a range of outcomes such as hospital admission rates, consumer satisfaction, and quality of life. The findings of the present review reveal that mental disorders significantly increase hospitalization costs due to frequent admissions, extended stays, and the need for specialized treatments. Additionally, physical comorbidities in individuals with mental disorders lead to higher healthcare costs and resource use. Integrated care models, early intervention, and preventive strategies show promise in reducing these costs and improving patient outcomes. Conclusions: Our review emphasizes the critical need for integrated healthcare strategies that address both mental and physical health to reduce hospitalization costs and improve outcomes. Effective management of mental health disorders requires comprehensive approaches, including complex outpatient services and preventive care. Future research should focus on standardizing methodologies to provide clearer insights into the economic impact of mental health conditions and guide effective healthcare strategies.

The global centenarian population is expected to reach 3 million by 2050, yet little is known about the health status of centenarians in Sub-Saharan Africa. A case study examined the health conditions and functionality of nine Ethiopian centenarians. In-depth interviews revealed that all nine were Orthodox-Christians and lived with extended family; eight were male. Aside from minor health complaints, centenarians in rural Ethiopia perceived that their sensory/cognitive functionality was normal until their late 90s. Despite a lack of medical care, the centenarians included 2 survivors, 4 delayers, and 3 escapers. Centenarians in rural Ethiopia were embedded in closely-knit, religious, multigenerational households and communities and aspired to live resiliently. Findings call for consideration of the unique health status of centenarians in Global South nations in their own cultural context.

Research into health, particularly social and psychological health, is crucial. Ultimately, an in-depth understanding of social and psychological health will more than promote well-being. Technology research is indispensable, particularly concerning health and the built environment, given the need to create holistic and supportive frameworks for well-being. Moreover, because literature reviews establish the foundation for academic inquiries, they provide valuable overviews for foresight into grey research areas, particularly multi-disciplinary research like health technology and the built environment. Hence, this study aims to discover the existing themes on health, technology, and built-environment nexus subjects while revealing the grey areas and suggesting proactive areas for future research. The objectives drove this aim to: 1. investigate the implications of technology for the social and psychological dimensions of health; 2. uncover the likelihood of a nexus between health, technology, and the built environment; and 3. highlight new research perspectives for the concluding seven years of the SDGs (2024–2030). The review results highlighted ten themes around which a nexus exists between health, technology, and the built environment; they also pointed out new research perspectives for the next seven years (up to 2023).

The family context has been associated with children's weight status. This study aims to investigate the association between parents' adherence to the Mediterranean diet and family time with the weight status of children. The research is part of the BeE-school, a cluster randomized trial implemented in primary schools located in social vulnerable contexts. A total of 735 children (380 boys), aged 6 to 10, participated in the study. Anthropometrics were assessed during school time, weight status categorized, while parents self-reported sociodemographic variables, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MEDAS questionnaire), and family time. Children from families with higher education levels whose parents have a high adherence to the Mediterranean diet, have lower odds to have overweight/obesity (odds ratio (OR) 0.301, 95% CI 0.143-0.634, p=0.002). Also, children from families with lower education levels who have more time together with their family, have lower odds to have overweight/obesity (OR 0.731, 95% CI 0.573-0.934, p=0.012). The family environment, mainly family time together and adherence to Mediterranean diet, exerts a significant influence on children’s weight status. Professionals working in children’s health should consider the family when fostering health-promoting behaviors.

The aim of the scoping review was to map out studies that compared the effect of smoking tobacco and smokeless tobacco on periodontal health. The review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) framework. The search for articles was conducted in five electronic databases namely: Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, Medline, and PubMed. The search yielded two eligible articles for full-text screening. The two studies were cross-sectional in design, conducted in India and they both used bivariate analysis for comparison of the effects of tobacco smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco on the health of the periodontium without adjusting for confounders. The two studies used 10 measures to assess the health of the periodontium namely: Periodontal probing depth, clinical attachment level, gingival index, and periodontal index, plaque index score, debris index score, calculus index score, gingival inflammation, bleeding on probing and pocket depth. Periodontal probing depth, periodontal index, calculus index score and pocket depth worse for tobacco smoking when compared with smokeless tobacco users. Both studies seem to concur on worse pocket depths for tobacco smokers than for users of smokeless tobacco.

The healthcare system is intricate and dynamic. For the purpose of organising and planning a system, where allocating funds appropriately is essential and therefore managerial skills play a critical role. A certain portion of each nation's GDP is allotted to the health sectors. Managers and decision-makers in the healthcare systems are using resources effectively, yet the quantity of funding they receive from the government or other stakeholders is insufficient sometimes. A sound understanding of both basic and advanced economics is necessary for the care management, to make cost-effective judgements in public health. Healthcare officials at all levels (regional, state, federal, or international), need to be knowledgeable about public health issues and the related modern economic climates. Business executives and healthcare managers need effective practical knowledge to handle partner-financial allocation (demand-supply chain) and handle economic volatility.

Despite great strides in the development of contraceptive technologies, the United States has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the world. Many investigators have aimed to examine the relationship between religion and the sexual health behaviors of college students to determine how social factors may influence the use of contraception amongst college students. Thus, we aimed to examine the differences in current contraceptive method and age of first contraceptive usage among sexually active female college students with different religious affiliations and strengths of religiosity. It was hypothesized that there would be no difference in current contraceptive methods among different religious affiliations and strengths of religions, and that there would be a difference in age of first contraceptive usage among different religious affiliations and strengths of religiosity. Two-hundred twenty-four college aged females completed a 20-question survey about sexual health and religious practices. Chi-squared tests were implemented to determine if the frequencies of responses across religious affiliations and strengths of religiosity. Significant differences in the frequency of responses for age of first contraceptive usage were observed across different strengths of religiosity (p=0.016) and for the self-perceived impact of religion on sexual health across different religious affiliations (p=0.033) and strengths of religiosity (p=0.005). All other differences were found not to be statistically significant. It was determined that increased strengths of religiosity resulted in delayed onset of contraceptive us-age and that both different religious affiliations and greater strengths of religiosity lead to different self-perceived impacts of religion on sexual health.

This article explores the significant parallels between big tobacco companies and major social networking sites regarding their influence on public health and society. While acknowledging the fundamental differences in their products and services, the paper scrutinises both industries through five primary lenses: addiction, misinformation, lack of regulation, harm to public health, and youth targeting. Both industries exhibit addictive characteristics, have faced criticism for the spread of misinformation, operate with limited regulation and transparency, and have raised concerns about targeting young demographics. Moreover, the potential harm to public health is a significant concern, with tobacco leading to well-established physical health issues. At the same time, excessive social media use has been linked to psychological harm, particularly among young users. The comparison underscores the necessity for greater regulation and oversight of social media companies, highlighting the urgent need for more comprehensive policies to mitigate potential harm and safeguard public health in the digital age.

The study investigated the impact of traditional medicine on life expectancy in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The study adopted a quantitative research approach. Purposive or judgmental sampling was used to elucidate the data set used for the study. Cross-sectional data were gathered with the help of a well-designed questionnaire from a total of three hundred and fifty-seven (357) respondents who were available for the survey. The data set collected was analysed using descriptive and linear regression using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). From the results, 53%, 87%, and 56% were male, below 50 years old, and in the low-income class, respectively, suggesting that the bulk of the respondents under investigation were male, young, and had rather modest incomes. Also, 53% were married, and all had one form of formal education. 67% of respondents acknowledge using traditional medicine; however, the majority of respondents preferred Orthodox medical care over alternative kinds of care. Traditional medicine (TM) and factors that contribute to the advancement of traditional medicine (FITM) have a negative impact on life expectancy, according to the regression analysis. On the other hand, TM has no statistically significant impact on life expectancy, despite FITM having a statistically significant effect at the 5% level. All available data, however, indicates that TM and FITM have an impact on life expectancy, either directly or indirectly. Based on the results, this study concluded that traditional medicine has the potential to significantly increase life expectancy in Nasarawa State and throughout Nigeria. The study recommends that traditional health professionals, stakeholders, and concerned government agencies should put efforts in place to improve and promote modern traditional medicine among the people, especially its effectiveness and medicinal quality, increase its accessibility to people, and efficiently regulate its prices to increase its affordability for low-income earners.