Active Role In Prevention Research Articles

Diet a modifiable risk factor for stroke: linking diet and stroke; an Indian perspective

Stroke is the second leading cause of death and disability worldwide. The incidence of stroke in India has increased to hundred percent in past few decades. It was the Framingham heart study trial in 2001 which has first identified the role of dietary habits for prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Majority of secondary prevention strategies for Ischemic stroke are directed towards pharmacotherapy with antiplatelet and statins, while dietary modifications are not projected. However dietary and lifestyle modification can reduce stroke risk by 60%. Hence Diet and nutrition play an active role in prevention of stroke. This review summarizes the dietary intake, dietary patterns and risk of stroke among Indians and provides clinicians with pragmatic guidance to their management. We searched Pub Med, MEDLINE, for articles about diet and stroke in India published in English till May 2021. Diet plays a major role in pathophysiology of stroke. Modification of dietary pattern is the major non pharmacological treatment for the primary and secondary prevention of stroke. Indian traditional diet should be modified according to dietary pattern followed in each region. As a whole reduction of rice consumption, higher protein consumption and lower fat consumption should be encouraged at macronutrient level, while higher intake of fruits and vegetables are advised at micronutrient level. Dietary guidelines should be customized and tailor made based on the regional customs and annual income in various subsections of the society.

A smartphone-based school syndromic surveillance system and its application in Hangzhou

Objective To establish and implement a smartphone-based school syndromic surveillance system, and to provide references for school communicable disease control and prevention. Methods A smartphone-based school syndromic surveillance system was constructed and applied. A list of seven symptoms including fever, cough, vomit, diarrhea, rash, red eye and parotid swelling was classified as targeted indicators. Spatio-temporal permutation scanning was applied to automatic early warning. Results A total of 1 973 school joined the syndromic surveillance system. System usage rate was 54.13%, no significant differences were found among different types of schools (χ 2 = 1.58, P =0.67), whereas significant differences were observed among counties (χ 2 = 726.78, P <0.01). Totally, 852 036 pieces of symptoms data were reported during September 2018 to March 2019, the primary symptoms included cough (35.17%) and fever (21.11%). Time trends in different symptoms varied with time, with fever and cough highest in January, vomit and diarrhea in November. Thirteen pieces of early warning were confirmed as school communicable diseases by field investigation, the average number of the infected students were four. Conclusion The smartphone-based school syndromic surveillance system is generally acceptable. Characteristic seasonal distributions of school communicable diseases are reflected accurately by surveillance system which plays an active role in prevention and control of school communicable diseases. 【摘要】 目的 建立并应用基于智能手机的学校症状监测系统, 为学校开展传染病防控工作提供参考。 方法 依托 网络技术, 建立以智能手机为信息收集端的杭州市学校症状监测系统, 以发热、咳嗽、呕吐、腹泻、皮疹、红眼、腮腺肿大作为 监测指标, 采用时空扫描方式对症状数据进行绝对数阈值自动预警。 结果 2018 年 9 月至 2019 年 3 月, 系统共注册 1 973 所学校, 系统使用率达 54.13%, 不同类型学校系统使用率差异无统计学意义 (χ 2 =1.58, P =0.67), 不同地区系统使用率差 异有统计学意义 (χ 2 = 726.78, P <0.01)。累计上报 7 类监测症状信息共 852 036 条, 以咳嗽 (35.17%)、发热 (21.11%) 症状 为主, 不同症状时间变化趋势略有不同, 发热与咳嗽髙峰为 1 月, 呕吐与腹泻的髙峰为 11 月。13 条自动预警信息经调査 确认为聚集性疫情, 平均发病 4 人。 结论 杭州市学校症状监测系统适用性广泛, 监测数据较好地反映了学校常见传染病 的季节特征, 在传染病疫情早期预警中发挥了哨兵作用。

Who is at risk in the French mountains? Profiles of the accident victims in outdoor sports and mountain recreation

The risk of both severe and frequent injury associated with active pursuits in mountain areas is acknowledged. This phenomenon is all the most relevant to investigate in France that there is a growing enthusiasm for outdoor sports and recreation. This paper focuses on the social-demographic and sporting profiles of accident victims. Our intent is to better understand who is specifically at risk, while practicing mountain recreation, in the French mountains. Such identification doubtlessly constitutes an important asset in order to enhance prevention. Three critical activities are notably tackled, among some others: hiking, a widespread activity that exposes many practitioners to hazardous settings; mountaineering and ski touring, supposedly entailing the most severe injuries. In order to align the information collected, then provide estimations based on the reasoned crossing of these secondary data, we consulted and summarised all the databases that we knew of on the French territory: rescue team intervention reports, aggregated statistics from the sports ministry, sporting federation accident declarations, avalanche experts statistics, mountain guides union accident/incident reports, healthcare facilities admissions, etc. Only the sources considered to be the most reliable and representative were used, owing to the number of cases processed, the exhaustive nature of data collection, or the level of information detail available. Our method also included consultation of all the parties playing an active role in prevention, training and mountain rescue, thus ensuring a participative, co-constructive approach to the study with the people that have the best knowledge of victims’ profiles. Around fifty such parties were interviewed on the methods implemented, the benefits and limits of current data, and the main expectations in terms of accidentology progress, thus further enhancing the credibility of the study proposed in this paper. Our results show that the parent population profiles (in terms of age, gender, place of residence, etc.), weighted by the level of exposure (frequency of participation, level of engagement, etc.) appears to have an impact on the accident victim profiles. There is certainly a very marked gender bias and a serious age impact to be taken into account, as well as the influence of the level of experience, which counter certain preconceived ideas and which, at the very least, go against instinct. However, aside from a probable over-exposure of experienced or expert participants, much remains to be explained concerning the accident mechanisms and circumstances involved. At this stage, we regret the analytic deficiencies induced by a lack of knowledge concerning the parent populations in many cases, which makes interpretation difficult.

Digital Forms of Dating Violence: What School Nurses Need to Know.

A substantial amount of U.S. teenagers experience physical or sexual abuse within their romantic relationship. With recent technological advances, teenage dating violence can also be perpetrated digitally by harassing or controlling a romantic partner through the Internet or mobile phone. School nurses are naturally positioned to act as first responders for victims of an abusive romantic relationship. As online and offline forms of dating violence are often intertwined, it is imperative that school nurses are able to identify different types of digital dating violence as this could signal the presence of offline forms of dating abuse. Therefore, being able to interpret potential warning signs could help school nurses to play an active role in prevention and intervention of different types of dating violence. In this article, we provide an overview of the recent research on the context and consequences of cyber dating abuse and outline several suggestions for prevention and intervention.

Silver-zeolite combined to polyphenol-rich extracts of Ascophyllum nodosum: potential active role in prevention of periodontal diseases.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate various biological effects of silver-zeolite and a polyphenol-rich extract of A. nodosum (ASCOP) to prevent and/or treat biofilm-related oral diseases. Porphyromonas gingivalis and Streptococcus gordonii contribute to the biofilm formation associated with chronic periodontitis. In this study, we evaluated in vitro antibacterial and anti-biofilm effects of silver-zeolite (Ag-zeolite) combined to ASCOP on P. gingivalis and S. gordonii growth and biofilm formation capacity. We also studied the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacities of ASCOP in cell culture models. While Ag-zeolite combined with ASCOP was ineffective against the growth of S. gordonii, it showed a strong bactericidal effect on P. gingivalis growth. Ag-zeolite combined with ASCOP was able to completely inhibit S. gordonii monospecies biofilm formation as well as to reduce the formation of a bi-species S. gordonii/P. gingivalis biofilm. ASCOP alone was ineffective towards the growth and/or biofilm formation of S. gordonii and P. gingivalis while it significantly reduced the secretion of inflammatory cytokines (TNFα and IL-6) by LPS-stimulated human like-macrophages. It also exhibited antioxidant properties and decreased LPS induced lipid peroxidation in gingival epithelial cells. These findings support promising use of these products in future preventive or therapeutic strategies against periodontal diseases.

A qualitative analysis among regular waterpipe tobacco smokers in London universities

Waterpipe smoking is popular in the West despite the significant harm associated with its use. Little is known about the habits and practices of British smokers. A total of 32 regular waterpipe smokers attended focus groups, where trained facilitators explored knowledge, belief and attitudes to waterpipes. Transcripts were thematically analysed and grouped into seven broad categories. Waterpipes played a clearly defined social role, accentuated by reduced harm perception and greater social acceptance than cigarettes. Knowledge about waterpipes was lacking, partly due to the lack of media attention. Addiction was described as a 'social addiction', although this may mask true nicotine addiction. Waterpipe smokers were less interested in quitting due to intermittent smoking patterns, reinforcing the belief of reduced exposure to harm. Legislative issues were explored, including the need to legislate on waterpipes on a par with cigarettes. Waterpipe smokers exhibited specific habits and attitudes not traditionally seen in cigarette smokers. It is important to encourage education to dispel the myths surrounding reduced harm perception and addiction to tackle its strong social acceptance. Legislation should play a more active role in prevention and education, and more emphasis should be placed on gathering nationwide epidemiological data to gauge the potential for escalation.

Public health matters: the role of the pharmacist and the academy

Heart disease and cancer are responsible for up to half of the more than 2 million deaths each year in the United States. 1 Pharmacists ought to contribute to reducing mortality when they take an active role in prevention. Academic and community pharmacists can join the cadre of existing public health pharmacists who provide access to preventive care and disease management services. The intention of this paper is to incite discussion among faculty in schools and colleges of pharmacy, with the hope that an increased interest in public health occurs in the academic environment and that pharmacists assume additional leadership roles in public health matters. Descriptions of pharmacist-designed programs that address public health concerns, as well as the results of these programs, are presented. A suggestion for how medical missions can serve as a model of interprofessional and public health education is included.

Outbreaks of Enteric Disease Associated with Animal Contact: Not Just a Foodborne Problem Anymore

In the past 10 years, an increasing number of outbreaks of enteric disease associated with animals in public settings, such as fairs and petting zoos, have been reported. Fifty-five of these outbreaks that occurred in the United States during 1991-2005 are reviewed in this article. Lessons learned from these outbreaks and recommendations for prevention are also discussed. Physicians should be aware of this important public health problem and play an active role in prevention of human illness associated with animals in public settings.

Phenolics, inflammation and nutrigenomics

AbstractNutrigenomics is the study of the effects of bioactive compounds from food on gene expression. In the last several years, an increasing body of scientific evidence has demonstrated that individual compounds, as well as complex mixtures of chemicals, derived from food alter the expression of genes in the human body. By turning on or off genes, bioactives in food alter the concentration of specific proteins directly or indirectly associated with human diseases. Several human diseases result in multiple inflammatory responses which are associated with many diseases including arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, dermatitis, asthma, obesity, and others. Detailed mechanisms of action as to how food derived components play an active role in prevention of inflammation have been elucidated. Such biologically active compounds include theaflavins and catechins from tea, curcumin from turmeric, resveratrol from grapes, and lactones from chicory. While chronic diseases are very complex, an opportunity exists to regulate genes involved in inflammation by enriching our diet with the specific foods inherently rich in such compounds, enriched foods containing standardized extracts of well studied sources, or dietary supplements. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry

Medical Directors Are Key in Abuse Prevention

Medical Directors Are Key in Abuse Prevention

Bystander education: Bringing a broader community perspective to sexual violence prevention

AbstractRecent research documents the problem of sexual violence across communities, often finding its causes to be embedded in community and cultural norms, thus demonstrating the need for community‐focused solutions. In this article we synthesize research from community psychology on community change and prevention with more individually focused studies of sexual violence prevention programs and bystander behavior in emergency and crime situations. The purpose of bringing together this research is to outline a new area of focus for sexual violence prevention: the mobilization of prosocial behavior on the part of potential bystanders. This approach has utility for increasing community receptivity to prevention messages, by decreasing resistance to them, and for increasing the likelihood of community members taking an active role in prevention and intervention. The specific case of sexual violence prevention on college campus communities illustrates this approach. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 61–79, 2004.

Asphyxia by immersion

Nineteen childhood near drowning cases admitted to a private general hospital from December 31, 1983 through out December 1987 at a mean age of 2 years 3 months are discussed. All patients had diagnosis when first found by relatives, 16 were apneic and only 11 received some kind of resuscitation which complied with accepted standards in 4 of them. Seven cases were admitted in stage A of Conn, two in stage B and ten in stage C. In six children in stage C intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring was done and ICP was increased in two that died. Five patients developed clinical and radiological evidence of non cardiogenic pulmonary edema and 4 had hypotension sometime along the first 24 hours, requiring fluid therapy and inotropic drugs. Four patients died, all of them were in stage C when admitted. One child shows severe brain damage four years after discharge. The main complications after resuscitation were hemodynamic instability, pulmonary problems and hypoxic encephalopathy. High ICP was not important in the first hours and when it rose it did so 24 to 48 hours after admission. The need for an active role in prevention, improved resuscitation and transport, is stressed.

I. Essay: Private Foundations And The Crisis Of Alcohol And Drug Abuse

I. Essay: Private Foundations And The Crisis Of Alcohol And Drug Abuse

Developing managers to prevent staff burnout

AbstractTo eliminate staff burnout in social service agencies, managers must acquire deeper understanding of the problem and take a more active role in prevention.