Age Groups Of Population Research Articles

Safety of monosodium salt of l-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 and the bioavailability of folate from this source in the context of Directive 2002/46/EC, Regulation (EU) No 609/2013 and Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006.

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on monosodium salt of l-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (5-MTHF) as a novel food (NF) pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 and to address the bioavailability of folate from this source in the context of Directive 2002/46/EC, Regulation (EU) No 609/2013 and Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006. The NF is produced by chemical synthesis and consists of at least 95% (w/w) of 5-MTHF and 4%-5% (w/w) of sodium. It is proposed to be used as a partial or complete substitute to folic acid and other sources of added folate in a number of food categories. The production process, composition, specifications and stability of the NF do not raise safety concerns. When used as an ingredient in different food matrices, proper processing/storage conditions need to be considered to preserve the stability of the NF. Regarding bioavailability, the Panel considers that the NF readily dissociates into Na and l-methylfolate ions, which subsequently are absorbed and enter the circulation. Thus, the bioavailability of 5-MTHF from the NF is comparable to that of other currently authorised salts of 5-MTHF. The Panel considers that the consumption of the NF is not nutritionally disadvantageous as long as the combined intake of the NF and the other supplemental forms of folate under their authorised conditions of use is below the ULs established for the different age groups of the general population. The Panel concludes that the NF is safe under the proposed conditions of use. The Panel also concludes that the NF is a source from which folate is bioavailable.

Threat or treat: Exposure assessment and risk characterisation of chemical contaminants in soft drinks and chocolate bars in various Polish population age groups.

In the frame of the European Food Risk Assessment (EU-FORA) fellowship programme, two studies on chemical contaminants in food matrices were carried out in Warsaw, Poland, at the Department of Food Safety and Chemical Analysis, Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology. The first study addressed health concerns about the dietary exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) contamination due to consumption of soft drink by Polish population. BPA is an organic additive used in the production of epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics and because of this it is used in the internal coating of cans and in plastic bottle production. Depending on several factors, BPA can migrate from these materials to the soft drink and so, it can be ingested by consumers causing hormonal and reproductive disorders. To estimate the Polish population exposure to BPA, several soft drinks belonging to different brands were purchased from a supermarket in the city of Warsaw and analysed. The result of the analysis highlight that mean BPA exposure in the Polish population exceeds the tolerable daily intake proposed by the EFSA scientific opinion, raising health concerns. On the other hand, the second study, focused on cadmium exposure due to chocolate consumption by Polish population, did not raise any health concern. Cadmium is a heavy metal that naturally occurs in its inorganic form in the environment and its presence in chocolate derives only from the cocoa beans and not from contamination during processing. Its accumulation in the human body can create several adverse effects, including renal dysfunction and failure. To estimate the Polish population exposure to cadmium, several chocolate bars were purchased from a supermarket in the city of Warsaw and analysed. The results of the analysis show that cadmium exposure in the Polish population does not exceed the tolerable weekly intake proposed by the EFSA scientific opinion.

Prevalence and predictors of vitamin D deficiency among hospital staff in tertiary care center: a cross sectional study

Background: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is prevalent across all age groups in general population not sparing the health care workers. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors of VDD among the hospital workers of tertiary care center in Kashmir valley. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 216 apparently healthy subjects were screened for VDD from three groups, group A- minimal sunlight exposure (office employees), group B- moderate sunlight exposure (nursing students) and group C- abundant sunlight exposure (gardeners). Serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D], PTH levels and urine calcium/creatinine was assessed in all subjects. Dietary assessment of vitamin D (VD) and calcium intake was done using three days dietary recall. The percent body surface area (BSA) exposed to sunshine was estimated by applying the Wallace rule of nine. Results: Serum 25(OH)D level was found to be lower in group A (17.29±10.87) as compare to group B (21.78±16.37) and group C (26.40±15.59). Prevalence of VDD was 71.6%, 70.6% and 50% in group A, group B and group C respectively. VDD was more prevalent in females and risk increased with age and BMI, decreased with duration of daily sunlight exposure, percentage BSA and dietary VD intake. Conclusions: Burden of VDD is high among hospital workers despite their direct contact with healthcare. Strategies should be made to screen them regularly and supplementation of VD should be provided to effectively counteract VDD.

Screening of some medicinal plant extracts for their lipoprotein lipase inhibition activity

Background: Obesity is an epidemic health problem, affecting all population and different age groups. It is associated with many health conditions as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis as well as metabolic syndrome. Lifestyle changes and pharmacological therapies have been used for obesity treatment, but have not accomplished the expected to minimize the increasing rate of obesity worldwide. A wide range of herbal extracts has been reported to be useful in obesity treatment which suggests herbal medicine as potential candidate for obesity management. The aim of this study is to explore plant potential to counteract obesity threats. Methods: Methanolic extract of 20 medicinal plants, belonging to 11 different families were assayed spectrophotometrically for their LPL inhibition activity. Results: 11 out of 20 extracts have an inhibitory effect on LPL enzyme that ranges between 32.92% and 11.96%. The most active plant is Onosma giganteum Lam. (32.92%) followed by Hypecoum dimidiatum Delile (29.04%) and Chrysanthemum coronarium L. (27.81%). Conclusion: Herbal medicinal plants represent potential candidates to be implemented in new therapeutic era. Our results have shown that 11 out of 20 tested plants have LPL inhibition activity, for a certain extent. However, further studies are needed to investigate their potential activity in vivo to develop new anti-obesity treatment

Evidences From Systematic Reviews Regarding Miniscrew-Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion (MARPE) Approach In Orthodontics

Background. Miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) has been considered as relatively novel and effective method of orthodontic treatment, but the discussion is still ongoing regarding effectiveness of MARPE for different age population groups, while also in comparison with surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion or conventional rapid maxillary expansions, since evidences available for MARPE is mostly of insufficient quality.
 Objective. To collect and represent evidences of MARPE treatment outcomes in orthodontics based on the data available within systematic reviews.
 Materials and Methods. Search was provided via PubMed Central, Web of Science and Scopus databases, while also within Cochrane Library. Only systematic reviews written in English were considered for analysis. Primary outcomes such as success rate (percentage of cases, where required maxillary width was achieved) and maxillary expansion rate in means of midpalatal split, dental intermolar width, skeletal and dentoalveolar expansion, palatal suture opening, palatal width measured in millimeters or percentage were tabulated and analyzed. Secondary outcomes were presented in descriptive manner 
 Results. Overall 12 systematic reviews were enrolled into study group of targeted publications. Among these 12 systematic reviews primary outcomes were extracted from 8 of them, while rest 4 systematic reviews were used for analysis of secondary outcomes. Succes rate of MARPE varied in the range of 82.8-100%, while intermolar width increase after MARPE treatment – in the range of 4.79-6.55 mm. 
 Conclusion. Considering data available within systematic reviews MARPE approach seems to be reliable orthodontic treatment option, which help to gain significant increase for skeletal and dental intermolar width among patients with maxillary transverse deficiency. Such treatment strategy provides better results than conventional rapid maxillary expansion and lesser periodontal negative consequences compare to surgical-assisted rapid palatal expansion, even though quality of data supporting these statements are insufficient and debatable.

Evaluation of age variation changes in cervical vertebrae: 2-Dimensional (2D) geometric morphometrics approach

Age estimation in adults is a complicated task because of various external factors occur concurrently with increasing age. The geometric morphometric method (GMM) is an approach that focuses on shape analysis and is widely recognized for its high reliability and reproducibility. The aim of this study was to explore the variation of cervical vertebrae among different age groups of the Malaysian population by GMM. Lateral skull radiographs of 432 subjects comprising four adult age groups; young adult age group (20–30 years old), early middle age group (31–40 years old), late middle age group (41–50 years old) and, elder adult age group (51–60 years old) were selected. Fifty-three 2-dimensional (2D) landmarks were applied to the digitalized radiographs by TPSDig2 (Version 2.31) software. Geometric morphometric analysis was performed by MorphoJ software. Results showed that the first three principal components (PC) contributed to 47.71 % of the cervical vertebrae variation and were shown in both lollipop and wireframe graphs. Procrustes ANOVA indicated that the shape was significantly different among different age groups. Canonical variate analysis revealed significant differences of both mahalanobis and procrustes distances among age groups with substantial individual overlap within groups. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) showed a correct classification rate for 61.5 % of cases respective to age groups. In conclusion, this study found significant differences in the shape of cervical vertebrae among different age groups of the Malaysian population using the GMM.

Evolution of medication consumption during the covid-19: healthcare and social panel survey

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on physical and mental health at all levels, modifying life habits and putting at risk the emergence of ailments or the lack of management of previous comorbidities in the population. Objectives To analyze the evolution of drug consumption during the first year of the Pandemic in the general adult population residing in Andalusia according to the main axes of health inequalities. Methods Probabilistic overlapping panel survey with 11,463 valid telephone interviews distributed in four measurements during 2020 and 2021. Survey participants included individuals aged 16 years or older residing in Andalusia, Spain. The outcomes were drug consumption, type of drug consumed, modification of drug consumption and drugs related to mental health. Descriptive and stratified analysis by the health inequalities axes of sex, age and territory (degree of urbanization) were carried out to examine temporal changes in those outcomes. The sample design established were considered to obtain the estimations and 95% confidence intervals. Results In May 2020, 53.2% of the adult Andalusian population consumed medication in the previous two weeks, while in April 2021 this consumption increased to 58.6%. On the other hand, no differences were observed in the consumption of mental health-related medication in the previous two weeks between different time points, although a relevant difference was observed in the consumption of medication between women and men, being higher in women for all measurements. Regarding the change in medication consumption in the month prior to each measurement, there was an increase between April 2020 and April 2021 of 82.37%. Conclusions Drug consumption increased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with differences observed between men and women, and no differences between the different territories. Younger age groups of population had a greater increase in drug consumption compared to older age groups. Key messages • Drug consumption increased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with differences observed between men and women, and no differences between the different territories. • Younger age groups of population had a greater increase in drug consumption.

The burden of vestibular disorders among military health system (MHS) beneficiaries, fiscal years 2018-2019.

Vestibular disorders affect an estimated 33 million adults and 3.5 million children and adolescents in the United States. Previous research relying on self-reported symptoms versus actual diagnosis has limited the ability to provide prevalence estimates for specific vestibular disorders at the population level. This study seeks to describe the burden of vestibular disorders among children and working-age adult beneficiaries in the Military Health System (MHS). Using the MHS Data Repository (MDR), we conducted a cross-sectional study of all TRICARE Prime and Plus MHS beneficiaries aged 0 to 64 years from fiscal years (FY) 2018 to 2019. Study analyses included descriptive statistics of patient demographics and assessing the prevalence of vestibular disorders in pediatric and working-age adult beneficiaries. Of the 5,541,932 TRICARE Prime/Prime Plus MHS beneficiaries, 52,878 (0.95%) had a diagnosis of vestibular disorder during fiscal years 2018 to 2019, of which 1,359 were pediatric and adolescents (aged 0 to 17 years) and 51,519 were working-age adults (18 to 64 years). Vertigo was the most common diagnosis in both age-group populations (11.46 per 1,000 working-age adults; 0.52 per 1,000 children and adolescents), with benign vertigo being the most prevalent of the three diagnoses and occurring at a seven times higher rate in adults versus pediatric and adolescents. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of using medical claims data to estimate prevalence compared to self-reported survey data and supports prevalence estimates of vestibular disease in <1% of children overall, but indicate much higher prevalence for adolescents.

Trace Metals in PM10 and Associated Health Risk in Two Urban Sites Located in Campeche

This study reports the trace metal concentrations in PM10 collected in two urban sites of Campeche, Mexico (the INAH site, located in the downtown, and the TNL site, located in the Tecnologico Nacional de Mexico campus Lerma). Trace metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn) were determined by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, with Fe and Mn being the most dominant species. Cd and Co showed high values of enrichment factors, indicating that they were highly enriched by anthropogenic sources. A health risk assessment was carried out according to the IRIS-EPA methodology considering both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects and different age and gender population groups. The TNL site showed cancer risk coefficients that exceed the maximum limits established by the EPA and the WHO (1 × 10−6 and 1 × 10−5, respectively), being higher for Cd and Co. The non-carcinogenic risk exceeded the limits recommended by the EPA, being higher in the INAH site for cobalt (HQ = 28.92). There is a latent risk that the exposed population may develop cardiovascular and respiratory diseases due to inhalation of the metals measured in PM10. It is necessary to carry out more continuous monitoring campaigns of trace metals linked to PM10 in this area to enable a better understanding of the effects of these contaminants on the health of the exposed population. The results of the present work constitute the first efforts to evaluate the trace metals concentrations in PM10 in urban areas of the city of Campeche, Campeche and can be used to develop programs focused on improving air quality.

Acceptability of a Pain History Assessment and Education Chatbot (Dolores) Across Age Groups in Populations With Chronic Pain: Development and Pilot Testing.

The delivery of education on pain neuroscience and the evidence for different treatment approaches has become a key component of contemporary persistent pain management. Chatbots, or more formally conversation agents, are increasingly being used in health care settings due to their versatility in providing interactive and individualized approaches to both capture and deliver information. Research focused on the acceptability of diverse chatbot formats can assist in developing a better understanding of the educational needs of target populations. This study aims to detail the development and initial pilot testing of a multimodality pain education chatbot (Dolores) that can be used across different age groups and investigate whether acceptability and feedback were comparable across age groups following pilot testing. Following an initial design phase involving software engineers (n=2) and expert clinicians (n=6), a total of 60 individuals with chronic pain who attended an outpatient clinic at 1 of 2 pain centers in Australia were recruited for pilot testing. The 60 individuals consisted of 20 (33%) adolescents (aged 10-18 years), 20 (33%) young adults (aged 19-35 years), and 20 (33%) adults (aged >35 years) with persistent pain. Participants spent 20 to 30 minutes completing interactive chatbot activities that enabled the Dolores app to gather a pain history and provide education about pain and pain treatments. After the chatbot activities, participants completed a custom-made feedback questionnaire measuring the acceptability constructs pertaining to health education chatbots. To determine the effect of age group on the acceptability ratings and feedback provided, a series of binomial logistic regression models and cumulative odds ordinal logistic regression models with proportional odds were generated. Overall, acceptability was high for the following constructs: engagement, perceived value, usability, accuracy, responsiveness, adoption intention, esthetics, and overall quality. The effect of age group on all acceptability ratings was small and not statistically significant. An analysis of open-ended question responses revealed that major frustrations with the app were related to Dolores' speech, which was explored further through a comparative analysis. With respect to providing negative feedback about Dolores' speech, a logistic regression model showed that the effect of age group was statistically significant (χ22=11.7; P=.003) and explained 27.1% of the variance (Nagelkerke R2). Adults and young adults were less likely to comment on Dolores' speech compared with adolescent participants (odds ratio 0.20, 95% CI 0.05-0.84 and odds ratio 0.05, 95% CI 0.01-0.43, respectively). Comments were related to both speech rate (too slow) and quality (unpleasant and robotic). This study provides support for the acceptability of pain history and education chatbots across different age groups. Chatbot acceptability for adolescent cohorts may be improved by enabling the self-selection of speech characteristics such as rate and personable tone.

Drug resistant typhoid fever; its clinical spectrum and management in different age groups.

Objective: To describe the clinical spectrum of MDR and XDR typhoid fever in different age groups of pediatric population as the disease is generally more common in children with higher rates of complications and mortality. Study Design: Prospective Cross-sectional study. Setting: Department of Pediatric, Government Teaching Hospital Shahdara, Lahore. Period: July 2020 to July 2021. Material &amp; Methods: 211 patients with suspected/confirmed enteric fever between 6 months to 5 years were initially enrolled. Blood culture was performed in all cases. Only culture confirmed cases (143/211) were included. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Quantitative variables like age group, fever defervescence time and duration of hospital stay were calculated as mean and standard deviations while qualitative variables like gender, clinical symptoms and signs, types of typhoid and response to antibiotics were calculated as percentages. Chi-square test was used taking P value &lt;0.05 as statistically significant. Results: Mean age of study population was 6.8 ± 3.1 years. Majority (44.1%) of patients belonged to age group &gt;5-10 years and were males (54.5%). Anorexia, coated tongue and hepatomegaly was prevalent among all age groups. High grade fever, loose motions and splenomegaly were common in children &lt;5 years as were anemia, leukocytosis and enteric hepatitis. Children &gt;5-10 years of age had more frequency of abdominal pain (P value &lt;0.03), toxic look (P value &lt;0.04) and leucopenia. While vomiting and thrombocytopenia were common in children &gt;10-15 years of age. MDR typhoid was common in young children (&lt;5 years) while XDR typhoid was common in children of &gt;5-15 years. All MDR patients responded to ceftriaxone while XDR patients responded to either monotherapy or a combination of drugs. Age and gender did not affect antibiotic resistance in both MDR and XDR typhoid (P value &gt;0.05). Fever defervescence time (FDT) was 3-5 days in both MDR and XDR typhoid and it was not significantly different with either monotherapy or a combination of drugs (P value 0.40). Conclusion: There are age related differences in clinical spectrum and lab parameters of drug resistant typhoid fever (MDR &amp; XDR). Resistance to antibiotics in both MDR and XDR typhoid was not significantly affected by age and gender.

How Common are the Errors in Insulin Injection Techniques – A Real World Study

Background: Insulin therapy is identified as the cornerstone of diabetes management for more than a century. Even though awareness programs on correct insulin administration have occupied the mainstream of diabetes management interventions, the prevalence of insulin injection errors among people with diabetes is significant in its count. Aims and Objectives: The current study evaluates the prevalence of various insulin injection errors among people with type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: The study employed a survey-based cross-sectional design to analyze the prevalence of insulin injection errors. The data was collected from people with T2D visiting the Outpatient Department (OPD) of four comprehensive diabetes research centres in Kerala, India. The inclusion criteria for the study include people with type 2 diabetes. The exclusion criteria included people with other types of diabetes, people with newly diagnosed T2D, and people with T2D who were insulin pump users. Demographic characteristics of the cohort were determined. The common errors in the injection administration were identified and the frequency of each error was determined. Data for the variables including, site selection, cleaning of needle and lipohypertrophy were collected. The categorical variables considered for the study was summarized as frequency (%) and all the continuous variables were presented as mean (SD) or median (Q1, Q3) based on the normality assumption. All the tests were carried out at a level of significance of 5 % using R version 4.2.3. Results: The common errors identified among the study cohort include incorrect site selection, inappropriate storage temperature, cleaning of the needle with spirit, hypoglycemia due to incorrect administration of insulin, and the presence of lipohypertrophy. Conclusion: The findings from the study underline the varied types of errors in the self-administration of insulin among the different age groups of the diabetes population and urge the health-care professionals to impart continuous review of the injection procedures patients follow while taking insulin injections

Impact of the universal seasonal influenza vaccination policy in the province of Manitoba, Canada: A population-based, province-wide record-linkage study

IntroductionIn 2010, the government of the province of Manitoba, Canada introduced universal seasonal influenza vaccination policy (USIVP), providing free-of-charge vaccination to all registered residents of the province at least six months of age. Impact of the policy on seasonal influenza vaccine (SIV) uptake (receipt of vaccine) in Manitoba remains unclear, as there is a lack of published evaluations. MethodsWe conducted an ecological study, utilizing population-wide data from several linked de-identified Manitoba Health and Seniors Care administrative health databases. The study period was from 2000/01–2019/20 influenza seasons. The primary exposure was USIVP (five influenza seasons pre-policy [2005/06–2009/10] compared with post-policy [2010/11–2014/15]). The outcome was SIV uptake. We conducted pre/post logistic regression analysis stratified by age group (<5-, 5–17-, 18–44-, 45–64-, ≥65-year-olds) and certain population socioeconomic and health-related characteristics. Results are adjusted odds ratios with associated 95 % confidence intervals. ResultsWe observed significantly increased adjusted odds of SIV uptake post-policy relative to pre-policy in all age groups except ≥65-year-olds already covered from inception of the vaccination programme. The adjusted odds ratios ranged from 0.76 (0.75–0.76) among ≥65-year-olds to 2.15 (2.13–2.18) among 5–17-year-olds, and were largely homogeneous within age groups across sex, income quintiles, regions of residence, and categories of number of visits to primary care physician/hospitalization one year prior to an influenza season except among <5- and 5–17-year-olds. These findings were mostly consistent irrespective of sex and region of residence although there was variability across income quintiles in Northern Manitoba region. ConclusionsIntroduction of the USIVP in Manitoba was followed by a significant increase in SIV uptake in the five years post policy among <65-year-olds, with similar increased relative odds of vaccination observed within age groups across subpopulations. The observed variations in the relative odds of vaccination across income quintiles in Northern Manitoba region requires administrative attention.

Age-Related Changes in Sperm Morphology and Analysis of Multiple Sperm Defects.

Analysis of sperm morphology defects (amorphous heads, abnormal acrosome, etc.) is useful for estimating the efficiency of spermiogenesis and sperm maturation. An advanced paternal age (more than 40 years) is associated with decreasing sperm count and reduced motility; however, there is little information on the effect of aging relating to sperm morphological defects. Moreover, searching for stable combinations of certain morphological defects in the same sperm can be useful for better understanding spermiogenesis. The aim of the study was to investigate age-related changes in sperm morphology and the prevalence of certain combinations of sperm morphological defects in men from the general population. Sperm morphology was assessed in 1266 volunteers from the Russian urban general population in different age groups (18-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-40, and over 40 years old). Two hundred sperm were evaluated from each semen sample (about 250 thousand spermatozoa in total). Sperm defects were classified according to the WHO laboratory manual (WHO, 2010). The total percentage of each sperm defect and the frequency of different combinations of sperm morphological anomalies for each age group were counted. Additionally, a similar analysis was performed for the groups of normospermia and pathozoospermia. The frequency of coiled and short sperm tails increased in men over 40 years old compared to younger subjects; however, aging did not affect the percentage of morphologically normal sperm. It was shown that the combination of a misshaped head (amorphous, pyriform, and elongated) with a postacrosomal vacuole, acrosome defect, excess residual cytoplasm, or any anomaly of the midpiece or tail in the same spermatozoon were not random combinations of independent solitary defects. The increased frequency of combinations of coiled tails with amorphous, elongated, or vacuolated heads was observed in men older than 40 years. Sperm morphological defects, such as severely deformed heads (pyriform, elongated, and round) were more common in men with pathozoospermia compared to normospermic subjects. An age-related impairment in sperm morphology was found. Stable combinations of head defects with anomalies in the acrosome, midpiece or tail suggest that these defects may be the result of a general violation in the morphogenetic mechanism.

COVID-19 associated with universities in England, October 2020–February 2022

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of COVID-19 cases at universities in England (October 2020–February 2022) and investigate factors associated with rates of COVID-19 among students during autumn/winter of 2021/22. Study designThe study was an observational retrospective study using routine contact tracing data. MethodsEstimates of COVID-19 cases among students and staff at universities were described. Student cases aged 18–24 years were calculated as a percentage of all cases within that age group. Count regression was used to explore university characteristics associated with case numbers. ResultsWe identified 102,382 cases among students and 28,639 among staff. Student cases reflected trends in the wider population of the same age group, but the observed fraction aged 18–24 years who were students was consistently below the expected level (32%). Phased reopening of universities in March–May 2021 was associated with small peaks but low absolute numbers. Russell group membership, campus universities, and higher student proportions in halls of residence were all associated with increased case numbers. ConclusionsCOVID-19 case numbers among students in England varied considerably. At no time were the observed case numbers as high as expected from community prevalence. Characteristics of universities associated with higher case rates can inform future guidance for higher education settings.

Primary disability caused by glaucoma in the Krasnoyarsk region

PURPOSE. Assessment of the state of primary disability (PD) caused by glaucoma in the adult population of the Krasnoyarsk Region over time in the period from 2017 to 2021.METHODS. The information from the reporting documentation of the Bureaus of Medical and Social Expertise (MSE) of Russia and the Krasnoyarsk Region for 2017–2021 was analyzed. The analysis of primary disability indicators was carried out for two age groups of the adult population: individuals of working age (men aged 18–59; women aged 18–54) and individuals of retirement age (men aged 60 and older; women aged 55 and older). The obtained results were processed using the Statistica 10.0 software (StatSoft, USA).RESULTS. During 2017–2021 in the Krasnoyarsk Region, 1930 adults were recognized for the first time as disabled due to an ocular pathology. Glaucoma occupied the first ranking place — 31.0% (599) of cases in the structure of primary disability. Individuals of retirement age became disabled in 86.8% (520) of cases. Residents of the cities of the region became disabled in 69.1% (414) of cases. Males dominated among those who were recognized as disabled for the first time (RDF) due to glaucoma — 60.4% (362) of cases. The level of PD for glaucoma among the adult population of the region in 2017 was 0.52, in 2018 — 0.52, in 2019 — 0.59, in 2020 — 0.44, in 2021 — 0.57 per 10 thousand adult population. For five years, there was an increase in the level of PD due to glaucoma by 50% among the able-bodied urban population of the region, by 45.6% among senior citizens, by 110% among the able-bodied village population. In persons of retirement age living in rural areas of the region, the prevalence of PD decreased by 21.1%. The maximum values of the intensive indicator of PD were determined for men of retirement age: in 2017 — 3.6 per 10 thousand, in 2021 — 3.8 per 10 thousand of the corresponding population of the region. Formation of the contingent of disabled people occurred mainly due to the RDF of I and II disability groups. The proportion of group I disability was the largest — 40.4% (242/599) of cases. People with group I disability were more often treated with local antihypertensive drugs, were operated on at stage 3 of glaucoma.CONCLUSION. To reduce primary disability for glaucoma it is necessary to increase preventive efforts, timely use modern methods of diagnosis and treatment, including surgery, and ensure sufficient availability of ophthalmological personnel and high-tech equipment.

Source specific health risks of size-segregated particulate bound metals in an urban environment over northern India

Particulate-bound metals are reported to be toxic upon exposure through multiple pathways. In this study, both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks of diverse population age groups from the exposure of particulate-bound metals were systematically investigated considering size-segregated (PM1.1; PM2.1; PM > 2.1) metal concentration measured in between 2015 and 2018. Among the three particulate sizes, metal abundance was high in coarse fraction (PM > 2.1; mean ± SD: 43.1 ± 17.7 μgm−3) compared to fine (PM2.1: 18.5 ± 14.1 μgm−3) and sub-micron particulates (PM1.1: 11.4 ± 9.9 μgm−3). Calcium and sodium were the most abundant species irrespective of particulate sizes, accounting 53–58% of detected metal concentration. Potassium and zinc were the next two dominating species with increased abundance during biomass burning episodes. Potential sources of airborne metals were explored using advanced receptor model. Resuspensions of crustal and road dust were the most dominating sources (30–58% of metal abundance) irrespective of particulate sizes. The other recognized sources were emissions from industrial and vehicular sources, and from biomass/waste burning. Assessment of source-specific health risks indicates shared responsibility, industrial emissions (80%) being the most relevant one for carcinogenic risks. Both biomass and waste burning emissions, and vehicular emissions were found to induce non-carcinogenic risks. The non-carcinogenic health risks were mostly attributed to ingestion of metal contaminated food, especially for children (0.9–2.13 × 10−4). Carcinogenic risks, in contrast, were associated with inhalation of carcinogenic metals e.g., Cr, Pb, Co, Ni and Cd, and were high for adults (3.07–6.04 × 10−5). Health risks associated with exposure to size-segregated airborne metals were within the tolerable level (1 × 10−4) but well exceeding safe level of exposure (1 × 10−6). This emphasizes adapting more strategies and control measures of particulate sources to safeguard the health of resident population.

110 Identification of Urinary Incontinence through Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment among an integrated care programme of older persons population

Abstract Background Urinary incontinence (UI) is an under-reported and treatable condition, associated with reduced quality of life. The Integrated Care programme of Older Persons (ICPOP) supports people with complex care needs in their home. There is no available research on the rate of UI among the ICPOP population. This study aimed to assess UI in this group. Methods A convenience sample of 100 patient records selected randomly from an ICPOP serving approximately 30,000 people from 2017 to present were retrospectively reviewed; including patients charts, Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments (CGAs) and outpatient letters. As part of the CGA each person was assessed for UI on domiciliary visit. Irish geriatric medicine trainees were surveyed to assess their self-reported confidence assessing and treating UI. Results Of the 100 patients CGAs reviewed, 62% were female. 11% had UI reported on their referral to ICPOP. 56% reported UI during their CGA. Only 18% of those with UI had UI generated on to their problem list. Of those patients with UI, polypharmacy (≥5 medications) was noted in 89%. 77% of those with UI were on a medication associated with worsening UI, while only 18% of those with UI were on a treating medication for UI. 25% had their UI assessed at clinic, including 7% who were referred onwards to urology for management of their UI. 80% of geriatric medicine trainees said that they did not feel confident managing UI and 100% said they would like to receive further teaching on UI. Conclusion CGA is an excellent method for identifying UI. This data suggests that UI is more prevalent among the ICPOP as compared with an inpatient population and the general population in the same age group. Further specialist teaching is needed to improve trainee confidence in this area.

Aging and carbon emissions in Asian economies: Policy recommendation from panel quantile regression

Climate change due to global greenhouse gas emissions poses a severe threat, and energy sectors contribute about two‐thirds of the emissions. However, energy plays an important role in the well‐being of the aging population, which is increasing in Asian countries. Therefore, this study aims to discern how the male and female populations of different age groups affect carbon emissions in Asian economies. The findings from the panel quantile regression reveal that economic growth escalates emissions across all quantiles along with energy use. The female population in the 0–14 years age group reduces emissions at all quantiles, while the male population of the same age group enhances the emissions. However, the male and female population between 15 and 64 years increases carbon emissions across all Asian economies. Furthermore, the male population above 65 years is responsible for low emissions, while the female counterparts are responsible for high emissions. Finally, we offer a set of policy recommendations based on our findings. For instance, there is a need to educate the male population between 0 and 14 years on environmental degradation to encourage an environment‐friendly lifestyle. Also, policies should aim to persuade the 15–64 age group to use renewables, which can help mitigate CO2 emissions.

Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease: A Boon or Bane - A Single Centre Retrospective Observational Study from India.

Background Subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) for refractory Parkinson's disease (PD) is more of a modality of treatment that is empirical, for which a physiological explanation is being sought. This study was done to determine the outcome and complications of patients undergoing STN-DBS for PD. Methods This retrospective observational cohort study was conducted in an advanced neuromedicine facility in eastern India for 9 years (August 2013-August 2022), which included all patients undergoing STN-DBS. Results A total of 53 patients were operated on during the study period. The mean age group of the study population was 60.5 (standard deviation [SD]: 8.2) years with a male (33 [62.3%]) predominance. The most common presenting complaints included rigidity and hypokinesia (27), severe dyskinesia (21), and tremors (17). During the postoperative period, rigidity and hypokinesia (21), severe dyskinesia (16), and tremors (12) improved significantly in a subset of the patients. The majority (45 [84.9%]) of these cases received bilateral monopolar simulation, whereas three patients (5.7%) had bilateral bipolar stimulation. Unilateral bipolar stimulation was used in five (9.4%) patients. In the immediate postoperative period, they were initiated on limb, speech, and swallowing therapy as indicated. Surgery-related complications were seen in five (9.4%) cases. At 6 months of follow-up, a significant improvement in the Unified PD rating scale component (mainly motor examination and complication of PD therapy) was noted in the majority (36 [67.9%]) of patients. One patient developed neuroleptic malignant syndrome and succumbed to his illness on the fourth postoperative day. Conclusion Given these findings, STN-DBS appears to be a good, safe, and effective treatment for a subset of medically refractory PD with an overall improvement in two-thirds of the study cohort and less than 10% risk of complications.