Different Levels Of Deprivation Research Articles

Virtual Assessment of Physical Activity-Related Built Environment in Soweto, South Africa: What Is the Role of Contextual Familiarity?

Understanding how urban environments shape physical activity is critical in rapidly urbanizing countries such as South Africa. We assessed the reliability of virtual audits for characterizing urban features related to physical activity in Soweto, South Africa. We used the Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes Global tool to characterize pedestrian-related features from Google Street View images in four neighborhoods of Soweto. Neighborhoods were selected to represent different levels of deprivation. Inter-rater reliability was analyzed according to the rater's familiarity with the local area. The results show a higher inter-rater reliability was observed among auditors with greater contextual familiarity. Many measurements however generated inconclusive results due to either low variability in the raters' responses or the absence of the features in the streets. It is evident from our findings that virtual audits are efficient tools that can be used to assess the built environment. However, to ensure meaningful use of these tools in diverse settings, we recommend that auditors comprise of people with contextual familiarity.

A comparison of fire injuries during and pre-COVID-19 restrictions

In this article we compare accidental dwelling fire injuries in Merseyside in the North West of England during (April 2020 to April 2021) and before (April 2019 to April 2020) COVID-19 restrictions. Overall, the number of accidental dwelling fire injuries, and the percentage of accidental dwelling fires resulting in injury had shown a slightly larger decrease during COVID-19 restrictions in Merseyside compared to the typical decrease between the preceding years. Comparing accidental fire injuries in the year before and during COVID-19 restrictions in Merseyside, there was a decrease in cooking and candle related fire injuries, and fewer slight burns injuries, and injuries associated with being overcome by smoke/toxic fumes during the COVID-19 restrictions. The COVID-19 restrictions did not appear to have had a significant effect on proportions of fire injuries across areas with different levels of deprivation in Merseyside compared to the previous year.

Neighbourhood deprivation, changes in walking attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic and walking demand in the post-pandemic period

Although the Coronavirus has had substantial negative impacts on our lives, the surge in walking activities during the pandemic provides an unprecedented opportunity for planners to transform cities to be healthier and more sustainable. The changes in walking behaviour could affect attitudes towards walking, which would influence walking demand in the post-pandemic period. This impact, however, might vary across neighbourhoods with different levels of deprivation due to their own characteristics. This potential inequity issue should be examined to make more resilient cities in the future where the risk of outbreaks is high. We conducted a survey (GlaMAS) and utilised statistical methods to examine the extent to which the attitudes towards walking changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and how its effect varies across neighbourhoods with different levels of deprivation. In addition, we investigated how the changes in attitudes are related to future walking demand. Our results show that residents in less deprived areas tend to have affirmative attitudes towards walking due to the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially leading to an inequity issue. In addition, attitudinal changes are significantly associated with the future walking demand, and it could result in health inequity between neighbourhoods in the future.

Exploring gender differences in medication consumption and mortality in a cohort of hypertensive patients in Northern Italy

BackgroundThis paper aims to assess the presence of gender differences in medication use and mortality in a cohort of patients affected exclusively by hypertension, in 193 municipalities in the Lombardy Region (Northern Italy), including Milan's metropolitan area. MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted (N = 232,507) querying administrative healthcare data and the Register of Causes of Death. Hypertensive patients (55.4% women; 44.6% men) in 2017 were identified; gender differences in medication use (treatment, 80% compliance) and deaths (from all causes and CVDs) were assessed at two-year follow-ups in logistic regression models adjusted for age class, census-based deprivation index, nationality, and pre-existing health conditions. Models stratified by age, deprivation index, and therapeutic compliance were also tested.ResultsOverall, women had higher odds of being treated, but lower odds of therapeutic compliance, death from all causes, and death from CVDs. All the outcomes had clear sex differences across age classes, though not between different levels of deprivation. Comparing patients with medication adherence, women had lower odds of death from all causes than men (with a narrowing protective effect as age increased), while no gender differences emerged in non-compliant patients.ConclusionsAmong hypertensive patients, gender differences in medication consumption and mortality have been found, but the extent to which these are attributable to a female socio-cultural disadvantage is questionable. The findings reached, with marked age-dependent effects in the outcomes investigated, suggest a prominent role for innate sex differences in biological susceptibility to the disease, whereby women would take advantage of the protective effects of their innate physiological characteristics, especially prior to the beginning of menopause.

COVID-19 and prepandemic all-cause inequalities in disability-adjusted life-years due to multiple deprivation: a Scottish Burden of Disease study

BackgroundCOVID-19 has caused major social, environmental, and economic changes. The mechanisms that shape health inequalities have resulted in COVID-19 outcomes following the same pattern. We aimed to estimate overall, and inequalities in, COVID-19 disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in Scotland during 2020. These were scaled against prepandemic DALYs due to inequalities in multiple deprivation combined across all causes. MethodsDALYs were estimated with an international consensus model with Scottish national deaths and daily cases as data inputs. Health loss valuation was defined with the aspirational reference life table and disability weights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Years of life lost were estimated for each area-based deprivation quintile of the Scottish population. Years lived with disability were distributed to deprivation quintiles, based on the distribution of estimates of years of life lost. Inequalities in rates were measured by the relative index of inequality (RII); slope index of inequality (SII); and attributable DALYs, with the least deprived quintile as a reference category. Prepandemic estimates were for 2018, derived from the Scottish Burden of Disease study. Permissions were granted by the Privacy Advisory Committee, National Health Service, National Services Scotland. FindingsMarked inequalities were observed across several measures in 2020 (Jan 1 to Dec 31). The SII was 2048–2289 COVID-19 DALYs per 100 000 people. The COVID-19 DALYs rate in the most deprived areas (2748–3067 per 100 000 people) was around 58% higher than the mean population rate (RII=1·16), with 40% (n=38 925–43 284) of COVID-19 DALYs attributed to inequalities in multiple deprivation. In the wider context, overall COVID-19 DALYs (n=96 519–108 243) were approximately a fifth of the annual prepandemic DALYs (n=535 298) attributable to inequalities in multiple deprivation. InterpretationThe impact of COVID-19 in Scotland was not shared equally across areas experiencing different levels of deprivation. The extent of COVID-19 inequality was similar to annual DALYs due to diabetes. Implementing effective policy interventions to reduce health inequalities must be at the forefront of plans to recover and improve population health. Communicating the effect of pre-existing inequalities by scaling against COVID-19 could be a useful means to retaining, and increasing, both policy and public engagement and response over tackling inequality. FundingNone.

Inequalities in population health loss by multiple deprivation: COVID-19 and pre-pandemic all-cause disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in Scotland

BackgroundCOVID-19 has caused almost unprecedented change across health, education, the economy and social interaction. It is widely understood that the existing mechanisms which shape health inequalities have resulted in COVID-19 outcomes following this same, familiar, pattern. Our aim was to estimate inequalities in the population health impact of COVID-19 in Scotland, measured by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2020. Our secondary aim was to scale overall, and inequalities in, COVID-19 DALYs against the level of pre-pandemic inequalities in all-cause DALYs, derived from the Scottish Burden of Disease (SBoD) study.MethodsNational deaths and daily case data were input into the European Burden of Disease Network consensus model to estimate DALYs. Total Years of Life Lost (YLL) were estimated for each area-based deprivation quintile of the Scottish population. Years Lived with Disability were proportionately distributed to deprivation quintiles, based on YLL estimates. Inequalities were measured by: the range, Relative Index of Inequality (RII), Slope Index of Inequality (SII), and attributable DALYs were estimated by using the least deprived quintile as a reference.ResultsMarked inequalities were observed across several measures. The SII range was 2048 to 2289 COVID-19 DALYs per 100,000 population. The rate in the most deprived areas was around 58% higher than the mean population rate (RII = 1.16), with 40% of COVID-19 DALYs attributed to differences in area-based deprivation. Overall DALYs due to COVID-19 ranged from 7 to 20% of the annual pre-pandemic impact of inequalities in health loss combined across all causes.ConclusionThe substantial population health impact of COVID-19 in Scotland was not shared equally across areas experiencing different levels of deprivation. The extent of inequality due to COVID-19 was similar to averting all annual DALYs due to diabetes. In the wider context of population health loss, overall ill-health and mortality due to COVID-19 was, at most, a fifth of the annual population health loss due to inequalities in multiple deprivation. Implementing effective policy interventions to reduce health inequalities must be at the forefront of plans to recover and improve population health.

A regional equity profile to assess the impact of social inequalities on determinants and health outcomes in the population residing in Sicily Region (Southern Italy)

to build an equity profile for assessing the impact of socioeconomic inequalities on the determinants and health outcome in Sicily (Southern Italy). descriptive study aimed to define an equity profile in Sicily by using a rich list of indicators of structure of the resident population and of distribution of determinants and health outcome, derived from the integration of available information and scientific evidence at regional level with high local detail. the equity profile collects available information on the health status of the population in Sicily, on the determinants, and on the use of health and social services. The characteristics of people or population groups have been explored and can produce inequalities on health which included individual and context socioeconomic status. using available information sources and study results have explored the effects of the disadvantage on health in the region: mortality, morbidity, oncological incidence, reproductive health, and some of their determinants. the Sicilian population tends to aging. Migration flows tend to compensate the reduction in births in Sicily and it increases the proportion of younger people and women in childbearing age. The proportion of large families tends to get smaller, whereas the proportion of single-component ones increases; the population groups with low education, unemployment, poverty, and income increases. Starting from the first thousand days of life, to continue in the other classes of the population, the different distribution of risk factors on health was identified according to different levels of deprivation. the Sicilian equity profile has systematized and consolidated previous experiences on the effects of disadvantage on health. Prevention interventions, oriented towards equity, should be based on the results of this study and should take care of the general aspects of actions and, at the same time, focus on vulnerable population groups.

Tuberkulosiaren intzidentzia eta desparekotasun soziala Gipuzkoan, 2010-2017 denboraldian

Gauza jakina da gizarte-faktore desberdinek zenbait gaixotasunen intzidentzia eta eboluzioa baldintzatzen dutela, mundu-mailan zein EAEn. Lan honen helburu nagusia Gipuzkoan 2010-2017 denboraldian maila sozioekonomikoaren eta betidanik pobreziarekin erlazionatutako gaitz baten arteko lotura aztertzea izan da; alegia, gabezia-mailaren eta tuberkulosiaren arteko harremana ikertzea. Bigarren helburua 2003-2017 urteetan zehar gaixotasun horren eboluzioa deskribatzea izan da. Maila sozioekonomikoa analizatzeko, paziente bakoitzari modu ekologikoan esleitutako gabezia-indizea erabili da, diagnostiko aldian bizi ziren errolda-sekzioko informazioaz baliatuta. Intzidentzien kalkulurako, 2011ko erroldatik lortu da biztanle kopurua, sekzio bakoitzeko eta adinaren zein sexuaren arabera, eta urte bereko EAEko populazioa erabilita estandarizazioa egin da. Biriketako lokalizazioa zuten kasuetan, maila sozioekonomikoa diagnostikoaren atzerapenarekin eta tratamendua betetzearekin elkarturik ote dagoen ere ikertu da. Horretarako hainbat analisi estatistiko erabili dira, SPSS programaz baliatuz. Lortutako emaitzei so eginez, Gipuzkoan tuberkulosiaren intzidentzia ekologikoki esleitutako gabezia-mailarekin elkarturik dagoela ondoriozta daiteke. Izan ere, maila sozioekonomiko baxuenean kokatzen diren pertsonek maila altuenean daudenek baino tuberkulosia izateko arrisku handiagoa dutela ikusi da; arriskuaren igoera estatistikoki esangarria izanik gizonetan (tasa estandarizatuaren arrazoia: 2,15, konfiantza-tartea: 1,51-3,07). Hala ere, azken 15 urteetan maila sozioekonomikoen arteko desberdintasunak murriztu direla ikus daiteke. Osasun-arretari dagokionez, ez da maila sozioekonomikoaren eta diagnostikoaren atzerapenaren arteko erlaziorik aurkitu; bai, ordea, tratamendua betetzearekin, gabezia-maila baxuetan tratamendua betetzeko probabilitatea txikiagoa izanik.

Impact of socio-economic inequities on tuberculosis in a Southern European city: what is the effect of the recession?

Economic crises affect a population's health, particularly among the most deprived. The increase in health inequalities in the latest recession may have influenced the incidence of tuberculosis (TB). We analysed the effect of socio-economic inequities and recession on TB incidence in Barcelona, Spain. We conducted a population-based incidence study of TB cases in Barcelona of patients who started treatment between 2003 and 2015. A multilevel interrupted time-series analysis was performed to analyse differences in incidence trends between the pre-recession (until 2008) and recession periods. We found differences in TB incidence according to deprivation and immigration status. TB incidence among the most deprived neighbourhoods was 2.72 times higher than the least deprived neighbourhoods. Compared with native-born persons, incidence was nine times higher among those born in Africa, and six times higher among those born in Asia and Oceania. The previous decreasing trend in incidence (4%) was accentuated during the recession (7%). TB incidence decreased during the recession, probably due to a reduction in the number of new immigrants and the TB programme. However, incidence was highly unequal between districts with different levels of deprivation, and between foreign-born persons from different geographic regions. Social measures are important to reduce inequalities and TB incidence in Barcelona.

Describing the association between socioeconomic inequalities and cancer survival: methodological guidelines and illustration with population-based data.

BackgroundDescribing the relationship between socioeconomic inequalities and cancer survival is important but methodologically challenging. We propose guidelines for addressing these challenges and illustrate their implementation on French population-based data.MethodsWe analyzed 17 cancers. Socioeconomic deprivation was measured by an ecological measure, the European Deprivation Index (EDI). The Excess Mortality Hazard (EMH), ie, the mortality hazard among cancer patients after accounting for other causes of death, was modeled using a flexible parametric model, allowing for nonlinear and/or time-dependent association between the EDI and the EMH. The model included a cluster-specific random effect to deal with the hierarchical structure of the data.ResultsWe reported the conventional age-standardized net survival (ASNS) and described the changes of the EMH over the time since diagnosis at different levels of deprivation. We illustrated nonlinear and/or time-dependent associations between the EDI and the EMH by plotting the excess hazard ratio according to EDI values at different times after diagnosis. The median excess hazard ratio quantified the general contextual effect. Lip–oral cavity–pharynx cancer in men showed the widest deprivation gap, with 5-year ASNS at 41% and 29% for deprivation quintiles 1 and 5, respectively, and we found a nonlinear association between the EDI and the EMH. The EDI accounted for a substantial part of the general contextual effect on the EMH. The association between the EDI and the EMH was time dependent in stomach and pancreas cancers in men and in cervix cancer.ConclusionThe methodological guidelines proved efficient in describing the way socioeconomic inequalities influence cancer survival. Their use would allow comparisons between different health care systems.

Inequalities in English child protection practice under austerity: A universal challenge?

AbstractThe role that area deprivation, family poverty, and austerity policies play in the demand for and supply of children's services has been a contested issue in England in recent years. These relationships have begun to be explored through the concept of inequalities in child welfare, in parallel to the established fields of inequalities in education and health. This article focuses on the relationship between economic inequality and out‐of‐home care and child protection interventions. The work scales up a pilot study in the West Midlands to an all‐England sample, representative of English regions and different levels of deprivation at a local authority (LA) level. The analysis evidences a strong relationship between deprivation and intervention rates and large inequalities between ethnic categories. There is further evidence of the inverse intervention law (Bywaters et al., 2015): For any given level of neighbourhood deprivation, higher rates of child welfare interventions are found in LAs that are less deprived overall. These patterns are taking place in the context of cuts in spending on English children's services between 2010–2011 and 2014–2015 that have been greatest in more deprived LAs. Implications for policy and practice to reduce such inequalities are suggested.

The availability of novelty sweets within high school localities.

Background Reducing sugar consumption is a primary focus of current global public health policy. Achieving 5% of total energy from free sugars will be difficult acknowledging the concentration of free sugars in sugar sweetened beverages, confectionery and as hidden sugars in many savoury items. The expansion of the novelty sweet market in the UK has significant implications for children and young adults as they contribute to dental caries, dental erosion and obesity.Objective To identify the most available types of novelty sweets within the high school fringe in Cardiff, UK and to assess their price range and where and how they were displayed in shops.Subjects and methods Shops within a ten minute walking distance around five purposively selected high schools in the Cardiff aea representing different levels of deprivation were visited. Shops in Cardiff city centre and three supermarkets were also visited to identify the most commonly available novelty sweets.Results The ten most popular novelty sweets identified in these scoping visits were (in descending order): Brain Licker, Push Pop, Juicy Drop, Lickedy Lips, Big Baby Pop, Vimto candy spray, Toxic Waste, Tango candy spray, Brain Blasterz Bitz and Mega Mouth candy spray. Novelty sweets were located on low shelves which were accessible to all age-groups in 73% (14 out of 19) of the shops. Novelty sweets were displayed in the checkout area in 37% (seven out of 19) shops. The price of the top ten novelty sweets ranged from 39p to £1.Conclusion A wide range of acidic and sugary novelty sweets were easily accessible and priced within pocket money range. Those personnel involved in delivering dental and wider health education or health promotion need to be aware of recent developments in children's confectionery. The potential effects of these novelty sweets on both general and dental health require further investigation.

Privation of energy services in Mexican households: An alternative measure of energy poverty

Energy poverty, understood as deprivation of energy services linked to satisfy human basic needs, is a strengthened research topic which is gaining relevance in Social Sciences. We point out that energy poverty affects millions of families in Mexico, so there is a need for overcoming this social justice problem. Hence, this paper presents a methodological framework to characterize families according to their levels of deprivation of energy services and, furthermore, identify the determining factors of these different levels of deprivation. Our results indicate that five groups of homes exist: one which does not lack any energy service; two which lack only one energy service; and two which lack the majority of energy services. Those variables which most precisely explain the probability that a home be found in each of these groups are per-capita income, size of settlement (urban or rural), and type of climate. We conclude our findings have public policy implications in that, upon characterizing households based on their level of deprivation of energy services, sound strategies may be designed and implemented to attend to the specific needs of each household group.

Multidimensional poverty in urban Brazil: income, assets and expenses

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to present deprivation in urban Brazil in a multidimensional perspective with dimensions related to household’s objective information, assets in the household, subjective evaluation concerning the dwelling and expenses.Design/methodology/approach– The author used factorial analysis applied to the Brazilian Household Budget Survey. Most dimensions showed a positive correlation with income, while for others it was not observed any significant difference between income ranges. Some types of deprivation specially touched low-income households, while other dimensions differentiated middle-income households, or even higher income households. The author applied a fuzzy perspective to define deprivation membership in each dimension with the use of a modified logistic function. The author observed that households with similar income faced different levels of deprivation in many dimensions.Findings– The author showed that there were significant differences in household’s expense preferences and profiles linked to these findings. Households with high levels of food deprivation relatively spend more on household’s rent, taxes and services, indicating that shelter and then food in the household are the very basic goods. Larger relative expenses with food in the household indicated higher levels of deprivation in all other dimensions, indicating that due to these higher food expenditures, the households could not overcome the deprivation in other dimensions. Households that spend more on smoke and gambling faced higher deprivation in most dimensions, suggesting different expenses priorities, less household oriented.Originality/value– To the best of the knowledge, this is the first attempt to link multidimensional deprivation and expenses profile for Brazilian data.

Difficult life events, poor mental health and moves between neighbourhoods in the UK with different levels of deprivation<subtitle>Helena Tunstall</subtitle>

Background People moving to socioeconomically deprived neighbourhoods have elevated rates of poor health, in particular poor mental health, but the mechanisms underlying this association are not well understood. This study focusses upon moves within the UK triggered by relationship breakdown, job loss and housing eviction and repossession. It assesses whether movers experiencing these difficult life events are more likely to have poor mental health and to move to socio-economically disadvantaged areas. Methods The analysis assesses moves between adjacent waves …

Social and material deprivation and the cost-effectiveness of an intervention to promote physical activity: cohort study and Markov model

BackgroundWe developed a method to model the cost-effectiveness at different levels of deprivation of an intervention to promote physical activity.MethodsThe cost-effectiveness of a brief intervention in primary care was estimated by means of a Markov model stratified by deprivation quintile. Estimates for disease incidence, mortality, depression prevalence and health service utilization were obtained from 282 887 participants in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink with linked deprivation scores. Discounted results were compared for least deprived and most deprived quintiles.ResultsAn effective intervention to promote physical activity continuing for 5 years gave an increase in life years free from disease: least deprived 54.9 (95% interval 17.5–93.5) per 1000 participants entering model; most deprived 74.5 (22.8–128.0) per 1000. The overall incremental quality adjusted life years were: least deprived, 3.7 per 1000 and most deprived, 6.1 per 1000 with probability cost-effective at £30 000 per QALY being 52.5 and 63.3%, respectively. When the intervention was modelled to be 30% less effective in the most deprived than the least deprived quintile, the probability cost-effective was least deprived 52.9% and most deprived 55.9%.ConclusionPhysical activity interventions may generate greater health benefits in deprived populations. When intervention effectiveness is attenuated in deprived groups, cost-effectiveness may sometimes still be similar to that in the most affluent groups. Even with favourable assumptions, evidence was insufficient to support wider use of presently available brief primary care interventions in a universal strategy for primary prevention.

Social differences in avoidable mortality between small areas of 15 European cities: an ecological study

BackgroundHealth and inequalities in health among inhabitants of European cities are of major importance for European public health and there is great interest in how different health care systems in Europe perform in the reduction of health inequalities. However, evidence on the spatial distribution of cause-specific mortality across neighbourhoods of European cities is scarce. This study presents maps of avoidable mortality in European cities and analyses differences in avoidable mortality between neighbourhoods with different levels of deprivation.MethodsWe determined the level of mortality from 14 avoidable causes of death for each neighbourhood of 15 large cities in different European regions. To address the problems associated with Standardised Mortality Ratios for small areas we smooth them using the Bayesian model proposed by Besag, York and Mollié. Ecological regression analysis was used to assess the association between social deprivation and mortality.ResultsMortality from avoidable causes of death is higher in deprived neighbourhoods and mortality rate ratios between areas with different levels of deprivation differ between gender and cities. In most cases rate ratios are lower among women. While Eastern and Southern European cities show higher levels of avoidable mortality, the association of mortality with social deprivation tends to be higher in Northern and lower in Southern Europe.ConclusionsThere are marked differences in the level of avoidable mortality between neighbourhoods of European cities and the level of avoidable mortality is associated with social deprivation. There is no systematic difference in the magnitude of this association between European cities or regions. Spatial patterns of avoidable mortality across small city areas can point to possible local problems and specific strategies to reduce health inequality which is important for the development of urban areas and the well-being of their inhabitants.

Variations in risk and protective factors for life satisfaction and mental wellbeing with deprivation: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundImproving life satisfaction (LS) and mental wellbeing (MWB) is important for better public health. Like other health issues, LS and MWB are closely related to deprivation (i.e. lack of resources). Developing public health measures that reduce inequalities in wellbeing requires an understanding of how factors associated with high and low LS and MWB vary with deprivation. Here, we examine such variations and explore which public health measures are likely to improve wellbeing while reducing related inequalities.MethodsA self-administered questionnaire measuring LS and MWB was used with a cross-sectional sample of adults from the North West of England (n = 15,228). Within deprivation tertiles, analyses examined how demographics, health status, employment, relationships and behaviours (alcohol, tobacco, physical exercise) were associated with LS and MWB.ResultsDeprivation was strongly related to low LS and MWB with, for instance, 17.1 % of the most deprived tertile having low LS compared to 8.9 % in the most affluent. After controlling for confounders, across all deprivation tertiles, better self-assessed health status and being in a relationship were protective against low LS and MWB. Unemployment increased risks of low LS across all tertiles but only risks of low MWB in the deprived tertile. For this tertile, South Asian ethnicity and higher levels of exercise were protective against low MWB. In the middle tertile retired individuals had a reduced risk of low MWB and an increased chance of high LS even in comparison to those in employment. Alcohol’s impact on LS was limited to the most deprived tertile where heavy drinkers were at most risk of poor outcomes.ConclusionsIn this study, positive outcomes for LS and MWB were strongly associated with lower deprivation and good health status. Public health measures already developed to promote these issues are likely to improve LS and MWB. Efforts to increase engagement in exercise are also likely to have positive impacts, particularly in deprived communities. The development of future initiatives that address LS and MWB must take account of variations in their risk and protective factors at different levels of deprivation.

Media optimization of Parietochloris incisa for arachidonic acid accumulation in an outdoor vertical tubular photobioreactor

The green alga Parietochloris incisa contains a significant amount of the nutritionally valuable polyunsaturated fatty acid and arachidonic acid (AA) and is being considered for mass cultivation for commercial AA production. This study was primarily aimed to define a practical medium formulation that can be used in commercial mass cultivation that will contribute to a substantial increase in the AA productivity of P. incisa with concomitant reduction of nutritional cost. The effect of nutrient limitation on growth and AA content of this microalga was explored in a batch culture in outdoor conditions using a vertical tubular photobioreactor. The study was conducted in two parts: the first was primarily focused on the effect of different nitrogen concentration on growth and AA content and the second part compares nitrogen deprivation, combination of nitrogen and phosphorus deprivation, and combined overall nutrient limitations at different levels of deprivation under low and high population densities. Since complete nitrogen deprivation hampers lipid and AA accumulation of P. incisa, thus, a critical value of nitrogen supply that will activate AA accumulation must be elucidated under specific growth conditions. Under the present experimental conditions, 0.5 g−1 sodium nitrate obtained a higher AA productivity and volumetric yield relative to the nitrogen-deprived culture corresponding to 36.32 mg L−1 day−1 and 523.19 mg L−1. The combined nitrogen and phosphorus limitation seemed to enhance AA productivity better than nitrogen deprivation alone. The effect of overall nutrient limitation indicates that acute nutrient deficiency can trigger rapid lipid and AA syntheses. The effect of light as a consequence of culture cell density was also discussed. This study therefore shows that the nutrient cost can be greatly reduced by adjusting the nutrient levels and culture density to induce AA accumulation in P. incisa.

Predictive tool for estimating the potential effect of water fluoridation on dental caries.

To provide a tool for public health planners to estimate the potential improvement in dental caries in children that might be expected in a region if its water supply were to be fluoridated. Recent BASCD (British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry) dental epidemiological data for caries in 5- and 11-year-old children in English primary care trusts in fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas were analysed to estimate absolute and relative improvement in dmft/DMFT and caries-free measures observed in England. Where data were sufficient for testing significance this analysis included the effect of different levels of deprivation. A table of observed improvements was produced, together with an example of how that table can be used as a tool for estimating the expected improvement in caries in any specific region of England. Observed absolute improvements and 95% confidence intervals were: for 5-year-olds reduction in mean dmft 0.56 (0.38, 0.74) for IMD 12, 0.73 (0.60, 0.85) for IMD 20, and 0.94 (0.76, 1.12) for IMD 30, with 12% (9%, 14%) more children free of caries; for 11-year-olds reduction in mean DMFT 0.12 (0.04, 0.20) for IMD 12, 0.19 (0.13, 0.26) for IMD 20, 0.29 (0.18, 0.40) and for IMD 30, with 8% (5%, 11%) more children free from caries. The BASCD data taken together with a deprivation measure are capable of yielding an age-specific, 'intention to treat' model of water fluoridation that can be used to estimate the potential effect on caries levels of a notional new fluoridation scheme in an English region.