Harmful Health Research Articles

Monitoring fungi and mycotoxin potential in pistachio nuts of Turkish origin: A snap-shot for climate change scenario

Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is an economically important tree nut. Due to its nutritional properties and health benefits, it is considered a healthy food and thus widely consumed worldwide. However, fungal contamination of the commodities has received considerable attention because of possible contamination by toxigenic fungi, important source of mycotoxins, resulting from secondary metabolism and hazards to health consumer. Members of the genus Aspergillus, mainly Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger, are reported as occurring most frequently on pistachio nuts, because able to grow in the presence of low amounts of water and to produce mycotoxins (aflatoxins and ochratoxins), that are well known for their harmful health effects on humans.Monitoring the contaminating fungal species is particularly worthy of note also in climate change scenario, allowing to notice changes in fungal population composition through the time.This study aimed to contribute to collect data about fungal population and mycotoxins occurred in pistachio samples collected in Turkey: prevalence of 2 species, A. flavus and Aspergillus tubingensis, was assessed. The A. flavus strains consisted of a mixed population of aflatoxin producers and non-producing strains in vitro, with evidence of a new genotype in gene cluster within strains of aflatoxin non-producing chemotype.

The Interplay of Local- and State-Level Alcohol Policies in the United States.

Most research on alcohol control policies in the United States has focused on the state level. In this study, we assessed both local and state policy prevalence and restrictiveness in a nationwide sample of cities. We conducted original legal research to assess prevalence of local-level policies across 374 cities (48 states) in 2019 for the following seven policy areas: (a) drink specials; (b) beverage service training; (c) minimum age for on-premise servers and bartenders; (d) minimum age for off-premise sellers; (e) prohibitions against hosting underage drinking parties (i.e., social host provisions); (f) bans on off-premise Sunday sales; and (g) keg registration. We obtained parallel state-level policies from the Alcohol Policy Information System. We assessed the restrictiveness of existing policies and how these compared across local and state levels. We found that for six of the seven policy areas, the majority of cities (53% to 83%) had only a state-level policy. Few cities (0% to 8% across policy areas) had only a local-level policy. The percentage of cities that had an alcohol policy at both the local and state levels ranged from less than 1% to 19% across policy areas, and the policies were mostly equally restrictive at both levels. The lack of local policies may point to areas where these localities could strengthen their alcohol policy environments. Additional research is needed to understand how the prevalence and restrictiveness of local and state policies are associated with public health harms such as traffic crashes.

Inimical effects of Monosodium Glutamate on various systems

The study of the mechanisms of the effect of various food additives on the human and animal organism is one of the most pressing problems today. physicians, toxicologists, physiologists are aimed at studying the mechanisms of the toxic effect of food additives, as well as studying reactions in response to their ingestion. Monosodium glutamate intentionally added to food in order to keep certain properties or to extend shelf life of the food and to enhance the flavors of it. it is the most common food additive which is used in various countries. Monosodium glutamate is made up of nutritionally indispensable amino acids. This study is aimed to shed light on the available research, which had been carried out on animal and human models regarding possible effects of monosodium glutamate. This review showed that monosodium glutamate was associated with adverse side-effects on various systems of human body like obesity, diabetes, hepatotoxic, neurotoxic and genotoxic effects. Available review showed that increased consumption of monosodium glutamate may be associated with harmful health effects.

Stress and the Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods during COVID-19's Social Distancing: Are Mental Disorders Mediators in This Association? ELSA-Brasil Results.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated various determinants of mental disorders. Several behavioral changes were observed given this increase, including harmful health consequences, such as excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). To assess this relationship, we investigated the meditational role of symptoms of mental disorders (anxiety and depression) in the association between stress resulting from social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic and the consumption of UPFs in 3884 Brazilian public employees in a supplementary study of the ELSA-Brasil study. Structural equation models (SEMs) were estimated to assess the direct and indirect effects mediated by symptoms of mental disorders. The results suggested a significant and positive mediational effect of the symptoms of mental disorders on the association between the stress resulting from social distancing and the consumption of UPFs. These findings contribute to informing the need for policies and early interventions in potentially stressful situations, with a focus on the promotion of mental health, and may thus help prevent or reduce the consumption of unhealthy foods.

Beneficial Effects of Synbiotics on the Gut Microbiome in Individuals with Low Fiber Intake: Secondary Analysis of a Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Insufficient dietary fiber intake can negatively affect the intestinal microbiome and, over time, may result in gut dysbiosis, thus potentially harming overall health. This randomized controlled trial aimed to improve the gut microbiome of individuals with low dietary fiber intake (<25 g/day) during a 7-week synbiotic intervention. The metabolically healthy male participants (n = 117, 32 ± 10 y, BMI 25.66 ± 3.1 kg/m2) were divided into two groups: one receiving a synbiotic supplement (Biotic Junior, MensSana AG, Forchtenberg, Germany) and the other a placebo, without altering their dietary habits or physical activity. These groups were further stratified by their dietary fiber intake into a low fiber group (LFG) and a high fiber group (HFG). Stool samples for microbiome analysis were collected before and after intervention. Statistical analysis was performed using linear mixed effects and partial least squares models. At baseline, the microbiomes of the LFG and HFG were partially separated. After seven weeks of intervention, the abundance of SCFA-producing microbes significantly increased in the LFG, which is known to improve gut health; however, this effect was less pronounced in the HFG. Beneficial effects on the gut microbiome in participants with low fiber intake may be achieved using synbiotics, demonstrating the importance of personalized synbiotics.

National burden of gambling in Japan: an estimation from an online-based cross-sectional investigation and national epidemiological survey

BackgroundGambling is a popular leisure activity in many countries, often expected to boost regional economies. Nevertheless, its negative impacts remain a significant concern. Gambling disorder is recognized as the most severe consequence; however, even non- or low-risk gamblers may also face negative impacts. This study aimed to estimate the number of Japanese gamblers experiencing gambling-related harm (GRH) and its distribution across six life domains, financial, relational, emotional, health, social and other aspects, based on the severity of their problem gambling risk.MethodsThis cross-sectional study relied on an online survey conducted between August 5 and 11, 2020. Participants aged 20 years and above, who engaged in gambling during 2019 were recruited via a market research company. The survey assessed the prevalence of GRH 72 items among four gambler risk groups (non-problem, low-, moderate-, and high-risk), as categorized by the Problem Gambling Severity Index. The data was adjusted for population weighting using representative national survey data: the 2017 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions and the 2017 Epidemiological Survey on Gambling Addictions.ResultsOut of the 28,016 individuals invited to the survey, 6,124 participated in the screening, 3,113 in the main survey, and 3,063 provided valid responses. After adjusting the survey data, it was estimated that 39.0 million (30.8%) of Japan’s 126.8 million citizens gambled in 2019. Among them, 4.44 million (11.4%) experienced financial harm, 2.70 million (6.9%) health harm, 2.54 million (6.5%) emotional harm, 1.31 million (3.4%) work/study harm, 1.28 million (3.3%) relationship harm, and 0.46 million (1.2%) other harm. Although high-risk gamblers experienced severe harm at the individual level, over 60% of gamblers who experienced GRHs were non- and low-risk gamblers, with the exception of other harm, at the population level.ConclusionsThe study highlighted the prevention paradox of gambling in Japan. While national gambling policies primarily focus on the prevention and intervention for high-risk gamblers, a more effective approach would involve minimizing GRH across the entire population.

Molecularly imprinted polymer based on deep eutectic solvent as functional monomer for paracetamol adsorption

Paracetamol, a popular analgesic, has been linked to harmful health effects, such as kidney and liver damage. The detection of paracetamol in the environment and its overdose use in humans and animals has raised global concerns, highlighting the need for its efficient removal or detection in real samples. In this study, a deep eutectic solvent-molecularly imprinted polymer (DES-MIP) was synthesized and applied as an adsorbent to recognize the removal of paracetamol selectively. DES-MIP was synthesized using a deep eutectic solvent (DES) as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a crosslinker, and paracetamol as a template. DES was initially prepared by combining choline chloride (ChCl) with methacrylic acid at a molar ratio of 1:2. A deep eutectic solvent-non-imprinted polymer (DES-NIP) was synthesized as a control. The characterization analysis, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning emission microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) was conducted for both polymers to confirm the synthesis occurred. The selectivity study inferred that DES-MIP (15.95 mg/g) was more selective towards paracetamol than DES-NIP (7.00 mg/g). Response surface methodology (RSM) coupled with central composite design (CCD) was employed to examine the effect of pH, contact time, and dosage on paracetamol adsorption. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) demonstrated the relative significance of process parameters in the adsorption process. The contact time and dosage were found to be more significant than the pH. The result indicated that the optimal conditions for paracetamol adsorption were pH 7, 35 min, and 5.5 mg. The behavior of paracetamol adsorption on DES-MIP was well-fitted using the second-order kinetic and Langmuir isothermal models, respectively. Then, the DES-MIP with optimized parameter studies was applied to herbs, medicine, and dietary supplements, achieving good recoveries of 94.46 %, 86.79 %, and 85.13 % and relative standard deviations (RSD) of 1.15 %, 2.39 %, and 2.52 %, respectively.

Levels and health risk assessments of particulate matter and inorganic gaseous pollutants in urban and industrial areas of Hawassa city, Ethiopia

Air pollution is a global public health concern due to its harmful health effects. However, there is scarce data on concentrations and sources of inorganic gaseous pollutants (NO2, CO, and SO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) in Ethiopia, particularly Hawassa City. Thus, the goal of this research is to determine the indoor and outdoor concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, CO, and SO2 in urban and industrial areas of Hawassa City, Ethiopia, and to evaluate potential health concerns. A portable gas monitor device (HoldPeak Laser PM meter, HP 5800D) was used to measure the levels of PM10 and PM2.5. The Aeroqual Series 500 Portable Air Quality Monitor (Aeroqual Ltd., New Zealand) was used to measure the concentrations of NO2, CO, and SO2. The results of this study showed that the average concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 ranged from 8.8 to 310.7, 20.1–515.8, and 40.0–123.7 μg/m3, respectively, during the dry season. In the wet season, the ranges for PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and CO levels were 17.2–117.4, 24.3–167.2, 31.8–111.3, and 77–33312 μg/m3, respectively. The wide range of variations in the concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and CO variations may be related to spatial and temporal factors such as sampling locations and seasonal changes. In both the wet and dry seasons, the hazard quotient (HQ) for PM2.5 and PM10 was greater than one, suggesting a non-carcinogenic effect. The PM2.5 excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) ranged from 0.1 to 0.7, which is greater than the recommended values by the WHO (ranging from 1 × 10−5 to 1 × 10−6) and the USEPA (less than 1 × 10−6). The HQ and ELCR values imply a considerable health risk for the general population.

Effect of alcohol health warning labels on knowledge related to the ill effects of alcohol on cancer risk and their public perceptions in 14 European countries: an online survey experiment

Alcohol health-warning labels are a policy option that can contribute to the reduction of alcohol-related harms, but their effects and public perception depend on their content and format. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of health warnings on knowledge that alcohol causes cancer, the perceptions of three different message topics (responsible drinking, general health harm of alcohol, and alcohol causing cancer), and the role of images included with the cancer message. In this online survey experiment, distributed in 14 European countries and targeting adults of the legal alcohol-purchase age who consumed alcohol, participants were randomly allocated to one of six label conditions using a pseudorandom number generator stratified by survey language before completing a questionnaire with items measuring knowledge and label perceptions. Effect on knowledge was assessed as a primary outcome by comparing participants who had increased knowledge after exposure to labels with the rest of the sample, for the six label conditions. Label perceptions were compared between label conditions as secondary outcomes. 19 110 participants completed the survey and were eligible for analysis. Our results showed that a third of the participants exposed to the cancer message increased their knowledge of alcohol causing cancer (increase for 1131 [32·5%, 95% CI 29·8 to 35·2] of 3409 participants [weighted percentage] for text-only message; increase for 1096 [33·3%, 30·4 to 36·2] of 3198 [weighted percentage] for message inlcuding pictogram; and increase for 1030 [32·5%, 29·6 to 35·4] of 3242 [weighted percentage] for message including graphic image), compared with an increase for 76 (2·4%, -1·2 to 6·0) of 3018 participants who viewed the control message. Logistic regression showed that cancer messages increased knowledge compared with the control label (odds ratio [OR]text only 20·20, 95% CI 15·88 to 26·12; ORpictogram 21·16, 16·62 to 27·38; ORgraphic-image 20·61, 16·19 to 26·68). Cancer messages had the highest perceived impact and relevance, followed by general health harm and responsibility messages. Text-only and pictogram cancer messages were seen as clear, comprehensive, and acceptable, whereas those including an image of a patient with cancer had lower acceptability and the highest avoidance rating of all the labels. The only identified interaction between perceptions and experimental conditions (with gender) indicated higher comprehensibility and acceptability ratings of cancer labels than responsibility messages and control labels by women, with the results reversed in men. Health warnings are an effective policy option to increase knowledge of alcohol causing cancer, with a generalisable effect across several countries. Europeans consider alcohol health-warning labels to be comprehensible and acceptable, with cancer-specific health warnings having the highest perceived impact and relevance. EU4Health.

Improving Quality of Work for Positive Health: Interaction of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 and SDG 3 from the Sustainable HRM Perspective

Evidence indicates that harmful work practices such as long working hours in high-income countries kill more people than road accidents (International Labour Organisation, 2021). The Global Reporting Initiatives (GRIs) for Sustainability—Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) 403 standards (2018)—include ‘work-related leading indicators’, but currently, a limited understanding of these exists to prevent an increase in deaths due to work-related non-communicable diseases. The health harm of work construct, which is different from work stress, is a recent development in the sustainable HRM literature explaining employees’ perception of the restrictions imposed by work practices on achieving positive health. To promote health and well-being for all in the employment stage of life (SDG 3), this study aims to establish the health harm of work that is caused by work intensification as work-related leading indicators of adverse/decent working conditions (SDG 8). A total of 605 white-collar full-time employees completed work intensification, the health harm of work, and mental well-being questionnaires, and self-reported on health risk factors and chronic health conditions. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the mediational research model of the dynamic transitionary effect of work intensification on employee health and well-being through the health harm of work. The findings indicate that work intensification improves employee mental well-being (SDG 3), but the mediation transitionary effect of the health harm of work highlights that mental well-being is reduced when work intensification (SDG 8) started increasing the health harm of work among individuals. The health harm of work from the sustainable HRM perspective is found to be effective work-practice related leading indicators of health and well-being in the working population. Research and practical implications to develop a business-health agenda of shared values are discussed.

Low-Temperature Mineralization of Fluorotelomers with Diverse Polar Head Groups.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental pollutants linked to harmful health effects. Currently employed PFAS destruction methods are energy-intensive and often produce shorter-chain and recalcitrant partially fluorinated byproducts. We report the mineralization of five fluorotelomer compounds via a base-mediated degradation using NaOH and mild temperatures (120 °C) in a mixture of DMSO:H2O (8:1 v/v). The studied fluorotelomers have varying polar head groups-carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, alcohols, and phosphonic acids, which are the most common polar head groups used in commercial and industrial applications. The degradation intermediates and byproducts were characterized using 1H, 13C, and 19F NMR spectroscopy. Density functional theory computations at the M06-2X/6-311 + G(2d,p)-SMD-(DMSO) level were consistent with the observed intermediates and guided an overall mechanistic hypothesis. Degradation of each fluorotelomer occurs through a similar process, in which the nonfluorinated carbons and the first fluorinated carbon are cleaved from the remaining perfluoroalkyl fragment, which degrades through previously identified pathways. These findings provide important insight into PFAS degradation processes and suggest that PFAS containing at least one C-H bond within or adjacent to its fluoroalkyl chain can be degraded under these mild conditions. Many PFAS in current use as well as recalcitrant fluorinated byproducts generated from other PFAS degradation methods are candidates for this approach.

Modification of Coal Fly Ash Waste into Manganese-Oxide-Coated-Zeolite (MOCZ) to Adsorb Heavy Metal Ions Ni2+

High consumption of coal as a source of electrical energy in Indonesia has resulted in piles of waste from coal burning, namely fly ash, which can damage the environment and harm health. Fly ash contains main oxides, namely silica (SiO2) and alumina (Al2O3), whose components are similar to zeolite, so they can be synthesized into zeolite-like material (ZLM) which can be used as an adsorbent for heavy metal Ni2+. Therefore, this research discussed the characterization of manganese-oxide-coated-zeolite (MOCZ) from fly ash waste as a heavy metal adsorbent. The research procedure consisted of preparation, purification, and activation stage of fly ash to obtain fly ash that is free from impurities, the stage of making sodium silicate and sodium aluminate, and zeolite synthesis. The resulting zeolite was then coated with manganese oxide to expand the surface area of the zeolite and increase the ability of zeolite to adsorb heavy metal Ni2+. The research results showed that fly ash waste that was coated with manganese oxide can adsorb heavy metal Ni2+. The adsorption of the Ni2+ metal ion solution by zeolite with MOCZ modification is in line with the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm.

Feminist perspectives on environmental justice and health in Jamaica.

Jamaica is an island nation with a history that is informed by Taino settlement, European colonisation, chattel slavery, disinvestment, and continued extractivism. This perspective paper leverages a historical analysis to explore environmental injustices affecting the health and quality of life of Jamaicans living in Jamaica. This article hopes to contribute to a growing but limited body of scholarly research that contends with environmental and climate justice in the context of the Caribbean. In discussing a lack of critical environmental infrastructure, such as reliable solid waste management, and the impacts of extractive industries, such as bauxite mining, the paper intends to highlight the environmental, public health, and social harms that are produced. Employing an intersectional approach grounded in Black feminist epistemology put forward by Patricia Hill Collins, the authors use their lived experiences as a source of knowledge. The paper analyses how these environmental injustices harm Jamaican communities at large but underscores the compounded challenges faced by Jamaican women who experience marginalisation on the basis of gender, urban/rural residency, and class. The paper concludes by urging researchers, policymakers, regulatory bodies, and other stakeholders to conduct further research and create sustainable and equitable environmental standards that have considerations for environmental injustice in Jamaica.

Harm perceptions across vaping product features: An on-line cross-sectional survey of adults who smoke and/or vape in the United Kingdom.

Vaping products are diverse with a wide variety of features, and popular products change rapidly. This study examined the features and types of vaping products that people who smoke and/or vape perceive contribute to the health harms of vaping. This was a cross-sectional survey co-designed with adults who smoked/vaped and pre-registered. An on-line survey (November 2022) was used of a convenience sample of adults in the United Kingdom who smoked and/or vaped (n = 494). As primary outcomes, respondents were asked to select any of 15 vaping product features they perceived might have any effect on the health harms of vaping (for each: selected, not selected). Independent variables were smoking/vaping status (smoke and vape; vape, formerly smoked; vape, never regularly smoked; smoke, do not currently vape); relative vaping harm perceptions [less harmful than smoking (accurate), equally/more harmful than smoking or do not know/refused (other)]. Binary logistic regressions were used to compare outcomes by current vaping/smoking status and relative harm perceptions, adjusting for age and sex. Most people (54.7%) selected between one and three features. The most frequently selected were nicotine concentration (62.2%) and amount of e-liquid consumed (59.1%), followed by nicotine type (e.g. salt or freebase; 33.0%), source/purchase location (25.3%), flavours (24.7%), temperature to heat e-liquid (21.1%), heat produced by device (20.9%), e-liquid brand (20.9%), amount of emissions (18.6%), device type (e.g. disposable, pod, tank; 17.2%), material of tank (17.0%), power/wattage (13.0%), device brand (8.1%), device size (4.1%) and device weight (2.4%). Higher nicotine concentrations, more e-liquid and salt (versus freebase) nicotine were perceived to confer greater harms. Disposables were perceived as slightly more harmful than reusable devices. There were few differences by current vaping/smoking status and between those with accurate (versus other) harm perceptions of vaping relative to smoking (P > 0.05 for most contrasts, adjusting for age and sex). Certain features and types of vaping products [higher nicotine concentrations, more e-liquid consumed and salt (versus freebase) nicotine]were perceived to confer greater health harms among a sample of UK adults who smoked and/or vaped. Findings are consistent with pervasive misperceptions that nicotine is a major cause of harm, although e-liquid volume is likely to contribute to harms.

From active duty to activism: how moral injury and combat trauma drive political activism and societal reintegration among Israeli veterans.

This article deals with combat experiences and their consequences and could be potentially disturbing. Moral injury (MI) is a severe form of combat trauma that shatters soldiers' moral bearings as the result of killing in war. Among the myriad ways that moral injury affects veterans' reintegration into civilian life, its impact on political and societal reintegration remains largely unstudied but crucial for personal, community, and national health. 13 in-depth interviews examine combat soldiers' exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) that include killing enemy combatants, harming civilians, and betrayal by commanders, the military system, and society. Interviewees also described their political activities (e.g., voting, fundraising, advocacy, protest) and social activism (e.g., volunteering, teaching, charitable work). Interviewees also completed the Moral Injury Symptom Scale. Two distinct narratives process PMIEs. In a humanitarian narrative, soldiers hold themselves or their in-group morally responsible for perpetrating, witnessing, or failing to prevent a morally transgressive act such as killing or injuring civilians or placing others at unnecessary risk. In contrast, a national security perspective blames an out-group for leaving soldiers with no choice but to act in ways that trigger moral distress. Associated with shame and guilt, the humanitarian perspective triggered amends-making and social activism after discharge. In contrast, a national security perspective associated with anger and frustration fostered protest and intense political activism. Despite its harmful health effects, moral trauma and injury can drive intense political and social activism, depending upon the narrative veterans adopt to interpret PMIEs. Aside from moral injury's personal, familial, and social effects, moral injury drives veterans' return to the political arena of civil society. As such, veterans play a central role in politics and dramatically affect post-war policy in democratic nations following conflict.

PrEP facilitators and barriers in substance use bridge clinics for women who engage in sex work and who use drugs

BackgroundWomen who engage in sex work and use drugs (WSWUD) experience disproportionate HIV risks. Substance use treatment bridge clinics offer an opportunity to increase HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) delivery to WSWUD, but research on best practices is lacking. Therefore, we explored facilitators and barriers to PrEP across the PrEP care continuum in these settings.MethodsBridge clinic and affiliated harm reduction health service providers and WSWUD from Boston were recruited using passive and active outreach between December 2021 and August 2022. Participants were invited to take part in semi-structured phone or in-person interviews to explore HIV prevention and PrEP care experiences overall and within bridge clinic settings. Deductive codes were developed based on HIV risk environment frameworks and the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model and inductive codes were added based on transcript review. Grounded content analysis was used to generate themes organized around the PrEP care continuum.ResultsThe sample included 14 providers and 25 WSWUD. Most WSWUD were aware of PrEP and more than half had initiated PrEP at some point. However, most who initiated PrEP did not report success with daily oral adherence. Providers and WSWUD described facilitators and barriers to PrEP across the steps of the care continuum: Awareness, uptake, adherence, and retention. Facilitators for WSWUD included non-stigmatizing communication with providers, rapid wraparound substance use treatment and HIV services, having a PrEP routine, and service structures to support PrEP adherence. Barriers included low HIV risk perceptions and competing drug use and survival priorities. Provider facilitators included clinical note templates prompting HIV risk assessments and training. Barriers included discomfort discussing sex work risks, competing clinical priorities, and a lack of PrEP adherence infrastructure.ConclusionWSWUD and bridge clinic providers favored integrated HIV prevention and substance use services in harm reduction and bridge clinic settings. Harm reduction and bridge clinic programs played a key role in HIV prevention and PrEP education for WSWUD. Effective behavioral and structural interventions are still needed to improve PrEP adherence for WSWUD.

Assessing the Environmental and Downstream Human Health Impacts of Decentralizing Cancer Care

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from health care are substantial and disproportionately harm persons with cancer. Emissions from a central component of oncology care, outpatient clinician visits, are not well described, nor are the reductions in emissions and human harms that could be obtained through decentralizing this aspect of cancer care (ie, telemedicine and local clinician care when possible). To assess potential reductions in GHG emissions and downstream health harms associated with telemedicine and fully decentralized cancer care. This population-based cohort study and counterfactual analyses using life cycle assessment methods analyzed persons receiving cancer care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute between May 2015 and December 2020 as well as persons diagnosed with cancer over the same period from the Cancer in North America (CiNA) public dataset. Data were analyzed from October 2023 to April 2024. The adjusted per-visit day difference in GHG emissions in kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents between 2 periods: an in-person care model period (May 2015 to February 2020; preperiod) and a telemedicine period (March to December 2020; postperiod), and the annual decrease in disability-adjusted life-years in a counterfactual model where care during the preperiod was maximally decentralized nationwide. Of 123 890 included patients, 73 988 (59.7%) were female, and the median (IQR) age at first diagnosis was 59 (48-68) years. Patients were seen over 1.6 million visit days. In mixed-effects log-linear regression, the mean absolute reduction in per-visit day CO2 equivalent emissions between the preperiod and postperiod was 36.4 kg (95% CI, 36.2-36.6), a reduction of 81.3% (95% CI, 80.8-81.7) compared with the baseline model. In a counterfactual decentralized care model of the preperiod, there was a relative emissions reduction of 33.1% (95% CI, 32.9-33.3). When demographically matched to 10.3 million persons in the CiNA dataset, decentralized care would have reduced national emissions by 75.3 million kg of CO2 equivalents annually; this corresponded to an estimated annual reduction of 15.0 to 47.7 disability-adjusted life-years. This cohort study found that using decentralization through telemedicine and local care may substantially reduce cancer care's GHG emissions; this corresponds to small reductions in human mortality.

Exploring the association between post-critical incident intervention preferences and self-reported coping self-efficacy among firefighters.

Critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) is a commonly utilized intervention in the fire service that aims to minimize psychological harm and adverse mental health outcomes after a potentially traumatic incident. This study aimed to explore firefighter preferences regarding CISD and alternative post-critical incident interventions in relation to firefighter coping self-efficacy (FFCSE) and trauma coping self-efficacy (CSE-T). Firefighters (N = 241) completed an online survey and provided complete data. Most participants were White (n = 203, 84.2%), non-Hispanic (n = 221, 91.7%) men (94.2%; n = 227). CISD was the most preferred intervention among firefighters (n = 113, 46.9%) as compared to informal peer support (n = 31, 12.9%), formal one-on-one counseling (n = 29, 12.0%), and no intervention (n = 68, 28.2%). Firefighters who preferred CISD had statistically significant lower levels of FFCSE, R2 =.033-.044, ps =.012-.030, and CSE-T, R2 =.035-.061 ps =.017-.024, compared to those who preferred no intervention. Firefighters who preferred formal one-on-one counseling had statistically significantly lower levels of FFCSE, R2 =.033-.044, ps =.003-.011, and CSE-T, R2 =.035-0.061, p <.001-p =.002, compared to those who preferred no intervention. The findings from this study may guide future research to increase knowledge on firefighter intervention preferences and the association between preference and coping self-efficacy.

Problems of optimizing the production and export of environmentally friendly consumer products in Azerbaijan

State of the problem. In the article, it is justified that the provision of a green economy based on environmentalization, modernization, innovation and new technologies in the production and processing of agricultural products leads to a radical improvement of production, protection of natural capital and ecosystem services, and reduction of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. It was noted that the regulation of agricultural production systems in the country requires the expansion of agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, contribute to the protection of ecosystems, adaptation to climate change, extreme weather events, droughts, and floods. Research object. It is the production, processing, consumption and export of agricultural products of Azerbaijan. The purpose of the study is to promote the production of ecologically clean and export-important consumer products in Azerbaijan and the stimulation of its export. Introducing the country to the world with branded products, attracting foreign investments to this field, increasing the population's interest in the agricultural field, and attracting innovative technology to the field are also considered important. It is the determination of the damage caused by the impact on the agricultural sector and nature due to the degradation of the growing environmental components. Minimizing losses at this stage and optimizing the development of the agro-industrial complex is one of the main factors. Methodology. Generalization, historical, statistical, systematic analysis and comparison methods were used in the preparation of the article. Scientific novelty of the research. Implementation of the production and processing of ecologically clean agro-industrial products that do not harm human health and the environment, regular monitoring of the ecological condition of the soil, and the provision of increasing the production and assortment of ecologically clean export-oriented food and light industrial products. Research results. In the article, it is explained that the development of the green economy in Azerbaijan is an integral part of the state policy, and it occupies an important place in the state administration, on the example of export-oriented food and light industrial products. It is noted that the sustainability of the development of the green economy acts as a criterion for the production of competitive products of the state, which contributes positively to the provision of people's vital needs.

Photoesterification of Waste Cooking Oil using ZnO Doped Empty Fruit Bunches Ash Heterogeneous Catalyst

Introduction:: Waste from the palm oil industry, such as empty fruit bunch ash (EFBA) and palm oil mill effluents (POME), is a type of biomass created during the production of palm oil and produced in vast quantities. Due to the massive amounts of empty fruit bunch ash produced because of the exponential rise in worldwide palm oil production, major plantations are having trouble disposing of them. Aim:: The purpose of this research is to study the effectiveness of the ZnO-EFBA catalyst under visible light irradiation for the photoesterification reaction and its physicochemical properties of the photocatalyst that will be determined using TGA, SEMEDX, XRD and BET. Method:: The biodiesel will be produced by using two steps which are photoesterification to reduce the FFA value in WCO and followed by transesterification to produce FAMEs. The photoesterification reactions were conducted using WCO under visible light irradiation. Various parameters were examined, including different reaction times of 1 to 4 hours, different methanol to oil molar ratios of 12:1, 14:1, 16:1, and 18:1, and different ZnO-EFBA catalyst loadings ranging from 0 wt.% to 8 wt.%. The obtained results demonstrated that each WCO sample has a different optimum condition in the photoesterification reaction. Moreover, it was observed that lower FFA values correlated with higher biodiesel conversion rates in the transesterification reaction with 79.06%, 77.72% and 73.33% for samples 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Result:: By using EFBA as a heterogeneous catalyst doped with ZnO in the manufacturing of biodiesel, it helps to reduce the waste that the palm oil industry creates, limiting the adverse effects on human health and environmental harm. Furthermore, biodiesel is a renewable, clean-burning alternative to petroleum fuel, which is domestically manufactured. Conclusion:: The use of biodiesel as a vehicle fuel boosts energy security, enhances the environment and air quality, and offers safety advantages.