Health Dangers Research Articles

The benzene impact on programmed death of sperm cell

Introduction. Benzene and its derivatives enter organism from the natural environment are the sources of constant health danger, including reproductive system disorders. Purpose of the study. In vitro study of the modifying effect of benzene on the indices controlling the apoptosis of sperm cells. Materials and methods. The study includes data on 27 men from 41 to 51 years of age, apparently healthy, not in contact with harmful factors, and living in relatively favourable conditions. Using flow cytometry in the ejaculated semen, we determined CD25+ and CD95+ markers, p53, bax, caspase-3 activity, percentage of AnnexinV-FITC+PI-, and AnnexinV-FITC+PI+-spermatozoa. The seminal fluid samples were incubated with benzene at a concentration of 0.001 µg/ml (experimental samples) for 72 hours at 370C to evaluate the effect of aromatic hydrocarbons on the indices controlling the apoptosis. Sperm samples incubated under identical conditions without benzene addition were used as control samples. Results. p53 content, caspase-3 activity, and the number of dead male germ cells (AnnexinV-FITC+PI+-spermatozoa) were found to decrease statistically significantly (p=0.023-0.026) in experimental semen samples after the addition of benzene (by 50% of the initial levelon average). At the same time, the addition of benzene to the ejaculated semen samples did not change the early activation profile of gametes (according to CD25+ criteria), cells readiness to start FAS-dependent apoptosis (CD95+), and the number of spermatozoa marked for death by apoptosis (AnnexinV-FITC+PI- - spermatozoa). Conclusion. The results of immunological testing demonstrated that in vitro system benzene inhibits apoptosis and interferes with gamete life cycle . On the example of benzene, it was been demonstrated that haptenic contamination could alter sperm fertility associated with an imbalance of proapoptotic factors and impair ed male reproductive system function. The indices of programmed cell death bax, p53, caspase-3, CD25-positive, FAS-positive, AnnexinV-FITC+PI--sperm, and AnnexinV-FITC+PI+-sperm in the ejaculate are recommended for diagnosis and monitoring of sperm fertility disorders.

Efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background:Diabetes has become a global public health problem and danger to human health. Diabetes is the main cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, and lower limb amputation. According to the latest epidemiological survey and research, the overall prevalence of diabetes in mainland China is 11.2%, of which type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) accounts for more than 90% acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine have been widely used in the treatment of T2DM. However, we have not found a meta-analysis of their synergistic effects. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of T2DM.Method:From inception up to September 20, 2021, the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, AMED, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, CBM, and Wanfang databases will be searched. The publication date or language will not be limited. We will apply a combination of medical keywords, including “acupuncture”, “Chinese herbal medicine”, and “type 2 diabetes mellitus”. We will also check other ongoing and unpublished studies in the clinical trial registry. At the same time, we will manually search all reference lists from relevant systematic reviews to find other eligible studies. We will use Review Manager software (REVMAN v5.3 Cochrane Collaboration) to meta-analyze the selected literature. The study for acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of T2DM was a randomized controlled study. Two researchers will independently review the research selection, data extraction, and research quality assessments. Finally, we will observe the outcome measures.Results:This study will generate evidence-based data on the treatment of T2DM with acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine and will provide new ideas and treatment modalities to investigate in future research.

Spatial Variation of the Chemical Properties of Rice Husk ASH

Pollution and waste management and control are global issues, particularly in the industrial and agricultural sectors. Pollution and health dangers, particularly those linked with the cement and clay-brick industries, are concerning and demand immediate action from authorities. One method of addressing the pollution problem associated with these sectors is the possible use of some agricultural waste that has pozzolanic properties. Based on available literature, RHA is widely accessible and has a great potential as a pozzolanic material. As a result, the current study was performed to examine in depth the chemical composition of non-ground RHA collected from various rice mills in Nigeria using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology. The RHs were collected from four (4) separate places in Nigeria, comprising seven (7) samples. In this study, Portland limestone cement of the UNICEM brand was used as a control sample and was acquired at a cement merchant store in Nsukka, Enugu State. The husks were carefully separated from the bran before being burned in the open air. Following that, the ashes were collected and stored in a dry area of the laboratory for analysis. Chemical analysis of the ashes and cement was performed to identify the elemental composition of each ash. This study also looked at the physical characteristics of RHA and cement, such as density, specific gravity, and particle size distribution. Non-ground RHA particle size distribution findings were comparable to cement. The ashes produced by open-air burning were milky-white in color, with a percentage difference in chemical composition. These compositional differences may be due to differences in soil chemistry at the sampling sites, paddy types, and the type of chemical fertilizers used. Finally, the findings indicated that the pozzolanic properties of RHA vary based on where they are located.

Unequal Impact of COVID-19 on Private and Academic Neurosurgical Workforce: Results of an International Survey.

Background: Since the COVID-19 outbreak several manuscripts regarding neurosurgical practice during this pandemic have been published. Qualitative studies on how the pandemic affected neurosurgeons, with additional focus on their practice, are still scarce. This study's objective was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on various aspects of the professional and private life of a homogeneous group of international neurosurgeons affiliated to the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS).Methods: Neurosurgeons from Europe and abroad were invited to participate in an online survey endorsed by the Individual Membership Committee of the EANS. The survey captured a subjective snapshot of the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on EANS members and was advertised through its Institutional website. In addition to departmental data, personal feeling of safety, financial security, local precautions, number of surgeries performed, changes in daily routine, and other practice-related information were inquired. Differences among practice types were closely reviewed.Results: The survey was distributed between April and May 2020: 204 neurosurgeons participated. Participants were typically active EANS members (73%), consultants (57.9%), from university hospitals (64.5%). Elective surgical practice was still ongoing only for 15% of responders, whereas 18.7% of them had already transitioned to COVID-19 and emergency medical services. While 65.7% of participants thought their institutions were adequately prepared, lack of testing for SARS-CoV-2, and scarcity of personal protective equipment were still a matter of concern for most of them. Overall surgical activity dropped by 68% (cranial by 54%, spine by 71%), and even emergencies decreased by 35%. COVID-19 prompted changes in communication in 74% of departments, 44% increased telemedicine by >50%. While most neurosurgeons had concerns about personal and families' health, financial outlook appeared to be gloomy only for private practitioners.Conclusion: The lockdown imposed in many countries by the COVID-19 outbreak called for immediate modification of working routine and resulted in a dramatic decrease of elective surgical procedures. Neurosurgeons share common concerns but were not equally exposed to the personal health and financial dangers of the ongoing pandemic.

Post Covid-19 Analysis of the Aviation Sector

Abstract: Many countries' economic prosperity and strategic development are dependent on the aviation industry, and it plays an indispensable role in the global transportation system. The emergence of a pandemic, which is likely to shatter the sector and disrupt its operations fundamentally, is one of the most common and unprecedented challenges to this industry. Beginning in 2020, the terrible impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, which has evolved into a worldwide pandemic and resulted in a radical reestablishment of society's daily existence, has been faced by aviation. The pandemic has caused a shift in the formerly usual method of air travel. This thesis investigates the ramifications of COVID-19 for the aviation business, as well as the measures employed by this industry in reaction to the crisis and the intention of passengers to travel by air during pandemics. This thesis' literature analysis covers the issues that the airline sector is facing as a result of the global pandemic, as well as the restructured onboard experience, including the new safety measures that have been implemented across the entire aviation network. The report also looks at the new passenger behaviour trends. In April-May 2021, an online empirical experiment using a video advertising as a stimulus in two separate experimental circumstances was done using a quantitative research approach. The impact of aircraft safety measures on travel intention, customer happiness, value for money, and perceived health risk on the general public was investigated. According to the findings, airline safety measures are likely to have a favourable impact on expected consumer satisfaction. At the same time, direct exposure to aircraft safety measures did not lessen their perceived health risk or raise their considered value for money. According to the findings, improving customer satisfaction and expected value for money might have a favourable impact on individual travel intentions. On the contrary, the greater the perception of a health danger, the less inclined people are to fly. This would be a negative scenario for the air traffic sector, whose future development is now difficult to foresee, and the amount of time required to recover is unknown. Keywords: Covid-19, Air traffic, Analysis, Python, Pre-processing

LOCAL MEDIA IN THE CORONA CRISIS: SIGNIFICANCE AND CHALLENGES ON THE EXAMPLE OF POŽEGA 034 PORTAL

The epidemic of the disease COVID-19, in Požeština in relation to China, where it originated in other parts of Croatia, appeared somewhat later, while Požega-Slavonia County in terms of total share in relation to other counties in Croatia remained relatively well , 16th place, out of a total of 20 counties, ie a smaller number of patients was recorded. In the conditions of public health danger to the health and lives of people with expressed uncertainty, citizens around the world were flooded with numerous information, about the disease, ways of prevention, treatment that at one point threatened to turn into an infodemia, as warned by the WHO. The importance of crisis communication in such conditions is of great importance, and how governments and headquarters communicate messages about the crisis to the public, which is discussed in the first parts of the paper and points out several inconsistencies and illogicalities in the actions of the state headquarters. prohibition and permission to make recommendations contrary to the epidemiologist’s recommendations. But more important than the recommendations of headquarters and governments, today are the recommendations and news transmitted by digital media, and especially the local ones that bring news and recommendations for the area where we live. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to investigate in the central part the significance of the local 034 Portal in the Corona crisis, and its monitoring of the crisis and its impact on the public. Research through several segments, it was found that the portal maintained the level of reporting on regular events and adjusted reporting on the Crown to the conditions and situation in the county, not leading to sensationalism, concern, fear, but was a carrier of preventive activities and a good ally in the fight. against the epidemic, that is, he followed the guidelines for informing the WHO and did not contribute to the creation of an infodemia.

When Society Owns My Body... Ethical Perspectives on Knowing in Advance Possible Health Issues and the Embodiment

"Living in today’s society was presented by some philosophers as an imperative to assume risks that the humanity is still not able to handle. Hence one important question that we may ask is: living today is indeed more dangerous than in the previous centuries? Presenting the advancement of the biotechnologies as an apocalyptical danger that will surpass the human capacity of management is a perspective not entirely accurate. Medical literature highlights the decrease rate of morbidity in the last decades by some diseases due to medical advancement. Therefore, a balanced view of living in today’s society would also point the possibility to know in advance the emerging health dangers and even to calculate their percentage. Nowadays, a patient is supported from the moment when a medical investigation reveals potential health issues. The new body regulation policies induce changes in the social apperception of health and disease. There is a slow slippery slope from the approach on the individual as a sick person just in case of having symptomatic manifestations and our times when some preconditions of the disease are detectable in medical laboratories. Are we aware about the ethical aspects of treating the carrier of a non-manifested condition as an already sick person? Society also promotes a discourse of non-discrimination and inclusion. Where can we find a balance in the context of the medical advancement? The present study is a philosophical dialectical approach on the ethical issues of the embodiment in the era of new medical biotechnologies. "

Mutfak Departmanı Personelinin Kişisel Hijyen Bilgi ve Uygulamaları: Şanlıurfa İli Konaklama İşletmelerinde Bir Uygulama

One of the important perceptions in evaluating the competitiveness of tourism enterprises is hygiene. Hygiene includes elements that prevent diseases and eliminate existing dangers for body integrity and health. Food-borne diseases become a common health problem in the event that personnel working in the kitchen departments of accommodation businesses lack personal hygiene knowledge and practices. In this study, it was aimed to determine the hygiene knowledge and practices of the personnel working in the kitchen departments of the accommodation establishments of different statuses, including hotels, hostels, apart hotels and boutique hotels, operating in Sanliurfa City Center. Within the scope of the research, 17 accommodation establishments were reached and a questionnaire form was applied to 207 kitchen personnel. The questionnaire form consists of three parts and a total of 40 questions. As a result of the analysis made; Although the personnel participating in the research know the effects of body bath in terms of cleanliness, the method of hand washing in accordance with the hygiene rules, dental health, and the correct application for nasal cleaning; It was concluded that she did not know the way of cutting her finger and toenails and the best application for cleaning her hair and feet.

Alert System for Fall Detection

Abstract: Healthcare is one of the most important industries, yet new ideas must travel a long way before being fully adopted due to its complexity, scope of duty, and stringent laws. The Internet of Things (IoT) may be the key to resolving healthcare challenges. The Internet of Things (IoT) has a lot of potential in healthcare, but it's still in its early stages. With the advancement of medical IoT, new possibilities for telemedicine, remote monitoring of a patient's status, and much more will emerge. Falling is a significant health danger for the elderly. If the problem is not detected in a timely manner, it can result in the death or impairment of the elderly, lowering their quality of life. Falls are a major public health concern for the elderly around the world. When it comes to old age, we must keep an eye on our loved ones to ensure their health and safety. It is therefore critical to determine if an elderly person has fallen so that help can be provided promptly. Proposing a person fall detection system based on a wearable device for detecting the falls of people in every situation, which takes advantage of lowpower wireless sensor networks, smart devices, and analyses human body motions. The system detects movement using an accelerometer and a gyro sensor. The sensor is wired to a microprocessor, which transmits the acceleration data continuously. Fall detection and sudden movement changes in the person would be monitored by the system. The sensors are getting values from a quick movement shift with shock in the system. When a person falls and becomes unconscious, the system determines whether the person has indeed fallen. If the person has truly fallen, the system will send an alert to the caregivers and sound an alarm to alert anyone nearby. When the system detects that a person has fallen, it immediately sends an alert to the individual's care takers. It is an IoT-based fall detection system that assists people by telling their caregivers about their fall so that quick attention may be drawn to the situation and essential actions can be taken to save the person who has fallen. Keywords: Threshold Based Fall Detection, Arduino, Bi-Axial, Accelerometer, Gyroscope,

Do Freshwater Fish Eat Microplastics? A Review with A Focus on Effects on Fish Health and Predictive Traits of MPs Ingestion

Microplastics (MPs) have received increasing attention in the last decade and are now considered among the most concerning emerging pollutants in natural environments. Here, the current knowledge on microplastic ingestion by wild freshwater fish is reviewed with a focus on the identification of possible factors leading to the ingestion of MPs and the consequences on fish health. Within the literature, 257 species of freshwater fishes from 32 countries have been documented to ingest MPs. MPs ingestion was found to increase with rising level of urbanization, although a direct correlation with MPs concentration in the surrounding water has not been identified. MPs ingestion was detected in all the published articles, with MPs presence in more than 50% of the specimens analyzed in one study out of two. Together with the digestive tract, MPs were also found in the gills, and there is evidence that MPs can translocate to different tissues of the organism. Strong evidence, therefore, exists that MPs may represent a serious risk for ecosystems, and are a direct danger for human health. Moreover, toxicological effects have also been highlighted in wild catches, demonstrating the importance of this problem and suggesting the need for laboratory experiments more representative of the environmental situation.

CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES OF TRIATOMINES AND CHAGAS DISEASE IN THE CITY OF MÉRIDA, MEXICO

Human-k triatomine insects’ interaction is a milestone in Chagas Disease (CD) prevention and control. We studied and compared ethnoecology and cultural knowledge and experiences about triatomines and Chagas of two urban social groups, and of health technicians of the vector control program in Merida city, southeastern Mexico. We conducted semi-structure interviews: 24 participants living in very low marginalization index (VLMi) and 26 of very high marginalization index (VHMi) areas in Merida, and 15 health workers. Questions focused on ethno-ecology and health-related knowledge of blood-sucking insects, and experiences on triatomine bites and CD, same than treatment and diagnosis of both bites and the disease. A thematic content-analysis and descriptive statistics were followed. Triatomines were considered a health danger due to the perception of them as poisonous and causing infection. Participants of VLMi were more knowledgeable about CD compared to VHMi participants, but they had limited understanding of the overall to chronicity when compared to health technicians. VHMi showed a more elaborate ethno-ecological knowledge about triatomines and had more exposition to them. Across participants, a biased understanding about CD has been recorded, since it was given emphasis only on acute phase aspects but not on chronic symptomatology. Cultural knowledge about CD remains rather theoretical since it keeps a very unfamiliar disease due to the lack of individual and collectively shared experiences on therapeutic itineraries and illness. There is an urgent need to focus on CD also as a chronic disease by giving more visibility to its prevalence, more advances in diagnostic and treatment, a proper medical care need, as well as illness experiences, and its human impact.

Association between exposure to road traffic noise and hearing impairment: a case-control study.

Noise pollution in urban areas is increasing steadily, and the study of road traffic noises and their effects on the auditory system was rare. This study investigated the potential effects of road traffic noise on auditory systems and hearing. A case-control study recruited outpatients from the Otolaryngology department. The case group (n = 41) had binaural hearing loss (HL) ofstandard pure-tone average(PTA) ≥ 25dB or high frequency PTA≥ 25dB, while the control group (n = 39) had binaural hearing level of any frequency < 25dB. Detailed otologic evaluations were performed. Between-group data were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Case or control group was identified based on the audiogram. A total of 80 subjects were recruited, including 41 with hearing impairment and 39 as control. The mean exposure level of road traffic noise was significantly higher in the case group than the control group (p = 0.005). A crude OR of 5.78 showed an increased risk of greater than 70dB of road traffic noise on hearing impairment and tinnitus (p < 0.001). The aOR of 9.24 (p = 0.002) from a multiple variate analysis suggested that road traffic noise levels greater than 70dB may have a damaging effect on hearing. Damaging effects on hearing persisted even after adjusting for confounders in the full multivariate model (aOR of 9.24 [95% CI: 2.198-38.869]; p = 0.002). Exposing to road traffic noise greater than 70dB showed an increased risk of damage to the auditory system. These results might help public health administrators and physicians to develop programs that address the health dangers of noise.

Wild Zebrafish Sentinels: Biological Monitoring of Site Differences Using Behavior and Morphology.

Environmental change poses a devastating risk to human and environmental health. Rapid assessment of water conditions is necessary for monitoring, evaluating, and addressing this global health danger. Sentinels or biological monitors can be deployed in the field using minimal resources to detect water quality changes in real time, quickly and cheaply. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are ideal sentinels for detecting environmental changes due to their biomedical tool kit, widespread geographic distribution, and well-characterized phenotypic responses to environmental disturbances. Here, we demonstrate the utility of zebrafish sentinels by characterizing phenotypic differences in wild zebrafish between two field sites in India. Site 1 was a rural environment with flowing water, low-hypoxic conditions, minimal human-made debris, and high iron and lead concentrations. Site 2 was an urban environment with still water, hypoxic conditions, plastic pollution, and high arsenic, iron, and chromium concentrations. We found that zebrafish from Site 2 were smaller, more cohesive, and less active than Site 1 fish. We also found sexually dimorphic body shapes within the Site 2, but not the Site 1, population. Advancing zebrafish sentinel research and development will enable rapid detection, evaluation, and response to emerging global health threats.

Occurrence and source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in dust of an emerging industrial city in Iran: implications for human health.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) bounded to street dust are a severe environmental and human health danger. This study provides preliminary information on the abundance of PAHs in street dust from Rafsanjan city, Iran, where industrial emissions are high and data are lacking. Seventy street dust samples were collected from streets with different traffic loads. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Standard Methods 8270D and 3550C were used for the measurement of PAHs using GC mass spectroscopy. The total concentration of PAHs was 1443 ng g-1, with a range of 1380-1550 ng g-1. Additionally, the concentration of carcinogenic PAHs (∑carcPAHs) ranged from 729.5 to 889.4 ng g-1, with a mean value of 798.1 ng g-1. Pyrene was the most abundant PAH, with an average concentration of 257 ng g-1. Source identification analyses showed that vehicle emissions along with incomplete combustion and petroleum were the main sources of PAHs. The ecological risk status of the studied area was moderate. Spatial distribution mapping revealed that the streets around the city center and oil company had higher PAH levels than the other sectors of Rafsanjan. The results indicated that dermal contact and ingestion of contaminated particles were the most important pathways compared to inhalation. The mean incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) was 1.4 × 10-3 and 1.3 × 10-3 for children and adults, respectively. This implies potentially adverse health effects in exposed individuals. The mutagenic risk for both subpopulations was approximately 18 times greater than the one recommended by USEPA. Our findings suggest that children are subjected to a higher carcinogenic and mutagenic risk of PAHs, especially dibenzo[a,h]anthracene (DahA), bounded to street dust of Rafsanjan. Our study highlights the need for the development of emission monitoring and control scenarios.

The Novel Coronavirus (nCoV)

This review aims to asses the actual data from recent literature dealing with the novel Coronavirus (nCoV) isolated in the automn of 2019. The nCoV has emerged in China namely in the city Wuhan (Hubei province), while the classical Coronavirus (cCoV) identified 18 years ago, came from a different region (province Guangdong). Extensive progression of nCoV represents a considerable danger for public health. The relatively great number of papers devoted to given topics in the last year (2020), also points at its importance. Despite of their non-selective acquisition, the collected data became useful for better understanding of virus replication, at description of virion structure as well as by interpretation of Coronavirus properties. Finally, the typical clinical signs of nCoV disease are briefly highlighted, not excluding the less closely related pathological states. At last but not least, relevant epidemiological data are presented when tracing the routes of nCoV spread in human population, with special regards to the region of Middle Europe.

Effect of the natural and climatic factors on epidemiological situation related to natural focal infections

This article is dedicated to the analysis and generalization of the Russian and foreign research results on natural and climatic factors effect on the intensity of epidemic process manifestations and the natural focal infections pathogens vectors vital activity which are the most widespread in the Russian Federation. Over the past seven years tick-borne infections have been accounting for more than 50 per cent in the natural focal diseases general nosological structure. Among the diseases of this group Lyme borreliosis leads in prevalence and frequency of cases identification. Tick-borne viral encephalitis is still a serious danger for national health. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever epidemiological situation remains unfavorable in the south of the European part of Russia. In addition to the annual patients identification, the demonstrable trend of shifting and expansion of the pathogen’s area in a northerly direction was established. It creates a risk for the spread of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus outside the southern regions of the country. High incidence of the dangerous vector-borne infection — West Nile fever — with the involvement of new subjects in the epidemic process and the emergence of local cases of infection in previously non-endemic territories is registered. Expansion of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome natural foci borders, which is the most widespread natural focal zoonosis of viral etiology in the Russian Federation and is the second by the frequency of patients identification after tick-borne infections, is noted. Research data for the dependence of the carriers pathogens number and the dynamics of the natural focal infections incidence on the values of climatic factors, confirmed using various methods of mathematical statistics (time-series analysis, autoregression integrated moving average, logistic regression, correlation analysis, one-way analysis of variance and other) were systematized. It was found that the temperature and humidity of the air and soil, the amount of precipitation, the height of the snow cover are the common abiotic factors for all of investigated infections. The values of these factors can be used for the subsequent epidemiological forecast. The further study of relationship between the incidence rate of the population, the number of arthropod vectors and small mammals with indicators of soil moisture and temperature at different depths, hydrothermal coefficient, normalized relative vegetation index, accumulated values of temperature and precipitation, as well as similar studies on other actual natural focal infections in the Russian Federation will be very promising.

The shifting landscape of cannabis legalization: Potential benefits and regulatory perspectives

AbstractThis comment is a response to Al‐Hamdani et al. (forthcoming) in this issue. The authors of that paper advocate plain packaging and warning label regulation for cannabis drawing on research from Canadian tobacco labelling and based on the public health dangers of cannabis. While we acknowledge the harmful effects of cannabis for some vulnerable consumers, this paper highlights the benefits of cannabis legalization and proposes regulatory oversight more akin to alcohol with a goal of responsible usage, information, and access; rather than one drawn from tobacco labeling, a product with few discernable benefits and myriad documented harms. Highlighted advantages include increased tax revenues, enforcement cost savings, therapeutic benefits, positive environmental impacts, and social benefits such as a reduction in racial disparities related to marijuana prosecutions. We discuss how a regulatory approach that mirrors alcohol control can better foster consumer protection, fair competition, and public interest in this emerging industry.

Spatial dependency of groundwater quality in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria using semi-variogram models

Water quality is a worldwide concern especially water for human consumption. Regular monitoring and tools should be developed, to ensure continuous assessment of the level of concentration of chemical constituents prevalent in water. This will guide against health dangers and risks associated with water of low quality. The research focus on using semi-variogram models to measure the degree of spatial dependency of sampled boreholes for prediction of the concentration of water quality parameters at un-sampled locations because of the cumbersome nature of assessing the whole boreholes in Benin City. One hundred and ten (110) different domestic boreholes were systematically sampled and analyzed in laboratory for determination of the concentration of some chemical water quality parameters which include Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolve Solids (TDS), Bicarbonate (HCO3), Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), etc. Laboratory examination of boreholes water quality parameters were carried out in wet and dry seasons. Geographical locations of sampled boreholes were also determined. The obtained experimental results were utilized in investigating the spatial structure of the boreholes using semi-variogram models which include spherical, exponential, Gaussian etc. Exponential model was the most fitted model. The borehole water quality parameters exhibited high degree of spatial dependency in EC, TDS, HCO3, Na, K, Ca. Mg, Cl, P, and NO3 in both seasons with ratio &lt; 25% therefore, interpolation technique can be employed to produce spatial variation quality map of boreholes in Benin City as a monitoring technique to detect contamination or changes in water quality.

Policy Approaches Toward Combatting Venereal Diseases in the Soviet Occupation Zone in Germany (1945-1949), the German Democratic Republic (1949-1989), and the Polish People's Republic (1945-1989).

The spread of venereal diseases after the Second World War constituted a grave public health danger in Europe. Especially in all four occupation zones in Germany and the Polish People's Republic high morbidity rates were observed. In order to limit the spread of diseases, respective administrations adopted specific regulations. The aim of this research is the analysis and comparison of legal regulations for controlling and combating venereal diseases in these countries. We have analyzed legislative and administrative acts concerning combatting venereal diseases issued by the official organs of the Soviet Occupation Zone, the German Democratic Republic, and the Polish People's Republic from 1945 to 1989. Subsequently, the analyzed sources were evaluated in light of the existing literature on the topic. Our analysis shows that policy approaches in both countries were based the Soviet Union's model for fighting venereal diseases. Visible are similarities of the approaches. They include organization of anti-venereal services, compulsory hospitalization, and actions against social groups perceived as sources of venereal diseases. Beside the purpose of breaking the spread of the epidemics, the approaches had also a political aim of sanctioning behavior that diverged from prescribed socialist moral norms.

Ag nanodisks decorated filter paper as a SERS platform for nanomolar tetracycline detection

A simple and cheap filter paper-based SERS substrate has been developed for the sensing of tetracycline (TC) traces. In fact, antibiotics could represent a danger for environment and human health and TC is, in detail, one of the most wide-spread antibiotics entering the food chain and as water contaminant. According to this aim, Ag nanodisks (AgNDs) synthesis procedure was designed for tailoring the plasmonic peak position and, so, the SERS effect. Synthetized AgNDs were then used to simply decorate the surface of common filter paper, chosen because of its biocompatible, porosity and cheapness features. The obtained substrates based on filter paper and AgNDs allow the fast and easy analysis of aqueous solution containing first methylene blue used as standard and then TC samples. Fixed volume (20 μL) of TC solutions at different concentrations was simply dropped on the SERS support. The SERS spectrum was acquired before the complete water evaporation allowing TC detection down to the concentration of 10 −9 M in aqueous solution. The results demonstrated that the SERS substrate obtained with the proposed facile, low-cost and relatively green fabrication process and the possibility to tune the plasmon excitation can be implemented for TC low concentration samples.