Inhabitants Of Communities Research Articles

The Association of Dietary Diversity with Hyperuricemia among Community Inhabitants in Shanghai, China: A Prospective Research.

Hyperuricemia, a major worldwide burden on public hygiene, is closely connected with dietary habits. However, few studies have evaluated the association of dietary diversity with hyperuricemia. To preliminarily reveal the status of a diversified diet in preventing hyperuricemia based on a neighborhood-based, massive-scale cohort in China, a total of 43,493 participants aged 20-74 years old, with no history of hyperuricemia at baseline, were enrolled in the research from April 2016 to December 2019. The Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) was utilized to evaluate the dietary variety and split the participants into the low-, medium-, and high-DDS groups. Information on participants was connected to regional health information systems that acquired data on hyperuricemia instances up to 28 February 2023. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed by Cox proportional hazards models. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) were implemented to analyze dose-response correlation. A total of 1460 individuals with newly diagnosed hyperuricemia were observed over a median follow-up period of 5.59 years. Compared to the low-DDS group, HRs for the medium- and high-DDS groups were 0.87 (95% CI 0.76-0.99) and 0.80 (95% CI 0.70-0.91) in the fully adjusted model, respectively. The risk of hyperuricemia incidence was reduced by 5% for each 1 unit of DDS increase. A linear correlation of DDS with hyperuricemia emerged and further revealed that the intake of 8-10 broad categories of food could decrease the incidence of hyperuricemia. Our results validate the dietary principle of "food diversification" recommended in guidelines. Conclusions should be applied with caution considering the paucity of related evidence in additional nations.

Enhancing Sustainable Development Through Community Engagement

Public involvement is one of the fundamental requirements for sustainable development in any given society because it provides an added assurance of effectiveness and accomplishments. The following paper should endeavor to deliberate on the concept of community engagement for sustainable development with particular emphasis on the opportunity, challenge, and prospect in question. This concept also predicts a direct relationship between the increased involvement of the community members in projects and a consequent enhancement of the stakeholders’ concern, credibility, and efficiency of undertaking any project that has been identified with the community members. However, there are challenges such as inadequate capital, people’s attitudes, or the language barrier, also known as the language beast, and institutional support that have to be dealt with. These are the suggestions: the expansion of resource investment, the establishment of a culture of diversity, communication enhancement, and reinforcement of institutions. In the future, more findings should be done in terms of the effects of different engagement approaches in relation to new methods of engaging the learners and some other challenges that may add to the efficiency that has been observed here. Thus, various development projects can result in a less damaging and more inclusive outcome for the inhabitants of a specific community without leaving out the people’s contributions to the emergency, evolution, and growth of their society. Thus, it not only increases the effectiveness of the projects but also contributes to the improvement of the communities’ resilience and sustainability.

Positive Feedback Mechanism in Aristolochic Acid I Exposure-Induced Anemia and DNA Adduct Formation: Implications for Balkan Endemic Nephropathy.

Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) is a chronic kidney disease that predominantly affects inhabitants of rural farming communities along the Danube River tributaries in the Balkans. Long-standing research has identified dietary exposure to aristolochic acids (AAs) as the principal toxicological cause. This study investigates the pathophysiological role of anemia in BEN, noting its earlier and more severe manifestation in BEN patients compared to those with other chronic kidney diseases. Utilizing a mouse model, our research demonstrates that prolonged exposure to aristolochic acid I (AA-I) (the most prevalent AA variant) leads to significant red blood cell depletion through DNA damage, such as DNA adduct formation in bone marrow, prior to observable kidney function decline. Furthermore, in vitro experiments with kidney cells exposed to lowered oxygen and pH conditions mimicking an anemia environment show enhanced DNA adduct formation, suggesting increased AA-I mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. These findings indicate for the first time a positive feedback mechanism of AA-induced anemia, DNA damage, and kidney impairment in BEN progression. These results not only advance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of BEN but also highlight anemia as a potential target for early BEN diagnosis and therapy.

Reverse Vaccinology Approach to Identify Novel and Immunogenic Targets against Streptococcus gordonii.

Streptococcus gordonii is a gram-positive, mutualistic bacterium found in the human body. It is found in the oral cavity, upper respiratory tract, and intestines, and presents a serious clinical problem because it can lead to opportunistic infections in individuals with weakened immune systems. Streptococci are the most prevalent inhabitants of oral microbial communities, and are typical oral commensals found in the human oral cavity. These streptococci, along with many other oral microbes, produce multispecies biofilms that can attach to salivary pellicle components and other oral bacteria via adhesin proteins expressed on the cell surface. Antibiotics are effective against this bacterium, but resistance against antibodies is increasing. Therefore, a more effective treatment is needed. Vaccines offer a promising method for preventing this issue. This study generated a multi-epitope vaccine against Streptococcus gordonii by targeting the completely sequenced proteomes of five strains. The vaccine targets are identified using a pangenome and subtractive proteomic approach. In the present study, 13 complete strains out of 91 strains of S. gordonii are selected. The pangenomics results revealed that out of 2835 pan genes, 1225 are core genes. Out of these 1225 core genes, 643 identified as non-homologous proteins by subtractive proteomics. A total of 20 essential proteins are predicted from non-homologous proteins. Among these 20 essential proteins, only five are identified as surface proteins. The vaccine construct is designed based on selected B- and T-cell epitopes of the antigenic proteins with the help of linkers and adjuvants. The designed vaccine is docked against TLR2. The expression of the protein is determined using in silico gene cloning. Findings concluded that Vaccine I with adjuvant shows higher interactions with TLR2, suggesting that the vaccine has the ability to induce a humoral and cell-mediated response to treat and prevent infection; this makes it promising as a vaccine against infectious diseases caused by S. gordonii. Furthermore, validation of the vaccine construct is required by in vitro and in vivo trials to check its actual potency and safety for use to prevent infectious diseases caused by S. gordonii.

Local community leaders on social resilience to environmental disasters: The case of El Niño in Lurigancho-Chosica in Perú

This study aims to investigate how community leaders of Lurigancho-Chosica, in Lima-Perú, perceive environmental (im)mobility in their community, because of El Niño-Southern Oscillation [ENSO]. ENSO is a recurrent climate event that will likely worsen with rising world temperatures. Lurigancho-Chosica is a highly vulnerable area and one of the most affected by ENSO in the country because of landslides. Using a qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with ten community leaders as key informants from Lurigancho-Chosica to explore their perspectives on the effects of ENSO on their communities and to understand the social resilience of their communities to deal with similar disasters and changes. Findings indicate that, although knowledgeable about the impacts of ENSO, community leaders emphasized that most community inhabitants used multiple coping strategies to deal with the structural limitations of their communities to deal with ENSO. Community leaders themselves opted to strengthen the adaptive capacities of their communities to be more socially resilient, preferring community organization over migration or relocation strategies.

Application of modified drastic model for oil spills pollution affecting water quality system in part of Niger delta region of Nigeria

Extensive environmental pollution has affected the water resource, agricultural lands, economy and health of the inhabitants of Ahoada communities of the Niger Delta region, Nigeria. The main sources of pollution are oil spills emanating from pipeline interdiction and production-related spillages. Oil spills in the Niger Delta adversely affects the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil, which subsequently results in food shortages due to the reduction of nutrient contents of soils. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the patterns and the types of contaminants for appropriate remediation of the polluted areas. This study applied a novel DRASTIC model approach, incorporating a data-driven method Weight of Evidence (WoE) to examine subsurface aquifer vulnerability to oil spills contamination and present same as in the maps. Geographic Information System (GIS) in combination with DRASTIC and a modified DRASTIC model called DRAPSTIC were used in assessing the extent and vulnerability of the aquifers of the area to contamination. The maps of the DRAPSTIC show similarity in terms of the distribution and classification of the vulnerability index. Very high and high vulnerability classes covered larger areas in Ahoada east under DRAPSTIC compared to DRASTIC. However, under the same DRAPSTIC, larger areas were covered by low vulnerability class in Ahoada West.

Modeling the metamorphosed paradigm sustainable tourism of post-COVID-19. Case study: the Danube Delta Reserve

Within the framework of this paper, we proposed to analyze the evolution of demand for this destination during the restrictions generated by COVID 19, but also the interest of investors in this area. The Danube Delta represented the ideal destination of 2020, in a pandemic context, and continued to represent it in 2021. In this sense, the objectives of the research are represented by the analysis of the main indicators of sustainable tourism development, for which there are statistical data at the territorial level; they are recommended to be the most important for shaping the metamorphosed tourism paradigm. The purpose of the research carried out is to propose some measures/solutions to protect the ecosystem of the Danube Delta Biosphere, so that they can be implemented by the state institutions and even by the inhabitants of the local communities, in order to ensure the sustainability of the Danube Delta tourist destination in the future. The methodology for the analysis of the modeling the metamorphosed paradigm sustainable tourism post-COVID-19 in the Danube Delta was implemented through three successive stages: (1) the analysis of the main theoretical elements regarding sustainable tourism in the Danube Delta, (2) the evaluation of the main indicators proposed for shaping the metamorphosed paradigm of tourism and (3) calculating the average length of stay.

Demonology and folk magic in the folklore of the inhabitants of Nasielsk

The article presents the material from the field research I conducted in Nasielsk and its surrounding villages. From a reasonably rich collection of interviews, I have selected fragments that refer to the verbal folklore preserved in the memory of the inhabitants of Nasielsk. To more accurately extract and present oral legend, the article is divided into two parts. First, I deal with topics related to folk demonology and belief in the operation of ‘unclean forces’ among the inhabitants of the local community. On the other hand, the second part is devoted to narratives related to magic and ways to counteract it.

Integrated fire management in a tropical biosphere reserve: Achievements and challenges

Wildfires are among the most critical threats to tropical rainforests. In the Selva El Ocote Biosphere Reserve in the Mexican state of Chiapas, vast rainforest areas suffered destruction by fires in 1998 and 2003. However, there have been no more widespread fires, and previously burnt areas have been recovering. The present study analyses the integrated fire management processes implemented in the reserve. It includes 19 expert interviews and a survey applied to 274 inhabitants of local communities. It argues that the successful prevention of further adverse wildfire events is related to a fire management approach, which emphasizes cultural and physical fire prevention and incorporates strong participation by local communities. The communities have established internal agreements to mitigate wildfire risk. Thus, the reserve might serve as an example of how integrated and cultural fire management can be applied in practice. However, these achievements face challenges, mainly due to budget cuts, changing governmental priorities, and the crisis of the rule of law in Mexico. An event that particularly impacted fire management practices in the area in recent years was the implementation of the federal government's Sembrando Vida (“Planting Life”) program. First, it led to deforestation and the provocation of wildfires but afterwards it seems to have induced the abandonment of agricultural burning by a considerable percentage of local farmers.

An ethno-botanical survey of medicinal plants used in the treatment of fracture and dislocation in Ogugu, Kogi State Nigeria

The documented information on traditional medicinal plants in Ogugu communities of Kogi State is vague and limited to its species and thus very little research has been done on these medicinal plants. An Ethno-botanical study was conducted to take inventory of the species by the inhabitants of various communities in Ogugu, Olamaboro Local Government area of Kogi State in bone fracture treatment and dislocation. The study was carried out between May through September 2019. Ethnomedicinal knowledge was gathered from 20 traditional bone setters in 10 communities using questionnaires. The plants most referenced from the questionnaire were collected and identified using various standard methods and procedures. 80% of the respondents were male while 20% were female. 40% were in the range of 31-41 years of age and only 10% were in the age range of 20-30 years. About 45% has no formal education while only 5% had a university degree. TBS with most year of experience (21-25 years) are only 5% while the profession is dominated by those of moderate time of practice (11-15 years) with 40% representative. A total of 49 medicinal plant species distributed in 27 families and genera were documented. Family Euphorbiaceae was found to be mostly used for fracture treatment. The most frequent used plant parts were the leaves (49.5%). The method of preparation of the herbal remedies were generally best in the form of poultice administered in the form of paste to give the best result in fracture and bone setting treatment.

Determinants of forest law compliances among inhabitants of local communities surrounding tropical wildlife and forest reserve in Ghana

Globally, there has been a continuous increase in forest degradation despite the existence of forest laws, treaties, and international conventions. This situation calls for the need to identify factors associated with individual forest law compliance behaviour. In this study, utilitarian value, legitimacy of forest laws, social norms as well demographic factors as determinants of compliance with forest laws have been examined. The study was conducted among 252 participants in communities within the statutory catchment of the Owabi reserve which has in it a forest reserve, Ramsar site and reservoir. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25, AMOS Graphics and Stata 14 were used to perform descriptive and inferential statistical analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and fractional regression analysis with the data collected for the study. The study found below average level of compliance with forest law as shown by a forest law compliance index (FCI) of less than 0.5. The findings also show a positive effect of social norms (β = 0.091, p = 0.03) and education (β = 0.092, p = 0.02) on forest law compliance whereas being indigene (residential status) negatively affect forest law compliance (β = −0.101, p = 0.016) at 5%. The findings led to the conclusion that promoting compliance with forest laws requires enhancing and strengthening positive social norms regarding community interaction with forests as well as education and awareness creation. We, therefore, recommend public education and awareness creation on forest laws by relevant forest management agencies and the adoption of lateral, collaborative and co-management approaches in forest law enforcement to benefit from the positive effect of social norms and education on forest law compliance.

Hellhound(s) on My Trail: Reading Cormac McCarthy's Suttree as a Blues

ABSTRACT: This essay rereads Cormac McCarthy's 1979 novel Suttree as a "blues," examining Suttree's deep relationship to the vengeful, hunted black man Ab Jones, whose scarred body and eloquently articulated narrative of persecution leads Suttree to channel his plaintive suffering. Startlingly, the conclusion of the novel, particularly the final image of the huntsman and hounds who the title character fears are chasing him, suggests that McCarthy draws on Delta bluesman Robert Johnson's most famous tune, "Hellhound on My Trail," in his evocation of these hounds and Suttree's fear of them through his channeling the identity of Johnson (behind whom looms Ab Jones). At the same time, the hounds have figuratively embayed a particular Knoxville populace—its black community—with devastating consequences and the hounds' presence through this lyrical intertext at the end of the novel suggest how that community's inhabitants, particularly Ab, continue to be hunted down by the white community's representatives such as the police.

East Harlem, from Frontier Neighborhood to Urban School Center of the 1940s. An Overview of Leonard Covello’s Work

The research starts from the urban and domestic dimension for a historical-anthropological reading of the neighborhood that led the inhabitants of the largest Italo-American community in the United States to collaborate in a collective project of social uplift and rethinking of educational paths in an intercultural, intergenerational and progressive key.

DETERMINATION OF GROSS ALPHA/BETA RADIOACTIVITY OF WATER SAMPLES AROUND MINING SITES, DANGE-SHUNI LGA, SOKOTO STATE

Mining activities in the Iullumeden (Sokoto) basin is often heard of due to its prominence in artisanal mode of ransacking the Earth in search of minerals and metal of high economic values. The unabated demand in the growing post-industrial era have decimated any health impact that could be borne by the inhabitants of the mining communities. Dange-Shuni is an enclave of this basin that was covered in a bid to determine the gross alpha and beta radioactivity in domestic water in and around mining points. Water samples were collected and analyzed via Hidex 300 SL system of Liquid Scintillation Counting from a systematic sampling of fifteen mining points. The results indicate that both the gross alpha and beta radioactivity concentrations were in elevation with about 80% and 85% above the global limits of 0.5 and 1.0 . The results are good reasons to work hard in order to bring dose of radioactivity exposure to the inhabitants to as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) being a mandate of WHO.

Oral Vitamin C Intake Ameliorates Crude Oil-Polluted Water-Induced Jejunal Contractile Dysfunctions in Wistar rats

Inhabitants of rural Niger-Delta oil communities in Nigeria often, unintentionally, consume crude oil polluted water (COCW) due to crude oil spills in the region. The impact of vitamin C supplementation during COCW ingestion on the contractile mechanism of the jejunum is not fully known. Hence, this study investigates the outcomes of COCW water and vitamin C intake on the smooth muscle activity of the jejunum in Wistar rats using standard techniques. Data obtained showed that jejunal tissue SOD concentration was significantly reduced, while jejunal tissue MDA concentration was significantly increased in the COCW-only treated group. Contraction mediated by acetylcholine was significantly increased in the COCW-only treated rats. Calcium and potassium ion influx significantly increased jejunal contraction in the COCW-only rats. Incubation of the jejunal tissue in nifedipine, indomethacin, and L-NAME significantly increased acetylcholine-mediated contractions in the jejunal tissue of the COCW-only treated rats when compared to other groups. COCW causes free radical-induced jejunal damage that results in impaired jejunal contractile activity mediated by the M2 muscarinic receptor, nitric oxide synthase activity, voltage-gated large-conductance calcium channels, potassium channels, and prostaglandins. However, the oral intake of Vitamin C supplementation significantly ameliorated impairments by enhancing jejunal antioxidant activity.

Local digital lending development and the incidence of deprivation in Kenya

AbstractIn the developing world, vulnerable communities often lack access to regular income sources to cope with unforeseen events. Recent advancements in financial technology have enabled microcredit to be delivered via digital platforms. Although digital credit may quicken remote access to consumer credit without the need for collateral, little is known about its contribution to the welfare of underserved communities. This study examines the effects of local digital lending development on deprivation and explores the implications of these effects on rural inhabitants. The results show a negative association between local digital lending development and food deprivation on one hand and health deprivation on the other. The evidence suggests that local digital lending development can reduce the probability of food and health deprivation. Furthermore, the evidence reveals that inhabitants of rural communities benefit more from digital lending development. This study recommends the decentralization of financial inclusion policies as a pathway to promote digital lending at the local level.

CHALLENGES OF THE SOCIAL HOUSING DWELLERS

The South African government embarked on social housing construction for the less privileged post-apartheid rule. This study sought to investigate the challenges faced by the inhabitants of the social housing communities in Bloemfontein. A survey approach was adopted to solicit information from 1893 social housing dwellers within 7 communities in the suburb of Bloemfontein. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze and present the data collected. The finding shows that the prevalent challenges experienced by the inhabitants in the social housing communities are an inadequate number of bedrooms, inability to extend their houses, lack of toilet facilities, unemployment, and household overcrowding. Despite the government's effort to improve the lives of less privileged citizens, prominent challenges hinder their living standards. Thus, undermining the policy objectives. The study gives the government and policymakers insight into significant challenges facing social housing inhabitants. Therefore, they can institute measures to address these challenges to enhance policy objectives achievement.

Urogenital Schistosomiasis in Likomba Community, Fako Division, South West Region, Cameroon

Background: Urogenital Schistosomasis (US) is the second most neglected tropical disease to malaria. It is estimated that about 600-700 million people Worldwide are at risk of contracting this disease. In Cameroon more than 5million people are at the risk of infection. Clinical manifestations of US include haematuria, dysuria, lower abdominal pain and bladder cancer. Praziquantel is the drug of choice.
 Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of Urogenital Schistosomiais in Likomba community in Fako Division.
 Methods: A community based cross- sectional study was carried out from February till March 2020. A structured questionnaire was administered to 363 participants through a convenient sampling technique. We obtained information on socio-demographic data, clinical history of the participants, knowledge of the disease and other risk factors associated with Urogenital Schistosomiasis. Urine samples were collected to detect Schistosoma haematobium eggs using the centrifugation technique. Data was collected and analyzed using statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 24.
 Results: Out of the 363 participants a total of 101 tested positive to Schistosoma haematobium infection having and overall prevalence of 27.8%. The most infected age group ranged from 5 - 13 years which had a prevalence of 49.5% while the least infected age group found within ≥ 47 years had a prevalence of 9.9%. The prevalence of US in females was 63.4% which was higher than that of males 36.6%, this difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05).The risk factors associated with US included; the availability of tap water (P<0.05), the source of drinking (P<0.05), number of times they go the stream (Ndongo) (P<0.005) and various sites of taking their bath (P>0.05).
 Conclusion: This study revealed that US is still very prevalent among the inhabitants of Likomba community, therefore there is a need for the government and community health workers to re-inforce health education, ensure the provision of adequate pipe born water and campaign strategies which will educate and significantly help reduce the prevalence of the disease in this area.

Mangrove resource utilization and impacts in the Pra and Kakum estuaries of Ghana

Mangrove forests provide a wide range of valuable uses or benefits that contribute to the wellbeing of inhabitants in coastal communities. This study evaluated the economic and ecological contribution of mangrove resources to coastal livelihoods in communities that depend on the Kakum and Pra River estuaries and the impact of the uses on the structural development of the mangrove species. Information on the utilization of mangrove resources was obtained from 136 respondents in ten communities, using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Structural parameters of the mangrove species were estimated and the data analysed using descriptive statistics and regression. The study revealed that coastal inhabitants harvested fuelwood, timber (poles), crabs and periwinkles from both mangrove forests, while tilapia was collected from only the Pra mangrove forest. About 34 % of the respondents depended solely on mangrove resource harvesting as their main occupation. The mean net annual incomes derived from fuelwood and periwinkles were about US $ 1,000 – 1,730 and US $ 660 – 2,000 respectively, whereas that from tilapia was about US $ 2,310, per respondent. The observation suggested that mangroves income contributed substantially (about 65%) to the overall income of the mangrove resource users. All the mangrove species had low structural developments in terms of size and height. Given that widespread harvesting of mangrove trees affects their structural development, this study therefore makes a compelling case to strengthen conservation strategies at the local level to ensure sustainable utilization of these mangrove forests.

Traditional Knowledge on the use of Turtles in a Protected Area of the Amazon in Maranhão (Brazil): A Conservation Proposal

The use of turtles for food or breeding is a traditional practice in the Baixada Maranhense Environmental Protection Area (EPA), which is composed of wetlands of high conservation value. However, species such as Kinosternon scorpioides, a semi-aquatic Amazon turtle , are threatened by direct harvesting and habitat loss. Local knowledge of biodiversity has been used to understand these practices and to control these problems as a theoretical basis in research on the use and management of natural resources and conservation. This work aimed to analyze the traditional knowledge of riverside communities on the biology, habitat, capture methods, forms of use, and conservation of turtles in the Baixada Maranhense. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with inhabitants of riverside communities. Based on our results, turtle species are commonly caught in fishing activities (54.71 percent of the interviewees) or by burning (32.35 percent), a practice with great environmental impacts. 41.77 percent of respondents capture these animals for consumption and prefer the K scorpioides, which also has cultural and medicinal importance for the riverside communities. 89 percent of the interviewees report no knowledge of either the structure and function of an EPA or how resource management works, compromising the sustainability principles and operation of this Conservation Unit (C.U.). It is concluded that capture of turtles is one of the reasons for the decrease in natural stocks of K scorpioides. Strategies for management and conservation of the Baixada Maranhense EPA resources are proposed.