Public Health Problem Research Articles

Personalized medicine and opioid use disorder

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a major public health problem affecting millions of people worldwide. Although OUD is a chronic and relapsing disorder, a variety of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions are available. Medication-assisted treatment of OUD generally relies on competition for opioid receptors against the addictive substance. The mechanisms of this competition are to block or inactivate the opioid receptor or activate the receptor with a substance that is intermittent or long acting. Methadone and buprenorphine are two United States Food and Drug Administration-approved medications that have long-term positive effects on the health of opioid-dependent individuals. Although clinical studies of drugs generally demonstrate efficacy in thousands of people and toxicity is excluded, it cannot be predicted whether the given drug will cause side effects in one of the patients at the treatment dose. Individual differences can be explained by many biological and environmental factors. Variations in genes encoding drug metabolism or cellular drug targets significantly explain the variability in drug response between individuals. Therefore, for the effects of candidate genes to be accepted and included in individual treatment protocols, it is important to repeat studies on individuals of different ethnic backgrounds and prove a similar effect.

Screening for STIs among criminal legal system involved youth of color in community settings

BackgroundSexually transmitted infections are a significant, and growing, public health problem in this country – particularly among youth. Innovative strategies are needed to reduce the community burden of infection. Preliminary studies indicate that individuals involved in the criminal legal system have high rates of infection. While gaps exist in providing screening for incarcerated individuals, there are minimal efforts that have been initiated to screen individuals diverted from incarceration. In this study, we examined the STI risk profile and feasibility of screening for sexually transmitted infections for youth who were attending an alternative sentencing program after arrest for a minor offense. Youth were screened for chlamydia and gonorrhea using urine-based nucleic acid amplification tests.ResultsOf the 307 participants engaged in a program providing supportive services for criminal legal system involved youth at the Brooklyn Court House in New York City, 186 agreed to screening for sexually transmitted infections, and 8% were positive for chlamydia, gonorrhea, or both.ConclusionsScreening programs within carceral settings have proven effective in identifying individuals with STIs. However, with policy changes diverting more young people away from incarceration and into community-based programs, innovative programs are needed to identify STIs among youth in these settings. Our findings indicate that it is feasible to conduct venue-based screening in these settings, and, doing so may identify youth in need of treatment and further evaluation.

The development and validation of a knowledge, attitude, and practice questionnaire of methamphetamine use

Methamphetamine is a synthetic psychostimulant that is showing a rising trend of usage among adolescents and youths. Its harmful side effects and high risk of developing addiction is a public health problem. Recognizing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on methamphetamine is critical in the planning of an intervention strategy. Currently there is a lack of KAP questionnaires on methamphetamine. The study aims to develop and validate a KAP questionnaire on methamphetamine-use for use among Malaysian adolescents. Following an extensive literature review, face and content validity were carried out among healthcare workers, the public, students, and local subject matter experts. A pilot study was conducted amongst 50 students to assess the test-retest reliability. The questionnaire was then distributed to two groups of 269 and 331 individuals for the Exploratory (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), respectively. The internal reliability was also assessed among these groups. The content validation consisting of Item Content Validity Index (I-CVI, ranging from 0.875 to 1.00), and Scale Content Validity Index (S-CVI/Ave = 0.941) both showed good validation scores. Test-retest reliability showcased an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) of > 0.7, indicating its reliability. The model was constructed via the EFA resulting in four constructs, and the model’s goodness of fit was confirmed with CFA. An internal reliability was calculated with Cronbach’s Alpha and showed acceptable reliability (α-values > 0.6) for all constructs. The KAP questionnaire of methamphetamine use is a valid and reliable tool that can be used among Malaysian adolescents. The model arising from this study, can also be used as a guide for future intervention models for adolescent methamphetamine-use disorder.

Rabies, The Administration of Vaccines and Public Health Concern, Neglected Challenges and Historical Perspective in China

Rabies virus is transmitted via contact of saliva of a rabid animal with a person ,s mucosa or a skin lesion. It is a fatal encephalomyelitis caused by members of expanding Lyssavirus genus, and the genus included 17 species. The aim of this literature review is to survey on rabies and vaccination in China, threats and challenges to eliminate it, especially in China. The information provided is obtained from randomized control experiments, review articles, and analytical observations and studies which were gathered from various literature sources such as Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct. The keywords were dogs, glycoprotein, lyssavirus, post-exposure prophylaxis, and rabies virus. Rabies virus is a bullet shaped enveloped virion, and the classical rabies virus and its field strains are discovered worldwide and induces to rabies in animals and humans. In recent years, China has made wonderful and significant achievements in rabies prevention and control, and currently, the mortality and incidence rate of human infection with rabies have decreased to the minimum level historically, which has caused a notable foundation for the ultimate elimination of human rabies. Generally, five proteins are available in mature rabies virus particles, phosphoprotein, nucleoprotein, glycoprotein, matrix protein, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. The main carriers of rabies in China are dogs which are accountable for most of the human rabies deaths in China. Most common way of entry of rabies virus into the body is both via infected neural tissue through open cuts in the skin and salvia. The most notable parameters which limit rabies vaccinations are limited laboratory-based surveillance, diminished community outreach and education, underestimation of the population at risk, irregular vaccine applications in space and time, inaccessible naïve free-ranging dogs, exclusion of puppies, cold chain failure, translocation of cases, effect of other species, including cats, wildlife, and livestock, accessibility to remote hotspots, competing priorities, lack of adequate resources, impact of poverty on responsible social ownership and routine animal health care, cultural disparities, Sisyphean fatigue, frustration and staff burn-out. Rabies remain a public health problem and continue to present health risks for both animals and human; It is important to improve access to PEP in endemic countries where human rabies deaths still happen, but the big problem is its costs that should be curtailed and surveillance strengthened for controlling and eliminating it.

An Analysis of Emergency Surgical Outcomes for Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Ten-Year Single-Institute Retrospective Study in Taiwan

Background and Objectives: Pediatric traumatic brain injury (pTBI) remains a major pediatric public health problem, despite well-developed injury prevention programs. The purpose of this study is to analyze the emergency surgical outcomes of pTBI in a single institute ten-year retrospective study to offer a real-world clinical result. Materials and Methods: Our institute presented a clinical retrospective, single-institute research study of 150 pediatric TBI cases that were diagnosed and underwent emergency surgical treatment from 2010 to 2019. Results: The incidence of radiological findings is detailed as follows: brain edema (30%, 45/150), followed by acute subdural hematoma (27.3%, 41/150), epidural hematoma (21.3%, 32/150), chronic subdural hemorrhage (10%, 15/150), skull fracture (6.7%, 10/150), and traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (4.7%, 7/150). Surgical intervention data revealed that decompressive craniectomy was still the main effective surgical method. The results showed longer hospital stays and higher morbidity rates in the brain edema, acute subdural hematoma, and chronic subdural hemorrhage groups, which were viewed as poor surgical outcome groups. Epidural hematoma, skull fracture and traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage were categorized into good surgical outcome groups. Notably, the data revealed gross improvement in Glasgow Coma Scale/Score (GCS) evolution after surgical interventions, and the time to cranioplasty was a significant factor in the development of post-traumatic hydrocephalus (PTH). Conclusions: Our study provided real-world data for the distribution of etiology in pTBI and also categorized it into six groups, indicating disease-orientated treatment. In addition, our data supported that decompressive craniectomy (DC) remains a mainstay surgical treatment in pTBI and early cranioplasty could decrease the incidence of PTH.

Extracts and Terpenoids from Stevia Species as Potential Anthelmintics for Neglected Tropical Diseases Caused by Cestode Parasites

Cestodes are etiological agents of neglected diseases such as echinococcosis and cysticercosis, which are major public health problems. Antiparasitic treatment relies on a small number of approved drugs, which are often only partially effective, poorly tolerated and require prolonged administration. Thus, the discovery of novel potential treatments is critical. The Stevia genus (Asteraceae) includes species that are recognized as a source of bioactive compounds, with many species associated with medicinal uses. In this study, the cestocidal activity of four South American Stevia species that previously showed antiprotozoal activity was analyzed using a motility assay on the laboratory cestode model, Mesocestoides vogae. The four Stevia extracts showed cestocidal activity, with S. alpina var. alpina as the most active. The sesquiterpene lactones estafietin and eupatoriopicrin were purified from S. alpina var. alpina and S. maimarensis, respectively, and tested on M. vogae. Estafietin showed cestocidal activity, inhibiting parasite viability in a dose-dependent manner, even from the first day of incubation. Consistent with the motility effects, the extract of S. alpina var. alpina and estafietin induced marked alterations in the morphology of the parasite. The results of this report show that Stevia species represent a source of new molecules with potential for the treatment of neglected tropical diseases caused by cestodes.

Effects of health education intervention on menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices among the adolescent girls of Pokhara Metropolitan, Nepal.

Poor menstrual hygiene practices are one of the major public health problems in Nepal. Due to persistent taboos and socio-cultural constraints, adolescent girls are often unaware of scientific facts, knowledge, and practices related to menstrual hygiene. This paper aims to assess the effects of health education intervention on menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices among adolescent girls in Pokhara Metropolitan, Nepal. A true experimental study was conducted in two government basic schools in Pokhara Metropolitan, Nepal. The study population was adolescent girls who had attended the menarche. Firstly, a pretest with the help of a self-administered questionnaire was done to find out the socio-demographic information, knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene. Next, health education sessions were conducted among the intervention group. Finally, after one month of intervention, a post-test was conducted among the intervention and non-intervention group. Data analysis was done through descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings showed significant improvement in the knowledge and practice level of adolescent girls on menstrual hygiene after health education intervention. Participants in the intervention group showed a significant increase in knowledge scores from 10.0% to 67.0%, while the non-intervention group remained unchanged at 7.5%. Good menstrual hygiene practices scores in the intervention group increased significantly from 22.5% to 67.0%, whereas the non-intervention group saw a slight rise from 20.0% to 22.5%. Regarding observed practice scores in menstrual hygiene, significant improvement was observed in the intervention group (45.0% to 100.0%) in contrast to the non-intervention group (25.0% to 27.5%). This study highlights the crucial role of school health education interventions in promoting menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls. It emphasizes the importance of comprehensive educational programs tailored to early teenage girls, addressing timing, content, and delivery methods alongside ensuring the availability of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities.

Ongoing transmission of onchocerciasis in the Pru District of Ghana after two decades of mass drug administration with ivermectin and comparative identification of members of the Simulium damnosum complex using cytological and morphological techniques

Background Human onchocerciasis remains a public health problem in Ghana. Mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin (IVM) has reduced disease morbidity and prevalence, but the transmission of onchocerciasis remains ongoing in several endemic foci. We investigated parasite transmission in some endemic communities in Ghana that had received > 18 rounds of annual MDA with IVM and determined the species composition of black fly (Simulium damnosum) vectors in these areas.MethodsAdult female black flies were collected using human landing catches and identified as either forest or savanna species using morpho-taxonomic keys. The adult flies underwent dissection to determine their parity and detect any O. volvulus larvae, followed by the calculation of entomological indices. Simulium damnosum s.l. larvae were collected and preserved in freshly prepared Carnoy’s fixative and were later used for cytotaxonomic studies.ResultsA total of 9,983 adult flies were caught: 6,569 and 3,414 in the rainy and dry seasons respectively. Black fly biting activities over the study period showed bimodal or trimodal patterns. The highest monthly biting rate (MBR) of 10,578.75 bites/person/month was recorded in July in Beposo, while the highest monthly transmission potential of 100.69 infective bites/person/month was recorded in Asubende in August. Morphological analysis of 2,032 flies showed that 99.8% (2,028) of the flies were savanna species, with only 4 (0.2%) adult flies being of the forest species. Cytogenetic studies on 114 black fly larvae revealed three cytospecies (Simulium damnosum s.s., S. sirbanum and S. sanctipauli) in the study area.ConclusionsThe present studies confirmed an ongoing transmission of onchocerciasis in the study communities except Abua-1. It also provides further information on biting behaviors and onchocerciasis transmission indices in the study communities. Further, our data confirmed the savanna species (S. damnosum s.s. and S. sirbanum) of the S.damnosum s.l. to be the major vectors of onchocerciasis in the study areas, with only an occasional influx of forest cytotypes.Graphical

Defense mechanisms of Salmonella against antibiotics: a review

Salmonella is a foodborne pathogenic bacterium that causes salmonellosis worldwide. Also, Salmonella is considered a serious problem for food safety and public health. Several antimicrobial classes including aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, phenols, and β-Lactams are used to treat Salmonella infections. Antibiotics have been prescribed for decades to treat infections caused by bacteria in human and animal healthcare. However, intensive use of antibiotics resulted in antibiotic resistance (AR) among several foodborne bacteria including Salmonella. Furthermore, multi-drug resistance (MDR) of Salmonella has increased dramatically. In addition to MDR Salmonella, extensively drug resistant (XDR) as well as pan drug resistant (PDR) Salmonella were reported globally. Therefore, increasing AR is becoming a serious universal public health crisis. Salmonella developed many mechanisms to ensure its survival against antimicrobials. The most prominent defense mechanisms against these antibiotics include enzymatic inactivation, expelling drugs from the cell through efflux pumps, altering the structure of drugs, and changing or protecting the targets of drugs. Additionally, the formation of biofilms and plasmid-mediated AR by Salmonella, enhancing its resistance to various antibiotics, making it a challenging pathogen in both healthcare and food industry settings. This review focuses exclusively on providing a detailed overview of the mechanisms of AR in Salmonella.

Unravelling the Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Effect of Tecoma Stans Extracts

Infectious diseases are a serious public health problem responsible for approximately 13.7 million deaths annually. The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial and fungi species highlights the urgent need to search for alternative treatment options. In this regard, medicinal plants traditionally used for the treatment of infections as well as associated symptoms constitute a starting point for the search of endogenous solutions. This study was designed to investigate the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Tecoma stans extracts. The extracts were prepared by maceration using hydroethanolic solution (30:70, v/v) solvent. Then the obtained extract was fractioned by liquid-liquid partitioning using different solvent with increase polarity (hexane, ethylacetate, n-butanol, and water). The qualitative composition was studied using colorimetric methods. Total phenolic and total flavonoids compounds were determine using Folin Cioclateu and Aluminium Chloride methods respectively. The antioxidant activity was performed targeting DPPH, ABTS scavenging and FRAP assays. The antimicrobial activity was done using microdilution coupled with resazurin based assay. The phytochemical study of T. stans hydroethanolic extract revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, polyphenols, cardiac glycosides, quinones and coumarins. metabolites. The quantity of polyphenols in T. stans hydroethanolic extract was 291,139 ± 3,164 - 882,918 ± 3,154 mgEQ/100 gMS while that of flavonoids was 3,965 ± 0,138 -303,266 ± 1,178 mgEQ/100 gMS. The T. stans hydroethanolic total extract displayed no antioxidant activity targeting DPPH and ABTS free radicals at the concentrations (SC50 >500). But extracts and fractions showed a good reducing potential (SC50 ranging from 7.89 ± 0.61 tio 39.88 ± 1.10 µg/mg). Likewise, T. stans hydroethanolic extract exhibited antimicrobial activity with the MIC spanning from 1 mg/mL to 32 mg/mL toward Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus .........

Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Activity of Triple Enzyme-Embedded Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Nanoflowers (hNFs) in Comparison with Powerful Antimicrobial Agent Chitosan.

Organic-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers (hNFs) have high stability, reusability, low production cost, and overcome substrate/product inhibition. Antimicrobial activity of various hNFs has been reported to overcome environmental microbial contaminations and infections, which are considered major public health problems. α-amylase, protease, and lipase are the most common industrial enzymes exerting antimicrobial activity; therefore, we synthesized triple enzyme (α-amylase, protease, and lipase)-embedded hNFs by using pancreatin to evaluate their antimicrobial activity in comparison with one of the most potent antimicrobial polymer chitosan. The broad spectrum of the antimicrobial properties of chitosan is used in industrial products, including cosmetics, food, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and textiles. SEM analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and the degree of deacetylation (%DD) were performed for chitosan characterization, where SEM, FTIR, EDX, and XRD analyses were performed for the characterization of hNFs. The catalytic activity of pancreatin and hNFs was evaluated by measuring lipase, α-amylase, and protease enzyme activities at 37°C. Antibacterial activities of hNFs, pancreatin, and chitosan were tested on gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria, compared to the pancreatin and chitosan via agar and broth dilution methods. hNFs showed enhanced catalytic activity for protease, lipase, and α-amylase compared to pancreatin at different pH values (pH 8, 9). hNFs showed catalytic activity after being washed and reused up to six times, indicating their reusability and recoverability. hNFs showed significant antimicrobial activity, such as chitosan, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli, compared to pancreatin. Our novel hNFs can be used to develop antimicrobial technologies to fight against environmental microbial contaminations and antibiotic resistance-driven environmental pathogens.

Faster ciguatoxin extraction methods for toxicity screening

Ciguatera poisoning (CP) is a severe global public health problem caused by the consumption of seafood products contaminated with ciguatoxins (CTXs). The growing demand for seafood products requires high-throughput testing for CTX-susceptible seafood, however complex extraction and slow cleanup methods inhibit this goal. Herein, several methods for extracting CTXs from fish tissue were established and compared; these methods are sensitive, specific, and valid while achieving higher sample extraction throughput than currently established protocols. The trial fish material was generated from multiple species, with different physical conditions (wet and freeze-dried tissue), and naturally contaminated with various CTXs (i.e., CTX-1B, CTX-3C, and C-CTX-1), thus ensuring these methods are robust and broadly applicable. The extraction methods used were based on mechanical maceration with acetone or methanol or enzymatic digestion followed by acetone and ethyl acetate extraction. Crude extracts were investigated for CTX-like toxicity using an in vitro mouse neuroblastoma (N2a) cell-based assay (CBA). Among the three methods, there was no significant difference in toxin estimates (p = 0.219, two-way ANOVA), indicating their interchangeability. For speed (> 16 samples/day), accuracy (100%), and CTX analog retention confirmation by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC‒MS/MS), the preferred extraction methods were both methanol and enzyme-based. All extraction methods post hoc confirmation of CTX analogs successfully met international seafood market-based CTX contaminant guidance. These methods can drastically increase global CTX screening capabilities and subsequently relieve sample processing bottlenecks, inhibiting environmental and human health-based CTX analysis.

An exploration of unusual antimicrobial resistance phenotypes in Salmonella Typhi from Blantyre, Malawi reveals the ongoing role of IncHI1 plasmids

Typhoid fever is a significant public health problem endemic in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Antimicrobial treatment of typhoid is however threatened by the increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) S. Typhi, especially in the globally successful lineage (4.3.1) which has rapidly spread in East and Southern Africa. AMR elements can be found either on plasmids or in one of the three chromosomal integration sites, and there is variability of this across the lineage. Several previous studies with Malawian isolates indicated a clonal, locally spreading lineage with chromosomally integrated resistance genes. In a recent study however we noted three isolates with unusual predicted resistance profiles, and we here present the resolved genomes of these isolates using long- and short-read sequencing. Our work shows that these isolates are potentially imported cases, most closely related to the recently described sub-lineage 4.3.1.EA1, and encode IncHI1 plasmids with reduced resistance profiles compared to the major reference sequence of these plasmids spreading in East Africa. Similar reduced resistance plasmids were reported in a recent large-scale study in five isolates from Tanzania, highlighting the urgency for better coverage of the African continent in genome studies to better understand the dynamics of these potentially co-circulating plasmids.

Desnutrición crónica y su influencia en la carcinogénesis: Un análisis exhaustivo

Derived from the project “Educational training for nutritional malnutrition and hematological conditions in rural and urban populations in the southern zone of Manabí 2024” in the southern zone of Manabí. Malnutrition is a prevalent complication that can significantly increase morbidity and mortality in individuals of all ages, with a particularly severe impact on pediatric patients due to the specific characteristics of their development. Cancer is a global public health problem, especially in impoverished countries, every year more than 18 million people are diagnosed with cancer, and this figure is expected to rise to 29.5 million in 2040, which is why it is necessary to approach this study with the aim of investigating chronic malnutrition and its influence on carcinogenesis, whose methodology was of documentary design, The results show that severe malnutrition is frequent among cancer patients in several countries, especially among those suffering from gastroenteric and respiratory tract cancers, on the other hand, malnutrition, in its various forms, has complex biological effects on patients in different countries and the risk factors vary from country to country. It was concluded that malnutrition is closely related to a high prevalence of gastrointestinal and respiratory cancers, chronic malnutrition affects several biological mechanisms that may influence carcinogenesis, it is related to histone modifications and DNA damage, quality of life significantly influences nutrition and overall health, with recognized global impacts in different countries.

Sodium Fluoride Exposure Induces Developmental Toxicity and Cardiotoxicity in Zebrafish Embryos.

Fluorosis is a worldwide public health problem, in which the heart is an important target organ. However, studies on its toxicological mechanism in embryonic development are limited. This study assessed the toxicity of sodium fluoride (NaF) toward zebrafish embryos. We determined the mortality, hatching rate, phenotypic malformation, heart function, and morphology of zebrafish embryos after exposure to NaF. Subsequently, the molecular mechanism was revealed using high-throughput RNA sequencing analysis. The expression levels of key genes for heart development were detected using quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR. The 50% lethal concentration (LC50) value of NaF toward zebrafish embryos at 96h post-fertilization was 335.75mg/L. When the concentration of NaF was higher than 200mg/L, severe deformities, such as pericardial edema, yolk sac edema, spine curvature, shortened body length, reduced head area, and eye area, were observed. The heart rate of the embryos exposed to NaF decreased in a dose-dependent fashion. The distance between the sinus venosus and bulbus arteriosus was significantly increased in the NaF-exposed group compared with that in the control group. The stroke volume and cardiac output decreased significantly in the NaF groups. Compared with the control group, the expression levels of Gata4, Tbx5a, Hand2, Tnnt2c, Nppa, and Myh6 were significantly increased in the NaF-treated group. Through transcriptome sequencing, 1354 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in the NaF (200mg/L) treated groups, including 1253 upregulated genes and 101 downregulated genes. Gene ontology functional analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses of the DEGs showed that cardiac-related pathways, such as actin cytoskeleton regulation, Jak-Stat, PI3k-Akt, and Ras, were activated in the NaF-exposed group. This study revealed the underlying mechanism of fluoride-induced cardiac morphological and functional abnormalities and provides clues for the clinical prevention and treatment of fluorosis.

Characteristics of higher education students who reported sexual violence: a Nigerian national study

BackgroundSexual violence among higher education students is a global public health problem. Identifying the characteristics of students who report victimization can serve as basis for programmes that target vulnerable students.MethodsThe study was conducted among 30,114 Nigerian higher education students. They were selected from 18 institutions comprising universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. The purpose of the study was to assess the characteristics of students who reported sexual violence (rape, attempted rape and sexual harassment) and to determine the association between reporting and their characteristics.ResultsOur findings showed that 37% of the students reported experiencing sexual violence. Regression analysis showed that the odds of reporting among female students were two times greater than that of the male students (CI = 1.58–1.78; P < 0.001). The students who were traditionalists (aOR = 2.65, p < 0.001) or from other religious groups (aOR = 3.28, p < 0.001) had higher odds of reporting than those who were Christians. All the age groups represented in the study had significantly higher odds of reporting except those between 25 and 29 years (aOR = 1.03; p = 0.616). Non-final year students had significantly 7% lower odds of reporting (p = 0.037) than the first-year students. The students in the arts and humanities-related programmes significantly had higher odds of reporting than those in the science-related programs (aOR = 1.08; p = 0043). In addition, polytechnic and colleges of education students were two times more likely to report sexual violence than university students (p < 0.001). Also, the students from other regions were two times more likely to report sexual violence than those from Southwest region.ConclusionThe study concluded that sexual violence reporting by higher education students differ by their types of schools, sex, religion, level of education and geographical location.

The role of meaning in life in the association between loneliness and depression: a mediation study among older adults from 26 European countries.

Loneliness and depression are serious public mental health problems. Meaning in life (MIL) is associated with reduced loneliness and depression. This study aimed to: (1) investigate associations between loneliness, MIL, and depression, differentiated by sex in individuals aged ≥ 50years, residing in 26 European countries and Israel, and (2) to examine in men and women separately whether MIL mediated the relationship between loneliness and depression. We included 41,372 individuals (23,789 women) who responded to wave 8 of the SHARE project. The variables analyzed were loneliness (UCLA), depression (EURO-D scale), and MIL (CASP-19). The analytical procedures included regression analysis and exploratory mediation analysis. Among men and women, the odds of loneliness increasing depression were 3.6 and 3.3 times higher, respectively. Among men, feeling MIL sometimes or often had odds for reducing depression by 0.53 and 0.21, respectively. In women, feeling MIL sometimes or frequently reduced the odds of depression by 0.37 and 0.19, respectively. Regardless of sex, mediation analyses showed a positive association between loneliness and depression, while MIL was negatively associated with loneliness and depression. MIL partially mediated the association between LON and depression in male and female models by approximately 83.2% and 80.7%, respectively. No differences were found between men's and women's mediation models. Regardless of sex, high levels of MIL seem to be effective in benefiting the mental health of Europeans aged 50 and over. MIL proved to be a significant mediator of the relationship between loneliness and depression, while loneliness and depression strengthened each other.

Global, regional, and national burden of hearing loss in children and adolescents, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundHearing loss in children and adolescents is attracting increasing attention as a growing public health problem. This study aimed to analyze the burden of hearing loss in children and adolescents from 1990 to 2021 to provide a new basis for further epidemiological research, disease prevention, and public health policy development.MethodsThe prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) of hearing loss in children and adolescents from 1990 to 2021 at the global, regional, and national levels were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 database. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was used to assess trends in prevalence and YLDs. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the relationships between sociodemographic index (SDI) and prevalence and YLDs.ResultsIn 2021, approximately 97.83 million children and adolescents under the age of 20 years were affected by hearing loss globally, resulting in approximately 3.91 million YLDs. From 1990 to 2021, the prevalence rate increased from 3537 per 100,000 to 3711 per 100,000, with an EAPC of 0.15% (95% CI: 0.12–0.17). The burden of hearing loss was greater in low-middle-SDI region and low-SDI region. Mild hearing loss accounted for 62.1% of the total cases and was the predominant type of hearing loss. Otitis media was the leading preventable cause of hearing loss, with 46.9% of hearing loss attributed to otitis media. Moreover, in children under 5 years of age, 68.7% of hearing loss was attributed to otitis media. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the prevalence rates and YLDs rates of hearing loss were negatively correlated with the SDI (R = -0.57, P < 0.001; R = -0.64, P < 0.001).ConclusionsThe burden of hearing loss in children and adolescents has increased over the past three decades and remains high. The burden is greater in less economically developed countries or regions. Policymakers should pay attention to the increasing burden of hearing loss in children and adolescents and take targeted measures to control this burden.

The Relationship between Body Compositions and Serum Vitamin D Levels in Obese Adolescents

Purpose: Obesity and vitamin D deficiency is a significant public health problem with increasing frequency in childhood. Although numerous studies explored the correlation between obesity and vitamin D, the study is aimed to investigate such relationship in consideration of few/no studies on vitamin D and body compositions in obese people. Methods: A total of 62 adolescents aged 12 to 18 were included in the study, comprising 33 obese adolescents and 29 with normal weight. Blood samples were analyzed for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), parathyroid hormone (PTH), insulin, C-reactive protein (CRP), total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (LDL), triglycerides (TG), and HDL cholesterol (HDL). Body fluid status and composition were assessed using bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) for both the obese and control groups. Results: Total body water (TBW), extracellular water (ECW), intracellular water (ICW), ECW/ICW (E/I) ratio, lean tissue index (LTI), adipose tissue index (FTI), lean tissue mass (LTM), adipose tissue mass (ATM), body cell mass (BCM) values were significantly higher in the obese group in comparison with the control group (p ˂ 0.05). There was no significant difference in 25(OH)D levels in the obese and control groups (p ˃ 0.05). The distribution of 25(OH)D values below and above 20 did not differ significantly in the obese and control groups (p ˃ 0.05). Cholesterol, insulin and HOMA-IR values were detected significantly higher in the obese group than in the control group (p ˂ 0.05). HDL and Ca values were significantly lower in the obese group than in the control group (p ˂ 0.05). A significant positive correlation was discovered between BMI value and TBW, ECW, ICW, E/I, LTI, FTI, LTM, ATM, BCM values (p ˂ 0.05). A significant positive correlation was discovered between HOMA IR value and TBW, ECW, ICW, E/I, FTI, FAT, ATM values (p&lt; 0.05). No significant correlation was encountered between ....

PSD-95 Protein: A Promising Therapeutic Target in Chronic Pain.

Chronic pain, as a social public health problem, has a serious impact on the quality of patients' life. Currently, the main drugs used to treat chronic pain are opioids, antipyretic, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). But the obvious side effects limit their use, so it is urgent to find new therapeutic targets. Postsynaptic density (PSD)-95 protein plays an important role in the occurrence and development of chronic pain. The over-expression of the PSD-95 protein and its interaction with other proteins are closelyrelated to the chronic pain. Besides, the PSD-95-related drugs that inhibit the expression of PSD-95 as well as the interaction with other protein have been proved to treat chronic pain significantly. In conclusion, although more deep studies are needed in the future, these studies indicate that PSD-95 and the related proteins, such as NMDA receptor (NMDAR) subunit 2B (GluN2B), AMPA receptor (AMPAR), calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor (5-HT2AR), and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), are the promising therapeutic targets for chronicpain.