The time pattern of selenomethionine administration in preventing free radicals due to exposure to electric cigarette smoke

Background: Most people believe that electric cigarettes have no negative effect on health,  which causes them to use it more. However, exposure to the smoke from these cigarettes is bad for the health and causes cell damage. Antioxidants play an important role in preventing cell damage, and they can be obtained through the oral administration of selenomethionine.Design and methods: This study used an experimental method and a post-test control group design. Male Wistar rats, which were exposed to cigarette smoke were given selenomethionine orally and then tested for the presence of free radicals. The measurement of lung tissue damage was conducted by assessing the level of malondialdehyde in the blood and immunohistochemistry (IHC) of the lung tissue.Result: The study showed that differences in the time of administration of selenomethionine affect the levels of malondialdehyde in the blood and expression of malondialdehyde in the lung tissue (p<0.05). Consequently, the two groups showed a strong (r=0.861) and significant (p=0.000) relationship with each other.Conclusion: The early application of selenomethionine can prevent increased levels of malondialdehyde in the blood and lung tissue due to exposure to e-cigarette smoke

Nurses’ team communication in hospitals: A quasi-experimental study using a modified TeamSTEPPS

Background: Communication is a bridge of transaction between the health team, patients, and families that applies in the service units of hospitals, which are closely related to the patient safety culture. TeamSTEPPS is a team strategies and tools to enhance performance and patient safety. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the effect of modified TeamSTEPPS training on the team communication of nurses in hospitals.Design and Methods: This study used a quasi-experimental pre-posttest control group design and a purposive sampling technique.Results: About 28 nurses participated and were distributed into control and intervention groups. The results of the Wilcoxon test on communication perception obtained a p-value greater than α (0.980>0.050), while on communication attitudes the p-value was greater than α (0.517>0.050). Furthermore, the spearman rho test showed that there was no difference between the team perception (p=0.624; α=0.050) and communication attitudes (p = 0.320; α = 0.050). This means that the implementation of this training towards nurses’ Team communication in the hospital did not have a significant effect.Conclusions: Hospitals need to carry out the implementation of TeamSTEPPS in a sustainable manner and develop good teamwork and effective team communication

Practice of wound closure techniques among emergency physicians and surgeons in Makkah City Hospitals in Saudi Arabia

Background: Wound suturing is a procedure performed by medical and surgical specialists. While there are many different suturing techniques and materials used to treat patients, the choice of which to employ depends on different variables that affect the outcome of the procedure.Design and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted to provide descriptive data regarding the practice of wound closure techniques, and to develop an awareness of scar formation factors. A total of 172 general surgery (GS) surgeons and emergency (EM) physicians in Makkah city hospitals in Saudi Arabia participated in the study.Results: More than 50% of the practitioners favored the simple interrupted technique for the treatment of all types of studied wounds. The other most common techniques among participants were the subcuticular and vertical mattress methods, respectively, while the use of a stapler was limited to certain wound types. Regarding suturing material, polyglycolic acid was the most frequent material used by 50.1% of participants, whereas only 22% of the participants selected nylon material for wound suturing. However, this study showed a good level of awareness among participants, with significant p-values (p<0.05) of strongly agree and agree regarding the essential factors affecting wound healing and scar formation.Conclusions: The result provides insight into the most common suture techniques and materials used in wound closure. There are wide variations in selecting these techniques and materials among the participants. Also, we found that there is good awareness among participants about factors that lead to scar formation

HIV epidemic in a province of the Brazilian Amazon region: Temporal trend analysis

Background: Although considerable progress has been made over the last decades, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incidence and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) mortality rates have remarkably increased in the Brazilian Amazon region. Here, we employed temporal analysis to determine the impact of public policies on the HIV epidemic in the state of Pará, Brazil, which has the second highest HIV incidence rate in the Amazon region.Design and Methods: This is an ecological study conducted in the state of Pará, employing secondary data of HIV/AIDS cases notified to the Information System for Notifiable Diseases, 2007–2018. The following epidemiological variables were collected: year of notification, municipality of residence, age, sex, education, exposure category, and HIV/AIDS diagnostic criteria. The study population was composed of 21,504 HIV/AIDS cases. The HIV/AIDS incidence rates were analyzed employing the temporal trend analysis (TTA) followed by the chi-square test and residue analysis to determine the association between the epidemiological variables and time series periods.Results: A total of 50% of the notifications were composed of AIDS cases. TTA identified two periods in HIV/AIDS incidence, with stabilization of cases in the first period (G1, 2007–2012) and an upward trend in the second period (G2, 2012–2018). The most prevalent epidemiological characteristics in G2 (versus G1) were as follows: young people, brown skin color, higher schooling, and homosexuals.Conclusion: Public policy to control HIV infection in the Brazilian Amazon region has been partially effective. HIV screening tests and treatment should be made widely available to eradicate HIV infection in the Amazon region by 2030

Response of Indonesian universities to the COVID-19 pandemic – between strategy and implementation

Escalated by mid-January 2020, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having a profound effect on all aspects of society, including the education activities in higher education. Colleges and universities globally are taking various actions to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. These efforts are mainly to secure the well-being of their students and staff, as well as members of their communities. Due to the increasing number of infections has prompted a number of universities in Indonesia to participate in the fight against the virus outbreak. This article provides an overview of the role played by Indonesian universities dealing with COVID-19 pandemic and how Indonesian universities serving the public good for COVID-19 breakthroughs. The research problem of this study focuses on how the strategies developed by the university in responding to COVID-19 and their implementation to reduce the potential consequences of the pandemic impacts. Subsequently, this paper presented the responses of universities in Indonesia in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. The forms of responses presented in this paper are academic responses, research and development responses and social community services responses. Furthermore, a conceived information of the issues and challenging of involving of universities in collaborating on solutions to crises of the coronavirus pandemic in Indonesian context were portrayed. In conclusion, this paper summarizes the contribution of Indonesian universities and its impacts in fighting deadly virus disease COVID-19

A web-based intervention is feasible for supporting weight loss and increased activity in rural women with arthritis

Rural women have well documented health disparities, with higher prevalence of obesity and chronic conditions, including arthritis. Change in weight and actigraph-recorded data were examined in a subset of 63 of 82 women with physician-diagnosed arthritis who completed a 30-month web-based clinical trial. Repeated measures analyses showed women lost weight from baseline to six months, slowly regained at 18 and 30 months, ending with a lower weight than baseline F(1,62)=40.89, p < .001, η2p =.40. Of 53 women with complete data, activity increased at six months, decreased at 18 months, and increased at 30 months F(1,52)=4.14, p =.04, η2p=.07. Women showed improved change in weight and activity from baseline at six, 18 and 30 months. This study adds support that web-based programs may promote weight loss and activity in a hard-to-reach, underserved population of midlife and older rural women with arthritis. &nbsp

Prevalence and distribution of selected developmental dental anomalies in Taif, Saudi population

Background: Developmental dental anomalies are seen as abnormalities in tooth size, shape, position, and structure due to multiple reasons during various stages of tooth development. These anomalies can create disturbances in dental arch lengths and occlusions. Hence, it is very important to treat, recognise and perform proper treatment. The purpose of this study was to find out the prevalence and distribution of selected developmental anomalies in shape, size and position of teeth in the Saudi population of Taif Region.Design and Methods: The study was based on the clinical examination of 2481 adults who are Saudi nationals came for dental treatment from September 2019 to February 2020, at Taif University Dental Hospital, Saudi Arabia. These patients were examined clinically for developmental dental anomalies affecting shape, size and position.Results: We found that a total of 512 individuals (20.63%) had developmental anomalies and out of which 386 persons (15.56%) had at least one developmental dental anomaly. The frequency and distribution of anomalies of shape and size, number and position were 46.8%, 26.9% and 42.9% respectively. In the present study, 15.56% individuals exhibited at least one anomaly, 8.54% subjects had more than one anomalies and 79.36%.did not any developmental anomaly. On comparison, statistical significant results were seen between different groups of anomalies.Conclusions: The present study had varying results for the prevalence rate of selected dental anomalies. This variation in results might be due racial differences or discrepancy in sample size or/and diagnostic or inclusion criteria. Treatment of developmental anomalies necessitates a multidisciplinary approach and mostly may comprise of orthodontic correction or prosthetic replacement

Exercise improves long-term social and behavioral rhythms in older adults: Did it play a role during the COVID-19 lockdown?

The study aimed to verify whether exercise training in older adults can improve social behavioral rhythms (SBR) and if any modification is maintained over time. Older adults (n=120) from a previous randomized controlled trial, were randomly allocated to either a moderate-intensity exercise group or a control group. SBR was evaluated at t0, t26, and t48 weeks (during the COVID-19 lockdown), using the brief social rhythms scale (BSRS). Seventy-nine participants completed the follow-up (age 72.3±4.7, women 55.3%). An improvement in the BSRS score was found in the exercise group at 26 weeks (p=0.035) when the exercise program was concluded, and it was maintained at 48 weeks (p=0.013). No improvements were observed in the control group. To conclude, SBR, previously found as a resilience factor in older adults during COVID-19, appear to improve after a moderate 12 weeks exercise program, and the improvement persisted even after stopping exercise during the COVID-19 lockdown

Social distancing and reopening universities after the COVID-19 pandemic: policy complexity in G20 countries

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has affected the entire globe, and various mythologies argue about its diagnosis, cure, and prevention. Globally, as of September 18th, 2020, there have been 30.055 million confirmed cases, including 0.943 million deaths. The nationwide closures are impacting over 60% of the world’s student population. This study aimed to explore the social distancing policies and universities' reopening after COVID-19 in G20 countries (19 member countries and the European Union).Design and Methods: The study is based on documentary analysis. G20 members represent around 80% of the world’s economic output, two-thirds of the global population (including more than half of the world's poor), and 75% of international trade. Based on documentary analysis, the study revealed that there is a policy dilemma among G20 countries regarding school reopening and a variety of conflicting policies within each country.Results: Based on a sample of 838 universities in the USA, 66% of universities (552 of 838) plan for in-person instruction, while only 7% are planning for a completely online teaching mode in the fall 2020 semester. Conclusions: Interestingly, none of the private universities in this study are planning to implement an online teaching mode. Policymakers need an integrated set of policy guidelines for school reopening, considering the evaluation of current COVID-19 pandemic circumstances and social distancing capacity

Drawbacks and aftermath of the Affordable Care Act: ex-ante moral hazard and inequalities in health care access

Background: Following the introduction of the Affordable Care Act, various studies have tried to identify the effects of the Reform, without reaching a clear consensus. The aim of this study was to investigate whether expansion of the Medicaid program has led to less inequality in access to health care and to a higher level of ex-ante moral hazard.Design and Methods: The analysis was conducted on two-year longitudinal data (2014-2015) regarding a cohort of 15,898 individuals from a Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). After a data cleaning procedure, a sample of 9,255 individuals was selected for the inequality part of the study and 2,307 for the ex-ante moral hazard analysis. Propensity score matching with nearest-neighbour and kernel matching algorithms, difference-in-difference models and concentration index, corrected according to Erreygers methodology, were adopted.Results: The analysis showed that disparities were reduced between social classes although the ex-ante moral hazard is a real problem with the Affordable Care Act since individuals covered by public insurance tended to abuse the public service. Among those who benefited from the Act, a reduction in preventive behaviours was observed: there was an increase in smoking and a decrease in level of physical activity. As far as concerns access to health care, there was a decrease in inequality in emergency visits, inability to get care and getting care when needed among beneficiaries of the Reform.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the extension of Medicaid has had a dual effect of reducing disparities in access to health care but, at the same time, it seems to have induced people to take less care of themselves