The Need to Include Animal Protection in Public Health Policies

Many critical public health issues require non-traditional approaches. Although many novel strategies are used, one approach not widely applied involves improving the treatment of animals. Emerging infectious diseases are pressing public health challenges that could benefit from improving the treatment of animals. Other human health issues, that overlap with animal treatment issues, and that warrant further exploration, are medical research and domestic violence. The diverse nature of these health issues and their connection with animal treatment suggest that there may be other similar intersections. Public health would benefit by including the treatment of animals as a topic of study and policy development

The Flaws and Human Harms of Animal Experimentation

Nonhuman animal (“animal”) experimentation is typically defended by arguments that it is reliable, that animals provide sufficiently good models of human biology and diseases to yield relevant information, and that, consequently, its use provides major human health benefits. I demonstrate that a growing body of scientific literature critically assessing the validity of animal experimentation generally (and animal modeling specifically) raises important concerns about its reliability and predictive value for human outcomes and for understanding human physiology. The unreliability of animal experimentation across a wide range of areas undermines scientific arguments in favor of the practice. Additionally, I show how animal experimentation often significantly harms humans through misleading safety studies, potential abandonment of effective therapeutics, and direction of resources away from more effective testing methods. The resulting evidence suggests that the collective harms and costs to humans from animal experimentation outweigh potential benefits and that resources would be better invested in developing human-based testing methods

LSE Festival 2021: COVID-19 is the consequence of our cruelty to animals

As long as we continue to farm animals intensively, says Aysha Akhtar (Center for Contemporary Sciences), viruses will make the leap from animals to humans. Another pandemic is inevitable unless we change our behaviour – and the next one could be much worse

Do Physicians of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Patients Understand Their Patients' Wishes Concerning End-of-Life Care?

Background of Study Design: Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) and euthanasia have repeatedly emerged as issues of debate regarding end-of-life treatment for patients with intractable pain, terminal illnesses and /or other debilitating diseases. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a non-curable, debilitating neurological disease that causes progressive paralysis and eventual respiratory failure. Patients with ALS are in unique positions to contemplate end-of-life care issues due to the predictability of the course of the disease. While some have expressed an interest in pursuing PAS and/or euthanasia in order to control the circumstances of their deaths, it is not known how many have done so. In addition, little information is known about how much physicians of ALS patients understand their patients' interest in these options. Methods: Physicians of ALS patients will be identified in neurology clinics throughout North Carolina. Mailed questionnaires will be sent to physicians over a 4-month period. They will be asked about their understanding of their ALS patients' wishes concerning end-of-life care including PAS and euthanasia. ALS patients, identified through these physicians, will be asked to complete questionnaires pertaining to their wishes regarding end-of life care. These questionnaires will be completed through semi-structured interviews. Results: To be completed Conclusion: It is predicted that physicians of ALS patients will underestimate their patients' interest in PAS and euthanasia.Master of Public Healt

Structural patterns of fisheries communities with relation to ecological condition in subtropical coastal waters of the northern Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

1720-1732Fisheries assemblages with notes on the ecological conditions in coastal waters of the northern Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, were investigated based on beach seine fishing net data form a one-year cycle (2015-2016) data collected by beach seine net. A total of 75 species comprising of 61 finfishes, 7 shrimps, 2 cephalopods, 2 lobsters and 3 crab species were identified. Among them, 58 species were commonly distributed in all four seasons, while 16 species were found dominant to the total communities. The species number, richness, evenness, and species diversity peaked in the monsoon and fell in the winter. Multivariate analysis of CAP and dbRDA revealed that there were clear temporal and spatial variations in fisheries assemblages in the Kohelia channel. RELATE analysis showed a significant correlation between fisheries communities with environmental variables. Furthermore, best matching analysis (BEST/BIOENV) confirmed that these temporal and spatial variations were driven by changing salinity, transparency and nutrients either alone or combined with soil nutrients. Thus, these findings suggest that fisheries community structure is shaped by the ecological condition in this marine channel system

Seasonal pattern of zooplankton communities and their environmental response in subtropical maritime channels systems in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

Zooplankton are a primary component of aquatic food chain and play an important role in the functioning of aquatic food webs. Seasonal variation in community structures of zooplankton and potential environmental drivers were studied, during a 1-year cycle (summer 2015 – spring 2016) in subtropical maritime channels systems in the Bay of Bengal, coastal waters in Bangladesh. A total of 32 species representing 25 families, 13 orders and 15 taxonomic groups were identified. Of these species, 23 distributed in all four season of which 8 were dominant species with high contributions of the total communities. Species number was peaked in autumn and fell in summer while maximum abundance was in the winter and minimum in summer. Multivariate analyses showed that there was a clear seasonal shift in zooplankton community structures in relation with environmental conditions. Species diversity and evenness peaked in summer while the high value of species richness was found in autumn. Multivariate correlation (RELATE) and BIO-ENV analysis demonstrated that seasonal variation in community patterns was significantly correlated with temporal shift of environmental conditions and that variation mainly driven by water transparency, salinity, DO, TSS and nutrients. Thus, this finding implies that the zooplankton community represented a clear seasonal shift shaped by environmental drivers in subtropical channels systems

Severity of acute hepatitis and its outcome in patients with dengue fever in a tertiary care hospital Karachi, Pakistan (South Asia)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Liver injury due to dengue viral infection is not uncommon. Acute liver injury is a severe complicating factor in dengue, predisposing to life-threatening hemorrhage, Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) and encephalopathy. Therefore we sought to determine the frequency of hepatitis in dengue infection and to compare the outcome (length of stay, in hospital mortality, complications) between patients of Dengue who have mild/moderate (ALT 23-300 IU/L) v/s severe acute hepatitis (ALT > 300 IU/L).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A Cohort study of inpatients with dengue viral infection done at Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi. All patients (≥ 14 yrs age) admitted with diagnosis of Dengue Fever (DF), Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) or Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) were included. Chi square test was used to compare categorical variables and fischer exact test where applicable. Survival analysis (Cox regression and log rank) for primary outcome was done. Student t test was used to compare continuous variables. A p value of less than or equal to 0.05 was taken as significant.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Six hundred and ninety nine patients were enrolled, including 87% (605) patients with DF and 13% (94) patients with DHF or DSS. Liver functions tests showed median ALT of 88.50 IU/L; IQR 43.25-188 IU/L, median AST of 174 IU/L; IQR 87-371.5 IU/L and median T.Bil of 0.8 mg/dl; IQR 0.6-1.3 mg/dl. Seventy one percent (496) had mild to moderate hepatitis and 15% (103) had severe hepatitis. Mean length of stay (LOS) in patients with mild/moderate hepatitis was 3.63 days v.s 4.3 days in those with severe hepatitis (P value 0.002). Overall mortality was 33.3% (n = 6) in mild/moderate hepatitis vs 66.7% (n = 12) in severe hepatitis group (p value < 0.001). Cox regression analysis also showed significantly higher mortality in severe hepatitis group (H.R (4.91; 95% CI 1.74-13.87 and P value 0.003) and in DHF/DSS (5.43; CI 1.86-15.84 and P value 0.002). There was a significant difference for the complications like Bleeding (P value < 0.001), Acute Renal failure (ARF) (P value 0.002), Acalculus cholecystitis (P value 0.04) and encephalopathy (P value 0.02) in mild/moderate and Severe hepatitis groups respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Severe hepatitis (SGPT>300IU) in Dengue is associated with prolonged LOS, mortality, bleeding and RF.</p

The Need to Include Animal Protection in Public Health Policies

Many critical public health issues require non-traditional approaches. Although many novel strategies are used, one approach not widely applied involves improving the treatment of animals. Emerging infectious diseases are pressing public health challenges that could benefit from improving the treatment of animals. Other human health issues, that overlap with animal treatment issues, and that warrant further exploration, are medical research and domestic violence. The diverse nature of these health issues and their connection with animal treatment suggest that there may be other similar intersections. Public health would benefit by including the treatment of animals as a topic of study and policy development

The Need to Include Animal Protection in Public Health Policies

Many critical public health issues require non-traditional approaches. Although many novel strategies are used, one approach not widely applied involves improving the treatment of animals. Emerging infectious diseases are pressing public health challenges that could benefit from improving the treatment of animals. Other human health issues, that overlap with animal treatment issues, and that warrant further exploration, are medical research and domestic violence. The diverse nature of these health issues and their connection with animal treatment suggest that there may be other similar intersections. Public health would benefit by including the treatment of animals as a topic of study and policy development

The Flaws and Human Harms of Animal Experimentation

Nonhuman animal (“animal”) experimentation is typically defended by arguments that it is reliable, that animals provide sufficiently good models of human biology and diseases to yield relevant information, and that, consequently, its use provides major human health benefits. I demonstrate that a growing body of scientific literature critically assessing the validity of animal experimentation generally (and animal modeling specifically) raises important concerns about its reliability and predictive value for human outcomes and for understanding human physiology. The unreliability of animal experimentation across a wide range of areas undermines scientific arguments in favor of the practice. Additionally, I show how animal experimentation often significantly harms humans through misleading safety studies, potential abandonment of effective therapeutics, and direction of resources away from more effective testing methods. The resulting evidence suggests that the collective harms and costs to humans from animal experimentation outweigh potential benefits and that resources would be better invested in developing human-based testing methods