The Impact of Linguistic Styles on Message Delivery in Encouraging the Use of Leftover Bags for Food Waste Reduction

Plate leftovers are a major cause of food waste in restaurants. To reduce food waste, many restaurants encourage customers to use “doggy bags” to take away their plate leftovers. However, the efficiency of adopting such leftover bags is still questionable as some customers may feel embarrassed to use leftover bags. Hence, the current research aims to explore how to leverage different linguistic styles (figurative vs. literal language) to encourage the usage of leftover bags for food waste reduction purposes. Furthermore, this research will investigate the linguistic style efficiency in various restaurant dining contexts across two empirical studies. Study 1 will examine customers’ responses to different linguistic style messages when they make orders either with or without the restaurant server around (server taking the order vs. customer ordering by using the table tablet). Study 2 will examine whether there are any differences in terms of linguistic impacts on food waste reduction when customers are with or without other customers around (solo diners vs. group diners)

Healthcare Provider and Patient Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) Regarding Zika Virus

Introduction: Zika virus emergence in the western hemisphere has prompted the critical need for tailored risk counseling. Our team created a KAP survey in order to assess provider and patient awareness of Zika virus symptoms, transmission, treatment, and current and future concerns in order to inform local risk counseling efforts. Methods: The cross-sectional survey was issued in Medical Faculty Associates (MFA) clinics and via online link to healthcare providers and community members. The REDCap Data Collection tool was used to capture responses with subsequent SAS data analysis. Results: A total of 172 responses were collected. Most respondents (97%) were aware of a link between Zika virus and microcephaly. 89% think that a vaccine is important. 52% will restrict travel to Zika endemic regions. 51% will take mosquito protective measures in the US versus 91% in Zika endemic areas. 35% of pregnant women would abstain from sex if their partners traveled to a Zika endemic area whereas 25% would if they themselves were the traveler. 37% plan to delay pregnancy and 58% are concerned about eventually having a child with microcephaly. Of the healthcare providers sampled, about one-fifth could not identify Zika infection symptoms, 16% were unaware of symptom treatment options and 5.4% did not know that Zika virus could be passed transplacentally. 34% believed DEET to be unsafe in pregnancy and 52% were unsure about permethrin safety in pregnancy. Of the 172 survey respondents, most (97%) were aware of a link between Zika virus and microcephaly. 89% think that a vaccine is important. 52% would restrict travel to Zika endemic regions. 51% would practice mosquito safety in the US versus 91% in Zika endemic countries. 35% of pregnant women would abstain from intercourse if their partners traveled to Zika endemic areas whereas 25% would if they themselves were the traveler. 37% plan to delay pregnancy and 58% worry about future children with microcephaly. Of the healthcare providers, 20% could not identify Zika infection symptoms, 16% were unaware of symptom treatment options, 5% were unaware that Zika virus passes transplacentally, and 34% believed DEET to be unsafe in pregnancy. Conclusion: The survey results provide novel insight into the KAP of patients and healthcare providers regarding Zika virus. This data will be used to optimize information distribution to our community, address large knowledge gaps in both patients and providers, and prepare medical providers to offer needed counseling

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of one-carbon metabolism and cancers of the esophagus, stomach, and liver in a Chinese population.

One-carbon metabolism (folate metabolism) is considered important in carcinogenesis because of its involvement in DNA synthesis and biological methylation reactions. We investigated the associations of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in folate metabolic pathway and the risk of three GI cancers in a population-based case-control study in Taixing City, China, with 218 esophageal cancer cases, 206 stomach cancer cases, 204 liver cancer cases, and 415 healthy population controls. Study participants were interviewed with a standardized questionnaire, and blood samples were collected after the interviews. We genotyped SNPs of the MTHFR, MTR, MTRR, DNMT1, and ALDH2 genes, using PCR-RFLP, SNPlex, or TaqMan assays. To account for multiple comparisons and reduce the chances of false reports, we employed semi-Bayes (SB) shrinkage analysis. After shrinkage and adjusting for potential confounding factors, we found positive associations between MTHFR rs1801133 and stomach cancer (any T versus C/C, SB odds-ratio [SBOR]: 1.79, 95% posterior limits: 1.18, 2.71) and liver cancer (SBOR: 1.51, 95% posterior limits: 0.98, 2.32). There was an inverse association between DNMT1 rs2228612 and esophageal cancer (any G versus A/A, SBOR: 0.60, 95% posterior limits: 0.39, 0.94). In addition, we detected potential heterogeneity across alcohol drinking status for ORs relating MTRR rs1801394 to esophageal (posterior homogeneity P = 0.005) and stomach cancer (posterior homogeneity P = 0.004), and ORs relating MTR rs1805087 to liver cancer (posterior homogeneity P = 0.021). Among non-alcohol drinkers, the variant allele (allele G) of these two SNPs was inversely associated with the risk of these cancers; while a positive association was observed among ever-alcohol drinkers. Our results suggest that genetic polymorphisms related to one-carbon metabolism may be associated with cancers of the esophagus, stomach, and liver. Heterogeneity across alcohol consumption status of the associations between MTR/MTRR polymorphisms and these cancers indicates potential interactions between alcohol drinking and one-carbon metabolic pathway

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Florida physicians regarding dengue before and after an educational intervention.

BACKGROUND: Failure to recognize and appropriately manage dengue early in the clinical course may result in late initiation of supportive treatment for severe disease. In Florida, travel-related and autochthonous dengue occur and are likely under-recognized. The objective of this study was to evaluate physician knowledge of dengue and its management before and after an educational intervention in Florida. METHODS: From 2012-13 we conducted 14 grand-rounds style lectures on dengue clinical management attended by 413 physicians, and analyzed data from the pre- and post-tests. RESULTS: Of those attending, 231 and 220 completed the pre-and post-tests, respectively. Overall, the mean pre-test score for knowledge-based questions was 74.3 and average post-test score was 94.2 %, indicating a mean increase of 19.9 % (P \u3c 0.0001, 95 % CI 17.7-22.4). Reported confidence in dengue recognition and management also increased. Non-US trained physicians and those who had treated more than ten dengue cases performed significantly better in the pre-test. Post-test scores did not differ by subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: The train-the-trainer approach with grand-rounds style presentations appear to be an effective intervention to improve knowledge of dengue among physicians

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Florida physicians regarding dengue before and after an educational intervention.

BACKGROUND: Failure to recognize and appropriately manage dengue early in the clinical course may result in late initiation of supportive treatment for severe disease. In Florida, travel-related and autochthonous dengue occur and are likely under-recognized. The objective of this study was to evaluate physician knowledge of dengue and its management before and after an educational intervention in Florida. METHODS: From 2012-13 we conducted 14 grand-rounds style lectures on dengue clinical management attended by 413 physicians, and analyzed data from the pre- and post-tests. RESULTS: Of those attending, 231 and 220 completed the pre-and post-tests, respectively. Overall, the mean pre-test score for knowledge-based questions was 74.3 and average post-test score was 94.2 %, indicating a mean increase of 19.9 % (P \u3c 0.0001, 95 % CI 17.7-22.4). Reported confidence in dengue recognition and management also increased. Non-US trained physicians and those who had treated more than ten dengue cases performed significantly better in the pre-test. Post-test scores did not differ by subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: The train-the-trainer approach with grand-rounds style presentations appear to be an effective intervention to improve knowledge of dengue among physicians

Implementation of an Ultraviolet Phototherapy Service at a National Referral Hospital in Western Kenya: Reflections on Challenges and Lessons Learned.

IntroductionIn order to manage skin conditions at a national referral hospital level in Kenya, specialized dermatology services, such as dermatologic surgery, dermatopathology, phototherapy, and sub-specialty care, should be offered, as is typically available in referral hospitals around the world. A Kenyan patient with prurigo nodularis, whose severe itch remitted after phototherapy treatment at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), inspired the development of a phototherapy service at Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), a partnership in Western Kenya between Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Moi University College of Health Sciences, and a consortium of North American academic medical centers.MethodsInitial project funds were raised through a crowdfunding campaign and fundraising events. A new narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy unit and replacement bulbs were donated and air shipped to Eldoret, Kenya. A team of dermatologists and phototherapy nurses from UCSF conducted a 2-day training session. US-based dermatologists affiliated with AMPATH provide ongoing support through regular communication and on-site visits.ResultsEarly in implementation, challenges faced included training clinical staff with limited experience in phototherapy and improving communication between nurses and clinicians. More recent challenges include frequent rotation of specialty clinic nurses in the dermatology clinic, adaptation of phototherapy guidelines to balance patient volume with service delivery capacity, and training assessment of disease activity in darkly pigmented skin.ConclusionStrategies that have been helpful in addressing implementation challenges include: increasing on-site and remote training opportunities for clinicians and nurses, developing a tiered payment schema, educating patients to combat misconceptions about phototherapy, dynamic phototherapy referral guidelines to accommodate service delivery capacity, and prioritizing the engagement of a multidisciplinary team

Combining Google Earth and GIS mapping technologies in a dengue surveillance system for developing countries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne illness that places significant burden on tropical developing countries with unplanned urbanization. A surveillance system using Google Earth and GIS mapping technologies was developed in Nicaragua as a management tool.</p> <p>Methods and Results</p> <p>Satellite imagery of the town of Bluefields, Nicaragua captured from Google Earth was used to create a base-map in ArcGIS 9. Indices of larval infestation, locations of tire dumps, cemeteries, large areas of standing water, etc. that may act as larval development sites, and locations of the homes of dengue cases collected during routine epidemiologic surveying were overlaid onto this map. Visual imagery of the location of dengue cases, larval infestation, and locations of potential larval development sites were used by dengue control specialists to prioritize specific neighborhoods for targeted control interventions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This dengue surveillance program allows public health workers in resource-limited settings to accurately identify areas with high indices of mosquito infestation and interpret the spatial relationship of these areas with potential larval development sites such as garbage piles and large pools of standing water. As a result, it is possible to prioritize control strategies and to target interventions to highest risk areas in order to eliminate the likely origin of the mosquito vector. This program is well-suited for resource-limited settings since it utilizes readily available technologies that do not rely on Internet access for daily use and can easily be implemented in many developing countries for very little cost.</p

Use of Mobile Learning by Resident Physicians in Botswana

With the growth of mobile health in recent years, learning through the use of mobile devices (mobile learning [mLearning]) has gained recognition as a potential method for increasing healthcare providers\u27 access to medical information and resources in resource-limited settings. In partnership with the University of Botswana School of Medicine (SOM), we have been exploring the role of smartphone-based mLearning with resident (physicians in specialty training) education. The SOM, which admitted its first class of medical students and residents in 2009, is committed to providing high-level on-site educational resources for resident physicians, even when practicing in remote locations. Seven residents were trained to use an Android-based myTouch 3G smartphone equipped with data-enabled subscriber identity module (SIM) cards and built-in camera. Phones contained locally loaded point-of-care and drug information applications, a telemedicine application that allows for the submission of cases to local mentors, and e-mail/Web access. Surveys were administered at 4 weeks and 8 weeks following distribution of phones. We found that smartphones loaded with point-of-care tools are effectively utilized by resident physicians in resource-limited settings, both for accessing point-of-care medical information at the bedside and engaging in self-directed learning at home