Emerging Vector- borne Diseases Caribbean Perspective: Should we be worried about Chikungunya?

Zika virus is currently attracting a huge international attention. Recently concluded Rio Olympics are a testament to the importance of public health planning and preparedness to counter the threat of emerging infections. Zika is a documented condition from 1940’s and is not so extensively studied until recently. The similarity of the virus transmission and the presence of a common vector pose a significant threat to the community. The strong link of the vector to the environmental conditions is another factor that has to thoroughly explored to prevent the rapid spread that was evident in other regions of the world. Three essential steps are proposed in the control and require further studies. Firstly, raising the awareness efficiency towards the disease. Second, the vector control and the impact of climate change on the spread of the vector needs to be understood. And thirdly, true burden of the disease and the cost of prevention to the health system need to be explored in depth

Factors Associated with Tobacco Smoking Among Saudi College Students: A Systematic Review

Introduction: There has been an increase in tobacco smoking among Saudi college students in recent years. However, no study has examined, with a systematic approach, the extent to which specific factors are associated with tobacco smoking among this population. Methods: PubMed, ProQuest, CINAHL, and Web of Science were utilized to retrieve studies addressing risk factors associated with tobacco smoking among Saudi college students between 2010 and 2019. After confirming their eligibility criteria, studies were imported to the NVivo software for data collection and synthesis. All included articles were critically appraised, based on a modified STROBE. Results: Twenty-one out of 300 studies met the eligibility requirements for inclusion. Riyadh, health-related science, and male were the location, field of study, and gender of the population of most of those included in the studies, respectively. Only one study used a longitudinal design based on a theoretical framework; the rest were cross-sectional and lacked theoretical utilization. Four individual and two social factors were established to have a significant relationship with tobacco smoking behavior among college students in four or more studies. Environmental factors were found to be associated with a change in smoking behavior among Saudi college students based on two studies. Conclusions: There is a dearth of research in utilizing theoretical frameworks to guide the research in order to propose an intervention program among Saudi college students. Future research should aim to recruit participants from different institutions in the KSA, apply other methodological approaches, test other measurements of tobacco smoking, and utilize a theoretical framework.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gradposters2020_healthsciences/1000/thumbnail.jp

Factors Associated With Tobacco Smoking Among Saudi College Students: A Systematic Review

INTRODUCTION There has been an increase in tobacco smoking among Saudi college students in recent years. However, no study has examined, with a systematic approach, the extent to which specific factors are associated with tobacco smoking among this population. METHODS PubMed, ProQuest, CINAHL, and Web of Science were utilized to retrieve studies addressing risk factors associated with tobacco smoking among Saudi college students between 2010 and 2019. After confirming their eligibility criteria, studies were imported to the NVivo software for data collection and synthesis. All included articles were critically appraised, based on a modified STROBE. RESULTS Twenty-one out of 300 studies met the eligibility requirements for inclusion. Riyadh was the location, health-related science was the field of study, and male the gender of the population of most of the included studies. Only one study used a longitudinal design based on a theoretical framework, the rest were cross-sectional and lacked theoretical utilization. Four individual and two social factors were established to have a significant relationship with tobacco smoking behavior among college students in four or more studies. Environmental factors were found to be associated with a change in smoking behavior among Saudi college students based on two studies. CONCLUSIONS There is a dearth of research in utilizing theoretical frameworks to guide the research in order to propose an intervention program among Saudi college students. Future research should aim to recruit participants from different institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), apply other methodological approaches, test other measurements of tobacco smoking, and utilize a theoretical framework

Smoking Tobacco Prevalence Among College Students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

INTRODUCTION: During the last two decades, several studies have been published regarding the prevalence of tobacco smoking among college students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This systematic review and meta-analysis is intended to determine and examine the smoking prevalence in Saudi college students from 2010-2018. METHODS: PubMed, Science Direct, APA PsycNET, Web of Science, and CINAHL were used to search for published articles reporting the smoking prevalence among Saudi college students. After eliminating irrelevant articles, investigators independently assessed the quality of each article, based on Russell & Gregory guidelines. MetaXL software was used to calculate the pooled prevalence among included studies, using the IVhert model. Heterogeneity among the included studies was evaluated, using I2 statistic. Sensitivity analyses were conducted between male and female genders. RESULTS: Of the 295 published articles, 29 articles used a cross-sectional design to determine smoking prevalence among Saudi college students. Most of the studies were conducted in Riyadh at health-science-related colleges; the rest were performed in different cities and colleges. The meta-analysis showed that the pooled estimate of smoking prevalence among college students in the KSA was 17% (95% CI: 11-23%). Saudi male students had a prevalence rate of 26% (95% CI: 24-29%), whereas for Saudi female students the prevalence was 5% (95% CI: 3-7%). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking among Saudi college students was higher than in the majority of regional countries (e.g. Iran). Saudi male students had a higher smoking prevalence than Saudi female college students. Additionally, studies that reported a high prevalence targeted students in specific disciplines. Public health authorities in the KSA should develop a surveillance system that monitors the prevalence of tobacco smoking on campuses. A surveillance system of monitoring tobacco use among Saudi college students could be beneficial in determining the degree of the tobacco problem and in improving current tobacco control programs

The Risk Factors for Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose Among Individuals Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in Saudi Arabia

Background: Lack of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is a known risk factor for controlling type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Nevertheless, little research has been conducted on SMBG among Saudis with T2DM. Aim: The study aimed to investigate personal and cognitive-perceptual factors for SMBG among Saudis with T2DM guided by Health Promotion Model. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample size of 808 Saudi adults with T2DM utilizing secondary data from the Saudi Health Interview Survey for 2013. Statistical Analysis: Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were applied to examine the risk factors for SMBG among Saudis with T2DM. Results: The prevalence of SMBG was 55.5% in Saudi adults with T2DM. In the multivariate analysis, obesity (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR] = 1.20), middle (APR = 1.30) and higher (APR = 1.49) education where predictors of SMBG, whereas shorter diabetes duration (APR = 0.78 for \u3c5 years and 0.78 for 5–9 years) and Eastern region (APR = 0.66) were inversely associated with SMBG. Conclusions: The study suggested the future design of interventional programs related to self-care practices should focus on diabetic individuals with low education, obesity, and longer duration of diabetes, and regional differences, specifically when considering limited access to health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, longitudinal studies with a large sample size at national and regional levels are needed to further examine the personal and psychological risk factors in Saudis with T2DM

Vitamin D Level in Relation to Depression Symptoms During Adolescence

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and depression symptoms among adolescents in Kuwait, a country with a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. METHODS: A school based cross-sectional study was conducted on randomly selected 704 adolescents in middle schools. Data on depression symptoms were collected using the Children\u27s Depression Inventory (CDI). Data on covariates were collected from the parents by self-administered questionnaire and from adolescents by face-to-face interview. Blood samples were analyzed in an accredited laboratory; and 25(OH)D was measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Of 704 adolescents, 94 (13.35%; 95%CI:10.35-17.06%) had depression symptom (a score of 19 or more on the CDI). There was no significant difference in the median CDI score between different vitamin D status (p = 0.366). There was also no significant correlation between serum 25(OH)D concentration and CDI score (Spearman\u27s rank correlation = 0.01; p = 0.825).There was no significant association between 25(OH)D and depression symptoms whether 25(OH)D was fitted as a continuous variable (crude odds ratio (OR) 0 .99 [95%CI: 0.98, 1.01], p = 0.458 and adjusted OR 1.01 [95%CI: 0.99, 1.02], p = 0.233), categorical variable as per acceptable cut-of points (crude analysis p = 0.376 and adjusted analysis p = 0.736), or categorical variable as quartiles (crude analysis p = 0.760 and adjusted analysis p = 0.549). CONCLUSION: Vitamin D status does not seem to be associated with depression symptoms among adolescents in our setting. Nevertheless, it is important to have sufficient vitamin D levels during adolescence for several other health benefits

The impact of protection of the intellectual property rights on the pharmaceutical market in India

India is struggling not only against communicable diseases but also carries a large burden of non-communicable diseases. India is one of the 10 countries hosting 75% of the children who had not received vaccines for vaccine preventable diseases, like diphtheria, pertusis and tetanus. The diseases caused by Haemophilus, Pneumococcus and Rotaviruses, which are causing 2.1 million deaths in all age groups worldwide, have not even nudged the Indian government to provide access to the appropriate vaccines. For the pharmaceutical industry, R&D (research & development) on vaccines is not that profitable as the purchases are made by the government and moreover, the use is only for one time. There is a lack of vaccine coverage in the developing world and there is a growing need for developing new and better vaccines

Src Dependent Pancreatic Acinar Injury Can Be Initiated Independent of an Increase in Cytosolic Calcium

Several deleterious intra-acinar phenomena are simultaneously triggered on initiating acute pancreatitis. These culminate in acinar injury or inflammatory mediator generation in vitro and parenchymal damage in vivo. Supraphysiologic caerulein is one such initiator which simultaneously activates numerous signaling pathways including non-receptor tyrosine kinases such as of the Src family. It also causes a sustained increase in cytosolic calcium- a player thought to be crucial in regulating deleterious phenomena. We have shown Src to be involved in caerulein induced actin remodeling, and caerulein induced changes in the Golgi and post-Golgi trafficking to be involved in trypsinogen activation, which initiates acinar cell injury. However, it remains unclear whether an increase in cytosolic calcium is necessary to initiate acinar injury or if injury can be initiated at basal cytosolic calcium levels by an alternate pathway. To study the interplay between tyrosine kinase signaling and calcium, we treated mouse pancreatic acinar cells with the tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor pervanadate. We studied the effect of the clinically used Src inhibitor Dasatinib (BMS-354825) on pervanadate or caerulein induced changes in Src activation, trypsinogen activation, cell injury, upstream cytosolic calcium, actin and Golgi morphology. Pervanadate, like supraphysiologic caerulein, induced Src activation, redistribution of the F-actin from its normal location in the sub-apical area to the basolateral areas, and caused antegrade fragmentation of the Golgi. These changes, like those induced by supraphysiologic caerulein, were associated with trypsinogen activation and acinar injury, all of which were prevented by Dasatinib. Interestingly, however, pervanadate did not cause an increase in cytosolic calcium, and the caerulein induced increase in cytosolic calcium was not affected by Dasatinib. These findings suggest that intra-acinar deleterious phenomena may be initiated independent of an increase in cytosolic calcium. Other players resulting in acinar injury along with the Src family of tyrosine kinases remain to be explored. © 2013 Mishra et al

Thermomechanical and dynamic behavior of surface mounted chip components

Since SMT is a new technology, there are numerous problems at different processing stages that confront this industry. This thesis addresses the following two problems: 1) chip component movement during solder reflow and 2) thermomechanical behavior of solder joints during thermal cycling. The problem of SMC movement is predominant in passive components, such as capacitors and resistors, and hence the study was conducted on these two devices. Based on a static and dynamic model, recommendations on pad sizes, solder volume, and component dimensions were made. An elastoplastic model was developed to investigate the thermomechanical behavior of solder joints during thermal cycling. Parameters such as pad sizes, solder volume, and standoff height were varied to find their effect on the strains in the joint. Recommendations for optimal dimensions for these parameters were made based on the results of the simulations. Finally, the elastoplastic model was augmented with the inclusion of creep analysis. The effects of different PCB constraints on the strain distribution in the solder joint were studied. Finally, a methodology to predict the life of a solder joint was developedMechanical Engineerin

Tobacco Smoking Prevalence Among College Students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction: During the last two decades, several studies have been published regarding the prevalence of tobacco smoking among college students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This systematic review and meta-analysis is intended to determine and to examine the smoking prevalence in Saudi college students from 2010-2018. Methods: PubMed, Science Direct, APA PsycNET, Web of Science, and CINAHL were utilized to search for published articles reporting the smoking prevalence among Saudi college students. After eliminating irrelevant articles, investigators independently assessed the quality of each article, based on Russell and Gregory’s guidelines. MetaXL software was used to calculate the pooled prevalence among included studies, using the IVhert model. Heterogeneity among included studies was evaluated, using I2 statistic. Sensitivity analyses were conducted between male and female genders. Results: Of the 295 published articles, 29 articles used a cross-sectional design to determine smoking prevalence among Saudi college students. Most of the studies were conducted in Riyadh at health science-related colleges; the rest were performed in different cities and colleges. The meta-analysis showed that the pooled estimate of smoking prevalence among college students in the KSA was 17% (95% CI: 11%-23%). Saudi male students had a prevalence rate of 26% (95% CI: 24%-29%), whereas Saudi female prevalence was 5% (95% CI: 3%-7%). Conclusions: Smoking among Saudi college students was higher than in the majority of regional countries (e.g., Iran). Saudi male students had a higher smoking prevalence than Saudi female college students. Additionally, studies that reported a high prevalence targeted students in specific disciplines. Public health authorities in the KSA should develop a surveillance system that monitors the prevalence of tobacco smoking on campuses. A surveillance system of monitoring tobacco use among Saudi college students could be beneficial in determining the degree of the tobacco problem and in improving current tobacco control programs.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/health_sciences/1000/thumbnail.jp