Undernutrition, polygynous context and family structure: a multilevel analysis of cross-sectional surveys of 350 000 mother-child pairs from 32 countries.

BACKGROUND:Contextual factors, especially where people live, has been linked to various health outcomes, therefore, there is an increasing focus on its implication for policies and implementation of health interventions. Polygyny is a widespread practice in sub-Saharan Africa that also reflects socioeconomic and sociocultural features. This study investigated the association between polygynous context and risk of undernutrition. METHODS:Recent Demographic and Health Surveys involving 350 000 mother-child pairs from 32 sub-Saharan African countries conducted between 2010 and 2018 as of March 2020, were analysed using relevant descriptive and 3-level multilevel logistic regression modelling. Undernutrition among under-5 was defined as underweight, stunting and wasting using the WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study. Odd Ratio (OR) at 95% credible interval was used to report the associations. RESULTS:The prevalence of contextual polygyny varied widely across the 32 sub-Saharan African countries, the lowest (0%) found in one of the regions in South Africa and the highest (52%) in one of the regions in Uganda. Underweight, stunting and wasting were lowest in Uganda (3.5%, 9.3%-1.27%, respectively), stunting was highest in Mozambique (37.1%) while wasting was highest in Niger (7.7%). Furthermore, the results showed that the contextual prevalence of polygynous practice exacerbates the risk of underweight (1.003 (0.997-1.008)) and wasting (1.014 (1.007-1.021)) among under-5 children, even when gender inequality and sociodemographic indicators were adjusted for. Polygyny was negatively associated with stunting though not significant; multiple births had the strongest and positive association with the risk of undernutrition among under-5 children in sub-Saharan Africa. CONCLUSIONS:This study further corroborates the strong influence of contextual factors on health outcomes-which is undernutrition in this study. In addition to specific interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of undernutrition, broader strategies that will address contextual issues are required

Prevalence and Socioeconomic Factors of Diabetes and High Blood Pressure Among Women in Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The emerging burden of high blood pressure (HBP) and diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa will create new challenges to health systems in African countries. There is a scarcity of studies that have reported associations of diabetes and HBP with socioeconomic factors on women within the population. We assessed the prevalence and socioeconomic factors of diabetes and high blood pressure among women in Kenya. Methods: We analysed cross-sectional data from the 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey. Subjects were women aged 15–49 years. Self-reported status of HBP and diabetes was used to measure the prevalences. The association between educational and wealth index with HBP and diabetes was assessed by multivariable binary logistic regression. Results: The prevalences of self-reported HBP and diabetes were 9.4% and 1.3%, respectively. Women with secondary [aOR = 1.53; 95% CI = 1.15–2.02] and primary [aOR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.15–1.92] levels of education were more likely to report having HBP, compared to those with no formal education. However, there was no significant association between educational level and self-reported diabetes. In terms of wealth quintile, we found that women with higher wealth quintile were more likely to report having HBP and diabetes compared to those with poorest wealth quintile. Specifically, the highest odds of self-reported HBP was found among women with richest wealth quintile compared to those with poorest wealth quintile [aOR = 2.22; 95% CI = 1.71–2.88]. Also, women with poorer wealth quintile were more likely to have self-reported diabetes compared to those with poorest wealth quintile [aOR = 1.89; 95% CI = 1.08–2.38]. Conclusion: The prevalence of HBP and diabetes was low among women in Kenya. Household wealth status was associated with HBP and diabetes. No causation can be inferred from the data; hence, longitudinal studies focusing on health-related behaviour associated with NCDs are recommended. Proper dissemination of health information regarding the risk factors for HBP and diabetes may prove to be beneficial for NCD prevention programmes

Structural and electronic properties of 2D (graphene, hBN)/H-terminated diamond (100) heterostructures

We report a first-principles study of the structural and electronic properties of two-dimensional (2D) layer/hydrogen-terminated diamond (100) heterostructures. Both the 2D layers exhibit weak van-der-Waals (vdW) interactions and develop rippled configurations with the H-diamond (100) substrate to compensate for the induced strain. The adhesion energy of the hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) layer is slightly higher, and it exhibits a higher degree of rippling compared to the graphene layer. A charge transfer analysis reveals a small amount of charge transfer from the H-diamond (100) surface to the 2D layers, and most of the transferred charge was found to be confined within the vdW gap. In the graphene/H-diamond (100) heterostructure, the semi-metallic characteristic of the graphene layer is preserved. On the other hand, the hBN/H-diamond (100) heterostructure shows semiconducting characteristics with an indirect bandgap of 3.55 eV, where the hBN layer forms a Type-II band alignment with the H-diamond (100) surface. The resultant conduction band offset and valence band offset are 0.10 eV and 1.38 eV, respectively. A thin layer of hBN offers a defect-free interface with the H-diamond (100) surface and provides a layer-dependent tunability of electronic properties and band alignment for surface-doped diamond field effect transistors

Domestic violence: a hidden barrier to contraceptive use among women in Nigeria

Ghose Bishwajit, Sanni Yaya Faculty of Social Sciences, School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada Background: The nonuse of family planning methods remains a major public health concern in the low-and-middle-income countries, especially due to its impact on unwanted pregnancy, high rate of abortion, and transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. Various demographic and socioeconomic factors have been reported to be associated with the nonuse of family planning methods. In the present study, we aimed at assessing the influence of domestic violence (DV) on contraceptive use among ever married women in Nigeria. Methods: Data on 22,275 women aged between 15 and 49 years were collected from the most recent Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2013. The outcome variable was contraceptive utilization status, and the main exposure variable was DV, which was assessed by the self-reported experience of physical and psychological abuse. Complex survey method was employed to account for the multistage design of the survey. Data analyses were performed by using bivariate and multivariable techniques. Results: The mean age of the participants was 31.33±8.26. More than four fifths (84%) of the participants reported that they were not using any contraceptive methods at all. Lifetime prevalence of psychological and physical abuse was, respectively, 19.0% (95% CI =18.0–20.1) and 14.1% (95% CI =13.3–14.9). Women who reported physical abuse were 28% (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =1.275; 95% CI =1.030–1.578), and those reported both physical and psychological abuse had 52% (AOR =1.520; 95% CI =1.132–2.042) higher odds of not using any contraception. Conclusion: The rate of contraception nonuse was considerably high and was found to be significantly associated with DV. Thus, the high prevalence of DV may compromise the effectiveness of the family planning programs in the long run. Evidence-based intervention strategies should be developed to protect the health and reproductive rights of the vulnerable women and to reduce DV by giving the issue a wider recognition in public policy making. Keywords: contraceptive non-use, demographic and health survey, spousal violence, physical abuse, psychological abus

Participation in physical activity and back pain among an elderly population in South Asia

Ghose Bishwajit,1,2 Shangfeng Tang,1 Sanni Yaya,3 Zhanchun Feng1 1School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 3School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada Introduction: Globally, chronic back pain is one of the most commonly encountered medical conditions among an elderly population with significant bearings on health, functional mobility and general well-being.Objective: To estimate the burden of chronic back pain and its association with physical activity (PA) among population aged 50 years and above in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.Methods: Cross-sectional data on 8502 men and women aged 50 years and above were collected from the World Health Survey (2002). Three forms of PA were considered – vigorous physical activity (VPA), moderate physical activity (MPA) and walking. Odds ratios (ORs) of the association between self-reported back pain and VPA, MPA and walking were calculated by using generalized estimating equations.Results: The prevalence of back pain was, respectively, 64.8%, 19.8%, 69.5%, 40.6% and 36.2% in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. No significant association between back pain and VPA was observed among men in any of the countries. In India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the odds of suffering from back pain were, respectively, 29%, 2.5 times and 59% higher among women who almost never took MPA. In India, taking MPA for few days a week and almost never was associated with, respectively, 38% (OR=1.38; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.017–1.876) and 56% (OR=1.564; 95% CI=1.003–2.438) higher odds of reporting back pain. Walking almost never was also associated with, respectively, 83% (OR=1.829; 95% CI=1.14–2.934) and 2.9 times (OR=2.854; 95% CI=1.419–5.738) higher odds of reporting back pain among men in Nepal and Pakistan, respectively.Conclusion: Though the relationship was not consistent across sex and countries, results indicate that inadequate or nonparticipation can substantially increase the likelihood of suffering from back pain among an elderly population in this region. Further research is needed to better understand this relationship and the potential of exercised-based strategies to prevent and treat back pain among elderly persons. Keywords: back pain, older people, physical activity, South Asia, world health surve

Humpback whale singing activity off the Goan coast in the Eastern Arabian Sea

<p>For over two decades, passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) methods have been successfully employed around the world for studying aquatic megafauna. PAM-driven studies in Indian waters have so far been relatively very scarce. Furthermore, cetacean populations inhabiting the north western Indian Ocean are far less studied than those in many other regions around the world. This work likely constitutes the first systematic study of the vocal repertoire of humpback whales (<i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i>) at a near-shore site along the western coast of India. Analysis of the observed vocalizations provides an insight into the behaviour of the species. This is significant as it assists in developing a better understanding of the habitat use of the non-migratory Arabian Sea humpback whale population. In contrast, other breeding populations such as those around the North Atlantic, South Pacific and Australia have been relatively well studied. Underwater passive acoustic data were collected during March 2017 using an autonomous logger at a shallow-water site off the eastern edge of Grande Island off the coast of Goa. Humpback whale vocalizations were found to occur over multiple days in the recordings. Time–frequency contours of individual units of vocalization were extracted with the aid of an automatic detection technique and the characteristics of the units were measured. Further, successive units were analysed for formation of phrases and themes. Reconstruction of putative songs from the identified units and themes was not possible due to the limitations imposed by the nature of data collection. Detailed analyses of units, phrases and themes are presented.</p

Probing the Mechanism of Cyanobacterial Aldehyde Decarbonylase Using a Cyclopropyl Aldehyde

Cyanobacterial aldehyde decarbonylase (cAD) is a non-heme diiron oxygenase that catalyzes the conversion of fatty aldehydes to alkanes and formate. The mechanism of this chemically unusual reaction is poorly understood. We have investigated the mechanism of C1–C2 bond cleavage by cAD using a fatty aldehyde that incorporates a cyclopropyl group, which can act as a radical clock. When reacted with cAD, the cyclopropyl aldehyde produces 1-octadecene as the rearranged product, providing evidence for a radical mechanism for C–C bond scission. In an alternate pathway, the cyclopropyl aldehyde acts as a mechanism-based irreversible inhibitor of cAD through covalent binding of the alkyl chain to the enzyme