Mental health needs and services in the West Bank, Palestine

Background Palestine is a low income country with scarce resources, which is seeking independence. This paper discusses the high levels of mental health need found amongst Palestinian people, and examines services, education and research in this area with particular attention paid to the West Bank. Methods CINAHL, PubMed, and Science Direct were used to search for materials. Results and conclusion Evidence from this review is that there is a necessity to increase the availability and quality of mental health care. Mental health policy and services in Palestine need development in order to better meet the needs of service users and professionals. It is essential to raise awareness of mental health and increase the integration of mental health services with other areas of health care. Civilians need their basic human needs met, including having freedom of movement and seeing an end to the occupation. There is a need to enhance the resilience and capacity of community mental health teams. There is a need to increase resources and offer more support, up-to-date training and supervision to mental health teams

Changes in the firmness and other quality parameters of fresh-cut ‘Maradol’ papaya treated with additives and 1-methylcyclopropene

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) applied as pre-cutting, post-cutting, and double application (before and after cutting) on the changes in the firmness and quality parameters of fresh-cut ripe ‘Maradol’ papaya. Four treatments (T1 T4) were used. T1 (Control treatment): Fresh-cut ‘Maradol’ papaya slices (Control treatment or T1) dipped in 1% CaCl2 for 2 min, then sprayed with 0.1% iso-ascorbic acid and 0.05% sorbic acid. One part of the T1 slices were treated with 1000 nL/L of 1-MCP for 12 h at 10 °C (T2). T3: Fresh-cut papaya slices treated with the same additives from the whole papaya treated 1000 nL/L of 1-MCP for 12 h at 20°C. T4: Fresh-cut papaya with additives treated with 1-MCP before and after cutting. All slices were packed in polypropylene trays with a perforated cover and stored at 4 ºC. T3 and T4 slices exhibited lower firmness loss and decreased activity of pectin methylesterase, polygalacturonase, and beta-galactosidase compared to T1 and T2 slices. Moreover, T3 and T4 slices had low translucency and microbial load, complying with the European Union limit (3 log CFU/g). No significant variations in acidity, pH, and total soluble solids were noted between treatments, but higher color values were obtained in T3 and T4 slices. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study where the combining effects of additives and 1-MCP application before and after cutting extended the shelf-life of fresh-cut ‘Maradol’ papaya for up to 13 days at 4 °C, twice the duration reported by others.Keywords: Carica papaya, Postharvest, Translucency, Quality, Shelf-lif

Changes in the firmness and other quality parameters of fresh-cut ‘Maradol’ papaya treated with additives and 1-methylcyclopropene

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) applied as pre-cutting, post-cutting, and double application (before and after cutting) on the changes in the firmness and quality parameters of fresh-cut ripe ‘Maradol’ papaya. Four treatments (T1 T4) were used. T1 (Control treatment): Fresh-cut ‘Maradol’ papaya slices (Control treatment or T1) dipped in 1% CaCl2 for 2 min, then sprayed with 0.1% iso-ascorbic acid and 0.05% sorbic acid. One part of the T1 slices were treated with 1000 nL/L of 1-MCP for 12 h at 10 °C (T2). T3: Fresh-cut papaya slices treated with the same additives from the whole papaya treated 1000 nL/L of 1-MCP for 12 h at 20°C. T4: Fresh-cut papaya with additives treated with 1-MCP before and after cutting. All slices were packed in polypropylene trays with a perforated cover and stored at 4 ºC. T3 and T4 slices exhibited lower firmness loss and decreased activity of pectin methylesterase, polygalacturonase, and beta-galactosidase compared to T1 and T2 slices. Moreover, T3 and T4 slices had low translucency and microbial load, complying with the European Union limit (3 log CFU/g). No significant variations in acidity, pH, and total soluble solids were noted between treatments, but higher color values were obtained in T3 and T4 slices. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study where the combining effects of additives and 1-MCP application before and after cutting extended the shelf-life of fresh-cut ‘Maradol’ papaya for up to 13 days at 4 °C, twice the duration reported by others.Keywords: Carica papaya, Postharvest, Translucency, Quality, Shelf-lif