Antibacterial activity of a sterile antimicrobial polyisoprene surgical glove against transient flora following a 2-hours simulated use

Background: A surgical glove will protect surgeons and patients only if the glove’s integrity remains intact. However, several studies have demonstrated that undetected micro-perforations of surgical gloves are common. Because of the possibility of surgical glove puncture, an antimicrobial surgical glove was developed. The aim of this laboratory based experimental study was to assess the antibacterial efficacy of the interior chlorhexidine-gluconate (CHG)-coat of an antimicrobial synthetic polyisoprene surgical glove by using a standardized microbiological challenge. Methods: Sixteen healthy adult participants donned one antimicrobial surgical glove and one non-antimicrobial surgical glove randomly allocated to their dominant and non-dominant hand following a crossover design. During a 2-h wear time, participants performed standardized finger and hand movements. Thereafter, the interior surface of excised fingers of the removed gloves was challenged with 8.00 log10 cfu/mL S. aureus (ATCC 6538) or K. pneumoniae (ATCC 4352), respectively. The main outcome measure was the viable mean log10 cfu counts of the two glove groups after 5 min contact with the interior glove’s surface. Results: When comparing an antimicrobial glove against an untreated reference glove after 2-h simulated use wear-time, a mean reduction factor of 6.24 log10 (S. aureus) and 6.22 log10 (K. pneumoniae) was achieved after 5 min contact. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that wearing antibacterial gloves on hands does not negatively impact their antibacterial activity after 2-h of wear. This may have a potential benefit for patient safety in case of glove puncture during surgical procedures

The impacts of using smartphone dating applications on sexual risk behaviours in college students in Hong Kong

© 2016 Choi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Dating applications (apps) on smartphones have become increasingly popular. The aim of this study was to explore the association between the use of dating apps and risky sexual behaviours. Data were collected in four university campuses in Hong Kong. Subjects completed a structured questionnaire asking about the use of dating apps, sexual behaviours, and sociodemographics. Multiple linear and logistics regressions were used to explore factors associated with sexual risk behaviours. Six hundred sixty-six subjects were included in the data analysis. Factors associated with having unprotected sexual intercourse with more lifetime sexual partners included use of dating apps (β = 0.93, p < 0.01), having one's first sexual intercourse before 16 years of age (β = 1.74, p < 0.01), being older (β = 0.4, p < 0.01), currently being in a relationship (= 0.69, p < 0.05), having a monthly income at least HKD $5,000 (β = 1.34, p < 0.01), being a current smoker (β = 1.52, p < 0.01), and being a current drinker (β = 0.7, p < 0.01). The results of a multiple logistic regression analysis found that users of dating apps (adjust odds ratio: 0.52, p < 0.05) and current drinkers (adjust odds ratio: 0.40, p < 0.01) were less likely to have consistent condom use. Users of dating apps (adjust odds ratio: 1.93, p < 0.05), bisexual/homosexual subjects (adjust odds ratio: 2.57, p < 0.01) and female subjects (adjust odds ratio: 2.00, p < 0.05) were more likely not to have used condoms the last time they had sexual intercourse. The present study found a robust association between using dating apps and sexual risk behaviours, suggesting that app users had greater sexual risks. Interventions that can target app users so that they can stay safe when seeking sexual partners through dating apps should be developed.published_or_final_versio

A comparison of intimate partner violence and associated physical injuries between cohabitating and married women: A 5-year medical chart review

© 2016 The Author(s). Background: Cohabitation, referring to a co-residential romantic relationship between two intimate partners without a marriage license, has become widely accepted in contemporary societies. It has been found that cohabitating women have a higher risk of experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) than married women. However, as yet, no studies have investigated the level and pattern of IPV-associated physical injuries and its mental health impact on cohabitating women. Therefore, we aim to compare IPV-associated physical injuries between cohabitating and married women by conducting a review of 5-year medical records from the emer gency departments of two major public hospitals in Hong Kong. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. Using two computerized systems, we identified the medical charts of 1011 women who had experienced IPV and presented at emergency departments between 2010 and 2014, of which, 132 were cohabitating and 833 were married. Results: Cohabitating women were significantly younger (p-value < .0001) and had obtained a higher educational level (p-value =.008) than married women. After adjusting for those two variables, the logistic regression models showed that cohabitating women were approximately 2.1 times more likely than married women to present with head, neck, or facial injuries (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.30-3.40, p =.002), and the risk of having multiple injuries in different locations (head, neck, face, torso, limbs) was almost twice that for cohabitating women compared with married women (OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.25-2.65, p =.001). Furthermore, cohabitating women were almost two times as likely as married women to experience more than one method of physical violence (OR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.18-2.51, p =.005). There were no significant differences regarding mental health, police reporting, and discharge plans. Conclusions: Owing to recent social changes to the family structure, including the growing acceptance of cohabitation, it is essential that a screening program for IPV is established for cohabitating women, as well as the inclusion of IPV content in medical and nursing curriculums and in-service training.published_or_final_versio

eHealth literacy was associated with anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundElectronic health (eHealth) literacy may play an important role in individuals’ engagement with online mental health-related information.AimTo examine associations between eHealth literacy and psychological outcomes among Nigerians during the Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study among Nigerians conducted using the ‘COVID-19’s impAct on feaR and hEalth (CARE) questionnaire. The exposure: eHealth literacy, was assessed using the eHealth literacy scale, and psychological outcomes were assessed using the PHQ-4 scale, which measured anxiety and depression; and the fear scale to measure fear of COVID-19. We fitted logistic regression models to assess the association of eHealth literacy with anxiety, depression, and fear, adjusting for covariates. We included interaction terms to assess for age, gender, and regional differences. We also assessed participants’ endorsement of strategies for future pandemic preparedness.ResultsThis study involved 590 participants, of which 56% were female, and 38% were 30 years or older. About 83% reported high eHealth literacy, and 55% reported anxiety or depression. High eHealth literacy was associated with a 66% lower likelihood of anxiety (adjusted odds ratio aOR, 0·34; 95% confidence interval, 0·20–0·54) and depression (aOR: 0·34; 95% CI, 0·21–0·56). There were age, gender, and regional differences in the associations between eHealth literacy and psychological outcomes. eHealth-related strategies such as medicine delivery, receiving health information through text messaging, and online courses were highlighted as important for future pandemic preparedness.ConclusionConsidering that mental health and psychological care services are severely lacking in Nigeria, digital health information sources present an opportunity to improve access and delivery of mental health services. The different associations of e-health literacy with psychological well-being between age, gender, and geographic region highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions for vulnerable populations. Policymakers must prioritize digitally backed interventions, such as medicine delivery and health information dissemination through text messaging, to address these disparities and promote equitable mental well-being

Global impacts of Covid-19 on lifestyles and health and preparation preferences: an international survey of 30 countries

Background: The health area being greatest impacted by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and residents' perspective to better prepare for future pandemic remain unknown. We aimed to assess and make cross-country and cross-region comparisons of the global impacts of COVID-19 and preparation preferences of pandemic. Methods: We recruited adults in 30 countries covering all World Health Organization (WHO) regions from July 2020 to August 2021. 5 Likert-point scales were used to measure their perceived change in 32 aspects due to COVID-19 (-2 = substantially reduced to 2 = substantially increased) and perceived importance of 13 preparations (1 = not important to 5 = extremely important). Samples were stratified by age and gender in the corresponding countries. Multidimensional preference analysis displays disparities between 30 countries, WHO regions, economic development levels, and COVID-19 severity levels. Results: 16 512 adults participated, with 10 351 females. Among 32 aspects of impact, the most affected were having a meal at home (mean (m) = 0.84, standard error (SE) = 0.01), cooking at home (m = 0.78, SE = 0.01), social activities (m = -0.68, SE = 0.01), duration of screen time (m = 0.67, SE = 0.01), and duration of sitting (m = 0.59, SE = 0.01). Alcohol (m = -0.36, SE = 0.01) and tobacco (m = -0.38, SE = 0.01) consumption declined moderately. Among 13 preparations, respondents rated medicine delivery (m = 3.50, SE = 0.01), getting prescribed medicine in a hospital visit / follow-up in a community pharmacy (m = 3.37, SE = 0.01), and online shopping (m = 3.33, SE = 0.02) as the most important. The multidimensional preference analysis showed the European Region, Region of the Americas, Western Pacific Region and countries with a high-income level or medium to high COVID-19 severity were more adversely impacted on sitting and screen time duration and social activities, whereas other regions and countries experienced more cooking and eating at home. Countries with a high-income level or medium to high COVID-19 severity reported higher perceived mental burden and emotional distress. Except for low- and lower-middle-income countries, medicine delivery was always prioritised. Conclusions: Global increasing sitting and screen time and limiting social activities deserve as much attention as mental health. Besides, the pandemic has ushered in a notable enhancement in lifestyle of home cooking and eating, while simultaneously reducing the consumption of tobacco and alcohol. A health care system and technological infrastructure that facilitate medicine delivery, medicine prescription, and online shopping are priorities for coping with future pandemics

Soil water index approach for landslide disaster assessment in Sabah

Landslide disaster assessment and management have become challenging concerns in recent years. Hence, this paper has been written to study on Soil Water Index (SWI) approach for landslide disaster assessment at three different regions in Sabah which are Ranau, Tambunan and Sandakan. Landslide is described as a mass of rock, rubble, or soil moving down a slope under the force of gravity. Landslides are influenced by different variables which are the factors that contribute to landslides (e.g., design errors, construction errors, maintenance errors, geological features and human causes) as well as the factors that triggered the landslides (e.g., earthquake and rainfall). Hence, the objective of this project is to study the landslide cases and rainfall data in the three regions chosen in Sabah. Second objective is to calculate the SWI associated with the landslide events. Third objective is to analyse the effect of rainfall on landslide events based on the SWI method. The SWI is equivalent to the total storage volume of the tank model, where rainfall is utilized as an input to create outputs such as surface runoff, subsurface flow, intermediate flow, and sub-base flow, as well as infiltration, percolation, and water storage in the tank. The critical SWI of each site is computed based on the landslide incidences and rainfall data from the three regions analysed, with a high level of SWI suggesting that rainfall plays a considerable role in destabilizing the slope. Thus, more detailed scientific study of the connection between rainfall events and landslide occurrences in Sabah is necessary for landslide disaster assessment