Advancing primary care to promote equitable health: implications for China

China is a country with vast regional differences and uneven economic development, which have led to widening gaps between the rich and poor in terms of access to healthcare, quality of care, and health outcomes. China's healthcare reform efforts must be tailored to the needs and resources of each region and community. Building and strengthening primary care within the Chinese health care system is one way to effectively address health challenges. This paper begins by outlining the concept of primary care, including key definitions and measurements. Next, results from a number of studies will demonstrate that primary care characteristics are associated with savings in medical costs, improvements in health outcomes and reductions in health disparities. This paper concludes with recommendations for China on successfully incorporating a primary care model into its national health policy, including bolstering the primary care workforce, addressing medical financing structures, recognizing the importance of evidence-based medicine, and looking to case studies from countries that have successfully implemented health reform

AIR QUALITY STATUS AND ITS EFFECT ON BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF ROADSIDE TREES SPECIES IN JALGAON CITY, MAHARASHTRA

ABSTRACT: Trees naturally clean the environment and help in reducing air pollution. The selection of suitable tree species depends on the response of trees to air pollution and can be understood by analyzing the factors that determine resistance and susceptibility. In order to evaluate the resistance and susceptibility level of plant species to air pollutants, twelve different plant species i.e. Polyalthia longifolia, Nerium indicum, Tabernamontana divariata, Cassia saimia, plumeria rubra, leucaena leucocephala, Azadirachta indica, Zizipus zizuba, Ficus religeosa, Boughanvellia spectabilis, Annona squamosa & Alstonia Scholaris was taken from Residential (S1), Commercial (SII) & Industrial (SIII) area of the city as this flora is very much common to the Jalgaon city & is planted on the roadside. The quality of air with respect to SPM, SO 2 and NO 2 has been also assessed on respective sites to see its effect on biochemical parameters of the leaves i.e. pH, total water content, chlorophyll and ascorbic acid and evaluate the air pollution tolerance index (APTI) of various plants. It was concluded that Alstonia scholaris (31.29) and Polyalthia longifolia (22.78) have very high APTI value over control so these are considered as high tolerant tree species. Bougainvillea spectabilis (22.91) and Tabernamontana divariata (22.62) have slightly more APTI value over control so these are considered as moderately tolerant tree species. Ficus religeosa (21.63) and Plumeria rubra (22.51) have less APTI value than control, so these are sensitive species respectively. The present studies are therefore handy for future planning. The plant species which are more sensitive act as biological indicators of air pollution. Also, the estimation of four important biochemical parameters gave more accurate and reliable results than based on a single biochemical parameter

Comparison of Osteoporosis Knowledge in Menopausal Women who View a Teaching Video vs. Those who Don’t.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of enhancing osteoporosis education for menopausal patients via a video. Methods: Data were collected from 194 menopausal, ambulatory patients: 98 patients observed an educational osteoporosis video before their office visit, and 96 patients did not view the video. After their gynecologic visit, all patients answered a standardized osteoporosis questionnaire. Results: No statistically significant differences were noted as to the demographics of the patients, including level of education. Test scores for the control group were 82%, versus 94% for the video group. The most notable differences: two-thirds of those who did not view the video did not know the role of hormone replacement therapy in osteoporosis treatment and prevention and did not understand the role of family history and the role of weight-bearing exercise. The video group answered these questions correctly

Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging

: Aging is associated with changes in circulating levels of various molecules, some of which remain undefined. We find that concentrations of circulating taurine decline with aging in mice, monkeys, and humans. A reversal of this decline through taurine supplementation increased the health span (the period of healthy living) and life span in mice and health span in monkeys. Mechanistically, taurine reduced cellular senescence, protected against telomerase deficiency, suppressed mitochondrial dysfunction, decreased DNA damage, and attenuated inflammaging. In humans, lower taurine concentrations correlated with several age-related diseases and taurine concentrations increased after acute endurance exercise. Thus, taurine deficiency may be a driver of aging because its reversal increases health span in worms, rodents, and primates and life span in worms and rodents. Clinical trials in humans seem warranted to test whether taurine deficiency might drive aging in humans