COVID-19 and the City: A Healthy City Strategy for Pandemic Challenges, from Planning to Action

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a new coronavirus discovered in 2019. WHO declared COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 as a pandemic that the detection level of cases changed daily, and it can track almost in real-time. This paper used a narrative literature review to address issues of urban quality and lack of exercise. The specific aim was to discuss the concept of a healthy city, indicate a new urban model, and advocate for the increased use of bicycles, outdoor gym/outdoor exercise, walking to reducing pollution, and improving physical, psychological, and social fitness. A healthy city can improve residents’ health by improving conditions of life to face COVID-19 pandemics. It needs the local capacity to prevent the spread of the diseases and design public health concepts concerning the built environment and contemporary towns in a new urban model. Dialogue opportunities in public health can provide essential guidance for designers (architects and town planners), decision-makers, public health experts, and health agencies locally, promoting the actions and policies to transform the city into a healthier neighborhood and salutogenesis

Bitting the Horse: Shank or Curb Bits

This publication gives information on different types of bits to choose from and which is best for certain horses and situations

Bitting the Horse: Snaffles

This publication describes and suggests when and where it is appropriate to use a snaffle bit

Analysis of COVID-19 Prevention Behavior in Diabetes Mellitus Patients: A Literature Review

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new human-infected coronavirus causing respiratory problems. The COVID-19 can affect people of all ages, but those with a record of chronic disease (comorbidity) are at higher risk of poor outcomes with the COVID-19. This study aimed to review COVID-19 preventative behavior in diabetes patients. Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is one of the comorbidities that aggravates COVID-19 in patients. Such patients are at risk of deteriorating critical conditions in the intensive care units (ICUs) and even death. Prevention is the best measure to avoid COVID-19, although it is currently considered adequate. This article reviewed 22 papers focusing on COVID-19, DM, COVID-19 in DM patients, COVID-19 preventive behavior, and COVID-19 knowledge, attitude, and practice in patients with chronic disease, while primary focusing on DM. It is revealed that diabetes patients at high risk of COVID19 need to practice good preventive behaviors. Furthermore, it emphasizes that improving knowledge, encouraging positive attitudes, and implementing good COVID-19 preventive behaviors in DM patients requires education and access to the COVID-19 related health information

Reciprocal natural selection on host-parasite phenotypes

Journal ArticleCoevolution is evolution in one species in response to selection imposed by a second species, followed by evolution in the second species in response to reciprocal selection imposed by the first species. Although reciprocal selection is a prerequisite of coevolution, it has seldom been documented in natural populations. We examined the feasibility of reciprocal selection in a simple host-parasite system consisting of feral pigeons (Columba livid) and their Ischnoceran feather lice (Phthiraptera: Insecta)

Oxidation at the wet/dry interface in the deterioration of paper in library and archival collections in humid climatic conditions.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.Three primary mechanisms of paper deterioration in library and archival collections are driven by climatic conditions of excessive relative humidity. These are chemical reactivity, mechanical stress and biological deterioration. It is the view of the researcher that the role of chemical reactivity has not been adequately assessed in relation to the deterioration of paper. The significance of an autoxidative phenomenon, similar to the brown tideline staining at the wet/dry interface, has not been previously recognised as a cause of deterioration as an accelerated function of time under humid conditions of the macroclimate, and as a function of the unstable equilibrium moisture content of materials in a microclimate, but has been obscured by the accepted explanation of biological deterioration. An analytical procedure was developed to enable the comparison of oxidative degradation products found in stained areas of naturally aged samples with those formed during a dynamic simulated ageing programme to induce cellulosic discolouration. A relationship between the degradative mechanism and humid climatic conditions was established. Based on the findings of the analytical investigation, this study forms a contribution towards the development of a theory of deterioration. Evidence is presented of a chemical process of degradation in the oxidation of paper at the wet/dry interface, following the condensation and evaporation kinetics induced by cycling relative humidity (RH) driven by temperature fluctuations in diurnal and seasonal ranges. Sites of moisture accumulation at which the oxidative reaction readily take place, and which constitute a wet/dry interface, are identified at surface areas exposed to atmospheric exchange, in physical defects, in uneven adhesive lamination, in local wet treatments, in impervious storage enclosures or adjacent to an impervious surface which acts as a vapour barrier to the transudational force of capillary action. In advancing the theory of a chemical response of library and archival materials in the fluctuating moisture content as an explanation for the causation of cellulosic staining, the evidence of foxing is redefined. Librarians, archivists and conservators are thus assisted in the identification of the basic chemical reactions involved in the process of deterioration, and in recognising the role of oxidative degradation relation to environmental conditions

Investigating the chondrogenic phenotype in clinically relevant cells: the effect of hTERT expression

Damaged or diseased mature articular cartilage cannot undergo effective tissue repair and due to its avascular, hypocellular nature defects become widespread and painful. No ‘gold standard’ treatment exists for this indication and the ultimate recourse is prosthetic joint replacement. Cartilage is therefore an ideal target for regenerative medicine therapies aiming to recapitulate native cartilage. Despite over fifty years of research and encouraging outcomes, re-creation of the hyaline tissue has yet to be consistently achieved, possibly as a result of the application of a sub-optimal cell type. Chondrocytes and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been used clinically, with future prospects for other alternative MSC sources and human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived cells. Further in vitro study of cellular chondrogenic capacity is desirable but hampered by cell changes and senescence. This work examines the hypothesis that the re-introduction of the catalytic sub-unit human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) can extend the proliferative cell capacity of cells whilst concomitantly bypassing changes associated with cell aging and senescence. The utility of umbilical cord blood (UCB) as a possible alternative source of more naive MSCs was also investigated. Human bone marrow MSCs, chondrocytes, and hESC-derived cells were transduced with hTERT and their resulting chondrogenic capacity, assessed principally by extracellular matrix (ECM) production and gene expression, examined and compared to that of the three non-transduced, parental cell sources. UCB was not found to be a viable alternative MSC source due to a very low cell number and colony recovery; however, foetal bovine serum (FBS) batch and atmospheric oxygen tension were identified as key to influencing recovery outcomes. Of the three parental cell types examined for chondrogenic potential MSCs and chondrocytes produced similar amounts of sGAG but chondrocytes produced a more homogeneous ECM with persistent chondrogenesis, whereas MSCs became hypertrophic. hESC derived cells had a more muted chondrogenic response with similarities to both chondrocytes and MSCs. TERT extended the proliferative capacity of all three cell types, two extensively but was also associated with changes in cell phenotype and a reduction, although not complete ablation, in the subsequent chondrogenic capacity. Taken together the results demonstrate that with current differentiation techniques primary articular chondrocytes provide the most optimal result, supporting their continued use for clinical therapies, and this capacity may not be preserved by the application of hTERT transduction strategies