scholarly journals Global research on syndemics: A meta-knowledge analysis (2001-2020)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Mahbub Hossain ◽  
Nobonita Saha ◽  
Tahmina Tasnim Rodela ◽  
Samia Tasnim ◽  
Tasmiah Nuzhath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Public Health ◽  
Structural Violence ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Knowledge Analysis ◽  
Academic Scholarship ◽  
Syndemic Theory ◽  
Multiple Health

Syndemics or synergies of cooccurring epidemics are widely studies across health and social sciences in recent years. We conducted a meta-knowledge analysis of articles published between 2001 to 2020 in this growing field of academic scholarship. We found a total of 830 articles authored by 3025 authors, mostly from high-income countries. Publications on syndemics are gradually increasing since 2003, with rapid development in 2013. Each article was cited more than 15 times on average, whereas most (n = 604) articles were original studies. Syndemics research focused on several areas, including HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, mental health, gender minority stressors, racism, violence, chronic physical and mental disorders, food insecurity, social determinants of health, and COVID-19. Moreover, biopsychosocial interactions between multiple health problems were studied across medical, anthropological, public health, and other disciplines of science. The limited yet rapidly evolving literature on syndemics informs transdisciplinary interests to understand complex coexisting health challenges in the context of systematic exclusion and structural violence in vulnerable populations. The findings also suggest applications of syndemic theory to evaluate clinical and public health problems, examine the socioecological dynamics of factors influencing health and wellbeing, and use the insights to alleviate health inequities in the intersections of synergistic epidemics and persistent contextual challenges for population health.

scholarly journals General Molecular Strategy for Development of Arenavirus Live-Attenuated Vaccines

2015 ◽  
Vol 89 (23) ◽  
pp. 12166-12177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaharu Iwasaki ◽  
Nhi Ngo ◽  
Beatrice Cubitt ◽  
John R. Teijaro ◽  
Juan C. de la Torre
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Hemorrhagic Fever ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Genome Segment ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Major Step ◽  
Live Attenuated Vaccines ◽  
Important Public Health

ABSTRACTHemorrhagic fever arenaviruses (HFA) pose important public health problems in regions where they are endemic. Thus, Lassa virus (LASV) infects several hundred thousand individuals yearly in West Africa, causing a large number of Lassa fever cases associated with high morbidity and mortality. Concerns about human-pathogenic arenaviruses are exacerbated because of the lack of FDA-licensed arenavirus vaccines and because current antiarenaviral therapy is limited to an off-label use of ribavirin that is only partially effective. The Mopeia virus (MOPV)/LASV reassortant (ML29) is a LASV candidate live-attenuated vaccine (LAV) that has shown promising results in animal models. Nevertheless, the mechanism of ML29 attenuation remains unknown, which raises concerns about the phenotypic stability of ML29 in response to additional mutations. Development of LAVs based on well-defined molecular mechanisms of attenuation will represent a major step in combatting HFA. We used the prototypic arenavirus lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) to develop a general molecular strategy for arenavirus attenuation. Our approach involved replacement of the noncoding intergenic region (IGR) of the L genome segment with the IGR of the S genome segment to generate a recombinant LCMV, rLCMV(IGR/S-S), that was highly attenuatedin vivobut induced protection against a lethal challenge with wild-type LCMV. Attenuation of rLCMV(IGR/S-S) was associated with a stable reorganization of the control of viral gene expression. This strategy can facilitate the rapid development of LAVs with the antigenic composition of the parental HFA and a mechanism of attenuation that minimizes concerns about increased virulence that could be caused by genetic changes in the LAV.IMPORTANCEHemorrhagic fever arenaviruses (HFA) cause high morbidity and mortality, and pose important public health problems in the regions where they are endemic. Implementation of live-attenuated vaccines (LAV) will represent a major step in combatting HFA. Here we have used the prototypic arenavirus LCMV to document a general molecular strategy for arenavirus attenuation that can facilitate the rapid development of safe and effective, as well as stable, LAV to combat HFA.

Housing, Indoor Air Pollution, and Health in High-Income Countries

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Sharpe ◽  
Nicholas Osborne ◽  
Cheryl Paterson ◽  
Timothy Taylor ◽  
Lora Fleming ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
High Income ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Sustainable Communities ◽  
Health And Wellbeing

Despite the overwhelming evidence that living in poor-quality housing and built environments are significant contributors to public health problems, housing issues persist and represent a considerable societal and economic burden worldwide. The complex interaction between multiple behavioral, lifestyle, and environmental factors influencing health throughout the “life-course” (i.e., from childhood to adulthood) in high-income countries has limited the ability to develop more salutogenic housing interventions. The resultant, usually negative, health outcomes depend on many specific housing factors including housing quality and standards, affordability, overcrowding, the type of tenure and property. The immediate outdoor environment also plays an important role in health and wellbeing at the population level, which includes air (indoor and outdoor), noise pollution and the quality of accessible natural environments. These exposures are particularly important for more vulnerable populations, such as the elderly or infirm, and those living in insecure accommodation or in fuel poverty (i.e., being unable to heat the home adequately). Being homeless also is associated with increased risks in a number of health problems. Investigating pathways to protecting health and wellbeing has led to a range of studies examining the potential benefits resulting from accessing more natural environments, more sustainable communities, and housing interventions such as “green construction” techniques. Built environment interventions focusing on the provision of adequate housing designs that incorporate a “life-course” approach, affordable and environmentally sustainable homes, and urban regeneration along with active community engagement, appear capable of improving the overall physical and mental health of residents. While some interventions have resulted in improved public health outcomes in more high-income countries, others have led to a range of unintended consequences that can adversely affect residents’ health and wellbeing. Furthering understanding into four interrelated factors such as housing-specific issues, the immediate environment and housing, vulnerable populations, and natural spaces and sustainable communities can help to inform the development of future interventions.

What are Hidden Facts behind Intestinal Parasitic Infections in Ilam City?

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 284-287
Author(s):  
S. Viesy ◽  
J. Abdi ◽  
Z. Rezaei
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Intestinal Parasites ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Public Health Education ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Parasitic Infections ◽  
Blastocystis Hominis ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Intestinal Parasitic Infections ◽  
Number Of Patients

Background: Intestinal parasitic infections are the one of the most common health problems in developing countries. Objective: A number of patients die annually due to complications caused by these parasites.Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the rate and type of parasitic infections, determine the factors affecting them in Ilam city and also provide strategies to prevent them.In this descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in one of the Ilam labs in 2016, 417 stool specimens were randomly collected. All specimens were examined using direct and ethanol formaldehyde.Suspect specimens were examined using Trichrom staining. Demographic information was also recorded in a questionnaire, and finally the results were analyzed using statistical software SPSS 20.The data were then compared with Chi-square test. Results: Out of the 417 patients examined, 59 (14.1%) were infected with intestinal parasites. The type of parasitic infection in 9.4% was Blastocystis hominis, 3.6% Entamoeba coli, 0.5% Entamoeba histolytica, 0.5% Giardia and 0.2% Trichomonas hominis. Conclusion: Despite the improvement of public health, parasitic infections are still considered as one of the health problems in the city of Ilam. Therefore, proper planning, public health education, raising the level of health in the area and the provision of safe drinking water are some of the ways to reduce parasitic infections in the region.

Identifying Public Health Problems

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Burris ◽  
Micah L. Berman ◽  
Matthew Penn, and ◽  
Tara Ramanathan Holiday
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
Disability Adjusted Life Years ◽  
Quality Adjusted Life Years ◽  
Disability Adjusted Life ◽  
Life Years ◽  
Study Designs ◽  
Quality Adjusted Life

Chapter 5 discusses the use of epidemiology to identify the source of public health problems and inform policymaking. It uses a case study to illustrate how researchers, policymakers, and practitioners detect diseases, identify their sources, determine the extent of an outbreak, and prevent new infections. The chapter also defines key measures in epidemiology that can indicate public health priorities, including morbidity and mortality, years of potential life lost, and measures of lifetime impacts, including disability-adjusted life years and quality-adjusted life years. Finally, the chapter reviews epidemiological study designs, differentiating between experimental and observational studies, to show how to interpret data and identify limitations.

Global Development, Global Public Health, and Ethics

2019 ◽  
pp. 819-829
Author(s):  
Gerald Bloom ◽  
Hayley MacGregor
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Scientific Discipline ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Global Development ◽  
Government Responsibility ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Present Context

Rapid development has brought significant economic and health benefits, but it has also exposed populations to new health risks. Public health as a scientific discipline and major government responsibility developed during the nineteenth century to help mitigate these risks. Public health actions need to take into account large inequalities in the benefits and harms associated with development between countries, between social groups, and between generations. This is especially important in the present context of very rapid change. It is important to acknowledge the global nature of the challenges people face and the need to involve countries with different cultures and historical legacies in arriving at consensus on an ethical basis for global cooperation in addressing these challenges. This chapter provides an analysis of these issues, using examples on the management of health risks associated with global development and rapid urbanization and on the emergence of organisms that are resistant to antibiotics.

scholarly journals Identifying Environmental Determinants Relevant to Health and Wellbeing in Remote Australian Indigenous Communities: A Scoping Review of Grey Literature

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 4167
Author(s):  
Amal Chakraborty ◽  
Mark Daniel ◽  
Natasha J. Howard ◽  
Alwin Chong ◽  
Nicola Slavin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Classification System ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Environmental Determinants ◽  
Health And Wellbeing

The high prevalence of preventable infectious and chronic diseases in Australian Indigenous populations is a major public health concern. Existing research has rarely examined the role of built and socio-political environmental factors relating to remote Indigenous health and wellbeing. This research identified built and socio-political environmental indicators from publicly available grey literature documents locally-relevant to remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. Existing planning documents with evidence of community input were used to reduce the response burden on Indigenous communities. A scoping review of community-focused planning documents resulted in the identification of 1120 built and 2215 socio-political environmental indicators. Indicators were systematically classified using an Indigenous indicator classification system (IICS). Applying the IICS yielded indicators prominently featuring the “community infrastructure” domain within the built environment, and the “community capacity” domain within the socio-political environment. This research demonstrates the utility of utilizing existing planning documents and a culturally appropriate systematic classification system to consolidate environmental determinants that influence health and disease occurrence. The findings also support understanding of which features of community-level built and socio-political environments amenable to public health and social policy actions might be targeted to help reduce the prevalence of infectious and chronic diseases in Indigenous communities.

scholarly journals Climate Change and Health Preparedness in Africa: Analysing Trends in Six African Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4672
Author(s):  
Samuel Kwasi Opoku ◽  
Walter Leal Filho ◽  
Fudjumdjum Hubert ◽  
Oluwabunmi Adejumo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
African Countries

Climate change is a global problem, which affects the various geographical regions at different levels. It is also associated with a wide range of human health problems, which pose a burden to health systems, especially in regions such as Africa. Indeed, across the African continent public health systems are under severe pressure, partly due to their fragile socioeconomic conditions. This paper reports on a cross-sectional study in six African countries (Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Namibia, Ethiopia, and Kenya) aimed at assessing their vulnerabilities to climate change, focusing on its impacts on human health. The study evaluated the levels of information, knowledge, and perceptions of public health professionals. It also examined the health systems’ preparedness to cope with these health hazards, the available resources, and those needed to build resilience to the country’s vulnerable population, as perceived by health professionals. The results revealed that 63.1% of the total respondents reported that climate change had been extensively experienced in the past years, while 32% claimed that the sampled countries had experienced them to some extent. Nigerian respondents recorded the highest levels (67.7%), followed by Kenya with 66.6%. South Africa had the lowest level of impact as perceived by the respondents (50.0%) when compared with the other sampled countries. All respondents from Ghana and Namibia reported that health problems caused by climate change are common in the two countries. As perceived by the health professionals, the inadequate resources reiterate the need for infrastructural resources, medical equipment, emergency response resources, and technical support. The study’s recommendations include the need to improve current policies at all levels (i.e., national, regional, and local) on climate change and public health and to strengthen health professionals’ skills. Improving the basic knowledge of health institutions to better respond to a changing climate is also recommended. The study provides valuable insights which may be helpful to other nations in Sub-Saharan Africa.

scholarly journals The Evolution of Gambling-Related Harm Measurement: Lessons from the Last Decade

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4395
Author(s):  
Matthew Browne ◽  
Vijay Rawat ◽  
Catherine Tulloch ◽  
Cailem Murray-Boyle ◽  
Matthew Rockloff
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Health Utility ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Psychometric Evidence ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Utility Metrics ◽  
Gambling Harms ◽  
Related Harm

Jurisdictions around the world have a self-declared mandate to reduce gambling-related harm. However, historically, this concept has suffered from poor conceptualisation and operationalisation. However, recent years have seen swift advances in measuring gambling harm, based on the principle of it being a quantifiable decrement to the health and wellbeing of the gambler and those connected to them. This review takes stock of the background and recent developments in harm assessment and summarises recent research that has validated and applied the Short Gambling Harms Screen and related instruments. We recommend that future work builds upon the considerable psychometric evidence accumulated for the feasibility of direct elicitation of harmful consequences. We also advocate for grounding harms measures with respect to scalar changes to public health utility metrics. Such an approach will avoid misleading pseudo-clinical categorisations, provide accurate population-level summaries of where the burden of harm is carried, and serve to integrate gambling research with the broader field of public health.

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