scholarly journals Assessing effective mask use by the public in two countries: an observational study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. e049389
Author(s):  
Clare L Atzema ◽  
Ivona Mostarac ◽  
Dana Button ◽  
Peter C Austin ◽  
Arshia P Javidan ◽  
...  

ObjectivesDuring the COVID-19 pandemic wearing a mask in public has been recommended in some settings and mandated in others. How often this advice is followed, how well, and whether it inadvertently leads to more disease transmission opportunities due to a combination of improper use and physical distancing lapses is unknown.DesignCross-sectional observational study performed in June–August 2020.SettingEleven outdoor and indoor public settings (some with mandated mask use, some without) each in Toronto, Ontario, and in Portland, Oregon.ParticipantsAll passers-by in the study settings.Outcome measuresMask use, incorrect mask use, and number of breaches (ie, coming within 2 m of someone else where both parties were not properly masked).ResultsWe observed 36 808 persons, the majority of whom were estimated to be aged 31–65 years (49%). Two-thirds (66.7%) were wearing a mask and 13.6% of mask-wearers wore them incorrectly. Mandatory mask-use settings were overwhelmingly associated with mask use (adjusted OR 79.2; 95% CI 47.4 to 135.1). Younger age, male sex, Torontonians, and public transit or airport settings (vs in a store) were associated with lower adjusted odds of wearing a mask. Mandatory mask-use settings were associated with lower adjusted odds of mask error (OR 0.30; 95% CI 0.14 to 0.73), along with female sex and Portland subjects. Subjects aged 81+ years (vs 31–65 years) and those on public transit and at the airport (vs stores) had higher odds of mask errors. Mask-wearers had a large reduction in adjusted mean number of breaches (rate ratio (RR) 0.19; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.20). The 81+ age group had the largest association with breaches (RR 7.77; 95% CI 5.32 to 11.34).ConclusionsMandatory mask use was associated with a large increase in mask-wearing. Despite 14% of them wearing their masks incorrectly, mask users had a large reduction in the mean number of breaches (disease transmission opportunities). The elderly and transit users may warrant public health interventions aimed at improving mask use.

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renato Mitsunori Nisihara ◽  
Ana Carolina Possebom ◽  
Luiza de Martino Cruvinel Borges ◽  
Ana Claudia Athanasio Shwetz ◽  
Fernanda Francis Benevides Bettes

ABSTRACT Objective To describe the profile of lawsuits related to drug requests filled at the Federal Justice of the State of Paraná. Methods A cross-sectional study, and the data were obtained through consulting the lawsuits at the online system of the Federal Justice of Paraná. Results Out of 347 lawsuits included in the study, 55% of plaintiffs were women, with a median age of 56 years. Oncology was the field with more requests (23.6%), and the highest mean costs. A wide variety of diseases and broad variety of requested drugs were found in the lawsuits. Approximately two-thirds of them were requested by the brand name, and the most often requested drugs were palivizumab and tiotropium bromide. Only 14.5% of the requested medicines were registered in the National Medication Register. The Public Defender’s Office filled actions in 89.6% of cases and all lawsuits had an interim relief. The mean time for approval was 35 days and 70% of requests were granted. Conclusion Oncology was the field with the highest demand for medicines at the Federal Justice of Paraná in 2014. A great variety of medications was requested. The Public Defender´s Office represented most lawsuits. All demands had an interim relief, and the majority of requests were granted, within an average of 35 days.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1799
Author(s):  
Momammed Mustafizur Rahman ◽  
Shabnam Imam ◽  
Sayedatun Nessa ◽  
A. K. M. Maruf Raza ◽  
Farida Arjuman ◽  
...  

Background: This cross- sectional observational study was carried out with an aim to look for microsatellite instability (MSI) status in colorectal carcinoma and their association with different histomorphological patterns and biological behavior of colorectal carcinoma.Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was done in the Department of Pathology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh during September 2014 to October 2015. A total of 39 surgically resected sample of colorectal carcinoma were included. Consent from each patient was taken. The samples were histopathologically evaluated according to the standard protocol. The statistical analyses were done using Statistical packages for social sciences (SPSS 15) for Windows.Results: A total of 39 cases of colorectal carcinoma were included in this study. Majority of the patients (55.5%) was in 6th decade in MSI and 29.1% were MSI absent group. The mean age was found 47.67±10.97 years in present group and 47.84±14.26 years in absent group. The difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). TNM stage with MSI was observed. The mean CEA level was 100.74±103.66 and 60.43±91.72. The mean Hb was 9.72±1.99 % and 9.92±2.17, the range was 7.2-12.2 and 4.6-13.4 among the groups. The mean difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Ulcerated was 3 (33.3%) and 19 (64.5%). Stage 3 tumor was 4 (44.4%) and 16 (51.6%). Grade 2 tumor was 5 (55.6%) and 17 (58.0%).Conclusions: For the first time in Bangladesh, this study was undertaken to evaluate the microsatellite instability (MSI) status in colorectal cancer tissue and their association with different histomorphological patterns of colorectal carcinoma.   


Author(s):  
Joel P. Franklin ◽  
Debbie A. Niemeier

In the current practice of mode-choice modeling, models typically focus on the more traditional choices, such as those between automobile, transit, and nonmotorized transportation. For most travelers these are, indeed, the most relevant modes. However, for some segments of the population, particularly the elderly, the choice is more limited. This study investigates the factors that affect the elderly and disabled travelers’ choice between public transit and paratransit. Data collected from the public transit service, Sacramento Regional Transit, and the paratransit service, Paratransit, Inc., in Sacramento, California, were used to develop a mode-choice model and to calculate elasticities of significant factors. Age was found to have an elastic effect, whereas the difference in fare had an inelastic effect.


2005 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 425-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claus Bischoff ◽  
Jesper Graakjaer ◽  
Hans Christian Petersen ◽  
Bernard Jeune ◽  
Vilhelm A. Bohr ◽  
...  

AbstractHuman chromosomes terminate in a number of repeats of the sequence TTAGGG. At birth, each chromosome end is equipped with approximately 15 kb of telomere sequence, but this sequence is shortened during each cell division. In cell cultures telomere shortening is associated with senescence, a phenomenon that has also been observed in normal adult tissues, indicating that telomere loss is associated with organismal ageing. Previous work has established that the rate of telomere loss in humans is age dependent, and recent work shows a sex-specific difference in telomere length and shortening in individuals over the age span of 20 to 75 years. Here, terminal restriction fragment lengths on DNA purified from whole blood were measured to examine the mean telomere length in a cross-sectional cohort of 816 Danish individuals of age 73 to 101 years. In this age group, females show a linear correlation between telomere length and age, whereas the pattern tends to be nonlinear (quadratic in age) for males. This difference in telomere length dynamics between the 2 sexes may be caused by several different mechanisms, including differences in selection by mortality, differences in leukocyte population or different telomerase expression pattern.


2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 1129-1136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara de Sa Neves Loureiro ◽  
Maria das Gracas Melo Fernandes ◽  
Sueli Marques ◽  
Maria Miriam Lima da Nobrega ◽  
Rosalina A. Partezani Rodrigues

A cross-sectional, epidemiological study aimed to estimate the prevalence of burden among family caregivers of impaired elderly residents in the city of João Pessoa, and to identify associations between the mean burden and social and demographic characteristics of the elderly and the caregivers. A total number of 240 elderly residents in a previously drawn census tract participated in this research. The sample was composed of 52 elderly and their caregivers. For data collection, a questionnaire was applied with questions on social and demographic characteristics of elderly and caregivers, and the Burden Interview Scale was used. Results showed a high prevalence of burden among caregivers (84.6%), in which a statistically significant association was found with the following characteristics: retired elderly, elderly as head of family, spousal caregivers, and caregivers with less education. The findings of this study may contribute to the development of activities focused on formal and emotional support for the caregivers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (suppl 2) ◽  
pp. 777-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivian Carla de Castro ◽  
Leidyani Karina Rissardo ◽  
Lígia Carreira

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify the prevalence of physical aggression and neglect and abandonment in the hospitalizations of Brazilian elderly people for violence and assault from 2008 to 2013 and the association of these causes with socio-demographic variables related to hospitalization. Method: quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study with elderlies hospitalized for assault. Inclusion criteria: to be 60 years old or over, to have been hospitalized in the Unified Health System (SUS) for assault or neglect and abandonment, between 2008 and 2013. The data were collected in February 2016, in Datasus database and descriptive and inferentially, using the Chi-square distribution, in the Epi Info 3.5.4 program. Results: the prevalence of hospitalizations due to assaults and violence prevailed among 60 and 69 years old men in the public sector. For abandonment and neglect, there was a higher prevalence in women, over 80 years old, in the public sector. Conclusion: nurses must be able to identify and prevent violence against the elderly.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yadollah Abolfathi Momtaz ◽  
Fatemeh Mousavi-Shirazi ◽  
Parisa Mollaei ◽  
Ahmad Delbari

Background: Studies show as people age, demand for health care services rises. One of the most important factors that significantly affect the quality of elderly care is the attitude towards older adults. Objective: The current study aimed to assess the attitude of medical sciences students towards older adults in Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional design study using a multistage proportional random sampling method was employed to obtain a sample of 583 Iranian medical sciences students in 2017. The data were measured using the Kogan's Attitudes Towards Older People Scale (KAOPS). The SPSS 23.0 for Windows (IBM SPSS Statistics 23.0) was used to analyze the data. Results: Out of the 583 respondents, around 44% were female and a little more than one-fourth was medical students. The mean age was 21.98 (SD=3.63) years. The mean score of the attitude towards the elderly was found to be 56.90 (SD=8.04). Aging health students scored a more positive attitude towards elderly people than other medical sciences students. Results of the bivariate analyses revealed that field of study (F (7, 575) = 2.66, P<0.01), participating in gerontology and geriatrics research (t (581) =2.80, p<0.01), and attending in gerontology and geriatrics congress (t (581) =1.96, p<0.05) significantly associated with attitude toward older adults. Conclusions: The findings from the current study show that Iranian medical sciences students have moderate positive attitudes towards older adults and vary by students’ field of study and their research activity in gerontology and geriatrics field. Therefore, effective interventions for enhancing the attitudes of medical sciences students towards older adults should be developed and implemented.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (17) ◽  
pp. 3771
Author(s):  
Piotr Pobrotyn ◽  
Aleksandra Pasieczna ◽  
Dorota Diakowska ◽  
Bartosz Uchmanowicz ◽  
Grzegorz Mazur ◽  
...  

Frailty syndrome (FS) often coexists with many diseases of the elderly, including arterial hypertension, and may affect the disease course and adherence to therapeutic recommendations. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between frailty and adherence to therapeutic recommendations in elderly hypertensive patients. The study included 259 patients hospitalized between January 2019 and November 2020 due to exacerbation of hypertension symptoms. Medical records were used to obtain basic sociodemographic and clinical data. The study was based on the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) and the Hill–Bone Scale (HBCS). The obtained data were analyzed within a cross-sectional design. The mean frailty score indicated by the TFI questionnaire was 7.09 ± 3.73. The most prominent FS component was associated with the physical domain (4.24 ± 2.54). The mean overall adherence measured with the HBCS was 20.51 ± 3.72. The linear regression model testing the Hill–Bone “reduced sodium intake” score against the TFI domains showed no relationships between the variables. Another regression model for the Hill–Bone “appointment-keeping” subscale indicated significant predictors for physical and social TFI domains (p = 0.002 and p < 0.0001, respectively). For the Hill–Bone “taking antihypertensive drugs” variable, the regression model found significant relationships with all TFI domains: physical (p < 0.0001), psychological (p = 0.003) and social (p < 0.0001). Our study suggests that frailty in patients with arterial hypertension can negatively impact their adherence to therapeutic recommendations.


Biomedicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 742-746
Author(s):  
Tugolbai Tagaev ◽  
Farida Imanalieva ◽  
Sagynali Mamatov ◽  
Yethindra Vityala ◽  
Altynai Zhumabekova

Introduction and Aim: Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder characterized by diminished bone strength that increases the risk of fracture in instances of trivial trauma. The objective was to conduct ultrasound bone densitometry in different age groups (18-60 years and older) in southern Kyrgyzstan, to identify and study the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis.   Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study a total of 1200 participants were included, where 580 men and 620 women were aged between 18-60 years and older. Based on the age, the participants were divided into three groups. Bone mineral density in participants was measured using a SONOST-3000 densitometer model. The study was conducted among the population of the Osh and Jalal-Abad regions.   Results: Among the population of Osh state in the first group, normal values were found in 65.0%, osteopenia in 26.0%, and osteoporosis in 9.0% of participants. In the second group, values were significantly higher than in the first group. In the third age group, values exceeded significantly compared to the first and second groups. Similar data were obtained from the population of Jalal-Abad state, but a significant difference was found in the elderly people group with a higher percentage of osteopenia and osteoporosis.   Conclusion: The results showed the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in participants of different age categories of Osh and Jalal-Abad states, and especially in the elderly. Depending on the gender distribution, the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in our study is significantly higher in women than in men.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Berliana Irianti ◽  
Ermawati Ermawati ◽  
Arni Amir

Abstrak Penyebab dismenore belum semuanya diketahui, ada dugaan peningkatan proses peroksida lipid yang akan mengaktivasi mediator inflamasi pada endometrium yang menimbulkan rasa nyeri haid (dismenore). Tujuan penelitian ini adalah menentukan perbedaan kadar malondialdehide dan tromboksan B 2  pada dismenore dan tanpa dismenore. Studi observasional ini menggunakan desain potong lintang komparatif. Subjek penelitian terdiri dari dua kelompok yaitu 23 remaja dismenore dan 23 remaja tanpa dismenore dengan waktu penelitian dari Juni sampai Juli 2014. Analisis sampel dilakukan di Laboratorium Biomedik dan Biokimia Universitas Andalas Padang. Pemeriksaan kadartromboksan B 2  menggunakan metode ELISA dan kadar malondialdehide menggunakan metode Asam Thiobarbiturat (TBA). Hasil penelitian diperoleh bahwa rerata kadar malondialdehid pada remaja dengan dismenore yaitu 2,60±0,63 µmol/ml, rerata remaja tanpa dismenore 1,98±0,12 µmol/ml dengan probabilitas p<0,05 (0,000), sedangkan reratakadar Tromboksan B 2  pada remaja dengan dismenore 20,043±9,56 ng/ml, rerata remaja tanpa dismenore 19,222±10,79 ng/ml, dengan probabilitas p>0,05 (0,786). Kesimpulan penelitian ini adalah terdapat perbedaan yang signifikan rerata kadar malondialdehid pada remaja dengan dismenore dan tanpa dismenore dan tidak terdapatperbedaan signifikan pada kadar tromboksan B 2 pada remaja dengan dismenore dan tanpa dismenore.Kata kunci: remaja, dismenore, malondialdehide, tromboksan B2 Abstract The precise cause of dysmenorrhea is still unclear, there may be increased lipid peroxidation process will activate the inflammatory mediators at endometrium that cause menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea). The objective of this study was to determine the difference of malondialdehyde levels and thromboxane B 2  levels in dysmenorrhea and without dysmenorrhea. It was an observational study with comparative cross-sectional design. The subjects consisted of two groups, they are 23 adolescent with dysmenorrhea and 23 adolescents without dysmenorrhea, done in Juny -July 2014. Sample analysis was conducted in Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biomedical Laboratory of Andalas University Padang. The examination of Thromboxane B 2  levels used ELISA and the examination of malondialdehyde levels used a Thiobarbituric acid method. The results showed the mean of malondialdehyde levels in adolescents withdysmenorrhea was 2.60±0.63 µmol/ml, the mean level in adolescent without dysmenorrhea was 1.98±0.12 µmol/ml with probability p<0.05 (0.000), while the mean levels of thromboxane B 2  in adolescents with dysmenorrhea was 20.043±9.56 ng/ml, the mean level in adolescent without dysmenorrhea was 19.222±10.79 ng/ml, with probabilityp>0.05 (0.786). It can be concluded that there is a significant difference in the mean of malondialdehyde levels between adolescents with dysmenorrhea and without dysmenorrhea and there is no significant differences in thromboxane B 2 level between adolescents with dysmenorrhea and without dysmenorrheaKeywords: adolescent, dysmenorrhea, malondialdehyde, thromboxane B2


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