scholarly journals Role of Inactivity in Chronic Diseases: Evolutionary Insight and Pathophysiological Mechanisms

2017 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 1351-1402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank W. Booth ◽  
Christian K. Roberts ◽  
John P. Thyfault ◽  
Gregory N. Ruegsegger ◽  
Ryan G. Toedebusch
Keyword(s):  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
The United States ◽  
World Health ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Care Costs ◽  
The U.S

This review proposes that physical inactivity could be considered a behavior selected by evolution for resting, and also selected to be reinforcing in life-threatening situations in which exercise would be dangerous. Underlying the notion are human twin studies and animal selective breeding studies, both of which provide indirect evidence for the existence of genes for physical inactivity. Approximately 86% of the 325 million in the United States (U.S.) population achieve less than the U.S. Government and World Health Organization guidelines for daily physical activity for health. Although underappreciated, physical inactivity is an actual contributing cause to at least 35 unhealthy conditions, including the majority of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. First, we introduce nine physical inactivity-related themes. Next, characteristics and models of physical inactivity are presented. Following next are individual examples of phenotypes, organ systems, and diseases that are impacted by physical inactivity, including behavior, central nervous system, cardiorespiratory fitness, metabolism, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, bone, immunity, digestion, and cancer. Importantly, physical inactivity, itself, often plays an independent role as a direct cause of speeding the losses of cardiovascular and strength fitness, shortening of healthspan, and lowering of the age for the onset of the first chronic disease, which in turn decreases quality of life, increases health care costs, and accelerates mortality risk.

scholarly journals PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN THE TIME OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-28
Author(s):  
ROMAN MARKOVIČ ◽  
PETER ŽIŠKA ◽  
ŠIMONEK JAROMÍR
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
World Health ◽  
Infected People ◽  
Public Facilities ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
Regulatory Capacity ◽  
Health Organization

On 31 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global state of public health threat following the outbreak of a new coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 infection. To prevent spreading of the disease, various measures such as closing institutions, curfews, locking the country, and targeted quarantine for suspects and infected people are implemented in different countries. Physical inactivity caused by long-term quarantine measures may reduce the regulatory capacity of organ systems to resist viral infections, such as the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. This article aims to advise on how the physical population should exercise physical activity and athletes who are quarantined or, as a result of the measures, are unable to fully exercise in public facilities. As a solution to the lack of physical activity, taking into account the limitations of this time, we proposed a movement program, which we want to contribute to the prevention of disease in COVID-19 and to better manage the current pandemic situation.

scholarly journals Trump Administration Submits Notice of U.S. Withdrawal from the World Health Organization Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 765-772
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
The United States ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
World Health ◽  
Director General ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Trump Administration

President Trump decided in mid-April of 2020 to suspend U.S. funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) and to have his administration review its performance, contending that it was biased in favor of China and inept in its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to the WHO director-general a month later, Trump informed the director-general that his administration's review confirmed his accusations. He threatened that, unless the WHO implemented significant reforms, the United States would reconsider its membership in the organization. Less than two weeks later, on May 29, 2020, Trump announced his decision to terminate the U.S. relationship with the WHO. On July 6, the administration gave formal notice of U.S. withdrawal to the UN secretary-general, the depositary for the WHO Constitution. Assuming certain legal preconditions are satisfied and the notice of withdrawal is not revoked, the withdrawal will take effect on July 6, 2021.

scholarly journals Healthcare Policy: Federally Mandated Insurance Coverage for Infertility Treatment

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-19
Author(s):  
Tanesha Goldwire Tutt
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Insurance Coverage ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
World Health ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
The Many ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The U.S

Approximately 15% of couples in the United States (U.S.) suffer from infertility. Existing infertility treatments and alternate paths to parenthood, such as adoption, are available but financially inaccessible and require self-payment. Although organizations such as the American Medical Association (AMA) and World Health Organization (WHO) classify infertility as a disease, the U.S. has not federally mandated insurance coverage for infertility. Currently, only 15 states require insurance companies to offer some type of fertility benefit and these requirements vary across states.  This paper discusses the need to federally mandate insurance coverage for infertility in the U.S. Infertility not only causes devastating outcomes for individual families, but affects nearly all demographics across the world. However, national legislation on infertility coverage continues to fail the many couples who suffer from this condition. The paper concludes with implications for social work practice and recommends ways social workers can support this policy movement. Social workers have an ethical duty  not only to address clients’ mental and emotional needs, but also to be at the frontlines of policy and to advocate for federal insurance coverage for clients who desperately want to realize their dream of conceiving a child.

scholarly journals Malaria continues to select for sickle cell trait in Central Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (22) ◽  
pp. 7051-7054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Elguero ◽  
Lucrèce M. Délicat-Loembet ◽  
Virginie Rougeron ◽  
Céline Arnathau ◽  
Benjamin Roche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sickle Cell ◽  
Sickle Cell Trait ◽  
Genetic Disorder ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
The United States ◽  
Malaria Prevalence ◽  
Current Data ◽  
World Health ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Health Organization

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder that poses a serious health threat in tropical Africa, which the World Health Organization has declared a public health priority. Its persistence in human populations has been attributed to the resistance it provides to Plasmodium falciparum malaria in its heterozygous state, called sickle cell trait (SCT). Because of migration, SCT is becoming common outside tropical countries: It is now the most important genetic disorder in France, affecting one birth for every 2,400, and one of the most common in the United States. We assess the strength of the association between SCT and malaria, using current data for both SCT and malaria infections. A total of 3,959 blood samples from 195 villages distributed over the entire Republic of Gabon were analyzed. Hemoglobin variants were identified by using HPLCy (HPLC). Infections by three species of Plasmodium were detected by PCR followed by sequencing of a 201-bp fragment of cytochrome b. An increase of 10% in P. falciparum malaria prevalence is associated with an increase by 4.3% of SCT carriers. An increase of 10 y of age is associated with an increase by 5.5% of SCT carriers. Sex is not associated with SCT. These strong associations show that malaria remains a selective factor in current human populations, despite the progress of medicine and the actions undertaken to fight this disease. Our results provide evidence that evolution is still present in humans, although this is sometimes questioned by scientific, political, or religious personalities.

PUBLIC HEALTH, NURSING AND MEDICAL SOCIAL WORK

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1951 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 570-572
Keyword(s):  
Premature Infants ◽  
The United States ◽  
World Health ◽  
Multiple Birth ◽  
Expert Committee ◽  
Medical Social Work ◽  
Incidence And Mortality ◽  
Health Nursing ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Intrinsic Variable

IN THE summary of the report of the Expert Committee on Prematurity of the World Health Organization, published in this column in February 1951, Dr. Ethel Dunham indicated the concern of the Expert Committee in regard to uniformity of information on the incidence and mortality of prematurity. The need for uniformity is particularly urgent in a field where there are so many intrinsic variable factors. It has been shown time and again that the ability of a premature infant to survive, under the best of care, is closely correlated with the birth weight, which in itself reflects the stage of maturity. In turn, the stage of maturity at a given weight is affected by sex, race, and whether the child is a single or one of a multiple birth. Uniformly, at a particular stage of maturity, male infants are larger than female, single births are larger than multiple births and, in the United States, white babies are larger than Negro babies. These considerations underline the danger of misinterpretation of so-called over-all rates for the incidence of prematurity and for the mortality of premature infants. For example, at any given weight, Negro premature infants are probably more mature and consequently have a better chance of surviving.

The Ethics of COVID-19 Vaccine Passports

2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Joseph Meaney ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
The United States ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
World Health ◽  
Medical Decisions ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Divided Society ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

COVID-19 vaccine passports run the risk of creating a divided society where social privileges or restrictions based on “fitness” lead to discrimination based on immunization status. Individuals have a strong right to be free of coercion to take a COVID-19 vaccine, and we should be very leery of further invasion of private medical decisions. These concerns are shared both internationally and in the United States, and the World Health Organization, the Biden administration, and many US governors oppose COVID-19 vaccine credentials. In addition, regulations for COVID-19 vaccine credentials face practical barriers, including lack of access globally, especially among the poor; and lack of scientific data on the efficacy of these vaccines.

Comparativa de modelos multivariados basados en aprendizaje automático para la predicción del riesgo de diabetes en etapas tempranas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Zayra Ramírez Gaytán
Keyword(s):  
World Health ◽  
Degenerative Diseases ◽  
Decision Tree Algorithm ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The World ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Logistic Regression Algorithm ◽  
Asymptomatic Phase

Diabetes is one of the fastest-growing, life-threatening, chronic degenerative diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it has affected 422 million people worldwide in 2018. Approximately 50% of all people who suffer diabetes are not diagnosed due to the asymptomatic phase which usually lasts a long time. In this work, a data set of 520 instances has been used. The data set has been analyzed with the next three algorithms: logistic regression algorithm, decision trees and random forest. The results show that the decision tree algorithm had better performance with an AUC of 98%. Also, it was found the most common symptoms that a person with a risk of diabetes presents are polyuria, polydipsia and sudden weight loss.

Accounting for the Rising Caesarean Section Rate in Canada: What Are the Roles of Changing Needs, Practices, and Incentives?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Baker ◽  
Maripier Isabelle ◽  
Mark Stabile ◽  
Sara Allin
Keyword(s):  
Caesarean Section ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Caesarean Section Rate ◽  
The United States ◽  
World Health ◽  
Strong Increase ◽  
Primary Determinant ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Health Organization

In most high-income countries, including Canada, the share of births by Caesarean section (C‑section) has risen over the past decades to far exceed World Health Organization recommendations of the proportion justified on medical grounds (15 percent). Although unnecessary C-sections represent an important cost for health care systems, they are not associated with clear benefits for the mother and the child and can sometimes represent additional risks. Drawing on administrative records of nearly four million births in Canada, as well as macro data from the United States and Australia, we provide a comprehensive account of rising C-section rates. We explicitly consider the contributions of the main factors brought forward in the policy literature, including changing characteristics of mothers, births, and physicians as well as changing financial incentives for C-section deliveries. These factors account for at most one-half of the increase in C-section rates. The majority of the remaining increase in C-sections over the period 1994–2011 occurred in the early 2000s. We suggest that some event or shock in the early 2000s is likely the primary determinant of the recent strong increase in the C-section rate in Canada.

(Mis)Information on Digital Platforms: Lessons from Twitter and Sina Weibo in the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Kreps
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
The United States ◽  
World Health ◽  
Sina Weibo ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Relative Prevalence

BACKGROUND Misinformation about COVID-19 has presented challenges to public health authorities during pandemics. Understanding the prevalence and type of misinformation across contexts offers a way to understand the discourse around COVID-19 while informing potential countermeasures. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to study COVID-19 content on two prominent microblogging platform, Twitter, based in the United States, and Sina Weibo, based in China, and compare the content and relative prevalence of misinformation to better understand public discourse of public health issues across social media and cultural contexts. METHODS A total of 3,579,575 posts were scraped from both Weibo and Twitter, focusing on content from January 30th, 2020, when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” and February 6th, 2020. A 1% random sample of tweets that contained both the English keywords “coronavirus” and “covid-19” and the equivalent Chinese characters was extracted and analyzed based on changes in the frequencies of keywords and hashtags. Misinformation on each platform was compared by manually coding and comparing posts using the World Health Organization fact-check page to adjudicate accuracy of content. RESULTS Both platforms posted about the outbreak and transmission but posts on Sina Weibo were less likely to reference controversial topics such as the World Health Organization and death and more likely to cite themes of resisting, fighting, and cheering against the coronavirus. Misinformation constituted 1.1% of Twitter content and 0.3% of Weibo content. CONCLUSIONS Quantitative and qualitative analysis of content on both platforms points to cross-platform differences in public discourse surrounding the pandemic and informs potential countermeasures for online misinformation.

Overexpression of Cyclin A and Cyclin B1Proteins in Astrocytomas

2000 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Allan ◽  
Richard C. K. Jordan ◽  
Lee-Cyn Ang ◽  
Michael Taylor ◽  
Beverley Young
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Tumor Grade ◽  
Cyclin A ◽  
Cyclin B1 ◽  
Histologic Grade ◽  
World Health ◽  
Poor Correlation ◽  
Surgical Biopsy ◽  
Ki 67 ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Background.—Cyclins are proteins that are expressed during the progression of a normal cell through the cell cycle. In a number of cancers, overexpression of cyclin A and cyclin B1 proteins has been reported, and in some instances the levels of expression correlated well with the grades of malignancy. The expression of cyclin A and cyclin B1 proteins in astrocytoma may be linked to the histologic grade or proliferative activities. Objective.—To study the expression of cyclin A and cyclin B1 proteins in astrocytomas and correlate the labeling indices (LIs) of cyclin A and cyclin B1 with histologic grade and Ki-67 LI. Design.—The surgical biopsy specimens from 65 adults with astrocytomas were reviewed and divided into grades based on the World Health Organization system. The paraffin sections were immunostained using primary antibodies against Ki-67, cyclin A, and cyclin B1. The LIs of these astrocytomas for the 3 different antibodies were determined by computerized image analysis. Results.—The cyclin A LI showed good correlation with astrocytoma grade and Ki-67 LI. Both the nuclear and cytoplasmic cyclin B LIs correlated well with the tumor grade but showed poor correlation with Ki-67 LI. Conclusions.—This study suggests that although both cyclin A and B protein expression are related to the grade of malignancy in astrocytomas, cyclin A levels more generally reflect the proliferative state of these tumors. We also provide indirect evidence that cyclin B1 is associated with the aberrant progression through the G2-M phase checkpoint in astrocytomas.

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