scholarly journals Presence of dogs and proximity to a wildlife reserve increase household level risk of tungiasis in Kwale, Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter S Larson ◽  
Masanobu Ono ◽  
Mwatasa Changoma ◽  
Kensuke Goto ◽  
Satoshi Kaneko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Species ◽  
Complex Disease ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Regression Methods ◽  
Complex Sampling ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Kenyan Coast ◽  
Wildlife Reserve

Abstract Introduction Tungiasis is a ectopic skin disease caused by some species of fleas in the Tunga genus, most notably T. penetrans. The disease afflicts poor and marginalized communities in developing countries. Transmission of tungiasis comprises a complex web of factors including domesticated animals and wildlife. This research explores animal and environmental risk factors for tungiasis in an area adjacent to a wildlife reserve in Kwale, Kenya. Methods A two-stage complex sampling strategy was used. Households were selected from three areas in and around Kwale Town, Kenya, an area close to the Kenyan Coast. Households were listed as positive if at least one member had tungiasis. Each household was administered a questionnaire regarding tungiasis behaviors, domesticated animal assets, and wild animal species that frequent the peridomiciliary area. Associations of household tungiasis were tests with household and environmental variables using regression methods. Results The study included 319 households. Of these, 41 (12.85%) were found to have at least one person who had signs of tungiasis. There were 295 (92.48%) households that possessed at least one species of domesticated animal. It was reported that wildlife regularly come into the vicinity of the home 90.59% of households. Presence of dogs around the home (OR 3.85; 95% CI 1.84; 8.11) and proximity to the park were associated with increased risk for tungiasis infestation in humans in a multivariate regression model. Conclusions Human tungiasis is a complex disease associated with domesticated and wild animals. Canines in particular appear to be important determinants of household level risk.

scholarly journals Household Economies of Chepang People in Chitwan

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Ganesh Sharma ◽  
Badri Aryal
Keyword(s):  
Annual Income ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Bank Account ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Household Economies ◽  
Wild Fruits ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
Development Committee ◽  
Stone Walls

<p>This study attempts to characterize a typical Chepang community in Chitwan  district with reference to their economy at household level based on the study conducted in Lothar Village Development Committee. Chepang are considered to be one of the highly marginalized communities in Nepal having traditional subsistence based small economies. Their houses are small with mud floor, stone walls and straw roofs. One third of the Chepang households do not have toilets. They rear small number of mixed livestocks in a house eg. Cattle, buffaloes, poultry, goat and pig. They do not have household amenities like freeze, telephone, television, computer, motorcar and motorbike; but have mobile phones. More than ninty percent of Chepang go to jungle to collect one or the other types of edibles like githavyakur, wild fruits, and chiuri.Ninty five percent of Chepang people do not have bank account, thus rely on their friends and relatives for borrowing in household needs for money. Chi-square test reveals highly significant association between size of landholding and food sufficiency months, level of education and annual income, purpose of taking loan and sources of loan; as well as estimated  annual income and account holding in bank.</p><p><em> </em><strong><em>Economic Literature</em></strong><em>, </em>Vol. XIII August 2016, page 39-45</p>

scholarly journals Association of angiotensin II type 1-receptor gene polymorphisms with the risk of developing hypertension in Mexican individuals

2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Martínez-Rodríguez ◽  
Carlos Posadas-Romero ◽  
Guillermo Cardoso ◽  
José Manuel Pérez-Rodríguez ◽  
Nonanzit Pérez-Hernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Angiotensin Ii ◽  
Gene Polymorphisms ◽  
Complex Disease ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Renin Angiotensin System ◽  
Similar Distribution ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Receptor Gene Polymorphisms ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors

Introduction: Hypertension is a complex disease in which a significant interaction between genetic and environmental factors takes place. The renin–angiotensin system plays an important role regulating blood pressure to maintain homeostasis and vascular tone. In the present work, the role of angiotensin II type 1-receptor (AGTR1) gene polymorphisms as susceptibility markers for hypertension was evaluated. Materials and methods: Five polymorphisms in the AGTR1 gene were genotyped by 5′ exonuclease TaqMan genotyping assays in 239 hypertensive and 371 non-hypertensive individuals. Results: A similar distribution of rs275651, rs275652, rs275653, and rs5183 polymorphisms was observed in both studied groups. Different distribution of rs5182 genotypes was observed between the studied groups ( p = 0.016). According to the co-dominant model, individuals with rs5182 CC genotype have a 1.83-fold increased risk of developing hypertension ( p = 0.009). Polymorphisms were distributed in two blocks: block 1 included the rs275651, rs275652, and rs275653 polymorphisms, whereas block 2 included the rs5183 and rs5182 polymorphisms. Individuals with hypertension showed increased frequency of ‘ CA’ haplotype of block 2 when compared to non-hypertensive individuals ( p = 0.015, odds ratio = 1.33). Conclusion: The results suggest that the rs5182 gene polymorphism could be involved in the risk of developing hypertension in Mexican individuals.

Postural Disorders in Conservatory Students: The Diesis Project

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Ramella ◽  
F Fronte ◽  
RM Converti
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Giuseppe Verdi ◽  
Professional Musicians ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Regression Methods ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Conservatory Students ◽  
Postural Disorders ◽  
Associated Variables

Prolonged and incorrect postures are one of the main risk factors for the development of musculoskeletal pathologies. The aims of this study were to study the prevalence of incorrect postures among conservatory students; to identify if the use of an asymmetric instrument represents a risk factor for developing postural disorders; and to investigate whether a correlation exists between years of study, physical activity, and prevalence of postural disorders. METHODS: The subjects were recruited among students of the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Milano. All musical instruments were investigated and classified as asymmetric and symmetrical. The observed student posture was classified without instrument as “correct posture” or “postural disorder” and with an with instrument as “optimal posture” or “non-optimal posture.” While playing, the postural disorder was classified as “unchanged” or “increased.” The data were analyzed with chi-square and linear regression methods. RESULTS: Of the 148 conservatory students entered into the study, 66.2% had a postural disorder; 73.4% had a non-optimal posture, and playing an asymmetric instrument was the only variable associated (p=0.01). While playing, the postural disorder was increased in 59.2%; playing an asymmetric instrument (p=0.01) and years of practice (p=0.007) were the significantly associated variables. CONCLUSIONS: To play an asymmetric instrument exposes musicians to an increased risk of non-optimal postures and to a worsened postural disorder when present. Considering that the years of practice have an additional negative impact on postural disorders, further studies are needed to clarify the role of non-optimal postures in the development of musculoskeletal complaints among students and professional musicians.

scholarly journals OsteoporosAtlas: a human osteoporosis-related gene database

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xun Wang ◽  
Lihong Diao ◽  
Dezhi Sun ◽  
Dan Wang ◽  
Jiarun Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Complex Disease ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Osteoporotic Fractures ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
Common Complex Disease ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Prevention And Treatment ◽  
Pathway Analyses

Background Osteoporosis is a common, complex disease of bone with a strong heritable component, characterized by low bone mineral density, microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue and an increased risk of fracture. Due to limited drug selection for osteoporosis and increasing morbidity, mortality of osteoporotic fractures, osteoporosis has become a major health burden in aging societies. Current researches for identifying specific loci or genes involved in osteoporosis contribute to a greater understanding of the pathogenesis of osteoporosis and the development of better diagnosis, prevention and treatment strategies. However, little is known about how most causal genes work and interact to influence osteoporosis. Therefore, it is greatly significant to collect and analyze the studies involved in osteoporosis-related genes. Unfortunately, the information about all these osteoporosis-related genes is scattered in a large amount of extensive literature. Currently, there is no specialized database for easily accessing relevant information about osteoporosis-related genes and miRNAs. Methods We extracted data from literature abstracts in PubMed by text-mining and manual curation. Moreover, a local MySQL database containing all the data was developed with PHP on a Windows server. Results OsteoporosAtlas (http://biokb.ncpsb.org/osteoporosis/), the first specialized database for easily accessing relevant information such as osteoporosis-related genes and miRNAs, was constructed and served for researchers. OsteoporosAtlas enables users to retrieve, browse and download osteoporosis-related genes and miRNAs. Gene ontology and pathway analyses were integrated into OsteoporosAtlas. It currently includes 617 human encoding genes, 131 human non-coding miRNAs, and 128 functional roles. We think that OsteoporosAtlas will be an important bioinformatics resource to facilitate a better understanding of the pathogenesis of osteoporosis and developing better diagnosis, prevention and treatment strategies.

scholarly journals Genetics of Atrial Fibrillation in 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Roselli ◽  
Michiel Rienstra ◽  
Patrick T. Ellinor
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Complex Disease ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Heart Rhythm ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Genetics Research ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Rhythm Disorder

Atrial fibrillation is a common heart rhythm disorder that leads to an increased risk for stroke and heart failure. Atrial fibrillation is a complex disease with both environmental and genetic risk factors that contribute to the arrhythmia. Over the last decade, rapid progress has been made in identifying the genetic basis for this common condition. In this review, we provide an overview of the primary types of genetic analyses performed for atrial fibrillation, including linkage studies, genome-wide association studies, and studies of rare coding variation. With these results in mind, we aim to highlighting the existing knowledge gaps and future directions for atrial fibrillation genetics research.

scholarly journals Osteoprotegerin is Higher in Sepsis Than in Noninfectious SIRS and Predicts 30-Day Mortality of SIRS Patients in the Intensive Care

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 559-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Kemperman ◽  
Irene T Schrijver ◽  
Mark Roest ◽  
Jozef Kesecioglu ◽  
Wouter W van Solinge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Septic Shock ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Complex Disease ◽  
Proportional Hazards ◽  
Vascular System ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards ◽  
Admission Data ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Severity Of The Disease ◽  
Sepsis And Septic Shock

AbstractBackgroundSystemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a complex disease involving multiple pathways and organs. Biomarkers reflecting these pathways and organ function could correlate with the severity of the disease. Osteoprotegerin (OPG), mainly known for its role in bone metabolism, is also involved in the immune and vascular system and is therefore an interesting biomarker to study in SIRS patients. In this prospective observational study, we investigated the correlation of plasma OPG concentrations, sepsis, and 30-day mortality of SIRS patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).MethodsThis observational, single-center, cohort study included 313 consecutive patients admitted to the ICU, with an anticipated stay of more than 48 h and SIRS on admission. Data from included patients were collected daily until discharge or death for a maximum of 10 days. Thirty-day mortality was retrospectively assessed. OPG concentrations were measured in the first 48 h after admission. The relation of OPG with no sepsis, sepsis, and septic shock was assessed with the Kruskal–Wallis test and the Mann–Whitney U-test. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to study OPG concentrations and 30-day mortality.ResultsOPG concentrations were higher in patients with sepsis and septic shock than in patients without sepsis. Furthermore, patients with OPG concentrations in the highest tertile at admission in the ICU have an increased risk of mortality within 30 days when compared to patients with OPG concentrations in the lowest and middle tertiles, independent of acute physiologic and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores.ConclusionsWe show that OPG is a biomarker that correlates with sepsis and predicts mortality of SIRS patients in the ICU.

Mixed-gas model for predicting decompression sickness in rats

2000 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. 2107-2116 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Lillo ◽  
E. C. Parker
Keyword(s):  
Animal Species ◽  
Decompression Sickness ◽  
Mixed Gas ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Model Predictions ◽  
Future Evaluation ◽  
Different Gases ◽  
Random Scatter

A mixed-gas model for rats was developed to further explore the role of different gases in decompression and to provide a global model for possible future evaluation of its usefulness for human prediction. A Hill-equation dose-response model was fitted to over 5,000 rat dives by using the technique of maximum likelihood. These dives used various mixtures of He, N2, Ar, and O2 and had times at depth up to 2 h and varied decompression profiles. Results supported past findings, including 1) differences among the gases in decompression risk (He < N2 < Ar) and exchange rate (He > Ar ≈ N2), 2) significant decompression risk of O2, and 3) increased risk of decompression sickness with heavier animals. New findings included asymmetrical gas exchange with gas washout often unexpectedly faster than uptake. Model success was demonstrated by the relatively small errors (and their random scatter) between model predictions and actual incidences. This mixed-gas model for prediction of decompression sickness in rats is the first such model for any animal species that covers such a broad range of gas mixtures and dive profiles.

OPTIMAL CONTROL APPLIED IN AN ANTHRAX EPIZOOTIC MODEL

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (04) ◽  
pp. 495-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
BUDDHI PANTHA ◽  
JUDY DAY ◽  
SUZANNE LENHART
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Control ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Control Measure ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Carcass Disposal ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Wildlife Reserve ◽  
Proper Disposal

Anthrax is a rapidly fatal, infectious disease which occurs in many animal species, particularly herbivore mammals, and is one of the main causes of population decline in several national parks worldwide. As the infected animals face inevitable death and each infected carcass contributes spores to the surrounding environment, infected carcasses and the infected animals are the main sources of new infections. Thus any control measure should focus on vaccinating susceptible animals and the proper disposal of infected carcasses. In this paper, a system of ordinary differential equations modeling an anthrax epizootic in a wildlife reserve is formulated. Two controls representing vaccination of the susceptible animals and disposal of the infected carcasses are investigated in order to minimize the number of infected animals, the number of infected carcasses and the cost of vaccination and carcass disposal. Model parameters are estimated by using outbreak data from Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, Zimbabwe, and some numerical results for the optimal control problem are presented.

Folate and Clefts of the Lip and Palate—A U.K.-Based Case-Control Study: Part II: Biochemical and Genetic Analysis

2008 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 428-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Little ◽  
M. Gilmour ◽  
P. A. Mossey ◽  
D. FitzPatrick ◽  
A. Cardy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cleft Palate ◽  
Cleft Lip ◽  
Mthfr C677t ◽  
Serum Folate ◽  
Inverse Association ◽  
Folic Acid Fortification ◽  
Regression Methods ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Log Linear

Objective: To investigate associations between nonsyndromic oral clefts and biochemical measures of folate status and the MTHFR C677T variant in the United Kingdom, where there has been no folic acid fortification program. Method: Dietary details were obtained from the mothers of 112 cases of cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL±P), 78 cleft palate only (CP) cases, and 248 unaffected infants. Infant and parental MTHFR C677T genotype was determined. Red blood cell (RBC) and serum folate and homocysteine levels were assessed in 12-month postpartum blood samples from a subset of mothers. The data were analyzed by logistic and log-linear regression methods. Results: There was an inverse association between CL±P and maternal MTHFR CT (odds ratio [OR]  =  0.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]  =  0.31–0.95) and TT (OR  =  0.6, 95% CI  =  0.21–1.50) genotypes, with similar risk estimates for CP. There was no clear association with infant MTHFR genotype. Higher levels of maternal postpartum RBC and serum folate were associated with a lower risk for CL±P and an increased risk for CP. Higher levels of serum homocysteine were associated with a slightly increased risk for both CL±P and CP. Conclusion: While the inverse relation between the mother's having the MTHFR C677T variant and both CL±P and CP suggests perturbation of maternal folate metabolism is of etiological importance, contrasting relations between maternal postpartum levels of RBC and serum folate by type of cleft are difficult to explain.

scholarly journals Environmental and Household-Based Spatial Risks for Tungiasis in an Endemic Area of Coastal Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Ayako Hyuga ◽  
Peter S. Larson ◽  
Morris Ndemwa ◽  
Sheru W. Muuo ◽  
Mwatasa Changoma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Data ◽  
Aluminum Content ◽  
Generalized Additive Models ◽  
Additive Models ◽  
P Value ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Kenyan Coast ◽  
Case Status ◽  
Similar Risk

Tungiasis is a cutaneous parasitosis caused by an embedded female sand flea. The distribution of cases can be spatially heterogeneous even in areas with similar risk profiles. This study assesses household and remotely sensed environmental factors that contribute to the geographic distribution of tungiasis cases in a rural area along the Southern Kenyan Coast. Data on household tungiasis case status, demographic and socioeconomic information, and geographic locations were recorded during regular survey activities of the Health and Demographic Surveillance System, mainly during 2011. Data were joined with other spatial data sources using latitude/longitude coordinates. Generalized additive models were used to predict and visualize spatial risks for tungiasis. The household-level prevalence of tungiasis was 3.4% (272/7925). There was a 1.1% (461/41,135) prevalence of infection among all participants. A significant spatial variability was observed in the unadjusted model (p-value < 0.001). The number of children per household, earthen floor, organic roof, elevation, aluminum content in the soil, and distance to the nearest animal reserve attenuated the odds ratios and partially explained the spatial variation of tungiasis. Spatial heterogeneity in tungiasis risk remained even after a factor adjustment. This suggests that there are possible unmeasured factors associated with the complex ecology of sand fleas that may contribute to the disease’s uneven distribution.

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