scholarly journals THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT, THE MALE TO FEMALE RATIO AT BIRTH AND BIRTH RATES

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Grech
Keyword(s):  
Chernobyl Accident ◽  
Fetal Loss ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Significant Rise ◽  
World Health ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Eastern European Countries ◽  
The Baltic

Introduction: The male:female ratio at birth (male births divided by total live births – M/T) has been shown to increase in response to ionizing radiation due to gender-biased fetal loss, with excess female loss. M/T rose sharply in 1987 in central-eastern European countries following the Chernobyl accident in 1986. This study analyses M/T and births for the former Soviet Republics and for the countries most contaminated by the event. Methods: Annual birth data was obtained from the World Health Organisation. The countries with the highest exposure levels (by 137Cs) were identified from an official publication of the International Atomic Energy Agency. All of the former Soviet states were also analysed and the periods before and after 1986 were compared. Results: Except for the Baltic States, all regions in the former USSR showed a significant rise in M/T from 1986. There were significant rises in M/T in the three most exposed (Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation). The birth deficit in the post-Soviet states for the ten years following Chernobyl was estimated at 2,072,666, of which 1,087,924 are accounted by Belarus and Ukraine alone. Discussion: Chernobyl has resulted in the loss of millions of births, a process that has involved female even more than male fetuses. This is another and oft neglected consequence of widespread population radiation contamination.

Changing trends in quality of media reporting of suicide in the community following a celebrity suicide in India

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742110096
Author(s):  
Vikas Menon ◽  
Sujita Kumar Kar ◽  
Ramdas Ransing ◽  
Ginni Sharma ◽  
Jigyansa Ipsita Pattnaik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online News ◽  
Significant Rise ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
World Health ◽  
Media Reporting ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Celebrity Suicide

Objective: Little is known about changes in quality of media reporting of suicide in the community following a celebrity suicide. Our objective was to compare trends in quality of media reporting of suicide, before and after the suicide of an Indian entertainment celebrity, against the World Health Organization suicide reporting guidelines. Method: Online news portals of English and local language newspapers, as well as television channels, were searched to identify relevant suicide-related news articles. Comparison of reporting characteristics before and after the celebrity suicide was performed using chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. Results: A total of 3867 eligible news reports were retrieved. There was a significant increase in harmful reporting characteristics, such as reporting the name, age and gender of the deceased ( p < 0.001 for all comparisons), mentioning the location ( p < 0.001) and reason for suicide ( p = 0.04) and including photos of the deceased ( p = 0.002) following the celebrity suicide. Helpful reporting practices were less affected; there was a significant rise in inclusion of expert opinion ( p = 0.04) and mention of suicide-related warning signs ( p = 0.02). Conclusion: Following a celebrity suicide, significant changes in the quality of media reporting of suicide were noted with an increase in several potentially harmful reporting characteristics.

Strength training alters MCT1-protein expression and exercise-induced translocation in erythrocytes of men with non-insulin-dependent type-2 diabetes

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Opitz ◽  
Thorsten Kreutz ◽  
Edward Lenzen ◽  
Benedict Dillkofer ◽  
Patrick Wahl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Strength Training ◽  
Acute Exercise ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Cellular Membrane ◽  
World Health ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Insulin Dependent ◽  
Dependent Type

We investigated the cellular distribution of lactate transporter (MCT1) and its chaperone CD147 (using immunohistochemistry and fluorescence-activated cell sorting) in the erythrocytes of men with non-insulin-dependent type-2 diabetes (NIDDM, n = 11, 61 ± 8 years of age) under acute exercise (ergometer cycling test, World Health Organisation scheme) performed before and after a 3-month strength training program. Cytosolic MCT1 distribution and membraneous CD147 density did not change after acute exercise (ergometer). After the 3-month strength training, MCT1-density was increased and the reaction of MCT1 (but not that of CD147) towards acute exercise (ergometer) was altered. MCT1 localisation was shifted from the centre to the cellular membrane. This resulted in a decrease in the immunohistochemically measured cytosolic MCT1-density. We conclude that strength training alters the acute exercise reaction of MCT1 but not that of CD147 in erythrocytes in patients with NIDDM. This reaction may contribute to long-term normalisation and stabilisation of the regulation of lactate plasma concentration in NIDDM.

scholarly journals Dengue-free community as an approach for understanding the value and challenges of inter-agencies partnerships in an intervention program

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidayatulfathi Othman ◽  
Saiful Azlan Nordin ◽  
Norazimah Abdul Rashid ◽  
Mohamed Badrul Hisham Abas ◽  
Rozita Hod ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intervention Program ◽  
Local Level ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Control Area ◽  
Social Mobilization ◽  
World Health ◽  
Community Approach ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Dengue Prevention ◽  
Dengue Control

Background: One of the key requirements for accomplishing a mutual goal is the formation of partnerships. ‘Partnership’ is an ill-defined concept, subject to multiple interpretations and frequently used interchangeably with alliance, coalition, network and collaboration among other terms. World Health Organisation had emphasized dengue prevention and control as a top priority, thus an inter agencies strategy and intervention study was launched to document the effectiveness of a local-level inter agencies approach and partnerships.Methods: The Free-Dengue Community approach, which involved stakeholder partnerships between parties such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science, Technology, Local Municipalities, Health District Offices and National University of Malaysia, was developed as an inter-agencies plan for dengue prevention, of which the core objective was to design and implement activities for communication and social mobilization. In the control area, routine dengue control activities continued without additional input.  Entomological indices were compared within and between the areas before and after the 12 week intervention period.Results: The approach consolidated the inter-agencies partnerships whereby the dengue cases in the localities had dropped and via this study, the module of Dengue-Free Community was mapped and documented. The result also highlighted the contributions made by each of the partner in bringing down the dengue cases in the selected localities. Furthermore, the number of ovitrap index also decreasing proving that the approach is effective. The community kit and home-kit provided to the community also helped in reducing the number of Aedes eggs in the intervention program.Conclusions: The partnership using the Dengue-Free Community approach achieved its aim of increasing the level of cooperation between the authorities to support social mobilization, and results shed light on how to tackle the challenges of inter-agency partnerships and the required approach for a better understanding of the levels at which individuals operate within such partnerships. 

scholarly journals Mobility Behaviour in View of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic—Public Transport Users in Gdansk Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 364
Author(s):  
Adam Przybylowski ◽  
Sandra Stelmak ◽  
Michal Suchanek
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
Problematic Issue ◽  
Mobility Behaviour ◽  
Past Life ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic, like an earthquake, shocked our civilization and is still having a devastating effect on our lives. Guaranteeing an appropriate level of safety in the conditions of an epidemic is a highly problematic issue due to the subjectivism of social individuals, their diverse attitudes, and past life experiences. Taking into account the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines regarding the pandemic, authorities all around the world have reacted by issuing the necessary sets of advice and legal acts. This resulted in immediate and severe implications on mobility styles. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on mobility behaviours with special regard to public transport users, in terms of their willingness to travel and their safety criteria perceptions. The city of Gdańsk, in Poland, located on the Baltic Sea, has been taken as an example. The hypothesis was as follows: the epidemic phenomenon may substantially affect mobility behaviours in terms of subjective levels of safety and the mental comfort of public transport users, resulting in avoiding this form of transport. In accordance with the survey results, carried out among the users, 90% of respondents resigned or limited their usage. Almost 75% of them plan to return to using public transport when the epidemic situation has stabilized. The others, unfortunately, have completely lost hope that public transport will ever be safe. These results indicate decisively that the future of public transport in cities, and the willingness of passengers to use it once the epidemic is over, depends majorly on the perceived comfort and safety during the epidemic. This means that transport policies should be focused on enhancing these perceptions and making sure that the image of public transport is not in further decline; otherwise, it could mean an almost impossible effort to encourage passengers to return to using sustainable modes of transport in the future.

scholarly journals Prevalence of HCV in prisons in Wales, UK and the impact of moving to opt-out HCV testing

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 423-428
Author(s):  
Stephanie E Perrett ◽  
Amy Plimmer ◽  
Ananda Giri Shankar ◽  
Noel Craine
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Data ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Short Stay ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Opt Out ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Testing Site ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Hcv Testing

Abstract Background Viral hepatitis is a leading cause of death worldwide. The World Health Organisation introduced a target to reduce hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a public health threat by 2030. Testing and treatment of those at elevated risk of infection in prison is key to achieving disease elimination. An opt-out testing policy for those in prison was introduced in Wales, UK, in 2016. Methods We analysed all Wales laboratory data where the testing site was a prison. We analysed numbers tested and positivity for a 14-month period before and after the introduction of opt-out testing policy. Results Between September 2015 and December 2017, 6949 HCV tests were from prison settings in Wales, equating to 29% of admissions to prison (P &lt; 0.001). All but one prison increased testing following the introduction of opt-out policy. Percentage positivity for HCV remained at 11% before and after opt-out policy (P = 0.572). Short-stay prisons saw higher rates of HCV positivity than long stay. Conclusion Data suggest implementation of opt-out policy improved uptake and diagnosis of HCV amongst those in prison; however, further effort is required to fully embed screening for all. Positivity remains high amongst those in prison, particularly in short-stay prisons. Laboratory data can support audit of opt-out policy.

scholarly journals A KNOCK AROUND THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF COVID-19 WITH REFERENCE TO THE QUANTUM OF GOODS AND SERVICES TAX COLLECTION IN INDIA

2021 ◽  
pp. 121-126
Author(s):  
Dr. Baneswar Kapasi ◽  
Dr. Mahesh Kumar Kurmi
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Tax Collection ◽  
Indian Economy ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

COVID -19 has wedged all the major economies across the globe significantly. The World Health Organisation (WHO) first declared COVID-19 as a world health emergency in January 2020. The virus originated in Wuhan, China, but has been detected in over 200 countries. Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic, several countries worldwide resorted to lockdown to control infection. Due to lockdown, the production and distribution chains have been disrupted across the lands. All the segments of the economy have been impacted in different magnitude, and this has a direct impact on GDP, unemployment ratio, and tax collection. Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a harmonized tax of different indirect taxes in India. The GST collection reflects the volume of economic activities in India. Thus, in this paper, an attempt has been made to assess the impact of Covid-19 on the Indian economy concerning the quantum of Goods and Service collection in Indian during the lockdown period. For this study, secondary data relating to GST collection have been pooled from the official websites of the GST Council of India for the last three years, i.e., 2018 to 2020, and pair t-test have been run for testing statistical significance of the impact of COVID-19 on the quantum of the collection of Goods and Service Tax in India before and after lockdown announcement after adjusting the inflation factor. The results indicate no significant difference in the quantum of Goods and Services Tax Collection in India before and after the lockdown announcement due to the COVID-19 outbreak but a loss of Rs. 1,41,837 crore owing to the low collection of GST from March 2020 to August 2020 gives us a clear message that we should undoubtedly rethink the plans in more structural and more viable ways to reach a position to absorb any kinds of uncertain threats from the external environment. KEYWORDS: Covid-19, GST, Indian Economy, Pandemic, Lockdown

scholarly journals SECULAR TRENDS AND LATITUDE GRADIENTS IN SEX RATIOS AT BIRTH IN THE FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 162-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Grech
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Secular Trends ◽  
World Health ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Live Births ◽  
The World

Background: The male-female ratio at birth (M/F: male births divided by total births), which is anticipated to approximate 0.515, has been shown to exhibit latitude gradients and secular trends. Methods: Annual national data for male and female live births for the 15 countries that comprise the former Soviet Union were obtained from the World Health Organisation for the period 1980–2009 (115,167,569 total live births) and analysed with contingency tables. Spearman correlation was also carried out to compare percentage annual gross domestic product growth (GDP% – downloaded from the World Bank) and M/F. In this context, GDP% is used as a measure for economic hardship or wellbeing within the populace. Results: There have been overall highly significant secular increases in M/F (p < 0.0001) in the countries and regions investigated. M/F is significantly lower in the three more northern regions (Russian Federation, Baltic States and Central Asia. M/F 0.51324, 0.51335-0.51314) than the two more southern regions (Southern Caucasus and Eastern Europe. M/F 0.51654, 0.51635-0.51672). There was a male excess of 113,818 live births.There was a significant positive correlation between GDP% and M/F for Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. There was a significant negative correlation in Estonia. Conclusion: Previous studies have shown that improving socioeconomic conditions increase M/F, and the converse has also been demonstrated. This is a potential influence in this geographical area since this region has relatively recently emerged from communist rule and experienced an overall economic upturn, but is only partially supported using GDP%. Another factor may be the selective termination of female pregnancies. The latitude gradient parallels that of neighbouring Europe but no theory has been put forward to convincingly explain this finding to date.

scholarly journals SECULAR TRENDS AND LATITUDE GRADIENTS IN THE MALE-FEMALE RATIO AT BIRTH IN YUGOSLAVIA AND THE EX-YUGOSLAVIAN STATES

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Grech
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Small Region ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Secular Trends ◽  
World Health ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Live Births ◽  
Male Female Ratio ◽  
Short Time

Background: Latitude gradients and secular trends in Europe and North America have been found in the male-female ratio at birth (M/F: male births divided by total births) which approximates 0.515. Methods: Annual national data for Yugoslavia and the post-Yugoslavia States for male and female live births were obtained from the World Health Organisation and analysed with contingency tables. Results: This study analysed 22,020,729 live births. There was a increasing trend in M/F prior to the breakup of the former Yugoslavia (1950–1990, p = 0.002), followed by a decreasing trend after 1990 (p = 0.02). A latitude gradient was also noted, with more males being born in southern, warmer latitudes (p < 0.0001). There was an overall excess of 42,753 male births based on an anticipated M/F of 0.515. Conclusion: M/F is decreasing in this region, similar to the rest of Europe and North America. A latitude gradient is also present with more males being born in warmer (more Southern) latitudes (p < 0.0001), even in this small region and over the short time-frame studied.

scholarly journals Current Status and Prospects for Development of Nursing Professions in Germany

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-14
Author(s):  
Natalya Bidyuk ◽  
Halyna Oleskova
Keyword(s):  
Professional Training ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Nursing Personnel ◽  
World Health ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Job Vacancy ◽  
Healthcare Professions

AbstractThis article deals with the study of current status and prospects for development of nursing professions in Germany. It outlines the classification of “Healthcare Professions” and “Healthcare and Nursing Professions”, which are also identified with “Nursing Professions”. Besides, such concepts as “nursing”, “qualification level 2”, “qualification level 3”, “job vacancy duration” have been defined here. It describes more detailed the second and third qualification levels of nursing professions according to the German Classification of Occupations of 2010. In addition, the article highlights the problem of shortage of nursing personnel in Germany at the level of skilled workers and specialists. Within this paper, the authors analyze the actual data on the shortage of German nursing personnel in healthcare and nursing and geriatric nursing at the level of skilled workers and specialists. Special attention in the paper is paid to the fact that Germany as a member of International Council of Nurses and World Health Organisation, takes part in a worldwide care campaign “Nursing Now”, that was launched on 27 February 2018. It is designed for three years and aims to achieve many goals by the end of 2020: strengthen the role and potential of the nursing professions, thereby improving the health of the world’s population. Much attention in the article is paid to the description of the new German Nursing Professions Act of 17 July 2017 that will enter into force on 1 January 2020. That is why rather perspective is further studies on the peculiarities of professional training of German nursing personnel before and after 1 January 2020.

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