scholarly journals Individual and social determinants of oral health in South Africa in the context of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 440-444
Author(s):  
Ansuyah Magan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
General Health ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Economic Capital ◽  
Pharmacologic Treatment ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Potential Impact

The global pandemic due to infection with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV -2) causes the disease COVID-19 which is a mild, self-limiting disease in the majority of infected individuals.1 However, in many individuals, particularly the elderly, or those with comorbidities such as diabetes, pulmonary disease or cardiovascular conditions, infection with SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in more severe symptoms, and has proved fatal.2 Given that COVID-19 is a novel disease and that there is no vaccine or specific pharmacologic treatment for it, it is likely that its impact on an individual's general health will be protracted and is yet to unfold. Oral health is inextricably linked to general health and its neglect may have negative consequences on human and economic capital. The aim of this commentary is, therefore, to highlight the potential impact of SARS-CoV-2 on oral health in South Africa (SA).

Profilaktyka stomatologiczna – zalecenia dla osób starszych, rezydentów domów opieki i ich opiekunów. Stanowisko grupy roboczej Polskiego Oddziału Sojuszu dla Przyszłości Wolnej od Próchnicy (ACFF) ds. zapobiegania próchnicy w populacji osób dorosłych

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Bagińska ◽  
Renata Chałas ◽  
Ewa Rusyan ◽  
Agnieszka Mielczarek
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
General Health ◽  
Oral Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
World Health ◽  
Oral Diseases ◽  
Manual Search ◽  
Dental Prophylaxis

Introduction. Oral health is an integral part of general health. In the population of elderly people with multiple chronic diseases, the prevention of oral diseases should be an integral part of medical care. Older people are often dependent, have limited manual skills and require help or assistance in performing hygiene procedures, including brushing teeth. Aim. Development of standards for the prevention of oral diseases dedicated to the elderly, residents of nursing homes and their carers. Material and methods. Analysis of the medical databases (Pubmed, EMBASE, MEDLINE), using the following search phrases: “oral health”, “prophylactic procedures”, “oral care”, “elderly”, “residents of nursing home” and manual search of recommendations of dental societies and the World Health Organization. Results. The available literature indicates the need to develop standards of dental prophylaxis for the elderly, including those living in nursing homes. Pro-health education of the elderly and their caregivers is a key element of dental prophylaxis and an important element of medical care. Conclusions. Regular oral hygiene and nutrition in accordance with the recommendations aimed at reducing the risk of caries improves general health and improves the quality of life of seniors.

scholarly journals A study on impact of oral health on general health among the elderly residing in a slum of Kolkata: A cross-sectional study

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
SwanyaPrabha Maharana ◽  
Shobhit Garg ◽  
Aparajita Dasgupta ◽  
Nazrul Mallick ◽  
Bobby Pal
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
General Health ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

scholarly journals Development of highly potent neutralising nanobodies against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants including the variant of concern B.1.351

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka M Sziemel ◽  
Shi-Hsia Hwa ◽  
Alex Sigal ◽  
Grace Tyson ◽  
Nicola Logan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Effective Treatment ◽  
Vaccine Efficacy ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Modern Medicine ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Live Virus ◽  
Global Pandemic

The pathogenic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic. During the years of 2020-2021, millions of humans have died due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe economic damage to the global economy has occurred. Unprecedented rapid investments in vaccine development have been made to counter the spread of SARS-CoV-2 among humans. While vaccines are a key pillar of modern medicine, SARS-CoV-2 has mutated as it spread among humans. Vaccines previously developed and approved by regulators are becoming less effective against new variants. One variant of SARS-CoV-2 known as B.1.351 that was first reported to be present in South Africa significantly reduces the efficacy of vaccines developed to date. Therapeutic options that work against the B.1.351 variant are therefore urgently needed to counteract reduced vaccine efficacy. We present here the discovery of recombinant alpaca antibodies that neutralise live virus of B.1.351 and other SARS-CoV-2 variants potently. The antibodies described here may be a useful tool for clinicians who are treating patients infected with B.1.351 and other SARS-CoV-2 for which there is currently no known highly effective treatment.

The relevance of dietetic approach of Ayurveda from the perspective of COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 748-752
Author(s):  
Swapnali Khabade ◽  
Bharat Rathi ◽  
Renu Rathi
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Healthy Person ◽  
World Health ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The People ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Individual

A novel, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causes severe acute respiratory syndrome and spread globally from Wuhan, China. In March 2020 the World Health Organization declared the SARS-Cov-2 virus as a COVID- 19, a global pandemic. This pandemic happened to be followed by some restrictions, and specially lockdown playing the leading role for the people to get disassociated with their personal and social schedules. And now the food is the most necessary thing to take care of. It seems the new challenge for the individual is self-isolation to maintain themselves on the health basis and fight against the pandemic situation by boosting their immunity. Food organised by proper diet may maintain the physical and mental health of the individual. Ayurveda aims to promote and preserve the health, strength and the longevity of the healthy person and to cure the disease by properly channelling with and without Ahara. In Ayurveda, diet (Ahara) is considered as one of the critical pillars of life, and Langhana plays an important role too. This article will review the relevance of dietetic approach described in Ayurveda with and without food (Asthavidhi visheshaytana & Lanhgan) during COVID-19 like a pandemic.

Oral health diseases among the older people: a general health perspective

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Older People ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
General Health ◽  
Oral Health Care ◽  
Oral Diseases ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
The Relationship

Background: The relationship between oral health and general health is gaining interest in geriatric research; however, a lack of studies dealing with this issue from a general perspective makes it somewhat inaccessible to non-clinical public health professionals. Purpose: The purpose of this review is to describe the relationship between oral health and general health of the elderly on the basis of literature review, and to give non-clinical medical professionals and public health professionals an overview of this discipline. Methods: This study was based on an in-depth review of the literature pertaining to the relationship between oral health and general health among the older people. The tools commonly used to evaluate dental health and the academic researches of male elderly people were also reviewed. And future research directions were summarized. Results: Dental caries, periodontal disease, edentulism, and xerostomia are common oral diseases among the older people. Dental caries and periodontal diseases are the leading causes of missing teeth and edentulism. Xerostomia, similar to dry mouth, is another common oral health disease in the older people. No clear correlation exists between the subjective feeling of dryness and an objective decrease of saliva. Rather, both conditions can be explained by changes in saliva. The General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) are the main assessment tools used to examine oral health and quality of life in the older people. The GOHAI tends to be more sensitive to objective values pertaining to oral function. In addition, oral health studies in male elderly people are population-based cohort or cross-sectional studies, involving masticatory function, oral prevention, frailty problems, cardiovascular disease risk, and cognitive status. Conclusion: It is possible to reduce the incidence of certain oral diseases, even among individuals who take oral health care seriously. Oral health care should be based on the viewpoint of comprehensive treatment, including adequate nutrition, good life and psychology, and correct oral health care methods. In the future, researchers could combine the results of meta-analysis with the clinical experience of doctors to provide a more in-depth and broader discussion on oral health research topics concerning the older people.

The Unparalleled Growth of COVID-19 Publications (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Fontelo ◽  
Mrigendra Bastola ◽  
Craig Locatis ◽  
Fang Liu
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Us ◽  
International Collaborative ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Collaborative Publishing

UNSTRUCTURED The global pandemic of COVID-19 has generated an unprecedented number of research papers from clinicians and scientists worldwide. We searched PubMed for articles on coronaviruses from 1970 to June 2020. Surges of publications occurred in 2003 from SARS and, again in 2012 from MERS. Although the name COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was only announced by WHO in February 2020, the number of publications has already exceeded 16000 by June this year. China and the US lead in publications, but a significant number also come from countries hardest hit by the illness. International collaborative publishing is significant. Since these publications are generally free to access worldwide, it provides a rich evidence base for clinicians and scientists combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals KI and WU Polyomavirus in Respiratory Samples of SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1259
Author(s):  
Carla Prezioso ◽  
Ugo Moens ◽  
Giuseppe Oliveto ◽  
Gabriele Brazzini ◽  
Francesca Piacentini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Respiratory Pathogens ◽  
Threshold Values ◽  
Cycle Threshold ◽  
Viral Interference ◽  
Disease Outcomes ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Wu Polyomavirus ◽  
Washington University

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been declared a global pandemic. Our goal was to determine whether co-infections with respiratory polyomaviruses, such as Karolinska Institutet polyomavirus (KIPyV) and Washington University polyomavirus (WUPyV) occur in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Oropharyngeal swabs from 150 individuals, 112 symptomatic COVID-19 patients and 38 healthcare workers not infected by SARS-CoV-2, were collected from March 2020 through May 2020 and tested for KIPyV and WUPyV DNA presence. Of the 112 SARS-CoV-2 positive patients, 27 (24.1%) were co-infected with KIPyV, 5 (4.5%) were positive for WUPyV, and 3 (2.7%) were infected simultaneously by KIPyV and WUPyV. Neither KIPyV nor WUPyV DNA was detected in samples of healthcare workers. Significant correlations were found in patients co-infected with SARS-CoV-2 and KIPyV (p < 0.05) and between SARS-CoV-2 cycle threshold values and KIPyV, WUPyV and KIPyV and WUPyV concurrently detected (p < 0.05). These results suggest that KIPyV and WUPyV may behave as opportunistic respiratory pathogens. Additional investigations are needed to understand the epidemiology and the prevalence of respiratory polyomavirus in COVID-19 patients and whether KIPyV and WUPyV could potentially drive viral interference or influence disease outcomes by upregulating SARS-CoV-2 replicative potential.

scholarly journals Oral Health and Psychosocial Predictors of Quality of Life and General Well-Being among Adolescents in Lesotho, Southern Africa

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 582
Author(s):  
Abbas Jessani ◽  
Jonghm Choi ◽  
Abdul El-Rabbany ◽  
Pulane Lefoka ◽  
Mir Faeq Ali Quadri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
General Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
General Health Status ◽  
Social Wellbeing ◽  
Fair Poor ◽  
Dental Conditions

Background: Adolescents’ quality of life is reported to be significantly associated with physical and social wellbeing. Although adolescents are 30% of the Southern African population, no previous studies have focused on this group in relation to oral health and quality of life. Methods: A 40-item survey and clinical oral examinations were conducted in public schools in Maseru from 10 to 25 August 2016. Simple, bivariate, and multivariate regressions were used to evaluate the associations of oral health and psychosocial factors with self-reported general health status and quality of life. Results: A total of 526 participants, aged 12–19 years old, responded to the survey and participated in the clinical examinations. The majority reported a good (good/very good/excellent) quality of life (84%) and general health (81%). Bivariate results showed that self-reported general health in this population was significantly influenced by age. The presence of toothache and sensitivity in the adolescents were significantly associated with poor (fair/poor) self-reported general health and were found to be the best predictors for self-general health and quality of life. Conclusions: The absence of dental conditions such as toothache and tooth sensitivity can lead to a better perception of general health and Quality of Life in adolescents.

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