scholarly journals THE DYNAMICS OF THE RISK OF THE MORBIDITY AND THE ADAPTATION PROCESS AS INDICES OF THE IMPACT OF LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON THE POPULATION

2018 ◽  
Vol 97 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. M. Prusakov ◽  
Aleksandra V. Prusakova

There were studied: The role of the disease dynamics at the background area in the formation of the risk for childhood morbidity in the study area; the value of indices of the long-term wavelike risk dynamics and the corresponding adaptation process for the identification and classification of mass non-infectious diseases. The waviness dynamics of the children morbidity risk is caused by the wave-like nature of the disease dynamics in the study and background areas. The disease risk level is formed not only by differences in the incidence rates of the background and study areas but also from differences in phases of high and low non-specific resistance of children contingent in these territories. The different character of the dynamics of the risk for the disease and related waviness of the adaptation process among children reflects the existence of differences in exposure to characteristics of local environmental factors in each territory. The average risk of disease, around which there are carried out annual fluctuations risks and phase states of the adaptation process, and the corresponding levels of reactivity and resistance of the body are the result of the absolute magnitude of the impact of local factors on the study area. The average relative risk of the morbidity, around which there are carried out annual fluctuations risks and phase states of the adaptation process is an integral index of the level of mass non-infectious diseases and the degree of severity of the medical and environmental situation, the level of reactivity and work mismatch of the body subsystems of children and the degree of their intensity. This is the measure of the absolute magnitude of the impact of local factors. The waviness to the development of states of high and low resistance is both always an index of antistress activation responses (or non-specifically high resistance state) and relative to the average force of impact factors (for the observed reactivity level). On the basis of the accounting for the level of the risk, there is suggested the classification of infectious diseases, including 1) the background or relatively satisfactory morbidity, 2) mass morbidity with the increased risk, 3) mass incidence of the high-risk, and 4) a mass incidence of the very high risk.

Author(s):  
Peng Shi ◽  
Yinqiao Dong ◽  
Huanchang Yan ◽  
Xiaoyang Li ◽  
Chenkai Zhao ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVETo investigate the impact of temperature and absolute humidity on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.DESIGNEcological study.SETTING31 provincial-level regions in mainland China.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURESData on COVID-19 incidence and climate between Jan 20 and Feb 29, 2020.RESULTSThe number of new confirm COVID-19 cases in mainland China peaked on Feb 1, 2020. COVID-19 daily incidence were lowest at -10 °C and highest at 10 °C, while the maximum incidence was observed at the absolute humidity of approximately 7 g/m3. COVID-19 incidence changed with temperature as daily incidence decreased when the temperature rose. No significant association between COVID-19 incidence and absolute humidity was observed in distributed lag nonlinear models. Additionally, A modified susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (M-SEIR) model confirmed that transmission rate decreased with the increase of temperature, leading to further decrease of infection rate and outbreak scale.CONCLUSIONTemperature is an environmental driver of the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Lower and higher temperatures might be positive to decrease the COVID-19 incidence. M-SEIR models help to better evaluate environmental and social impacts on COVID-19.What is already known on this topicMany infectious diseases present an environmental pattern in their incidence.Environmental factors, such as climate and weather condition, could drive the space and time correlations of infectious diseases, including influenza.Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be transmitted through aerosols, large droplets, or direct contact with secretions (or fomites) as influenza virus can.Little is known about environmental pattern in COVID-19 incidence.What this study addsThe significant association between COVID-19 daily incidence and temperature was confirmed, using 3 methods, based on the data on COVID-19 and weather from 31 provincial-level regions in mainland China.Environmental factors were considered on the basis of SEIR model, and a modified susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (M-SEIR) model was developed.Simulations of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan presented similar effects of temperature on incidence as the incidence decrease with the increase of temperature.


2009 ◽  
Vol 69 (01) ◽  
pp. 102-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Boonen ◽  
J Braun ◽  
I E van der Horst Bruinsma ◽  
F Huang ◽  
W Maksymowych ◽  
...  

Objective:To report on the results of a standardised consensus process agreeing on concepts typical and/or relevant when classifying functioning and health in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) based on the International Classification of Functioning and Health (ICF).Methods:Experts in AS from different professional and geographical backgrounds attended a consensus conference and were divided into three working groups. Rheumatologists were selected from members of the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS). Other health professionals were recommended by ASAS members. The aim was to compose three working groups with five to seven participants to allow everybody’s contribution in the discussions. Experts selected ICF categories that were considered typical and/or relevant for AS during a standardised consensus process by integrating evidence from preceding studies in alternating working group and plenary discussions. A Comprehensive ICF Core Set was selected for the comprehensive classification of functioning and a Brief ICF Core Set for application in trials.Results:The conference was attended by 19 experts from 12 countries. Eighty categories were included in the Comprehensive Core Set, which included 23 Body functions, 19 Body structures, 24 Activities and participation and 14 Environmental factors. Nineteen categories were selected for the Brief Core Set, which included 6 Body functions, 4 Body structures, 7 Activities and participation and 2 Environmental factors.Conclusion:The Comprehensive and Brief ICF Core Sets for AS are now available and aim to represent the external reference to define consequences of AS on functioning.


Author(s):  
Anhelina Korobchenko

The article considers the types of readiness of specialists in physical therapy and occupational therapy to use health-preserving technologies in professional activities, which are determined by: scientific knowledge about the nature, patterns, features, principles, purpose, objectives and content of work to restore public health and implement such technologies. The main indicator of the effectiveness of specialist training is the psychological, pedagogical, professional, practical, social, personal and physical readiness of a specialist in physical therapy and occupational therapy to work to restore the health of the socio-component of our society. It is shown that the main property of a specialist in physical therapy and occupational therapy is a generalized ability to think pedagogically, which implies that the teacher has analytical, prognostic, design and reflexive skills. Features of both practical and professional readiness of the specialist are external (subject) skills, which include organizational and communication skills. The main types of readiness (professional, personal, psychological, physical, social, pedagogical and practical) of specialists in physical therapy and occupational therapy to use health technology in professional activities are described; the peculiarities of use in working with patients when compiling rehabilitation programs based on the International Classification are indicated. functioning, limitation of life and health, which aims to define a unified and standardized language and schemes for describing health and health-related conditions, which introduces the definition of the components of health and some related to health, components of well-being (in particular, such as education and work). This classification has moved away from the classification of "disease consequences" and has become a classification of "health components". The components of health determine the components of health, while the "consequences" focus on the impact of disease or other health conditions on the end result. The international classification of functioning, limitation of life and health is not nosologically oriented, but takes into account changes in health without regard to the facts, at the time of the examination. This classification is focused not only on the severity of the consequences of diseases, it for the first time emphasizes the adaptive and compensatory capabilities of the body, the importance of maximum involvement of people with special educational needs in public life, which deal with physical therapists and occupational therapists activities.


Author(s):  
Giovanni Lo Iacono ◽  
Gordon L. Nichols

The introduction of pasteurization, antibiotics, and vaccinations, as well as improved sanitation, hygiene, and education, were critical in reducing the burden of infectious diseases and associated mortality during the 19th and 20th centuries and were driven by an improved understanding of disease transmission. This advance has led to longer average lifespans and the expectation that, at least in the developed world, infectious diseases were a problem of the past. Unfortunately this is not the case; infectious diseases still have a significant impact on morbidity and mortality worldwide. Moreover, the world is witnessing the emergence of new pathogens, the reemergence of old ones, and the spread of antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, effective control of infectious diseases is challenged by many factors, including natural disasters, extreme weather, poverty, international trade and travel, mass and seasonal migration, rural–urban encroachment, human demographics and behavior, deforestation and replacement with farming, and climate change. The importance of environmental factors as drivers of disease has been hypothesized since ancient times; and until the late 19th century, miasma theory (i.e., the belief that diseases were caused by evil exhalations from unhealthy environments originating from decaying organic matter) was a dominant scientific paradigm. This thinking changed with the microbiology era, when scientists correctly identified microscopic living organisms as the pathogenic agents and developed evidence for transmission routes. Still, many complex patterns of diseases cannot be explained by the microbiological argument alone, and it is becoming increasingly clear that an understanding of the ecology of the pathogen, host, and potential vectors is required. There is increasing evidence that the environment, including climate, can affect pathogen abundance, survival, and virulence, as well as host susceptibility to infection. Measuring and predicting the impact of the environment on infectious diseases, however, can be extremely challenging. Mathematical modeling is a powerful tool to elucidate the mechanisms linking environmental factors and infectious diseases, and to disentangle their individual effects. A common mathematical approach used in epidemiology consists in partitioning the population of interest into relevant epidemiological compartments, typically individuals unexposed to the disease (susceptible), infected individuals, and individuals who have cleared the infection and become immune (recovered). The typical task is to model the transitions from one compartment to another and to estimate how these populations change in time. There are different ways to incorporate the impact of the environment into this class of models. Two interesting examples are water-borne diseases and vector-borne diseases. For water-borne diseases, the environment can be represented by an additional compartment describing the dynamics of the pathogen population in the environment—for example, by modeling the concentration of bacteria in a water reservoir (with potential dependence on temperature, pH, etc.). For vector-borne diseases, the impact of the environment can be incorporated by using explicit relationships between temperature and key vector parameters (such as mortality, developmental rates, biting rate, as well as the time required for the development of the pathogen in the vector). Despite the tremendous advancements, understanding and mapping the impact of the environment on infectious diseases is still a work in progress. Some fundamental aspects, for instance, the impact of biodiversity on disease prevalence, are still a matter of (occasionally fierce) debate. There are other important challenges ahead for the research exploring the potential connections between infectious diseases and the environment. Examples of these challenges are studying the evolution of pathogens in response to climate and other environmental changes; disentangling multiple transmission pathways and the associated temporal lags; developing quantitative frameworks to study the potential effect on infectious diseases due to anthropogenic climate change; and investigating the effect of seasonality. Ultimately, there is an increasing need to develop models for a truly “One Health” approach, that is, an integrated, holistic approach to understand intersections between disease dynamics, environmental drivers, economic systems, and veterinary, ecological, and public health responses.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kemal Yıldırım ◽  
Elif Güneş ◽  
Gülcan Pervan Yilmaz

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the effects of environmental factors in open-plan offices with the same characteristics but with different workstation partition heights (1.10, 1.40 and 1.65 m) on perceptual evaluations of office employees. Design/methodology/approach In this research, the effects of environmental factors on employees’ perceptual evaluations in open-plan offices at the Gölbaşı Region of Ankara were measured with a detailed questionnaire. The research data were obtained from 81 employees who agreed to fill out the questionnaire and who use open-plan offices. Findings It was found that the office environments with 1.65 m workstation partition heights were more favorably assessed for each of the items of planning and of privacy that form the dependent variables compared to the office environments with 1.10  and 1.40 m partition heights. On the other hand, the office environments with the 1.10 and 1.40 m partition heights were more favorable for lighting items than the 1.65 m partition height office environments. In addition, young employees had a more positive tendency toward the perceptions of environmental factors, including different workstation partition heights in open-plan offices, compared to older employees. Research limitations/implications Results of this research provide a fundamental contribution for the impact of various partition heights that have substantial implications on the perceptions of open-plan office environments. At this point, as open-plan offices have important effects on the quality of employees’ work experiences, the influence of various partition heights on the performance of employees should be emphasized in future studies. The diversity of performance (reading comprehension, calculation, design, drawing, etc.) will be an important decision. Originality/value The significant contribution of this research is that it provides valid data and makes a valuable contribution to the body of knowledge in open-plan office design.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (62) ◽  
pp. 8-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Татьяна Виткина ◽  
Tatyana Vitkina ◽  
Людмила Веремчук ◽  
Lyudmila Veremchuk ◽  
Ирина Симонова ◽  
...  

The aim of the research is to examine the relationship between the integral parameters of respiratory function, the values of LPO-AOD system and NO level at bronchopulmonary pathology in individuals living in different ecological areas of the city of Vladivostok. 206 patients living in different ecological conditions (healthy individuals, patients with respiratory disorders) were examined. Lung function and the state of LPO-AOD system were studied; the concentration of NO metabolites was assessed in blood serum. The nature and strength of the impact of environmental factors on respiratory function, the state of LPO-AOD, NO level were studied by the method based on correlation analysis. There was calculated power index (D) which was differentiated into power within the system (Ds) which in its turn reflects the in-system interrelationship tension (LPO-AOD, respiratory) and power between systems (Dm) characterizing the activity of interconnections and response to an external stimulus. Intra-system dependences typical for the unfavorable zone were viewed in relation to the favorable zone. It was found out that in ecologically unfavorable regions in individuals with different bronchopulmonary pathologies the value of Ds increases. This indicates that the pathogenic influence of environmental factors increases. In healthy people living in ecologically unfavourable area physiological adaptive-compensatory reaction of the body was revealed, which was proved by high power interconnections (Dm). In the patients with chronic bronchitis there was maintained an adequate level of functioning of the body systems studied. In patients with COPD living in an unfavourable zone there were found strong links between the indicators of the system of LPO-AOD and of NO, and in patients with bronchial asthma - supplementary relationship between lung function and NO. At the same time pathologic changes in the system of LPO-AOD and NO depend on the general pollution, metal and gas components contained in the air. Thus, the people with respiratory diseases being in environmentally unfavorable conditions have the most negative influence. The analysis of the activity of relationships proved that violations of interaction of LPO-AOD systems and NO in ecologically unfavorable regions may contribute to the occurrence and progression of bronchopulmonary diseases.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Duschek ◽  
Lea Fellner ◽  
Florian Gebert ◽  
Karin Grünewald ◽  
Anja Köhntopp ◽  
...  

AbstractBiological hazardous substances such as certain fungi and bacteria represent a high risk for the broad public if fallen into wrong hands. Incidents based on bio-agents are commonly considered to have unpredictable and complex consequences for first responders and people. The impact of such an event can be minimized by an early and fast detection of hazards. The presented approach is based on optical standoff detection applying laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) on bacteria. The LIF bio-detector has been designed for outdoor operation at standoff distances from 20 m up to more than 100 m. The detector acquires LIF spectral data for two different excitation wavelengths (280 and 355 nm) which can be used to classify suspicious samples. A correlation analysis and spectral classification by a decision tree is used to discriminate between the measured samples. In order to demonstrate the capabilities of the system, suspensions of the low-risk and non-pathogenic bacteria


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-138
Author(s):  
Adeeb Fae ◽  
Bandar E Almansouri ◽  
Diane E Heck ◽  
Hong Duck Kim

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represented as inflammatory complication of chronic bronchitis which is characterized by oxidative stress driven phenotypic changes likely enlarged alveoli and increased mucus along with tightened smooth muscle which exaggerate pathological consequences such as breathing problems. The association between COPD and obesity as a metabolic disorder following a variety of environmental stressors include lifestyle change (e.g., diet and e-smoking or marijuana) and air pollution are less likely to be evaluated. People who are suffering with COPD developed extensive suffocation and difficulty breathing, which ultimately leads to fatal conditions in severe cases, for example lung cancer, heart attack, and stroke. Previous studies showed metabolic disorder like obesity appeared as a risk determinant to COPD like breathing problem or deep vein thrombosis and its genetic modification resulted from abnormality of molecular dynamics turned out key trigger in case of immune alteration and inflammation following exposure of several environmental factors which could be linked with comorbidity in secondary chronic diseases pairing with other metabolic disorders (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, cancer or fatty liver disease). Lifestyle changes along with physical activities and management of the diet is worth to reduce COPD symptomatic firing. However, environmental factors like air pollution or particle matter owing to industrialization and urbanization include a variety of dust within indoor life, certain type of e-smoke also triggers the establishment of emphysema and enhances the progression of COPD aligned with molecular alteration in the lung tissue or interaction between different organs. Prediction and prevention skills as key tools of health management and evaluation in case of COPD remains unclear. Integrative care includes clinic assessment (e.g., the body mass index, diets, and metabolic profile using survey following physician guidance) could be coupled cellular and topological interaction between obesity and COPD supplemented with advanced functional and genetic variation utilize human genomics study like single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). To understand the impact of environmental risk better (e.g., air pollution or particle matter) on pathogenesis of disease or onset of the disease underlying the pulmonary system stratified lifestyle, age, metabolic disorders, diets, and medications, we envision exploring risks such as disease barrier and social determinants along with detection tools which may assess molecular dynamics and their alteration following stress might be associated with COPD in the pathogenesis. Environmental stressors (e.g., air pollution, particle matter, food addictive chemicals, and stress) as epigenetic modifiers could attribute to early phase of COPD onset and pathogenesis which reflect the molecular dynamics and redirection of networking pathways depending on gut immunity. Profiling of secondary metabolites is worth to explicate intervention of metabolism cascade owing to alter molecular sensitivity and connectivity. Utilized multi-dimensional omics such as metabolomics, genomics with exome sequencing, and epigenomics, prevention and prediction skills could visualize a new angle of disease diagnostic under the platform of integrative health care and surveillance supporting to patient’s quality of life.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 316-324
Author(s):  
Purnima Tripathi ◽  
Peeyush Bhardwaj

Psoriasis is an auto-immune disorder of the skin. It is characterized by the hyperproliferation of keratinocytes.  Severity of the disease depends on the body area affected. Both genetic as well as environmental factors are responsible for it. It affects around 2-3% of world’s population. Psoriasis not only causes physical problems, it also affects mental and social well being of the patient. It may also lead to some Comorbidities like heart problems, diabetes, psychological problems, Crohn’s disease , etc.  Keeping in view the impact it creats in the patient’s life, steps should be taken to create awareness of psoriasis. This article attempts to provide a comprehensive view on the psoriasis. It includes the various forms of psoriasis with their specific features, causes of psoriasis, diagnosis and assessment tools used, treatments available for its management including topical as well as systemic therapy and associated problems. Keywords: Plaque, Psoriasis, Pustules


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel L Pick ◽  
Hannah Lemon ◽  
Caroline Elizabeth Thomson ◽  
Jarrod Hadfield

The major frameworks for predicting evolutionary change assume that a phenotype's underlying genetic and environmental components are normally distributed. However, the predictions of these frameworks may no longer hold if distributions are skewed. Despite this, phenotypic skew has never been decomposed, meaning the fundamental assumptions of quantitative genetics remain untested. Here, we demonstrate that the substantial phenotypic skew in the body size of juvenile blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) is driven by environmental factors. Although skew had little impact on our predictions of selection response in this case, our results highlight the impact of skew on the estimation of inheritance and selection. Specifically, the non-linear parent-offspring regressions induced by skew, alongside selective disappearance, can strongly bias estimates of heritability. The ubiquity of skew and strong directional selection on juvenile body size implies that heritability is commonly overestimated, which may in part explain the discrepancy between predicted and observed trait evolution.


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