scholarly journals Characterisation and comparative analysis of metallic inclusions in dry, paste and wet ground maize (zea mays) forms and its health implication on human

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (2 Mar-Apr) ◽  
pp. 269
Author(s):  
T. O. Daniel ◽  
D. Azaki ◽  
C.N. Nwosu ◽  
A.O. Olaoye ◽  
G.E. Sule
Keyword(s):  
Viral Infections ◽  
Physiological Mechanism ◽  
Optical Emission ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Sem Analysis ◽  
World Health ◽  
Metallic Inclusions ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Wet Ground ◽  
Grinding Machine

This study investigates metallic inclusions in ground maize forms of dry, paste and wet using domestic grinding machine and its health implications to human. With progressive maize processing using the grinding machine, metals are introduced as contaminants into ground maize due to wear and tear of the grinding discs and other machine parts. Maize samples of 1 kg each were grinded in wet, paste, and dry forms. The metallic inclusions were extracted from the ground maize forms using magnetisation, sedimentation and decantation. The extractions were quantified using an Electronic weighing balance and were characterised using, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Optical Emission Microscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy. Iron fillings were discovered to be the dominant metallic inclusion present in the various food forms and also in the grinding disc with 88.48% by weight in the grinding disc. The extracted metallic inclusions is 0.157g/kg, 0.196g/kg and 0.268 g/kg for dry, paste and wet ground maize forms which exceeded the World Health Organisation limit of 15 mg/kg. The EDS result show that the wet form has the highest amount of metallic inclusions of 95.97 at. %, the paste form with 91.39 at. % and dry form with 83.35 at. %. From the SEM analysis of particle size, the dry, paste and wet ground maize had 17μm, 27μm and 36μm particle sizes respectively. When in excess the Iron filling metallic inclusions from the ground maize accumulates in body organs since there is no physiological mechanism to eliminate excess iron thereby leading to health complications. The accumulated iron in the heart causes increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, siderosis and hemochromatosis in the liver leading to hepatoma-the primary cause of cancer of the liver among others. Elevated levels of free iron also predisposed individuals to high risk of bacterial and viral infections leading to death.

scholarly journals Patients with more comorbidities have better detection of chronic conditions, but poorer management and control: findings from six middle-income countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Sum ◽  
Gerald Choon-Huat Koh ◽  
Stewart W. Mercer ◽  
Lim Yee Wei ◽  
Azeem Majeed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Uncontrolled Hypertension ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
And Control

Abstract Background The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is rising rapidly in middle-income countries (MICs), where NCDs are often undiagnosed, untreated and uncontrolled. How comorbidity impacts diagnosis, treatment, and control of NCDs is an emerging area of research inquiry and have important clinical implications as highlighted in the recent National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines for treating patients suffering from multiple NCDs. This is the first study to examine the association between increasing numbers of comorbidities with being undiagnosed, untreated, and uncontrolled for NCDs, in 6 large MICs. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of the World Health Organisation Study of Global Ageing and Adult Health (WHO SAGE) Wave 1 (2007–10), which consisted of adults aged ≥18 years from 6 populous MICs, including China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa (overall n = 41, 557). Results A higher number of comorbidities was associated with better odds of diagnosis for hypertension, angina, and arthritis, and higher odds of having treatment for hypertension and angina. However, more comorbidities were associated with increased odds of uncontrolled hypertension, angina, arthritis, and asthma. Comorbidity with concordant conditions was associated with improved diagnosis and treatment of hypertension and angina. Conclusion Patients with more comorbidities have better diagnosis of chronic conditions, but this does not translate into better management and control of these conditions. Patients with multiple NCDs are high users of health services and are at an increased risk of adverse health outcomes. Hence, improving their access to care is a priority for healthcare systems.

scholarly journals Neonatal hypothermia and adherence to World Health Organisation thermal care guidelines among newborns at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0248838
Author(s):  
Winstone Mokaya Nyandiko ◽  
Paul Kiptoon ◽  
Florence Ajaya Lubuya
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Referral Hospital ◽  
World Health ◽  
Preterm Neonates ◽  
Local Data ◽  
Thermal Care ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Care Guidelines ◽  
Prospective Study Design ◽  
Neonatal Hypothermia

Neonatal hypothermia is a great concern with near epidemic levels globally. In Kenya, its prevalence is as high as 87% with limited local data on the associated factors such as adherence to warm chain guidelines as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is limited. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of hypothermia and level of adherence to the WHO thermal care guidelines among newborns admitted at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH). It adopted a prospective study design of following up neonates for the first 24 hours of admission to the MTRH newborn unit. Thermometry, interview of mothers and observation of thermal care practices was done. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were adopted. Specifically, Pearson’s chi-square test of associations between predictors of neonatal hypothermia and management outcomes was conducted with their corresponding risk estimates at 95% confidence interval. Among the 372 participants, 64.5% (n = 240) were born at MTRH, 47.6% (177) were preterm and 53.2% (198) had birth weights below 2500 grams. Admission hypothermia was noted among 73.7% (274) and 13% (49) died on the first day of admission. Only 7.8% (29) newborns accessed optimal thermal care. Prematurity, day one mortality and adherence to the warm chain were significantly (p<0.001) associated with admission hypothermia. Inappropriate thermal appliance, inadequate clothing and late breastfeeding significantly increased the risk of neonatal hypothermia. Absence of admission hypothermia increased the likelihood of neonatal survival more than twenty-fold (AOR = 20.91, 95% CI: 2.15–153.62). Three out four neonates enrolled had admission hypothermia which was significantly associated with prematurity, lack of adherence to warm chain and increased risk of neonatal mortality on the first day of life. There was low adherence to the WHO thermal care guidelines. This should be optimized among preterm neonates to improve likelihood of survival.

scholarly journals 1536Antimicrobial resistance in the emerging COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhishek Jaiswal ◽  
Ankita Jaiswal ◽  
Surabhi Puri ◽  
Adarsh Pal
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Resistance Management ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Bacterial Coinfection

Abstract Background Inappropriate usage of antibiotics among COVID-19 patients can raise disastrous effects on antimicrobial resistance management and antibiotic stewardship programs. A study from USA reported 71% of COVID-19 patients received antibiotics while only 4% had bacterial co-infection. Similar findings were reported from a review of data from COVID-19 cases in Asia, which reported more than 70% of the patient receiving antibiotics however less than 10% on average had bacterial coinfection. The World Health Organisation discourages the use of antibiotics for mild cases of COVID-19, however they recommend it for severe cases at increased risk of secondary bacterial infection and death. This review aims to discuss the usage of antibiotics in COVID-19 patients pointing the role of bacterial coinfections, types of antibiotics used, and antibiotic resistance. Methods We systematically searched Medline, Cochrane library, Google Scholar for eligible studies published from 1st January 2020 till 29th May 2021. We included English language articles. We included patients of all age groups, in all settings. Primary outcome variable was bacterial coinfection and antimicrobial usage among COVID-19 patients. Results Less than 10% of the hospitalised COVID-19 patients had bacterial Co-infection. Antibiotics used among COVID-19 positives were moxifloxacin, ceftriaxone, azithromycin, piperacillin-tazobactam, levofloxacin, meropenem, etc. Conclusions Low proportion of COVID-19 patients had bacterial co-infection. Routine usage of antibiotics among COVID-19 positives should be discouraged. Key messages Bacterial co-infection among COVID-19 patients is low and therefore misuse of antibiotics among them should be discouraged.

scholarly journals Early Computational Detection of Potential High Risk SARS-CoV-2 Variants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karim Beguir ◽  
Marcin J Skwark ◽  
Yunguan Fu ◽  
Thomas Pierrot ◽  
Santiago Nicolas Lopez Carranza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Immune Evasion ◽  
Immune Escape ◽  
Warning System ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Language Models ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
World Health ◽  
Increased Risk

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is leading to the discovery of hundreds of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants on a daily basis. While most variants do not impact the course of the pandemic, some variants pose significantly increased risk when the acquired mutations allow better evasion of antibody neutralisation in previously infected or vaccinated subjects, or increased transmissibility. Early detection of such high risk variants (HRVs) is paramount for the proper management of the pandemic. However, experimental assays to determine immune evasion and transmissibility characteristics of new variants are resource-intensive and time-consuming, potentially leading to delayed appropriate responses by decision makers. Here we present a novel in silico approach combining Spike protein structure modelling and large protein transformer language models on Spike protein sequences, to accurately rank SARS-CoV-2 variants for immune escape and fitness potential. We validate our immune escape and fitness metrics with in vitro pVNT and binding assays. These metrics can be combined into an automated Early Warning System (EWS) capable of evaluating new variants in minutes and risk monitoring variant lineages in near real-time. The EWS flagged 12 out of 13 variants, designated by the World Health Organisation (WHO, Alpha-Omicron) as potentially dangerous, on average two months ahead of them being designated as such, demonstrating its ability to help increase preparedness against future variants. Omicron was flagged by the EWS on the day its sequence was made available, with immune evasion and binding metrics subsequently confirmed through our in vitro experiments.

COVID-19 infection in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients receiving systemic anticancer treatment (SACT) during the outbreak of the pandemic: The Guy's Cancer Centre experience.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 455-455
Author(s):  
Eirini Tsotra ◽  
Charalampos Gousis ◽  
Beth Russell ◽  
Charlotte Moss ◽  
Kieran Palmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Biological Treatment ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Stage Iv ◽  
Severe Infection ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cancer Centre ◽  
Gi Cancer ◽  
Increased Risk

455 Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted difficult decisions around the use of SACT. These were based on limited early data suggesting cancer patients receiving SACT were at an increased risk of COVID-19 severe infection and death. Our study aim was to identify the COVID-19 infection and mortality rates of GI cancer patients receiving SACT. Methods: All GI patients receiving SACT at Guy’s Cancer Centre between March, and May 31, 2020 were included. Demographic data (age, ethnicity, socio-economic status (SES)) and cancer characteristics (stage, SACT type, intent and treatment-line) were collected. COVID-19 infection was confirmed by PCR and severity defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) classification. Patients with clinical or radiological diagnosis alone were excluded. Results: Of 417 GI patients receiving SACT during the study period, 345 (82.7%) received chemotherapy (alone or combined with targeted/biological treatment), 68 (16.3%) targeted/biological treatment alone and 4 (1%) immunotherapy. 14 (3.4%) patients were diagnosed with COVID-19, 13 were on chemotherapy and 1 on targeted/biological treatment. Commonest cancers in the COVID-19 positive group were colorectal (57.1%) and hepatobiliary (21.4%), followed by oesophago-gastric (14.3%) and neuroendocrine tumours (7.1%); 57.1% had stage IV disease. 64.3% of the positive patients were male (compared to 57.3% in the COVID-19 negative population), mean age was 57.7 years (63.1 years) and 85.7% had low SES (79.7%). 8 (57.1%) patients had severe infection and there were 3 (21.4%) COVID-19 related deaths. All the patients who died from COVID-19 were male and were receiving palliative chemotherapy. Only one patient was neutropenic (grade 1) when diagnosed with COVID-19. Conclusions: The rate of COVID-19 infection in our population was relatively low (3.4 %). Of the 14 COVID-19 positive patients, 57.1% had severe infection, 21.4% died (compared to 3.7% mortality in the non-infected group) and all but one were on chemotherapy. This prospective data, from a large UK comprehensive Cancer Centre, provides some evidence that continuing SACT through the pandemic is relatively safe. The risk of COVID-19 related infection and death must be off-set against the cancer-related morbidity and mortality associated with treatment delays.

Possible effect of Astaxanthin on obesity related increased COVID-19 infection morbidity and mortality

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elif Didem Örs ◽  
Şenay Burçin Alkan ◽  
Abdullah Öksüz
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
World Health ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

: Obesity is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a body mass index equals to 30 kg/m2 or greater. It is an important and escalating global public health problem. Obesity is known to cause low-grade chronic inflammation, increasing the burden of noncommunicable and possibly communicable diseases. There is considerable evidence that obesity is associated with an increased risk of contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection as well as significantly higher COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. It appears plausible that controlling the chronic systemic low-grade inflammation associated with obesity may have a positive impact on the symptoms and the prognosis of COVID-19 disease in obese patients. Astaxanthin (ASTX) is a naturally occurring carotenoid with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory activities. As a nutraceutical agent, it is used as a preventative and a co-treatment in a number of systemic neurological, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases. This review article will discuss the pathogenesis of COVID-19 infection and the effect of ASTX on obesity and obesity-related inflammation. The potential positive impact of ASTX anti-inflammatory properties in obese COVID-19 patients will be discussed.

scholarly journals Delivery of isoniazid preventive therapy to reduce occupational TB among healthcare workers in Swaziland

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Marianne Calnan ◽  
Samson Haumba ◽  
Makhosazana Matsebula ◽  
Ntombifuthi Shongwe ◽  
Munyaradzi Pasipamire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Preventive Therapy ◽  
Isoniazid Preventive Therapy ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
World Health ◽  
Workplace Health ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The World

Healthcare workers (HCWs) in Swaziland are at increased risk of acquiring tuberculosis (TB), but existing infection control and occupational health policies often fall short of mitigating the risk of acquiring TB in the workplace. Health service failure to systematically offer isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) to HCWs, which is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), contributes significantly to the TB incidence among HCWs in high HIV prevalence settings. This paper describes a pilot introduction of IPT to HCWs, and expounds possible determinants for adherence and non-acceptance to IPT. Acceptance to the widespread use of IPT among HCWs can be improved through education on risk and counselling.

scholarly journals Current Status of Prosthetic and Orthotic Rehabilitation Services in India: Its Issues and Challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Akshay Kumar ◽  
. Vinita
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Rehabilitation Services ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Physically Challenged

Introduction: The study purpose is to identify the issues and challenges of the Prosthetic and Orthotic (P&O) rehabilitation services in IndiaMaterial and Methods: The online search strategy included electronic search engine databases: Google Scholar, PubMed, Google, and Medline along with websites search of world Health Organisation, Government of India relevant Ministries, and Rehabilitation Council of India. All relevant articles were included and included in the present study.Results: In the future, the population growth, older population, increased risk of accidents and other complications may result in more prosthetic and orthotic service demand. To improve their access to the environment and income prosthetic and orthotic rehabilitation needs to be endorsed at the grassroots level. Health care expenses can be reduced through better Prosthetic and Orthotic rehabilitation services. and the user's quality of life may enhance through improved movement.Conclusion: Policymakers and the leaders of health, rehabilitation, and social care providers should facilitate access to appropriate prosthetic and orthotic technology that provides functional and economic independence. As functioning prosthetic and orthotic device will promote social acceptance to the physically challenged and improve their quality of life, satisfaction, education, and job opportunities.

scholarly journals Exploring the beliefs and experiences of older Irish adults and family carers during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: A qualitative study protocol

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Robinson ◽  
Aoife O'Neill ◽  
Mairead Conneely ◽  
AnnMarie Morrissey ◽  
Siobhan Leahy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Open Access Journal ◽  
World Health ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Services Research ◽  
Increased Risk

Background: In December 2019 a novel human coronavirus (COVID-19) was identified in Wuhan, China (Wu et al, 2020). The virus subsequently spread to most countries worldwide and the World Health Organisation characterised the outbreak a pandemic on March 11th 2020 (WHO, 2020a). Older age is associated with an increased risk of mortality in patients with COVID-19 (Chen et al., 2020). In March 2020, the Irish Government introduced 'cocooning' as a measure for those over 70 years of age to minimise interactions with others by not leaving their homes (Dept. of Health, 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic presents unique threats to the health and well-being of older adults. This study aims to explore the longitudinal experiences and beliefs of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings will be important for tailoring supports, interventions and public health information for this population. Methods: A longitudinal exploratory qualitative study will be conducted using repeated semi-structured telephone interviews with a convenient sample of older adults recruited from participants of an older adult and family carer stakeholder panel for health services research established by the Ageing Research Centre (ARC) at the University of Limerick and through known older adult contacts of ARC academic members. Interviews will be audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using a reflexive approach to thematic analysis. Participants will have the opportunity to review and discuss preliminary analysis of the interview data and to co-write / design dissemination materials. Ethics and Dissemination: Ethical approval has been granted by the Faculty of Education and Health Sciences University of Limerick, Research Ethics Committee (2020_03_51_EHS (ER)). Findings will be disseminated through open access journal publications and distribution of lay summaries, a press release and an infographic to organisations of and for older people in Ireland, broadcast and print media.

scholarly journals COVID-19: is there a role for immunonutrition, particularly in the over 65s?

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Derbyshire ◽  
Joanne Delange
Keyword(s):  
Viral Infections ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
The Body ◽  
World Health ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Current Evidence Base ◽  
Important Player

In late December 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first emerged in Wuhan, Hubei, China, resulting in the potentially fatal COVID-19. It went on to be officially recognised as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation on 11 March 2020. While many public health strategies have evolved, there has been little mention of the immune system and how this could be strengthened to help protect against viral infections such as SARS-CoV-2. The present paper evaluates the current evidence base relating to immunonutrition, with a particular focus on respiratory viruses. Within the nutrition sector a promising body of evidence studying inter-relationships between certain nutrients and immune competence already exists. This could potentially be an important player in helping the body to deal with the coronavirus, especially among elders. Evidence for vitamins C, D and zinc and their roles in preventing pneumonia and respiratory infections (vitamins C and D) and reinforcing immunity (zinc) appears to look particularly promising. Ongoing research within this important field is urgently needed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document