scholarly journals Dengue in the campus community of an overseas American university: A cross-sectional study

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (03) ◽  
pp. 233-239
Author(s):  
Hamish Mohammed ◽  
Mary H Hayden ◽  
Elise Lee ◽  
Luis M Santiago ◽  
Rosina C Krecek ◽  
...  

Introduction: After a large outbreak of dengue virus (DENV) serotype-3 in Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN) in 2008, we performed a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of anti-DENV immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in expatriate and local persons affiliated with an American veterinary school there. Methodology: This campus community comprised mostly expatriate students and faculty and Kittitian administrative staff. In 2009, a stratified random sample of students, faculty and staff was invited to complete an electronic survey to assess risk factors for DENV and provide blood for testing for anti-DENV IgG antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. IgG-positive specimens were also tested by a 90% plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT90) to determine immunoreactivity to DENV (1-4) serotypes and West Nile virus. Risk factors for anti-DENV IgG seropositivity were determined using simple and adjusted logistic regression. Results: Of the 118 participants, the overall prevalence of DENV IgG antibodies was 44.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 35.1-53.0%), ranging from 30.1% in students, 100.0% in staff and 57.9% in faculty (p < 0.001). Duration of residence in St. Kitts was the only variable significantly associated with seropositivity on multiple logistic regression (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI]: 1.21 [1.07-1.37]). The serotype of DENV was determined in 11 persons: DENV-1 (n = 4), DENV-2 (n = 3), and DENV-3 (n = 4). Conclusions: Expatriate students and faculty moving to St. Kitts from non-endemic areas were at high risk of DENV infection. There is a need for increased emphasis on pre-travel mosquito-borne virus prevention education for persons moving to St. Kitts to study and work.

Author(s):  
Shuaibu Gidado Adamu ◽  
Junaidu Kabir ◽  
Jarlath Udo Umoh ◽  
Mashood Abiola Raji

Abstract A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of Q fever in sheep in the northern part of Kaduna State, Nigeria. This study aimed to determine Coxiella burnetii infection and its risk factors in sheep in Kaduna State. A total of 400 blood samples consisting of 259 samples from females and 141 from males were aseptically collected from the jugular vein of sheep from flocks in Kaduna State. The sera obtained were screened for Q fever using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). The obtained data were analysed to determine whether there is a relationship between sex, age, and the animals tested. The analysis revealed that 8.0% of the sera was seropositive by iELISA. There was no significant difference in Q fever seropositivity in the study area according to the sex of sheep (P > 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in Q fever seropositivity according to the age of sheep. This study indicated a high seroprevalence of Q fever mainly among female animals and older sheep. Further studies are required to determine the epizootiology of Q fever in the study area more precisely.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Huiwu Han ◽  
Fan Zheng ◽  
Weiwei Dai ◽  
Hua Peng ◽  
Shi Zhou ◽  
...  

Objectives. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is now becoming a serious public health threat. Some behaviors risk factors were considered to be associated with MetS and interacted to adversely affect MetS. However, the clustering effects of behavior risk factors of MetS among Chinese population remain unclear. The aim of this study is to observe the behavior risk factors and their clustering effects of MetS in China. Methods. A cross-sectional study design was used. Subjects were recruited in the departments of Cardiology Clinic, Endocrine Clinic, and Health Management from March to December 2019. A demographic sheet was designed to collect the demographic and clinical characteristics of the subjects. International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short was applied to evaluate the level of PA in this study. Other behavior risk factors were observed by the questionnaire. The stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the determinants of MetS. The multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the clustering effects of behavior risk factors in MetS. Results. There are a total of 532 eligible subjects (56.6% females; mean age was 48.4±15.3 years), and approximately 33.3% were diagnosed as MetS. The subjects with a smoking habit (heavy and long-time history) had a 1.833-fold higher risk for MetS than their counterparts (none and light smoking), and the subjects that preferred salty taste had a 1.626-fold higher risk for MetS than the comparison cohort. Smoking and alcohol drinking had the highest clustering effect on MetS among the behavior risk factors. Conclusions. The main finding of this study was that smoking and salty taste preference were the independent determinants of MetS. Smoking and alcohol consumption had the highest clustering effect on southern Chinese MetS.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohua Yang ◽  
Huijuan Chen ◽  
Wanling Yang ◽  
Bin Deng ◽  
Jialing Zheng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) is a major complication after stroke, oral microorganisms are important contributors to SAP. Here, we aimed to investigate whether the oral hygiene was associated with SAP and related risk factors of them in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study that recruited 331 patients with acute ischemic stroke from two medical centers. A series of assessments were performed to evaluate the neurological status and habits of oral hygiene. According to whether the oral hygiene was abnormal and SAP occurred, univariate analyses were performed in cohort 1 (normal / abnormal oral hygiene groups) and cohort 2 (SAP / non-SAP groups). Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to confirm risk factors of oral cleanliness and SAP in stroke patients. Results: A total of 12 and 8 independent variables were included in the model 1 and 2 analysis. After adjusting for confounders, multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that oral cleanliness was not only closely related to SAP (OR=2.219, P=0.026), dental caries (OR=1.292, P=0.005) and age (OR=1.030, P=0.006) in model 1, but also an independent risk factor for predicting SAP (OR=1.678, P=0.001) in model 2. Barthel index was a protective factor for oral cleanliness (OR=0.986, P=0.019) and SAP (OR=0.977, P=0.002) in ischemic stroke patients. Conclusions: Mutually primary risk roles of abnormal oral cleanliness and SAP exist in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Dental caries and aging are important risk factors for oral health disorders. Improving the activities of daily living would have protective effects on both oral hygiene and SAP prevention in stroke patients.


Author(s):  
Azza A Abbas ◽  
Hiba A A Ali ◽  
Mohamed A Alagib ◽  
Huda F S Salih ◽  
Isam M Elkhidir ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hantaviruses are enveloped negative sense RNA viruses that cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of Hantavirus IgG antibodies and possible risk factors for Hantaviruses infections among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients attending the Dr Salma dialysis center in Sudan. Methodology This was a cross-sectional study in which 91 ESRD patients and 30 healthy plasma samples were screened for Hantavirus IgG antibodies using ELISA. A questionnaire containing sociodemographics, history of rat exposure and clinical data information was filled in by each ESRD patient. Results In this study, 9 out of 91 ESRD patients (9.9%) tested positive for Hantaviruses antibodies (IgG) while none of the 30 healthy plasma samples showed seropositivity. There was no statistically significant association between age, gender, educational level and rat exposure and Hantavirus infection in ESRD patients (p&gt;0.05) Conclusion This study is the first to be conducted in Sudan regarding Hantaviruses and ESRD. The prevalence of Hantavirus antibodies among ESRD patients is high compared with findings reported in the literature from studies conducted on the same group of patients. It points to an interesting question as to whether Hantaviruses have an association with ESRD but further studies are needed before drawing any conclusions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Souheil Hallit ◽  
Hala Sacre ◽  
Nelly Kheir ◽  
Eva Hobeika ◽  
Rabih Hallit ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Our objective was the validation of a scale to assess the hygiene hypothesis and the link between hygiene, and asthma among 3 to 5 years old Lebanese children in preschool.Methods Between November 2018 and March 2019, this cross-sectional study was carried out, enrolled 515 preschool children’ asthma and potential risk factors, including hygiene, were assessed using a standardized questionnaire. A specific hygiene hypothesis related scale was generated and validated for this purpose.Results Items related to the hygiene hypothesis scale have led to a convergence over a nine factors solution, having over than 1 Eigenvalue, which explains the variance total of 65.86%. Cronbach’s alpha values corresponding to the hygiene hypothesis related scale (0.696) was deemed acceptable. The backward logistic regression, taking as dependent variable the asthma’s presence or absence in child, showed that living in prairie (ORa=2.42), playing outside (ORa=2.80), having respiratory problems (ORa=4.18), attending a kindergarten (ORa=2.76), and having a sister with seasonal allergy (ORa=6.86) had significant association with increased odds of occurrence of children’s asthma. The hygiene hypothesis related score was not found to be associated with increased asthma odds (p=0.663).Conclusion Current findings suggested that home cleaning and personal cleanliness were not correlated with asthma in preschool children. Future studies will require more in-depth analyses of microbial exposure, allowing proper identification of unequivocal species and functional characteristics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamal Chaulagain

Introduction: Adolescent’s overweight is rising in both developing and developed countries. Overweight and obese adolescents are more likely to become obese adults which stimulate the risk of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and so on. Adolescence is the critical period for development of unhealthy lifestyles and food choices which increases the risk of NCDs. The loss of productivity, premature deaths and disability has been associated with NCDs at younger ages. This study focuses on identifying the prevalence and associated risk factors with adolescents’ overweight. Methods: A school based cross-sectional study was conducted between August-October 2020 in Gokarneshwor municipality of Nepal. A random sample of 558 students aged 10-19 years from nine schools was included in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was filled out by the study participants. Anthropometric indices were measured and categorized using BMI for age Z-score. Descriptive statistics were carried out. Variables were considered for multivariable logistic regression if a Wald test p-value was ≤0.25 during bivariate logistic regression. The odds ratio with a 95% CI was calculated and a p-value of ≤0.05 was considered to declare the statistical significance of variables after fitting into the multivariable logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of overweight among school adolescents was 17.9% (95% CI 14.7 to 21.1). The female adolescents were more likely to get overweight as compared to male adolescents (AOR 1.53, 95% CI 0.97 to 2.39). Similarly, the adolescents staying with more than four family members were less likely to get overweight as compared to their counterparts (AOR 0.57, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.95). There was no statistical significant association between adolescent overweight and age group, family type, school type, mothers’ occupation or fruits consumption. Conclusion: The study findings highlighted the accelerated increase in the prevalence of overweight among school adolescents in Nepal. Therefore, appropriate nutritional intervention focusing on tackling overweight should be formulated and implemented so that the prevalence of overweight-associated non-communicable diseases can be minimized.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e032779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Li Lin ◽  
Cing-Hua Chen ◽  
Wei-Min Chu ◽  
Sung-Yuan Hu ◽  
Yi-Sheng Liou ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo detect the combined effects of lifestyle factors on work-related burnout (WB) and to analyse the impact of the number of weekend catch-up sleep hours on burnout risk in a medical workplace.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingHospital-based survey in Taiwan.ParticipantsIn total, 2746 participants completed the hospital’s Overload Health Control System questionnaire for the period from the first day of January 2016 to the end of December 2016, with a response rate of 70.5%. The voluntary participants included 358 physicians, 1406 nurses, 367 medical technicians and 615 administrative staff.Primary and secondary outcome measuresAll factors that correlated significantly with WB were entered into a multinomial logistic regression after adjustment for other factors. The dose–response relationship of combined lifestyle factors and catch-up sleep hours associated with WB was explored by logistic regression.ResultsAbnormal meal time (adjusted OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.85 to 3.15), frequently eating out (adjusted OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.97), lack of sleep (adjusted OR 5.13, 95% CI 3.94 to 6.69), no exercise (adjusted OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.81) and >40 work hours (adjusted OR 2.72, 95% CI 2.08–3.57) were independently associated with WB (for high level compared with low level). As the number of risk factors increased (1–5), so did the proportion of high severity of WB (adjusted OR 1.39, 95% CI 0.45 to 4.27, to adjusted OR 32.98, 95% CI 10.78 to 100.87). For those with more than 7 hours’ sleep on workdays, weekend catch-up sleep (≤0/>0 and ≤2/>2 hours) was found to be related to an increase of burnout risk (adjusted OR 4.91, 95% CI 2.24 to 10.75/adjusted OR 4.94, 95% CI 2.54 to 9.63/adjusted OR 6.74, 95% CI 2.94 to 15.46).ConclusionWB in the medical workplace was affected by five unhealthy lifestyle factors, and combinations of these factors were associated with greater severity of WB. Weekend catch-up sleep was correlated with lower burnout risk in those with a short workday sleep duration (less than 7 hours). Clinicians should pay particular attention to medical staff with short sleep duration without weekend catch-up sleep.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Zhou ◽  
Yahao Wang ◽  
Jingwei Chi ◽  
Wenshan Lv ◽  
Mingzhao Xing ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) share common pathogenic mechanisms and risk factors, but the specific relationship between NAFLD and gouty nephropathy has not been well understood. We aim to evaluate the association between NAFLD and gouty nephropathy in a non-diabetic gouty population.Methods: The retrospective cross‑sectional study was performed on 1049 non-diabetic gouty participants, who were hospitalized between 2014 and 2020, across 4 districts in Shandong, China. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study population were collected. The odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) in relation to the NAFLD severity determined by ultrasonography were obtained by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: An unexpectedly inverse relationship was found between NAFLD severity and the risk of gout nephropathy. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that higher degree of NAFLD severity is independently associated with lower risk of gouty nephropathy, after adjusted for age, sex, smoking, gout duration, and metabolic risk factors including obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperuriacemia and dyslipidemia, with OR 0.392 (95 % CI 0.248–0.619, P < 0.001), 0.379 (95 % CI 0.233–0.616, P < 0.001) and 0.148 (95 % CI 0.043–0.512, P = 0.003) in participants with mild, moderate, and severe NAFLD, respectively, compared to those without NAFLD. We also observed a weakened association of serum uric acid (SUA) with metabolic risk factors and NAFLD under circumstances of gouty nephropathy (r = -0.054, P = 0.466). Conclusions: The presence and severity of NAFLD was negatively associated with the risk of gouty nephropathy in the non-diabetic gouty populations. Further investigation of NAFLD will provide insights into the pathogenesis of gouty nephropathy.Trials registration: Chinese Clinical Trials Registry ChiCTR2000035185. Registered 2 August 2020.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sintayehu Mengesha ◽  
Mesay Hailu Dangisso

Abstract Abstract Background Stillbirth is an adverse pregnancy outcome of public health importance causing considerable psychosocial burden for parents and their family. Studies on stillbirth are scarce in southern Ethiopia. An assessment of stillbirths and associated factors in health care settings helps in devising strategies for tailored interventions. Therefore, we assessed the burden of stillbirths and associated factors in Yirgalem Hospital, southern Ethiopia Methods: A facility based cross-sectional study was conducted between 1 August 2015 and 30 July 2016. We randomly selected medical records of women from a hospital delivery registry. The data were coded, entered, cleaned, and analysed by SPSS version 20. Bivariate analysis was employed to assess the association between independent and dependent variables. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors for stillbirths and to control for confounding. The ethical clearance for the study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University. Results: Of 374 reviewed records of women, 370 were included for the study. The magnitude of stillbirths was 92 per 1000 births. Majority, 15 (44.1%) of fetal deaths occurred after admission to the hospital. In multivariate logistic regression, stillbirths were higher among low birth-weight babies (<2500grams) (AOR: 10.70, 95% CI 3.18-35.97) than normal birth-weight babies (2500-<4000). Women who experienced a prolonged labour for more than 48 hours were 12 times (AOR: 12.15, 95% CI 1.76-84.12) more likely to have stillbirths than women without a prolonged labour. Women with obstetric complications were 19.8 times more likely to have stillbirths than women without obstetric complications. Similarly, women with at least 2 pregnancies were more likely to have stillbirths than women with less than two pregnancies (AOR: 4.39, 95% CI 1.21-15.85). Conclusion: We found a higher proportion of stillbirths than the National report and studies from other countries. Modifiable risk factors contributed to a higher risk of stillbirths in the study setting. Therefore, early identification and management of complications and reducing delays in getting care at each level of health system could avert preventable stillbirths. Key words: stillbirths, pregnancy outcomes, maternal health, Sothern Ethiopia


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