Use of multi-strain probiotics in linseed meal based diet for Labeo rohita fingerlings

Unavailability of probiotics in fish digestive system fingerlings is unable to digest and absorb their food properly. The current research was conducted to investigate the influence of probiotics added Linseed meal based (LMB) diet on hematology and carcass composition of Labeo rohita juveniles. Hematological parameters are essential diagnostics used to estimate the health status of fish. The usage of probiotics for fish health improvement is becoming common due to the higher demand for environment-friendly culture system in water. Linseed meal was used as a test ingredient to prepare six experimental test diets by adding probiotics (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 g/kg) and 1% indigestible chromic oxide for seventy days. According to their live wet weight, five percent feed was given to fingerlings twice a day. Fish blood and carcass samples (Whole body) were taken for hematological and carcass analysis at the end of the experiment. The highest carcass composition (crude protein; 18.72%, crude fat; 8.80% and gross energy; 2.31 kcal/g) was observed in fish fed with test diet II supplemented with probiotics (2 g/kg). Moreover, maximum RBCs number (2.62× 106mm-3), WBCs (7.84×103mm-3), PCV (24.61), platelets (63.85) and hemoglobin (7.87) had also been reported in the fish fingerlings fed on 2 g/kg of probiotics supplemented diet. Results indicated that probiotics supplementation has a critical role in improvement of fingerlings’ body composition and hematological indices. Present findings showed that probiotics supplementation at 2 g/kg level in linseed by-product-based diet was very useful for enhancing the overall performance of L. rohita fingerlings.

Public Health Confronts Modernity in the Shadow of the Pandemic

Empirical science in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries transformed public health. Improvement in nutrition and living conditions were the driving forces, linked to basic sanitation. The principles of public health also proved highly effective in prevention of chronic disease, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, the dominant force in biomedicine has become genomics and “precision medicine,” both of which ignore the role of environmental exposures, and focus on individual, not collective risk. Genetic determinism and technological solutions have narrowed the scope of research aimed at improving population health, and reduced the benefits that biomedical science and public health could provide. The COVID-19 pandemic is the same story in bold print.

A picture of health: determining the core population served by an urban NHS hospital trust and understanding the key health needs

Background NHS hospitals do not have clearly defined geographic populations to whom they provide care, with patients able to attend any hospital. Identifying a core population for a hospital trust, particularly those in urban areas where there are multiple providers and high population churn, is essential to understanding local key health needs especially given the move to integrated care systems. This can enable effective planning and delivery of preventive interventions and community engagement, rather than simply treating those presenting to services. In this article we describe a practical method for identifying a hospital’s catchment population based on where potential patients are most likely to reside, and describe that population’s size, demographic and social profile, and the key health needs. Methods A 30% proportional flow method was used to identify a catchment population using an acute hospital trust in West London as an example. Records of all hospital attendances between 1st April 2017 and 31st March 2018 were analysed using Hospital Episode Statistics. Any Lower Layer Super Output Areas where 30% or more of residents who attended any hospital for care did so at the example trust were assigned to the catchment area. Publicly available local and national datasets were then applied to identify and describe the population’s key health needs. Results A catchment comprising 617,709 people, of an equal gender-split (50.4% male) and predominantly working age (15 to 64 years) population was identified. Thirty nine point six percent of residents identified as being from Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups, a similar proportion that reported being born abroad, with over 85 languages spoken. Health indicators were estimated, including: a healthy life expectancy difference of over twenty years; bowel cancer screening coverage of 48.8%; chlamydia diagnosis rates of 2,136 per 100,000; prevalence of visible dental decay among five-year-olds of 27.9%. Conclusions We define a blueprint by which a catchment can be defined for a hospital trust and demonstrate the value a hospital-view of the local population could provide in understanding local health needs and enabling population-level health improvement interventions. While an individual approach allows tailoring to local context and need, there could be an efficiency saving were such public health information made routinely and regularly available for every NHS hospital.

Harmful viruses on stone fruit crops and sanitation methods

Relevance. Viral diseases can significantly reduce the yield of stone fruit crops. More than 30 viruses have been characterized on stone fruits crops, among which the most harmful are Plum pox virus (PPV), Prunus dwarf virus (PDV), Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV), Cherry leaf roll spot virus (CLRV), Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV). Viral diseases monitoring is essential for controlling the viruses prevalence and choosing a control strategy. In the absence of healthy plants of a certain variety, health improvement is carried out using laboratory methods, including thermotherapy. Sanitation methods need to be improved in relation to the culture characteristics and the virus type. Of considerable interest is the development of techniques that reduce the viruses concentration when growing stone fruit trees in the field.Methods. During 2016–2020 using the ELISA (“Loewe” diagnostic kits) diagnostics of viruses on varieties and clonal rootstocks of cherry, sweet cherry and plum (660 plants) was carried out in the conditions of the Moscow region. For plant health in 2019–2021 used thermotherapy for 3 months. To study the effect of Pharmayod (“Farmbiomed”) on viruses in open ground, 24 plum plants of 5 varieties were treated with this drug at a concentration of 0.3 ml/l.Results. The total prevalence of viruses on cherries varieties was 44%, sweet cherries — 40%, plums — 59%, on clonal rootstocks — 46, 55 and 56% respectively. The highest incidence of PNRSV and PDV viruses has been established. Cherry plants of 11 varieties, free from the main harmful viruses, 4 varieties of sweet cherries, 12 varieties of plums and 9 forms of clonal rootstocks were revealed. The use of the Pharmayod on plum trees in the open field contributed to a decrease in the infection index of the studied viruses. Plum plants in a heat chamber were characterized by a higher survival rate and growth parameters in comparison with cherry and sweet cherry. After the completion of thermotherapy, a significant decrease in the index of infection in plants was noted.

Trends of Healthy Life Expectancy of the Elderly in China in 1994–2015: Revisiting From the Perspective of Morbidity Transition

Research on healthy life expectancy (HLE) in China has been fueled by a spate of new data sources and studies, yet no consensus is reached on the pattern of HLE changes and the underlying mechanism. This study examined the change of HLE in China over 20 years with long term national data. Health status, measured by activities of daily living, is combined with mortality to calculate the disability-free life expectancy by the Sullivan method. The results show that the HLE rose slower than life expectancy (LE) in 1994–2004, indicating morbidity expansion. However, in 2010–2015, the proportion of HLE to LE increased, manifesting morbidity compression. A counterfactual analysis further shows that health improvement has been increasingly important in increasing HLE in 2010–2015, despite the dominance of mortality decline. The findings suggest that morbidity can transition between compression, expansion and dynamic equilibrium over a long period due to different combinations of mortality and health improvements. Given the limited data in this study, whether and how morbidity transitions unfold in the future remains open and requires further research.

Onset of Weight Gain and Health Concerns for Men: Findings from the TAP Programme

With shown reticence by men to engage with dietary interventions for weight loss, investigations that provide detail on men’s perceptions for the causes of weight gain and subsequent concerns over health and image are important. Such discoveries have potential to make a valuable contribution to male gendered programme design aimed at tackling weight gain and promoting good health. Connecting to men to health using their hobbies and interests, this study deployed semi-structured interviews of eight male participants (age > 35 years) enrolled on The Alpha Programme (TAP). TAP is a 12-week football and weight management intervention delivered in local community venues. Results captured men’s lived experiences and feelings of being overweight, their attempts at dietary modification, health and causes of weight gain. Results signify externalized attribution for weight gain, entrenched habitual intake practices, despondency related to weight stigmatization, self-objectification and low self-worth. Moreover, this study outlines the processes for capturing this information using a male friendly approach and setting. Outcomes have potential for shaping bespoke men’s weight management and health improvement interventions in the future.

Better Health Communication During the Life Cycle Contributes to Better Health Literacy

Health literacy (HL) is about acquiring competences, confidence, and motivation to take action in health improvement. Health communication is key in promoting HL. Information leaflets are a tool that grants autonomy, thereby empowering self-management of health. Qualitative and content analysis of two original leaflets was made by a group of medical doctors, targeting pregnant women and the elderly, who represent different stages of the life cycle. The content was written in an assertive, clear, and positive language, and was adjusted to the target public. A question-answer system was used, making it easier for the reader to gather specific information. Structural aspects underlying both leaflets were similar. Health leaflets are widely used for the proper transmission of information. It is therefore essential that they are appropriate to the recipients' HL throughout the life cycle. The critical and systematised analysis of their information content contributes to quality assurance, leading to better HL and healthcare in general.

Livestock integration in conservation agriculture.

Grazing livestock have been presented as an unsurmountable obstacle for Conservation Agriculture (CA) in Africa, because they consume organic cover. But grazing livestock can also make positive contributions to CA, while, if properly managed, sufficient organic cover can be left for soil erosion control and soil health improvement. Urine and manure improve soil fertility and soil health, and increase the agronomic efficiency of fertilizer nutrients. Grazing livestock increase options for crop diversity, such as crop rotations with perennial forages, increased use of cover crops and tree-crop associations. Further, as crop yields improve through application of sustainable intensification methods, greater amounts of above-ground residue become available for livestock nutrition, while greater quantities of below- and above-ground plant residues can be left to improve soil health than are currently returned to the soil. At the same time, in areas where extensive systems are still common, greater amounts of crop residue can be left for soil function because alternative feed sources are available. More research and education on proper integration of livestock in CA in the African context, and successful models of pastoralist-crop farmer collaboration are needed, so both livestock and soil needs can be met.

Health and economic burden of foodborne zoonotic diseases in Amhara region, Ethiopia

Diseases from food of animal origin are common health problems in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was carried out to estimate health and economic burden, and to identify demographic factors associated with community awareness of foodborne zoonotic diseases in Amhara region, Ethiopia. Data was collected from 435 households in three towns: Gondar, Lalibela and Debark. A retrospective data was also collected from health records in each town. The health burden due to zoonotic diseases was estimated at 0.2, 0.1 and 1.3 DALYs per household per year and at 73.2, 146.6 and 1,689.5 DALYs out of 100,000 populations per year in Gondar, Lalibela and Debark, respectively. The overall health burden due to foodborne zoonotic diseases (aggregated over the 435 households in the three towns) was estimated to be 89.9 DALYs per 100,000 populations per year. The economic impact of foodborne zoonotic diseases in the three towns of Amhara regional state was 278.98 Ethiopian Birr (ETB) (1ETB = 0.025 US Dollar) per household per year and 121,355.68 ETB per year. Costs of preventive measures followed by costs of patients’ time made the highest contribution while costs of diagnosis made the lowest contribution to the total economic burden of foodborne zoonotic diseases. From a total of 435 respondents, 305 (70.1%) had known the presence of zoonotic diseases. Level of education, number of families in the house and income were highly associated with awareness of zoonosis. Although majority of respondents had known zoonotic diseases exists (70.1%) and disease can be acquired from animal source food (63.2%), the health and economic burden associated to foodborne zoonotic diseases are still high. Therefore, changing mindset and practical training aiming in controlling foodborne zoonotic diseases may be suggested to the community in the health improvement extension service.

Implementation of Traditional Medicine Remedies During The COVID-19 Pandemic as Health Improvement and Empowerment of Indonesian Women

The COVID-19 pandemic is still a polemic of life in the world. WHO explains that there are still several countries showing an increase in COVID-19 incident.There are still active case of COVID-19 in Indonesia, which is why Indonesian people should remain vigilant, follow the instruction of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, and do 5M. In addition, the Ministry of Health in Indonesia also recommends using traditional medicine to maintain health, provide adequate nutrition and help overcome health problems. Muslim women groups from various regions in Indonesia can be suitable subjects of community service to assist the government in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, one of which is through education about COVID-19 and traditional medicine used during the COVID-19 pandemic. The method used in this community service is through educational webinars and measurement of understanding using an electronic questionnaire. After the educational webinar, the team collected the participant's activity in implementing traditional medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this community service activity increased the knowledge of the community service participants to 85.83%. The participants also implemented traditional medicine by sending photos of the activities of the community service participants. This community service activity aims to overcome the problem of information gaps and increase the knowledge of Muslim women groups from various regions in Indonesia to improve and maintain the quality of life and health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants in this activity look active and enthusiastic during community service activities.