The Spatial Distribution of the House Mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, in Multi-Family Dwellings

The house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, creates significant public health risks for residents in low-income multi-family dwellings (MFDs). This study was designed to evaluate the spatial distribution of house mice in MFDs. Four low-income high-rise apartment buildings in three cities in New Jersey were selected for building-wide monitoring on two occasions with approximately one year between the monitoring events. The presence of a house mouse infestation was determined by placing mouse bait stations with three different non-toxic baits for a one-week period in all accessible units as well as common areas. Permutation tests were conducted to evaluate house mouse infestation spatial patterns. All four analyzed buildings exhibited a significant correlation between apartments with house mouse infestations and whether they share a common wall or ceiling/floor at both sampling periods except one building during the second inspection, which contained a high number of isolated apartments. Foraging ranges, speed of locomotion, and dispersal behavior of house mice are relatively larger, faster, and more common, respectively, compared to common urban arthropod pests. This could lead to the conclusion that house mice are as likely to infest non-neighboring apartments as those that share a wall or floor/ceiling. However, these results demonstrate that house mouse infestations tend to occur among apartments that share common walls or ceilings/floors. This spatial distribution pattern can be utilized in rodent management plans to improve the efficiency of house mouse management programs in MFDs.

Gastroprotective Effect of Polypeptide-K Isolated from Momordica charantia’s Seeds on Multiple Experimental Gastric Ulcer Models in Rats

Peptic ulcer disease is a multifactorial disorder and is the most significant public health concern nowadays. Previous study showed that essential oil extracted from Momordica charantia’s seed exhibited gastroprotective effect. However, the evidence for the gastroprotective effect of its active compound, polypeptide K (PPK), remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the preventive effect of PPK against different experimental gastric lesions models in rats. The possible gastroprotective effect of PPK was assessed in hydrochloride ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer models in Sprague Dawley rats and was further evaluated macroscopically and microscopically. Pyloric ligation experiments were used to investigate gastric secretion. Oral administration of PPK at all concentrations (10, 25, and 50 mg/kg) showed significant p < 0.05 reduction in total area of lesion in both hydrochloride ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer models. The highest inhibition rate was seen in PPK dose of 50 mg/kg with 64.9% and 72.2% on hydrochloride ethanol and indomethacin models, respectively. Microscopically, PPK preserved the normal architectures of the gastric tissues from being damaged by hydrochloride ethanol and indomethacin. Further, in the pyloric ligation studies, PPK significantly p < 0.05 decreased the ulcer area where the highest protection was exhibited by 50 mg/kg with 70% inhibition rate. Moreover, all concentrations of PPK also significantly p < 0.05 enhanced the gastric wall mucus secretion. Collectively, this study demonstrated the gastroprotective effect of PPK on hydrochloride ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer models. The possible mechanism might be associated with enhanced mucus secretion and thus lowering the total acidity.

Chagas Disease in Pregnant Women from Endemic Regions Attending the Hospital General de Mexico, Mexico City

Trypanosoma cruzi infection leads to Chagas disease (CD), a neglected tropical infection of significant public health importance in South and Central America and other, non-endemic, countries. Pregnant women and their children are of particular importance to screen as T. cruzi can be transmitted vertically. The objective of this study was to screen for T. cruzi infection among pregnant women from endemic areas seen at the Hospital General de Mexico for prenatal care, so that they and their children may be quickly connected to CD treatment. Pregnant women were recruited through the hospital prenatal clinic and screened for T. cruzi infection using a series of serological and molecular tests. Of 150 screened patients, mean age 26.8 (SD 6.4), 30 (20.0%) were positive by at least one diagnostic test. Of these, only nine (6%) were positive as determined by PCR. Diagnosis of chronic CD is difficult in endemic places like Mexico due to the limitations of current commercially available diagnostic tests. Further evaluation of diagnostic performance of various assays could improve current CD diagnostic algorithms and proper care management in these regions. Genetic variability in the parasite may also play a role in the differing assay performances seen in this study, and this may be a valuable avenue of further research.

Implications of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: Results of Online Bulletin Board Interviews

Reluctance to accept vaccination against COVID-19 poses a significant public health risk and is known to be a multi-determined phenomenon. We conducted online focus groups, or “bulletin boards,” in order to probe the nature of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and its implications. Participants were 94 individuals from three distinct U.S. geographical areas and represented a range of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Six themes emerged from the 3 day-long bulletin boards: the most trusted source of health information sought is the personal physician; information about health is nevertheless obtained from a wide variety of sources; stories about adverse side effects are especially “sticky”; government health institutions like CDC and FDA are not trusted; most respondents engaged in individualistic reasoning; and there is a wide spectrum of attitudes toward vaccination.

A Predictive Model of Pandemic Disaster Fear Caused by Coronavirus (COVID-19): Implications for Decision-Makers

This paper presents quantitative research results regarding a predictive model of pandemic disaster fear caused by the coronavirus disease (COVİD-19). The aim of this paper was to establish the level and impact of certain demographic and socioeconomic characteristics on pandemic disaster fear caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19). The research was conducted using a questionnaire that was provided and then collected online for 1226 respondents during May 2021. A closed, five-point Likert scale was used to create the structured questionnaire. The first section of the questionnaire included research questions about the participants’ socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, while the second section included issue questions about fear caused by COVID-19. The results of multivariate regression analyses showed the most important predictor for fear of COVID-19 to be gender, followed by age and education level. Furthermore, the results of t-tests showed statistically significant differences between men and women in terms of different aspects of pandemic disaster fear caused by the coronavirus disease. Our results have several significant public health implications. Women who were more educated and knowledgeable, married, and older, reported a greater fear of the outbreak at various levels. Decision-makers can use these findings to identify better strategic opportunities for pandemic disaster risk management.

Arboviral Disease Outbreaks in the Pacific Islands Countries and Areas, 2014 to 2020: A Systematic Literature and Document Review

Arthropod-borne diseases pose a significant public health threat, accounting for greater than 17% of infectious disease cases and 1 million deaths annually. Across Pacific Island countries and areas (PICs), outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika are increasing in frequency and scale. Data about arbovirus outbreaks are incomplete, with reports sporadic, delayed, and often based solely on syndromic surveillance. We undertook a systematic review of published and grey literature and contacted relevant regional authorities to collect information about arboviral activity affecting PICs between October 2014 and June 2020. Our literature search identified 1176 unique peer-reviewed articles that were reduced to 25 relevant publications when screened. Our grey literature search identified 873 sources. Collectively, these data reported 104 unique outbreaks, including 72 dengue outbreaks affecting 19 (out of 22) PICs, 14 chikungunya outbreaks affecting 11 PICs, and 18 Zika outbreaks affecting 14 PICs. Our review is the most complete account of arboviral outbreaks to affect PICs since comparable work was published in 2014. It highlights the continued elevated level of arboviral activity across the Pacific and inconsistencies in how information about outbreaks is reported and recorded. It demonstrates the importance of a One-Health approach and the role that improved communication and reporting between different governments and sectors play in understanding the emergence, circulation, and transboundary risks posed by arboviral diseases.

Updated review on venomous snakebites, therapeutic uses and future prospects of Indian traditional medicine

Herbal medicines can make therapeutic drugs and are an essential part of the worldwide healthcare system. Plants have always been an essential part of many indigenous peoples' life. Snakebite is a typical tropical condition that goes unnoticed. Snakebite is still a significant public health issue in many parts of the world, particularly in India, where the disease is particularly prevalent. Morbidity and mortality rates among rural and indigenous populations in the country are among the highest in the world. The problem is made worse by people delaying or refusing to seek medical care because they believe in traditional healers. People worldwide use plants to treat poisonous snakebites as folk medicine. Five hundred twenty-three plant species belonging to the 122 families are recognized as a source of drugs/compounds recognized as a possible cure for snakebite. However, this assessment is limited to a small number of essential plants used in snakebite poisoning in India. The most important groups from which various plants are employed include Acanthaceae, Amaranthaceae, Apocynaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Fab Lamiaceae and Moraceae. In this investigation, phytocompounds with anti-venom action were discovered in 29 plants belonging to 22 families used as a traditional medicine to treat poisonous snakebites.

Talking about firearm injury prevention with patients: a survey of medical residents

Background Firearm injury and death are significant public health problems in the U.S. and physicians are uniquely situated to help prevent them. However, there is little formal training in medical education on identifying risk for firearm injury and discussing safe firearm practices with patients. This study assesses prior education, barriers to counseling, and needs for improved training on firearm safety counseling in medical education to inform the development of future education on clinical strategies for firearm injury prevention. Method A 2018 survey administered to 218 residents and fellows at a large, academic medical center asked about medical training on firearm injury prevention, frequency of asking patients about firearm access, and perceived barriers. Results The most common barriers cited were not knowing what to do with patients’ answers about access to firearms (72.1%), not having enough time (66.2%), not feeling comfortable identifying patients at-risk for firearm injury (49.2%), and not knowing how to ask patients about firearm access (48.6%). Prior education on firearm injury prevention was more strongly associated with asking than was personal exposure to firearms: 51.5% of respondents who had prior medical education reported asking compared with who had not received such education (31.8%, p=0.004). More than 90% of respondents were interested in further education about interventions, what questions to ask, and legal mechanisms to separate dangerous people from their firearms. Conclusions Education on assessing risk for firearm-related harm and, when indicated, counseling on safe firearm practices may increase the likelihood clinicians practice this behavior, though additional barriers exist.

Comparative Analysis of American Academy of Pediatrics and European Society of Hypertension Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pediatric Hypertension

Childhood hypertension (HTN) has become a significant public health issue because of the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. However, childhood HTN is underrecognized and underdiagnosed in clinical practice. The European Society of Hypertension in 2016 and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in 2017 published updated guidelines for the screening, prevention, and management of pediatric HTN. There were notable differences between the two guidelines as well as many similarities. The updated AAP guidelines have clarified and simplified the recommendations for screening, diagnosis, and treatment of childhood HTN based on current evidence. This review highlights the important developments in both guidelines, focusing on recent advances in the classification and treatment of childhood HTN.

EXPEDITIOUS RESPONSE TO EPIDEMICS: THE CHRONICLE OF NIPAH IN KERALA

Kerala witnessed a catastrophic outbreak of the Nipah virus (NiV) in May 2018, with a fatality rate of 40-75 per cent. The Nipah virus is recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a significant public health concern, and it's one among the priority diseases for accelerated R&D due to the severe lack of available countermeasures against it. There is no vaccine or cure for the infection. The state of Kerala showed an exemplary response to the outbreak. This involved rapid and effective dissemination of necessary precautions to the broader public. Internet social media played a crucial role in spreading these messages. Although the disease claimed 21 lives, it could have been a lot worse if the state had not taken the measures for proper mitigation. This work gives a brief overview of the Nipah virus, followed by a comprehensive outline of the Kerala outbreak. Community and individual responses to the Nipah outbreak have been analysed to illustrate how various groups and individuals, from health care and tourism departments to religious leaders, played a role in successfully eradicating the virus. Kerala's experience in containing epidemics is expected to become a reference point for other states and regions that may find similar situations.