Evaluation of toxicological metal profiling in different varieties of candies from the local market of Lucknow City, India

Virtually almost everyone enjoys chocolates and candies every now and then. Usually, chocolate and candies are the most craved food among children and pregnant women. This craving kicks high during the phase of stress, anxiousness, hormonal changes or mood swings. As children and pregnant women are the most sensitive groups of human population, the presence of any kind of toxicants in their food products can raise serious health concerns. In view of this, an approach has been made to estimate the quantity of nine metals in three different variety of commonly available candies (67 samples) i.e., cocoa-chocolate based, milk based, and fruit flavored candies. Few metals were found at relatively high level in cocoa-chocolate based candies followed by milk based and fruit flavored candies. The findings of this study enlightens the international food safety and public health protection authorities to implement strict permissible limits for the presence of metals in candies. The statistical approach of m­­­ultiple discriminant analysis was also performed in this study to reverse identify the candy groups based on their inter-comparative profiling of multi-elemental contamination among similar type of candy samples which points towards stipulating stringent quality policies and establishing strict standards for manufacturing, processing, storage and transportation of candies and their raw materials.

Extended First Aid: Perspectives and Challenges of Regulatory and Legal Framework

In order to improve quantitative and qualitative characteristics of first aid, an urgent need arose to increase its authorised volume for certain categories of first aid providers in accidents, disasters, natural calamities, epidemics, terrorist acts and armed conflicts and under other special conditions. In accordance with Order No. 3155-r of the Government of the Russian Federation of 28 November 2020, legislative mechanisms should be developed by December 2021 to expand the scope of first aid. Introduction of changes and additions into Art. 31 of Federal Law No. 323-FZ of 21 November 2011 “On Fundamentals of Public Health Protection in the Russian Federation” will make it possible to update current legislation by amending a number of acts and by adopting new documents. The authors suggest the development of draft amendments to the federal law “On Medical Drugs Circulation”, to draft normative legal acts of the Government of the Russian Federation and of federal executive bodies which will be necessary for implementation of norms of the federal law “On Amendments to Art. 31 of the federal law “On Fundamentals of Public Health Protection in the Russian Federation”.

Untangling the Governance of Public Health Aspects of Manure in The Netherlands

The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in terms of people and livestock and is the second largest exporter of agricultural products worldwide. As a result, the Netherlands has a manure surplus. Excess application of manure can lead to environmental problems; therefore, manure needs to be treated and discharged. Manure can contain zoonotic pathogens, but whether exposure to manure and manure treatment also poses a risk to public health is still unknown. This study analysed the regulations, relevant actors, and responsibilities in the complex system of manure and public health in the Netherlands. Interviews and system mapping have demonstrated interlinkages between environmental, economic, and health aspects. Constraints and opportunities for public health protection have been identified. This study reveals the complexity of the Dutch manure policy, its scattered responsibilities, the challenge to deal with uncertainties, and, most importantly, the need for a microbial risk assessment in order to adequately communicate and manage possible risks to protect the health of animals, the environment, and people.

The Relationships between Character Strengths and Subjective Wellbeing: Evidence from Greece under Lockdown during COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 was first identified in December 2019. As long as this type of coronavirus was new, the main way for governments to avoid the spread of the infection was enforced quarantine. Besides public health protection, quarantine can have a psychological impact on the residents, with main symptoms being angst, anxiety, depressive, and PTSD symptoms. As it has been found that character strengths can promote subjective wellbeing, the purpose of the study was to examine this relationship under the new situation of quarantine in the Greek population in adults who were in quarantine for at least two weeks. The total sample consisted of 354 participants who were aged 18–72-years-old. A total of 263 participants were women (74.3%), 91 were men (25.7%), and 94,6% of them were highly educated. The sample was a convenience sample. The tools used were PANAS) , PERMA) and finally VIA-114GR (). The data analysis was completed using SPSS software version 26.0 (IBM Corp. Released 2019. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp) and EQS 6.1 (Multivariate Software Inc.: Encino, CA, USA, 2006). The results showed that love, curiosity, persistence, hope, and zest are strongly associated with subjective wellbeing, even in conditions such as quarantine, and can support specific aspects of it.

Concerning the process of forming motivation to a healthy lifestyle

The components of the concept of a healthy lifestyle, starting with the provisions presented in early sources, are considered from the standpoint of management. It was found that it is difficult to achieve the increase of the number of citizens leading a healthy lifestyle in the absence of clear criteria for the healthy lifestyle, since there is an objective difficulty in assessing the lifestyle of people. It is definitely necessary to formulate the basic principles for creating lists of criteria for healthy lifestyle in order to effectively motivate citizens for health-preserving behavior. The need was identified to update and expand a number of modern lists that are used to obtain information that serves as the basis for making managerial decisions in the field of public health protection at the strategic level based on the analysis of the main existing lists of criteria for a healthy lifestyle. It is proposed to create an individual list of criteria for a healthy lifestyle by forming a low-variability part using the traditional approach, and a high-variability part using the personalized approach. The formulated principles of compiling lists of criteria for a healthy lifestyle can be used in the system of motivating and stimulating citizens to health-preserving behavior, aimed at reducing the prevalence of known behavioral risk factors for diseases.

Provision of paid medical services: clarify the rules for medical institutions

The initiatives of the Government of the Russian Federation concerning the clarification of the rules for the provision of paid medical services are considered. For medical budget institutions, it is significant that such services are proposed to be regulated not only by the Federal Law “On the Basics of Public Health Protection in the Russian Federation”, but also by the Law of the Russian Federation ”On Consumer Rights Protection”. A comparative analysis of the previous and new versions of the Rules for the Provision of Paid Medical Services by medical organizations is carried out. The financial aspects of the activities of budgetary medical institutions, their property rights and the limits of the exercise of these rights are considered. The new requirements to the form and content of the contract for the provision of paid medical services, the features of the remote method of its conclusion are considered.

Overview of Current Practices in the Methamphetamine Testing and Decontamination Industry: An Australian Case Study

To better protect public health from third-hand exposure to methamphetamine, it is important to understand the techniques and current practices used within the methamphetamine testing and decontamination industry in Australia. A survey was conducted focusing on business owners that advertised testing and/or remediation services online. They were also invited to participate in a follow-up phone interview upon completion. The survey demonstrated that testing and decontamination methods were highly varied, which was expected for an industry with no regulation. Most companies offered methamphetamine testing and remediation which could be a conflict of interest. Participants also shared personal experiences, including the conduct of other industry members, demonstrating both poor practice and/or the competitive nature of the business. Participating business owners were following Australian guidelines to the best of their ability, and many are advocates for regulation to be implemented within the industry. This would address the inconsistencies between companies and establish trust for industry members and the public. It would also provide significant public health protection, which is currently lacking. A more consistent approach to the testing and remediation of methamphetamine contamination, aided by regulation, would address the significant risk to public health caused by third-hand exposure to methamphetamine.

Post Covid-19 urbanization requires new standards and per capita in planning, design, and building

This paper studies investment reductions in urban health protection programs in the recent decades under the umbrella of plutocratic ideas. It studies the densely populated slums with little urban spaces, narrow sidewalks, traffic jams, and degraded environmental components. This paper addresses the question of how shall we reopen post-covid-19 cities sustainably and lively? Our method to find a solution is an innovative mathematical model that suggests revision in the current regulations and standards, sizes, and per capita of urban spaces with the help of maximizing necessary investments. This paper analyzes crowded neighborhoods, urban transport sites, and polluted environments where people cannot respect world health organization protocols concerning individual and public health protection. This research aims to maximize investment in public health protection for supplying suitable urban places’ sizes. Outcomes of this research will be helpful to reopen cities in the post-covid-19 everywhere in the world.

Epidemiology Survey of Measles in Kazakhstan

BACKGROUND: Measles (rubella) is a highly contagious disease that is caused by a virus in the Paramyxoviridae family. The measles virus is directly responsible for more than 100,000 deaths each year. Epidemiological studies have linked measles to increased morbidity and mortality many years after infection, but the reasons underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. The virus attacks immune cells, causing acute suppression of the immune system. The World Health Organization recommends a two-dose vaccination policy, with the first dose administered during the 1st year of life, and coverage should be maintained in at least 90–95% of the population to halt transmission. In many countries, the measles vaccine is included in the immunization program and is freely available to all. Today, despite active immunization of the population, measles still occurs in the Republic of Kazakhstan. AIM: The objective of our study was to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of measles in the Republic of Kazakhstan during the rise of the disease. METHODS: Statistical data were obtained from the Committee on Public Health Protection on the incidence of measles in The Republic of Kazakhstan for the period from November 1, 2018 to December 30, 2019. STUDY DESIGN: Epidemiology survey. RESULTS: The article contains epidemiological data on the incidence of measles in the regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan among children, age, and gender characteristics. CONCLUSION: In the period from November 2018 to December 2019, there was a tendency to increase the incidence of measles in the republic. In terms of morbidity, Nur-Sultan was the leader, where the number of cases was 22.9% (n = 3181). The largest number of registered cases, 58.2% (n = 5745), occurred in children aged 1–14 years. Measles remains an unresolved global problem and groups of undervaccinated and unvaccinated populations remain vulnerable during epidemics.