Journal of Ideas in Health (JIDHealth)
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Exploring the determinant of flu vaccine hesitancy among Turkish population: a cross-sectional study
Get PDFBackground: Although influenza is a contagious and widespread viral disease, its impact on public health is controlled by vaccination programs. However, anti-vaccination sentiment is also increasing in society. This study aims to explore the factors influencing influenza vaccine hesitancy.
Methods: Between November 2020 and January 2021, a cross-sectional observational survey was carried out in Turkey. To investigate the extent of vaccine hesitancy among individuals, an online questionnaire was created using Google Forms. Data were collected using an exponential non-discriminative snowball sampling technique. Besides internal consistency reliability, chi-square was performed. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05.
Results: This research encompassed a cohort of 172 respondents, with an average age of 53.5±14.3 years within the total sample. Most participants (126, 73.25%) were above 45. The participant group was predominantly female (93, 54.1%), and most had achieved a high school or university education (117, 66.2%). Out of the participants, 123 individuals (71.5%) reported having a chronic ailment. Among the 172 participants, 118 (68.6%) exhibited no reluctance to receive the influenza vaccine, while 54 (31.4%) expressed vaccine hesitancy. There was a notable statistically significant distinction in the level of knowledge regarding influenza vaccines (p<0.001, χ²= 20.482).
Conclusion: Lack of information, perceived harms, lack of trust in pharmaceutical companies, and experiences are among the most important determinants of anti-vaccination. Pharmacists may have a potential role in the leading part of the healthcare team in the fight against anti-vaccination in the community
Bridging the diagnostic gap: liver function tests and IL-6 as potential early predictors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in psoriasis
Get PDFBackground: Psoriasis goes beyond skin, intertwining with body systems, notably connecting to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study aims to explore the predictive potential: liver function tests and IL-6 as early markers for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in psoriasis patients.
Methods: From March to November 2023, a case-control study was performed at the dermatological outpatient clinic of Baquba Teaching Hospital, Iraq. Individuals with confirmed psoriasis and those without underwent comprehensive clinical history and overall health examinations. The diagnosis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was established using the Fatty Liver Index (FLI).
Results: Among the 290 participants in this study, 103 with confirmed psoriasis displayed a Fatty Liver Index (FLI) score >60, indicative of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The control group, comprising 101 individuals without psoriasis or NAFLD, provided a baseline for comparison. The mean ages were 32.5 ± 16.2 and 31.5 ± 14.3 years for the case and control groups, respectively. Notably, the case group exhibited significantly higher mean ± SD levels of ALT and AST (61 ± 29 vs. 33 ± 17 U/L, p < 0.0001) and (55 ± 27 vs. 25 ± 15 U/L, p < 0.0001), respectively. Moreover, FLI criteria were markedly elevated in the case group (p = 0.0007, p = 0.0005, p < 0.0001, and p < 0.0001, respectively), and IL-6 levels were significantly higher (p = 0.0003).
Conclusion: The results proposed that liver function tests and IL-6 could act as early predictors for the detection of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among individuals grappling with psoriasis
Determinant factors of treatment adherence of hypertensive patients in a rural area of Indonesia
Get PDFBackground: The surging prevalence of hypertension due to lifestyle brought forth an increase in degenerative diseases. Adherence is important in achieving the effectiveness of therapy. This study aims to analyze the factors affecting medication adherence in patients with hypertension.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between 20-24 February 2023 at Turirejo Village, Lawang District, Malang, Indonesia. Participants were hypertensive patients currently receiving treatment. The MMAS-8 questionnaire was used to classify adherence to medication for hypertension. Analysis with binary logistic regression test was performed on variables to display odds ratio values was conducted at a significance level of p<0.05.
Results: A total of 37 adults diagnosed with hypertension participated in this study. Patients were dominantly consisting of elderly (≥ 56 years old; 73.0%) and females (86.0%). Seventy-six percent of patients have low adherence, twenty-four percent of patients have moderate adherence, and no patient has high adherence. Duration of illness, knowledge, and attitude variables significantly affect adherence (low and moderate) to medication for hypertension. Multivariate analysis showed that patients with a duration of illness above 10 years (Adjusted OR 18.27; 95% CI 1.72-194.47; p-value 0.016) and positive attitude towards treatment (Adjusted OR 12.76; 95% CI 1.25-130.40; p-value 0.032, respectively) increase the possibility of moderate adherence towards the medication of hypertension.
Conclusion: Improvements in factors that affect adherence to hypertension treatment are needed to increase the success of the Non-Communicable Disease Prevention Program. Further research in identifying factors of economic capacity and access to health service providers is needed to validate the results of this study
Knowledge and practice regarding prevention of osteoporosis among Iraqi women
Get PDFBackground: Osteoporosis is known to cause long-acting disability. This study aimed to explore the knowledge, and preventive practice among women attending the primary health centers (PHC) in Al Ramadi City, west of Iraq.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and March 2022. A simple random sampling technique was recruited to collect samples using face-to-face interviews of women during the routine visit to PHCs. Univariate and bivariate were used to analyze the data. The statistical package for the social sciences was used for data analysis.
Results: Two hundred and fifty women were interviewed with a mean age of 37.9 ±11.3 years. The majority of them were married (87.0%), and unemployed or housewives (66.0%). Although, most of the participants heard about osteoporosis (238, 95.2%), and the possibility to cause pain before the occurrence of fracture (67.6%), the average knowledge score on osteoporosis was 55.75 ± 18.87. Furthermore, the surveyed women reported that practices of sunlight exposure (p=0.000), calcium-rich foods (p=0.003), and Vitamin D supplementation (p=0.022) are significantly related to reducing the risk of Osteoporosis. Healthcare providers played a significant role to support women with osteoporosis-related knowledge.
Conclusion: Although most women heard about the disease, their level of knowledge was modest, which might affect the measures necessary to prevent the disease
A massive benign prostate delivered intact: a case report
Get PDFBackground: Benign prostatic enlargement (BPH) is an age-related condition. Males above the age of 40 years commonly experience lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) related to the progressively growing prostate. BPH is coined by a deterioration in the quality of the patient`s life. Medicines along with advanced surgical procedures may not be suitable for treating oversized prostate glands.
Case presentation: A 84-years-old man presented to the urology clinic with severe LUTS that are getting worse over 2 years. He was never catheterized. Medicinal treatments failed to alleviate the symptoms. He has no past medical or surgical history of significance. Prostate ultrasonography revealed a huge prostate of 340cc. He underwent open prostatectomy and enjoyed an uneventful post-operative hospital stay. Histology showed a benign nodular prostatic hyperplasia.
Conclusion: This case presents one of the largest prostates reported in the literature
Seroprevalence of leptospirosis among hospitalized febrile patients in Unguja Island
Get PDFBackground: Leptospirosis is one of the neglected causes of febrile illness and death in developing countries, including Tanzania. The study aims to determine the seroprevalence of leptospirosis among hospitalized febrile patients in Unguja Island.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the three selected hospitals in Unguja Island between January and March 2022. A total of 402 participants with febrile illness were enrolled in the study, and blood samples were collected for sera preparation. Microscopic agglutination test (MAT) was used to detect antibodies against five Leptospira serovars, including Sokoine, Lora, Pomona, Grippotyphosa, and Hebdomadis. All sera samples reacted with MAT titers≥1:160 were counted as positive, MAT titers ranging from 1:20 to 1:80 were counted as exposed to Leptospira bacteria while the absence of agglutination was regarded as negative. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 26, 2019. Descriptive and logistic regression was performed, and p≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean age of study participants was 29.62 ±16.34, with a range of 0 days to 80 years. Most of them were females (64.2%) and unemployed (67.9%). The overall seroprevalence of leptospirosis was 7.7% (95% CI: 5.3-10.8). Females were 1.016 times higher likelihood to have leptospirosis (AOR = 1.016, 95% CI: 0.47-2.185, p = 0.968). Participants aged 18-35 were 2.093 times more likely to be infected with leptospirosis (AOR= 2.093, 95% CI: 0.835-5.250, p = 0.115). Participants who were unemployed (AOR = 1.169, 95% CI: 0.522-2.615, p = 0.704) revealed a significantly higher likelihood of being infected with leptospirosis. The predominant Leptospira serovars circulating among febrile patients were Sokoine 44 (10.9%), Lora 25 (6.2%), Grippotyphosa 20 (5.0%), Pomona 10 (2.5%), and Hebdomadis 9 (2.2%).
Conclusion: Leptospirosis is a public health threat among febrile patients in Unguja Island; therefore, it’s important to be considered in the differential diagnosis of non-malaria febrile patients for early prevention and control strategies
Metagenomics screening of viruses in Arusha, north Tanzania: a one health perspective across wild rodents, domestic dogs and humans
Get PDFBackground: One of the most significant and perilous challenges faced by African societies, including Tanzania, is the public health threat posed by zoonotic viruses. This study aimed to ascertain the presence of viruses in wild rodents, domestic dogs, and humans who shared the same environment.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Ngorongoro district from January to September 2022. Metagenomics next-generation sequencing technologies, including Illumina (MiSeq) and Oxford Nanopore (MinION), were employed to identify viruses in 530 blood samples collected from 200 humans, 230 wild rodents, and 100 domestic dogs. The captured wild rodents belonged to various species: Mastomys spp (n=87), Ratus spp (n=45), Avicanthis spp (n=40), Arcomys spp (n=28), Mus spp (n=16), and Field mice (n=14). The taxonomic classification of viruses was carried out using the Kraken2 program.
Results: A total of 20 RNA and 20 DNA viral families were detected. Zoonotic RNA families identified in rodents included Peribunyaviridae, Hantaviridae, Flaviviridae, Coronaviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Retroviridae, Picornaviridae, Arenaviridae, Togaviridae, and Tobaniviridae. The zoonotic DNA families detected in rodents were Adenoviridae, Poxviridae, Herpesviridae, Anelloviridae, and Circoviridae. Peribunyaviridae and Hataviridae were identified in both humans and rodents. Unclassified +ssRNA viruses were found in dogs and humans. Herpesviridae was present in all three hosts. When compared to dogs and humans, rodents harbored zoonotic viruses that pose a significant public health safety concern.
Conclusion: The study unveiled a noteworthy pattern where the majority of RNA and DNA viruses with zoonotic potential were detected in wild rodents, as opposed to dogs and humans. These findings underscore the pivotal role played by wild rodent populations in the transmission and maintenance of such viruses
Zoonoses awareness and health perception in livestock farmers: Example of a city in Western Türkiye
Get PDFBackground: Zoonotic diseases are on the increase globally. Relevant disease awareness practices regarding public knowledge are useful for disease control. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between individuals\u27 perception of health and awareness of zoonotic diseases.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among farmers in the villages of Kutahya province, located in the west of Türkiye, between February and March 2022. A questionnaire involving questions about the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants in the first part and information about the transmission route of zoonotic diseases and the Health Perception Scale (HPS) in the second part was used in this study. Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis-H Test was performed to compare group medians. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 44.10±10.73. The mean score of the individuals obtained from the HPS was 46.62±4.58. The health perception of the participants was found to be moderate. There was a negative correlation between the control center and precision sub-dimensions and age (respectively r: -0.260, p<0.001; r: -0.320, p<0.001). A positive correlation was found between the importance of health and self-awareness and age (respectively r:0.248, p<0.001; r:0.279, p<0.001). Those who knew that zoonoses could be transmitted from sheep, cattle, and humans had higher HPS scores than those who did not know (respectively p:0.003; p:0.001; p:0.007).
Conclusion: Increasing health perception in livestock farmers may effectively prevent zoonotic diseases
Assessment of anxiolytic-like effects of acute and chronic treatment of flurbiprofen in murine
Get PDFBackground: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly used medications with atypical pharmacological effects. This aims to evaluate the anxiolytic-like effects of flurbiprofen in rodent models.
Methods: In vivo experimental try was conducted from October 2022 to January 2023 at the college of veterinary medicine, university of Mosul, Iraq. The effect of flurbiprofen was assessed in mice exposed to the elevated plus maze (EPM), light-dark box test (LDT), and open-field test (OFT). Fifty male mice were divided into two groups of twenty-five, weighing 30–35 g, for acute and chronic treatment. Each group was subdivided into five subgroups: distilled water was administered to the control group; the positive control was injected with 10 mg/kg diazepam; and the flurbiprofen groups were administered orally at 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg. Each subgroup was subjected to EPM, LDT, and OFT one hour after administration. The second group was also subdivided like the first group. It was treated for 15 days constantly and subjected to anxiety tests on the 16th day.
Results: Acute treatment with 20 mg/kg flurbiprofen revealed an anxiolytic effect, with increased time spent in the open arm of the EPM test, increased time spent in the LDB test, and increased time spent in the central area in the OFT compared to the control group. Chronic administration of flurbiprofen was ineffective in producing an anxiolytic effect.
Conclusion: The low doses of flurbiprofen may eliminate the anxiety effect in experimental mice; however, the anti-anxiety effect does not appear significantly after repeated or chronic administration of flurbiprofen
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants among travelers crossing the northern international border checkpoint in Duhok province, Iraq
Get PDFBackground: Variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected along with the worldwide COVID-19 transmission. Insufficient data exists regarding SARS-CoV-2 variants in Iraq, particularly concerning travelers at Iraqi border crossings. This study aimed to screen SARS-CoV-2 variants among individuals entering Iraq from Turkey through the Ibrahim Khalil international border checkpoint.
Methods: A total of 116 (52 females, 64 males) COVID-19-positive cases from June 6, 2021, to July 30, 2021, were randomly selected from the Ibrahim Al-Khalil border crossing point between Turkey and Iraq. The patients were Iraqis tested positive for COVID-19 through nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab collections. The confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 cases involved RNA extraction and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), following the World Health Organization guidelines. All samples were subjected to variant detection using the reverse transcription RT-PCR method. The RNA was extracted using a Zybio nucleic acid extraction kit and the RT-PCR was conducted using SARS-CoV-2 S-gene mutation detection RT-PCR kit.
Results: In the 116 patients, we detected variants B.1.1.7, B.1.617.1.2, B.1.617.1.3, and Omicron sub-lineages (B.1.1.529, BA.1) at frequency rates of 13, 16, 45, and 36 cases, respectively. The highest prevalence rate was the delta variant among the tested subjects (38.8%) followed by the Omicron sub-lineages (B.1.1.529, BA.1) at 31%.
Conclusion: This finding, which is the first of its kind at the northern Iraqi border checkpoint, suggests that these two variants could be a source of COVID-19 circulating in the Duhok province in Iraq. Additional studies are warranted across the country’s border entry points