Article Gate
Not a member yet
471 research outputs found
Sort by
Factors Influencing the Practice of Breast Self-Examination among Female Tertiary Students in Ho, Ghana
Full text linkBackground. Despite the implementation of various interventions towards the reduction of breast cancer prevalence, many women still report late symptoms to health facilities, and this decreases their chances of survival. Breast self-examination (BSE) is the most convenient form of examination to detect the development of breast cancer. We examined the factors that influence the practice of breast self-examination among female tertiary students in Ho, Volta Region of Ghana. Methods. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that recruited 506 female students from four tertiary institutions in the Ho Municipality in Ghana using questionnaires. Descriptive and inferential statistics comprising frequency, percentage, Chi-square, and binary logistic regression were used in analyzing the data. Results. About 73% of the respondents had ever practised BSE. Out of the respondents who have ever practiced BSE, 79% were practising it at the time of the study. Students in their fourth year were above 4 times more likely (95% CI = 1.73–9.29, ) to practise BSE than those in their first year. Also, students with good knowledge of BSE were 4 times more likely to practice BSE [(95% CI = 1.1–13.46), ] and students with good perception about BSE were 12 times more likely to practice BSE [(95% CI = 1.21–122.73), ]. Conclusion. The study found that 27% of the female students had never practised BSE. Those who practice BSE did not practice regularly and appropriately. Also, good knowledge and perception are associated with the practice of BSE. The implication of this result is the late presentation of breast cancer cases to health facilities and increases in breast cancer-related deaths in the country. Therefore, it is recommended that the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service, and other stakeholders in Ghana’s healthcare should develop and implement innovative approaches and policies such as peer and support groups’ learning, and mass media BSE awareness aimed at ensuring better understanding and access to BSE education. This should be intensified during the foundation years such as the secondary and tertiary education levels to ensure the adoption of breast self-examination practice. It is also recommended that another study must be done using a qualitative approach to get an in-depth understanding of the steps and ways, by which female students practice BSE
Assessing the Impact of Youth-in-Agribusiness Program on Poverty and Vulnerability to Poverty in Nigeria
Full text linkPoverty persists in many developing countries, including Nigeria, owing to inadequate infrastructure, unemployment, or poor working conditions, among other factors. Youth poverty and vulnerability to poverty have been identified to prevalent among the young population. Using an endogenous switching probit regression approach, in this study, we evaluated the impacts of youth participation in agribusiness programs (YIAPs) on poverty and vulnerability to poverty in Nigeria. Our findings revealed that some demographic and institutional factors significantly influence poverty and vulnerability to poverty among youth. The impact estimates indicate that participation in an agribusiness program has a significant positive effect on poverty reduction among youth. Moreover, there would have been about a 28% reduction in exposure to future poverty for non-participants had they participated in a YIAP. Our results suggest that intervention programs, such as YIAPs, that focus on skill acquisition and youth empowerment should be strengthened and scaled-up in order to improve youth welfare and subsequently reduce/eradicate poverty and vulnerability to poverty among yout
Tourist Attractiveness of Rural Areas as a Determinant of the Implementation of Social Tourism of Disadvantaged Groups: Evidence from Poland and the Czech Republic
Full text linkThe purpose of this article is to present the tourist attractiveness of rural areas as a factor of social tourism in Poland and the Czech Republic. The systematic literature review (SLR) research method was used to verify the aim. An extensive review of the literature has been made which has made it possible to present the importance of tourist attractiveness in the implementation of social tourism on the examples of Poland and the Czech Republic. This article presents a literature review and systematizes the terminology of social tourism. In addition, it shows the expectations and behavior of different groups of customers in the types and forms of social tourism. In the final part of the article the authors presented the opportunities and barriers to the development of social tourism in Poland and the Czech Republic
Healthy lifestyle counteracts the risk effect of genetic factors on incident gout: a large population-based longitudinal study
Full text linkRisk genes linked to the development of gout have been identified, and lifestyle factors are related to gout risk. It remains unclear whether healthy lifestyle factors can mitigate the genetic risk of gout. Therefore, we aimed to explore whether and to what extent a healthy lifestyle can mitigate the risk of gout related to genetic factors.
Methods
Within the UK Biobank, 416,481 gout-free participants (aged 37–74) were identified at baseline. Polygenic risk for gout was assessed and categorized as low (lowest tertile), middle (tertile 2), and high (highest tertile). Healthy lifestyle factors included no/moderate alcohol consumption, no smoking, physical activity, and a healthy diet. Participants were categorized into three groups according to their number of healthy lifestyle factors: unfavorable (0 or 1), intermediate (any 2), and favorable (3 or 4). Data were analyzed using Cox proportional hazard models.
Results
Over the follow-up (median: 12.1 years), 6206 participants developed gout. Compared to low genetic risk, the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of gout was 1.44 (1.35–1.54) for middle and 1.77 (1.66–1.89) for high genetic risk. The HRs (95% CIs) of gout were 0.63 (0.59–0.67) for a favorable lifestyle and 0.79 (0.75–0.85) for an intermediate lifestyle, compared to an unfavorable lifestyle. In joint effect analysis, compared to participants with low genetic predisposition and a favorable lifestyle, the HRs (95% CIs) of gout were 2.39 (2.12–2.70)/3.12 (2.79–3.52) in those with middle and high genetic predisposition plus unfavorable lifestyle profiles, and 1.53 (1.35–1.74)/1.98 (1.75–2.24) for those with middle and high genetic predisposition plus favorable lifestyle profiles, respectively. Moreover, compared to an unfavorable lifestyle, the HRs of gout related to a favorable lifestyle was 0.64 (95% CI, 0.56–0.73) for low genetic risk, 0.65 (95% CI, 0.58–0.72) for middle genetic risk, and 0.62 (95% CI, 0.57–0.69) for high genetic risk. There was a significant additive interaction between unfavorable lifestyle and high genetic risk on gout
Copper(II) NHC Catalyst for the Formation of Phenol from Arylboronic Acid
Full text linkArylboronic acids are commonly used in modern organic chemistry to form new C–C and C–heteroatom bonds. These activated organic synthons show reactivity with heteroatoms in a range of substrates under ambient oxidative conditions. This broad reactivity has limited their use in protic, renewable solvents like water, ethanol, and methanol. Here, we report our efforts to study and optimize the activation of arylboronic acids by a copper(II) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complex in aqueous solution and in a range of alcohols to generate phenol and aryl ethers, respectively. The optimized reactivity showcases the ability to make targeted C–O bonds, but also identifies conditions where water and alcohol activation could be limiting for C–C and C–heteroatom bond-forming reactions. This copper(II) complex shows strong reactivity toward arylboronic acid activation in aqueous medium at ambient temperature. The relationship between product formation and temperature and catalyst loading are described. Additionally, the effects of buffer, pH, base, and co-solvent are explored with respect to phenol and ether generation reactions. Characterization of the new copper(II) NCN-pincer complex by X-ray crystallography, HR-MS, cyclic voltammetry, FT-IR and UV-Vis spectral studies is reported
Characteristics of the First 284 Patients Infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 Subvariant at a Single Center in the Apulia Region of Italy, January–March 2022
Full text linkSince its initial detection, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineage BA.2 has been spreading rapidly worldwide. The aims of this study were to describe the first 284 patients infected with the Omicron BA.2 variant of concern (VOC) in the Apulia region of southern Italy and to assess the differences in the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 BA.1 and BA.2 variants. The demographic characteristics of patients, as well as information about symptoms, vaccinations and hospitalizations for COVID-19, were collected. A subset of samples from patients infected with the BA.2 variant was subjected to whole-genome sequencing. The characteristics of the first 284 patients infected with Omicron BA.2 and the first 175 patients infected with Omicron BA.1 were compared. The proportion of patients infected with the BA.2 variant rapidly increased, from 0.5% during the third week of 2022 to 29.6% during the tenth week of 2022. Ten isolates (out of 34 BA.2 isolates) contain the substitutional mutation, H78K in ORF3a, and four isolates include two mutations, A2909V in ORF1a and L140F in ORDF3a. Compared with patients infected with BA.1, those infected with BA.2 were more likely to be symptomatic and booster-vaccinated, and showed a shorter time from the last dose of vaccine to infection. The high transmissibility and immune-evasive properties of Omicron BA.2, which will become the leading SARS-CoV-2 VOC, suggest that short-term public health measures should not be discontinued in Ital
Addressing biodiversity loss by building a shared future
Full text linkThe 22nd of May 2022 marked the twentieth anniversary of the United Nation’s International Day for Biological Diversity, which was instigated as an annual event in 2002, ten years after the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity. We therefore stand thirty years on from the formal recognition by the global community that the diversity of life on Earth is an asset that should be valued in its own right, and that humanity should endeavour to protect it.
PLOS Biology has been around for nearly twenty of those thirty years, publishing work that directly addresses questions of global biodiversity—how it arose, how it has changed in the past, how it is being affected by ongoing anthropogenic activity, and what we can do to protect it.
Strikingly, one of our most read and cited papers ever [1] was one that simply sought to establish how many species exist on the planet. The debate around this topic is ongoing; estimates of the total number of species vary by at least four orders of magnitude, and it has recently been suggested that massive diversity may lie underappreciated in the bacteria that live in and on the bodies of animals [2]. However, a paucity of data for many taxonomic groups hinders such census efforts. Considering that, even for some well-studied taxonomic groups, the current rates of extinction are unknown or seem to have been substantially underestimated [3, 4], global biodiversity is in jeopardy.
A cursory survey of biodiversity-related papers that have been published in the journal in the past year reveals several principal topics. In this issue alone, we feature work addressing the biodiversity of marine communities half a billion years apart [5, 6] and the use of artificial intelligence to automate the surveillance of threatened species [3].
Across the past year, one topic to emerge has been how biodiversity has changed in the past, with papers attempting to infer what forces, both biotic and abiotic, have driven these changes, often with the implicit or explicit expectation that we can learn lessons about future change. These papers include (in roughly temporal order) studies of ancient Ediacaran animal communities [5], end-Cretaceous sharks [7], Cenozoic snakes [8], and cold-water corals over the past 20,000 years [6] (Fig 1). A further paper leaves empiricism behind and presents a tool for using simulation to probe the drivers of biodiversity [9]
Re-Centering Indigenous Knowledge in climate change discourse
Full text linkClimate change despair is fueled by the apocalyptic and doom narratives that often dominate climate change discourse. These narratives continue to shift our focus to adaptation strategies rather than the mitigation strategies that many Indigenous communities are leading globally within their territories. In this opinion piece, we argue that to truly mitigate climate change, we must center Indigenous Knowledge systems in climate science. To do this, we offer examples of Indigenous-led movements and projects that are informed by Indigenous Knowledge systems. These examples include Indigenous sentinel networks (ISNs) and Indigenous-led resistance movements against extractive energy projects. Both help us recenter mainstream climate change dialogues back to Indigenous communities and their ways of knowing (epistemologies) and shift away from the negative narratives that diminish our hope for the future.
Climate change continues to disproportionately impact Indigenous communities due to their connectedness to their environments and reliance on local ecosystems [1, 2]. Yet, Indigenous Knowledges as solutions are nowhere to be found in climate change discourse. Oftentimes, such discourse only centers on Indigenous peoples’ vulnerabilities, which continues to decenter such peoples’ hopes for the future. To date, climate change impacts have not eliminated the hope that drives many Indigenous communities to thrive and mitigate these impacts to preserve their ancestral lands, heritage, and most importantly, their epistemologies [3]. Unfortunately, the climate debt that Indigenous communities face is rooted in settler colonialism, historic and current land and rights dispossessions, and ongoing forms of genocide [4]. This climate debt, however, has not stopped Indigenous peoples from acting and leading climate change mitigation strategies to protect their local environments. While mainstream climate science continues to dismiss Indigenous Knowledges, Indigenous sentinel networks (ISNs) and resistance movements against extractive energy projects [5] demonstrate why Indigenous epistemologies must be central to efforts that focus on mitigating climate change as opposed to forcing communities to adapt
Combined Training Intervention Targeting Medical and Nursing Staff Reduces Ciprofloxacin Use and Events of Urinary Tract Infection
Full text linkInappropriate diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTI) contributes to antimicrobial overuse. A combined training intervention for medical and nursing staff mainly addressing the analytic process reduced UTI events (9.20 vs. 7.36 per 1000 PD, −20.0%, = 0.003) and the utilization rate of ciprofloxacin (11.6 vs. 3.5, −69.6 = 0.001) in a Bavarian University Hospital. Combined training intervention—as part of an antibiotic stewardship program—can be effective in avoiding unnecessary urinalysis and reducing antibiotic consumption.
1. Introduction
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the third most common type of healthcare-associated infections in Germany and the fifth most common in the United states accounting for a considerable amount of in-hospital antibiotic consumption [1, 2]. UTIs have been successfully addressed by antibiotic stewardship programs (ASP) [3], and the current IDSA guideline on antimicrobial stewardship strategies highlights the challenge of preventing antibiotic treatment for asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB). Fluoroquinolones were commonly used to treat UTI in the outpatient setting, but due to severe adverse events and high resistance rates among E. coli, they are a major target of ASPs [4]. Especially, the adverse events prompted to national and international safety warnings discouraging the empiric treatment of mild/moderate infections with fluoroquinolones including uncomplicated urinary tract infections [5, 6]. ASPs put emphasis on improving the quality of antibiotic prescribing; interventions targeting the analytic process are particularly suitable to avoid analyzing and reporting and hence triggering unnecessary treatment of ASB.
The analytic process consists of preanalytics (indication, sampling, and transport), analytics (species identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing), and postanalytics (interpretation of findings in the clinical context). Analytics and early stages of postanalytics (i.e., selective reporting) are subjects to the laboratory process and may therefore be controlled straightforwardly [7]. However, it takes more effort to modify pre and postanalytical procedures, as they are executed outside the laboratories by healthcare staff.
Education can change behavior of medical personnel. It is a core element of ASPs and has the power to influence all persons responsible in the pre and postanalytical processes [8]. Nursing staff was recognized as a potential player in the implementation of ASP, and nurse-driven antibiotic stewardship practices (need for urine cultures and ensuring the proper culturing technique) were identified [9]. Potential effective measures of ASPs to partner with nursing staff need to be investigated. This study evaluates the effect of a combined training intervention for medical and nursing staff on diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections
Extended Use of The Spanner® Temporary Prostatic Stent in Catheter-Dependent Men with Comorbidities
Full text linkPurpose. This US FDA investigational device exemption (IDE) study evaluated the extended use of The Spanner® Temporary Prostatic Stent in catheter-dependent men with urinary retention who were not deemed candidates for corrective surgery but demonstrated bladder contractility. Materials and Methods. The Spanner was placed for 3 cycles of 30 days in catheter-dependent men with comorbid conditions, confirmed detrusor contractility, and catheter-associated discomfort. At each visit, postvoid residual, maximum flow rate, international prostate symptom score, quality of life, and adverse events were assessed. Voiding success was defined as PVR ≤ 150 ml at all visits. Results. One hundred seven men were enrolled at 8 US sites; 82/107 (76.6%) completed the trial, and 79/107 (73.8%) successfully maintained PVR ≤ 150 ml for the trial duration. Patients were 77.1 ± 10.6 years old; 63/107 (58.9%) were dependent on Foley and 40/107 (37.4%) on intermittent catheterization for 36.0 ± 39.3 days and 30.2 ± 45.8 days, respectively. 25/107 (23.4%) discontinuations were primarily due to voluntary patient withdrawal 9/107 (8.4%), investigator-initiated withdrawal 8/107 (7.5%), or lack of effectiveness 4/107 (3.7%). During Spanner use, the mean Qmax was 11.2 ± 6.6, mean IPSS was 7.5 ± 6.4, and mean QOL was 2.0 ± 1.6. The most prevalent device-related adverse events were asymptomatic bacteriuria 25/107 (23.4%), discomfort 10/107 (9.4%), and urinary urgency 8/107 (7.5%). No device-related serious AEs were reported. Conclusions. This study demonstrates that catheter-dependent men with sufficient bladder contractility can achieve volitional voiding and successful bladder drainage using The Spanner Temporary Prostatic Stent for extended periods of time