365 research outputs found
An analysis of trends and determinants of health insurance and healthcare utilisation in the Russian population between 2000 and 2004: the 'inverse care law' in action.
No full textBACKGROUND: The break-up of the USSR brought considerable disruption to health services in Russia. The uptake of compulsory health insurance rose rapidly after its introduction in 1993. However, by 2000 coverage was still incomplete, especially amongst the disadvantaged. By this time, however, the state health service had become more stable, and the private sector was growing. This paper describes subsequent trends and determinants of healthcare insurance coverage in Russia, and its relationship with health service utilisation, as well as the role of the private sector. METHODS: Data were from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, an annual household panel survey (2000-4) from 38 centres across the Russian Federation. Annual trends in insurance coverage were measured (2000-4). Cross-sectional multivariate analyses of the determinants of health insurance and its relationship with health care utilisation were performed in working-age people (18-59 years) using 2004 data. RESULTS: Between 2000 and 2004, coverage by the compulsory insurance scheme increased from 88% to 94% of adults; however 10% of working-age men remained uninsured. Compulsory health insurance coverage was lower amongst the poor, unemployed, unhealthy and people outside the main cities. The uninsured were less likely to seek medical help for new health problems. 3% of respondents had supplementary (private) insurance, and rising utilisation of private healthcare was greatest amongst the more educated and wealthy. CONCLUSION: Despite high population insurance coverage, a multiply disadvantaged uninsured minority remains, with low utilisation of health services. Universal insurance could therefore increase access, and potentially contribute to reducing avoidable healthcare-related mortality. Meanwhile, the socioeconomically advantaged are turning increasingly to a growing private sector
Proposing Chemometric Tool for Efficacy Surface Dust Deposition Tracking in Moss Tissue Cross Bioindication Process of Metals in Environment
No full textMosses have been used for biomonitoring in a number of different ways which may lead to rather different results, and some kind of classification seems
necessary at this point. Epigeic mosses (growing on the ground) are preferred in the regional surveys in Europe. Trace elements may be either absorbed on the moss
from the atmosphere as soluble chemical species in wet deposition or contained in particles from dry deposition. Part of the trace element content of particulates may
eventually be released by weathering and reabsorbed by the moss. Whereas uptake efficiencies for particulate-bound trace elements are generally poorly known, ions
may be subject to active uptake into cells or attached on the moss surface by physical and chemical forces. Methods are available to distinguish between intracellular
and surface-bound fractions of elements. The main problem with the issue of moss biomonitoring is revealed as (a) the transport of soluble compounds from the soil
into moss tissue, particularly during periods with excessive soil/water contact.
Although mosses do not have a root system, influence from this source cannot be disregarded, in particular in areas with low atmospheric deposition and (b) windblown
mineral dust from local soil. As far as the surface-bound fraction is concerned, little is known about the binding mechanisms, but the fact that different metals show rather large differences in their retention capacities indicates that both simple cation exchange on negative surface charges and complex formation with ligands on the moss surface are involved. Laboratory analysis using scanning electron microscopy has been involved for the determination of the dry deposition occurring within moss bioindicators
Characterization of Multi-element Profiles and Multi-isotope Ratio Records as a Tool for Determination of the Geographical Origin of Various Plant Species
No full textDetermination of food authenticity is an important issue in quality control and food safety. In recent years, many serious diseases appeared related to foodstuffs, so providing the motivation for the scientific community to work more intensively in this area. Authenticity is a quality criterion for food and food ingredients and is required more and more worldwide, as a result of legislative protection for regional foods. Reviews of analytical methods for the determination of geographical
origin of food and beverages have been published. However, organic components of a food crop production depend on various conditions (e.g. fertilization,
history of the field, climatic conditions in the year of cultivation, geographic location and soil composition), so it is not always possible to determine the origin of a
product by analysing the organic components. Additionally, methods based on elemental composition have been reviewed as have methods based on isotope ratios.
Over the past decade, with the development of new advanced analytical techniques
[e.g. thermal ionization MS (TIMS), inductively coupled plasma MS (ICP-MS) and dynamic reaction cell-ICPMS (DRC-ICPMS)], we can successfully retrieve elemental and isotopic compositions of any given food sample and determine the geographic origin successfully. The growing concern of the consumers stimulated scientific research and publications in recent years, including multi-element and isotope ratio methods of analysis in food authentication after statistical evaluation of the results. Several aspects will be described: (a) propose a new technique for evaluating spatially explicit trace element profile in various environmental samples
(with organic and inorganic complex matrixes); (b) evaluate whether element composition of the environmental samples can be attributed to large-scale geographic
trace element variation associated with underlying geology or fine-scale spatial differences related to foraging habitat; (c) determine whether element profiles along the individual species are autocorrelated (i.e. occurring in a predictable or random pattern); (d) prove spatially resolved multi-element information that could be used for identification of geographical origin of various environmental samples and foodstuffs
Survival of Civilian and Prisoner Drug-Sensitive, Multi- and Extensive Drug- Resistant Tuberculosis Cohorts Prospectively Followed in Russia
No full textThis is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Prescription for change: accessing medication in transitional Russia.
No full textBACKGROUND Many Russians experienced difficulty in accessing prescription medication during the widespread health service disruption and rapid socio-economic transition of the 1990s. This paper examines trends and determinants of access in Russia during this period. METHODS Data were from nine rounds (1994-2004) of the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, a 38-centre household panel survey. Trends were measured in failing to access prescribed medication for the following reasons: unobtainable from a pharmacy, unable to afford and 'other' reasons. Determinants of unaffordability were studied in 1994, 1998 and 2004, using cross-sectional, age-adjusted logistic regression, with further multivariate analyses of unaffordability and failure to access for 'other' reasons in 2004. RESULTS After 1994, reporting of unavailability in pharmacies fell sharply from 25% to 4%. Meanwhile, unaffordability increased to 20% in 1998 but declined to 9% by 2004. In 1994, significant determinants of unaffordability were unemployment and lacking health care insurance in men. By 2004, determinants included low income and material goods in both sexes; rented accommodation and low education in men; and chronic disease and disability-related retirement in women. Not obtaining medicines for 'other' reasons was more likely amongst frequent male drinkers, and low educated or cohabiting women. Regional and gender differences were widest in 1998, coinciding with the Russian financial crisis. CONCLUSIONS Rapid improvements in drug availability in the late 1990s in Russia are a probable consequence of a more liberalized pharmaceutical sector and an improved pharmacy network, whilst later improvements in affordability may relate to expanded health care insurance coverage and economic recovery after the 1998 crash. A significant minority still finds prescription costs problematic, notably poorer and sick individuals, with inequalities apparently widening. Non-monetary determinants of affordability indicate its partly subjective nature, however. Ongoing research into access is needed, due to recent national changes in prescription drug subsidies, and into doctor- and patient-related influences on access and prescribing for individual conditions
Rheumatic diseases and viral infection: is there an association?
No full textViral infections, hepatitis B and C and herpesvirus-induced infections in particular, are widespread in the population. Recent years have seen the emergence of new viral infections that were previously endemic. Understanding the role of viruses in the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases (RDs) is of great importance. First, they cause the clinical manifestations characteristic of many RDs (systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, polymyositis, and Sjö gren's disease). The author discusses several possible mechanisms of the involvement of viruses in the development of autoimmune disorders: molecular mimicry; polyclonal B cell activation with overproduction of antibodies and immune complexes; T cell activation with cytokine overproduction. Secondly, viral infection can be reactivated during immunosuppressive therapy (also using biological agents), which is widely used to treat RDs. The review presents data on both the most common viruses (hepatitis B and C viruses, HIV, and human herpesviruses types 1–6) and more rare ones (chikungunya virus and polyomavirus) in the Russian population
Prevalence and factors associated with the use of alternative (folk) medicine practitioners in 8 countries of the former Soviet Union.
No full textBACKGROUND: Research suggests that since the collapse of the Soviet Union there has been a sharp growth in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in some former Soviet countries. However, as yet, comparatively little is known about the use of CAM in the countries throughout this region. Against this background, the aim of the current study was to determine the prevalence of using alternative (folk) medicine practitioners in eight countries of the former Soviet Union (fSU) and to examine factors associated with their use. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Living Conditions, Lifestyles and Health (LLH) survey undertaken in eight former Soviet countries (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine) in 2001. In this nationally representative cross-sectional survey, 18428 respondents were asked about how they treated 10 symptoms, with options including the use of alternative (folk) medicine practitioners. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with the treatment of differing symptoms by such practitioners in these countries. RESULTS: The prevalence of using an alternative (folk) medicine practitioner for symptom treatment varied widely between countries, ranging from 3.5% in Armenia to 25.0% in Kyrgyzstan. For nearly every symptom, respondents living in rural locations were more likely to use an alternative (folk) medicine practitioner than urban residents. Greater wealth was also associated with using these practitioners, while distrust of doctors played a role in the treatment of some symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The widespread use of alternative (folk) medicine practitioners in some fSU countries and the growth of this form of health care provision in the post-Soviet period in conditions of variable licensing and regulation, highlights the urgent need for more research on this phenomenon and its potential effects on population health in the countries in this region
Action to protect the independence and integrity of global health research.
No full textStoreng KT, Abimbola S, Balabanova D, et al. Action to protect the independence and integrity of global health research. BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH. 2019;4(3): e001746
Exploring the use and the role of the Internet in Libya: A study of Tripoli University and Azzaway University students
No full textThe aim of this research is to explore the role of the Internet in Libyan society by understanding use of the Internet by the Libyan university students aged between 18-26 who are at Tripoli and Azzawya Universities, which are located in urban and rural areas respectively. The main contribution of this study is that it provides an understanding of the developments that might happen as a result of new communication technologies, especially the Internet. In order to address this research question, a mixed method approach, including quantitative analysis, was adopted to collect and analyse the main data. It used paper and online surveys of 861 students from both universities. It was followed by complementary qualitative interviews with five young Libyan parents and five media experts, and also thematic analysis of nine articles. The results are discussed in five sections: (A) level of Internet use and experience, and (B) purposes of using the Internet and online gratification; (C) anticipation of social, cultural and political online interactivities; (D) online daily interactivity; and (E) the potential development of a “new type of society” in the information age. The study found that the Internet is important in the lives of male and female Libyan university students in both urban and rural areas and it is playing an important role in developing their social, cultural and political lives.
The Internet has an important role in the university students’ lives in developing their social, cultural and political aspects, which may lead to the emergence of a “new society” where they achieve social, cultural and political gratification and interact with an open world culture. The findings of this research offer recommendations which can improve understanding of the Internet’s role in society. These include investigating, testing and analysing the role of the Internet in different sectors in society, institutions and organisations, for example within the education system, media environments and commercial departments, in order to measure the role of new communication technologies in developing countries.
Key words: Internet, Use, Role, University students, online interactivities, Development, “New society”
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