Background/Objective: Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is a commonly occurring DNA sequence variation within the human population. The prevalence of these sequence variations differs in various populations and may lead to the suboptimal regulation of genes, including those of the apoptosis pathway. The regulation of cellular death is partially controlled by the interaction between tumor necrosis factor receptor family gene, Fas and its ligand, FasL. A base substitution in Fas -670 A>G (rs1800682) has been found to alter the binding affinity of the Fas protein to its activators, potentially altering its apoptotic potential. The lack of proper apoptosis regulation can lead to a wide plethora of human conditions involving uncontrolled cellular growth such as cancer. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether there was any association between the Fas -670 polymorphism and risk of cervical cancer in multi-ethnic Malaysian women.
Methods: Using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP-PCR), Chi-square and logistic regression analysis, this study investigated the Fas -670 SNP and its associations with cervical cancer in the multi-ethnic population of Malaysia.
Results: No significant associations were found between Fas -670 A>G SNP and risk of cervical cancer using the genotype model, dominant model and allele frequency model analysis, even after stratification into the Malay, Chinese and Indian ethnic subgroups; and cancer types.
Conclusion: Our results showed that the A>G SNP of Fas -670 does not affect the risk of cervical carcinogenesis in Malaysian females.
Introduction: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel comprise an intricate part of the public safety net in the US. The purpose of this study was to synthesize data sources to understand the major workplace dangers facing EMS providers.
Methods: This study examined four data sources: The BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), Firefighter Fatalities and Statistics from USFA, and the EMS Voluntary Event Notification Tool (E.V.E.N.T.). Characteristics of the most common causes of injury and fatalities were described and compared.
Results: SOII reports covered 13 years and 64,780 nonfatal reported cases. CFOI covered 12 years and 149 fatalities. 111 fatalities from the USFA dataset who had been identified as EMS in some manner in their rank between 2003-2016 were inspected. 21 cases where a firefighter died in the course of providing EMS/patient care were also identified and discussed. All events submitted to E.V.E.N.T. were read and categorized. 214 events were identified as near-miss EMS provider injuries and included in the study.
Conclusion: The biggest mortal threat to private EMS personnel is vehicular incidents. Among firefighters/EMTs Heart Attacks was the most common nature of death. The biggest nonfatal concerns are violence, slips, trips, and falls, and overexertion in addition to vehicular incidents. Most violent events were the result of a patient with a Temporarily Altered Mental Status. There is clearly a need for further research to develop evidence-based methods and policies to reduce injury and death in EMS personnel from an agency level.
Background: Respiratory virus infections often cause a wide spectrum of symptoms including gastrointestinal presentations (GP). The epidemiology of respiratory viruses in patients with GP needs to be better described.
Methods: Throat swabs were collected and tested for 15 respiratory viruses from pediatric patients (≤ 14 years old) with acute respiratory illness in Guangzhou over a 3-year period. The features of respiratory virus infections were analyzed among those with GP.
Results: Of 4,242 patients enrolled, 1,223 (28.8%) had GP. Among those, 647 (52.9%) were positive with one or more of the 15 tested respiratory viruses. The most frequently detected viruses were respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (21.1%, 258), enterovirus (EV) (10.1%, 124), influenza A virus (infA) (7.8%, 95), adenovirus (ADV) (5%, 61), human metapneumovirus (HMPV) (4.1%, 50), and human bocavirus (HBoV) (3.5%, 43). More RSV (p =.001) and EV (p <.001) infections were found in patients with GP than in patients without GP. 734 (60.0%) patients with GP presented with “Poor appetite”, 480 (39.2%) with “Vomiting”, 301 (24.6%) with “Diarrhea” and 73 (6.0%) with “Stomachache”. Significant differences in the virus positivity rate were found for RSV (p <.001), EV (p =.002) and PIV3 (p =.037). 90.6% (1,108/1,223) of patients with GP were under 5 years old. Among different age groups, significant differences in the virus positivity rate were found for infA (p =.005), influenza B virus (infB) (p =.006), RSV (p <.001), parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV3) (p =.019), ADV (p <.001), and HBoV (p =.009). RSV was mostly detected in patients under 2 years old (90.3%, 233/258) with frequency declining with age, while frequency of infA and infB increased with age. ADV, HBoV, and PIV3 reached their highest peaks in the age groups of 6-10 years old (11%), 7-12 months (8%) and 4-6 months (5.8%), respectively. In general, sample positivity rates in patients with GP increased when seasons changed. RSV, EV, infA, ADV, HMPV, and HBoV formed the bulk of the positive samples.
Conclusion: In this study, the epidemiology of respiratory virus infections in patients with GP was analyzed. This information increases our understanding of respiratory virus infections and may help in clinical diagnosis of these viruses.
The success of diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2) therapy does not solely depend on laboratory test results, but is also influenced by the patients’ quality of life (QoL). Patients’ QoL is affected by numerous factors, including distress and their home environment. This study aims to acquire a valid and reliable instrument concerning neighborhood conditions felt by DMT2 subjects. The research applied a cross-sectional design with adult DMT2 patients at the Local General Hospital Moewardi Solo. The Perceived Neighborhood Environment Questionnaire (PNEQ) was translated from English to Indonesian with the procedure of forward-backward translation. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine reliability, discriminant, convergent and known-group validity. The three domains of PNEQ have low reliability (Cronbach’s alpha <0.7), while three questions have not met convergent validity and only one question has not attained discriminant validity. The PNEQ can be used on the Indonesian people with further explanations on questions that have not achieved reliability and validity.
Objective: This study sought to examine the reasons for nonattendance of nutrition appointments and explore the determinants that contribute to this phenomenon among medically underserved and uninsured individuals.
Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted with five sections questionnaires distributed at a healthcare clinic in a rural area in south Mississippi. Participants (n = 346) were surveyed who had attended the clinic for a health appointment. Nutrition appointment attendance, reasons to miss a scheduled nutrition appointment, and effective appointment reminders were evaluated. Descriptive statistics were determined for the variables, Chi square and bivariate correlation tests were used to determine relationships between participants’ demographics, health conditions, and other variables.
Results: About 87% of participants indicated that they had not attended a nutrition appointment and 26.8% indicated that they had missed a nutrition appointment. Most participants specified that forgetfulness (39%) and transportation problems (25%) were the most likely reasons to miss a nutrition appointment. Most indicated that a phone call would be the most effective appointment reminder. About half of participants believed the reason behind missing a nutrition appointment is that their physicians did not place importance on attending such appointment. No significant association or differences were found between the variables.
Conclusion: Findings can be used to improve access to nutrition counseling among underserved patients, and to develop effective appointment reminders to decrease nonattendance rates. Future research is warranted to analyze the effect that nutrition appointments has on individual’s health.
Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the relationship between children’s age and the incidence of unintentional injuries, and giving some basic data on the guidance for the prevention of unintentional injuries in children aged 0 to 18 years in China.
Methods: The literatures on the incidence of unintentional injury in children included in China from 2008 to 2018 were analyzed by meta-analysis method. The data were retrieved according to the guidance of Cochrane Systematic review. A meta-analysis was carried out on homogeneous studies, and then subgroup analysis was conducted according to age group. Publication bias was also evaluated. Stata software (version 15.0) and SPSS software (version 18.0) were used to analyze the gathered information.
Results: A total of 3,303 related pieces of literature were reviewed. Of the 37 that met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed that total sample size were 77,023, and the pooled incidence of unintentional injury is 20%, 95%CI (17%-23%), (p <.001). Subgroup analysis showed the following results: the incidence are 15%, 23%, 20% and 20% for aged in “0-2”, “3-5”, “6-11”, “12-18” subgroups, respectively. However, the trend of decreased incidence of unintentional injury with older age in children was not significant.
Conclusion: The pooled incidence of unintentional injuries in children is high. Based on accessible literature, the incidence between different age subgroup were not statistically significant. We should pay attention to the incidence of unintentional injuries in children of all age subgroups.
Preterm birth (PTB, < 37 weeks’ gestation) may impose lifelong sequelae or death. Fresno County reports the highest rate of PTB in California. A place-based approach investigating local risk factors for PTB may provide important opportunities for intervention and prevention. In this study, we examine risk and protective factors for PTB in rural, suburban, and urban Fresno County, California. The sample was drawn from Fresno County, California singleton births 2007-2012 (n = 81,021). Multivariate models of maternal risk and protective factors for PTB were stratified by rural, suburban, and urban residence. Women with diabetes, hypertension, infection, fewer than three prenatal care visits, previous PTB, interpregnancy interval less than six months, or were of Black race/ethnicity were at increased risk of PTB. The risk of PTB was highest for women residing in rural locations with preeclampsia superimposed on preexisting hypertension (adjusted relative risk (aRR) 5.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.4-7.4). For women living in urban residences, maternal birth in Mexico and overweight body mass index (BMI) offered protection from PTB (aRRs 0.9), whereas participation in the Women, Infants and Children program was protective for women in either urban or rural residences (aRRs 0.8). Public insurance, < 12 year of education, underweight BMI, and interpregnancy interval of five years or more were risk factors only for women in urban residences. These findings may provide important opportunities for local intervention.