Crisis

Stroke, a neurological disorder, has emerged as a formidable health challenge in India, with its incidence on the rise. Increased risk factors, which also correlate with economic prosperity, are linked to this rise, including hypertension, diabetes, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and alcohol intake. Particularly worrisome is the impact on young adults, a pivotal segment of India's workforce. Stroke encompasses various clinical subtypes and cerebrovascular disorders (CVDs), contributing to its multifaceted nature...

Aortic stenosis is the most common heart valve disease, especially among the elderly. Symptomatic aortic valve stenosis is linked to a poor prognosis and a high mortality rate if left untreated. The only effective treatment for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis is aortic valve replacement using either a mechanical or a biological prosthesis. Mechanical valve prostheses, while highly durable, are thrombogenic, necessitating lifelong anticoagulation with oral anti-vitamin K agents, such as acenocoumarol. Conversely, bioprosthetic valves, though less durable, carry a minimal thrombogenic risk and do not require anticoagulation...

Autistic individuals experience high rates of behavioral crises that present to healthcare providers for medication management. Co-occurring psychiatric conditions and psychotropic medication use are common among this patient population. Particularly for those with limited expressive language, evaluating for the presence of psychiatric and medical conditions that could contribute to distress is a critical component of crisis management. A records review study was completed on 126 autistic individuals for whom medical decision-making support was requested from The Huntsman Mental Health Institute Neurobehavior Consultation Service...

INTRODUCTION: The rise in global temperatures due to climate change has escalated the frequency and intensity of wildfires worldwide. Beyond their direct impact on physical health, these wildfires can significantly impact mental health. Conventional mental health studies predominantly rely on surveys, often constrained by limited sample sizes, high costs, and time constraints. As a result, there is an increasing interest in accessing social media data to study the effects of wildfires on mental health...

Climate change poses significant risks to health and health systems, with the greatest impacts in low- and middle-income countries - which are least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. The Conference of Parties 28 at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference led to agreement on the need for holistic and equitable financing approaches to address the climate and health crisis. This paper provides an overview of existing climate finance mechanisms - that is, multilateral funds, voluntary market-based mechanisms, taxes, microlevies and adaptive social protection...

The opioid overdose crisis is a global health challenge. Fentanyl, an exceedingly potent synthetic opioid, has emerged as a leading contributor to the surge in opioid-related overdose deaths. The surge in overdose fatalities, particularly due to illicitly manufactured fentanyl and its contamination of street drugs, emphasizes the urgency for drug-testing technologies that can quickly and accurately identify fentanyl from other drugs and quantify trace amounts of fentanyl. In this paper, gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-decorated single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based field-effect transistors (FETs) are utilized for machine learning-assisted identification of fentanyl from codeine, hydrocodone, and morphine...

BACKGROUND: There is no updated national data regarding the real impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delaying diagnosis and treatment among patients with lung, and head, and neck cancers in Brazil. This study aimed to analyze the COVID-19 pandemic impact on cancer diagnosis and clinical outcomes among lung, head, and neck cancer patients assisted in a tertiary cancer center in Southeastern Brazil, as well as to analyze these patients' pretreatment clinical features. METHODS: Retrospective cohort of patients with lung or head and neck cancer assisted in a tertiary cancer center in southeastern Brazil between January/2019 and December/2021...

PURPOSE: This paper reports a life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) to calculate the environmental footprint of a dental appointment using N2 O, comparing single-use equipment with reusable equipment. Nitrous oxide (N2 O) is used successfully in dentistry to provide sedation and pain relief to anxious patients, most commonly in children. However, N2 O is a powerful climate pollutant 298 times more damaging than carbon dioxide over a 100-year estimate. METHODS: The functional unit chosen for this LCIA was 30 min delivery of N2 O to oxygen in a 50:50 ratio at 6 L per minute flow rate as inhalation sedation to one patient...

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the second cause of cancer-related death. This research was performed to interpret the adaptation process among husbands of Iranian women undergoing mastectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this grounded theory study, 23 participants were chosen purposefully and via convenient sampling. After interview with them about adaptation and ways of achieving it, note taking was done, which was analyzed via Strauss and Corbin approach...

The escalation of global plastic production, reaching an annual output of 400 million tons, has significantly intensified concerns regarding plastic waste management. This has been exacerbated by improper recycling and disposal practices, contributing to the impending crisis of plastic pollution. Predictions indicate that by 2025, the environment will bear the burden of over ten billion metric tons of accumulated plastic waste. This situation has led to the concerning release of microplastics and nanoplastics (NPs) into the environment as plastic materials degrade, thereby posing risks to both ecosystems and human health...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

The utilization of agroindustrial wastes to enrich food protein resources and the exploration of their broader applications are crucial for addressing the food crisis and achieving sustainable development goals. In this study, reeling wastewater-derived sericin was hydrolyzed using papain and trypsin to prepare sericin peptide (SRP) and was used as an antihardening ingredient of high-protein nutrition bars (HPNBs). The mechanism of the antihardening effect of SRP was elucidated by investigating the content of advanced glycation end products and protein oxidation products (carbonyl and free sulfhydryl), and the molecular weight change of HPNBs during storage before and after the addition of SRP...

The aim of the study is to analyse contemporary postmodern literary works of Kazakhstan through the conceptual prism of Freudian and Jungian psychoanalysis. To achieve research goals, the following methods were used: axiomatic, content analysis, and comparative. The results of the study determined that contemporary Kazakh writers characterise a large field of motives and ideas that are revealed through text, symbols, and characters. Strong tools for their interpretation were the psychological approaches of Freud and Jung, which are the standards of psychoanalysis and have their own specific features of semantic content...

BACKGROUND: Infectious disease outbreaks like Ebola and Covid-19 are increasing in frequency. They may harm reproductive, maternal and newborn health (RMNH) directly and indirectly. Sierra Leone experienced a sharp deterioration of RMNH during the 2014-16 Ebola epidemic. One possible explanation is that donor funding may have been diverted away from RMNH to the Ebola response. METHODS: We analysed donor-reported data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)'s Creditor Reported System (CRS) data for Sierra Leone before, during and after the 2014-16 Ebola epidemic to understand whether aid flows for Ebola displaced aid for RMNH...

BACKGROUND: In response to the overdose crisis, a collaborative group of two community-based organizations, a health authority and a research institute in Vancouver, Canada, implemented a pilot community-based drug checking (CBDC) intervention for sexual and gender minority (SGM) men. This study identified key factors that influenced the implementation of the CBDC intervention, including opportunities and challenges. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven pertinent parties involved in the CBDC, including policymakers, researchers and representatives from community-based organizations...

INTRODUCTION: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic neuromuscular disease leading to significant disease burden. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of MG in Taiwan. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Prevalent patients with MG diagnosis (either ocular or generalized MG) from 2013 to 2019 were identified, and 2813 patients with initial MG diagnosis from 2014 to 2019 were further defined as the incident cohort...

OBJECTIVES: As crises of drug-related maternal harms escalate, US public health surveillance capacity remains suboptimal for drug-related maternal morbidities. Most state hospital discharge databases (HDDs) are encounter-based, and thus limit ascertainment of morbidities to delivery visits and ignoring those occurring during the 21 months spanning pregnancy and postpartum year. This study analyzes data from a state that curates person-centered HDD to compare patterns of substance use disorder (SUD) diagnoses at delivery vs...

Consistent with the increasing environmental interest, the clean energy transition is highly critical to achieving decarbonization targets. Also, energy security has become an important topic under the shadow of the energy crisis,. Accordingly, countries have been trying to stimulate clean energy use to preserve the environment and ensure energy security. So, considering the leading role of economic size and volume of energy use, the study examines the USA to define whether energy transition helps decrease energy security risk (ESR) and curb CO2 emissions...

PURPOSE: With the prolonged survival time of patients with permanent colostomy for colorectal cancer, they and their spouses face tremendous pressure and development dilemmas that can easily lead to family adaptation crises. This qualitative study amid to explore the dyadic experiences of family resilience among Chinese patients with permanent colostomy and their spouses. METHODS: A phenomenological research method was adopted. Semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews with 10 dyads of patients with permanent colostomy and their spouses were recruited through purposive sampling from a public tertiary hospital in China from March 2023 to July 2023...

Continuous detection of sudden changes in blood glucose is essential for individuals with diabetes who have difficulty in maintaining optimal control of their blood glucose levels. Hypoglycemic shock or a hyperglycemic crisis are likely to occurs in patients with diabetes and poses a significant threat to their lives. Currently, commercial continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has limits in the glucose concentration detection range, which is 40-500 mg/dL, making it difficult to prevent the risk of hyperglycemic shock...