Integrative health

Statement of problem : Urbanization has brought significant advancements in human well-being; however, it poses challenges to urban green spaces (UGSs), affecting environmental quality and public health. Research gap : Previous studies have established the importance of UGSs for urban well-being but have not sufficiently explored how the naturalness of these spaces-ranging from untouched natural areas to human-designed landscapes-affects mental health outcomes in the context of developing countries, particularly Brazil...

BACKGROUND: Given the prevalence of ADHD and the gaps in ADHD care in Australia, this study investigates the critical barriers and driving forces for innovation. It does so by conducting a preparatory evaluation of an ADHD prototype digital service innovation designed to help streamline ADHD care and empower individual self-management. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with ADHD care consumers/participants and practitioners explored their experiences and provided feedback on a mobile self-monitoring app and related service innovations...

Early Relational Health (ERH) is the foundation for infant and child emotional and social wellbeing. ERH is a quality of relationships co-created by infants, caregivers, and other members of their families and communities from pregnancy through childhood. Relationships themselves are not ERH; rather, ERH can be a feature of relationships. Those that are characterized by positive, shared emotionality become contexts within which members co-develop mutual capacities that enable them to prevail and flourish. This essay offers a synthesis of current knowledge about ERH in the US and begins to integrate Indigenous and non-Indigenous research and knowledge about ERH in the hope that readers will embrace " Etuaptmumk "-" Two-Eyed Seeing "...

It is widely accepted that climate affects the mosquito life history traits; however, its precise role in determining mosquito distribution and population dynamics is not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the influence of various climatic factors on the temporal distribution of Anopheles arabiensis populations in Mamfene, South Africa between 2014 and 2019. Time series analysis, wavelet analysis, cross-correlation analysis, and regression model combined with the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model were utilized to assess the relationship between climatic factors and An...

Climate change poses severe consequences, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty rates may escalate by 2050 without significant climate and development action. The health impacts are diverse, encompassing communicable and non-communicable diseases. Mozambique, a climate-vulnerable nation, has experienced significant natural disasters in the past 42 years, impacting its health system. This study aims to assess Mozambique's health sector's vulnerability and adaptation needs to climate change. Following a methodology proposed by the World Health Organization and the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change, a six-step vulnerability and adaptation assessment was conducted to conduct the Health Vulnerability Index (HVI) for Mozambique's regions (n=161)...

This study investigated the impact of home care, health status, and cognition. A qualitative and quantitative approach was employed through a cross-sectional study with a sample of 60 elderly individuals in need of home care in the municipality of Itatiba, São Paulo, Brazil. The analysis utilized the Discourse of the Collective Subject (DCS), EQ-5D, EQ VAS, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The sample consisted of 40.0% male and 60.0% female individuals. The majority (61.6%) received weekly visits, mainly from community health agents, who were responsible for the majority of the care (45%)...

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of chronic, genetic disorders of the red blood cells with significant gaps in access to evidence-based clinical care. Sickle Treatment and Outcomes Research in the Midwest (STORM), a provider network, utilized Project ECHO (Extension for Community Health Outcomes), a telementoring model, to deliver evidence-based education about SCD management. The purpose of this mixed-methods study is to evaluate the utility of Project ECHO as an educational strategy for healthcare providers treating children and adults with SCD...

Sweetness in food delivers a delightful sensory experience, underscoring the crucial role of sweeteners in the food industry. However, the widespread use of sweeteners has sparked health concerns. This underscores the importance of developing and screening natural, health-conscious sweeteners. Our study represents a groundbreaking venture into the discovery of such sweeteners derived from egg and soy proteins. Employing virtual hydrolysis as a novel technique, our research entailed a comprehensive screening process that evaluated biological activity, solubility, and toxicity of the derived compounds...

Clinical and preclinical studies have provided conflicting data on the postulated beneficial effects of vitamin D in patients with prostate cancer. In this opinion piece, we discuss reasons for discrepancies between preclinical and clinical vitamin D studies. Different criteria have been used as evidence for the key roles of vitamin D. Clinical studies report integrative cancer outcome criteria such as incidence and mortality in relation to vitamin D status over time. In contrast, preclinical vitamin D studies report molecular and cellular changes resulting from treatment with the biologically active vitamin D metabolite, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol) in tissues...

This review article addresses the antioxidant properties of different natural products, including ascorbic acid, gallic acid, oxalic acid, L-glutathione (GSH), bacteriorhodopsin, green tea polyphenols, glucose, hydroxycinnamic acid, ethanoic acid, betanin, and L-glutathione, in the reduction of graphene oxide (rGO). rGO can cause damage to cells, including oxidative stress and inflammation, limiting its application in different sectors that use graphene, such as technologies used in medicine and dentistry. The natural substances reviewed have properties that help reduce this damage, neutralizing free radicals and maintaining cellular integrity...

Sepsis, characterized by life-threatening organ dysfunction due to a maladaptive host response to infection, and its more severe form, septic shock, pose significant global health challenges. The incidence of these conditions is increasing, highlighting the need for effective treatment strategies. This review explores the complex pathophysiology of sepsis, emphasizing the role of the endothelium and the therapeutic potential of corticosteroids. The endothelial glycocalyx, critical in maintaining vascular integrity, is compromised in sepsis, leading to increased vascular permeability and organ dysfunction...

In the biomedical field, the differentiation between sex and gender is crucial for enhancing the understanding of human health and personalizing medical treatments, particularly within the domain of orthopedics. This distinction, often overlooked or misunderstood, is vital for dissecting and treating musculoskeletal conditions effectively. This review delves into the sex- and gender-specific physiology of bones, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons, highlighting how hormonal differences impact the musculoskeletal system's structure and function, and exploring the physiopathology of orthopedic conditions from an epidemiological, molecular, and clinical perspective, shedding light on the discrepancies in disease manifestation across sexes...

Fresh-cut vegetables are widely consumed, but there is no food preservative available to selectively inhibit vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis , which is a serious health menace in fresh-cut vegetables. To develop a promising food biopreservative, a bacteriocin, paracin wx7, was synthesized, showing selective inhibition against E. faecalis with MIC values of 4-8 μM. It showed instant bactericidal mode within 1 h at high concentrations with concomitant cell lysis against vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis ...

Cancer is a major global health concern. To address this, the combination of traditional medicine and newly appreciated therapeutic modalities has been gaining considerable attention. This study explores the combined effects of Aucklandiae Radix (AR) and 43 °C hyperthermia (HT) on human gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) cell proliferation and apoptosis. We investigated the synergistic effects of AR and HT on cell viability, apoptosis, cell cycle progression, and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent mechanisms...

The international recognition of the critical importance of the early childhood phase has been firmly established through decades of rigorous research, evidence-based practices, and undeniable evidence of the returns on investment made during this formative period. Consequently, early childhood development has emerged as a top priority on both national and international agendas. This momentum reached a pinnacle in 2015 with the unanimous adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations, which placed a particular emphasis on children under the age of five within the education-focused SDG 4, notably target 4...

The main subject of the current review is a specific subtype of headache, which is related to shunt over-drainage and slit ventricle syndrome, in pediatric patients harboring an implanted shunt device for the management of hydrocephalus. This clinical entity, along with its impairment regarding the quality of life of the affected individuals, is generally underestimated. This is partly due to the absence of universally agreed-upon diagnostic criteria, as well as due to a misunderstanding of the interactions among the implicated pathophysiological mechanisms...

Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in full-term newborns. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), Derived Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (dNLR), Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR), Neutrophil, Lymphocyte, and Platelet Ratio (NLPR), AST-to-Platelet Ratio Index (APRI), and Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII) in identifying the risk for SIRS development in full-term newborns. Conducted between January 2023 and January 2024, this observational cohort study compared full-term newborns diagnosed with SIRS with newborns without SIRS, measuring the inflammatory markers within the first day of life and three days post-birth...

Brain injury resulting from adverse events during pregnancy and delivery is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and disability. Surviving neonates often suffer long-term motor, sensory, and cognitive impairments. Birth asphyxia is among the most common causes of neonatal encephalopathy. The integration of ultrasound, including Doppler ultrasound, and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) offers a promising approach to understanding the pathology and diagnosis of encephalopathy in this special patient population...

Fundamental movement skills (FMS), considered as building blocks of movement, have received growing interest due to their significant impact on both present and future health. FMS are categorized into locomotor, object control and stability skills. While there has been extensive research on assessing the proficiency and reliability of locomotor and object control skills, stability skills have received comparatively less attention. For this reason, this study aimed to assess the test-retest, intrarater and interrater reliability of five stability skills included in the Alfamov app...

Background: This systematic review aggregates research on psychotherapeutic interventions for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children and adolescents. PTSD in this demographic presents differently from adults, necessitating tailored therapeutic approaches. In children and adolescents, PTSD arises from exposure to severe danger, interpersonal violence, or abuse, leading to significant behavioral and emotional disturbances that jeopardize long-term development. The review focuses on describing PTSD within two age groups, children (6 to 12 years) and adolescents (12 to 18 years), while evaluating the effectiveness of various clinical interventions aimed at this condition...