Trends in Prevalence of Clonorchiasis among Patients in Heilongjiang Province,Northeast China (2009–2012): Implications for Monitoring and Control

Background

Clonorchiasis is an important zoonotic parasitic disease worldwide. Past estimates showed the prevalence increased based on studies undertaken ten years or more ago. However, control strategies, changing ecology and migration may have resulted to changes in the prevalence of clonorchiasis. The purpose of the present study was to analysis the prevalence and epidemiological characterisation of clonorchiasis in Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China.

Methodology/Principal Findings

A total of 4951 clinically suspected outpatients were examined from January 2009 to December 2012. Overall prevalence of clonorchiasis was 25.93% (1284/4951) by the combination strategy of the Kato-Katz technique (KK) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), with a significant increase from 22.53% in 2009 to 34.25% in 2012. Apart from Daxinganling city, clonorchiasis was reported throughout Heilongjiang Province and mainly along the Songhua River and Nen River basin, with an increased annual prevalence. The annual prevalence in men increased significantly in 2012 and was higher than that in women over 4 years. A similar pattern was seen for the annual infection rate in rural and urban areas. Farm labourers accounted for the majority of cases (65.93%), with a higher prevalence than in other occupations. Consumption of freshwater fish was considered the strongest risk factor of clonorchiasis. The infection rates in the 40–49 and 50–59 years age groups showed a significant increasing trend in 2012. Cases of re-infection were common.

Conclusions/Significance

The present study revealed that clonorchiasis remained widespread and prevalent in Heilongjiang Province. An integrated control programme is urgently needed to reduce the public health impact of clonorchiasis in this endemic area.     

The Content of Elements in Rainwater and its Relation to the Frequency of Hospitalization for Diabetes and Obesity in Opole Voivodship,Poland, During 2000–2002

Environmental factors significantly influence the incidence and course of metabolic syndrome diseases such as diabetes and obesity. The content of elements in rainwater is an indirect indicator of their presence in dust suspended in the air. In this paper we present the relationships between the content of selected elements in rainwater and hospitalization frequencies due to diabetes (E10–E13) and obesity (E66). It was assumed that the hospitalization frequency could be taken as a measure of deterioration of the metabolic process in the course of diabetes and its complications. The observations concerned the population of Opole Voivodeship, Poland (one million inhabitants), distributed in small communities of 44,000 to 151,000 inhabitants during the years 2000–2002. In cases of diabetes E10–E13 for all subjects relevant correlation indicators were found for chromium (r = 0.71), cadmium (r = 0.65), and lead (r = 0.66). Borderline relevance was seen for copper (r = 0.57) and zinc (r = 056). For diabetic men the statistically relevant correlations were chromium (r = 0.79), lead (r = 0.77), cadmium (r = 0.74), copper (r = 0.70), chloride (r = 0.69), zinc (r = 0.68), and iron (r = 0.64). For women the only relevant correlations were chromium (r = 0.62) and cadmium (r = 0.55). No significant correlations were found in obese individuals of both sexes.     

Composition of Woody Species in a Dynamicforest–woodland–savannah Mosaic in Uganda: Implications for Conservation and Management

Forest–woodland–savannah mosaics are a common feature in the East African landscape. For the conservation of the woody species that occur in such landscapes, the species patterns and the factors that maintain it need to be understood. We studied the woody species distribution in a forest–woodland–savannah mosaic in Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda. The existing vegetation gradients were analyzed using data from a total of 591 plots of 400 or 500 m² each. Remotely sensed data was used to explore current vegetation cover and the gradients there in for the whole area. A clear species gradient exists in the study area ranging from forest, where there is least disturbance, to wooded grassland, where frequent fire disturbance occurs. Most species are not limited to a specific part of the gradient although many show a maximum abundance at some point along the gradient. Fire and accessibility to the protected area were closely related to variation in species composition along the ordination axis with species like Cynometra alexandri and Uvariopsis congensis occurring at one end of the gradient and Combretum guenzi and Lonchocarpus laxiflorus at the other. The vegetation cover classes identified in the area differed in diversity, density and, especially, basal area. All vegetation cover classes, except open woodland, had indicator species. Diospyros abyssinica, Uvariopsis congensis, Holoptelea grandis and all Celtis species were the indicator species for the forest class, Terminalia velutina and Albizia grandbracteata for closed woodland, Grewia mollis and Combretum mole for very open woodland and Lonchocarpus laxiflorus, Grewia bicolor and Combretum guenzi for the wooded grassland class. Eleven of the species occurred in all cover classes and most of the species that occurred in more than one vegetation cover class showed peak abundance in a specific cover class. Species composition in the study area changes gradually from forest to savannah. Along the gradient, the cover classes are distinguishable in terms of species composition and vegetation structure. These classes are, however, interrelated in species composition. For conservation of the full range of the species within this East African landscape, the mosaic has to be managed as an integrated whole. Burning should be varied over the area with the forest not being burnt at all and the wooded grassland burnt regularly. The different vegetation types that occur between these two extremes should be maintained using a varied fire regime.     

The impact of pharmaceutical innovation on longevity and medical expenditure in France, 2000–2009

Longitudinal, disease-level data are used to analyze the impact of pharmaceutical innovation on longevity (mean age at death) and medical expenditure in France during the period 2000–2009. The estimates imply that pharmaceutical innovation increased mean age at death by 0.29 years (3.43 months) during this period—about one-fifth of the total increase in longevity. This estimate is smaller than those obtained in previous studies of Germany and the U.S., but the rate of adoption of new drugs was lower in France. Longevity is much more strongly related to the number of drugs than it is to the number of drug classes.Pharmaceutical innovation during 2000–2009 is estimated to have increased per capita pharmaceutical expenditure by $125 (26%) in 2009, but most (87%) of this increase was offset by a reduction in hospital expenditure. The baseline estimate of the cost per life-year gained from pharmaceutical innovation in France during 2000–2009 is about $8100. This estimate is fairly close to the mean of estimates obtained ($10,800) from U.S., German, and Australian studies.     

Loneliness,Depression, and Physical Activity in Older Adults: The Therapeutic Role of Human–Animal Interactions

ABSTRACT

The global population of older persons is projected in 2050 to reach approximately 2.1 billion. As people age, feelings of loneliness, depression, and physical inactivity often occur due to a multitude of reasons. These feelings may manifest and cause adverse health outcomes. With the predicted increase of older adults worldwide, the prevalence of loneliness, depression, and physical inactivity may also worsen over time if unattended. Since older adults are subject to psychological and physical changes as they age, it is important to find creative ways to address the health needs of this growing population. Therefore, interventions are needed to prevent or decrease the psychological and physical challenges that older adults face. This paper examines existing literature on human–animal interactions (HAIs) in the lives of older adults in relation to concepts such as loneliness, depression, and physical activity. The psychological and physical health benefits of animals for older adults include decreased loneliness and depression, improved cardiovascular health, and increased physical activity. There is mounting evidence supporting the therapeutic psychological and physical health benefits of animals in the lives of older adults. However, there are practical and financial implications that must be considered. Methodological considerations and future directions for human–animal interaction research with older adults are also discussed.     

Prevalence and Control of Hypertension and Albuminuria in South Korea: Focus on Obesity and Abdominal Obesity in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011–2012

Background

Albuminuria is associated with cardiovascular disease, and the relationship between albuminuria and hypertension is well established in many studies. So the control of hypertension is critical for decreasing cardiovascular events and albuminuria. Obesity and abdominal obesity are also associated with hypertension and albuminuria. Therefore, we analyzed the relationship between albuminuria and the prevalence and control of hypertension in the general Korean population according to obesity status.

Methods

We analyzed data from the 2011–2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and 9,519 subjects were included. Subjects were divided into four groups: non-obese/normal waist circumference, non-obese/high waist circumference, obese/normal waist circumference, and obese/high waist circumference.

Results

Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were positively associated with albumin–creatinine ratio in all groups (all p values <0.005). Non-obese/normal waist circumference group were more likely to have hypertension (odds ratios [95% confidential intervals (CIs)] were 3.20 [2.21–4.63] in microalbuminuria level and 3.09 [1.05–9.14] in macroalbuminuria level), and less likely to have controlled hypertension (odds ratios <1 for both albuminuria levels) after adjusting for all covariates. Obese/normal waist circumference group were also more likely to have hypertension (odds ratio [95% CI] were 3.10 [1.56–6.15] in microalbuminuria level and 21.75 [3.66–129.04] in macroalbuminuria level), and less likely to have controlled hypertension in macroalbuminuria level (odds ratio [95% CI], 0.04 [0.01–0.15]).

Conclusions

Non-obese and normal waist circumference subjects have an increased prevalence and decreased control of hypertension in microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria levels. Screening for albuminuria may provide helpful information about hypertension and blood pressure control, particularly in the non-obese and normal waist circumference subjects.     

Meteorite or gemstone? Dreaming as one end of a continuum of functioning: Implications for research and for the use of dreams in therapy and self-knowledge.

Is a dream a meteorite—a bit of material arriving from a distant place that needs to be carefully analyzed to give us knowledge about that place (outside or inside us)? Is it a strange text which has come to us in a foreign language, that needs to be translated into our own? This “meteorite view” is held by some religious and spiritual persons, by many orthodox psychoanalysts and other therapists, and implicitly by many researchers. They all see the dream as something alien, something totally different from our ordinary mental functioning. This paper presents a great deal of research favoring an alternate view—that the dream is an earth-stone, not an alien stone. It may be impressive and beautiful (gemstone), but it's still an earth-stone. The dream is part of our mental functioning. It is one end of a continuum, running from focused waking thought, through looser thought, fantasy, daydreaming, reverie and dreaming. We review reasons why dreams are often considered “totally different”: they're perceptual, not conceptual; they're bizarre; they are “so real”; they're so easily forgotten; they're involuntary; they occur in REM sleep—a totally different state. We demonstrate that none of these reasons are persuasive. In each sense, there is overlap between dreams and other forms of functioning. The continuum view leads to different kinds of research and a different style of dreamwork. It also helps answer questions the field has long struggled with including: Should we study “a dream” or “dreaming”? Are dreams meaningful or meaningless? (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal Spatial Patterns of Bacterial Production and Respiration in a Large River–Estuary: Implications for Ecosystem Carbon Consumption

Rivers and estuaries transport organic carbon (C) from terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems to the marine environment. During this transit, bacteria actively utilize and transform organic C, but few studies have measured detailed spatial variation in rates of bacterial respiration (BR) and production (BP). We measured BP at 39 stations and BR at 12 stations at monthly intervals along a 200-km reach of the tidal Hudson River. We observed strong repeatable spatial patterns for both BP and BR, with rates declining in the downstream direction. Bacterial Production had much greater dynamic range of spatial variation than BR. We used the detailed seasonal and spatial data on BP and BR to measure the total C demand of bacteria at several scales. We calculated volumetric and areal rates for 12 sections of the Hudson, as well as the total C utilization. Volumetric BR averaged 20 g-C-m^–3 y^–1, but it was highest in the most upstream section at 30 g C m^–3 y^–1. Areal rates averaged over the entire river were 174 g C m^–2 y^–1, but they were 318 g C m^–2 y^–1 in the deepest section of the river, indicating the importance of morphometric variation. Total bacterial C demand increased downriver with increasing total volume. Overall, bacteria in the freshwater section of the river consumed approximately 18–25.5 × 10⁹ g C y^–1, about 20% of the total organic C load.     

The reason for the Hospitalization of Immigrants in Bari, Brindisi and their provinces between 1991–2000

Recently Italy has become one of the final objectives of the new migratory movements owing to its level of industrialization and the considerable increase in the standard of living which has led to the frequent unwillingness of Italian workers to accept heavy, unhealthy, humble or low paid work. This survey studies the prevalence of the different pathologies in the immigrant population, in order to evaluate the conditions of hardship and want (from separate hygienic, alimentary, environmental, working and broad social points of view) that create the context in which many pathologies appear and develop.     

Distribution of greenhouse gases, nitrite, and δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon in Lake Biwa: Implications for hypolimnetic metabolism

The vertical distribution of dissolved greenhouse gases (CH₄,CO₂ and N₂O), NO ,and ¹³C of CO₂ in Lake Biwa during a stagnantperiod was precisely determined. CO₂ as well as NO was accumulated in the hypolimnion, whereas NO and CH₄concen\-trations were generally higher in theepilimnion than in the hypolimnion. In August, NO andCH₄ were ephemerally accumulated at the thermocline. Theconcentration of CH₄ always exceeded equilibrium with respectto air/water exchange. N₂O was rather uniformly distributed inboth time and space, and remained near equilibrium with respect toair/water exchange. All of these observations are similar to otherstratified, oligotrophic lakes, in which the hypolimnia were welloxygenated. The ¹³C of CO₂ became morenegative with increasing depth, and showed a strong negativecorrelation with apparent oxygen utilization. From the data, the ¹³Cvalue of organic matter decomposed into CO₂ inthe hypolimnion was calculated by isotope mass-balance, and found tobe in a similar range to ¹³C of phytoplankton and benthic algaeand distinctively higher than ¹³C of both terrestrial andsedimentary organic matters. This suggests that autochthonous organicmatter was the major source of CO₂.     

Evaluating quantum yield and ultraviolet–visible reflectance in baby pumpkins: Implications for oviposition behavior of pumpkin fruit flies

Frugivorous insects utilize both olfactory and visual cues to locate their host plants. Although volatiles have been extensively studied for detecting infested fruits, the role of visual cues in oviposition site selection remains mostly unknown among frugivorous insects. To investigate physiological changes in a host plant, we measured the quantum yield and reflectance of three wavelengths of light (350, 450 and 520 nm) after puncturing the surfaces of commercially grown pumpkins using insect pins during two different seasons outdoors. Quantum yields did not show significant differences between undamaged and simulated oviposition sites. Two wavelengths within the visual spectrum were similar between the two treatments. However, photon counts at 350 nm, in the ultraviolet range, were 1.76 fold higher in simulated oviposition sites than in undamaged sites, which was consistently observed across three field seasons. Considering that frugivorous insects and other phytophagous insects recognize the 350 nm wavelength for host identification and oviposition, we conclude that the disparities in ultraviolet reflectance can serve as a baseline for assessing the actual oviposition response of fruit flies. This finding contributes to the role of visual cues in the oviposition behavior of frugivorous insects and the development of a nondestructive detection method for pumpkin fruit flies.     

Actigraphic Analysis of the Sleep–Wake Cycle and Physical Activity Level in Patients with Stroke: Implications for Clinical Practice

Several structures of the central nervous system are essential in the sleep–wake regulation process. This study aimed to identify which actigraphic parameters of the sleep–wake cycle (SWC) are compromised after stroke and determine whether low-level physical activity can influence the expression of sleep-cycle temporal variation, in order to discuss the implications for the clinical practice of patient rehabilitation. The study assessed 22 patients (55?±?12 years) and 24 healthy individuals (57 ± 11 years), of both sexes. The instruments used were the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and Actigraphy. Data were analyzed by the student t, Mann–Whitney, and Spearman's correlation tests. Patients' activity level was about 28% lower than that of healthy subjects. Furthermore, we recorded around 10% more activity in the sleep phase compared to the controls, indicating that patients suffer from fragmented sleep (p?<?.001). According to IPAQ classification, we observed that healthy individuals were classified more predominantly as active (66.7%) and patients as irregularly active B (72.8%). A significant correlation was found between IPAQ and total activity (R= ?.25; p= .007) and sleep latency (R= .27; p= .0006). In conclusion, the results obtained show a decrease in activity intensity in the SWC and significant sleep alterations related to greater duration, latency, and fragmentation. It is suggested that, in addition to motor impairments, sleep disorder complaints should be given priority during clinical diagnosis of patients with stroke. (Author correspondence: taniacampos@ufrnet.br)     

The early history of migration and settlement of Yemenis in Cardiff, 1939–1970: religion and ethnicity as social capital

Utilizing Putnam's concept of bonding social capital, this article explores the under-researched topic of the history of migrant men's reproduction of social capital in Cardiff, Wales. Drawing upon a series of oral history interviews with a respected imam of more than fifty years, and informed by existing research on Muslim migrants, we explore both the advantages and disadvantages of community relationships between Yemeni men in relation to trust, reciprocity and interpersonal well-being. By examining these complex bonds, this article contributes to the literature on religious and ethnic social networks by challenging the assumption that migrants always benefit from social resources (Wilson 1978; Shah 2007), and offers an alternative account of religiously underpinned social capital to those of studies of majority ethnic Christians in North America (Smidt 2003). Uniquely, this article also points to the divergences between religious and ethnic capitals in the context of Yemeni migrants' social resources during 1939–1970.