The Uses of Rickets: Race, Technology, and the Politics of Preventive Medicine in the Early Twentieth Century

Rickets, the bone disease classically caused by Vitamin D deficiency, was one of the most common diseases of children 100 years ago. It has been recognized as a disease of urban living and linked to issues of race and culture for generations. This paper uses unpublished patient records from 1904 to 1909 and archival and published materials from multiple community-based trials, including the New Haven Rickets Study (1923-1926), to explore how the definition, diagnosis, and treatment of rickets shifted in the first decades of the twentieth century in the United States. Before 1910, as evidenced by patient records, neither the diagnosis nor the treatment of rickets had been standardized. The disease was frequently presented as a disease of African-Americans or Italian immigrants and used to reinforce racial stereotypes, to promote the assimilation of immigrants into majority cultures, and to call for behavioral change. In the second and third decades of the twentieth century, as clinicians and scientists unraveled the twin roles of diet and sunlight exposure in the diseases etiology, both diagnosis and treatment became more standardized. But this standardizationincluding exchanging bedside diagnosis for X-ray technology and promoting general preventive measuresaltered the perceived prevalence and even the definition of the disease. By the mid-1920s, rickets was promoted as universal, at times invisible to non-experts, but present to some degree in nearly every young child regardless of race or class. It was thus used to promote the young disciplines of preventive medicine, pediatrics, and public health. Rickets therefore provides an excellent window into the early politics of preventive health in the United States and a relevant historical counterpoint for current debates over the role of race and ethnicity as risk factors for disease; the use of diagnostic technology in defining disease; and the promotion of targeted interventions for todays so-called lifestyle diseases

Infection Rates and Risk Factors for Infection Among Health Workers During Ebola and Marburg Virus Outbreaks:A Systematic Review

Background: Infection in health workers (HWs) has characterized outbreaks of Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Marburg virus disease (MVD). We conducted a systematic review to investigate infection and mortality rates and common exposure risks in HWs in EVD and MVD outbreaks.Methods: We searched the EMBASE and PubMed databases to identify articles posted before 27 December 2017, with no language restrictions. Data on the number, frequency, and mortality of HW infection and exposure risks were extracted.Results: Ninety-four articles related to 22 outbreaks were included. HW infections composed 2%-100% of cases in EVD and 5%-50% of cases in MVD outbreaks. Among exposed HWs, 0.6%-92% developed EVD, and 1%-10% developed MVD. HW infection rates were consistent through outbreaks. The most common exposure risk situations were inadequate personal protective equipment and exposure to patients with unrecognized EVD/MVD. Similar risks were reported in past EVD/MVD outbreaks and in the recent outbreak in West Africa.Conclusions: Many outbreaks reported high proportions of infected HWs. Similar HW infection rates and exposure risk factors in both past and recent EVD and MVD outbreaks emphasize the need to improve the implementation of appropriate infection control measures consistently across all healthcare settings.</p

Knowledge and Awareness of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Among Women

Background. Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a leading cause of disabilities in children, yet the general public appears to have little awareness of CMV. Methods. Women were surveyed about newborn infections at 7 different geographic locations. Results. Of the 643 women surveyed, 142 (22%) had heard of congenital CMV. Awareness increased with increasing levels of education (P < .0001). Women who had worked as a healthcare professional had a higher prevalence of awareness of CMV than had other women (56% versus 16%, P < .0001). Women who were aware of CMV were most likely to have heard about it from a healthcare provider (54%), but most could not correctly identify modes of CMV transmission or prevention. Among common causes of birth defects and childhood illnesses, women's awareness of CMV ranked last. Conclusion. Despite its large public health burden, few women had heard of congenital CMV, and even fewer were aware of prevention strategies

EFEKTIFITAS ZAKAT, INFAK, DAN SEDEKAH (ZIS) PRODUKTIF DALAM PENGENTASAN KEMISKINAN DI KOTA BANDA ACEH

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis efektifitas Zakat, Infak, dan Sedekah (ZIS) produktif dalam meningkatkan pendapatan penduduk miskin Mustahiq di Kota Banda Aceh serta untuk menganalisis pengaruh Zakat, Infak, dan Sedekah (ZIS) produktif, jenis kelamin, tingkat pendidikan, jenis pekerjaan, dan jumlah tanggungan terhadap peningkatan pendapatan penduduk miskin Mustahiq di Kota Banda Aceh. Berdasarkan 100 kuesioner yang disebar kepada responden, dengan menggunakan teknik Purposive Sampling dan dianalisis menggunakan model regresi linier berganda, didapatkan hasil penelitian yang menunjukkan bahwa ZIS produktif sangat efektif dalam meningkatkan pendapatan Mustahiq di Kota Banda Aceh dan variabel ZIS produktif memiliki pengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap peningkatan pendapatan penduduk miskin, sedangkan variabel karakteristik lainnya yang terdiri dari variabel jenis kelamin, variabel tingkat pendidikan, variabel jenis pekerjaan, dan variabel jumlah tanggungan tidak berpengaruh terhadap peningkatan pendapatan penduduk miskin di Kota Banda Aceh. Kata kunci: ZIS Produktif, Pendapatan Penduduk Miskin, Efektivitas