Glyphosate and other plant protection products in size-segregated urban aerosol: Occurrence and dimensional trend

Plant protection products (PPPs) play a fundamental role in the maintenance of agricultural fields and private/public green areas, however they can contaminate zones nearby the application point due to wind drift, resuspension, and evaporation. Several studied have deepened the relationship between PPPs and living beings’ health, suggesting that these products might have a negative influence. Some PPPs belong to the class of Emergent Contaminants, which are compounds whose knowledge on the environmental distribution and influence is limited. These issues are even more stressed in urban aerosol, due to the high residential density that characterizes this area. Therefore, this study assessed the contamination caused by polar PPPs, such as herbicides (i.e., Glyphosate), fungicides (i.e., Fosetyl Aluminium), and growth regulators (i.e. Maleic Hydrazide), in size-segregated urban aerosol and evaluated their concentration variability with respect to atmospheric parameters (humidity, temperature, rain). Moreover, hypotheses on possible sources were formulated, exploiting also back-trajectories of air masses. A total of six PPPs were found in the samples: glyphosate was more present in the coarse fraction (2.5–10 μm), Fosetyl Aluminium, chlorate and perchlorate were more present in the coarse/fine fractions (10-1 μm), while cyanuric acid and phosphonic acid were mostly concentrated in the fine/ultrafine fractions (<1 μm). While for the first four we suspect of local sources, such as private gardening, the two latter might derive from the entire Po Valley, a highly polluted area in the North of Italy, and from degradation of other substances

Knowledge and Health Beliefs Regarding Sickle Cell Disease Among Omanis in a Primary Healthcare Setting : Cross-sectional study

Objectives: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a global health concern associated with high childhood morbidity and mortality; in Oman, the prevalence of SCD is 0.2%. Public awareness of SCD and the need for premarital screening (PMS) are essential to reduce the incidence of this disease. This study aimed to assess awareness of and beliefs regarding SCD and PMS among Omanis in a primary healthcare setting. Methods: This cross-sectional study took place in five health centres located in Al-Seeb Province, Muscat, Oman, between June and August 2015. A total of 500 Omanis aged ≥18 years old attending the clinics were invited to participate in the study. A previously described questionnaire by Gustafson et al. was used to measure awareness of and beliefs regarding SCD and PMS. Results: A total of 450 Omani adults completed the questionnaire (response rate: 90.0%). The majority (67.8%) were aware that SCD is genetically inherited and 85.1% believed in the value of PMS; however, only 24.4% reported having undergone PMS previously. Few participants were aware that SCD can be very painful (20.2%) and can cause strokes, infections and organ damage (20.0%). More than half (56.7%) reported that the availability of educational material on SCD or PMS in Oman was inadequate. Participants’ education levels were positively associated with accurate SCD knowledge (P <0.05). Conclusion: Despite the free availability of PMS services in local health centres, few Omanis reported having undergone PMS previously. Health promotion and education programmes are therefore needed in Oman in order to increase public awareness of SCD and the value of PMS

New Uses of Screens in Post-Lockdown Britain - Study Report and Findings

The ‘New Uses of Screens in Post-Lockdown Britain’ study (NUSPB) set out to discover the current lived experiences of British people and how screen technologies may or may not have become more permanently integrated within their day-to-day lives following the coronavirus lockdowns of 2020-2021

Understanding parental hesitancy toward children's COVID-19 vaccinations: The influence of government, media and interpersonal communication

In March 2022, the UK Health Security Agency and the National Health Service issued guidance for parents of children aged 5–11 concerning vaccinations. The guidance stated that parents of all children in this age bracket should be offered the chance to have their child vaccinated and that the procedure was particularly important for children who have health conditions that put them at high risk. However, expressions of child vaccine hesitancy rose steeply in the UK at the start of 2022 with 35.4% of primary school parents saying they were unlikely to vaccinate their children. Vaccination programmes are part of the global strategy for mitigating the effects of coronavirus disease, but their effectiveness is reliant upon high levels of uptake and administration. Vaccine hesitancy, for children in particular is an important concern, given that children can play a major role in coronavirus transmission within both families and schools. Listening to parental perspectives regarding the decision-making processes for vaccinating this age group, becomes fundamental in understanding childhood vaccine intentions. Through the analysis of semi-structured interviews, this paper is able to reveal detailed qualitative insights into the thoughts of UK parents and their attitudes toward children's vaccinations that quantitative statistics are otherwise unable to show. In the following article, we have identified a triangular relationship between government, media and interpersonal communication in shaping parental perspectives, leading to a mixture of both “pro-vax” and “anti-vax” attitudes [often simultaneously] in regards to the vaccination or non-vaccination of children. Our data provides original findings that will inform both policymakers and practitioners, building upon and extending the existing vaccination literature, furthering current debate and guiding future research

Insight into the Role of Sugars in Bud Burst Under Light in the Rose

Bud burst is a decisive process in plant architecture that requires light in Rosa sp. This light effect was correlated with stimulation of sugar transport and metabolism in favor of bud outgrowth. We investigated whether sugars could act as signaling entities in the light-mediated regulation of vacuolar invertases and bud burst. Full-length cDNAs encoding two vacuolar invertases (RhVI1 and RhVI2) were isolated from buds. Unlike RhVI2, RhVI1 was preferentially expressed in bursting buds, and was up-regulated in buds of beheaded plants exposed to light. To assess the importance of sugars in this process, the expression of RhVI1 and RhVI2 and the total vacuolar invertase activity were further characterized in buds cultured in vitro on 100 mM sucrose or mannitol under light or in darkness for 48 h. Unlike mannitol, sucrose promoted the stimulatory effect of light on both RhVI1 expression and vacuolar invertase activity. This up-regulation of RhVI1 was rapid (after 6 h incubation) and was induced by as little as 10 mM sucrose or fructose. No effect of glucose was found. Interestingly, both 30 mM palatinose (a non-metabolizable sucrose analog) and 5 mM psicose (a non-metabolizable fructose analog) promoted the light-induced expression of RhVI1 and total vacuolar invertase activity. Sucrose, fructose, palatinose and psicose all promoted bursting of in vitro cultured buds under light. These findings indicate that soluble sugars contribute to the light effect on bud burst and vacuolar invertases, and can function as signaling entities

A survey of community members' perceptions of medical errors in Oman

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Errors have been the concern of providers and consumers of health care services. However, consumers' perception of medical errors in developing countries is rarely explored. The aim of this study is to assess community members' perceptions about medical errors and to analyse the factors affecting this perception in one Middle East country, Oman.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Face to face interviews were conducted with heads of 212 households in two villages in North Al-Batinah region of Oman selected because of close proximity to the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), Muscat, Oman. Participants' perceived knowledge about medical errors was assessed. Responses were coded and categorised. Analyses were performed using Pearson's χ², Fisher's exact tests, and multivariate logistic regression model wherever appropriate.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seventy-eight percent (n = 165) of participants believed they knew what was meant by medical errors. Of these, 34% and 26.5% related medical errors to wrong medications or diagnoses, respectively. Understanding of medical errors was correlated inversely with age and positively with family income. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that a one-year increase in age was associated with a 4% reduction in perceived knowledge of medical errors (CI: 1% to 7%; p = 0.045). The study found that 49% of those who believed they knew the meaning of medical errors had experienced such errors. The most common consequence of the errors was severe pain (45%). Of the 165 informed participants, 49% felt that an uncaring health care professional was the main cause of medical errors. Younger participants were able to list more possible causes of medical errors than were older subjects (Incident Rate Ratio of 0.98; p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The majority of participants believed they knew the meaning of medical errors. Younger participants were more likely to be aware of such errors and could list one or more causes.</p

MASCC/ISOO clinical practice guidelines for the management of mucositis secondary to cancer therapy

Published online July 28, 2020 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com)Mucositis is a significant toxicity of cancer therapy with numerous systemic sequelae. The goal of this systematic review was to update the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer and International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of mucositis. METHODS: The literature was reviewed systematically to identify interventions for mucositis. Studies were rated according to the presence of major and minor flaws according to previously published criteria. The body of evidence for each intervention and in each treatment setting was assigned a level of evidence based on previously published criteria. Guidelines were developed based on the level of evidence, with 3 possible guideline determinations: recommendation, suggestion, or no guideline possible. RESULTS: The guideline covers evidence from 1197 publications related to oral or gastrointestinal mucositis. Thirteen new guidelines were developed for or against the use of various interventions in specific treatment settings, and 11 previous guidelines were confirmed after aa review of new evidence. Thirteen previously established guidelines were carried over because there was no new evidence for these interventions. CONCLUSIONS: The updated MASCC/ISOO Clinical Practice Guidelines for mucositis provide professional health caregivers with a clinical setting-specific, evidence-based tool to help with the management of mucositis in patients who have cancer. Cancer 2020;126:4423-4431.Sharon Elad, Karis Kin Fong Cheng, ajesh V. Lalla, Noam Yarom, Catherine Hong, Richard M. Logan, Joanne Bowen, Rachel Gibson, Deborah P. Saunders, Yehuda Zadik, Anura Ariyawardana, Maria Elvira Correa, Vinisha Ranna, and Paolo Bossi, for the Mucositis Guidelines Leadership Group of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer and International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) include: Praveen Arany, Abdul Rahman Al-Azri ... Emma H. Bateman ... Janet K. Coller, Noor Al-Dasooqi, and Hannah Wardill. Other contributors include (in alphabetic order): Suzanne Ameringer ... Dorothy Keefe ... Bronwen Mayo ... Andrea M. Stringer ... et al