Associations Between Systolic Pressure, Vascular Waveform, and Volume Flow with Debridement or Amputation Treatment Decisions in Diabetic Foot Ulcer Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetic foot ulcer disease, affecting 6.3% of the global population, necessitates crucial decisions regarding debridement and amputation, with substantial cost, morbidity, and mortality implications. This study's primary goal is to determine effective vascular examination modalities, including systolic blood pressure, vascular waveforms, and blood volume flow to guide optimal treatments for diabetic foot patients. METHOD: This cross-sectional study at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital aimed to identify effective vascular examination modalities, such as systolic blood pressure, vascular waveforms, and blood volume flow, to guide treatment choices for diabetic foot patients. The study included 38 subjects, equally split between debridement and amputation groups. RESULTS: Notably, the presence of a biphasic pattern in popliteal artery vascular examinations was associated with the decision for amputation in diabetic foot patients (p < 0.05). The Chi-square test revealed that a biphasic ultrasound pattern served as a predictive factor for amputation among diabetic foot patients, with three times more biphasic patients choosing amputation over debridement. Conversely, assessments of popliteal artery systolic pressure, common femoral artery waveform, popliteal artery volume flow, and common femoral artery volume flow showed no significant correlations with the choice of debridement or amputation treatment for diabetic foot patients. CONCLUSION: In summary, ultrasound assessment of vascular waveform in the popliteal artery emerges as a predictive factor for amputation or debridement in diabetic foot patients.

The Impact of Air Pollution on Gut Microbiota and Children's Health: An Expert Consensus.

Air pollution is an unseen threat to children's health because it may increase the risk of respiratory infection, atopy, and asthma, and also alter gut microbiota compositions. The impact of air pollution on children's health has not been firmly established. A literature review followed by a series of discussions among experts were performed to develop a theoretical framework on how air pollution could affect various bodily organs and functions in children. We invited experts from different backgrounds, such as paediatricians, nutritionists, environmental health experts, and occupational health experts, to provide their views on this matter. This report summarizes the discussion of multidisciplinary experts on the impact of air pollution on children's health. The report begins with a review of air pollution's impact on allergy and immunology, neurodevelopment, and cardiometabolic risks, and ends with the conceptualization of a theoretical framework. While the allergic and immunological pathway is one of the most significant pathways for air pollution affecting children's health in which microbiotas also play a role, several pathways have been proposed regarding the ability to affect neurodevelopment and cardiometabolic risk. Further research is required to confirm the link between air pollution and the gut microbiota pathway.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in diverse groups in the UK - is the driver economic or cultural in student populations?

Studies have identified a greater reluctance for members of the Black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities to be vaccinated against COVID-19 despite a higher probability of greater harm from COVID-19. We conducted an anonymised questionnaire-based study of students (recruiting primarily before first reports of embolic events) at two London universities to identify whether economic or educational levels were primarily responsible for this reluctance: a postgraduate core group (PGCC) n=860 and a pilot study of undergraduate medical and nursing students (n=103). Asian and Black students were 2.0 and 3.2 times (PGCC) less likely to accept the COVID vaccine than White British students. Similar findings were noted in the pilot study students. As students were studying for Masters or PhD degrees and voluntarily paying high fees, educational and economic reasons were unlikely to be the underlying cause, and wider cultural reservations were more likely. Politicians exerted a strong negative influence, suggesting that campaigns should omit politicians.

Low uptake of COVID-19 prevention behaviours and high socioeconomic impact of lockdown measures in South Asia: evidence from a large-scale multi-country surveillance programme

BackgroundSouth Asia has become a major epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding South Asians awareness, attitudes and experiences of early measures for the prevention of COVID-19 is key to improving the effectiveness and mitigating the social and economic impacts of pandemic responses at a critical time for the Region. MethodsWe assessed the knowledge, behaviours, health and socio-economic circumstances of 29,809 adult men and women, at 93 locations across four South Asian countries. Data were collected during the national lockdowns implemented from March to July 2020, and compared with data collected prior to the pandemic as part of an ongoing prospective surveillance initiative. ResultsParticipants were 61% female, mean age 45.1 years. Almost half had one or more chronic disease, including diabetes (16%), hypertension (23%) or obesity (16%). Knowledge of the primary COVID-19 symptoms and transmission routes was high, but access to hygiene and personal protection resources was low (running water 63%, hand sanitisers 53%, paper tissues 48%). Key preventive measures were not widely adopted. Knowledge, access to, and uptake of COVID-19 prevention measures were low amongst people from disadvantaged socio-economic groups. Fifteen percent of people receiving treatment for chronic diseases reported loss of access to long-term medications; 40% reported symptoms suggestive of anxiety or depression. The prevalence of unemployment rose from 9.3% to 39.4% (P<0.001), and household income fell by 52% (P<0.001) during the lockdown. Younger people and those from less affluent socio-economic groups were most severely impacted. Sedentary time increased by 32% and inadequate fruit and vegetable intake increased by 10% (P<0.001 for both), while tobacco and alcohol consumption dropped by 41% and 80%, respectively (P<0.001), during the lockdown. ConclusionsOur results identified important knowledge, access and uptake barriers to the prevention of COVID-19 in South Asia, and demonstrated major adverse impacts of the pandemic on chronic disease treatment, mental health, health-related behaviours, employment and household finances. We found important sociodemographic differences for impact, suggesting a widening of existing inequalities. Our findings underscore the need for immediate large-scale action to close gaps in knowledge and access to essential resources for prevention, along with measures to safeguard economic production and mitigate socio-economic impacts on the young and the poor.

Monitoring Compliance and Examining Challenges of a Smoke-free Policy in Jayapura, Indonesia / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES@#In Indonesia, 61 million adults smoked in 2018, and 59 million were exposed to secondhand smoke at offices or restaurants in 2011. The Presidential Decree 109/2012 encouraged local governments to implement a smoke-free policy (SFP), and the city of Jayapura enacted a local bill (1/2015) to that effect in 2015. This study aimed to evaluate compliance with this bill and to explore challenges in implementing it.@*METHODS@#We conducted a mixed-methods study. Quantitatively, we assessed compliance of facilities with 6 criteria (per the bill): the presence of signage, the lack of smoking activity, the lack of sale of tobacco, the lack of tobacco advertisements, the lack of cigarette smoke, and the lack of ashtrays. We surveyed 192 facilities, including health facilities, educational facilities, places of worship, government offices, and indoor and outdoor public facilities. Qualitatively, we explored challenges in implementation by interviewing 19 informants (government officers, students, and community members).@*RESULTS@#The rate of compliance with all 6 criteria was 17% overall, ranging from 0% at outdoor public facilities to 50% at health facilities. Spatial patterning was absent, as shown by similar compliance rates for SFP facilities within a 1-km boundary around the provincial and city health offices compared to those outside the boundary. Implementation challenges included (1) a limited budget for enforcement, (2) a lack of support from local non-governmental organizations and universities, (3) a lack of public awareness at the facilities themselves, and (4) a lack of examples set by local leaders.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Overall compliance was low in Jayapura due to many challenges. This information provides lessons regarding tobacco control policy in underdeveloped areas far from the central government.