Health Science Reports最新文献

Background and aims: The Arbaeen long walk (ALW) is an annual religious pilgrimage in which over 20 million Muslims walk more than 80 km between Najaf and Karbala in Iraq. While this event may affect participants' health, its impact has not been comprehensively studied. This study aimed to explore the perceived effects of the Arbaeen walk on individuals' health across multiple dimensions.

Methods: In this qualitative study, 19 university students who participated in ALW were interviewed using a semi-structured guide. Content analysis was applied to the interview data using MAXQDA 2018. The study followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) to ensure methodological rigor.

Results: A total of 264 initial codes were identified, which were consolidated into 78 unique codes, including 52 positive and 24 negative outcomes. These groups comprised 78 unique codes, with 52 codes representing positive outcomes of the Arbaeen walk and 24 codes representing negative outcomes. Based on frequency, the most significant positive outcomes of the Arbaeen walk were "Peace of mind and heart," "Cultural exchange with other countries," and "Strengthening the relationship between God and individuals." In terms of negative outcomes, the code frequency highlighted the prevalence of "Outbreak of infectious diseases," "Physical fatigue," and "Excessive waste generation."

Conclusion: Participation in the Arbaeen walk is associated with diverse positive effects on physical, mental, and social well-being, although some negative health outcomes were also reported. These findings highlight the broad scope of health impacts related to this pilgrimage and underscore the need for further investigation into its effects.

Background and aims: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral disease with a fatality rate up to 40%, transmitted through tick bites and infected livestock. Afghanistan's livestock farming and limited public health infrastructure increase infection risks. This study assesses butchers' awareness, attitudes, and practices regarding CCHF in Kabul to identify gaps and inform targeted interventions.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among butchers in Kabul from August to September 2024 using cluster sampling. Data from 179 butchers across four districts were collected via questionnaires and analyzed with SPSS version 27.

Results: The response rate exceeded 95%. Participants averaged 37 ± 13 years, with 31.8% having over 20 years of experience. Mean scores were 27.7 ± 3.8/38 for awareness, 18.4 ± 2.3/25 for attitudes, and 10.9 ± 2.3/16 for practices. While 41.9% showed good awareness and 61.5% had positive attitudes, only 42.5% demonstrated good practices. Significant misconceptions included belief in waterborne (52.5%) and airborne (31.8%) transmission. Unsafe practices like holding knives in the mouth (4.5%) and inconsistent protective equipment use were observed. A moderate positive correlation existed between attitudes and practices (r = 0.433, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: A substantial gap exists between butchers' knowledge and practices regarding CCHF. Targeted educational interventions addressing attitudes and practical barriers are essential to improve safety practices.

Background: Cancer is a significant global health challenge, affecting millions of people every year. Overall survival rates have improved over time, but some patients exhibit treatment resistance, prompting ongoing research to find suitable and effective sensitizers. Resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic compound, has demonstrated significant effects in inhibiting the growth and spread of cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms and applications of resveratrol remain unclear.

Objective: In this updated narrative review, we aimed at discussing the role and related molecular mechanisms of resveratrol in various cancers and providing an overview of its therapeutic potential for the treatment and prevention of these cancers.

Methodology: We conducted an extensive literature search across four major databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect, to identify all relevant articles.

Result: Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound, specifically a stilbene, found in significant quantities in grapes, berries, peanuts, and various other plants. Resveratrol significantly contributes to the reduction of various human cancers, including those of the breast, cervix, thyroid, prostate, brain, skin, colon, bone, and ovarian cancers. Resveratrol has been shown to influence cell cycle arrest, activate apoptosis, and suppress metastasis, all of which are achieved through various signaling pathways. Additionally, several in vivo studies have shown promising results suggesting it may reduce tumor development and extend lifespan in animal cancer models, among other benefits.

Conclusion: This review indicates that resveratrol could serve as a prototype for developing more efficacious and less toxic therapeutic agents for the treatment of various cancers.

Background and aims: Pulmonary embolism is a cardiovascular disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. There is a paucity of literature regarding this condition from the Ghanaian perspective. This study aimed at evaluating the clinical profile and admission outcomes of patients with acute pulmonary embolism at the Methodist Hospital, Wenchi, Ghana.

Methods: A retrospective pilot study was conducted by analyzing medical records of patients diagnosed with acute pulmonary embolism from September 2023 to March 2025. Data on demographics, clinical manifestations, risk factors, investigations, treatment, and outcomes of admission were collected.

Results: Out of 17 patients enrolled in the study, 11 (64.7%) were females. The mean age was 58.8 ± 13.0 years. The commonest risk factors were age > 65 years (n = 6), immobilization (n = 5), obesity (n = 4), and recent surgery (n = 3). Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were the predominant comorbidities. Dyspnea (76.5%, n = 13) and chest pain (n = 5) were the most frequent presenting symptoms while tachypnea (70.6%, n = 12), tachycardia (70.6%, n = 12), and hypoxia (52.9%, n = 9) were the commonest clinical signs. Three patients had hemodynamic instability. Pretest probability assessment was infrequently performed (n = 7). Sinus tachycardia (76.5%, n = 13) was the predominant electrocardiographic abnormality. The majority (58.8%, n = 10) had intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism whereas 3 patients were classified as having high-risk pulmonary embolism. Two in-hospital mortalities were recorded.

Conclusion: Clinical features and predisposing factors were largely similar to those described in the literature. Also, pretest probability assessment was underutilized. In-hospital mortality rate (11.8%) was relatively high. Large-scale, multicenter prospective studies are recommended to assess long-term complications of acute pulmonary embolism such as recurrence and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Lead is a nonessential, toxic heavy metal that causes widespread environmental contamination, affecting humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems. Globally, an estimated 800 million children have blood lead levels (BLLs) above 5 µg/dL. Lead persists in the environment and accumulates in the body, particularly in bone, due to its chemical similarity to calcium.

Objectives: This review aimed to summarize the prevalence, environmental sources, molecular and cellular mechanisms, dose-dependent toxic effects, and mitigation strategies related to lead exposure.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to identify relevant studies published between 2010 and 2025. Both peer-reviewed and gray literature were qualitatively synthesized.

Results: The findings indicated that lead exposure is pervasive, with detectable levels in 100% of participants in EU biomonitoring studies. In the United States, ~590,000 children under 5 years of age had BLLs above 3.5 µg/dL. Lead disrupts essential metal homeostasis, induces oxidative stress, causes mitochondrial dysfunction, disrupts calcium signaling, impairs heme synthesis, and triggers DNA damage, endoplasmic reticulum stress, cell membrane injury, and impaired signal transduction. Experimental studies in mice and chickens demonstrated dose-dependent accumulation in blood, tissues, and organs, accompanied by significant decreases in Zn, Fe, Mg, and Ca levels and elevated oxidative stress markers. Effective mitigation strategies include regulatory policies, environmental remediation, occupational safety measures, public health education, maternal and child health interventions, food and water safety measures, technological innovations, and continuous monitoring.

Conclusion: This review showed that lead remains a significant public health threat and underscores the need for targeted and equity-focused interventions.

Background and aims: Obesity is widely recognized as a significant contributor to the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to identify the most accurate anthropometric cut-off points for predicting T2DM in adults aged 35-70 years through a cross-sectional analysis of the Bandare-Kong cohort in southern Iran.

Methods: This study analyzed data from the Bandare-Kong Non-Communicable Diseases (BKNCD) cohort. Anthropometric indices were analyzed using statistical tests, including t-tests and χ ² tests for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the area under the curve (AUC) were employed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of anthropometric indices in predicting T2DM. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: A total of 2749 participants were included, evenly distributed between men and women. T2DM was identified in 176 men (6.4%) and 242 women (8.8%). In women, abdominal obesity indicators such as waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (cut-off: 0.98, AUC = 0.72) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) (cut-off: 0.59, AUC = 0.64) demonstrated the strongest associations with T2DM. In men, WHR (cut-off: 0.94, AUC = 0.65) and WHtR (cut-off: 0.52, AUC = 0.59) also showed significant associations. When analyzed by age, WHR (cut-offs: 0.96 for < 50 years and 0.98 for ≥ 50 years) and WHtR (cut-offs: 0.55 for < 50 years and 0.58 for ≥ 50 years) remained consistently associated with T2DM across age groups. Conversely, body mass index (BMI) showed weaker associations in both genders and age groups.

Conclusion: WHR and WHtR, key indicators of abdominal obesity, demonstrated a strong association with T2DM in both men and women, with WHR showing a particularly stronger relationship in women. These findings highlight the importance of focusing on abdominal obesity measures, especially in women, for better diabetes risk assessment. Future multicenter longitudinal studies are essential to confirm these findings and enhance risk-stratification approaches.

Introduction: Serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (sNGAL), a renal tubular marker, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a hematological inflammatory marker are two biomarkers that have recently received attention, because of their association with kidney disease. This study examined the diagnostic value sNGAL and NLR in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with nephropathy.

Materials and methods: In this hospital-based case-control research, 97 T2DM participants and 70 healthy subjects were included. Participants' information was documented using a structured questionnaire and patient case records. Venous blood was drawn from each participant and early morning midstream urine samples were collected for blood and urine measurements respectively.

Results: The prevalence of nephropathy among type 2 diabetics was 20.6%. sNGAL had a good performance (AUC = 0.793, p < 0.001) and NLR had a poor performance (AUC = 0.632, p = 0.082) for predicting diabetic nephropathy. An sNGAL cut-off of 8.87 µg/L had 80.0% sensitivity and NLR threshold of 2.34 had 60.0% sensitivity and 72.8% specificity. In the multivariate binary logistic model, sNGAL showed a modest independent association, (aOR 1.25, 95% CI: 0.71-2.21, p = 0.014). In contrast, NLR was not significantly associated with nephropathy in the adjusted model (NLR: aOR 1.16, 95% CI: 0.60-2.24, p = 0.663).

Conclusions: Whiles sNGAL showed superiority and is recommended, NLR showed no significant group difference and poor, non-significant discrimination, indicating it is not a reliable standalone marker of diabetic nephropathy in this study.

Introduction: Systematic lupus erythematosus is a complex fundamental autoimmune disease with relapsing-remitting course and spectrum of disease ranging from mild to life-threatening illness. Approximately half of women diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are affected by obesity, with rates reaching up to 50%. Adropin, a peptide hormone, plays a crucial role in regulating lipid and glucose metabolism while exhibiting protective effects against oxidative stress and inflammation. It further modulates the immune response. Given these functions, our study aimed to explore variations in the serum levels of adropin among patients diagnosed with SLE. Additionally, we sought to investigate its association with coronary risk factors and the clinical manifestations of the disease.

Method and material: In this cross-sectional study, we included 59 SLE patients and 30 age-matched healthy individuals. Utilizing high sensitivity human ELISA kits, we measured serum adropin levels.

Result: The SLE group exhibited significantly lower serum adropin levels compared to the control group (0.41 vs. 0.69 ng/mL, p = 0.001). In SLE patients with hyperlipidemia, hypertension (HTN), nephritis, serositis, hypocomplementemia, and positive anti-phospholipid antibodies (APLAs), serum adropin levels were significantly lower. However, female SLE patients showed higher serum adropin level. A significant and negative correlation was observed between serum adropin levels and disease duration. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that serum adropin levels retained association with HTN and positive APLAs.

Conclusion: Our study revealed a significant decrease in serum adropin levels among patients with SLE compared to healthy controls. The independent association between serum adropin levels and HTN suggests that adropin may serve as a potential predictor of coronary artery disease in individuals with rheumatic diseases. Results deepen our understanding of adropin in SLE, emphasizing its clinical relevance for assessing cardiovascular risk in this population.

Background and aims: Many organizations worldwide have made significant financial commitments to fund research across various sectors. However, there has been little study on the performance of these awards, particularly in underdeveloped countries. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the immediate impacts of the Competitive Health Professionals Education Partnership Initiative (HEPI) Small Grant Award on junior faculty researchers.

Methods: An institutional-based concurrent mixed-method study was conducted from October 2023 to April 2024 at Addis Ababa, Dilla, and Wolaita Sodo Universities. The study included 131 applicants (40 awardees and 91 non-awardees) over 5 years. Quantitative data were collected using a pre-tested, semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire via Google Drive and directly exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were followed by appropriate independent t-tests and χ ² tests with a significance level of 0.05. For the qualitative part, in-depth and key-informant interviews were conducted with 13 participants. Qualitative data were transcribed, translated, coded, and analyzed thematically using MAXQDA 2020 software.

Results: Quantitative results demonstrated that the only variable that differed significantly between awardees and non-awardees was the number of works presented at conferences after HEPI small grant applications. From a qualitative perspective, generally positive qualitative impacts were found to have been made by the grant on junior faculty researchers in the areas of career and professional development, enhancing research capacity, contributing to the community and policy, fostering collaboration with researchers and different universities, enhancing interdisciplinary work and sustainability of education, and disseminating the grant output.

Conclusions: According to quantitative and qualitative findings, the Competitive HEPI Small Grant Award had varying impacts on junior faculty researchers.

Background and aims: Electrocardiographic (ECG) markers may provide incremental prognostic value for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events beyond traditional ASCVD risk scores. This study aimed to evaluate the association between baseline ECG parameters and the incidence of cardiovascular events over 5 years in a nested case-control cohort.

Methods: We analyzed 442 participants from the Shiraz Heart Study, including 221 individuals who experienced CVD events and 221 ASCVD risk-matched event-free controls. Detailed ECG parameters and clinical variables were evaluated. Multivariable logistic regression, including a prespecified 22-variable model and LASSO penalized regression, was used to identify independent ECG predictors. Model performance was assessed using bootstrap-corrected area under the curve (AUC).

Results: In multivariable analyses, ST-segment coving (OR 7.57, 95% CI 2.09-27.4, p = 0.002) and shorter PR interval (OR 0.98 per ms decrease, 95% CI 0.95-1.00, p = 0.036) remained independent predictors of incident CVD events in the prespecified 22-variable model, which was constructed based on clinical relevance and supported by univariable analyses. This model demonstrated excellent discrimination (bootstrap-corrected AUC 0.97, 95% CI 0.96-0.98). In the parsimonious four-variable LASSO model, ST-segment coving (OR 4.31, 95% CI 1.38-13.0) and PR interval (OR 0.977, 95% CI 0.961-0.992) remained independent predictors, and model performance remained robust (bootstrap-corrected AUC 0.96, 95% CI 0.94-0.98). Other ECG features, including prolonged QTc, abnormal R-wave progression, left ventricular hypertrophy, and T-wave inversions, were significant in univariable analyses but did not remain independent predictors in multivariable models.

Conclusion: Baseline ECG parameters provide independent prognostic information for cardiovascular events beyond traditional ASCVD risk factors. These findings highlight the potential of ECG markers to enhance risk stratification, although external validation in larger and diverse populations is warranted before clinical implementation.