Epidemiological, Clinical Aspects and Factors Associated with Typical Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in the General Population of Parakou, Republic of Benin

Introduction: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a benign and chronic disease that can impair the quality of life. Objective: To study the epidemiological, clinical aspects and factors associated with typical GERD in the general population of Parakou in the Republic of Benin. Methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study with prospective data collection which took place from May 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019. The study population consisted of any subject aged at least 15 years and living in Parakou. Subjects aged at least 15 years, present on the day of the survey and having given their free and informed verbal consent were included. The Short form of QRS®(Reflux-Qual Short form) questionnaire and the “Hospital Anxiety and Depression” score were used to assess the quality of life and anxiety/depression, respectively. The sampling was probabilistic through a 2-stage cluster sampling. The variable of interest was the presence of GERD. Results: Out of 390 subjects surveyed, 28 had symptoms of typical GERD, representing a prevalence of 7.18%. The average age of these subjects was 27.11 ± 7.88 years. Fifteen subjects (53.57%) were male, giving a sex ratio of 1.15. Fourteen (50%) had a secondary level of education, 12 (42.86%) were pupils/students, 18 (64.29%) were single. The monthly income of 22 subjects (78.57%) was lower than the guaranteed interprofessional minimum wage (40,000 FCFA). The average duration of progression of symptoms was 15.89 ± 4.97 months. Symptoms occurred less than twice a week in 22 subjects (78.57%). The clinical manifestations were both diurnal and nocturnal in 12 subjects (42.86%). None of the 28 subjects with GERD had clinical warning signs. Asthma, diabetes, consumption of high fat or spice foods, carbonated drinks, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, alcoholic beverages and tobacco were statistically associated with the occurrence of GERD. Each of the 28 subjects had at least one associated factor. A significant impair in quality of life was observed in 27 patients (96.43%). Conclusion: Typical GERD is relatively common in the general population of Parakou in the Republic of Benin. It often affects young males. Among the risk factors identified, the most common are carbonated drinks, spicy meals and diabetes. GERD significantly impairs quality of life. Raising awareness about the disease and its associated factors is necessary among the general population.

Impact of community public health care on treatment effect,health cognition,and self-management in patients with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND At present,China has become the country with the largest number of individuals with diabetes mellitus(DM)in the world,with a total of approximately 140 million patients,the majority of whom have type 2 DM(T2DM).Based on conven-tional nursing methods,community home care has important clinical significance in controlling blood sugar and disease progression.AIM To explore the impact of community public health nursing on treatment effect,health cognition,and self-management in patients with T2DM.METHODS One hundred patients with T2DM were selected as the research subjects.The patients were divided into either a conventional nursing group or community nursing(CN)group using the random number table method.The conventional nursing group(50 cases)received routine care,while the CN group(50 cases)received community public health care in addition to routine care as that for the conventional nursing group.The rate of excellent and good blood glucose control,fasting blood glucose before and after care,2-h postprandial blood glucose,health cognition,and self-management ability,and patient satisfaction were compared between the two groups.RESULTS The CN group had a higher rate of excellent blood sugar control than the conventional nursing group(88%vs 70%,P<0.05).Before care,there was no significant difference in fasting blood glucose or 2-h postprandial blood glucose between the two groups of patients(P>0.05).After nursing,fasting blood glucose and 2-h postprandial blood glucose were reduced to varying degrees in both groups,and both blood glucose levels in the CN group were lower than those of the conventional nursing group(P<0.05).Compared with the scores before care,the cognitive level score for diabetes and self-management ability score improved after care in both groups.The cognitive level and self-management ability of patients in the CN group were higher than those of the conventional nursing group(P<0.05).The overall satisfaction of the CN group was better than that of the conventional nursing group(98%vs 86%,P<0.05).CONCLUSION Community public health care based on conventional care of T2DM can achieve better blood sugar control,and improve patients’health cognitive level and self-management ability.

The Feasibility Study on Developing General Education in Public English Courses of Higher Vocational Colleges

The implementation of general education is the only way to train higher vocational complex talents.Through analysis ofthe feasibility of developing general education in public English courses of higher vocational colleges,it is hoped that the reform ofpublic English will be promoted effectively.

The general public’s ability to operate automated external defi brillator: A controlled simulation study

BACKGROUND:Automated external defibrillators(AEDs)enable laypeople to provide early defi brillations to patients undergoing cardiac arrest,but scant information is available on the general public’s ability to use AEDs.This study assessed the ability of laypeople to operate AEDs,the effect of a 15-minute training,and whether skills differed by age.METHODS:From May 1 to December 31,2018,a prospective simulation study was conducted with 94 laypeople aged 18–65 years(32 aged 18–24 years,34 aged 25–54 years,and 28 aged 55–65 years)with no prior AED training.The participants’AED skills were assessed individually pretraining,post-training,and at a three-month follow-up using a simulated cardiac arrest scenario.The critical actions and time intervals were evaluated during the AED operating process.RESULTS:Only 14(14.9%)participants(eight aged 18–24 years,four aged 25–54 years,and two aged 55–65 years)successfully delivered defi brillations before training.AED operation errors were more likely to occur among the participants aged 55–65 years than among other age groups.After training,the proportion of successful defi brillations increased signifi cantly(18–24 years old:25.0%vs.71.9%,P<0.01;25–54 years old:11.8%vs.70.6%,P<0.01;55–65 years old:7.1%vs.67.9%,P<0.01).After three months,26.1%of the participants aged 55–65 years successfully delivered defi brillations,which was signifi cantly lower than that of participants aged 18–24 years(54.8%)and 25–54 years(64.3%)(P=0.02).There were no differences in time measures among three age groups in each test.CONCLUSIONS:The majority of untrained laypeople cannot effectively operate AEDs.More frequent training and refresher courses are crucial to improve AED skills.

Predicting factors contributing to knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to Zika virus infection among the general public in Malaysia

Objective: To identify the predicting factors that contribute to knowledge, attitude and practices relating to Zika virus infection among the general public in Malaysia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive analysis was done for participants’ socio-demographic profile. Contingency table analysis was done to analyse the associations between knowledge, attitudes, and practices(KAP) scores and socio-demographic profile. A Bonferroni-corrected P-value was used to find the significance of the associations and multiple comparisons were performed in a single data set. To determine the linear relationship between each independent variable and the dependent variable, Spearman rank correlation was performed. Cohen’s correlation coefficient was evaluated to determine the strength of the effect size. Multiple correlations and regression analyses were performed to identify independent variables that predicts the dependent variable.Results: Multiple correlation analyses were conducted between respondents’ KAP score and independent variables(Age >60 years;Female gender;Selangor state;At least 1 pregnant woman per household). The independent variables such as ‘Female gender’, ‘Selangor state’ and ‘At least 1 pregnant woman per household’ were positively and significantly correlated with KAP score whereas, age >60 years was negatively and significantly correlated with the KAP scores.Conclusions: There were associations between four independent factors and the KAP scores, while only three factors contributed to changes in KAP scores among the public. Among these contributing factors, respondents’ age group was the strongest predictor.

Diverging rationalities between forest fire management services and the general public after the 21st-century mega-fires in Greece

Wildfire risk related to hazards on people and assets is expected to increase in the face of climate change,especially in fire-prone environments such as the Mediterranean Basin.Distinguishing rationalities,i.e.,the complex profile of multi-thematic,wildfire-related perceptions that collectively characterize and quantify all of a society’s responses,its interrelations,and influence on its insights,are of primary importance to understand the degree of preparedness and the direction that wildfire management policies are moving.Greece is a country that suffered mega-wildfire events during the first years of the twenty-first century.This paper presents a scheme of advanced multivariate statistical procedures applied on standard social survey questionnaires to uncover different or similar rationalities between fire management services and the general public.Profession-centered versus message-oriented rationalities is defined.They differ mainly on the priorities attributed to strengthening personnel and equipment capacities versus the need for public education and awareness.Both are evaluated against the needs of long-term risk assessment and forest management policies in Greece.The main conclusion is that Greek society,although traumatized by recent fire disasters,is not yet prepared for long-term strategic forestry adaptation and planning.

Oculoplastic publication trends in general ophthalmology journals

AIM: To examine the publication trend of oculoplastic articles throughout the last decade in general ophthalmology journals.METHODS: A review of all abstracts published between Januar y 2010 to December 2019 in general, clinical ophthalmic journals was conducted. Articles that were categorized as original articles in general and clinical journals were included in the study.RESULTS: Totally 10 281 abstracts were included. Of them 465(4.5%) were oculoplastic publications. The mean number of annual-publications was 46.5 and the mean annual-rate of oculoplastic publications was 4.51%. A significant decreasing trend in the number of oculoplastic publication in the last decade was found(P<0.01, R^(2)=0.770). However, there was no significant change in the annual-rate of oculoplastic publications during the last decade(P=0.191, R2=0.203). From the 465 oculoplastic articles: 179(38.5%) were articles about eyelid diseases, 160(34.40%) were about orbit diseases, 92(19.80%) were about lacrimal diseases and 34(7.30%) were about thyroid eye disease(TED). A significant decreasing trends in the number of orbital and eyelids publications were found(P<0.01, P<0.01). However, there were no significant changes in the annual-rate of orbital, eyelids, TED and lacrimal-diseases publications throughout the last decade.CONCLUSION: Oculoplastic subspecialty deals with a wide range of pathologies in different ages. However, less than 5% of the articles in general, clinical, high impact factor ophthalmology journals are about oculoplastic diseases. One of the best way for ophthalmologists from different subspecilties, nowadays, to be updated, is to read highimpact-factor, general ophthalmology journals. Therefore, it is important that those journals will include articles about breakthroughs in oculoplastic.

Does Cash Incentive Effect TB Case Notification by Public Private Mix-General Practitioners Model in Pakistan?

Setting: Private healthcare providers including solo practitioners and laboratories enrolled with Public Private Mix General Practitioners model in Pakistan who were enrolled with the program and maintained participation during 2014 to 2016. Objective: To assess the change in case notification by private healthcare providers as well as effect on sputum smear positivity rate at private laboratories after introduction of incentives. Design: A comparative cross-sectional study based on routinely maintained National TB Control Program data collected before and after the introduction of incentives (2014 and 2016). Results: In 2016, TB case notification increased by 71% after cash incentives was introduced. Among the 618 private healthcare providers who enrolled and maintained participation in the Public Private Mix program, only 1% of the GPs contributed to 19% increase in case notification, whereas 27% GPs had reported a reduced number of cases compared to the pre-intervention period. After incentives, slide positivity rate for diagnostic declined by 1.9% and follow-up increased by 0.6%. Number of slides for diagnostic and follow-up testing increased by 82% and 72% respectively. Conclusion: Engaging the private healthcare sector, by providing cash incentives to private health care Provider’s is an effective strategy for providing a substantial increase in National TB case notification.

Knowledge about Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) and attitudes to medical care seeking—A comparison between patients and the general public

Background: Patients with acute myocardial infarction often have long decision times before seeking medical care. The decision time is influenced by knowledge of AMI-symptoms, psychological factors and the response of people near the patient to the symptoms. Aim: To investigate and compare the knowledge of AMI, intended actions in response to AMI-symptoms and attitudes toward seeking medical care of patients and the general public. Method: This was a multicentre study with descriptive and comparative design, using questionnaires as an instrument. The population consisted of AMI-patients and representatives of the general public. Results: There was good knowledge about typical AMI-symptoms among the participants. The majority thought an AMI always starts suddenly. Patients did not know more about the time-dependency of treatment outcome than the general public. A greater proportion of the general public would contact an additional person before consulting medical professionals. Conclusions: Patients had no better knowledge about AMI than the general public, but would more commonly act appropriately in case of AMI-symptoms.

Exploring Public Finance Management Reform and Building up Model of General State Accounting （GSA）： The Case of Vietnam

There is no doubt that public finance and accounting have been playing a pivotal role in supporting the government＇s aspirations in the development in any countries. Through the receipt of funds from the state budget, the organizations in the public sector use country＇s resources towards the implementation of objectives as well as social policies set by national government. Therefore, most countries will aim to gradually improve the management of public finance, but control of public finance has faced challenges because of the existing limitations As a result, the public finance management needs to be reformed. In Vietnam, this process has been performed in recent years. To enhance the effectiveness of improvement, public finance has to combine with the transformation of public sector accounting. In fact, there are a lot of researches in public sector accounting together with financial management. However, in the world, from the past to present, very little research has been conducted to examine the change in management to the public finance and relationship to public accounting, especially to the model of general accounting. Because of the significance of above matters, the main purposes of this paper are to identify the role of public finance and the process of reforming it and to build up the new model in Vietnam, called as General State Accounting （GSA） which is applied for Vietnamese government in the near future. By using the mixed method for research, the author will analyze the figures of last budget data, administer the described statistics, and collect information about the budget from Vietnamese experts.

The Research on the negative impact of the efficiency of the generalization performance in privatization of public utilities

Since the last century, China has carried out the reform of public utilities in the ninety time, and has achieved many positive results. The quality and efficiency of public goods supply is greatly improved. The government has changed the role of producer and provider from the past to the role of provider and regulator, which effectively promoted the development of the privatization of public utilities. However, in the achievements there has also been some problems, such as too much emphasis on efficiency to the neglect of social justice and the government＇s public responsibility ＂efficiency generalization＂ problem that requires our attention.

General anesthetic agents induce neurotoxicity through oligodendrocytes in the developing brain

General anesthetic agents can impact brain function through interactions with neurons and their effects on glial cells.Oligodendrocytes perform essential roles in the central nervous system,including myelin sheath formation,axonal metabolism,and neuroplasticity regulation.They are particularly vulnerable to the effects of general anesthetic agents resulting in impaired proliferation,differentiation,and apoptosis.Neurologists are increasingly interested in the effects of general anesthetic agents on oligodendrocytes.These agents not only act on the surface receptors of oligodendrocytes to elicit neuroinflammation through modulation of signaling pathways,but also disrupt metabolic processes and alter the expression of genes involved in oligodendrocyte development and function.In this review,we summarize the effects of general anesthetic agents on oligodendrocytes.We anticipate that future research will continue to explore these effects and develop strategies to decrease the incidence of adverse reactions associated with the use of general anesthetic agents.

The research on the standard and measure of the efficiency of the generalization performance of privatization of public utilities

The transformation of the development China＇s privatization of city public utilities？ vigorously promote the government function, however, the relative monopoly administrative operation system, functions decentralized system of government regulation and legal system construction is lagging behind, can making the privatization process easily lead to the emergence of efficient generalization, must be identified and avoided. This paper presents efficient generalization of privatization of public utility of our country city in measure, and analyzes the performance efficiency of the three resulting generalization.

Study on the Current Situation of the Public Dance Course Teaching in General Colleges and Universities

In the public art education, the public dance course plays an important influence, and has become an important way of the aesthetic education in general colleges and universities. However, the public dance course teaching in China＇ s colleges and universities is a necessary way for ensuring the effective implementation of the public dance course teaching, because there are certain unsound teaching problems in the public dance course teaching in China＇ s colleges and universities currently. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out deep research and practice for the public dance education in China＇ s colleges and universities, and this plays an important role in promoting the development of general colleges and universities＇ quality education for students, advancing the further development of the current genera/colleges and universities＇ public dance education, and enriching the existing public art education theories. There are many problems such as unclear teaching goals in the existing public art course teaching model, non-systematic and non-scientific teaching contents, simple teaching forms, and simple teaching methods in the general colleges and universities, so it is urgent to explore new teaching models. The purpose of this paper is to build a three-dimensional public dance teaching network from both forms and contents. Public dance course is a selective course, which is established for training the high-quality personnel demanded by the modernized construction of socialism, and plays an irreplaceable role in improving the aesthetic quality, cultivating the innovative spirit and practice ability, and shaping a healthy personality. On this basis, the current situation of the public dance teaching in general colleges and universities is investigated by taking the public dance teaching in Guangxi Normal University as an example and using the methods such as document literature, questionnaire survey, and interview, and the specific situation of the dance teaching in general colleges and universities is analyzed, and also corresponding strategies and suggestions are proposed.

The impact of health education videos on general public’s mental health and behavior during COVID-19

Background:COVID-19 has seriously affected people’s mental health and changed their behaviors.Previous studies for mental state and behavior promotion only targeted limited people or were not suitable for daily activity restrictions.Therefore,we decided to explore the effect of health education videos on people’s mental state and health-related behaviors.Methods:Based on WeChat,QQ,and other social media,we conducted an online survey by snowball sampling.Spearman’s non-parametric method was used to analyze the correlation related to mental health problems and health-related behaviors.Besides,we used binary logistic regression analyses to examine mental health problems and health-related behaviors’predictors.We performed SPSS macro PROCESS(model 4 and model 6)to analyze mediation relationships between exposure to health education videos and depression/anxiety/health-related behaviors.These models were regarded as exploratory.Results:Binary logistic regression analyses indicated that people who watched the health education videos were more likely to wear masks(OR 1.15,p<0.001),disinfect(OR 1.26,p<0.001),and take temperature(OR 1.37,p<0.001).With higher level of posttraumatic growth(PTG)or perceived social support(PSS),people had lower percentage of depression(For PSS,OR 0.98,p<0.001;For PTG,OR 0.98,p<0.01)and anxiety(For PSS,OR 0.98,p<0.001;For PTG,OR 0.98,p=0.01)and better health behaviors.The serial multiple-mediation model supported the positive indirect effects of exposure to health education videos on the depression and three health-related behaviors through PSS and PTG(Depression:B[SE]=−0.0046[0.0021],95%CI−0.0098,−0.0012;Mask-wearing:B[SE]=0.0051[0.0023],95%CI 0.0015,0.0010;Disinfection:B[SE]=0.0059[0.0024],95%CI 0.0024,0.0012;Temperature-taking:B[SE]=0.0067[0.0026],95%CI 0.0023,0.0013).Conclusion:Exposure to health education videos can improve people’s self-perceived social support and inner growth and help them cope with the adverse impact of public health emergencies with better mental health and health-related behaviors.

Study on the Treatment Strategy of Batches of the Wounded and Partial First-Aid Procedures in Public Emergencies in Tertiary General Hospitals

Objective: The purpose is to formulate treatment strategies of batches of the wounded and partial first-aid procedures, and further improve the emergency rescue capability of hospitals. Methods: This study analyzed the emergency treatment case that we participated in. In this case, we used various means to start the emergency plan, run the emergency procedures, optimize diagnosis, treatment, and rescue procedures, mobilize medical rescue resources, provide a reference for emergency command decisions, formulate a set of coping strategies of tertiary general hospitals on public emergencies. Results: Through the scientific and effective management of our hospital, 20 wounded have been discharged from the hospital and achieved the ideal effect of zero deaths in the hospital. Conclusions: The new mode of first-aid and health emergency management on the scene of modern disaster needs to find ways to minimize the loss of life and property brought by public emergencies, integrate the various sections of modern disaster medicine, integrate a large number of international and domestic basic and clinical research achievements of disaster first-aid, and upgrade to information, digital system.

A Blind Batch Encryption and Public Ledger-Based Protocol for Sharing Sensitive Data

For the goals of security and privacy preservation,we propose a blind batch encryption-and public ledger-based data sharing protocol that allows the integrity of sensitive data to be audited by a public ledger and allows privacy information to be preserved.Data owners can tightly manage their data with efficient revocation and only grant one-time adaptive access for the fulfillment of the requester.We prove that our protocol is semanticallly secure,blind,and secure against oblivious requesters and malicious file keepers.We also provide security analysis in the context of four typical attacks.

Use of cognitive-behavioral career coaching to reduce work anxiety and depression in public employees

BACKGROUND Public employees worldwide are increasingly concerned about work anxiety and depression.Cognitive-behavioral career coaching has emerged as a promising strategy for addressing these mental health disorders,which can negatively impact on a person's overall well-being and performance.AIM To examine whether cognitive-behavioral career coaching reduces work anxiety and depression among Nigerian public employees.METHODS A total of 120 public employees(n=60)suffering from severe anxiety and depression were randomly assigned to the treatment or control groups in this study.Cognitive behavioral coaching was provided twice a week to those in the treatment group,whereas no treatment was given to those in the control group.As part of the study,the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scales and Beck Depression Inventory were used to collect data.RESULTS Analysis of covariance of the data from participants indicates a significant effect of cognitive-behavioral career coaching on work anxiety and depression.CONCLUSION Insights into the underlying mechanisms by which cognitive behavior career coaching exerts its effects have been gained from this study.Also,the study has gathered valuable data that can inform future practice and guide the development of strategies for supporting mental health at work.

The coordinated evolution of ecological environment,public service,and tourism economy along the Silk Road Economic Belt,using the Dual-Carbon Targets

Carbon peak and carbon neutrality(dual-carbon)are important targets for the international response to climate change.The Silk Road Economic Belt is a strategic resource region and is important for future ecological environment and tourism development.Based on the“dual-carbon”targets,the Single index quantification,Multiple index synthesis,and Poly-criteria integration evaluation model were used in this study to measure the coordinated development index of the ecological environment,public service,and tourism economy along the Silk Road Economic Belt and to analyze its spatial and temporal evolution.Further,it explores the dynamic evolution and development trend of the three systems using the Kernel Density and Grey Markov Prediction Model.The results show that the coordinated development index along this region needs to be improved during the study period.Furthermore,the coordinated development index of the Southwest region is relatively higher than that of the Northwest region.From the development trend of the three systems,all of them develop in a stable manner;however,the tourism economy system is easily affected by external disturbances.The coordinated development index of the three systems changes dynamically and tends to be in a good state of coordination.There is a certain spatial and temporal heterogeneity.The gravity center of the coordinated development index has been in the Southwest region.During the forecast period,the coordinated development index along this region will improve significantly,while insufficient and unbalanced development will continue.