Hepatitis B virus (HBV), a typical member of the Hepadnaviridae family, is responsible for infections that cause B-type hepatitis which leads to severe public health problems around the world. The small enveloped DNA-...Hepatitis B virus (HBV), a typical member of the Hepadnaviridae family, is responsible for infections that cause B-type hepatitis which leads to severe public health problems around the world. The small enveloped DNA-containing virus replicates via reverse transcription, and this unique process is accomplished by the virally encoded reverse transcriptase (RT). This multi-functional protein plays a vital role in the viral life cycle. Here, we provide a summary of current knowledge regarding the structural characteristics and molecular mechanisms of HBV RT. Improved understanding of these processes is of both theoretical and practical significance for fundamental studies of HBV and drug discovery.展开更多
The influence of the family of origin is often described in the aetiology of different psychiatric disorders. The majority of papers concerning the families of autistic children concentrate on the quality of their liv...The influence of the family of origin is often described in the aetiology of different psychiatric disorders. The majority of papers concerning the families of autistic children concentrate on the quality of their lives. The aim of our study was to compare the experiences from the family of origin of mothers of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders （ASD） and from mothers of healthy children. In our study a Family of Origin Scale （FOS） was used. This scale consists of l0 constructs： clarity of expression, responsibility, respect for others, openness to others, acceptance of separation/loss, range of feelings, mood and tone, conflict resolution, empathy and trust. It was a pilot study. The examined group consisted of 9 mothers of children with ASD, the control group-7 mothers of healthy children. We found that both groups differed in a statistically significant way as for the construct called responsibility. Our research was a pilot study and it required further investigations.展开更多
Objectives:Intensive health services'utilization is common in older individuals affected by chronic diseases.This study assessed whether a structured family nurse-led educational intervention would be effective in...Objectives:Intensive health services'utilization is common in older individuals affected by chronic diseases.This study assessed whether a structured family nurse-led educational intervention would be effective in reducing health services'use(readmissions and/or emergency service access)among older people affected by chronic conditions.Methods:This is a non-randomized before-after pilot study.A sample of 78 patients was recruited from two general practices in Italy and 70 among them were followed for 8 months.Standard home care was provided during the first four months'period(months 1-4),followed by the educational intervention until the end of the study(months 5-8).The intervention,based on the teach-back method,consisted of by-weekly 60-min home sessions targeting aspects of the disease and its treatment,potential complications,medication adherence,and health behaviours.Rates of health services'use were collected immediately before(T0),and after the interventions(T1).Differences in utilization rates were examined by the McNemar's test.Potential factors associated with the risk of health services'use were explored with a Cox proportional hazard regression model.Results:The sample(n=78)was predominantly female(n=50,64.1%),and had a mean age of 76.2(SD=4.8)years.Diabetes mellitus was the most frequent disease(n=27,34.6%).McNemar's test indicated a significant reduction in health services'use at T1(McNemar χ^(2)==28.03,P<0.001).Cox regressions indicated that time and patient education,as well as their interaction,were the only variables positively associated with the probability of health services'use.Conclusion:A teach-back intervention led by a family nurse practitioner has the potential to reduce health services'use in older patients with chronic diseases.展开更多
This paper seeks to examine the JPTMR （Jos Plateau Tin-Mining Region） as an abandoned mine that provides land for housing by examining the impact of the tin-mining activities due to the presence of heavy metals and ...This paper seeks to examine the JPTMR （Jos Plateau Tin-Mining Region） as an abandoned mine that provides land for housing by examining the impact of the tin-mining activities due to the presence of heavy metals and radioactive substances and analyzing the level and availability of these substances and their effects on human health and the built environment within JPTMR. Utilizing secondary data, which map out 10 different locations in the region, the paper highlights the level of radioactive substances （X-ray, beta-ray and gamma-ray） and presence of heavy metals in the environment. The results show that there are traces of X-ray, beta-ray and gamma-ray as well as the heavy metals such as Pb, As, Cu, Cr and Ni which exceeded the international standards. This is particularly significant as people use the contaminated soils as building materials for their homes as well as for farming and food production. The inhabitants of the area are often without any knowledge about the perils of the contaminated soils, water as well as air which is serious long-term human catastrophe. Drawing from international experience, the paper argues that it is possible to develop housing in former tin-mining areas but requires careful remediation and engagement by the public and private sector.展开更多
Three major programs have been implemented in rural Tibetan areas in order to improve children's nutrition and healthcare,namely antenatal care,infant and young child feeding,as well as school feeding.In terms of ...Three major programs have been implemented in rural Tibetan areas in order to improve children's nutrition and healthcare,namely antenatal care,infant and young child feeding,as well as school feeding.In terms of effectiveness of service provision,the school feeding program has been put into practice more effectively than the other two for two reasons.First,rural Tibetan families are accustomed to traditional infant and young child feeding practices.Secondly,the lack of incentives for healthcare workers and the shortage of funding have hindered the provision of healthcare to rural families.Therefore,this paper proposes an adjustment of the incentive structure for healthcare providers,a fortification of the village level network of healthcare services,an improvement in the approach to healthcare education for farmers and herders,and the coordination of training courses targeted at the officials and service teams of the healthcare system.展开更多
The influence of human security components on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights （SRHR） of individuals was explored in four sub-Saharan Africa countries of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Ug...The influence of human security components on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights （SRHR） of individuals was explored in four sub-Saharan Africa countries of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Uganda from November 2008 to April 2009. The present results suggest that the major threat to human security is the competing economic demands that make it difficult for the population to prioritize reproductive health services in their household budgets. This study concludes that there are potential benefits of human security approaches for furthering the goals of SRHR initiatives, in line with the principles and guidelines expressed in the Maputo Plan of Action and the Millennium Development Goals （MDGs）. The results of this study suggest that IPPF Africa Region can start to prioritize economic security, community security and health security which have greatest impact on the reproductive health of the sub-Saharan African population. The key lesson learnt is that the effective use of family planning services mitigates the effects of other human insecurities, including economic, food, and health insecurities as its application in the families will reduce family size and demand on available resources.展开更多
This study investigates household environmental factors and childhood morbidity in South-western Nigeria. To determine patterns of household environ- mental characteristics in south-western Nigeria, both primary and s...This study investigates household environmental factors and childhood morbidity in South-western Nigeria. To determine patterns of household environ- mental characteristics in south-western Nigeria, both primary and secondary data were employed in the study. The primary data were obtained through in-depth interviews （IDIs） with women of childbearing age who have at least a child within the last 5 years in two randomly selected states, Oyo and Osun states, in south-west Nigeria, while the secondary data were extracted from the 2013 Nigeria Demo- graphic Health Surveys （NDHS） designed to elicit information from 33,385 women of ages between 15 and 49 years in randomly selected households across all the states in Nigeria and the Federal Capital, Abuja. Three remarkable contributions were obtained： （i） the prevalence of childhood disease is high among homes with poor household environmental facilities; （ii） incidence of childhood diseases is greatly influenced by poor toilet facilities, biomass source of cooking fuel and unhealthy type of roofing material; （iii） age of mothers, mothers＇ educational status, wealth index and access to health facility were found to have a significant rela- tionship with childhood diseases. Therefore, it is confirmed that poor household environmental condition and low socio-economic status impede child health in South-western Nigeria.展开更多
基金National Nature Science Foundations of China (30870131)Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (0802021SA1)
文摘Hepatitis B virus (HBV), a typical member of the Hepadnaviridae family, is responsible for infections that cause B-type hepatitis which leads to severe public health problems around the world. The small enveloped DNA-containing virus replicates via reverse transcription, and this unique process is accomplished by the virally encoded reverse transcriptase (RT). This multi-functional protein plays a vital role in the viral life cycle. Here, we provide a summary of current knowledge regarding the structural characteristics and molecular mechanisms of HBV RT. Improved understanding of these processes is of both theoretical and practical significance for fundamental studies of HBV and drug discovery.
文摘The influence of the family of origin is often described in the aetiology of different psychiatric disorders. The majority of papers concerning the families of autistic children concentrate on the quality of their lives. The aim of our study was to compare the experiences from the family of origin of mothers of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders （ASD） and from mothers of healthy children. In our study a Family of Origin Scale （FOS） was used. This scale consists of l0 constructs： clarity of expression, responsibility, respect for others, openness to others, acceptance of separation/loss, range of feelings, mood and tone, conflict resolution, empathy and trust. It was a pilot study. The examined group consisted of 9 mothers of children with ASD, the control group-7 mothers of healthy children. We found that both groups differed in a statistically significant way as for the construct called responsibility. Our research was a pilot study and it required further investigations.
文摘Objectives:Intensive health services'utilization is common in older individuals affected by chronic diseases.This study assessed whether a structured family nurse-led educational intervention would be effective in reducing health services'use(readmissions and/or emergency service access)among older people affected by chronic conditions.Methods:This is a non-randomized before-after pilot study.A sample of 78 patients was recruited from two general practices in Italy and 70 among them were followed for 8 months.Standard home care was provided during the first four months'period(months 1-4),followed by the educational intervention until the end of the study(months 5-8).The intervention,based on the teach-back method,consisted of by-weekly 60-min home sessions targeting aspects of the disease and its treatment,potential complications,medication adherence,and health behaviours.Rates of health services'use were collected immediately before(T0),and after the interventions(T1).Differences in utilization rates were examined by the McNemar's test.Potential factors associated with the risk of health services'use were explored with a Cox proportional hazard regression model.Results:The sample(n=78)was predominantly female(n=50,64.1%),and had a mean age of 76.2(SD=4.8)years.Diabetes mellitus was the most frequent disease(n=27,34.6%).McNemar's test indicated a significant reduction in health services'use at T1(McNemar χ^(2)==28.03,P<0.001).Cox regressions indicated that time and patient education,as well as their interaction,were the only variables positively associated with the probability of health services'use.Conclusion:A teach-back intervention led by a family nurse practitioner has the potential to reduce health services'use in older patients with chronic diseases.
文摘This paper seeks to examine the JPTMR （Jos Plateau Tin-Mining Region） as an abandoned mine that provides land for housing by examining the impact of the tin-mining activities due to the presence of heavy metals and radioactive substances and analyzing the level and availability of these substances and their effects on human health and the built environment within JPTMR. Utilizing secondary data, which map out 10 different locations in the region, the paper highlights the level of radioactive substances （X-ray, beta-ray and gamma-ray） and presence of heavy metals in the environment. The results show that there are traces of X-ray, beta-ray and gamma-ray as well as the heavy metals such as Pb, As, Cu, Cr and Ni which exceeded the international standards. This is particularly significant as people use the contaminated soils as building materials for their homes as well as for farming and food production. The inhabitants of the area are often without any knowledge about the perils of the contaminated soils, water as well as air which is serious long-term human catastrophe. Drawing from international experience, the paper argues that it is possible to develop housing in former tin-mining areas but requires careful remediation and engagement by the public and private sector.
文摘Three major programs have been implemented in rural Tibetan areas in order to improve children's nutrition and healthcare,namely antenatal care,infant and young child feeding,as well as school feeding.In terms of effectiveness of service provision,the school feeding program has been put into practice more effectively than the other two for two reasons.First,rural Tibetan families are accustomed to traditional infant and young child feeding practices.Secondly,the lack of incentives for healthcare workers and the shortage of funding have hindered the provision of healthcare to rural families.Therefore,this paper proposes an adjustment of the incentive structure for healthcare providers,a fortification of the village level network of healthcare services,an improvement in the approach to healthcare education for farmers and herders,and the coordination of training courses targeted at the officials and service teams of the healthcare system.
文摘The influence of human security components on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights （SRHR） of individuals was explored in four sub-Saharan Africa countries of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Uganda from November 2008 to April 2009. The present results suggest that the major threat to human security is the competing economic demands that make it difficult for the population to prioritize reproductive health services in their household budgets. This study concludes that there are potential benefits of human security approaches for furthering the goals of SRHR initiatives, in line with the principles and guidelines expressed in the Maputo Plan of Action and the Millennium Development Goals （MDGs）. The results of this study suggest that IPPF Africa Region can start to prioritize economic security, community security and health security which have greatest impact on the reproductive health of the sub-Saharan African population. The key lesson learnt is that the effective use of family planning services mitigates the effects of other human insecurities, including economic, food, and health insecurities as its application in the families will reduce family size and demand on available resources.
文摘This study investigates household environmental factors and childhood morbidity in South-western Nigeria. To determine patterns of household environ- mental characteristics in south-western Nigeria, both primary and secondary data were employed in the study. The primary data were obtained through in-depth interviews （IDIs） with women of childbearing age who have at least a child within the last 5 years in two randomly selected states, Oyo and Osun states, in south-west Nigeria, while the secondary data were extracted from the 2013 Nigeria Demo- graphic Health Surveys （NDHS） designed to elicit information from 33,385 women of ages between 15 and 49 years in randomly selected households across all the states in Nigeria and the Federal Capital, Abuja. Three remarkable contributions were obtained： （i） the prevalence of childhood disease is high among homes with poor household environmental facilities; （ii） incidence of childhood diseases is greatly influenced by poor toilet facilities, biomass source of cooking fuel and unhealthy type of roofing material; （iii） age of mothers, mothers＇ educational status, wealth index and access to health facility were found to have a significant rela- tionship with childhood diseases. Therefore, it is confirmed that poor household environmental condition and low socio-economic status impede child health in South-western Nigeria.
