Impact of seasonality on the prevalence and risk factors of Giardia lamblia infections among the aborigines

Objective: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of Giardia(G.) lamblia infections among the aboriginal community during the wet and dry seasons. Methods: A total of 473 stool samples from the aborigines in Temerloh, Pahang, Malaysia were collected during wet(n=256) and dry seasons(n=217). Smear of all the PVA-preserved stool samples were subjected to Trichrome staining and microscopic examination under 1 000 伊magnification(Nikon eclipse E100) for the detection of G. lamblia. Positivity was recorded based on the presence of G. lamblia in trophozoite and/or cyst forms. Results: The prevalence of giardiasis was 12.10% and 8.29% during the wet and dry season, respectively. Age of less or equal to 15 years old and presence of other family members with G. lamblia infection were found to be the significant risk factors to acquire G. lamblia infections during both seasons. Untreated water supply was the significant risk factor of giardiasis during the dry season. This study highlighted the possibility of anthroponotic transmission of G. lamblia during both seasons and waterborne transmission during the dry season in the aboriginal community. Conclusions: This study suggests that seasonal variation plays an important role in the prevalence and risk factor of G. lamblia infection in the aboriginal community. Therefore, close contact with Giardia-infected family members and water-related activities or usage of untreated water must be avoided to reduce the burden of G. lamblia infection in this community.

Current issues involved with the identification and nutritional value of wood grubs consumed by Australian Aborigines

The so called witchetty grub is a publicized food source for Australian Aborig- ines. Despite heavy use, the identities and number of species consumed is still not known because of the lack of identified voucher specimens. Taxonomy based on adults makes identification of larval forms difficult. Dwelling in the root, trunks, and stems of woody plants, grubs are a reliable and highly valued food source that may be in decline. Much information on edible insects may already be lost in parts of Australia heavily settled by Europeans. However, there are many parts of Australia where information on edible insects is still strong and needs to be recorded accurately for long-term use. Recent iden- tification of＂witchetty grubs＂ from the witchetty bush at Barrow Creek has revealed that those there, based on their DNA, are not Endoxyla leucomochla. As grubs are collected and eaten before they mature and scientific taxonomy is based on adults, there are many unanswered questions on the grub identification and biology, host plants, and plant and grub distributions.

Pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in Indigenous Australians with diabetes in pregnancy

AIM: To perform a systematic review of reported neonatal and pregnancy outcomes of Indigenous Australians with diabetes in pregnancy(DIP).METHODS: Electronic searches of Pub Med and Web of Science were carried out. Articles were selected if they contained original data on DIP outcomes in Indigenous Australians. There were no specific exclusion criteria.RESULTS: A total of eight articles, predominantly from Queensland and Western Australia were identified once inclusion criteria were applied. Birth data from midwifery registries or paper charts encompassing years 1985-2008 were used. A total of 465591 pregnant women with and without DIP were included in the eight studies, with 1363 being Indigenous women with DIP. Indigenous Australians experienced increased rates of many known adverse outcomes of DIP including: macrosomia, caesarean section, congenital deformities, low birth weight, hypoglycaemia, and neonatal trauma. There were regional differences among Indigenous Australians, particularly regional/remote vs metropolitan populations where the regional/remote data showed worse outcomes. Two of the articles did not note a difference between Aboriginals and Caucasians in the rates of measured adverse outcome. Studies varied significantly in size, measured outcomes, and subsequent analysis.CONCLUSION: The health disparities between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians are further evidenced by poorer outcomes in DIP. This has broader implications for Indigenous health in general.

Chemo-profiling of eucalyptus and study of its hypoglycemic potential

Constant escalations in the number of diabetics worldwide and the failure of conventional therapy to restore normoglycemia without adverse effects,in spite of tremendous strides in modern medicine,calls for naturopathy and alternative medicine.Because diabetes is multi-factorial and has secondary complications,prevention of hyperglycemia is the central dogma for its management.To date,no oral hypoglycemic exists which can achieve tight glycemic control without side effects.Dietary adjuncts,lifestyle interventions and a resurgence of interest in phyto-therapy have consequently gained ground.Natural hypoglycemics have attracted attention due to ease of incorporation in everyday diet,affordability,less adverse effects,and long term safety.Ethno botanical literature reports more than 800 anti-diabetic plants species.Eucalyptus is well represented in the Aboriginal Pharmacopoeias for its various pharmacological activities.Its hot aqueous decoction has been used as a hypoglycemic in various regions of world.This editorial attempts to summarize the data on the hypoglycemic potential of the different eucalyptus species,highlight the value of its natural biomolecules for the prophylaxis and treatment of type2 diabetes,describe their mechanistic actions,shed light on the posology and safety aspects of eucalyptusand assess its applicability as a reinforcement to currently used therapy.

Cultural barriers lead to inequitable healthcare access for aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders

Aims: This article seeks to address some of the factors, particularly cultural barriers, contributing to inequity in healthcare service provisions for indigenous Australians. Furthermore, this article presents ways for healthcare professionals to take action on culture-related health equity issues. Finally, this article addresses what nurses can do to support more operational interventions and enhance the quality of services for indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders.Background: Recently, scholarly literature in Australia has focused on the issue of ensuring equitable access to healthcare for aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, who are regarded as economically, socially, politically and culturally disadvantaged(Larkins et al, 2016; Lowell, 2013).^(1,2)However, in spite of significant efforts on the part of the Australian government, scholars, policy makers and communities to provide fair and equitable healthcare, this challenging and longstanding issue remains unresolved and needs to be addressed immediately(Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2015; Australian Bureau of Statistics(ABS), 2011).^(3,4)Data sources: Using the Population, Intervention and Outcome framework, several databases(PUBMED,MEDLINE, and SCOPUS) and government web-based literature resources were searched to identify original research articles published from 2000 to 2016.Discussion: Health inequity exists among aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, and the cultural barriers are vital factors in addressing aboriginals' health inequity. Healthcare professionals could be part of an effective solution for diminishing racial/ethnic disparities in healthcare. Different types of nurses could play different roles in addressing aboriginal cultural barriers among aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders.Nurses are uniquely positioned to initiate and sustain contact with aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders in healthcare workplaces,as they can intervene at the points of greatest need in the community to address socially significant healthcare and social issues.Conclusions: The different roles of nurses in providing health and social care interventions to aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders could be utilized to increase equity in access to healthcare and help aboriginals attain better levels of health.

Community-based obesity prevention initiatives in aboriginal communities: The experience of the eat well be active community programs in South Australia

Childhood obesity is a growing concern world-wide, and obesity rates are higher in certain groups in the developed world, including Australian Aboriginal people. Community-based obesity prevention interventions (CBOPI) can help to address obesity, however the approach of such programs to reach diverse groups, including Aboriginal people, must be considered. This paper considers one mainstream1 CBOPI, the eat well be active (ewba) Community Programs in South Australia, which was delivered in two communities and sought to reach Aboriginal people as part of the overall program. This paper considers how well this approach was received by the Aboriginal people living and working in those communities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine Aboriginal workers who had some connection to the ewba program, and seven ewba project staff. Qualitative data analysis was performed and factors found to affect how well the program was received by Aboriginal people include relationships, approach and project target group, including geographical area. A different response was observed in the two communities, with a more positive response being observed in the community where more relationships were developed between ewba and Aboriginal staff. For any CBOPI seeking to work with Aboriginal (or other Indigenous) communities, it is vital to consider and plan how the program will meet the needs and preferences of Aboriginal people in all stages of the project, in order to reach this group.

Towards building consensus: Revisiting key principles of CBPR within the First Nations/Aboriginal context

Community based participatory research as a preferred approach to research with First Nations and Aboriginal communities has contributed to new terminologies, new methodologies, and new directions in research relationships. One of the ongoing challenges is to articulate and operationalize the principles for CBPR with these communities. This paper reflects on the nine principles articulated by LaVeaux and Christopher in the context of a long term community-academic research partnership at Standing Buffalo First Nations, Saskatchewan, Canada. Within this application, we begin to critique the various principles and to reframe these principles to increase their utility in informing community based research in the First Nations/Aboriginal context.

Attempt and Practice of Improving Multicultural Literacy of Senior Middle School Students—Taking the K.S.H.S Volunteer Services in Aboriginal Areas as an Example

This study explores ways to cultivate the multicultural literacy of high school students.The high school stage is a critical period for the establishment of personal values,and the school mainly focuses on entrance courses.For the literacy connotation of non-important subjects,such as multiculturalism,it is impossible to provide relevant curriculum changes.Speculation and discussion;also because the scope of activities of high school students is mainly on campus,there is a lack of corresponding field identification and cultivation,the conversion of multicultural literacy differences is insufficient,and there are phenomena,such as discrimination and language bullying.Try to improve its multiculturalism,one is to carry out hometown service activities,and the other is to integrate courses.The research method uses the ethnographic perspective to record the experience of hometown service.Through hometown service,students can discover distinct cultural differences and appreciate the beautiful and profound aspects of aboriginal culture.Reading aboriginal literature in high-level Chinese textbooks can understand the uniqueness of aboriginal culture and sort out the historical context,so that students can understand that the aboriginal test bonus system is derived from complex social structure issues.From the above discussion,it is found that penetrating service,reflection,reading,and corrective actions allow high school students to truly realize cultural differences.Boots can overcome differences and understand social justice and equal opportunities for ethnic groups.

Aboriginal Domestic Tourism Leadership Towards Reconciliation in Australia

The world-making possibilities of domestic tourism provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia with the potential to take leadership over the challenging interpersonal encounters necessary to the process of reconciliation. This proposition is drawn from a philosophical hermeneutic view of domestic tourism hosts and guests as always already bound by complex histories they cannot change. The paper demonstrates that tourism can enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to operate enterprises based on customary cultural law of neutral meeting places attuned to the difficult interpersonal challenges of Reconciliation. Neutral meeting places do not impose reconciliation onto domestic tourists, the intent is to instead exercise everyday humanity and compassion while enabling visitors to fulfil their travel desires. The findings suggest that visitors can become oriented to Aboriginal ways of being and stimulated to learn. As interactions progress, visitors can reach readiness to take up opportunities for genuine dialogue with Aboriginal hosts. Outcomes raised in this paper highlight that tourism can enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, as colonised people, to implement their cultural authority to take leadership over perplexing historical legacies woven through the fabric of a Western-dominated society conditioned by colonialism.

Dreaming Forward: Postidentity and the Generative Thresholds of Tourism

This manuscript from Hollinshead and Vellah calls for researchers in Tourism Studies and related Fields to reflect upon their own role in refreshing the social imaginaries of“after-colonialism”under the nomadisms of our time.Deleuzian in outlook,it positions the“post”of postcolonialism not as an end to colonialism’s imperatives but as a generative-portal through which new-seeds-of-”becoming”are discernable as the postidentities(rather than the“identities”)of populations are interpretable in multidirectional,non-hierarchical,and not easily-predictable ways.In provoking(after Deleuze)thought per rhizomatic processes(rather than via fixed concepts),the manuscript-critiquing these dynamic matters of“postidentity”-then harnesses the insights of(Leela)Ghandi’s on hybrid-nomadic-subjects,and of Venn on alternative-(com)possible-futures.Thereafter,these concerns of and about“after-colonialism”are critically contextualised within Aboriginal“Australia”,via the views of a pool of Indigenous intellectuals there,who synthesise the disruptive dialectics of belonging-cum-aspiration which they maintain that they and fellow Aboriginal people(of many sorts)face today.Throughout this manuscript,the agency and authority of tourism hovers in its sometimes-manifest/sometimes-latent generative power to project empowering postidentities for the world’s“host”or“visited”populations today.

Variants on Australian Language and Their Origins

Australian English is one of the variants of English. The words usage, pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary of Aus?tralian English differ from British English and American English because of its unique geographical environment, historical condi?tions, and aboriginal culture. A brief introduction to Australian English is given at the beginning. And then the authors will define the variants of Australian English from three perspectives respectively: historical influence, geographical characteristics and aborigi?nal factors. Aimed to improve understanding of Australian English and encourage more researchers to conduct further studies on international English.

An Exploration on Aboriginal Culture of Australia

Being an immigrated country in history,Australia is Well—know for its mulit-ture.The maintend of culture today still cannot throw off the onus of aboriginal art of Australia.When we Study it,we are greatly impacted by the influence which aboriginal culture has.

A dermatoglyphic study of the Amis aboriginal population of Taiwan

Amis is the largest aboriginal population in Taiwan. The previous dermatoglyphic studies of the Amis only reported limited data. In this study, we collected and analyzed the dermatoglyphs of 200 Amis in-dividuals, and we reported a wide range of dermatoglyphic variables including total finger ridge count, a-b ridge count, atd angle, axial triradius percent distance, and frequencies of fingerprint pattern, pal-mar thenar pattern, palmar interdigital pattern, and simian line. This study is the first comprehensive dermatoglyphic research of Amis since 1960s, and its dermatoglyphic data will be useful for future re-search in anthropology, genetics and medicine.

A dermatoglyphic study of the Kavalan aboriginal population of Taiwan

By the 1970s, a number of dermatoglyphic studies of Taiwan aborigines (Gaoshan nationality) had been published, however in each only a few dermatoglyphic variables were addressed. Since that time, little new research has been conducted. In this study, we collected and analyzed the dermatoglyphs of 100 individuals of Kavalan, a Taiwan aboriginal population, and we reported a wide range of dermatoglyphic variables including total finger ridge count (TFRC), a-b total ridge count (a-b RC), atd angle and axial triradius percent distance (tPD), and frequencies of fingerprint pattern, palmar thenar pattern, palmar interdigital pattern, palmar hypothenar pattern, and simian line. This study is the first comprehensive dermatoglyphic research of any Taiwan aboriginal population.

Mitochondrial DNA evidence supports northeast Indian origin of the aboriginal Andamanese in the Late Paleolithic

In view of the geographically closest location to Andaman archipelago, Myanmar was suggested to be the origin place of aboriginal Andamanese. However, for lacking any genetic information from this region, which has prevented to resolve the dispute on whether the aboriginal Andamanese were originated from mainland India or Myanmar. To solve this question and better understand the origin of the aboriginal Andamanese, we screened for haplogroups M31 （from which Andaman-specific lineage M31al branched off） and M32 among 846 mitochondrial DNAs （mtDNAs） sampled across Myanmar. As a result, two Myanmar individuals belonging to haplogroup M31 were identified, and completely sequencing the entire mtDNA genomes of both samples testified that the two M31 individuals observed in Myanmar were probably attributed to the recent gene flow from northeast India populations. Since no root lineages of haplogroup M31 or M32 were observed in Myanmar, it is unlikely that Myanmar may serve as the source place of the aboriginal Andamanese. To get further insight into the origin of this unique population, the detailed phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses were performed by including additional 7 new entire mtDNA genomes and 113 M31 mtDNAs pinpointed from South Asian populations, and the results suggested that Andaman-specific M31al could in fact trace its origin to northeast India. Time estimation results further indicated that the Andaman archipelago was likely settled by modem humans from northeast India via the land-bridge which connected the Andaman archipelago and Myanmar around the Last Glacial Maximum （LGM）, a scenario in well agreement with the evidence from linguistic and palaeoclimate studies.