Exploration of functional health, mental well-being and cross-sex hormone use in a sample of Thai male-to-female transgendered persons （kathoeys）

Transgender people sometimes use cross-sex hormones without medical supervision. The use of cross-sex hormones, as well as the functional health and mental well-being, among male-to-female transgendered people （＇kathoeys＇） in Chiang Mai, Thailand, was studied. Sixty kathoeys were interviewed regarding their use of cross-sex hormones and their familyrelationships. Individuals also completed the Life Orientation Test Revised （LOT-R） to assess dispositional optimism, the Social Functioning Questionnaire （SFQ） and the Short Form Health Survey 36 （SF-36）. Three categories were established as follows： those who never cross-dress, those who sometimes cross-dress and those who always cross-dress in public. Of the 60 subjects, 44 had used hormones for prolonged periods （9.7＋6.1 years）. Their use was related to the permanence of cross-dressing but unrelated to functional health and mental well-being. Fifty percent of subjects had overdosed on commonly used oral contraceptives. Three people used injectable oestrogen in a higher-than-recommended dose. Self-acceptance was high or reasonably good （83%） compared to no acceptance （17%）, and neither was related to the permanence of cross-dressing. Their acceptance by parents and siblings was also relatively high （85% and 89%, respectively）. The permanence of cross-dressing had no effect on the scores of optimism, SF-36 scores and social functioning. Acceptance by oneself or one＇s parents did not seem to affect most aspects of functional health and mental well-being, but non-acceptance by siblings generated lower scores on the social functioning and general mental health subscales. Stressors tended to include physical rather than social factors. In conclusion, the unsupervised use of cross-sex hormones was common among kathoeys, and 50% of the sample had overdosed on them. Acceptance was relatively good, except by siblings. New strategies are needed for a more responsible use of cross-sex hormones.

Functional Health Literacy and Doctor-Patient Communication: Experiences of HIV/AIDS Patients in Homa Bay County, Kenya

Patient involvement in the health care process has been documented as a critical component of successful disease management. However, inadequate functional health literacy among patients is a well-known barrier to effective doctor-patient communication, which has an adverse effect on health outcomes. This study aimed at investigating the association of functional health literacy and doctor-patient communication among HIV/AIDS patients in Homa Bay County, Kenya. It was a cross-sectional hospital-based survey conducted among 362 HIV/AIDS patients receiving care at the eight sub-county hospitals of Homa Bay county. Data was collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis tests were used to ascertain the reliability and validity of study instruments, while Logistic regression logistic analysis was used to measure the association between functional health literacy and doctor-patient communication. 51% of the respondents were females, and the majority (30.9%) of respondents fell in the age group of 45 years and above. The respondents’ functional health literacy levels were inadequate at weighted means scores of 3.23 [SD 1.31]. The study further established that functional health literacy significantly influenced doctor-patient communication [Nagelkerke R square = 0.318]. There is, therefore, a need to document the determinants of functional health literacy to improve it and make doctor-patient interaction an enjoyable and meaningful experience.

Business Opportunity for Health Functional Textiles

'It is predicted that the total output of China’s health care industry in 2010, 2015, and 2020 will respectively realize such market sizes of 960, 2,480, and 5,720 billion yuan, with an annual growth rate of 20%, leaving huge room for development.' said

Rehabilitation of shoulder paresis caused by herpes zoster according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health A case report

We describe the case of a 73-year-old man with left shoulder paresis caused by a herpes zoster infection of the left C5 dermatomes. The patient had been affected by pain for 10 days, a skin rash on his left shoulder and back for 5 days, and weakness of his left shoulder for 2 days before admission. Eiectromyography revealed denervation discharges from the left supraspinatus, infraspinatus and deltoid muscles, which was compatible with radiculopathy showing after zoster infection. The patient was examined in accordance with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, and treated with range-of-movement and strengthening exercises as well as activities of daily living and social participation. At 14 months after the onset of the condition, muscle strength had returned to normal. Electromyography revealed that motor unit action potentials were largely normal. These results indicate that the rehabilitation of paresis caused by herpes zoster can obtain positive results with suitable movement training.

Advances in the Health Benefits of Garlic

Functional ingredients, health functions and current situation of utilization and processing of garlic were summarized to provide theoretical reference for the further development of garlic products and the healthy development of garlic industry.

Advances in Researches of Functional Rice

Functional rice has functions of adjusting human physiological functions of and preventing diseases. At present,there are researches both at home and abroad about the relationship between nutritional quality and physiological active substances of rice and human physiological activities. Through conventional breeding,gene mutation technology,and molecular-assisted selection( MAS) technology,it is feasible to select and breed new rice varieties and plants with certain health care functions.

Australian children living with rare diseases:health service use and barriers to accessing care

Background Children with rare diseases experience challenges at home and school and frequently require multi-disciplinary healthcare.We aimed to determine health service utilization by Australian children with rare diseases and barriers to access-ing healthcare.Methods Parents completed an online survey on health professional and emergency department(ED)presentations,hospi-talization,and barriers to accessing services.Potential barriers to service access included residential location(city,regional,remote)and child health-related functioning,determined using a validated,parent-completed measure-of-function tool.Results Parents of 462 children with over 240 rare diseases completed the survey.Compared with the general population,these children were more likely to be hospitalized[odds ratio(OR)=17.25,95%confidence interval(CI)=15.50-19.20]and present to the ED(OR=4.15,95%CI=3.68-4.68)or a family physician(OR=4.14,95%CI=3.72-4.60).Child functional impairment was nil/mild(31%),moderate(48%)or severe(22%).Compared to children with nil/mild impair-ment,those with severe impairment were more likely to be hospitalized(OR=13.39,95%CI=7.65-23.44)and present to the ED(OR=11.16,95%CI=6.46-19.27).Most children(75%)lived in major cities,but children from regional(OR=2.78,95%CI=1.72-4.55)and remote areas(OR=9.09,95%CI=3.03-25.00)experienced significantly more barriers to healthcare access than children from major cities.Barriers included distance to travel,out-of-pocket costs,and lack of specialist medical and other health services.Conclusions Children with rare diseases,especially those with severe functional impairment have an enormous impact on health services,and better integrated multidisciplinary services with patient-centered care are needed.Access must be improved for children living in rural and remote settings.

Peritoneal carcinomatosis from advanced ovarian cancer: To treat or not to treat ethical issues suggested by a case study

This article provides a brief description of an epithelial ovarian cancer （EOC） case （stage Ⅳ） treated with the association of complete CytoReductive Surgery and hy-pertermic intraPEritoneal chemotherapy （HIPEC）. The use of HIPEC in EOC makes theoretic sense in view of the high rates of recurrence following standard treat-ment, but there are no randomized clinical trial to date and HIPEC for these patients still represents a radical treatment where the choice of no treatment may be acceptable since defnitive cure is unlikely. We reviewed the entire decision making process considering the risk/beneft of the procedure in term of mortality/morbidity, the quality of life and the psychological profile of the patient 1 year after surgery. The platform World Health Organization-International Classification of Function-ing, Disability and Health that permits evaluation of the person in relation to the psycho-social context is pre-sented. A person-centred approach and assessment of health-related quality-of-life and disability in EOC survi-vors are of central importance for decision making.

Application of resistant starch in swine and poultry diets with particular reference to gut health and function

The immediate post-weaning period poses a major challenge on the survival of piglets. Similarly, newly hatched chicks face life threatening challenges due to enteric infections. In the past several years, in-feed antibiotics have been used to reduce these production problems and improve growth. However, in-feed antibiotics have been banned in many jurisdictions and therefore the most effective alternatives to infeed antibiotics must be developed. To date, several studies have been conducted to develop alternatives to antibiotics. One of the potential candidates as alternatives to in-feed antibiotics is resistant starch(RS). Resistance starch is a type of starch that resists enzymatic digestion in the upper parts of the gastrointestinal tract and therefore passes to hindgut where it can be fermented by resident microorganisms. Microbial fermentation of RS in the hindgut results in the production of short chain fatty acids(SCFA). Production of SCFA in turn results in growth and proliferation of colonic and cecal cells, increased expression of genes involved in gut development, and creation of an acidic environment. The acidic environment suppresses the growth of pathogenic microorganisms while selectively promoting the growth of beneficial microbes. Thus, RS has the potential to improve gut health and function by modifying and stabilising gut microbial community and by improving the immunological status of the host. In this review, we discussed the roles of RS in modifying and stabilising gut microbiota, gut health and function, carcass quality, and energy metabolism and growth performance in pigs and poultry.

Application of the international classification of functioning, disability and health in China

Implementation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health （ICF） started in 2001 with the unanimous endorsement of the classification by the 54th World Health Organization （WHO） as a framework for describing and measuring health and disability. In recent years, the ICF has been increasingly applied to research and development in China, and has influenced the policies of the Chinese Disabled Person Enterprise and Chinese Rehabilitation Career. This paper introduces the translation, training and spread of ICF and its application in the fields of medicine, society and education in China.