Knowledge levels and attitudes of health care professionals toward patients with hepatitis C infection

AIM:To study knowledge levels and attitudes of health care providers toward patients with hepatitis C virus infection in Guilan,a northern province of Iran.METHODS:This cross-sectional study was performed on 239 health care professionals from the Razi Hospital,including doctors,nurses,and operating room technicians.The questionnaires consisted of questions on demographic characteristics,knowledge levels,and attitudes toward hepatitis C patients.The questionnaire was tested in a pilot study and validated by Cronbach' s alpha coefficient.Data were analyzed using SPSS16 software.RESULTS:The mean ± SD knowledge score was 17.43 ± 2.65(from a total of 22).51.9% of the participants achieved scores higher than the mean.There was a significant relationship between knowledge score and age(P = 0.001),gender(P = 0.0001),occupational history(P = 0.0001),and educational history(P = 0.027).There was also a significant relationship between attitude level and age(P = 0.002),gender(P = 0.0001),occupational history(P = 0.0001),and educational history(P = 0.035).Physicians were significantly more knowledgeable and showed more positive attitudes.There was a positive correlation between knowledge and attitude scores(P = 0.02).CONCLUSION:Discriminatory attitudes are common among health care providers toward hepatitis C patients.It is therefore necessary to improve their knowledge level and attitude toward this disease.

A new single-cell protein from Clostridium autoethanogenum as a functional protein for largemouth bass(Micropterus salmoides)

Clostridium autoethanogenum protein(CAP)is a new single-cell protein source originating from inactivated bacteria.An in vitro digestion experiment and an 8-wk growth experiment were conducted to evaluate the molecular weight distribution of the CAP hydrolysate,and the effects of dietary CAP levels on the growth performance,plasma parameters,hepatic and intestinal health,and the diversity of gutadherent microbiota of largemouth bass(Micropterus salmoides).The fish(initial body weight of 47.99±0.01 g)were fed diets where CAP gradually replaced 0%(CAP0),12.5%(CAP12.5),25%(CAP25),37.5%(CAP37.5)and 50%(CAP50)of low-temperature steam dried anchovy fish meal(LTFM)in the diet.Results showed that the content of peptides below 1,000 Da in the CAP hydrolysate(0.56 mg/mL)was higher than that of the LTFM hydrolysate(0.48 mg/mL).Dietary CAP inclusion had no negative effect on growth performance,while whole-body lipid content significantly reduced in the CAP25 and CAP50 groups(P<0.05).The plasma alanine aminotransferase activities and triglyceride concentrations in the CAP inclusion groups were significantly lower than those in the CAP0 group(P<0.05).The plasma aspartate aminotransferase activity was significantly reduced in the CAP37.5 group(P<0.05).The richness and diversity of the gut-adhesive microbiota and the proportion of Clostridium sensu stricto 12 in the CAP50 group were significantly higher than those in the CAP0 group(P<0.05).Dietary CAP inclusion inhibited inflammatory responses by down-regulating the mRNA levels of interleukin 1b(IL1b),IL10 and transforming growth factor b1(P<0.05)in the liver.The mRNA levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 were significantly down-regulated in the CAP12.5,CAP25 and CAP37.5 groups(P<0.05),while that of fatty acid synthase was significantly down-regulated in the CAP50 group(P<0.05).These results demonstrate that dietary CAP inclusion could improve the hepatic and intestinal health of largemouth bass,and can be helpful to further develop CAP as a functional feed ingredient.

A Decade-old Change in the Screening Rate for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Among a Hepatitis B Virus-infected Population in Korea

Background： Evaluating a change in the screening rate for hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） is critical for understanding screening implementation, and whether targeted population groups are receiving proper screening. This study examined recent nationwide changes in HCC screening use among hepatitis B virus （HBV）-infected populations after the introduction of the Korean National Cancer Screening Program and predictors of screening adherence. Methods： We analyzed 165 and 276 participants 〉40 years of age who were hepatitis B surface antigen-positive fiom 2001 （14,936 participants） to 2010-2011 （9159 participants） Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, respectively. Demographic data, socioeconomic factors, and HCC screening use were collected by means of self-reported questionnaires. Results： The rate of HCC screening within the previous 2 years increased significantly from 17.5% in 2001 to 40.3% in 2010- 20I 1 （P〈 0.0001 ）. The rate of HCC screening use increased from 2001 to 2010-2011 in all study populations. Subjects who had a higher income staius and were aware of their infection were more likely to have undergone recent HCC screening. Conclusions： This study showed a substantial increase in HCC screening in high-risk HBV-infected subjects from 2001 to 2010-2011. However, the HCC screening participation rate remained suboptimal despite the introduction of the nationwide screening program. Efforts should be made to identiry high-risk individuals and increase attendance at HCC screening events among high-risk groups.