Electromagnetic Radiation Exposure from Nearby Cellular Base Stations in the Gaza Strip, Palestine: A Concern for Public Health

The widespread mobile station’s antennas and the continued increase in the number of mobile phones users throughout the Gaza strip causing great panic in the population relating the debate overexposure to electromagnetic radiation EMR emitted from the antennas of mobile base stations. Therefore, this study was conducted to measure the levels of electromagnetic radiation emitted from the antennas of cellular base stations in Gaza governorate as well as to evaluate the citizen’s awareness and practices regarding potential health risks and mitigation methods of exposure to electromagnetic radiation emitted from cellular base stations, respectively. Fifty cellular base stations out of 197 stations were selected depending on the criteria of selecting one site per kilometer using Global Positioning System (GPS). Electromagnetic power density, electric field strength, and the magnetic field strength emitted from cellular base stations were measured using Narda-550. Assessment tool for observation was used to collect operational information of each station. A structured questionnaire with four-level Likert rating scale was used to survey 384 mobile phone users from the areas surrounding the selected cellular base stations. The results showed that the electromagnetic radiation levels of all stations were low and less than the national and international acceptable limits. Furthermore, the awareness of participant about health risks that could result from exposure to electromagnetic radiation emitted from cellular base stations and mobile phones was low. Nevertheless, the participant’s practices in mitigating the adverse impacts of electromagnetic radiation emitted from cellular base stations and mobile phones on their health were good.

Mothers’ Knowledge of Health Caring for Premature Infants after Discharge from Neonatal Intensive Care Units in the Gaza Strip, Palestine

Background: Preterm labor is one of the most public health problems related to neonates admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Poor knowledge among mothers about the care requirements of a preterm neonate is immediate cause for post-discharge medical problems in premature and neonates readmission to NICU. Hence, this study aims to evaluate mothers’ knowledge of caring for premature infants post-discharge from Neonatal Intensive Care Units in the Gaza strip. Methods: A Quantitative-based cross-sectional designs study was used to survey 120 mothers of preterm neonates at the time of preterm neonates discharge by face-to-face interview at Al-Shifa medical complex and Nasser hospital between February and June 2018. Results: The results showed that only about 58.4% of mothers of premature babies had good knowledge about health care needed for premature infants after discharge from NICU. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference between the level of knowledge and mother’s sociodemographic characteristics (P-values > 0.05). Conclusion: Mothers’ knowledge of premature infants care was not at the optimal level, which might put the newborns at risk. Therefore, the study emphasizes the necessity of thoughtful exchange of health information between team members and mothers and establishing pre- and post-discharge plans with mothers to start their healthy transition of preterm neonate to home and to ameliorate family concerns.

Evaluation of International Standards of Management of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) in Khorasan Razavi Hospitals from the Perspective of Managers

The general goal of the management of communication and information technology (MCIT) in the health sector, is to accelerate collecting, achieving and supporting the health system processes, and effective decision-making for managing this system;because preparing and providing health care services for society is very complex, and highly dependent on the information system. The aim of this investigation is to determine the mean scores of the possibility of implementing the MCIT standards in Khorasan Razavi hospitals, from the perspective of managers. This was a cross sectional descriptive-analytic study conducted in two steps in all hospitals. In the first step, the applicability of the standards in hospitals was studied. In the second step, the current status of hospitals was compared with international standards MCIT. In order to determine the validity of the questionnaires, opinions of professors and experts were acquired. Regarding the reliability, the SPSS V. 12 calculated the value of Cronbach’s to be 0.95 for the first questionnaire and 0.86 for the second questionnaire. Data were analyzed using statistic tests of one way ANOVA and t-test. The level of significance was fixed at 0.5. In the 16 hospitals studied, the mean and standard deviation of MCIT were (57.25 ± 13.74). The MCIT standards are applicable in hospitals of Khorasan Razavi according to half (49.4%) of managers;nonetheless, their application requires greater efforts by the hospitals.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of healthcare workers concerning Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Western Iran

Objective: To determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of healthcare workers in Kermanshah Province about Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever(CCHF).Methods: This study was conducted in 2014 on healthcare personnel in different job categories including physicians, nurses, midwives, laboratory staff and network health staff of Kermanshah Province by direct interview.Results: A total of 367 respondents who had more than 5 years of experience in their jobs were interviewed. Among them 91% of physicians and nurses, 97% of midwives and health workers and 96% of laboratory staff stated that they had not been confronted with CCHF patients so far. Regarding knowledge, 76% of physicians, 78% of nurses, 77% of midwives and 58% of laboratory staff believed that the disease is remediable. Most of the interviewed participants stated that the disease pertains to people who are in close contact with domestic animals, but they did not consider their own occupations as one of the risk factors. More than 70% of the respondents believed that the disease may exist in the province or their work field. Generally, the knowledge about CCHF was inadequate, with nurses having the lowest level of knowledge.Conclusions: Knowledge of Kermanshah healthcare staff about CCHF was poor,especially nurses in a high risk job category. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct specific training programs for the disease identification, transmission, prevention, and treatment as well as the use of personal protection and safety devices.

The health principle of TaiChi pile under fascia static pull

TaiChi pile function originated from the ancient health guidance method in China.Practice has proved that it plays a good role in removing diseases and fitness,prolonging life.Fascia is an anatomical structure formed by connective tissue,one of the four tissues.It is an independent sensory organ and a tension network system running through the whole body[1].

Understanding of Five Grains for YANG:a way to straighten Asians’dietary structure

According to the general opinion,grains should occupy the largest amount of human food each day,but this grain-based eating habit does not allow human life to be extended.Grains are high in carbohydrates and five commonly recognized plant hormones,namely auxin,gibberellin,cytokinin,abscisic acid,and ethylene.Through in-depth analysis of ancient books,it was found that five grains for support:support is a restriction,and it means the essence,which means that grains should be eaten less,and it is the essence of the least daily intake.To correctly understand the Chinese dietary concept of"five grains for support"is the basis for improving Asian dietary health and promoting Asian human health.

Review of the malaria epidemiology and trends in Zambia

A comprehensive desk review of malaria trends was conducted between 2000-2010 in Zambia to study malaria epidemiology and trends to guide strategies and approaches for effective malaria control.This review considered data from the National Health Information Management System,Malaria Surveys and Programme Review reports and analyzed malaria in-patient cases and deaths in relation to intervention coverage for all ages.Data showed three distinct epidemiological strata after a notable malaria reduction(66%)in in-patient cases and deaths,particularly between 2000-2008.These changes occurred following the(re-)introduction and expansion of indoor residual spraying up to 90%coverage,scale-up of coverage of long-lasting insecticidetreated nets in household from 50%to 70%,and artemisin-based combination therapy nationwide.However,malaria cases and deaths re-surged,increasing in 2009-2010 in the northern-eastern parts of Zambia.Delays in the disbursement of funds affected the implementation of interventions,which resulted in resurgence of cases and deaths.In spite of a decline in malaria disease burden over the past decade in Zambia,a reversal in impact is notable in the year 2009-2010,signifying that control gains are fragile and must be sustained toeliminate malaria.

Targeting LncRNA LLNLR-299G3.1 with antisense oligonucleotide inhibits malignancy of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo

Accumulating evidence has indicated that long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs)play critical roles in the development and progression of cancers,including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).However,the mechanisms of lncRNAs in ESCC are still incompletely understood and therapeutic attempts for in vivo targeting cancer-associated lncRNA remain a challenge.By RNA-sequencing analysis,we identified that LLNLR-299G3.1 was a novel ESCC-associated lncRNA.LLNLR-299G3.1 was up-regulated in ESCC tissues and cells and promoted ESCC cell proliferation and invasion.Silencing of LLNLR-299G3.1 with ASO(antisense oligonucleotide)resulted in opposite effects.Mechanistically,LLNLR-299G3.1 bound to cancerassociated RNA binding proteins and regulated the expression of cancer-related genes,including OSM,TNFRSF4,HRH3,and SSTR3.ChIRP-seq(chromatin isolation by RNA purification and sequencing)revealed that these genes contained enriched chromatin binding sites for LLNLR-299G3.1.Rescue experiments confirmed that the effects of LLNLR-299G3.1 on ESCC cell proliferation were dependent on interaction with HRH3 and TNFRSF4.Therapeutically,intravenous delivery of placental chondroitin sulfate A binding peptide-coated nanoparticles containing antisense oligonucleotide(pICSA-BP-ANPs)strongly inhibited ESCC tumor growth and significantly improved animal survival in vivo.Overall,our results suggest that LLNLR-299G3.1 promotes ESCC malignancy through regulating gene-chromatin interactions and targeting ESCC by pICSA-BP-ANPs may be an effective strategy for the treatment of lncRNA-associated ESCC.

Sandifer’s Syndrome in a 3-Month-Old Male Infant: A Case Report

Background: Sandifer syndrome (SS) is the association of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with neurological manifestations (spastic torticollis and paroxysmal dystonic postures with arching of the back and rigid opisthotonic posturing. Case presentation: A 3-month-old male infant presented to our emergency department with torticollis and dystonic episodes for two months associated with vomiting. These movements were observed during or just after feeding. Since the patient developed regurgitations with torticollis and dystonic episodes with arching of the back and rigid opisthotonic posturing. The electroencephalogram was normal. Barium swallow/meal examination revealed GERD without evidence of hiatus hernia. Apgar scores were 7 at 1 min and 9 at 5 min. Conclusion: Early recognition and treatment of GERD in patients with Sandifer syndrome enhance the success of medical management and contributes to improved quality of life for patients with brain damage. The paroxysmal dystonic behaviors were dramatically disappeared completely after medical management in this patient.

Extrinsic Risk Factors for Women Breast Cancer in Gaza Strip, Palestine: Associations and Interactions in a Case-Control Study

Background: Worldwide, breast cancer (BC) is the most frequently diagnosed neoplastic disease in women around menopause that is the leading cause of DALYs, because it causes a significant reduction of these women’s ability to function normally in everyday life. Methods: The present hospital-based case-control study was carried out between January and August 2018 using a structured questionnaire on 105 breast cancer women and 210 controls who are clinically free from breast cancer. Data about the study cases were collected in the oncology day-care clinics of the two main hospitals in Gaza strip “Al-Shifa and European Gaza hospitals”. Univariate logistic regression and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to identify the significant factors associated with BC. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analyses with adjustment for all confounders revealed that woman with BMI more than or equal 30 kg/m2 are under risk of getting BC 2.9 times greater than those having BMI less than 29 kg/m2 (AOR = 2.895;95% CI: 1.305 - 6.423). Analysis of risk according to reaching menopause showed that the estimated AOR was greater among those reached menopause (3.137, 95% CI 1.824 - 5.395) than among those that did not reach menopause. The risk of developing BC in the case of a history of incidence of BC in the family was more than two times higher (AOR = 2.632, 95% CI 1.528 - 4.535) than in case of the history of a free family of BC. Conclusion: In this context, the above-mentioned risk factors must be taken into consideration in BC management processes in the Gaza strip.

Microbiological Quality of Drinking Water and Prevalence of Waterborne Diseases in the Gaza Strip, Palestine: A Narrative Review

Water quality and occurrence of water-borne diseases in the Gaza strip are vivid examples for most developing societies. In recent years, the quality and quantity of groundwater, the only source of waters in the Gaza strip, have deteriorated markedly. A general rundown of the infrastructure and water distribution networks, in particular, the spread of cesspools, excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers, and improper treatment and disposal of wastewater remain major contributing factors to the continued deterioration in the water status in the Gaza strip. Without a doubt, the (Israeli)-Palestinian conflict had a clear negative impact on the water sector in the Gaza strip. Apparently, there is a dire need to adopt the WHO’s water safety plan in the management of Gaza’s water supply systems from catchment to consumer’s tap in order to maintain the sustainability and quality of water resources and prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases. Therefore, this review has been prepared to highlight the overall picture of the water dilemma in the Gaza strip in the last years and in addition, to identify the sources, sorts, levels, and health risks of consequence to microbial contamination of water. The impact of political conflicts on the water sector in the Gaza strip also was reviewed. Furthermore, recommendations were formulated in order to assist and guide future researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers to avoid the more exacerbation of water contamination as well as to protect public health.

Correlation between helicobacter pylori infection and manifestation of tongue

In WANG Jin’s article,1they found the relationship between Helicobacter pylori(Hp) infection and tongue manifestation.We take this opportunity to discuss some relevant topics.In the article,it reports that the tongue color indicates weak or strong points of internalorgans and prosperity of Qi and blood,and the tongue color of Hp infected patients was mainly light red.Due to the influence of various factors,short time from the invasion of external pathogenic factor into the body or weak pathogenicity or no damage to healthy Qi.