Suchergebnisse

By the end of the Millennium Development Goal's target year, 2015, India had been declared as a country, which has made moderate progress in terms of improvement in basic sanitation provision for all. Yet open defecation is still a regular practice of a significant proportion of the population in both urban and rural areas. The Indian government has been trying to address this problem for the last three decades through different programmes. However, though the effort is laudable, in reality, the countrywide situation is not so praiseworthy. Lack of sanitation provisions affects people in different ways with different intensities along the lines of class, gender, age, disability, and marginality. In Darjeeling city, due to lack of proper sanitation facilities, a significant portion of the population uses public toilets, which are less in number compared to the demand. People face a variety of difficulties and hurdles in using public toilets, and as a result, continue to practice open defecation during the night and early morning. Among the users, women and adolescent girls suffer more than the others. Moreover, in this city, a significant portion of the population faces acute water crisis during the dry months. This empirical study tries to explore the different ways through which women and adolescent girls are affected by the lack of safe sanitation facilities within the house premises. The article also argues that lack of sanitation provision should be considered as a matter of violence against women and adolescent girls because the situation makes them vulnerable to the risk of being violated or sexually abused.

Background Despite their burden of a triple epidemic of silicosis, tuberculosis and HIV infection, little is known about the mortality experience of miners from the South African mining industry once they leave employment. Such information is important because of the size and dispersion of this population across a number of countries and the progressive nature of these diseases. Methods This study included 306,297 South African miners who left the industry during 2001–2013. The study aimed to calculate crude and standardised mortality rates, identify secular trends in mortality and model demographic and occupational risk factors for mortality. Results Crude mortality rates peaked in the first year after exit (32.8/1000 person-years), decreasing with each year from exit. Overall mortality was 20% higher than in the general population. Adjusted annual mortality halved over the 12 year period. Mortality predictors were being a black miner [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 3.30; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.15–3.46]; underground work (aHR 1.33; 95% CI 1.28–1.39); and gold aHR 1.15 (95% CI 1.12–1.19) or multiple commodity employment (aHR 1.15; 95% CI 1.11–1.19). Conclusions This is the first long-term mortality assessment in the large ex-miner population from the South African mining industry. Mortality patterns follow that of the national HIV-tuberculosis epidemic and antiretroviral treatment availability. However, ex-miners have further elevated mortality and a very high mortality risk in the year after leaving the workforce. Coordinated action between the mining industry, governments and non-governmental organisations is needed to reduce the impact of this precarious transition.

The article covers the main medical and demographic problems of Ukraine: birth-rate decline, growth of mortality; moving of qualified personnel abroad, which led to a decrease in the population over the years of independence by more than 9.5 million people. The total birth rate in Ukraine in 2017 was 10.3 per 1000 people, which is 14.9% lower than in 1991. The lowest birth rate was observed in 2000-2002 (7.8, 7.7, 8.1). Then gradually there is an increase in the indicators in 2012 - 11.4 per 1000 people. The total mortality rate in 2017 is 14.4, which is 11.6% higher than in 1991. According to the analysis period, the lowest mortality rate was registered in 1991 - 12.9%. The most high-speed in the period 2005-2008. (16.6, 16.2, 16.4). The natural increase from -0.8 dropped to-4.1 (more than 5 times). The demographic situation in Ukraine is characterized by depopulation, it is characterized by demographic crisis, the main features of which are adverse changes not only in the number but also in the healthy of population, which is manifested in the decrease in the average life expectancy, the deterioration of the health of children and adolescents, the growth of malformations among newborns, high mortality rates from circulatory system diseases; oncological diseases, injuries, poisonings and other consequences of external causes; men's super mortality. The main causes of these phenomena are the protracted economic crisis, the ecological catastrophe (Chernobyl), the country's being in a state of hybrid war, which led to a sharp decline in living standards, uncertainty of the population in the future deaths of people. We offered some ways to over come the country's demographic crisis.

In Lithuania total health expenditure per capita is half of the EU average, while GDP per capita is 75% of the EU average. In 2015 public health expenditure as a percentage of GDP was 6.51% (the fourth lowest in the EU). A high share, one third, of health expenditure is funded by out-of-pocket payments, which is more than double the EU average. The main cause of out-of-pocket payments is high spending on outpatient pharmaceuticals. This creates financial barriers to the purchase of pharmaceuticals for the most vulnerable groups (retired, unemployed and other low-income people). Only some of them are eligible for partial reimbursement. Prices for pharmaceuticals are high because physicians tend to prescribe unnecessarily expensive brands, and there is a low reliance on generics among the population. The government is taking efforts to promote generics and to reduce prices. Nevertheless, Lithuanians enjoy widespread coverage for a broad package of services thanks to universal compulsory health insurance. Contributions to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) by the state ensure that the unemployed and the most economically inactive population groups who are not capable of working are covered by public health insurance. Economically inactive people who are capable of working have to pay contributions by themselves even if they do not have an income. This creates a potential gap in coverage. However, there are no reliable data on how large it is. It is estimated that about 8% of the population are not paying contributions. However, due to intensive outmigration, a substantial share of them may reside, and be insured, in other EU countries.

In Lithuania total health expenditure per capita is half of the EU average, while GDP per capita is 75% of the EU average. In 2015 public health expenditure as a percentage of GDP was 6.51% (the fourth lowest in the EU). A high share, one third, of health expenditure is funded by out-of-pocket payments, which is more than double the EU average. The main cause of out-of-pocket payments is high spending on outpatient pharmaceuticals. This creates financial barriers to the purchase of pharmaceuticals for the most vulnerable groups (retired, unemployed and other low-income people). Only some of them are eligible for partial reimbursement. Prices for pharmaceuticals are high because physicians tend to prescribe unnecessarily expensive brands, and there is a low reliance on generics among the population. The government is taking efforts to promote generics and to reduce prices. Nevertheless, Lithuanians enjoy widespread coverage for a broad package of services thanks to universal compulsory health insurance. Contributions to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) by the state ensure that the unemployed and the most economically inactive population groups who are not capable of working are covered by public health insurance. Economically inactive people who are capable of working have to pay contributions by themselves even if they do not have an income. This creates a potential gap in coverage. However, there are no reliable data on how large it is. It is estimated that about 8% of the population are not paying contributions. However, due to intensive outmigration, a substantial share of them may reside, and be insured, in other EU countries.

India is country where world's second largest population are using internet, but when we look at number of bank account they show bad figure. Before the launching of PMJDY, 60 to 65 populations was unbanked. Only 35 to 40 were having a bank account. So for financial development of these peoples, growth of economy, ensure financial services to everyone, there is need of a strong policy with good implementation which can give maximum output. There is need of financial Inclusion. One of the main reasons of poverty in India is financial exclusion also. Financial inclusion is the essence for the sustainable economic growth and development of the country. Without Financial Inclusion we cannot think of economic development because a large chunk of total population remains outside the growth process. It will solve the problem of financial Untouchability. Indian government and Reserve Bank of India RBI are trying from so many years to bring all the people in the ambit of banking. On the eve of 68th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicized "Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana" to reduce financial Untouchability by including millions of people in the financial mainstream. This paper aims to identify the performance of previous financial inclusion schemes, and problems and challenges associated with this PMJDY for ending the Financial Untouchability. Vikash Chand Jayasawal "Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana: Finance for all to end "Financial Untouchability" True or Myth" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-2 | Issue-4 , June 2018, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd11181.pdf

Background Pediatrician and pediatric subspecialist density varies substantially among the various Canadian provinces, as well as among various states in the US. It is unknown whether this variability impacts health outcomes. To study this knowledge gap, we evaluated pediatric asthma admission rates within the 2 Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, which have similarly sized pediatric populations and substantially different physician densities. Methods This was a retrospective cross-sectional cohort study. Health regions defined by the provincial governments, have, in turn, been classified into "peer groups" by Statistics Canada, on the basis of common socio-economic characteristics and socio-demographic determinants of health. To study the relationship between the distribution of the pediatric workforce and health outcomes in Canadian children, asthma admission rates within comparable peer group regions in both provinces were examined by combining multiple national and provincial health databases. We generated physician density maps for general practitioners, and general pediatricians practicing in Manitoba and Saskatchewan in 2011. Results At the provincial level, Manitoba had 48.6 pediatricians/100,000 child population, compared to 23.5/100,000 in Saskatchewan. There were 3.1 pediatric asthma specialists/100,000 child population in Manitoba and 1.4/100,000 in Saskatchewan. Among peer-group A, the differences were even more striking. A significantly higher number of patients were admitted in Saskatchewan (590.3/100,000 children) compared to Manitoba (309.3/100,000, p < 0.0001). Conclusions Saskatchewan, which has a lower pediatrician and pediatric asthma specialist supply, had a higher asthma admission rate than Manitoba. Our data suggest that there is an inverse relationship between asthma admissions and pediatrician and asthma specialist supply.

The intestinal microbiota plays a key role in the maintenance of human health. Alterations in this microbiota have been described in several autoimmune diseases, including nervous system diseases. Nevertheless, the information regarding neuromuscular conditions is still limited. In this study, we aimed at characterizing the intestinal microbiota composition in myasthenia gravis patients (MG). To this end fecal samples were taken from ten patients, with antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor, and ten age and sex matched controls from the same population (Asturias region, Spain). Fecal samples were submitted to microbiota analyses by 16S rRNA gene profiling, bifidobacterial ITS-region profiling and qPCR. The fecal levels of short chain fatty acids were determined by gas chromatography. MG patients were found to harbor lower relative proportions of Verrucomicrobiaceae and Bifidobacteriaceae, among others, and increased of the phylum Bacteroidetes and the family Desulfovibrionaceae. The increase of these latter microbial groups was also confirmed at quantitative level by qPCR. In contrast, no statistically significant differences were found between MG patients and the control group in the bifidobacterial population at the species level or in short chain fatty acids profiles. Our data indicates an altered fecal microbiota pattern in MG patients and point out at specific microbiota targets for intervention in this population. ; This work was financed by projects AGL2017-83653R from Plan Estatal de I + D + I (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness), and by Grant GRUPIN14-043 from Plan Regional de Investigación del Principado de Asturias, Spain. Both national and regional grants received cofounding from the European Union FEDER funds. SA is the recipient of a postdoctoral Marie Curie contract funded by the EU. ; Peer reviewed

In Lithuania total health expenditure per capita is half of the EU average, while GDP per capita is 75% of the EU average. In 2015 public health expenditure as a percentage of GDP was 6.51% (the fourth lowest in the EU). A high share, one third, of health expenditure is funded by out-of-pocket payments, which is more than double the EU average. The main cause of out-of-pocket payments is high spending on outpatient pharmaceuticals. This creates financial barriers to the purchase of pharmaceuticals for the most vulnerable groups (retired, unemployed and other low-income people). Only some of them are eligible for partial reimbursement. Prices for pharmaceuticals are high because physicians tend to prescribe unnecessarily expensive brands, and there is a low reliance on generics among the population. The government is taking efforts to promote generics and to reduce prices. Nevertheless, Lithuanians enjoy widespread coverage for a broad package of services thanks to universal compulsory health insurance. Contributions to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) by the state ensure that the unemployed and the most economically inactive population groups who are not capable of working are covered by public health insurance. Economically inactive people who are capable of working have to pay contributions by themselves even if they do not have an income. This creates a potential gap in coverage. However, there are no reliable data on how large it is. It is estimated that about 8% of the population are not paying contributions. However, due to intensive outmigration, a substantial share of them may reside, and be insured, in other EU countries.

Not Available ; The extinction risk of sharks, rays and chimaeras is higher than that for most other vertebrates due to low intrinsic population growth rates of many species and the fishing intensity they face. The Arabian Sea and adjacent waters border some of the most important chondrichthyan fishing and trading nations globally, yet there has been no previous attempt to assess the conservation status of species occurring here. Using IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Categories and Criteria and their guidelines for application at the regional level, we present the first assessment of extinction risk for 153 species of sharks, rays and chimaeras. Results indicate that this region, home to 15% of described chondrichthyans including 30 endemic species, has some of the most threatened chondrichthyan populations in the world. Seventy‐eight species (50.9%) were assessed as threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable), and 27 species (17.6%) as Near Threatened. Twenty‐nine species (19%) were Data Deficient with insufficient information to assess their status. Chondrichthyan populations have significantly declined due to largely uncontrolled and unregulated fisheries combined with habitat degradation. Further, there is limited political will and national and regional capacities to assess, manage, conserve or rebuild stocks. Outside the few deepsea locations that are lightly exploited, the prognosis for the recovery of most species is poor in the near‐absence of management. Concerted national and regional management measures are urgently needed to ensure extinctions are avoided, the sustainability of more productive species is secured, and to avoid the continued thinning of the regional food security portfolio. ; Not Available

Not Available ; The extinction risk of sharks, rays and chimaeras is higher than that for most other vertebrates due to low intrinsic population growth rates of many species and the fishing intensity they face. The Arabian Sea and adjacent waters border some of the most important chondrichthyan fishing and trading nations globally, yet there has been no previous attempt to assess the conservation status of species occurring here. Using IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Categories and Criteria and their guidelines for application at the regional level, we present the first assessment of extinction risk for 153 species of sharks, rays and chimaeras. Results indicate that this region, home to 15% of described chondrichthyans including 30 endemic species, has some of the most threatened chondrichthyan populations in the world. Seventy‐eight species (50.9%) were assessed as threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable), and 27 species (17.6%) as Near Threatened. Twenty‐nine species (19%) were Data Deficient with insufficient information to assess their status. Chondrichthyan populations have significantly declined due to largely uncontrolled and unregulated fisheries combined with habitat degradation. Further, there is limited political will and national and regional capacities to assess, manage, conserve or rebuild stocks. Outside the few deepsea locations that are lightly exploited, the prognosis for the recovery of most species is poor in the near‐absence of management. Concerted national and regional management measures are urgently needed to ensure extinctions are avoided, the sustainability of more productive species is secured, and to avoid the continued thinning of the regional food security portfolio. ; Not Available

Currently, there is an increasing number of older population groups, especially in developed countries. This demographic trend, however, may cause serious problems, such as an increase in aging diseases, one of which is dementia whose main symptom consists in the decline of cognitive functioning. Although there has been ongoing pharmacological research on this neurological disorder, it has not brought satisfying results as far as its treatment is concerned. Therefore, governments all over the world are trying to develop alternative, non-pharmacological strategies/activities, which could help to prevent this cognitive decline while this aging population is still healthy in order to reduce future economic and social burden. One of the non-pharmacological approaches, which may enhance cognitive abilities and protect against the decline in healthy older population, seems to be the learning of a foreign language. The purpose of this mini-review article is to discuss recent findings about the effect of foreign language learning on the enhancement of cognitive functions among healthy older individuals. The findings, divided into three research areas, show that the learning of a foreign language may generate a lot of benefits for older individuals, such as enhancement of cognitive functioning, their self-esteem, increased opportunities of socializing, or reduction of costs. However, as Ware et al. (2017) indicate, any intervention program on foreign language learning should be well thought of and tailored to the needs of older people in order to be effective and avoid accompanying factors, such as older people's anxiety or low self-confidence. Nevertheless, more empirical studies should be done in this area.

Universal salt iodization (USI) was adopted in Madagascar in 1995 within the framework of a worldwide policy to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders. Despite early USI adoption, there are no representative data on the iodine status of the Malagasy population. The aims of this study were to determine the iodine status of the Malagasy population and to assess the use of adequately iodized salt among households. We randomly sampled women of reproductive age (WRA) using a national, two‐stage, stratified cross‐sectional survey in 2014. Casual urine from WRA and salt samples from the household containing WRA were collected to measure urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and to assess household salt iodine content. Data from 1,721 WRA in 1,128 households were collected and analysed. The national median UIC was 46 μg L(−1) (interquartile range [IQR]: 13–98 μg L(−1)), indicating a moderate iodine deficiency. The median UIC was 53 μg L(−1) (IQR: 9–89 μg L(−1)) in pregnant women and 46 μg L(−1) (IQR: 13–98 μg L(−1)) in non‐pregnant women. The national median iodine concentration of household salt was 10 mg kg(−1) (IQR: 6.3–15.8 mg kg(−1)) and 26.2% (95% CI [22.1, 31.0]) of households containing WRA used adequately iodized salt (≥15 mg kg(−1)). Women living in households with adequately iodized salt had higher median UIC (72 vs. 50 μg L(−1)). Iodine status was significantly lower among women from low socio‐economic households. Madagascar's USI program needs to be revitalized. Implementing strategies to provide adequately iodized salt and enhancing iodized salt legislation to prevent severe complications resulting from iodine deficiency in the Malagasy population are essential.

Purpose: Adopting meat reduction strategies within the UK is fundamental to limiting environmental damage and achieving public health benefits. This paper aims to compare the attitudes to adopting meat reduction strategies within the general population and people with a link to agriculture to understand attitudes to meat reduction. Design/methodology/approach: Cross-sectional self-administered questionnaires were disseminated using online fora, community groups and by attending agricultural marts. Questionnaire development was informed by current literature, and structured around four theoretical domains: knowledge, social/cultural influences, beliefs about consequences and intentions to change and a food frequency questionnaire for meat consumption. Inclusion criteria were people > 18 years, living in the North East of Scotland. In total, 470 adult participants, from within the North East of Scotland, were recruited. The study population was divided into two groups, individuals with a link to the agricultural economy (n = 174) and the general public (n = 296). Findings: The general public group were more willing than the agricultural community to adopt meatless meals (or were doing so) [55.1% (n = 162) vs 28.1% (n = 49), p < 0.001]. Barriers to change included habit, limited choice when eating out, resistance of family members, lack of information, income related to meat consumption and the status of meat within a meal. Men were less likely to choose meatless meals than women (23.8%, n = 36, vs 55.1%, n = 176, p < 0.001). Originality/value: Meat reduction strategies should be tailored appropriately to population groups, with an understanding of social and political drivers, and further studies investigating barriers within the agricultural economy are warranted.

The Ismailis are one of the largest Muslim minority populations of Central Asia, and they make up the second largest Shiʿi Muslim community globally. First emerging in the second half of the 8th century, the Ismaili missionary movement spread into many areas of the Islamic world in the 10th century, under the leadership of the Ismaili Fatimids caliphs in Egypt. The movement achieved astounding success in Central Asia in the 10th century, when many of the political and cultural elites of the region were converted. However, a series of repressions over the following century led to its almost complete disappearance from the metropolitan centers of Central Asia. The movement later reemerged in the mountainous Badakhshan region of Central Asia (which encompasses the territories of present-day eastern Tajikistan and northeastern Afghanistan), where it was introduced by the renowned 11th-century Persian poet, philosopher, and Ismaili missionary Nasir-i Khusraw. Over the following centuries the Ismaili movement expanded among the populations of Badakhshan, reaching a population of over 200,000 in the 21st century. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Ismailis suffered a series of severe repressions, first under local Sunni Muslim rulers and later under the antireligious policies of the Soviet Union. However, in the decades since the end of the Soviet period, the Ismailis of the region have become increasingly connected with the global Ismaili community and its leadership. While many aspects of the history of Ismailism in the Badakhshan region remain obscure and unexplored, the discoveries of significant corpuses of manuscripts in private collections since the 1990s in the Badakhshan region have opened up wide possibilities for future research.