Medicine
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Esophageal cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer mortality. More than 90% of patients with esophageal cancer in Taiwan have squamous cell carcinoma. Survival of such patients is related to socioeconomic status (SES). ⋯ Patients living in disadvantaged areas with high individual SES were more likely to receive surgery than those with low SES (odds ratio 1.45, 95% confidence interval 1.11-1.89). Esophageal cancer patients with low individual SES have the worst 5-year survival, even with a universal healthcare system. Public health, education, and social welfare programs should address the inequality of esophageal cancer survival.
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General anesthesia (GA) has been used for second line treatment strategy for status asthmaticus in pediatric patients. The association between GA in children and risk of followed-up allergic diseases is unclear. This study aims to assess the risk of allergic diseases after GA in children. ⋯ Of those, 2358 subjects were exposed to GA; 414 and 1944 children exposed to mask and intubation ventilation, respectively, served as the study cohort, whereas the remaining 30,384 children made up the comparison cohort. Children in the GA group were at a lower risk of developing asthma, AR and AD, with adjusted hazard ratios of 0.67 (0.62-0.72, 95%CI), 0.72 (0.68-0.77, 95%CI), 0.60 (0.56-0.64, 95%CI), respectively. Children who were exposed to GA in early life before 1 year of age had reduced risk of subsequently developing allergic diseases such as asthma, AD, and AR, when compared with general population.
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This study aimed to explore public views on disclosure of tobacco components in an effort to develop a comprehensive regulatory system facilitating implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Articles 9 and 10 in Korea. In all, 1200 representative Koreans 19 years old or older were enrolled and information on their general characteristics, smoking status, awareness of the effects of smoking on health, and views on the public disclosure of tobacco components was collected by telephone using a structured questionnaire. Factors associated with acceptance of the need for public disclosure of tobacco components were identified via multivariate analysis. ⋯ Females and never-smokers (odds ratio [OR]: 4.39, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.76-10.94) more readily accepted the need for public disclosure, whereas those of lower educational level and/or who were less aware of the harm to health posed by smoking (OR: 0.05, 95% CI: 0.01-0.18) were less likely to be accepting. The attitude of the general population ensures that FCTC Articles 9 and 10 will be successfully implemented in Korea. Further public consultation on the details of disclosure would be useful for the development of a comprehensive regulatory system.
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Exploring beliefs about personal risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is essential to understanding what motivates people to engage in behaviors that reduce or increase their risk of HIV infection. Therefore, the current study's objective was to examine the effects of a Rational-Emotive Health Education Program (REHEP) on HIV risk perceptions among in-school adolescents in Anambra State, Nigeria. Forty-four participants were identified as having high-risk perceptions about HIV infection through a self-report questionnaire and met the inclusion criteria. ⋯ REHEP had significant effect on HIV risk perceptions of in-school adolescents exposed to treatment group, despite their sex. Religious background did not determine the significant effect of REHEP on HIV risk perceptions of in-school adolescents in the treatment group. Follow-up studies that would use a REHEP to assist client population from other parts of the country to promote HIV risk reduction, especially among those with high-risk behavior, are needed in Nigeria.
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Observational Study
Multiple T-cell responses are associated with better control of acute HIV-1 infection: An observational study.
Cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses play pivotal roles in controlling the replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), but the correlation between CTL responses and the progression of HIV-1 infection are controversial on account of HIV immune escape mutations driven by CTL pressure were reported. The acute HIV-1-infected patients from Beijing were incorporated into our study to investigate the effects of CTL response on the progression of HIV-1 infection. A longitudinal study was performed on acute HIV-1-infected patients to clarify the kinetic of T-cell responses, the dynamic of escape mutations, as well as the correlation between effective T-cell response and the progression of HIV infection. ⋯ Pol743-751 (LPPVVAKEI, LI9), Pol283-289 (TAFTIPSI, TI8), and Gag327-3459 (NANPDCKTI, NI9) were identified as 3 dominant epitopes, and ranked as starting with LI9, followed by TI8 and NI9 in the ability to induce T-cell responses. The dynamics of escape mutations in the 3 epitopes were also found with the same order as T-cell response, by using sequencing for viral clones on blood sampling at seroconversion, 3 and 6 months after HIV-1 infection. We use solid evidence to demonstrate the correlation between T-cell response and HIV-1 mutation, and postulate that multiple T-cell responses might benefit the control of HIV-1 infection, especially in acute infection phase.