scholarly journals Factors Associated with High Mercury Levels in Women and Girls from The Mojana Region, Colombia, 2013–2015

Author(s):  
Sonia Mireya Diaz ◽  
Ruth Marien Palma ◽  
Maria Nathalia Muñoz ◽  
Carolina Becerra-Arias ◽  
Julián Alfredo Fernández Niño

Women are primarily exposed to mercury through the consumption of fish contaminated by gold mining activities. The main systems affected are the central nervous and renal systems, although effects on the reproductive system have also been found. Objective: To explore the relationship between mercury levels in women and their possible sources of contamination. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 2013 to 2015 with women residing in 11 municipalities in La Mojana, Colombia, using non-random sampling. Standardized instruments were used to identify sociodemographic characteristics, mercury use, mining-related activities, water and fish consumption, and other factors. Blood, urine, and hair samples were taken to quantify mercury levels. A logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with elevated mercury values in the participants’ samples. A total of 428 women were included, with an average age of 36.7 ± 16.7 years, 3.3% of whom were pregnant at the time of the survey and 8.4% of whom were exposed occupationally. High levels of mercury were present in 62.8% of the women, in any one of the three samples processed. Those exposed occupationally and environmentally had similar values (p = 0.821). Frequency of fish consumption and source of drinking water were associated with higher levels of mercury (p < 0.05).

Author(s):  
Erman Yıldız

BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have separately revealed that parameters such as anxiety, depression, and secondary traumatic stress (STS) are associated with burnout, there is still a limited understanding of the relationship between anxiety, depression, and STS and burnout in intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. AIMS: To investigate the relationship between levels of burnout, anxiety, depression, and STS in ICU nurses. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted with ICU nurses ( N = 164) from a university hospital in eastern Turkey. The participants completed the anxiety, depression, STS, and burnout scales along with the descriptive characteristics form. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean scores for STS, anxiety, depression, and burnout were 40.60 ± 13.77, 17.14 ± 12.90, 13.28 ± 9.75 and 41.39 ± 14.87, respectively. The results showed that, in the ICU nurses, anxiety, depression, and STS components explained 61% of emotional exhaustion, 38% of depersonalization, and 13% of personal accomplishment. CONCLUSIONS: While the present findings supported the paradigm that burnout in ICU nurses is associated with STS, anxiety, and depression, they also revealed some details about the psychopathological factors associated with burnout. These details were as follows: (1) individuals who resorted to avoidance as a component of STS on a high level were more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, (2) individuals with severe depressive symptoms were more likely to experience a decrease in their personal accomplishment, and (3) individuals with anxiety symptoms were more likely to experience both emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mansoureh Refaei ◽  
Soodabeh Aghababaei ◽  
Mansoureh Yazdkhasti ◽  
Farideh Kazemi ◽  
Fatemeh Farahmandpour

Background: Several risk factors have been identified for postpartum hemorrhage, one of which being the duration of the third stage of labour. This stage refers to the interval between the expulsion of the fetus to the expulsion of the placenta. Some bleeding occurs in this stage due to the separation of the placenta Objective: This study aimed to identify the factors associated with the length of the third stage of labour. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 300 women hospitalized for vaginal birth were selected via convenience sampling. The study data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. Then, the data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses. Results: The mean (SD) age of the participants was 26.41 (6.26) years. Investigation of the relationship between the study variables and the time of placental separation indicated that a minute increase in the length of membranes rupture caused a 0.003minute decrease in the time of placental separation. However, this time increased by 2.75, 6.68, and 2.86 minutes in the individuals without the history of abortion, those with the history of stillbirth, and those who had not received hyoscine, respectively. The results of multivariate analysis indicated that suffering from preeclampsia or hypertension, history of stillbirth, not receiving hyoscine, and not receiving misoprostol increased the length of the third stage by 4.40, 8.55, 2.38, and 6.04 minutes, respectively. Conclusion: Suffering from preeclampsia and having the history of stillbirth increased and using hyoscine and misoprostol decreased the length of the third stage of labour. However, no significant relationship was found between the length of the third stage of labour and mother’s age, gestational age, parity, mother’s body mass index, mother’s chronic disorders, history of manual placenta removal, length of the first and second stages, membranes rupture, induction, amount of oxytocin after delivery, and infant’s weight and gender.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karima Mohtadi ◽  
Rajaa Msaad ◽  
Najwa Benalioua ◽  
Ali Jafri ◽  
Hasnaa Meftah ◽  
...  

Several studies had revealed that following the Mediterranean diet (MD) contributes to beneficial health status and a decreased risk of many chronic diseases. The aim of our study was to assess adherence to MD in Casablanca City and to identify the relationship between MD adherence and sociodemographic and lifestyle parameters. This cross-sectional study concerned 719 subjects with complete dietary data. Data collection was performed using a questionnaire including sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. The dietary intake was assessed with the use of a food-frequency questionnaire. The compliance with MD was evaluated with a simplified MD score. Our study showed that high adherence to the MD was characterized by high intakes of vegetables, fruits, pulses, fish, cereals, olive oil, and low meat and dairy consumption according to the Simplified MD score. As regard to the multivariate logistic, being a man, being married, persons with a level of education >6 years, luxurious housing, and consumption of alcohol were associated with a higher adherence to MD, while, the overweight was negatively associated with a higher adherence to MD. Maintaining the traditional MD pattern is crucial for public health; in this way, more research is needed in this area in order to precisely measure these associations.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadesse Nigussie ◽  
Qaro Qanche ◽  
Tewodros Yosef ◽  
Wondimagegn Wondimu ◽  
Adane Asefa

Abstract Background: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is increasing over time, leading to a significant number of life losses. According to the USAID 2018 report, 36.9 million (35.1 million adults) people globally were living with HIV, 1.8 million people became newly infected with HIV, and 940 000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2017. Mining workers are at high risk of acquiring HIV and infecting others, while successful preventive m easures are a key solution. Objective: To assess HIV preventive behaviors among gold mining workers in Dima district, southwest Ethiopia, 2019Methods and materials: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 1st to 31st, 2019. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews. The collected data were coded and entered into Epidata version 4.2.0.101, cleaned, and analyzed using SPSS version 21 statistical software. A binary logistic regression was conducted to determine the association using odds ratios at 95% confidence intervals. A P-value of less than 0.05 considered as the level of significance for HIV preventive behaviors. Results: Of 279 (61.3%) of the respondents have good practices of HIV prevention. Factors associated with good preventive practice were not alcohol drinkers (AOR= 2.86, 95%CI:1.30-6.29), not chew Khat (AOR= 2.09, 95%CI: 1.09-4.02), having good knowledge about HIV (AOR=1.81, CI:1.16-2.83), favorable attitude towards HIV prevention (AOR=4.76, 95%CI:3.02-7.49), and high perceived susceptibility to HIV were (AOR=2.63, 95%CI:1.63-4.24).Conclusion: Only about 61% of the mining workers in the study area were practiced HIV preventive behaviors. Not alcohol drinkers, having good knowledge about HIV, having a favorable attitude toward HIV prevention, and having high perceived susceptibility to HIV were factors associated with the practice of HIV preventive behaviors. Efforts have to be made by local governments and other concerned bodies to increase preventive behavior.


2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 595-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Natalie Arraes Guedes Macedo ◽  
Luciana Loureiro Nardotto ◽  
Luiz Henrique Junqueira Dieckmann ◽  
Yngrid Dieguez Ferreira ◽  
Barbara Arraes Guedes Macedo ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVES: 1 - Verify the prevalence of depressive symptoms in first to fourth-year medical students using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). 2 - Establish correlations between target factors and higher or lower BDI scores. 3 - Investigate the relationship between the prevalence of depressive symptoms and the demand for psychological care offered by the Centro Universitário Lusíada. METHOD: Cross-sectional study of 290 first to fourth-year medical students; implementation of the BDI, socio-demographic survey, and evaluation of satisfaction with progress. RESULTS: The study sample was 59% female and 41% male. Mean BDI was 6.3 (SD 5.8). Overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 23.1%. The following associations were statistically significant (p<0.05): among students for whom the course failed to meet original expectations, who were dissatisfied with the course, or who came from the interior of the State (20.5%, 12.5%, and 24.4% of the total sample, respectively), for 40%, 36.1% and 36.4%, respectively, the BDI was consistent with some degree of depression. CONCLUSION: The study showed that there is higher prevalence of depressive symptoms in medical students than in the general population


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-144
Author(s):  
Tating Nuraeni

Complications of delivery is a health disorder that is very dangerous for mothers because it can cause maternal deaths and the fetus. Maternal deaths in hospitals are caused by many cases of emergencies in pregnancy, childbirth and childbirth. The most immediate causes of maternal death are: bleeding, hypertension in pregnancy, partus stuck, infection and complications of abortion. This study aims to determine the factors associated with the incidence of birth complications in hospitals Indramayu 2018. Research design uses analytical method with Cross sectional Study approach to see the relationship between hypertension, and more weight with the incidence of labor complication.The number of samples used are 94 people who are maternity patients in hospital Indramayu. Results: indicated that there was a correlation between hypertension, and overweight with the incidence of birth complications with their respective values: hypertension (ρ value = 0.002), and overweight (ρ value = 0.000). Conclusions and suggestions, there is a correlation of hypertension and overweight to the incidence of labor complications. Maternal health activities in the form of family planning, balanced nutrition, and routine pregnancy checks are steps to prevent birth complications.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zati Sabrina Ahmad Zubaidi ◽  
Khasnur Abdul Malek ◽  
Zaliha Ismail

Abstract Background: Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest global threat in modern medicine. The situation is even more consequential in lower-and middle-income countries (LMIC) as financial limitations and political instability may become barriers to an impactful health policy. Therefore, The World Health organization has urge all nations to increase public awareness on antibiotic through effective educational interventions. In order for interventions to be successful, it is important to acknowledge that each country is unique in its problems as the demographic in LMIC are diverse. This study aims to identify the community’s attitude appropriateness towards antibiotic usage and their knowledge gaps, the relationship between antibiotic knowledge and their attitude as well as factors associated with inappropriate attitude towards antibiotic among outpatients attending an established primary care specialist center in Malaysia.Methodology : This cross-sectional study was conducted among 256 respondents attending a public primary care specialist clinic center. Those who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria from June to August 2017 were given a self-administered, validated and translated questionnaire. Pearson correlation was used to deduce the relationship between knowledge and attitude. Chi square test, independent t-test and multiple logistic regression were used to determine factors associated with inappropriate attitude towards antibiotic.Results: It was found that the respondents’ mean attitude and knowledge score were 29.5 ± 4.19 and 5.94 ± 2.4 respectively. The highest inappropriate attitude response was expecting antibiotic from the doctor for common colds and the most frequent incorrect knowledge response was on the domain of role of antibiotics. There is a weak positive relationship between antibiotic knowledge and attitude (r=0.315, n=256, p=0.0001). Respondents with low education level and poor antibiotic knowledge were at least 2.5 times more likely to have inappropriate attitude when handling antibiotics.Conclusion: Our study demonstrated the common inappropriate attitude towards antibiotic and areas of knowledge gap among the population. Antibiotic education should be incorporated in non-pharmacological measures of viral illnesses that is targeted among those with low education and poor antibiotic knowledge. The weak relationship between antibiotic knowledge and attitude suggest that health campaign should focus on behavioral change rather than a theoretical approach.


Author(s):  
Sonia Díaz ◽  
Maria Muñoz-Guerrero ◽  
Marien Palma-Parra ◽  
Carolina Becerra-Arias ◽  
Julián Fernández-Niño

In Colombia, the inhabitants of the Mojana region have historically been subjected to high levels of environmental and occupational exposure to mercury; however, there are few robust data on the magnitude of this exposure and associated factors. This study aimed to describe the levels of mercury in the workers and inhabitants in this region, and to identify the main sociodemographic and occupational factors that are associated with this exposure. A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which mercury levels were determined in biological samples (blood, urine, hair) from 1119 people in the Mojana region. A questionnaire was also administered, which was adapted from the Global Mercury Assessment. Linear regression models were adjusted for the natural logarithm of mercury levels in blood, urine, and hair, using the factors that were explored as independent variables. The study reports high mercury levels in 35.0% of blood samples (95% CI 31.9–38.1%), 28.8% (95% CI 24.9–32.8%) of urine samples, and 56.3% (95% CI 53.1–59.5%) of hair samples. The reported source of water for consumption was associated with high levels of mercury (p-value < 0.05). We provide evidence of high levels of mercury exposure for the population in the Mojana region.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Jenniffer Alejandra Castellanos-Garzon ◽  
Alvaro Daschner ◽  
Maria Pustovrh ◽  
Carmen Cuellar

Objective This study aimed to determine the dietary habits related to fish consumption and the risk factors associated with acquiring an ichthyo-zoonotic disease.Materials and Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out by means of a structured survey administered to 150 individuals in the city of Cali, Colombia.Results Epidemiological variables regarding fish consumption and preparation were contrasted with the medical records of the respondents. The median fish consumption in the surveyed population was three times a month, with raw or salted/marinated fish once a month. A positive correlation between fish consumption and allergic conditions was confirmed. There was no infectious or parasitic history associated with the data on fish consumption.Conclusions A relationship between fish consumption and allergies was confirmed. Further research is necessary to establish the possible pathogens associated with hypersensitivity, such as parasites of the Anisakidae family.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Tadesse Nigussie ◽  
Yitagesu Mamo ◽  
Qaro Qanche ◽  
Tewodros Yosef ◽  
Wondimagegn Wondimu ◽  
...  

Background. HIV/AIDS is becoming more prevalent over time, resulting in a considerable number of deaths. In 2017, 36.9 million (35.1 million adults) people worldwide were living with HIV, 1.8 million people were newly infected with HIV, and 940 000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses. Mining workers are at a high risk of contracting HIV and infecting others, and effective prevention is a critical. Objective. To assess HIV preventive behaviors and associated factors among gold mining workers in Dima district, southwest Ethiopia, 2019. Methods and Materials. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from November 1st to 30th, 2019. A convenience sampling technique was used to get mining workers for the interview.The data were collected through face-to-face interviews. The collected data were coded and entered into EpiData version 4.2.0.101, cleaned, and analyzed using SPSS version 21 statistical software. A binary logistic regression was conducted to determine the association using odds ratios at 95% confidence intervals. A P value of less than 0.05 considered the level of significance for HIV preventive behaviors. Results. From a total of 455 mining worker, 279 (61.3%) of them have good practices of HIV prevention. Factors associated with good preventive practice were not alcohol drinkers ( AOR = 2.86 , 95% CI: 1.30-6.29), not chew khat ( AOR = 2.09 , 95% CI: 1.09-4.02), having good knowledge about HIV ( AOR = 1.81 , CI: 1.16-2.83), favorable attitude towards HIV prevention ( AOR = 4.76 , 95% CI: 3.02-7.49), and high perceived susceptibility to HIV ( AOR = 2.63 , 95% CI: 1.63-4.24). Conclusion. Only about 61% of the mining workers in the study area were practiced HIV preventive behaviors. Not alcohol drinkers, having good knowledge about HIV, having a favorable attitude toward HIV prevention, and having high perceived susceptibility to HIV were factors associated with the practice of HIV preventive behaviors. Efforts have to be made by local governments and other concerned bodies to increase preventive behavior.


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