scholarly journals Equine colic: a review of the equine hindgut and colic

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie D. Bland

Colic is the major cause of morbidity and mortality, premature deaths, and is the number one health concern in horses. To increase the quality of life for horses, it is vital to understand the causes, signs, diagnostics, treatment, and prevention of colic. Horses are hindgut fermenters and their cecal microbiome can easily be altered due to environmental and physiological changes. Colic can be induced from starch overloading, which can have detrimental effects on the cecum microbiome, such as decreasing hindgut pH and altering the production of volatile fatty acids. In addition, if the immune system becomes compromised, causing changes in the hindgut microbiome, this will trigger a proliferation of opportunistic and pathogenic bacteria, which can cause numerous gastrointestinal diseases, resulting in colic. However, identifying a variety of microorganisms in the cecum is extremely difficult and understudied because difficulties in sampling and not all bacteria strains can be cultured. Therefore, next generation sequencing has helped in identifying microbes found in the gastrointestinal tract. Using the application of metagenomics, allows scientists to be able to sequence thousands of microorganisms simultaneously. In addition, exploring new techniques to help identify and achieve a clearer picture of the microbiome population and how it may change during bouts of colic could revolutionize the way veterinarians diagnose colic and tailoring a treatment specific to the microoganisms that are proliferating. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of colic and next technological advances could increase the quality of life for horses and minimize the mortality rates.

Author(s):  
Rena Maimaiti ◽  
Zhang Yuexin ◽  
Pan Kejun ◽  
Maimaitaili Wubili ◽  
Christophe Lalanne ◽  
...  

In total, 679 HIV-positive patients from 4 clinics in Urumqi city were given structured questionnaires by the doctors or nurses treating them. Health-related quality of life (HRQL) was assessed using the Chinese Patient-Reported Outcome Quality of Life-HIV questionnaire versions in Mandarin and Uyghur. This tool has been used in other parts of China and several countries. Compared to France, Australia, United States, Brazil, Thailand, Cambodia, Senegal, and Central-Southern China (CS China), the HRQL was significantly lower among HIV-positive patients in Xinjiang, with regard to the dimension of treatment impact and general health score. The health concern was similar to Brazil and Cambodia but lower than other countries and CS China. Our findings showed high stigmatization: 86% of the patients were afraid to tell others they were HIV positive and 69% often felt or always felt depressed. Only 1% of the patients were on antidepressant treatment.


Dental Update ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 907-913
Author(s):  
Kasim Butt ◽  
Razia Butt ◽  
Praveen Sharma

Periodontal disease is the most common chronic inflammatory disease seen in humans. It is a major public health concern, and in its severe form affects approximately 10.8% or 743 million people aged 15−99 worldwide. Trends such as the rise of smoking in developing countries, the obesity and diabetes epidemic, coupled with an ageing population with greater tooth retention, are all likely to increase the burden of periodontitis still further in the UK and worldwide. Consequences of periodontitis include hypermobility of teeth, tooth migration, drifting and eventual tooth loss. Tooth loss can directly affect the quality of life of a person in terms of reduced functional capacity, self-esteem and social relationships. CPD/Clinical Relevance: This article reports the prevalence of periodontal disease in the UK and worldwide, along with the consequences of periodontitis. The importance of timely diagnosis to avoid litigation is discussed, as is the importance of effective management of periodontitis in order to improve patients' oral health-related quality of life.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arpita Basu ◽  
Jace Schell ◽  
R. Hal Scofield

Arthritis is a global health concern affecting a significant proportion of the population and associated with reduced quality of life.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Horne ◽  
Maryan Hardy ◽  
Trevor Murrells ◽  
Hassan Ugail ◽  
Andrew Hill

BACKGROUND Obesity is a global public health concern. Interventions rely predominantly on managing dietary intake and/or increasing physical activity but sustained adherence to behavioural regimens is often poor. As with all interventions, the lack of sustained motivation, self-efficacy and poor adherence to behavioural regimens are recognized barriers to successful weight loss. Avatar-based interventions have been found to achieve better patient outcomes in the management of chronic conditions by promoting more active engagement and the virtual representations of ‘self’ have been shown to impact real-world behaviour, acting as a catalyst for sustained weight loss behaviour. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate whether a personalised avatar, offered as an adjunct to an established weight loss programme, could increase participant motivation and sustain engagement, optimise service delivery, and improve participant health outcomes. METHODS A feasibility randomised design was used to determine the case for future development and evaluation of avatar-based technology in a randomised controlled trial. Participants were recruited from GP referrals to a 12-week NHS weight improvement programme. The main outcome measure was weight loss. Secondary outcome measures were quality-of-life and self-efficacy. Quantitative data were subjected to descriptive statistical tests and exploratory comparison between intervention and control arms. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed through interviews analysed using the framework approach. HRA ethical approval was granted. RESULTS 10 males (7 intervention; 3 routine care) and 33 females (23 intervention; 10 routine care) were recruited. Initial mean weight of participants was greater in the intervention than routine care arm (126.3 kg vs 122.9 kg); pattern of weight loss was similar across both arms of the study in period T0-T1 but accelerated in period T1-T2 for intervention participants, suggesting that access to the self-resembling avatar may promote greater engagement with weight loss initiatives in the short to medium term. Mean change in weight of participants from T0 to T2 was 4.5kg (95% CI: 2.7-6.3) in routine care arm and 5.3kg (95% CI: 3.9-6.8) in the intervention arm. Quality-of-life and self-efficacy measures demonstrated greater improvement in the intervention arm at both T1 (105.5 routine care; 99.7 intervention arm) and T2 (100.1 routine care; 81.2 intervention arm). 13 participants (11 Female, 2 Male) and two healthcare professionals were interviewed about their experience of using the avatar programme. CONCLUSIONS Overall, participants found using the personalised avatar acceptable and feedback reiterated that seeing a future ‘self’ helped reinforce motivation to change behaviour. This feasibility study demonstrated that avatar-based technology may successfully promote engagement and motivation in weight loss programmes, enabling participants to achieve greater weight loss gains and build self-confidence and belief. CLINICALTRIAL 17953876


Author(s):  
Shanmuga Sundaram Rajagopal ◽  
Krishnaveni Kandasamy ◽  
Agilan Natarajan ◽  
Joyal Sebastian ◽  
Manikanta Konakalla ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTObjective: Hypertension (HTN) expends a consequential public health concern on cardiovascular health status and health-care systems in India. Theeffectuation of the pharmaceutical care program in the health care is an extremely important need to achieve the optimum therapeutic effect. Theobjective of the study was to assess the impact of pharmacist intervention on patient’s blood pressure (BP) level, quality of life (QOL), and knowledge,attitude, and practice (KAP) of hypertensive patients.Methods: A randomized controlled pilot study was carried out for 6 months. The hypertensive patients were randomized into control and interventiongroup based on age, and both the groups were interviewed using KAP and WHO QOL-BREF questionnaires, screened BP, respectively, at baseline andeach follow-up after post counseling section to the intervention group. The effect of pharmacist intervention on QOL and KAP among control andintervention was statistically analyzed by paired t-test using SPSS version 16.Results: The total sample studied was 60, of which 20 (33.33%) were males and 40 (66.67%) were females. In our study, the QOL score for eachdomain of both intervention and control groups were almost poor (p˃0.05) at baseline and for the intervention group, a highly significant improvement(p<0.001) was observed for all domains in final follow-up. KAP score of intervention group also showed a significant improvement (p<0.001) frombaseline to final follow-up. In this study, intervention group showed a significant mean reduction of systolic BP from baseline 150.13±25.670 to finalfollow-up 145.33±12.914.Conclusion: The results of the study showed a significant improvement in the patient’s KAP toward different aspects of HTN and QOL followingpharmacist mediated counseling. Involvement of pharmacy practitioners in the management of HTN significantly improves QOL and KAPs.Keywords: Hypertension, Quality of life, Knowledge, Attitude and practice, Pharmacist intervention, Patient counseling.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 4337
Author(s):  
Neri Maria Cristina ◽  
d’Alba Lucia

Nutritional well-being is a fundamental aspect for the health, autonomy and, therefore, the quality of life of all people, but especially of the elderly. It is estimated that at least half of non-institutionalized elderly people need nutritional intervention to improve their health and that 85% have one or more chronic diseases that could improve with correct nutrition. Although prevalence estimates are highly variable, depending on the population considered and the tool used for its assessment, malnutrition in the elderly has been reported up to 50%. Older patients are particularly at risk of malnutrition, due to multiple etiopathogenetic factors which can lead to a reduction or utilization in the intake of nutrients, a progressive loss of functional autonomy with dependence on food, and psychological problems related to economic or social isolation, e.g., linked to poverty or loneliness. Changes in the aging gut involve the mechanical disintegration of food, gastrointestinal motor function, food transit, intestinal wall function, and chemical digestion of food. These alterations progressively lead to the reduced ability to supply the body with adequate levels of nutrients, with the consequent development of malnutrition. Furthermore, studies have shown that the quality of life is impaired both in gastrointestinal diseases, but especially in malnutrition. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of malnutrition in elderly people is necessary to promote the knowledge of age-related changes in appetite, food intake, homeostasis, and body composition in order to better develop effective prevention and intervention strategies to achieve healthy aging.


2021 ◽  
pp. 50-55
Author(s):  
Л. И. НУРГАЛИЕВА ◽  
Д.М. КУАТБЕКОВА

Предменструальный синдром (ПМС) - патологический симптомокомплекс, который значительно снижает качество жизни женщины. Несмотря на то, что этиология и патогенез до настоящего времени изучены недостаточно, определены направления в диагностике, лечении и профилактике, которым необходимо следовать. Лечение ПМС должно быть дифференцированным, учитывающим состояние общего и репродуктивного здоровья женщины, сопутствующие заболевания, степень тяжести ПМС, переносимость терапии и т. д.В настоящее время все более широкое применение в лечении ПМС находят фитопрепараты (ФП). Целью исследования явилось изучение эффективности фитопрепарата «Эвика» в лечении ПМС легкой и средней формы. Полученные результаты свидетельствуют об эффективности данного препарата в устранении вегетососудистых, отечных и психоэмоциональных симптомов ПМС, что определяет «Эвику», как препарат выбора у пациенток с ПМС, выраженной вегетососудистой и психоэмоциональной симптоматики. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a pathological symptom complex that significantly reduces a woman's quality of life. Despite the fact that the etiology and pathogenesis have not been studied enough to date, the directions in diagnosis, treatment and prevention that need to be followed have been identified. Treatment of PMS should be differentiated, taking into account the state of a woman's general and reproductive health, concomitant diseases, the severity of PMS, the tolerability of therapy, etc. Currently, herbal medicines are increasingly used in the treatment of PMS. The aim of the study was to learn the effectiveness of the herbal medicine "Eviсa" in the treatment of mild and moderate PMS. The results obtained indicate the effectiveness of this drug in eliminating vegetativevascular, edematous and psychoemotional symptoms of PMS, which defines "Evica" as the medication of choice in patients with PMS, vegetativevascular and psychoemotional symptoms.


2022 ◽  
pp. 212-229
Author(s):  
Ashfaq Ahmad Shah ◽  
Sumaira Qayoom ◽  
Amit Gupta ◽  
Aqueel Ur Rehman

Current research on phytochemicals is mainly focused on novel phenolic and polyphenolic compounds expressing their potential as therapeutic agents in various diseases like cancer, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, oxidative stress-related diseases, as well as their properties to inhibit the growth and proliferation of infectious agents. Among the human physiological disorders, one of the most severe endocrine metabolic diseases is Diabetes mellitus which is a clinical disease distinguished by a deficit in the production of insulin or resistance to the action of insulin. Globally, diabetes is an increasing health concern which is now emerging as an epidemic. About 700-800 plants are exhibiting anti-diabetic activity that has been studied. As far as nanotechnology in diabetes research is concerned, it has made possible the buildout of novel glucose measurement as well as insulin delivery modalities that possess the potential to excellently enhance the quality of life of the diabetic patient.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 595-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura D. Ellingson ◽  
Andrew Zaman ◽  
Elizabeth L. Stegemöller

Background. Sedentary behavior is a growing public health concern and may have particular relevance for the Parkinson disease (PD) population. However, the influence of sedentary time on factors associated with quality of life (QOL) in PD is unknown. The primary purpose of this study was to examine relationships between sedentary behaviors and markers of PD-specific QOL. A secondary purpose was to examine relationships between physical activity behaviors and QOL. Methods. We assessed sedentary and active behaviors using objective and interview measures and examined relationships between these behaviors and a measure of PD-specific QOL in individuals with PD. Results. Results demonstrated that sedentary time was significantly related to several aspects of QOL, including perceived deficits in the domains of mobility, cognitive processing, and communication. Additionally, results showed that time spent watching television was more strongly associated with lower levels of QOL than other more engaging sedentary activities. For physical activity, relationships between objective measures and QOL were weaker and only significantly associated with mobility. Time spent doing housework was associated with lower levels of QOL, whereas time spent in recreational activity was associated with lower levels of discomfort. Discussion. These results suggest that targeting decreases in sedentary behaviors (eg, reducing time spent watching television, breaking up prolonged bouts of sedentary time) may be effective for improving QOL in individuals with PD.


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