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Goals 3 and 5 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are to promote good health and well-being and to achieve gender equality, respectively. To successfully move toward these goals in the area of gender equality, there is the need to understand the underlying legislative or laws that protect women and girls from all forms of domestic violence (DV), including gender-based violence (GBV). The cardinal objective of this study, therefore, was to examine the risk factors of GBV and the physiological effects of GBV. To date, few studies have quantified the relationship between laws on DV and the incidence of DV/GBV. This article fills that gap by using Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data of 12 African countries. We applied multivariate logistic regression to estimate the association of the absence of laws on DV, men dominant power, history of violence, alcohol consumption, women's attitude toward men's violence perpetration, and decision-making power with the scores of GBV and physiological effects of GBV. Group Kruskal–Wallis Rank test was used to determine the variation of the two outcomes among the 12 countries. Results show significant disparities in the score of GBV, H test (11) = 168,217, p <.001, and score of physiological effects, H test (11) = 122,127, p <.001, among the 12 countries. Specifically, Ghana, Namibia, Rwanda, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Togo reported the highest physiological effect of GBV. Presence of DV laws, male dominance, alcohol consumption, history of abuse, and women empowerment predict GBV and the physiological effect of GBV. Thus, building strong legal frameworks against all forms of DV and empowering women may reduce the incidence of GBV and physiological effects of GBV for all African women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Estimates of the geographical distribution of Culex mosquitoes in the Americas have been limited to state and provincial levels in the United States and Canada and based on data from the 1980s. Since these estimates were made, there have been many more documented observations of mosquitoes and new methods have been developed for species distribution modeling. Moreover, mosquito distributions are affected by environmental conditions, which have changed since the 1980s. This calls for updated estimates of these distributions to understand the risk of emerging and re-emerging mosquito-borne diseases. Methods: We used contemporary mosquito data, environmental drivers, and a machine learning ecological niche model to create updated estimates of the geographical range of seven predominant Culex species across North America and South America: Culex erraticus, Culex nigripalpus, Culex pipiens, Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex restuans, Culex salinarius, and Culex tarsalis. Results: We found that Culex mosquito species differ in their geographical range. Each Culex species is sensitive to both natural and human-influenced environmental factors, especially climate and land cover type. Some prefer urban environments instead of rural ones, and some are limited to tropical or humid areas. Many are found throughout the Central Plains of the USA. Conclusions: Our updated contemporary Culex distribution maps may be used to assess mosquito-borne disease risk. It is critical to understand the current geographical distributions of these important disease vectors and the key environmental predictors structuring their distributions not only to assess current risk, but also to understand how they will respond to climate change. Since the environmental predictors structuring the geographical distribution of mosquito species varied, we hypothesize that each species may have a different response to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malaria and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) co-infection can occur due to the overlapping geographical distributions of these diseases; however, only limited data of this co-infection have been reported and reviewed. This study aimed to explore the pooled prevalence and characteristics of this co-infection using a systematic review approach. Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases were searched for relevant studies. The quality of these studies was assessed in accordance with strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. The numbers of individuals co-infected with Plasmodium and VL and the total numbers of individuals with VL were used to estimate the pooled prevalence using random-effects models. Differences in age, sex and the presence of anemia and malnutrition on admission were compared between co-infected individuals and individuals with VL using a random-effects model; the results are presented as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity among the included studies was assessed and quantified using Cochrane Q and I2 statistics. Results: Of the 3075 studies identified, 12 met the eligibility criteria and were included in this systematic review. The pooled prevalence of Plasmodium infection among the 6453 individuals with VL was 13%, with substantial heterogeneity of the data (95% CI 7–18%, I2 97.9%). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the highest prevalence of co-infection occurred in African countries, whereas the lowest prevalence occurred in Asian countries. Patients aged < 5 years had higher odds of having co-infection than having VL (co-infection, n = 202; VL, n = 410) (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.37–2.01, I2 0%; P < 0.0001), whereas patients aged 20–29 years had lower odds of having co-infection than having VL (co-infection, n = 170; VL, n = 699) (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60–0.93, I2 18%; P = 0.01). Male patients had equivalent odds of having co-infection and having VL (co-infection, n = 525; VL, n = 2232) (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.078–1.08, I2 0%; P = 0.29). Patients with co-infection had lower odds of having anemia at admission than those with VL (co-infection, n = 902; VL, n = 2939) (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.44–0.93, I2 0%; P = 0.02). No difference in malnutrition at admission was found in the meta-analysis. Conclusions: The prevalence of malaria co-infection among individuals with VL was heterogeneous and ranged from 7 to 18%, depending on geographical area. Age and anemia at admission were associated with co-infection status. Further longitudinal studies are needed to determine if co-infection with malaria has an impact on the severity of VL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical Geography today draws on the concepts and techniques of geography, and epitomes the interdisciplinary nature of urban health discipline. Chikungunya is one of the Vector-borne diseases and today it continues to remain an important public health problem in Madurai city. It is a mosquito-borne viral infection caused by the Chikungunya Virus (CHKV). The sudden onset of very high fever along with a rash and severe arthralgia especially in the small joints of hands and toes are the characteristics of the disease. The study area, Madurai is the oldest and second-largest city in Tamil Nadu situated on the banks of river Vaigai in the south-central part of Tamil Nadu, India. The main objectives were to identify the major disease zones concerning Chikungunya cases and to observe the related urban ecological and environmental conditions. The study also aimed to derive a conceptual framework towards strengthening, control and sustainable development of the urban landscape. The data collected were taken by using the method of stratified Random sampling and a total of 600 samples were collected. Standard score (Z-score) technique was used to describe the relationship between the sets of variables and total conditions of selected urban environmental variables. It includes mapping of the disease using GIS software of Arc GIS. Apart from this, the multi-variant statistical technique, factor analysis is used to find the major associations and interrelationship between Chikungunya and people. The twelve factors rotated by explaining the varimax procedure registered more than 89.83 percent of the total variance. Among these, the first factor alone accounted for 33.52 percent of the total variance and eigenvalue of 21.45 was qualified as the primary factor. Our study concludes that in Madurai city's built-up area, a landscape environment of transmission of Chikungunya epidemics with a high prevalence is noted since it is associated with urban environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare measures of spatial access to care commonly used by policy makers and researchers with the more comprehensive enhanced two-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA) method. Study Setting: Fourteen southwestern Pennsylvania counties. Study Design: We estimated spatial access to buprenorphine-waivered prescribers using three commonly used measures--Euclidean travel distance to the closest prescriber, travel time to the closest provider, and provider-to-population ratios--and the E2SFCA. Unlike other measures, the E2SFCA captures provider capacity, potential patient volume, and travel time to prescribers. Data Collection/Extraction Methods: We measured provider capacity as the number of buprenorphine prescribers listed at a given address in the Drug Enforcement Agency's 2020 Controlled Substances Act Registrants Database, and we measured potential patient volume as the number of nonelderly adults in a given census tract as reported by the 2018 American Community Survey. We estimated travel times between potential patients and prescribers with Bing Maps and Mapbox application programming interfaces. We then calculated each spatial access measure using the R programming language. We used each measure of spatial access to identify census tracts in the lowest quintile of spatial access to prescribers. Principal Findings: The Euclidean distance, travel time, and provider-to-population ratio measures identified 48.3%, 47.2%, and 69.9% of the census tracts that the E2SFCA measure identified as being in the lowest quintile of spatial access to care, meaning that these measures misclassify 30%-52% of study area census tracts as having sufficient spatial access to buprenorphine prescribers. Conclusions: Measures of spatial access commonly used by policy makers do not sufficiently accurately identify geographic areas with relatively low access to prescribers of buprenorphine. Using the E2SFCA in addition to the commonly used measures would allow policy makers to precisely target interventions to increase spatial access to opioid use disorder treatment and other types of health care services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the intersection of race and economic context in treatment with hysterectomy among reproductive aged women with noncancerous gynecologic conditions. Data Sources: We combined administrative billing records of inpatient and outpatient hysterectomy procedures (N = 28 301) occurring in North Carolina between 2011 and 2014 with census data to calculate county- level hysterectomy rates. Study Design: Spatial analysis techniques examined the distribution of black and white hysterectomy rates across counties, and county- level black and white rate differences were compared across economic contexts. Data Collection/Extraction: We restricted to those of premenopausal age identifying as non- Hispanic black or white, undergoing hysterectomy for nonemergent causes (N = 28 301 procedures). Principal Findings: County- level hysterectomy rates were spatially patterned (Moran's I, P < .05) and similarly so for black and white women (LISA, P < .005). The black- white difference in hysterectomy rates was the largest in the high economic tier counties (22/10 000 person- years [PY], P < .05) and smallest in the mid and low economic tier counties (11/10 000 PY, P > .05 and 10/10 000 PY, P > .05, respectively). Conclusion: Socioeconomic context is important to understand, particularly for black- white disparities in hysterectomy. Efforts should be made to understand the causes of higher rates of hysterectomy among blacks than whites, especially in counties in the highest economic tier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Adab Al-Basrah is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Ziel des Beitrags ist die Untersuchung und Bewertung der Erreichbarkeit der Bevölkerung durch ambulante Pflegedienste in Unterfranken unter Einbeziehung der räumlich differenzierten Bevölkerungsstruktur für das Jahr 2017 sowie der voraussichtlichen demographischen Entwicklung bis 2025. Die Erreichbarkeiten werden sowohl rasterbasiert als auch vektorbasiert in einer GIS-Software modelliert. Darüber hinaus werden demographische Entwicklungen in der Altersgruppe „80 Jahre und älter“ eingebunden. Die Ergebnisse der rasterbasierten Fahrzeitenmodellierung zeigen flächenhaft relativ gute Erreichbarkeiten, mit Ausnahme weniger peripherer Gebiete. Mittels vektorbasierter Fahrzeitenmodellierung werden Einzugsgebiete, welche auf Personalkosten und Anfahrtspauschalen nach SGB V und SGB XI als Berechnungsgrundlagen basieren, für ambulante Pflegedienste berechnet. Es zeigt sich, dass in Teilen Unterfrankens keine ausreichende Kostendeckung gegeben ist. Hinsichtlich der skizzierten Bevölkerungsentwicklung sowie unzureichender Fahrtkostendeckung im Bereich der Mittelgebirge und abseits der Verdichtungsräume wird eine Flexibilisierung der Anfahrtsvergütung sowie eine Aufstockung des Pflegepersonals empfohlen.

This research delves into the comprehensive treatment of textual geohistorical sources, promoting the procedures that currently advocate the recovery, analysis and opening of scientific knowledge in a transparent and extensive way to the society. Between the middle of the 18th century and the middle of the 19th, some of this colonial spaces produced throughout Europe and in American, medical works (medical geographies or topographies), under the influence of the generalisation of hygienist theories in urban planning and society as a whole. These works, and their correct study and analysis, are enormously valuable collections of information and documentation for the knowledge of the urban and rural spaces of the time.

The article is a continuation of research published by the author elsewhere (Śleszyński, 2020). The elaboration presents the regularity of spatial distribution of infections during the first six months after the detection of SARS-CoV-2 coronovirus in Poland under strong lockdown conditions. The main aim is to try to determine the basic temporal-spatial patterns and to answer the questions: to what extent the phenomenon was ordered and to what extent it was chaotic, whether there are any particular features of spread, whether the infection is concentrated or dispersed and whether the spreading factors in Poland are similar to those observed in other countries. Daily data by county (poviat)* were collected by Rogalski's team (2020). The data were aggregated to weekly periods (7 days) and then the regularity of spatial distribution was searched for using the cartogram method, time series shifts, rope correlation between the intensity of infections in different periods, Herfindahl-Hirschman concentration index (HHI) and cluster analysis. A spatial typology of infection development in the population was also performed. Among other things, it was shown that during the first period (about 100 days after the first case), the infections became more and more spatially concentrated and then dispersed. Differences were also shown in relation to the spread of the infection compared to observations from other countries, i.e. no relation to population density and level of urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has a simultaneous temporal and spatial component. This pattern results from a complex combination of factors, including social ones, that lead to significant differences in the evolution of space-time distributions, both between and within countries. The aim of this study was to assess changes in the regularity of the spatial distribution of the number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases in Poland over more than a year of the pandemic. The analysis utilized daily and weekly data for 380 counties (poviats), using the local -- Poisson risk semivariogram -- measure of spatial autocorrelation. Despite the heterogeneity and errors in the source data, it was possible to identify clear patterns of temporal changes in the spatial distribution of COVID-19 cases, manifested by differences in the nature and extent of their autocorrelation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1800, American physician and naturalist Benjamin Smith Barton (1766-1815) published A Memoir Concerning the Disease of Goitre as it Prevails in Different Parts of North-America. The text documented the nature of the disease in the United States and highlighted how it differed from the ailment's presentation in European patients. While medical topographies were common during this period, Barton's goiter research and the steady stream of American goiter research that followed are worth special attention. This body of literature demonstrates how American physicians understood their relationship to transnational medical discussions and the unique perspective they brought to them. Goiter literature was common in European medical and travel writing during this period and intensely focused on the appearance of the disease in the mountains of Switzerland and Northern Italy. American goiter by its very appearance in non-mountainous regions of the United States contradicted nearly all of the received wisdom about the ailment's cause and potential cure. For two decades, American writers leveraged their own observations and local knowledge to challenge larger narratives in their field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Health insurance registries, which capture insurance coverage and demographic information for entire populations, are a critical component of population health surveillance and research when using administrative data. Lack of standardization of registry information across Canada's provinces and territories could affect the comparability of surveillance measures. We assessed the contents of health insurance registries across Canada to describe the populations covered and document registry similarities and differences. Methods: A survey about the data and population identifiers in health insurance registries was developed by the study team and representatives from the Public Health Agency of Canada. The survey was completed by key informants from most provinces and territories and then descriptively analyzed. Results: Responses were received from all provinces; partial responses were received from the Northwest Territories. Demographic information in health insurance registries, such as primary address, date of birth and sex, were captured in all jurisdictions. Data captured on familial relationships, ethnicity and socioeconomic status varied among jurisdictions, as did start and end dates of coverage and frequency of registry updates. Identifiers for specific populations, such as First Nations individuals, were captured in some, but not all jurisdictions. Conclusion: Health insurance registries are a rich source of information about the insured populations of the provinces and territories. However, data heterogeneity may affect who is included and excluded in population surveillance estimates produced using administrative health data. Development of a harmonized data framework could support timely and comparable population health research and surveillance results from multi-jurisdiction studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Adab Al-Basrah is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Cystic and alveolar echinococcosis (CE and AE) are neglected tropical diseases caused by Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato and E. multilocularis, and are emerging zoonoses in Kyrgyzstan. In this country, the spatial distribution of CE and AE surgical incidence in 2014-2016 showed marked heterogeneity across communities, suggesting the presence of ecological determinants underlying CE and AE distributions. Methodology/Principal findings: For this reason, in this study we assessed potential associations between community-level confirmed primary CE (no.=2359) or AE (no.=546) cases in 2014-2016 in Kyrgyzstan and environmental and climatic variables derived from satellite-remote sensing datasets using conditional autoregressive models. We also mapped CE and AE relative risk. The number of AE cases was negatively associated with 10-year lag mean annual temperature. No associations were detected for CE. We also identified several communities at risk for CE or AE where no disease cases were reported in the study period. Conclusions/Significance: Our findings support the hypothesis that CE is linked to an anthropogenic cycle and is less affected by environmental risk factors compared to AE, which is believed to result from spillover from a wild life cycle. As CE was not affected by factors we investigated, hence control should not have a geographical focus. In contrast, AE risk areas identified in this study without reported AE cases should be targeted for active disease surveillance in humans. This active surveillance would confirm or exclude AE transmission which might not be reported with the present passive surveillance system. These areas should also be targeted for ecological investigations in the animal hosts. Author summary: Cystic and alveolar echinococcosis (CE and AE) are parasitic zoonoses that cause a substantial disease burden in Kyrgyzstan. The etiologic agents of these diseases are parasites in the genus Echinococcus. These parasites have complex life cycles which include mammalian definitive and intermediate hosts and a free-living egg stage in the environment. Consequently, environmental and climatic factors can affect the prevalence and geographical distribution of these diseases because such factors influence the parasites' eggs survival and longevity, and can affect suitable habitats for the intermediate and definitive hosts. In this geographic correlation study, we assessed environmental and climatic determinants of the spatial distributions of CE and AE in Kyrgyzstan. We found that 10-year lag annual temperature plays an important role in AE distribution, whilst none of the variables assessed was found to significantly affect that of CE. Moreover, communities at risk where these diseases are potentially under- or misdiagnosed were identified. Our findings provide vital information for targeted, area-specific interventions in Kyrgyzstan, and add to the body of knowledge on the ecology of these neglected parasitic diseases that are emerging and reemerging in several regions in North America, Europe and Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The following study identifies areas where adverse conditions related to benzene pollution are concurrent with leukaemia incidence and mortality (C91–C95). Moreover, it determines the similarities between benzene and leukaemia levels, as well and rules defining their co-occurrence. The analysis covered the period of 2015–2017. Data were obtained from Dane.gov.pl (number of leukaemia cases), the Polish National Cancer Registry website (number of deaths), the Local Data Bank of the Central Statistical Office (population data) and the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection and the Air Quality Portal (data on air quality). Based on the conducted analysis, it was concluded that the following poviat towns have an unfavourable epidemic situation related to leukaemia: Kielce (incidence), Rzeszów (incidence), Elbląg (mortality); meanwhile, high leukaemia incidence and mortality co-occurred with high average benzene concentration in 2015–2017 in the following poviat towns: Kielce, Rybnik, Płock and Rzeszów. It was found that leukaemias belonging to the three-character ICD-10 categories C94, C95 and C92 show the highest rate of co-occurrence with benzene concentration. In addition, two main rules for the co-occurrence of benzene pollution and leukaemia were identified. It was also noted that it is necessary to continue the research for a longer time period, especially in the poviat towns of Kielce and Rzeszów. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) implicated in paratuberculosis (PTB) infection in animals and Crohn's disease in human poses enormous economic loss to the farmers. The noticeable withstand ability of organism to environment, faecal shedding of organism during subclinical and clinical infection consequence frequent outbreak. The obvious view of geographical distribution of PTB all over the world is needed in order to manage the disease outbreaks in a prompt manner, implementation of disease control programme in an efficient way and also for international smooth trading of animals without any further outbreak. Global scenario of PTB has been concluded in the present context on the basis of available previous prevalence studies of PTB in different continents. Prevalence of PTB in Africa (53%), India (23.3%), Europe (20%), South America (18.3%), North America (16.9%) and Australia (6.8%) has been documented. This review tries to bring out a clear picture about the prevalence of PTB throughout the world in domesticated animals which may help in understanding the geographical distribution of the disease according to its epidemiological importance and minimizing the endemicity of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acknowledging a paucity of emerging research, and some variation by sub‐field, the geographical measures of exposure used in health and medical geography have largely stagnated often focusing on residence‐based ('static') conceptualisations to define an individuals mobility or exposure. Detailed spatiotemporal data, such as smartphone data, allow richer understandings of the influence of the environment, or more broadly of place, on individual health outcomes and behaviours. However, while researchers are increasingly aware of such 'dynamic' definitions of place these are seldom employed in empirical evidence. Moreover, there may be differences in mobility by population groups which has not to our knowledge been examined fully. The main aim of this article is to provide a critical review of progress in the conceptualisation of location in health‐related geospatial research to understand the evolution of key concepts and to provoke the reader into considering the utility of a (more) dynamic health geography. We explore the origins of time geography, activity spaces, before moving to recent developments in the area of the exposome and the linked dynamic conceptualisations of exposure in health geography. To illuminate and operationalise findings from our review for readers, we provide a small case study to demonstrate how 'static' and 'dynamic' approaches differ. Moreover, we consider why understanding heterogeneity in mobility could be particularly salient in the field of health geography, and to the discipline of geography more broadly. To conclude, we help readers understand the practical considerations of data privacy, the process of data collection, data processing, and interpretation, and dissemination of findings to offer practical assistance for those who are grappling with 'dynamic' definitions of mobility and conceptualisations of exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cause of Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) in the rural dry zone of Sri Lanka remains unidentified, despite vast research efforts that brought about an extensive list of potential risk factors. Among these, the long-term exposure to various nephrotoxic elements through drinking groundwater was widely suspected owing to the unique geographical distribution of the disease. This review focuses on such well-known hypotheses suspecting the relations with fluoride, hardness, major ions, heavy metals, metalloids, organic matter, agrochemical residues, pathogens, and bacterial toxins in the groundwaters of the CKDu-endemic region. It was comprehensively discussed why each of these constituents was considered a risk factor of CKDu, how could they possibly trigger the pathogenesis of the disease, what was the evidence that supported or failed each hypothesis, and whether providing safe drinking water had been effective at mitigating the progression of the disease. Although plenty of circumstantial evidence supported an etiology related to groundwater for CKDu, it was impossible to elucidate the cause-effect relationships between drinking impaired groundwater and the occurrence of the disease. Future research should be effectively designed to clarify the role of groundwater in the onset of CKDu by taking into account the gaps in past research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Established surveillance systems can follow trends in community disease and illness over many years. However, within England there are known regional differences in healthcare utilisation, which can affect interpretation of trends. Here, we explore regional differences for a range of respiratory conditions using general practitioner (GP) consultation data. Methods Daily data for respiratory conditions were extracted from a national GP surveillance system. Average daily GP consultation rates per 100 000 registered patient population were calculated by each region of England and for each study year (2013–17). Consultation rates and incidence rate ratios were also calculated for each condition by deprivation quintile and by rural, urban, and conurbation groups. Results Upper and lower respiratory tract infections and asthma were higher in the North and the Midlands than in London and the South, were highest in the most deprived groups and tended to be higher in more urban areas. Influenza-like illness was highest in the least deprived and rural areas. Conclusions There are consistent differences in GP consultation rates across the English regions. This work has improved our understanding and interpretation of GP surveillance data at regional level and will guide more accurate public health messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the primary types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the occurrence of which has been increasing worldwide. Although IBD is an intensively studied human microbiome-associated disease, research on Chinese populations remains relatively limited, particularly on the mucosal microbiome. The present study aimed to analyze the changes in the mucosal microbiome associated with UC from the perspectives of medical ecology and complex network analysis. Results: In total, 56 mucosal microbiome samples were collected from 28 Chinese UC patients and their healthy family partners, followed by amplicon sequencing. Based on sequencing data, we analyzed species diversity, shared species, and inter-species interactions at the whole community, main phyla, and core/periphery species levels. We identified four opportunistic "pathogens" (i.e., Clostridium tertium, Odoribacter splanchnicus, Ruminococcus gnavus, and Flavonifractor plautii) with potential significance for the diagnosis and treatment of UC, which were inhibited in healthy individuals, but unrestricted in the UC patients. In addition, we also discovered in this study: (i) The positive-to-negative links (P/N) ratio, which measures the balance of species interactions or inhibition effects in microbiome networks, was significantly higher in UC patients, indicating loss of inhibition against potentially opportunistic "pathogens" associated with dysbiosis. (ii) Previous studies have reported conflicting evidence regarding species diversity and composition between UC patients and healthy controls. Here, significant differences were found at the major phylum and core/periphery scales, but not at the whole community level. Thus, we argue that the paradoxical results found in existing studies are due to the scale effect. Conclusions: Our results reveal changes in the ecology and network structure of the gut mucosal microbiome that might be associated with UC, and these changes might provide potential therapeutic mechanisms of UC. The four opportunistic pathogens that were identified in the present study deserve further investigation in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Known by some as the "invisible" people because of their precarious work and low social status, migratory and seasonal farmworkers (MSFW) are a critical and underappreciated component to the agriculture industry in the United States. Despite advances in knowledge about the health needs of this population, identifying geographies of high-risk remains a challenging task for community health workers and farmworker advocacy organizations. Methods: Using patient encounter data (2011–2015) from regional Community and Migrant Health Centers (C/MHC), this study investigates the geography of farmworker chronic disease (diabetes, obesity, hypertension) and associated risk factors (anxiety, stress, depression, tobacco use) in Northeastern Colorado through the lens of Geographic Information Science (GIS). Results: Spatial scan statistics (SaTScan) identified disease cluster hot spots in 151 zip codes and chronic disease risk factor clusters in 44 zip codes. Additionally, 13487 farmworkers or 82% of the total population is found in zip codes designated as chronic disease hot spots, while 10,115 or 62% of the population reside in zip codes identified as risk factor hot spots. GIS-based Network Analysis determined that 1,269 farmworkers lived greater than 30 minutes from a C/MHC, or 7.7% of the total population in the study area (n = 16,419). Conclusions: The findings of this study confirm the need for geospatial analytics in farmworker population healthcare management. These methods, combined with multiple contextual and methodological perspectives, will inform appropriate outreach, research, and policy strategies, and further, serve to address the unique geographic challenges facing MSFW's in Northeastern Colorado. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we present a variety of measures that quantify equity in cancer mortality outcomes, demonstrate how the measures perform with various cancer types, and identify counties, or "bright spots," that meet the criteria of those measures. Using county-level age-adjusted mortality rates for 2007–2016 from the National Center for Health Statistics, we identified counties that had both equitable and optimal outcomes for Black and White death rates across 5 types of cancer: cancers of the lung/bronchus, prostate, female breast, colorectum, and liver. The number of counties that met the criteria ranged from 0 to 442, depending on cancer type and measure used. Prostate cancer and male liver cancer consistently had the lowest number of "bright spots," with a maximum of 3 counties meeting the most lenient criteria. This paper presents several ways to examine equity, using rate ratios and standard error measures, in cancer mortality outcomes. It highlights areas with positive progress toward equity and areas with a potential need for equity-focused cancer-control planning. Examining local areas of positive deviance can inform cancer-control programming and planning around health equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have indicated that the risk of infectious disease spread is greatest in locations where a population has massive and convenient access to the epicenter of an outbreak. However, the spatiotemporal variations and risk determinants of COVID-19 in typical labor export regions of China remain unclear. Understanding the geographical distribution of the disease and the socio-economic factors affecting its transmission is critical for disease prevention and control. Methods: A total of 2152 COVID-19 cases were reported from January 21 to February 24, 2020 across the 34 cities in Henan and Anhui. A Bayesian spatiotemporal hierarchy model was used to detect the spatiotemporal variations of the risk posed by COVID-19, and the GeoDetector q statistic was used to evaluate the determinant power of the potential influence factors. Results: The risk posed by COVID-19 showed geographical spatiotemporal heterogeneity. Temporally, there was an outbreak period and control period. Spatially, there were high-risk regions and low-risk regions. The high-risk regions were mainly in the southwest areas adjacent to Hubei and cities that served as economic and traffic hubs, while the low-risk regions were mainly in western Henan and eastern Anhui, far away from the epicenter. The accessibility, local economic conditions, and medical infrastructure of Wuhan in Hubei province all played an important role in the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of COVID-19 transmission. The results indicated that the q statistics of the per capita GDP and the proportion of primary industry GDP were 0.47 and 0.47, respectively. The q statistic of the population flow from Wuhan was 0.33. In particular, the results showed that the q statistics for the interaction effects between population density and urbanization, population flow from Wuhan, per capita GDP, and the number of doctors were all greater than 0.8. Conclusions: COVID-19 showed significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the labor export regions of China. The high-risk regions were mainly located in areas adjacent to the epicenter as well as in big cities that served as traffic hubs. Population access to the epicenter, as well as local economic and medical conditions, played an important role in the interactive effects of the disease transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Acute high-altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS) or acute mild altitude sickness, seriously affects the health of individuals entering the plateau and compromises their capacities for military operations. Multiple risk factors affect the occurrence and progression of AMS. Herein we analyze the factors contributing to AMS in light of the nervous and circulatory systems, psychological factors, altitudes and low temperatures, smoking and drinking, gender and age, and transportation methods. We reviewed the research progress in the risk factors of AMS to provide evidence for developing AMS prevention and treatment measures, thereby reducing the occurrence of AMS and improving the combat performance of military forces entering high-altitude areas.

Introduction: Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders, which can be classified as civilization diseases, constitute an important element of a comprehensive analysis of health condition of people aged over 19. A comprehensive analysis of this component should not overlook the spatial aspect, i.e. the question of spatial diversification. Aim of the paper: The purpose of the paper was presented in the article’s title. It is an analysis of spatial diversification of the musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorder incidence by voivodeships and districts (poviats). Materials and methods: In the paper, data from the following organisations were used: Centrum Systemów Informacyjnych Ochrony Zdrowia (CSIOZ) [Centre of Health Information Systems], Bank Danych Lokalnych Głównego Urzędu Statystycznego (BDL GUS) [Local Data Bank of Central Statistical Office], Centralny Ośrodek Dokumentacji Geodezyjnej i Kartograficznej (CODGiK) [National Surveying and Cartographic Documentation Centre] and from “Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data”. Within the scope of the paper, the crude incidence rate was calculated and choropleth maps were developed constituting a cartographic visualization of the calculated rates. Results: The results of the carried out analysis were presented in the form of the cartographic visualisation and tables including change dynamics. It constituted the basis for identification of the areas of advantageous and disadvantageous epidemiological situation. Conclusions: In light of the obtained results, among other things, the following has to be stated: the areas of disadvantageous epidemiological situation include northern Poland and some of the former Russian partition voivodeships

Since 1990, the deficiencies of the widely criticised health care system of Romania have been analysed from economic, political and management related points of view, but the territorial dimension of this system was often neglected. Identifying and understanding the shaping role of the spatial dimension are the prerequisites of any effective and compelling implementation of change. This paper aims to analyse the hospital network in Moldavia’s counties from the geographic proximity based influence point of view. The polarisation areas of territorial, emergency and specialised (pneumology and phthisiology, psychiatric) hospitals are generated as Thiessen proximal polygons. These geometric constructions help to determinate the locations that are the closest to a particular hospital, which proves to be useful in medical emergency situations, but also when distance becomes an important restrictive factor – as in the case of vulnerable population with limited financial resources, scarce mobility opportunities or constraints imposed by age. The hospital network may be considered the backbone of the medical system and its spatial distribution should be taken into account as an important shaping factor. This paper offers a regional approach of this matter, which can be used for planning bottom-up improvement strategies.