BACKGROUND: High temperatures are known to be associated with an increased risk of self-harm, but the influence of demographic changes and country-level indicators on the burden of heat-related self-harm remains unclear. This study examined the key factors driving changes in self-harm mortality linked to high temperatures and explored their impact at the country level. METHODS: This is an ecological study that analyzes data from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, the World Bank, and the Climate Research Unit (CRU) were analyzed. Decomposition analyses were used to identify key factors driving changes in high temperature-related self-harm mortality between 1990 and 2021. A panel data model assessed the impact of national indicators on heat-related self-harm mortality. RESULTS: In 2021, 14,885 deaths globally were attributed to heat-related self-harm, a 41.94% increase from 1990, with low-middle SDI regions accounting for 47.84% of these deaths. While the global death rate from heat-related self-harm declined slightly over this period, South Asia and low-middle SDI regions contributed most to the decline. However, population aging exacerbated mortality rates. Demographic and meteorological factors were also linked to heat-related self-harm. CONCLUSION The global decline in heat-related self-harm mortality is largely driven by reductions in females, low-middle SDI regions, and South Asia. However, population aging and growth in these regions have added to the mortality burden, slowing the overall decline. Factors such as population density are also associated with heat-related self-harm. Targeted measures are needed to mitigate heat-induced self-harm more effectively in future.
Humans ; Self-Injurious Behavior/etiology* ; Hot Temperature/adverse effects* ; Global Health/statistics & numerical data* ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Young Adult ; Adolescent

BACKGROUND: Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) is a predictor of autonomic system dysfunction, and is considered as a potential mechanism of increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) induced by exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM METHODS: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of panel studies till November 1, 2019 was conducted to evaluate the acute effect of exposure to ambient PM RESULTS: A total of 33 panel studies were included in our meta-analysis, with 16 studies conducted in North America, 12 studies in Asia, and 5 studies in Europe. The pooled results showed a 10 μg/m CONCLUSION Short-term exposure to PM
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Air Pollution/analysis* ; Female ; Heart Rate/drug effects* ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Young Adult

Background:China's accelerating development and increasingly important role in global health engagement create a great demand for global health professionals including international consulting experts.This study reported the detailed development and evaluation of an international consulting training for global health workforce.Methods:Based on Kirkpatrick's model,a mixed-methods approach was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training.Quantitative and qualitative data on participants' reaction,learning,and application of the learned knowledge and skills were collected by a training evaluation survey at the ending of training and a follow-up interview in three months after the training.Results:Thirty-six participants attended the training and 34 of them completed quantitative investigation.The training satisfaction evaluations were positive,for which participants rated the training program highly and over 90％ of them agreed with the usefulness of the training.About knowledge and skills change,participants showed improved consulting knowledge and skills from pre-to post-training (P ＜ 0.001).A total of 23 participants accepted follow-up interview,and most participants applied knowledge and skills learned from the training in their daily work or study.However,only 30.4％ of participants applied their learning in the consulting program.The largest barrier of application was the lack of consulting opportunities.In addition,almost all the participants reported that they would be glad to attend more training courses in the future.Conclusion:The international consulting training program was well-received,and was feasible to improve the consulting service competence of global health professionals.According to participants' feedback,it is essential to develop and expand consulting training in the field of global health.

Lentiviral vectors have drawn considerable attention recently and show great promise to become important delivery vehicles for future gene transfer manipulation. In the present study we have optimized a protocol for preparation of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1)-based defective lentiviral vectors (DLV) and characterized these vectors in terms of their transduction of different cells. Transient co-transfection of 293T packaging cells with DNA plasmids encoding lentiviral vector constituents resulted in production of high-titer DLV (0.5-1.2 × 107IU/mL), which can be further concentrated over 100-fold through a single step ultracentrifugation. These vectors were capable of transducing a variety of cells from both primate and non-primate sources and high transduction efficiency was achieved using concentrated vectors. Assessment of potential generation of RCV revealed no detection of infection by infectious particles in DLV-transduced CEM, SupT-1 and MT-2 cells. Long-term culture of transduced cells showed a stable expression of transgenes without apparent alteration in cellular morphology and growth kinetics. Vector mobilization to untransduced cells mediated by wild-type HIV-1 infection was confirmed in this test. Challenge of transduced human T-lymphocytes with wild-type HIV-1 showed these cells are totally resistant to the viral infection. Considering the effective gene transfer and stable gene expression, safety and anti-HIV activity, these DLV vectors warrant further exploration for their potential use as a gene transfer vehicle in the development of gene therapy protocols.