Introduction: Soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) remains to be highly prevalent in the Philippines, despite the implementation of school-based bi-annual mass drug administration and other preventive measures under the Garantisadong Pambata Program by the Department of Health (DOH). Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study determined the association between the level of knowledge and the actual practices of family care givers in the prevention of STH among school-age children belonging to low-income families in an urban barangay. Results: Among 193 respondents, 97.93% had good level of knowledge of STH prevention and control, 83.42% had good hand hygiene practices, but only 39.90% adhered to the recommended bi-annual anti-helminthic prophylaxis for their school-aged children. A positive association was noted between level of knowledge and actual hand hygiene practices, but this was not statistically significant (i.e., prevalence odds ratio = 5.3, p = 0.129). Among those who did not comply with the bi-annual anti-helminthic administration, there was a prevalence odds ratio (POR) of 0.66 that the family care giver was knowledgeable on STH prevention and control, and this negative association was not statistically significant (i.e., p = 0.529). Conclusion Level of knowledge on STH prevention was positively associated with hand hygiene practices but was negatively associated with compliance with the bi-annual deworming prophylaxis. But these associations were not statistically significant.
Hand Hygiene

With the communicable diseases headlining several media platforms, hand washing remains the most effective way to remove germs and help prevent the spread of microorganisms -- when done correctly. Proper hand hygiene plays an essential role in reducing the occurrence of transmitting microbes. This descriptive quantitative research study primarily aims to assess the knowledge, practices, and skills of a Private Higher Educational Institution university personnel and students towards Proper Hand Washing. Data was obtained using Google Forms from 316 participants of Holy Angel University personnel and students aged 18 years old and above. The majority, or 54%, of participants had a high level of hand hygiene knowledge, good hand hygiene practices (52%), and proficient hand hygiene skills (72%). Overall, the university personnel and students demonstrated good knowledge and skills, and practices towards hand hygiene. Results can inform programs and policies to improve handwashing as a protective measure against viral infections.
Hand hygiene ; knowledge ; practices ; skills ; COVID-19 ; HEI ; students ; faculty

Objective: To explore the sound insulation, sound absorption and other noise reduction transformation methods in a noise workshop handover control room. Methods: In December 2021, through the occupational health investigation and on-site testing of the handover control room of a noise workshop, the causes of excessive noise were analyzed, and the transformation design scheme to reduce noise was proposed and the effect was analyzed. Results: Before the transformation, the peak frequency band noise intensity of the noise workshop handover control room was 112.8 dB (A), and the peak frequency was 1000 Hz. After noise reduction, the theoretical calculated control value was 61.0 dB (A), and the measured noise intensity was 59.8 dB (A) . Conclusion: The noise intensity of the handover control room is reduced after noise reduction, which is in line with the contact limit requirements of the control room in GBZ 1-2010 "Hygienic Standards for the Design of Industrial Enterprises", and has reference significance for noise control engineering.
Noise/prevention & control* ; Occupational Health ; Industry ; Reference Standards ; Hygiene ; Noise, Occupational/prevention & control*

During the recent emergence of COVID-19, an increased practice of hand hygiene coincided with the reduced incidence of the norovirus epidemic in Japan, which is similar to experience with the pandemic flu in 2009. We investigated the relationship between the sales of hand hygiene products, including liquid hand soap and alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and the trend of norovirus epidemic. We used national gastroenteritis surveillance data across Japan in 2020 and 2021 and compared the base statistics of incidence of these two years with the average of the previous 10 years (2010-2019). We calculated the correlations (Spearman's Rho) between monthly sales of hand hygiene products and monthly norovirus cases and fitted them to a regression model. In 2020, there was no epidemic, and the incidence peak was the lowest in recent norovirus epidemics. In 2021, the incidence peak was delayed for five weeks to the usual epidemic seasons. Correlation coefficients between monthly sales of liquid hand soap and skin antiseptics and norovirus incidence showed a significantly negative correlation (Spearman's Rho = -0.88 and p = 0.002 for liquid hand soap; Spearman's Rho = -0.81 and p = 0.007 for skin antiseptics). Exponential regression models were fitted between the sales of each hand hygiene product and norovirus cases, respectively. The results suggest hand hygiene using these products is a potentially useful prevention method against norovirus epidemics. Effective ways of hand hygiene for increasing the prevention of norovirus should therefore be studied.
Humans ; Japan/epidemiology* ; COVID-19 ; Hand Hygiene ; Soaps ; Anti-Infective Agents, Local ; Norovirus

Background: The community plays a crucial role in practising effective hand hygiene to prevent disease transmission. Several studies conducted on hand hygiene practices among healthcare practitioners show positive outcomes in decreasing disease transmission particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, studies related to hand hygiene among adults in the local communities are scant. Aim: This study aimed to determine 1) the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of hand hygiene, and 2) the relationship between demographic factors and hand hygiene practice among adults in a local community in Penang. Methods: This was a cross-sectional quantitative survey combined with direct observation of hand hygiene practice. A self-administered questionnaire on knowledge and attitude towards hand hygiene, and an observational checklist of hand hygiene practice were adapted to measure the variables studied. Non-random quota sampling technique was used to recruit the required 398 sample size. Results: The study found that the level of knowledge using an internationally commonly used 12 item questionnaire was good. Attitude towards hand hygiene measured on another 7 item questionnaire was also good. A majority of the participants (73.9%) had a good level of hand hygiene practice. No significant relationship was found between age, gender, level of education, and hand hygiene practice. Conclusion Local health authorities are urged to continue to emphasise to the public on the importance of hand hygiene to reduce disease transmission in the community. Further studies are recommended to explore the possible barriers that hinder people from adopting good hand hygiene practice.
Adult ; Attitude ; Hand Hygiene ; Knowledge

BACKGROUND: Head and neck cancers (HNCs) are a heterogeneous group of tumors that progress owing to varied enviromental and genetic risk factors. Viral infections are threatening and adept at altering the expression of cellular transcription factors such as nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and deregulation of other cellular proteins like NF kappa B inhibitor alpha (IκBα). The present study was conducted to detect high-risk genotypes of human papillomavirus (HPV) and protein expression of NF-κB signaling pathway in HNC patients with HPV infection. METHODS: For HPV detection, genomic DNA from 152 HNC tumors was extracted formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue DNA kit. For genotyping, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a general primer, HPV type-specific primers and agarose gel electrophoresis were performed. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was also performed on 4-μm thick tissue sections using HPV E6 monoclonal antibody. Protein expression analysis of NF-κB signaling pathway including p50, p65, and IκBα was performed using IHC. RESULTS: PCR analysis showed that 24.3% (37/152) of HNC cases were HPV positive. Among HPV positive, 86.5% (32/37) were tobacco users, while among HPV negative, 66.9% (77/115) were tobacco users. A significant association of HPV positivity and tobacco user was observed by univariate analysis [ P   <  0.01; odds ratio (OR): 0.310, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.110 to 0.870]. More HPV positive patients were with poor oral hygiene (78.3%) when compared with patients with good oral hygiene (21.6%) [ P  < 0.03, OR: 2.440, 95% CI: 1.650 to 3.600]. The results of the logistic regression analysis showed that age, tobacco use and oral hygiene are significant predictors ( P  < 0.02). PCR and IHC staining results confirmed that HPV16 was predominant among HNC cases (64.8%) when compared with HPV18 (35.2%). Expression of NF-κB proteins (p50, p65, and IκBα inhibitor) were also observed in HPV and non-HPV infected HNC tissues. IHC expression of p50, and p65 showed nuclear staining, while IκBα inhibitor showed cytoplasmic staining. Protein expression in HPV cases was higher as compared to HPV naive cases ( P  < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS From the study, it can be established that the use of tobacco, oral hygiene, and HPV infection may be synergistically involved in modulating the expression of NF-κB signaling pathway for the development and progression of HNC in the Pakistani population.
Alphapapillomavirus ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; DNA ; DNA, Viral/genetics* ; Formaldehyde ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Humans ; NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha/genetics* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Oral Hygiene ; Pakistan ; Papillomaviridae/metabolism* ; Papillomavirus Infections/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Tobacco ; Tobacco Use ; Transcription Factors/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the baseline levels of microorganisms' growth on the hands of anesthesiologists and in the anesthesia environment at a cancer hospital. METHODS: This study performed in nine operating rooms and among 25 anesthesiologists at a cancer hospital. Sampling of the hands of anesthesiologists and the anesthesia environment was performed at a ready-to-use operating room before patient contact began and after decontamination. RESULTS: Microorganisms' growth results showed that 20% (5/25) of anesthesiologists' hands carried microorganisms (> 10 CFU/cm ²) before patient contact began. Female anesthesiologists performed hand hygiene better than did their male counterparts, with fewer CFUs ( P = 0.0069) and fewer species ( P = 0.0202). Our study also found that 55.6% (5/9) of ready-to-use operating rooms carried microorganisms (> 5 CFU/cm ²). Microorganisms regrowth began quickly (1 hour) after disinfection, and increased gradually over time, reaching the threshold at 4 hours after disinfection. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from the hands of 20% (5/25) of anesthesiologists and 33.3% (3/9) of operating rooms. CONCLUSION Our study indicates that male anesthesiologists need to pay more attention to the standard operating procedures and effect evaluation of hand hygiene, daily cleaning rate of the operating room may be insufficient, and we would suggest that there should be a repeat cleaning every four hours.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesiologists/statistics & numerical data* ; Disinfection/standards* ; Hand Hygiene/statistics & numerical data* ; Staphylococcal Infections ; Operating Rooms/statistics & numerical data* ; Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification*

Objective: To understand the comparability of noise measurement results of various occupational hygiene technical service organizations in Guangdong Province by conducting inter-laboratory comparison of measuring instruments and personnel operation. Methods: In October 2020, the instrument comparison and personnel comparison among 91 occupational hygiene technical service organizations engaged in noise measurement in Guangdong Province were carried out in the form of fixed-point measurement and simulated workplace measurement, and the results were analyzed and evaluated by using the robust z-ratio score. Results: In the instrument comparison, 6 organizations had 1 or 2 outliers in their z-ratio scores, 2 organizations had 2 problematic values in their z-ratio scores, and a total of 8 organizations (accounting for 8.8%) were judged as unqualified; A total of 83 organizations (accounting for 91.2%) with satisfactory z-ratio scores or only one problematic value were judged as qualified. In the personnel comparison, there were 11 organizations with 1 or 2 outliers in the z-ratio score, and 1 organization with 2 problematic values in the z-ratio score. A total of 12 organizations (13.2%) were judged as unqualified and 79 organizations (accounting for 86.8%) with satisfactory z-ratio scores or only one problematic value were judged as qualified. Through comprehensive judgment, 20 organizations (22.0%) were judged as unqualified, and 71 organizations (78.0%) were judged as qualified. There was no statistically significant difference in the qualified rates of instrument comparison results, personnel comparison results and comprehensive evaluation results of non-private organizations and private organizations (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the qualified rates of instrument comparison results and comprehensive evaluation results of qualified organizations and unqualified organizations (P>0.05), there was significant difference in the qualified rate of personnel comparison results (P<0.05) . Conclusion: The noise measurement results of some occupational health technical service organizations in Guangdong Province are generally comparable. To carry out inter-laboratory comparison of noise instrument performance and personnel operation ability of occupational hygiene technical service organizations, can comprehensively evaluate the testing process of each organization and find out the problems existing in each organization.
Humans ; Workplace ; Occupational Health Services ; Organizations ; Hygiene ; Workforce ; Noise, Occupational

Objective: This study aimed to examine the sleep arrangements and soothing methods and to assess their associations with sleep problems among children aged < 3 years in China. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2019 from six provinces in China. A total of 1,195 caregivers of children aged 0-35 months were included in the study. Data on sleep arrangements, soothing methods, and sleep problems (i.e., frequent night awakenings and difficulty falling asleep) were assessed using the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire. The reasons for bed-sharing in sleep arrangements were recorded using a self-designed questionnaire. Results: The bed-sharing practice was very prevalent at any age, which ranged from 69.9% to 78.3%. Most infants fell asleep while feeding or being rocked/held before age 12 months. By age 35 months, 62.4% of the children fell asleep in bed near parents. The most common reasons for bed-sharing were breastfeeding/feeding and convenience. Parental involvement when falling asleep was significantly related with frequent night awakenings and difficulty falling asleep. No association was found between bed-sharing and sleep. Conclusion Bed-sharing and parental involvement were very common among Chinese children aged < 3 years. Children who fall asleep with parental involvement were more likely to have sleep problems.
Asians ; Beds ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Behavior ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Sleep/physiology* ; Sleep Hygiene ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Surveys and Questionnaires

ABSTRACT Oral health professionals frequently provide oral hygiene instruction (OHI) during dental visits, yet the evidence for its effectiveness is inconclusive. The main objective of this study was to examine the evidence on the effectiveness of various oral hygiene teaching approaches on periodontal health in adults. The study searched the PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus databases for reports published between January 2000 and June 2020 in the English language. The quality of the selected papers was evaluated using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines by two authors. Overall, five reports met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The heterogeneity of outcome measurements across studies did not allow for direct comparison. Verbal and brochures were among the methods used in the studies. OHI was found to have short-term (up to 13 weeks) effects on dental plaque levels and/or gingiva bleeding. No significant differences were noted among the different oral hygiene methods affecting periodontal health. There is evidence that OHI is effective in reducing plaque and gingival bleeding scores in adult individuals, but it is still unclear if the effect continues beyond 13 weeks. No single method can be highlighted as the best medium of instruction.
Oral Hygiene ; Periodontal Diseases ; Adult