INTRODUCTION

Effective mosquito control is pivotal in the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases, but no successful preventive measures have been recorded for dengue vector control. Hence, possible alternatives to chemical larvicides have been explored, including plant alcoholic extracts. This study determined the larvicidal efficacy of Annona squamosa ethanolic leaf extracts against third instar larvae of Aedes aegypti.

Three replicates of varying concentrations of Annona squamosa ethanolic extract (i.e., 10%, 40%, and 70%) versus positive (Novaluron) and negative controls (tap water) were used to determine larval mortality.

Greatest larval mortality was noted using the 70% concentration (i.e., 24% versus the observed values of 20% and 8%, respectively for the 40% and 10% ethanolic concentrations). Relative to the controls, the mean differences in the mortality rates of the Aedes aegypti larvae across the leaf ethanolic concentrations were statistically significant (i.e., p-value < 0.05). There was increasing trend in larval mortality over time, but 50% lethal dose was not achieved. In conclusion, the different Annona squamosa ethanolic leaf extracts could be used as alternative botanical larvicides against Aedes species.

BACKGROUND: There are few multi-city studies on the association between temperature and mortality in basin climates. This study was based on the Sichuan Basin in southwest China to assess the association of basin temperature with non-accidental mortality in the population and with the temperature-related mortality burden. METHODS: Daily mortality data, meteorological and air pollution data were collected for four cities in the Sichuan Basin of southwest China. We used a two-stage time-series analysis to quantify the association between temperature and non-accidental mortality in each city, and a multivariate meta-analysis was performed to obtain the overall cumulative risk. The attributable fractions (AFs) were calculated to access the mortality burden attributable to non-optimal temperature. Additionally, we performed a stratified analyses by gender, age group, education level, and marital status. RESULTS: A total of 751,930 non-accidental deaths were collected in our study. Overall, 10.16% of non-accidental deaths could be attributed to non-optimal temperatures. A majority of temperature-related non-accidental deaths were caused by low temperature, accounting for 9.10% (95% eCI: 5.50%, 12.19%), and heat effects accounted for only 1.06% (95% eCI: 0.76%, 1.33%). The mortality burden attributable to non-optimal temperatures was higher among those under 65 years old, females, those with a low education level, and those with an alternative marriage status. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggested that a significant association between non-optimal temperature and non-accidental mortality. Those under 65 years old, females, and those with a low educational level or alternative marriage status had the highest attributable burden.
Female ; Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Cities ; Cold Temperature ; Hot Temperature ; Mortality ; Temperature ; Time Factors ; Middle Aged ; Male

BACKGROUND: It is crucial to understand the seasonal variation of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) for the detection and management of MetS. Previous studies have demonstrated the seasonal variations in MetS prevalence and its markers, but their methods are not robust. To clarify the concrete seasonal variations in the MetS prevalence and its markers, we utilized a powerful method called Seasonal Trend Decomposition Procedure based on LOESS (STL) and a big dataset of health checkups. METHODS: A total of 1,819,214 records of health checkups (759,839 records for men and 1,059,375 records for women) between April 2012 and December 2017 were included in this study. We examined the seasonal variations in the MetS prevalence and its markers using 5 years and 9 months health checkup data and STL analysis. MetS markers consisted of waist circumference (WC), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting plasma glucose (FPG). RESULTS: We found that the MetS prevalence was high in winter and somewhat high in August. Among men, MetS prevalence was 2.64 ± 0.42 (mean ± SD) % higher in the highest month (January) than in the lowest month (June). Among women, MetS prevalence was 0.53 ± 0.24% higher in the highest month (January) than in the lowest month (June). Additionally, SBP, DBP, and HDL-C exhibited simple variations, being higher in winter and lower in summer, while WC, TG, and FPG displayed more complex variations. CONCLUSIONS This finding, complex seasonal variations of MetS prevalence, WC, TG, and FPG, could not be derived from previous studies using just the mean values in spring, summer, autumn and winter or the cosinor analysis. More attention should be paid to factors affecting seasonal variations of central obesity, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Metabolic Syndrome/epidemiology* ; Seasons ; Prevalence ; Climate ; Insulin Resistance ; Triglycerides

BACKGROUND: Although social interaction and social support during the "new normal" due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be related to presenteeism, the effect between these factors has not been clear for Japanese workers. The aim of this study was to describe the presenteeism of Japanese workers with reference to social interaction and social support following the lifestyle changes due to COVID-19 and to assess whether social interaction and social support affected their presenteeism. METHODS: The data were obtained from internet panel surveys from October 2020. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and multiple linear regression was conducted using the data from the first, fourth and fifth surveys, which were conducted during October to November 2020, July to August 2021, and September to October 2021, respectively. To measure presenteeism, questions from "absenteeism and presenteeism questions of the World Health Organization's Heath and Work Performance Questionnaire", short version in Japanese was utilized. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to investigate the effects of social interaction and social support-related factors on presenteeism. RESULTS: A total of 3,407 participants were included in the analysis. The mean score of absolute presenteeism from the fifth survey was 58.07 (SD = 19.71). More time spent talking with family, a larger number of social supporters and a higher satisfaction level for social support were associated with a higher absolute presenteeism score. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggested that social support reduced the presenteeism of the Japanese workers during the "new normal" due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Social interaction with family also relieved presenteeism.
Humans ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Social Interaction ; Pandemics ; Presenteeism ; COVID-19/epidemiology*

BACKGROUND: Owing to shortage of surgical and N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) during the COVID-2019 pandemic, various masks were developed to prevent infection. This study aimed to examine the inward leakage rate (ILR) of sealed face masks and modified surgical masks using a quantitative fit test and compared it with the ILR of unmodified N95 FFRs. METHODS: We conducted paired comparisons of ILRs of bent nose-fit wire masks, double masks, and N95 FFRs from October to December 2021. To measure the protective effectiveness of masks, participants wore masks, and the number of particles outside and inside the mask were measured. The ILR was based on the percentage of particles entering the mask using a fit tester. RESULTS: We enrolled 54 participants (20 men and 34 women) in this study. The median ILR for surgical masks without and with a W-shaped bend in the nose-fit wire were 96.44% and 50.82%, respectively. The nose-fit wire adjustment reduced the ILR of surgical masks by a mean of 28.57%, which was significantly lower than the ILR without adjustment (P < 0.001). For double masks, with surgical or polyurethane masks on top of the W-shaped mask, the ILR did not differ significantly from that of N95. Although the filtration performance of double surgical masks matched that of N95 masks, their ILR was notably higher, indicating that double masks do not provide equivalent protection. CONCLUSIONS Wearing N95 masks alone is effective in many cases. However, surgical mask modifications do not guarantee consistent effectiveness. Properly selected, sealed masks with a good fit overcome leakage, emphasizing their crucial role. Without evidence, mask-wearing may lead to unexpected infections. Education based on quantitative data is crucial for preventing adverse outcomes.
Male ; Humans ; Female ; N95 Respirators ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Masks ; Pandemics/prevention & control* ; Respiratory Protective Devices ; Materials Testing ; Equipment Design ; Occupational Exposure/prevention & control*

OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk of aristolochic acid (AA)-associated cancer in patients with AA nephropathy (AAN). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on patients diagnosed with AAN at Peking University First Hospital from January 1997 to December 2014. Long-term surveillance and follow-up data were analyzed to investigate the influence of different factors on the prevalence of cancer. The primary endpoint was the incidence of liver cancer, and the secondary endpoint was the incidence of urinary cancer during 1 year after taking AA-containing medication to 2014. RESULTS: A total of 337 patients diagnosed with AAN were included in this study. From the initiation of taking AA to the termination of follow-up, 39 patients were diagnosed with cancer. No cases of liver cancer were observed throughout the entire follow-up period, with urinary cancer being the predominant type (34/39, 87.17%). Logistic regression analysis showed that age, follow-up period, and diabetes were potential risk factors, however, the dosage of the drug was not significantly associated with urinary cancer. CONCLUSIONS No cases of liver cancer were observed at the end of follow-up. However, a high prevalence of urinary cancer was observed in AAN patients. Establishing a direct causality between AA and HCC is challenging.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Incidence ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Liver Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Kidney Diseases/chemically induced* ; Aristolochic Acids/adverse effects*

Background and Objective: Pediatric COVID-19 epidemiology and factors associated with adverse outcomes-mortality, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, and ICU admission, are largely unstudied. We described the clinicodemographic characteristics of Filipino pediatric COVID-19 patients and determined the factors associated with adverse outcomes. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 180 hospitalized SARS-CoV-2-confirmed cases 0-18 years old from April 2020 to August 2021 in a tertiary COVID-19 referral hospital in Manila, National Capital Region. Crude associations were determined using chi-squared or Fisher’s exact tests; and medians were compared using the Mann-Whitney test. Factors predictive of mortality were determined using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. The survivor functions were depicted in graphs. Results: About 41.67% had mild disease, 58.33% were males, 39.4% aged 0-4 years, and 69.44% had at least one comorbidity. About 9.44% died (adjusted 9.2 persons per 1000 patient-days, 95% CI 5.5%-15.2%), 17.78% needed invasive mechanical ventilation, and 20% needed ICU admission. Independently, severe-critical COVID-19 (HRc 11.51, 95% CI 3.23, 41.06), retractions (HRc 10.30, 95% CI 3.27, 32.47), alar flaring (HRc 4.39, 95% CI 1.53, 12.58), cyanosis (HRc 4.39, 95% CI 1.72, 14.11), difficulty of breathing (HRc 7.99, 95% CI 2.25, 28.71), poor suck/appetite (HRc 4.46, 95% CI 1.59, 12.40), ferritin (HRc 1.01, 95% CI 1.00, 1.01), IL-6 (HRc 1.01, 95% CI 1.00, 1.01), aPTT (HRc 1.05, 95% CI 1.01, 1.10), IVIg (HRc 4.00, 95% CI 1.07, 14.92) and corticosteroid (HRc 6.01, 95% CI 2.04, 17.67) were significant hazards for mortality. In adjusted Cox analysis, only retractions (HRa 34.96, 95% CI 3.36, 363.79), seizure (HRa 9.98, 95% CI 1.76, 56.55), and corticosteroids (HRa 8.21, 95% CI 1.12, 60.38) were significantly associated with mortality while alar flaring appeared to be protective (HRa 0.10, 95% CI 0.01, 0.95). Several clinical characteristics were consistently associated with adverse outcomes. Conclusions Majority of hospitalized pediatric COVID-19 patients were very young, males, had mild disease, and had at least one comorbidity. Mortality, invasive mechanical ventilation, and ICU admission were relatively low. Except for alar flaring which appeared to be protective, retractions, seizure, and use of corticosteroids were associated with adverse outcomes.
COVID-19 ; Epidemiology ; Philippines ; Child ; Pediatrics

Background and Objective: Scabies is the second most common cause of disability due to skin disease in the Philippines. However, there were no cited studies in Global Burden of Disease 2019 and the disability-adjusted life years (DALY) computations were most likely based on statistical modelling. The Philippine Department of Health has embarked on a program to estimate the disease burden of priority diseases in the country, which include scabies. The last nationwide prevalence survey was 23 years ago. This systematic review aimed to estimate the prevalence or incidence of scabies in the Philippines. Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Herdin, and Philippine Health Research Registry (search date October 2022) for studies on prevalence/incidence (including systematic reviews, cross-sectional studies, cohort studies, case series, registry or census studies) of patients diagnosed with scabies in the Philippines. We excluded narrative reviews, commentaries, and conference proceedings or abstracts. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, assessed full text reports for eligibility, appraised the quality of included studies, and collected data using a pretested data extraction form. We did not pool studies due to clinical heterogeneity but plotted the individual studies in a forest plot with prevalence estimates and confidence intervals. We reported the median and interquartile range for entire group or relevant subgroups (age, setting) of studies. We used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach to assess the certainty of evidence. Results: We included nine studies (N=79,065). Most were clinic-based prevalence studies, retrospective chart reviews, conducted in dermatology outpatient clinics, Metro Manila area, and on pediatric populations. Prevalence of scabies was moderate (i.e., between 2 and 10%), ranging from 2.75% (national prevalence survey) to 6.8% (communitybased review), to high (> 10%) among pediatric patients in clinic-based retrospective chart reviews (29 to 36%) and institution-based surveys (39.0% to 45%), and a tertiary government university training hospital dermatology clinic (22.9%). The most affected age group was from 0 to 14 y/o, while males tended to have a higher prevalence than females. The cooler month of January had higher prevalence than the hotter month of June in one study. Conclusion Scabies is common in the Philippines, especially among children and elderly in institutional settings, and during the month of January. There is a need to do a national prevalence survey to identify high-risk areas and to monitor the prevalence of scabies, especially in crowded settings and vulnerable populations. This information can be used for estimating the burden of disease for scabies and guide appropriate health resource allocation.
Scabies ; Philippines ; Epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Incidence

Humans ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Endoscopy ; Esophageal Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Mass Screening

Humans ; Hong Kong/epidemiology* ; COVID-19