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Background: A previous study has reported that calf circumference was useful in predicting sarcopenia in older adults with hip fractures. However, the relationship between sarcopenia and upper arm and forearm circumferences has not been well documented in older patients with hip fractures. This preliminary study aimed to determine whether upper arm and forearm circumferences are associated with sarcopenia in older patients with hip fractures. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 31 hospitalized older patients with hip fractures (femoral neck and trochanteric fractures). We classified patients based on the presence or absence of sarcopenia according to the criteria of the Asian working group for sarcopenia 2019. The upper arm and forearm circumferences were measured using a tape measure. Results: Upper arm and forearm circumferences in the non-sarcopenia group were significantly thicker than those in the sarcopenia group. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that upper arm and forearm circumferences were significant independent indicators of sarcopenia. We also set the cutoff values of upper arm and forearm circumferences for identifying sarcopenia. Conclusion: These findings suggest that upper arm and forearm circumferences could be useful methods for identifying sarcopenia in hospitalized older patients with hip fractures.

Background and Aims: Hepatitis C testing is still insufficient in France. Beyond defined groups with risk behaviors, hepatitis C testing should now be directed at the general population. The French pharmacies territorial coverage is excellent, and pharmacists are increasingly involved in public health actions (therapeutic education, vaccination against the flu). French Public Health Act on Innovation thank to the “Article 51” allow enables health care teams to propose experiments aimed at improving the diagnostic and/or therapeutic management of a disease. This funding methods and organization is unprecedented. Our aim was to screen for hepatitis C in pharmacies with POCT performed by pharmacists. Methodology: Pharmacist recruitment was done on a voluntary basis from different pharmacies on a population pool of 600,000 inhabitants. Pharmacists received training and education appropriate to the POC testing. At request of the health authorities, screening was only proposed for patients with one or more risk factors (national health agency list). There were planned 10 tests per week per pharmacy over 12 months for a total of 5,000 tests. Expected prevalence was 10%. Patients with positive POCT were tested for HCV viral load real-time and for liver fibrosis assessment by FIBROSCAN. They could be treated with HCV antiviral direct agents. Results: 37 pharmacists representing 32 pharmacies were trained to POCT use and announcement of results during 4 half days session. 9 pharmacies were located in agglomeration, including 5 in working-class areas, 7 in rural area, 7 in seaside area and 2 in middle mountain area. After 18 months of experimentation, 29 pharmacies have completed at least one POCT. We observed a decrease in the number of tests performed during the flu vaccination campaign and COVID pandemia and successive lockdowns; 547 tests were performed including 9 positives or a serological prevalence of 1.6%.; 7 patients had a negative viral…

Introduction: Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a typical dermatological complication often found in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Chronic hyperglycemia state causes microvascular impairment that leads to loss of peripheral sensory, motor, and autonomous functions. The current diabetic ulcer therapy has not yet provided a satisfactory reduction of the ulcer area; thus, several adjuvant therapies were tried, such as using ozone therapy, either systematically or topically. Ozone increases the cell membrane permeability to glucose, increases oxygen metabolism, improves oxidative preconditioning, stimulates endogenous antioxidant systems, and has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. Methods: This study was an analytic observational study, with systematic review and meta-analysis. Data searching were conducted online at Pubmed-MEDLINE, Scopus, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, Cochrane library, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Google Scholar, as well as hand-searching from libraries in Indonesia. Five most relevant articles included in the qualitative (systematic review) (n = 449) and three of those five articles included in the quantitative analysis (meta-analysis) (n = 211). Reduction of ulcer area was assessed. Results: The meta-analysis of effectiveness of ozone intervention group compared to the control group showed a homogeneity in data (Q=95.547, df=2; p=0.000, Tau2=5.276). Meta-analysis showed the value of Q statistic was z value = -9.478; (p=0.000). This shows that the overall administration of ozone can significantly improve the diabetic ulcer repair. The overall standardized mean difference showed an increase in the reduction of ulcer area following ozone therapy was -1.740 (95% CI [-2.100 to -1.380], p=0.00). These results indicate that the ulcer healing of the intervention group was significantly better than the control group. Conclusion: Systematic review and meta-analysis results show that the application of ozone therapy significantly improves DFU repair.

As a major oilseed crop with high ornamental value, Accurate and timely determination of their distribution and area under cultivation is essential to ensure food security and achieve sustainable development goals. The bright yellow flowers are a unique feature of rapeseed compared to other crops. Therefore, the yellow flower index was previously used to detect rapeseed on aerial images or medium-resolution satellites. However, the impact of its unique topographic terrain structure confuses crop planting structure, while the yellow flower signal of rapeseed is weak in the early stage of rapeseed growth. Therefore, it remains challenging to accurately identify early rapeseed in the southwest mountains. In this study, a new mountain rape index (MWRI) is proposed based on Sentinel-2 time series images. First, the NDVI characteristics of vegetation were used to filter out non-vegetated areas. Secondly, the weak rapeseed signal of non-pure image elements was enhanced by combining the time series reflection variation curves of rapeseed in red, green, NIR, and SWIR bands. The MRM method was used to extract the rapeseed cultivation in Chongqing, a typical mountainous rapeseed growing area in China. Three different previously proposed rapeseed indices: normalized difference yellowness index (NDYI), and yellowness index (RYI) were also calculated for comparison, and validation using high-resolution image interpretation samples in Google earth showed that MWRI has higher rapeseed recognition accuracy OA above 0.97, while other rapeseed indices OA between 0.9 and 0.95. The results indicate that MWRI is an effective index to distinguish mountain rapeseed from other crops.

Introduction: Skin aging is a complex biological process with cumulative structural and physiological changes, progressive changes in each layer of the skin, and changes in the appearance of the skin. Human skin undergoes 2 types of skin aging, that are intrinsic and extrinsic skin aging. Skin aging is characterized by a decrease in skin hydration and elasticity, as well as an increase in skin wrinkles. Anti-aging strategies are still being developed. A new anti-aging therapy modality that has been widely used is nutraceutical supplementation, such as fish collagen. Fish collagen is a new alternative source of collagen with a high degree of homology to human collagen structure and high bioavailability. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of oral fish collagen supplementation on skin aging. Methods: This study was an analytic observational study, with systematic review and meta-analysis. Data searching was conducted online at Pubmed-MEDLINE, EBSCO (CINAHL), Scopus, SpringerLink, ProQuest, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, Cambridge Core, and Google Scholar, as well as hand searching from libraries in Indonesia. Twelve studies were included in the qualitative analysis (systematic review) (n=753 subjects) and 6 of them were included in the quantitative analysis (meta-analysis) (n=426 subjects). Results: The results of the meta-analysis showed that the increase in skin hydration in the group given oral fish collagen supplementation was greater significantly than in the placebo group, with standardized mean difference (SMD) (95% CI)=0.56 (0.32 to 0.81), Z=4.47 (p

Background: Harboring many melanocytic nevi is a risk factor for melanoma. The prevalence of micro-nevi, melanocytic nevi that can only be detected microscopically, has been studied scarcely and the significance is unknown. Objectives: To systematically analyze the presence of micro-nevi in cutaneous excisions from cutaneous melanoma and basal cell carcinoma to achieve an insight in the density of micro-nevi per mm peri-tumoral skin. Also to speculate in the relevance and significance of micro-nevi for evolving melanoma at the same anatomical site. Methods: We re-examined histologically peri-tumoral skin of primary and re-excised melanomas and primary excisions of basal cell carcinomas for comparison. The size of a micro-nevus was defined to a diameter < 2 mm, of either a junctional, compound or intradermal nevus. Results: 104 melanoma and 208 basal cell carcinoma cases were microscopically re-examined. In the melanoma group 6 micro-nevi were found. The sum of the peri-tumoral skin was 1768 mm, giving a density of 1 nevus per 295 mm. In the basal cell carcinoma group 5 micro-nevi were found. The sum of the peri-tumoral skin was 1370 mm, giving a density of 1 nevus per 274 mm. No difference in the density of micro-nevi in the two groups of skin cancer was found. Conclusions: The significance of these micro-nevi remains unclear. The aim with this study is to draw attention to the existence of micro-nevi and further studies are needed to determine the significance of the presence of micro-nevi.

Background: Drug reactions are a fundamental issue in many branches of medicine. Adverse drug reactions result in high mortality and morbidity globally. There is always the risk of unwanted side effects associated with the use of any substance that has a therapeutic effect. The safe use of drugs remains a critical issue for all health care professionals. Objective: The current study investigates the level of drug reaction awareness among the public in northern Saudi Arabia. Materials/methods: This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. Data were collected using Google Forms, which were coded and processed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 23. Results: Altogether 475 people participated in this study including 382 women [80.4%] and 93 men [19.6%]. Of the 475 participants, 83.6% were aware of drug reactions, 40.4% believed drug reactions are hereditary, 50.9% had received a previous skin allergy test, and 21.3% had received a previous blood test for an allergy. Conclusion: The public in northern Saudi Arabia are aware of drug reactions. We found that only half of the participants in our study had received a skin allergy test. It is the responsibility of physicians to provide the community with a valuable database of information on the adverse effects of drugs. We recommend that health care institutions carry out more studies with a larger sample to improve the understanding and awareness of drug reactions.

Background: Sarcopenic obesity causes a decline in the ability to perform activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living in older adults. Physical activity is defined as the movement of any body part derived from the work of skeletal muscle, which leads to energy consumption. Physical activity comprises not only exercise but also all activities of daily life and promotes benefits of health outcomes, with the shift from a sedentary lifestyle to that including physical activity of any intensity (including light intensity) even leading to health benefits. Objective: The current study aims to review the associations of aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, and physical activity with body composition, physical performance, and activities of daily living in older adults with sarcopenic obesity, including older adults requiring assistance with the performance of activities of daily living. Results: Resistance and aerobic exercises could have positive effects on muscle mass, body fat, and physical performance in older adults with sarcopenic obesity. Besides, physical activity may reduce the risk of sarcopenic obesity in older adults. Conclusion: There has been a paucity of studies particularly on whether physical activity could still prevent the risk of sarcopenic obesity and improve muscle mass, body fat, physical performance, and the capacity for activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living in older adults with sarcopenic obesity, including older adults with sarcopenic obesity requiring care. Future studies need to additionally clarify whether physical activity affects the risk of sarcopenic obesity and promotes benefits in body composition, physical performance, and the capacity for activities of daily living in older adults and older adults with sarcopenic obesity requiring care.

Aim: The treatment of addiction is well structured in France, with different care and prevention services available, such as addiction treatment and prevention centers, the network of medical microstructures centred on general practitioners, and lower risk consumption rooms. The objectives of our study were to compare the courses of care for hepatitis C provided within one addictology center offering all three of these services, as well as to clarify the role and factors associated with the test and treat strategy. Methods: 573 users were included prospectively from all three of the above-mentioned services: 168 from the addiction treatment and prevention center, 291 from the network of medical microstructures and 114 from the lower risk consumption room. They were consumers of one or several psycho-active substances (illegal substances, alcohol, tobacco). The different hepatitis C courses of care were compared between the three services. The test and treat strategy was evaluated in comparison with conventional strategy in all the users. Results: The users were characterized as being predominantly male (65.4%), with high occurrence of polydrug use (61.2%) and low socioeconomic status (complementary health solidarity 43.8%, precarious housing or homelessness 23.9%, living alone 47.1% and lack of paid employment 72.9%). The course of care for hepatitis C did not differ significantly between the three services: screening performed for 90% with HCV RNA detected in 100% of users, access to treatment varied from 61 to 100%; hepatitis C was cured in all users. The test and treat strategy was used in the majority of cases, particularly those treated at lower risk consumption room (93.8%). This strategy was associated with type of consumption and low socioeconomic status (p

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2), created a global pandemic that has changed many aspects of life. Because of respiratory implications, it is interesting to investigate the impact of the pandemic and its effects on the usage of tobacco products including vaping. The purpose of the study is to determine the prevalence of vaping among college students as well as their perceptions and knowledge of risks associated with tobacco use, primarily vaping. The investigators are interested in determining associations of vaping with demographics and use of alcohol and smoking, and “Intention to vape” products amid the pandemic. A cross-sectional survey of 353 students attending University of North Carolina in Wilmington was carried out. The study results showed about 43% and 67% reported ever using cigarettes and vaping products, respectively. Of the respondents, 25% reported current dual use (e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes). About 55% of respondents maintained they would probably or definitely not use e-cigarettes either pre- or post-COVID-19. There was, however, a slight decline (3.7%) in those reporting they would definitely use e-cigarettes post-COVID-19 vs. pre-COVID-19. The high prevalence of vaping (39.5%) during the pandemic among university students in our study warrants increased efforts to address this problem on a national level.