IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 589: Interventions Aimed at the Prevention of Childhood Injuries in the Indigenous Populations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand in the Last 20 Years: A Systematic Review

Globally, Indigenous children are found to be at a significantly higher risk of injury compared to non-Indigenous children. It has been suggested that mainstream injury prevention strategies are ineffective within Indigenous communities. The aim of this review is to identify existing interventions aimed at preventing injury in Indigenous children in the hope that it guides future strategies. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no prior systematic reviews exist looking at interventions specifically aimed at preventing injury in Indigenous child populations in the three chosen countries. Electronic databases were systematically searched for relevant childhood interventions aimed at the prevention of injuries in Indigenous populations based in Canada, Australia and New Zealand from 1996 to 2016. A manual search of the reference lists of relevant articles and a manual search of relevant websites were also completed. After 191 records were screened, six interventions were identified meeting the criteria for inclusion. Eligible papers underwent a quality appraisal using adapted assessment checklists and key information was extracted. Findings were then synthesized using a narrative approach. The interventions mainly promoted child safety through activities focusing on education and awareness. Only three of the six studies measured changes in injury hospitalization rates, all but one evaluation reporting a significant decrease. Studies which measured awareness all demonstrated positive changes. Results suggest that interventions delivered in a culturally appropriate manner acted as a main success factor. Barriers identified as hindering intervention success included lack of cohesion within the intervention due to staff turnover and lack of experienced staff with Indigenous knowledge. This review revealed a limited amount of evaluated interventions for the prevention of Indigenous childhood injuries. Conclusive evidence of the effectiveness of existing interventions is lacking due to the predominantly small-scale evaluations of pilot interventions. Future research is needed to provide more rigorous evidence of the mechanisms driving the successful implementation, delivery and uptake of such strategies tailored to Indigenous children.

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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 592: The Influence of Quercetin on Maternal Immunity, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation in Mice with Exposure of Fine Particulate Matter during Gestation

The objective is to investigate the influence of PM2.5 exposure on peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in pregnant mice and the antagonism of quercetin on adverse effects induced by PM2.5 exposure. Pregnant mice were randomly divided into control group, PM2.5 model group and 3 quercetin intervention groups. Dams in all groups except the control group were exposed to PM2.5 suspension by intratracheal instillation on gestational day (GD) 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15. Meanwhile, each dam was given 0.15% carboxymethylcellulose sodium (CMCS) (control group & PM2.5 model group) and different doses of quercetin (quercetin intervention groups) by gavage once a day from GD0 to GD17. The percentage of lymphocyte subsets, Biomarkers of systemic inflammation injuries (IL-2, IL-6, IL-8 & TNF-α) and oxidative stress indicators (CAT, GSH & HO-1) in peripheral blood of the dams were analyzed. The number of T cells increased, accompanied by increased level of IL-2, IL-6, IL-8 and HO-1 due to PM2.5 exposure. Less CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were counted in 100 mg/kg quercetin intervention group, compared with PM2.5 model group. Quercetin may inhibit cytokine production, especially in IL-6 and IL-8 and may upgrade the level of HO-1. Our findings indicate that PM2.5 could significantly influence the distribution of T-lymphocyte subsets, activate inflammatory reaction and elevate oxidative stress level in peripheral blood of pregnant mice. Certain dose of quercetin administration during pregnancy may protect the dams against the adverse effects through various ways.

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Fire impact assessment in FLNG processing facilities using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

Publication date: September 2017
Source:Fire Safety Journal, Volume 92
Author(s): Til Baalisampang, Rouzbeh Abbassi, Vikram Garaniya, Faisal Khan, Mohammad Dadashzadeh
Increasing demand for natural gas has pushed the exploration of natural gas to remote offshore locations using a Floating LNG (FLNG) facility. In this facility, fire hazards are comparatively high and even a single fire accident may be catastrophic due to the congested and complex layout of the facility. This study proposes a novel methodology for modelling the impact of a fire event in an FLNG facility. Hazard identification and accident credibility assessment have been used to discover the three most credible fire accident scenarios. These scenarios have been simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code, Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). The results have then been compared to identify the most severe impact of the fire on personnel and assets using thermal radiation and risk levels. It has been found that the fire event in all three scenarios has a high potential to cause damage to adjacent assets. From this comparison, it is evident that the scenario in the Mixed Refrigerant Module in the liquefaction process has the highest risk of fire to both on-board personnel and assets. The proposed methodology may be adopted further for safety measure design to mitigate or avoid the impacts of a fire event in any complex processing facility.



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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 591: Reduced Dietary Selenium Impairs Vascular Function by Increasing Oxidative Stress in Sprague-Dawley Rat Aortas

This study aimed to determine whether low dietary Se content affects the function and mechanisms mediating the vascular relaxation of rat aortas, and to test the role of oxidative stress in observed differences. Male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were maintained for 10 weeks on low Se (low-Se group; N = 20) or normal Se content (norm-Se group; N = 20) rat chow. Dose responses to acetylcholine (ACh; 10−9–10−5M) and the response to reduced pO2 were tested in noradrenaline-precontracted aortic rings in the absence/presence of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME), the cyclooxygenase 1 and 2 (COX-1, 2) inhibitor Indomethacin, and the antioxidative agent Tempol in tissue bath. mRNA expression of glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1), catalase (CAT), and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) was measured in rat aortas. Oxidative stress (Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; TBARS), antioxidative plasma capacity (ferric reducing ability of plasma assay; FRAP), and protein levels of GPx1 were measured in plasma and serum samples, respectively. Reduced ACh-induced relaxation (AChIR) (dominantly mediated by NO) in the low-Se group compared to the norm-Se group was restored by Tempol administration. Hypoxia-induced relaxation (HIR) (dominantly mediated by COX-1, 2), TBARS, and FRAP as well as GPx1 serum concentrations were similar between the groups. mRNA GPx1 expression in rat aortas was significantly decreased in the low-Se compared to the norm-Se group. These data suggest that low dietary Se content increases the local oxidative stress level, which subsequently affects the NO-mediated vascular response.

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A life course perspective on mental health problems, employment, and work outcomes

Objectives Little is known about how employment and work outcomes among young adults are influenced by their life-course history of mental health problems. Therefore, the aims of this study were to (i) identify trajectories of mental health problems from childhood to young adulthood and (ii) investigate the association between these trajectories and employment and work outcomes among young adults. Methods Data were used from 360 participants of the Tracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), a Dutch prospective cohort study, with 12-year follow-up. Trajectories of externalizing and internalizing problems were identified with latent class growth models. Employment conditions and work outcomes (ie, psychosocial work characteristics) were measured at age 22. We assessed the association between mental health trajectories and employment conditions and work outcomes. Results Four trajectories of mental health problems were identified: high-stable, decreasing, moderate-stable and low-stable. Young adults with high-stable trajectories of externalizing problems worked over six hours more [B=6.71, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.82–10.6] and had a higher income [odds ratio (OR) 0.33, 95% CI 0.15–0.71], than young adults with low-stable trajectories. Young adults with high-stable trajectories of internalizing problems worked six hours less per week (B=-6.07, 95% CI -10.1– -2.05) and reported lower income (OR 3.44, 95% CI 1.53–7.74) and poorer psychosocial work characteristics, compared to young adults with low-stable trajectories. Conclusions Among young adults who had a paid job at the age of 22 (and were not a student or unemployed), those with a history of internalizing problems are less likely to transition successfully into the labor market, compared to other young adults. by Veldman K, Reijneveld SA, Verhulst FC, Ortiz JA, Bültmann U. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3650

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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 588: Socioeconomic Disparity in Later-Year Group Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms: Role of Health and Social Engagement Change

This study explored heterogeneous change patterns of South Korean older adults’ depressive symptoms by poverty status, focusing on health status and social engagement changes. We used data from four waves (2006–2012) of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). Our sample contained 2461 poor and 1668 non-poor individuals. All were 65 years old or older at baseline. We used latent class growth analysis to identify trajectory groups’ depressive symptoms. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine how a range of changes in health conditions and social engagement was associated with trajectories among poor and non-poor participants. Among the poor, five heterogeneous trajectories with clear patterns were identified: high-to-moderate, stable-high, slightly-increasing, steeply-increasing, and stable-low. Among non-poor, high-to-moderate, steeply-increasing, and stable-low groups were found. A decrease in health conditions was the most vulnerable subgroup’s (steeply-increasing) primary risk factor. Poor older adults who reduced participation in, or decreased contact with, social networks were likely to belong to the steeply-increasing group. Our study provides impetus for organizational and/or environmental support systems to facilitate social engagement among poor older adults. Future research should examine whether the significance of social engagement among poor elders applies in less-developed and developed countries.

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De Gruyter and CRUI/CARE Consortium sign agreement

Leading Italian universities now have access to De Gruyter content

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