Month: June 2024

Abstract

Background

Gambling and gambling-related harm attract significant researcher and policy attention. The liberalisation of gambling in most western countries is strongly associated with a marked rise in gambling activity and increases in gambling-related harm experienced at the population level. Programs to address gambling-related harm have traditionally focused on individuals who demonstrate problematic gambling behaviour, despite clear evidence of the effectiveness of a public health approach to high-risk activities like gambling. Little is known about the availability or efficacy of programs to address gambling-related harm at a population level.

Methods

The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation commissioned a rapid evidence review of the available evidence on programs designed to reduce gambling-related harm at a population level. The review was conducted using a public health and harm reduction lens. MEDLINE, ProQuest Central and PsychInfo databases were searched systematically. Included studies were published in English between 2017 – 2023 from all countries with gambling policy contexts and public health systems comparable to Australia’s; included primary data; and focused on primary and/or secondary prevention of gambling-related harm or problems.

Results

One hundred and sixty-seven articles were eligible for inclusion. Themes identified in the literature included: risk and protective factors; primary prevention; secondary prevention; tertiary prevention; target population group; and public health approach. The evidence review revealed a gap in empirical evidence around effective interventions to reduce gambling-related harm at the population level, particularly from a public health perspective.

Conclusions

Addressing gambling-related harm requires a nuanced, multi-layered approach that acknowledges the complex social, environmental, and commercial nature of gambling and associated harms. Moreover, evidence demonstrates community programs to reduce gambling-related harm are more successful in reducing harm when based on sound theory of co-design and address the social aspects that contribute to harm.

Abstract

In this essay, the authors who identify as Women of Color (a Chicana, a Latina, and a Southeast Asian woman, respectively) faculty theorize their experiences with white resistance when teaching about race and racism in higher education. Drawing from Critical Race Theory, we merge our collective experiences of teaching about race into a composite counterstory that focuses on Becky, a white woman who is resistant to engaging with her whiteness in the classroom. Utilizing Women of Color feminisms and particularly Chicana/Latina feminisms, we center our bodies as a vessel that carries knowledge as we process and physiologically respond to experiences of white resistance in the classroom. We argue that white student resistance to learning about racism in the classroom stays imprinted on our bodies, creating an invisible taxation in addition to the myriad forms of oppression that Women of Color face within the realm of higher education.

Abstract

Global neglect of oral healthcare services (OHCS) provision, mainly in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, exacerbates the deterioration of health systems and increases global health inequality.

Objectives

The objective is to explore the profiles of available oral healthcare services in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries.

Methods

A systematic literature search was conducted of grey literature and databases (PubMed, Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library). Peer-reviewed articles that reviewed and/or evaluated OHCS in WHO-EMR countries were identified. No time or language limitations were applied. Two independent reviewers conducted the screening and data extraction. A third reviewer arbitrated disagreement. The evaluation of the OHCS provision followed the WHO framework for health system performance assessment. The extraction included socio-demographic characteristics of the studied population, OHCS profile, responsiveness, and health insurance coverage.

Results

One hundred and thirty-seven studies were identified. The studies that met the inclusion criteria were fifteen published between 1987 and 2016. In addition, two reports were published in 2022. The included studies were conducted in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Libya, Egypt, Oman, Syria, Jourdan, Kuwait, and Tunisia. Generally, Ministries of Health are the main providers of OHCS. The provision for national dental care prevention programmes was highly limited. Furthermore, most of these Ministries of Health have struggled to meet their local populations’ dental needs due to limited finances and resources for OHCS.

Conclusions

Oral and dental diseases are highly prevalent in the WHO-EMR region and the governments of the region face many challenges to meeting the OHCS needs of the population. Therefore, further studies to assess and re-design the OHCS in these countries to adapt dental care prevention into national health programmes are crucial.

Abstract

The prevailing portrayal of science and scientists within the public domain is a multifaceted mix of conventional stereotypes. Our study investigates these perceptions among Mexican children, analyzing 816 drawings and descriptions collected from fourth to seventh graders in rural and urban schools in Northwestern Mexico. Drawings were analyzed for the scientist’s appearance, location, and activity using mDAST/DAST, and each category was subcategorized for deeper compressive. The results confirm stereotypical depictions in all categories, however, girls draw more female scientists, mainly characterized by Caucasian features. Likewise, although stereotypical lab depictions persist, many drawings show alternative lab research and outdoor activities. Our study highlights the importance of promoting a diverse and inclusive image of scientists and their work, starting from an early age, using inclusive textbooks and effective pedagogical strategies.

Abstract

Trachoma, caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, is the most common infectious blindness in the world and is present in indigenous Mayan from Chiapas (Mexico). Inflammatory genes are activated when suffering from trachoma, thus some polymorphisms could increase the susceptibility to develop irreversible blindness. This study aimed to evaluate the genetic risk of developing late-stage trachoma in Mayan ethnic groups. In a case–control study (n = 51 vs n = 102, respectively), the following single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes related to inflammation were analysed: HSD11B1 (rs11807619), HSD11B1 (rs932335), ABCG2 (rs2231142), SLCO1B1 (rs4149056), IL-10 (rs1800890), TNF (rs1800629), MMP2 (rs243865) and ACE. Three SNPs were associated with late-stage trachoma risk: (i) the T allele of rs11807619, (ii) the C allele of rs932335, which are linked to the HSD11B1 gene (OR = 22.5–27.3), particularly in men when adjusts for gender (OR = 16–16.7); and (iii) D allele of rs4340 in the ACE gene (OR = 5.2–5.3). In fact, significant linkage disequilibrium demonstrated association between ACE gene and HSD11B1 SNPs (r = 0.17–0.179; P = 0.0048–0.0073). Two SNPs HSD11B1 gene (P = 0.013 vs 0.0039) and HSD11B1–ACE haplotypes showed association with late-stage trachoma in Mayan ethnic groups.

Abstract

The commodification of native resources was central to the genesis of colonial markets. Many self-sufficient polities inhabited the preconquest Andes and did not rely on regular market exchange. The discovery of the Potosí mines motivated migration and urban growth to a level never seen before: for the first time, a large urban community needed a regular supply of commodities. The Native communities of the surrounding region produced part of the food and resources consumed in Potosí. The Andean fishing communities of Tarapacá (northern Chile) form one such case. This work addresses the creation of the first modern Andean commodities by analyzing the archaeological and documentary remains of an early seventeenth-century colonial fishery at the mouth of the Loa River, exploring its occupants, spaces, daily praxis, and the social mechanisms involved in seafood commodification. Results show the degree to which the fishery depended on the labor of Native Camanchaca fishers, their techniques and technologies and the actions of powerful entrepreneurs, but also on the persistence of Andean ceremonial and political arrangements. Commercialization and the market expanded through the preservation of fish for deferred consumption and the strategic movement of the resource through multiple distribution channels and communities.

Abstract

Understanding how children become kind and caring prosocial adults matters for the survival and thriving of humanity. However, adversity can impact children’s prosocial potential in multifaceted ways. In this Review, we provide critical insights into how humans become prosocial from a developmental-relational perspective. We begin by discussing central factors underlying the development of prosociality in children. Next, we summarize research on the effects of adversity on prosocial development, including the effects of exposure to traumatic life events and everyday hurts and stressors, as well as protective factors that help children to find, remain on, or return to a prosocial path. Then we discuss interventions to nurture prosociality from an early age in every individual, emphasizing the role of practices of care to create positive change at community levels. Finally, we make recommendations for future research.

Abstract

The medieval period Ahom dynasty which ruled Assam in North-East India from 13th to 19th century CE has unique Moidams (or Maidams) built all across the upper Brahmaputra valley in Assam. The Moidams and history of Ahom rulers with reference to their relationship with landscape of the region has been scantily studied till date. The Moidams were built on piedmont to alluvial zone of the colluvial deposits of the Naga Thrust, located in the North-East part of Assam in India. The transit of Ahom rulers from Yunnan (China borderlands to Charaideo, Assam, India), where the Ahoms established their first capital, via Burma (Myanmar) and Nagaland showcases a unique historical account of the region. The lifestyle, practices and the quest for newer land of the Ahoms, which would justify their long-term occupational goals, also highlighted their understanding of climate, tectonics and man-environment relationships. The architecture of Moidams and their sitting at the piedmont at Charaideo is unique in terms of their long-standing history of 600 years in the face of natural wrath of disasters like earthquakes and seasonal floods. Based upon detailed investigation and assessment carried out by several researchers for geoheritage sites and geoarcheosites, the Moidams at Charaideo, best exemplifies. The Moidam sites warrants detailed geological, geophysical and botanical investigation aspects for illuminating its rich cultural history in light of man-environment / anthropological landscape characteristics.