The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) is a public health association in the United Kingdom established as a registered charity. It is the standard setting body for public health specialists within the United Kingdom, setting standards for training, examination and specialist practice across the four countries of the UK. It is also a source of knowledge and guidance around public health, and advocates for public health nationally and globally.The current president is Maggie Rae, who took office in June 2019 for a three-year term.
Background: Pesticides pose health risks to vulnerable populations living in agricultural areas, especially children. However, effective interventions demonstrating biomarker-based reductions in pesticide exposure among toddlers remain scarce, including in Thailand. Objective: This quasi-experimental study, using a pre-test/post-test design, aimed to assess the effect of a parental behavior modification program on pesticide exposure among young Thai children. Methods: The sample consisted of 90 families with children aged 1-3 years who lived within 50 meters of agricultural areas, including 46 in the intervention group and 44 in the control group. Guardians in the intervention group received a behavior modification program based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), which included three training sessions and one home visit. The control group did not receive any intervention. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) levels in toddlers were measured via finger prick in both groups at three time points: baseline, follow-up 1 (two months after the end of the intervention), and follow-up 2 (five months after the end of the intervention). Results: Linear mixed-model analysis showed that, from baseline to follow-up 1, hemoglobin-adjusted AChE (HAChE) levels in the intervention group were 1.307 U/g Hgb higher than in the control group (P = 0.047). From baseline to follow-up 2, HAChE levels were 2.332 U/g Hgb higher in the intervention group (P = 0.005), and AChE levels were also higher by 0.311 U/mL. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the parental behavior modification program can effectively reduce pesticide exposure in young Thai children, and therefore the program should be considered for implementation as part of efforts to improve health outcomes among children living in agricultural areas of Thailand.
Background: Malnutrition is highly prevalent in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients and is linked to increased morbidity and mortality. This study evaluated the association between the malnutrition-inflammation score (MIS) and mortality in PD patients.Methods: This single-center, retrospective cohort study included 269 PD patients between January 2010 and December 2022. Patients were categorized by MIS levels: mild (Group A), moderate (Group B), and severe (Group C). Groups B and C received targeted nutritional interventions as part of routine care. Patients were followed until death, therapy transition, transplantation, or February 2025.Results: Group B demonstrated the lowest mortality rate (17.8 per 100 person-years) and a significant survival advantage in Kaplan-Meier survival estimates and multivariable Cox regression after adjustment for confounders. Following interventions, 64% of Group B showed improvement in the MIS category, whereas 65% of Group C remained unchanged. Conversely, 60% of Group A (which received no intervention) experienced a worsening of the MIS category. Older age and diabetes were independent predictors of higher mortality.Conclusion: Patients with moderate MIS achieved better survival than those with mild or severe MIS, likely driven by targeted interventions. The dynamic shifts across MIS categories underscore the critical need for regular, routine nutritional and inflammatory assessments followed by appropriate interventions.
Objective: To examine the relationship between illness perception and telemedicine adoption among university students at a private institution in Surabaya, Indonesia. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 121 active university students through purposive sampling. Illness perception was measured using a 12-item instrument adapted from the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ), framed around a hypothetical illness scenario, while telemedicine adoption was measured using a 3-item behavioural intention scale adapted from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Data were analysed using Spearman's rank correlation, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: The mean illness perception score was 38.14 (SD = 7.23), with 61.2% of respondents falling in the moderate category. Telemedicine adoption was skewed toward high levels, with 65.3% of respondents categorised as high adopters (mean = 11.43/15, SD = 2.48). Spearman's correlation returned r = 0.166 (p = 0.069), indicating no statistically significant association between the two variables. The achieved post-hoc power was 44.4%, with a minimum detectable effect of r = 0.252 at 80% power. Conclusion: Illness perception was not a significant predictor of telemedicine adoption in this sample. Digital health promotion strategies targeting Indonesian young adults should prioritise technology-oriented and social determinants over illness cognition alone. Multi-site studies using larger samples are needed to confirm these findings.
Neonatal calf diarrhea remains a major issue in terms of mortality, economic, and animal welfare losses. In addition to different infectious and pathogenic causes, nonpathogenic factors, particularly stress and nutritional and management practices, also contribute significantly to the incidence of diarrhea in calves. This study aimed to investigate changes in blood metabolites and fecal parameters (pH value, short-chain fatty acids, and triglyceride content) preceding the onset of diarrhea signs in neonatal calves. Twenty-two calves were monitored up to d 13 of life, and blood and fecal samples were collected daily. Eleven calves developed diarrhea (DRH; fecal score of 3 on a scale from 0 to 3) at approximately 9.3 ± 2.7 d of age and were matched with healthy controls based on birth date, age, sex, and birth weight. Calves with diarrhea exhibited reduced milk intake and increased fecal scores from the first day of diarrhea (DOD 1). Notably, several metabolic indicators, including serum IgG, triglycerides, insulin, cholesterol, and plasma osmolality, were significantly lower in DRH calves up to 3 d before clinical manifestation. Fecal pH increased and fecal short-chain fatty acid concentrations declined in DRH calves from DOD 1 onward, whereas fecal triglycerides increased from DOD -1, indicating altered digestion and gut fermentation. Plasma glucose decreased, and plasma urea increased postdiarrhea onset. No differences were observed in nonesterified-fatty-acids, total protein, acute-phase proteins, or activities in hepatic enzymes. The early alterations in blood and fecal parameters before clinical symptoms indicate adaptation mechanisms in calves facing subclinical digestive stress. Further research is needed to elucidate the physiological thresholds and mechanisms triggering the progression from subclinical dysfunction to overt diarrhea. Optimizing feeding strategies and calf management may help mitigate such digestive disorders in neonatal calves.
The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of patient complaints, and dentists’ perceptions of legal protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A total of 171 dentists participated, employed in both the public (21.5%) and private sector (78.5%), with varying years of professional experience. Data were collected using an anonymous structured questionnaire addressing record-keeping practices, the use of informed consent, experiences with complaints and lawsuits, and perceptions of legal security and exposure to violence. Results show that 80.4% of dentists report maintaining proper documentation, while only 16.8% routinely obtain written informed consent. Negative experiences with patient complaints were reported by 60.7% of respondents, yet only 7.5% had been involved in legal proceedings. Most conflicts (61.7%) were resolved informally through settlement. The highest proportion of complaints concerned prosthodontics (71%), followed by restorative dentistry (15%) and oral surgery (9.3%). More than half of dentists (56.1%) do not feel adequately protected by law, and 69.2% do not know which institution to contact in the event of a patient lawsuit. Verbal violence was reported by 66.4% and physical violence by 1.9% of respondents. Multivariate analysis showed that dentists exposed to violence were significantly less likely to feel legally protected (OR = 9.62, p = 0.031), independent of gender and years of experience. Dentists in the private sector were more likely to resolve complaints through settlement (OR = 1.65, p < 0.001), while prosthodontists experienced the highest number of complaints and exhibited the strongest preference for settlements (OR = 2.63, p = 0.03).
