The potential for being able to identify individuals at high disease risk solely based on genotype data has garnered significant interest. Although widely applied, traditional polygenic risk scoring methods fall short, as they are built on additive models that fail to capture the intricate associations among single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). This presents a limitation, as genetic diseases often arise from complex interactions between multiple SNPs. To address this challenge, we developed DeepRisk, a biological knowledge-driven deep learning method for modeling these complex, nonlinear associations among SNPs, to provide a more effective method for scoring the risk of common diseases with genome-wide genotype data. Evaluations demonstrated that DeepRisk outperforms existing PRS-based methods in identifying individuals at high risk for four common diseases: Alzheimer\'s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast cancer.

UNASSIGNED: Workers from poultry and pork slaughterhouses have a higher frequency of sick leaves due to mental and behavioral disorders than the general working population.
UNASSIGNED: This study aims to investigate how the Occupational Health Medical Control Programs of poultry and pork slaughterhouses deal with the psychosocial risk arising from working conditions.
UNASSIGNED: This observational-descriptive study of multiple cases is based on documentary research procedures and content analysis of 26 base documents of the Occupational Health Medical Control Program of slaughterhouses located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in October of 2017, with a quantitative-qualitative approach.
UNASSIGNED: Only two slaughterhouses acknowledged the existence of psychosocial risks in their Occupational Health Medical Control Program. The study identified that only five companies developed some type of mental health strategy and those initiatives of mental health promotion and prevention of mental and behavioral disorders were classified as having low effectiveness. In their written programs, none of the 26 companies acknowledged that work can be a cause or a concause of mental and behavioral disorders.
UNASSIGNED: The non-recognition of psychosocial risk and the possibility of developing mental and behavioral disorders hinders the creation of adequate prevention and promotion actions, thus affecting the effectiveness of the Occupational Health Medical Control Program in terms of mental health preservation and burdening the Social Security system, due to sick leaves.
UNASSIGNED: Trabalhadores de empresas de abate e processamento de carnes de aves e suínos apresentam frequência de afastamentos por transtornos mentais e do comportamento superior à da população trabalhadora em geral.
UNASSIGNED: Investigar como os Programas de Controle Médico de Saúde Ocupacional de frigoríficos de aves e suínos lidam com o risco psicossocial decorrente das condições e da organização do trabalho.
UNASSIGNED: Trata-se de pesquisa observacional-descritiva de múltiplos casos, com o emprego de procedimentos de pesquisa documental e análise de conteúdo de 26 documentos-base do Programa de Controle Médico de Saúde Ocupacional de frigoríficos gaúchos, vigentes em outubro de 2017, com uma abordagem quanti-qualitativa.
UNASSIGNED: Apenas dois frigoríficos reconheceram a existência de algum risco psicossocial em seus Programas de Controle Médico de Saúde Ocupacional. A pesquisa identificou que apenas cinco empresas desenvolveram alguma estratégia em saúde mental, sendo que essas medidas de promoção da saúde mental e de prevenção de transtornos mentais e do comportamento foram classificadas como de baixa efetividade. Em seus programas escritos, nenhuma das 26 empresas reconheceu que o trabalho pode ser causa ou concausa do desenvolvimento de transtornos mentais e do comportamento.
UNASSIGNED: O não reconhecimento do risco psicossocial e da possibilidade de desenvolvimento de transtornos mentais e do comportamento impede a elaboração de ações de prevenção e de promoção adequadas, afetando a efetividade do Programa de Controle Médico de Saúde Ocupacional quanto à preservação da saúde mental e onerando a Previdência Social, em razão dos afastamentos.

UNASSIGNED: Non-pharmacological interventions (NFI) or preventive actions (PA) are the best alternatives to control future pandemics, especially in vulnerable populations, such as semi-urban areas.
UNASSIGNED: To describe the predominant health behavior groups (HBG) and associated factors during the third wave of COVID-19 in a semi-urban area.
UNASSIGNED: A survey which included characteristics, factors related to COVID-19, perceptions of health behavior and PA was applied in a probabilistic sample in a first-level hospital in the State of Mexico. People of both sexes over 18 years of age were included. Using a hierarchical cluster analysis, HBGs were obtained and characterized with a descriptive and multivariate statistical analysis.
UNASSIGNED: In a probabilistic sample (n = 260), 4 HBGs were identified: 2 of high-risk (HRG) and 2 of low-risk (LRG), and the proportions were 43.5% y 56.5%, respectively. The sociodemographic characteristics of both groups were similar. Perceptions of severity and COVID-19-related barriers significantly influenced health behaviors in LRG. In HRG, low security played a significant role, highlighting the importance of comorbidities as a clinical factor.
UNASSIGNED: In a semi-urban area, 2 crucial health behaviors were identified: one associated with low risk and the other with high risk. In the HRG, the perception of insecurity was particularly relevant, emphasizing the importance of comorbidities as a clinical factor.
UNASSIGNED: las intervenciones no farmacológicas (INF) o acciones preventivas (AP) contra enfermedades son la mejor alternativa para controlar futuras pandemias, en especial en poblaciones vulnerables, como las zonas semiurbanas.
UNASSIGNED: describir los grupos predominantes de conductas de salud (GCS) y los factores asociados durante la tercera ola de la COVID-19 en una zona semiurbana.
UNASSIGNED: se aplicó una encuesta que incluyó las características, los factores relacionados con COVID-19, las percepciones de conductas de salud y las AP, en una muestra probabilística en un hospital de primer nivel del Estado de México. Se incluyeron personas de ambos sexos, mayores de 18 años. Mediante un análisis de conglomerados se caracterizaron los GCS con un análisis estadístico descriptivo y multivariado.
UNASSIGNED: en una muestra probabilistica (n = 260), se identificaron cuatro GCS: 2 de riesgo alto de contagio por la COVID-19 (GRA) y 2 de riesgo bajo (GRB) y las proporciones fueron 43.5% y 56.5%, respectivamente. Las características sociodemográficas de los grupos fueron similares. Para los GRB los factores significativos fueron las percepciones sobre la severidad y las barreras relacionadas con la COVID-19. En los GRA fue la seguridad baja y destacó la importancia de la comorbilidad como factor clínico.
UNASSIGNED: en una zona semiurbana se identificaron 2 conductas de salud de importancia: una de bajo riesgo y otra de alto riesgo. En el GRA, la percepción de seguridad baja fue especialmente relevante, lo cual resalta la importancia de las comorbilidades como factor clínico.

This analytic essay intends to elevate Medicine Wheel, or generally \"four directions\" teachings, to encourage a more comprehensive alignment of lifestyle intervention components with traditional ecological knowledge systems of Indigenous cultures in North America. North American Medicine Wheels provided people with a way to orient themselves both within their traditional belief systems and to the seasonal changes in their areas, improving survivability. The wheel or circle is a sacred symbol, indicating the continuity and perpetuity of all of life. The four directions are iconized in many Indigenous cultures across North America with different directions representing different aspects of our world and of ourselves, different seasons of the year and of our lives, different beings of the earth and tribes of humans with a balance among those necessary for health and wellbeing. In the context of public health, teachings of the four directions warn that a lack of balance limits our ability to achieve optimal health. While there is much public health success in lifestyle interventions, existing practice is limited by a siloed and one size fits all approach. Medicine Wheel teachings lay out a path toward more holistic and Indigenous-based lifestyle intervention that is modifiable depending on tribal teachings and needs, may appeal to a variety of Indigenous communities and is in alignment with health behavior change theory. It is a public health imperative that lifestyle management interventions are fully optimized to rigorously determine what can be achieved when interventions are implemented in a holistic and Indigenous-based manner, and in alignment with an Indigenous model of health. This more complete alignment would allow for a stronger foundation to further explore and develop social determinants (i.e., housing, employment, etc.) and structural intervention enhancements to inform public health practice and promote health equity.

BACKGROUND: Breast and cervical cancer are major public health issues globally. The reduction in incidence and mortality rates of these cancers is linked to effective prevention, early detection, and appropriate treatment measures. This study aims to analyze the temporal trends in the prevalence of mammography and Papanicolaou test coverage among women living in Brazilian state capitals between 2007 and 2023, and to compare the coverage of these tests before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.
METHODS: A time series study was conducted using data from the Surveillance System for Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey from 2007 to 2023. The variables analyzed included mammography and Papanicolaou test coverage according to education level, age group, race/skin color, regions, and Brazilian capitals. The Prais-Winsten regression model was used to analyze the time series, and Student\'s t-test was employed to compare the prevalence rates between 2019 and 2023.
RESULTS: Between 2007 and 2023, mammography coverage showed a stationary trend (71.1% in 2007 and 73.1% in 2023; p-value = 0.75) with a declining trend observed among women with 12 years or more of education (APC= -0.52% 95%CI -1.01%; -0.02%). Papanicolaou test coverage for all women aged between 25 and 64 exhibited a downward trend from 82% in 2007 to 76.8% in 2023 (APC= -0.45% 95%CI -0.76%; -0.13%). This decline was also noticed among those with 9 years or more of education; in the 25 to 44 age group; among women with white and mixed race; and in the Northeast, Central-West, Southeast, and South regions. When comparing coverage before and during Covid-19 pandemic, a reduction was noted for both tests.
CONCLUSIONS: Over the years, there has been stability in mammography coverage and a decline in Papanicolaou test. The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the number of these tests carried out among women, highlighting the importance of actions aimed at increasing coverage, especially among the most vulnerable groups.

BACKGROUND: Periodontal health plays a key role as a shared reference point for evaluating periodontal diseases and identifying significant treatment outcomes. Providing adequate instruction and enhancing the motivation of patients to maintain proper oral hygiene are crucial factors for successful periodontal treatment, with self-performed regular oral hygiene identified as a critical factor in improving the outcomes of treatment for periodontal diseases. Recently, mobile health (mHealth) solutions, especially mobile apps, have emerged as valuable tools for self-management in chronic diseases such as periodontal disease, providing essential health education and monitoring capabilities. However, the use of mHealth apps for periodontal health is complex owing to various interacting components such as patient behavior, socioeconomic status, and adherence to oral hygiene practices. Existing literature has indicated positive effects of mHealth on oral health behaviors, knowledge, attitude, practice, plaque index score, and gingivitis reduction. However, there has been no systematic review of mobile apps specifically targeting patients with periodontal disease. Understanding the design and impact of mHealth apps is crucial for creating high-quality apps.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the effectiveness of existing mobile apps in promoting periodontal health.
METHODS: A comprehensive search strategy will be performed in multiple electronic databases (PubMed, EBSCOhost, CINAHL Plus, Dentistry & Oral Sciences, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) with the following keywords in the title/abstract: \"mobile application,\" \"mobile health,\" \"mHealth,\" \"telemedicine,\" \"periodontal health,\" \"periodontitis,\" and \"text message.\" Only randomized controlled trials will be included that assessed the following outcomes to measure periodontal health improvement: gingival index, bleeding index, periodontal pocket depth, and clinical attachment loss. Covidence will be used for data collection, and a PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) flowchart will be used to describe the selection process of the included, identified, and excluded studies. The Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis approach will be used for meta-analysis of the extracted data from the included studies.
RESULTS: This review will not require ethical approval since no primary data will be included. As of July 2024, a total of 83 articles retrieved from various databases have been imported to Covidence with 13 articles deemed eligible for inclusion in the review. The review is currently ongoing and is expected to be complete by the end of 2024 with the results published in early 2025.
CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review and meta-analysis will contribute to developing mobile apps with enhanced criteria to improve periodontal clinical outcomes. The review emphasizes the importance of mHealth and preventing periodontal disease, which can set the stage for informed global health care strategies.
BACKGROUND: PROSPERO CRD42022340827; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=340827.
UNASSIGNED: DERR1-10.2196/50479.

BACKGROUND: Globally, especially in the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), rural populations were more susceptible to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic due to lower levels of community awareness, poor hygiene, and health literacy accompanying pre-existing weak public health systems. Consequently, various community-based interventions were engineered in rural regions worldwide to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic by empowering people to mount both individual and collective public health responses against the pandemic. However, to date, there is paucity of information on the effectiveness of any large-scale community intervention in controlling and mitigating the effects of COVID-19, especially from the perspective of LMICs.
OBJECTIVE: This retrospective impact evaluation study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a large-scale rural community-based intervention, the COVID-Free Village Program (CFVP), on COVID-19 resilience and control in rural populations in Maharashtra, India.
METHODS: The intervention site was the rural areas of the Pune district where CFVP was implemented from August 2021 to February 2022, while the adjoining district, Satara, represented the control district where the COVID-Free Village Scheme was implemented. Data were collected during April-May 2022 from 3500 sample households in villages across intervention and comparison arms by using the 2-stage stratified random sampling through face-to-face interviews followed by developing a matched sample using propensity score matching methods.
RESULTS: The participants in Pune had a significantly higher combined COVID-19 awareness index by 0.43 (95% CI 0.29-0.58) points than those in Satara. Furthermore, the adherence to COVID-appropriate behaviors, including handwashing, was 23% (95% CI 3%-45%) and masking was 17% (0%-38%) higher in Pune compared to those in Satara. The probability of perception of COVID as a serious illness in patients with heart disease was 22% (95% CI 1.036-1.439) higher in Pune compared to that in Satara. The awareness index of COVID-19 variants and preventive measures were also higher in Pune by 0.88 (95% CI 0.674-1.089) points. In the subgroup analysis, when the highest household educational level was restricted to middle school, the awareness about the COVID-control program was 0.69 (95% CI 0.36-1.021) points higher in Pune, while the awareness index of COVID-19 variants and preventive measures was higher by 0.45 (95% CI 0.236-0.671) points. We did not observe any significant changes in the overall COVID-19 vaccination coverage due to CFVP implementation. Furthermore, the number of COVID-19 deaths in both the sampled populations were very low. The probability of observing COVID-19-related stigma or discrimination in Pune was 68% (95% CI 0.133-0.191) lower than that in Satara.
CONCLUSIONS: CFVP contributed to improved awareness and sustainability of COVID-appropriate behaviors in a large population although there was no evidence of higher COVID-19 vaccination coverage or reduction in mortality, signifying potential applicability in future pandemic preparedness, especially in resource-constrained settings.

UNASSIGNED: Immunotherapeutics targeting T cells are crucial for inhibiting autoimmune disease progression proximal to disease onset in type 1 diabetes. A growing number of T cell-directed therapeutics have demonstrated partial therapeutic efficacy, with anti-CD3 (α-CD3) representing the only regulatory agency-approved drug capable of slowing disease progression through a mechanism involving the induction of partial T cell exhaustion. There is an outstanding need to augment the durability and effectiveness of T cell targeting by directly restraining proinflammatory T helper type 1 (Th1) and type 1 cytotoxic CD8+ T cell (Tc1) subsets, while simultaneously augmenting regulatory T cell (Treg) activity. Here, we present a novel strategy for reducing diabetes incidence in the NOD mouse model using a blocking monoclonal antibody targeting the type 1 diabetes-risk associated T cell co-stimulatory receptor, CD226.
UNASSIGNED: Female NOD mice were treated with anti-CD226 between 7-8 weeks of age and then monitored for diabetes incidence and therapeutic mechanism of action.
UNASSIGNED: Compared to isotype-treated controls, anti-CD226 treated NOD mice showed reduced insulitis severity at 12 weeks and decreased disease incidence at 30 weeks. Flow cytometric analysis performed five weeks post-treatment demonstrated reduced proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+ effector memory T cells in spleens of anti-CD226 treated mice. Phenotyping of pancreatic Tregs revealed increased CD25 expression and STAT5 phosphorylation following anti-CD226, with splenic Tregs displaying augmented suppression of CD4+ T cell responders in vitro. Anti-CD226 treated mice exhibited reduced frequencies of islet-specific glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit related protein (IGRP)-reactive CD8+ T cells in the pancreas, using both ex vivo tetramer staining and single-cell T cell receptor sequencing (scTCR-seq) approaches. 51Cr-release assays demonstrated reduced cell-mediated lysis of beta-cells by anti-CD226-treated autoreactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
UNASSIGNED: CD226 blockade reduces T cell cytotoxicity and improves Treg function, representing a targeted and rational approach for restoring immune regulation in type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Biosecurity measures are essential to improve animal health and welfare, tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR), minimize the burden of infectious diseases, and enhance the safety, security, and quality of sustainable agricultural products. However, the implementation of these measures in small mountain farms can be influenced by several factors, which probably differ from the main variables that affect intensive farming systems.
METHODS: This study investigated the awareness among farmers regarding the implementation of biosecurity measures at the local level in small dairy farms located in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen (Italy). In order to determine to what extent these measures are in line with the recommendations, a questionnaire was conceptualized and sent by post to a representative group of local farmers. The initiative was voluntary and anonymous.
RESULTS: A total of 50 farmers responded to the questionnaire, resulting in a response rate of 27.5%. This study confirms that most of the farmers are familiar with biosecurity, and 38% of them know its comprehensive definition. The results indicate that 77% of respondents are willing to implement preventive measures to reduce the use of antimicrobials, and 76% of them acknowledge that they would follow the recommendations provided by veterinarians. In agreement with other studies, the role of the veterinarian as a person of trust among farmers is confirmed.
CONCLUSIONS: Main strengths and areas of improvement have been identified. Additional data and effective tools are needed to better investigate drivers toward biosecurity and to implement impactful and practical measures for mountain farming.

In the face of an aging population, smart healthcare services are now within reach, thanks to the proliferation of high-speed internet and other forms of digital technology. Data problems in smart healthcare, unfortunately, put artificial intelligence in this area to serious limitations. There are several issues, including a lack of standard samples, noisy data interference, and actual data that is missing. A three-stage AI-based data generating strategy is suggested to handle missing datasets, using a small sample dataset obtained from a smart healthcare program community in a specific city: Step one involves generating the dataset\'s basic attributes using a tree-based generation strategy that takes the original data distribution into account. Step two involves using the Naive Bayes algorithm to create basic indicators of behavioural capability assessment for the samples. Step three builds on stage two and uses a multivariate linear regression method to create evaluation criteria and indicators of high-level behavioural capability. Six problems involving multiple classifications and two tasks using multiple labels are implemented using various neural network-based training strategies on the obtained data to assess the usefulness of the dataset for downstream tasks. To ensure that the data collected is genuine and useful, the experimental data must be analysed and expert knowledge must be included.