Application of MSD prevention practices by nursing staff working in healthcare settings

ObjectiveThe objective of this article is to examine the application of MSD prevention practices among nursing staff and to identify organizational factors that may or may not support their application.MethodsWe measured the application of prevention practices and its determinants by means of a questionnaire filled out by 399 nurses and nursing staff in Canada. A qualitative component was conducted with two focus groups in order to validate and enrich the interpretation of the survey results.ResultsResults show that most respondents “often” (4) apply MSD prevention practices in their daily professional tasks. Significant differences were observed based on position, mission of the institution, degree, and training.ConclusionsThe characteristics of the nursing staff (position, training, etc.) and the specificities of the setting must be taken into consideration in MSD prevention interventions for nursing staff.     

Salience of public leaders’ “meaning making” in news coverage of a health crisis

Meaning making by leadership in a crisis is required to reduce uncertainty. We used analytic criteria for meaning making suggested by crisis management literature to investigate public leaders’ quotations in news coverage of a health crisis. The quotations were examined in terms of the five frame functions, which include offering a credible explanation of what happened, offering guidance, instilling hope, showing empathy, and suggesting that leaders are in control. The Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea was examined. As a result, the most salient frame function identified was displaying they are in control of the emergency, followed by offering guidance and explaining what happened. The salience of leaders’ meaning making disappeared in coverage by a liberal newspaper.     

How home ventilation rates affect health: A literature review

This paper reviews studies of the relationships between ventilation rates (VRs) in homes and occupant health, primarily respiratory health. Five cross‐sectional studies, seven case‐control studies, and eight intervention studies met inclusion criteria. Nearly all studies controlled for a range of potential confounders and most intervention studies included placebo conditions. Just over half of studies reported one or more statistically significant (SS) health benefits of increased VRs. Wheeze was most clearly associated with VR. No health outcomes had SS associations with VRs in the majority of statistical tests. Most studies that reported SS health benefits from increased VRs also had additional health outcomes that did not improve with increased VRs. Overall, the number of SS improvements in health with increased VRs exceeded the anticipated chance improvements by approximately a factor of seven. The magnitude of the improvements in health outcomes with increased VRs ranged from 20% to several‐fold improvements. In summary, the available research indicates a tendency for improvements in respiratory health with increased home VRs; however, health benefits do not occur consistently and other exposure control measures should be used together with ventilation. The research did not enable identification of a threshold VR below which adverse health effects occur.     

Double emulsions (W/O/W): physical characteristics and perceived intensity of salty taste

This study addressed the correlation between physical characteristics of double emulsions and sensory perception, as the microstructure of these systems may provide the mechanism to understanding the initial cause of the altered salty taste. Thus, double emulsions (W/O/W) were prepared using different volumes of the internal aqueous phase while maintaining the same fat and sodium contents in the evaluated systems. Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) and tween 80 were used as hydrophobic and hydrophilic emulsifiers, respectively. After preparation, the samples were stored at 25 °C for 4 days and submitted to analysis of optical microscopy, distribution and polydispersity of the oil droplets size, electrical conductivity, rheological behaviour and sensorial analysis. It was found that the use of different emulsifier concentrations (PGPR) did not influence the physical characteristics of the emulsions with the same formulation, but emulsions with different internal aqueous phase concentrations presented different results. These distinct characteristics may have influenced sensorial perception, as the emulsion with higher internal phase concentration was considered saltier. Thus, it can be concluded that structural differences of the double emulsions can be used to decrease the sodium contents without perceivable changes in salty taste.     

Housing quality perceptions in Finland: the elderly population

Housing and health issues can vary over time and between populations. The elderly population is increasing worldwide. Yet only limited information exists about housing conditions: changes over time, and the relationships between health and safety among the elderly. Based on repeated surveys (2007 and 2011), housing and health issues in Finland were assessed, especially among the elderly (more than 65 years old). From various housing factors studied, the largest differences between surveys were in thermal comfort. From the six outcomes studied – satisfaction with the dwelling, maintenance, indoor air quality (IAQ), perceived safety, general health, and sleeping difficulties – only satisfaction with the dwelling had significant temporal variation. Modelling the outcomes led to a selection of variables that were significantly associated with the outcomes. The models’ sensitivity was 65–81% for perceived safety and satisfaction with the dwelling, maintenance, and IAQ, whereas it was only 5% for sleeping difficulties and 32% for general health status. Among the elderly, higher odds ratios (ORs) were found for the associations between housing satisfaction and non-elevated radon concentrations, accessibility, dwelling size, and stuffy odour, as compared with the total population sample. The results are useful for developing policies that increase wellbeing, and for building owners wishing to increase housing satisfaction among occupants.     

花生酱的营养及新型花生酱的研究进展

随着人们生活质量的提高,人们对于食物营养的要求也越来越高。由于花生酱的脂肪含量极高,不适于糖尿病、高血压等疾病的患者和老人食用,因此研发低脂、健康、营养的新型花生酱很重要。通过对花生酱制作工艺的调整,降低油脂含量以及补充或添加健康辅料,能显著改善花生酱的营养价值,这也成为花生酱营养改进的重要方向之一。本文对花生酱中脂肪、蛋白质等营养成分及新型花生酱的研究进展进行综述。未来新型花生酱的研发重点可能是通过原料筛选、增加添加剂、改善制作工艺等来调节肠道菌群平衡、增加其益生作用等方面。     

宽频带梯形叉指式换能器优化设计及应用

由声表面波（Surface Acoustic Wave）器件发展而来的叉指换能器（Interdigital Transducer，IDT）由于其工作频率可以设计、频带宽可调、损耗低等特点逐步应用于结构健康监测（Structural Health Monitoring，SHM）系统中，因此在智能材料与结构中有着广泛的应用前景。本文针对现有矩形IDT带宽窄的不足，研究宽频带梯形叉指换能器（Trapezoidal Interdigital Transducer，TIDT）。采用有限元分析方法对TIDT的尺寸进行结构优化设计，并对设计的TIDT进行性能测试，通过实验研究了TIDT用于结构损伤检测的初步应用。实验结果表明，TIDT在实际应用中进一步提高了损伤识别精度，具有广泛的应用前景。     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法检测多基质保健食品中27种非法添加降糖类化合物

目的 建立超高效液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱检测保健食品中27种降糖类非法添加化合物的方法。方法 4种不同基质保健品样品经甲醇超声提取后，采用Waters XBridge Amide色谱柱 (2.1 mm×100 mm, 3.5 μm)，以5 mmol/L甲酸铵水溶液和5 mmol/L甲酸铵乙腈作为流动相进行梯度洗脱，分离苯乙双胍、二甲双胍、伏格列波糖、阿卡波糖、丁二胍共5种化合物；采用Waters CORTECS T3色谱柱 (2.1 mm×100 mm, 2.7 μm)，以0.1%甲酸水溶液和乙腈作为流动相进行梯度洗脱，分离维达列汀、罗格列酮、西他列汀、吡格列酮等22种化合物；环格列酮采用电喷雾离子化负离子模式，其余26种化合物采用电喷雾离子化正离子模式，以多反应监测方式进行检测。结果 伏格列波糖、阿卡波糖、达格列净、卡格列净、曲格列酮、环格列酮6种化合物在250 ng/mL~12.5 μg/mL范围内线性关系良好，其余21种化合物在5~250 ng/mL范围内线性关系良好，线性相关系数r均大于0.99；27种化合物检出限(limit of detection, LOD)范围为1~1000 μg/kg；在低、中、高三水平加标，其回收率均在70%~120%范围内，相对标准偏差(relative standard deviation, RSD)为0.7%~10% (n=6)。结论 本方法快速、灵敏、高效、准确，适用范围广，可用于保健食品中降糖类化合物的高通量检测。     

International Perspectives on Substantiating the Efficacy of Herbal Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines Through Evidence on Traditional Use

The efficacy of botanicals in medicines can be substantiated with evidence on traditional use, whereas in foodstuffs, this is often not possible. In Europe, for example, the evaluation and subsequent authorization of health claims on herbal dietary supplements (HDS) have been put on hold by the European Commission. This study aims to analyze the role of evidence on traditional use in international legal frameworks of foods and pharmaceuticals. Both legal sources as well as scientific studies offering insights into these regulatory frameworks were included into the analysis. The international approach toward evidence on traditional use for substantiating efficacy of botanicals varies highly. For herbal medicines, substantiating efficacy with evidence on traditional use is possible in all studied jurisdictions, except for Japan and the United States. HDS efficacy can only be substantiated with evidence on traditional use in India and New Zealand, although the enforcing authorities do not describe which data are required. Australia and Canada regulate botanicals in a separate “borderline” category from foods and pharmaceuticals. Both jurisdictions allow for substantiating efficacy with evidence on traditional use. This study's second objective was to assess the applicability of the international approaches in the European legal framework, in light of the ongoing political debate regarding the use of traditional evidence. Implementation of the analyzed international approaches would require major revisions of the current European legal framework. This review of international approaches might, however, aid in deciding upon future approaches for substantiating health claims with evidence on traditional use.