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Prenatal Genetic Testing, Abortion, and Disability Justice addresses the issues around prenatal genetic testing, disability selective abortion, reproductive rights, and disability justice, laying the foundation for a comprehensive exploration of [...]

Community empowerment is the ultimate goal of any community engagement activity in public health. This article is about the experiments done and efforts taken by different stakeholders and organizations for making villagers prioritize their health problems, find probable solutions and mobilize them for their own health needs. This includes the Community Owned Clinic (Kiran Clinic) of the village, "Village Adoption Scheme" of the medical institute, Vitalizing Communities against Non-communicable diseases (V-CaN) project of the Department of Community Medicine of the Institute, etc. Various other factors like consistent community work by the social workers of the department for the health and wellbeing of the villagers, trust-based relationship with the medical institute, active participation of the Gram Panchayat of the village in central India and other village organizations like SHGs, sports club and enthusiasm of the villagers, etc. were the driving forces for the community participation. This case study is a good example of the process of community participation where the community takes part in decision making, while it also serves as a good example of engaging future doctors with the community to promote values and skills like empathy, communication, team work, etc. within them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the facial disfigurement caused by vitriolage or acid attacks, and unravels the aesthetics of the disfigured faces by exploring their visually signified materiality, which divulges alternative aesthetics, jarring the viewers into a state of abjection. It unfolds the commonalities between acid-attack survivors and disabled people, given the physical, psychological, and social consequences which led to the inclusion of women acid attack survivors into the category of disability in the RPWD Act 2016 in India. This research probes into three major critical interventions: first, it scrutinises the relation between vitriolage and structural violence; second, it studies its cause and effect through the close textual analysis of select texts, Priya's Mirror (a graphic novel) and Chhapaak (a Bollywood movie); and third, it delves into the nuances of appearance impairment, and its isolating and disabling effects. Succinctly, this research uncovers the multiple aspects of acid violence in the Indian context by studying the select texts as a cultural archive and, through their respective visual narratives, attempts to inquire about the previously concealed or overlooked corporeality of women acid attack survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a fairly common generalized connective disorder characterized by low bone mass, bone deformities and impaired bone quality that predisposes affected individuals to musculoskeletal fragility. Periodontal ligament (PDL)-alveolar bone and PDL-cementum entheses' roles under OI conditions during physiological loading and orthodontic forces remain largely unknown. In addition, bisphosphonates (e.g., alendronate) are commonly used therapeutics for the treatment of OI. Our knowledge, in terms of the affects of alendronate treatment on the PDL entheses in OI is also far from complete. In this study, we identified craniofacial skeletal defects in an osteogenesis imperfecta (oim) murine model of OI. Relative to wild-type littermates, oim mice were found to have decreased skull length, cranial height/width/length, nose length, nasal length, and frontal length. Next, we discovered that oim mice exhibited defects in several dental structures, including short roots and decreased volumes of the alveolar bone, dentin, and cellular cementum. Further, we specifically investigated periodontal defects in the oim mice. Alveolar bone loss in oim mice was primarily associated with elevated bone resorption due to an increased osteoclast number, along with reduced bone formation related to increased sclerostin (SOST) expression. PDL fibers in oim mice were disrupted and discontinuous, while Sharpey's fibers at the PDL-bone entheses were reduced. Mechanism-based studies showed that catabolism of the PDL was elevated in oim mice, as revealed by an increase in MMP13 and CTSK expression. Meanwhile, the quality of the collagen fibers were impaired in oim mice due to a large accumulation of uncleaved collagen I fibers. With alendronate treatment, however, we could partially rescue these phenotypes. This study, for the first time, characterized periodontal defects in oim mice, detailed craniofacial defects and demonstrated the effectiveness of alendronate in partially restoring these defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is a major challenge for countries, regardless of their level of development. Social branding is an emerging approach to health promotion for NCD prevention. In this paper, the process of social branding is documented as a case study to help researchers develop similar kinds of interventions in the settings in which they work. Methods: The process of developing a social brand is documented through conversations with the project team, observations in the field, interaction with community local members, and information gathered through photographs, videos and newspaper clippings. Results: The social brand focused upon in this study was named the Aarogyachi Vaari (Health Pilgrimage) inspired by the Pandrapur Wari, a religious pilgrimage undertaken in the state of Maharashtra, India. Various stakeholders from self-help groups, panchayat raj institutions and schools from the local village collaborated successfully to implement the health event in a manner similar to the way in which diverse religious groups come together for the Pandrapur Wari religious pilgrimage. The Aarogyachi Vaari took the form of a strategically planned health event consisting of various health promotion stalls, many developed by local villagers themselves. The organisation of the event was aided by resource mobilisation within the local community. Discussion: Social branding can be an effective tool for health promotion in community settings. Studying people's cultural preferences and what makes them feel connected and excited can lay the foundations for the creation of a social brand that reflects their choices and helps them take up healthy behaviours on their own. It is possible to mobilise a community for health through social branding that is culturally relevant and connected to the interests and priorities of local people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There are multiple ongoing outbreaks of carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAb) infection in Fiji's hospitals. CRAb is able to colonize and persist on various hospital surfaces for extended periods. We conducted a study to understand the extent of hospital environmental contamination and phylogenetic links with clinical isolates. Methods: Swabs were collected from high-touch surfaces at Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) September 2021 and December 2022; Lautoka Hospital (LTKH) August 2022; and Labasa Hospital (LBSH) November 2022. All bacterial isolates were identified, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) performed; isolates resistant to carbapenems and producing a carbapenemase underwent whole genome sequencing. Comparison was made to clinical isolates obtained from CWMH in 2016-2017 and 2019-2021 and from LTKH and LBSH from 2020-2021. Results: From the 180 environmental samples collected, ten (5.6%) CRAb were isolated; no other carbapenem-resistant gram-negative organisms were isolated. Seven (70%) of the CRAb were isolated from CWMH and three (30%) from LTKH; no CRAb were isolated from LBSH. Of the seven CWMH CRAb, two were sequence type 2 (ST2), three ST25, and two ST499. All LTKH isolates were ST499. The two environmental CRAb ST2 isolates were closely genetically linked to isolates obtained from patients in CWMH, LTKH, and LBSH 2020-2021. Similarly, the three environmental CRAb ST25 isolates were closely genetically linked to isolates obtained from patients admitted to CWMH in 2019-2021 and LBSH in 2020. The environmental CRAb ST499 isolates represented two distinct clones, with clone 1 comprising two genetically identical isolates from CWMH and clone 2 the three isolates from LTKH. Although no genetic linkages were observed when comparing environmental ST499 isolates to those from CWMH patients in 2020-2021, both clone 1 isolates were genetically identical to an isolate obtained from a patient admitted during the sampling period. Conclusion: Our study highlights the contamination of high-touch surfaces within Fiji hospitals with CRAb, suggesting that these may serve as important sources for CRAb. Phylogenetic linkages to CRAb isolated from patients since 2019 underscores the persistence of this resistant pathogen in hospital settings and the ongoing risk for hospital-acquired infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction/Aims: There is a dearth of knowledge regarding the status of infralesional lower motor neurons (LMNs) in individuals with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), yet there is a growing need to understand how the spinal lesion impacts LMNs caudal to the lesion epicenter, especially in the context of nerve transfer surgery to restore several key upper limb functions. Our objective was to determine the frequency of pathological spontaneous activity (PSA) at, and below, the level of spinal injury, to gain an understanding of LMN health below the spinal lesion. Methods: Ninety‐one limbs in 57 individuals (53 males, mean age = 44.4 ± 16.9 years, mean duration from injury = 3.4 ± 1.4 months, 32 with motor complete injuries), were analyzed. Analysis was stratified by injury level as (1) C4 and above, (2) C5, and (3) C6‐7. Needle electromyography was performed on representative muscles innervated by the C5‐6, C6‐7, C7‐8, and C8‐T1 nerve roots. PSA was dichotomized as present or absent. Data were pooled for the most caudal infralesional segment (C8‐T1). Results: A high frequency of PSA was seen in all infralesional segments. The pooled frequency of PSA for all injury levels at C8‐T1 was 68.7% of the limbs tested. There was also evidence of PSA at the rostral border of the neurological level of injury, with 58.3% of C5‐6 muscles in those with C5‐level injuries. Discussion: These data support a high prevalence of infralesional LMN abnormalities following SCI, which has implications to nerve transfer candidacy, timing of the intervention, and donor nerve options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]