Search

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues past its second year, public health experts from various levels of government have been central to global efforts to contain the pandemic. Experts from local, national, and international institutions have all played important roles in providing information and advice on the coronavirus, recommended behaviors, and overall concerns in dealing with this public health emergency. As the pandemic has become increasingly politicized in a number of countries, these experts have also become more controversial to varying degrees (Singh 2020, O’Shea and Ueda 2021). Whether the public trusts public health experts has implications for the effectiveness of mitigation efforts, and understanding why some experts may be more trusted than others could contribute to more successful public health messaging and policy implementation. This study aims to measure how and why public health experts at the local, national, and international levels are more or less effective at securing public support for COVID-19 related public health policies.

Despite the devastation caused by COVID-19, there has been a significant amount of resistance to getting vaccinated and following other COVID-19 mitigation measures. Many of these policies have also become politically polarized, with people increasingly unwilling to listen or engage with those advocating for a different approach to the pandemic. Since a lack of individual compliance reduces the effectiveness of COVID-19 public health measures, it is of interest to researchers and policymakers to understand how support for these measures can be increased. One strategy that has been shown to be effective at changing attitudes toward difficult issues is perspective-taking, where people are encouraged to reflect on the perspective of others who are different from them (Adida et al 2018; Broockman and Kalla 2016). Perspective-taking can facilitate attitudinal change by encouraging empathy for the other’s situation. This survey experiment tests whether a perspective-taking exercise about the negative consequences of neighbors’ careless behaviors during the pandemic can increase support for policies designed to limit the spread of COVID-19.

A global shortage of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic has raised difficult questions about how vaccines should be distributed, placing the issue at the center of much political debate (Kavanagh et al. 2021). COVAX was established as an institution to oversee the equitable distribution of vaccines, but it has not been able to follow through on its mission to facilitate that in the context of COVID-19 (Erondu and Singh 2021). Wealthy countries with vaccines have prioritized their own domestic political considerations, and bilateral relations have also featured strongly in decisions about where to send vaccines. Without more equitable distribution, the SARS-CoV-2 has continued to mutate in countries with low vaccination rates, prolonging the pandemic (Wouters et al. 2021). Because domestic political pressures have limited the willingness of political leaders to share vaccines globally (Kavanagh et al. 2021), this study experimentally tests two strategies for increasing popular support for giving vaccines to foreign countries. First, it assesses whether public opinion becomes more supportive of sharing vaccines following cueing of fairness and equity concerns in vaccine distribution. Second, it assesses whether public opinion becomes more supportive when equitable vaccine distribution is framed as a matter of self-interest for wealthy countries because it will reduce the likelihood of dangerous coronavirus mutations.

Additional file 1: Participant Information Sheet for Adults (parents/guardians/ASHAs/Doctors/Other stakeholders) /Adolescents in the community (Baseline/Intervention/ Post trial).

Desmoplastic ameloblastoma is defined as locally invasive, intraosseous and a rare variant of ameloblastoma which show slight male predilection with prevalence within the fourth and fifth decades. Desmoplastic ameloblastoma (DA) is characterized by specific clinical, imaging, and histological features. We report a case of Desmoplastic ameloblastoma in a 28-year-old male with a painless swelling in the right anterior maxillary region. DA has greater predilection for maxilla with marked tendency for anterior region as compare to other variant of ameloblastoma which creates particular issues like expansion of lesion into maxillary sinus, high recurrence rate and proximity to important anatomical structures demands extra caution in the approach during treatment planning

Pressure measurement plays significant role in development of various instruments and in industry. Pressure measurement, its control and accuracy are always attraction of scientist. There are many devices for the pressure measurement like U-tube manometer, Bourdon tube/Dial gauge, Dead weight tester. The present study focused on the precise generation of differential pressures with static pressure range in 0 MPa to 50 MPa using twin pressure balance in hydraulic mode. The metrological characteristics of a differential pressure digital transducer were evaluated.

© 2014, Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved. Purpose: A collaborative pharmacist-primary care provider (PharmD-PCP) team approach to medication-therapy management (MTM), with pharmacists initiating and changing medications at separate office visits, holds promise for the cost-effective management of hypertension, but has not been evaluated in many systematic trials. The primary objective of this study was to examine blood pressure (BP) control in hypertensive patients managed by a newly formed PharmD-PCP MTM team versus usual care in a university-based primary care clinic. Methods: This randomized, pragmatic clinical trial was conducted in hypertensive patients randomly selected for PharmD-PCP MTM or usual care. In the PharmD-PCP MTM group, pharmacists managed drug-therapy initiation and monitoring, medication adjustments, biometric assessments, laboratory tests, and patient education. In the usual-care group, patients continued to see their PCPs. Participants were aged ≥18 years, were diagnosed with hypertension, had a most recent BP measurement of ≥140/≥90 mm Hg (≥130/≥80 mm Hg if codiagnosed with diabetes mellitus), were on at least 1 antihypertensive medication, and were English speaking. The primary outcome was the difference in the mean change from baseline in systolic BP at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included the percentage achieving therapeutic BP goal and the mean changes from baseline in diastolic BP and low-and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Findings: A total of 166 patients were enrolled (69 men; mean age, 67.7 years; PharmD-PCP MTM group, n = 75; usual-care group, n = 91). Mean reduction in SBP was significantly greater in the PharmD-PCP MTM group at 6 months (-7.1 [19.4] vs +1.6 [21.0] mm Hg; P = 0.008), but the difference was no longer statistically significant at 9 months (-5.2 [16.9] vs -1.7 [17.7] mm Hg; P = 0.22), based on an intent-to-treat analysis. In the intervention group, greater percentages of patients who continued to see the MTM pharmacist versus those who returned to their PCP were at goal at 6 months (81% vs 44%) and at 9 months (70% vs 52%). No significant between-group differences in changes in cholesterol were detected at 6 and 9 months; however, the mean baseline values were near recommended levels. The PharmD-PCP MTM group had significantly fewer PCP visits compared with the usual-care group (1.8 [1.5] vs 4.2 [1.0]; P < 0.001). Implications: A PharmD-PCP collaborative MTM service was more effective in lowering BP than was usual care at 6 months in all patients and at 9 months in patients who continued to see the pharmacist. Incorporating pharmacists into the primary care team may be a successful strategy for managing medication therapy, improving patient outcomes and possibly extending the capacity of primary care. Clinical-Trials.gov identifier: NCT01973556.

1, 33, Buffalo Bulletin