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Drowning is a leading cause of fatality among children in the United States. In children younger than 15 years of age there were, on average, an estimated 371 pool- or spa-related fatal drownings reported per year for 2018 through 2020. This study reviewed narrative case reports obtained from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to understand pool barrier location, type, and functionality as methods of pool/spa access for childhood submersion incidents. Retroactive analysis of 1,523 fatal and non-fatal submersion incidents among children aged 13 years old and younger was conducted using the CPSC in depth investigation dataset from 2000-2017. Narrative descriptions were coded according to the attributes of barrier location, functionality, and method of access. To our knowledge, these characteristics of barriers have not been previously investigated to this depth. Outcomes indicate that consumer education campaigns should target households with swimming pools/spas and reiterate key findings that (1) submersion incidents occur even when barriers are present and (2) multiple layers of protection against unauthorized pool/spa access are critically important for residential pools/spas. Additionally, improved documentation of barriers is imperative to better understand and prevent drowning among children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romanian water-cure resorts were established in the mid-nineteenth century following the discovery of thermal waters. The Romanian state and prominent politicians sought to create modern spa resorts (like those established a century before in France and Germany) by allocating funds and implementing public policies and laws to develop bathing establishments for more people who suffered from different ailments. The local spa resorts could promote health tourism with active support from the state and public-private partnerships. Therefore, the two water-cure resorts analysed in this article, Băile Herculane and Băile Govora, with different histories and evolutions, designed modern medical treatments and leisure activities in the interwar period, encouraging wealthy people and people of modest income to spend a holiday and ‘take the cure’ (drinking and bathing) at these resorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As more tourists adopt healthy lifestyles while on vacation, the spa and wellness industry continues to expand. The rising demand for Muslim-friendly spa can be associated with the growth of halal lifestyles today. The Muslim-friendly spa is a newly emerging niche market segment that focuses on Islamic teachings and shariah-compliant services to cater to the needs and preferences of Muslim tourists. Given that Malaysia is a leading Muslim-friendly tourism destination capable of providing a wide range of halal services and products to tourists, Muslim-friendly spas have been identified as one of the essential services that should be included in tourism supplies. However, this industry is often overlooked and not much research has been done to examine its growth and position in the tourism industry. This conceptual paper identifies various conceptualisations of Muslim-friendly spas and wellness centres, before posing an argument that the aspect of interest is best addressed in terms of concepts or theories. Other than that, a SWOT analysis was carried out to examine the positioning of Muslim spas and wellness centres in the tourism industry, particularly in Malaysia. The findings of this paper will add to the body of knowledge and may pave the way for further research into the application of the Muslim-friendly spa concept. Lastly, the paper offers several suggestions and recommendations on how to position Muslim spa and wellness centres to boost Malaysia's tourism industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines air quality in Polish health resorts (HR) and its potential health risks, challenging the belief that these environments always provide safe air for recovery. Over five years, air quality was evaluated by measuring concentrations of PM10 and benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) in seven resorts with varying environmental conditions. Using data from 3781 daily samples, both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks were assessed for visitors (various age groups) and employees to determine health risks from prolonged exposure. The findings show frequent exceedances of national B(a)P limits, with some resorts, such as HR2 in Rabka-Zdrój and HR3 in Polanica-Zdrój, surpassing permissible levels by up to 320% and 373%, especially in winter. Non-carcinogenic risks exceeded safe limits by up to 40% for visitors in HR2 and 18% for employees in HR6 (Szczawno-Zdrój). Carcinogenic risks were up to 3.74 times higher than acceptable levels for visitors in HR2 and 3.15 times higher for employees in HR5 (Latoszyn), indicating a continuous risk from long-term exposure. These findings underscore the urgent need for measures to improve air quality in HRs. Given the global implications, similar risks could affect resorts worldwide. Therefore, future research should focus on cross-border studies and innovative strategies to manage pollution and protect health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: There is an ongoing increase in the demand for injectable procedures and an increase in the number of medical spas across the United States State regulations significantly vary regarding level of supervision at these medical spas. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine who performs cosmetic procedures, provides medical supervision, and who is being informed of complications. METHODS: Descriptive study based on a standardized telephone interview performed by a prospective patient for injectable treatments performed at medical Spas in Las Vegas. Data were then extracted and analyzed. RESULTS: Of 63 medical spas reviewed, most of the injectable treatments (73%) were performed by nonphysicians. An onsite physician who supervised or personally performed the cosmetic procedures was present in only 38.1% of the spas surveyed. Only 46% of surveyed medical spas notify a medical director/supervising physician in the event of a complication and only 39.7% of surveyed spas had a number to call after regular business hours. CONCLUSION: The majority of treatments are performed by nonphysicians in the spas surveyed. Physician supervisors are not on site in most of the spas and about half of spas do not inform the medical director in the event of a complication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Long COVID covers many cardio-pulmonary symptoms, worsening individuals' health status. Health resort treatment applies balneological factors, physical medicine modalities, climate actions, and exercises that may be beneficial for COVID-19 survivors. This study aimed to assess the severity of the cardiopulmonary symptoms in people qualified for health resort treatment and its efficacy in this group of patients. Methods: Medical records of 239 people attending health resort treatment were analysed. A total of 122 people (71 women and 51 men) with a mean age of 64.35 years ± 8.66 years were enrolled in the analysis. The cardiopulmonary symptoms of long COVID were assessed twice: before and after health resort treatment. Results: Persisting COVID-19 symptoms do not differentiate between women and men. Health resort treatment reduces symptoms severity in both sexes. Age does not mediate the efficacy of health resort treatment. Conclusions: The persistent symptoms of COVID-19 are of low intensity in people qualified for health resort treatment and are independent of gender. Health resort treatment effectively mitigates dyspnoea, tightness of chest, and sputum in long COVID patients, so it should be implemented into the standard treatment course for COVID-19 survivors as a continuation of therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the role of the Spa Health Resort as the Economic Engine of the Municipal Business Ecosystem. Usualy a single larger enterprise drives the local economy at the municipal level, and in the case of Serbia that company has often been from heavy industries. For many transitional economies, local communities have been supported by the main municipal organization, identified in the literature under the terms economic engine, anchor, driver, powerhouse, catalyst, hub or lifeline. Most literature defines it as a company that plays a pivotal role in propelling municipal economic growth and development, acting as the source of economic stability and resilience within the municipality. Our research is based on dataset gathered from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, extracted from the annual financial and business reports of 80,737 companies and sole entrepreneurs in Serbia from 2013 to 2022 and supplemented by detailed insights into business reports of hypothesized economic engine. Our findings support the hypothesis that Specialized Rehabilitation Hospital Banja Koviljaca's acts as economic engine for the region. Conclusion is that investment in balneo industry returns mutlifold benefits of different categories to the community and the state [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Umsatzsteuer-Rundschau is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

With the rapid advancement of medical technology and the intensification of global aging trends, the health and wellness industry is flourishing, making the location and routing of health resorts increasingly crucial. This study focuses on the location and routing issues of cold chain logistics in health resorts, constructing a location-routing model that minimizes carbon emissions while considering demand uncertainty. The model employs a carbon trading strategy to achieve overall cost minimization, utilizes triangular fuzzy numbers to handle demand uncertainty, and integrates an improved genetic algorithm with the Gurobi solver for efficient optimization. The results reveal the significance of carbon trading and refrigeration costs in cold chain logistics for health resorts, highlighting the importance of reducing carbon emissions and transitioning to green energy. This research provides a comprehensive methodological approach to location-routing decisions in cold chain logistics for health resorts, laying a theoretical and practical foundation for sustainable development in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important resource for small town tourism is maximising the local advantage of natural mineral springs. Only a small international literature exists on the evolution of spa resorts with scant writings for the Global South. For small town South Africa the histories of spa tourism mostly are unrecorded. This article addresses this knowledge gap by investigating the historical development of one spa tourism resort, namely Montagu in the Western Cape. Archival and documentary sources are utilised to analyse the tourism development of this small town from its formal establishment in the early 1850s to the closing apartheid years during the late 1980s. It is shown that Montagu's rise was part of the wider growth of South Africa as a health destination which was anchored upon its assets of climate and mineral springs. The thermal springs of Montagu put the town on the tourist map resulting in its declaration as a health resort and emergence as a popular holiday destination. By the time of the apartheid period Montagu was becoming a more leisure-tourism dominated and a less health focussed destination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pasos: Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural is the property of Universidad de La Laguna, Instituto Universitario de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The procedure of building a quasi-3D geometry of a numerical model of an underground post-mining facility is presented in the article. For this purpose, measurements were made, based on the terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) technology, of a fragment of St. John adit, which is part of the underground tourist route "Geopark" St. Johannes Mine in Krobica in Lower Silesia in Poland, in the neighborhood of Krobica, Gierczyn and Przecznica – the places located in the vicinity of the well-known health resort Świeradów Zdrój. TLS, as one of the most advanced mining surveying technologies, enables accurate mapping of even the most complex geometries of underground mining facilities. This opens wide possibilities in the construction of more accurate numerical models of the behavior of the rock mass around such underground objects. As a result, more reliable calculation results are obtained, which are the basis for designing mining support protection, for example, with rock bolting. This translates into an improvement in the safety of underground excavations, in the conditions of exploitation in mining as well as in historical post-mining excavations made available to tourists. In the construction of the geometry of numerical model, software such as Trimble RealWorks was used to orientate individual "point clouds" from measurement stations. CloudCompare software was also used to generate cross sections to the adit axis, and AutoCad software was used for processing and spatial orientation of a selected characteristic cross section. Using the latest version of the FLAC 3D v.9.0 software, the excavation cross-section geometry obtained from measurements was mapped to and discretized (i.e., meshed), giving it a third dimension at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The submitted paper points to a problem that concerns the Czech Republic and almost all of Europe. There is a need for more qualified employees across the Labour market. The author's team set the goal of mapping the spa industry situation in the Czech Republic through a nationwide questionnaire survey. The paper aimed to identify the specifics of the lack of staff in spa facilities in the Czech Republic. Based on the results of the analysis, propose measures that can lead to improvement. The Chi-square test and Cramer's coefficient were used to verify the statistical dependencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some of the spas there trace their origins to the first half of that century. Thanks to its diverse natural and geographic environment Western Galicia was somehow predestined to establish spas. There were mineral waters and a favorable microclimate. An additional advantage was the mountainous natural environment, especially, in the south of the region, which was mostly pristine. Even though some spas originated in the first part of the century, their dynamic development began to be observed only from the middle of the same century. The number of visitors also began to grow dynamically. The most fashionable place in the middle of the century was Szczawnica. However, it gradually lost this position as a result of increasing competition from other spas and internal problems. Before the outbreak of World War I, Zakopane clearly led the way. The state of the spas depended on the people managing them, mainly, on their commitment. Alongside large spas like Zakopane and Szczawnica existed smaller ones with poorly developed accommodation. They were treated by visitors more as a summer resort than a health resort. The purpose of the article is to show the development of spa treatment in the 19th century and early 20th century. It was based on the sources of medicinal waters discovered in western Galicia. Consequently, these areas became a kind of spa basin, popular among patients. The selected individual spas are discussed, their establishment and development are described, factors influencing the growth of their popularity and obstacles to their development are indicated. Changes in the interaction between man and nature in relation to Western Galicia are shown. It allows to understand the inspiring role of nature in the everyday life of man. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The purpose of this paper was to present a summary of the research and development work carried out in the search for new and sustainable methods of using sulfide waters located in the Świętokrzyskie, as well as setting new directions for treatment and development in Busko-Zdrój. Materials and Methods: The research was conducted as part of the project No. RPSW.01.02.00-26-0014/18 titled: "Research and development study on the use of sulfide water in weight reduction therapy" implemented under the Regional Operational Program of the Świętokrzyskie for 2014-2020, co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund, which was carried out at Hotel BRISTOL**** ART & Medical SPA in Busko-Zdrój by FONTIA Sp z.o.o. The method of conducting the research was comparative and in the first phase it involved the search for methods of covering the smell and taste of sulfide water, and then conducting tests on patients after obtaining approval from the Medical Bioethics Committee. Results: The study findings demonstrate that sulfide water crenotherapy positively impacts body weight and composition, mood, as well as skin and nail condition. As an outcome of this research, a novel therapy termed the Sulfide Reduction Diet (SDR) was developed and subsequently introduced into the commercial market. The research outcomes have been patented, leading to the development of two invention applications and a trademark. Conclusions: The most important influence on our body is a balanced diet and physical exercise. Sulfide water crenotherapy is a supplement that strengthens our body, improves immunity, speeds up metabolism and strengthens skin and nails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Work on long COVID-19 has mainly focused on clinical care in hospitals. Thermal spa therapies represent a therapeutic offer outside of health care institutions that are nationally or even internationally attractive. Unlike local care (hospital care, general medicine, para-medical care), their integration in the care pathways of long COVID-19 patients seems little studied. The aim of this article is to determine what place french thermal spa therapies can take in the care pathway of long COVID-19 patients. Methods: Based on the case of France, we carry out a geographic mapping analysis of the potential care pathways for long COVID-19 patients by cross-referencing, over the period 2020–2022, the available official data on COVID-19 contamination, hospitalisations in intensive care units and the national offer of spa treatments. This first analysis allows us, by using the method for evaluating the attractiveness of an area defined by David Huff, to evaluate the accessibility of each French department to thermal spas. Results: Using dynamic geographical mapping, this study describes two essential criteria for the integration of the thermal spa therapies offer in the care pathways of long COVID-19 patients (attractiveness of spa areas and accessibility to thermal spas) and three fundamental elements for the success of these pathways (continuity of the care pathways; clinical collaborations; adaptation of the financing modalities to each patient). Using a spatial attractiveness method, we make this type of geographical analysis more dynamic by showing the extent to which a thermal spa is accessible to long COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: Based on the example of the French spa offer, this study makes it possible to place the care pathways of long COVID-19 patients in a wider area (at least national), rather than limiting them to clinical and local management in a hospital setting. The identification and operationalization of two geographical criteria for integrating a type of treatment such as a spa cure into a care pathway contributes to a finer conceptualization of the construction of healthcare pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the prevalence of fusidic acid (FA) resistance in MSSA and MRSA stratified by sequence (ST) and spa types, and determined the prevalence of FA resistance mechanisms. From August 2014 to April 2020, S. aureus blood isolates were collected in Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed using broth microdilution and interpreted according to EUCAST's FA criteria. We performed spa typing for fusA mutation presence and acquired FA resistance determinants (fusB , fusC , and fusD) by PCR. Of the 590 MRSA isolates, 372 were FA resistant, and among 425 MSSA isolates, 136 were resistant. Of the 380 ST5-MRSA isolates, 350 were FA resistant, whereas only 1 of 14 ST5-MSSA isolates was FA resistant. Conversely, of the 163 ST72-MRSA isolates, only 8 were resistant, whereas 37 of 42 ST72-MSSA were resistant. The fusA mutation (80%) was the most common determinant. The one FA resistant ST5-MSSA isolate belonged to the t 2460 spa type, the most common spa type (24 of 35 isolates) of FA resistant ST5-MRSA. In addition, t 324 and t 148, which are minor spa types of ST72-MSSA, were susceptible to FA, in contrast to other ST72-MSSA spa types, and the major spa type of ST72-MRSA (110 of 163 isolates). FA resistance was common in ST5-MRSA and ST72-MSSA, and rare in ST5-MSSA and ST72-MRSA. Our findings suggest that minor clones of ST5-MSSA isolates, with the fusA mutation and minor clones of ST72-MSSA susceptible to FA, may have evolved to harbor the mecA gene. • Fusidic acid (FA) resistance was more common in MRSA than MSSA, and the most common determinant was the fusA mutation (80%). • The majority (92%) of ST5-MRSA strains were FA resistant, while only 7% of ST5-MSSA isolates were resistant. • Conversely, most ST72-MRSA isolates (95%) were susceptible to FA, while most ST72-MSSA strains (88%) were resistant. • The only FA resistant ST5-MSSA isolate belonged to the t 2460 spa type, which is the most common spa type among FA resistant ST5-MRSA. • The minor spa types t 324 and t 148 of ST72-MSSA (which are susceptible to FA) were the major spa type of ST72-MRSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discourses on social inequalities and the processes that sustain, reproduce, and reify them have been a long-standing area of scholarship. This paper focuses its attention on intersecting inequalities at workplaces and the organizational processes that support and enable their invisibilization. Building on this idea of invisibilization, we take a critical look at the active and conscious work done to keep inequalities hidden within organizations. In doing so, we understand and advance invisibilization as a twin concept that is primarily framed as a power equation but also acts as a visual illusion that obfuscates inequalities. We discuss this obfuscation by exploring intersectional inequalities within the Indian beauty and wellness services (BWS), a majorly unorganized sector that has a visible workforce of women migrants belonging to indigenous communities from the northeast region of the country. Using frameworks of Intersectionality, New Racism, and Othering, we argue that hiring within the BWS normalizes a heteropatriarchal-savarna gaze of the indigenous other, where women are routinely racialized and sexualized to be inducted within the industry. Further, this case study exemplifies how visible frames of gender inequalities invisibilize other ethno-racial, and regional inequalities within workplaces. Building on these findings, we suggest that organizations invisibilize inequalities by (a) co-opting a progressive vocabulary; (b) performing a normalizing function; (c) creating obfuscation; and (d) building a visual facade. Finally, this study contributes by broadening our theoretical understanding of invisibilization, especially in the context of intersectional inequalities, wherein inequalities are normalized through everyday practices within organizational hiring and training, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this randomized, placebo-controlled cross-over trial we aimed to investigate if radon spa therapy exerts more pain relief than exposure to warm water alone. In addition, immunological parameters were assessed in both treatment groups. In the RAD-ON02 trial, 116 patients suffering from musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) received either serial radon spa or solely warm water baths. Pain intensity was assessed by determination of different pain parameters on a visual analogue scale and by pressure point dolorimetry at baseline and at weeks 4, 12 and 24. The longitudinal immune status of the patients was analyzed by a flow cytometry-based assay from peripheral blood at the time points of pain assessments. There were no side effects attributable to radon exposure observed. However, radon spa was superior to warm water applications at week 4 in terms of pain reduction. Pain and morning stiffness at the time of assessment were significantly reduced after radon spa (p<0.001, p<0.01) but not after warm water baths. The dolorimetry resulted in a significantly higher exerted pressure strength in patients after radon spa (p<0.001), but not after warm water applications. During the long-term follow-up, both treatment modalities reduced pain to a similar degree and pain modulation was not distorted by the participants' intake of analgesics. No significant changes in the immune status attributable specifically to radon were found, even though the increase in regulatory T cell counts occurs earlier after radon baths than after sole warm water baths and a higher level of significance is reached after radon spa at week 24. Serial radon spa has additive pain-relieving effects. The immunological parameters assessed in our study appear not to be directly linked to the pain reduction caused by radon exposure, at least in MSD patients with predominantly degenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today healthcare in Denmark is overwhelmingly public, but around 1900 much was left to religious institutions. One of the largest and most long-lived was Skodsborg Badesanatorium, which survived from 1898 to 1992. Founded on the Seventh-day Adventists' health principles, the sanatorium introduced therapies and medical ideas, which were frowned upon in Denmark around 1900. The sanatorium had to navigate between alternative and orthodox medicine, constantly defining itself as alternative enough to provide what patients could not get at the public hospitals, but orthodox enough to be scientifically reliable. The article analyses how the therapy at the sanatorium was presented, comparing alternative and orthodox medicine. Likewise, the sanatorium's relation to public healthcare is analysed from its extensive administrative material. This article sheds light on private healthcare institutions, which are largely neglected in Danish historical health research, and thereby explores the space between public and private healthcare and orthodox and non-orthodox medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major concern in Jordanian hospitals in terms of infection control. The purpose of this study was to identify the resistance patterns of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from surfaces of critical locations within the Al-Karak Governmental Hospital in 2019. Additionally, the study aimed to conduct whole-genome sequencing on the isolates. Materials and Methods: In February 2019, fourteen S. aureus strains were isolated from surfaces in critical sites in the Al-Karak Governmental Hospital. These isolates underwent antibiogram testing to determine their resistance profile. Genome sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq platform was applied to the extracted DNA from these isolates. The genomic data, including coding sequences, were analyzed to identify lineage, resistance genes, and plasmids. Results: The antibiogram results revealed that 11 of the 14 isolates were resistant to oxacillin, 6 to linezolid, and 1 to rifampicin, while none showed resistance to chloramphenicol. Eleven isolates were identified as MRSA, with a novel spa type (t4407) not previously reported in Jordan. High-quality sequencing data were obtained for only one isolate, i.e., A29, the genome showed 2,789,641 bp with a 32.7% GC content and contained 2650 coding sequences. Genomic analysis indicated the ST6 lineage, mecA gene (SCCmec type IVa(2B)), and a hybrid plasmid (pJOR_blaZ) carrying the blaZ gene for β-lactam resistance. Genomic data were deposited in NCBI (CP104989). The A29 genome closely resembled an MRSA genome isolated from a Danish hospital in 2011. The SNP analysis revealed identical antimicrobial resistance genes in these two genomes. Conclusions: This study unveils the first genomic sequence of an MRSA isolate from Jordan, marked by distinctive genotypic traits. The findings enhance our understanding of the MRSA types circulating in Jordan and the region and substantiate the phenomenon of intercontinental MRSA transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]