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Topic Review
Iron-Containing Oral Contraceptives
Oral contraceptive use has been associated with decreased menstrual blood losses; thus, can independently reduce the risk of anemia and iron deficiency in women. Manufacturers have recently started to include supplemental iron in the non-hormonal placebo tablets of some contraceptives. 
  • 7.1K
  • 15 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or colloquially as Obamacare, is a United States federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. Together with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 amendment, it represents the U.S. healthcare system's most significant regulatory overhaul and expansion of coverage since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. PPACA's major provisions came into force in 2014. By 2016, the uninsured share of the population had roughly halved, with estimates ranging from 20 to 24 million additional people covered. The law also enacted a host of delivery system reforms intended to constrain healthcare costs and improve quality. After the law went into effect, increases in overall healthcare spending slowed, including premiums for employer-based insurance plans. The increased coverage was due, roughly equally, to an expansion of Medicaid eligibility and to changes to individual insurance markets. Both received new spending, funded through a combination of new taxes and cuts to Medicare provider rates and Medicare Advantage. Several Congressional Budget Office reports said that overall these provisions reduced the budget deficit, that repealing PPACA would increase the deficit, and that the law reduced income inequality by taxing primarily the top 1% to fund roughly $600 in benefits on average to families in the bottom 40% of the income distribution. The act largely retained the existing structure of Medicare, Medicaid and the employer market, but individual markets were radically overhauled. Insurers were made to accept all applicants without charging based on pre-existing conditions or demographic status (except age). To combat the resultant adverse selection, the act mandated that individuals buy insurance (or pay a fine/tax) and that insurers cover a list of "essential health benefits". Before and after enactment PPACA faced strong political opposition, calls for repeal and legal challenges. In National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, the Supreme Court ruled that states could choose not to participate in PPACA's Medicaid expansion, although it upheld the law as a whole. The federal health exchange, HealthCare.gov, faced major technical problems at the beginning of its rollout in 2013. Polls initially found that a plurality of Americans opposed the act, although its individual provisions were generally more popular and the law gained majority support by 2017.
  • 2.3K
  • 05 Nov 2022
Topic Review
China’s Elder Care Policies
Until the 1980s, institutional elder care was virtually unknown in China. In a few decades, China had to construct a universal social safety net and assure basic elderly care. China’s government has been facing several challenges: the eroding traditional family care, the funding to assure care services for the older population, as well as the shortage of care delivery services and nursing staff. In Western countries, elder care policies have been shifting to the home care approach. China introduced home care as the elder care cornerstone and encouraged the revival of the filial piety tradition. Although China has a unique approach, the care policies for the aged population in China and Western countries are converging by emphasizing home-based care, informal care and healthy aging.
  • 2.2K
  • 26 May 2022
Topic Review
Asynchronous Environment Assessment
The emergence and global spread of COVID-19 has disrupted the traditional mechanisms of education throughout the world. Institutions of learning were caught unprepared and this jeopardised the face-to-face method of curriculum delivery and assessment. Teaching institutions have shifted to an asynchronous mode whilst attempting to preserve the principles of integrity, equity, inclusiveness, fairness, ethics, and safety. A framework of assessment that enables educators to utilise appropriate methods in measuring a student’s progress is crucial for the success of teaching and learning, especially in health education that demands high standards and comprises consistent scientific content. 
  • 2.2K
  • 30 Sep 2021
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Digital Mental Health Amid COVID-19
Digital Mental Health is information and communication technology used in mental health services delivered or boosted through the Internet and related technologies, smartphone and wearable technologies as well as immersive solutions (e.g., Virtual Reality and video games). It is predominantly used as self-help services or with the assistance of a (para-)professional and/or artificial intelligence for the provision of mental health promotion as well as mental ill-health identification, prevention and intervention.
  • 1.8K
  • 06 Nov 2023
Topic Review
COVID-19 Effect on Supply Chains
The COVID-19 pandemic has generated disruptions in supply chains, traveling, businesses, and a loss of human lives that is being accounted for at least five million diseased. When the pandemic started, uncertainties, the lockdown of countries, and stay-at-home orders generated that millions of people made runs to grocery stores to buy essential products, the most distinctive being hygiene tissue, antibacterial formulations, and hand sanitizers. Then workers in essential processes in the medical, food, and manufacturing industries had to restart work to keep supply chains running. That generated further repercussions due to the infection of workers in multiple facilities, which created more considerable uncertainties. Universities and schools were mandated to close, and work-from-home orders were enacted in most sectors. In this entry, a summary of the essential factors, current situation, and future perspective regarding the effect generated by COVID-19 on the disruptions of supply chains is presented. The strategic sectors summarized are food and produce, transportation, paper products, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, automobiles, minerals and technology companies. At two years since the WHO declaration, there are still shockwaves that show some unpredictability. Hence, companies and governments should look for strategical plans for preparing for this kind of event, making supply chains resilient or even immune to pandemics, natural disasters and trade wars.
  • 1.6K
  • 22 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Life Satisfaction in New Zealand
One of the three measures of subjective wellbeing used in New Zealand' s Living Standards Framework is life satisfaction. Life satisfaction, or ‘satisfaction with life’, has been defined as a cognitive evaluation of overall satisfaction with an individual’s current life, relative to the individual’s own criteria of what a satisfactory life is. Life satisfaction is widely regarded as a key measure of subjective wellbeing. Prevalence and predictors of life satisfaction in New Zealand (NZ) from a sample of 10,799 participants from NZ, drawn from the Gallup World Poll from 2006 to 2017 are investigated. Prevalence of life satisfaction across time varied little, satisfaction with standards of living predicted life satisfaction regardless of age or gender, and for males across all age groups and females up to age 40 years, positive experiences and satisfaction with household income were important predictors. Being married was an important predictor for males over 40 years and feeling satisfied with their current city was important for females across all ages and for men under 40.
  • 1.5K
  • 13 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in the Fight against COVID-19
In Italy, a flowchart to be used by General Practitioners for the at-home treatment of patients with COVID-19, has been released. It states that early at-home treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection is possible due to the availability of specific antiviral drugs to be used in at-risk patients, and that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have an important function in combating the virus. Therefore, the use of NSAIDs is not only rational but also effective in cases that cannot be treated using antivirals. 
  • 1.2K
  • 17 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Long-Term Care Insurance Pilot in China
China launched long-term care insurance (LTCI) pilot program in 2016, there are great challenges associated with developing a sustainable LTCI system due to limited financial resources and a rapid increase in the aging population. It is needed to evaluate the impact of LTCI policy development from diverse perspectives and using various evaluation methods.
  • 1.2K
  • 20 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Sulfur Compounds in Garlic for Asthma Treatment
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease in the airways with a multifactorial origin but with inflammation and oxidative stress as related pathogenic mechanisms. Garlic (Allium sativum) is a nutraceutical with different biological properties due to sulfur-containing natural compounds. Studies have shown that several compounds in garlic may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular diseases, including those related to the lungs. Therefore, it is possible to take advantage of the compounds from garlic as nutraceuticals for treating lung diseases.
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Investigating and Quantifying Food Insecurity in Nigeria
Given the recent increase in the number of Nigerians estimated to be at risk of food insecurity, it is crucial to explore the array of tools used to quantify food insecurity (FI). This exploration will help determine the prevalence and severity of FI in Nigeria. 
  • 1.1K
  • 09 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Healthcare System in Romania
Within the framework of the Romanian healthcare system, a multitude of pressing challenges endure. These encompass insufficient funding, shortages of medical personnel, and ineffectiveness in the provisioning of services. These impediments substantially hinder the accessibility of healthcare services, particularly in outlying and pastoral regions, thereby rendering the system susceptible and underserving certain demographics. 
  • 1.0K
  • 03 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Health, Economic and Social Challenges in COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19-pandemic-related health, economic and social crises are leading to huge challenges for all spheres of human life across the globe. Various challenges highlighted by this pandemic include, but are not limited to, the need for global health cooperation and security, better crisis management, coordinated funding in public health emergencies, and access to measures related to prevention, treatment, and control. 
  • 1.0K
  • 10 May 2022
Topic Review
Salt, Sugar and Hypertension
The pathogenesis of arterial hypertension is multifactorial, one of the components being represented by incorrect eating habits. In particular, excessive salt and sugar intake can contribute to the onset of hypertension in children, particularly in subjects with excess weight. The recent modification of dietary styles and the current very wide availability of salt and sugar has led to an exponential increase in the consumption of these two nutrients. The dietary intake of salt and sugar in children is in fact much higher than that recommended by health agencies. The purpose of the entry is to explore the relationship between an excessive dietary intake of salt and sugar and the onset of arterial hypertension in children  and to show the most important clinical studies that demonstrate the association between these two nutrients and arterial hypertension in pediatric age.
  • 1.0K
  • 29 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Vitamin D: Cost-Effectively Overcoming Infections and Chronic Diseases
The prevalence of chronic diseases increases with age, especially in those with co-morbidities. The two most common denominators are the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and low concentrations of angiotensin-converting enzyme receptor-2 (ACE2). Whether vitamin D deficiency initiates or aggravates chronic diseases is unclear: the likelihood is both. Hypovitaminosis D negatively affects all body systems, especially the musculoskeletal and immune systems. Many chronic conditions and infections can be minimized using the right dose of vitamin D supplements administered at the right frequency (daily or once weekly) or direct sun exposure to one-third of the skin between 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM, in summer like sunlight, for 20 to 60 minutes depending on the skin tone. It is advisable to wear sunglasses and a brimmed hat to protect one’s eyes and face. Maintaining the population serum 25(OH)D concentration above 40 ng/mL (i.e., sufficiency) ensures a better immune system, minimizing symptomatic diseases and reducing infections and chronic diseases. The best clinical outcome and longevity are expected from maintaining the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations between 50 and 80 ng/mL.
  • 998
  • 04 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Relationship between Altruism and Organ Donation
Altruism is defined as behavior aimed at helping others; it may promote prosocial behavior that is sensitive to the other people’s actual needs. The behavior is carried out even when the helper does not expect any benefit or return, or when the behavior may endanger the helper to some extent. 
  • 977
  • 27 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Newborn and Child Health
Home-based records are paper or electronic records retained and used by mothers or caregivers to document the health services received for maternal, newborn, and child health. Little has been studied about the roles of these records on newborn and child health outcomes.
  • 949
  • 29 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Abortion in Times of COVID-19
The COVID-19 health emergency has thrown the health systems of most European countries into a deep crisis, forcing them to call off and postpone all interventions deemed not essential or life-saving in order to focus most resources on the treatment of COVID-19 patients. To facilitate women who are experiencing difficulties in terminating their pregnancies in Italy, the Ministry of Health has adapted to the regulations in force in most European countries and issued new guidelines that allow medical abortion up to 63 days, i.e., 9 weeks of gestational age, without mandatory hospitalization. This decision was met with some controversy, based on the assumption that the abortion pill could “incentivize” women to resort to abortion more easily.
  • 924
  • 19 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Breakthrough Infections in Measles Elimination
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to man. Despite the existence of a safe and effective live attenuated vaccine, measles can appear in vaccinated individuals. Paradoxically, breakthrough cases increase as vaccination coverage in the general population rises. In measles endemic areas, breakthrough cases represent less than 10% of total infections, while in areas with high vaccination coverage these are over 10% of the total. Two different vaccination failures have been described: primary vaccination failure, which consists in the complete absence of humoral response and occurs in around 5% of vaccinated individuals; and secondary vaccination failure is due to waning immunity or incomplete immunity and occurs in 2–10% of vaccinees. Vaccination failures are generally associated with lower viral loads and milder disease (modified measles) since vaccination limits the risk of complicated disease. Vaccination failure seems to occur between six and twenty-six years after the last vaccine dose administration. 
  • 876
  • 15 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has captivated the globe’s attention since its emergence in 2019. This highly infectious, spreadable, and dangerous pathogen has caused health, social, and economic crises. Therefore, a worldwide collaborative effort was made to find an efficient strategy to overcome and develop vaccines.
  • 875
  • 17 Jan 2023
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