Toward an Integrated Framework in Health and Human Rights Education: Transformative Pedagogies in Social Medicine, Collective Health, and Structural Competency.

Global health equity is at a historically tenuous nexus complicated by economic inequality, climate change, mass migration, racialized violence, and global pandemics. Social medicine, collective health, and structural competency are interdisciplinary fields with their own histories and fragmentary implementation in health equity movements situated both locally and globally. In this paper, we review these three fields' historical backgrounds, theoretical underpinnings, and contemporary contributions to global health equity. We believe that intentional dialogue between these fields could promote a generative discourse rooted in a shared understanding of their historical antecedents and theoretical frameworks. We also propose pedagogical tools grounded within our own critical and transformative pedagogies that offer the prospect of bringing these traditions into greater dialogue for the purpose of actualizing the human right to health.

Health Care Utilization Before and After the "Muslim Ban" Executive Order Among People Born in Muslim-Majority Countries and Living in the US.

Importance: The health effects of restrictive immigration and refugee policies targeting individuals from Muslim-majority countries are largely unknown. Objective: To analyze whether President Trump's 2017 executive order 13769, "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States" (known as the "Muslim ban" executive order) was associated with changes in health care utilization by people born in targeted nations living in the US. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study included adult patients treated at Minneapolis-St. Paul HealthPartners primary care clinics or emergency departments (EDs) between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017. Patients were categorized as (1) born in Muslim ban-targeted nations, (2) born in Muslim-majority nations not listed in the executive order, or (3) non-Latinx and born in the US. Data were analyzed from October 1, 2019, to May 12, 2021. Exposures: Executive order 13769, "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States." Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes included the number of (1) primary care clinic visits, (2) missed primary care appointments, (3) primary care stress-responsive diagnoses, (4) ED visits, and (5) ED stress-responsive diagnoses. Visit trends were evaluated before and after the Muslim ban issuance using linear regression, and differences between the study groups after the executive order issuance were evaluated using difference-in-difference analyses. Results: A total of 252 594 patients were included in the analysis: 5667 in group 1 (3367 women [59.4%]; 5233 Black individuals [92.3%]), 1254 in group 2 (627 women [50%]; 391 White individuals [31.2%]), and 245 673 in group 3 (133 882 women [54.5%]; 203 342 White individuals [82.8%]). Group 1 was predominantly born in Somalia (5231 of 5667 [92.3%]) and insured by Medicare or Medicaid (4428 [78.1%]). Before the Muslim ban, primary care visits and stress-responsive diagnoses were increasing for individuals from Muslim-majority nations (groups 1 and 2). In the year after the ban, there were approximately 101 additional missed primary care appointments among people from Muslim-majority countries not named in the ban (point estimate [SE], 6.73 [2.90]; P = .02) and approximately 232 additional ED visits by individuals from Muslim ban-targeted nations (point estimate [SE], 3.41 [1.53]; P = .03). Conclusions and Relevance: Results of this cohort study suggest that after issuance of the Muslim ban executive order, missed primary care appointments and ED visits increased among people from Muslim-majority countries living in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Comparative retrospective open-label study of ayurvedic medicines and their combination with allopathic drugs on asymptomatic and mildly-symptomatic COVID-19 patients.

INTRODUCTION: Treatment for COVID-19 was ambiguous in the beginning of the pandemic. At that time, the conventional medical system was grappling to cope with the rapidly spreading pandemic. The potential of Ayurveda, one of the branches of traditional Indian medicine (TIM), with a 5000 year old history, employing medicines derived from plants and other natural sources, against COVID-19 has been explored through a comparative retrospective open-label study. METHODS: Reported here are the remedial effects of Ayurvedic medicines alone or in combination with Allopathic treatment on 59 asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients, across multiple COVID-19 care centers in Ahmedabad, India. The patients were confirmed for COVID-19 infection through RT-qPCR of nasopharyngeal swabs. With informed consents from the patients, the sourced data was divided into 'Allopathic and Ayurvedic' [AlloAyur] (n = 41) and 'Ayurvedic only'[Ayur] (n = 18) groups, based on the type of treatment the patients decided to receive, that is Ayurvedic medicines with Allopathic treatment or Ayurvedic medicines alone, respectively. Ayurvedic medicines included oral doses and nasal drops; the dosage and regime were decided based on the recommendations from Ayurvedic texts. The Allopathic medicines included Azithromycin, Vitamin-C and anti-histamines. Acetaminophen was also administered when necessary, by the attending physician. The patients were observed for symptomatic improvement. RESULTS: Primary outcome of this study was the symptomatic relief from COVID-19. Data collected over a period of two months, showed that more patients exhibited symptomatic relief in Ayur goup (83.33 %) than in the AlloAyur group (48.78 %) within the first 13 days of treatment. No visible adverse effects were observed. This indicated faster and safe symptomatic resolution among those treated with Ayurvedic medicines alone. CONCLUSION: Patients receiving only Ayurvedic medicines on average were symptomatically relieved faster than those receiving Allopathic and Ayurvedic medicines together.

Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Modified Carbon Nano Tube Paste Electrode for Sensitive Cyclic Voltammetry Determination of Isatin.

Purpose: Isatin (IS) is a synthetically significant heterocyclic moiety with an influential pharmacodynamic indole nucleus and hence the electrocatalytic property of has been investigated. Methods: The electrochemical analysis was demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in the potential window of 0.2 V to 1.4 V using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) modified carbon nano tube paste electrode (SDSMCNTPE) over a pH range of 6 to 8.5 in 0.2 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS). Surface morphology was studied by using Field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Results: The CV study discloses that under ideal condition oxidation of IS arises at a potential of 0.970 V accompanied with an exceptional stability, selectivity and sensitivity for the resultant SDSMCNTPE contrasting to bare carbon nano tube paste electrode (BCNTPE). Individual parameters like electrode surface area, effect of surfactant, detection limit, simultaneous detection of IS and resorcinol (RC) were studied at a scan rate of 0.1 V/s. Scan rate study uncovers the process is diffusion controlled. The oxidation peak current amplified linearly with the surge in concentration of IS under ideal condition. Detection limit (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) in the solution of optimum pH (7.5) at a scan rate of 0.100V/s is 2.4×10-7 M and 8.2 × 10-7 M respectively. Conclusion: The proposed electrode portrays excellent repeatability, reproducibility and reliability to resistant electrode fouling.

Design of a Sensitive and Selective Voltammetric Sensor Based on a Cationic Surfactant-Modified Carbon Paste Electrode for the Determination of Alloxan.

Alloxan (AL) is a toxic glucose analogue that acts as a potent diabetogenic inducer by selectively destroying the insulin-producing ß-cells of the pancreas. Hence, a sensitive and selective cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-immobilized carbon paste electrode was utilized for the analysis of AL in the existence of anthrone. The CTAB-modified carbon paste electrode in contrast with the bare carbon paste electrode showed a magnificent behavior for the electrocatalytic oxidation of AL by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) methods. CV studies reveal a quasi-reversible diffusion-controlled process in the potential window of -0.5 to 0.4 V at an optimum pH of 6.5 in 0.2 M phosphate buffer solution. The electrode materials were characterized by CV, field emission-scanning electron microscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Under optimized experimental conditions, low detection limits of 1.09 and 3.64 µM were obtained in a linear dynamic range of 5-80 µM and from 8 to 90 µM by DPV and CV methods, respectively. The performance of the modified electrode is impressive in terms of least charge transfer resistance (R ct), surface concentration (Γ), and heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (k 0). A 50-fold excess concentration of other potential interferants such as food additives and other organic species present in the human body does not significantly alter the peak potential and peak current of AL. The analytical application of the modified sensor was appraised by determining AL in the spiked refined flour sample. The modified sensor with a swift fabrication procedure exhibited enduring stability, adequate reproducibility, and acceptable repeatability.

Optical and Electrochemical Applications of Li-Doped NiO Nanostructures Synthesized via Facile Microwave Technique.

Nanostructured NiO and Li-ion doped NiO have been synthesized via a facile microwave technique and simulated using the first principle method. The effects of microwaves on the morphology of the nanostructures have been studied by Field Emission Spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction studies confirm the nanosize of the particles and favoured orientations along the (111), (200) and (220) planes revealing the cubic structure. The optical band gap decreases from 3.3 eV (pure NiO) to 3.17 eV (NiO doped with 1% Li). Further, computational simulations have been performed to understand the optical behaviour of the synthesized nanoparticles. The optical properties of the doped materials exhibit violet, blue and green emissions, as evaluated using photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. In the presence of Li-ions, NiO nanoparticles exhibit enhanced electrical capacities and better cyclability. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results show that with 1% Li as dopant, there is a marked improvement in the reversibility and the conductance value of NiO. The results are encouraging as the synthesized nanoparticles stand a better chance of being used as an active material for electrochromic, electro-optic and supercapacitor applications.

Pt(II)C∧N∧N-Based Luminophore-Micelle Adducts for Sensing Nitroaromatic Explosives.

Two luminescent cyclometalated Pt(II)-complexes, 1•Pt and 2•Pt, respectively, were synthesized by using unsymmetrical C∧N∧N ligands having different alkyl substituents. These π-electron-rich complexes are used for sensing various electron deficient nitroaromatic explosives, e.g., 4-nitrotoluene (NT), 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT), 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), and 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP), in aqueous, nonaqueous, as well as in the solid state as a paper strip with maximum detection limit of ca. 10-9 M. It was demonstrated that the sparingly soluble 2•Pt complex becomes water-soluble in the presence of all kinds of surfactants, viz., cationic (e.g., cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB), anionic (e.g., sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS), and neutral (e.g., Triton X-100). This may be due to the incorporation of its long lyophilic tail group (-C12H25) inside the micellar core, exposing planar Pt(II)C∧N∧N headgroup to the aqueous bulk phase. It was also observed that the extent of solubility of these Pt(II)-complexes in micellar media strongly depends on the length of the existing alkyl chain. For instance, the presence of longer dodecyl chain makes 2•Pt complex ca. 1000-fold more soluble than the complex 1•Pt, which contains a shorter propyl chain. Their sensing behavior essentially arises by the quenching of Pt(II)-based intense luminescence due to the supramolecular charge transfer (CT) process originating from Pt(II)C∧N∧N-antenna to the electron deficient nitroaromatic explosives. Our present work shows that the micellar adducts formed by highly luminophoric material and surfactant molecules could effectively detect such explosives in aqueous medium with better sensitivity compared to what were observed in other media.