The mediating role of depressive symptoms among Turkish population related to gender and low back pain: evidence from a national health survey.

BACKGROUND: Low back pain (LBP), though non-life-threatening, burdens healthcare with treatment expenses and work hours lost. Globally, 70-84% experience it, with risk factors tied to societal structure, income, and living conditions, making it a leading cause of disability. METHODS: This study utilized data from the 2019 Türkiye Health Survey, which consisted of 17,084 individuals aged 15 and above. Our study focused on investigating the factors related to low back pain through a cross-sectional analysis. To analyze these factors, we employed binary multivariate logistic regression. Additionally, we conducted post-hoc analyses to assess the potential mediating effect of depressive symptoms on the relationship between low back pain and gender. RESULTS: We found that 31.9% of the population experienced low back pain, with women being 58% more likely [aOR = 1.58; 95% CI (1.45-1.73)] than men to report symptoms. Individuals aged 55 + years old had a 90% [aOR = 1.90; 95% CI (1.61-2.23)] chance of experiencing low back pain, indicating an age-related increase. In the general population, having depressive symptoms was 2.49 [95% CI (2.23-2.78)] times more likely associated with low back pain. Our mediation analysis showed that gender (i.e., women vs. men), indicated by direct effects with ß-estimates e = 0.78, predicted the likelihood of low back pain. Additionally, the relationship between gender and low back pain, mediated through a history of depressive symptoms, had a significant total indirect effect (i.e., ß-estimate given as e = 0.49). Specifically, a history of depressive symptoms accounted for 17.86% [95% CI (9.67-20.10)] of the association between women having a higher likelihood of low back pain compared to men. CONCLUSION: We observed that a higher likelihood of low back pain associated with gender and aging. Additionally, BMI served as a significant predictor, particularly in adults. Depression mediated the association between gender and low back pain. Acknowledging these associations may help identify and address contributing factors to LBP, potentially increasing awareness and alleviating the burden. Policymakers and healthcare professionals may consider these findings when developing prevention and treatment programs for low back pain.

Factors associated with HIV-positive status awareness among adults with long term HIV infection in four countries in the East and Southern Africa region: A multilevel approach.

Antiretroviral treatment (ART) appropriately and regularly used decreases the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral load in the bloodstream, preventing HIV-infected people from spreading the infection to others. Disparities in ART adoption persists in East and Southern Africa, with low HIV-positive status knowledge being the primary factor. We investigated individual and household characteristics of HIV-positive status awareness among adults with long-term HIV infection in four East and Southern African countries: Eswatini, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. The study analyzed data from surveys conducted in Eswatini, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe in 2015-2016. Only individuals who tested positive for HIV through rapid tests were included in the analysis. Those who already knew they were HIV-positive were categorized as aware, while those who reported being negative, never tested, or didn't know their status were categorized as unaware. Statistical models were used to examine various factors related to HIV awareness. Pooled and country-specific odds ratios were computed. The percentage of people who knew they had HIV ranged from 58% (Tanzania and Malawi) to 87% (Eswatini). After adjusting for other variables, young persons in all countries were less likely to be aware of their HIV-positive status. Gender, marital status, education, working status, household wealth, and urbanization level of households were also associated with HIV-positive status awareness but inconsistent across countries. HIV-positive status awareness in these four East and Southern African nations remained unsatisfactory as compared to the United Nations' 95% guideline, indicating that testing and knowledge of HIV testing in this region still has a lot of potential for improvement. The observed variations among nations may be attributable to differences in HIV pandemic culture and policies. The findings of this study will assist governments determining which subpopulations to target to boost adoption of HIV testing services, as well as in designing and development of policies.

Associations Between Indoor Air Pollutants and Risk Factors for Acute Respiratory Infection Symptoms in Children Under 5: An Analysis of Data From the Indonesia Demographic Health Survey.

OBJECTIVES: The study investigated the association between indoor air pollution (IAP) and risk factors for acute respiratory infection (ARI) symptoms in children under 5 years of age. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data derived from Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey in 2017. Binary logistic regression modeling was employed to examine each predictor variable associated with ARI among children under 5 years of age in Indonesia. RESULTS: The study included a total of 4936 households with children. Among children under 5 years old, 7.2% reported ARI symptoms. The presence of ARI symptoms was significantly associated with the type of residence, wealth index, and father's smoking frequency, which were considered the sample's socio-demographic characteristics. In the final model, living in rural areas, having a high wealth index, the father's smoking frequency, and a low education level were all linked to ARI symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed that households in rural areas had a substantially higher level of reported ARI symptoms among children under 5 years old. Furthermore, the father's smoking frequency and low education level were associated with ARI symptoms.

Identification of Hub Genes and Potential Biomarkers for Childhood Asthma by Utilizing an Established Bioinformatic Analysis Approach.

Childhood asthma represents a heterogeneous disease resulting from the interaction between genetic factors and environmental exposures. Currently, finding reliable biomarkers is necessary for the clinical management of childhood asthma. However, only a few biomarkers are being used in clinical practice in the pediatric population. In the long run, new biomarkers for asthma in children are required and would help direct therapy approaches. This study aims to identify potential childhood asthma biomarkers using a genetic-driven biomarkers approach. Herein, childhood asthma-associated Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) were utilized from the GWAS database to drive and facilitate the biomarker of childhood asthma. We uncovered 466 childhood asthma-associated loci by extending to proximal SNPs based on r2 > 0.8 in Asian populations and utilizing HaploReg version 4.1 to determine 393 childhood asthma risk genes. Next, the functional roles of these genes were subsequently investigated using Gene Ontology (GO) term enrichment analysis, a Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, and a protein−protein interaction (PPI) network. MCODE and CytoHubba are two Cytoscape plugins utilized to find biomarker genes from functional networks created using childhood asthma risk genes. Intriguingly, 10 hub genes (IL6, IL4, IL2, IL13, PTPRC, IL5, IL33, TBX21, IL2RA, and STAT6) were successfully identified and may have been identified to play a potential role in the pathogenesis of childhood asthma. Among 10 hub genes, we strongly suggest IL6 and IL4 as prospective childhood asthma biomarkers since both of these biomarkers achieved a high systemic score in Cytohubba's MCC algorithm. In summary, this study offers a valuable genetic-driven biomarker approach to facilitate the potential biomarkers for asthma in children.

Factors Associated with Infant Deaths in Indonesia: An Analysis of the 2012 and 2017 Indonesia Demographic and Health Surveys.

BACKGROUND: This exploratory study aimed to investigate factors related to infant deaths using a conceptual framework that explains the risk factors of infant deaths in developing countries. METHODS: The study adopted a cross-sectional study design and used data from the 2012 and 2017 Indonesia Demographic and Health Surveys, with a sample of 3694 singleton live births in 2012 and 3413 in 2017. RESULTS: Female infants had a lower chance of mortality compared to male infants [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.51; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.34-0.77]. Infants with a smaller birth size had a higher risk of infant death compared to those with an average size (aOR = 5.66; 95% CI = 3.66-8.77). The risk of infant death with a preceding birth interval of ≥24 months was lower than that with a preceding birth interval of <24 months (aOR = 0.48; 95% CI = 0.26-0.90). An older maternal age was a risk factor for infant death compared to younger mothers (aOR = 3.61; 95% CI = 1.42-9.23). Infants who were born in Sumatra (aOR = 0.38; 95% CI = 0.16-0.89) and Java and Bali (aOR = 0.33; 95% CI = 0.14-0.78) were less likely to die than infants who were born in Papua and Maluku. CONCLUSIONS: A higher infant death risk was associated with male babies and a shorter birth interval (<24 months). Mothers who perceived their babies to be small and mothers who were older (35-49 years old) were high-risk factors for infant mortality. Mothers who lived in Java and Bali as well as Sumatera were less likely to experience infant mortality compared to those who lived in Papua and Maluku.

Association between history of abortion and current use of contraceptives among Mongolian Women.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the factors associated with the adoption of contraceptive methods among women of childbearing age is imperative to improving maternal health outcomes. This study aimed at exploring the association between history of abortion and contraceptive use among Mongolian women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional data of 8373 women aged 15-49 years from the 2018 Mongolian Social Indicator Sample Survey (MSISS). Binary logistic regression models were used to assess the association between abortion history and current contraceptive use while accounting for both individual- and community- level factors. RESULTS: A total of 4347 (51.92%) and 2525 (30.16%) reported current use of various contraceptive methods and a history of abortion in their lifetime, respectively. Women with a history of abortion were less likely to report current use of contraceptives (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.58-0.89]). Specifically, women with a history of abortion were less likely to report use of IUD (AOR = 0.79, 95% CI [0.71-0.90)]) and injectables (AOR = 0.59, 95% CI [0.41-0.84]). History of abortion was associated with increased likelihood of using abstinence (OR = 1.82, 95% CI [1.31-2.53]) as a contraceptive method. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated a significant association between history of abortion and contraceptive use. Public health interventions aiming to improve maternal health outcomes through contraceptive use should target women with a history of abortion to improve their uptake.