Social capital predicts many positive health outcomes, including food and water access and sufficiency. Hence, increasing social capital has emerged as one potential strategy to improve food and ...water security. In this study, we investigate whether social capital generated through participation in a community-based microlending programme based in semi-rural Kenya is associated with water and food insecurity, and explore the interconnectedness of water and food insecurity through mediation analysis. Randomly-selected women participants of the community-based programme (n = 400) were interviewed in June 2018 and again in June 2019. Survey measures included water insecurity, food insecurity and an index of social capital constructs, namely group cohesion, trust, expectations of mutual support, sense of belonging and frequency of attendance in the programme. Random effects linear regression showed that an increase the social capital index was associated with lower water and food insecurity. The mediation analysis indicated that the association between social capital and food insecurity was completely mediated by water insecurity. This study demonstrates the need for further investigation into how social capital-generating programmes can contribute to systems approaches for collaborative food and water security programmes, especially among rural communities in low- and middle-income countries.
Communities often face numerous challenges and opportunities—situations that may be reduced to specific domains by researchers, policy makers and interventionists. This study informs and animates a ...new “flourishing community” model that seeks to build collective capacity to respond to challenges and opportunities. Our work is a response to children living on the streets, whose families face myriad challenges. The Sustainable Development Goals make explicit the need for new, integrative models that acknowledge the interplay of challenges and opportunities within communities through the flow of everyday life. Flourishing communities are generative, supportive, resilient, compassionate, curious, responsive and self‐determined, and they build resources across economic, social, educational, and health domains. Integrating theoretical models—specifically, community‐led development, multi‐systemic resilience, and the “broaden and build” cycle of attachment—provides a testable framework to understand and explore hypothesised relationships between survey‐collected, cross‐sectional variables with 335 participants. Higher collective efficacy, a common byproduct of group‐based microlending activities, was correlated with higher sociopolitical control. This correlation was mediated by higher positive emotion, meaning in life, spirituality, curiosity, and compassion. Further research is required to understand replicability, cross‐sectoral impact, mechanisms of integrating health and development domains, and implementation challenges of the flourishing community model. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.
Increasing partner cooperation is an established approach to reducing intimate partner violence. This strategy, known in the literature as “gender transformation,” benefits mental and physical health ...of women and men. Less is known about the potential for gender transformation strategies to improve the nurturing context for children. We hypothesize that increasing partner cooperation, a common benefit of community-based empowerment programs, would decrease child maltreatment through reducing intimate partner conflict and improving maternal mental health. This study utilizes cohort data from women (n = 400) participating in a combined group-based microfinance program to assess potential mechanisms by which partner cooperation at T1 (June 2018) predicts less children maltreatment at T2 (June 2019). As hypothesized, partner cooperation predicts less subsequent child maltreatment—frequency of neglect, corporal punishment, physical assault, and psychological abuse in the past month. This association is mediated completely by subsequent more partner cooperation and less intimate partner conflict, maternal loneliness, and depression. Implications of this study include potential for combining multiple development areas—women’s empowerment, intimate partner cooperation, mental health, and child nurturing contexts. Future study should assess these pathways in a cluster-based randomized trial, and explore how findings may inform policy and practice where these domains are less integrated.
Broader clinical acceptance of photodynamic therapy is currently hindered by (a) poor depth efficacy, and (b) predisposition towards establishment of an angiogenic environment during the treatment. ...Improved depth efficacy is being sought by exploiting the NIR tissue transparency window and by photo-activation using two-photon absorption (2PA). Here, we use two-photon activation of PDT sensitizers, untargeted and targeted to SST2 receptors or EGF receptors, to achieve deep tissue treatment.
Human tumor lines, positive or negative for SST2r expression were used, as well as murine 3LL cells and bovine aortic endothelial cells. Expression of SST2 receptors on cancer cells and tumor vasculature was evaluated in vitro and frozen xenograft sections. PDT effects on tumor blood flow were followed using in vivo scanning after intravenous injection of FITC conjugated dextran 150K. Dependence of the PDT efficacy on the laser pulse duration was evaluated. Effectiveness of targeting to vascular SST2 receptors was compared to that of EGF receptors, or no targeting.
Tumor vasculature stained for SST2 receptors even in tumors from SST2 receptor negative cell lines, and SST2r targeted PDT led to tumor vascular shutdown. Stretching the pulse from ~120fs to ~3ps led to loss of the PDT efficacy especially at greater depth. PDT targeted to SST2 receptors was much more effective than untargeted PDT or PDT targeted to EGF receptors.
The use of octreotate to target SST2 receptors expressed on tumor vessels is an excellent approach to PDT with few recurrences and some long term cures.
•Targeting PDT to SST2 receptors is more efficient than to EGF receptors.•Using the same sensitizer, untargeted PDT was least effective.•SST2r targeting led to a number of cures whereas EGFr targeting did not.•SST2r targeting of PDT led to tumor vascular shutdown.•For two-photon activation, laser pulse parameters were critical for depth efficacy.
Water quality is an important determinant of diarrheal illnesses, especially affecting children in sub-Saharan Africa. Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in sub-Saharan Africa are at increased ...risk of poor quality drinking water, and therefore of diarrheal illness. The present study assesses primary drinking water source and typical household water purification among OVC households involved in a multi-sectoral empowerment program in semi-rural Kenya. Findings show water purification practices, but not water source, significantly increase with more time in the program. Other factors associated with safer water include household income, orphan type, food consumption and security, school completion, psychological resilience, engaging in sexual intercourse with more than one partner in the past 12 months, and previous year's financial status. Incorporating water quality improvements in a community-based empowerment program such as the one described may be one method of improving water quality and decreasing diarrheal illnesses among OVCs in sub-Saharan Africa.
Dengue fever is a strictly human and non-human primate disease characterized by a high fever, thrombocytopenia, retro-orbital pain, and severe joint and muscle pain. Over 40% of the world population ...is at risk. Recent re-emergence of dengue outbreaks in Texas and Florida following the re-introduction of competent Aedes mosquito vectors in the United States have raised growing concerns about the potential for increased occurrences of dengue fever outbreaks throughout the southern United States. Current deficiencies in vector control, active surveillance and awareness among medical practitioners may contribute to a delay in recognizing and controlling a dengue virus outbreak. Previous studies have shown links between low-income census tracts, high population density, and dengue fever within the United States. Areas of low-income and high population density that correlate with the distribution of Aedes mosquitoes result in higher potential for outbreaks. In this retrospective ecologic study, nine maps were generated to model U.S. census tracts’ potential to sustain dengue virus transmission if the virus was introduced into the area. Variables in the model included presence of a competent vector in the county and census tract percent poverty and population density. Thirty states, 1,188 counties, and 34,705 census tracts were included in the analysis. Among counties with Aedes mosquito infestation, the census tracts were ranked high, medium, and low risk potential for sustained transmission of the virus. High risk census tracts were identified as areas having the vector, ≥20% poverty, and ≥500 persons per square mile. Census tracts with either ≥20% poverty or ≥500 persons per square mile and have the vector present are considered moderate risk. Census tracts that have the vector present but have <20% poverty and <500 persons per square mile are considered low risk. Furthermore, counties were characterized as moderate risk if 50% or more of the census tracts in that county were rated high or moderate risk, and high risk if 25% or greater were rated high risk. Extreme risk counties, which were primarily concentrated in Texas and Mississippi, were considered having 50% or greater of the census tracts ranked as high risk. Mapping of geographic areas with potential to sustain dengue virus transmission will support surveillance efforts and assist medical personnel in recognizing potential cases.
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