International Health Review

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Related to Renal Diet in Hemodialysis Patients: An Analysis of the Impact of Socioeconomic Status on KAP

2025-12-22T06:04:24+00:00

Hemodialysis patients require major modifications in their behavior and dietary pattern for catering to their health complications. Slight inaccuracies in diet and practices can create severe complications for patients including overhydration, hyperkalemia, and phosphorus excess. Patients must have adequate knowledge to maintain the optimum balance of minerals and dry weight. The objective of the study was to assess the dietary knowledge of hemodialysis patients and compare it with their attitudes and practices. Also, to examine the effect of socioeconomic status on knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP). For this purpose, data was collected from 6 different hospitals across Lahore that include Hijaz Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, Bahria International Hospital, Indus Hospital, Services Hospital, and Skyline welfare trust. The target population included the hemodialysis patients both males and females with no specification regarding race or ethnicity. Convenience sampling was employed to gather data from available dialysis patients. The result’s analysis reported that out of 306 participants, 54.9% were male and 16.1% were female. Gender comparison demonstrated that males exhibited more favorable attitudes than females. Analysis of the KAP questionnaire revealed that 64.4% of patients had good knowledge, while 77.4% demonstrated a positive attitude. In conclusion, the study reveals that the socioeconomic status of most patients marked significant differences in their level of knowledge and attitude, however, practices remain unaffected from socioeconomic status. Education appears to have a strong correlation with good knowledge about renal diet, whereas attitudes and practices are independent of it.

Impact of Energy Drink Consumption on Sleep Quality of Medical Students

2025-12-22T06:05:10+00:00

The study aims to evaluate the impact of energy drink consumption on the sleep quality of the medical students of Lahore, Pakistan. A cross-sectional study design was employed and data were collected through convenience sampling. After taking informed consent, 236 MBBS students of both gender within the age range of 18-25 years filled the questionnaire. Quality of sleep was by assessed by using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The mean age of students was 22.33 ± 1.47 years, with 94 (39.8%) male and 142 (60.2%) female students. Among these 236 participants, 110 (46.6%) were regular consumers of energy drinks, while 126 (53.4%) had not consumed any energy drink during the last 1 year. Out of 110 students who consumed energy drinks during the last 1 year, 21 (38.16%) reported good quality sleep. Among the 106 students who consumed energy drinks in the last 1 month, only 19 (17.92%) reported good quality sleep. These findings indicate that students who consumed energy drinks continuously in the last month had a higher percentage of poor sleep quality. The study concluded that the majority of students consuming energy drinks had poor sleep quality. This shows an association between energy drink consumption and poor sleep quality among students. The findings suggest that the students who consumed energy drinks in the past month were more likely to have difficulty in their sleep as compared to those who did not.

Food Safety Knowledge, Hygiene Practices, and Food Preparation and Storage Behaviors among Domestic Food Handlers

2025-12-21T22:12:50+00:00

Food safety is an important component of public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that access to safe and nutritious food is essential for the overall health and well-being of an individual. Over 200 diseases, ranging from diarrhea to cancer, are caused by the consumption of food contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, and chemical substances. Unsafe practices within household and commercial food environments can contribute to foodborne illness. The current study focused on assessing the knowledge of food safety, hygiene preparation, and storage practices among domestic food handlers. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 116 adults aged 19-65 years. A convenient sampling technique was used to collect the sample from Lahore, Pakistan. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire that covered five domains of food safety: (I) demographic profile, (II) food safety knowledge, (III) personal hygiene practices, (IV) food purchasing practices, and (V) food preparation and storage practices. Data analysis was carried out using the IBM SPSS software version 25. Most of the participants demonstrated basic knowledge of foodborne illnesses and the importance of hand hygiene. However, a lack of awareness was identified regarding refrigeration, storage temperatures, and checking food labels and expiration dates. Cross-contamination was observed as many respondents use the same cutting boards and utensils for raw and cooked foods. There was also a lack of understanding regarding the ideal meat storage and temperatures. Domestic food handlers possessed knowledge about foodborne illnesses, yet there are gaps in storage practices, contamination prevention, and label checking. Improving food safety education and emphasizing personal hygiene can effectively mitigate the risk of foodborne illnesses.

A Structure-Based Computational Vaccine Strategy for the Emerging Isfahan Virus: In-Silico Vaccine Designing

2025-12-22T00:11:13+00:00

Isfahan virus (ISFV) is a recently discovered zoonotic disorder that causes painful and severe neurological effects in humans. The virus was initially identified after an epidemic in horses and cattle in 1916, and was later isolated from cattle in Richmond, Indiana in 1925. Currently, no effective vaccine is available for ISFV virus. Therefore, the current work aimed to generate a multi-epitope-based vaccine (MEV) candidate targeting Isfahan virus glycoprotein and large polymerase protein. From these proteins, nine epitopes (three T-cell and B-cell epitopes) were finally designated based on their non-allergenic, non-toxic, and antigenic properties. The selected epitopes, together by suitable adjuvant, enabled the development of an antigenic ISFV-MEV candidate free from allergic reactions. Computational modeling showed that the designed MEV binding strongly interacted with human TLR-3 receptors. Furthermore, immune simulations research established that the ISFV-MEV candidate has the potential to elicit robust immune system reactions in humans. Overall, the outcomes of these in silico studies are promising; however, a subsequent in vivo validation is recommended to confirm its potential as a future vaccine candidate.

Digital Epidemiology in the Post-pandemic Era: Opportunities and Gaps in Public Health Surveillance

2025-12-22T06:06:13+00:00

The COVID-19 pandemic has irreversibly changed our approach to public health surveillance, piloting the widespread use of digital epidemiological tools and exposing new possibilities along with ongoing deficits in our surveillance architecture. The current study looked at recent developments in digital epidemiology during the post-pandemic period in terms of evolution, opportunities, and challenges. The study presented important opportunities, such as the ability to provide real-time surveillance, democratized access to epidemiological data, and integrated data sources. Furthermore, it also identified common challenges surrounding data privacy rules, digital divide, technical constraints, and governance systems. It demonstrated that although digital epidemiology holds great promise to improve public health surveillance, to fulfil it, the community must grapple with such key challenges as interoperability, equity, trust, and governance. These findings underscore the need for the post-pandemic period (2020–2025) to be a policy window of opportunities where it would be possible to build strong digital surveillance systems that are sustainable, equitable, and can effectively meet the needs of future public health emergencies whilst protecting individual rights and promoting health equity.