Confidentiality and cultural competence? The realities of engaging young British Pakistanis and Bangladeshis into substance use services

Aims: This paper focuses on the reasons for the under-representation of British South Asians in substance use services. Based on a small-scale evaluation of a substance use service that delivers targeted outreach support within two predominantly Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities in the north west of England, this paper contributes to the debate around how substance use services can best engage with young British Pakistani and Bangladeshi substance users.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews (with six staff members, 18 young Pakistani and Bangladeshi service users, and 18 stakeholders and partner agencies), a detailed ethnographic observation of the service, and an analysis of routinely collected quantitative monitoring data.

Findings: The paper highlights the importance of what Fountain terms low threshold/open access services. Alongside this, the paper argues that the building of trust and confidence in a substance use service is a key when it comes to engaging with young Pakistani and Bangladeshi substance users. Yet this necessary process takes time: something that is at odds with the current trend towards short-term funding regimes and ‘quick wins’.

Conclusions: The paper concludes by advocating the need for, not only a diverse range of engagement strategies, but also a longer term approach when it comes to developing and delivering substance use services aimed at successfully engaging with this particular group of substance users.     

Ethnic differences between Asians and non-Asians in clustering-based phenotype classification of adult-onset diabetes mellitus: A systematic narrative review

Several international studies have stratified people with diabetes into phenotypical clusters. However, there has not been a systematic examination of the variation in these clusters across ethnic groups. For example, some clusters appear more frequent among Asians and may have lower weight, age at diagnosis and poorer beta cell function.     

Humanitarianism from Below: Sowa Rigpa,the Traditional Pharmaceutical Industry,and Global Health

ABSTRACT

In this article I explore, for the first time, the relationship between Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan medicine) and global health, tracing “the global” in ethical discourses and pharmaceutical innovation practices of Tibetan medical practitioners. I argue that Sowa Rigpa’s engagement with the world and its global health activities outside China can be understood as a form of “humanitarianism from below,” while its industrialization in China aligns with global health in different ways. In providing new insights into recent developments of Sowa Rigpa, I aim to decenter the notion of humanitarianism and contribute to a broader understanding of global health.     

Use of Autologous Costal Cartilage Combined with Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene in Asian Rhinoplasty

BackgroundThe corresponding author's experience and recent methods employed in autologous costal cartilage grafts combined with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) in Asian rhinoplasty were presented in this study.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to assess the outcomes of rhinoplasty performed on patients using autogenous costal cartilage grafts combined with an ePTFE implant.MethodsSeventy-five rhinoplasty cases with autologous costal cartilage grafts and an ePTFE implant were retrospectively reviewed. Graft types, complications associated with the graft itself or graft harvesting, surgical outcomes, and patient satisfaction were assessed.ResultsThe mean follow-up time post-operation was 13.5 months. A total of 42/75 patients underwent revision surgeries. Graft-related complications were found in 8% of cases, including two warped graft and four infection cases. Three individuals with infections had mild graft resorption. One patient with an infection removed the implant. Graft exposure, mobility, and substantial resorption were not recorded. A total of two cases underwent revision procedures for infection and perforation, respectively. Chest incision lengths for graft harvesting averaged 2.1 cm. No pneumothorax or significant donor-site pain was found. Donor-site scars were negligible, although two cases had hypertrophic chest scars. In general, functional and esthetic outcomes were mostly satisfactory among the assessed patients.ConclusionsRhinoplasty using autologous rib cartilage provides adequate support and sufficient cartilage amounts for correcting nasal contouring. Meanwhile, ePTFE alone for nasal dorsum augmentation safely achieves satisfactory outcomes. Rib cartilage rhinoplasty performed by an experienced surgeon yields excellent, long-lasting results with minimal risk; however, the potential for infection should be considered following revision surgery.     

Nano-curcumin therapy,a promising method in modulating inflammatory cytokines in COVID-19 patients

BackgroundAs an ongoing worldwide health issue, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID–19) has been causing serious complications, including pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and multi-organ failure. However, there is no decisive treatment approach available for this disorder, which is primarily attributed to the large amount of inflammatory cytokine production. We aimed to identify the effects of Nano-curcumin on the modulation of inflammatory cytokines in COVID-19 patients.MethodForty COVID-19 patients and 40 healthy controls were recruited and evaluated for inflammatory cytokine expression and secretion. Subsequently, COVID-19 patients were divided into two groups: 20 patients receiving Nano-curcumin and 20 patients as the placebo group. The mRNA expression and cytokine secretion levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and IL‐18 were assessed by Real‐time PCR and ELISA, respectively.ResultOur primary results indicated that the mRNA expression and cytokine secretion of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-18 were increased significantly in COVID-19 patients compared with healthy control group. After treatment with Nano-curcumin, a significant decrease in IL-6 expression and secretion in serum and in supernatant (P = 0.0003, 0.0038, and 0.0001, respectively) and IL-1β gene expression and secretion level in serum and supernatant (P = 0.0017, 0.0082, and 0.0041, respectively) was observed. However, IL-18 mRNA expression and TNF-α concentration were not influenced by Nano-curcumin.ConclusionNano-curcumin, as an anti-inflammatory herbal based agent, may be able to modulate the increased rate of inflammatory cytokines especially IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA expression and cytokine secretion in COVID-19 patients, which may cause an improvement in clinical manifestation and overall recovery.