International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology

International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology ISSN 2756-3820 Vol. 12 (1), pp. 001-008, January, 2023. © International Scholars Journals

Review

Access to quality health care for all in Russia still remains questionable: A comparison with Canada

Venera Zakirova^1*, David Zakus², Charles P. Larson³ and Rinad Gataullin⁴

¹Research Associate, Center for International Health, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada

²Senior Program Specialist (Health Systems), International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa. And Associate Professor,

Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada

³Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatrics, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

⁴Professor, Head of Department of Economic Theory and Business Organization, Eastern Economic- Humanitarian University, Ufa town, Russia

Accepted 01 October, 2022

Abstract

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the health of the Russian population has declined considerably as a result of social, economic and lifestyle changes. Similarly, its population has been in decline too: from 148 million in 1990 to about 142 million in 2006, caused by the duel effects of high death and low birth rates, the latter greatly influenced by high rates of abortion. Russia’s health care system is based on the old Soviet one and thus possesses its merits and problems. The major achievements of the Soviet’s system were establishing comprehensive health care services available to the entire population and it’s influence on the development of the Alma Ata approach to primary health care. However, simultaneously Soviet medical science was isolated from developments in the West. As a consequence, many ineffective treatments remained routine and innovations developed in the West were not adopted. The Soviet health care system was based heavily on basic prevention, consisting of extensive screening measures and check-ups, which generally made the healthcare system inefficient and relatively expensive. Recent economic growth has had minimal impact on key indicators of health and human welfare. Currently, Russia possesses adequate numbers of highly qualified doctors and healthcare professionals, though most of them are poorly paid and unmotivated. Medical equipment in the majority of clinics and hospitals is archaic and hygienic conditions do not even meet domestic let alone established international standards (See L.Maksimova. Healthcare Reforms in Russia: Current Status. 2006. Since 1991 the government of the Russian Federation has initiated health care reforms based on the health systems of the United Kingdom and Nordic countries. Yet, compulsory health care insurance and public programs cover only a small portion of drug purchases and a very limited number of medical procedures or operations. Despite the declared right of citizens to have access to free drugs at in-patient clinics, the majority of essential medicines and supplies must be paid for by patients out of pocket. It is estimated that patient out of pocket expenses comprise up to 60% of total healthcare expenditures, with most of this being direct payments to doctors and nurses rather than through private insurance schemes (See ibid ). In a result, a serious barrier to quality health care for low income persons, who make up 15-20% of the population, has appeared. This article describes the current health care situation and raises questions about whether Russia’s health reform process is able to ensure the constitutional guarantee for free universal health care for all citizens.

Keywords: Quality Health Care, Russia and Canada

International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology ISSN 2756-3820 Vol. 11 (6), pp. 001-011, June, 2022. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Hepatitis A vaccination among human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults: Current evidence and unanswered questions

Heidi M. Crane*, Shireesha Dhanireddy, H. Nina Kim, Christian Ramers, Timothy H. Dellit, Mari M. Kitahata and Robert D. Harrington

Centers for AIDS Research, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, 325 9^th Avenue, Box 359931, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.

Accepted 6 February, 2022

Abstract

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is common, can cause significant morbidity and mortality, and the prevalence may be higher in populations infected or at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Immunization with HAV vaccine is recommended for HIV-infected individuals, particularly men who have sex with men, injection drug users, hemophiliacs, those with chronic liver disease, and international travelers without immunity to HAV. HAV vaccination is well-tolerated among HIV-infected individuals and is immunogenic, particularly among those with higher CD4⁺ cell counts. HIV-infected individuals have lower seroconversion rates and antibody concentrations in response to vaccination. However, protection against HAV as measured by HAV antibody levels is achieved for most cases. Adverse event rates are similar among those with and without HIV infection, and HAV vaccine does not have a marked impact on HIV-1 ribonucleic acid (RNA) levels, progression to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), or CD4⁺ cell counts. Areas of controversy remain, including timing of vaccination relative to initiation of antiretroviral therapy, rate and impact of antibody decline over time, need for booster immunizations, and the benefit of follow-up antibody titer monitoring.

Key words: Hepatitis A virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), vaccination, vaccine.

International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology ISSN 2756-3820 Vol. 11 (5), pp. 001-008, May, 2022. © International Scholars Journals

International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology ISSN 2756-3820 Vol. 11 (4), pp. 001-005, April, 2022. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Screening of phytochemical from ethnomedicinal plants in Malaysia for use against toxigenic Aspergillus flavus

Yazdani, D.^{1, 2}, Zainal Abidin, M. A.²*, Tan, Y. H.², Kamaruzaman, S.² and Jaganath, I. B.³

¹Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutic, Institute of Medicinal Plants, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.

²Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.

³Biotechnology Research Centre, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Accepted 9 March, 2022

Abstract

Medicinal plants have been used as traditional treatments for numerous diseases for thousands of years. Antifungal activity of phytochemicals extracted from nine plant species in Malaysia traditionally used for treatment of skin infections were tested against growth of aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus isolated from rice grains. The results, evaluated by measuring the diameter of inhibitory zone in disk diffusion test, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC), showed that chloroform soluble fractions of methanolic extract of Alpinia galanga (lengkuas) rhizomes could strongly inhibit the mycelia growth of A. flavus. The constituent of this phytochemical fraction was identified by HPLC-MS² using ESI ionization technique. In total, 10 compounds were identified based on MS² data and λ_max at 280 nm. These results suggested the potential of A. galanga for used as botanical fungicide.

Key words: Alpinia galanga, antifungal, Aspergillus flavus, traditional medicine, phytochemicals, LC-MS².

International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology ISSN 2756-3820 Vol. 11 (3), pp. 001-013, March, 2022. © International Scholars Journals

International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology ISSN 2756-3820 Vol. 11 (2), pp. 001-010, February, 2022. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Phytochemical screening chemical composition and toxicity of Euphorbia regis-jubae (Webb & Berth)

Fouzia HMIMID, Fatima Azzahra LAHLOU, Mohammed LOUTFI and Noureddine BOURHIM*

Laboratoire de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire, Faculté des Sciences, Université Hassan II-Casablanca, Km 8 Route d’El Jadida BP. 5366 Casablanca, Morocco.

Accepted 30 August, 2022

Abstract

Plant-derived substances have recently become of great interest owing to their versatile applications. According to Ncube et al. (2008) medicinal plants are the richest bio-resource of drugs of traditional systems of medicine, modern medicines, nutraceuticals, food supplements, folk medicines, pharmaceutical intermediates, and chemical entities for synthetic drugs. Therefore, Euphorbia regis-jubae (Webb & Berth), an endemic Moroccan medicinal herb, and also, widely used as food for camels and goats was subjected to a phytochemical screening of increasing polarity gradient (petroleum ether, iso-hexan, chloroform, ethanol, methanol, and distilled water). Furthermore, the chemical compositions of different solvent extracts were subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis and the aqueous extract was purchased to an acute and chronic toxicity using Wistar rats. The acute and chronic toxicity study showed no toxicity when up to 5 g/kg body weight is administered orally. Preliminary phytochemical analysis of E. regis-jubae (Webb & Berth) revealed the presence of phenol, tannin, steroids, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids. Further, the GC-MS analysis revealed some compounds which are biologically important.

Key words: Euphorbia regis-jubae, toxicity, phytochemical screening, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).