Examinando por Autor "Allel, Kasim"

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    Income inequality and its relationship with loneliness prevalence: A cross-sectional study among older adults in the US and 16 European countries
    (Public Library of Science, 2022-12) Tapia Muñoz, Thamara; Staudinger, Ursula M.; Allel, Kasim; Steptoe, Andrew; Miranda Castillo, Claudia; Medina, José T.; Calvo, Esteban
    Backgrounds The prevalence of loneliness increases among older adults, varies across countries, and is related to within-country socioeconomic, psychosocial, and health factors. The 2000–2019 pooled prevalence of loneliness among adults 60 years and older went from 5.2% in Northern Europe to 24% in Eastern Europe, while in the US was 56% in 2012. The relationship between country-level factors and loneliness, however, has been underexplored. Because income inequality shapes material conditions and relative social deprivation and has been related to loneliness in 11 European countries, we expected a relationship between income inequality and loneliness in the US and 16 European countries. Methods We used secondary cross-sectional data for 75,891 adults age 50+ from HRS (US 2014), ELSA (England, 2014), and SHARE (15 European countries, 2013). Loneliness was measured using the R-UCLA three-item scale. We employed hierarchical logistic regressions to analyse whether income inequality (GINI coefficient) was associated with loneliness prevalence. Results The prevalence of loneliness was 25.32% in the US (HRS), 17.55% in England (ELSA) and ranged from 5.12% to 20.15% in European countries (SHARE). Older adults living in countries with higher income inequality were more likely to report loneliness, even after adjusting for the sociodemographic composition of the countries and their Gross Domestic Products per capita (OR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.17–1.97). Discussion Greater country-level income inequality was associated with higher prevalence of loneliness over and above individual-level sociodemographics. The present study is the first attempt to explore income inequality as a predictor of loneliness prevalence among older adults in the US and 16 European countries. Addressing income distribution and the underlying experience of relative deprivation might be an opportunity to improve older adults’ life expectancy and wellbeing by reducing loneliness prevalence. © 2022 Tapia-Muñoz et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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    Mec‐Positive Staphylococcus Healthcare‐Associated Infections Presenting High Transmission Risks for Antimicrobial‐ Resistant Strains in an Equine Hospital
    (MDPI, 2022-05) Soza‐ossandón, Paula; Rivera, Dácil; Allel, Kasim; González‐Rocha, Gerardo; Quezada‐aguiluz, Mario; San Martin, Ivan; García, Patricia; Moreno‐Switt, Andrea I.
    Healthcare‐associated infections caused by Staphylococcus, particularly Staphylococcus aureus, represent a high risk for human and animal health. Staphylococcus can be easily transmitted through direct contact with individual carriers or fomites, such as medical and non‐medical equipment. The risk increases if S. aureus strains carry antibiotic resistance genes and show a phenotypic multidrug resistance behavior. The aim of the study was to identify and characterize methicillin resistant coagulase‐positive staphylococci (MRSA) and coagulase‐negative staphylococci (MRCoNS) in equine patients and environmental sources in an equine hospital to evaluate the genetic presence of multidrug resistance and to understand the dissemination risks within the hospital setting. We explored 978 samples for MRSA and MRCoNS using Oxacillin Screen Agar in an equine hospital for racehorses in Chile, which included monthly samples (n = 61‐ 70) from equine patients (246) and hospital environments (732) in a one‐year period. All isolates were PCR‐assessed for the presence of methicillin resistance gene mecA and/or mecC. Additionally, we explored the epidemiological relatedness by Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) in MRSA isolates. Phenotypic antibiotic resistance was evaluated using the Kirby‐Bauer disk diffusion method. We estimated the unadjusted and adjusted risk of acquiring drug‐resistant Staphylococcus strains by employing logistic regression analyses. We identified 16 MRSA isolates and 36 MRCoNS isolates. For MRSA, we detected mecA and mecC in 100% and 87.5 % of the isolates, respectively. For MRCoNS, mecA was detected among 94% of the isolates and mecC among 86%. MRSA and MRCoNS were isolated from eight and 13 equine patients, respectively, either from colonized areas or compromised wounds. MRSA strains showed six different pulse types (i.e., A1–A3, B1–B2, C) isolated from different highly transited areas of the hospital, suggesting potential transmission risks for other patients and hospital staff. The risk of acquiring drug‐resistant Staphylococcus species is considerably greater for patients from the surgery, equipment, and exterior areas posing higher transmission risks. Tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) using a One Health perspective should be advocated, including a wider control over antimicrobial consumption and reducing the exposure to AMR reservoirs in animals, to avoid cross‐transmission of AMR Staphylococcus within equine hospitals. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.