1
|
Mi W, Guo H, Yu W, Wang S, Pan T, Wang S. Need for dental care among medical staff working in the China Antarctic stations. Int J Circumpolar Health 2023; 82:2179453. [PMID: 36871248 PMCID: PMC9987753 DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2023.2179453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Even though China Antarctic medical care has made huge progress, dental care has always been a neglected area. Dental health is well-known to be closely related with life quality and work efficiency. Hence, knowing the dental care situation there and providing ways to improve are urgently needed. We choose doctors who worked in China Antarctic station as a window to see the whole picture by sending questionnaire. The results showed dental visits ranked second high, the ratio of doctors who got pre-departure dental knowledge education and screen is low. What is worse, none of them got any after-departure dental check. Their dental knowledge is not as good as we expect, and they were troubled by dental problems in Antarctic. Interestingly, most dental problems were treated by non-dentist with no essential equipment, but 2/3 of them were satisfied with the outcome. As for the dental-related diet and behaviour, snacks eating and alcohol drinking are the strongest predictors of dental pain and gum problem. Those findings are crucial to Antarctic dental care and research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenxiang Mi
- Department of Stomatology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Huayan Guo
- Department of Stomatology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wanxian Yu
- Polar Medical Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Shuo Wang
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Statistics, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg Germany
| | - Ting Pan
- Department of Stomatology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Shaohai Wang
- Department of Stomatology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lecordier M, Tissot C, Bonnardot L, Hitier M. Surgical training strategies for physicians practicing in an isolated environment: an example from Antarctica. International survey of 13 countries with active winter stations. Int J Circumpolar Health 2023; 82:2236761. [PMID: 37499127 PMCID: PMC10375923 DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2023.2236761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
For 60 years, human presence in Antarctica has required particularly demanding medical skills. Nevertheless, the preparation of physicians working in this extreme environment remains unknown and deserves clarification. This study aimed to summarise data on the surgical training given to physicians by different countries. In April 2020, we conducted a questionnaire-based study of 14 countries wintering in Antarctica. Responses were descriptively analysed. Regarding the profiles of physicians recruited by the wintering countries, 30% to 55% were non-surgeon doctors compared with 45% to 70% for surgeons depending on the year. Of the 13 countries answering the questionnaire, nine organised practical surgical training and six used theoretical material. All countries reported practical training for dental surgery, while only five countries provided training in four other surgical specialities (orthopaedic, digestive, thoracic, and ear, throat, and nose). All 13 countries reported using a telemedicine system. These results revealed heterogeneous training strategies among the recruited physicians, reflecting the difficulties of practice on this extreme continent. Future work may assess the effectiveness of each strategy. A better understanding of surgical epidemiology and a detailed referencing of the equipment available at the bases would help better define the contours of surgical care in Antarctica.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Cécile Tissot
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UBO, Brest, France
| | - Laurent Bonnardot
- Department of Medical Ethics and Legal Medicine, Paris Descartes University, Paris, EA, France
| | - Martin Hitier
- Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Normandie Univ, Caen, France
- Department of Anatomy, Inserm, Caen, France
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Visser JT. Patterns of illness and injury on Antarctic research cruises, 2004-2019: a descriptive analysis. J Travel Med 2020; 27:5870448. [PMID: 32657340 PMCID: PMC7454814 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taaa111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Revised: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Before the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, cruise travel had experienced exponential growth in the preceding decade. Travel medicine practitioners were increasingly called upon to provide pre-cruise travel advice and medical clearance. Demand for these services will return at some time in the future. METHODS The clinical conditions seen in those presenting for care on six small-vessel scientific cruises to Antarctica were analysed. RESULTS Personnel presented on 196 occasions resulting in 257 consultations (when initial plus all follow-up consultations were included). Personnel presented with a clinical condition at a rate of 17.9 per 1000 person-days at sea. The total consultation rate was 23.5 per 1000 person-days at sea. Injury accounted for 24% of all presentations at a rate of 4.3 per 1000 person-days at sea. Dermatological, soft tissue and musculoskeletal, general malaise and motion sickness were the four most common presentations. CONCLUSIONS Pre-cruise advice for travellers planning small-vessel cruises to polar regions needs to include skin care, prevention and management of sea sickness and how to reduce the risk of injury. Those providing medical care on such cruises should be prepared to manage a wide range of clinical presentations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jenny T Visser
- Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice, University of Otago, 23 Mein St., Wellington 6021, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bhushan B, Yadav AP, Singh SB, Ganju L. Diversity and functional analysis of salivary microflora of Indian Antarctic expeditionaries. J Oral Microbiol 2019; 11:1581513. [PMID: 30834068 PMCID: PMC6394331 DOI: 10.1080/20002297.2019.1581513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: The human oral microbiota continues to change phenotype by many factors (environment, diet, genetics, stress, etc.), throughout life with a major impact on human physiology, psychology, metabolism and immune system. Amongst one such factor with unique and extreme environmental conditions is Antarctica. The sea voyage to Antarctica has many risks than at station for expedition members. In this study, we investigated the influence of Antarctic sea voyage and stay at the Indian Antarctic station Maitri, on the health of Indian expedition members by using a metagenomic approach to explore oral biodiversity. Methods: Saliva samples were collected from 12 expedition members, at 3 different time points viz. before the start of the ship voyage, after the completion of the voyage and at the end of the stay at Antarctica. Samples were analyzed for whole genome and 16S rRNA sequencing. Result: The oral microbial diversity of the expedition members was significantly changed, during the days of sailing and after the stay at Antarctica. The oral microbiota comprised mainly of the phyla Firmicutes (46%, 29% & 36%); Proteobacteria (40%, 48%, & 44%), Bacteroidetes (10%, 22%, &14%), Fusobacterium and Actinobacteria (5%-1%) and Unclassified (17%, 25% & 23%), at three time points, respectively. Further, the differential analysis of microbes across all the phyla revealed 89, 157 and 157 OTUs genera. The altered microbiota indicated changes in amino acid, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Conclusion: Study suggests that understanding the compositional and functional differences in the oral microbiota of Antarctic expedition members, can lay the foundation to relate these differences to their health status. It will further demonstrate the need for providing improved management during ship voyage and stay in Antarctica.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brij Bhushan
- Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), New Delhi, India
| | - A. P. Yadav
- Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), New Delhi, India
| | - S. B. Singh
- Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), New Delhi, India
| | - L. Ganju
- Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), New Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Moiseyenko YV, Sukhorukov VI, Pyshnov GY, Mankovska IM, Rozova KV, Miroshnychenko OA, Kovalevska OE, Madjar SAY, Bubnov RV, Gorbach AO, Danylenko KM, Moiseyenko OI. Antarctica challenges the new horizons in predictive, preventive, personalized medicine: preliminary results and attractive hypotheses for multi-disciplinary prospective studies in the Ukrainian "Akademik Vernadsky" station. EPMA J 2016; 7:11. [PMID: 27247701 PMCID: PMC4886406 DOI: 10.1186/s13167-016-0060-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Accepted: 05/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Background Antarctica is a unique place to study the health condition under the influence of environmental factors on the organism in pure form. Since the very beginning of the scientific presence of Ukraine in the Antarctic, biomedical research has been developed for the monitoring of individual biomarkers of winterers and medical accompaniment in Antarctic expeditions. The aim of the study was to analyze and discuss the retrospective data of long-term monitoring and observations in Ukrainian Antarctica station “Akademik Vernadsky,” providing multi-scale biomedical information with regard to conditions of a perfect isolation from technological and social influences and under extreme environmental factors. Methods Medical and biological studies have been performed with the participation of all 20 Ukrainian wintering expeditions. We surveyed 200 males aged 20–60 years (mean age 37 years). Extensive medical examinations were carried out before the expedition, during the selection of candidates, and after returning, and particular functions were monitored during the entire stay in Antarctica. The medical records were analyzed to study the reaction of the human organism on phenomena like “Antarctic syndrome,” dysadaptation, anxiety, desynchronosis, photoperiodism, influence of climatic and meteofactors like “Schumann resonance,” infrasound, “ozone hole,” and “sterile” environment; important aspects of its role on human health were precisely studied and discussed. Results The examinations showed the multi-level symptoms of the processes of dysregulation and dysadaptation, as functional tension in the sympathetic-adrenal system rights, especially during urgent adaptation to the Antarctic (1-month stay at the station) and, to a lesser extent, after returning from an expedition to Kyiv. At the initial, adaptation to the conditions of the Antarctic levels of urinary catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, DOPA) increased compared with the start of the expedition (23.2 ± 4.3 and 53.3 ± 5 2 mmol/l, p < 0.001; 67.1 ± 12.3 and 138.3 ± 16.9 mmol/l, p < 0.01; 1749.6 ± 476.5 vs 7094.6 ± 918.3 mmol/l, p < 0.001; 129.6 ± 12.3 and 349.9 ± 40.6 mmol/l, p < 0.001, respectively). In the blood serum of 100 % of the expedition, we found an increase of oxidative stress markers—the level of TBARS increased by 41.2 %, i.e., the activation of free radical peroxidation. Thus, in 80 % of the participants, we observed a reduction in the activity of the SOD antiradical enzyme vs 58 % in the controls. Changes in brain electrical activity after a long stay at the Antarctic stations showed increasing delta rhythms, signs of CNS protective inhibition, likely due to hypoxia. We found changes in the concentrations of microelements (iron, copper, zinc, etc.) in the blood of winterers after the expedition. The polychrome-adaptive method of correcting the changes of the psycho-emotional state in a monochrome Antarctic environment was successfully applied. Conclusions The preliminary results of the retrospective study and our own observations of the fundamental physiological mechanisms of the negative influence of extreme environmental factors on an organism in the absence of man-made origin factors allow the determination of many mechanisms of “pre-pathology” processes which promise to develop the pathogenetically based pro-active prevention methods for a number of common diseases to set prospective interdisciplinary research in predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yevhen V Moiseyenko
- National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ministry of Education of Ukraine, 16, Taras Shevchenko Boulevard, Kyiv, 01601 Ukraine ; Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 4, Bogomoletz str., Kyiv, 01024 Ukraine
| | - Viktor I Sukhorukov
- Institute of Neurology, Psychiatry and Narcology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, 46, Akademika Pavlova str., Kharkiv, 61068 Ukraine
| | - Georgiy Yu Pyshnov
- Institute for Occupational Health of National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Saksaganskogo str., 75, Kyiv, 01033 Ukraine
| | - Iryna M Mankovska
- Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 4, Bogomoletz str., Kyiv, 01024 Ukraine
| | - Kateryna V Rozova
- Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 4, Bogomoletz str., Kyiv, 01024 Ukraine
| | - Olena A Miroshnychenko
- Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University, 40, Velyka Berdychivska Str., Zhytomyr, 10008 Ukraine
| | - Olena E Kovalevska
- G.S. Kostyuk Institute of Psychology of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, 2, Pankivska str., Kyiv, 01033 Ukraine
| | | | - Rostyslav V Bubnov
- Clinical Hospital 'Pheophania' of State Management of Affairs Department, 21, Zabolotny str., Kyiv, 03680 Ukraine ; Zabolotny Institute of Microbiology and Virology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 154, Zabolotny Str., Kyiv, 03680 Ukraine ; Ukrainian Academy of Informatics, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Anatoliy O Gorbach
- Clinical Hospital 'Pheophania' of State Management of Affairs Department, 21, Zabolotny str., Kyiv, 03680 Ukraine ; Ukrainian Academy of Informatics, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Kostiantyn M Danylenko
- National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ministry of Education of Ukraine, 16, Taras Shevchenko Boulevard, Kyiv, 01601 Ukraine
| | - Olga I Moiseyenko
- National Scientific Center 'Mykola Strazhesko Institute of Cardiology' of National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, 5, Narodnoho Opolchennya str., Kyiv, Ukraine
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Pattarini JM, Scarborough JR, Lee Sombito V, Parazynski SE. Primary Care in Extreme Environments: Medical Clinic Utilization at Antarctic Stations, 2013-2014. Wilderness Environ Med 2016; 27:69-77. [PMID: 26948556 DOI: 10.1016/j.wem.2015.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Revised: 11/21/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The unique challenges posed by the Antarctic environment include both physiological and psychological stressors to the individual as well as the limited onsite medical capabilities available to address them. This report compares medical clinic utilization among 3 US Antarctic stations to identify differences in diagnostic frequency and utilization of clinic resources under current medical prescreening regimes for summer and winter seasons. METHODS Clinic data from 3 Antarctic locations (McMurdo Station, Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, and Palmer Station) for the 2013-2014 Antarctic year were reviewed for patient encounter frequency by season, and provider-assigned visit diagnostic category. Differences between relative diagnosis frequencies among stations were analyzed, and per-capita clinic utilization was compared. RESULTS The McMurdo clinic recorded 1555 patient encounters, with South Pole Station reporting 744 and Palmer with 128 encounters over the year. The most frequent reasons for clinic visits were orthopedic and dermatologic, with increased visits at McMurdo for respiratory illness and at the more remote locations for neurologic complaints and insomnia. Altitude-related visits were reported only at McMurdo and South Pole stations. CONCLUSIONS The clinic volume predictably correlated with station population. Insomnia and headache complaints, reported only at the South Pole Station, are likely associated with the increased elevation at that site, although they could be attributable to psychological stress from the isolated environment. Although the majority of cases could not be prevented with current screening, we suggest several changes to the current concept of operations that may decrease medical utilization and provide significant improvements to health care delivery on the ice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James M Pattarini
- University of Texas Medical Branch, Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, Galveston, Texas (Dr Pattarini).
| | - Jullian R Scarborough
- University of Texas Medical Branch, Center for Polar Medical Operations, Galveston, Texas (Ms Scarborough; Mr Sombito; and Dr Parazynski)
| | - V Lee Sombito
- University of Texas Medical Branch, Center for Polar Medical Operations, Galveston, Texas (Ms Scarborough; Mr Sombito; and Dr Parazynski)
| | - Scott E Parazynski
- University of Texas Medical Branch, Center for Polar Medical Operations, Galveston, Texas (Ms Scarborough; Mr Sombito; and Dr Parazynski)
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Lou Z, Gu XH, Zhong HZ. Medical care experiences of the 30th Chinese Antarctic research expedition: a retrospective study. Chin Med J (Engl) 2015; 128:398-400. [PMID: 25635438 PMCID: PMC4837873 DOI: 10.4103/0366-6999.150116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hai-Zhong Zhong
- Department of Field Medical Station, Changhai Hospital of The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| |
Collapse
|