Objective To conduct a preliminary assessment of intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment for allergic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC)-associated ocular itch. Background Current control measures for AKC rely primarily on drugs. IPL is effective for dry eye disease (DED). Furthermore, phototherapy is effective for managing skin inflammation and pruritus, suggesting that eye itching could decrease in some patients having AKC complicated with DED following IPL treatment to control dry eye symptoms. Methods Thirty-five patients having DED complicated with mid-to-severe AKC were administered three IPL treatments to the periorbital skin. The eye scores of subjective symptoms and signs of AKC and tear film breakup time (TBUT) were retrospectively assessed before and after each treatment. Results The scores for AKC-related symptoms and signs were determined four times on Day 1 (time 0), Day 15 (time 1), Day 45 (time 2), and Day 75 (time 3) before each treatment. The average symptom score significantly decreased with treatments (time 0 30.97, time 1 15.03, time 3 10). The average sign score for both eyes decreased after the first IPL treatment (left eye 7.97 vs. 11.38; right eye 8.1 vs. 11.1). There were no further improvements in the signs after the last treatment. The TBUT value in the right eye increased from times 0 to 3 (2.31 vs. 4.66 vs. 7.71 vs. 7.74). The TBUT value in the left eye increased from times 0 to 3 (2.50 vs. 6.97 vs. 7.57 vs. 8.24). Conclusions Symptoms and signs improved after IPL treatment in patients with AKC. Eye itching was gradually controlled and rarely recurred. IPL may be effective for AKC treatment.Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a nosocomial, multidrug-resistant pathogen that causes significant economic losses in milk production and deterioration of dairy product quality. This study investigates the prevalence and the survival of S. maltophilia under different food preservation conditions. A total of 240 samples, including farm-sourced milk, dairy shop purchased milk, Kareish cheese, Domiati cheese, ice cream, yoghurt, cooking butter, and unpasteurized cream were collected from various locations in Beni-Suef Governorate, Egypt. Thirty samples of each product were analyzed by standard biochemical tests for the presence of Stenotrophomonas spp., which was isolated from 36% (87/240) of the examined samples. The highest prevalence was observed in ice cream (80%), followed by unpasteurized cream (67%), whereas the lowest incidence was in Domiati cheese (3.3%). S. maltophilia, identified by PCR, was found only in unpasteurized cream (13%), cooking butter (10%), ice cream (6.7%), and dairy shop milk (3.3%). We also studied the viability of S. maltophilia in laboratory manufactured cream, butter, and cheese under different preservation conditions. S. URMC-099 mouse maltophilia was able to survive for 30, 30, 28, 30, and 8 d in the inoculated cream, butter 0% salt, butter 3% salt, cheese 0% salt, and cheese 6% salt, respectively. Thus, S. maltophilia was able to survive more than predicted in all products in this study. This suggests that strains of S. maltophilia may develop adaptive strategies that enable survival under different food preservation conditions, which contradicts previous knowledge about the sensitivity of this microbe to environmental stress conditions. Our overall aim was to draw attention to the prevalence and future potential for increased public health significance of Stenotrophomonas spp.Purpose Health disparities among sexual minority men remain and continue to demand novel interventions. Other than risk reduction, a promising approach is to identify pathways to health-promoting behaviors. In this study, depressive symptoms, internalized homophobia, and sense of community connectedness were hypothesized to result from the experience of harassment and rejection, and in turn either promote or inhibit an individual's tendency toward health-promoting behaviors. We accounted for subgroup differences by examining the hypothesized model in gay and bisexual men separately. Methods This was a cross-sectional survey study. One thousand three hundred eighty-one gay (81.5%) and bisexual (18.5%) Taiwanese men 18-49 years of age (mean = 26.56, standard deviation = 6) were recruited through a social media advertisement and completed an online survey. Structural equation modeling was employed to simultaneously examine multiple hypothesized paths. Results Harassment and rejection were associated with greater depressive symptoms, internalized homophobia, and sense of community connectedness, which in turn yielded direct or indirect associations with health-promoting behavior among gay men. For bisexual men, depressive symptoms remained an important mechanism linking harassment and rejection and health-promoting behavior, whereas the roles of internalized homophobia and sense of community connectedness appeared less obvious. Conclusion These findings cast new light on the behavioral implications of minority stress and elucidate the possible underlying mechanisms. The study suggests that more effort should be invested to understand and promote the drivers of health-promoting behavior to reduce health disparities in this population.Background Addressing unmet palliative care needs in high-risk surgical patients in low- and middle-income countries must include innovative approaches to limitations in personnel and culturally acceptable assessment modalities. Objectives We assessed the utility of a novel seven-item "Step-1" trigger tool in identifying surgical patients who may benefit from palliative care. Design All adult patients (≥18 years) on general surgery, neurosurgery, and orthopedic surgery wards were enrolled over a four-month period. Setting/Subjects This study took place at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), one of two Kenyan national referral hospitals. Measurements The "Step-1" trigger tool was administered, capturing provider estimates of prognosis, cancer history, social barriers, admission frequency, hospice history, symptom burden, and functional decline/wasting. A cut-point of ≥3 positive factors was selected, indicating a patient may benefit from palliative care. Results A total of 411 patients were included for analysis.