ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Hengyong Yu, who first introduced me to the wonderful world of CT image reconstruction. He devoted a great deal of time to instruct me throughout the years. His inspiration, constant support and valuable advice encouraged me to conquer the hardship both in research and life. I would also like to thank my co-advisor, Dr. Ge Wang, whose valua...

The direction and magnitude of sex differences in health vary according to the particular health condition and phase of the life cycle. In examining gender differences in health it is necessary to assess the contribution made by the particular characteristics of women and men, for example, wealth, health behaviours, and the distribution of labour both inside and outside of the home. Socioeconom...

Abstract COVID-19 has increased economic hardship for many families, including custodial grandparent-headed families. We aim to examine latent classes of material among assess predictors associated with identified classes, and investigate associations grandchildren’s physical mental health outcomes during COVID-19. Data was collected from a cross-sectional survey in June 2020. The sample compri...

Family caregivers of people with dementia, often called the invisible second patients, are critical to the quality of life of the care recipients. The effects of being a family caregiver, though sometimes positive, are generally negative, with high rates of burden and psychological morbidity as well as social isolation, physical ill-health, and financial hardship. Caregivers vulnerable to adver...

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne neglected tropical disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania for which there is a paucity of effective viable non-toxic drugs. There are 1·3 million new cases each year causing considerable socio-economic hardship, best measured in 2·4 million disability adjusted life years, with greatest impact on the poorest communities, which means that des...