Structural, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of Pure and Ni-Fe-Codoped Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized by a Sol-Gel Autocombustion Method.

Pure and Ni-Fe-codoped Zn1 - 2xNixFexO (x = 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, and 0.04) nanoparticles were effectively synthesized using a sol-gel autocombustion procedure. The structural, optical, morphological, and magnetic properties were determined by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), scanning electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer techniques. The XRD confirmed the purity of the hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure. XRD analysis further indicated that Fe and Ni successfully substituted the lattice site of Zn and generated a single-phase Zn1-2xNixFexO magnetic oxide. In addition, a significant morphological change was observed with an increase in the dopant concentration by using high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. The UV-vis spectroscopy analysis indicated the redshift in the optical band gap with increasing dopant concentration signifying a progressive decrease in the optical band gap. The vibrating sample magnetometer analysis revealed that the doped samples exhibited ferromagnetic properties at room temperature with an increase in the dopant concentration. Dopant concentration was confirmed by using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The current results provide a vital method to improve the magnetic properties of ZnO nanoparticles, which may get significant attention from researchers in the field of magnetic semiconductors.

Unraveling the genetic enigma of rice submergence tolerance: Shedding light on the role of ethylene response factor-encoding gene SUB1A-1.

The world's low-lying rice (Oryza sativa) cultivation areas are under threat of submergence or flash flooding due to global warming. Rice plants manifest a variety of physiological and morphological changes to cope with submergence and hypoxia, including lowering carbohydrate consumption, inhibiting shoot elongation, and forming a thicker leaf gas film during submergence. Functional studies have revealed that submergence tolerance in rice is mainly determined by an ethylene response factor (ERF) transcription factor-encoding gene, namely SUBMERGENCE 1A-1 (SUB1A-1) located in the SUB1 quantitative trait locus. The SUB1A-1-dependent submergence tolerance is manifested through hormonal signaling involving ethylene, gibberellic acid, brassinosteroid, auxin and jasmonic acid. Considerable progress has been made toward the introduction of SUB1A-1 into rice varieties through a conventional marker-assisted backcrossing approach. Here, we review the recent advances in the physiological, biochemical and molecular dynamics of rice submergence tolerance mediated by the 'quiescence strategy'. Thus, the present review aims to provide researchers with insights into the genetics of rice submergence tolerance and future perspectives for designing submergence-resilient plants for sustainable agriculture under the uncertainties of climate change.

Disparities in Compliance with Colorectal Cancer Screening: Evidence from Two US National Surveys.

OBJECTIVE: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most preventable cancer if adherence to its screening guidelines through compliance with physician recommendations are met. Lack of access to care is the most significant barrier which was decreased by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), that may influence healthcare behaviors/practices. The aim of this study was to determine the factors affecting compliance with recommendations for CRC screening between two US National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS) in 2010 and 2015. METHODS: We used individual data of adults aged ≥50 years from the Cancer Module of NHIS that repeats every-5-years. Multiple logistic regression analyses were employed to identify the compliance associated factors and their changes after five years. RESULTS: We included final data of 1,553 and 2259 and individual from 2010 and 2015, respectively. Overall, compliance to physician recommendations for colorectal cancer was 85.70% in 2010 and 81.54%. Men compiled more in 2010 than women which was reversed in 2015. The multivariable-adjusted odds of compliance were increased with age; lower for female [Odds ratio (OR)= 0.45 Confidence Interval (CI 95% 0.27, 0.75), having a family history of CRC [OR=3.05 CI:1.02, 9.05], having insurance [OR 3.58 CI:1.4, 9.12], and Odds increased with the number of doctor visit in 2010. However, in 2015 the odds were substantially increased with the increasing age, reversed odds for female [OR= 3.49 CI: 1.67, 7.29)], increased for non-Hispanic Blacks [OR= 4.87 CI: 2.05, 11.55] and lower for Asian [OR=0.33 CI:0.15, 0.74], higher for family history of colorectal cancer [OR=3.31 CI:1.92, 5.69]. Although insurance coverage and the number of doctor visits were significant predictors of compliance in 2010, those became non-significant in 2015. CONCLUSIONS: Compliance disparities by gender and access to healthcare either reduced in strength or reversed between 2010 and 2015. The non-Hispanic Black significantly higher in compliance than other race-ethnicities in 2015.

Aging and the COVID-19 pandemic: The inter-related roles of biology, physical wellbeing, social norms and global health systems.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a devastating and disproportionate impact on the elderly population. As the virus has swept through the world, already vulnerable elderly populations worldwide have faced a far greater burden of deaths and severe disease, crippling isolation, widespread societal stigma, and wide-ranging practical difficulties in maintaining access to basic health care and social services - all of which have had significant detrimental effects on their mental and physical wellbeing. In this paper, we present an overview of aging and COVID-19 from the interrelated perspectives of underlying biological mechanisms, physical manifestations, societal aspects, and health services related to the excess risk observed among the elderly population. We conclude that to tackle future pandemics in an efficient manner, it is essential to reform national health systems and response strategies from an age perspective. As the global population continues to age, elderly-focused health services should be integrated into the global health systems and global strategies, especially in low- and middle-income countries with historically underfunded public health infrastructure and insufficient gerontological care.

Enhanced Thermal Stability and Synergistic Effects of Magnesium and Iron Borate Composites against Pathogenic Bacteria.

A simple process based on the dual roles of both magnesium oxide (MgO) and iron oxide (FeO) with boron (B) as precursors and catalysts has been developed for the synthesis of borate composites of magnesium and iron (Mg2B2O5-Fe3BO6) at 1200°C. The as-synthesized composites can be a single material with the improved and collective properties of both iron borates (Fe3BO6) and magnesium borates (Mg2B2O5). At higher temperatures, the synthesized Mg2B2O5-Fe3BO6 composite is found thermally more stable than the single borates of both magnesium and iron. Similarly, the synthesized composites are found to prevent the growth of both gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) pathogenic bacteria on all the tested concentrations. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of the synthesized composite increases with an increase in concentration and is more pronounced against S. aureus as compared to E. coli.

Assessing Silicon-Mediated Growth Performances in Contrasting Rice Cultivars under Salt Stress.

Silicon (Si) application has great potential to improve salt tolerance in a variety of crop plants. However, it is unclear how Si influences the responses of contrasting rice cultivars when exposed to excessive salt. Here, we investigated the functions of Si in alleviating the negative effects of salt stress on two contrasting rice cultivars, namely BRRI dhan48 (salt-sensitive) and Binadhan-10 (salt-tolerant). Rice seedlings was pre-treated with three doses of Si (as silicic acid; 0, 1 and 2 mM) for 14 days at one-day interval before being exposed to salt stress (10 dSm-1) in a sustained water bath system. The results demonstrated that the seedlings of BRRI dhan48 and Binadhan-10, respectively exhibited substantial reductions in shoot height (16 and 9%), shoot fresh weight (64 and 43%) and shoot dry weight (50 and 39%) under salinity. Intriguingly, BRRI dhan48 pre-treated with 1 and 2 mM Si, respectively, showed a higher increase in shoot height (SH) (by 25.90 and 26.08%) as compared with Binadhan-10 (by 3 and 8%) under salt stress compared with their respective controls. Data revealed that a comparatively higher improvement in the growth performances of the salt-induced Si pre-treated BRRI dhan48 than that of Binadhan-10. For example, 1 and 2 mM of Si treatments significantly attributed to elevated leaf relative water content (RWC) (13 and 22%), proline (138 and 165%), chlorophyll a (42 and 44%), chlorophyll b (91 and 72%), total chlorophyll (58 and 53%) and carotenoids (33 and 29%), and recovery in the reductions of electrolyte leakage (13 and 21%), malondialdehyde content (23 and 30%) and shoot Na+/K+ ratio (22 and 52%) in BRRI dhan48 compared with Si-untreated control plants under salt stress. In addition, we found salt-tolerant Binadhan-10 also had enhanced RWC (9 and 19%), proline (12 and 26%) with pre-treatment with 1 and 2 mM of Si, respectively, under salt stress, while no significant differences were noticed in the case of photosynthetic pigments and Na+/K+ ratio. Our results showed that Si supplementation potentiated higher salt-tolerance ability in the salt-sensitive BRRI dhan48 as compared with salt-tolerant Binadhan-10. Thus, Si application could be highly beneficial in the growth recovery of the salinity-affected salt-sensitive high yielding rice cultivars in the saline-prone areas.

COVID-19 morbidity in Afghanistan: a nationwide, population-based seroepidemiological study.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objectives were to determine the magnitude of COVID-19 infections in the general population and age-specific cumulative incidence, as determined by seropositivity and clinical symptoms of COVID-19, and to determine the magnitude of asymptomatic or subclinical infections. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We describe a population-based, cross-sectional, age-stratified seroepidemiological study conducted throughout Afghanistan during June/July 2020. Participants were interviewed to complete a questionnaire, and rapid diagnostic tests were used to test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. This national study was conducted in eight regions of Afghanistan plus Kabul province, considered a separate region. The total sample size was 9514, and the number of participants required in each region was estimated proportionally to the population size of each region. For each region, 31-44 enumeration areas (EAs) were randomly selected, and a total of 360 clusters and 16 households per EA were selected using random sampling. To adjust the seroprevalence for test sensitivity and specificity, and seroreversion, Bernoulli's model methodology was used to infer the population exposure in Afghanistan. OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome was to determine the prevalence of current or past COVID-19 infection. RESULTS: The survey revealed that, to July 2020, around 10 million people in Afghanistan (31.5% of the population) had either current or previous COVID-19 infection. By age group, COVID-19 seroprevalence was reported to be 35.1% and 25.3% among participants aged ≥18 and 5-17 years, respectively. This implies that most of the population remained at risk of infection. However, a large proportion of the population had been infected in some localities, for example, Kabul province, where more than half of the population had been infected with COVID-19. CONCLUSION: As most of the population remained at risk of infection at the time of the study, any lifting of public health and social measures needed to be considered gradually.

The availability of essential medicines for diabetes at health facilities in Bangladesh: evidence from 2014 and 2017 national surveys.

BACKGROUND: Bangladesh ranks among the world's top ten countries in the number of diabetic patients. The prevention of this disease requires treating patients with essential medicines, and the first crucial step in the uptake of these medicines is availability. We aimed to assess the availability of essential medicines for diabetes (EM-Diabetes) and to explore health facility characteristics associated with the availability of those medicines. METHODS: We performed the analysis using nationally representative data from the two waves of the cross-sectional Bangladesh Health Facility Survey (BHFS) in 2014 and 2017. Data are available for 1548 and 1524 health facilities in the 2014 and 2017 BHFS. Study samples of this study were 217 facilities (73 from 2014 and 144 from 2017) that offer diabetes diagnosis and treatment services. The outcome variable 'EM-Diabetes availability' was calculated as a counting score of the tracer medicines: metformin, glibenclamide, injectable insulin, and injectable glucose solution. A multivariable Poisson regression model was used to identify the health facility characteristics (such as, managing authority, location, external supervision, regular quality assurance activities, national guidelines for diagnosis and management of diabetes, etc.) associated with EM-Diabetes availability. RESULTS: Since 2014, there have been minimal increases in Bangladeshi health facilities that provide diabetes screening and treatment services (from 4.7% to 9.4%). Among facilities offering diabetes services, 64.5% (BHFS 2014) and 55.7% (BHFS 2017) facilities had no EM-Diabetes on-site at all. Between 2014 and 2017, the availability of metformin increased (from 27.5% to 40.1%), but there was a decrease in the availability of glibenclamide (from 16.5% to 9.1%), injectable insulin (from 20.4% to 11.4%), and injectable glucose solution (from 20.4% to 19.2%). Furthermore, publicly owned facilities [relative risk (RR) = 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.25-0.78 for 2014 and RR= 0.54, 95% CI: 0.41-0.71 for 2017] and facilities in rural settings [RR= 0.26, 95% CI: 0.12-0.55 for 2014 and RR= 0.60, 95% CI: 0.44-0.81 for 2017] were significantly associated with decreased availability of EM-Diabetes in both survey years. Moreover, routine user fees [RR=3.70, 95% CI: 1.86-7.38] and regular quality assurance activities [RR= 1.62, 95% CI: 1.12-2.34] were also significantly associated with increased EM-Diabetes availability in 2017 only. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the health facilities in Bangladesh had insufficient essential medicines for treating diabetes. In general, the availability of EM-Diabetes declined from 2014 to 2017, except for metformin. Policymakers should consider a wide range of policy implications, focusing on the management of public facilities, rural facilities, routine user fees, and quality assurance activities to improve the availability of EM-Diabetes at health facilities in Bangladesh.

Measurement of age-dependent radiation ingestion doses due to gross alpha and gross beta exposure from medicinal plants.

This article presents the results of a study conducted to measure the gross alpha, gross beta activities in medicinal plant samples collected from different districts of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The ASC-950-DP gasless high-speed counter was used for the measurement of gross α/ß activities. Measured activities have been used to assess age-dependent annual effective doses for infants, one-, five-, ten-, and fifteen-year-old and adult people. For a medicinal plant consumption rate (MPCR) of 1.8 kg a-1, the average gross alpha and beta annual committed effective dose (ACED) delivered to one-, five-, ten-, fifteen-year-olds and adults fall below the WHO recommended level (290 µSv a-1) and that reported in the UNSCEAR 2000 (0.3 mSv a-1) report. Results obtained for the current study show that the radiological hazard related to the consumption of natural radionuclides in medicinal plants is inconsequential with exception of the ACED delivered to infants at an MPCR of 1.8 g a-1 and higher values.

The availability of essential medicines for cardiovascular diseases at healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries: The case of Bangladesh.

Long-term, often lifelong care for cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients requires consistent use of medicine; hence, the availability of essential medicine for CVD (EM-CVD) is vital for treatment, quality of life, and survival. We aimed to assess the availability of EM-CVD and explore healthcare facility (HCF) characteristics associated with the availability of those medicines in Bangladesh. This study utilized publicly available cross-sectional data from the 2014 and 2017 waves of the Bangladesh Health Facilities Survey (BHFS). The analysis included 204 facilities (84 from the 2014 BHFS and 120 from the 2017 BHFS) that provide CVD diagnosis and treatment services. The outcome variable "EM-CVD availability" was calculated as a counting score of the following tracer medicines: angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (enalapril), thiazide, beta-blockers (atenolol), calcium channel blockers (amlodipine and nifedipine), aspirin, and simvastatin/atorvastatin. A multivariable Poisson regression model was used to identify the HCF characteristics associated with EM-CVD availability. The number of Bangladeshi HCFs that provide CVD screening and treatment services increased just a little between 2014 and 2017 (from 5.4% to 7.9%). Since 2014, there has been an increase in the availability of calcium channel blockers (from 37.5% to 38.5%), aspirin (from 25.3% to 27.9%), and simvastatin/atorvastatin (from 8.0% to 30.7%), whereas there has been a decrease in the availability of ACE inhibitors (enalapril) (from 12.5% to 6.5%), thiazide (from 15.7% to 11.1%), and beta-blockers (from 42.5% to 32.5%). The likelihood of EM-CVD being available was higher among private and urban facilities than among public and rural facilities. Furthermore, facilities that had 24-hour staff coverage and performed quality assurance activities had a higher chance of having EM-CVD available than those that did not have 24-hour staff coverage and did not undertake quality assurance activities. Government authorities should think about a wide range of policy implications, such as putting more emphasis on public and rural facilities, making sure staff is available 24 hours a day, and performing quality assurance activities at facilities to make EM-CVD more available.

Detection and Quantification of Precious Elements in Astrophyllite Mineral by Optical Spectroscopy.

With many advantages over well-established methods, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has emerged as a useful analytical technique for the compositional analysis of multi-elemental geological materials. In this study, LIBS was employed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of a rare mineral, astrophyllite, bearing precious elements of industrial and technological interest. The experiment was carried out using second harmonic generation of Nd:YAG laser of pulse width 5 ns and repetition rate of 10 Hz. Microplasma was produced by focusing laser beam on an astrophyllite target, and optical emissions from the generated plasma were recorded in the spectral range of 200-720 nm with the help of a LIBS2000+ detection system. On analyzing the optical spectra, existence of 15 elements in astrophyllite target were revealed. These elements include: Ti, W, Ag, Al, Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mg, Na, Ni, Si and H. For quantification, calibration-free method was used. Only ten elements, namely Ti, W, Fe, Cr, Cu, Ca, Mg, Ni, Si and Al, were quantified with relative weight concentrations of 55.39%, 18.79%, 18.30%, 4.05%, 2.66, 0.43%, 0.18%, 0.12%, 0.06% and 0.02%, respectively. To benchmark these results, XRF analysis was performed, which confirmed the presence of all the elements detected in the optical spectrum of the sample, except for Na, Li, and H. The concentrations of these ten elements as measured by XRF were in reasonable agreement, especially for the major elements. The presence of a significant amount of Ti and W in an astrophyllite sample, found in Pakistan, highlights the economic value of this mineral. This study may be of further interest in commissioning LIBS technology for exploration of minerals in the region.

A novel index-based decision support toolkit for safe reopening following a generalized lockdown in low and middle-income countries.

While the effectiveness of lockdowns to reduce Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) transmission is well established, uncertainties remain on the lifting principles of these restrictive interventions. World Health Organization recommends case positive rate of 5% or lower as a threshold for safe reopening. However, inadequate testing capacity limits the applicability of this recommendation, especially in the low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). To develop a practical reopening strategy for LMICs, in this study, we first identify the optimal timing of safe reopening by exploring accessible epidemiological data of 24 countries during the initial COVID-19 surge. We find that a safe opening can occur two weeks after the crossover of daily infection and recovery rates while maintaining a negative trend in daily new cases. Epidemiologic SIRM model-based example simulation supports our findings. Finally, we develop an easily interpretable large-scale reopening (LSR) index, which is an evidence-based toolkit-to guide/inform reopening decision for LMICs.

Changes in prevalence, and factors associated with tobacco use among Bangladeshi school students: evidence from two nationally representative surveys.

BACKGROUND: Globally, tobacco kills more than nine million people per year. Annually in Bangladesh, smoking accounts for 1.2 million illnesses and over one hundred fifty thousand deaths. Worldwide, about one out of five school students smoke tobacco, and this problem is also growing significantly in Bangladesh. There is a need to address this problem. However, to the best of knowledge, no published study has been evaluated the changes in factors associated with tobacco use over time among Bangladeshi adolescent students using large, nationally representative comparable surveys. Our objective was to identify the factors associated with tobacco use among school going students, examine any changes in them over time, and explore policy options based on national surveys. METHODS: We analysed the data from the 2007 and the 2013 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), a school-based survey targeting adolescents age 13-15 years (7th-9th grade), developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The samples were selected based on a two-stage cluster sample design. The data were collected in school classes using a self-administered anonymous survey. We applied chi-square tests and survey logistic regression models for analysing the data. RESULTS: Overall tobacco usage significantly declined from 8.4 to 6.9% over six years. The prevalence of tobacco use decreased among females (5.22 to 2.84%), those who received anti-tobacco messages (8.93 to 7.24%) and because of age restriction could not buy tobacco products (18.86 to 15.78%). Compared with the female, the odds of overall tobacco smoking among male students was 1.97 (CI: 0.99-3.92) in the year 2007 and it increased (OR = 3.07; CI: 1.56-6.04) in the year 2013. Moreover, the odds of smoking among those exposed to tobacco smoke had increased (OR = 3.26; CI: 1.46-7.29 vs 5.43; CI: 1.63-18.07) from 2007 to 2013. CONCLUSION: There was a decline in tobacco use, especially among female students. Male students were higher tobacco user. It appeared anti-smoking campaign and age restriction policies were working.

The Devastating Cost of Racial and Ethnic Health Inequity in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the devastating truth about pervasive health inequity in the United States. As the virus swept through the country, underserved racial and ethnic minority populations disproportionately bore the brunt of the hospitalizations, severe illness, and fatalities. The devastation among these groups far outstripped their privileged counterparts due to convergence of disadvantages that created a perfect storm of exposures. We used empirical evidence incorporated into a theoretical framework analyzing vulnerabilities that have long plagued these communities. These exposures were further exacerbated by the rapid transmission of this virus and impaired the capability of these communities to escape illness and death due to a lack of adequate public health and medical responses. Will the aftermath of this coronavirus prove to be a reckoning for how American society addresses the conditions of most vulnerable populations or another ignored data-point? We suggest some policy steps to address the problem.

Biosynthesis of Graphene and Investigation of Antibacterial Activity of Graphene-parthenium hysterophorous Nanocomposite

Abstract There is a great interest to use carbon-based material like graphene and graphene oxide in biomedical applications due to its flexibility to be functionalized with bio-active molecules. Herein, graphene and graphene-based nanocomposites were biosynthesized by liquid-phase exfoliation of graphite using aqueous extract of Parthenium hysterophorous (P-H) as a surfactant. A set of five thin film samples of graphene was prepared from graphene suspension by vacuum filtration method. Samples were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, and XRD, which revealed successful synthesis of graphene. Graphene/P-H(G/P-H) nanocomposites comprising varied ratios of graphene and P-H were prepared and their antibacterial activity was investigated by agar well diffusion method. The experimental results indicated that G/P-H nanocomposite have higher antibacterial activity than graphene alone, and bioactivity of G/P-H nanocomposite was found to be controlled by the fraction of graphene in the composite.

Cesarean delivery and early childhood diseases in Bangladesh: An analysis of Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS).

INTRODUCTION: The rate of cesarean delivery (C-section) has been increasing worldwide, including Bangladesh, and it has a negative impact on the mother and child's health. Our aim was to examine the association between C-section and childhood diseases and to identify the key factors associated with childhood diseases. METHODS: We used four nationally representative data sets from multiple indicator cluster survey (MICS, 2012 and 2019) and Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS, 2011and 2014) and analyzed 25,270 mother-child pairs. We used the frequency of common childhood diseases (fever, short or rapid breaths, cough, blood in stools, and diarrhea) as our outcome variable and C-section as exposure variable. We included mother's age, place of residence, division, mother's education, wealth index, child age, child sex, and child size at birth as confounding variables. Negative binomial regression model was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: In the BDHS data, the prevalence of C-section increased from 17.95% in 2011 to 23.33% in 2014. Also, in MICS, the prevalence almost doubled over an eight-year period (17.74% in 2012 to 35.41% in 2019). We did not observe any significant effect of C-section on childhood diseases in both surveys. Only in 2014 BDHS, we found that C-section increases the risk of childhood disease by 5% [Risk Ratio (RR): 1.05, 95% CI: 0.95, 1.17, p = 0.33]. However, the risk of childhood disease differed significantly in all survey years by division, child's age, and child's size at birth after adjusting for important confounding variables. For example, children living in Chittagong division had a higher risk [(2011 BDHS RR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.38) and (2019 MICS RR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.35)] of having disease compared to Dhaka division. Maternal age, education, and wealth status showed significant differences with the outcome in some survey years. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that C-section in Bangladesh continued to increase over time, and we did not find significant association between C-section and early childhood diseases. High C-section rate has a greater impact on maternal and child health as well as the burden on the health care system. We recommend raising public awareness of the negative impact of unnecessary C-section in Bangladesh.

Knowledge of Cervical Cancer and Adherence to Pap Smear Screening Test Among Female University Students in a Multiethnic Institution, USA.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: This study assessed cervical cancer knowledge and examined its correlation with adherence to Pap smear guidelines. METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional survey in 141 undergraduate female college students. The response rate of the survey was 91.5%. Knowledge scores (0 - 4) were calculated based on students' answers to four items. RESULTS: About 61.7% of the participants did not have annual checkups within a year, and 69% have never received Pap-test. Students who never received Pap-test mentioned procrastination (82%), lack of interest and fear as reasons for not practicing the behavior. About 92.9% of the students were not aware that the university student health service provides free Pap tests. More than double of annual checkup recipients undergone Pap test (33%) compared with those who did not have annual checkups (14.3%). Students who knew multi-partners sexual activity as a risk factor for cervical cancer had higher odds of receiving Pap test than those who didn't know the correlation between the number of sexual partner and the risk of cervical cancer [aOR= 2.87; 95% CI 1.07- 8.90]. Students with knowledge scores about cervical cancer risk factors and prevention methods at least a median had higher odds of receiving Pap test than those with knowledge scores lower than the median [aOR=6.49; 95% CI 2.8 - 14.7]. The increase in receipt of Pap test was associated with an increase in the level of knowledge about risk factors of cervical cancer. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed a correlation of the receipt of Pap test with knowing the causes and prevention mechanisms of cervical cancer. Adequate knowledge about cervical cancer causes, and prevention/control strategies may help to improve adherence to Pap smear testing in college students.

Correction: Iqbal, S. et al. Empirical Modeling of Zn/ZnO Nanoparticles Decorated/Conjugated with Fotolon (Chlorine e6) Based Photodynamic Therapy towards Liver Cancer Treatment. Micromachines, 2019, 10, 60.

In the published paper [...].

Empirical Modeling of Zn/ZnO Nanoparticles Decorated/Conjugated with Fotolon (Chlorine e6) Based Photodynamic Therapy towards Liver Cancer Treatment.

The current study is based on Zn/ZnO nanoparticles photodynamic therapy (PDT) mediated effects on healthy liver cells and cancerous cells. The synthesis of Zn/ZnO nanoparticles was accomplished using chemical and hydrothermal methods. The characterization of the synthesized nanoparticles was carried out using manifold techniques (e.g., transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS)). In order to study the biotoxicity of the grown nanoparticles, they were applied individually and in conjunction with the third generation photosensitiser Fotolon (Chlorine e6) in the in vivo model of the normal liver of the Wister rat, and in the in vitro cancerous liver (HepG2) model both in the dark and under a variety of laser exposures (630 nm, Ultraviolet (UV) light). The localization of ZnO nanoparticles was observed by applying fluorescence spectroscopy on a 1 cm² selected area of normal liver, whereas the in vitro cytotoxicity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection were carried out by calculating the loss in the cell viability of the hepatocellular model by applying a neutral red assay (NRA). Furthermore, a statistical analysis is carried out and it is ensured that the p value is less than 0.05. Thus, the current study has highlighted the potential for applying Zn/ZnO nanoparticles in photodynamic therapy that would lead to wider medical applications to improve the efficiency of cancer treatment and its biological aspect study.

Chagas Disease Prevalence in Colombia: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chagas disease is a major public health problem in Latin America. A neglected disease of poor and rural Latin American populations, it has now emerged in other regions and urban areas due to international migration. In Colombia, systematic data pertaining to the disease's magnitude in the general population and its distribution within regions are lacking. Our objective is to describe the prevalence of Chagas disease in Colombia through a meta-analysis and systematic review. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive search using several electronic databases, gray literature, and reference lists of selected articles for population-based studies on Chagas disease prevalence in Colombia was performed between 1990 and 2017. Articles published in either English or Spanish were included. Pooled prevalence estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for Chagas disease in the general population using a meta-analysis random-effects model. Subgroup analyses were performed to investigate potential sources of heterogeneity among studies. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine whether publication bias existed. RESULTS: Seventeen articles with relevant prevalence data were identified from a total of 1213 references. The initial pooled estimate of Chagas disease prevalence across studies for the entire period was 4.10% (95% CI: 2.23-7.41). After removing studies with large effect and small sample sizes, the pooled estimate was 1.67% (95% CI: 0.95-2.92). A high degree of heterogeneity in most pooled estimates was observed, even after subgroup analysis. The Orinoquía region, rural areas, males, and persons aged ≥15 years yielded the highest pooled prevalence. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: Higher prevalence was observed in select regions, rural areas, and older teenagers and adults. Additional population-based studies within Colombia are recommended to provide more stable and reliable estimates and identify high-risk areas and groups.