Natural Bioactive Polypeptides: A Study towards the Clinical Application in The Bahamas and Trinidad & Tobago

Synthetic medication is being overprescribed, resulting in adverse complications linked to major public health issues such as antimicrobial resistance, drug dependency, and the current opioid crisis. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, this global burden of overuse of synthetic accounts for the heaviest burden of disease attributable to drug use disorders. In 2015, with almost 12 million disability-adjusted life year (DALYs), or 70% of the global burden of disease attributable to opioid addiction. With suitable alternatives available, peptide-based drugs will help to reduce the global burden, appease the patient preference of naturally derived medication and ensure safer patient usage.

Exploring the Behavioral Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among an Urban Population in Bangladesh: Implications for Behavior Change Interventions

BackgroundWhile vaccines ensure individual protection against COVID-19 infection, delay in receipt or refusal of vaccines will have both individual and community impacts. The behavioral factors of vaccine hesitancy or refusal are a crucial dimension that need understanding to implicate appropriate interventions. The aim of this study was to assess the behavioral determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and to provide recommendations to increase the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in Bangladesh. MethodsWe employed a Barrier Analysis (BA) approach to examine twelve potential behavioral determinants (drawn from the Health Belief Model and Theory of Reasoned Action [TRA]) of intended vaccine acceptance. We conducted 45 interviews with those who intended to take the vaccine (Acceptors) and another 45 interviews with those who did not have that intention (Non-acceptors). We performed data analysis to find statistically significant differences and to identify which beliefs were most highly associated with acceptance and non-acceptance with COVID-19 vaccines. ResultsCOVID-19 vaccine Acceptors in Dhaka were different from Non-acceptors in terms of many of their beliefs and responses. The behavioral determinants associated with the behavior included perceived social norms, perceived safety of COVID-19 vaccines and trust in them, perceived risk/susceptibility, perceived self-efficacy, perceived positive and negative consequences, perceived action efficacy, perceived severity of COVID-19, access, and perceived divine will. In line with the Health Belief Model, beliefs about the disease itself were highly correlated with vaccine acceptance, although not the only determinant. Other responses of Acceptors provide clues such as providing vaccination through government health facilities, schools, and kiosks, and having vaccinators maintain proper COVID-19 health and safety protocols as to ways to make it easier to boost acceptance. ConclusionAn effective behavior change strategy for COVID-19 vaccines uptake will need to address multiple beliefs and behavioral determinants, reducing barriers and leveraging enablers identified in this study. The national plans on COVID-19 vaccination should adopt culturally and community label acceptable and appropriate evidence-based behavior change interventions strategies to promote high vaccination coverage and acceptance in all societal structures across the country.

Visual improvement in a patient with paracentral acute middle maculopathy treated with prostaglandin E1.

The authors present the use of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) for the treatment of an acute paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM). A 78-year-old white female was seen with a sudden loss of vision in her left eye (OS) to 20/200 noted upon awakening. The right eye (OD) saw 20/20. A complete eye exam was done and an ocular coherent tomography revealed retinal thickening and a whitening of the inner nuclear layer in the area of the macula OS. A diagnosis of PAMM in the OS was made. Treatment was immediately started with 70 µg of PGE1 administered over 1.5 hours in the form of a skin cream. A volume of 3.5 cc of skin cream was applied in divided doses to the inner surface of the forearm, rubbed into the skin and allowed to dry. The same 70 µg of PGE1 in 3.5 cc of skin cream was repeated once the next morning. The patient began to see better the second day of treatment with a final visual acuity of 20/20. The OD was unchanged. After 14 months she was stable with no further treatment. PAMM is an ischemic process of the inner retina. PGE1, a potent vasodilator of the microcirculation, when given immediately seemed to be useful in restoring vision in this form of retinal ischemia. Treatment was immediately started with PGE1 in the form of a skin cream with visual improvement. The authors normally use PGE1 intravenously for acute ocular ischemia and would have preferred that here. Intravenous PGE1 was not available and was substituted with the skin cream of PGE1 that worked well for the patient.

Abnormal stereopsis and reduced retinal sensitivity in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate retinal sensitivity and stereoacuity (SA) in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with RP were examined, mean age 36.4 ± 7.21 (SD) years old and best corrected visual acuity better than 0.15 logMAR. The control group (CG) included 25 healthy subjects matching the RP group by age and sex. Every patient and healthy control underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination: Titmus, Lang, TNO stereotests and microperimetry (MP-1) (Nidek Technologies). Results were subjected to factor analysis using Varimax rotation, and p values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: With the Titmus stereotest, the mean SA was 136.52 ± 26.5 (SD) arcsec in the RP group and 67.2 ± 11.5 (SD) in CG; Lang SA was 391.39 ± 53.72 (SD) in RP group and 1150 ± 33.4 (SD) in CG; and TNO SA was 69.3 ± 14.39 (SD) in the RP group and 15.97 ± 3.7 (SD) in CG. Factor analysis showed significant correlation between visual acuity and SA (p = 0.0001) in RP group. MP-1 demonstrated that in RP patients, inter-ocular difference in retinal sensitivity and fixation stability was related to anomalous stereopsis (p values < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Progressive RP degeneration in the cone system could determine a significant impairment in the binocular vision due to anomalous inter-ocular retinal sensitivity and incomplete Panum's area utilization, causing an incongruent retinal localization. These findings suggest a possible reason why RP patients with a central retinal involvement, even if minimal, perceive a damaged stereoscopic perception that produces a severe disability.

Visual field improvement in non-arteritic posterior ischemic optic neuropathy in a patient treated with intravenous prostaglandin E1 and steroids.

Non-arteritic posterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NA-PION) is a disorder of reduced blood flow to the retrobulbar optic nerve. There is usually an acute loss of visual acuity and field. Previous studies have noted an improvement in visual acuity and in ocular and retrobulbar blood flow with the use of a potent vasodilator of the microcirculation, prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), and steroids. The current report describes immediate improvement in the visual fields and visual acuity in a patient with NA-PION treated with intravenous PGE1 and steroids 66 hours after onset. An 89-year-old white female was first seen in December 2016 with a sudden loss of vision in the right eye. After a complete eye exam and visual fields, the patient was diagnosed with NA-PION. Treatment was immediately started with steroids and intravenous PGE1. This was repeated once again the next morning. Visual acuity in the right eye improved from 1/10 + 1 to 7/10 + 3 at 5 days. The mean deviation of the visual field improved from - 7.10 decibels (dB) with a central scotoma of - 22 dB to - 2.97 dB with a central scotoma of - 19 dB. After 2 weeks, her visual acuity was 7/10 + 1 and visual field testing of the right eye revealed a mean deviation of - 2.54 dB with a central scotoma of - 9 dB. The left eye was unchanged. In cases of NA-PION, PGE1 and steroids should be considered to immediately restore blood flow to help improve visual acuity and visual fields.

Simulação da quantidade máxima de domicílios permitida por quadras em Belo Horizonte / Simulation of the maximum number of households allowed by block in Belo Horizonte / /Simulación de la cantidad máxima de viviendas permitidas por cuadra en Belo Horizonte

O artigo propõe uma metodologia de simulação da quantidade máxima de domicílios comportada por cada quadra do município de Belo Horizonte. Os parâmetros utilizados na simulação foram extraídos das informações cadastrais da Prefeitura, associadas com os resultados dos Censos 2000 e 2010. A simulação é desenvolvida a partir de uma base georreferenciada das quadras do município, construída a partir do mapeamento dasimétrico da distribuição domiciliar na capital mineira em 2011. Em um segundo momento, é realizada a simulação do limite máximo de novos domicílios permitidos pelas leis municipais, caso todos os lotes vagos sejam ocupados em sua capacidade máxima e caso todas as edificações com potencial de demolição cedam lugar a novos edifícios residenciais também construídos em sua capacidade domiciliar máxima. Os resultados mostram qual seria o máximo de domicílios que poderia vir a se instalar em Belo Horizonte no futuro. Estas informações servem como insumo para os dados de projeções demográficas de pequenas áreas, ao apontar onde a expansão e o adensamento domiciliar podem ocorrer, bem como o limite máximo suportado em cada quadra. De forma complementar, são indicados caminhos para discutir os limites potenciais da ocupação urbana de Belo Horizonte, as áreas preferenciais de adensamento e suas implicações para o planejamento...

Abstract This paper proposes a methodology to simulate scenarios of maximum number of households for each city block in the municipality of Belo Horizonte. The parameters used in the simulation were obtained from municipal registration data as well as from the 2000 and 2010 Census results. The simulation is based on geo-referenced data for each municipal block combined with dasymetric mapping of the capital city's housing distribution in 2011. The study simulates the greatest amount of additional housing that would occur, under the limits of municipal law, if all vacant urban lots were occupied to their maximum capacity, and if buildings now at risk of demolition were substituted by new buildings constructed so as to yield their highest household capacity. The results show the maximum number of households that Belo Horizonte would have if these conditions were achieved. In addition to demonstrating the maximum number of households allowed in each city block, the paper identifies where urban expansion and consolidation is likely to occur. This exercise also provides a contribution to the field of small area population projections. The proposed scenarios additionally help to guide discussions about priority areas and potential alternatives for urban expansion and consolidation, as well as on their implications for urban planning...

Resumen El artículo propone una metodología de simulación de la cantidad máxima de viviendas que podría tener cada cuadra en el municipio de Belo Horizonte. Los parámetros utilizados en la simulación se extrajeron de la información del registro de la Municipalidad, asociada con los resultados de los censos de 2000 y 2010. La simulación se desarrolló a partir de una base de datos georreferenciada de las cuadras del municipio, construida mediante un mapeo dasimétrico de la distribución de las viviendas en la ciudad en 2011. En una segunda etapa se realizó la simulación del límite máximo de nuevas viviendas permitidas por las leyes municipales, en el caso que todos los lotes baldíos fueran ocupados a su máxima capacidad y que todas las edificaciones con potencial de demolición dieran lugar a nuevos edificios residenciales construidos también a su capacidad habitacional máxima. Los resultados muestran cuál sería el máximo de viviendas que podrían llegar a instalarse en Belo Horizonte en el futuro. Esta información sirve como insumo para las proyecciones demográficas de pequeñas áreas, pues muestra hacia dónde se puede producir la expansión y densificación de viviendas, además del límite máximo de viviendas soportado en cada cuadra. De forma complementaria, se sugieren caminos para discutir los límites potenciales de la ocupación urbana de Belo Horizonte, las zonas preferenciales de aglomeración y sus implicaciones para la planificación...

Interlaboratory comparison of methods To quantify microsclerotia of verticillium dahliae in soil

In a comparison of different methods for estimating Verticillium dahliae in soil, 14 soil samples were analyzed in a blinded fashion by 13 research groups in seven countries, using their preferred methods. One group analyzed only four samples. Twelve soil samples were naturally infested, and two had known numbers of microsclerotia of V. dahliae added to them. In addition, a control was included to determine whether transport had an effect on the results. Results differed considerably among the research groups. There was a 118-fold difference between the groups with the lowest and highest mean estimates. Results of the other groups were evenly distributed between these extremes. In general, methods based on plating dry soil samples gave higher numbers of V. dahliae than did plating of an aqueous soil suspension. Recovery of V. dahliae from samples with added microsclerotia varied from 0 to 59%. Most of the variability within each analysis was at the petri dish level. The results indicate the necessity to check the performance of detection assays regularly by comparing recoveries with other laboratories, using a common set of soil samples. We conclude that wet plating assays are less accurate than dry plating assays.