CyVerse: Cyberinfrastructure for open science.

CyVerse, the largest publicly-funded open-source research cyberinfrastructure for life sciences, has played a crucial role in advancing data-driven research since the 2010s. As the technology landscape evolved with the emergence of cloud computing platforms, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) applications, CyVerse has enabled access by providing interfaces, Software as a Service (SaaS), and cloud-native Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to leverage new technologies. CyVerse services enable researchers to integrate institutional and private computational resources, custom software, perform analyses, and publish data in accordance with open science principles. Over the past 13 years, CyVerse has registered more than 124,000 verified accounts from 160 countries and was used for over 1,600 peer-reviewed publications. Since 2011, 45,000 students and researchers have been trained to use CyVerse. The platform has been replicated and deployed in three countries outside the US, with additional private deployments on commercial clouds for US government agencies and multinational corporations. In this manuscript, we present a strategic blueprint for creating and managing SaaS cyberinfrastructure and IaC as free and open-source software.

Achieving the IA2030 Coverage and Equity Goals through a Renewed Focus on Urban Immunization.

The 2021 WHO and UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) reported approximately 25 million under-vaccinated children in 2021, out of which 18 million were zero-dose children who did not receive even the first dose of a diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-(DPT) containing vaccine. The number of zero-dose children increased by six million between 2019, the pre-pandemic year, and 2021. A total of 20 countries with the highest number of zero-dose children and home to over 75% of these children in 2021 were prioritized for this review. Several of these countries have substantial urbanization with accompanying challenges. This review paper summarizes routine immunization backsliding following the COVID-19 pandemic and predictors of coverage and identifies pro-equity strategies in urban and peri-urban settings through a systematic search of the published literature. Two databases, PubMed and Web of Science, were exhaustively searched using search terms and synonyms, resulting in 608 identified peer-reviewed papers. Based on the inclusion criteria, 15 papers were included in the final review. The inclusion criteria included papers published between March 2020 and January 2023 and references to urban settings and COVID-19 in the papers. Several studies clearly documented a backsliding of coverage in urban and peri-urban settings, with some predictors or challenges to optimum coverage as well as some pro-equity strategies deployed or recommended in these studies. This emphasizes the need to focus on context-specific routine immunization catch-up and recovery strategies to suit the peculiarities of urban areas to get countries back on track toward achieving the targets of the IA2030. While more evidence is needed around the impact of the pandemic in urban areas, utilizing tools and platforms created to support advancing the equity agenda is pivotal. We posit that a renewed focus on urban immunization is critical if we are to achieve the IA2030 targets.

Sustainable futures in agricultural heritage: Geospatial exploration and predicting groundwater-level variations in Barind tract of Bangladesh.

Groundwater resources are one of the essential aspects of achieving self-sufficiency in a country's agricultural production, poverty alleviation, and socioeconomic development, particularly in agricultural heritage management and practices. In the Barind Tract in Bangladesh, groundwater levels have steadily declined due to growing irrigation demand. Surface water sources become scarce during the dry season, and groundwater levels fall to levels that make minimum cultivation challenging. In these circumstances, determining the current status of groundwater is key to any action in the future. This study investigated the existing geospatial pattern and critical zone of groundwater level in Chapainawabganj District, a significant area of the Barind Tract of Bangladesh, and predicted future groundwater levels considering multiple factors. Kriging, a sophisticated geostatistical method, was performed to examine the geographical pattern and groundwater variations, and time series analysis was employed to determine data trends and make future projections. The current study used groundwater level data from 23 monitoring stations over 10 years (2009-2018). Exponential, Gaussian, and Spherical models were cross-matched here for the best predictor model in four fitness measures to determine groundwater concentrations (RMSE, ME, RMSS, ASE), and Box-Jenkins ARIMA (3,1,0) was found best-fit for predictions, and variance estimation. Likewise, cross-validation has been assessed for the accuracy of anticipated results across spatial scales. Although more research is needed to identify the underlying mechanisms, critical zones, and their pattern of modification, possible recharge zones and their locations have been identified. Future groundwater levels, critical zones, and recharge locations have been indicated for the research area and potential recommendations.

New insights into the pollutant composition of stormwater treating wetlands.

With intensified climate change and urbanisation, constructed wetland (CW) serves as an alternative to conventional wastewater treatment plants. In Australia, the primary function of CW is to reduce sediments, nutrients from runoffs and attenuate floods. However, water quality analysis after construction is limited, hence, pollutant composition in established CWs and target pollutants in many guidelines remain outdated. To refresh the understanding of pollutants in urban discharges, this study reviewed two CWs in industrialised regions of Victoria, Australia. A total number of 26 pollutants were analysed in the collected water and sediment samples from both CW. The findings highlighted excessive concentrations of Zinc, Aluminium, Iron and Copper in one wetland and less commonly found pollutants like Barium, Titanium and Strontium are also detected. While Arsenic, Zinc, Copper, Nickel and hydrocarbons' accumulations are particularly significant in the other wetland. This study also reviews the pollutants discovered in 136 stormwater wetlands and covers the sources and impacts of various metal pollutants in stormwater runoffs. Overall, it is found that the concentrations of Zinc, Aluminium and Iron are particularly high in the CWs reviewed. This study brings attention to the pollutants profile of established CWs and the impact of heavy metals on the aquatic environment. The findings from this research revealed that the existing design and management guidelines for constructed wetlands in urban catchments are lacking in reduction targets for metal pollutants, thus improvements are essential to safeguard the water quality and performance of CWs.

Blended Learning Using Peer Mentoring and WhatsApp for Building Capacity of Health Workers for Strengthening Immunization Services in Kenya.

Evidence from available studies suggests that peer mentoring is a useful tool to build health workers' knowledge, skills, and practices. However, there is a dearth of research on use of this method of learning in immunization programs. Although WhatsApp has been used as a networking platform among health care professionals, there is limited research on its potential contribution to improving the immunization competencies of health workers. This study showed that peer mentoring and WhatsApp networking are useful blended learning methods for need-based and individualized capacity building of health workers providing immunization services. Future research to assess the comparative cost-benefit between classroom-based training and peer mentoring (along with WhatsApp networking) will be useful.

Water footprint: applying the water footprint assessment method to Australian agriculture.

BACKGROUND: Water footprint assessment is essential for the evaluation of water scarcity that considers both direct and indirect water consumption along the supply chain. This paper presents the estimation of water footprint for locally grown fruits and vegetables in Australia. Water footprint was calculated based on the framework developed in the Water Footprint Assessment Manual for the crops which are the most practicable to grow in Australia. Nine different crops (apples, grapes, tomatoes, oranges, peaches/nectarines, cherries, potatoes, carrots/turnips and almonds) in the agricultural industry were selected and identified as the most water-consumptive crop and least water-consumptive crop. For each type of crop, the three main water footprint components (blue, green, and grey water) were calculated. RESULTS: It was found that almond had the highest water footprint (6671.96 m3  ton-1 ) and tomato had the lowest water footprint (212.24 m3  ton-1 ) in Australia. From the global comparison, it is revealed that total water footprint for Australian crops is much higher than the corresponding international average values, except for tomatoes, potatoes and almonds. Also, almonds had the highest water footprint among the nine crops investigated. CONCLUSION: The study provides an insight into future sustainable cropping patterns in Australia, which suggest that tomatoes, carrots/turnips, potatoes and apples should continue to be grown in Australia, whereas stone fruit (e.g., almonds) should no longer be grown because of its high water footprint. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Remote Work and Employment Dynamics under COVID-19: Evidence from Canada.

In this study, we find that 41 percent of jobs in Canada can be performed remotely, with significant variation across provinces, cities, and industries. We complement this finding with labour microdata and document facts on the relationship between the feasibility of remote work and income inequality, gender, age, and other worker characteristics. We then show that, under some of our specifications, workers in occupations for which the possibility of remote work is less likely experienced larger employment losses between March and April. This relationship however does not seem to hold for a different measure of the possibility of remote work or for employment losses across industries with different possibilities of remote work nor across provinces or cities with different possibilities of remote work.

Les auteurs constatent que 41 pour cent des emplois au Canada peuvent être exercés à distance, la situation variant toutefois beaucoup selon les provinces, les villes et les secteurs d'activité. Ils étayent ce constat à l'aide de microdonnées relatives au travail et documentent les faits sur la relation entre la praticabilité du travail à distance et l'inégalité des revenus, le sexe, l'âge et d'autres caractéristiques des travailleurs. Les auteurs montrent ensuite que, pour certaines de leurs spécifications, chez les travailleurs occupant des fonctions pour lesquelles la possibilité de travailler à distance est moindre, les pertes d'emploi sont plus importantes entre mars et avril. Cette relation ne semble toutefois pas s'avérer pour les pertes d'emploi des travailleurs occupant des postes pour lesquels les possibilités de travail à distance varient, que ce soit en fonction des secteurs d'activité ou des provinces ou des villes.

Hip dysplasia among children with spastic cerebral palsy in rural Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Hip dysplasia is common among children with cerebral palsy (CP), particularly in spastic CP. It can result in pain, reduced function and quality of life. However, the burden of hip dysplasia among children with CP in llow-and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Bangladesh is unknown. We aimed to define the burden of hip dysplasia among children with spastic CP in Bangladesh. METHODS: This study includes a subset of the Bangladesh CP Register (BCPR) study cohort who were registered between January and March 2015. The BCPR is a population-based surveillance of children with CP (aged < 18 years) operating in a northern sub-district (Shahjadpur; child population ~ 226,114) of Bangladesh. Community-based key informant's method (KIM) survey conducted to identify children with CP in the surveillance area. A diagnosis of CP was made based on clinical history and examination by the study physicians and physiotherapist. Study participants had an antero-posterior (AP) X-ray of their pelvis. The degree of subluxation was assessed by calculating the migration percentage (MP). RESULTS: During the study period, 196 children with CP were registered, 144 had spastic CP. 40 children with spastic CP (80 hips) had pelvic X-Rays (mean age 9.4 years, range 4.0-18.0 years) and 32.5% were female. Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) showed 37.5% (n = 15) with GMFCS level I-II and 62.5% (n = 25) with GMFCS level III-V. Twenty percent (n = 8) of the children had hip subluxation (MP: 33-80%). Osteopenic changes were found in 42.5% (n = 17) children. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge this is one of the first studies exploring hip dysplasia among children with spastic CP in Bangladesh. Our findings reflect that hip dysplasia is common among children with spastic CP. Introduction of hip surveillance programmes is imperative for prevention of secondary complications, reduced function and poor quality of life among these children.

Operationalizing Integrated Immunization and Family Planning Services in Rural Liberia: Lessons Learned From Evaluating Service Quality and Utilization.

BACKGROUND: Integration of family planning and immunization services provides an opportunity to meet women's need for postpartum family planning and infants' vaccination needs through client-centered care, while reducing financial and opportunity costs for families. The United States Agency for International Development's Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) supported the Liberia Ministry of Health to scale up integrated family planning and immunization services as part of a broader service delivery and health systems recovery program after the Ebola epidemic. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods program evaluation in 22 health facilities in Grand Bassa and Lofa counties. Family planning uptake and immunization dropout rates at project sites were compared to rates at 18 matched health facilities in the same counties. We conducted 34 focus group discussions with community members and 43 key informant interviews with health care providers and managers to explore quality of care and contextual factors affecting provision and use of integrated services including postpartum family planning. RESULTS: From November 2016 to July 2017, 1,066 women accepted referrals from immunization to family planning counseling (10% of all vaccinator-caregiver interactions); the majority of women who were referred (75%) accepted a family planning method the same day. Trends indicated slightly higher family planning uptake in intervention over nonintervention facilities, but differences were not statistically significant. Pentavalent vaccine dropout rates did not increase in intervention compared to nonintervention facilities indicating no negative impact on utilization of immunization services. Clients and providers expressed that the integrated services reduced costs and time for the clients, educated mothers about postpartum family planning, and ensured infants were completing their vaccinations. Providers expressed the need for increased human resources to meet the elevated demand for family planning counseling services and additional focus on community-level social and behavior change activities. Both groups emphasized that social stigma and norms about postpartum sexual abstinence prevented many women from seeking postpartum family planning services. CONCLUSION: Although scaling up integrated family planning-immunization services may be programmatically feasible and acceptable to clients and providers, the intervention's success and ability to understand and quantify impact are driven by the effect of contextual factors and fidelity to the intervention approach. Contextual factors need to be understood before implementation, measured during implementation, and addressed throughout implementation to maximize the approach's impact on service utilization and health outcomes.

Genetic Diversity of Noroviruses Circulating in a Pediatric Cohort in Bangladesh.

Noroviruses are a leading cause of diarrhea in children aged <5 years worldwide. We genotyped 88 viruses collected by active surveillance in a birth cohort of children <2 years of age in Dhaka, Bangladesh, during 2010-2013. Twenty-five of 31 (81%) established GI and GII genotypes were detected, with GII.4 as the predominant genotype (20%). Our results show that children in Bangladesh are infected with a great diversity of norovirus strains. Reinfections are common, but not with closely related genotypes. Birth cohort studies are critical to understand cross-protective immunity and advance the development of pediatric norovirus vaccines.

Results with Complementary Food Using Local Food Ingredients.

Appropriate complementary food is a must for optimum growth of infants and children. The food should be diverse and be given in sufficient quantities 2-4 times a day depending upon age. Poverty, food insecurity, and lack of awareness regarding the choice of nutritious food ingredients are deterrents to optimum complementary feeding. In Bangladesh, 77% of children do not receive appropriate complementary food and, hence, the high prevalence of childhood malnutrition. We developed ready-to-use complementary foods (RUCFs) using locally available food ingredients, rice/lentil and chickpea, which conform to standard specifications. These foods were found to be acceptable by children and their mothers compared to the Pushti packet, the cereal-based supplement used in the erstwhile National Nutrition Program of Bangladesh. In a cluster-randomized community-based trial in rural Bangladesh among more than 5,000 children, the efficacy of rice/lentil- and chickpea-based RUCFs was compared with another commonly used supplementary food called wheat-soy blend++ (WSB++) and a commercial product called Plumpy'doz. Deceleration in length for age was significantly lower (by 0.02-0.04/month) in the rice/lentil, Plumpy'doz, and chickpea groups compared to the control group at 18 months of age. Weight-for-length z-score decline was lower only in Plumpy'doz and chickpea groups. WSB++ was not different from the control group. In children who received chickpea RUCF or Plumpy'doz, the prevalence of stunting was 5-6% lower at 18 months. These foods can be used to prevent or treat malnutrition among children, particularly those from food-insecure households.

Pulmonary tuberculosis in severely-malnourished or HIV-infected children with pneumonia: a review.

Presentation of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) as acute pneumonia in severely-malnourished and HIV-positive children has received very little attention, although this is very important in the management of pneumonia in children living in communities where TB is highly endemic. Our aim was to identify confirmed TB in children with acute pneumonia and HIV infection and/or severe acute malnutrition (SAM) (weight-for-length/height or weight-for-age z score <-3 of the WHO median, or presence of nutritional oedema). We conducted a literature search, using PubMed and Web of Science in April 2013 for the period from January 1974 through April 2013. We included only those studies that reported confirmed TB identified by acid fast bacilli (AFB) through smear microscopy, or by culture-positive specimens from children with acute pneumonia and SAM and/or HIV infection. The specimens were collected either from induced sputum (IS), or gastric lavage (GL), or broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL), or percutaneous lung aspirates (LA). Pneumonia was defined as the radiological evidence of lobar or patchy consolidation and/or clinical evidence of severe/ very severe pneumonia according to the WHO criteria of acute respiratory infection. A total of 17 studies met our search criteria but 6 were relevant for our review. Eleven studies were excluded as those did not assess the HIV status of the children or specify the nutritional status of the children with acute pneumonia and TB. We identified only 747 under-five children from the six relevant studies that determined a tubercular aetiology of acute pneumonia in children with SAM and/or positive HIV status. Three studies were reported from South Africa and one each from the Gambia, Ethiopia, and Thailand where 610, 90, 35, and 12 children were enrolled and 64 (10%), 23 (26%), 5 (14%), and 1 (8%) children were identified with active TB respectively, with a total of 93 (12%) children with active TB. Among 610 HIV-infected children in three studies from South Africa and 137 SAM children from other studies, 64 (10%) and 29 (21%) isolates of M. tuberculosis were identified respectively. Children from South Africa were infected with HIV without specification of their nutritional status whereas children from other countries had SAM but without indication of their HIV status. Our review of the existing data suggests that pulmonary tuberculosis may be more common than it is generally suspected in children with acute pneumonia and SAM, or HIV infection. Because of the scarcity of data, there is an urgent need to investigate PTB as one of the potential aetiologies of acute pneumonia in these children in a carefully-conducted larger study, especially outside Africa.

Transient immune impairment after a simulated long-haul flight.

INTRODUCTION: Almost 2 billion people travel aboard commercial airlines every year, with about 20% developing symptoms of the common cold within 1 wk after air travel. We hypothesize that hypobaric hypoxic conditions associated with air travel may contribute to immune impairment. METHODS: We studied the effects of hypobaric hypoxic conditions during a simulated flight at 8000 ft (2438 m) cruising altitude on immune and stress markers in 52 healthy volunteers (mean age 31) before and on days 1, 4, and 7 after the flight. We did a cohort study using a generalized estimating equation to examine the differences in the repeated measures. RESULTS: Our findings show that the hypobaric hypoxic conditions of a 10-h overnight simulation flight are not associated with severe immune impairment or abnormal IgA or cortisol levels, but with transient impairment in some parameters: we observed a transient decrease in lymphocyte proliferative responses combined with an upregulation in CD69 and CD14 cells and a decrease in HLA-DR in the immediate days following the simulated flight that normalized by day 7 in most instances. DISCUSSION: These transient immune changes may contribute to an increased susceptibility to respiratory infections commonly seen after long-haul flights.

Lumostatic strategy for microalgae cultivation utilizing image analysis and chlorophyll a content as design parameters.

Cultivation of microalgae Chlorella sp. was performed in draft-tube photobioreactors. Effect of light intensity on the microalgae growth performance was conducted under a light intensity range of 82-590 µmol/m(2)s. A lumostatic strategy was proposed based on the light distribution profiles obtained by image analysis and specific chlorophyll a content. The proposed lumostatic strategy allowed a maximum biomass dry weight of 5.78 g/L and a productivity of 1.29 g/Ld, which were 25.7% and 74.3% higher than that achieved by the optimal constant light intensity, respectively. A comparison with other lumostatic strategies reported in the literature indicated that the proposed lumostatic strategy in the current study can be a promising approach in improving the growth of microalgae.

A clinical diagnostic model for predicting influenza among young adult military personnel with febrile respiratory illness in Singapore.

INTRODUCTION: Influenza infections present with wide-ranging clinical features. We aim to compare the differences in presentation between influenza and non-influenza cases among those with febrile respiratory illness (FRI) to determine predictors of influenza infection. METHODS: Personnel with FRI (defined as fever ≥ 37.5 °C, with cough or sore throat) were recruited from the sentinel surveillance system in the Singapore military. Nasal washes were collected, and tested using the Resplex II and additional PCR assays for etiological determination. Interviewer-administered questionnaires collected information on patient demographics and clinical features. Univariate comparison of the various parameters was conducted, with statistically significant parameters entered into a multivariate logistic regression model. The final multivariate model for influenza versus non-influenza cases was used to build a predictive probability clinical diagnostic model. RESULTS: 821 out of 2858 subjects recruited from 11 May 2009 to 25 Jun 2010 had influenza, of which 434 (52.9%) had 2009 influenza A (H1N1), 58 (7.1%) seasonal influenza A (H3N2) and 269 (32.8%) influenza B. Influenza-positive cases were significantly more likely to present with running nose, chills and rigors, ocular symptoms and higher temperature, and less likely with sore throat, photophobia, injected pharynx, and nausea/vomiting. Our clinical diagnostic model had a sensitivity of 65% (95% CI: 58%, 72%), specificity of 69% (95% CI: 62%, 75%), and overall accuracy of 68% (95% CI: 64%, 71%), performing significantly better than conventional influenza-like illness (ILI) criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Use of a clinical diagnostic model may help predict influenza better than the conventional ILI definition among young adults with FRI.

Analysis of arsenic concentrations and correlation in water, soil and aurum by neutron activation analysis technique: a case study in Bagerhat, Bangladesh.

Arsenic concentrations were measured in water, soil and arum (vegetables) samples using the Neutron Activation Analysis method and a correlation between arsenic concentrations in the samples was investigated. The case study at Bagerhat, Bangladesh revealed that almost all the water samples were contaminated by a hazardous level of arsenic that exceeding the World Health Organization recommended value of 0.05 mg/L for Bangladesh. Arsenic concentration of all the water samples ranged from 0.09 to 0.87 mg/L. The concentrations in soil and aurum samples were found to be in the range of 2.22-35.21 and 0.07-0.73 mg/kg, respectively. A positive correlation between arsenic concentrations in soil and water samples was observed. Aurum sample was found to be contaminated by arsenic to a harmful level if the corresponding water sample was also highly contaminated.

Green banana reduces clinical severity of childhood shigellosis: a double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Mature green banana (GB) fruit is rich in amylase-resistant starch that stimulates colonic production of short-chain fatty acids (referred to as fatty acid) and is useful in treating diarrheal diseases. We studied therapeutic effects of GB in childhood shigellosis by determining colonic fatty acid production in a double-blind, randomized, controlled, clinical trial. METHODS: Seventy-three children aged 6 to 60 months with severe bloody dysentery caused by Shigella infection were either given a rice-based diet (54 kcal/dL), with cooked GB (250 g/L) (n = 34) or without GB (n = 39) for 5 days; all given ciprofloxacin (15 mg/kg, q12 hours). Stool volume, frequency, excretion of blood/mucus, and relevant clinical and laboratory indices were determined. RESULTS: On day 5 (post-treatment), 59% children in GB group had no mucus compared with 36% in controls, fecal blood was completely cleared from 96% in GB group compared with 60% without GB (P < 0.05). GB treatment significantly reduced (P < 0.01) numbers of stools/day compared with controls (70% vs. 50%, P < 0.05). GB-specific reductions of mean fecal volumes (mL/kg) ranged from 25% to 40%; (P < 0.05) during the 5-day observations. Clinical success rates were 85% in GB group compared with 67% in controls (P < 0.05). GB significantly (P < 0.01) reduced fecal myeloperoxidase activity and increased fecal fatty acid concentrations (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: GB diet improves clinical severity in childhood shigellosis and could be a simple and useful adjunct for dietary management of this illness.

Zinc, manganese, calcium, copper, and cadmium level in scalp hair samples of schizophrenic patients.

The purpose of the study was to determine the concentration of trace elements present in scalp hair sample of schizophrenic patients and to find out the relationship between trace elements level and nutritional status or socioeconomic factors. The study was conducted among 30 schizophrenic male patients and 30 healthy male volunteers. Patients were recruited from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University by random sampling. Hair trace element concentrations were determined by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy and analyzed by independent t test, Pearson's correlation analysis, regression analysis, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Mn, Zn, Ca, Cu, and Cd concentrations of schizophrenic patients were 3.8 +/- 2.31 microg/gm, 171.6 +/- 59.04 microg/gm, 396.23 +/- 157.83 microg/gm, 15.40 +/- 5.68 microg/gm, and 1.14 +/- 0.89 microg/gm of hair sample, while those of control subjects were 4.4 +/- 2.32 microg/gm, 199.16 +/- 27.85 microg/gm, 620.9 +/- 181.55 microg/gm, 12.23 +/- 4.56 microg/gm, and 0.47 +/- 0.32 microg/gm of hair sample, respectively. The hair concentration of Zn and Ca decreased significantly (p = 0.024; p = 0.000, respectively) and the concentration of Cu and Cd increased significantly (p = 0.021; p = 0.000, respectively) in schizophrenic patients while the concentration of Mn (p = 0.321) remain unchanged. Socioeconomic data reveals that most of the patients were poor, middle-aged and divorced. Mean body mass indices (BMIs) of the control group (22.26 +/- 1.91 kg/m(2)) and the patient group (20.42 +/- 3.16 kg/m(2)) were within the normal range (18.5-25.0 kg/m(2)). Pearson's correlation analysis suggested that only Ca concentration of patients had a significant positive correlation with the BMI (r = 0.597; p = 0.000) which was further justified from the regression analysis (R (2) = 44%; t = 3.59; p = 0.002) and one-way ANOVA test (F = 3.62; p = 0.015). A significant decrease in the hair concentration of Zn and Ca as well as a significant increase in the hair concentration of Cu and Cd in schizophrenic patients than that of its control group was observed which may provide prognostic tool for the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. However, further work with larger population is suggested to examine the exact correlation between trace element level and the degree of disorder.