A Cross-Sectional Study Exploring Postpartum Depression at a Tertiary Care Center in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India.

Background Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant public health concern globally characterized by a spectrum of mood disturbances ranging from mild mood swings to severe depressive episodes initiating within four weeks post childbirth and potentially persisting up to 12 months. Besides affecting the mother, it also affects the mental health and development of the babies born to affected mothers. Despite its considerable burden and potential adverse effects on both maternal and child well-being, PPD often goes undetected and untreated. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2024 to March 2024 at a tertiary care center in Gorakhpur to assess PPD in 280 postpartum women. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score ≥ 10 was used to confirm depression. Data collection involved a pretested, structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The prevalence of PPD was 12.14%. Age and education were significant sociodemographic risk factors (p < 0.05). In psychosocial factors, adverse life events (p < 0.001), wishing for a male child but giving birth to a female (p = 0.01), domestic violence (p = 0.005), relationship issues, an alcoholic spouse (p = 0.01), and poor in-law relations (p < 0.001) were found to be linked to PPD. Obstetric factors such as complicated antenatal history, physical illness, cesarean section, complicated intranatal history, and postpartum complications were also found to be important factors. Conclusion PPD affects many women, emphasizing the need for effective measures. Initiatives like the appointment of healthcare counselors and PPD screening programs in healthcare settings are essential to detect and support affected mothers.

A Cross-Sectional Study Examining the Relationship Between Malnutrition and Gross Motor Function in Cerebral Palsy.

Introduction Cerebral palsy (CP) characterizes a range of permanent, nonprogressive symptoms of postural and motor dysfunction caused by an insult to the developing central nervous system in a fetus or an infant. CP manifests early in life, often within the first two to three years of age. CP is associated with poor growth, that is the deviation from the normal growth parameters. The prevalence of CP ranges from 2.0 to 3.5 per 1000 live births in high-income countries which is comparable to the estimates from low-income countries. Antenatal and perinatal insults are among the most commonly reported causes of CP; however, a large number of cases do not have an identifiable etiology of CP. The current study aims to examine the relationship between malnutrition and gross motor function in children with CP. Materials and Methods This study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Nehru Hospital, Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College, Gorakhpur (UP) over a period of one year (August 2020 to July 2021) after obtaining ethical clearance from the College Research Council. Children of age 1-15 years with CP attending the pediatric outpatient and inpatient departments were enrolled as the study participants after obtaining informed consent from a legal guardian. Assessment of motor function was done using the gross motor function classification system (GMFCS). Associations of malnutrition across levels of gross motor function were tested using Chi-square or Fisher's exact test whichever was applicable. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05 as significant. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21 (Released 2012; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Result We analyzed 110 children with a diagnosis of CP (median age 6.5 years, interquartile range (IQR) 4.4-9.0 years). The majority (65/110; 59%) of the patients were male, and 68 (61.8%) delivered at term gestation. The most common presenting symptom among children with CP was seizures (79/110; 72.3%), the second most common being delayed milestones among 73 (66.8%), followed by difficulty in breathing among 63 (57.5%). The association between the anthropometric index of participants and GMFCS was found to be highly significant. Conclusion Most CP patients were facing gross motor disturbances. Spastic type of CP was most frequent, and more than half of the patients experienced feeding difficulty. A statistically significant association was found between gross motor functioning and the prevalence of malnutrition and stunting.

Spinal Anaesthesia Using Hypobaric Drugs: A Review of Current Evidence.

Spinal anesthesia is one of the most widely used techniques in modern anesthesia practice. It involves the injection of local anesthetic drugs into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the subarachnoid space. The choice of drug, its concentration, and baricity play a crucial role in determining the characteristics of the spinal block and has evolved over the years with continuous advancements in drug formulations and administration methods. Spinal anesthesia with hypobaric drugs represents a valuable technique in the armamentarium of anesthesiologists, offering distinct advantages in terms of targeted action, reduced systemic toxicity, and enhanced hemodynamic stability. This review aims to scan the characteristics of hypobaric drugs, factors influencing their spread within the spinal canal, challenges associated with their use, clinical applications in various surgical scenarios, and potential implications for patient outcomes and healthcare practice. PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched for relevant articles and a total of 23 relevant articles were selected for the review based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Hypobaric drugs have many advantages in high-risk morbidly ill patients for some select surgical procedures and daycare surgeries. The concentration and volume of hypobaric drugs need to be selected according to the extensiveness of the surgery and the desired block can be achieved by giving spinal injection in specific positions. The dynamic field of anesthesiology encompasses the integration of emerging technologies and evidence-based practices, which will contribute to further refining the safety and efficacy of spinal anesthesia with hypobaric drugs.

Prevalence of delayed initiation of rabies postexposure prophylaxis and factors influencing it among animal bite victims from Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India.

BACKGROUND: In a rabies-endemic country like India, every animal bite is potentially taken as rabid exposure and timely and appropriate postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) is crucial as rabies is an almost 100% fatal disease. METHODS: A retrospective record-based study was conducted at an anti-rabies clinic (ARC) in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. Data of the animal bite victims attending the ARC for PEP from January to December 2022 were extracted from the records. A semistructured questionnaire was used for collecting information regarding the interval between exposure and the initiation of anti-rabies PEP, age, gender, residence, the bite site on the body, category of exposure and other risk factors associated with the delay in PEP. RESULTS: Most of the victims were male (67.6%), from an urban background (61.3%) and aged up to 20 y (43.9%). Out of the 222 victims, 62 (27.9%) had delayed initiation of PEP (>48 h after exposure). Factors found to be significantly associated with delayed initiation of PEP were residence (p=0.01), age (p=0.04) and the type of biting animal (p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Delayed initiation of PEP is common among animal bite victims in this region of India, although PEP is affordable. Educational programmes and awareness-raising campaigns for timely administration of PEP should be a priority, especially targeting rural residents, those aged<18 y and those bitten by animals other than dogs.

Factors Affecting Biochemical and Echocardiographic Indices in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients Without Overt Symptoms of Heart Failure: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction Diabetes is a known risk factor for heart failure (HF), and HF often manifests as a common cardiovascular event in people with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Once HF is present, diabetes presents an especially adverse prognosis for subsequent morbidity and mortality. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and n-terminal ProBNP (NT-proBNP) are used as diagnostic biomarkers for HF that are secreted by the ventricles in response to increased myocardial wall stress. If we could unmask some clinical and routine laboratory parameters affecting BNP and ejection fraction (EF), we can predict impending HF and take measures to prevent it. The current study was conducted to investigate the factors affecting BNP and EF for detecting potential HF in T2DM patients who do not exhibit overt HF symptoms. Materials and methods The present cross-sectional study was performed after obtaining ethical clearance from the Institutional Ethics Committee. T2DM patients consulting the Medicine Outpatient Department (OPD) of BRD Medical College Gorakhpur during a two-month period (from 20 July 2023 to 19 September 2023) with age >40 years and duration of T2DM >10 years. Multistage random sampling was done to recruit study participants, and 308 patients participated in the study. Informed consent was obtained from the recruited participants. The chi-square or Fisher's exact test (whichever was applicable) was used to explore the association between categorical variables. Correlation statistics were calculated using Spearman correlation among the NT-proBNP, EF, and other relevant variables. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) (version 21; IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Armonk, NY) was used for the analysis, and a two-sided p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Results Three hundred and eight diabetic patients satisfying inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled as study participants and completed the study. The mean age of the total study subjects was 60.82 ± 9.23 years. There were 161 (52.3%) male and 147 (47.7%) female participants, and about half (153/308, 49.7%) of the participants belonged to the age group 40-60 years. There was a statistically significant association (p = 0.01) between NT-proBNP and glycated hemoglobin. Statistically highly significant (p < 0.001) associations were found between NT-proBNP with duration of T2DM and EF. There was a strong negative correlation (correlation coefficient = -0.743) between EF and NT-proBNP, and this correlation was statistically highly significant with a p-value < 0.001. Conclusion Elevated NT-proBNP levels and impaired EF were found in a significant proportion of these patients, indicating an increased risk of cardiovascular complications. This study highlights a significant association between NT-proBNP and EF in patients with T2DM in those without overt heart failure symptoms. Furthermore, longer T2DM duration and higher HbA1c levels were found to be associated with elevated NT-proBNP levels, while longer T2DM duration and elevated NT-proBNP were linked to lower EF. These findings have important clinical implications, as they suggest that monitoring NT-proBNP levels in patients with T2DM without clinical features of overt heart failure may help identify those at risk for decreased EF and potentially prevent heart failure.

Sociodemographic Determinants of Urogenital Morbidities Among Menopausal Women in Rural Areas of Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Background After their mid-forties, almost all women, irrespective of their cultural background and health conditions, begin to experience physical, psychological, and emotional disturbances because of the progressive decline in hormone levels that occur as a reproductive-aged woman transitions from regular cyclic menses to her final menstrual period, ovarian senescence, and beyond. These morbidities hamper day-to-day life and lead to poor quality of life. Timely attention and management of these morbidities help women maintain a healthy and active life. This study aims to evaluate sociodemographic determinants of urogenital morbidities among rural menopausal women. Materials and methods We conducted the present cross-sectional study among a menopausal transition group and a postmenopausal group of women age 40 to 55 residing in the Chargawan block of the district of Gorakhpur from August 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022. After estimating the sample size based on the 2011 census of India, we selected 385 eligible participants. Results We studied a total of 385 women over a period of one year, out of which 171 (46%) were in the menopausal transition and 214 (54%) were postmenopausal. For urinary incontinence and burning micturition, when we compared both groups in relation to age, we found no significant association (p > .05). The symptom of urinary incontinence was significantly associated with the socioeconomic status of participants in both the menopausal transition and postmenopausal groups (p < .05). Conclusions Postmenopausal women harbor a considerable number of urogenital morbidities. Sociocultural, demographic, and behavioral factors influence these morbidities. These associations might serve as indicators of women at risk of experiencing more severe urogenital morbidities.

A Study on the Attitude and Perception of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) Students Regarding Post-MBBS Compulsory Service Bond in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Background To increase the availability of doctors in the public healthcare delivery system, the state government of Uttar Pradesh, India, has implemented a two-year compulsory service bond since 2018. Students of the 2018 batch are going to complete their Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in 2023 and are supposed to serve through this bond. There are many dilemmas in the minds of medical students regarding their compulsory service bond. Hence, there is a need to know their attitude and perceptions regarding the compulsory service bond. This study was conducted to assess the attitude and perception of undergraduate medical students toward compulsory service bonds. Methods This was a mixed-method study conducted in July-September 2022 among undergraduate medical students at Baba Raghav Das Medical College, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. For quantitative data, a structured questionnaire was developed using Google Forms (Google LLC, Mountain View, California, United States) and circulated via WhatsApp (Meta Platforms, Inc., Menlo Park, California, United States) through the random sampling method. Focused group discussions were carried out to collect the qualitative data. Result Regarding the compulsory service bond after MBBS, 100 (31.8%) medical students were found to be interested and 56 (17.8%) were disinterested. The majority (n=158; 50.4%) of participants were neutral, while 278 (88.6%) medical students perceived it as an opportunity to help poor people. Higher possibilities of social recognition and respect were some noticeable perceptions of 243 (77.4%) MBBS students. Lack of confidence to tackle serious cases without a senior doctor's supervision was perceived as an important hurdle by 286 (91%) participants. Non-availability of advanced medical facilities, issues like the safety of doctors, and the lack of availability of electricity, roads, and infrastructure were also perceived as hurdles. Conclusions and recommendations Students perceived the compulsory service bond as an opportunity if met with certain conditions like a transparent method of posting and basic facilities or an incentive for accommodation and transportation. The compulsory service bond for addressing the shortfall of doctors in the public healthcare delivery system may be more effective if these hurdles are corrected and certain opportunities are met, as mentioned in the present study. This will help the government move smoothly towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Clinical Manifestations and Disability After Acute Encephalitis Syndrome Among Pediatric Patients in Eastern Uttar Pradesh: A Retrospective Analysis.

Introduction Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in pediatric patients can lead to a range of disabilities, affecting various aspects of their daily lives. The disease is caused by a diverse group of pathogens including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoans. While significant progress has been made in combating the acute phase of the disease, the lingering effects on the physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being of survivors have yet to be comprehensively explored. The present retrospective study was conducted to investigate disabilities including neurological squeals and functional impairment challenges faced by AES survivors as they navigate life with disabilities. Methods We conducted a comprehensive retrospective analysis of medical records of pediatric patients diagnosed with AES and evaluated their follow-up visits at regular intervals during the study period. The Liverpool scoring system and clinical examinations were utilized to assess the presence and severity of disabilities in the patients. Results A total of 134 pediatric AES patients were included in the study; among them, 56% were males, and 44% were females. The mean age of the participants was 4.8 ± 3.1 years, and the mean number of days of hospitalization was 27.8 ± 30.8. Only 9.7% of the patients were found to be Japanese encephalitis (JE)-positive, and 87.5% of the participants were found to have disabilities in some or the other domain of the Liverpool Outcome Score (LOS). There were statistically significant correlations between the age of the patients and the LOS at follow-up. Post-recovery disabilities were more severe among patients who required a prolonged duration of hospitalization. Conclusion A considerable proportion of AES survivors are left with disabilities. Causes other than Japanese encephalitis are now more frequent in AES. The need for prolonged hospitalization is related to more severe disabilities. The early identification of disabilities through the Liverpool scoring system and clinical examination can aid in implementing appropriate intervention strategies.

Multivariable Signal Processing for Characterization of Failure Modes in Thin-Ply Hybrid Laminates Using Acoustic Emission Sensors.

The aim of this study was to find the correlation between failure modes and acoustic emission (AE) events in a comprehensive range of thin-ply pseudo-ductile hybrid composite laminates when loaded under uniaxial tension. The investigated hybrid laminates were Unidirectional (UD), Quasi-Isotropic (QI) and open-hole QI configurations composed of S-glass and several thin carbon prepregs. The laminates exhibited stress-strain responses that follow the elastic-yielding-hardening pattern commonly observed in ductile metals. The laminates experienced different sizes of gradual failure modes of carbon ply fragmentation and dispersed delamination. To analyze the correlation between these failure modes and AE signals, a multivariable clustering method was employed using Gaussian mixture model. The clustering results and visual observations were used to determine two AE clusters, corresponding to fragmentation and delamination modes, with high amplitude, energy, and duration signals linked to fragmentation. In contrast to the common belief, there was no correlation between the high frequency signals and the carbon fibre fragmentation. The multivariable AE analysis was able to identify fibre fracture and delamination and their sequence. However, the quantitative assessment of these failure modes was influenced by the nature of failure that depends on various factors, such as stacking sequence, material properties, energy release rate, and geometry.

Parental Perception of Children's Online Behaviour: A Study on Ethnic Communities in Australia.

The overwhelming growth of the Internet in all spheres of life poses new challenges for young children growing up in the digital age, with potential short- and long-term ramifications. Parents have an essential role in the development of the attitudes and behaviour of their children. However, studies indicate that adults are not adequately mitigating the range of cyber risks that children face and that parent-oriented solutions are simply inadequate. This study attempts to fill research gaps in the status and nature of parents' perceptions of the online use of their children in Australia based on their ethnic background. This study adopted a mixed-method approach, surveying 204 parents from different ethnic communities in Australia followed by 16 in-depth interviews and three focus-group discussions. The results indicate that parents' perceptions of online risk for children differ based on their ethnicity, cultural adaptation, gender, and age. Parents from multicultural societies are less equipped to deal with cyber threats that their children face and are ill-equipped to monitor and mitigate the risks posed. The results of this study have important policy implications, from deepening our understanding of the nature of the problems to facilitating the development of short- and long-term strategies, appropriate information systems, policy guidelines, and interventions.

Modernization, collectivism, and gender equality predict love experiences in 45 countries.

Recent cross-cultural and neuro-hormonal investigations have suggested that love is a near universal phenomenon that has a biological background. Therefore, the remaining important question is not whether love exists worldwide but which cultural, social, or environmental factors influence experiences and expressions of love. In the present study, we explored whether countries' modernization indexes are related to love experiences measured by three subscales (passion, intimacy, commitment) of the Triangular Love Scale. Analyzing data from 9474 individuals from 45 countries, we tested for relationships with country-level predictors, namely, modernization proxies (i.e., Human Development Index, World Modernization Index, Gender Inequality Index), collectivism, and average annual temperatures. We found that mean levels of love (especially intimacy) were higher in countries with higher modernization proxies, collectivism, and average annual temperatures. In conclusion, our results grant some support to the hypothesis that modernization processes might influence love experiences.

Prevalence and correlates of knowledge and practices regarding infection prevention and control, and triage in primary healthcare settings: A cross-sectional study in Bangladesh.

Background: Despite the high prevalence of healthcare-acquired infection in resource-limited settings, healthcare workers' (HCWs') knowledge and practices of infection prevention and control (IPC) and triage are not well-researched. We examined thisin Bangladesh's primary healthcare facilities (HCFs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We surveyed 312 HCWs in 94 community clinics (CCs) and 90 family welfare centres (FWCs) in six districts from February to April 2021. We assessed HCWs' self-reported knowledge and observed practices in four domains: personal hygiene, medical instrument processing, waste management, and triage. We constructed a weighted composite knowledge score and estimated the association between knowledge and background characteristics using a generalised linear mixed effects model. Practices were described through univariate analysis. Findings: On a scale of 100, the mean composite knowledge score was 38.3 (SD: 13.3) overall and 44.0 (SD: 13.1) and 33.8 (SD: 11.6) for FWCs and CCs, respectively. The HCWs of FWCs were more aged, experienced, and educated than those of CCs. Knowledge score was the highest in personal hygiene and the lowest in medical waste segregation. Knowledge was significantly associated with HCWs' designation and education. Concerning practices, not more than one-third of the HCWs or HCFs, on average, followed the recommended protocols, except for wearing face masks while on duty (87.1%) and referring potential COVID-19 patients to higher-level facilities (68.3%). Conclusions: HCWs' capacity in instrument processing, waste management, and triage needs to be improved through formal education and training initiatives. Our study can contribute to the under-researched IPC and triage domains in resource-limited settings.

Clinical spectrum and diagnostic challenges of vitamin D dependent rickets type 1A (VDDR1A) caused by CYP27B1 mutation in resource limited countries.

OBJECTIVES: Vitamin D dependent rickets type 1A (VDDR1A) is a rare autosomal recessive condition due to inactivating mutation of CYP27B1. It mimics clinically, biochemically and rediologically to nutritional and hypophosphatemic rickets. In developing countries like Pakistan, VDDR1A is often misdiagnosed as nutritional rickets or hypophosphatemic rickets due lack of free access to 1,25 (OH) 2 D level and genetic testing. This study was aimed to determine the clinical spectrum and diagnostic challenges of VDDR1A due to CYP27B1 mutation in developing countries. METHODS: Retrospective review of all cases of VDDR1A due to CYP27B1 mutation over a period of two years presenting in the Pediatric Endocrine clinic of Hameed Latif Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. RESULTS: Six cases of VDDR1A (4 males) were identified. Mean age of clinical manifestation was 14 (9-24) months. Mean age of presentation to endocrine department was 5.5 (1.5-11.8) years. Growth failure and bony deformities were the most common presentation (n=6), followed by repeated diarrheas and abdominal distension (n=3) and recurrent fractures (n=1). All cases shared same biochemical profile of low/normal calcium, hypophosphatemia, raised alkaline phosphatase, raised PTH, normal/high 25(OH)D and tubular reabsorption of phosphate (TRP) <85%. Patients treated with calcitriol showed rapid healing as compared to those treated with 1-alfacalcidol. CONCLUSIONS: We should have a high index of suspicion of VDDR1A in rickets not responding to cholecalciferol therapy.

Implementation barriers and facilitators to a COVID-19 intervention in Bangladesh: The benefits of engaging the community for the delivery of the programme.

BACKGROUND: BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee), the largest NGO globally, implemented a community-based comprehensive social behavior communication intervention to increase community resilience through prevention, protection, and care for COVID-19. We conducted implementation research to assess fidelity and explore the barriers and facilitators of this intervention implementation. METHODS: We adopted a concurrent mixed-method triangulation design. We interviewed 666 members of 60 Community Corona Protection Committees (CCPCs) and 80 members of 60 Community Support Teams (CSTs) through multi-stage cluster sampling using a structured questionnaire. The qualitative components relied on 54 key informant interviews with BRAC implementers and government providers. RESULTS: The knowledge about wearing mask, keeping social distance, washing hands and COVID-19 symptoms were high (on average more than 70%) among CCPC and CST members. While 422 (63.4%) CCPC members reported they 'always' wear a mask while going out, 69 (86.3%) CST members reported the same practice. Only 247 (37.1%) CCPC members distributed masks, and 229 (34.4%) donated soap to the underprivileged population during the last two weeks preceding the survey. The key facilitators included influential community members in the CCPC, greater acceptability of the front-line health workers, free-of-cost materials, and telemedicine services. The important barriers identified were insufficient training, irregular participation of the CCPC members, favouritism of CCPC members in distributing essential COVID-19 preventive materials, disruption in supply and shortage of the COVID-19 preventative materials, improper use of handwashing station, the non-compliant attitude of the community people, challenges to ensure home quarantine, challenges regarding telemedicine with network interruptions, lack of coordination among stakeholders, the short duration of the project. CONCLUSIONS: Engaging the community in combination with health services through a Government-NGO partnership is a sustainable strategy for implementing the COVID-19 prevention program. Engaging the community should be promoted as an integral component of any public health intervention for sustainability. Engagement structures should incorporate a systems perspective to facilitate the relationships, ensure the quality of the delivery program, and be mindful of the heterogeneity of different community members concerning capacity building. Finally, reaching out to the underprivileged through community engagement is also an effective mechanism to progress through universal health coverage.

A comprehensive intervention package improves the linear growth of children under 2-years-old in rural Bangladesh: a community-based cluster randomized controlled trial.

Approximately one-third of children under the age of five are stunted in developing countries and many of them are micronutrient-deficient. We designed a comprehensive intervention package including egg/milk-based snacks to improve linear growth and dietary diversity among 6 to 12-month-old children in rural Bangladesh. In this 1-year community-based cluster randomized controlled longitudinal experiment, 412 mother-infant pairs were randomly assigned to receive either monthly food vouchers (for eggs, milk, semolina, sugar, and oil) to prepare egg and milk-based snacks for their children, along with multiple micronutrient powder (MNP), counseling on child feeding and handwashing, or regular government health communication alone (control; n = 206, treatment; n = 206). The trial was conducted in 12 clusters (small administrative units of sub-district). The primary inclusion criteria were ultra-poor households with limited resources and having children under 2-years-old. The primary and secondary outcomes were differences in children's length gain and dietary diversity. The effect of intervention on child growth was examined using a mixed effect linear regression model. Mean weight and length of the children did not significantly differ between groups at baseline. Around 90% of the children in both groups were breastfed. After receiving intervention for 12 months, LAZ score increased by 0.37 (CI 0.24, 0.51, p < 0.001) and risk of stunting reduced by 73% (OR: 0.27, CI 0.13, 0.58, p = 0.001). This comprehensive intervention package improved the growth and dietary diversity of children in extremely poor Bangladeshi households. A scaling-up of this intervention in contexts with limited resources should be taken into consideration.Trial registration: This trial registered retrospectively at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03641001, 21/8/2018.

Effect of increased screen time on eyes during COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: The objective of the study was to assess the effect of increased screen time on ocular health during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis. Materials and Method: An online pretested, self-reported questionnaire with relevant details was generated through Google form and sent to participants. Chi-square or Fisher's exact test was used to investigate the associations between the qualitative variables. The associated risk factors of number and frequency of ocular health problems were analysed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Result: A total of 435 responses were considered where 48.5% (N = 211) were female participants and 51.5% (N = 224) were male. Average age of the participants was 35 years. 89% of the participants reported an increase in the screen time during the during the lockdown period. Younger age group reported to have greater screen time than the older participants (p = 0.001) and hence experienced more symptoms of digital eye strain (DES) (p = 0.003). The most common symptoms associated with digital eye strain in our study were eyestrain 52.8% (N = 230) and headache 31.3% (N = 136). In total, 81.37% (354/435) of participants had experienced at least one symptom related to digital screen usage. Conclusion: DES is non-vision-threatening but discomfort caused due to it can have implications on overall physical, mental, and social well-being. The study highlights the increase in digital screen time during the pandemic and the resultant eye strain. There is need of spreading awareness regarding the adverse effects of digital device use and the preventive measures to safeguard our ocular health.

Automatic Screening of Diabetic Retinopathy Using Fundus Images and Machine Learning Algorithms.

Diabetic Retinopathy is a vision impairment caused by blood vessel degeneration in the retina. It is becoming more widespread as it is linked to diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy can lead to blindness. Early detection of diabetic retinopathy by an ophthalmologist can help avoid vision loss and other complications. Diabetic retinopathy is currently diagnosed by visually recognizing irregularities on fundus pictures. This procedure, however, necessitates the use of ophthalmic imaging technologies to acquire fundus images as well as a detailed visual analysis of the stored photos, resulting in a costly and time-consuming diagnosis. The fundamental goal of this project is to create an easy-to-use machine learning model tool that can accurately predict diabetic retinopathy using pre-recorded digital fundus images. To create the suggested classifier model, we gathered annotated fundus images from publicly accessible data repositories and used two machine learning methods, support vector machine (SVM) and deep neural network (DNN). On test data, the proposed SVM model had a mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 97.11%, whereas the DNN model had a mean AUC of 99.15%.

Impact of Managerial Trustworthy Behavior on Employee Engagement: Mediating Role of Perceived Insider Status.

This study examines the impact of managerial trustworthy behavior on employees' engagement and the mediating role of perceived insider status. This study has adopted an exploratory research design and positivist philosophy. The data are collected from 205 healthcare staff working in public sector hospitals in Pakistan through survey questionnaires, using a convenience sampling technique. Partial Least Square Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the data and test hypotheses. Results indicate that managerial trustworthy behavior relates positively to employee engagement. Perceived insider status mediates the relationship between managerial trustworthy behavior and employee engagement. The major limitation of this study is its cross-sectional design which limits the casualty. However, this study offers important insights regarding trust-building, engagement, and inclusion in the health sector. This study highlights the importance of trust-building among managers and employees. Managers who instill more trust in employees will garner more positive behavior. This study offers fresh insights into managers' trustworthy behavior toward employees' engagement and the employees' perceived insider status within their organizations.