Simultaneous Determination of Dimethomorph and Chlorothalonil in Pesticide Formulation: HPLC Method Development and Validation

The identification and accurate quantification of pesticides is important to verify the recommendedconcentration of active content of each pesticide in formulated products to avoid adverse effects on human life due toover dosage. In this study, method of quantitative determination of Dimethomorph and Chlorothalonil in pesticideformulation was developed and validated by using ICH guidelines. Chromatographic separations with good resolutionwere performed on Beckman C-18 column (5 µm x 150 mm x 4.6 mm), using 80:20, v/v – (CH3CN:H2O) as mobilephase in isocratic mode at 230 nm. The retention time for Dimethomorph and Chlorothalonil at flow rate 1.2 mL/minwas 6.21 and 9.63 minutes, respectively. Calibration curves of both studied fungicides (Chlorothalonil andDimethomorph) were linear showing coefficient of determination greater than 0.996. %RSD value of inter-dayprecision was found to be less than 3 for both pesticides and for intra-day precision these values were less than 2. Interlaboratory comparison (ILC) method was applied to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed method and Z-score valueswere found to be less than 2. The proposed method is therefore efficient, accurate, and cost-effective and can suitablybe used for simultaneous quantitative determination of Dimethomorph and Chlorothalonil in pesticide formulatedproducts

Knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene management among women living in a low-income neighbourhood, Karachi, Pakistan

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the degree of awareness and practice of proper menstrual hygiene management among women living in low-income neighbourhood in Karachi, Pakistan.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Bizerta Lines, Karachi between January and June 2019. All women of reproductive age were included in the study. Amenorrheic, menopausal, or women on birth control were excluded from the study. Degree of awareness and current practices pertaining to menstrual hygiene management were assessed through pro-forma. The study tool collected the participant’s knowledge, awareness, and misconceptions about menstruation. The factors affecting the quality of life during menstruation of women living in poor socio-economic conditions were also observed. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v.23) was used to analyze the collected data.Results: Of the 338 participants, 82.5% had no knowledge of menstruation prior to their first menstrual period. Only a minority of the women knew that the source of menstrual blood was the uterus while 41.4% of the women incorrectly claimed that the menstrual blood and urine were expelled from the same orifice. More than half of the participants used disposable sanitary napkins (55.5%). 65% of the participants changed the absorbent at least 1 to 3 times a day.Conclusions: Most of the participants used disposable sanitary napkins. However, the basic knowledge of female anatomy and physiology behind menstruation was poor among women

Evaluation of clinical trials of ethnomedicine used for the treatment of diabetes: A systematic review

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a widespread metabolic disorder with a yearly 6.7 million deaths worldwide. Several treatment options are available but with common side effects like weight gain, cardiovascular diseases, neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity. Therefore, ethnomedicine is gaining the interest of researchers in the treatment of DM. Ethnomedicine works by preventing intestinal absorption and hepatic production of glucose as well as enhancing glucose uptake in muscles and fatty tissues and increasing insulin secretion. A variety of plants have entered clinical trials but very few have gained approval for use. This current study provides an evaluation of such clinical trials. For this purpose, an extensive literature review was performed from a database using keywords like “ethnomedicine diabetes clinical trial”, “clinical trials”, “clinical trial in diabetes”, “diabetes”, “natural products in diabetes”, “ethno-pharmacological relevance of natural products in diabetes”, etc. Clinical trials of 20 plants and natural products were evaluated based on eligibility criteria. Major limitations associated with these clinical trials were a lack of patient compliance, dose-response relationship, and an evaluation of biomarkers with a small sample size and treatment duration. Measures in terms of strict regulations can be considered to achieve quality clinical trials. A specific goal of this systematic review is to discuss DM treatment through ethnomedicine based on recent clinical trials of the past 7 years

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Viral Enteritis in Solid-Organ Transplantation

Solid organ transplant recipients are at increased risk for infections due to chronic immunosuppression. Diarrhea is a commonly encountered problem post transplantation, with infectious causes of diarrhea being a frequent complication. Viral infections/enteritides in solid organ transplant recipients often result from frequently encountered pathogens in this population such as cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, and norovirus. However, several emerging viral pathogens are increasingly being recognized as more sensitive diagnostic techniques become available. Treatment is often limited to supportive care and reduction in immunosuppression, though antiviral therapies mayplay a role in the treatment in certain diseases. Viral enteritis is an important entity that contributes to morbidity and mortality in transplant recipients

A Survey: Online and mobile banking risks, security issues and challenges on mobile devices and its user awareness

With the growing use of mobile devices, it is a known fact that more people use internet from mobile devices than the conventional desktop PCs. Specifically, mobile devices are gaining popularity and with ease of availability its usage is a global phenomenon, creating a market and eco system of its own. Similarly online and mobile banking facilities have made a mark of its own, as consumers can now easily access their financial information from anywhere in the world and commit transactions without physically being present in financial institution of their choice. Combining the above two technologies opens a new arena of challenges, where a balance of functionality and security is to be carefully considered. Using online and mobile banking systems from mobile devices, either via browser or mobile business application, both the consumer and the institution are required to adopt a paradigm shift with respect to understanding the risks and required controls to mitigate those risks. In this research we attempted to study security issues and risks related to mobile devices faced by the banking industry, more particularly, mobile banking. Further, we shall look into the current trends, future challenges and solutions available in order to secure the communication between mobile devices and business application and how they can be mitigated. Furthermore, we will conduct a survey within the banking industry to understand the current security mechanisms adopted by these institutions. Moreover, consumer awareness, their thought process and views related to security threats shall be studied to identify their understanding of the risks and challenges and their comfort level while using mobile devices for financial transactions

Mobility Management in Vehicular Networks

In mobile technology, vehicular network mobility becomes a major issue as the vehicle (node) is continuously in motion. Further, many research groups and telecom communities are working very hard to find solutions to provide robust, efficient and continuous connectivity to the end users in order to provide seamless connectivity. Furthermore, the goal of vehicular networks is to provide connectivity to the internet through which a user can be able to access the internet from anywhere without any geographical limitation and able to support different multimedia applications with high throughput efficiency and quality of service while in motion. Moreover, by the support of different application in vehicular networks enables the user to continuously aware from the traffic situations like accidents, traffic intensity and other useful information. There are two communication scenario vehicle to vehicle (V2V) and vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) network in (VANET). In this report, we have discussed these two scenarios and its existing mobility management schemes. Further, there are some other open issues which are needed to be resolved, the main issues which we discuss is mobility in the vehicular networks and identify the best possible protocols through theoretical analysis

Prediction of Dermoscopy Patterns for Recognition of both Melanocytic and Non-Melanocytic Skin Lesions

A differentiation between all types of melanocytic and non-melanocytic skin lesions (MnM–SK) is a challenging task for both computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) and dermatologists due to the complex structure of patterns. The dermatologists are widely using pattern analysis as a first step with clinical attributes to recognize all categories of pigmented skin lesions (PSLs). To increase the diagnostic accuracy of CAD systems, a new pattern classification algorithm is proposed to predict skin lesions patterns by integrating the majority voting (MV–SVM) scheme with multi-class support vector machine (SVM). The optimal color and texture features are also extracted from each region-of-interest (ROI) dermoscopy image and then these normalized features are fed into an MV–SVM classifier to recognize seven classes. The overall system is evaluated using a dataset of 350 dermoscopy images (50 ROIs per class). On average, the sensitivity of 94%, specificity of 84%, 93% of accuracy and area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) of 0.94 are achieved by the proposed MnM–SK system compared to state-of-the-art methods. The obtained result indicates that the MnM–SK system is successful for obtaining the high level of diagnostic accuracy. Thus, it can be used as an alternative pattern classification system to differentiate among all types of pigmented skin lesions (PSLs)