Knowledge of health workers on snakes and snakebite management and treatment seeking behavior of snakebite victims in Bhutan.

BackgroundPublished information on snakebite is rare in Bhutan although remarkably higher number of snakebites and associated deaths are reported from other South Asian countries.Aims and methodologyStructured questionnaire was used to collect knowledge of health workers in snakebite management and health seeking behavior of snakebite victims as observed by health workers. Study was conducted in purposively sampled 10 Dzongkhags (district level administrative units) with higher incidence of snakebites.ResultHeath workers scored 27-91% (with an average of 63%, SD = 14) for 52 questions related to snake identification and snakebite management. Among 118 health workers interviewed, 23% had adequate knowledge on snakes and snakebite management while 77% had inadequate knowledge. Among 32 Doctors, 63% of them scored above or equal to 75%. Health workers from Sarpang scored higher (76%, SD = 11) than those from other Dzongkhags. Snakebite victim's visit to local (traditional) healers prior to seeking medical help from hospital was observed by 75 (63%) health workers. Fifty one percent of health workers observed patients treated with local methods such as the use of black stone called Jhhar Mauro (believed to absorb snake venom), application of honey, rubbing of green herbal paste made up of Khenpa Shing (Artemisia myriantha Wallich ex Besser var. paleocephala [Pamp] Ling) and consumption of fluid made up of Neem leaf (Azadirachta indica Juss). Use of tight tourniquet as a first aid to snakebite was observed by 80% of the health workers.ConclusionHealth workers lack confidence in snakebite management. Snakebite victims are likely to suffer from harmful local practices and traditional beliefs on local treatment practices. Empowering health workers with adequate knowledge on snakebite management and making locals aware in pre-hospital care of snakebites are needed to improve the pre- and in-hospital management of snakebite in Bhutan

Vitamin D status among the population visiting Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital, Bhutan

Objective: To study the vitamin D status among the Bhutanese population visiting the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in Thimphu, Bhutan. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study involving the extraction of data from a hospital database. Records of Bhutanese patients who had taken vitamin D tests in the last two years (2020–2021) were included in the study. Result: A total of 1175 individuals took the vitamin D test during the study period, and the age ranged between 1 day and 94 years. Over 60% of the participants were females. The study found that over 83% of our study population had serum vitamin D levels lower than the normal range/deficient. Around 18% of the participants had severe deficiency. Conclusion: The study found that most participants, including children, had vitamin D deficiency, and the finding was homogenous across gender and age groups. Further studies are required to validate these findings and identify the factors associated with vitamin D deficiency in the population for targeted public health interventions

Observation of Charge Transfer in Heterostructures Composed of MoSe2 Quantum Dots and a Monolayer of MoS2 or WSe2

Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are atomically thin semiconductor films that are ideal platforms for the study and engineering of quantum heterostructures for optoelectronic applications. We present a simple method for the fabrication of TMD heterostructures containing MoSe2 quantum dots (QDS) and a MoS2 or WSe2, monolayer. The strong modification of photoluminescence and Raman spectra that includes the quenching of MoSe2 QDs and the varied spectral weights of trions for the MoS2 and WSe2 monolayers were observed, suggesting the charge transfer Occurring in these TMD heterostructures. Such optically active heterostructures, which can be conveniently fabricated by dispersing TMD QDs onto TMD monolayers, are likely to have various nanophotonic applications because of their versatile and controllable properties. © 2017 American Chemical Society91

Simple method of DNA stretching on glass substrate for fluorescence imaging and spectroscopy

We demonstrate a simple method of stretching DNA to its full length, suitable for optical imaging and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Two competing forces on the DNA molecules, which are the electrostatic attraction between positively charged dye molecules (YOYO-1) intercalated into DNA and the negatively charged surface of glass substrate, and the centrifugal force of the rotating substrate, are mainly responsible for the effective stretching and the dispersion of single strands of DNA. The density of stretched DNA molecules could be controlled by the concentration of the dye-stained DNA solution. Stretching of single DNA molecules was confirmed by AFM imaging and the photoluminescence spectra of single DNA molecule stained with YOYO-1 were obtained, suggesting that our method is useful for spectroscopic analysis of DNA at the single molecule level. © 2014 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.1771sciescopu

Formation of nanosized monolayer MoS2 by oxygen-assisted thinning of multilayer MoS2

We report the controllable nanosized local thinning of multi-layer (2 L and 3 L)-thickness MoS2 films down to the monolayer (1 L) thickness using the simple method of annealing in a dry oxygen atmosphere. The annealing temperature was optimized in the range of 240 °C to 270 °C for 1.5 h, and 1 L thick nanosized pits were developed on the uniform film of the 2 L and 3 L MoS2 grown using the chemical vapor deposition method. We characterized the formation of the 1 L nanosized pits using nanoscale confocal photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectroscopy. We observed that the PL intensity increased and the Raman frequency shifted, representative of the characteristics of 1 L MoS2 films. A subsequent hydrogen treatment process was useful for removing the oxygen-induced doping effect resulting from the annealing. © 2016 Author(s)1671sciescopu

Optically active charge transfer in hybrids of Alq(3) nanoparticles and MoS2 monolayer

Organic/ inorganic hybrid structures have been widely studied because of their enhanced physical and chemical properties. Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides (1L-TMDs) and organic nanoparticles can provide a hybridization configuration between zero-and two-dimensional systems with the advantages of convenient preparation and strong interface interaction. Here, we present such a hybrid system made by dispersing p-conjugated organic (tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum(III)) (Alq(3)) nanoparticles (NPs) on 1L-MoS2. Hybrids of Alq(3) NP/1L-MoS2 exhibited a two-fold increase in the photoluminescence of Alq(3) NPs on 1L-MoS2 and the n-doping effect of 1L-MoS2, and these spectral and electronic modifications were attributed to the charge transfer between Alq(3) NPs and 1L-MoS2. Our results suggested that a hybrid of organic NPs/1L-TMD can offer a convenient platform to study the interface interactions between organic and inorganic nano objects and to engineer optoelectronic devices with enhanced performance. © 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd Printed in the UK3

Observation of Charge Transfer in Heterostructures Composed of MoSe₂ Quantum Dots and a Monolayer of MoS₂ or WSe₂

Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are atomically thin semiconductor films that are ideal platforms for the study and engineering of quantum heterostructures for optoelectronic applications. We present a simple method for the fabrication of TMD heterostructures containing MoSe₂ quantum dots (QDs) and a MoS₂ or WSe₂ monolayer. The strong modification of photoluminescence and Raman spectra that includes the quenching of MoSe₂ QDs and the varied spectral weights of trions for the MoS₂ and WSe₂ monolayers were observed, suggesting the charge transfer occurring in these TMD heterostructures. Such optically active heterostructures, which can be conveniently fabricated by dispersing TMD QDs onto TMD monolayers, are likely to have various nanophotonic applications because of their versatile and controllable properties

Enhanced Luminescence and Photocurrent of Organic Microrod/ZnO Nanoparticle Hybrid System: Nanoscale Optical and Electrical Characteristics

We studied the enhanced photoluminescence (PL) and photocurrent (PC) of 1,4-bis(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)styryl)-2,5-dibromobenzene (TSDB) microrods decorated with ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). Chemically synthesized crystalline ZnO NPs with an average size of 40 nm were functionalized with (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane to result in the chemical bonding of the NPs onto the surface of the TSDB microrods. We observed a 2-fold PL enhancement in the ZnO/TSDB hybrid microrods compared with the PL of the pure TSDB microrods. In addition, PC measurement carried out on the TSDB and ZnO/TSDB hybrid microrods at two different excitation wavelengths of 355 urn and 405 nm showed the significant enhancement of the PC from the hybrid system, where the resonant excitation of the laser (355 urn) corresponding to the absorption of both ZnO and TSDB caused 3 times enhancement of the PC from the ZnO/TSDB hybrid microrods1221sciescopuskc