Epidemiological pattern of corneal foreign bodies and utilization of protective eye devices: a hospital-based cross-sectional study

Introduction: A corneal foreign body is the most common occupational ocular injury that can cause secondary infection or scars on the visual axis, decreasing vision. The study aimed to find out practices of wearing protective eye devices in the workplace and the factors influencing the utilization of such devices among patients with corneal foreign body (CFB) injury. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary eye hospital in Bhaktapur from April 2021 to August 2021. All patients with CFB attending the hospital were included in the study. CFB was removed with ocular examination under a slit lamp biomicroscope, and face-to-face interview was conducted. Results: Among 142 patients, only one was female, and 41.5% had a previous history of CFB. The most common CFB particle was metallic (n=124, 87.3%),. Three-fourths (75.1%) of patients were not using eye-protective devices at the time of injury, and 45.1% tried physically removing the CFB in a harmful way. Nearly two in five (19.7%) had used topical antibiotics eye drops before presenting for CFB removal. Sixty-six (46.5%) reported never wearing any protective eye devices, and the main reason for not-wearing was the unavailability (48.4%) of such devices in their workplace. The awareness of the need for protective eye devices (p<0.001) was significantly associated with using protective eye devices during work. Conclusion: The workers should be made aware of the consequences of harmful practices following CFB injury. The workers should wear protective eye devices to minimize the risk of ocular injury and consequent visual impairment

Entomology beyond research and education: 2022 student debates

The 2022 student debates of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) happened during the Joint Annual Meeting of the Entomological Societies of America, Canada, and British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, and addressed entomological aspects beyond research and education. The Student Debates Subcommittee of the ESA Student Affairs Committee and the participating student team members communicated for 8 months and prepared for the debates. The theme of the ESA meeting in 2022 was “Entomology as inspiration: Insects through art, science, and culture”. There were 2 unbiased speakers who introduced the debate topics as well as 4 teams who debated the following 2 topics: (i) Is forensic entomology viable in criminal case investigations and court cases today? and (ii) Are insects being treated ethically in scientific research? The teams prepared for about 8 months, debated their arguments, and shared their thoughts with the audience. The teams were judged by a panel and the winners were recognized at the ESA Student Awards Session during the annual meeting

Influence of Soldiers on Exploratory Foraging Behavior in the Formosan Subterranean Termite, <i>Coptotermes formosanus</i> (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae)

Termites are eusocial insects that live in organized colonies consisting of reproductives, workers, and soldiers. Soldiers are specialized for defense but are expensive to maintain, as they are incapable of husbandry and must be fed and groomed by workers. The soldiers of several species influence foraging behavior by acting as scouts that initiate foraging or by mediating worker behavioral plasticity during food exploration. These behaviors imply that soldiers may play a keystone role in termite colony function, apart from defense. Subterranean termite workers tunnel through soil in search of food while accompanied by varying proportions of soldiers, depending on the species and colony conditions. Previous studies have shown that soldiers accelerate worker exploratory tunneling behavior in two Reticulitermes species, the colonies of which contain fewer than 2% soldiers. This effect, however, is unknown in other subterranean species with different soldier proportions. In this study, we examined the influence of soldiers on exploratory foraging behavior in the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, which is an economically devastating invasive species that maintains a relatively high soldier proportion (about 10%). When 100 foraging workers were grouped with 0, 2, 10, or 30 soldiers in two-dimensional foraging arenas, we found no significant effect of soldiers on the tunnel length, branch pattern, food source interception, or food collected within 96 h. These results suggest that C. formosanus colonies maintain food exploration efficiency regardless of soldier proportion variation

Applicability of UAV in crop health monitoring using machine learning techniques

Food demands are increasing globally. Various issues such as urbanization, climate change, and desertification increasingly favour crop pests and diseases that limit crop productivity. Elaborating and discussing the pragmatic knowledge and information on recent advances in tools and techniques for crop monitoring developed in recent decades might help agronomists make more informed decisions. This chapter discusses the progress and development of new techniques equipped with recent sensors and platforms such as drones that have revolutionized the way of understanding plant physiology and stresses. It begins with the introduction to various tools available for crop stress estimation, mainly based on optical imaging such as multispectral, thermal, and hyperspectral imaging. An overview of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) -based image processing pipeline is presented and shed light on the possible avenues of UAV-based remote sensing for crop health monitoring using machine learning approaches

Dengue: Rapid Diagnostic Testing in a Tertiary Care Setting in Butwal, Nepal

Dengue virus (DENV) is spread mostly by biting by the infected female mosquitoes of the species Aedes aegypti, that are commonly found in tropical and subtropical zones of globe. Some studies have shown that nearly fifty percent of the globe are susceptible to DENV. Most infections by DENV are asymptomatic. Clinical infections vary from mild fever to serious diseases including hemorrhagic fever and shock syndrome. The main objective of this study was to estimate DENV infection by rapid diagnostic (RDTs) kit methods in a tertiary care setting. This retrospective study was done at Crimson Hospital, Butwal, Nepal from June to November 2019. Serum samples of all dengue fever suspected patients were tested for DENV antigen as Dengue nonstructural protein 1(NS1) and DENV specific antibodies as IgM and IgG by using World Health Organization Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certified rapid solid phase immunochromatographic method. All laboratory test results were tabulated by using MS-Excel and analyzed by statistical package for the Social Sciences software version 20. Out of 821 samples tested, 518 were positive, including 322 (62.16%) reactive for dengue NS1 Protein, 121 (23.35%) for IgM, 62 (11.96%) for IgG and 13 (2.50%) were positive for both IgG and IgM antibodies. Our study showed high prevalence of dengue infection during monsoon to post-monsoon and the infection rate was higher in males (71.72%) than in females (53.36%). According to our findings, DENV infection is prevalent in Butwal, Nepal. Early diagnosis, better case management, faster public health response and effective health policy towards the control of mosquito vectors may reduce the dengue burden and must be implemented in Nepal

Evaluation of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program for Wound and Burn Care in Three Hospitals in Nepal

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs can decrease non-optimal use of antibiotics in hospital settings. There are limited data on AMS programs in burn and chronic wound centers in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). A post-prescription review and feedback (PPRF) program was implemented in three hospitals in Nepal with a focus on wound and burn care. A total of 241 baseline and 236 post-intervention patient chart data were collected from three hospitals. There was a significant decrease in utilizing days of therapy per 1000 patient days (DOT/1000 PD) of penicillin (p = 0.02), aminoglycoside (p &lt; 0.001), and cephalosporin (p = 0.04). Increases in DOT/1000 PD at post-intervention were significant for metronidazole (p &lt; 0.001), quinolone (p = 0.01), and other antibiotics (p &lt; 0.001). Changes in use of antibiotics varied across hospitals, e.g., cephalosporin use decreased significantly at Kirtipur Hospital (p &lt; 0.001) and Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences (p = 0.02), but not at Kathmandu Model Hospital (p = 0.59). An independent review conducted by infectious disease specialists at the Henry Ford Health System revealed significant changes in antibiotic prescribing practices both overall and by hospital. There was a decrease in mean number of intravenous antibiotic days between baseline (10.1 (SD 8.8)) and post-intervention (8.8 (SD 6.5)) (t = 3.56; p &lt; 0.001), but no difference for oral antibiotics. Compared to baseline, over the 6-month post-intervention period, we found an increase in justified use of antibiotics (p &lt; 0.001), de-escalation (p &lt; 0.001), accurate documentation (p &lt; 0.001), and adherence to the study antibiotic prescribing guidelines at 72 h (p &lt; 0.001) and after diagnoses (p &lt; 0.001). The evaluation data presented provide evidence that PPRF training and program implementation can contribute to hospital-based antibiotic stewardship for wound and burn care in Nepal

Evaluation of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program for Wound and Burn Care in Three Hospitals in Nepal

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs can decrease non-optimal use of antibiotics in hospital settings. There are limited data on AMS programs in burn and chronic wound centers in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). A post-prescription review and feedback (PPRF) program was implemented in three hospitals in Nepal with a focus on wound and burn care. A total of 241 baseline and 236 post-intervention patient chart data were collected from three hospitals. There was a significant decrease in utilizing days of therapy per 1000 patient days (DOT/1000 PD) of penicillin (p = 0.02), aminoglycoside (p \u3c 0.001), and cephalosporin (p = 0.04). Increases in DOT/1000 PD at post-intervention were significant for metronidazole (p \u3c 0.001), quinolone (p = 0.01), and other antibiotics (p \u3c 0.001). Changes in use of antibiotics varied across hospitals, e.g., cephalosporin use decreased significantly at Kirtipur Hospital (p \u3c 0.001) and Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences (p = 0.02), but not at Kathmandu Model Hospital (p = 0.59). An independent review conducted by infectious disease specialists at the Henry Ford Health System revealed significant changes in antibiotic prescribing practices both overall and by hospital. There was a decrease in mean number of intravenous antibiotic days between baseline (10.1 (SD 8.8)) and post-intervention (8.8 (SD 6.5)) (t = 3.56; p \u3c 0.001), but no difference for oral antibiotics. Compared to baseline, over the 6-month post-intervention period, we found an increase in justified use of antibiotics (p \u3c 0.001), de-escalation (p \u3c 0.001), accurate documentation (p \u3c 0.001), and adherence to the study antibiotic prescribing guidelines at 72 h (p \u3c 0.001) and after diagnoses (p \u3c 0.001). The evaluation data presented provide evidence that PPRF training and program implementation can contribute to hospital-based antibiotic stewardship for wound and burn care in Nepal