Fungal carriage on healthcare workers’ hands, clothing, stethoscopes and electronic devices during routine patient care: a study from a tertiary care center

Background – Invasive fungal infections are a constant threat to immunocompromised and critically ill patients. Healthcare workers caring for such patients act as conduits of transmission through their contaminated hands and belongings. Although bacterial contamination of healthcare workers is known, our knowledge about fungal carriage is sparse. Aim– To study the prevalence and type of fungal carriage on healthcare workers hands, aprons/hospital scrubs, electronic devices and stethoscopes. Methods– Healthcare workers working in Medicine ward and ICU during November and December 2019 were sampled. Hand washes were collected in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth with gentamycin. Direct impression smears on blood agar were taken from aprons/hospital scrubs. Electronic devices and stethoscopes were sampled using moist cotton swabs. Subculture and plating was done on Sabarouds Dextrose Agar (SDA). Yeasts were identified using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Time of Flight (MALDI TOF) and moulds were identified using microscopy. Findings – Out of 60 health care workers, 20 (33.3%) had fungal carriage. Aprons/hospital scrubs and hands were contaminated in 17 (28.3%) and 3 (5%) respectively. Aprons/hospital scrubs mainly constituted moulds belonging to species of Aspergillus. Hands were contaminated with Candida tropicalis, Candida parapsilosis and Candida auris. Electronic devices and stethoscopes had no fungal contamination. Sex (p=0.77), designation (p=0.32) and unit of surveillance (p=0.06) were not significantly associated with fungal isolation from health care workers. Conclusion – Active fungal surveillance provides prevalent carriage rates and serve as a feedback to improve our disinfection and hand hygiene practices. It also aids in identification of potential source of hospital outbreaks

Bioactivity-guided isolation of rosmarinic acid as the principle bioactive compound from the butanol extract of Isodon rugosus against pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum

Aphids are agricultural pest insects that transmit viruses and cause feeding damage on a global scale. Current pest control involving the excessive use of synthetic insecticides over decades has led to multiple forms of aphid resistance to most classes of insecticides. In nature, plants produce secondary metabolites during their interaction with insects and these metabolites can act as toxicants, antifeedants, anti-oviposition agents and deterrents towards the insects. In a previous study, we demonstrated that the butanol fraction from a crude methanolic extract of an important plant species, Isodon rugosus showed strong insecticidal activity against the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. It was however not known as which compound was responsible for such activity. To further explore this finding, current study aimed to exploit a bioactivity-guided strategy to isolate and identify the active compound in the butanol fraction of I. rugosus. As such, reversed-phase flash chromatography, acidic extraction and different spectroscopic techniques were used to isolate and identify the new compound, rosmarinic acid as the bioactive compound in I. rugosus. Insecticidal activity of rosmarinic acid was carried out using standard protocols on A. pisum. The data was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative statistical approaches. Considering that a very low concentration of this compound (LC90 = 5.4 ppm) causes significant mortality in A. pisum within 24 h, rosmarinic acid could be exploited as a potent insecticide against this important pest insect. Furthermore, I. rugosus is already used for medicinal purposes and rosmarinic acid is known to reduce genotoxic effects induced by chemicals, hence it is expected to be safer compared to the current conventional pesticides. While this study highlights the potential of I. rugosus as a possible biopesticide source against A. pisum, it also provides the basis for further exploration and development of formulations for effective field application

Bioactivity-guided isolation of rosmarinic acid as the principal bioactive compound from the butanol extract of Isodon rugosus against the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum

Aphids are agricultural pest insects that transmit viruses and cause feeding damage on a global scale. Current pest control practices involving the excessive use of synthetic insecticides over many years have resulted in aphid resistance to a number of pesticides. In nature, plants produce secondary metabolites during their interaction with insects and these metabolites can act as toxicants, antifeedants, anti-oviposition agents and deterrents towards the insects. In a previous study, we demonstrated that the butanol fraction from a crude methanolic extract of an important plant species, Isodon rugosus showed strong insecticidal activity against the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. To further explore this finding, the current study aimed to exploit a bioactivity-guided strategy to isolate and identify the active compound in the butanol fraction of I. rugosus. As such, reversed-phase flash chromatography, acidic extraction and different spectroscopic techniques were used to isolate and identify the new compound, rosmarinic acid, as the bioactive compound in I. rugosus. Insecticidal potential of rosmarinic acid against A. pisum was evaluated using standard protocols and the data obtained was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative statistical approaches. Considering that a very low concentration of this compound (LC90 = 5.4 ppm) causes significant mortality in A. pisum within 24 h, rosmarinic acid could be exploited as a potent insecticide against this important pest insect. Furthermore, I. rugosus is already used for medicinal purposes and rosmarinic acid is known to reduce genotoxic effects induced by chemicals, hence it is expected to be safer compared to the current conventional pesticides. While this study highlights the potential of I. rugosus as a possible biopesticide source against A. pisum, it also provides the basis for further exploration and development of formulations for effective field application

Bioactivity-guided isolation of rosmarinic acid as the principal bioactive compound from the butanol extract of Isodon rugosus against the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (vol 14, e0215048, 2019)

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215048.]

On system reliability for multi-component half normal life time

The stress–strength models have been widely used for reliability design of systems. In these models the reliability is defined as the probability that the strength is larger than the stress. If the strength of the component is sufficient to withstand the stress, then the component is functional. Otherwise, the component fails immediately. This paper considers the problem of strength of a manufactured item against an array of stresses following half-normal distribution

Copson, Leindler Type Inequalities For Function Of Several Variables On Time Scales

In the paper, Copson and Leindler type inequalities are provedfor functions of n variables. Core of proves is use of mathematical inductionprinciple. Special cases of obtained inequalities include some existingresults in the literature

Impact of a single educational session on oral hygiene practices among children of a primary school of Meerut, India

Oral health promotion through schools is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for improving knowledge, attitude, and behavior related to oral health and for prevention and control of dental diseases among school children. In low resource settings, it is important to develop evidence for health education methods in oral health behavioral practices. The objectives of this study were to assess both the baseline awareness and practices regarding oral hygiene and the impact of a single education session on the change in oral health behavior. A school based, cross-sectional study on 112 primary school children was conducted after obtaining the consent of the school authorities and parents. A pretested, structured proforma was used for baseline awareness and behavior regarding oral health. A 30 min educational session was imparted and after 1 month, and the oral health practices were reassessed to find out the impact of the education session. Baseline survey revealed the following findings. Self-reported dental problems were found in 48.22% of the children in the last 6 months. When asked about the risk factors for dental problems, 28.57% mentioned eating sweets followed by improper brushing, whereas 40.17% were not aware about any risk factor for dental problems. It was found that 28.57% of the children did not brush their teeth regularly, whereas 35.71% used a tooth-brush for brushing their teeth. After the intervention, it was observed that there was a significant improvement in the proportion of children using a toothbrush for cleaning their teeth and of those who rinsed their mouth after meals. In conclusion, even a single education session was found to be effective in bringing about a change in the oral health behavior of primary school children

Trends and determinants of suicide in Warangal District Telangana, India: six years retrospective study based on secondary data

Abstract Background Suicide is a major public health concern resulting in premature deaths. The six years (2010–2015) retrospective study on suicide cases reported at a tertiary care center of Warangal district, Telangana, India aims to explore the trend and determinant of suicide. Results Suicide was predominant among 35- < 45 years aged males and females aged 18- < 30 years. The suicide method varied, males preferred self-poisoning while female committed suicide by self immolation. Among males a summer peak while spring peak was observed for Non-Violent and violent methods respectively. The suicide in females peaked in autumn for non-violent method while Violent suicide was observed in summer. The Joinpoint regression analysis found no significant change in the suicide rate from time period (2010–2015) in overall population or stratification by gender for Warangal district, Telangana India. Discussion Suicide prevention strategies or interventions in the studied area could be initiated using the baseline data obtained during present study

Who dies and who survives? Investigating the difference between suicide decedents and suicide attempters

Abstract Background In spite of mounting evidence, it is still unclear whether suicide decedents and attempters represent overlapping or completely different populations of suicidal behavior subphenotypes. Hence, the present study aims to investigate the sociodemographic and suicidal behavior variables and the difference between suicide decedents and suicide attempters. Methods One hundred fifty suicide attempters and key informants of 206 suicide decedents were interviewed for sociodemographic and suicidal behavior characteristics using a semi-structured interview schedule. The statistical analysis was performed in SPSS ver. 20. Results The sociodemographic and suicidal behavior variables that distinguish suicide and suicide attempt in the multivariate logistics model were higher age (OR, 95% CI = 1.06, 1.032–1.09, p < 0.001), male gender (OR, 95% CI = 2.46, 1.39–4.34, p = 0.002), low socioeconomic status (OR, 95% CI = 0.94, 0.90–0.98, p = 0.005), occurrence in autumn season (OR, 95% CI = 2.53, 1.16–5.50, p = 0.019), and usage of violent suicide method (OR, 95% CI = 17.82, 7.33–43.32, p < 0.001). Conclusion Suicide decedents were more likely to be older males, economically weaker, and commit suicide in an autumn season using violent suicide method. These findings emphasize the significance of distinct suicide prevention strategies for suicide decedents and suicide attempters

Is menstruation a valid reason to postpone cardiac surgery?

Background: Cancellation of any scheduled surgery is a significant drain on health resources and potentially stressful for patients. It is frequent in menstruating women who are scheduled to undergo open heart surgery (OHS), based on the widespread belief that it increases surgical and menstrual blood loss. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate blood loss in women undergoing OHS during menstruation. Settings and Design: A prospective, matched case-control study which included sixty women of reproductive age group undergoing OHS. Patients and Methods: The surgical blood loss was compared between women who were menstruating (group-M; n = 25) and their matched controls, i.e., women who were not menstruating (group-NM; n = 25) at the time of OHS. Of the women in group M, the menstrual blood loss during preoperative (subgroup-P) and perioperative period (subgroup-PO) was compared to determine the effect of OHS on menstrual blood loss. Results: The surgical blood loss was comparable among women in both groups irrespective of ongoing menstruation (gr-M = 245.6 ± 120.1 ml vs gr-NM = 243.6 ± 129.9 ml, P value = 0.83). The menstrual blood loss was comparable between preoperative and perioperative period in terms of total menstrual blood loss (gr-P = 36.8 ± 4.8 ml vs gr-PO = 37.7 ± 5.0 ml, P value = 0.08) and duration of menstruation (gr-P = 4.2 ± 0.6 days vs gr-PO = 4.4 ± 0.6 days, P value = 0.10). Conclusion: Neither the surgical blood loss nor the menstrual blood loss is increased in women undergoing OHS during menstruation