High magnetisation, monodisperse and water-dispersible CoFe@Pt core/shell nanoparticles

High magnetisation and monodisperse CoFe alloy nanoparticles are desired for a wide range of biomedical applications. However, these CoFe nanoparticles are prone to oxidation, resulting in the deterioration of their magnetic properties. In the current work, CoFe alloy nanoparticles were prepared by thermal decomposition of cobalt and iron carbonyls in organic solvents at high temperatures. Using a seeded growth method, we successfully synthesised chemically stable CoFe@Pt core/shell nanostructures. The obtained core/shell nanoparticles have high saturation magnetisation up to 135 emu g−1. The magnetisation value of the core/shell nanoparticles remains 93 emu g−1 after being exposed to air for 12 weeks. Hydrophobic CoFe@Pt nanoparticles were rendered water-dispersible by encapsulating with poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene) (PMAO). These nanoparticles were stable in water for at least 3 months and in a wide range of pH from 2 to 11

Why do women not use antenatal services in low and middle income countries? A metasynthesis of qualitative studies

Background: Almost 50% of women in low & middle income countries (LMIC’s) don’t receive adequate antenatal care. Women’s views can offer important insights into this problem. Qualitative studies exploring inadequate use of antenatal services have been undertaken in a range of countries, but the findings are not easily transferable. We aimed to inform the development of future antenatal care programmes through a synthesis of findings in all relevant qualitative studies. Methods and Findings: Using a pre-determined search strategy, we identified robust qualitative studies reporting on the views and experiences of women in LMIC’s who received inadequate antenatal care. We used meta-ethnographic techniques to generate themes and a line of argument synthesis. We derived policy relevant hypotheses from the findings. We included 21 papers representing the views of more than 1230 women from 15 countries. Three key themes were identified: ‘Pregnancy as socially risky and physiologically healthy’; ‘Resource use and survival in conditions of extreme poverty’and ‘Not getting it right first time’. The line of argument synthesis describes a dissonance between programme design and cultural contexts that may restrict access and discourage return visits. We hypothesize that centralized, risk-focused antenatal care programmes may be at odds with the resources, beliefs and experiences of pregnant women who underuse antenatal services. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that there may be a mis-alignment between current antenatal provision and the social and cultural context of some women in LMIC’s. Antenatal care provision that is theoretically and contextually at odds with local contextual beliefs and experiences are likely to be underused, especially when attendance generates increased personal risks of lost family resource or physical danger during travel; when the promised care is not delivered due to resource constraints; and when women experience covert or overt abuse in care settings

Improved Gas Selectivity Based on Carbon Modified SnO2 Nanowires

The analysis of ambient (home, office, outdoor) atmosphere in order to check the presence of dangerous gases is getting more and more important. Therefore, tiny sensors capable to distinguish the presence of specific pollutants is crucial. Herein, a resistive sensor based on a carbon modified tin oxide nanowires, able to classify different gases and estimate their concentration, is presented. The C-SnO2 nanostructures are grown by chemical vapor deposition and then used as a conductometric sensor under a temperature gradient. The device works at lower temperatures than pure SnO2, with a better response. Five outputs are collected and combined to form multidimensional data that are specific of each gas. Machine learning algorithms are applied to these multidimensional data in order to teach the system how to recognize different gases. The six tested gases (acetone, ammonia, CO, ethanol, hydrogen, and toluene) are perfectly classified by three models, demonstrating the goodness of the raw sensor response. The gas concentration can also be estimated, with an average error of 36% on the low concentration range 1-50 ppm, making the sensor suitable for detecting the exceedance of the danger thresholds

Development of a shape-based algorithm for identification of asymptomatic vertebral compression fractures: A proof-of-principle study.

OBJECTIVES: Vertebral fracture is both common and serious among adults, yet it often goes undiagnosed. This study aimed to develop a shape-based algorithm (SBA) for the automatic identification of vertebral fractures. METHODS: The study included 144 participants (50 individuals with a fracture and 94 without a fracture) whose plain thoracolumbar spine X-rays were taken. Clinical diagnosis of vertebral fracture (grade 0 to 3) was made by rheumatologists using Genant's semiquantitative method. The SBA algorithm was developed to determine the ratio of vertebral body height loss. Based on the ratio, SBA classifies a vertebra into 4 classes: 0 = normal, 1 = mild fracture, 2 = moderate fracture, 3 = severe fracture). The concordance between clinical diagnosis and SBA-based classification was assessed at both person and vertebra levels. RESULTS: At the person level, the SBA achieved a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 62% (95% CI, 51%-72%). At the vertebra level, the SBA achieved a sensitivity of 84% (95% CI, 72%-93%), and a specificity of 88% (95% CI, 85%-90%). On average, the SBA took 0.3 s to assess each X-ray. CONCLUSIONS: The SBA developed here is a fast and efficient tool that can be used to systematically screen for asymptomatic vertebral fractures and reduce the workload of healthcare professionals

Emergency contraception access in Fijian community pharmacies: A descriptive study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess pharmacists' knowledge regarding emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs), their attitudes towards women obtaining ECPs, and ECP counselling and dispensing practices. METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey using Qualtrics was distributed via pharmacy emails and networks to recruit registered pharmacists working in community-based pharmacies. RESULTS: There were 22 valid respondents, predominantly female pharmacists (68%), with an average of 7.5 years of registration. All pharmacists knew the correct time frame after unprotected sex for ECPs to be effective, and 73% knew how ECPs worked, but only 50% knew that there were no contraindications. Most pharmacists (86%) knew that ECPs should be available to all women and girls, but only 59% thought that a married woman should not have to get permission from her husband to buy ECPs. Information or education for clients on the correct use of ECPs was mainly provided by pharmacists (59%), mostly through verbal communication (96%). Only 5% of pharmacists had used the emergency contraception methods wheels. CONCLUSIONS: There were gaps in pharmacists' knowledge regarding ECPs. Biases, judgemental attitudes, and suboptimal practices existed. IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: Targeted education and training for pharmacists is needed to improve access to ECPs in Fiji

Nutritional status, dietary quality and eating disturbance issues among people with dementia in Vietnam: evidence of a cross-sectional study

\ua9 The Author(s) 2024.Background: Due to cognitive impairments, people with dementia (PWD) often have difficulties in eating and drinking. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status, dietary quality and eating disturbance issues among PWD in Vietnam. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study at the Vietnamese National Geriatric Hospital from April to December 2022. We used Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) to classify the severity levels of dementia. Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), 24-hour recall, eating disturbance questionnaires, and anthropometric indicators were used to evaluate the nutritional status, dietary quality, and eating disorders of study subjects. Results: Overall, among 63 study participants, 74.6 per cent of PWD were at risk of or having malnutrition. By dementia classification according to MMSE scale, people with moderate and severe dementia accounted for 53.3 per cent of those who met the recommended energy levels, compared to 42.4 per cent of people with mild dementia and normal people. In the above two groups, around three per cent of participants reached the recommended amount of fibre. Calcium (50–70%), vitamin A (80–90%), and D (90%) were found to be the most severe deficiency forms of minerals and vitamins in both male and female participants. The majority of participants (90.5%) had at least one form of eating disorders with the most frequent issue being appetite changes (76.2%) and swallowing issues (50.8%). Conclusions: PWD in our sample frequently experienced malnutrition, a lack of essential nutrients, difficulties swallowing, changes in eating habits and appetite. It is neccesary to early screen and assess nutritional status and swallowing disturbance in PWD, and instruct their caregivers to prepare nutritious meals for them

A new perspective on small-scale treatment systems for arsenic affected groundwater

This work provides a new perspective on small-scale treatment systems to remove arsenic from groundwater for potable applications in low-income communities. Data corroborated from the literature highlight a significant challenge to providing potable water in a financially sustainable manner in arsenic affected areas. Analysis of the literature also reveals notable deficiency in the current practice, especially the overfocus on household-scale treatment systems for arsenic affected groundwater without adequate maintenance, monitoring, and a systematic cost–benefit analysis. Accurate and reliable analysis of arsenic in water samples at relevant health guideline values is costly and technologically demanding for low-income communities. Significant discrepancy in the performance of household-scale treatment systems can be attributed to the lack of maintenance and systematic monitoring. Moreover, data on the maintenance and compliance monitoring cost of small-scale arsenic treatment systems are very limited in the literature, and the available data show an exponential increase in maintenance cost per treatment capacity unit as the treatment size decreases. On the other hand, significant opportunities exist to increase performance reliability and reduce water treatment cost by taking advantage of the current digital transformation of the water sector. The analysis in this work suggests the need to reframe current practice towards commune-scale treatment systems as an interim step before centralised water supply is available

Direct healthcare costs associated with management of asthma: comparison of two treatment regimens in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

OBJECTIVE: Daily inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and long-acting beta-2-agonist (LABA) combinations comprising either regular maintenance therapy with ICS/LABA plus as-needed short-acting beta-2-agonist (SABA) or ICS-formoterol combinations used as maintenance and reliever therapy (MART) are recommended for moderate asthma. This analysis compares the direct costs of twice-daily fluticasone propionate/salmeterol (FP/salm) and budesonide/formoterol MART in three Southeast Asian countries. METHODS: A literature review identified three randomized trials in patients with asthma (≥ 12 years) comparing regular twice-daily FP/salm with as-needed SABA versus MART in moderate asthma: AHEAD (NCT00242775/17 countries/2309 patients), COMPASS (AstraZeneca study SD-039-0735/16 countries/3335 patients), and COSMOS (AstraZeneca study SD-039-0691/16 countries/2143 patients). Economic analyses, conducted from a healthcare sector perspective (medication costs + healthcare utilization costs), applied unit costs from countries where healthcare costs are publicly available: Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Results are expressed in British pound sterling (GBP/patient/year). RESULTS: Annual exacerbation rates were low and differences between treatment strategies were small (range, FP/salm: 0.31-0.38, MART: 0.24-0.25) although statistically significant in favor of MART. Total average (minimum-maximum) direct costs (in GBP/patient/year) across the three studies were £187 (£137-£284), £158 (£125-£190), and £151 (£141-£164) for those who used FP/salm, and £242 (£217-£267), £284 (£237-£340) and £266 (£224-£315) for MART in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, respectively. On average, total direct costs/patient/year with FP/salm were 22.8%, 44.6% and 43.0% lower than with MART for Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In the three countries evaluated, total treatment costs with regular twice-daily FP/salm were consistently lower than with budesonide/formoterol MART due to lower direct healthcare costs