Improving motivation among primary health care workers in Tanzania: a health worker perspective

In Tanzania access to urban and rural primary health care is relatively widespread, yet there is evidence of considerable bypassing of services; questions have been raised about how to improve functionality. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of health workers working in the primary health care facilities in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania, in terms of their motivation to work, satisfaction and frustration, and to identify areas for sustainable improvement to the services they provide. The primary issues arising pertain to complexities of multitasking in an environment of staff shortages, a desire for more structured and supportive supervision from managers, and improved transparency in career development opportunities. Further, suggestions were made for inter-facility exchanges, particularly on commonly referred cases. The discussion highlights the context of some of the problems identified in the results and suggests that some of the preferences presented by the health workers be discussed at policy level with a view to adding value to most services with minimum additional resources

Synthesis of a New Series of Anthraquinone-Linked Cyclopentanone Derivatives: Investigating the Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Cytotoxic and Tyrosinase Inhibitory Activities of the Mushroom Tyrosinase Enzyme Using Molecular Docking

Janani Mullaivendhan,1 Idhayadhulla Akbar,1 Anis Ahamed,2 Mansour K Gatasheh,3 Ashraf Atef Hatamleh,2 Gurusamy Raman,4 Aseer Manilal,5 Sabu Kuzhunellil Raghavanpillai6 1Research Department of Chemistry, Nehru Memorial College (Affiliated to Bharathidasan University), Puthanampatti, Tamil Nadu, 621007, India; 2Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Life Science, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk-do, 38541, South Korea; 5Department of Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 6Biogeochemistry Division, VM Clays and Minerals, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, IndiaCorrespondence: Aseer Manilal; Idhayadhulla Akbar, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: New bioactive anthraquinone derivatives are investigated for antibacterial, tyrosinase inhibitory, antioxidant cytotoxic activity, and molecular docking.Methods: The compounds were produced using the grindstone method, yielding 69 to 89%. These compounds were analyzed using IR, 1H, and 13C NMR and elemental and mass spectral methods. Additionally, the antibacterial, antioxidant, and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of all the synthesised compounds were evaluated.Results: Compound 2 showed remarkable tyrosinase inhibition activity, with an (IC50: 13.45 μg/mL), compared to kojic acid (IC50: 19.40 μg/mL). It also exhibited moderate antioxidant and antibacterial activities with respect to the references BHT and ampicillin, respectively. Kinetic analysis revealed that the tyrosinase inhibitory activity of compound 2 was non-competitive and competitive, whereas that of compound 1 was low. All compounds (1-8) were significantly less active than doxorubicin (LC50: 0.74± 0.01μg/mL). However, compound 2 affinity for the 2Y9X protein was lower than kojic acid, with a lower docking score (− 8.6 kcal/mol compared to (− 4.7 kcal/mol), making it more effective.Conclusion: All synthesized compounds displayed remarkable antibacterial, tyrosinase inhibitory, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities, with compound 2 showing exceptional potency as a multitarget agent. Anthraquinone substituent groups may offer the potential for the development of treatments. The derivatives were synthesized using the grindstone method, and their antibacterial, antioxidant, tyrosinase inhibitory, and cytotoxic activities were inspected. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were performed using compound 2 and kojic acid to validate the results and confirm the stability of the compounds.Keywords: anthraquinone, tyrosinase enzyme, antioxidant activity, molecular docking, binding affinity, kojic acid, antibacterial activity, cytotoxic activit

Status of groundwater arsenic contamination in all 17 blocks of Nadia district in the state of West Bengal, India : a 23-year study report

A comprehensive study was conducted in Nadia, one of the nine arsenic (As) affected districts in West Bengal, India to determine the extent and severity of groundwater As contamination and its health effects in particular, dermatological effects and neurological complications. We collected 28,947 hand tube-well water samples from all 17 blocks of Nadia district and analyzed for As by the flow injection-hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometer (FI-HG-AAS). We found 51.4% and 17.3% of the tube-wells had As above 10 and 50 lg/L, respectively and observed that groundwater of all 17 blocks contained As above 50 lg/L with maximum observed level of 3200 lg/L. We estimated that about 2.1 million and 0.6 million people could be drinking As contaminated water above 10 and 50 lg/L, respectively, while 0.048 million could be at risk of drinking As-contaminated water above 300 lg/L, the concentration predicted to cause overt arsenical skin lesions. We screened 15,153 villagers from 50 villages and registered 1077 with arsenical skin lesions resulting in a prevalence rate of 7.1%. Analyzing 2671 biological samples (hair, nail and urine), from people with and without arsenical skin symptoms we found 95% of the samples had As above the normal level, indicating many people in Nadia district are sub-clinically affected. Arsenical neuropathy was observed in 33% of 255 arsenicosis patients with 28.2% prevalence for predominant sensory neuropathy and 4.7% for sensorimotor. As groundwater is still the main source of drinking water, targeting low-As aquifers and switching tube-well from unsafe to nearby safe sources are two visible options to obtain safe drinking water