Drug utilization pattern evaluation and cost variation analysis of anti-fungal agents in tinea infected patients in dermatology department of a tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: Tinea infections are chronic superficial fungal infections, highly prevalent in tropical countries like India. Therefore, long-term therapy is needed and this can inflict a financial burden on the patients. Aim of the study was to assess drug utilization patterns in patients diagnosed with tinea infection and to evaluate the cost variability of anti-fungal agents. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in patients for 3 months after taking permission from IEC. All adult patients already diagnosed with tinea infection were enrolled. Evaluation of drug utilization pattern was carried out using WHO core drug prescribing indicators and percentage of cost variability was calculated between different brands of anti-fungal agents. Results: A total of 252 patients were enrolled. Tinea corporis and cruris were the most commonly diagnosed tinea infection. Pruritus was the most common presenting symptom. Past history of similar illness was seen in 74 (29.4%) patients mean of 3.83±0.87 drugs were prescribed per patient. Drugs prescribed from NLEM was only 42.1%. Most commonly prescribed drugs were oral itraconazole and topical miconazole. Percentage of cost variability was seen maximum with capsule itraconazole 200 mg (237.5%) by oral route and luliconazole 30 gm (175.6%) by topical route. Conclusions: Prescribing practices of drugs can be improved by promoting generic drug and prescribing drugs from NLEM. Wide range of cost variation can lead to high economic burden in tinea infected patients

Body appreciation around the world: Measurement invariance of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age

The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset - with data collected between 2020 and 2022 - to assess measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that full scalar invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional BAS-2 model has widespread applicability. There were large differences across nations and languages in latent body appreciation, while differences across gender identities and age groups were negligible-to-small. Additionally, greater body appreciation was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, being single (versus being married or in a committed relationship), and greater rurality (versus urbanicity). Across a subset of nations where nation-level data were available, greater body appreciation was also significantly associated with greater cultural distance from the United States and greater relative income inequality. These findings suggest that the BAS-2 likely captures a near-universal conceptualisation of the body appreciation construct, which should facilitate further cross-cultural research

Exposure and Connectedness to Natural Environments: An Examination of the Measurement Invariance of the Nature Exposure Scale (NES) and Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) Across 65 Nations, 40 Languages, Gender Identities, and Age Groups

International audienceDetachment from nature is contributing to the environmental crisis and reversing this trend requires detailed monitoring and targeted interventions to reconnect people to nature. Most tools measuring nature exposure and attachment were developed in high-income countries and little is known about their robustness across national and linguistic groups. Therefore, we used data from the Body Image in Nature Survey to assess measurement invariance of the Nature Exposure Scale (NES) and the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups (N = 56,968). While multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) of the NES supported full scalar invariance across gender identities and age groups, only partial scalar invariance was supported across national and linguistic groups. MG-CFA of the CNS also supported full scalar invariance across gender identities and age groups, but only partial scalar invariance of a 7-item version of the CNS across national and linguistic groups. Nation-level associations between NES and CNS scores were negligible, likely reflecting a lack of conceptual clarity over what the NES is measuring. Individual-level associations between both measures and sociodemographic variables were weak. Findings suggest that the CNS-7 may be a useful tool to measure nature connectedness globally, but measures other than the NES may be needed to capture nature exposure cross-culturally