Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health: A Narrative Review

COVID-19 is an infectious disease that is serious, lethal, and transmissible. Since December 2019 the aftermath of the COVID-19 has been experienced by millions of global populations in all age groups, i.e., from newborn to elderly, regardless of gender. In consequence, it has triggered widespread apprehension, fear, hopelessness, and stress in the populace. The pandemic has decimated jobs and put at risk millions of livelihoods. The vivid challenges being faced are multifold, e. g., fear, depression, poor physical well-being, economic collapses, educational and professional hardships, domestic violence, family breakdowns, and many more. COVID-19 is a new type of coronavirus that had not been identified in humans previously. There are several behavioral and mental health-related problems increasing in all people due to Coronavirus which are relatively more important than physical well-being. Thus, this paper aims to comprehensively review the current literature on the negative effect of the COVID-19 on behavioral and mental health, as well as pertinent, useful, and effective psychosocial interventions to be provided to the needy and vulnerable brackets of human society. To accomplish this work, relevant and major research papers available on PUBMED and Google Scholar have been searched and reviewed. In addition, a few more chapters and articles (published after the year 2000) have also been reviewed on interventional research to be useful and incorporated. At last, methodological limitations and conclusions focus on a need for more representative research to understand the prevalence of mental health problems among the general population due to pandemics

Evidence for the possible involvement of the superoxide radicals in the photodegradation of bilirubin

The photodecomposition of bilirubin follows first order kinetics with ak B value of 12.5 × 10-3 min-1. In the presence of a model system generating superoxide anions, such as xanthine-xanthine oxidase, the k B value was 103 × 10-3 min-1 This ten-fold enhancement ofk B value by xanthine-xanthine oxidase was abolished when the reaction mixture was supplemented with a superoxide ion scavenger- superoxide dismustase. Further, known singlet oxygen quenchers like β -carotene and bistidine did not prevent the enhancement of bilirubin oxidation by xanthine-xanthine oxidase, thereby ruling out the obligatory conversion of Superoxide anion to singlet oxygen. It is concluded that radical oxygen mediated bilirubin degradation might be a natural catabolic route for the bile pigment degradation during oxygen stress

Acute on chronic liver failure- etiology, clinical profile, prognostic scores: experience from tertiary care centre of eastern India

Background: Acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a recently recognised entity in chronic liver disease patients. Data regarding ACLF in terms of clinical presentation, etiology of underlying cirrhosis, precipitating factors, prognostic factors are lacking from eastern India. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the above factors along with the assessment of short-term mortality (4 weeks) in patients of ACLF.Methods: In this prospective observational study, 120 patients diagnosed as ACLF were included. A comparison of complications, biochemical profiles and prognostic scores was made between the survivor and non-survivor groups.Results: Of the 120 ACLF patients included, the mean age was 44.9±8.6 years and the male to female ratio was 2.5:1. Common clinical presentations were jaundice (100%), ascites (88.3%), hepatic encephalopathy (60%). The most common etiology for underlying CLD was alcohol (51.7%) followed by chronic hepatitis B (20%) and chronic hepatitis C (15%) infection. Alcohol hepatitis (40%) followed by hepatotropic viral infections (20%) and drug-induced liver injury (15%) were common identifiable precipitating agents. After a follow-up period of 4 weeks, 56 (46.6%) out of 120 patients died. The presence of sepsis, hyponatremia, renal failure, and coagulopathy was significantly associated with high mortality. Mortality was higher among patients having high Chronic liver failure consortium- acute on chronic liver failure (CLIF-ACLF) grade and closely related to the number of organ failures.Conclusions: ACLF is a rapidly progressive syndrome in chronic liver disease patients, having high short-term mortality

Effect of semi-solid forging on microstructure and mechanical properties of in-situ cast Al-Cu-TiB2 composites

The present work deals with the effect of semisolid processing on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-4.5% Cu – 5% TiB2 in-situ cast composites. The composite was prepared by flux assisted synthesis in which TiB2 particles were formed in-situ through an exothermic reaction between K2TiF6 and KBF4 halide salts. Al-4.5 wt% Cu alloy and Al-4.5% Cu-5% TiB2 composite samples were forged in semisolid state with 0.3 vol fraction of liquid. Semisolid forging was carried out for two forge reductions (30% and 50% forge reductions). Microstructure studies show that the semi-solid forging results in uniform distribution of TiB2 particles and Al2Cu particles in the composite. Further, TiB2 particles play a dual role as grain refiners as well as reinforcements of composites. EBSD and nano indentation studies shows that semisolid forging results in dynamic recrystallization of grains in the composite with significant grain refinement which leads to a marked increase in hardness and elastic modulus of the alloy as well as the composite

Towards the Development of a Z-Scheme FeOx/g-C3N4 Thin Film and Perspectives for Ciprofloxacin Visible Light-Driven Photocatalytic Degradation

Thermally synthesized graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) over pulsed laser deposition (PLD) produced urchin-like iron oxide (FeOx) thin films were fabricated via in situ and ex situ processes. Materials characterisation revealed the formation of the graphitic allotrope of C3N4 and a bandgap Eg for the combined FeOx/g-C3N4 of 1.87 and 1.95 eV for each of the different fabrication strategies. The in situ method permitted to develop a novel petal-like morphology, whereas for the ex situ method, a morphological mixture between FeOx bulk and g-C3N4 was observed. Given the improved optical and morphological properties of the in situ film, it was employed as a proof of concept for the direct photocatalysis and photo-Fenton removal of ciprofloxacin antibiotic (CIP) under visible light irradiation. Improved photocatalytic activity (rate constant k = 8.28 × 10−4 min−1) was observed, with further enhancement under photo-Fenton conditions (k = 2.6 × 10−3 min−1), in comparison with FeOx + H2O2 (k = 1.6 × 10−3 min−1) and H2O2 only (k = 1.3 × 10−4 min−1). These effects demonstrate the in situ methodology as a viable route to obtain working heterojunctions for solar photocatalysis in thin-film materials, rather than the more common powder materials

Prevalence of needle stick injuries, its associated factors and awareness among nursing staff at tertiary care hospital of North India

Background: Needle Stick Injuries (NSIs) are defined as accidental skin penetrating injuries caused by needles. It is the single greatest occupational hazard to a medical personnel. In developing countries, needle stick injury is associated with the highest global prevalence of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. Aim & Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of needle stick injuries, its associated risk factors and assess the awareness regarding needle stick injuries among nursing staff. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among nursing staff who were working at a tertiary care hospital in Northern India during June 2019 to November 2019. The study commenced after taking prior approval from institutional ethics committee. A census method was used to include the participants. Results: Around 66.7% of the nursing staff was exposed to NSIs during their working hours at the hospital. There was significant association of needle stick injuries with place of working and education of nursing staff in multivariate binary logistic regression. About 26% of the nurses were unaware that recapping should be done or not for used needle, and 35% of staff nurses recapped the needle after the use. Conclusion: Needle stick injuries can be prevented by continued education, effective training, providing better safety devices, a positive work environment

Chemical composition and antioxidant capacities of phytococktail extracts from trans-Himalayan cold desert

BACKGROUND: Himalayan plants are widely used in traditional system of medicine both as prophylactics and therapeutics for high altitude maladies. Our aim was to evaluate the antioxidant capacities and bioactive compounds of methanol and n-hexane extracts of the phytococktail comprising of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), apricot (Prunus armeniaca) and roseroot (Rhodiola imbricata) from trans-Himalaya. METHODS: The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging capacities and lipid peroxidation inhibition (LPI) property of the extracts were determined. Total antioxidant power was determined by ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Total polyphenol, flavonoid, flavonol, proanthocyanidin and carotenoid were also estimated for both extracts. We have identified and quantified the phyto-chemotypes present in the methanol and n-hexane extracts by hyphenated gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) technique. RESULTS: Antioxidant capacity assays using DPPH, ABTS, NO, LPI and FRAP exhibited analogous results where the phytococktail showed high antioxidant action. The phytococktail was also found to possess high quantity of total polyphenol, flavonoid, flavonol and carotenoid. A significant and linear correlation was found between the antioxidant capacities and bioactive principles. A total of 32 phyto-chemotypes were identified from these extracts by GC/MS chemometric fingerprinting. Major phyto-chemotypes identified by GC/MS were glycosides, phenylpropanoids and derivatives, terpenoids, alkaloids, phytosterols, fatty acids and esters, alkaloids and derivatives, organic acid esters and aromatic ethers with positive biological and pharmacological actions. CONCLUSION: The phytococktail extracts were found to contain considerable amount of diverse bioactive compounds with high antioxidant capacities. The presence of hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidants in the phytococktail could have contributed to the higher antioxidant values. Hence, the phytococktail could be used as natural source of antioxidants to ameliorate disorders associated with oxidative stress

Genome-wide association study identifies loci and candidate genes for grain micronutrients and quality traits in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Malnutrition due to micronutrients and protein deficiency is recognized among the major global health issues. Genetic biofortification of wheat is a cost-effective and sustainable strategy to mitigate the global micronutrient and protein malnutrition. Genomic regions governing grain zinc concentration (GZnC), grain iron concentration (GFeC), grain protein content (GPC), test weight (TW), and thousand kernel weight (TKW) were investigated in a set of 184 diverse bread wheat genotypes through genome-wide association study (GWAS). The GWAS panel was genotyped using Breeders' 35 K Axiom Array and phenotyped in three different environments during 2019–2020. A total of 55 marker-trait associations (MTAs) were identified representing all three sub-genomes of wheat. The highest number of MTAs were identified for GPC (23), followed by TKW (15), TW (11), GFeC (4), and GZnC (2). Further, a stable SNP was identified for TKW, and also pleiotropic regions were identified for GPC and TKW. In silico analysis revealed important putative candidate genes underlying the identified genomic regions such as F-box-like domain superfamily, Zinc finger CCCH-type proteins, Serine-threonine/tyrosine-protein kinase, Histone deacetylase domain superfamily, and SANT/Myb domain superfamily proteins, etc. The identified novel MTAs will be validated to estimate their effects in different genetic backgrounds for subsequent use in marker-assisted selection

Multipore zeolites: synthesis and catalytic applications

[EN] In the last few years, important efforts have been made to synthesize so-called "multipore" zeolites, which contain channels of different dimensions within the same crystalline structure. This is a very attractive subject, since the presence of pores of different sizes would favor the preferential diffusion of reactants and products through those different channel systems, allowing unique catalytic activities for specific chemical processes. In this Review we describe the most attractive achievements in the rational synthesis of multipore zeolites, containing small to extra-large pores, and the improvements reported for relevant chemical processes when these multipore zeolites have been used as catalysts.Financial support by the Spanish Government-MINECO through “Severo Ochoa” (SEV 2012-0267), Consolider Ingenio 2010-Multicat, MAT2012-37160, MAT2012-31657 and Intramural-201480I015 is acknowledged.Moliner Marin, M.; Martínez, C.; Corma Canós, A. (2015). Multipore zeolites: synthesis and catalytic applications. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 54(12):3560-3579. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201406344S35603579541