Weight-related status and associated predictors with psychological well-being among first-year university students in Bangladesh: a pilot study

University students (especially first-years) not only have to cope with their academic curriculum but also issues such as being away from the home environment and living independently for the first time. Those who do not adapt quickly to these new conditions are likely to be susceptible to physical and psychological vulnerabilities. The present study surveyed first-year Bangladeshi undergraduate students to investigate their weight status (i.e., the prevalence of being normal weight, underweight, overweight, and obese) and the prevalence of depression and associated risk factors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 404 first-year university students (aged 18–23 years) residing at a Bangladeshi university. The participants completed a survey examining socio-demographic and behavioral variables, alongside the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Binary logistic regression was performed to determine significant associations between the variables under examination. Prevalence rates of being normal weight, underweight, overweight, and obese were 66.8%, 20.3%, 9.7%, and 3.2% respectively. Associated predictors of weight-related problems were being female and lack of physical exercise. The prevalence rate of depression was 68.1%. There were no significant gender differences and associated predictors of depression were lack of physical exercise, unsatisfactory sleep quality, excessive internet use, and excessive reading hours. Being underweight, overweight, or being obese alongside the prevalence of depression among first-year university students were high. Findings indicate that first-year university students are a vulnerable group for some physical and psychological problems. Findings recommend the need for intervention programs, alongside adequate and appropriate supportive services for first-year Bangladeshi university students

Suicide related to the COVID-19 pandemic in India: a systematic review

Background: The suicide rate has increased during the pandemic in India. Moreover, several studies, especially press-media reporting suicide studies have been conducted but no systematic review has been attempted in this context. Therefore, the present study systematically investigated the risk factors associated with suicidal behaviors, and the method of suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was performed to include papers published up until September 30, 2022. From an initial 144 papers, 18 studies which met the inclusion criteria were included in the present review. The Pierson’s method was used for quality assessment of the included studies in the present review. Results: The risk factors associated with suicide comprised: (i) socio-demographic factors (e.g., being aged between 31 and 50 years, male, married, unemployed), (ii) behavior and health-related factors (e.g., unavailability of alcohol and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, poor state of physical health and health issues, family disputes, relationship complexities, and sexual harassment), (iii) COVID-19-related factors (e.g., fear of COVID-19, COVID-19 test results, quarantine or isolation, financial hardship due to the pandemic, having influenza-like symptoms, experiencing stigmatization and ostracism despite testing negative, separation from family due to transport restrictions, misinterpreting other illness symptoms as COVID-19, saving the village from infection, watching COVID-19 videos on social media, online schooling, perceived stigma toward COVID-19, and being suspected of having COVID-19), and (iv) psychopathological stressors (depression, loneliness, stress, TikTok addiction, and poor mental health, suicidal tendencies, helplessness, and worrying). Hanging was the most common method of suicide. In addition, jumping from high buildings, poisoning, drowning, burning, cutting or slitting throat or wrists, self-immolation, medication overdose, electrocution, pesticide, and gun-shot were also used to carry out the suicide. Conclusions: Findings from this research suggest multiple reasons for suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic and knowledge of such factors could aid in developing suicide prevention strategies focusing the most vulnerable cohorts inside and outside India

Psychometric validation of the Bangla fear of COVID-19 Scale: confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis

The recently developed Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) is a seven-item uni-dimensional scale that assesses the severity of fears of COVID-19. Given the rapid increase of COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh, we aimed to translate and validate the FCV-19S in Bangla. The forward-backward translation method was used to translate the English version of the questionnaire into Bangla. The reliability and validity properties of the Bangla FCV-19S were rigorously psychometrically evaluated (utilizing both confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis) in relation to socio-demographic variables, national lockdown variables, and response to the Bangla Health Patient Questionnaire. The sample comprised 8550 Bangladeshi participants. The Cronbach α value for the Bangla FCV-19S was 0.871 indicating very good internal reliability. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the uni-dimensional factor structure of the FCV-19S fitted well with the data. The FCV-19S was significantly correlated with the nine-item Bangla Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-90) (r = 0.406,

Prevalence, years lived with disability, and trends in anaemia burden by severity and cause, 1990-2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background Anaemia is a major health problem worldwide. Global estimates of anaemia burden are crucial for developing appropriate interventions to meet current international targets for disease mitigation. We describe the prevalence, years lived with disability, and trends of anaemia and its underlying causes in 204 countries and territories. Methods We estimated population-level distributions of haemoglobin concentration by age and sex for each location from 1990 to 2021. We then calculated anaemia burden by severity and associated years lived with disability (YLDs). With data on prevalence of the causes of anaemia and associated cause-specific shifts in haemoglobin concentrations, we modelled the proportion of anaemia attributed to 37 underlying causes for all locations, years, and demographics in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Findings In 2021, the global prevalence of anaemia across all ages was 24·3% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 23·9–24·7), corresponding to 1·92 billion (1·89–1·95) prevalent cases, compared with a prevalence of 28·2% (27·8–28·5) and 1·50 billion (1·48–1·52) prevalent cases in 1990. Large variations were observed in anaemia burden by age, sex, and geography, with children younger than 5 years, women, and countries in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia being particularly affected. Anaemia caused 52·0 million (35·1–75·1) YLDs in 2021, and the YLD rate due to anaemia declined with increasing Socio-demographic Index. The most common causes of anaemia YLDs in 2021 were dietary iron deficiency (cause-specific anaemia YLD rate per 100 000 population: 422·4 [95% UI 286·1–612·9]), haemoglobinopathies and haemolytic anaemias (89·0 [58·2–123·7]), and other neglected tropical diseases (36·3 [24·4–52·8]), collectively accounting for 84·7% (84·1–85·2) of anaemia YLDs. Interpretation Anaemia remains a substantial global health challenge, with persistent disparities according to age, sex, and geography. Estimates of cause-specific anaemia burden can be used to design locally relevant health interventions aimed at improving anaemia management and prevention. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Femtosecond-assisted preparation of donor tissue for Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis

Majid Moshirfar1, Marcus C Neuffer1, Krista Kinard1, Monette T Lependu1, Shameema Sikder21John A Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; 2Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USAAbstract: We describe a technique for femtosecond laser-assisted preparation of donor tissue for Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis to provide accurate double punching of the donor tissue for optimized alignment in the visual axis. The technique was reproducibly performed in four donor corneas mounted in an artificial anterior chamber. This technique can provide optically centered donor tissue with smooth trephinated edges.Keywords: keratoplasty, femtosecond laser, cornea, laser-trephinated tissu

The psychometric properties of the Bangla Nomophobia Questionnaire

Nomophobia (the fear of being without a mobile phone or being unable to use it) is an area of growing research interest. The 20-item Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) is the most popular instrument to assess nomophobia. However, there is no validated scale to assess nomophobia in Bangladesh. The present study translated and validated the NMP-Q into Bangla. A cross-sectional study using convenience sampling was conducted among 585 university students. The study collected data on socio-demographics, behavioural health, academic attainment, nomophobia, smartphone addiction, and Facebook addiction. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to validate the scale’s factor structure. The four-factor structure was supported by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Cronbach alphas were 0.915 for the total scale, 0.88 for Factor 1 (not being able to communicate), 0.83 for Factor 2 (losing connectedness), 0.71 for Factor 3 (not being able to access information), and 0.78 for Factor 4 (giving up convenience). Convergent validity was supported by significant associations between nomophobia and both smartphone addiction and Facebook addiction. Measurement invariance across gender was supported in multigroup CFA. The findings indicated that the NMP-Q Bangla appears to be a psychometrically valid and reliable instrument and can be used for further studies to assess nomophobia among Bangladeshi students

Nomophobia among university students: prevalence, correlates, and the mediating role of smartphone use between Facebook addiction and nomophobia

Nomophobia (‘no mobile phone phobia’) has been growing issue worldwide in recent years and has been associated with a number of psychological and behavioral health-related problems. However, few studies have examined nomophobia in Bangladesh. Therefore, the severity and correlates of nomophobia, and the mediating role of smartphone use between Facebook addiction and nomophobia was investigated. A cross-sectional study utilizing 585 university students was conducted employing a convenience sampling method. Data were collected using a survey in March 2022. The survey comprised questions related to socio-demographics, behavioral health, academic performance, nomophobia, smartphone addiction, Facebook addiction, insomnia, and depression. The mean score of nomophobia was 88.55 out of 140 (±21.71). The prevalence was 9.4% for mild nomophobia, 56.1% for moderate nomophobia, and 34.5% for severe nomophobia. First-year students had higher levels of nomophobia than other years. Significant predictors for nomophobia included daily duration of smartphone time, psychoactive substance use, and being in a relationship. Nomophobia was significantly associated with smartphone addiction, Facebook addiction, insomnia, and depression. Moreover, smartphone addiction significantly mediated the relationship between Facebook addiction and nomophobia. Strategies that help reduce daily smartphone time, and reduce psychoactive substance use might help reduce nomophobia prevalence among university students

Evolutionary feature optimization and classification for monitoring floating objects

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015. Water surfaces are polluted due to various man-made and natural pollutants. In urban areas, natural water sources including rivers, lakes and creeks are the biggest collectors of such contaminants. Monitoring of water sources can help to investigate many of details relating to the types of litter and their origin. Usually two principlemethods are applied for this type of applications, which include either a use of in-situ sensors or monitoring by computer vision methods. Sensory approach can detect detailed properties of a water including salinity and chemical composition. Whereas, a camera based detection helps to monitor visible substances like floating or immersed objects in a transparent water. Current computer vision systems require an application specific computational models to address a variability introduced due to the environmental fluctuations. Hence, a computer vision algorithm is proposed to detect and classify floating objects in various environmental irregularities. This method uses an evolutionary algorithmic principles to learn inconsistencies in the patterns by using a historical data of river pollution. A proof of the concept is built and validated using a real life data of pollutants. The experimental results clearly indicate the advantages of proposed scheme over the other benchmark methods used for addressing the similar problem