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

Preclinical hematological profile studies of an ayurvedic medicine Siddha Makardhwaja after chronic administration to male sprague-dawley rats

Background: Siddha Makardhwaja (SMD) is a classical Ayurvedic formulation markedly used as a traditional medicine in the rural population for various purposes such as stimulant, tonic, and rejuvenator.Methods: The present study is conducted to evaluate the effect of conventionally prepared SMD on the hematological parameters in experimental animals, for providing scientific data base for its logical use in clinical practice. Acute toxicity tests were conducted to determine the LD50 of the drug. To find out the effect of chronic administration of SMD on hematological parameters it was administered chronically to the male Sprague-Dawley rats at a dose of 40mg/kg for 28 days.Results: In this experiment the TC, DC, various erythrocytic parameters, platelet parameters, ESR were determined. The results of the studies are given below. There is an (13.41%) increase in the number of white blood cell count of the male rat, the increase though not significant yet it was prominent (p=0.257). There is an (15.87%) increase in the absolute count of Neutrophils of the male rat, the increase though not significant yet it was prominent (p=0.371). There is an (12.29%) increase in the absolute count of Lymphocytes of the male rat, the increase though not significant yet it was prominent (p=0.388). There is a statistically significant (p=0.035) increase in the number of platelet count of the male rat (11.13% increase). There is a (2.03%) decrease in the platelet volume distribution width of the male rat, the decrease though not significant yet it was noticeable (p=0.094). There is a statistically insignificant (p=0.619) (10.0%) increase in Erythrocyte sedimentation rate in blood from the male rat.Conclusions: As SMD decreases and increases abnormally on the hematological parameters in body of treated rats, so it should not be administered chronically at a higher dose. Further studies should be done by reducing the administered dose

Preclinical HbA1c level studies of Brihat Khadir Batika and Chandraprabha Batika after chronic administration to male Sprague-Dawley rats

Background: Brihat Khadir Batika (BKD) and Chandraprabha Batika (CPB) are Ayurvedic preparations used as traditional medicines for different clinical indications in the rural population. BKD is used in diseases of throat and CPB is used in glandular enlargement. In this study we evaluate the influence of these preparations on HbA1c (%) level.Methods: To find out the average plasma glucose concentration over prolonged period of time, Ayurvedic medicinal preparations BKD and CPB were administered chronically to the male Sprague-Dawley rats at a dose of 400 mg/kg. After 28 days of chronic administration of BKD and CPB the following changes were noted. In this experiment Glycated Hemoglobin A1C level was determined.Results: The results of the study of in vitro quantitative determination of rat Glycated hemoglobin A1c concentrations in serum studies are thus: BKD caused a statistically insignificant (p=0.066) increase in the HbA1c level of the male rat (16.87% increase). CPB demonstrated a statistically insignificant (p=0.079) (17.47%) increase in the HbA1C level of the blood of the male rat.Conclusions: Both preparation BKD and CPB found in increasing HbA1c level of the blood of the male rat

Evaluation of pharmacological and toxicological studies of an ayurvedic medicine Rasaraj Ras on biological system of the male Sprague-Dawley rats

Background: In this study, the pharmacological and toxicological effects along with possible side effects of the classical ayurvedic formulation Rasaraj Ras (RR) which is used as a traditional medicine in the treatment of hemiplegia in the rural population were evaluated.Methods: During this study, various experiments on body growth rate, organ-body weight ratio and tissue hydration indices were performed to evaluate its efficacy and toxicity. To find out the toxicological characteristic of RR, it was administered chronically to the male Sprague-Dawley rats at a dose of 40 mg/kg. After 28 days chronic administration of the RR preparation the following toxicological changes were noted.Results: All throughout the experimental period the RR treated animals were always maintaining negligible changes in body weight, but all throughout the experimental period no statistically significant increase or decrease was noted. There is a statistically significant decrease in the relative percent weight of the male rat heart. There is a statistically highly significant decrease in the absolute weight of the male rat liver. There is a statistically highly significant decrease in the relative percent weight of the male rat liver. There is a statistically significant decrease in the relative percent weight of the male rat kidney. In the tissue hydration index determination, no significant changes were noted in case of any organ.Conclusions: As RR decreases abnormally weight of several organs in body of treated rats, so it should not be administered chronically at a higher dose

Structural patterns of fisheries communities with relation to ecological condition in subtropical coastal waters of the northern Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

1720-1732Fisheries assemblages with notes on the ecological conditions in coastal waters of the northern Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, were investigated based on beach seine fishing net data form a one-year cycle (2015-2016) data collected by beach seine net. A total of 75 species comprising of 61 finfishes, 7 shrimps, 2 cephalopods, 2 lobsters and 3 crab species were identified. Among them, 58 species were commonly distributed in all four seasons, while 16 species were found dominant to the total communities. The species number, richness, evenness, and species diversity peaked in the monsoon and fell in the winter. Multivariate analysis of CAP and dbRDA revealed that there were clear temporal and spatial variations in fisheries assemblages in the Kohelia channel. RELATE analysis showed a significant correlation between fisheries communities with environmental variables. Furthermore, best matching analysis (BEST/BIOENV) confirmed that these temporal and spatial variations were driven by changing salinity, transparency and nutrients either alone or combined with soil nutrients. Thus, these findings suggest that fisheries community structure is shaped by the ecological condition in this marine channel system

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,

Understanding the determinants of COVID-19 vaccination intention and willingness to pay: findings from a population-based survey in Bangladesh

Background- Several coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines have already been authorized and distributed in different countries all over the world, including Bangladesh. Understanding public acceptance of such a novel vaccine is vital, but little is known about the topic. Objectives- This study aimed to investigate the determinants of intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and willingness to pay (WTP) among people in Bangladesh. Methods- An anonymous and online-based survey of Bangladeshi people (mean age = 29.96 ± 9.15 years; age range = 18–60 years) was conducted using a self-reported questionnaire consisting of socio-demographics, COVID-19 experience, and vaccination-related information as well as the health belief model (HBM). Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccination intent and WTP. Results- Of the 894 participants, 38.5% reported a definite intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, whereas 27% had a probable intention, and among this intent group, 42.8% wanted to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Older age, feeling optimistic about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination, believing that vaccination decreases worries and risk of COVID-19 infection, and being less concerned about side effects and safety of COVID-19 vaccination under the HBM construct were found to be significant factors in COVID-19 vaccination intention. Most of the participants (72.9%) were willing to pay for a COVID-19 vaccine, with a median (interquartile range [IQR]) amount of BDT 400/US$4.72 (IQR; BDT 200–600/US$ 2.36–7.07) per dose. Factors associated with higher WTP were younger age, being male, having higher education, residing in an urban area, having good self-rated health status, positivity towards COVID-19 vaccination's effectiveness, and being worried about the likelihood of getting infected with COVID-19. Participants who were COVID-19 vaccination intent preferred an imported vaccine over a domestically-made vaccine (22.9% vs. 14.8%), while 28.2% preferred a routine immunization schedule. Conclusion- The findings indicate a considerable proportion of Bangladeshi people intended to get vaccinated and had WTP for the COVID-19 vaccine. However, urgent education and awareness programs are warranted to alleviate public skepticism regarding the COVID-19 vaccination

Financial threat, hardship and distress predict depression, anxiety and stress among the unemployed youths: a Bangladeshi multi-cities study

Introduction: Unemployment has a contributory role in the development of mental health problems and in Bangladesh there is increasing unemployment, particularly among youth. Consequently, the present study investigated depression, anxiety, and stress among recent graduates in a multi-city study across the country. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 988 Bangladeshi graduate jobseekers in six major cities of the country between August to November 2019. The measures included socio-demographics and life-style factors, study and job-related information, Economic Hardship Questionnaire, Financial Threat Scale, Financial Well-Being Scale, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. Results: Depression, anxiety and stress rates among the present sample were 81.1% (n=801), 61.5% (n=608) and 64.8% (n=640) respectively. Factors related to gender, age, socio-economic conditions, educational background, lack of extra-curricular activities, and high screen activity were significant risk factors of depression, anxiety, and stress. Structural equation modeling indicated that (while controlling for age, daily time spent on sleep study, and social media use), financial threat was moderately positively related to depression, anxiety, and stress. Financial hardship was weakly positively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress, whereas financial wellbeing was weakly negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Limitations: Due to the nature of the present study (i.e., cross-sectional study) and sampling method (i.e., convenience sampling), determining causality between the variables is not possible. Conclusions: The present results emphasized the important detrimental role of financial troubles on young people's mental health by showing that financial problems among unemployed youth predict elevated psychiatric distress in both men and women

Problematic internet use in Bangladeshi students: the role of socio-demographic factors, depression, anxiety, and stress

Problematic Internet Use (PIU) has become a concern for public mental health across the globe. However, there are few studies assessing PIU in Bangladesh. The present cross-sectional study estimated the prevalence rate of PIU and its associated risk factors among 405 university students in Bangladesh between June and July 2018. The measures included sociodemographic questions, internet and health-related variables, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The prevalence of PIU was 32.6% among the respondents (cut-off score of ≥50 on the IAT). The prevalence of PIU was higher in males in comparison to females, although the difference was not statistically significant. Internet-related variables and psychiatric comorbidities were positively associated with PIU. From the unadjusted model, more frequent use of the internet and more time spent on the internet were identified as strong predictors of PIU, whereas the adjusted model showed depressive symptoms and stress only as strong predictors of PIU. It is hoped this preliminary study will facilitate further study on PIU along with other psychiatric disorders in Bangladesh