Impact of COVID-19 on the elderly

While in most developed countries an adult of age 65 years and above is considered an elderly, in Nepal, the age limit is 60 years. There will be two billion people in old age category worldwide by 2050. This rise in number of ageing group presents many challenges; one such challenge was faced during the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID- 19) pandemic. The aim of this narrative review is to assess the impact of COVID-19 on different aspects of life of the elderly. The impact of COVID-19 on the health of the elderly is greater compared to other age groups. Studies from around the world have showed that the risk of severity for COVID-19 is higher among the elderly. Many elderlies who got infected or died were healthcare personnel working in the frontline. Measures like physical distancing, movement restriction and home quarantine, all contributed to the increase in social isolation, especially for the elderly. This in turn could cause problems with their physical, mental, and cognitive health. Additionally, in lack of a steady source of income and insufficiency of savings, many face financial crises. Despite efforts to help the old people, they have been enduring the harsh outcomes of the pandemic. To support and respect elderly, their dignified life, clear policy interventions and proper implementations are a must

Strategies to increase the demand for childhood vaccination in lowand middle-income countries : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To investigate which strategies to increase demand for vaccination are effective in increasing child vaccine coverage in low- and middle-income countries. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library, POPLINE, ECONLIT, CINAHL, LILACS, BDSP, Web of Science and Scopus databases for relevant studies, published in English, French, German, Hindi, Portuguese and Spanish up to 25 March 2014. We included studies of interventions intended to increase demand for routine childhood vaccination. Studies were eligible if conducted in low- and middle-income countries and employing a randomized controlled trial, non-randomized controlled trial, controlled before-and-after or interrupted time series design. We estimated risk of bias using Cochrane collaboration guidelines and performed random-effects meta-analysis. Findings We identified 11 studies comprising four randomized controlled trials, six cluster randomized controlled trials and one controlled before-and-after study published in English between 1996 and 2013. Participants were generally parents of young children exposed to an eligible intervention. Six studies demonstrated low risk of bias and five studies had moderate to high risk of bias. We conducted a pooled analysis considering all 11 studies, with data from 11 512 participants. Demand-side interventions were associated with significantly higher receipt of vaccines, relative risk (RR): 1.30, (95% confidence interval, CI: 1.17–1.44). Subgroup analyses also demonstrated significant effects of seven education and knowledge translation studies, RR: 1.40 (95% CI: 1.20–1.63) and of four studies which used incentives, RR: 1.28 (95% CI: 1.12–1.45). Conclusion Demand-side interventions lead to significant gains in child vaccination coverage in low- and middle-income countries. Educational approaches and use of incentives were both effective strategies

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency near-patient tests for tafenoquine or primaquine use with Plasmodium vivax malaria

Objectives This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (diagnostic). The objectives are as follows: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of near‐patient tests for G6PD deficiency in people undergoing treatment or prophylaxis with primaquine or tafenoquine for malaria; or in people at risk of or susceptible to malaria. Secondary objectives To investigate sources of heterogeneity, namely the following. Age: adults versus children Sex: male versus female Reported prevalence of G6PD (high versus low) Malaria endemicity (endemic versus non‐endemic) Geographic location (continent of residence; that is, Africa, Asia, or other continent) Reference standard used (adjusted male median, median G6PD, laboratory standard) Type of blood used (venous versus capillary) To compare the accuracy of each type of test

Factors associated with adolescent pregnancy among Chepang women and their health-seeking behavior in Ichchhakamana rural municipality of Chitwan district.

Adolescent pregnancy is a critical public health issue, particularly in developing regions like Nepal, where it poses significant risks to maternal and child health and perpetuates the cycle of poverty. This study focused on the marginalized Chepang community, which is endangered and faces unique challenges. The study aimed to explore the factors associated with adolescent pregnancy among Chepang women in Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality, Chitwan, Nepal, and also assessed their reproductive health-seeking behavior. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted with 217 Chepang women aged 15-20 years, and data was collected through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. The collected data was entered and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistical tools like frequency, and percentage were used to express the results. Pearson chi-square test, Fisher exact test were used for bivariate analysis to determine the presence of association between the dependent and independent variables. Binary logistic regression was used for further analysis. The prevalence of current adolescent pregnancy was 8.3%(18), while one-fourth had experienced prior pregnancies during their adolescence. Factors significantly associated with adolescent pregnancy included lack of education among the women and their mothers, as well as living in joint families. Additionally, number of antenatal visits and consumption of iron tablets seemed to be lower among Chepang women in comparison to the national data. Chepang women had high adolescent pregnancy rates, with low education level and joint family structure being important risk factors for it. They also had inadequate reproductive health seeking behavior. Addressing these problems requires strategies that prioritize education and raise awareness about reproductive health

Estrategias para incrementar la demanda de vacunación infantil en países de ingresos bajos y medios: una revisión sistemática y un metanálisis / Strategies to increase the demand for childhood vaccination in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Resumen Objetivo: investigar qué estrategias para aumentar la demanda de vacunación son efectivas a la hora de incrementar la cobertura de vacunación infantil en países de ingresos bajos y medios. Metodología: se realizaron búsquedas en las bases de datos de MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, POPLINE, ECONLIT, CINAHL, LILACS, BDSP, Web of Science y Scopus para encontrar estudios pertinentes, publicados en alemán, español, francés, hindi, inglés y portugués hasta el 25 de marzo de 2014. Se incluyeron estudios de intervenciones que tenían como objetivo incrementar la demanda de vacunación infantil de rutina. Los estudios fueron considerados elegibles si se realizaron en países de ingresos bajos y medios y utilizaron un diseño de ensayo controlado aleatorizado, ensayo controlado no aleatorizado, estudio controlado antes y después o de series temporales interrumpidas. Se estimó un riesgo de sesgo mediante las directrices de colaboración de Cochrane y se realizaron metaanálisis de efectos aleatorios. Resultados: se identificaron 11 estudios que abarcan cuatro ensayos controlados aleatorizados, seis ensayos controlados aleatorizados por conglomerados y un estudio controlado antes y después, publicados en inglés entre 1996 y 2013. En general, los participantes fueron padres de niños pequeños expuestos a una intervención elegible. Seis estudios demostraron un bajo riesgo de sesgo y cinco estudios presentaron un riesgo de sesgo entre moderado y elevado. Se realizó un análisis agrupado teniendo en cuenta los 11 estudios, con datos de 11.512 participantes. Las intervenciones enfocadas en la demanda se relacionaron con una recepción de las vacunas significativamente superior, riesgo relativo (RR): 1,30, (intervalo de confianza, IC, del 95%: 1,17–1,44). Los análisis de los subgrupos también demostraron efectos importantes de siete estudios de educación y traslación de conocimientos, RR: 1,40 (IC del 95%: 1,20–1,63) y de cuatro estudios que utilizaron incentivos, RR: 1,28 (IC del 95%: 1,12–1,45). Conclusión: las intervenciones enfocadas en la demanda conducen a mejoras significativas en la cobertura de vacunación infantil en países de ingresos bajos y medios. Asimismo, los enfoques educativos y el uso de incentivos fueron estrategias efectivas. / Abstract Objective: To investigate which strategies to increase demand for vaccination are effective in increasing child vaccine coverage in low- and middle-income countries. Methodology: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library, POPLINE, ECONLIT, CINAHL, LILACS, BDSP, Web of Science and Scopus databases for relevant studies, published in English, French, German, Hindi, Portuguese and Spanish up to 25 March 2014. We included studies of interventions intended to increase demand for routine childhood vaccination. Studies were eligible if conducted in low- and middle-income countries and employing a randomized controlled trial, non-randomized controlled trial, controlled before-and-after or interrupted time series design. We estimated risk of bias using Cochrane collaboration guidelines and performed random-effects metaanalysis. Results: it was identified 11 studies comprising four randomized controlled trials, six cluster randomized controlled trials and one controlled before-and-after study published in English between 1996 and 2013. Participants were generally parents of young children exposed to an eligible intervention. Six studies demonstrated low risk of bias and five studies had moderate to high risk of bias. We conducted a pooled analysis considering all 11 studies, with data from 11 512 participants. Demand-side interventions were associated with significantly higher receipt of vaccines, relative risk (RR): 1.30, (95% confidence interval, CI: 1.17–1.44). Subgroup analyses also demonstrated significant effects of seven education and knowledge translation studies, RR: 1.40 (95% CI: 1.20–1.63) and of four studies which used incentives, RR: 1.28 (95% CI: 1.12–1.45). Conclusion: Demand-side interventions lead to significant gains in child vaccination coverage in low- and middle-income countries. Educational approaches and use of incentives were both effective strategies

Estrategias para incrementar la demanda de vacunación infantil en países de ingresos bajos y medios: una revisión sistemática y un metanálisis

Objetivo: investigar qué estrategias para aumentar la demanda de vacunación son efectivas a la hora de incrementar la cobertura de vacunación infantil en países de ingresos bajos y medios. Metodología: se realizaron búsquedas en las bases de datos de MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, POPLINE, ECONLIT, CINAHL, LILACS, BDSP, Web of Science y Scopus para encontrar estudios pertinentes, publicados en alemán, español, francés, hindi, inglés y portugués hasta el 25 de marzo de 2014. Se incluyeron estudios de intervenciones que tenían como objetivo incrementar la demanda de vacunación infantil de rutina. Los estudios fueron considerados elegibles si se realizaron en países de ingresos bajos y medios y utilizaron un diseño de ensayo controlado aleatorizado, ensayo controlado no aleatorizado, estudio controlado antes y después o de series temporales interrumpidas. Se estimó un riesgo de sesgo mediante las directrices de colaboración de Cochrane y se realizaron metaanálisis de efectos aleatorios. Resultados: se identificaron 11 estudios que abarcan cuatro ensayos controlados aleatorizados, seis ensayos controlados aleatorizados por conglomerados y un estudio controlado antes y después, publicados en inglés entre 1996 y 2013. En general, los participantes fueron padres de niños pequeños expuestos a una intervención elegible. Seisestudios demostraron un bajo riesgo de sesgo y cinco estudiospresentaron un riesgo de sesgo entre moderado y elevado.Se realizó un análisis agrupado teniendo en cuenta los 11estudios, con datos de 11.512 participantes. Las intervencionesenfocadas en la demanda se relacionaron con una recepciónde las vacunas significativamente superior, riesgo relativo(RR): 1,30, (intervalo de confianza, IC, del 95%: 1,17–1,44).Los análisis de los subgrupos también demostraron efectosimportantes de siete estudios de educación y traslación deconocimientos, RR: 1,40 (IC del 95%: 1,20–1,63) y de cuatroestudios que utilizaron incentivos, RR: 1,28 (IC del 95%:1,12–1,45). Conclusión: las intervenciones enfocadas en lademanda conducen a mejoras significativas en la coberturade vacunación infantil en países de ingresos bajos y medios.Asimismo, los enfoques educativos y el uso de incentivosfueron estrategias efectivas

In-depth analysis of the chemical composition, pharmacological effects, pharmacokinetics, and patent history of mangiferin

Introduction: Mangiferin (2-D-glucopyranosyl-1,3,6,7-tetrahydroxy-9H-xanthen-9-one) is extracted from different part of plants such seed, peel, and kernels of mango. Methods: In many studies mangiferin was studied for its antidiabetic, antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, immunomodulatory, and hypocholesterolaemia activity. It mainly works by altering the transcription process which further led to inhibition of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor. By preventing the expression of tumor necrosis factor, inducible nitric oxide synthase potential, proliferation, and apoptosis, mangiferin defends against a variety of human malignancies, such as breast, lung, brain, and colon tumours. It could defend against physiological hazards by preventing lipid peroxidation. Results: The present review focuses on an updated account of investigation related to mangiferin's chemo preventive activity, apoptosis induction in cancer cells, potential antioxidative activities, and patent mapping of additional therapeutic aspects. This review also highlights the different molecular targets of Mangiferin, as well as its potential as a polyphenol. Conclusion: From the finding of this review, it was concluded that Mangiferin has versatile pharmacological properties could serves as economic, safe and potential ailment in the treatment of diseases as well as dietary supplements

Molecular signature comprising 11 platelet-genes enables accurate blood-based diagnosis of NSCLC

Background: Early diagnosis is crucial for effective medical management of cancer patients. Tissue biopsy has been widely used for cancer diagnosis, but its invasive nature limits its application, especially when repeated biopsies are needed. Over the past few years, genomic explorations have led to the discovery of various blood-based biomarkers. Tumor Educated Platelets (TEPs) have, of late, generated considerable interest due to their ability to infer tumor existence and subtype accurately. So far, a majority of the studies involving TEPs have offered marker-panels consisting of several hundreds of genes. Profiling large numbers of genes incur a significant cost, impeding its diagnostic adoption. As such, it is important to construct minimalistic molecular signatures comprising a small number of genes. Results: To address the aforesaid challenges, we analyzed publicly available TEP expression profiles and identified a panel of 11 platelet-genes that reliably discriminates between cancer and healthy samples. To validate its efficacy, we chose non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most prevalent type of lung malignancy. When applied to platelet-gene expression data from a published study, our machine learning model could accurately discriminate between non-metastatic NSCLC cases and healthy samples. We further experimentally validated the panel on an in-house cohort of metastatic NSCLC patients and healthy controls via real-time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) (AUC = 0.97). Model performance was boosted significantly after artificial data-augmentation using the EigenSample method (AUC = 0.99). Lastly, we demonstrated the cancer-specificity of the proposed gene-panel by benchmarking it on platelet transcriptomes from patients with Myocardial Infarction (MI). Conclusion: We demonstrated an end-to-end bioinformatic plus experimental workflow for identifying a minimal set of TEP associated marker-genes that are predictive of the existence of cancers. We also discussed a strategy for boosting the predictive model performance by artificial augmentation of gene expression data.</p

Strategies to increase the demand for childhood vaccination in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate which strategies to increase demand for vaccination are effective in increasing child vaccine coverage in low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library, POPLINE, ECONLIT, CINAHL, LILACS, BDSP, Web of Science and Scopus databases for relevant studies, published in English, French, German, Hindi, Portuguese and Spanish up to 25 March 2014. We included studies of interventions intended to increase demand for routine childhood vaccination. Studies were eligible if conducted in low- and middle-income countries and employing a randomized controlled trial, non-randomized controlled trial, controlled before-and-after or interrupted time series design. We estimated risk of bias using Cochrane collaboration guidelines and performed random-effects meta-analysis. FINDINGS: We identified 11 studies comprising four randomized controlled trials, six cluster randomized controlled trials and one controlled before-and-after study published in English between 1996 and 2013. Participants were generally parents of young children exposed to an eligible intervention. Six studies demonstrated low risk of bias and five studies had moderate to high risk of bias. We conducted a pooled analysis considering all 11 studies, with data from 11 512 participants. Demand-side interventions were associated with significantly higher receipt of vaccines, relative risk (RR): 1.30, (95% confidence interval, CI: 1.17–1.44). Subgroup analyses also demonstrated significant effects of seven education and knowledge translation studies, RR: 1.40 (95% CI: 1.20–1.63) and of four studies which used incentives, RR: 1.28 (95% CI: 1.12–1.45). CONCLUSION: Demand-side interventions lead to significant gains in child vaccination coverage in low- and middle-income countries. Educational approaches and use of incentives were both effective strategies