Air quality during COVID-19 lockdown: Blessing in disguise

The world at present is facing a gravest health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To control its unimaginable transmission worldwide lockdown was implemented resulting in economic deterioration but on the other hand betterment of the environment took place. Therefore this study attempted to analyze the quality of air during the lockdown period and infer its outcome to environment and health. 15 empirical research articles, eight (54%), three (20%), two (13%) and two (13%) from Asia, Europe, South America and North America, respectively have been evaluated. From the studies it was inferred that during the lockdown period, in general, there was a trend of decrease in the level of concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, CO, NO, NO2, NH3, NOx, SO2 and increase in the concentration level of O3 in comparison to either the pre-lockdown period or to the previous year(s) records. Marked decrease in the levels of NO, NO2, NOx were noted. Also PM10, PM2.5, SO2 and CO levels were seen to diminish significantly. The main reasons for such decrease were restricted movements of traffic and temporary closure of factories and industries. However, as the thermal power plants were functional during lockdown so improvement of air quality in those areas was not significant. Overall, significant improvement in the air quality was observed during the lockdown which led to better climatic conditions, lesser pollution and improved many seasonal ailments like asthma and other cardio-respiratory issues in people

Journey from seclusion to inclusion: Development of mental health services in India since independence

575-579Mental health is an integral and essential component of “Health”. It is more than the mere absence of mental disorders or disabilities. It determines the quality of life of the individuals. The progress and prosperity of a nation depend on the overall quality of health of its citizens. However, until early twentieth century the issues of mental health and well-being were inadequately addressed. Often people with psychological ailments were considered to be non-productive people, confined in asylums, received inhumane treatment and were completely secluded from the mainstream society. Since independence initiatives have been taken by individuals and by the central government and the state governments, to develop the mental health services in India. This paper reviewed published articles, book-chapters and books to explore the development of mental health services in India since Independence. It was observed that measures were taken to improve the conditions of the mental hospitals. A trend towards deinstitutionalization was set by the Government of India and that initiated the creation of general hospital psychiatric units and community mental health services. Humanistic approach in treatment, development of psychotropic drugs and psychotherapies facilitated the management and care of the patients with psychiatric diseases, thereby improving their quality of life

Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health of the health care workers

594-601The attack of COVID-19 has been a threat to the public health rendering it a global war by the humans against a deadly virus and the soldiers of this battle are the frontline healthcare workers. They are most vulnerable to infection and other adverse effects which have profound emotional impact on them. These factors can result in different types of psychological pressure that trigger feelings of loneliness, helplessness, stress, irritability, fatigue, despair, sleep disturbance, anxiety and fear of contagion. The current study is to find the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the healthcare workers. Relevant scientific articles were procured from Google scholar database through purposive sampling technique. Total size of the participants was 6868, belonging to the age group 18 to 60 years. It was observed that 50%, 46%, 37%, 30%, 21%, 19%, 6%, 2%, 1%, 1%, 1% and 1% of the total sample had symptoms of insomnia/poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression, somatisation, stress/distress, social dysfunction, low professional identity, burnout effect, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, phobic symptoms, fear of COVID-19 and worry, respectively. The healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients especially are at high risk of developing various psycho-pathological symptoms that may adversely affect their mental well-being and productivity. Hence, psycho-education, psychosocial support, adequate counselling facilities, social interactions and reasonable resting facilities for the medical professional maybe adapted for the mental well-being of the healthcare workers

Air quality during COVID-19 lockdown: Blessing in disguise

420-430The  world  at  present  is  facing  a  gravest  health  crisis  due  to  the  Covid-19  pandemic.  To  control  its  unimaginable transmission worldwide lockdown was implemented resulting in economic deterioration but on the other hand betterment of the environment took place.  Therefore this study attempted to analyze the quality of air during the lockdown period and infer its outcome to environment and health. 15 empirical research articles, eight (54%), three (20%), two (13%) and two (13%) from Asia, Europe, South America and North America, respectively have been evaluated. From the studies it was inferred that during the lockdown period, in general, there was a trend of decrease in the level of concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, CO, NO, NO2, NH3, NOx, SO2 and increase in the concentration level of O3  in comparison to either the pre-lockdown period or to the previous year(s) records. Marked decrease in the levels of NO, NO2, NOx were noted. Also PM10, PM2.5, SO2  and CO levels were seen to diminish significantly. The main reasons for such decrease were restricted movements of traffic  and  temporary  closure  of  factories  and  industries.  However,  as  the  thermal  power  plants  were  functional  during lockdown  so  improvement  of  air  quality  in  those  areas  was  not  significant.  Overall,  significant  improvement  in  the  air quality  was  observed  during  the  lockdown  which  led  to  better  climatic  conditions,  lesser  pollution  and  improved  many seasonal ailments like asthma and other cardio-respiratory issues in people

Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health of the health care workers

The attack of COVID-19 has been a threat to the public health rendering it a global war by the humans against a deadly virus and the soldiers of this battle are the frontline healthcare workers. They are most vulnerable to infection and other adverse effects which have profound emotional impact on them. These factors can result in different types of psychological pressure that trigger feelings of loneliness, helplessness, stress, irritability, fatigue, despair, sleep disturbance, anxiety and fear of contagion. The current study is to find the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the healthcare workers. Relevant scientific articles were procured from Google scholar database through purposive sampling technique. Total size of the participants was 6868, belonging to the age group 18 to 60 years. It was observed that 50%, 46%, 37%, 30%, 21%, 19%, 6%, 2%, 1%, 1%, 1% and 1% of the total sample had symptoms of insomnia/poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression, somatisation, stress/distress, social dysfunction, low professional identity, burnout effect, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, phobic symptoms, fear of COVID-19 and worry, respectively. The healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients especially are at high risk of developing various psycho-pathological symptoms that may adversely affect their mental well-being and productivity. Hence, psycho-education, psychosocial support, adequate counselling facilities, social interactions and reasonable resting facilities for the medical professional maybe adapted for the mental well-being of the healthcare workers

Alleviate Examination Anxiety and conserve Mental Health of the Adolescent Students: the future of the nation

Adolescents are the potential human resources of every nation. Various determinants may influence the mental and physical well-being of the youth. Examination anxiety is one such. It is a prevalent problem for many adolescent students; affecting approximately 10-40 percent of all students. Yoga can act as one of the best alternative methods of treatment. It aims at creating and preserving a proper balance between the body and the mind. 61 adolescent students, of age group 14-16 years, suffering from examination anxiety participated in this study. Examination Anxiety Scale for adolescents, developed and standardized by the investigators, was used for assessing examination anxiety. The subjects were divided into two groups randomly- the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group participated in the yoga intervention program for six weeks, whereas, the control group did not participate in the same. After six weeks, both the groups were assessed again. The result showed that the mean examination anxiety score reduced from 71.70 to 68.80 for the experimental group and it was statistically significant at (P<0.05). For the male and the female experimental groups, the mean examination anxiety score reduced from 71.84 to 68.92, and 72.12 to 68.71, respectively. For the male group, reduction in examination anxiety score was not statistically significant (P =0.106) whereas, for the female group changes were statistically significant (P <0.05). From the result, it can be concluded that yoga has a significant effect on attenuating the examination anxiety. Further, the result showed that yoga reduced examination anxiety in both males and females. However, the positive effect of yoga intervention was more significant in females than in male

Physiological phimosis-the tincture of time

Background: Phimosis is one of the commonest presentations in the pediatric surgery outdoor. The main concern has been over avoidance of surgery in physiological phimosis. Different protocols have been proposed from time to time.Methods: An observational study was carried out in the pediatric surgery outdoor of SMS Medical College Jaipur, Rajasthan, India in 40 children aged 5 years or above who were treated for physiological phimosis by non-operative methods at some stage.Results: Ninety percent of the patients had resolution of phimosis by conservative means. The remaining patients were having difficulty in retraction, but no complications were identified in any patient.Conclusions: Phimosis is physiological and management should be restricted to reassurance in all cases that have no evidence of scarring or associated pathologies

Room Temperature Selective Epoxidation of Cyclooctene Over Ag nanoparticles Supported on Tungsten Oxide with H2O2

We have prepared silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) supported on tungsten oxide (WO3) in presence of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), a catinic surfactant. The catalyst was characterized by XRD, ICP-AES, FT-IR, SEM and TEM. The catalyst was highly active for selective oxidation of cyclooctene to cyclooctene oxide at room temperature with H2O2. The reusability of the catalyst which is a prerequisite for practical applications was performed and it was found that the catalyst exhibits no significant changes in its catalytic activity even after three reuses. A cyclooctene conversion of 55% with cyclooctene oxide selectivity of ~99% was achieved over this catalys

Oxidation of Cyclohexane Over Nanoclusters of Cu (II) Supported on Nanocrystalline Tungsten Oxide with H2O2 as Oxidant

A facile hydrothermal synthesis method is developed for the preparation of Cu (II) nanoclusters (with average particle size 6 nm) supported on nanocrystalline tungsten (VI) oxide. Detailed characterization of the material was carried out by XRD, SEM, TEM, ICP-AES and TGA. The catalyst was highly active for selective oxidation of cyclohexane to adipic acid with H2O2. The reusability of the catalyst was tested by conducting same experiments with the spent catalyst and it was found that the catalyst did not show any significant activity loss even after 5 reuses. A cyclohexane conversion of 62.5 % with 27 % adipic acid selectivity was achieved over this catalyst at room temperatur

Unprecedented Catalysis of Cs+ Single Sites Confined in Y Zeolite Pores for Selective Csp3–H Bond Ammoxidation: Transformation of Inactive Cs+ Ions with a Noble Gas Electronic Structure to Active Cs+ Single Sites

We report the transformation of Cs+ ions with an inactive noble gas electronic structure to active Cs+ single sites chemically confined in Y zeolite pores (Cs+/Y), which provides an unprecedented catalysis for oxidative cyanation (ammoxidation) of Csp3–H bonds with O2 and NH3, although in general, alkali and alkaline earth metal ions without a moderate redox property cannot activate Csp3–H bonds. The Cs+/Y catalyst was proved to be highly efficient in the synthesis of aromatic nitriles with yields >90% in the selective ammoxidation of toluene and its derivatives as test reactions. The mechanisms for the genesis of active Cs+ single sites and the ammoxidation pathway of Csp3–H bonds were rationalized by density functional theory (DFT) simulations. The chemical confinement of large-sized Cs+ ions with the pore architecture of a Y zeolite supercage rendered the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)–lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) gap reduction, HOMO component change, and preferable coordination arrangement for the selective reaction promotion, which provides a trimolecular assembly platform to enable the coordination-promoted concerted ammoxidation pathway working closely on each Cs+ single site. The new reaction pathway without involvement of O2-dissociated O atom and lattice oxygen differs from the traditional redox catalysis mechanisms for the selective ammoxidation