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Background: Children in rural communities face significant health challenges due to environmental hazards and limited access to healthcare. Understanding their immune resilience and parental perspectives is crucial for addressing health disparities in such contexts. Objective: This research aimed to explore the immune resilience of children in Tugaya, Lanao del Sur, Philippines, and understand parental perspectives on fostering their children’s health in the face of environmental challenges. Methods: A qualitative case study approach was used. Ten parents of children aged 5-10 from two barangays were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected from 15 January 2024 to 15 February 2024 through semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. Results: Three main themes were generated: 1) Parental guardianship of children’s immune resilience, 2) Parental insights on fostering immune resilience in children, and 3) Parental perception and action in nurturing children’s immune resilience. These themes highlight parental roles in nurturing health, understanding immune resilience, prioritizing children’s well-being, maintaining cleanliness, providing balanced diets, and promoting proactive and informed parenting practices. Conclusion: It is evident that parents play a crucial role in fostering immune resilience among children by adopting various strategies. Understanding these perspectives can inform public health policies and community interventions to improve children’s health in similar rural contexts. This insight has significant implications for healthcare management and policy, suggesting the need for targeted support and interventions to empower parents in rural communities to enhance their children’s immune resilience.

Abstract The current decline of mammals worldwide makes quantitative population assessments crucial, especially for range‐restricted and threatened species. However, robust abundance estimations are challenging for elusive or otherwise difficult to detect species. Alternative metrics requiring only presence/absence data, that is, occupancy, are possible but calibration with independent density estimates should be foreseen, although rarely performed. Here, we calibrated density estimates from acoustic surveys to occupancy estimates from camera‐trapping detections to derive the abundance of the endangered Sanje mangabey (Cercocebus sanjei) across its entire range in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania. We found marked occupancy–density relationships for the two forest blocks where this primate occurs and used them to derive spatially explicit density estimates. Occupancy increased in montane forest zones at mid‐elevation but decreased slightly with proximity to forest borders. We predicted an average density (±SE) of 0.26 ± 0.05 groups/km2 in the national park and 0.24 ± 0.06 in the nature reserve. Accordingly, and given the much larger area of the reserve, the average predicted individual abundance was 1555 ± 325 and 2471 ± 571 in the national park and nature reserve, respectively. We found higher density and abundance in the nature reserve compared with previous studies. Given the past disturbance and poorer protection in the nature reserve relative to the national park, our results instill optimism for the status of the species, although occupancy analysis highlighted the potential vulnerability of this primate to human disturbance. Our approach appears valuable for spatially explicit density estimations of elusive species, and provides robust assessments of vulnerability and identification of priority areas for conservation of threatened populations.

This study is aimed at ascertaining the prevalence and predictors of common mental disorders (CMD) among Brazilian graduate students (N = 5266) during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Employing the Self‐Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ‐20), the study found that CMD prevalence was 63.5%. Variables such as not feeling well psychologically in the past year, the necessity to take leave of absence from activities, residence in different regions, female gender, studying for a master's degree, extension of deadlines, experience of setbacks in education, COVID‐19 risk group membership, self‐medication practices, seeking medical assistance, and prior psychological counseling emerged as predictors of CMD. The findings reveal the vulnerability of graduate students to CMDs and risk factors amenable to institutional intervention. To this end, the study provides support for strategies promoting mental health in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a complex condition characterized by persistent depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, loss of energy or fatigue, and, in severe case, recurrent thoughts of death. Despite its prevalence, reliable diagnostic biomarkers for MDD remain elusive. Identifying peripheral biomarkers for MDD is crucial for early diagnosis, timely intervention, and ultimately reducing the risk of suicide. Metabolic changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) have been observed in animal models of depression, suggesting that PBMC could serve as a valuable matrix for exploring potential peripheral biomarkers in MDD. Methods: We performed a transcriptomic analysis of PBMCs from patients with MDD and age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls (n = 20 per group). Results: Our analysis identified 270 differentially expressed genes in PBMCs from MDD patients compared to controls, which correlated with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores. These genes are involved in several KEGG pathways, including the herpes simplex virus 1 infection pathway, NOD‐like receptor signaling pathway, antigen processing and presentation, and glycerophospholipid metabolism—all of which are linked to various aspects of the immune response. Further machine learning analysis and quantitative real‐time PCR (qPCR) validation identified three key genes—TRPV2, ZNF713, and CTSL—that effectively distinguish MDD patients from healthy controls. Conclusions: The immune dysregulation observed in PBMCs is closely related to the pathogenesis of MDD. The candidate biomarkers TRPV2, ZNF713, and CTSL, identified and validated through machine learning and qPCR, hold promise for the objective diagnosis of MDD. Trial Registration: Clinical Trial Registry identifier: ChiCTR2300076589 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Elevated homocysteine levels and late‐life depression are risk factors for cognitive decline: a comparative study highlighted the association of late‐onset depression (LOD) with more significant cognitive deficits and brain pathology than early‐onset depression (EOD). Limited research has explored the possible interaction between homocysteine levels and their correlation with cognitive performance in patients with EOD and LOD. Methods: Fifty‐seven individuals with EOD, 56 with LOD, and 89 matched healthy controls (HC) were recruited. Global cognition, memory, execution, language, attention, visuospatial skills, and plasma homocysteine levels were examined. Results: Compared with HC and patients with EOD, patients with LOD had higher plasma homocysteine levels (p < 0.05), with no significant difference between HC and patients with EOD (p > 0.05). Furthermore, homocysteine levels and diagnosis groups showed significant main effects on depression and cognition, with no significant interaction effects being observed. Additionally, plasma homocysteine levels were negatively correlated with global cognition, attention, visuospatial skills, and executive function in patients with LOD (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Compared with HC and patients with EOD, elevated homocysteine levels in patients with LOD were independently associated with cognitive performance. The potential therapeutic efficacy of homocysteine‐lowering B‐vitamin supplementation could be explored as a viable intervention to mitigate the documented debilitating effects of cognitive deficits in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Bangladesh has made significant progress in declining maternal mortality in recent decades. However, the available evidence on the various maternal mental disorders in the country has not been comprehensively and critically reviewed to date. This narrative review aimed to assess the mental disorders and associated factors during pregnancy and postpartum in Bangladesh. Methods: A thorough search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Google, Google Scholar, and BanglaJOL with search terms at the end of January 2024 to identify the original articles published on psychiatric morbidities during pregnancy and postpartum. Results: This review included 28 empirical studies published between 2007 and 2023 with a sample size ranging from 100 to 39,434. Two studies were published before 2010, 16 studies were published between 2011 and 2020, and 10 studies were published between 2021 and 2023. No countrywide study was noted, the Bangla Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS‐B) was used in 57% of studies, suicidal behavior was assessed in three studies, postpartum depression (PPD) was featured in 16 studies, and three qualitative studies were noted. The prevalence of PPD ranged from 9% to 51.7%. About 46% of mothers had positive scores for common mental disorders. The prevalence of mental disorders was 14.2%; among them mood disorders were present at 6.1% and psychoses were noted at 4.5%. Conclusions: There are wide variations in the prevalence of maternal mental disorders in Bangladesh from study to study; a lower prevalence was noted when diagnostic tools were used even though no nationwide study with confirmatory diagnostic tools was noted. Studies with nationwide distribution and diagnostic tools are warranted to understand the problem precisely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depression, anxiety, and stress are the commonly encountered mental health conditions among medical students. Overseas environment may add additional burden to the existing environment. However, comparison of the rate and associated factors of depression, anxiety, stress among domestic and overseas students has not been attempted in Bangladesh. We aimed to assess the rate and associated factors of depression, anxiety, stress among domestic and overseas medical students in the country. Methods: This cross‐sectional study was conducted among 360 undergraduate medical students in 2021. Data were collected by self‐reporting instruments by a stratified random sampling method by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale‐21 scale. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were done by computing crude odds ratio and adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval to identify the associated factors. Results: Among the 360 undergraduate medical students, 181 were domestic and 179 overseas ones. 44.8% of domestic students reported depressive symptoms, 45.3% reported anxiety symptoms, and 33.1% reported stress. On the other hand, half of overseas students experienced depression (50.3%) and anxiety (52.5%), and 41.3% experienced stress. Female medical students were found vulnerable for developing depression, anxiety, and stress than males. Conclusions: The study revealed higher rates of depression, anxiety, and stress among overseas undergraduate medical students enrolled in a private medical school of Bangladesh. Private medical college authorities could consider special services for overseas students to ensure adequate psychosocial support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]