Search

Mobile sources contribute about 44% of outdoor toxic emissions, approximately 50% of cancer risk and at around 74% of noncancer risk health problems. Catalytic converter is quite needed in removing the pollutant and in preventing a health problem. The main problem in the catalytic converter is low oxidation resistance when operated at high temperature. Therefore, this paper aimed to develop catalytic converter material in high-temperature operation at around 1100 °C using FeCrAl foils as a metallic catalytic converter which coated by γ-Al2O3. This research is conducted using 3 various techniques such as ultrasonic bath for 3, 4, and 5 hours, Nickel (Ni) electroplating for 30, 45 and 60 minutes and the combination of ultrasonic bath and electroplating technique. Oxidation resistance analysis was conducted using tube furnace under argon gas for 60 hours in 3 cycles. Mass changes analysis of treated samples is showed by degradation mass. Lowest mass change of by ultrasonic bath samples is 0.3 wt%, for a combination of ultrasonic and electroplating samples is 0.3 wt% shown by UT 3 hours as well as 0.6 shown by EP 30 min. Parabolic rate constant is obtained by the time calculation based on the mass change of treated and untreated samples. It shown that UB 3 h is lowest parabolic rate constant of 2.258 × 10-20 g2 cm-4s -1 and UB 5 h is 1.13 × 10-20 g2 cm-4s -1. Lowest mass gain and lowest parabolic rate constant are become an indicator that the samples and that technique are recommended to fabricate the catalytic converter.

Background: Inculcating healthy life style such as the habit of consuming balanced diet and performing physical activity among children could prevent them from becoming overweight or obese and thus avoid the risk of chronic diseases related with obesity. Such efforts are challenging yet crucial. This study assessed the immediate effect on children's knowledge, attitude and practices regarding healthy diet and physical activity following an awareness programme. Materials and Methods: A half-day childhood obesity awareness programme was conducted to encourage the practise of healthy diet and physical activity, and persuade against unhealthy food consumption and sedentary life style. The programme was carried out among 30 children aged 8-11year old in an international school in Putrajaya who were overweight or obese. A pre- and post-test design was carried out to evaluate their knowledge, attitude, and practice toward healthy diet and physical activity using pretested questionnaire. Comparison of pre- and post-test' scores were carried out using paired t test. Result: Over half of the respondents were female (63.3%) and obese (70.0%). The mean(sd) knowledge and attitude scores for healthy diet were 2.00(0.91) and 2.33(0.84). The mean knowledge score for physical activity was better i.e., 3.10(1.32) but the attitude scores was very low 0.87(1.07). After the programme, although not statistically significant there were slight increases in all scores, except 'intend to practise' physical activity after the programme. Conclusion: The knowledge, attitude and practices regarding healthy diet and physical exercise among these children were low. A series of improved and validated programmes are recommended for greater impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a novel approach to developing eco-friendly dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using natural and renewable materials for gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs), reducing reliance on unsustainable solvents. Water is added to polar aprotic solvents, specifically ethylene carbonate/propylene carbonate (EC/PC), across various mass fractions (0:100 to 100:0). An amphiphilic hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) natural polymer is employed to formulate GPEs within this water-EC/PC cosolvent system, achieving successful gelation up to 50:50 mass fractions. Incorporating water reduced the gel strength and viscosity of the GPEs. Water acted as a plasticizer, enhancing the polymer chains mobility, and creating a more flexible and permeable structure. This increased ion diffusion coefficients and ion mobility, resulting in a maximum ionic conductivity of 18.17 mS cm -1 . The highest efficiency achieved in DSSCs using these GPEs is 5.81%, with elevated short-circuit current density and reduced recombination losses. However, some compositions experienced syneresis, affecting their stability. The GPE with a 40:60 mass fraction exhibited superior long-term stability because it is free from syneresis, though it achieved a lower efficiency (4.83%), making it the best-performing sample. This work demonstrates the feasibility and benefits of using gel polymer electrolytes in an aqueous system, improving DSSC efficiency and sustainability., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Objectives. This study aimed to determine patterns of respiratory, blood-borne and uropathogenic microbial pathogens among SARS-CoV-2-infected patients in a COVID-19-(coronavirus disease 2019) dedicated tertiary care hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Design. This was a cross-sectional study. Setting. In a COVID-19-dedicated tertiary care hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, conducted from March to June 2021. Participants. Hospitalized individuals with COVID-19 infection regardless of age or sex. Primary and secondary outcome measures. The percentage of co-infected COVID-19 patients and the characterization of the micro-organisms responsible for co-infection served as the primary outcome measures. Finding any associations between co-infection and age, co-infection and sex and co-infection and comorbidity was the secondary outcome variable. Interventions. Not applicable. Results. Out of 79 patients, 61 % were male, and the mean age was 49.53 years. Co-infection was seen in 7.7 % of patients, out of which 5.1 % of isolates were from urine samples, followed by 2.6 % from blood. Bacteria isolated from urine were Enterococcus (2.6 %), coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CONS) (1.3 %) and Enterobacter spp. (1.3 %). Pseudomonas spp. was the only organism isolated from blood sample. Mixed growth was found in nasopharyngeal and throat swabs, with the predominant species being Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus spp. At the time of data collection, 55.7 % of patients had been given antimicrobials, and 30.4 % of patients had been given a single antimicrobial. HBsAg was positive in 1.3 % of patients and none were anti-hepatitis C or dengue NS1Ag positive. Conclusion. Microbial infection has been seen to be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections and is of great value in prescribing antimicrobials and reducing fatal outcomes of hospitalized patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors.)

Globally, systems have invested in a variety of dementia care programs in response to the aging population and those who have been diagnosed with dementia. This study is a qualitative secondary analysis of interview data from a larger study investigating stakeholder perceptions of programs that support caregivers and people living with an Alzheimer's Disease or Alzheimer's Disease-related dementia (AD/ADRD) in five North American jurisdictions. This study analyzed interviews with individuals living with an AD/ADRD and caregivers of individuals living with an AD/ADRD (n = 11). Thematic analysis was conducted to understand how the perception of dementia may have shaped their engagement and experience with healthcare systems. Our analysis resulted in three main themes of care users' experience: (i) undesirable experience owing to the overarching negative shared understanding and stereotyping of dementia; (ii) dismissal throughout disease progression when seeking health and social care support; and (iii) dehumanization during care interactions. The findings carry critical social and clinical implications, for example, in informing person-centered approaches to care, and communication tools clinicians can use to enhance provider, patient, and caregiver well-being., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has psychological consequences such as increased risk of depression, anxiety, and stress problems, exacerbating human health disparities. This study aimed to analyze depression and its causes in COVID-19-recovered patients in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted on COVID-19-recovered patients who attended follow-up visits after 14 days to 3 months at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and Dhaka North City Corporation Hospital (DNCCH), Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 1 January to 31 December 2021. Respondents were face-to-face interviewed with a semistructured questionnaire after written agreement. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to assess respondents' depression, and data were analyzed using SPSS version 23, with a P  value of <0.05 indicating statistical significance. A total of 325 COVID-19-recovered patients aged from 15 to 65 years (mean, 44.34 ± 13.87 years) were included in this study, the highest proportion (23.1%) of them were aged 46 to 55 years, and the majority (61.5%) of them were male. There were 69.5% of respondents who had no signs of depression while 31% of them did have signs, with 26.7% being mildly depressed, 2.5% being extremely depressed, and 1.2% being severely depressed. Diabetes mellitus, hospitalization duration, social distancing, social media posts on COVID-19, loss of employment, family damage, and fear of reinfection were significantly associated with depression level of respondents. This study gives us a glimpse into the psychological health of COVID-19-recovered patients, and its findings highlight the imperative of alleviating their psychological anguish in Bangladesh. IMPORTANCE The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant psychological impact on healthy populations, with increased depression, perceived stress, posttraumatic stress disorder, and insomnia reported. The COVID-19 pandemic affects people's mental health by instilling fear of infection and depression. In the post-COVID-19 syndrome, depressive symptoms and clinically significant depression may have serious consequences for quality-of-life outcomes. To combat the spread of COVID-19, the Bangladesh government has implemented a number of measures, including lockdown, social distancing, self-isolation, and quarantine. Given the negative consequences, it is critical to investigate potential factors and mechanisms that may shed light on mental health improvement. The purpose of the study is to determine the level of depression in patients 3 months after recovering from acute COVID-19. The study's findings highlight the need for COVID-19-infected people in Bangladesh to receive health education and interventions.

Study Objective: Evidence syntheses perform rigorous investigations of the primary literature and they have played a vital role in generating evidence-based recommendations for governments worldwide during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, there has not yet been an attempt to organize them by topic and other characteristics. This study performed a systematic mapping exercise of non-clinical evidence syntheses pertaining to Covid-19., Methods: This study conducted a systematic search on December 5, 2020 across 10 databases and servers: CINAHL (EBSCO Information Services, Ipswich, Massachusetts, United States), Embase (Elsevier, Aalborg, Denmark), Global Health (EBSCO Information Services, Ipswich, Massachusetts, United States), Healthstar (NICHSR and AHA, Bethesda, United States), MEDLINE (NLM, Bethesda, United States), PsychINFO (APA, Washington, DC, United States), Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics, London, UK), Research Square (Research Square, Durham, North Carolina), MEDRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, United States), and PROSPERO (NIHR, York, United Kingdom). Only full evidence syntheses published in a peer-reviewed journal or preprint server were included., Results: This study classified all evidence syntheses in the following topics: health service delivery (n = 280), prevention and behavior (n = 201), mental health (n = 140), social epidemiology (n = 31), economy (n = 22), and environment (n = 19). This study provides a comprehensive resource of all evidence syntheses categorized according to topic., Conclusions: This study proposes the following research priorities: governance, the impact of Covid-19 on different populations, the effectiveness of prevention and control methods across contexts, mental health, and vaccine hesitancy.

Objectives: In recent years, Bangladesh has made remarkable advances in health outcomes; however, the benefits of these gains are unequally shared among citizens and population groups. Dalits ( jaat sweepers), a marginalised traditional working community, have relatively poor access to healthcare services. This study sought to explore the sociopolitical and cultural factors associated with health inequalities among Dalits in an urban setting., Design: An exploratory qualitative study design was adopted. Fourteen in-depth interviews, five focus group discussions and seven key informant interviews were conducted. The acquired data were analysed using an iterative approach which incorporated deductive and inductive methods in identifying codes and themes., Settings: This study was conducted in two sweeper communities in Dhaka city., Participants: Participants were Dalit men and women (in-depth interviews, mean age±SD 30±10; and focus group discussions), and the community leaders and non-governmental organisation workers (key informant interviews)., Results: The health status of members of these Dalit groups is determined by an array of social, economic and political factors. Dalits (untouchables) are typically considered to fall outside the caste-based social structure and existing vulnerabilities are embedded and reinforced by this identity. Dalits' experience of precarious access to healthcare or poor healthcare is an important manifestation of these inequalities and has implications for the economic and social life of Dalit populations living together in geographically constrained spaces., Conclusions: The provision of clinical healthcare services alone is insufficient to mitigate the negative effects of discriminations and to improve the health status of Dalits. A better understanding of the precise influences of sociocultural determinants of health inequalities is needed, together with the identification of the strategies and programmes needed to address these determinants with the aim of developing more inclusive health service delivery systems., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2018. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the species diversity of eels native to Aceh waters based on genetic data. Sampling was conducted in western coast waters of Aceh Province, Indonesia, from July to August 2016. Genomic DNA was extracted from the samples, a genomic region from the 5' region of the cox1 gene was amplified and sequenced, and this was then used to analyse genetic variation. The genetic sequences were blasted into the NCBI database. Based on this analysis there were three valid species of eels that occurred in Aceh waters, namely Anguilla marmorata , A. bicolor bicolor , and A. bengalensis bengalensis., Competing Interests: Competing interests: No competing interests were disclosed.