Search

Background: Malaria poses a burden in the healthcare system worldwide. India is marching toward a vision of malaria-free country by 2027 and elimination by 2023. The National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (2017--2022) was formulated based on this. Pregnant population is highly susceptible to the infection because of the changes in their immune system. These high-risk groups are of much concern because it contributes to the maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Intrauterine growth restrictions, miscarriages, preterm births, low birth weight, congenital infections, and perinatal deaths have been reported in pregnancies infected with malaria. The ongoing pandemic situation of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has created a challenge in identifying the spectrum of diseases with similar presentation like malaria especially in endemic areas. Case description: We present a series of 10 cases affected with malaria during pregnancy at a tertiary care hospital in Chennai. The study was conducted for a period of 10 months from September 2020 to July 2021 during the COVID pandemic. Out of these 10 patients, 3 patients were infected with COVID-19. Discussion: Clinical manifestations, management, and the maternal and fetal outcome of malaria-infected patients and difficulty in identifying and managing the cases in ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation. Conclusion: The purpose of this study is to throw knowledge about identifying the infection during pandemic and the need for effective management as malaria is a preventable and curable infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we describe the successful construction of composite DNA nanostructures by the self-assembly of complementary symmetrical 2,6,14-triptycenetripropiolic acid (TPA)–DNA building blocks and zinc protoporphyrin IX (Zn PpIX). DNA–organic molecule scaffolds for the composite DNA nanostructure were constructed through covalent conjugation of TPA with 5′-C12-amine-terminated modified single strand DNA (ssDNA) and its complementary strand. The repeated covalent conjugation of TPA with DNA was confirmed by using denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF). The biologically relevant photosensitizer Zn PpIX was used to direct the hybridization-mediated self-assembly of DNA–TPA molecular building blocks as well as a model guest molecule within the DNA–TPA supramolecular self-assembly. The formation of fiber-like composite DNA nanostructures was observed. Native PAGE, circular dichroism (CD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been utilized for analyzing the formation of DNA nanofibers after the coassembly. Computational methods were applied to discern the theoretical dimension of the DNA–TPA molecular building block of the nanofibers. A notable change in photocatalytic efficiency of Zn PpIX was observed when it was inside the TPA–DNA scaffold. The significant increase in ROS generation by Zn PpIX when trapped in this biocompatible DNA–TPA hybrid nanofiber may be an effective tool to explore photodynamic therapy (PDT) applications as well as photocatalytic reactions.

Introduction: Acquiring the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human. Provision of standard healthcare facilities is essential for the development of any nation. Although it is difficult for such provision of optimum healthcare facilities at public level. In that case, over the counter medications took over. In this study assessed the frequency of use of such medications with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic and analyzed population perception and awareness regarding the same. Methods: This is a Cross-sectional survey conducted among the general public, which included 328 individuals consented to participate. It was conducted through telephonic interviews and an online questionnaire which was circulated across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Our questionnaire included 4 sections (i) Demographic information (ii) over the counter medication practices with respect to preexisting medical illness (iii) over the counter Medication practices prior to and during the pandemic (iv) knowledge and awareness assessment. Data was analyzed by SPSS software. Results: Our survey indicates that there is an increase in over-the-counter medication usage from 48.4% prior to COVID to 83.8% after COVID. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most used over the counter drug. Among them, paracetamol was at the risk of abuse/misuse. Conclusion: More than half of the over-the-counter drug users were not aware of the dosage and adverse reactions of the drug they take. With more individuals tending towards over-the-counter medication, the risk to adverse drug events and complications of undiagnosed diseases tends to be high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this scoping review will be to identify and map the characteristics of participatory research approaches in mental health care services conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)., Introduction: Developing countries have a treatment gap of 76% to 85% for mental disorders. Participatory research can help understand community perspectives, which, in turn, helps develop sustainable, contextually specific services. Although participatory research appears promising, especially in the context of LMICs, the field is heterogenous in terms of the methods used; the various stakeholders; the design, implementation, and evaluation of services; and outcome measures., Inclusion Criteria: This review will include all studies on participatory research in mental health care services in LMICs. All types of participants (ie, children/adolescent/adults, gender, rural/urban, etc.) and settings will be considered., Methods: The proposed review will follow the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Published and unpublished studies will be searched for in MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (Ovid), PsycINFO (EBSCOhost), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), and Google Scholar (first 10 pages). We will also search for gray literature and screen reference lists of relevant reviews. Two independent reviewers will screen the titles and abstracts of the studies, followed by full-text screening. Data will be extracted using a predefined form. The findings will be descriptively presented with supporting tables and diagrams, accompanied by a narrative summary., Review Registration: Details of the review can be found in Open Science Framework https://osf.io/cn54r., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 JBI.)