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Introduction Diabetes is a significant metabolic disorder characterized by high blood glucose levels, leading to various complications if not properly managed. Understanding these factors is crucial for early identification, effective prevention, and management of diabetes within this community. Our study focused on the prevalence and risk factors of diabetes in Puzhakkatiri, a village in Malappuram district, Kerala, aiming to provide insights into local epidemiological patterns and targeted public health interventions. Methodology The community-based cross-sectional study included 582 participants (?18 years) selected via multistage sampling from Puzhakkattiri Panchayath, Northern Kerala, India. Selected participants were invited to a camp that was held at the Government school in collaboration with the panchayath office, where participants had their BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, fasting blood sugar (FBS), and postprandial blood sugar (PPBS) levels measured. Sociodemographic data were collected through interviews, and the data were analyzed using SPSS software, with a p-value of 0.05 or lower indicating statistical significance. Results The study, with participants having a mean age of 39.13 ± 12.56 years, found a diabetes prevalence of 30% and an impaired glucose tolerance prevalence of 47.4%. Higher diabetes rates were observed among individuals over 40 years (37.2%), those divorced/widowed/separated (46.5%), those with lower education levels (40%), those in unskilled occupations (34.4%), and those with overweight BMI (33%) or high waist-to-hip ratios (34.5%). Significant associations (p-value

Objectives: To assess clinical utility of the urine Congo red dot test (CRDT) in predicting composite adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in women with suspected preeclampsia (PE). Methods: CRDT result and pregnancy outcomes were prospectively documented in women with new onset or pre-existing hypertension, new or pre-existing proteinuria, PE symptoms and suspected PE-related fetal growth restriction or abnormal Doppler presenting from 20 weeks' gestation between January 2020 and December 2022. Participants and clinicians were blinded to the CRDT result and managed according to internally agreed protocols. Composite maternal outcome was defined as PE, postpartum hemorrhage, intensive care unit admission, and maternal death. Composite neonatal outcome was defined as small for gestational age, preterm birth, 5-min Apgar score < 7, neonatal intensive care unit admission, and neonatal death. Results: Two hundred and forty-four women out of two hundred and fifty-one (97.2%) had a negative CRDT. All seven women with positive CRDT had both adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, giving positive predictive values (PPV) of 100%. Rates of composite adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in CDRT negative women were 103/244 [42.2%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 36.2%–48.5%] and 170/244 (69.7%, 95% CI 63.6%–75.1%), respectively. CRDT negative predictive values (NPV) for adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes were, respectively, 141/244 (57.8%, 95% CI 48.6%–68.2%) and 74/244 (30.3%, 95% CI 23.8%–38.1%). Conclusion: CRDT had low NPV but high PPV for adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in women with suspected PE. Its role in clinical management and triage of women with suspected PE is limited as it cannot identify those at low risk of developing adverse outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate (i) the association between pre-labor maternal-fetal Dopplers and fetal heart rate short-term variability (FHR STV) with arterial cord blood pH and (ii) the potential value of pre-labor maternal-fetal Dopplers, FHR STV and Dawes-Redman criteria in predicting composite neonatal morbidity at term in a cohort of unselected women.Method: A prospective study in 218 women with term singleton pregnancy in latent phase of labor or due to undergo induction of labor. Data on maternal characteristics, maternal-fetal Dopplers indices and computerized cardiotocography (CTG) findings of FHR STV and Dawes-Redman criteria were collected. Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between maternal-fetal Dopplers and FHR STV and arterial cord blood pH. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine which factors amongst maternal characteristics, labor onset, indication of labor induction, estimated fetal weight (EFW), maternal-fetal Dopplers, FHR STV and Dawes-Redman criteria were significant predictors of composite neonatal morbidity and arterial cord blood pH less than 7.2.Result: Of the 218 cases, 12 (5.5%) women were delivered by emergency operative delivery for pathological CTG, and 42 babies (19.3%) had composite neonatal morbidities. Arterial cord blood pH was not associated with maternal-fetal Doppler indices and FHR STV, but rather it was associated with maternal age and body mass index. The composite neonatal morbidity and arterial cord blood pH less than 7.2 were not significantly associated with maternal characteristics, labor onset, indication of labor induction, pre-labor assessment of EFW, maternal-fetal Doppler indices, FHR STV and Dawes-Redman criteria by computerized CTG.Conclusion: In unselected women in latent phase of labor or undergoing induction of labor at term, admission maternal-fetal Doppler indices, FHR STV and Dawes-Redman criteria are not predictive of composite neonatal morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dakaliis a unique feature that plays a functional role in the Hausa Vernacular Architecture (HVA). However, events have revealed a gradual extinction from the streetscape due to contemporary changes in the cityscapes and the general physical development with the concomitant effect of reduction in the performance of the expected function in buildings. This paper focuses on the enumeration and documentation of buildings with or without this significant feature. It also appraises the attendant contemporary architectural design-shift. The paper adopts quantitative research approach; purposive sampling and Content analysis method in the selection of potential respondents and review of related literature respectively. This was complimented with the conduct of field survey, selective interviews and observation. Information extracted therefrom was descriptively presented. Findings revealed that out of the total of 235 selected samples, 50 buildings (about 21%) reflects the HVA features; only 14 buildings (about 5.95%), though with retained feature HVA like the Dakali, but have significantly lost the features and transiting towards the contemporary/modern trends; while, 171 (about 72.7%) of the buildings in the study area have completely been transformed. The paper concludes that there is the need for the identification and comprehensive documentation other HVA features for posterity, so as not to allow their total loss without any form of record of their historical existence, due to fast changes been experienced arising from the advent of innovative design, challenges of rapid rate of global urbanization and the trending break-through in technological advancement within our urban/city settings

Background: Autopsy is a comprehensive evaluation of the body and the circumstances surrounding an individual’s death. Currently, autopsy rates in various countries have been decreased in recent years. This decrease was due to the rejection by people who had inadequate knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions about autopsies. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of Bandung residents about autopsies. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive observational study involved people in the Bandung City who were over the age of 20 during the period August to September 2020. The sample was obtained using a snowball system. Research subjects filled out a questionnaire through a Google form containing questions about knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions. The results were categorized based on the median for each variable. Results: Subjects with questionnaire data obtained were 378 people with an average age of 30.30±13.48 years, and most (66.9%) were female. A total of 259 people had adequate knowledge (68.5%), 254 people (67.2%) had a positive attitude, and 249 people (65.9%) had a positive perception, with a median value of 7, 6, and 12, respectively. However, 95 people did not agree to do an autopsy on their relatives or family to determine the cause of death. Conclusion: The subject as a whole showed adequate knowledge, positive attitude, and perception. However, there are still some people who show inadequate knowledge and poor attitudes and perceptions about autopsies. It is recommended that the government and other institutions intervene in the community to increase knowledge and attitudes and improve public perception.

Background: We sought to assess the anxiety and depression scores of pregnant women in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate the impact of demographic, economic and social factors on these scores. Methods: This was part of an ongoing worldwide cross-sectional study conducted from 22 May 2020 to 28 February 2021. Data were collected through an anonymous web-based survey. The severity of depression and anxiety was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score and the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) score, respectively. Results: A total of 361 participants completed both the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 questionnaires. Participants with psychiatric illness reported a significant higher median GAD-7 score (6.00, interquartile range [IQR] 3.00–7.75 vs. 2.00, IQR 0.00–6.00, p = 0.001), while the median PHQ-9 score was also higher but was not statistically significant (6.50, IQR 3.00–11.00 vs. 5.00, IQR 3.00–8.00, p = 0.066). A higher proportion of participants with psychiatric illness reported moderate-severe depression and anxiety (35.7% vs. 16.5%, p = 0.002, 17.8% vs. 3.6%, p < 0.001 respectively). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that financial difficulty, in education and pregnancy by in-vitro fertilization were associated with a higher PHQ-9 score in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic, while underlying psychiatric illness was associated with a higher GAD-7 score. Support from a partner was demonstrated to be associated with a reduced level of depression and anxiety in pregnancy. Conclusions: Pregnant women with underlying psychiatric illness were more vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemics than the non-psychiatric counterparts. Partner support is important for alleviating depression and anxiety in pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical Trial Registration: The study was registered at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, registration number NCT04377412.

Background: The genus Artemisia belonging to the Compositae (Asteraceae) family and many traditional uses from the Artemisia species were reported. Artemisia absinthium is one of the species in this genus and commonly used in the food industry in the preparation of aperitifs, bitters, and spirits. Objective: Evaluation of the effect of different harvesting stages on the composition of essential oil and antioxidant capacity of A. absinthium. Materials and Methods: Essential oils from the aerial parts of A. absinthium, collected in three stages (preflowering, flowering, and after-flowering) from plants grown in the North Khorasan province of Iran were obtained by steam distillation and the chemical composition of the oils was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and antioxidant activity and total phenolic content were determined by 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay and Folin-Ciocalteu method. Results: Analysis of the isolated oils revealed the presence of 44 compounds, mainly alpha-pinene, sabinene, beta-pinene, alpha-phellandrene, p-cymene and chamazulene. Alpha-phellandrene, and chamazulene were major compounds in preflowering stage, but beta-pinene and alpha-phellandrene were major in flowering and past-flowering stages. Flowering stage had highest yield and after flowering stage had lowest yield. The essential oil of preflowering stage had the highest amount of antioxidant compound (chamazulene). Preflowering stage with highest amount of phenolic compounds had the strongest antioxidant activity with the lowest amount of EC50. Conclusion: This study showed that the harvesting stage had significant effects on chemical composition and antioxidant properties of essential oils, and chamazulene is main compound for antioxidant activity in A. absinthium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As the population ages, the prevalence of dementia in Indonesia is rapidly increasing. In Indonesia, dementia care is primarily provided by informal or family caregivers. However, there is limited information about these caregivers' understanding of dementia and the factors that may influence their knowledge. Given that family members are the primary source of dementia care in Indonesia, it is essential to understand their knowledge and identify any gaps to inform future educational interventions., Objective: To explore the knowledge of dementia among Indonesian family caregivers and identify the sociodemographic factors associated with dementia knowledge., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2022 with 200 family caregivers who were members of Alzheimer's Indonesia (ALZI) support groups. These caregivers received invitations via ALZI to complete a translated version of the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS-I). Independent t -tests and ANOVAs were used to examine differences in dementia knowledge across various subgroups, such as gender, education, and age., Results: Seventy-six family caregivers completed the DKAS-I (38% response rate). Respondents had an average age of 49 years, were mostly female, and the majority were children of people with dementia. Over two-thirds of the DKAS-I items were answered correctly by family caregivers, with the 'care considerations' domain scoring the highest. Age, relationship to the person with dementia (being a child), and prior dementia education were significantly correlated with higher dementia knowledge in our sample., Conclusion: Family caregivers of people living with dementia across 10 Indonesian provinces who were members of dementia support groups demonstrated moderate dementia knowledge. Targeted education is needed to address gaps in knowledge about communication and behavioural changes in people with dementia and other areas related to quality of care. There is an opportunity for gerontological nurses with specialised dementia knowledge to lead educational initiatives for family caregivers to enhance their capacity. Future research should also investigate the dementia knowledge of caregivers in the general population, who may be older and less educated compared to the participants in this study., Competing Interests: Michael Dirk, DY Suharya, Yuda Turana, Sri Mulyani, Azam Saifullah, and Tari Sani are members of Alzheimer’s Indonesia., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Purpose: Treatment with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can be associated with a wide spectrum of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Among irAEs, immune-mediated pneumonitis (im-PN) is a rare but potentially life-threatening side effect. TPrompt multidisciplinary diagnosis and effective management of im-PN may be essential to avoid severe complications and allowing resumation of therapy., Patients and Methods: We collected a case series of skin (melanoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma-CSCC), lung, and mesothelioma cancer patients (pts), treated with ICI at the Center for Immuno-Oncology University Hospital of Siena, Italy, and diagnosed with im-PN. Clinical and radiologic data were thoroughly collected, as well as bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples; im-PN was graded using CTCAE v. 5.0. Radiological patterns were reported according to the F leischner Society classification., Results: From January 2014 to February 2023, 1004 patients with melanoma (522), CSCC (42), lung (342) or mesothelioma (98) were treated with ICI (619 monotherapy; 385 combination). Among treated patients, 24 (2%) developed an im-PN and 58% were symptomatic. Im-PN were classified as grades G1 (10) and G2 (14). Prompt steroid treatment led to complete resolution of im-PN in 21 patients, with a median time to resolution of 14 weeks (range: 0.4-51). Twelve patients resumed ICI therapy once fully-recovered and 2 experienced a recurrence that completely resolved with steroids after resumption of treatment. Three radiologic patterns were identified: organizational pneumonia-like (67%), pulmonary eosinophilia (29%), and hypersensitivity pneumonitis (4%). Furthermore, BAL analysis performed in 8 (33%) patients showed an inflammatory lymphocytic infiltrate, predominantly consisting of foam cell-like macrophage infiltrates in 6 cases. Notably, transmission electron microscopy evaluation performed in 2 patients revealed a scenario suggestive of a drug-mediated toxicity., Conclusion: Im-PN is a rare but challenging side effect of ICI therapy, with variable time of onset and with heterogeneous clinical and radiological presentations. A multidisciplinary assessment is mandatory to optimize the clinical management of im-PN., Competing Interests: MV has served as a consultant e/o advisor to Novartis. MM has served as a consultant and/or advisor to Roche, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp Dohme, Incyte, AstraZeneca, Amgen, Pierre Fabre, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Sciclone, Sanofi, Alfasigma, Merck Serono, Novartis and iontura; and owns shares in Epigen Therapeutics, Srl. LC has served as consultant and/or advisor to Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Roche, and Merck Sharp Dohme, and has been compensated for educational activities by Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca and Sanofi. AMDG has served as a consultant and/or advisor to Incyte, Pierre Fabre, GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp Dohme, and Sanofi and has been compensated for educational activities by Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp Dohme, Pierre Fabre and Sanofi. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare for this work., (© 2024 Valente et al.)

Teff ( Eragrostis tef ) is a staple crop and holds the biggest share of grains cultivated area in Ethiopia, consequently, a large quantity of Teff straw is produced. The Teff straw was pretreated for the first time with Chromium-based Metal-Organic Framework, MIL-101(Cr), assisted hydrothermal method at temperatures ranging from 160 to 240 °C for 1/2, 1, or 2 h time independently. With an increase of pretreatment severity, the yield of total reducing sugar (TRS) was increased until reaching maximum (185 mg g -1 ). The identified optimum hydrothermal pretreatment condition, (180 °C and 1 h), had a feature of higher TRS yield and lower furfural concentration. The morphological analysis showed that treated Teff straw had degraded structure, higher surface area, and distorted bundles than native Teff straws. This study insight into MOFs' application in lignocellulose biomass processing, and optimizing the pretreatment condition of Teff straw biomass., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Among the main phenomena that are causing significant changes in ocean waters are warming and acidification, largely due to anthropogenic activities. Growing evidence suggests that climate change is having more substantial and rapid effects on marine communities than on terrestrial ones, triggering several physiological responses in these organisms, including in corals. Here we investigated, for first time in the field, the combined effect of increasing seawater acidification and warming on tissue regeneration rate of three Mediterranean scleractinian coral species characterized by different trophic strategies and growth modes. Balanophyllia europaea (solitary, zooxanthellate), Leptopsammia pruvoti (solitary, non-zooxanthellate) and Astroides calycularis (colonial, non-zooxanthellate) specimens were transplanted, during a cold, intermediate, and warm period, along a natural pH gradient generated by an underwater volcanic crater at Panarea Island (Mediterranean Sea, Italy), characterized by continuous and localized CO 2 emissions at ambient temperature. Our results show a decrease in regenerative capacity, especially in the zooxanthellate species, with increasing seawater temperature and acidification, with demonstrated species-specific differences. This finding suggests that increasing seawater temperature and acidification could have a compounding effect on coral regeneration following injury, potentially hindering the capacity of corals to recover following physical disturbance under predicted climate change., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Zvy Dubinsky reports financial support was provided by Bar-Ilan University., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Aims: Routinely collected health data can provide rich information for research and epidemiological monitoring of different diseases, but using the data presents many challenges. This study aims to explore the attitudes and preferences of people aged 55 and over regarding the use of their de-identified health data, and their concerns and comfort in different scenarios., Methods: An anonymous online survey was conducted with people aged 55 and over currently engaged with health services in a New Zealand health district during June-October 2022. The survey could be completed online or by telephone and was available in eight languages., Results: Seventy-nine percent of respondents knew that their health information was currently being used in the ways described in the scenarios, and between 80-87% felt comfortable or very comfortable with their data being used as described in the scenarios. In contrast, 4% (n=9) felt "uncomfortable" or "very uncomfortable" across all of the scenarios. Participants expressed concerns about data accuracy, privacy and confidentiality, security, transparency of use, consent, feedback and the risk of data being sold to commercial companies. Some participants identified situations where permission should be required to link data, including being used by people other than health professionals, containing sensitive health issues, or being used for commercial purposes., Conclusion: This study finds general support from patients for the use of their routinely collected data for secondary purposes as long as its use will benefit the population from which the data are taken. It also highlights the necessity of including the perspectives of different cultures in the collection, storage, use and analysis of health information, particularly concerning Māori cultural considerations., Competing Interests: Nil, (© PMA.)

Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic performance and clinical utility of the urine Congo red dot test (CRDT) in predicting preeclampsia (PE) within 7 days, 14 days and 28 days of assessment., Study Design: A prospective single center double blind non-intervention study conducted from January 2020 to March 2022. Urine congophilia has been proposed as a point-of-care test for the prediction and rapid identification of PE. In our study, urine CRDT and pregnancy outcomes were assessed in women presenting with clinical features of suspected PE after 20 weeks of gestation., Results: Among the 216 women analyzed, 78 (36.1 %) women developed PE, in which only 7 (9.0 %) of them had a positive urine CRDT test. The median (IQR) interval between the initial test and the diagnosis of PE was significantly shorter for women with a positive urine CRDT compared with women with a negative urine CRDT (1 day (0-5 days) vs 8 days (1-19 days), P = 0.027). The negative predictive value of a negative urine CRDT test for PE within 7 days, 14 days and 28 days of assessment were 83.73 % (95 %CI 81.75 %- 85.54 %), 78.92 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 77.07 %- 80.71 %) and 71.77 % (95 %CI 70.06 %- 73.42 %) respectively. The sensitivity of the urine CRDT in ruling in PE within 7 days, 14 days and 28 days of assessment were 17.07 % (95 %CI 7.15 %- 32.06 %), 13.73 % (95 %CI 5.70 %- 26.26 %) and 10.61 % (95 %CI 4.37 %- 20.64 %), respectively., Conclusions: Urine CRDT alone has high specificity yet low sensitivity in the short-term prediction of PE in women with suspected PE. Further studies are required to evaluate its clinical utility., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Computed tomographic angiography (CTA) is a promising tool for the rapid characterisation of the anatomy and structural lesions of the vascular system., Aim/objectives: The aims/objectives of the study were to determine the frequency and pattern of vascular lesions in northern Nigeria. We also set to determine the agreement between clinical and CTA diagnosis of vascular lesions., Materials and Methods: We study patients that had CTA studies over a 5-year period. In total, 361 patients were referred for CTA, but only the records of 339 of them were retrieved and analysed. The information about patients' characteristics, clinical diagnosis, and the findings on CTA was also retrieved and analysed. The categorical data results were expressed as proportions and percentages. The Cohen's kappa coefficient (κ statistic) was used to determine the agreement between the clinical and CTA findings. A P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: The mean (standard deviation) age of the subjects was 49.3 (17.9) years with a range of 1-88 years, consisting of 138 (40.7%) females. Up to 223 patients had various abnormalities on CTA. There were 27 (8.0%) cases of aneurysms, eight (2.4%) cases of arteriovenous malformations, and 99 (29.2%) cases of stenotic atherosclerotic disease. There was a significant agreement between the clinical diagnosis and corresponding findings on CTA showed for intracranial aneurysms ( k = 15.0%; P < 0.001), for pulmonary thromboembolism ( k = 4.3%; P < 0.001), and for coronary artery disease ( k = 34.5%; P < 0.001)., Conclusions: The study found that close to 70% of the patients referred for CTA have abnormal findings, out of which stenotic atherosclerosis and aneurysm are the common findings. Our findings highlighted the diagnostic value of CTA variety of clinical conditions and underscored the prevalence of many vascular lesions in our environment, which hitherto were regarded as uncommon., (Copyright: © 2023 Journal of the West African College of Surgeons.)

Supramolecular architectures, which are formed through the combination of inorganic metal cations and organic ligands by self-assembly, are one of the techniques in modern chemical science. This kind of multi-nuclear system in various dimensionalities can be implemented in various applications such as sensing, storage/cargo, display and molecular switching. Iron(II) mediated spin-crossover (SCO) supramolecular architectures with Schiff bases have attracted the attention of many investigators due to their structural novelty as well as their potential application possibilities. In this paper, we review a number of supramolecular SCO architectures of iron(II) with Schiff base ligands exhibiting varying geometrical possibilities. The structural and SCO behavior of these complexes are also discussed in detail.

Communities in major cities in developing countries may experience economic vulnerability, which has detrimental consequences for maternal and child health. This study investigated individual-, household-, and community-level factors associated with child growth and resilience of early-grade learners aged 6 to 8 years. Demographic characteristics, depression scale, child wellbeing, and anthropometric measurements were collected on a sample of 162 caregiver-child pairs (children 46% female) who receive the child support grant (cash transfer programme) from five low-income urban communities in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. Height and weight were converted to z-scores using the WHO Anthroplus software. Multiple linear regression was used to assess factors associated with child health outcomes and multi-level regression to account for community-level factors. Higher income vulnerability was associated with lower weight- and height-for-age z-scores (WAZ and HAZ). Not completing secondary schooling and higher household size were associated with lower HAZ but higher BAZ. Child male sex and caregiver with depression were associated with lower child resilience. Caregiver's level of schooling and household size remained independent predictors of child growth, while the caregiver's mental health status independently predicted child resilience. Thus, notwithstanding systemic constraints, there may be modifiable drivers that can help in developing targeted intervention.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are reluctant to participate in the influenza vaccination program, despite their high risk to contract and diffuse influenza due to professional exposure. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic could raise HCW flu vaccination adherence. The aim of this study was to assess HCW attitudes toward influenza vaccination in the COVID-19 era. A multicenter observational study was carried out in three Italian hospitals (two in Pesaro and one in Fano, Marche region, Italy). Data about HCW influenza vaccination between 2013 and 2021 were extracted from the vaccination registers. An online questionnaire was sent to HCWs from July to October 2020 to assess their opinion about influenza vaccination in terms of knowledge, attitude, and practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of flu-vaccinated HCWs increased from 3.7% in the 2013−2014 flu season to 53.6% in the 2020−2021 flu season (p < 0.001). About 15% (n = 324) of HCWs responded to the online questionnaire, and 30.5% of them declared that they had changed their minds on flu vaccination after the COVID-19 pandemic, deciding to get vaccinated. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased HCWs’ attitudes toward flu vaccination. However, flu vaccination adherence remained low and should be improved.

The STRiDE project sets out to support the development of effective dementia policy in middle-income countries (Brazil, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, and South Africa). As part of this it will generate new data about the prevalence of dementia for a subset of these countries. This study aims to identify the current estimates of dementia prevalence in these countries and where the gaps lie in the current literature. A systematic review was completed on 30th April 2019 across electronic databases, identifying dementia prevalence literature originating from any of the seven countries. Four hundred and twenty-nine records were identified following de-duplication; 28 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. Pooled estimates of dementia prevalence ranged from 2% to 9% based on DSM-IV criteria; these figures were generally higher in studies using other diagnostic criteria (e.g. the 10/66 algorithm). Available prevalence data varied between countries. Only Brazil, Mexico and India had data derived from studies judged as having a low risk of bias. Irrespective of country, studies often were not explicit in detailing the representativeness of their sample, or whether there was non-response bias. Further transparent and externally valid dementia prevalence research is needed across the STRiDE countries.

As tick-borne diseases continue to emerge across the United States, there is need for a better understanding of the tick and pathogen communities in the southern states and of habitat features that influence transmission risk. We surveyed questing and on-host ticks in pine-dominated forests with various fire management regimes in the Sam Houston National Forest, a popular recreation area near Houston, Texas. Four linear transects were established- two with a history of controlled burns, and two unburned. Systematic drag sampling yielded 112 ticks from two species, Ixodes scapularis (n=73) and Amblyomma americanum (n=39), with an additional 106 questing ticks collected opportunistically from drag cloth operators. There was a significant difference in systematically-collected questing tick density between unburned (15 and 18 ticks/1000 m 2 ) and burned (2 and 4 ticks/1000 m 2 ) transects. We captured 106 rodents and found 74 ticks on the rodents, predominantly Dermacentor variabilis. One unburned transect had significantly more ticks per mammal than any of the other three transects. DNA of Rickettsia species was detected in 146/292 on and off-host ticks, including the 'Rickettsial endosymbiont of I. scapularis' and Rickettsia amblyommatis, which are of uncertain pathogenicity to humans. Borrelia lonestari was detected in one A. americanum, while Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, the agent of Lyme disease, was not detected in any tick samples. Neither Borrelia nor Rickettsia spp. were detected in any of the mammal ear biopsies (n=64) or blood samples (n=100) tested via PCR. This study documents a high prevalence in ticks of Rickettsia spp. thought to be endosymbionts, a low prevalence of relapsing fever group Borrelia in ticks, and a lack of detection of Lyme disease-group Borrelia in both ticks and mammals in an east Texas forested recreation area. Additionally, we observed low questing tick density in areas with a history of controlled burns. These results expand knowledge of tick-borne disease ecology in east Texas which can aid in directing future investigative, modeling, and management efforts., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Dracocephalum kotschyi (Lamiaceae family) has been used in traditional medicine for stomach and liver disorders, headache and congestion. In the present study, we have investigated phytochemical properties and antioxidant activities of dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of D.kotschyi., Material and Methods: Antioxidant activities of extracts were evaluated using the integration of HPLC-DPPH and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods. In addition, the luteolincontent was determined using HPLC method., Results: The highest antioxidant activity was observed for the methanol extract (among the three tested extracts) showing 50% DPPH scavenging activity at 4.85µg/ml as compared to butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) and ascorbic acid (3.00 µg/ml, 0.97 µg/ml). Also, luteolin was detected in methanol extract; it was identified by comparing its retention time and DAD spectra with standard and it was one of antioxidant components of this plant. In addition, the antioxidant activity of methanol extract was higher than BHT, in FRAP assay. Total phenolic content was in the range of 11.62-22.29 mg Gallic acid /gram of dry extract and flavonoid content was in the range of 3.97-5.042 mg Quercetin/ gram of extract for dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts. The quantity of luteolin in D.kotschyiwas found to be 1061.005 µg/g of dried plant., Conclusion: The results of this investigation indicated that luteolin plays major role in the antioxidant activity of the plant.