Quality of Life in Presbyopes with Low and High Myopia Using Single-Vision and Progressive-Lens Correction.

This study evaluates the impact of the severity of myopia and the type of visual correction in presbyopia on vision-related quality of life (QOL), using the refractive status and vision profile (RSVP) questionnaire. A total of 149 subjects aged 41-75 years with myopic presbyopia were recruited: 108 had low myopia and 41 had high myopia. The RSVP questionnaire was administered.

How geographic access to care shapes disease burden: The current impact of post-exposure prophylaxis and potential for expanded access to prevent human rabies deaths in Madagascar.

Background: Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is highly effective at preventing human rabies deaths, however access to PEP is limited in many rabies endemic countries. The 2018 decision by Gavi to add human rabies vaccine to its investment portfolio should expand PEP availability and reduce rabies deaths. We explore how geographic access to PEP impacts the rabies burden in Madagascar and the potential benefits of improved provisioning.

COVID-19 and Comorbidities: Audit of 2,000 COVID-19 Deaths in India.

Background: On September 5, 2020, India reported the second highest COVID-19 cases globally. Given India's unique disease burden including both infectious and chronic diseases, there is a need to study the survival patterns of COVID-19. We aimed to describe the factors associated with COVID-19 deaths in the State of Tamil Nadu that has the highest COVID-19 case burden among the Indian states, and to compare deaths among COVID patients with and without comorbidities.

Exploring prevalence of potential pathogens and fecal indicators in geographically distinct river systems through comparative metagenomics.

Microbial communities are considered as vital members to reflect the health of a riverine system. Among them, pathogenic and fecal indicators imply health risks involved with potability of river water. The present study explores the diverse microbial communities, distribution pattern of potential pathogens, and fecal indicators between the geographically distinct Himalayan and Peninsular river systems of India.

Environmental challenges induced by extensive use of face masks during COVID-19: A review and potential solutions.

The ongoing COVID-19 disease significantly affects not only human health, it also affects the wealth of country' economy and everyday routine of human life. To control the spread of the virus, face mask is used as primary personal protective equipment (PPE). Thus, the production and usage of face masks significantly increase as the COVID-19 pandemic still escalating.

Preexisting dementia is associated with higher mortality rate in patients with femoral neck fracture.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the mortality and the influence of age, Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT) scores, and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grades on patients with dementia and femoral neck fracture (FNF) at 30 days, 4 months, 1 year, and 2 years after undergoing surgery.

Methods: Of 1296 patients admitted with FNF, 180 had had prefracture dementia. A retrospective study of these 180 patients was carried out.

Malnutrition among community dwelling older adults in a rural block area of South India.

Background: Kerala state has highest proportion of older adults in India. There is paucity of information on burden of malnutrition (under-nutrition) among them in the state. This study aimed to measure prevalence and associated factors of malnutrition among older adults in a rural community of Kerala.

A gelatinized lipopeptide diet effectively modulates immune response, disease resistance and gut microbiome in Penaeus vannamei challenged with Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Penaeus vannamei is one of the most economically vital shrimp globally, but infectious diseases have hampered its proper production and supply. As antibiotics pose a huge threat to the environment and humankind, it is essential to seek an alternative strategy to overcome infection and ensure proper culture and production. The present study investigates the effect of an anti-infective biosurfactant derivative lipopeptide MSA31 produced by a marine bacterium on the growth performance, disease resistance, and the gut microbiome of P.

Variation in SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks across sub-Saharan Africa.

A surprising feature of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic to date is the low burdens reported in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries relative to other global regions. Potential explanations (for example, warmer environments, younger populations) have yet to be framed within a comprehensive analysis. We synthesized factors hypothesized to drive the pace and burden of this pandemic in SSA during the period from 25 February to 20 December 2020, encompassing demographic, comorbidity, climatic, healthcare capacity, intervention efforts and human mobility dimensions.

Recurrent Morel-Lavallée lesion obliterated with povidone iodine, a case report.

Introduction And Importance: A Morel-Lavallee lesion is a closed degloving injury due to traumatic separation of the hypodermis from underlying fascia. Accumulation of hemolymphatic fluid that occurs is a potential habitat for bacteria. Management options include percutaneous aspiration, open debridement, or a non-surgical approach, each with recurrence risk.

Effect of discontinuation of ticagrelor and switching-over to other P2Y12 agents in patients with acute coronary syndrome: a single-center real-world experience from India.

Background: Dual antiplatelet therapy is the current standard of care after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We intended to study the pattern of use of ticagrelor in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing PCI and the effect of switching over to other P2Y12 receptor inhibition on clinical outcomes.

Results: All patients aged > 18 years who had been admitted with acute coronary syndrome and had been provided ticagrelor as the second antiplatelet agent were included as study participants.

Swāsthya, an integrated chronic condition management programme for families of patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Kerala is known as the diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) capital of the world, thus compelling health professionals to model strategies, addressing their social, behavioural, and cognitive risk factors and eliminating various barriers to management. This paper describes the protocol of our study that aims to examine the effectiveness and sustainability of an integrated care model for the management of chronic conditions and their risk factors through a family-based intervention. The proposed care model targets to modify systems and processes that predispose to chronic conditions by enhancing social cohesion and social networks, preventing lifestyle risks, developing iterative cognitive interventions, and engaging the family into customised treatment adherence strategies navigated by community health social workers (CHSWs).

Gross and microscopic pathology of West Indian sea eggs (Tripneustes ventricosus).

In this study, we performed comprehensive pathology examinations on 83 Tripneustes ventricosus from 11 locations on St. Kitts to build baseline data necessary for disease diagnosis in this species. Gross abnormalities were observed in 23/83 (28%) urchins and included spine loss, visceral hyperpigmentation, test discoloration, and test ulceration.

Promising treatment strategies to combat biofilm infections: an updated review.

is a leading cause of nosocomial and community-acquired infections. The formation of biofilm by this pathogen renders it resilient to antimicrobial agents, which complicates the treatment of such infections. can form biofilms with other pathogens and cause polymicrobial infections recalcitrant to antimicrobial agents.

Gossypiboma: What Happens When a Mop is Left in a Thigh for ten Years.

Introduction: Gossypiboma is an iatrogenic lesion, caused by a retained surgical sponge in the operating field. It is an extremely rare event following musculoskeletal procedures and has devastating medicolegal consequences. It is hardly ever reported, and hence, the incidence is difficult to determine.

Automation and control of laser wakefield accelerators using Bayesian optimization.

Laser wakefield accelerators promise to revolutionize many areas of accelerator science. However, one of the greatest challenges to their widespread adoption is the difficulty in control and optimization of the accelerator outputs due to coupling between input parameters and the dynamic evolution of the accelerating structure. Here, we use machine learning techniques to automate a 100 MeV-scale accelerator, which optimized its outputs by simultaneously varying up to six parameters including the spectral and spatial phase of the laser and the plasma density and length.

AIM2 inflammasome mediates hallmark neuropathological alterations and cognitive impairment in a mouse model of vascular dementia.

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion is associated with vascular dementia (VaD). Cerebral hypoperfusion may initiate complex molecular and cellular inflammatory pathways that contribute to long-term cognitive impairment and memory loss. Here we used a bilateral common carotid artery stenosis (BCAS) mouse model of VaD to investigate its effect on the innate immune response-particularly the inflammasome signaling pathway.

Understanding the origin of carbonaceous aerosols during periods of extensive biomass burning in northern India.

Post-harvest crop residue burning is extensively practiced in North India, which results in enhanced particulate matter (PM) concentrations. This study explores the PM (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) emissions during various time periods (pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon) over the biomass burning source region in Beas, Punjab.

Monitoring for outbreak-associated excess mortality in an African city: Detection limits in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Objectives: Quantitative estimates of the impact of infectious disease outbreaks are required to develop measured policy responses. In many low- and middle-income countries, inadequate surveillance and incompleteness of death registration are important barriers.

Design: Here, we characterize how large an impact on mortality would have to be for being detectable using the uniquely detailed mortality notification data from the city of Antananarivo, Madagascar, with application to a recent measles outbreak.

Primary mucinous carcinomas of the lung: Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes.

Introduction: Invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA) of the lung is a distinct histologic variant of adenocarcinomas comprising about 2%-10% of lung adenocarcinomas. A large proportion of IMAs carry KRAS mutations and only rarely epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations or ALK/ROS translocations; thus, most cases are not amenable for targeted therapy at present. This study was conducted to elicit the unique clinicopathological characteristics of IMA.

Chemical characterization and stable nitrogen isotope composition of nitrogenous component of ambient aerosols from Kanpur in the Indo-Gangetic Plains.

Measurements of water-soluble total nitrogen (WSTN), water-soluble inorganic nitrogen (WSIN), water-soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) and ẟN (total N) was carried out on PM aerosol samples during wintertime to understand the major sources of ambient nitrogenous species at a heavily polluted location of Kanpur in north India. During the nighttime sampling campaign, WSON and NH_N contributed dominantly to the WSTN. Ammonium-rich condition persisted during sampling (NH/SO average equivalent mass ratio = 3.

A study of fractional order dual-phase-lag bioheat transfer model.

In this study, we have established a space-time fractional DPL bioheat transfer model in the presence of temperature-dependent metabolic and space-time dependent electromagnetic heat sources. Applying the Legendre wavelet collocation method, the fractional order partial differential equation is reduced into the system of algebraic equations, which has been solved using the Newton iteration method. The error bound as well as stability analysis and numerical scheme validation are provided.