Prevalence and associated factors of loneliness among in-school adolescents in three South Asian countries.

We aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with loneliness among adolescent students in three South Asian countries. We used data from the latest Global School-Based Health Survey of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. A two-stage cluster sampling design was used to collect the cross-sectional survey data.

A Comprehensive Review of Challenges in Oral Drug Delivery Systems and Recent Advancements in Innovative Design Strategies.

The oral route of drug administration is often preferred by patients and healthcare providers due to its convenience, ease of use, non-invasiveness, and patient acceptance. However, traditional oral dosage forms have several limitations, including low bioavailability, limited drug loading capacity, and stability and storage issues, particularly with solutions and suspensions. Over the years, researchers have dedicated considerable effort to developing novel oral drug delivery systems to overcome these limitations.

A Review on the Mechanisms, Applications, and Clinical Trials of Advanced Technologies in the Transdermal Drug Delivery System.

Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems (TDDS) have emerged as a promising method for administering therapeutic agents due to their non-invasive nature and patient-friendly approach. However, the effectiveness of this system is limited to drugs with specific physicochemical properties that allow for transdermal delivery as the skin acts as a barrier. To address this limitation, researchers have been exploring alternative approaches to improve drug delivery through the stratum corneum, ensuring consistent drug distribution at controlled rates.

ChatGPT's performance before and after teaching in mass casualty incident triage.

Since its initial launching, ChatGPT has gained significant attention from the media, with many claiming that ChatGPT's arrival is a transformative milestone in the advancement of the AI revolution. Our aim was to assess the performance of ChatGPT before and after teaching the triage of mass casualty incidents by utilizing a validated questionnaire specifically designed for such scenarios. In addition, we compared the triage performance between ChatGPT and medical students.

Effects of mass casualty incidents on anxiety, depression and PTSD among doctors and nurses: a systematic review protocol.

Introduction: Both doctors and nurses showed a greater risk of being exposed to different mental health conditions following mass casualties. This systematic review aims to synthesise the existing evidence on the prevalence of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder and their associated risk factors among doctors and nurses following mass casualty incidents.

Methods And Analysis: Seven electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, MEDLINE Ovid, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science and Nursing & Allied Health database) will be searched from 2010 to 2022 with peer-reviewed articles in English language using the predefined keywords.

Investigations of hemato-biochemical and histopathological parameters, and growth performance of walking catfish (Clarias batrachus) exposed to PET and LDPE microplastics.

Fish inhabiting various trophic levels are affected differently as the presence of microplastic (MP) in the water column and their ingestion by fish varies. Walking catfish (Clarias batrachus) inhabits the bottom of the water bodies. To understand the effects of MP, we exposed C.

Availability and use of personal protective equipment in low- and middle-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Availability and appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is of particular importance in Low and Middle-Income countries (LMICs) where disease outbreaks other than COVID-19 are frequent and health workers are scarce. This study assesses the availability of necessary PPE items during the COVID-19 pandemic at health facilities in seven LMICs.

Methods: Data were collected using a rapid-cycle survey among 1554 health facilities in seven LMICs via phone-based surveys between August 2020 and December 2021.

Family resilience and neighborhood factors affect the association between digital media use and mental health among children: does sleep mediate the association?

The associations between digital media use and mental well-being among children and adolescents have been inconclusive. We examined (i) the associations between digital media use and mental health outcomes, anxiety, depression, and ADHD, (ii) whether family resilience and neighborhood factors attenuate the associations, and (iii) whether sleep mediates these associations. We used the National Survey of Children's Health data from 2019 to 2020.

Healthcare utilization and maternal and child mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in 18 low- and middle-income countries: An interrupted time-series analysis with mathematical modeling of administrative data.

Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had wide-reaching direct and indirect impacts on population health. In low- and middle-income countries, these impacts can halt progress toward reducing maternal and child mortality. This study estimates changes in health services utilization during the pandemic and the associated consequences for maternal, neonatal, and child mortality.

The effect of selected commercially available mouth-rinses vs. curcumin photosensitizers in an artificial mouth model mimicking their use before meals on early colonizers single species biofilm.

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the bacterial-adherence to the experimental pellicle pretreated with commercially available oral-rinse/ photosensitizer (mimicking use of oral-rinse/ photosensitizer before meals).

Materials And Methods: An artificial mouth (NAM) system was used for the development of single-species biofilm (Actinomyces viscosus, Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus sanguinis respectively). Two commercially available oral-rinses containing active ingredients [Essential oils (EO) and Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) were used.

Associations of forms of intimate partner violence with low birth weight in India: findings from a population-based Survey.

Background: Many studies report a significant association between a lifetime measure of intimate partner violence (IPV) and low birth weight (LBW) in low-income and economically developed countries. However, it remains relatively unclear how different forms of IPV affect LBW in low-income countries. This study examines the associations of various forms of IPV with two measures of birth outcomes - LBW and birth weight in India.

Plasma Concentrations of Pro-inflammatory Cytokine IL-6 and Antiinflammatory Cytokine IL-10 in Short- and Long-term Opioid Users with Noncancer Pain.

Introduction: Little is known whether the duration of opioid use influences the concentrations of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines.

Objectives: This study examined the plasma concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and anti-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin 10 (IL-10), in short-, and long-term opioid users with noncancer pain.

Materials And Methods: Adult patients with opioid therapy for noncancer pain were recruited from pain clinics at two tertiary hospital settings in Malaysia between February 2016 and March 2017.

Lactoferrin-tethered betulinic acid nanoparticles promote rapid delivery and cell death in triple negative breast and laryngeal cancer cells.

Cancer management presents multifarious problems. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with inaccurate prognosis and limited chemotherapeutic options. Betulinic acid (BA) prevents angiogenesis and causes apoptosis of TNBC cells.

Parenting stress and family resilience affect the association of adverse childhood experiences with children's mental health and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Introduction: Exposure to adverse childhood experience (ACE) has harmful consequences for children's health and well-being. However, it is less clear how different social processes may amplify or mitigate the effects of ACE on children's mental health. We examined how parenting stress mediates and family resilience moderates the associations of ACE with children's mental health and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) outcomes.

Study on the Perception of Staff and Students of a University on Community Pharmacy Practice in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

Background: In Malaysia, community pharmacies play an important and vital role in both urban and rural areas with approximately 30% of 12,000 registered pharmacists with annual retention certificate practicing in community pharmacies. The main objective of this study was to find the perception of respondents on the value and necessity of pharmacists.

Materials And Methods: The questionnaire was divided into two sections: the first section assessed the visits to community pharmacies, purpose, interaction with pharmacy staffs, professional fee, and improvements to pharmacy practices; the second section evaluated the characteristics of respondents including an e-consent form.

Early termination of immune tolerance state of hepatitis B virus infection explains liver damage.

Aim: To assess an early termination of immune tolerance state of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in Bangladesh and its clinical significance.

Methods: From a series of 167 treatment-naive chronic hepatitis B patients aged between 12 to 20 years (mean ± SD; 17.5 ± 2.

Reaction kinetics of hydrothermal carbonization of loblolly pine.

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a pretreatment process to convert diverse feedstocks to homogeneous energy-dense solid fuels. Understanding of reaction kinetics is necessary for reactor design and optimization. In this study, the reaction kinetics and effects of particle size on HTC were investigated.

Effects of dissolved gases and pH on sonolysis of 2,4-dichlorophenol.

Ultrasonic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) has been studied under oxygen, air, argon, and nitrogen in aqueous solutions for a liquid temperature of 20 degrees C at 489 kHz. The degradation rate increases significantly in the presence of O2, and argon, whereas it remains the lowest under nitrogen, for which a competitive reaction model has been proposed for its non-exponential decay. Experiments have been also performed at three different pHs, 11.