COVID-19 pandemic and suicides in Nepal: Way forward for prevention

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has firmly rooted itself within our countries, communities, homes and now everyday lives. The impact of this global pandemic is immeasurable as it is catastrophic in nature and involves both a human and financial loss. Suicide and self-harm (SH) are both a serious public health and social issue. It is however preventable via the use of timely, evidence-based and many times low-cost interventions and therapies. The current situation depicted Nepal shows a true indicator of the mental health of the nation, as a precipitating factor (i.e., the extreme stress of COVID-19 and the lockdown) has exposed the submerged “ice-berg” phenomenon of disease. It is evident that COVID-19 and the lockdown had a massively negative effect on the mental health of the population in Nepal. The increased rates of suicide and self-harm also simultaneously exposed the great pre-existing fragility of the mental health of the nation. It is therefore vital that both Nepal and other countries alike take cognizance of the fact that extra support and preventative measures need to be introduced during this difficult period and that further national programs must be employed to best aid the mental health of their fellow countrymen.

Economic assessment and forecast models for the development of the agri-food sector of the Republic of Belarus

Dialectical method of obtaining knowledge is the general methodological basis of economics and organization, like other sciences, which considers all phenomena in development and interrelated to each other. Guided by this provision, development in the economy of the agri-food sector is studied not on an individual basis, but integrally and in conjunction with the economy and primarily with industry. The use of this method excludes a one-sided approach to the analysis of economic phenomena occurring in the agri-food sector, the maximum economic effect is ensured on the basis of the integral use of factors and conditions of agro-industry. The scientific study is based on the materials (proceedings) of foreign and domestic authors, data from the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus, the content of national programs for the development of the agro-industrial complex of the Republic of Belarus, as well as materials posted on official electronic media. The methods of systemic and comparative analysis, EMM (economic and mathematical methods) were used in the course of the study.

Safely resuming neglected tropical disease control activities during COVID-19: Perspectives from Nigeria and Guinea

Since its early spread in early 2020, the disease caused by the novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused mass disruptions to health services. These have included interruptions to programs that aimed to prevent, control, and eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) released interim guidelines recommending the temporary cessation of mass drug administration (MDA), community-based surveys, and case detection, while encouraging continuation of morbidity management and vector control where possible. Over the course of the following months, national programs and implementing partners contributed to COVID-19 response efforts, while also beginning to plan for resumption of NTD control activities. To understand the challenges, opportunities, and recommendations for maximizing continuity of disease control during public health emergencies, we sought perspectives from Nigeria and Guinea on the process of restarting NTD control efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through semistructured interviews with individuals involved with NTD control at the local and national levels, we identified key themes and common perspectives between the 2 countries, as well as observations that were specific to each. Overall, interviewees stressed the challenges posed by COVID-19 interruptions, particularly with respect to delays to activities and related knock-on impacts, such as drug expiry and prolonged elimination timelines, as well as concerns related to funding. However, respondents in both countries also highlighted the benefits of a formal risk assessment approach, particularly in terms of encouraging information sharing and increasing coordination and advocacy. Recommendations included ensuring greater availability of historical data to allow better monitoring of how future emergencies affect NTD control progress; continuing to use risk assessment approaches in the future; and identifying mechanisms for sharing lessons learned and innovations between countries as a means of advancing postpandemic health systems and disease control capacity strengthening.

Legal support for preventing and combating land flooding in Ukraine

Due to global warming, over-regulation of water bodies, disruption of water runoff, poor functioning or complete lack of drainage systems, reduction of forest areas, our state will not avoid the problems associated with flooding. The harmful effects of water are due to global factors, such as warming and melting glaciers, as well as regional features, including the water exchange system between water bodies, changes in rainfall and river runoff. Land flooding is a phenomenon that cannot be completely prevented. However, human activity increases its likelihood and impact. The risk of flooding and the degree of damage caused, as well as the impact on the health and socio-economic situation of those affected, will continue to increase in the future due to climate change. Inadequate river management, construction in flood-prone areas and the growing population living in these areas exacerbate the effects of flooding. Ukraine has already taken appropriate steps to implement the provisions of international acts in the field of preventing and combating land flooding into national legislation. However, the quality of implementation of national programs in this area requires better, as most measures, unfortunately, are not implemented. Failure to implement measures in certain amounts creates high risks of flooding, as a result of which the population and the economy of the state suffer multimillion losses. Keywords: land flooding, harmful effects of water, threats and risks of flooding, basin-based water management, climate change, global warming

Does all the evidence say that insulin analogues are more effective than human insulins?

Currently, a large amount of data has been accumulated to compare recombinant human insulin with insulin analogues, including meta-analyzes of comparative efficacy and safety, as well as cost-effectiveness data and data on the possible carcinogenicity of new products. Insulin treatment is a necessity for some people with diabetes mellitus (DM) due to the need to maintain optimal blood glucose levels. The authors emphasize the need to keep in mind that new insulin drugs are much more expensive, which may limit their use. Factors such as the effectiveness of treatment, its safety, and patient satisfaction should be taken into account when deciding on the choice of therapy, but the cost of treatment cannot be ignored, given that it is usually reimbursable from the budget. In this regard, insulin therapy should be individually selected taking into account the needs of patients, treatment goals, safety, and cost. The authors propose an analysis of these data on the feasibility of using insulin analogues in comparison with recombinant human insulin for patients with type 1 diabetes and patients with type 2 diabetes and their effectiveness in both types of diabetes. A reasonable policy for the use of insulin therapy should be developed based on available clinical data based on comparative studies in different groups of diabetics and comprehensive analysis of economic data. The feasibility of a new drug should be evaluated and regularly reviewed in light of the practical results of its use in clinical practice. It is also necessary to regularly conduct a retrospective economic analysis to assess the pharmacoeconomic benefits. All of these steps should assist decision-makers and regulators in implementing effective national programs to develop new effective insulin procurement systems.

DAMPAK PANDEMI COVID-19 TERHADAP IMPLEMENTASI MAKING INDONESIA 4.0

The industrial revolution is a process of change in which human work in various fields is replaced by machines. Currently the world has entered the era of the industrial revolution 4.0 so that the process of producing goods or services is much more efficient than before. Therefore, since 2017 the Ministry of Industry has made a roadmap for the Implementation of Making Indonesia 4.0 to accelerate the development of the manufacturing industry in Indonesia. In the process of achieving this goal, Indonesia is one of the countries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic which began in early 2020. The activity plans that have been prepared in the roadmap must be adjusted because most of their budget has been reallocated or refocused for handling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. -19, this study aims to determine the implementation of Making Indonesia 4.0 on the impact of the covid-19 pandemic in terms of policies and budget allocations. The method used is a literature study and descriptive analysis using quantitative and qualitative data types. Based on the results of the descriptive analysis, information was obtained that the 2020 budget allocation for the Implementation of Making Indonesia 4.0 included the refocusing of 63.4% of the initial ceiling. With this refocusing, it is necessary to reconstruct the national priority programs contained in the roadmap for the Implementation of Making Indonesia 4.0 and redesign. financing so that not all national programs use the state budget.

The role of commercial banks in sustainable finance

The market for financial instruments for sustainable finance has enormous growth potential. So far, Ukrainian banks adhere to a passive strategy in sustainable financing, which, in contrast to the active strategy, assigns banks the role of an agent in the implementation of national or international programs. Moreover, ‘green’ financing at the state level is seen as synonymous with sustainable finance. Lending to energy efficiency projects for businesses and households dominates among all areas of sustainable financing. Banks with local capital and especially state-owned banks are losing access to wholesale borrowing markets. The dependence of many Ukrainian banks on the target funds of international lenders for the development of sustainable financing weakens national financial security in the absence of large-scale national programs. It is expedient at the level of the Government of Ukraine to develop a program to intensify sustainable financing, with an emphasis on green and social impact and implementation through state banks. Sustainable financing should not exacerbate structural imbalances due to the curtailment of lending to sectors that have accumulated problems with adherence to environmental standards, social norms and corporate governance. The National Bank as a regulator and supervisor is able to act as a catalyst for the development of sustainable finance in Ukraine, with adoption of relevant standards harmonised with EU taxonomy.

Improving data use for decision making by neglected tropical disease program teams: eight use cases

Background: The achievement of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) program goals depends on numerous factors, including the ability of national programs to use high-quality, timely data to inform their decision-making and program delivery. This paper presents a use case analysis of the routine data used by national NTD programs targeting lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, and trachoma. Methods: The use cases were developed through a combination of secondary and primary research focused on both global trends and deep dives into Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. Results were refined through a stakeholder convening and the final eight use cases were determined through iteration and prioritization with stakeholders. Results: Eight use cases were developed: improve treatment register data quality, strengthen supervision of drug distributors during mass drug administration (MDA), generate accurate community-level population data for MDAs, create and manage an accurate inventory of drugs, meet district coverage targets during MDA campaigns, feedback and performance to sub-district teams, feedback on performance to sub-national teams, and national-level program use of data for evaluation and decision making. Each use case identifies key actors and their data-related needs and critical challenges, defines the current and desired state, and articulates the profile of a solution (digital and non-digital) needed to complete the use case. Conclusion: The systematic strengthening of data use for decision-making in NTD programs is key for reaching the 2030 Roadmap goals. Integrated together, the presented use cases, when translated into action using appropriate and innovative solutions, can help to ensure that accurate and timely data are present at every step of a program and empower countries to use these data to make program decisions.

Toward Sustainable Cementitious Radioactive Waste Forms: Immobilization of Problematic Operational Wastes

Developing effective radioactive waste management practices is essential for ensuring the sustainability of the nuclear industry. The immobilization of radioactive wastes is one of the main activities conducted during the management of these wastes; it aims to produce a durable waste form that has sustainable performance over long periods of time. In this work, the challenges that face the design of durable cementitious waste forms are addressed for problematic operational wastes. In this respect, the problematic characteristics of evaporator concentrates, spent ion exchangers, and organic liquid wastes are overviewed, and the factors that affect the durability of their cementitious waste forms are identified. A summary of potential conventional and innovative cementitious matrices is presented by reviewing the cementation practices in national programs and recent research devoted to developing durable matrices. Finally, a guide to optimize the mix design of these waste forms was proposed that includes the selection of the testing procedure, factors that affect the waste form performance, and the optimization technique. This guide was presented with special focus on leaching tests, which are a means to test the stabilization performance of nuclear waste forms.

Acceptability of HIV oral self-test among truck drivers and youths: a qualitative investigation from Pune, Maharashtra

Background Ending AIDS by 2030 is a global target, to which India is a signatory. HIV-self-test (HIVST) coupled with counselling and AIDS-care, including antiretroviral therapy, has the potential to achieve this. However, national programs are at varying stages of acceptance of HIVST, as discussions around its introduction spark controversy and debates. HIV-self-test, as yet, is not part of the AIDS control program in India. Against this backdrop, we explored acceptability of an HIV oral self-test (HIVOST) among truckers and young men and women. Methods A qualitative investigation with 41 in-depth-interviews and 15 group discussions were conducted in the district of Pune, in the western state of Maharashtra, India. These interactions were built around a prototype HIVOST kit, helped in taking the discussions forward. The software N-vivo (version 11.0) was used to manage the volumes of data generated through the aforementioned process. The study was conducted during June through December, 2019. Results While the truckers belonged to the age bracket 21–67 year, the youths were in the age group 18–24 year. ‘Ease of doing HIVOST’ and ‘fear of needle pricks’ were the reasons behind acceptance around HIVOST by both the study groups. Truckers felt that HIVOST would encourage one to know one’s HIV status and seek help as appropriate. Accuracy of HIVOST result and disposal of the kits following use were concerns of a few. Most of the participants preferred saliva over blood as the specimen of choice. Instructions in local language reportedly would enable test-use by self. The truck drivers preferred undertaking HIVOST at the truckers-friendly ‘Khushi clinics’ or in the vehicle, while youths preferred the privacy of home. Some of the young men mis-perceived the utility of HIVOST by referring to doing a test on a partner immediately prior to sexual encounter. On the other hand, a few truckers had wrong information on HIV cure. Conclusions Overall, the study communities expressed their acceptance towards HIV-self-test. The National AIDS Control Program, India would benefit by drawing upon the findings of the current investigation. Existing myths and misconceptions around HIV test and treatment require program attention.