Improving baseline serological investigations for dental workers at specialized dental center

Objective: Serological tests for dental workers have been suggested by different international agencies to ensure the safety of dental practitioners and, subsequently, their patients. In our organization, the percentage of dental workers who underwent serological tests was low (26%). Material and Methods: An intervention was designed using three sequential PDSA cycles to test changes proposed by team members. The percentage of dental workers who underwent these tests was used as the measure. Results: During the project period, the percentage of dental workers who underwent serological tests within nine months increased from 24% to 87%. Amongst the three interventions, the final one exhibited the most prominent change leading to major improvement. Conclusion: Serological tests are essential investigational data used to ensure the safety of dental workers, which subsequently also enhances patient safety. Further interventions are highly recommended to maximize the number of dental workers who undergo serological investigation.

Polyphenols in Matily Herbal & Spices Boosts Antibodies in an Elderly Following COVID 19 Infections – A Case Study

An elderly patient had COVID-19 infection in August 2020 and started the home remedies treatment for the first 18 hours, followed by Azithromycin 250 mg for 6 days. The patient revered well, and the infection was confirmed by antibodies in the patient's serum. Later on, the patient was on Matily Herbal Drink and Matily Herbal & Spices Mix to avoid complications connected with COVID-19 re-infection. After completing 12 months of post COVID-19 infection, the antibodies were assessed to find the status. It was found to be increased in qualitative assessment. The quantitative assessment of antibodies showed a much higher value compared with individuals who had both the dose of vaccines and tested the blood after two weeks since the second dose of vaccine. We suggest that the increased antibodies could be because of the bioavailability of polyphenols present in the Matily Herbal Drink and Matily Herbal & Spices Mix. Polyphenols inactivate COVID-19 virus and this may have helped the body to increase its antibody production. The bioavailability of polyphenols depends on various factors, including acidulants in the diet. Based on the present studies, we suggest India should have her own strategies to increase antibodies in the population instead of just following the norms laid by International Agencies for the booster dose of vaccine Keywords: COVID-19, Matily Herbal Drink, Matily Herbal, Spices Mix

Risk Management Strategies in Construction Organizations

Background: Construction projects are among the riskiest businesses due to the number of factors involved that are difficult to control; hence, the popularity of risk management as part of the decision-making process in construction organizations is increasing. Despite the advancements, there are various risks involved that lead to project failure. Aim: Thus, this study aims to assess the risk management strategies in construction organizations in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Methods: Seventy questionnaires were distributed after subjecting them to pretesting and pilot study that confirmed the validity and reliability of the questions. The target respondents included engineers and consultants from the construction organizations, Ministry of Works and Housing, and international agencies. The questionnaire was retrieved with a 65.71% response rate. Results: Results indicated that the most popular method of risk factor determination in the Gaza Strip is the “checklist” (RII=84%). For tools/methods of risk analysis, relying on experience in the direct assessment is the most prominent, with an RII of 78%. For the methods of avoiding risk before the project implementation, dependence on experience in the work for preparing and planning was ranked highest (having RII of 81.6%). Finally, follow-up on the implementation to avoid rework, with an RII of 77.6%, was ranked highest among other factors of avoiding risk during the construction projects implementation. Conclusion: This study highlights the key risk management strategies that will be beneficial for the construction industry stakeholders to resolve the unwanted risk failures in the construction industry.

Essential Workers COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy, Misinformation and Informational Needs in the Republic of North Macedonia.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health crisis that as of December 2021 has resulted in the death of over 5.2 million people. Despite the unprecedented development and distribution of vaccines, hesitancy to take the vaccine remains a wide-spread public health challenge, especially in Eastern European countries. In this study we focus on a sample of essential workers in North Macedonia to: 1) Describe rates of vaccine acceptance, risk perception and sources of COVID-19 information, 2) Explore predictors of vaccine hesitancy and 3) Describe informational needs of hesitant and non-hesitant essential workers. Methods: Descriptive statistics were used to present frequencies of vaccine acceptance. Logistic regression was used to explore predictors of vaccine acceptance based on sociodemographic characteristics, hesitancy to take other vaccines in the past, previous diagnosis of COVID-19, and individual risk perception of COVID-19. Chi square analysis was used to compare informational needs differences between hesitant and non-hesitant individuals across socio-demographic groups. Results: From a sample of 1003 individuals, 439 (44%) reported that they were very likely to get the vaccine, the rest reported some level of hesitancy. Older age, Albanian ethnicity, post-secondary school education, previous diagnosis of COVID-19, previous vaccine acceptance of other vaccines, and increased risk perception of COVID-19 infection were all found to be negatively associated with vaccine hesitancy. In particular hesitant individuals, compared to the non-hesitant, wanted to have more information and reassurance that all main international agencies (i.e. FDA, WHO, EMA) were all in accordance in recommending the vaccine and that they would be free to choose if getting the vaccine or not without consequences (p<0.01).

Pesticide Use in Bangladesh: A Review on Potential Impacts

Bangladesh is a densely populated agricultural country. A wide range of products of pesticides being used in Bangladesh is already considered a health and environmental concern by different international agencies including the World Health Organization (WHO). Excessive, irrational use of pesticides in agriculture, and lack of knowledge on pest management have caused widespread pesticide pollution which is now posing a substantial threat to the environment and local people. In this review, we assessed and analyzed previous literature systematically to map a complete scenario of pesticide pollution in Bangladesh, covering soil, water, and foods. Most of the previous studies indicated that soil, water, and different seasonal vegetables are contaminated with organophosphorus, pyrethroid, and exceeded the FAO/WHO maximum residual limits. Concentration of chlorpyriphos, malathion were found below the detection limit in soil samples. But water samples were found contaminated with chlorpyrifos, diazinon, malathion, carbaryl and carbofuran. Considered vegetable samples were adulterated with fenvalerate, quinalphos, cypermethrin, fenitrothion, dimethoate, parathion, linuron, phenthoate. Persistence of organochlorines in the environment is limited and meets the maximum residue level (MRLs). This study will help to depict the pesticide pollution status in the environmental matrices in recent years and to cut off the exacerbation of pesticide pollution. A proactive approach is essential to limit the pesticide pollution load in the environmental matrices.

Receptor-binding domain–based immunoassays for serosurveillance differentiate efficiently between SARS-CoV2–exposed and non-exposed farmed mink

During the COVID-19 pandemic, infection of farmed mink has become not only an economic issue but also a widespread public health concern. International agencies have advised the use of strict molecular and serosurveillance methods for monitoring the SARS-CoV2 status on mink farms. We developed 2 ELISAs and a duplex protein microarray immunoassay (MI), all in a double-recognition format (DR), to detect SARS-CoV2 antibodies specific to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein and to the full-length nucleoprotein (N) in mink sera. We collected 264 mink serum samples and 126 oropharyngeal samples from 5 Spanish mink farms. In both of the ELISAs and the MI, RBD performed better than N protein for serologic differentiation of mink from SARS-CoV2–positive and –negative farms. Therefore, RBD was the optimal antigenic target for serosurveillance of mink farms.

Impact of Training Modules on Physicians’ Perspective of COVID-19: An Online Survey

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 has remained a massive challenge for healthcare workers specially physicians. Effective professional training has a crucial role in preparing doctors for responding to pandemics. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of existing training modules on enhancing knowledge, ensuring safe practice, and improving behavior on COVID-19 among physicians. Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional, online survey; where a virtual questionnaire was used to collect data through online professional platforms. A pre-tested survey tool was employed to assess the impact of professional training on infection prevention and control. Results: Total 161 physicians participated in this survey from 15 different countries. Most of the respondents (72%) received training from various sources like the workplace (60%) and international agencies (21%), through the in-person or online format. Knowledge assessment revealed advanced (43%) and competent (40%) understanding by the participants. Improving knowledge progression was displayed by the cohort who received professional training (p<0.00). Physicians’ positive behavior and good practices were observed with the training modules. Conclusion: It became evident from this study, that professional training is effective in enhancing knowledge, improving behavior, and ensuring safe practices. Hence, designing such training modules for the physicians is warranted to tackle ongoing and future pandemics. J MEDICINE 2021; 22: 107-113

Ownership, Decentralization and Development in Papua New Guinea: Sub National Participation in Aid Effectiveness

<p><b>The debate on aid effectiveness and ineffectiveness continues to remain as a core issue for international development. The endorsement of the Paris Declaration on the principles of aid effectiveness in March 2005 by states and international agencies was a significant milestone in this regard. This declaration involved specific commitments for donors and partner countries and marked a paradigm shift for improving aid effectiveness. The overall aim was to improve the quality of aid and its impact on development and, in particular, recipient countries taking ownership of their development. The ownership principle has been echoed and reaffirmed in the subsequent series of high level forums on aid effectiveness.</b></p> <p>This thesis provides a critical examination of Papua New Guinea’s commitment to aid effectiveness. It examines and analyses aid and development effectiveness at the subnational levels of government. It finds that there is a substantial disjunction between national and subnational levels of government with regard to development ownership. This is demonstrated in current policies and practices, and it largely echoes studies elsewhere in the Pacific region on aid and development. However, in this wider literature, there is little evidence on important policy issues regarding leadership and effective aid and development coordination in a decentralized system of government, and this is where Papua New Guinea (PNG) offers some important new insights. This thesis argues that the subnational levels of government continue to remain isolated from the aid effectiveness discussion despite development ownership efforts and government objectives to practice ownership and leadership through all tiers of government.</p>

The Power of Music to Prevent and Control Emerging Infectious Diseases

Music is a powerful approach to engage communities and disseminate information. Specifically, health campaigns employing music have been used to promote behaviors that can prevent emerging infectious diseases (EIDs). For example, hip hop artists supported campaigns to prevent acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in the 70s in the United States, while Brazilian funk promoted vaccination to mitigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, we broadcast musical messages in local languages to increase community awareness and support prevention measures in Guinea and Liberia in response to the recent Ebola outbreak in 2021. Given the potential of music to promote both individual and population-level behavioral changes to prevent transmission, there is a need to consolidate information on music-based health interventions, and on how we can measure their effectiveness. In this perspective, we provide examples of relevant initiatives, discussing challenges and solutions associated with implementing interventions based on our experience with the 2021 Ebola outbreak. We recommend four steps for a successful music-based health intervention including (1) establishing a task force, (2) compose a “catchy” song including critical preventive measures, (3) deliver the song to the target audience, and (4) evaluate the campaign effectiveness. We argue that close interactions between scientists and musicians can produce rapid musical content for disease prevention. We also identify and discuss several methodological frameworks for testing the effectiveness of such interventions. We conclude that support from public health authorities, government media departments, and international agencies, is necessary to deliver wide outreach and long-term sustainability of musical messaging toward effective EID prevention.

Ownership, Decentralization and Development in Papua New Guinea: Sub National Participation in Aid Effectiveness

<p><b>The debate on aid effectiveness and ineffectiveness continues to remain as a core issue for international development. The endorsement of the Paris Declaration on the principles of aid effectiveness in March 2005 by states and international agencies was a significant milestone in this regard. This declaration involved specific commitments for donors and partner countries and marked a paradigm shift for improving aid effectiveness. The overall aim was to improve the quality of aid and its impact on development and, in particular, recipient countries taking ownership of their development. The ownership principle has been echoed and reaffirmed in the subsequent series of high level forums on aid effectiveness.</b></p> <p>This thesis provides a critical examination of Papua New Guinea’s commitment to aid effectiveness. It examines and analyses aid and development effectiveness at the subnational levels of government. It finds that there is a substantial disjunction between national and subnational levels of government with regard to development ownership. This is demonstrated in current policies and practices, and it largely echoes studies elsewhere in the Pacific region on aid and development. However, in this wider literature, there is little evidence on important policy issues regarding leadership and effective aid and development coordination in a decentralized system of government, and this is where Papua New Guinea (PNG) offers some important new insights. This thesis argues that the subnational levels of government continue to remain isolated from the aid effectiveness discussion despite development ownership efforts and government objectives to practice ownership and leadership through all tiers of government.</p>