WHO Report Research Articles

Mixed-method study of women’s experiences of Respectful-Disrespectful Maternity Care in Cyprus

Abstract Background Since the WHO reports on Disrespect and Abuse (D&A) in childbirth, there was an increase in studies across Europe exploring women’s experiences. Even though contentious, a 2024 EU Committee report adopts the term obstetric violence. With the highest caesarean section (C/S) in the EU, the birth environment in Cyprus raises questions about informed choices. Methods The RESPECT mixed-method study gained insights into the experiences of women in Cyprus with focus groups (N = 6, 28 women) and survey (online and in-person) tapping on Rights for Respectful Maternity Care (RMC), as measured by Person-Centred Maternity Care scale (PCMC), autonomy in decision making (MADM), dignity and respect (MoRi) and mistreatment (MIST). Results Among 516 responses (61% first childbirth, 38.5% vaginal, 15% public sector, consistent with official statistics), the 35-item PCMC (range 0-100%) represents a continuum of quality standards deviations (Med=81, IQR=61-92). Lowest scores were recorded for “Communication & Autonomy”, with 28.5% reporting ‘feeling pushed into a decision’, with associations observed with younger age, first-time birth, mode and place of birth, highlighting social inequity. Based on MADM, 23.8%, 14.1% and 14.7% women were classified as having moderate, low or very low autonomy. For mistreatment, 32.0% reported at least one of 11 indicators, most commonly privacy violations and no freedom of movement. Formula feeding against wishes (13.6%), vaginal examinations (11.6%) and episiotomy (7.8%) where most common among 33.7% reporting procedures without consent. Deductive content analysis of narratives according to RMC triangulate findings of weak shared decision-making processes. Conclusions Given that C/S reduction was identified as a national priority in Cyprus, the RESPECT findings can widen the conversation about quality improvement and form the basis to engage with local stakeholders in an open-dialogue about RMC, guided by participatory action research principles. Key messages • In the medicalized birth environment of Cyprus, women report a range of sub-optimal practices, with ethical implications, primarily affecting the right to autonomy. • Adopting the Respectful Maternity Care framework, the findings can stimulate and shape quality improvement efforts in a participatory and inclusive process with local stakeholders.

Adapting a cultural dance program to prevent cognitive decline: insights from experts and educators

Abstract Leveraging activities such as cultural dance shows promise as an effective basis for chronic disease prevention and management with at-risk populations. In fact, recent WHO reports and resolutions advocate utilizing cultural context to achieve health equality. Hula, the Native Hawaiian indigenous dance has been successfully utilized in interventions with statistically significant improvement in medication resistant hypertension management and heart disease prevention. In this study, Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) experts and kumu hula (hula experts and educators) provide insights to developing a hula-based lifestyle program for prevention of cognitive decline. Informant interviews were used to collect information for developing a hula-based program for individuals with mild cognitive impairment from 4 ADRD experts and clinicians, and 4 kumu hula. The 60-90 minute semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, then transcribed. Separate thematic analysis allowed distinct themes for each group to emerge. Themes with greatest between group alignment informed the adaptation of an existing hula-based chronic disease intervention. The clinical and cultural experts were unanimous on multiple themes. First, a hula-based program was well positioned to promote social functioning. Second, hula facilitated integrated multi-dimensional benefits including physical, cognitive, social, and cultural. Third, facilitating learning included: repetition done in creative forms; utilization of aids such as dance notation and audio recordings; and educational approaches such as project-based learning. Cultural activities such as dance have been underutilized in health promotion initiatives. A significant challenge in health promotion programs is engagement and retention of participants. Cultural dance programs are popular and can be effective interventions, particularly when both clinical and cultural experts are engaged in program development. Key messages • Inclusion of clinical and cultural experts in health promotion program development leads to unique collaboration and impactful insights. • ADRD clinicians and Hawaiian cultural dance educators identify social, cultural, physical, and cognitive benefits of hula as instrumental for individuals with mild cognitive impairment.

Implementasi Data Mining Klasifikasi Gejala Penyakit TB Menggunakan Algoritma Naive Bayes pada Studi Kasus Puskesmas Pegangsaan Dua B

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria can enter the lungs, causing the patient to experience shortness of breath and chronic coughing. The infection process in TB progresses through three main stages: primary infection, latent infection, and active infection. During the primary infection stage, the bacteria enter the lungs through inhaled air. If the immune system successfully controls the bacteria, the infection becomes latent, where the bacteria remain inactive and cause no symptoms. However, if the immune system fails, the infection becomes active, and the bacteria attack healthy lung cells, leading to severe symptoms. Tuberculosis remains a major cause of global morbidity and mortality. According to the 2022 WHO report, Indonesia ranks second in the world with an estimated 969,000 TB cases, or 354 per 100,000 people, and a mortality rate of 144,000, or 52 per 100,000 people. This study aims to improve the accuracy of TB diagnosis through the application of the Naive Bayes algorithm, applied to patient data from the Pegangsaan Dua B Community Health Center. The dataset includes 1,527 training data and 1,029 testing data, covering attributes such as patient name, gender, age, identification number, registration date, address, diagnosis status, and diagnosis results. The results indicate that the Naive Bayes algorithm achieved an accuracy of 99.71%, showing its potential for early and accurate TB diagnosis prediction.

Deep Immunoprofiling of Large-Scale Tuberculosis Dataset at Single Cell Resolution Reveals a CD81bright γδ T Cell Population Associated with Latency.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the leading causes of death among infectious diseases, with 10.6 million new cases and 1.3 million deaths reported in 2022, according to the most recent WHO report. Early studies have shown an expansion of γδ T cells following TB infection in both experimental models and humans, indicating their abundance among lung lymphocytes and suggesting a role in protective immune responses against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) infection. In this study, we hypothesized that distinct subsets of γδ T cells are associated with either protection against or disease progression in TB. To explore this, we applied large-scale scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq data integration to define the phenotypic and molecular characteristics of peripheral blood γδ T cells. Our analysis identified five unique γδ T subclusters, each with distinct functional profiles. Notably, we identified a unique cluster significantly enriched in the TCR signaling pathway, with high CD81 expression as a conserved marker. This distinct molecular signature suggests a specialized role for this cluster in immune signaling and regulation of immune response against M. tuberculosis. Flow cytometry confirmed our in silico results, showing that the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) values of CD81 expression on γδ T cells were significantly increased in individuals with latent TB infection (TBI) compared to those with active TB (ATB). This finding underscores the importance of CD81 and its associated signaling mechanisms in modulating the activity and function of γδ T cells under TBI conditions, providing insights into potential therapeutic targets for TB management.

Malaria tracker: The best bet for malaria elimination in Nigeria

Malaria is a significant public health burden in Nigeria, accounting for a substantial number of cases and deaths annually. Regrettably, the Malaria disease burden in line with the WHO (2023) report showed that there were 249 million cases of malaria in 2022 when compared to 244 million cases in 2021 and the number of malaria deaths stood at 608,000 in 2022 compared to 610 000 in 2021. It is highly appalling that among the list of four African countries that accounted for just over half of all malaria deaths worldwide, Nigeria is leading with the limited data provided at 26.8%, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.3%), Uganda (5.1%) and Mozambique (4.2%) (WHO, 2023)

Drivers’ Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Towards Traffic Rules and Regulations

Research frequently reports that the majority of crashes (up to 80%), are the fault of drivers. Further, the WHO reports that most fatal crashes occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). In LMIC, including Pakistan, most drivers have low levels of knowledge about traffic rules and regulations, have negative attitudes towards rules and regulations and often violate road safety rules. This study used a structured survey of drivers in Karachi, Pakistan (n=260). Most respondents were aware that helmet use for motorbike riders is compulsory (74.6%), agreed it was important to follow road signs (74.2%) and wear a seat belt (64.6%). However, over half did not know the speed limit in residential areas (54.6%) and almost half considered drug use when driving was not dangerous or were against the penalty or fine for violation of traffic laws (45.4%). In addition, 45.8% of all drivers thought driving licenses were unnecessary. This study suggests there may be low levels of driver knowledge of certain road rules (e.g. speed limit), negative attitudes about certain safe driving practices (drug driving), and low levels of value placed on driving license in Karachi, Pakistan. Analysis suggest that knowledge and attitude affect driver practices in Karachi, Pakistan. Strengthening enforcement and related public communication measures about traffic rules and greater penalties that are sufficiently deterring for the violators of the traffic rules is needed. There must also be a formal mechanism to issue the driving licence after a proper test of the knowledge of road rules and driving following those rules.

Exploring distraction techniques and parental satisfaction during infant immunization: a pilot study in aspirational district Darrang and non-aspirational districts Karimganj of Assam

Background: In India, the percentage of children aged 12-23 months who have had full immunization coverage (FIC) has increased dramatically from 62% to 76%. UNICEF, 2022. As stated in the WHO report for 2022. Global coverage decreased to 81% in 2021 from 86% in 2019. Methods: The study’s methodology involved studying how the 4 S’s technique, oral sucrose, and each of them affect parents’ satisfaction and infants’ perception of pain after vaccination in Darrang aspirational and Karimganj non-aspirational districts. Eighty infants were involved in the pilot project, split into four groups of ten infants each. Results: In the study at Civil Hospital Mangaldoi, group C reported the highest parental satisfaction (mean=3.2) with no dissatisfaction and the lowest mean pain intensity (1.3, SD=0.48). Group A had 100% satisfaction (mean=3.1, SD=0.31), group B had 90% satisfaction (mean=3.0, SD=0.47), and the control group had the lowest satisfaction (30%, mean=2.3, SD=0.67) with 70% dissatisfaction. Group C’s outcomes demonstrate both the highest satisfaction and the least intense, most consistent pain perception among participants. Conclusions: This study’s conclusion emphasizes how critical it is to overcome vaccine reluctance and enhance immunization experiences by employing efficient pain control strategies. The findings support the implementation of interventions such as sucrose administration and other pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to reduce pain associated with vaccinations, particularly in paediatric populations.

A fuzzy-based emotion detection method to classify the attractiveness of urban green spaces

In European studies, the most used definition of Urban Green Spaces (UGS) is based on the European Urban Atlas, which includes public green areas primarily used for recreation and green areas adjacent to urban areas that are managed or utilized for recreational purposes. UGS play a vital role in creating sustainable and resilient cities, as they provide essential social benefits for the well-being and health of urban residents. Both planners and scientists acknowledge the importance of involving, actively or passively, citizens in defining criteria for designing and managing inclusive and functional UGS. According to a post-normal science approach, the integration of hard data from scientific sources with soft data gathered from citizens’ engagement holds the potential to shape an innovative support system for public policies addressing significant, urgent, and uncertain challenges pertaining to UGS. Nowadays, the abundance of data generated through online reviews, opinions, and comments allows for collecting valuable information about people’s opinions and sentiments towards UGS. This study proposes a methodological framework that utilizes emotion detection techniques to identify and analyze citizens’ emotions concerning UGS through social reviews. To balance computational costs and classification accuracy, the framework introduces a fuzzy emotion-based classification method called FREDoC (Fuzzy Relevance Emotions Document Classification). This method incorporates a lightweight natural language pro-cessing (NLP) approach to detect and annotate terms associated with specific emotional categories within the text. The framework adopts the psycho-evolutionary classification approach based on R. Plutchik’s observations of general emotional responses. This model is implemented within a Geographical Information System (GIS) for the purpose of categorizing UGS, specifically green parks, according both to WHO report key indicators and to the detected relevant emotions. The outcome is a novel classification model of UGS that can assist decision-makers in identifying the attractiveness of UGS as catalysts for urban transformation processes.

Vaccination Week in the Americas: An Ongoing Initiative to Strengthen and Sustain Measles and Rubella Elimination in the Region.

Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) is a yearly regional initiative that promotes the benefits of vaccination to all persons in the region. In its 22-year history, more than 1.15 billion people have been reached under the framework of VWA across more than 40 countries and territories. This review examines multiple PAHO and WHO data points, documents and reports related to measles/rubella vaccination coverage and VWA since its inception. Its goal is to document the impact that the VWA has had in maintaining and accelerating measles and rubella disease elimination, in the context of PAHO's Disease Elimination Initiative. The results suggest that VWA's contributions to measles and rubella elimination have been substantial. Every year, VWA promotes (a) renewed political commitment to the immunization program from the highest political authorities of Member States; (b) vaccination operations to close immunity gaps, recover under-vaccinated persons, and reach chronically underserved populations; and (c) the dissemination of messages on the benefits of vaccination through regional and national communications campaigns. VWA will continue to be an important contributor to disease elimination efforts in the Americas, even as new targets are set in response to the evolving epidemiological landscape.

Occupational exposure to chrysotile in an asbestos cement factory in Kyrgyzstan.

An increasing number of countries are banning the production and use of asbestos, in compliance with the ratification of the C162 Asbestos Convention and the Basel Convention, and in response to the call for its elimination in the ILO resolution and WHO reports on the health risks associated with asbestos. Nevertheless, several countries, including Kyrgyzstan, are still miners and/or manufacturers of asbestos. The main objective of the study is to assess the occupational exposure to chrysotile of workers engaged in a production facility of asbestos-cement products in Kyrgyzstan. Monitored workers (n = 16, for a total of n = 18 samples) were divided into 3 "Similar Exposure Groups" (SEGs; SEG-1: asbestos loading; SEG-2; asbestos-cement mixing; SEG-3: cutting of asbestos-cement sheets) according to EN 689 standard. Samples were collected through personal sampling and subsequently examined by means of scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy-dispersive spectrometer for the compositional analysis of each fibre. The numerical concentration of airborne asbestos fibres was henceforward determined by dividing the number of fibres and the volume of sampled air (expressed in the number of fibres per millilitre of air: ff/ml). Investigated workers resulted to be exposed to chrysotile fibres. Results (GM ± GSD) outlined extremely high exposure levels for SEG-1 (2.2±2.1 ff/ml) and SEG-3 (4.7±1.6 ff/ml) workers and lower-but still relevant-exposure values for SEG-2 (0.91±2.6 ff/ml) workers. The results obtained in this case study can help to document potentially critical situations of occupational exposure to asbestos that can still occur nowadays in low and middle-income countries where asbestos is still mined and processed.

Optimization of Annealing Temperature and Primer Concentration for Detection of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Isoniazid Resistance Real-Time PCR Method

Indonesia has the second highest number of TB cases in the world according to the WHO report in 2022. Eradication of the National TB Program is difficult due to the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. Tb) bacteria that are resistant to various anti-tuberculosis drugs (OAT) known as Multidrug- Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Therefor, currently, a nucleic acid-based diagnostic kit has been developed that is designed to directly detect the presence of resistance to INH with mutations of the KatG gene codon 315 (S315T, S315N, S315I, S315R, S315G, R463L) and rifampicin sensitive M. Tb using the Real-Time PCR method. PCR components that are important for development include annealing temperature and primer concentration. This study aims to determine the optimum annealing temperature and primer concentration. The type of research is the Quasi Experiment. The treatment in this study is by adding each primer that varies in concentration, namely 200nM-400nM while varying the annealing temperature with a range of 52-62°C according to the Tm of each primer. The data obtained from this research are Ct values ​​from the target genes S315T, S315N, S315I, S315R, S315G, R463L and M. Tb Rifampicin sensitive.

Relation Between Fast Food and Preservative Consumption with Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain in A Gymnastics Group in Bandung City

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in the form of joint inflammation in adults. Based on the 2018 WHO report, it shows that there are 335 million people in the world who have rheumatism, of which 5-10% are aged 5-20 years and 20% are aged 55 years. Factors that can cause pain in rheumatoid arthritis are dietary factors, one of which is frequent consumption of fast food and preserved foods. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of consumption of fast food and preserved foods to rheumatoid arthritis complaints in two gymnastics groups in Bandung City.Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design with a sample of 30 gymnastic ladies taken by purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using the Chi-Square test with IBM SPSS Statistic 21 software.Results: Based on the results of the analysis that has been done, there is no relationship between age, educational history, consumption of fast food and preserved food with rheumatoid arthritis complaints in the group of gymnastics ladies in Bandung City (p0,05).Conclusions: The absence of an association among age, educational history, consumption of fast food and preserved foods with rheumatoid arthritis complaints can be due to other factors outside of these factors such as genetics, gender, obesity, infectious diseases, and lack of knowledge about rheumatoid arthritis. What's more, rheumatoid arthritis is also a multifactorial disease, so we need to wisely maintain and regulate his, her, their, etc lifestyle and food intake so that rheumatoid arthritis complaints can be minimized and do not have recurrences.

FAKTOR-FAKTOR PSIKOSOSIAL YANG MEMPENGARUHI KESEHATAN MENTAL REMAJA

Indonesia faces serious challenges in terms of mental health, ranking fourth in mental health disorders and fifth in anxiety worldwide, according to the 2014 WHO report. This article highlights several factors that cause mental health disorders in teenagers in Indonesia. Firstly, parenting styles play an important role, with democratic parenting that supports children's freedom, harsh authoritarian parenting, and permissive parenting that lacks care, all having different impacts on adolescent development. Conflict and negative parenting styles are associated with an increased risk of depression. Second, inadequate living environments, such as densely populated areas and damaged houses, can affect adolescents' mental health. Third, socio-economic factors such as financial stability and demands for achievement also have a significant impact on the psychological well-being of adolescents. This means that a deep understanding of these factors is very important in efforts to improve the mental health of teenagers in Indonesia.

Toward the elimination of hepatitis B: networking to promote the prevention of vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus through population-based interventions and multidisciplinary groups in Africa.

The WHO African Region had 81 million people with chronic hepatitis B in 2019, which remains a silent killer. Hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis delta virus (HDV), and HIV can be transmitted from the mother to child. If the HBV infection is acquired at infancy, it may lead to chronic hepatitis B in 90% of the cases. WHO reports that 6.4 million children under 5 years live with chronic hepatitis B infection worldwide. The prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HBV is therefore critical in the global elimination strategy of viral hepatitis as we take lessons from PMTCT of HIV programs in Africa. We sought to create a network of multidisciplinary professional and civil society volunteers with the vision to promote cost-effective, country-driven initiatives to prevent the MTCT of HBV in Africa. In 2018, the Mother-Infant Cohort Hepatitis B Network (MICHep B Network) with members from Cameroon, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom and later from Chad, Gabon, and Central African Republic was created. The long-term objectives of the network are to organize capacity-building and networking workshops, create awareness among pregnant women, their partners, and the community, promote the operational research on MTCT of HBV, and extend the network activities to other African countries. The Network organized in Cameroon, two "Knowledge, Attitude and Practice" (KAP) surveys, one in-depth interview of 45 health care workers which revealed a high acceptability of the hepatitis B vaccine by families, two in-person workshops in 2018 and 2019, and one virtual in 2021 with over 190 participants, as well as two workshops on grant writing, bioethics, and biostatistics of 30 postgraduate students. Two HBV seroprevalence studies in pregnant women were conducted in Cameroon and Zimbabwe, in which a prevalence of 5.8% and 2.7%, respectively, was reported. The results and recommendations from the MICHep B Network activities could be implemented in countries of the MICHep B Network and beyond, with the goal of providing free birth dose vaccine against hepatitis B in Africa.

Breast Cancer Predictor Using Deep Learning

Abstract:- The problem of the Breast Cancer around the world among women becoming worsens each passing day. Curing of Breast Cancer disease is never easy for women. It is also become hard when women are in there 30’s. After several researches or experiments by our doctors and scientists, there is no 100% curable treatment for the cancer. In India, in every 4 minutes one women is diagnosed with breast cancer and in every 13 minutes one women is died due to breast cancer. According to WHO report of year 2022 around 670000 people died due to breast cancer and around 2.3 million women diagnosed with this cancer. Out of 185 countries in the world women from 157 countries suffering from breast cancer. We can also say that due to lack of accurate prediction models results in the difficulty for doctors to prepare for a treatment plan. So, we are trying to develop a model by using two different approaches i.e., train and testing method and by using cross-validation method. We will discuss about which approach gives good accuracy with minimum errors in less time. We will use the algorithms like SVM, AdaBoost, XgBoost, KNN, Naïve Bayes to determine the accuracy. This work is done to predict the outcomes of different types of techniques and which technique has good accuracy, F1 score, precision, recall.

Utilizing Machine Learning Techniques for Categorizing Cancer Based on Gene Expression Data: A Review

Cancer is a group of diseases which share one common feature: the growth of abnormal cells, thus ranking as the second leading cause of death globally, after cardiovascular diseases in WHO's report. Evaluating gene expression is based on the fact that it is the genesis of early cancer detection, the concurrence of the molecular and genetic processes. By using DNA microarray techniques and RNA-sequencing approaches, researchers in computational genomics can give quantitative measures of gene expression levels providing very accurate input data for computational evaluation. The current paper is about machine learning technology, which identifies cancer subtypes according to patterns of gene expression. It embraces the two distinct methodologies which are traditional plus deep learning with high proficiency focused on the cancer-related gene. The outline includes the most popular deep neural network designs such as MLPs, CNN, RNN, GNN, and the recently emerged Transformer networks. The review describes common data collection methods used in this field and some of the essential datasets for supervised machine learning. In addition, the specific techniques developed to cover the complicated horizontal spread of gene expression data are also presented. The article explores theoretical possibilities for the promotion of machine learning-based gene expression analysis in cancer classification towards the end.

Suicide prevention project with young people in the Rocinha slum in Rio de Janeiro

IntroductionThe 2019 WHO report on suicide warned of a serious public health problem. It was found that suicide is a serious problem for global public health, causing approximately 703 thousand deaths every year. Self-extermination is among the leading causes of death worldwide, with more deaths than from malaria, HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, war and homicide. More than one in every 100 deaths (1.3%) in 2019 were the result of suicide.Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in older adolescents (15–19 years). Risk factors are multifaceted and include harmful use of alcohol, which includes abuse during childhood, stigma against seeking help, barriers to accessing care and means of suicide.The total number of deaths due to self-extermination registered in the adolescent population in the period from 2016 to 2021 was 6,588. According to the WHO director-general, “attention to suicide prevention is even more important now, after many months of living with the pandemic and many of the risk factors, such as loss of employment, financial stress and social isolation, still very present.” Therefore, suicide prevention work with young adolescents in Rocinha, one of the largest slums in Rio de Janeiro, is extremely important, given the increase in suicide rates and mental health problems in this age group. This approach must be thoughtful, culturally sensitive, and involve a range of strategies to address the complex issues affecting adolescents in the community. The Community of Rocinha was chosen to host this prevention project.ObjectivesCreate a preventive event by surveying participants’ opinions, integrating, welcoming and deconstructing stigmas about suicide.MethodsThis study investigated, in a population of 140 young adolescents with cultural differences in a theater class, their level of knowledge regarding relevant information about suicide. A structured questionnaire was presented and answered before and after a lecture, resulting in a class at the end, carried out by the young participants themselves. The scenes were filmed and a film produced. This dynamic process also included the distribution of a shirt alluding to the fact, making the participants multiplier references.ResultsThe results of the lecture showed a significant improvement in mental health awareness and willingness to seek help among young people, totaling a 20% increase in knowledge.ConclusionsStudents attended the event in significant numbers, taking into account that the slum had a curfew due to armed conflict. The results of the lecture showed a significant improvement in mental health awareness and willingness to seek help among young people, totaling a 20% increase in knowledge. The young people reported a feeling of support and belonging to the community, highlighting the importance of the debate in a final lecture given by them.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Effect of traffic speed on noise generated by vehicles motorized in front of the Karya Bhakti Pratiwi Dramaga Bogor hospital

Noise is one of the environmental health problems in big cities. The 1988 WHO report as submitted by the Indonesian Health Service (1995), states that 8% - 12% of the world's population has suffered from the effects of noise. The activity of residents of the city of Bogor a suburb of the capital city of Jakarta in Indonesia is relatively high. Along with the economic development in the city of Bogor, the number of motorized vehicles operating both private and public vehicles has also increased. The purpose of this study was to determine the average speed of motorized vehicles that pass through the Dramaga highway, especially in front of the Karya Baki Pratiwi Hospital, and also to determine the level of noise generated due to the speed of motorized vehicles. The method used in this study is a quantitative method by calculating the number of vehicles and the average speed of vehicles and data analysis. The data taken is vehicle speed data every 15 minutes and noise levels using a Sound Level Meter (SLM). In this study, three SLMs were used which would be placed at three points. The results showed that the speed of the vehicle affects the noise level which is quite significant. The results of data analysis show that the effect of speed on noise is 24%, where the equation is as follows, y=69.505 – 0.395x1 +0, 148x2 + 0.535x3. This equation means that if there is no decrease in motorcycle speed, light vehicle speed, and heavy vehicle speed, the noise level in SLM1 is 69.505 dBA. However, if there is an increase in the number of light vehicles by 0.148, a decrease in the number of motorcycles and large vehicles is obtained by 0.14, the noise level will increase by 0.395 dBA.

Bridging drug discovery through hierarchical subtractive genomics against asd, trpG, and secY of pneumonia causing MDR Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is an opportunistic gram-positive, non-motile, and non-sporulating bacteria that induces pneumonia, a provocative lung infection affecting mainly the terminal bronchioles and the small air sacs known as alveoli. Recently, it has developed antibiotic resistance to the available consortium as per the WHO reports; thereby, novel remedial targets and resilient medications to forestall and cure this illness are desperately needed. Here, using pan-genomics, a total of 1,387 core proteins were identified. Subtractive proteome analyses further identified 12 proteins that are vital for bacteria. One membrane protein (secY) and two cytoplasmic proteins (asd and trpG) were chosen as possible therapeutic targets concerning minimum % host identity, essentiality, and other cutoff values, such as high resistance in the MDR S. aureus. The UniProt AA sequences of the selected targets were modelled and docked against 3 drug-like chemical libraries. The top-ranked compounds i.e., ZINC82049692, ZINC85492658 and 3a of Isosteviol derivative for Aspartate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (asd); ZINC38222743, ZINC70455378, and 5m Isosteviol derivative for Anthranilate synthase component II (trpG); and finally, ZINC72292296, ZINC85632684, and 7m Isosteviol derivative for Protein translocase subunit secY (secY), were further subjected to molecular dynamics studies for thermodynamic stability and energy calculation. Our study proposes new therapeutic targets in S. aureus, some of which have previously been reported in other pathogenic microorganisms. Owing to further experimental validation, we anticipate that the adapted methodology and the predicted results in this work could make major contributions towards novel drug discovery and their targets in S. aureus caused pneumonia.

Being old during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey — a case study

Pandemics affect millions of people and cause many deaths worldwide. Undoubtedly, the most affected vulnerable group in the epidemic has been the elderly. The elderly population is a very heterogeneous population with various combinations of geriatric syndromes, comorbidities, and disabilities. According to the WHO report, 89% of the mortality in the COVID-19 virus is seen in individuals aged 65 and over, called the elderly. For older people, the risk of transmission is higher due to the health conditions associated with aging. The weak immune system in the elderly and the advanced state of chronic diseases can cause COVID-19 disease to be experienced more severely. The social isolation measure of the elderly during the COVID-19 process has caused physiological, physical and psychological problems. At the same time, due to the social isolation measure, the routine treatment plans of the elderly were disrupted and they were deprived of the necessary treatment. The aim of this study is to address the physiological, physical and psychological problems experienced by the elderly during the pandemic process and to determine the effects of the pandemic on the elderly.