Mid Sweden University

Depression, anxiety, and stress have surged worldwide, including in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess the mental health condition of the Bangladeshi population during this pandemic. A cross-sectional study was carried out online between Feb 17, 2021, and Apr 8, 2021, during the lockdown period in Bangladesh with structured questions of the DASS-21 (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21), and about 310 responses were collected for the study purpose. One-way ANOVA and statistical analysis were performed by STATA-13 to determine the statistical significance. Depression was found to be significantly associated (p < 0.05) with both level of education (higher level observed among postgraduates) and previous psychological intervention (higher rate of being exposed to psychiatrists earlier). Comparing normal, mild, moderate and severe levels, the most common level of depression was moderate (28.06%) among the respondents, along with highly severe anxiety (22.26%) and moderate stress (18.39%). Participant's living area was significantly associated with depression (p = 0.033) and anxiety (p = 0.014), with individuals residing in urban areas exhibiting higher rates. Despite their adverse mental health status during the pandemic, only 36 out of 310 (12%) participants visited psychologists or psychiatrists. There remains substantial stigma around seeking formal mental health treatment in Bangladesh, such as low compliance rates even for talk therapy. Government organizations and NGOs should raise awareness among the public by conducting community-level campaigns, offering state-level insurance, initiating peer support programs, and using digital space to familiarize people with mental health issues.

Vaccination is a critical component of preventing infectious diseases and is one of the most effective public health interventions. While social media is an essential source of health and medical information, it is crucial to understand the link between social media involvement and vaccination engagement. This study examines the relationship between COVID-19 vaccination and social media in Iraq. A web-based questionnaire was administered through Google Forms to elicit responses from a total of 2088 Iraqi social media users aged 18 years and over. The findings suggested significant differences in vaccination engagement due to the level of use of social media and demographic backgrounds, particularly age, educational attainment, and income. Active users and young-aged groups with less educational level and income were more likely to have a positive attitude toward vaccination. Future studies should address demographics and the extent of using social media factors in public health studies. Our findings support the use of social media in raising health awareness. 

OBJECTIVES: We conducted an updated systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the effect of colchicine treatment on clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, medRxiv and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to January 2023. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the efficacy of colchicine treatment in patients with COVID-19 as compared with placebo or standard of care were included. There were no language restrictions. Studies that used colchicine prophylactically were excluded. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: We extracted all information relating to the study characteristics, such as author names, location, study population, details of intervention and comparator groups, and our outcomes of interest. We conducted our meta-analysis by using RevMan V.5.4 with risk ratio (RR) and mean difference as the effect measures. RESULTS: We included 23 RCTs (28 249 participants) in this systematic review. Colchicine did not decrease the risk of mortality (RR 0.99; 95% CI 0.93 to 1.05; I2=0%; 20 RCTs, 25 824 participants), with the results being consistent among both hospitalised and non-hospitalised patients. There were no significant differences between the colchicine and control groups in other relevant clinical outcomes, including the incidence of mechanical ventilation (RR 0.75; 95% CI 0.48 to 1.18; p=0.22; I2=40%; 8 RCTs, 13 262 participants), intensive care unit admission (RR 0.77; 95% CI 0.49 to 1.22; p=0.27; I2=0%; 6 RCTs, 961 participants) and hospital admission (RR 0.74; 95% CI 0.48 to 1.16; p=0.19; I2=70%; 3 RCTs, 8572 participants). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this meta-analysis do not support the use of colchicine as a treatment for reducing the risk of mortality or improving other relevant clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. However, RCTs investigating early treatment with colchicine (within 5 days of symptom onset or in patients with early-stage disease) are needed to fully elucidate the potential benefits of colchicine in this patient population. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022369850. 

Nations which are part of the United Nations are required to institute appropriate measures to fulfil the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, for this to be possible, all stakeholders including the general public need to be fully aware of the SDGs. This research examined the level of public awareness about the SDGs among Ghanaians based on the views of 431 respondents. Means, standard deviation, Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis and Pearson Product-Moment Correlations were used for data analysis. The study found that awareness level on SDG 1 (ending poverty), SDG 2 (zero hunger, food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture), SDG 3 (health and well-being), SDG 5 (gender equality), and SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) was high among Ghanaians. However, awareness level on SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), SDG 14 (conservation of life below water), and SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) was very low among Ghanaians. No significant difference manifested in the level of awareness among male and female Ghanaians. There were statistically significant differences in educational levels of respondents and their overall level of awareness of the SDGs. Also, there was a low, negative correlation between overall level of awareness and the effectiveness of the communication strategies used in creating awareness about the SDGs. Government should re-examine its communication strategies on the SDGs and put in place a more effective communication policy framework which involves grassroots populations and local communities. 

Topic: The COVID-19 pandemic affected adolescents' physical and psychological health. There must be specific services to cater to the needs of adolescents during COVID-19 in Indonesia. Lessons learned from previous pandemics will be beneficial for nurses and other health professionals to prepare services for future pandemics. Purpose: This mixed-method study aimed to examine 459 Indonesian adolescents' health, literacy, preventive measures, and preferred health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also examines sociodemographics, respondent characteristics, health information sources, and media choices. Results: A total of 47.5% of adolescents knew about COVID-19, 26.8% experienced physical health changes, and 61.7% considered wearing masks. Adolescent health information came from teachers (26.6%) and the Internet (32.9%). Psychological changes showed 67.8% irritation. Indonesians preferred online counseling (53.8%) and WhatsApp (45.8%) for pandemic health services. COVID-19 literacy did not affect physical or mental health (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Most adolescents reported mental and physical health changes during COVID-19. Our data suggest that adolescents' strong COVID−19 knowledge did not prevent anxiety and other psychological difficulties. The longitudinal studies could be utilized if pandemic demands social and physical distance. The government, as well as nurses, might utilize WhatsApp-based remote online treatment for health services. 

Background: The majority of available data on molnupiravir come from an unvaccinated COVID-19 population. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to integrate evidence from recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as well as observational studies stratified by vaccination status to determine the clinical efficacy and safety of molnupiravir in COVID-19 outpatients. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, medRxiv, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to November 2023. We conducted our meta-analysis using RevMan 5.4 with risk ratio (RR) as the effect measure. Results: We included 8 RCTs and 5 observational studies in our meta-analysis. Molnupiravir reduced the risk of all-cause mortality (RR 0.28; 95% CI: 0.20–0.79, I2 = 0%) but did not decrease the hospitalization rate (RR 0.67; 95% CI: 0.45–1.00, I2 = 53%) in the overall population; in the immunized population, no benefits were observed. Molnupiravir lowered the rate of no recovery (RR 0.78; 95% CI: 0.76–0.81, I2 = 0%) and increased virological clearance at day 5 (RR 2.68; 95% CI: 1.94–4.22, I2 = 85%). There was no increase in the incidence of adverse events. Conclusions: Molnupiravir does not decrease mortality and hospitalization rates in immunized patients with COVID-19. However, it does shorten the disease course and increases the recovery rate. The use of molnupiravir will need to be considered on a case-by-case basis in the context of the prevailing social circumstances, the resource setting, drug costs, and the healthcare burden. 

Key Clinical MessageDesmoplastic fibroma presents similar to other soft tissue tumors to such an extent that even a gold standard investigation can miss.AbstractThis is to report a mass in a 47-year-old male arising from the chest wall, which was first thought to be a hemangioma but was later diagnosed as a case of desmoplastic fibroblastoma with the help of a biopsy. 

Introduction: Previous studies on childhood vaccinations in Bangladesh relied on single-level analyses and ignored the clustering and hierarchical structure of data collected from people living in different geographical units. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate the association between individual and community-level factors of full childhood immunisation with an improved analytical approach. Methods: Participants were 13,752 children aged 12–59 months. Data were extracted from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) conducted in 2007, 2011, 2014, and 2017–18. A two-level multilevel logistic regression method was used to analyse the data. Results: Approximately 87% of the children were fully immunised. In the fully adjusted model, at the individual level, mothers who had primary and above education (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.78; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.57, 2.01), mass media exposure (AOR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.30), having vaccination cards (AOR = 3.65; 95% CI: 3.23, 4.14), and having at least 4 antenatal care (ANC) visits (AOR = 1.24; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.44) were strongly associated with full childhood immunisation. At community-level, rural residency (AOR = 1.25; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.44), community women's education (AOR = 1.24; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.43), and community ANC utilisation (AOR = 1.38; 95% CI: 1.19, 1.61) were significantly associated with full childhood immunisation. Conclusion: Along with individual-level factors, community-level factors have a significant effect on childhood immunisation. Policymakers should target improving community-level characteristics, such as community poverty, education levels, and the number of community-level ANC visits, to increase the national level of childhood immunisation. Public health intervention programs aiming at increasing awareness of childhood immunisation should include elements at both individual and community levels. © 2023 The Author(s)

We report a case of retropharyngeal liposarcoma in a 53-year-old female, who had complaints of neck swelling accompanied with dysphagia, orthopnea and dysphonia. Clinical examination revealed huge multinodular swelling in front of neck with bilateral extension, more prominent on left side and moving with deglutition. The diagnosis of retropharyngeal liposarcoma was established following CT scan, MRI and incisional biopsy. Surgical excision of mass along with near total thyroidectomy was performed. Postoperative hospital stay was uneventful. She remained well in follow-up period of 1 year as well. In conclusion, retropharyngeal liposarcoma is a rare tumor. A review of the literature explores the reasons behind the late presentation as well as the difficulties in diagnosis and treatment of this rare tumor.

Background: Medicinal plants are still widely used in rural areas of the Philippines. Among the conditions treated with medicinal plants are those related to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. This systematic review identified the medicinal plants used for obstetric care in the country. Methods: The study was conducted based on the PRISMA flow diagram, starting with a data search using three databases. The necessary information was extracted from the eligible research papers, and the studies' quality was assessed through a developed quality assessment tool. Results: This study included 38 ethnobotanical studies with 153 plant species used for pregnancy and postpartum care. Most of the studies were conducted in Northern Mindanao, in the Philippines. The most common pregnancy-related indications for the medicinal plants were postpartum care, and postpartum bleeding topped the list. The most common plant family, genus, and species were Fabaceae, Ficus, and Moringa oleifera Lam, respectively. The leaf was the most common single plant part used for pregnancy and postpartum care. Only 80 medicinal plants had toxicologic and teratogenic data. Conclusion: Women from different ethnic groups widely utilized medicinal plants to treat pregnancy-related conditions. Further research on toxicology and teratogenicity is necessary to ensure the safety of their users.