Comparison of Knowledge and Practices among University Students of Allied Health Sciences and Engineering Departments in University of Lahore, Pakistan about Corona Virus Disease

Background: Corona Viruses is a group of viruses that cause diseases in both humans and mammals and are known to cause chronic respiratory diseases. The viruses among them include SARS, MERS and COVID-19. The most recent pandemic was a result of COVID-19. Older people and those with underlying medical problems are more likely to develop serious illness. Objective(s): To compare the knowledge and practices of Allied Health and Engineering students of the University of Lahore about Corona Virus Disease. Methodology: A cross-sectional questionnaire based survey was conducted on 326 students studying in Allied health Sciences and Engineering departments of UOL. The data was compiled in SPSS, version 24 for analysis. Result(s): The students of Allied Health Sciences had a better understanding and were more aware of COVID-19, its percussions and the methods to prevent its spread than of the Engineering Students. More than half of the Engineering students have found to have less understanding about the causative agent of the COVID-19 and similar trend was found in other categories. Health sciences students showed higher tendency towards hands hygiene practices than engineering students. Practical implication: Lessons learned from different outbreaks of infectious diseases suggested that knowledge and practices towards infectious diseases are associated with level of panic emotion among the population, which can further complicate attempts to prevent the spread of the disease. To facilitate outbreak management of COVID-19 in Lahore, Pakistan, there is an urgent need to understand the public's awareness of COVID-19. Keeping these considerations in mind this research was kicked-off to gauge the knowledge and practices of these medical and engineering students about Corona virus disease. Conclusion(s): The study shows that educational background plays a vital role in disease control and it will help in successful uptake of control interventions for prevention of COVID-19.Copyright © 2023 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.

Nanotechnology for Therapy of Zoonotic Diseases: A Comprehensive Overview

Zoonotic infections belong to multiple infectious diseases transferred from animals to humans. Now, the treatment and diagnosis of zoonotic infections are perplexing due to genetic mutations, target site modifications, and multi-drug resistance. Despite their benefits, most diagnostic molecular techniques have certain limits in terms of repeatability and sensitivity, mainly due to the heterogeneity among the diverse family of zoonotic pathogens. Therefore, developing more efficient and cost-effective theranostics tools is the need of the hour to address these concerns. For this purpose, nanotechnology has revolutionized medicine with versatile potential capabilities for diagnosing and treating zoonosis via the targeted and controlled delivery of antimicrobial drugs via binding to the overexpressed infectious macrophages. Massive advancements have been made in fabricating novel nano-based formulations to control zoonosis based on the use of poly(ethylenimine)-conjugated nanomicelles, mannosylated thiolated chitosan (MTC)-coated PM-loaded PLGA NPs, mannose linked thiolated nanocarriers, adjuvanted pDNA hydrogel, arginine-based nanocarriers, quantum dots to treat and diagnose a wide range of zoonotic diseases, including zoonotic influenza, salmonellosis, leishmaniasis, rabies, brucellosis, Lyme Disease, tuberculosis, and other infections caused by West Nile Virus, emerging coronaviruses (SARS, MERS, COVID-19), in a preferentially targeted way. Recently developed anti-pathogen loaded-nanoformulations with enhanced cellular uptake, biocompatibility, and hemocompatibility have shown the ability to cross biological barriers when orally administrated. Therefore, this article reviewed the latest milestones and future growth areas in the field of efficient theranostics platforms to manage zoonotic infections.

Disaster caused by COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown: An overview of Indian women’s condition

The exponential increase in COVID-19 infections along with containment measures to control the pandemic has started showing their disastrous implications on economy, health, education and work conditions of the society. However, the marginalized sections of the society including women are worst affected but least talked about. Recognising the unique niche of men and women in the Indian societal setup, it is warranted to explore the gendered implications in the context of the disaster caused by COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. This may help in developing effective, equitable policies and interventions for the target groups. The present study, therefore, seeks to examine how the conditions of women in India are being affected by this crisis. It discusses the potential vulnerabilities of women from different sections of society, which if not addressed in time could transform into serious personal as well as socio-economic problems. The observations can be used by policymakers, researchers, academicians and other stakeholders to identify and fill the gaps to achieve the broader goal of gender equality in the society and flatten the trajectory in the process. © 2021, World Research Association. All rights reserved.