Mothering load: Underlying realities of professionally engaged indian mothers during a global crisis

The current global crisis has had a significant impact on professionally engaged mothers and the proliferation of the invisible nature of the work that they are engaged in on a daily basis. Several research studies have indicated how mothers seem to have been particularly affected. Mothers experienced an exacerbation in their domestic household and child-care responsibilities due to the absence of househelp and other child care arrangements while balancing their professional careers. These challenges crystallized the existing gender inequalities and the gendered nature of parenting. Using a feminist lens, this study explores the experiences of mothering load during COVID-19 against the backdrop of urban India. A total of two themes and six sub-themes were identified through the process of thematic analysis-Triad of work included increased care work, increased formal work, and increased worry work and Mothering experiences: Burdens and Biases included the lack of support, parental role overload, and gendered nature of parenting. This study adds to the limited empirical evidence of working mothers in India while straddling the worlds of feminism and mental health activism. Findings indicate the need to explicitly highlight the invisibilized phenomena of unpaid care work, worry work, and the gendered nature of parenting that contribute to the larger experience of mothering load. The findings also point toward acknowledging the importance of maternal mental health and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 to establish and enforce stronger policies around recognizing and appreciating unpaid care and domestic work to promote gender equality and empowering women at all levels. This may be enacted through the encouragement of shared responsibilities within the household and family units as contextually feasible and through the development of appropriate infrastructure, social protection policies, and the delivery of public services. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

An update on SARS-CoV-2 immunization and future directions.

Millions of people have died as a result of SARS-CoV-2, which was first discovered in China and has since spread globally. Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection may show a range of symptoms, including fever, coughing, and shortness of breath, or they may show no symptoms at all. To treat COVID-19 symptoms and avoid serious infections, many medications and vaccinations have been employed. However, to entirely eradicate COVID-19 from the world, next-generation vaccine research is required because of the devastating consequences it is having for humanity and every nation's economy. Scientists are working hard to eradicate this dangerous virus across the world. SARS-CoV-2 has also undergone significant mutation, leading to distinct viral types such as the alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and omicron variants. This has sparked discussion about the effectiveness of current vaccines for the newly formed variants. A proper comparison of these vaccinations is required to compare their efficacy as the number of people immunized against SARS-CoV-2 globally increases. Population-level statistics evaluating the capacity of these vaccines to reduce infection are therefore being developed. In this paper, we analyze the many vaccines on the market in terms of their production process, price, dosage needed, and efficacy. This article also discusses the challenges of achieving herd immunity, the likelihood of reinfection, and the importance of convalescent plasma therapy in reducing infection.

Mapping Neutralizing and Immunodominant Sites on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Receptor-Binding Domain by Structure-Guided High-Resolution Serology.

Analysis of the specificity and kinetics of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection is crucial for understanding immune protection and identifying targets for vaccine design. In a cohort of 647 SARS-CoV-2-infected subjects, we found that both the magnitude of Ab responses to SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) and nucleoprotein and nAb titers correlate with clinical scores. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) is immunodominant and the target of 90% of the neutralizing activity present in SARS-CoV-2 immune sera. Whereas overall RBD-specific serum IgG titers waned with a half-life of 49 days, nAb titers and avidity increased over time for some individuals, consistent with affinity maturation. We structurally defined an RBD antigenic map and serologically quantified serum Abs specific for distinct RBD epitopes leading to the identification of two major receptor-binding motif antigenic sites. Our results explain the immunodominance of the receptor-binding motif and will guide the design of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics.

All India Ophthalmological Society - Preferred practice in refractive surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus pandemic has strained the healthcare system with mortality and morbidity. A number of elective surgeries have come to standstill due to lockdown and movement restrictions. Refractive surgery being a purely elective procedure and quite a fresh subset of ophthalmology, there is a lack of unanimity as to what precautions should be followed to resume the practice of same. This article attempts to highlight simple guidelines in accordance with an expert panel, which can be followed by all those involved directly or indirectly in refractive surgery services while addressing safety of doctors, supporting staff as well as patients as a primary concern.