Experiences of children's self-wetting (including urinary incontinence) in Cox's Bazar's Rohingya refugee camps, Bangladesh.

Self-wetting is the leakage of urine, either due to the medical condition of urinary incontinence (UI), or because a person does not want to, or cannot, access a toileting facility in time. This study explored the attitudes towards self-wetting and experiences of children (aged five to 11), their caregivers, community leaders and humanitarian practitioners in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. We particularly focused on how water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and protection interventions might assist in improving these experiences. We purposively selected participants from two camps where our partner organisation works. We conducted Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with community leaders and camp officials, Story Book (SB) sessions with Rohingya children and in-depth Interviews (IDIs) with caregivers of children who participated in the SB sessions, as well as surveying communal toilets. Self-wetting by children was common and resulted in them feeling embarrassed, upset and uncomfortable, and frightened to use the toilet at night; many children also indicated that they would be punished by their caregivers for self-wetting. Key informants indicated that caregivers have difficulty handling children's self-wetting due to a limited amount of clothing, pillows, and blankets, and difficulty cleaning these items. It was evident that the available toilets are often not appropriate and/or accessible for children. Children in the Rohingya camps appear to self-wet due to both the medical condition of UI and because the sanitation facilities are inappropriate. They are teased by their peers and punished by their caregivers. Although WASH and protection practitioners are unable to drastically alter camp conditions or treat UI, the lives of children who self-wet in these camps could likely be improved by increasing awareness on self-wetting to decrease stigma and ease the concerns of caregivers, increasing the number of child-friendly toilets and increasing the provision of continence management materials.

Spatiotemporal characterization of relative humidity trends and influence of climatic factors in Bangladesh.

The frequency and intensity of climate change and resulting impacts are more prevalent in South Asian countries, particularly in Bangladesh. Relative humidity (RH) is a crucial aspect of climate, and higher RH variability has far-reaching impacts on human health, agriculture, environment, and infrastructure. While temperature and rainfall have gained much research attention, RH studies have received scant attention in the research literature. This study investigated the trends and variability of RH levels in Bangladesh and the influence of other meteorological factors over the past 40 years. Variabilities in the meteorological factors were identified by calculating descriptive statistics. Innovative trend analysis (ITA) and Mann-Kendall test (MK-test) methods were utilized to assess monthly, seasonal, and annual trends. The magnitude of temperature, rainfall, and windspeed influences on RH variability were identified using Pearson's correlation, Spearman rank correlation, and Kendall correlation model. Variability analysis showed higher spatial variations in RH levels across the country, and RH skewed negatively in all stations. Results reveal that daily, monthly, seasonal, and annual trends of RH exhibited positive trends in all stations, with an increasing rate of 0.083-0.53% per year in summer, 0.43-0.68% per year in winter, and 0.58-0.31% per year in the rainy season. Both ITA and MK-test provided consistent results, indicating no discrepancies in trend results. All three models indicate that temperature, rainfall, and windspeed have weak to moderate positive influences on changing RH levels in Bangladesh. The study will contribute to decision-making to improve crop yields, health outcomes, and infrastructure efficiency.

Potential Biotechnological Applications of Autophagy for Agriculture.

Autophagy is a genetically regulated, eukaryotic cellular degradation system that sequestrates cytoplasmic materials in specialised vesicles, termed autophagosomes, for delivery and breakdown in the lysosome or vacuole. In plants, autophagy plays essential roles in development (e.g., senescence) and responses to abiotic (e.g., nutrient starvation, drought and oxidative stress) and biotic stresses (e.g., hypersensitive response). Initially, autophagy was considered a non-selective bulk degradation mechanism that provides energy and building blocks for homeostatic balance during stress. Recent studies, however, reveal that autophagy may be more subtle and selectively target ubiquitylated protein aggregates, protein complexes and even organelles for degradation to regulate vital cellular processes even during favourable conditions. The selective nature of autophagy lends itself to potential manipulation and exploitation as part of designer protein turnover machinery for the development of stress-tolerant and disease-resistant crops, crops with increased yield potential and agricultural efficiency and reduced post-harvest losses. Here, we discuss our current understanding of autophagy and speculate its potential manipulation for improved agricultural performance.

Rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in oral fluids

Current commercially available methods for reliably detecting antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 remain expensive and inaccessible due to the need for whole blood collection by highly trained phlebotomists using personal protective equipment (PPE). We evaluated an antibody detection approach utilizing the OraSure(R) Technologies Oral Antibody Collection Device (OACD) and their proprietary SARS-CoV-2 total antibody detection enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We found that the OraSure(R) test for total antibody detection in oral fluid had comparable sensitivity and specificity to serum-based ELISAs while presenting a more affordable and accessible system with the potential for self-collection.

ELISA detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in saliva

To facilitate containment of the COVID-19 pandemic currently active in the United States and across the world, options for easy, non-invasive antibody testing are required. Here we have adapted a commercially available, serum-based ELISA for use with saliva samples, which will enable widespread, affordable testing for patients who experienced this disease.

Centrality of BAGs in Plant PCD, Stress Responses, and Host Defense.

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a genetically regulated process for the selective demise of unwanted and damaged cells. Although our understanding of plant PCD pathways has advanced significantly, doubts remain on the extent of conservation of animal apoptosis in plants. At least at the primary sequence level, plants do not encode the regulators of animal apoptosis. Structural analyses have enabled the identification of the B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)-associated athanogene (BAG) family of co-chaperones in plants. This discovery suggests that some aspects of animal PCD are conserved in plants, while the varied subcellular localization of plant BAGs indicates that they may have evolved distinct functions. Here we review plant BAG proteins, with an emphasis on their roles in the regulation of plant PCD.