Background Coronavirus disease - 19 (COVID-19) spread throughout the world and become pandemic. To stop and control the rapid infection of COVID-19 lockdown is the best option. Sudden lockdown implies change in entire lifestyle of the population. Social isolation affects individual's lives by greater reduction in their physical activity, which might increase the chance of infection by reducing immunity. To what extent, the physical activity is reduced during this lockdown period among physiotherapy professionals, and students who propagate physical activity is not known. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on physical activity level and energy expenditure among physiotherapy professionals and students. Material and methods One hundred and forty three volunteered physiotherapy professionals and students participated in web-based open E-survey. The survey was carried out by sending the Google Forms link for International Physical activity questionnaire-short form (IPAQ-SF) through social networking sites using Google Forms to gather the amount of PA before and during COVID-19 lockdown period and analysed using Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results Among identified 261 potential survey participants, 143 responded, reaching a response rate of 54.8%. Total physical activity before and during COVID–19 lockdown period were 7809.7 (3849.7–11769.8) MET-min/week and 4135.7 (867.2–7404.1) MET-min/week; p < 0.0001. While energy expenditure before and during COVID–19 lockdown period were 8189.8 (4242.1–12137.6) kcal/wk and 4221.7 (1004.6–7438.8) kcal/wk; p < 0.0001. Conclusion A significant reduction in self-report physical activity and energy expenditure levels were observed among physiotherapy professionals and students during the COVID–19 lockdown period.

It is important to work with the whole household, particularly mothers-in-law, to improve maternal nutrition. We present five barriers to behaviour change: poverty; lack of knowledge about cheap nutritional food, the value of snacking, and cheap nutritional food that does not require cooking; sharing food; lack of self-confidence; and deference to household guardians. We discuss how we have targeted our interventions to develop knowledge, discuss strategies to overcome barriers, engage mothers-in-law, and build the confidence and social support networks of pregnant women.

The clinical research industry today is undergoing a major facelift. Companies are continuously looking to adopt and implement effective and innovative ways to accelerate drug launches in the market. Companies today are more open and do not view patients as mere “subjects” who generate data, – but as informed collaborators whose participation is “core” to the overall success of trials leading to the emergence of the concept of “patient-centric trials.” This paper is intended to highlight the current trends and new opportunities that can be seen in industry -indicative of crucial role patients today play in their own health care using technology, social media and self education.

Despite the rising popularity of indicators of women’s empowerment in global development programmes, little work has been done on the validity of existing measures of such a complex concept. We present a mixed methods validation of the use of the Relative Autonomy Index for measuring Amartya Sen’s notion of agency freedom in rural Nepal. Analysis of think-aloud interviews (n = 7) indicated adequate respondent understanding of questionnaire items, but multiple problems of interpretation including difficulties with the four-point Likert scale, questionnaire item ambiguity and difficulties with translation. Exploratory Factor Analysis of a calibration sample (n = 511) suggested two positively correlated factors (r = 0.64) loading on internally and externally motivated behaviour. Both factors increased with decreasing education and decision-making power on large expenditures and food preparation. Confirmatory Factor Analysis on a validation sample (n = 509) revealed good fit (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation 0.05–0.08, Comparative Fit Index 0.91–0.99). In conclusion, we caution against uncritical use of agency-based quantification of women’s empowerment. While qualitative and quantitative analysis revealed overall satisfactory construct and content validity, the positive correlation between external and internal motivations suggests the existence of adaptive preferences. High scores on internally motivated behaviour may reflect internalized oppression rather than agency freedom.

Fungal infection of the nail as well as nail bed is termed as ‘onychomycosis’. It is caused by dermatophytes, non-dermatophytic fungal species and yeasts like Candida albicans. It is traditionally treated by topical antifungals, systemic agents like ketoconazole, griseofulvin, itraconazole, fluconazole, etc. Chemical avulsion or surgical removal of nail can also be tried to treat this disease. In spite of all these treatment options available, podiatrists were always in search of an ideal drug molecule with lesser side effects and which may improve the patient compliance. This exhaustive search led to the discovery of a better antifungal agent, known as “Tavaborole.” A systematic literature search was carried out using databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Reviews, Google Scholar, etc. Detailed information about onychomycosis and tavaborole was gathered. Tavaborole is the first oxaborole antifungal agent approved by FDA in July 2014. It is marketed under the trade name “Kerydin.” It acts by inhibiting protein synthesis in the fungus. It inhibits an enzyme known as cytosolic leucyl-transfer RNA synthetase, or LeuRS, which plays a key role in fungal essential protein synthesis. Dermatitis at the site of topical application, erythema, exfoliation and ingrowing toe nail has been reported in 1% of subjects. Tavaborole may offer a promising role in the treatment of onychomycosis and may compell podiatrists to offer its use in onychomycosis. The present study describes about chemical nature, mechanism of action and two completed phase 3 clinical trial findings of Tavaborole.

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Household air pollution is a major cause of ill health, but few solutions have been effective to date. While many quantitative studies have been conducted, few have explored the lived experiences and perceptions of women who do the cooking, and as a result are those most exposed to household air pollution. In this study, we worked with groups of home cooks, and sought to use art as a means of engaging them in discussions of how household air pollution from cooking affects their lives. In the Terai district of southern Nepal, we held four focus groups that included 26 local women from urban and peri-urban areas, as well as six local artists. The women then met approximately weekly over four months, and produced images related to air pollution. Transcripts from the focus groups were reviewed independently by two authors, who initially categorised data deductively to pre-defined nodes, and subsequently inductively reviewed emergent themes. Women identified a number of health effects from air pollution. The main physical effects related to the eye and the respiratory system, and women and young children were seen as most vulnerable. The psychosocial effects of air pollution included reduced food intake by women and lethargy. Suggested solutions included modifications to the cooking process, changing the location of stoves, and increasing ventilation. The main barriers were financial. The lived experiences of women in southern Nepal around the problem of air pollution offers a more nuanced and context-specific understanding of the perceptions and challenges of addressing air pollution, which can be used to inform future interventions.

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