BackgroundMalaria is still a major public health concern in Bangladesh in spite of mass distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) as a key preventive strategy. There might be a considerable gap between coverage and actual use of nets by the population in endemic areas. This study intended to assess the gap between coverage, access to and use of LLINs among the households in malaria-endemic settings in Bangladesh.MethodsThis cross-sectional study collected data from 2640 households of 13 endemic districts of Bangladesh through three-stage cluster random sampling. The gap between coverage, access and use of LLINs were calculated using the procedure established by the Roll Back Malaria Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group. To support the quantitative findings, qualitative data were also collected through in-depth interview, focus group discussion and key informant interview and analysed accordingly.ResultsOf 2640 total households, 77.4% (n = 2044) possessed at least two LLINs, 56.8% (n = 1499) had insufficient access, and 18.8% (n = 495) had excess LLINs. Members of 77.9% (n = 2056) households had used LLINs the previous night and 6.0% (n = 68) did not use LLINs despite having sufficient access. LLIN use was lower in non-hill track areas, in Bengali community, in richer households and households with more than four members. Moreover, qualitative findings revealed that the major reasons behind not using LLINs were insufficient access, sleeping outside the home, migration, perceived low efficacy of LLINs, or fear of physical side effects.ConclusionClosing the access gap by providing enough nets through solid investment and well-designed behavioural change interventions are crucial for achieving and sustaining universal coverage.

Background: Evidence from literature suggests that mobile health (mHealth) services can potentially improve healthcare outcomes among elderly population. Hence, the government of Hong Kong has recently taken several community and IT services initiatives for training older people on how to enhance their abilities and interest in using mHealth technology. Although mHealth services have been widely implemented worldwide, their adoption and use by elderlies are very low including those in Hong Kong. This study aims to understand key factors influencing mHealth use intention among the elderly Chinese population in Hong Kong. Methods: We extended the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) as the basis of our conceptual framework. We applied Partial Least Squares path modeling method to conduct the Structural Equation Model (SEM) technique that allows measuring the theoretical validity of any conceptual framework. A convenience and snowball sampling methods were used to recruit community-dwelling older people aged 65 or above. In total, 201 valid responses were used for testing the theoretical validity of the proposed conceptual framework. Results: The primary finding shows that the widely used UTAUT2 model falls short in explaining mHealth service acceptance behavior in the elderly population. We further propose a simplified model, the Healthcare Technology Service Acceptance (HTSA) model, to understand the formation of mHealth service acceptance behavior. The findings show that trust is an important component of technology service acceptance intention behavior that was missing in the UTAUT2 model. The results also show that several antecedent factors (i.e., social influence, government policy, and service quality) are critical in forming technology trust beliefs. Conclusions: The study shows that the HTSA model can better explain mHealth acceptance behavior than the UTAUT2 model. This study advances knowledge in the mHealth technology adoption domain by proposing a simplified new version of the UTAUT2 model for understanding healthcare technology service acceptance and use intention among the elderly population. The findings of the study provide valuable information to the Hong Kong government and healthcare organizations for a wider adoption of mHealth services specially in older populations. "

The aim of the present investigation was to standardize the in vitro shoot tip culture technique considering various culture aspects for direct plant formation of two onion (Allium cepa L.) varieties ‘Indian’ and ‘Taherpuri’. About 1.5-2.2 mm shoot tips were collected from bulbs and were sterilized with 0.1% HgCl2 in various duration. Then they were cultured on MS medium supplemented with various hormonal concentrations and different media composition for primary establishment. BAP 1.5 mg l-1 + NAA1.0 mg l-1 was found to be the best formulation for primary establishment of shoot tips. Primarily established shoot tips were further cultured for shoot multiplication, and 2ip 2.0 mg l-1 + NAA 0.5 mg l-1 was found the most effective for shoot multiplication. The highest percentage of shootlet produced root on MS+2.0 mg l-1 IBA for both the cultivars (Taherpuri 90% and Indian 80%). The plantlets were transferred to small pots containing soil : sand 1:1 and kept under shade and covered with perforated polythene sheet. After proper hardening the plantlets were transferred to field.

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