Depression, a debilitating disorder, is highly prevalent among low-income women in low- and middle-income countries. Standard psychotherapeutic approaches may be helpful, but low treatment uptake, low retention, and transient treatment effects reduce the benefit of therapy. This pilot randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness and feasibility of an integrated depression treatment/economic strengthening intervention. The study took place in two villages in the Sirajganj district in rural Bangladesh. Forty-eight low-income women with depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score ≥ 10) were recruited and randomized to intervention or control arms. Salubrinal purchase The intervention included a six-month group-based, fortnightly depression management and financial literacy intervention, which was followed by a cash-transfer of $186 (equivalent to the cost of two goats) at 12 months’ follow-up. The cash transfer could be used to purchase a productive asset (e.g., agricultural animals). The control arm received no intervention. Findings showed significant reduction in depression scores in the intervention group. The mean PHQ-9 score decreased from 14.5 to 5.5 (B ± SE, -9.2 ± 0.8 95% CI -10.9, -7.5, p less then 0.01) compared to no change in the control group. Most other psycho-social outcomes, including tension, self-esteem, hope, social-support, and participation in household economic decision-making, also improved with intervention. An integrated depression treatment and financial empowerment intervention was found to be highly effective among rural low-income women with depression. Next steps involve formal testing of the model in a larger trial.Industrial hemp is a multiuse crop whose phytocomplex includes terpenophenolics and flavonoids. In the present study, the phenolic and terpenophenolic compounds were assayed in the water extract of the hemp variety Futura 75. Protective effects were also investigated in human fibroblast and keratinocytes and isolate mouse skin specimens, which were exposed to hydrogen peroxide and/or to the extract (1-500 µg/mL). The results of phytochemical analysis suggested the cannabidiol, cannabidiolic acid and rutin as the prominent phytocompounds. In the in vitro system represented by human keratinocytes and fibroblasts, the hemp extract was found to be able to protect cells from cytotoxicity and apoptosis induced by oxidative stress. Moreover, modulatory effects on IL-6, a key mediator in skin proliferation, were found. In isolated rat skin, the extract reduced hydrogen peroxide-induced l-dopa turnover, prostaglandin-E2 production and the ratio kynurenine/tryptpophan, thus corroborating anti-inflammatory/antioxidant effects. The in silico docking studies also highlighted the putative interactions between cannabidiol, cannabidiolic acid and rutin with tyrosinase and indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase, involved in l-dopa turnover and tryptophan conversion in kynurenine, respectively. In conclusion, the present findings showed the efficacy of hemp water extract as a skin protective agent. This could be partly related to the extract content in cannabidiol, cannabidiolic acid and rutin.Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a significant respiratory tract pathogen responsible for infections that collectively pose a substantial health and socioeconomic burden. The clinical course of these infections is largely dictated by NTHi interactions with host respiratory epithelia, and thus, approaches that disrupt colonisation and invasion may have significant therapeutic potential. Survival, successful host-cell interactions, and pathogenesis are reliant on NTHi’s ability to sequester host-derived haem. Previously, we demonstrated the therapeutic potential of exploiting this haem-dependence using a closely related competitor bacterium, Haemophilus haemolyticus (Hh). Hh strains capable of producing the novel haem-binding protein haemophilin (Hpl) possessed potent inhibitory activity by restricting NTHi access to haem in a broth co-culture environment. Here, we extend this work to cell culture models that more closely represent the human respiratory epithelium and show that Hh strains with high levels of hpl expression protect epithelial cell line monolayers against adhesion and invasion by NTHi. Inhibitory activity was dependent on the level of Hpl production, which was stimulated by NTHi challenge and nasopharyngeal cell exposure. Provided these protective benefits translate to in vivo applications, Hpl-producing Hh may have probiotic utility against NTHi infections by inhibiting requisite nasopharyngeal colonisation.

Research suggests that drivers tend to engage in risk-taking behaviours on public holidays. Studies that examined the association between holidays (or other special days) and fatal injuries are inconsistent. This study used UK STATS19 data to investigate the associations of nine public holidays on road crash casualties.

This retrospective study assessed UK STATS19 crash data for 1990-2017. All casualties from two vehicle crashes were initially considered; subsequently, casualties with missing data were excluded. Multiple logistic regression was estimated to explore the associations of potential risk factors with the likelihood of killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties and to calculate adjusted odds ratios (AORs).

In total, 3,751,998 casualties from traffic accidents in the United Kingdom during 1990-2017 were included in the final data set; among these, 410,299 (10.9%) were KSI casualties, and 3,341,699 (89.1%) were slight injuries. Crashes on public holidays were 16% (AOR = 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.13-1.19) more likely to involve KSI casualties than were crashes on non-holidays. With other factors controlled for, crashes during the Queen’s 2002 Golden Jubilee and on New Year’s Day were 48% (AOR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.06-2.07) and 36% (AOR = 1.36; 1.26-1.48) more likely to lead to KSIs, respectively.

The proportion of crashes resulting in KSI casualties on public holidays was higher than that on non-holidays. Furthermore, crashes during the Queen’s 2002 Golden Jubilee had the highest risk of KSI casualties followed by New Year’s Day.

The proportion of crashes resulting in KSI casualties on public holidays was higher than that on non-holidays. Furthermore, crashes during the Queen’s 2002 Golden Jubilee had the highest risk of KSI casualties followed by New Year’s Day.