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Bovine serum albumin (BSA)-based biomaterials have garnered significant attention for their remarkable potential in wound healing, primarily due to their effective biological actions in addressing the skin inflammation phase and mitigating hypoalbuminemia. Motivated by these attributes, a nanocomposite hydrogel is developed by blending BSA with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), complemented by the incorporation of graphene quantum dot (GQD). The FTIR study establishes a hydrogen-bonding interaction between the -NH2 groups of BSA and the -OH group of PVA. Microscopic investigations establish that the dispersion of GQDs with an average size of 22.5 nm results in smoothening of the surface of the nanocomposite. The nanocomposite hydrogel reveals excellent swelling attributes of about 920% in a period of 6 h due to its optimum cross-linking condition. Furthermore, the hydrogel exhibits a water vapor transmission rate of 8.45 mg cm-2 h-1, akin to the transmission rate of wounded skin. The PVA/BSA@GQD nanocomposite's antibacterial efficacy is evaluated against Morganella morganii bacteria, showing 99% killing, while its cytotoxicity assay against HeLa cells exhibited a minimum cell viability of 76% at a 20 µM concentration, which is ideal for a wound dressing material. In vivo wound healing investigations are conducted on Drosophila, showcasing a 100% wound surface closure within 4 h. This outcome is further substantiated through in vivo studies involving mice, where complete re-epithelialization is achieved within a span of 13 days. The combined results establish the PVA/BSA@GQD nanocomposite as a potential wound dressing material.

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INTRODUCTION: The troubling issues of conventional antidepressants are inadequate disease remission and potential adverse effects. There is a dearth of research findings comparing vilazodone, escitalopram, and vortioxetine. The objective of this analysis is to determinechanges in the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scoresand the incidence of adverse events at 12 weeks. METHODS: This is an exploratory interim analysis of a randomized, three-arm, open-label ongoing study. The participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive either vilazodone (20-40 mg/d), escitalopram (10-20 mg/d), or vortioxetine (5-20 mg/d). Efficacy and safety assessments were done at baseline, four weeks, eight weeks, and 12 weeks. RESULTS: Forty-nine(69%) of the 71 enrolled participants (mean age 43.9±12.2 years; 37 men (52%)) completed the 12-week follow-up. At baseline, the three groups' median HDRS scores were 30.0, 29.5, and 29.0 (p=0.76), respectively, and at 12 weeks, they amounted to 19.5, 19.5, and 18.0 (p=0.18), respectively. At baseline, group-wise median MADRS scores were 36, 36, and 36, respectively (p=0.79); at 12 weeks, they were 24, 24, and 23, respectively (p=0.03). In the post-hoc analysis, the inter-group comparison of the change in HDRS (p = 0.02) and MADRS (p = 0.06) scores from baseline did not reach statistical significance. No participants experienced serious adverse events. CONCLUSION: In this initial assessment of a continuing study, vortioxetine exhibited a clinically (not statistically) significant drop in HDRS and MADRS scores, compared to vilazodone and escitalopram. The antidepressant effects need to be investigated further.

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INTRODUCTION: Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) has enabled the Government of India to become a strategic purchaser of health care services from private providers. To generate base cost evidence for evidence-based policymaking the Costing of Health Services in India (CHSI) study was commissioned in 2018 for the price setting of health benefit packages. This paper reports the findings of a process evaluation of the cost data collection in the private hospitals. METHODS: The process evaluation of health system costing in private hospitals was an exploratory survey with mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative). We used three approaches-an online survey using a semi-structured questionnaire, in-depth interviews, and a review of monitoring data. The process of data collection was assessed in terms of time taken for different aspects, resources used, level and nature of difficulty encountered, challenges and solutions. RESULTS: The mean time taken for data collection in a private hospital was 9.31 (± 1.0) person months including time for obtaining permissions, actual data collection and entry, and addressing queries for data completeness and quality. The longest time was taken to collect data on human resources (30%), while it took the least time for collecting information on building and space (5%). On a scale of 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) difficulty levels, the data on human resources was the most difficult to collect. This included data on salaries (8), time allocation (5.5) and leaves (5). DISCUSSION: Cost data from private hospitals is crucial for mixed health systems. Developing formal mechanisms of cost accounting data and data sharing as pre-requisites for empanelment under a national insurance scheme can significantly ease the process of cost data collection.

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BACKGROUND: In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), provisioning for surgical care is a public health priority. Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) is India's largest national insurance scheme providing free surgical and medical care. In this paper, we present the costs of surgical health benefit packages (HBPs) for secondary care in public district hospitals. METHODS: The costs were estimated using mixed (top-down and bottom-up) micro-costing methods. In phase II of the Costing of Health Services in India (CHSI) study, data were collected from a sample of 27 district hospitals from nine states of India. The district hospitals were selected using stratified random sampling based on the district's composite development score. We estimated unit costs for individual services-outpatient (OP) visit, per bed-day in inpatient (IP) and intensive care unit (ICU) stays, and surgical procedures. Together, this was used to estimate the cost of 250 AB PM-JAY HBPs. RESULTS: At the current level of utilization, the mean cost per OP consultation varied from US$4.10 to US$2.60 among different surgical specialities. The mean unit cost per IP bed-day ranged from US$13.40 to US$35.60. For the ICU, the mean unit cost per bed-day was US$74. Further, the unit cost of HBPs varied from US$564 for bone tumour excision to US$49 for lid tear repair. CONCLUSIONS: Data on the cost of delivering surgical care at the level of district hospitals is of critical value for evidence-based policymaking, price-setting for surgical care and planning to strengthen the availability of high quality and cost-effective surgical care in district hospitals.

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BACKGROUND: Nyctanthes arbor-tristis (NAT) is an ornamental garden plant traditionally used for treating many diseases such as helminthiasis, arthritis, and malaria. AIMS: The aim of this study was to validate the ethnobotanical uses of the antimalarial activity of leaves of NAT by in vivo tests. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Leaves of NAT were identified and authenticated and phytoconstituents of NAT were identified. The antimalarial activity of NAT was studied in in vivo for its schizonticidal activity, repository activity, and curative tests in Swiss albino mice by using Plasmodium berghei (ANKA). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: One-way ANOVA was done for comparison of different groups followed by post hoc analysis (Tukey-Kramer multiple comparison tests). Level of significance was at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean schizonticidal activity of NAT increased from 14.21 to 46.15 (P < 0.01) with doses ranging from 100 to 200 mg/kg compared to 67.29 with that of chloroquine (CQ). The repository activity with NAT doses 100-200 mg/kg increased from 12.91 to 42.85 (P < 0.01) compared to 78.79 in pyrimethamine 1.2 mg/kg/day. In Rane's test, there was chemosuppression in range of 55.50-65.02 (P < 0.01) with NAT in doses of 100-200 mg/kg compared to 74.15 with that of CQ 5 mg/kg. CONCLUSIONS: The antiplasmodial activity of NAT might be like that of artemisinin by producing oxidative stress mostly due to the iridoid glycosides. The active phytoconstituent(s) responsible may be tested individually or in combination both by in vitro and in vivo studies to identify the active chemical ingredient.