Indoor air quality (IAQ) influences human health, productivity and wellness. Green buildings are believed to have better IAQ. The 'sick building syndrome' (SBS) describes a set of nonspecific symptoms experienced by occupants due to time spent in a building with poor IAQ. Thus this study was undertaken to assess the IAQ in green buildings and compare it with that of conventional buildings. The prevalence of SBS in both types of buildings is also studied. In five pairs of green and conventional buildings measurements of comfort parameters (temperature & relative humidity) and indoor air pollutants using monitors was done. 148 employees which included 84 from green buildings and 64 from conventional buildings were surveyed for SBS using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The analysis was done using SPSS16 and included Mann Whitney for IAQ pollutant concentrations and Chi-square for the SBS prevalence. Similar indoor air quality was found in both types of buildings. The mean of temperature, CO2 and formaldehyde was statistically lower in green buildings. The SBS prevalence was found to be 38.1% in green buildings and 53.1% in conventional buildings. Thus to conclude the poorly maintained green building does not have any added advantage for occurrence of SBS.

Objective. Control of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among female sex workers (FSWs) is an important strategy to reduce HIV transmission. A study was conducted to determine the prevalence and assess the current clinical management of STIs in India.Methods. FSWs attending three clinics for regular checkups or symptoms were screened for study eligibility. A behavioral questionnaire was administered, clinical examination performed, and laboratory samples collected.Results. 417 study participants reported a mean number of 4.9 (SD 3.5) commercial clients in the last week. 14.6% reported anal sex in the last three months. Consistent condom use with commercial and regular partners was 70.1% and 17.5%, respectively. The prevalence of gonorrhea was 14.1%, chlamydia 16.1%, and trichomoniasis 31.1% with a third of all infections being asymptomatic. Syphilis seropositivity was 10.1%.Conclusions. At study sites, presumptive treatment for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis screening should continue. Presumptive treatment for trichomoniasis should be considered. Consistent condom use and partner treatment need to be reemphasized.

Background: Following the mpox 2022 outbreak, several high-income countries have developed plans with inclusion criteria for vaccination against the mpox disease. This study was carried out to map the factors influencing mpox vaccination uptake to help address the challenges and increase vaccination confidence. Methods: This was a study based on Tweet analysis. The VADER, Text Blob, and Flair analyzers were adopted for sentiment analysis. The “Levesque conceptual framework for healthcare access” was adopted to evaluate the factors impacting access and the decision to get mpox vaccination. Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) criteria were adopted. Findings: A total of 149,133 tweets were extracted between 01/05/2022 and 23/09/2022. Around 1% of the random tweets were used for qualitative analysis. Of the 149,113, tweets were classified as positive, negative and neutral, respectively, by (a) VADER: (55,040) 37.05%, (44,395) 29.89%, and (49,106) 33.06%, (b) TextBlob: (70,900) 47.73%, (22,729) 15.30%, and (54,921) 36.97%, and (c) Flair: (31,389) 21.13%, (117,152) 78.87%, and 0.00%. Sentiment trajectories revealed that communication, stigmatization, accessibility to and availability of vaccines, and concerns about vaccine safety as factors influencing decision-making in the content and flow of tweets. Interpretation: Twitter is a key surveillance tool for understanding factors influencing decisions and access to mpox vaccination. To address vaccine mistrust and disinformation, a social media-based risk communication plan must be devised. Adopting measures to remove logistical vaccination hurdles is needed. Obtaining fact-based information from credible sources is key to improving public confidence.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) who also report transactional sex (male sex workers or MSWs) are known to be at higher risk for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The study aimed to profile socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors associated with high HIV prevalence among MSWs.