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We estimate changes in the rates of five FBI Part 1 crimes during the 2020 spring COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period and the period after the killing of George Floyd through December 2020. We use weekly crime rate data from 28 of the 70 largest cities in the United States from January 2018 to December 2020. Homicide rates were higher throughout 2020, including during early 2020 prior to March lockdowns. Auto thefts increased significantly during the summer and remainder of 2020. In contrast, robbery and larceny significantly declined during all three post-pandemic periods. Point estimates of burglary rates pointed to a decline for all four periods of 2020, but only the pre-pandemic period was statistically significant. We construct a city-level openness index to examine whether the degree of openness just prior to and during the lockdowns was associated with changing crime rates. Larceny and robbery rates both had a positive and significant association with the openness index implying lockdown restrictions reduced offense rates whereas the other three crime types had no detectable association. While opportunity theory is a tempting post hoc explanation of some of these findings, no single crime theory provides a plausible explanation of all the results. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

ABSTRACT Background and Aims Poisoning is a major global public health problem, disproportionately burdensome in low‐resource healthcare settings. The objective of this study was to gain epidemiological insights into poisoning cases at Lumbini Medical College and Teaching Hospital over a period of 5 years. Methods A retrospective cross‐sectional analysis was performed of hospital records and 402 poisoning cases admitted to Lumbini Medical College between January 2019 and May 2024 were analyzed descriptively using SPSS V.27.0. The study meticulously documented a wide range of data, such as patient demographics, types of poisons, contexts for poisoning, clinical presentation, and medical outcomes. Results Of 402 cases, females predominated (61.2%, n = 246), with a median age of 26.5 years (IQR: 18.2–39.2). Pesticides, particularly organophosphates, were the leading agent (57.7%, n = 232), with self‐harm as the primary reason (70.9%, n = 285), often linked to family conflict. Poisoning peaked in the evening, notably among females aged 25–44 years (42.3%, n = 170). Mortality was low (0.2%, n = 1), with 68.7% of patients receiving some form of psychiatric consultation. Conclusions Poisoning primarily involved young, married females using organophosphorus pesticides for self‐harm, often due to family conflict and mental health issues, with most receiving psychiatric consultation.

We estimate changes in the rates of five FBI Part 1 crime (homicide, auto theft, burglary, robbery, and larceny) during the COVID-19 pandemic from March through December 2020. Using publicly available weekly crime count data from 29 of the 70 largest cities in the U.S. from January 2018 through December 2020, three different linear regression model specifications are used to detect changes. One detects whether crime trends in four 2020 pre- and post-pandemic periods differ from those in 2018 and 2019. A second looks in more detail at the spring 2020 lockdowns to detect whether crime trends changed over successive biweekly periods into the lockdown. The third uses a city-level openness index that we created for the purpose of examining whether the degree of openness was associated with changing crime rates. For homicide and auto theft, we find significant increases during all or most of the pandemic. By contrast, we find significant declines in robbery and larceny during all or part of the pandemic and no significant changes in burglary over the course of the pandemic. Only larceny rates fluctuated with the degree of each city's lockdown. It is unusual for crime rates to move in different directions, and the reasons for the mixed findings for these five Part 1 Index crimes, one with no change, two with sustained increases, and two with sustained decreases, are not yet known. We hypothesize that the reasons may be related to changes in opportunity, and the pandemic provides unique opportunities for future research to better understand the forces impacting crime rates. In the absence of a clear understanding of the mechanisms by which the pandemic affected crime, in the spirit of evidence-based crime policy, we caution against advancing policy at this time based on lessons learned from the pandemic \"natural experiment.\"

Nanoparticles are extremely small particles with dimensions in the range of one to hundred nanometers and consist of varied physicochemical properties contrasted to their bulk counterparts. Nanoparticles display properties of high biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, and high stability thereby causing its appreciation in various spheres, especially in nano pharmaceuticals and nano cosmeceuticals. The skin is the largest organ of the human body and the first line of defense. The plethora of functions carried out by the skin requires it to be protected against any damage. A variety of skin problems such as dryness, aging, inflammation, and low elasticity may arise due to exposure to harsh chemicals, physical stress or simply due to aging. These problems often involve irritability, discomfort, and loss of aestheticism and many of the traditional methods have not been able to answer these raising concerns. Nanoparticles used in skin protection aim to treat or prevent such skin ailments providing it with various utilitarian active ingredients and providing active solutions to global concerns related to skin. This article comprehensively explores the dynamic nature, contemporary methodologies, and future outlook of nanoparticles in the realm of skin protection, aiming to fulfill the aspiration of safeguarding the skin.

Nanotechnology is a swiftly expanding domain with significant applications across various disciplines. Platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) represent a focal point in scientific investigations, drawing considerable research attention due to their potential applicability in diverse fields. Their inherent non-toxicity and remarkable stability confer distinctive plasmonic properties, rendering them particularly valuable in the realm of bioengineering. This review aims to comprehensively assess the ongoing global research landscape pertaining to the synthesis, mimicry, and utilization of PtNPs. The review covers the biosynthesis, as well as chemical and physical synthesis of PtNPs, incorporating both in-vivo and in-vitro experimental analyses. After their synthesis, a range of nanometrological characterization techniques is explored as analytical tools to facilitate the measurement of physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles. Additionally, the review delves into recent advancements in the functionalization of PtNPs for biomedical applications, encompassing areas such as nanomedicine, combination therapy, cancer treatment, and antibacterial properties.

Anthracycline and its associated cardiotoxicity have been well-established in the literature. With decades of use of anthracycline for a variety of cancer treatments and increased cancer survivability, a detailed study on its cardiac effects is in the continuum. Higher doses of anthracyclines were previously considered the only responsible factor for cardiomyopathy, leading to congestive heart failure. These concepts are now gradually changing to subclinical cardiac changes that even occur at a dosage of 450 mg/m2 or less, which was considered safe previously. Here, we present a case of a 64-year-old patient who was started on doxorubicin and then developed subclinical cardiomyopathy at a surprisingly low cumulative dose of 113 mg/m2. Hence, this case highlights the importance of exploring risk factors, establishing investigations to pick up early changes, and reconsidering a safe dose of anthracycline on a case-to-case basis.