Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and its Non-Smoking Risk Factors in India

The rising prevalence of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is generally attributed to smoking, since the role of other risk factors among non-smokers are not well established especially in low and middle income countries like India. This is also reflected by the limited literature available on non-smoking related COPD risk factors like indoor and outdoor air pollution. The present review is an attempt to assess the influence of non-smoking risk factors on COPD and its measures in Indian subcontinent. The most noteworthy factors among non-smokers appear to be the use of biomass fuel for cooking and heating purposes. We observed that the studies undertaken to evaluate the role of such risk factors are inconclusive due to weak methodologies and small sample sizes, may be due to limited financial resources. The present review suggests the need of a nationally representative study to estimate the effect of each of the potential modifiable risk factor (other than smoking) for framing impactful public health policies to prevent and manage COPD at community and population level in India.     

Predictive value of craniofacial and anthropometric measures in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

Background: Most individuals with OSA remain undiagnosed, mainly due to limited access to effective screening tools and diagnostic facilities. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify craniofacial and anthropometric measurements that predict OSA in an Indian population.

Methods and Findings: Male subjects (n = 76) between 25 and 50 years of age were recruited for the study from the general population. The study measures consisted of home-based type IV polysomnography and a total of 40 anthropometric and craniofacial measurements. Key measures were identified, and a model was developed with these variables, which predicted the presence of OSA with a sensitivity, specificity and overall accuracy of 93.1, 20.0 and 74.4%, respectively.

Conclusion: This preliminary study shows the utility of craniofacial and anthropometric variables in the identification of individuals at risk of OSA. These findings need to be further validated against the results of overnight polysomnography in a large independent population.     

A Descriptive Study on the Users and Utility of HIV/AIDS Helpline in Karnataka, India

Background:

Globally, Telephone help-lines have proved their utility in several crisis situations. They were introduced in India for helping persons in need of counseling or emergency care such as victims of suicide, cardiac arrests, etc. The utility of such help-lines in HIV/AIDS has not been established .Hence this study done in ASHA Foundation, Bangalore.

Objectives:

To determine the characteristics of persons who access the HIV/AIDS helpline. To determine the reasons for calling the helpline. To identify the gaps in the provision of this service.

Materials and Methods:

Details on all calls received on ASHA Foundation''s HIV/AIDS help line during the period January 2007 to December 2008, were entered on MS excel worksheet and analyzed using the SPSS software.

Results:

Majority of callers are male, are in the age group of 20-39 years and educated. The most common reasons for calling the helpline were for HIV testing, information about HIV/AIDS, care and support services and referrals to other services not linked to HIV/AIDS. Reasons for calling were linked to risk ( HIV testing, condom use etc) in younger persons, and to avail of care and support services in the older age-group.

Conclusions:

The main users of the HIV/AIDS helpline are urban ,young, educated males.     

Development assessment of HIV exposed children aged 6–18 months: a cohort study from North India

HIV exposed children are vulnerable to developmental delay irrespective of their HIV status due to combined effect of risk factors like poverty, prenatal drug exposure, stress and chronic illness in family and malnutrition. This cohort study assessed the development of 50 HIV exposed children aged 6–18 months at a Pediatric Centre of Excellence in HIV care in India. The development was assessed using Development Assessment Scale for Indian Infants (DASII) at enrolment, 3 and 6 months later. The development quotient (DQ) scores and proportion of children with developmental delay (DQ?≤?70) were compared among two sub-groups, HIV infected (HI) and HIV exposed uninfected (HEU) children. The various social and clinical factors affecting development were studied by univariate and multivariate analysis. Prevalence of developmental delay was 2.4% in the HEU (n?=?41), and 33.3% in HI (n?=?9). The DQ of HI was significantly lower than that of HEU at all three assessments. The DQ of HI were also significantly lower compared to the HEU at ages 12.1–18 months (83.37?±?20.73 vs 94.68?±?5.13, p?=?0.005) and 18.1–24 months (84.55?±?15.35 vs 94.63?±?5.86, p?=?0.006) respectively. The development of HEU was adversely affected by lower socioeconomic status and presence of wasting. In addition, development of HI was also adversely influenced by presence of stunting and opportunistic infections, advanced disease stage and shorter ART duration. We conclude that with optimum care, HEU can have a normal development, while a considerable proportion of HI may continue to have delayed development.     

Examining the Mediating Effects of Stress on Fear of COVID-19 and Well-being Using Structural Equation Modeling

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction - This study focuses on the effects of fear factor due to COVID-19 on stress and well-being of college students in India. The authors conducted...     

Effective and Reliable Protocol for DNA Isolation from Polyphenolic Leaves and Fruits of Garcinia gummi-gutta (L.) Robs.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - Garcinia gummi-gutta (Malabar tamarind) is a widely used Indian condiment and natural source of an...