Health Seeking Behavior among Rickshaw Pullers in Delhi and Their Acceptance of Using Mobile Phoneto Seek Health Information

Background: Rickshaw pullers of India are one among the vulnerable population in India and have no or limited access to health service and have poor health condition. Most of them are migrants and have shifted to urban cities like Delhi and Agra to earn a livelihood to support their families left behind. Low socioeconomic status, unhygienic living environment, and improper diet, lead to their health problems. As they are unable to visit their families frequently they keep in touch with them through mobile phones. Although health information seeking of the consumers through the mobile has received great attention, limited attempt has been made to understand the same in context of vulnerable population. The aim of this study is to explore the health seeking behavior of rickshaw pullers in Delhi and their acceptance towards the use of mobile phones to seek health related information Subjects and Method: This was a qualitative study with case studies approach conducted at two metro stations and market place where there were significant available numbers of rickshaw pullers. A sample of 75 rickshaw pullers was selected by simple random sampling. The data were collected by survey of rickshaw pullers based on semi-structured questionnaires. Results: This study found out that more than 90% of the rickshaw pullers were migrants from North Indian states and 70% had migrated more than five years ago. Regarding their health seeking behavior most of them used home based cures or consulted pharmacies and local doctors. Many were unaware of the government health facilities and the services available to them. Their intention to seek health information through mobiles and use the information was influenced by the information quality, perceived value, ease of use, method and cost of receiving information and trust on the source. Conclusion: The current study throws light on the factors affecting the mobile based health information seeking behavior of the rickshaw pullers and provides valuable insights that can be used for developing mobile health interventions for the vulnerable population. Keywords: health information, mobile phones, rickshaw pullers, health seeking behavio

Non Traumatic Gastrointestinal Perforations

INTRODUCTION: Perforation peritonitis is the most common surgical emergency in India. Despite advances in surgical techniques, antimicrobial therapy and intensive care support, management of peritonitis continues to be highly demanding, difficult and complex. The spectrum of etiology of perforation continues to be different from that of western countries and there is paucity of data from India regarding it's etiology, prognostic indicators, morbidity and mortality patterns. Our study was designed to highlight the spectrum of perforation peritonitis as encountered by us at Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital, Chennai. AIMS OF THE STUDY: 1. To study the epidemiology, seasonal trends, etiology and clinical presentation. 2. To study the incidence in perforation in different part of GIT. 3. To study the different management techniques used. 4. To study the factors influencing the outcome. 5. To study the morbidity and mortality. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An analysis of 125 patients of perforation peritonitis was done over a period of 27 months (from May2005 to July 2007) at Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai. All cases were studied in term of clinical presentation, radiological investigations done, operative findings and postoperative course. Data was collected from indoor patient records, operation theatre records and outpatient department follow up of cases. All patients following a clinical diagnosis of perforation peritonitis and adequate resuscitation, underwent exploratory laparotomy in emergency setting. At surgery the source of contamination was sought for and controlled. The peritoneal cavity was irrigated with 5–6 litres of warm normal saline and the decision to insert a drain was left to the discretion of the operating surgeon. Abdomen was closed with continuous, number one non-absorbable suture material. Although all patients received appropriate perioperative broad spectrum antibiotics, the drug regimen was not uniform. Inclusion Criteria: All cases found to have peritonitis as a result of perforation of any part of gastrointestinal tract at the time of surgery were included in the study. Exclusion Criteria: 1. cases of primary peritonitis 2. esophageal rupture or perforation. 3. perforation of hepatobiliary system. 4. iatrogenic perforations. 5. traumatic perforations. 6. peritonitis due to anastomotic leak. CONCLUSION: 1. duodenal ulcer perforation was the commonest cause of GIT perforation with male preponderance. 2. More common in third decade. 3. More common in lower socioeconomic class. 4. More common in winter season. 5. Smoking and alcohol were aggravating factors. 6. Most of the patients presents with pain abdomen, fever and vomiting. 7. Simple closure with omental patch was very effective in the management. 8. Next to duodenum gastric perforation was more common. 9. Gastric perforation was more common in fourth decade. 10. Ileal perforation was more common in third decade. 11. Commonest causes being typhoid and tuberculosis. 12. Single ileal perforation was more common than multiple perforation. 13. Closure in two layers was very much effective in small bowel perforation. 14. Prognostic determinant in perforation were delay in presentation to the hospital and degree of contamination. 15. Conservative management increases the number of hospital stay. 16. Incidence of colonic perforation was 2.4% (3 cases) in this study. 17. Most common post operative complication was wound infection. 18. Deaths were due to septicemia, cardiac arrest and respiratory complication. 19. In spite of the recent advances in closing the D.U. perforation by laparoscopy and by other means, still simple closure with omental patch is widely practiced

Effect of Oral Nutrition Supplement on Hemodialysis Patients- An Observational Study

Introduction: PEW (Protein Energy Wasting) is a well-known phenomenon observed among Hemodialysis (HD) patients. This study was conducted to evaluate the nutrition status of HD patients receiving oral nutrition supplement (ONS) on Dialysis days along with a high protein diet. Material and Methods: The outpatients who visited Hemodialysis unit were nutritionally assessed using the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA). Malnourished patients were selected for the study. Diet advice was given on a high protein diet as per the standard renal guidelines. Patients were given ONS on dialysis days for 6 months along with a high protein diet. ONS provided 200 Kcal and 9 g protein. Patients were nutritionally assessed pre and post supplementation at 0- 6month gap using SGA, MIS (Malnutrition Inflammation Score), BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), hand grip strength, C- Reactive protein, Serum Albumin & Total Iron Binding Capacity. The data were collected and analysed. Results:  A significant improvement (p < 0.05) was observed in the ICW (Intra cellular water), BCM (Body Cell Mass), SMM (Skeletal Muscle Mass) & Protein Mass. An improvement in the mean Hand grip strength, SGA and MIS scores were also observed.   Conclusion: Providing ONS on Dialysis days would be an ideal way to reduce PEW.&nbsp

Performance of a megawatt-scale grid-connected solar photovoltaic power plant in Kolar District in Karnataka

A megawatt scale grid-connected photovoltaic power plant was commissioned on 27 December 2009 in Yalesandra in Kolar district in Karnataka. The Yalesandra plant is one among more than 20 such Megawatt size solar power plants in India during the past few years. The performance of this plant during its first year of operation has been discussed. The total electrical energy generated by the Yelasandra plant during 2010 was 3.34 million kWh. Although the performance of photovoltaic modules was good, there were problems associated with the inverters which led to reduction in energy generation. The impact of temperature variation of modules on their performance has been highlighted

Phase I-Designing a biofeedback device for quadriceps re-education-bridging the gap in exercise compliance

529-532Knee Osteoarthritis is a painful and disabling condition which causes difficulty in activities of daily living. Such patients are referred for physiotherapy sessions where they were prescribed with exercises as home programs, quadriceps isometrics was the commonly prescribed exercises as it causes the least intraarticular inflammation than other types of exercises. Research reports poor compliance to the exercise program with lack of confidence and doubt of performing correctly were being commonly reported answers to the lack of compliance. With the idea to improve the compliance to the exercise program this device is developed which helps the patients to perform the exercises at home and improve their confidence levels too. The Microcontroller used is Arduino Mega 2560 and Force sensor. Force sensor is used to sense the force produced by the patient and MCP6004 operational amplifier is used as Voltage follower for providing the exact voltage. It also has audio feedback and visual feedback, Audio feed back is given by connecting a voice playback module and a buzzer and visual feedback is given by LED’s of three colours- red, yellow, blue. LCD also displays the time taken by the patients. This device will surely improve the compliance with exercises for the wellbeing of patient

An Effective Strategy for the Synthesis of Biocompatible Gold Nanoparticles Using Cinnamon Phytochemicals for Phantom CT Imaging and Photoacoustic Detection of Cancerous Cells

This is a post-print version of the Pharmaceutical Research Article. The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com. DOI 10.1007/s11095-010-0276-6Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to explore the utilization of cinnamon coated gold nanoparticles (Cin-AuNPs) as CT/optical contrast enhancement agent for detection of cancer cells. Methods: Cin-AuNPs were synthesized by a “Green” procedure and the detailed characterization has been performed by physic-chemical analysis. Cytotoxicity and cellualar uptake studies were carried out in normal human fibroblast and cancerous (PC-3 and MCF-7) cells respectively. The efficacy of detecting cancerous cells was monitored using photoacoustic technique. In vivo biodistribution was studied after IV injection of Cin-AuNPs in mice and a CT phantom model was generated. Results: Biocompatible Cin-AuNPs were synthesized with high purity. Significant uptake of these gold nanoparticles was observed in PC-3 and MCF-7 cells. Cin-AuNPs internalized in cancerous cells facilitate detectable photoacoustic signals. In vivo biodistribution in normal mouse shows steady accumulation of gold nanoparticles in lungs and rapid clearance from blood. Quantitative analysis of CT values in phantom model reveals that the cinnamon phytochemicals coated AuNPs has reasonable attenuation efficiency. Conclusions: The results indicate that these non-toxic Cin-AuNPs can serve as excellent CT/ photoacoustic contrast enhancement agents and may provide a novel approach toward the tumor detection through nanopharmaceuticals.This work has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute under the Cancer Nanotechnology Platform program (grant number: 5R01CA119412-01), NIH - 1R21CA128460-01; NIH-SBIR-Contract no. 241, and University of Missouri-Research Board - Program C8761 RB 06-030

Cardamom agro-environmental interrelationships analysis in Indian cardamom hills

The rainfall pattern seen in the Indian Cardamom Hills (ICH) has been extremely variable and complicated, with El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) playing a crucial role in shaping this pattern. In light of this, more investigation is required through improved statistical analysis. During the study period, there was greater variability in rainfall and the frequency of rainy days. About 2,730 mm of rainfall was reported in 2018, while the lowest amount (1168.3 mm) was registered for 2016. The largest decrease in decadal rainfall (>65 mm) was given by the decade 1960–1969, followed by 1980–1989 (>40 mm) and 2010–2019 (>10 mm). In the last 60 years of study, there has been a reduction of rainy days by 5 days in the last decade (2000–2009), but in the following decade (2010–2019), it registered an increasing trend, which is only slightly <2 days. The highest increase in decadal rainy days was observed for the 1970–1979 period. The smallest decadal increase was reported for the last decade (2010–2019). Total sunshine hours were the highest (1527.47) for the lowest rainfall year of 2016, while the lowest value (1,279) was recorded for the highest rainfall year (2021). The rainfall characteristics of ICH are highly influenced by the global ENSO phenomenon, both positively and negatively, depending on the global El Nino and La Nina conditions. Correspondingly, below and above-average rainfall was recorded consecutively for 1963–1973, 2003–2016, and 1970–2002. Higher bright forenoon sun hours occurred only during SWM months, which also reported maximum disease intensity on cardamom. The year 2016 was regarded as a poorly distributed year, with the lowest rainfall and the highest bright afternoon sun hours during the winter and summer months (January-May). Over the last three decades, the production and productivity of cardamom have shown a steady increase along with the ongoing local climatic change. Many of our statistical tests resulted in important information in support of temporal climatic change and variability. Maintaining shade levels is essential to address the adverse effects of increasing surface air temperature coupled with the downward trend of the number of rainy days and elevated soil temperature levels

Antihypercholesterolemic and Antioxidative Potential of an Extract of the Plant, Piper betle

Hypercholesterolemia is a dominant risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, the putative antihypercholesterolemic and antioxidative properties of an ethanolic extract of Piper betle and of its active constituent, eugenol, were evaluated in experimental hypercholesterolemia induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of Triton WR-1339 (300 mg/kg b.wt) in Wistar rats. Saline-treated hypercholesterolemic rats revealed significantly higher mean blood/serum levels of glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and of serum hepatic marker enzymes; in addition, significantly lower mean serum levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol and significantly lower mean activities of enzymatic antioxidants and nonenzymatic antioxidants were noted in hepatic tissue samples from saline-treated hypercholesterolemic rats, compared to controls. However, in hypercholesterolemic rats receiving the Piper betle extract (500 mg/kg b.wt) or eugenol (5 mg/kg b.wt) for seven days orally, all these parameters were significantly better than those in saline-treated hypercholesterolemic rats. The hypercholesterolemia-ameliorating effect was better defined in eugenol-treated than in Piper betle extract-treated rats, being as effective as that of the standard lipid-lowering drug, lovastatin (10 mg/kg b.wt). These results suggest that eugenol, an active constituent of the Piper betle extract, possesses antihypercholesterolemic and other activities in experimental hypercholesterolemic Wistar rats

Youth futures and a masculine development ethos in the regional story of Uttarakhand

Research on the Uttarakhand region, which became a new state in 2000, has focused largely on agrarian livelihoods, religious rituals, development demands, ecological politics and the role of women in regional social movements. This essay discusses another dimension of the regional imaginary—that of a masculine development ethos. Based on ethnographic research and print media sources, this essay focuses on stories, politics, mobilities and imaginations of young men in the years immediately after the achievement of statehood. Despite increased outmigration of youth in search of employment, many young men expressed the dream of maintaining livelihoods in the familiar towns and rural spaces of Uttarakhand, describing their home region as a source of power and agency. In rallies and in print media, young (mostly upper caste) men expressed their disillusionment with the government and the promises of statehood, arguing that their aspirations for development and employment were left unfulfilled. Gendered stories of the region, told in Hindi in rallies and print media, contained references to local places, people and historical events and were produced through local connections and know-how, fostering a regional youth politics. The article argues that Uttarakhand as a region is shaped by the politics of local actors as well as embodied forms of aspiration, affiliation and mobility.IS