Lockdown and Insomnia among Undergraduate Healthcare Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Insomnia is a risk factor for various physical and mental disorders as well can affect the academic performance of a student(s). AIM: To assess the prevalence of insomnia among university going students (medical, dental and nursing streams) in the South Asian continent during the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemicMATERIALS AND METHOD: The present study was conducted amongst 743 medical, dental and nursing undergraduate students residing in South Asia using convenience sampling. Data was collected using a pre-tested and pre-validated questionnaire [the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS)] using google forms and had a total of 8 questions (score range 0-3) . Final scores (the individual AIS score) were obtained by adding the scores for each question (range 0 -24). The higher the score was, the worse was the sleep quality; students with score of ≥ 6 were considered insomniac. Data Analysis was done using SPSS version 21.012 by using the independent samples t-test, and multiple logistic regression.RESULTS: A total of 921 entries were recorded, out of which 743 were complete and hence, were included in the study (response rate: 80.7%). Insomnia was reported in 421 (56.7%) students, out of which, the highest was seen among dental (62.7%), followed by medical (59.8%) and nursing (45.3%) undergraduates. The highest range of AIS was observed among females (6-22) and dental students (6-21). Gender differences revealed a significant association among females in both range obtained (t-test) (p=0.03) as well as the multiple linear regression analyzing insomnia in relation to gender (p=0.03).CONCLUSION: There is a need to regularly assess insomnia among students and to take preventive measures incase of high prevalence is found among them, especially while pursuing academics online and from their homes due to the pandemic

Primary angiosarcoma of the oral cavity in a young adult

Angiosarcoma is a rare neoplasm, constituting only 2% of all the soft tissue tumors and most frequently involves the skin of the head and neck region in elderly males. They are extremely aggressive tumors with high rates of metastasis and poor outcomes. We report a unique case of angiosarcoma involving an unusual site – upper alveolus and maxilla in a young patient highlighting the diagnostic challenges in such a scenario. A 29 years old female presented with a non-healing wound of the oral cavity, which had progressed to the current maximum size of 6.4 cm within one month. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan revealed the involvement of maxilla up to the floor of the orbit and adjacent soft tissue. However, no distant metastasis was detected on Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan. Biopsy of the lesion showed an irregular, highly pleomorphic, and mitotically active epithelioid soft tissue tumor conclusively diagnosed as angiosarcoma

Membrane destabilization by monomeric hIAPP observed by imaging fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

Monomeric hIAPP significantly destabilizes both model and live cell membranes by increasing membrane fluidity. This interaction with membranes happens via carpet formation followed by lipid extraction in a concentration dependent manner and thus we propose that hIAPP aggregation prior to membrane interaction may not be necessary for its cytotoxicity

City profile : Guwahati

This paper lays out relevant urban context in terms of demography, economic history and employment, the history of migration and conflicts in Assam and Guwahati, the processes of urban growth and development in the city, as well as urban governance. Part II identifies and discusses key arenas of conflicts and violence that are linked to land, planning and governance regimes in the city, namely, informal settlement of the city’s hills, street vending, and women’s safety and safe access to public transport. These arenas of conflict and violence are the focus areas for the research project

Probing the role of aromaticity in the design of dipeptide based nanostructures

Self-assembly of peptide into nanostructures is believed to be stabilized primarily by aromatic interactions. Using a minimalistic approach, we probed the importance of aromatic interactions in the self-assembly of simple model dipeptides. Our results suggest that aromaticity may not be absolutely essential for self-assembly, even though it tends to provide directionality to the assembly. We found that peptides containing cyclic/linear side chain hydrophobic residues were also capable of forming stable self-assemblies that are stabilized by hydrophobic interactions. Our observations will find relevance in the design of small peptide based nanoparticles

Ecology vs Housing and the Land Rights Movement in Guwahati

Abstract onlySelective state interventions to mitigate natural disasters such as floods, the compulsions under which the urban poor inhabit ecologically marginal lands and in the case of Guwahati, the “encroachments” on wetlands and hills, have set the stage for conflict about housing rights, especially for those without legal land tenure. The “encroachments” of the poor are delegitimised and they become victims of eviction drives while encroachments by the state and the middle- and high-income classes on ecologically vulnerable areas are legitimised. In Guwahati, this has led to a cycle of violence and counter-violence. This paper sets this sequence of events against the historically contested land rights issue in a city with limited habitable land due to its natural ecology

Deprivations and conflicts in street vending in Guwahati [Assamese version]

English version available in IDRC Digital Librar

CUE Working Paper 30

In the informal marketplaces of street vendors in Guwahati, urban governance and planning face a particular set of challenges. Researchers in this study find that the state has often withdrawn from the management of these communities, leading to cycles of conflict and deprivation. The study focuses on the markets of Ulubari and Beltola in Guwahati, which are populated with migrants from the rural surroundings who have been unable to integrate into the country’s formal economies. Researchers study both the nature of the conflicts and deprivation in these communities, as well as some of the strategies community organizations utilize to mitigate them in place of the state

Hill settlements : the land rights movement [Assamese version]

English version available in IDRC Digital Librar

Hill settlements : the land rights movement

Assamese version available in IDRC Digital LibraryA massive eviction drive was carried out post-election (2011) in Guwahati, where tribal people continue to be divested of their customary right to forest areas for habitation, and other communities are pushed by natural disasters to migrate towards these reserved forests. Exclusionary urban planning and governance leads to different types of violence on the poor, and by the poor. This policy brief tracks how various ecological, geographical and political factors relate to land tenure and lack of basic housing, with recommendations about how to extend land rights to dwellers in ecologically vulnerable settlements