Religious restrictions and cultural taboos related to menstruation in adolescent girls: A school-based cross-sectional observational study

Introduction: The period of adolescence needs special attention because of the turmoil an adolescent faces at different stages ofdevelopment, different circumstances and needs, and diverse problems. In India, there are multiple restrictions and taboos related tomenstruation. In many communities, the mention of the topic is taboo even today. Objective: To evaluate the religious restrictions andother taboos practiced during menstruation by adolescent school girls. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conductedin four schools. Girls in the age group of 13-18 years, who have attained menarche and gave verbal consent to participate, were includedin the study. A pre-designed, validated questionnaire that captured information on the cultural taboos practiced during menstruation wasadministered to the participants. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 15 and the percentage of menstral taboos that were practicedon average was determined. Factor analysis was done to determine the most practiced taboo. Results: A total of 1522 adolescent girlsparticipated in the study. The average age of attaining menarche was 13.08±3.5 years. 81.2% (n=1236) of the participants, predominantlyfrom the Hindu community, did not attend religious functions during menstruation. More than half of them (56.6%) did not sleep intheir usual place during menstruation. 40.1% of them (n=611) were not allowed to enter the kitchen. 69.3% (n=1054) of the participantshad restrictions on certain food items. Only 5.4% (n=82) of them did not go to school during menstruation. Factor analysis showed thatthe two most important factors contributing to the taboos were restrictions on religious functions and on sleeping in the same place.Menstrual taboos were prevalent more in younger and less-educated girls (p=0.037 and 0.000, respectively). Conclusion: Restrictionsduring menstruation are still prevalent in many communities. The two most important cultural taboos are sleep restrictions and religiousrestrictions. Cultural taboos are prevalent more among less-educated and younger adolescent girls

Physical activity patterns and gestational diabetes outcomes – The wings project

AbstractObjectiveTo compare physical activity (PA) patterns in pregnant woman with and without gestational diabetes (GDM) and to assess the effects of an exercise intervention on change in PA patterns, blood glucose levels and pregnancy outcomes in GDM women.MethodsFor the first objective, PA patterns were studied in 795 pregnant women with and without GDM. For the second objective, the Women in India with Gestational Diabetes Strategy-Model of Care (WINGS-MOC) intervention were evaluated in 151 women out of 189 with GDM. PA was assessed using a validated questionnaire and a pedometer. Changes in PA patterns, glycemic parameters and neonatal outcomes were evaluated.ResultsOverall, only 10% of pregnant women performed recommended levels of PA. Women with GDM were significantly more sedentary compared to those without GDM (86.2 vs. 61.2%, p<0.001). After the MOC was implemented in women with GDM, there was a significant improvement in PA and a decrease in sedentary behaviour amongst women (before MOC, moderate activity: 15.2%, sedentary: 84.8% vs. after MOC-moderate: 26.5%, sedentary: 73.5%; p<0.001), and an increase in their daily step count from 2206/day to 2476/day (p<0.001). Fasting 1 and 2-h postprandial glucose values significantly decreased (p<0.001 for all). Sedentary behaviour was associated with a fourfold higher risk (p=0.02), and recreational walking with 70% decreased risk, of adverse neonatal outcomes (p=0.04) after adjusting for potential confounders.ConclusionsPA levels are inadequate amongst this group of pregnant women studied i.e. those with and without GDM. However, a low-cost, culturally appropriate MOC can bring about significant improvements in PA in women with GDM. These changes are associated with improved glycemic control and reduction in adverse neonatal outcomes

Household, community, sub-national and country-level predictors of primary cooking fuel switching in nine countries from the PURE study

Introduction. Switchingfrom polluting (e.g. wood, crop waste, coal)to clean (e.g. gas, electricity) cooking fuels can reduce household air pollution exposures and climate-forcing emissions.While studies have evaluated specific interventions and assessed fuel-switching in repeated cross-sectional surveys, the role of different multilevel factors in household fuel switching, outside of interventions and across diverse community settings, is not well understood. Methods.We examined longitudinal survey data from 24 172 households in 177 rural communities across nine countries within the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology study.We assessed household-level primary cooking fuel switching during a median of 10 years offollow up (∼2005–2015).We used hierarchical logistic regression models to examine the relative importance of household, community, sub-national and national-level factors contributing to primary fuel switching. Results. One-half of study households(12 369)reported changing their primary cookingfuels between baseline andfollow up surveys. Of these, 61% (7582) switchedfrom polluting (wood, dung, agricultural waste, charcoal, coal, kerosene)to clean (gas, electricity)fuels, 26% (3109)switched between different polluting fuels, 10% (1164)switched from clean to polluting fuels and 3% (522)switched between different clean fuels

Advanced glycation index and its association with severity of diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetic subjects

Background: This study investigates the association of advanced glycation index (AGI), a simple assay to detect advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) in serum, with severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in type 2 diabetic subjects. Methods: The study included 188 type 2 diabetic subjects without DR, 153 subjects with nonproliferative DR, 41 subjects with proliferative DR, and 188 control participants. Serum levels of AGEs were monitored with a spectrofluorimeter by recording Maillard-specific fluorescence. Results: AGI values increased with severity of DR (analysis of variance, P&lt;.0001). Among diabetic subjects, AGI (mean±S.E.) was higher among subjects with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR; 6.7±0.1 U) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR; 9.1±0.3 U) than among subjects without DR (P&lt;.0001). By arranging the levels of serum AGI in quartiles, the proportion of PDR subjects increased with increasing AGI values, with maximum subjects in the last quartile (trend χ<SUP>2</SUP>=60.239, P&lt;.0001). AGI was associated with NPDR even after adjusting for age, gender, duration of diabetes, and glycated hemoglobin [odds ratio (OR)=1.33; 95% confidence interval (95% CI)=1.12-1.57; P=.001]. Similarly, AGI showed a significant association with PDR even after adjusting for various risk factors (OR=2.47; 95% CI=1.75-3.47; P&lt;.0001). Receiver-operating-characteristics curve analysis revealed that the threshold level of 8.07 U had a 78% sensitivity, an 83.6% specificity, and an 86.1% accuracy for detecting PDR. Conclusion: AGI showed a significant association with the severity of DR and, hence, could be used as a prognostic tool to predict the development and progression of DR

Effect of coal combustion products in reducing soluble phosphorus in soil. II, Leaching study

Phosphorus (P) management in agriculture is crucial for both environmental health and future availability of P resource. Application of P as fertilisers (organic or inorganic) often results in either P accumulation in soil or loss to water bodies, rendering them unavailable to crops. In this study, the mobility of inorganic (KH2PO4 (PP)) and organic (poultry manure (PM)) P sources, as affected by coal combustion products (CCPs: fly ash (FA) and fluidised bed combustion ash (FBC)) application to soils, was evaluated using column leaching experiments. The incubated samples were also characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to understand their surface properties in relation to P adsorption and leaching. The results showed differential effects of CCPs to P treatments—in the case of PP, the CCPs decreased P leaching by 12.11 % (FA) and 20.56 % (FBC), whereas in the case of PM treatment, both CCPs increased P in leachates by 35.53 % (FA) and 18.44 % (FBC). The decrease in P leaching for PP-treated soil as affected by CCPs was attributed to high pH and Ca concentration. There was a negative relationship between the increase in CCP-induced pH and P leaching demonstrating that pH plays a crucial role in Pimmobilisation, transformation and leaching. The increase in P leaching for CCP-incubated–PM-treated soils was because of the mineralisation of organic P from PM. The surface chemistry from XRD and SEM results showed an increased surface area for CCPs incubatedsoil compared to the control and also showed the presence of Ca-rich minerals in CCPs such as ettringite, wollastonite and merwinite

Placement of endosseous implant in infected alveolar socket with large fenestration defect: A comparative case report

Placement of endosseous implants into infected bone is often deferred or avoided due to fear of failure. However, with the development of guided bone regeneration [GBR], some implantologists have reported successful implant placement in infected sockets, even those with fenestration defects. We had the opportunity to compare the osseointegration of an immediate implant placed in an infected site associated with a large buccal fenestration created by the removal of a root stump with that of a delayed implant placed 5 years after extraction. Both implants were placed in the same patient, in the same dental quadrant by the same implantologist. GBR was used with the fenestration defect being filled with demineralized bone graft* and covered with collagen membrane**. Both implants were osseointegrated and functional when followed up after 12 months

Concomitant reduction and immobilization of chromium in relation to its bioavailability in soils

In this study, two carbon materials [chicken manure biochar (CMB) and black carbon (BC)] were investigated for their effects on the reduction of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] in two spiked [600 mg Cr(VI) kg−1] and one tannery waste contaminated [454 mg Cr(VI) kg−1] soils. In spiked soils, both the rate and the maximum extent of reduction of Cr(VI) to trivalent Cr [Cr(III)] were higher in the sandy loam than clay soil, which is attributed to the difference in the extent of Cr(VI) adsorption between the soils. The highest rate of Cr(VI) reduction was observed in BC-amended sandy loam soil, where it reduced 452 mg kg−1 of Cr(VI), followed by clay soil (427 mg kg−1) and tannery soil (345 mg kg−1). X-ray photoelectron microscopy confirmed the presence of both Cr(VI) and Cr(III) species in BC within 24 h of addition of Cr(VI), which proved its high reduction capacity. The resultant Cr(III) species either adsorbs or precipitates in BC and CMB. The addition of carbon materials to the tannery soil was also effective in decreasing the phytotoxicity of Cr(VI) in mustard (Brassica juncea L.) plants. Therefore, it is concluded that the addition of carbon materials enhanced the reduction of Cr(VI) and the subsequent immobilization of Cr(III) in soils

Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in Urban India: The Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES) Eye Study, I

PURPOSE. To assess the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in type 2 diabetic subjects in urban India using four-field stereo color photography. METHODS. The Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES) is a population-based study conducted on a representative population of Chennai (formerly Madras) city in South India. Individuals Ն20 years in age (n ϭ 26,001) were screened for diabetes. Of the 1529 known diabetic subjects, 1382 (90.4%) participated in the study. Subjects with newly detected diabetes (n ϭ 354) by the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) also consented to participate in the study. All the subjects underwent four-field stereo color photography, and retinopathy was graded in the color fundus photographs according to Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) criteria. RESULTS. The overall prevalence of DR in the population was 17.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.8 -19.5), which included 20.8% (95% CI: 18.7-23.1) in known diabetic subjects and 5.1% (95% CI: 3.1-8.0) in subjects with newly detected diabetes. The prevalence of DR was significantly higher in men than in women (21.3% vs. 14.6%; P Ͻ 0.0001) and among subjects with proteinuria (P ϭ 0.002). Logistic regression analysis showed that for every 5-year increase in the duration of diabetes, the risk for DR increased 1.89-fold (95% CI: 1.679 -2.135; P Ͻ 0.0001). For every 2% elevation of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), the risk for DR increased by a factor of 1.7 (95% CI: 1.545-1.980; P Ͻ 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS. This study shows that the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy is lower in urban South Indians than in other ethnic groups. However, due to the large number of diabetic subjects, DR is likely to pose a public health burden in India; hence, routine retinal examination is mandatory to detect DR in the early stages. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2005;46: 2328 -233

Porphyromonas levii – A Boon for Periodontists?

The majority of species previously categorized as Bacteroides have been reassigned into new genera. Bacteroides levii (Holdeman, Cato, and Mooretaxonomic)’s status has remained uncertain. This species shares a high degree of similarity with members of the genus Porphyromonas based on biochemical, chemical, and comparative 16s rRNA sequence analysis. As a result, Bacteroides levii (Holdeman, Cato, and Moore) was reclassified as Porphyromonas levii comb. now under the genus Porphyromonas