Periodic Noise Removal in Strain and Natural Images Using 2-D Fast Fourier Transform

This paper presents a 2-D FFT removal algorithm for reducing the periodic noise in natural and strain images. For the periodic pattern of the artifacts, we apply the 2-D FFT on the strain and natural images to extract and remove the peaks which are corresponding to periodic noise in the frequency domain. Further the mean filter applied to get more effective results. The performance of the proposed method is tested on both natural and strain images. The results of proposed method is compared with the mean filter based periodic noise removal and found that the proposed method significantly improved for the noise removal

Curvelet Denoising with Improved Thresholds for Application on Ultrasound Images

In medical image processing, image denoising has become a very essential exercise all through the diagnose. Negotiation between the preservation of useful diagnostic information and noise suppression must be treasured in medical images. In case of ultrasonic images a special type of acoustic noise, technically known as speckle noise, is the major factor of image quality degradation. Many denoising techniques have been proposed for effective suppression of speckle noise. Removing noise from the original image or signal is still a challenging problem for researchers. In this paper, a Curvelet transform based denoising with improved thresholds is proposed for ultrasound images

Metabolic Syndrome: a challenging health Issue in highly urbanized Union Territory of north India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>1. To determine the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in adults aged 18 years and above in Chandigarh, India. 2. To determine the socio-demographic factors associated with MS. 3. To determine the agreement between IDF (International Diabetes federation definition) and ATP-III (National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults criteria).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a community based cross-sectional study, total 605 subjects aged 18 yrs and above were studied using multistage random sampling.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome was estimated by using IDF and ATP-III criteria. By IDF, Metabolic Syndrome was found in 287 (47.4%) subjects and it was more prevalent among females 171 (59.6%) as compared to males 116 (40.4%). By applying ATP-III overall prevalence was less i.e. 233 (38.5%) but again its prevalence was more among females 141 (44.8%) than males 116 (39.5%). Higher socioeconomic status, sedentary occupation and high body mass index were significantly associated with Metabolic Syndrome.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Metabolic Syndrome is a major health problem in the region and proper emphasis should be given on its prevention and control.</p

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase&nbsp;1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation&nbsp;disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age&nbsp; 6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score&nbsp; 652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc&nbsp;= 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N&nbsp;= 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in&nbsp;Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in&nbsp;Asia&nbsp;and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Surveillance of communicable diseases in tertiary health care system in Chandigarh, UT

Background : Communicable disease surveillance is to have baseline data which will be helpful for planning and also for identifying epidemics under non-evident conditions. Objective : To delineate the pattern of occurrence of communicable diseases so as to enable early identification, followed by appropriate and timely response to outbreaks. Materials and Methods :Reports of listed communicable diseases from various departments and centers of Government Medical College, Chandigarh, involved in clinical care and laboratory diagnosis, were collected by the Department of Community Medicine on a weekly basis. Analysis of surveillance data was done for a period of 1 year - including reports from March 2005 to February 2006. Statistical Analysis : Percentage, normal test of proportions, time series analysis. Results : Out of 19,378 cases of various communicable diseases, 11,575, i.e., more than half, were dealt with by health centers. Thus maximum cases of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) [8,278 (71.87%)] and acute diarrheal diseases (ADDs) [3,148 (54.4%)] were dealt with by health centers. Of 19,378 cases, 11,518 (59.44%) were of ARIs, 5,786 (29.86%) of ADDs and 550 (2.84%) of pulmonary tuberculosis. There was no significant difference in the incidence of either disease between two sexes. Most, i.e., 4,413 (38.31%), cases of ARIs and 512 (86.49%) cases of pneumonia were reported in winter; ADDs - 2,607 (45.05%) in summer; and typhoid - 94 (41.04%) in the monsoon season. Conclusion : Maximum workload of common communicable diseases was borne by health centers. The most common morbidity was ARIs, followed by ADDs and pulmonary tuberculosis. No significant gender predilection was seen. Overall reporting of communicable diseases observed in three different seasons was found to show a gradual increase from winter to summer through monsoon. Some specific seasonal trends were demonstrated by various morbidities

Emergency Contraception in Women of Slums in Northern India

Objective: To ascertain the utilization of the emergency contraception and to evaluate the impact of intervention on acceptability and utilization of emergency contraceptive pills. Materials and Methods: This community based cross sectional study was carried out by the department of community medicine in the slums of Chandigarh. The study sample was chosen by two stage systematic sampling. Participants were assessed regarding emergency contraception utilization and its various aspects and was also imparted correct knowledge regarding this mode of contraception. The women were reassessed again after six months to see the impact of the knowledge imparted to them on utilization of emergency contraception. Results: The study comprised of 1448, females and maximum were in the age group 26-35 years i.e. 717 (49.5%) followed by those in age group 19-25 yr i.e. 485 (33.5%). Considering their education, 674 (46.5%) women were illiterate. Only, 1.4% respondents had ever used emergency contraception. Sources of information so enumerated of emergency contraception were, health workers (0.8%), friends (0.6%), doctors/ health physicians (0.4%) media (0.3%) and books (0.1%). None of the respondent knew about the correct time span during which they should be used. The increase in utilization of emergency contraception from 1.4% to 4.2% was noticed in reassessment after 6months. Conclusion: Correct knowledge and awareness regarding emergency contraception can increase the utilization of it

Assessment of visual field defects and optic disc changes in patients with high myopia

Glaucoma is a leading cause of global irreversible blindness. Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most common form of glaucoma and affects 44.1 million individuals worldwide. Furthermore, there is a disproportionate burden of POAG in Asia, with Asians accounting for 53% (23.5 million) of POAG cases worldwide. While early detection of POAG is important in delaying or halting the progression of the disease, a better understanding of the interplay between major risk factors for POAG is crucial. aim of this study is to assess the effects of myopia on POAG in the patient attending MYH Indore OPD (central India). It is a hospital based, prospective, non-randomised case study. 60 eyes of high myopic patients and 60 eyes of general Ophthal OPD patients were evaluated. The statistical software namely SPSS 19.0, were used for the analysis of the data and Microsoft word and Excel have been used to generate graphs, tables etc. In our study, we found that, in high myopic patient, there were increase in chances of glaucomatous optic disc changes, and these changes were influenced by age and not influenced with gender, degree of myopia

MENSTRUAL PATTERNS AMONG SCHOOL GOING ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN CHANDIGARH AND RURAL AREAS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH, NORTH INDIA

ABSTRACT Background: Menstrual disorders are common among adolescent girls and they are lacking scientific knowledge regarding menstruation and puberty making them more vulnerable. This study was conducted to determine patterns of menstrual cycles among young girls and menstrual problems

Adverse Outcome in a Patient with Undiagnosed and Asymptomatic Intracranial Lesion after Total Abdominal Hysterectomy

We describe a case of 55-year-old female who had deterioration of respiratory and haemodynamic status after hysterectomy under subarachnoid block. On the second postoperative day she had to be intubated and sustained on ventilatory and inotropic support. The patient had apparently no previous cardio-respiratory-renal or neurological problem. Her CT scan revealed a space occupying intracranial lesion. The etiopathogensis and future management of such patients is discussed after review of current literature

A community-based study on awareness of cancer and anticipated barriers in seeking help

Introduction: Cancer is a leading public health problem worldwide. Contributing factors include lack of awareness regarding cancer and improper help seeking behavior. Objective: To assess the awareness regarding early warning signs of cancer, its risk factors and anticipated barriers in seeking help. Methodology: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 470 study participants. Trained workers administered a standardized tool to respondents after obtaining their informed consent. Epi Info software for windows version 7.2 was used for the analysis. Results: Overall, merely 7.7% (36/470) of the study respondents were aware of all the nine warning signs of cancer. The most commonly known early warning sign of cancer was “unexplained swelling” (58.3%). Further, although majority knew that cigarette smoking is a risk factor for cancer (90.4%), very few were aware about the role of inadequate physical activity (9.3%) and diet devoid of adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables (11.9%). There were few anticipated barriers in seeking help such as embarrassment (13.2%) and difficult to interact with a doctor (7.9%). Conclusion: There was inadequate awareness about cancer but a favorable help-seeking behavior. It is, therefore, recommended that health-care professionals should scale up efforts for disseminating information regarding cancer among the people