Smokeless tobacco use: a meta-analysis of risk and attributable mortality estimates for India

Background: Use of smokeless tobacco (SLT) is widely prevalent in India and Indian subcontinent. Cohort and case-control studies in India and elsewhere report excess mortality due to its use. Objective: The aim was to estimate the SLT use-attributable deaths in males and females, aged 35 years and older, in India. Materials And Methods: Prevalence of SLT use in persons aged 35 years and older was obtained from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey in India and population size and deaths in the relevant age-sex groups were obtained from UN estimates (2010 revision) for 2008. A meta-relative risk (RR) based population attributable fraction was used to estimate attributable deaths in persons aged 35 years and older. A random effects model was used in the meta-analysis on all-cause mortality from SLT use in India including four cohort and one case-control study. The studies included in the meta-analysis were adjusted for smoking, age and education. Results: The prevalence of SLT use in India was 25.2% for men and 24.5% for women aged 35 years and older. RRs for females and males were 1.34 (1.27-1.42) and 1.17 (1.05-1.42), respectively. The number of deaths attributable to SLT use in India is estimated to be 368127 (217,076 women and 151,051 men), with nearly three-fifth (60%) of these deaths occurring among women. Conclusion: SLT use caused over 350,000 deaths in India in 2010, and nearly three-fifth of SLT use-attributable deaths were among women in India. This calls for targeted public health intervention focusing on SLT products especially among women

Rigid-Body Water–Surface Impact Dynamics: Experiment and Semianalytical Approximation

An experimental study of the dynamics of a generic rigid body during water impact and an equivalent-radius approximate analytical procedure is developed and calibrated in this study. The experimental tests in a wave basin covered a range of drop heights using a 1/6th-scale model of a practical water-landing object prototype for two drop mechanisms to determine the water impact and contact effects. The first mechanism involved a rope and pulley arrangement, while the second mechanism employed an electromagnetic release to drop the rigid body. Hydrodynamic parameters including peak acceleration and touchdown pressure were measured and the maximum impact/contact force was estimated for various entry speeds (corresponding to various drop heights) and weights of the rigid body. Results from the tests show that the impact acceleration and touchdown pressure increases approximately linearly with increasing drop height and the data provides conditions that keep impact accelerations under specified limits for the rigid-body prototype. The experimentally measured maximum accelerations were compared with classical von Karman and Wagner approximate closed-form solutions. In this study, an improved approximate solution procedure using an equivalent radius concept integrating experimental results with the von Karman and Wagner closed-form solutions is proposed and developed in detail. The resulting semianalytical estimates are calibrated against experimental results and found to provide close matching. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4025653

Rigid-Object Water-Entry Impact Dynamics: Finite- Element/Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Modeling and Experimental Validation

A numerical study on the dynamic response of a generic rigid water-landing object (WLO) during water impact is presented in this paper. The effect of this impact is often prominent in the design phase of the re-entry project to determine the maximum force for material strength determination to ensure structural and equipment integrity, human safety and comfort. The predictive capability of the explicit finite-element (FE) arbitrary Lagrangian- Eulerian (ALE) and smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) methods of a state-of-the-art nonlinear dynamic finite-element code for simulation of coupled dynamic fluid structure interaction (FSI) responses of the splashdown event of a WLO were evaluated. The numerical predictions are first validated with experimental data for maximum impact accelerations and then used to supplement experimental drop tests to establish trends over a wide range of conditions including variations in vertical velocity, entry angle, and object weight. The numerical results show that the fully coupled FSI models can capture the water-impact response accurately for all range of drop tests considered, and the impact acceleration varies practically linearly with increase in drop height. In view of the good comparison between the experimental and numerical simulations, both models can readily be employed for parametric studies and for studying the prototype splashdown under more realistic field conditions in the oceans. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4027454

HIV mortality and infection in India: estimates from nationally representative mortality survey of 1.1 million homes

Objective To determine the rates of death and infection from HIV in India

EFFECTS OF RADIATION FROM MOBILE PHONES ON FERTILITY AND THE QUALITY OF SEMEN IN REGULAR MOBILE PHONE USERS

Background The use of mobile phones over extended periods of time is associated with genotoxicity. The Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) values of mobile phones indicate that they release less radiofrequency radiation, which is discovered to be within a safer limit. This is the case because SAR values can be measured. The use of mobile phones for extended periods of time may also cause DNA damage in human cells. Objective The purpose of this study is to analyse the impact that radiation from mobile phones have on fertility by analysing the quality of the sperm of people who use their phones often. Components and Techniques The research was carried out on a total of 150 people who were between the ages of 20 and 40 and divided into three groups (frequent mobile users, moderate mobile users and less mobile phone users). Prior to collecting samples from the subjects, permission was obtained from them. The researcher conducted individual interviews with each participant in the study in order to collect information for filling out a structured questionnaire. Analyses and comparisons were made between the three groups on the properties of the sperm, including their motility and shape. Results and Conclusion The findings of a number of research indicate that radiations released by mobile phones have an effect on male fertility by causing permanent alterations in the morphology of the semen. The current research demonstrates that there is a problem with the fertilising ability of sperm due to defects and changes in sperm morphology. According to the findings of this research, radiations released by mobile phones will have an effect on male fertility. The genotoxic impact may be brought to the attention of regular users of mobile phones and the required measures can be taken via the use of biosensors, which offer a warning signal or alarm when the radiations level exceeds the usual limit

Morphometry of human ear ossicles

Background and Aim: Congenital anomalies and malformations of ear ossicles will cause hearing problems. Most commonly they will be either the absence of long process of incus or capitulum of stapes. The basic knowledge on variations of the ear ossicles and its morphometric data will help the otologist for performing reconstructive surgery and it also provides necessary information for the prosthesis designers. This study aimed to study and analyze the morphometric and morphological features of ear ossicles with correlation on both sides from wet and dry specimens. Materials and Methods: A total of 15 sets of human ear ossicles were collected from both cadavers and as well from dry skulls in the Department of Anatomy, VMKV Medical College and Hospital, Salem. A good-quality photograph was taken, and the image was transferred to the computer and magnified. The measuring tool was used, and all the morphometry parameters were recorded and analyzed. Results: The ear ossicles morphometry of the right and left were analyzed and compared. Morphological variations were noted, and morphometric variations (length and width) were also analyzed. Conclusion: The knowledge of variations of these ossicles and its morphometric data will help the otologist during reconstructive surgery and provide necessary information for the prosthesis designer

Rigid-Body Water-Surface Impact Dynamics: Experiment and Semianalytical Approximation

An experimental study of the dynamics of a generic rigid body during water impact and an equivalent-radius approximate analytical procedure is developed and calibrated in this study. The experimental tests in a wave basin covered a range of drop heights using a 1/6th-scale model of a practical water-landing object prototype for two drop mechanisms to determine the water impact and contact effects. The first mechanism involved a rope and pulley arrangement, while the second mechanism employed an electromagnetic release to drop the rigid body. Hydrodynamic parameters including peak acceleration and touchdown pressure were measured and the maximum impact/contact force was estimated for various entry speeds (corresponding to various drop heights) and weights of the rigid body. Results from the tests show that the impact acceleration and touchdown pressure increases approximately linearly with increasing drop height and the data provides conditions that keep impact accelerations under specified limits for the rigid-body prototype. The experimentally measured maximum accelerations were compared with classical von Karman and Wagner approximate closed-form solutions. In this study, an improved approximate solution procedure using an equivalent radius concept integrating experimental results with the von Karman and Wagner closed-form solutions is proposed and developed in detail. The resulting semianalytical estimates are calibrated against experimental results and found to provide close matching