Comparison of self-medication practice for dysmenorrhoea in medical, nursing and dental students

Background: Dysmenorrhea is common in adolescent and young adult females and is responsible for impaired daily activities and significant absenteeism from college among female students. The self-treatment strategy varies among the students. Hence, the present study was done to analyse and compare the self-medication practice for dysmenorrhoea among medical, nursing and dental students.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 188 female students with dysmenorrhoea in M. S. Ramaiah College Campus, Bangalore which included 62 medical, 63 nursing and 63 dental students. Data was collected with prevalidated questionnaire related to various aspects like demographic data, severity and duration of dysmenorrhoea and pattern of management in the three groups. Data collected was analysed using SPSS version 20.Results: The mean age of female students with dysmenorrhoea was 19.12±0.87 years. 28% students perceived hormonal changes as causative factor for dysmenorrhoea. About 92 (48.9%) were on self-medication and 46 (24.5%) of students used home remedies for dysmenorrhoea. Among 92 students drugscommonly used for self-medication were mefenemic acid+dicyclomine  (67.4%) followed by paracetamol (20.7%), ibuprofen (5.4%), dicyclomine (4.3%), and diclofenac (2.2%). NSAIDS such as mefenamic acid, paracetamol, ibuprofen, diclofenac were used commonly by students in the three groups.Conclusions: Dysmenorrhoea is a common cause for self-medication among young females. Self-medication practice for dysmenorrhoea was seen more in medical students where as non-pharmacological remedies in nursing and dental female students. NSAIDS like mefenamic acid and paracetamol are the mainstay of self-medication for dysmenorrhoea

Limited Data Speaker Verification: Fusion of Features

The present work demonstrates experimental evaluation of speaker verification for different speech feature extraction techniques with the constraints of limited data (less than 15 seconds). The state-of-the-art speaker verification techniques provide good performance for sufficient data (greater than 1 minutes). It is a challenging task to develop techniques which perform well for speaker verification under limited data condition. In this work different features like Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC), Linear Prediction Cepstral Coefficients (LPCC), Delta (4), Delta-Delta (44), Linear Prediction Residual (LPR) and Linear Prediction Residual Phase (LPRP) are considered. The performance of individual features is studied and for better verification performance, combination of these features is attempted. A comparative study is made between Gaussian mixture model (GMM) and GMM-universal background model (GMM-UBM) through experimental evaluation. The experiments are conducted using NIST-2003 database. The experimental results show that, the combination of features provides better performance compared to the individual features. Further GMM-UBM modeling gives reduced equal error rate (EER) as compared to GMM

Evaluation of locomotor activity of pioglitazone in albino mice

Background: Pioglitazone (PIO), a Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor γ (PPAR-γ) agonist, is an oral anti-diabetic agent belonging to the group of thiazolidinediones-TZDs used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 in monotherapy and in combination with a sulfonylurea, metformin, or insulin.Methods: All animals were allowed to acclimatize with laboratory conditions at least two weeks before starting the experiment and they were maintained under the same condition throughout the experiment. They were given food and water ad libitum. The experiments were performed as per the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision on Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) guidelines. The animals were subjected to experimentation between 0900-1600 hours in noise free atmosphere with ambient temperature 23-300ºC.Results: There was no significant reduction in the within group comparisons of the basal and final scores in locomotor activity.Conclusions: The standard and test groups failed to produce any significant reduction in locomotor activity in the intergroup comparison as well as compared to normal control

The Weekly Adjustment Indicators Checklist: An Application in the Child Welfare Field

Research on the effectiveness of various home-based interventions implemented in the 1980s and 1990s indicates that results have been equivocal. Because of the unique and complex behavioral challenges presented by each family and the need for individualized treatments and long-term interventions for these families, group research and evaluation designs are often insufficient in assessing effectiveness of home-based interventions. Alternative evaluation strategies are needed. The purpose of this exploratory study was two-fold: (a) to investigate the applicability and acceptability of the Weekly Adjustment Indicators Checklist (WAIC) in monitoring adult and child behaviors and (b) to monitor, on an on-going basis, the progress of a family referred to an urban family preservation and reunification program. The target family on whom data were collected consisted of a 13-year old girl and her foster parent who was her maternal aunt. The findings of this study indicate that the WAIC is applicable in monitoring the progress of children and adults in care and that it has the endorsement of its user, namely, the direct care provider. Other results of the study, limitations of the study, and future research needs are discussed

ENSO’s far reaching connection to Indian cold waves

During boreal winters, cold waves over India are primarily due to transport of cold air from higher latitudes. However, the processes associated with these cold waves are not yet clearly understood. Here by diagnosing a suite of datasets, we explore the mechanisms leading to the development and maintenance of these cold waves. Two types of cold waves are identified based on observed minimum surface temperature and statistical analysis. The first type (TYPE1), also the dominant one, depicts colder than normal temperatures covering most parts of the country while the second type (TYPE2) is more regional, with significant cold temperatures only noticeable over northwest India. Quite interestingly the first (second) type is associated with La Niña (El Niño) like conditions, suggesting that both phases of ENSO provide a favorable background for the occurrence of cold waves over India. During TYPE1 cold wave events, a low-level cyclonic anomaly generated over the Indian region as an atmospheric response to the equatorial convective anomalies is seen advecting cold temperatures into India and maintaining the cold waves. In TYPE2 cold waves, a cyclonic anomaly generated over west India anomalously brings cold winds to northwest India causing cold waves only in those parts

Wealth Mobility in America: A View from the National Longitudinal Survey

We depict and analyze wealth mobility in a national sample of nearly 4,000 households interviewed by the National Longitudinal Survey over a ten year period from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s. A transition matrix, the Shorrocks measure, average decile position for various subgroups, and wealth in period two compared with wealth in period one are used to describe patterns of wealth mobility. These results and regression models of change in percentile position, of persistence in the top, of movement into the top, of persistence into the bottom, and of movement into the bottom identify winners and losers. The losers include single people, blacks, and those who experienced marital disruption, while winners were the skilled and more educated. These findings have implications for the interpretation of cross-sectional measures of inequality, the explanation of long-term trends in wealth mobility, and the consequences of recent trends in the wage structure.

Study of the oral hypoglycemic activity of Moringaoleifera leaves alone and in combination with Glibenclamide in streptozotocin induced diabetic albino rats

Background: Oringaoleifera is a widely used plant with high medicinal value, well known for its pharmacological actions and is used in various conditions. It has been reported to have many biological properties like anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antispasmodic, antitumour including antidiabetic activity.Methods: The study was carried out in Wistar albino rats with body weight 150-250gms. Diabetes was induced by injecting Streptozotocin intraperitoneally- dose 55 mg/kg BW. Animals were divided into 5 groups with 6 animals in each group. First group (Control) was given 2% gum acacia. Other 4 groups were induced diabetes by giving Streptozotocin. Diabetic control group received gum acacia (0.5 ml), Standard group received Glibenclamide (0.5mg/kg BW), Test group received Moringaoleifera extract (300mg/kg) and Test+ Standard group receiving combination of Moringaoleifera and glibenclamide at half the above doses. All drugs were given orally for 28 days and blood glucose levels analyzed using Glucometer on Day 0 before drug and on D1, D3, D7, D14, D21, and D28. Data were statistically analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey‘s Post Hoc test.Results: Hypoglycemia produced by Moringaoleifera extract was significant (p<0.001) when compared to diabetic control group from day 7 to day 28. The percent reduction of blood glucose level was 52.9% as compared to Glibenclamide group 61.3%. The combination group also showed significant hypoglycemic activity the percentage reduction being 56.44%.Conclusions: Thus, Moringaoleifera decreased blood glucose level efficaciously as compared to diabetic control group and similar to standard group at p<0.001

Childhood trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, early maladaptive schemas, and schema modes : a comparison of individuals with obesity and normal weight controls

Background: Previous research on the psychological mechanisms of obesity has primarily focused on acute psychopathology. However, there is limited literature on the role of more complex and entrenched psychological processes in weight management. The current study aimed to expand previous research by examining more enduring psychological constructs, including early maladaptive schemas (EMS), schemas modes, and trauma. Methods: Participants (N=125) comprised adults with normal weight (n=40) and obesity (n=85) from community and clinical settings in Australia. Eligible participants completed a series of self-report questionnaires via Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap). Two, separate, one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were conducted to examine group differences on the outcome variables. Results: Findings indicated a significant effect of group on EMS and schema modes, V=.51, F(32, 92)=2.97, p<.001, partial η2=.51. Follow-up univariate tests revealed that individuals with obesity endorsed significantly more maladaptive schemas and schema modes and significantly less healthy schema modes than individuals with normal weight. In addition, results demonstrated a significant effect of group on childhood trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, V=.19, F(6, 118)=4.70, p<.001, partial η2=.19. Subsequent univariate tests and chi-square analyses indicated that individuals with obesity reported significantly more childhood trauma as well as significantly more PTSD symptoms within the last month than normal weight individuals. Conclusion: This was the first study to compare EMS and schema modes in treatment-seeking individuals with obesity and normal weight controls using the short form version 3 of the Young Schema Questionnaire and revised, 118-item, Schema Mode Inventory. Overall, findings revealed that individuals with obesity experience more complex and enduring psychological difficulties than normal weight individuals. Increased assessment and targeted treatment of these underlying mental health concerns may contribute to a more holistic conceptualisation of obesity and could improve the long-term success of weight management

Evaluation of analgesic activity of irbesartan in albino mice

Background: The objective was to evaluate the analgesic activity of irbesartan in albino mice.Methods: Swiss albino mice weighing 25-30 g of either sex were selected for the study. Six animals were allocated to each experimental group. The control group received normal saline (25 ml/kg, p.o.), standard group received pentazocine (10mg/kg, intraperitonial [i.p.]) and test group received irbesartan (20 mg/kg, p.o.). The above drugs were administered 1 hr prior to the experiments. In case of visceral pain model 0.6% acetic acid was given i.p. 30 mins prior to the experiment to induce writhing, in thermal pain model pretreated mice were placed on Eddy’s Hotplate maintained at 55°C and in mechanical stimulus pain model an artery clip was clamped at the base of the tail of pretreated mice. Decrease in total number of writhes in acetic acid induced writhing model and delay in reaction time in both Eddy’s hot plate and Tail clip method denoted analgesic activity respectively.Results: The test drug significantly decreased the total number of writhes in acetic acid induced writhing model in mice. The percentage inhibition of writhing was significant which was 84.35% in the standard group and 59.24% in the test group. The test drug significantly delayed the reaction time in both Eddy’s hot plate and tail clip method when compared to control group and standard group. Percentage increase in latency period when compared to standard drug was significant and measured 73.11% and 64.31% at 60 min in both Eddy’s hot plate and tail clip method, respectively.Conclusion: Irbesartan exhibits analgesic activity in albino mice