A cross-sectional study to determine sex-wise prevalence of obesity in adults of Kashmiri population

Background: Aim of current study was to determine the prevalence of obesity in both sexes in persons aged 18-45 years.Methods: Multistage and multiphasic sampling technique was utilized in this study to screen the obese subjects of  both males and females based on WHO classification of obesity according to BMI of 18-45 years of age. Each household was visited and only the subjects having age of 18-45 years were included in this study and this comprised of 5107 subjects, then identified obese cases with the help of height and weight techniques. Only those people who had simple obesity were included in the study. People having secondary obesity, drug induced obesity and pregnant ladies were excluded from this study. The data was collected and analysed using statistical software and chi square and proportional statistical test were applied.Results: Out of 5107 screened population, 2652 were males and 2455 were females and the prevalence of male obesity in study population is 6.41% and that of females is 7.74%.Conclusion: The sex has a significant impact on obesity. We reported in our study a prevalence of obesity is more in females as compared to males. A lack of physical activity as well as low frequency of employment makes females more susceptible to obesity.

Smoking behaviour among young doctors of a tertiary care hospital in North India

Background:Tobacco use is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. There are more than one billion smokers in the world. Almost half of the world's children breathe air polluted by tobacco. Aim of current study was to study the smoking trends among young doctors in a tertiary care institute in north India.Methods:A descriptive observational cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted among 250 doctors of a tertiary care Hospital in Jammu & Kashmir (Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, SKIMS) during the two months of February-March, 2014. The predesigned tool adopted during data collection was a questionnaire that was developed at the institute with the assistance from the faculty members and other experts.Results:Among 250 participants, (20%) were smokers; among smokers, (76%) were regular smokers and (24%) were occasional smokers. Majority of smokers were in the age group of 21-30 years (80%) & started smoking between 11-20 years (70%). All of them were male (100%). No significant difference was observed among urban and rural students. Among smokers, majority (60%) was in the practice of smoking for last 6 months to 1 year and 26% smoked for <6 months; & (14%) smoked for more than 5 years .It was found more than half of the responding (60%) students used to smoke 5-9 cigarettes per day; 14% is <5 and 26% consumed 10 or more per day .Among smokers, peer pressure was found in 80% cases. (χ2 = 107, P <0.001). Among smokers, almost 20% had other addiction and among non-smokers only 5% had .Effect of parental smoking  was significantly higher in smokers than non-smoker (χ2 = 66.2, P <0.001) .It was seen that peer pressure was the most important risk factor (60%) of initiation of smoking habit followed by parental influence (20%). Majority (78.4%) had no intention to quit in the next 6 months. Lack of Incentive (36.36%) and Addiction (27.27%) were the main reasons for not quitting.Conclusion:We need to create more awareness regarding hazards of smoking in general population especially in medical students, and afterwards provide psychological and pharmacological support for those who intend to quit, as medical students can themselves become a tool to fight this hazard at all levels.

Redefining indications and evaluation of dissection versus diathermy method of tonsillectomy

The current availability of randomized clinical trials have assessed the efficacy of the most common presumed indications for tonsillectomy, but the controversery still exists So, the present study was conducted to assess (1) Whether tonsillectomy leads to any significant benefits as compared to watchful waiting (2) evaluating the two most commonly used techniques for tonsillectomy i.e; cold dissection & diathermy. 170 patients were included,104 were assigned to the surgical group (Group A) & 66 patients acted as control (Group B).The surgical group underwent tonsillectomy.The efficacy of tonsillectomy viz-a-viz chronic tonsillitis related morbidity, school absenteeism, & work absenteeism, Group A beta hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis, otitis media, Rhinosinusitis, obstructive sleep apnea & psoriasis was studied.The results of our study were as; Majority among children (7-15 years)& the mean age of adult population was 23.02 years.Tonsillectomy definitely provided benefit in case of chronic tonsillitis, mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea on polysomnographic findings where as the Patients who had been included in this study to redefine otitis media & rhinosinusitis as an indication for tonsillectomy did not benefit much when compared to the watchful waiting groupThe three most commonly used techniques of tonsillectomy i.e; cold steel using ties & packs, cold steel using monopolar diathermy for hemostasis & using monopolar diathermy exclusively were evaluated.The operating time was least for the diathermy alone method. The intraoperative blood loss was minimal for the monopolar diathermy method. The primary hemorrhage rate was maximum in technique of cold steel with ties & packs as hemostasis.The secondary hemorrhage rate was maximum in monopolar diathermy method. The postoperative pain measured by using the verbal rating scale was considerable after using monopolar diathermy alone with 33% complaining of severe pain & 67% complaining of moderate pain

The Relationships between Leader Creativity Expectations, Intrinsic Motivation, and Creative Performance

Objective: The objectives of this conceptual paper are two folds: to propose and argue a) the direct relationship between leader creativity expectations and creative performance; and b) the mediating role of intrinsic motivation between leader creativity expectations and creative performance.&nbsp; Design: Drawing upon Pygmalion effect, Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation, and componential theory of creativity, two propositions are suggested.&nbsp; Findings: It is proposed that there will be a positive relationship between leader creativity expectations and creative performance. In addition, the authors also make the case that intrinsic motivation will mediate the relationship between leader creativity expectations and creative performance.&nbsp; Originality: The significant original contribution of this article is that it suggests a theoretical relationship of Pygmalion effect with Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation and componential theory of creativity to propose a new conceptual framework. In addition, this paper extends our knowledge regarding the pertinent role of leader creativity expectations in stimulating the divergent thinking process of people in the workplace.&nbsp; Policy&nbsp;Implications: This article attempts to provide a clear guideline to both practitioners and academicians to better explore the relationship between expectations and employee creativity. The proposed framework may be applied in various social contexts such as healthcare, education, creative advertising, research and development, hospitality and new business incubation

Design of evaporation rig for sessile drops

Much research has been conducted in the field of droplet evaporation, of which the possible applications include ring stain formation and thin film coating. However, many uncertainties with regards to conditions at the liquid-vapor interface during a phase change process still exist. This report presents an initial experimental study that serves to investigate the temperature gradient at this liquid-vapor interface when the evaporating droplet is placed on a heated surface. To perform the study an evaporation rig was designed using SolidWorks 2009 and subsequently manufactured. The rig was to meet several criteria among which was to provide continuous flow of fluid from a reservoir to a heated surface and allow fluid to form sessile drops without leakage into rig itself. Also, the rig was to be vacuumed to remove any buoyancy-driven convection. To measure the temperature and pressure of the rig‟s surroundings, a thermocouple and pressure transducer were calibrated and included in the final set-up. Both calibration processes are elaborated. Several other apparatus, such as a vacuum pump and syringe driver, were also loaned. A description of the role played by each apparatus is included. Finally, the setup was tested with the use of de-ionized water. The steps undertaken in the test are listed clearly, allowing for future repetitions. Also, several troubleshooting techniques with regards to the setup are shared with the reader. Finally, the results of the test conducted were recorded and discussed. Primarily it was found that the temperatures recorded for the liquid droplet were significantly higher than that of the vapor in several experiments, with an approximately 0.5⁰C difference in the case of no heating and 0.25⁰C in the case of heating.Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering

Impacts of selenium and vitamin E supplementation on mRNA of heat shock proteins, selenoproteins and antioxidants in broilers exposed to high temperature

Abstract The study was carried out to investigate the effect of dietary selenium (Se) and vitamin E (VE) supplementation on mRNA level of heat shock proteins, selenoproteins, and antioxidant enzyme activities in the breast meat of broilers under summer heat stress conditions. A total of 200 male broilers (Ross 308) of 1 day age were randomly separated into 4 groups in a complete randomized design and were given a basal diet (Control, 0.08 mg Se/kg diet) or basal diet supplemented with VE (250 mg/kg VE), sodium selenite (0.2 mg/kg Se), or Se + VE (0.2 mg/kg Se + 250 mg/kg VE) to investigate the expression of key antioxidant and heat shock protein (HSP) genes under high temperature stress. Dietary Se, VE and Se + VE significantly enhanced the activities and mRNA levels of catalase as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD) but decreased the mRNA levels of HSP70 and HSP90. Se alone or combined with VE increased the concentration of selenoprotein P and selenoproteins mRNA level and decreased the expression of HSP60. In addition, Se and Se + VE significantly enhanced the glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and the expression of GPx1 and GPx4 in breast muscle tissues. It is noteworthy that all the treatments significantly decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the breast meat. Overall results showed that Se in combination with VE has maximal effects to mitigate heat stress. Based on given results it can be recommended that Se + VE are a suitable dietary supplement for broilers to ameliorate the negative effects of summer heat stress conditions