STUDY ON PREVALENCE OF RESPIRATORY DISEASE IN URBAN POPULATION OF BHOPAL CITY

Chronic respiratory disease occurrence in urban population is creating burden on economic growth and challenges to public health management. This descriptive, prevalence study was designed to gather data on risk factor related association of respiratory diseases occurrence with information on sign, symptoms and treatment modalities. Questionnaire based personal interview was conducted on selected patients with well documented respiratory problem on demographic, biosocial, educational, occupational and economic background. Body weight, height, blood pressure, details of treatment modalities, sign and symptoms were recorded from hospital data. The prevalence rates were presented as percentage and 95% confidence interval estimated and analyzed by person’s chi-square test. Age, number of children more than three (p<0.0001), family members more than three (p<0.01), overcrowding (p<0.0001), low socioeconomic class (p<0.0001), unhygienic surrounding (p<0.001), education below secondary level (p<0.01), low to normal BMI (p<0.002) and chronic smoking habit (p<0.001) showed significant risk factor related association with occurrence of respiratory disease. Most frequently found sign and symptom are apnea, tiredness, nausea, coughing and nose tickling. Marital status, source of drinking water, cooking fuel, occupation, employment status, income, respiratory rate, sleep pattern and regular use of other medication does not show any co-relation with respiratory disease occurrence. The significant risk factor for respiratory disease occurrence is aging, unhygienic environment, low level education, overcrowding and smoking

CYBERCHONDRIA: ROLE OF POTENTIAL RISK FACTORS

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and cyberchondria and to find out the mediating role of anxiety sensitivity in this relationship. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2021 to January 2022 at Bahauddin Zakariyya University, Multan, Pakistan. Participants ranging in age from 18 to 55 years were selected through purposive sampling techniques from different cities of Southern Punjab. Participants who actively use social mediums for online information-seeking of disease-related symptoms were included in the study and participants who confirmed having a physical or psychological health condition were excluded. Cyberchondria, anxiety sensitivity index-3, and intolerance of uncertainty scale were used for measurement. The data were analyzed using structural equation modelling. RESULTS: Out of 413 participants, 148 (42%) were males and 265 (64.2%) were females. Majority (n=188/413; 45.6%) spent >5 hours on net. Main symptoms searched on internet were psychological            (n=61;  14.8%), Physiological (n=175; 42.4%) and both (n=177; 42.8%). Correlation metrics showed that intolerance of uncertainty has a moderate positive correlation with anxiety sensitivity (r=0.59) and cyberchondria (r =-0.41). Similarly, anxiety sensitivity is also positively correlated with cyberchondria (r=0.38). Results further revealed that intolerance of uncertainty has a significant impact on cyberchondria (β=0.48, R2=0.30). Anxiety sensitivity significantly mediates the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and cyberchondria among the general population (β=0.64, R2=0.41) (β=0.25, R2=0.26). CONCLUSION: A significant positive relation exists between intolerance of uncertainty, cyberchondria, and anxiety sensitivity. Intolerance of uncertainty significantly impacts cyberchondria. Anxiety sensitivity significantly mediates the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and cyberchondria

Courses beyond borders: A case study of MOOC platform Coursera

Purpose: The study assesses the participation of different institutions in online learning environment of Coursera. Collaborative efforts, involvement of instructors and the mode of course instruction were also looked at. Design/Methodology: Data were harvested from the official website of Coursera. Through its various features, information pertaining to courses being offered, subject categorization, institutions and instructors involved was collected, tabulated and analyzed. Findings: As of February 2016, 138 institutions from 28 countries offered 1765 coursers through Coursera with the aid of 1903 instructors. Institutions were mainly from high economic zone countries. Nearly 59 percent courses were from USA based institutions and at institutional level University of Pennsylvania (USA) offered a maximum of 84 courses. Collaboration at institutional level was observed in 32 courses with instructors from different institutions, within & outside the same country. 25 percent courses were related to Business and 33 percent courses provided flexibility (on-demand) to people to learn and enrich their skills at their own pace. Implications: Further research needs to be done to evaluate the efficacy of such platforms and explore best practices to reframe the position of traditional universities. Originality/Value: The study is first of its kind to assess online learning environment with respect to participation of institutions to offer various courses and involvement of instructors from all over the globe to make such a courseware a success

Biochemical Markers of Liver Toxicity among Coal Mine Workers of Punjab, Pakistan Suffering from HCV

Hepatitis C is among the leading hepatic disorders in current period through which about 3 % world population has been anguish among them 170 million were diagnosed as persistent carriers. A great range of alteration in liver biochemical parameters were found to be allied with HCV infestation. Current study was designed to evaluate the extent of HCV mediated abnormalities in liver biochemical markers which includes ALT (alanine aminotransferase), AST (Aspartate transaminase), ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase) and serum bilirubin. The study was conducted on coal miners of Punjab province, Pakistan. HCV was primarily diagnosed through one step rapid test device after which positive samples were confirmed through ELISA. Biochemical markers were determined through Autoanalyzer by using standard procedure provided with spinreact kits. Simple linear regression analysis significantly explained 24 %, 56.2 %, 68.8 % and 56 % variance in ALT (alanine aminotransferase), AST (Aspartate transaminase), ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase) and serum bilirubin level among HCV positive coal mine workers respectively. Results have clearly indicated significant correlation between HCV seropositivity and liver biochemical markers. Findings of present study conclude monitoring of liver biochemical markers is crucial during HCV infectivity as it represents the degree of impairment in liver functioning. In addition to this elevation in these diagnostic markers could points toward the presence of HCV in respective individual

Influence of personality traits on open access mode of publishing

Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the influence of personality traits on perception and acceptance of open access (OA) mode of publishing by the author community of University of Kashmir, India. The study is an attempt to highlight the relationship between personality traits of authors and OA mode of publishing. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on the responses of 48 faculty members affiliated with different Departments of Science Discipline of University of Kashmir. Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to experience) were tapped through ten-item personality inventory, and information regarding OA was gauged through six self-devised statements. Findings – Pearson correlation test confirms statistically significant relation between personality traits and different dimensions of OA mode of publishing. Personality traits are found to have an influence on author’s perception of OA mode of publishing. However, the study could not ascertain any relation between the notions of an author about the quality of OA content with any of the personality traits. Emotionally stable authors are found to explicitly submit their work in OA journals without any anxiety or negativity. Agreeable and conscientious authors also prefer to keep their work open to make it helpful to the broader audience and get maximum recognition from peers and citations to their work respectively. However, some authors (agreeable) hesitate in submitting their work in open platforms due to the fear of getting their works easily copie

Exploring the effect of Jasmonic Acid for Aphids control for improving the yield of Triticum aestivum varieties

Many biotic and abiotic factors influence the production of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Among biological agents, aphids are destructive pests effecting wheat yield drastically. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of foliar Jasmonic acid spray on aphid population as well as on plant growth during aphid infestation in two wheat varieties i.e., Borlaug-2015 and Zincol-2015. Plants are cultivated in pots and treated with jasmonic acid at concentrations of 0.1 and 1 mM (JA). The results revealed that length of shoot and roots decreased after aphid stress and was improved (21–24%) by JA spray. Photosynthetic pigments increased after applying the jasmonic acid spray compared to control plants. Jasmonic acid spray helped the plants to recover from aphid stress by enhanced production of antioxidant enzymes CAT (Catalase) (65–71%), SOD (Superoxide dismutase) (71–74%) and POD (Peroxidase) (61–65%). Consequent to improved defence system, plants treated with JA had fewer aphids as compared to control (60–73% reduction), 24 h after spray. The higher concentration of JA (1 mM) proved more effective as compared to 0.1 mM jasmonic acid. Moreover, Zincol-2015 appeared tolerant as compared to Borlaug-2015 against aphid infestation. The application of jasmonic acid as an exogenous foliar application showed an overall positive impact on the physiological and biochemical attributes of both varieties. It helps the plants to enhance resistance against the biotic stress and can be adopted as future alternative for aphid management. However, detailed studies regarding understanding of underlying molecular mechanisms are needed to optimize the mode for field application

Patterns of prescription of antipsychotics in Qatar.

ObjectiveEven though all guidelines recommend generally against antipsychotic polypharmacy, antipsychotic polypharmacy appears to be a very common practice across the globe. This study aimed to examine the prescription patterns of antipsychotics in Qatar, in comparison with the international guidelines, and to scrutinize the sociodemographic and clinical features associated with antipsychotic polypharmacy.MethodsAll the medical records of all the inpatients and outpatients treated by antipsychotics at the Department of Psychiatry-Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in Doha, Qatar (between October 2012 and April 2014) were retrospectively analyzed. We retrieved the available sociodemographic data, psychiatric features, and details on the medication history.ResultsOur sample consisted of 537 individuals on antipsychotics (2/3 were male; mean age 33.8±10.2 years), prescribed for a psychotic disorder in 57%, a mood disorder in 9.3%, and various other diagnoses in 33.7%. About 55.9% received one antipsychotic, 29.6% received two antipsychotics, and 14.5% received more than two antipsychotics. Polypharmacy was associated with younger age (p = 0.025), being single (pConclusionsAntipsychotic polypharmacy appears to be quite common in Qatar, as it is the case in many other countries, in contrast with most international recommendations. Studies are needed to explore the reasons behind this disparity

Risk Factors of Metabolic Syndrome Among Patients Receiving Antipsychotics: A Retrospective Study

This study aimed to assess the differential effects of first-generation (FGA) and second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) on the prevalence of risk factors for metabolic syndrome among mentally ill patients in Qatar. We also wanted to check if there is proper adherence with the guidelines for prescribing antipsychotics and the monitoring of metabolic effects in this population. We collected the available retrospective data (socio-demographic, psychiatric, anthropometric, and metabolic measures) from the records of 439 patients maintained on antipsychotics. The majority were males, married, employed, having a psychotic disorder, and receiving SGA. Patients on SGA showed more obesity, higher BP, and more elevated triglycerides compared to those on FGA. The prevalence of the abnormal metabolic measures was high in this sample, but those on SGA showed a significantly higher prevalence of abnormal body mass index and BP. Obesity and hypertension were common in patients maintained on antipsychotics, especially those on SGA. Polypharmacy was common, and many metabolic measures were not monitored properly in those maintained on antipsychotics. More prospective studies with guided monitoring of the patients' clinical status and metabolic changes are needed to serve better this population of patients.Other Information Published in: Community Mental Health Journal License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0See article on publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00537-y</p