Non-communicable Diseases and Depression: Evidence from South Africa

Although there are numerous studies of depression and its linkages with non-communicable diseases (NCDs), most rely on a single cross-section or a single wave of the National Income Dynamics Study (SA-NIDS) for South Africa, which does not allow for incorporation of individual unobservable effects. Such effects are potentially significant as it is frequently observed that there is considerable variation in depressive symptoms even when an old person suffers from common NCDs. We use correlated random effects probit model on the first 5 waves of SA-NIDS panel data collected every two years between 2008-2016/17 to examine the reverse association from Depression to selected NCDs, controlling for socio-economic and demographic characteristics. The analysis yields useful insights into the complex relationships between NCDs and depression. Policy options that focus on biological and behavioural links in the co-occurrence of NCDs and depression are examined. Of particular importance is integration of depression and NCD care in primary health care with a view to increasing prevention, screening, self-management, treatment and rehabilitation in order to achieve equitable, efficient and quality health services in South Africa

Aging, Depression, Non-Communicable Diseases and Disabilities in South Africa

This is the first study that offers a comprehensive analysis of depression among the old (60+ years) in South Africa. This study uses four waves of a panel survey of the South Africa National Income Dynamics Study (SA-NIDS) during 2008-2014. A state-of-art econometric methodology has been used to unravel the factors underlying depression among the old over the period 2008-2014. Depending on whether the dependent variable is binary (self-reported depression for ≥ 3 days in a week) or continuous (as in measures of overall depression and severe depression), we use random effects probit with Mundlak adjustment or simply random effects with Mundlak adjustment. Among the old, those more likely to be depressed are: those in their sixties, Africans and Coloureds, women, those suffering from multimorbidity, those with multiple limitations in ADLs, those in lower asset quartiles and individuals who suffered family bereavements. Factors that attenuate depression include marriage, pension, affluence, trust in a community and familiar neighbourhoods. An important feature of our study is the robustness of the key results. To reduce their depression, more public and private health care investment in the health and well-being of aged in South Africa is recommended

Transport, correlations, and chaos in a classical disordered anharmonic chain

We explore transport properties in a disordered nonlinear chain of classical harmonic oscillators and thereby identify a regime exhibiting behavior analogous to that seen in quantum many-body-localized systems. Through extensive numerical simulations of this system connected at its ends to heat baths at different temperatures, we computed the heat current and the temperature profile in the nonequilibrium steady state as a function of system size $N$, disorder strength $\Delta$, and temperature $T$. The conductivity $\kappa_N$, obtained for finite length ($N$) systems, saturates to a value $\kappa_\infty >0$ in the large $N$ limit, for all values of disorder strength $\Delta$ and temperature $T>0$. We show evidence that for any $\Delta>0$ the conductivity goes to zero faster than any power of $T$ in the $(T/\Delta) \to 0$ limit, and find that the form $\kappa_\infty \sim e^{-B |\ln(C \Delta/T)|^3}$ fits our data. This form has earlier been suggested by a theory based on the dynamics of multi-oscillator chaotic islands. The finite-size effect can be $\kappa_N < \kappa_{\infty}$ due to boundary resistance when the bulk conductivity is high (the weak disorder case), or $\kappa_N > \kappa_{\infty}$ due to direct bath-to-bath coupling through bulk localized modes when the bulk is weakly conducting (the strong disorder case). We also present results on equilibrium dynamical correlation functions and on the role of chaos on transport properties. Finally, we explore the differences in the growth and propagation of chaos in the weak and strong chaos regimes by studying the classical version of the Out-of-Time-Ordered-Commutator.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev.

Development of Single-Phase Microbial Cementation Method and to Investigate its Efficacy on Bearing Capacity, UCS, and Permeability of Sandy Soils

Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is a method based on collaborative knowledge of microbiology, chemistry and geotechnical engineering. The objective of this study was to investigate the increase of the bearing capacity and the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) as well as the reduction of the permeability of sandy soil using MICP. Experiments were carried out using Bacillus Pasteurii, on three different types of sand. The admixture of bacterial culture and cementation (BCC) solution all-in-one with sand by single-phase injection was applied to induce cementation. Three samples of the selected sand were treated with varied concentrations of BCC solution, ranging from 0.05 to 0.2 L/kg, with a curing period of 3, 7 and 14 days. The test results indicated an enhancement of 55% in UCS for sand treated with a BCC content of 0.05 to 0.2 L/Kg and a reduction of 40% in permeability for untreated sand with an effective diameter of 0.5 mm treated with 0.2 L/kg of BCC solution after 14 days of curing. The results of a plate load test (PLT) on MICP treated sand showed an increase in the ultimate bearing capacity (qu) by about 2.95 to 5.8 times and a 1.7 to 3.31-fold reduction in settlement corresponding to the same load applied on untreated footing. Further investigation of the size and shape of the bearing plate on bearing capacity and settlement was carried out through a plate load test. The higher and more favorable results shown by a rectangular plate compared to a circular plate indicate that the first is preferable

Buying Practices and Consumer Rights Awareness Amongst Management Students

It is often said that the consumer is king, but in reality consumer is treated very badly both by public as well as private sector. The consumer is cheated in different ways by middlemen like adulteration, under-weight of goods, selling goods of inferior quality & duplicated goods, charging higher prices, misleading advertisement in the media, etc. The consumer is not sure of getting qualitative goods manufactured & preserved in hygienic condition and at competitive prices. The need for consumer protection arises because of the exploitation of consumer & the denial of consumer' rights in the absence of protective measures. This research focuses on the awareness of consumer rights amongst management students & study of buying patterns of them. Primary data was compiled from students of management institutions from Ahmednagar city. Survey method and the random sampling technique are employed to collect the data. The Major findings of the research are that most of the management students are aware of consumer rights but they never lodge the complaints against traffickers. Therefore they need to be educated by consumer organizations & government more about the procedure of registering complaints and seeking redressal

Buying Practices and Consumer Rights Awareness Amongst Management Students

It is often said that the consumer is king, but in reality consumer is treated very badly both by public as well as private sector. The consumer is cheated in different ways by middlemen like adulteration, under-weight of goods, selling goods of inferior quality & duplicated goods, charging higher prices, misleading advertisement in the media, etc. The consumer is not sure of getting qualitative goods manufactured & preserved in hygienic condition and at competitive prices. The need for consumer protection arises because of the exploitation of consumer & the denial of consumer' rights in the absence of protective measures. This research focuses on the awareness of consumer rights amongst management students & study of buying patterns of them. Primary data was compiled from students of management institutions from Ahmednagar city. Survey method and the random sampling technique are employed to collect the data. The Major findings of the research are that most of the management students are aware of consumer rights but they never lodge the complaints against traffickers. Therefore they need to be educated by consumer organizations & government more about the procedure of registering complaints and seeking redressal

Imaging Ca²+ dynamics in cone photoreceptor axon terminals of the mouse retina

Retinal cone photoreceptors (cones) serve daylight vision and are the basis of color discrimination. They are subject to degeneration, often leading to blindness in many retinal diseases. Calcium (Ca2+), a key second messenger in photoreceptor signaling and metabolism, has been proposed to be indirectly linked with photoreceptor degeneration in various animal models. Systematically studying these aspects of cone physiology and pathophysiology has been hampered by the difficulties of electrically recording from these small cells, in particular in the mouse where the retina is dominated by rod photoreceptors. To circumvent this issue, we established a two-photon Ca2+ imaging protocol using a transgenic mouse line that expresses the genetically encoded Ca²+ biosensor TN-XL exclusively in cones and can be crossbred with mouse models for photoreceptor degeneration. The protocol described here involves preparing vertical sections (“slices”) of retinas from mice and optical imaging of light stimulus-evoked changes in cone Ca²+ level. The protocol also allows “in-slice measurement” of absolute Ca²+ concentrations; as the recordings can be followed by calibration. This protocol enables studies into functional cone properties and is expected to contribute to the understanding of cone Ca²+ signaling as well as the potential involvement of Ca²+ in photoreceptor death and retinal degeneration

Variations in Blood Pressures Amongst Day School Children and Boarding School Children in Western Maharashtra

Introduction: School children majorly face stress due to the pressure and expectations from their parents besides academics, athletics, etc. It is known that depression, stress increases blood pressure. Such wide variations in blood pressure at such a young age can increase the incidence of cerebrovascular accidents, ischemic heart diseases, renal failure and preterm death in the adulthood of such children. This survey will guide the parents and teachers to the various problems student face and how can they help the student cope with it. Method: The blood pressure of each student was taken three times to reduce them to minimise the possibility of errors and the blood pressures of all the students were compared according to their age (13-16 years) and the schooling type (boarders and day scholars). Results:&nbsp; On comparing the prehypertensive stage, the numbers of pre-hypertensives are found to be greater in the age group of 15 years in both day scholars and boarders i.e. 14% and 8% respectively. The on comparing the schooling type the day scholars have a greater number of prehypertensive i.e. 25% than boarders which is 17%. Though pre-hypertensives are higher in the age group of 15 years, but the numbers of hypertensives are more in 14 years of age which is 7% (6% in hypertension stage I and 1% in hypertension stage II) in day scholars and 4% (3% in hypertension stage I and 1% in hypertension stage II) in boarders. In schooling type, a similar trend as that of prehypertension is seen i.e. in day scholars 14% students are in hypertension stage I and 3% students are in hypertension stage II making a total of 17% of hypertensive in day scholars. Similarly, in boarders there are 6% in hypertension stage I and 1% in hypertension stage II making 7% hypertensive in boarders, thereby showing a higher percentage of hypertensive in day scholars. Conclusion: The study revealed Percentage of students in hypertension stage I and hypertension stage II were found more in day scholars (14% HT STAGE I and 3% HT STAGE II) than boarders (6%HT STAGE I and 1% HT STAGE II) respectively. Thus, it can be very well concluded that 17% of day school children and 7% boarders were found to be in hypertensive. Keywords: Variations in blood pressures, Day school; Boarding school Children; Western Maharashtra. &nbsp

Variations in Blood Pressures Amongst Day School Children and Boarding School Children in Western Maharashtra

Introduction: School children majorly face stress due to the pressure and expectations from their parents besides academics, athletics, etc. It is known that depression, stress increases blood pressure. Such wide variations in blood pressure at such a young age can increase the incidence of cerebrovascular accidents, ischemic heart diseases, renal failure and preterm death in the adulthood of such children. This survey will guide the parents and teachers to the various problems student face and how can they help the student cope with it. Method: The blood pressure of each student was taken three times to reduce them to minimise the possibility of errors and the blood pressures of all the students were compared according to their age (13-16 years) and the schooling type (boarders and day scholars). Results:&nbsp; On comparing the prehypertensive stage, the numbers of pre-hypertensives are found to be greater in the age group of 15 years in both day scholars and boarders i.e. 14% and 8% respectively. The on comparing the schooling type the day scholars have a greater number of prehypertensive i.e. 25% than boarders which is 17%. Though pre-hypertensives are higher in the age group of 15 years, but the numbers of hypertensives are more in 14 years of age which is 7% (6% in hypertension stage I and 1% in hypertension stage II) in day scholars and 4% (3% in hypertension stage I and 1% in hypertension stage II) in boarders. In schooling type, a similar trend as that of prehypertension is seen i.e. in day scholars 14% students are in hypertension stage I and 3% students are in hypertension stage II making a total of 17% of hypertensive in day scholars. Similarly, in boarders there are 6% in hypertension stage I and 1% in hypertension stage II making 7% hypertensive in boarders, thereby showing a higher percentage of hypertensive in day scholars. Conclusion: The study revealed Percentage of students in hypertension stage I and hypertension stage II were found more in day scholars (14% HT STAGE I and 3% HT STAGE II) than boarders (6%HT STAGE I and 1% HT STAGE II) respectively. Thus, it can be very well concluded that 17% of day school children and 7% boarders were found to be in hypertensive. Keywords: Variations in blood pressures, Day school; Boarding school Children; Western Maharashtra. &nbsp

Anaesthetic and Haemodynamic Effects of Dexmedetomidine vs Midazolam used as Premedication in Minor Obstetrics and Gynaecological Procedures- A Prospective Interventional Study

Introduction: Preoperative anxiety for any surgery is a frequent condition. It may lead to high catecholamine levels which increases blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen consumption. Various agents have been used for anxiolysis and sedation as premedicants. Aim: To compare the anaesthetic and haemodynamic effects of injection Dexmedetomidine and injection Midazolam used as premedication in minor Obstetrics and Gynaecological procedures. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective interventional study conducted from July 2016 to September 2017, on total number of 60 patients of American Society of Anaesthesiologist Physical Status (ASA PS I and II) enrolled for the study. They were randomised in two groups: Group A (n=30) for Injection (Inj.) Midazolam 0.04 mg/kg and Group B (n=30) for injection Dexmedetomidine 1mcg /kg injected over a period of 10 minutes prior to General Anaesthesia. After appropriate monitoring like, Heart Rate (HR), Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP), Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP), Mean arterial Pressure (MAP), Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), Respiratory Rate (RR) were noted during the procedure at interval of 5 minutes till 30 minutes and, Ramsay Sedation Score (RSS) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) in postoperative period for 1 hour at interval of 15 minutes. The significance between all variables and amongst the two groups was calculated by Chi-square test, Repeated measure Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test and Independent sample t-test. Results: It was observed that mean HR, SBP (p<0.05), DBP (p<0.05) and MAP (p<0.05 ) decreased significantly in group B. The RR (p<0.05) was significantly decreased in group B. There was no significant difference in SpO2 (p=0.4) value in both the groups. VAS (p<0.05) of group B patients was significantly reduced in the postoperative period but there was no significant difference in RSS score (p=0.1) at 45 and 60 minutes in both the groups. Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine is more effective as a sedative agent than injection Midazolam when used in minor gynaecological procedures. Though Dexmedetomidine caused significant reduction in SBP, DBP and HR, it maintained haemodynamic stability well without causing any adverse effects