27 research outputs found
Tobacco use among school children in Chennai city, India
AIMS: The present study was done to build a database on prevalence of
tobacco use among students of grade 8 to 10 in Chennai city, for the
purpose of advocacy of tobacco control and planning tobacco control
interventions and evaluation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A two-stage
stratified probability sample of students in grades 8-10 corresponding
to 13 to 15 years of age were selected from private/government aided
private schools and purely government aided corporation schools. Data
was collected by a pretested, closed-ended self-administered
questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 1255 students participated in this
survey. Among them 64.4 boys and 35.6% were girls. Ever tobacco use was
reported by 37.6% of the students (41.6 males and 30.2% females).
Current users of tobacco (any products) were reported by 41.1% of the
students. Prevalence was more among boy students (46.3%) when compared
to that of girl students (31.6%). There existed no significant
difference between current users of tobacco based on the zones of the
school. Tobacco users prevalence was found more in corporation schools
when compared to that of private schools. Parental and friends tobacco
use was reported more often by tobacco users compared to never users.
Purchasing tobacco products in a store was reported by 82.5% and almost
no one was refused because of age. Almost everyone reported watching a
lot of cigarette advertisements on TV, whereas about half reported
watching advertisements on other medias like outdoor hoardings (45.7%),
newspapers (65.3%) and social events (67.4%). CONCLUSION: This study
demonstrates that among the 13 to 15-year old school going children
(corresponding to grades 8 to 10) in Chennai city, the current tobacco
use is high
Cigarette smoking among school-going adolescents in Lithuania: Results from the 2005 Global Youth Tobacco Survey
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The majority of people who suffer morbidity due to smoking may have initiated smoking during adolescent period. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and associated factors for cigarette smoking among school-going adolescents in Lithuania.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Data from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2005 were used to conduct this study. Data were analyzed using SUDAAN software 9.03. Comparisons for categorical variables were done using the Pearson's Chi-square test. The cut of point for statistical significance was set at 5% level. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine factors associated with the outcome. Unadjusted odds ratios (OR) and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) together with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) are reported.</p> <p>Of the 1822 respondents, 35.8% males and 27.1% females reported being current cigarette smokers (p < 0.001). Having friends who smoke cigarettes was associated with smoking after controlling for age, gender, parental smoking status, and perception of risks of smoking (AOR = 3.76; 95% CI [2.33, 6.90] for some friends using tobacco; and AOR = 17.18; 95% CI [10.46, 28.21] for most or all friends using tobacco). Male gender and having one or both parents who smoke cigarettes were associated with smoking (AOR = 1.31; 95% CI [1.03, 1.66]) and AOR = 1.76; 95% CI [1.37, 2.27]) respectively).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>There is a high prevalence of cigarette smoking among Lithuanian adolescents. Male adolescents and adolescents who have friends or parents who smoke should be the main target for tobacco control in Lithuania.</p
Using graph theory to analyze biological networks
Understanding complex systems often requires a bottom-up analysis towards a systems biology approach. The need to investigate a system, not only as individual components but as a whole, emerges. This can be done by examining the elementary constituents individually and then how these are connected. The myriad components of a system and their interactions are best characterized as networks and they are mainly represented as graphs where thousands of nodes are connected with thousands of vertices. In this article we demonstrate approaches, models and methods from the graph theory universe and we discuss ways in which they can be used to reveal hidden properties and features of a network. This network profiling combined with knowledge extraction will help us to better understand the biological significance of the system
Comprehensive molecular characterization of the hippo signaling pathway in cancer
Hippo signaling has been recognized as a key tumor suppressor pathway. Here, we perform a comprehensive molecular characterization of 19 Hippo core genes in 9,125 tumor samples across 33 cancer types using multidimensional “omic” data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. We identify somatic drivers among Hippo genes and the related microRNA (miRNA) regulators, and using functional genomic approaches, we experimentally characterize YAP and TAZ mutation effects and miR-590 and miR-200a regulation for TAZ. Hippo pathway activity is best characterized by a YAP/TAZ transcriptional target signature of 22 genes, which shows robust prognostic power across cancer types. Our elastic-net integrated modeling further reveals cancer-type-specific pathway regulators and associated cancer drivers. Our results highlight the importance of Hippo signaling in squamous cell cancers, characterized by frequent amplification of YAP/TAZ, high expression heterogeneity, and significant prognostic patterns. This study represents a systems-biology approach to characterizing key cancer signaling pathways in the post-genomic era
The effect of three mouthwashes on radiation-induced oral mucositis in patients with head and neck malignancies: A randomized control trial
Aims: The present study was done to assess the effect of three
alcohol-free mouthwashes on radiation-induced oral mucositis in
patients with head and neck malignancies. Materials and Methods: Eighty
patients with head and neck malignancies, scheduled to undergo curative
radiotherapy, were randomly assigned to receive one of the three
alcohol-free test mouthwashes (0.12% chlorhexidine, 1% povidone-iodine,
or salt/soda) or a control. The patients were instructed to rinse with
10 ml of the mouthwash, twice a day, for a period of 6 weeks. Mucositis
was assessed at baseline and at weekly intervals during radiation
therapy, using the World Health Organization criteria for grading of
mucositis. The baseline demography of the four groups was matched for
age, sex, stage of cancer, and whether the patient had cancer of oral
or extraoral regions. A post hoc test for repeated measures was used to
find the difference of mean mucositis scores between the groups at
various week intervals. Results: Among the 76 patients who completed
the study, patients in the povidone-iodine group had significantly
lower mucositis scores when compared to the control group from the
first week of radiotherapy. Their scores were also significantly lower
when compared to the salt/soda and chlorhexidine groups from the fourth
and fifth week, respectively, after radiotherapy. Conclusions: This
study demonstrates that use of alcohol-free povidone-iodine mouthwash
can reduce the severity and delay the onset of oral mucositis due to
antineoplastic radiotherapy
The effect of three mouthwashes on radiation-induced oral mucositis in patients with head and neck malignancies: A randomized control trial
Aims: The present study was done to assess the effect of three
alcohol-free mouthwashes on radiation-induced oral mucositis in
patients with head and neck malignancies. Materials and Methods: Eighty
patients with head and neck malignancies, scheduled to undergo curative
radiotherapy, were randomly assigned to receive one of the three
alcohol-free test mouthwashes (0.12% chlorhexidine, 1% povidone-iodine,
or salt/soda) or a control. The patients were instructed to rinse with
10 ml of the mouthwash, twice a day, for a period of 6 weeks. Mucositis
was assessed at baseline and at weekly intervals during radiation
therapy, using the World Health Organization criteria for grading of
mucositis. The baseline demography of the four groups was matched for
age, sex, stage of cancer, and whether the patient had cancer of oral
or extraoral regions. A post hoc test for repeated measures was used to
find the difference of mean mucositis scores between the groups at
various week intervals. Results: Among the 76 patients who completed
the study, patients in the povidone-iodine group had significantly
lower mucositis scores when compared to the control group from the
first week of radiotherapy. Their scores were also significantly lower
when compared to the salt/soda and chlorhexidine groups from the fourth
and fifth week, respectively, after radiotherapy. Conclusions: This
study demonstrates that use of alcohol-free povidone-iodine mouthwash
can reduce the severity and delay the onset of oral mucositis due to
antineoplastic radiotherapy