Role of yoga in improving pulmonary efficiency in post-menopausal women

Background: Menopause is a natural transition in a women’s life. Menopausal transition has been linked to impairment of respiratory function. Female hormones play an important role in overall lung health. Yoga is an ancient Indian science as well as the way of life, which includes practice of yogasana in specific posture and pranayama which includes the regulated breathing techniques. The aim of the study was to evaluate the cumulative effect of practicing yoga and pranayamas on certain respiratory parameters and physical characteristics in post-menopausal women. Methods: A total of forty post-menopausal women (46-60 years) were divided into two groups. Group I was control group (women not doing yoga) and group II was regularly doing yoga for one year. Based on the duration of yoga- pranayama and meditation, the respiratory parameters such as VC, FVC, FEV1, PEFR, and FEF50 was measured with the help of vitalograph (pneumotrac; 11). Data collected were compiled, categorized and statistically analyzed, t-test was used for comparing the effect of yoga between the two groups and p≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: One-year yoga showed a significant decrement in Body weight (p<0.001) and Body Mass Index (p<0.01). Group II showed significant improvement (p<0.001) in all the respiratory parameters such as VC, FVC, FEV1, PEFR, and FEF50 when compared to respective control group. Respiratory rate was decreased significantly (p<0.0001) and Breath hold time was increased significantly (p<0.0001) when compared to control group.   Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that the one-year of yogic practice is suitable for improving pulmonary efficiency and physical characteristics in post-menopausal women

Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes: Two Sides of the Same Coin!

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are rapidly rising around the globe. Empirical researches demonstrated rapid increase in mortality and morbidity related to CVD and T2DM. Much of the diabetes-associated morbidity and mortality predominantly reflects its deleterious effect on macrovascular and microvascular diseases. The microvascular complications of T2DM include retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy and the macrovascular complications include ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral vascular diseases. Research indicates that coronary heart disease (CHD) is the major cause of mortality in people with T2DM. Herein, this chapter reviews relationship between CVD and T2DM, associated complications and effectiveness of relevant treatment modalities to treat/prevent diabetic macrovasculopthy. Macrovascular disease occur due to underlying obstructive atherosclerotic changes of major arteries which cause functional and structural abnormalities of blood vessels. The long-term complications can be controlled and prevented by controlling glycemia, maintaining normal lipid profiles, adopting a healthy lifestyle and using pharmacological interventions. Clinical trials have shown that lifestyle interventions help in prevention and reduction of CVD risk, but evidence for long-term CVD outcomes is lacking. A multidisciplinary approach involving patients, health professionals and researchers and governments should be undertaken to reduce the incidence and prevalence of diabetes-related cardiovascular complications

Perceptions of medical students regarding community-based teaching experiences: an observation from Bangladesh

Introduction: Community orientation in medical education, which prepares medical students to become more effective practitioners, is now a global movement. Many medical schools around the world have adopted the concept as the main curricular framework in order to align learning programs with the needs of the community and the learner. Despite many changes over the past few decades, many improvements are still needed in medical education in Bangladesh. This study investigated medical students’ perceptions of the community-based learning experiences incorporated into the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree at Uttara Adhunik Medical College, Dhaka (UAMC), Bangladesh. Methods: A total of 135 students from three undergraduate year levels of the MBBS degree at UAMC, Dhaka, Bangladesh, undertook study tours (community-based teaching, CBT) as a part of a community medicine course and visited a medical college, two rural health centres and a meteorology centre in the Cox’s Bazar district, 400 km from Dhaka city. A questionnaire was used to assess the perceptions of students regarding the administration, organisation and learning experiences of the study tours. Students were required to write reports, present their findings and answer questions in their examinations related to the study tours and CBT. Results: The majority of the students agreed or strongly agreed that the tour was a worthwhile (93%) and enjoyable (95%) learning experience that helped them to understand rural health issues (91%). More than half of the students reported that the study tours increased their awareness about common rural health problems (54%) and provided a wider exposure to medicine (61%). Only 41% of students reported that the study tour increased their interest in undertake training in a rural area. A substantial number of students also expressed their concerns about the planning, length, resources, finance and organisation of the study tours. Conclusions: Overall, the study tours had a positive effect, enhancing students’ awareness and understanding of common rural health problems. As study tours failed to increase the motivation of the students (approximately 60%) to work in rural areas, CBT in the medical curriculum should be reviewed and implemented using effective and evidence-based models to promote interest among medical students to work in rural and underserved or unserved areas

Impact of Intimate Partner violence on ever married women and utilization of antenatal care services in Tanzania

Background and Objectives: Sub Saharan Africa region is considered as one of the deprived regions of this world and women from this part of the world are suffering from intimate partner violence. This study was undertaken to assess the impact of intimate partner violence on utilization of antenatal care services among the ever married women. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study design. The data used in this research was extracted from the Tanzania Demographic Health Survey 2015-16. A total of 13, 266 women were interviewed. Results: The mean age of the respondents is 28.69 years. About 74% women visited antenatal care services more than 4 times. Logistic regression results indicate that the middle-aged adult women (35-49 years age group) were identified having lower odds (Odds ratio: 0.807, 95% CI: 0.693-0.940, P<0.001) than women in younger age group. Women who did not complete their secondary education were less likelihood to experience IPV (Odds ratio: 0.705, 95% CI: 0.540-0.922, P<0.010). Conclusion: Intimate partner violence is one main challenge to women’s health and wellbeing during pregnancy period. Proper implementation and community based interventions to support pregnant women to seek antenatal care services and to raise awareness regarding intimate partner violence are advocated

A 2-year-old male child with diffuse abdominal pain, mass in the abdomen and red currant jelly stool

This article has no abstract. The first 100 words appear below: A 2-year-old male child, the second issue of non-consanguineous parents, from average socio-economic status hailing from Dinajpur, Bangladesh was attended at Pediatric Surgery outpatient department with the complaints of vague diffuse abdominal pain in the lower right side of abdomen and around the umbilical region for last 3 days. His mother also reported the feeling of a solid mass in the abdomen during dressing of her child. Then, gradually his problems were increasing in nature with several times of nausea, vomiting, and the passage of blood mixed stool three times before his admission

Domestic violence and decision-making power of married women in Myanmar: analysis of a nationally representative sample

BACKGROUND: Women in Myanmar are not considered decision makers in the community and the physical and psychological effect of violence makes them more vulnerable. There is a strong negative reaction, usually violent, to any economic activity generated by women among poorer and middle-class families in Myanmar because a woman's income is not considered necessary for basic survival. OBJECTIVE: Explore the relationship between domestic violence on the decision-making power of married women in Myanmar. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: National, both urban and rural areas of Myanmar. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from the Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey 2015-16 were used in this analysis. In that survey, married women aged between 15 to 49 years were selected for interview using a multistage cluster sampling technique. The dependent variables were domestic violence and the decision-making power of women. Independent variables were age of the respondents, educational level, place of residence, employment status, number of children younger than 5 years of age and wealth index. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Domestic violence and decision-making power of women. SAMPLE SIZE: 7870 currently married women. RESULTS: About 50% respondents were 35 to 49 years of age and the mean (SD) age was 35 (8.4) years. Women's place of residence and employment status had a significant impact on decision-making power whereas age group and decision-making power of women had a relationship with domestic violence. CONCLUSION: Giving women decision making power will be indispensable for the achievement of sustainable development goals. Government and other stakeholders should emphasize this to eliminate violence against women. LIMITATIONS: Use of secondary data analysis of cross-sectional study design and cross-sectional studies are not suitable design to assess this causality. Secondly the self-reported data on violence may be subject to recall bias. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None

A Review on Chemical Synthesis Process of Platinum Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles are key components in the advancement of future energy technologies; thus, strategies for preparing nanoparticles in large volume by techniques that are cost-effective are required. In the substitution of fossil-fuels by renewable energy resources, nanometersized particles play a key role for synthesizing energy vectors from varying and heterogeneous biomass feedstocks. They are extensively used in reformers for the production of hydrogen from solid, liquid, or gaseous energy carriers. Catalyst activities depend critically on their size-dependent properties. Nanoparticles are further indispensable as electrocatalysts in fuel cells and other electrochemical converters. The desire to increase the activity per unit area, and decrease the necessary amount of the expensive catalytic standard, It is clear that performance and commercialization of fuel cells depend on electrode materials performance. The application of pt&nbsp; nanomaterials as an electrode in the field of fuel cell&nbsp; has become a new, growing area of interest in recent years. We review chemical process for synthesis of pt nanoparticles. Recent developments in syntheses process of pure &amp; mixed platinum nanoparticles has briefly reviewed specifically for applications in fuel cells. As the physicochemical properties of noble-metal nanostructures are strongly dependent upon shape and size, the development of reliable synthesis methods for the production of nanocrystals with well-defined size and morphology have been discussed briefly. The role of nanostructured supports for the nanoparticles, such as ordered mesoporous carbon, dendrimer have also discussed. And size of the nanoparticles obtained in deferent process and their temperature dependence has also discussed briefly

Population Status and Conservation of Hoolock Gibbons Hylobates Hoolock Harlan 1834 in Bangladesh

Volume: 105Start Page: 19End Page: 2

Silicon ameliorates chromium toxicity through phytochelatin-mediated vacuolar sequestration in the roots of <i>Oryza sativa</i> (L.)

<p>High chromium (Cr) in rice causes reduced yield and health hazards. This work investigates how Si alleviates Cr toxicity in rice. Addition of Si under Cr stress restored the growth parameters, total protein content, and membrane stability along with reduced Cr content in shoots, confirming that Si plays critical roles in Cr detoxification in rice. However, Si supplementation under Cr stress caused no significant changes in root Cr content but decreased shoot Cr concentrations compared with Cr-stressed plants, indicating that alleviation of Cr toxicity might be associated with Cr sequestration in roots. Further, concentration of Fe and expression of Fe transporter (OsIRT1) showed no significant changes due to Si supplementation under Cr stress, implying that Fe regulation is not involved with Si-mediated mitigation of Cr toxicity in rice. Further, phytochelatin accumulation and OsPCS1 (phytochelatin synthase) transcripts strongly induced due to the dual treatment of Si and Cr compared with Cr-stressed plants, suggesting that phytochelatin might bind to Cr, which leads to vacuolar sequestration in roots. Furthermore, increased glutathione reductase activity in roots implies that active involvement of ROS scavenging partially ameliorates Cr toxicity in rice plants. The study illustrates first evidences on the effect of Si alleviating Cr toxicity in rice plants.</p