Comparing Adult Males and Females in the United States to Examine the Association between Body Mass Index and Frequent Mental Distress: An Analysis of Data from BRFSS 2011

Background. There is conflicting evidence regarding the association of body mass index (BMI) with mental distress. Studies have focused on different dimensions of mental health and used different definitions and many of them have not controlled for confounding factors. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between frequent mental distress (FMD) and BMI among adults in the United States, with special emphasis on gender differences. Methods. Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for the year 2011 were used in logistic regressionmodels to predict FMD, defined as having 14 ormore days of poor mental health in the previous month. Sociodemographic factors, tobacco and alcohol use, diet and physical activity, and number of chronic diseaseswere controlled for. Results. 11.95%( = 53,715) of the participantswith valid responses ( = 496,702) had FMD.The adjusted ORs of having FMD among underweight, overweight, and obese females were 1.13 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.60), 1.10 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.19), and 1.21 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.31), respectively, but they were not statistically significant for males. Conclusions.These findings suggest a relationship between BMI and FMD, independent of other variables. It may be useful to explore longitudinal trend in this association

Contemporary environmental issues of landfill leachate: assessment & remedies

AbstractLandfills are the primary option for waste disposal all over the world. Most of the landfill sites across the world are old and are not engineered to prevent contamination of the underlying soil and groundwater by the toxic leachate. The pollutants from landfill leachate have accumulative and detrimental effect on the ecology and food chains leading to carcinogenic effects, acute toxicity and genotoxicity among human beings. Management of this highly toxic leachate presents a challenging problem to the regulatory authorities who have set specific regulations regarding maximum limits of contaminants in treated leachate prior to disposal into the environment to ensure minimal environmental impact. There are different stages of leachate management such as monitoring of its formation and flow into the environment, identification of hazards associated with it and its treatment prior to disposal into the environment. This review focuses on: (i) leachate composition, (ii) Plume migration, (iii) Contaminant fate, (iv) Leachate plume monitoring techniques, (v) Risk assessment techniques, Hazard rating methods, mathematical modeling, and (vi) Recent innovations in leachate treatment technologies. However, due to seasonal fluctuations in leachate composition, flow rate and leachate volume, the management approaches cannot be stereotyped. Every scenario is unique and the strategy will vary accordingly. This paper lays out the choices for making an educated guess leading to the best management option

New Thermoelectric Future and It’s Uses towards Mankind: A Review

In the last few decades, the attention is being carried by the research and development of wearable sensors for the potential, optimization and hand ready data in instantaneous and reliable health monitoring for assessing the health of a person and default measures are taken care of in time. The idea of body heat based thermoelectric power generation permits an attractive solution which is used for thermoelectric power for wearable devices. This review article represents the different types of thermoelectric generators and the successive results which have been achieved till date. The paper also reflects the problems concerning the operation as well as the O/P of wearable sensors based on body heat harvesting method power generation. Specifically, the paper focuses on optimized simulation of human thermoregulatory models, flexible heat sinks, electronics, and energy storage devices. Which are pertinent in nature due to the application and alongside research which leads to the practical implementation of these sensors in practice for a better health monitoring and healthy lifestyle

Risk factors for incident prostate cancer in a cohort of world trade center responders

Despite a relatively young average age and no routine screening, prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men who worked at the World Trade Center (WTC) following the 9/11/2001 disaster. This study evaluated whether re-experiencing stressful memories of a traumatic event was associated with prostate cancer incidence

Teaching epidemiology during an ongoing pandemic: an unprecedented experience

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Disparities, Desperation, and Divisiveness: Coping WithCOVID-19 in India

India enforced one of the world’s largest lockdowns in the last quarter of March 2020 to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This commentary focuses on the mental health implications of the ongoing pandemic as well as the lockdown that lasted for more than two months and is still in place in certain areas. Whereas loneliness, stress, anxiety, and depression have been widespread, vulnerable sections of the population, including daily wage workers, migrant laborers, religious minorities, women and children, and the elderly, have been facing various forms of economic, sociopolitical, and familial stigma, racism, and violence. By and large, the COVID-19 pandemic has widened all forms of societal disparities in India