Effect of television watching on vision of school children in semi urban area of Kashmir

Background: Schoolchildren form an important target group as any ocular morbidity in this age group has huge physical, psychological and socio-economical implications. Considering the fact that one-third of India's blind lose their eyesight before the age of 20 years and many of them are under five years when they become blind, early detection and treatment of ocular morbidity among children is important. This study aims to highlight the prevalence of ocular morbidity in governmental schools in a sub-urbanized area of India. Research question of current study was to study the Effect of TV watching on vision in school children.Methods: Study area: Government schools in a sub-urbanized area of India. Sample size: 1128 school children from class 5th to 12th. Study design: A cross-sectional study was conducted and the study population comprised of school children who were examined in their schools and afterwards referred to the hospital if required. Data was gathered using a questionnaire, snellens charts and retinoscopes. Statistical analysis: simple proportion. Data was analysed statistically using SPSS software, version 14.Results: 1128 children were examined. Percentage of male children was 42.73% and females were 57.18%. Ocular abnormality was detected in 21.3% children with refractive errors contributing 18.26%, conjunctivitis-1.95%, blepheritis-0.62%, dacrocystitis-0.17%, stye-0.35%, color blindness-0%. It was also observed that children watching TV for less than 1 hour had  visual acuity of 6/6 in 42.4%, whereas children watching TV for 1-2 hours, 2-3 hours and >3 hours had lower  visual acuity.Conclusion: It was concluded that moderate to high prevalence of ocular morbidity among high school children is present in block Hazratbal. Finally, the aim of all blindness control programs should be to propagate awareness in the masses of eye care and to teach the essentials of ocular hygiene and eye healthcare.

Ocular morbidity among diabetics attending the preventive ophthalmic clinic of a tertiary care institute with special reference to diabetic retinopathy

Background: Non communicable diseases have taken over previously life threatening infections in the demographic transition. As the burden of NCDs including diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate the complications related to these diseases are also increasing leading to huge morbidity. Likewise, blindness/ visual impairment due to diabetic retinopathy is now slowly and steadily replacing refractive errors and cataracts as a cause of morbidity.Methods: This cross sectional study was carried over a period of one year in an ophthalmic unit of a tertiary health care institute in which known diabetic patients were screened for diabetic retinopathy besides various modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors.Results: Overall prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in our study population was found to be 29.0%. Among various risk factors duration of diabetes, hypertension, HbA1C >6.5% and serum creatinine >1.1 mg/dl were found to be significantly associated with diabetic retinopathy.Conclusion: Regular screening for diabetic retinopathy besides prevention and strict control of risk factors is key to prevention and progression of blindness/ visual impairment due to diabetic retinopathy

میراجی کی نظمیں: ابہام اور ابلاغ میں توازن کی تلاش

Despite the significance of Meera Ji's contribution to the modern Urdu poem, his poems were received with scrupulous hesitation to some extent. The reason of this aversion didn't lie with Meera Ji's poems but the distaste and apprehension of his readers and critics. The readers got distracted when they tried to interpret him solely on the basis of his personality and its various aspects. Another reason may also seem to be his poems that are marked by ambiguity, abstraction and sexualized figurative expression. In the true sense, this ambiguity is thought provoking and the sexual symbolism is the poet's acceptance and creative depiction of an integral aspect of human psyche, from which he tries to draw new meanings of life and existence. Though his physical being is under the influence of Enema but it seems to counter the dominating effect of Logos and hence a sort of balance between Logos and Eros is achieved in his poems. Some of his poems surely indicate sexuality but a greater number of poems don't imply it literally or even metaphorically. Such poems pose a modern sensibility which is expressed in an indigenous style of diction comprising of unique similes, metaphors and symbols.</p

Перехресне дослідження COVID-19 та психологічного дистресу з використанням шкали впливу подій, на основі спільноти пацієнтів, які одужали від COVID-19

COVID-19 infection is a potentially traumatic experience in terms of the risk of running a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in addition to the social implications of the disease in terms of being isolated and follow up of strict quarantine measures of close contact. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of psychological distress and its risk factors in patients who develop COVID-19 infection. There is scanty evidence regarding the magnitude of COVID-19-related psychological distress (PD) among the general population of India, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a Mental Disorder that develops after a traumatic event that has a life-threatening impact. The aim of this study was to assess COVID-19 infection. Material and methods: This study was conducted among 672 COVID-19 survivors of district Budgam from (March to August 2020). They were contacted by telephone, and psychological distress in the post-COVID recovery period was assessed using the IES-R scale. This is a 22-item scale, and each item is rated on a scale ranging from 0-4. Suitable Statistical Analysis was done to analyze risk factors for the development of any psychological distress. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Study design: Cross-sectional study from District Budgam of Kashmir Division. Study tool: using the IES-R scale for PTSD. Result: In our study prevalence of psychological distress using IES –R was mild in (7.08 %) of the study participants and moderate in (1.06 %) of the study participants. Psychological distress in study participants was examined by age, sex, employment status, family history, COVID-19 disease status and history of hospitalization. No statistical significance between age, gender, days of hospitalization and PTSD was seen. However, statistical significance with the IES–R score was seen between family history and the presence and absence of symptoms in the study subjects. Conclusion: As the pandemic crisis seems to be ebbing, the current findings help us to identify risk factors and devise pragmatic strategies to curtail the burden of mental issues and successfully meet the challenges that follow the pandemicІнфекція COVID-19 є потенційно травматичним досвідом з точки зору ризику розвитку важкого гострого респіраторного синдрому на додаток до соціальних наслідків захворювання з точки зору ізоляції та дотримання суворих карантинних заходів з метою попередження контактів. Метою цього дослідження було оцінити поширеність психологічного дистресу та його факторів ризику у пацієнтів, у яких розвивається інфекція COVID-19. Є мізерні докази щодо масштабів психологічного дистресу (ПД), пов’язаного з COVID-19, серед населення Індії в цілому, а посттравматичний стресовий розлад (ПТСР) — це психічний розлад, який розвивається після травматичної події, що загрожує життю. Метою цього дослідження було оцінити інфікування COVID-19 та його наслідки. Матеріал і методи: це дослідження було проведено серед 672 осіб, які пережили COVID-19 з Будгамського району (з березня по серпень 2020 р.). З ними спілкувалися по телефону та оцінювали психологічний стрес у період одужання після COVID за допомогою шкали IES-R. Це шкала з 22 пунктів, і кожен пункт оцінюється за шкалою від 0 до 4. Для аналізу факторів ризику розвитку будь-якого психологічного дистресу було проведено відповідний статистичний аналіз. Методи: описове перехресне дослідження. Дизайн дослідження: перехресне дослідження в районі Будгаму, Кашмірського округу. Інструмент дослідження: використання шкали IES-R для ПТСР. Результат: у нашому дослідженні поширеність психологічного дистресу при використанні IES-R була легкою у (7,08 %) учасників дослідження та помірною у (1,06 %) учасників дослідження. Психологічний дистрес учасників дослідження вивчався за віком, статтю, статусом зайнятості, сімейним анамнезом, статусом захворювання на COVID-19 та історією госпіталізації. Не спостерігалося статистичної значущості між віком, статтю, днями госпіталізації та посттравматичним стресовим розладом, однак статистична значущість за шкалою IES–R спостерігалася між сімейною історією, та наявністю або відсутністю симптомів у суб’єктів дослідження. Висновок:&nbsp;оскільки пандемічна криза, схоже, йде на спад, поточні результати допомагають нам визначити фактори ризику та розробити прагматичні стратегії, щоб зменшити тягар психічних проблем і успішно протистояти викликам, пов’язаним з пандеміє

Effect of Replacement of Vit-D in Diabetic Painful Neuropathy among Chronic Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Background: Painful symptoms of diabetic neuropathy are more common in patients having type 2 diabetes. The objective in this trial was assessment of mean change in pain score upon giving Vit-D supplementation in patients with diabetic painful neuropathy. Methodology: This study was conducted from December 2019 to June 2020 in OPD of Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi after the ethical approval. A total of 251 diagnosed cases of diabetes (both male and female patients), with high HbA1c and low Vit-D levels were included in the study. Patients having Vit-D deficiency and chronic diabetic neuropathy were given Vitamin supplementation and results were assessed after 1 month through change in pain score according to Douleur Neuropathique 4. A document of consent form was filled by patients who were recruited for this study. Data analysis was done on SPSS version 16.Paired sample t- test, was used to compare pain score where p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Among the participants mean age was 48.22+17.06. There were 106 (42.2%) males and 145 (57.8%) female patients. A statistically significant (p&lt;0.05)mean reduction in pain score of 2.20±1.19 was observed, upon giving Vit-D supplementation in Vit-D deficient patients having painful diabetic neuropathy. Conclusion: Vit-D supplementation significantly reduced pain in patients having diabetic painful neuropathy. Keywords: Diabetes Mellitus, Diabetic Neuropathy, Vitamin D

Synthesis of polyamide-imides with different monomer sequence and effect on transparency and thermal properties

Two novel series of polyamide-imides (PAIs) with different monomer sequence were prepared by two synthesis methods. First series of alternate polyamide-imides PAIs-2(a-e) were synthesized from polycondensation of diimide-diacids 1a-1c monomers with various aromatic diamines. Using the direct polycondensation of trimelletic acid chloride (TMAC) with aromatic diamines, second series of polyamide-imides PAIs-3(a-c) were prepared. The effect of monomer sequence on transparency and thermal properties of polymers is investigated. The transmittance at 550 nm (T-550) from the ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra of the PAIs was found in the range of 74-87%, greatly affected by the monomer sequence in the polymer repeating units. PAI-3a from TMAC exhibited high transparency of 87% and low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 25 ppm/degrees C. All co-polymers demonstrated good organosolubility and mechanical properties with initial moduli of 3.4-4.9 GPa, tensile strengths of 96-129 MPa and elongations at break of 3.0-5.2%. The glass transition temperatures (T-g) and 10% weight loss temperatures (T-10%) of PAIs in nitrogen were in the range of 291-330 degrees C and 489-501 degrees C, respectively

Data_Sheet_1_Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-specific anti-spike IgM, IgG, and anti-nucleocapsid IgG antibodies during the second wave of the pandemic: A population-based cross-sectional survey across Kashmir, India.docx

BackgroundWithin Kashmir, which is one of the topographically distinct areas in the Himalayan belt of India, a total of 2,236 cumulative deaths occurred by the end of the second wave. We aimed to conduct this population-based study in the age group of 7 years and above to estimate the seropositivity and its attributes in Kashmir valley.MethodsWe conducted a community-based household-level cross-sectional study, with a multistage, population-stratified, probability-proportionate-to-size, cluster sampling method to select 400 participants from each of the 10 districts of Kashmir. We also selected a quota of healthcare workers, police personnel, and antenatal women from each of the districts. Households were selected from each cluster and all family members with age 7 years or more were invited to participate. Information was collected through a standardized questionnaire and entered into Epicollect 5 software. Trained healthcare personnel were assigned for collecting venous blood samples from each of the participants which were transferred and processed for immunological testing. Testing was done for the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific anti-spike IgM, IgG antibodies, and anti-nucleocapsid IgG antibodies. Weighted seropositivity was estimated along with the adjustment done for the sensitivity and specificity of the test used.FindingsThe data were collected from a total of 4,229 participants from the general population within the 10 districts of Kashmir. Our results showed that 84.84% (95% CI 84.51–85.18%) of the participants were seropositive in the weighted imputed data among the general population. In multiple logistic regression, the variables significantly affecting the seroprevalence were the age group 45–59 years (odds ratio of 0.73; 95% CI 0.67–0.78), self-reported history of comorbidity (odds ratio of 1.47; 95% CI 1.33–1.61), and positive vaccination history (odds ratio of 0.85; 95% CI 0.79–0.90) for anti-nucleocapsid IgG antibodies. The entire assessed variables showed a significant role during multiple logistic regression analysis for affecting IgM anti-spike antibodies with an odds ratio of 1.45 (95% CI 1.32–1.57) for age more than 60 years, 1.21 (95% CI 1.15–1.27) for the female gender, 0.87 (95% CI 0.82–0.92) for urban residents, 0.86 (95% CI 0.76–0.92) for self-reported comorbidity, and an odds ratio of 1.16 (95% CI 1.08–1.24) for a positive history of vaccination. The estimated infection fatality ratio was 0.033% (95% CI: 0.034–0.032%) between 22 May and 31 July 2021 against the seropositivity for IgM antibodies.InterpretationDuring the second wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, 84.84% (95% CI 84.51–85.18%) of participants from this population-based cross-sectional sample were seropositive against SARS-CoV-2. Despite a comparatively lower number of cases reported and lower vaccination coverage in the region, our study found such high seropositivity across all age groups, which indicates the higher number of subclinical and less severe unnoticed caseload in the community.</p