Knowledge, attitudes and practices related to cervical cancer screening in adult women: a hospital based cross-sectional study

Background: The Pap smear is a reliable, inexpensive and effective screening test for cervical cancer; the second most common cancer among women worldwide. We aimed to determine women’s knowledge, attitudes and practice towards Pap smear and barriers for the screening in a public hospital.Methods: It was a hospital based cross sectional study on 300 women who were interviewed face-to-face with a structured questionnaire regarding their socio demographic features (8 questions), knowledge (20 questions), attitudes (7 statements) and practice (undertook test or not) towards Pap smear.Results: A total of 320 women were approached for interview of which 300 responded of which 33.33% had heard of cervical cancer. At least one symptom and one risk factor were known to 13.33% and 20% participants. Only 31.33% participants had heard, and 6.67% actually underwent screening test, however, 76.25% of the participants expressed a favourable attitude for screening.Conclusions: Education level influences attitude towards screening and actual practice depends on age, income, and marital status. This study shows that despite the fact that women had suboptimal level of knowledge regarding cervical cancer, their attitude is favourable for screening. The knowledge and practice of women was inadequate and needs to be promoted.

Excellent impact strength of ethylene-methyl acrylate copolymer toughened polycarbonate

The intrinsic notch sensitivity of polycarbonate (PC) demands improvement in the notched impact strength for a variety of applications. Blends of PC/ethylene-methyl acrylate (EMA) copolymer of different compositions were prepared by melt blending using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder. The notched izod impact strength of PC/EMA blends showed a positive blending effect and increased 381% with incorporation of a very little amount of EMA (5%) with a marginal decrease in the tensile strength of PC. Tensile data was also analyzed by using predictive theories. Incorporation of EMA decreases the glass transition temperature of PC and facilitates its processing. Scanning electron micrographs of cryogenically fractured samples after etching were used to study the phase structure. A two phase morphology was seen with a fine dispersion of rubber granules in the PC matrix. On the other hand, the impact fractured surface of PC/EMA blends indicated debonding of EMA particles, leaving hemispherical bumps, indicating inadequate interfacial adhesion between PC and EMA

Study of maternal and perinatal outcome in twin pregnancy at a tertiary care hospital

Background: Twin pregnancy refers to the presence of two fetuses in the uterus. The phenomenon of twinning has fascinated mankind throughout its recorded history. The major problems occurring in twin pregnancy are prematurity, Lbw, IUGR, birth trauma, birth asphyxia and congenital anomalies. The most serious risk is preterm delivery, which accounts for most of the increased perinatal mortality, neonatal morbidity, and long-term morbidity of twins. Methods: This prospective observational study included analysis of 250 women with twin pregnancies, over a period from 01st November 2021 to 31st October 2022 with 28 completed weeks of gestation, admitted at PDMC, Udaipur, Rajasthan. Results: In our study 250 twin pregnancies delivered Out of total 15209 deliveries were studied in our institute. incidence of twin pregnancy was 1.64%. The majority of study participants were in the age group 20 to 29 year and delivered between the gestation age 34-37week, multigravida was 51.2% and in primi it was 48.8%. The 4% patients underwent caesarean section and 48% delivered by vaginal delivery. Conclusions: Twin pregnancy is a great challenge to the concerned obstetricians. Complications associated with twin pregnancies cannot be prevented but can be detected early and controlled adequately by proper and prompt management. Timely diagnosis and treatment of nutritional anaemia and pre-eclampsia helps in preventing additional complications. Hence the need for better obstetric care, neonatal care, health services to get a better fruitful outcome

Study of fetomaternal outcome in emergency peripartum hysterectomy at pannadhay zanana hospital, Udaipur, India

Background: Peripartum or obstetric hysterectomy is the removal of the corpus uteri alone or with the cervix at the time of a caesarean section or shortly after a vaginal delivery. On one hand, it is the last resort to save a woman's life and on the other hand, her reproductive capability is sacrificed. Many times it is a very difficult decision and requires good clinical judgment. Most of the time the operation is carried out when the condition of patient is too critical to withstand the risks of anesthesia or surgery, but proper timing and meticulous care may reduce or prevent maternal complications. Methods: The study is prospective study and was conducted on cases of peripartum emergency hysterectomy performed at PDZH, Udaipur, during the period from April 2021 to October 2022. Results: Our study depicts following results on the basis of 31498 deliveries during the study period (April 2021 to October 2022), so the overall incidence of peripartum hysterectomy is 1 in 1049 (0.095%). Incidence of hysterectomy following vaginal delivery found to be 0.15%, whereas following caesarean incidence found to be 0.24%. Conclusions: Increase in caesarean section rates may lead to a rise in the number of peripartum hysterectomies required in the future because of increased chances of scar dehiscence and morbidly adherent placenta and Thus, there is a need for institutions to reassess their indication for first caesarean section to decrease the incidence of caesarean sections.

COMBINATION OF NATURAL DRUGS: AN EMERGING TREND IN CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY

Cancer is major health burden in developed countries as well as developing countries around the globe. Breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer are responsible for  more than 50 percent of total deaths due to cancer . Chemotherapy is most popular and convenient form of treatment against almost all types of cancer. Products of natural origin are employed in chemotherapy for long time in the form of chemopreventive, chemosensitizing and chemotherapeutic agents. Combination drugs chemotherapy is considered to be more effective and safer way of treatment. This short review is an attempt to cover the combination of drugs from plant origin that are effective in most common cancers and their clinical status

Recent trends in the nanozeolites-based oxygen concentrators and their application in respiratory disorders

Medical-grade oxygen is the basic need for all medical complications, especially in respiratory-based discomforts. There was a drastic increase in the demand for medical-grade oxygen during the current pandemic. The non-availability of medical-grade oxygen led to several complications, including death. The oxygen concentrator was only the last hope for the patient during COVID-19 pandemic around the globe. The demands also are everlasting during other microbial respiratory infections. The yield of oxygen using conventional molecular zeolites in the traditional oxygen concentrator process is less than the yield noticed when its nano-form is used. Nanotechnology has enlightened hope for the efficient production of oxygen by such oxygen concentrators. Here in the current review work, the authors have highlighted the basic structural features of oxygen concentrators along with the current working principle. Besides, it has been tried to bridge the gap between conventional oxygen concentrators and advanced ones by using nanotechnology. Nanoparticles being usually within 100 nm in size have a high surface area to volume ratio, which makes them suitable adsorbents for oxygen. Here authors have suggested the use of nano zeolite in place of molecular zeolites in the oxygen concentrator for efficient delivery of oxygen by the oxygen concentrators

Emerging trends in the recovery of ferrospheres and plerospheres from coal fly ash waste and their emerging applications in environmental cleanup

Coal fly ash (CFA) is a major global problem due to its production in huge volumes. Fly ash has numerous toxic heavy metals; thus, it is considered a hazardous material. However, it also has several value-added minerals like ferrous, alumina, and silica along with other minerals. Fly ash also has several natural micro- to nano-structured materials; for instance, spherical ferrous-rich particles, cenospheres, plerospheres, carbon nanomaterials, and unburned soot. These micron- to nano-sized particles are formed from the molten slag of coal, followed by condensation. Among these particles, plerospheres which are hollow spherical particles, and ferrospheres which are ferrous-rich particles, have potential applications in the environmental cleanup, research, catalytic industries, and glass and ceramics industries. Additionally, these particles could be further surface-functionalized or purified for other applications. Moreover, these particles are widely explored for their potential in the army and other defense systems like lightweight materials and sensing The recovery of such particles from waste fly ash will make the process and remediation technology economically and environmentally friendly. The current review focuses on the various structural and elemental properties of ferrospheres and plerospheres from fly ash. This review also focuses on the emerging applications of both naturally formed materials in CFA

Analyzing W.B. Yeats Selected Poetry Through Feminist Epistemology: A Reassessment

W.B. Yeats stands out as one of the most influential poets of the twentieth century. His symbolic poetry and his political and philosophical ideas are all prominently reflected in his work. During his lifetime, he was deeply influenced by a few remarkable women who made significant contributions to his poetic development and played a pivotal role in shaping his personality. Yeats's poems chosen for this study offer a profound insight into the predicament of women within various socio-cultural and economic contexts. This analysis will explore how Yeats projected female voices through multiple images and symbols in poems such as 'A Prayer for My Daughter,' 'Among School Children,' and 'Leda and the Swan.' While Maud Gonne is widely recognized as a central figure in Yeats's love poems, it's essential to acknowledge that she wasn't the sole woman who influenced the artist's evolution. Others, like Lady Gregory, Olivia Shakespeare, and George Hyde-Lees, the wife of W.B. Yeats, played significant roles in the later phase of his life, particularly in developing his philosophical treatise, "A Vision." In his final poems, Yeats attempted to convey his ultimate understanding of love, emphasizing its perfection in the unbroken relationship between the body and the mind. Works like 'Among School Children,' 'Leda and the Swan,' 'The Second Coming,' 'Sailing to Byzantium,' 'A Man Young and Old,' and many other universally acclaimed poems were inspired by his complex relationships with Maud Gonne and others

Phytonanofabrication of iron oxide particles from the Acacia jacquemontii plant and their potential application for the removal of brilliant green and Congo red dye from wastewater

Phytonanofabrication is one of the most promising areas that has drawn the attention of scientists worldwide due to its eco-friendly nature and biocompatibility. In the current investigation, we reported the phyto-assisted formation of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) from a rare species of Acacia (Acacia jacquemontii). First, ethanolic extracts of the stem powder were analyzed by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) for the identification of phytochemicals in the stem sections of Acacia. Furthermore, IONPs were synthesized by a chemical co-precipitation method by using the stem extract. The phytonanofabricated iron oxide particles were investigated by UV–Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) for elemental analysis. HPTLC confirmed the presence of several phenols and terpenoids in the ethanolic extracts of the stem. UV–Vis spectroscopy exhibited an absorbance peak at 380 nm, indicating the formation of IONPs, while FTIR spectroscopy showed the typical bands for Fe-O in the range of 599–1,000 cm−1 in addition to several functional groups of organic molecules at 1,596 cm−1, 2,313 cm−1, and 3,573 cm−1. XRD exhibits the amorphous nature of IONPs with peaks at 30.7, 35.5, and 62.7 nm. The IONPs were spherical-shaped, whose size varies from 10 to 70 nm, as confirmed by FESEM. EDS exhibited the presence of Fe, O, C, and NaCl. Finally, the phytonanofabricated iron oxide particles were utilized for the removal of brilliant green (BG) and Congo red (CR) dye from the aqueous solution. The removal efficiency of BG dye was up to 54.28%, while that of Congo red dye was up to 36.72% in 120 min and 60 min, respectively. Furthermore, the effect of pH and contact time was also assessed on both the dyes, where CR exhibited maximum removal at acidic pH, i.e., 47.5%, while BG showed maximum removal at pH 10, i.e., 76.59%

A comprehensive appraisal of mechanism of anti-CRISPR proteins: an advanced genome editor to amend the CRISPR gene editing

The development of precise and controlled CRISPR-Cas tools has been made possible by the discovery of protein inhibitors of CRISPR-Cas systems, called anti-CRISPRs (Acrs). The Acr protein has the ability to control off-targeted mutations and impede Cas protein–editing operations. Acr can help with selective breeding, which could help plants and animals improve their valuable features. In this review, the Acr protein–based inhibitory mechanisms that have been adopted by several Acrs, such as (a) the interruption of CRISPR-Cas complex assembly, (b) interference with target DNA binding, (c) blocking of target DNA/RNA cleavage, and (d) enzymatic modification or degradation of signalling molecules, were discussed. In addition, this review emphasizes the applications of Acr proteins in the plant research