Construction and Validation of Emotional Intelligence Scale for Secondary School Teachers

In this study, we developed and validated a new instrument: an emotional intelligence scale for teachers. This paper focused on the psychometric properties of the emotional intelligence scale for school teachers dealing with adolescent students. The study also validated the tool over 608 secondary school teachers in India. This scale was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), Cronbach’s alpha, and item-total correlation. Results showed good fit (χ2/df =1085.66, CFI = 0.956, GFI = 0.876, TLI = 0.951, PCFI = 0.860, PNFI = 0.843, RMSEA = 0.06 and SRMR = 0.056) for the five components (Self-Perception, Self-Regulation, Self-Drive, Empathy, Social Motive) of the measurement model. However, 80.18% of the total variance was explained by the factors Reliability (Cronbach alpha = 0.95) and construct validity means convert and discriminant validity was established for a teacher’s innovative emotional intelligence scale. Finally, the robust findings indicated that the instrument could be used in further studies in different research areas

A Study of Emotional Intelligence of Teachers in Relation to Gender and Teaching Experience

The emotional intelligence of teachers has a very significant contribution to the educational field and helps to create a constructive teaching-learning ambiance. Emotionally intelligent persons are found successful in personal and professional life. Teachers’ high emotional intelligence directly or indirectly helps to all-around development and success of adolescent students. This article mainly attempted to explore the following objectives: to explore teachers' emotional intelligence concerning gender and to know teachers' emotional intelligence irrespective of different teaching experiences like less, medium, and highly experienced groups. Data were collected from 300 secondary school teachers of randomly selected 15 government-aided schools from five districts of West Bengal state in India. Data were collected using multistage sampling procedures. Data were analyzed using t-test and ANOVA. Major findings were female teachers were significantly more emotionally intelligent in relation to the male. Further, the medium-experienced teachers had more emotional intelligence than the low-experienced teachers. Finally, the robust findings indicated that emotional intelligence can be interrelated with other psychological variables and can be used in further studies in different research areas

Demographic and clinical profile of brought in dead cases to pediatric emergency department of a tertiary care hospital

Background: The incidence of brought in dead (BID) is high in tertiary hospitals, but there is a lack of proper audit and relevant data of these cases. Objective: The current study aimed to assess the demographic characteristics and clinical profile of BID patients presenting in emergency department (ED) of a tertiary hospital. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective observational study. All children between 0 and 12 years who were BID at the pediatric ED in a tertiary hospital between February 2018 and December 2018 were included. Data were collected on demography, history of illness, treatment seeking history, and details about transport to the hospital. Microsoft Excel was used for analysis. Results: A total of 64 BID cases were included in the study, of which 39% cases belonged to the neonatal age group. Most of the referrals were from government hospitals. Of total neonatal deaths, 44% were preterm babies; 52% of neonates had a previous history of hospitalization. Among previously hospitalized cases, 56% were discharged and 22% took their child against medical advices. Conclusion: It is crucial that the government reinforces the measures to avoid the existence of clandestine health centers. Improving referralcounter-referral system will permit the limitation of fatal medical errors. This study expects to bring the focus on BID so that future studies explore the possible strategies to contain this problem

Evaluation of Serum Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D Levels in Infertile Males with Suboptimal Semen Parameters- A Pilot Study from Eastern India

Introduction: According to World Health Organization (WHO), infertility is a disease defined by the inability to conceive a child after one year or more of unprotected and regular sexual intercourse. Not only female partner is responsible but male partner related factors play a crucial role in infertility. A key role of vitamin D in male reproductive organs has been suggested. Role of vitamin B12 in spermatogenesis has also been emphasised. Aim: To delineate if there is any significant association between serum vitamin B12 and vitamin D levels with semen parameters among infertile males belonging to the Eastern India. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Department of Biochemistry at Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, from May 2020 to July 2021. Fifty two infertile males of 25 to 40 years of age, with suboptimal semen parameters (semen volume, sperm count, sperm motility and sperm morphology were considered) were selected. Fasting (12 hours) blood samples were collected for estimation of serum vitamin B12 and vitamin D levels. Significance of association between each parameter with serum vitamin B12 and vitamin D levels was determined using Chi-square test and Fisher’s-exact test. Results were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Low serum vitamin D levels (<20 ng/mL) were detected in 10 (83.33% ) subjects with low semen volume and in 15 (65.21%) With low sperm count. No significant statistical association was found for vitamin D levels with semen volume and sperm count. Among subjects with abnormal sperm motility and morphology, low vitamin D levels were found in 37 (75.51%) and 16 (69.56%), respectively. A significant statistical association was found between vitamin D level and sperm motility (p-value=0.005) but not with sperm morphology. Amongst subjects with low semen volume and low sperm count, low vitamin B12 levels (<200 pg/ mL) were seen in 5 (41.6%) and 15 (65.21%), respectively. A significant statistical association was found between vitamin B12 level and sperm count (p-value=0.003). Among subjects with abnormal sperm motility and morphology, low vitamin B12 levels were present in 19 (38.77%) and 13 (56.52%) and there was a significant association between the variables p-value=0.037 and p-value=0.049, respectively. Conclusion: It can be concluded that vitamin B12 and vitamin D levels in infertile male subjects disturb normal physiological mechanisms required for being fertile. Hence, vitamin B12 and vitamin D supplementation may be suggested for improvement of semen quality

Efficacy of Methotrexate in Combination with Antioxidant Vitamins (A, C & E) versus Methotrexate alone in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background: There is evidence that oxidative stress plays an important role in autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Despite the supporting evidence for a beneficial effect of antioxidants on clinical characteristics of RA, the right balance for optimal effectiveness of antioxidants is largely unknown. A study was designed to determine the potential beneficial effects of antioxidant intervention on clinical parameters of RA.Methods: Randomized clinical trial of 152 patients with positive rheumatoid factor (RF) and a Disease Activity Score (DAS 28) higher than 3.2 were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into two groups (Group A and Group B) randomly and group A received methotrexate and antioxidant vitamins (A, C and E in a fixed dose) and group B methotrexate only. They were followed up for three visits (baseline, 10th week and 14th week). The intervention was stopped after 10 weeks and was followed by a ‘wash-out’ period of 4 weeks. At baseline, 10th week and 14th week patient’s condition were assessed by means of DAS-28 score. P- Value less than <0.05 was considered significant.Results: The numbers of swollen and tender joints were significantly reduced and general health was improved reflected by improved DAS-28 score at 10th week.The antioxidant effect was considered beneficial as compared to the scores of 1st visit at baseline; the DAS-28 score was significantly reduced at 2nd visit at 10th week. Increment of the DAS-28 score among the group A patients who were on antioxidant up to10 weeks, after the “wash-out period” of four weeks i.e. at 14th week confirmed a significant relation between changes in clinical condition and antioxidants.Conclusion: This study was designed to assess the potential beneficial effect of antioxidants (Vitamin A, C and E) in combination with methotrexate in the treatment of RA

Harnessing hypoxic adaptation to prevent, treat, and repair stroke

The brain demands oxygen and glucose to fulfill its roles as the master regulator of body functions as diverse as bladder control and creative thinking. Chemical and electrical transmission in the nervous system is rapidly disrupted in stroke as a result of hypoxia and hypoglycemia. Despite being highly evolved in its architecture, the human brain appears to utilize phylogenetically conserved homeostatic strategies to combat hypoxia and ischemia. Specifically, several converging lines of inquiry have demonstrated that the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF1-1) mediates the activation of a large cassette of genes involved in adaptation to hypoxia in surviving neurons after stroke. Accordingly, pharmacological or molecular approaches that engage hypoxic adaptation at the point of one of its sensors (e.g., inhibition of HIF prolyl 4 hydroxylases) leads to profound sparing of brain tissue and enhanced recovery of function. In this review, we discuss the potential mechanisms that could subserve protective and restorative effects of augmenting hypoxic adaptation in the brain. The strategy appears to involve HIF-dependent and HIF-independent pathways and more than 70 genes and proteins activated transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally that can act at cellular, local, and system levels to compensate for oxygen insufficiency. The breadth and depth of this homeostatic program offers a hopeful alternative to the current pessimism towards stroke therapeutics

Global fertility in 204 countries and territories, 1950–2021, with forecasts to 2100: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background Accurate assessments of current and future fertility—including overall trends and changing population age structures across countries and regions—are essential to help plan for the profound social, economic, environmental, and geopolitical challenges that these changes will bring. Estimates and projections of fertility are necessary to inform policies involving resource and health-care needs, labour supply, education, gender equality, and family planning and support. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 produced up-to-date and comprehensive demographic assessments of key fertility indicators at global, regional, and national levels from 1950 to 2021 and forecast fertility metrics to 2100 based on a reference scenario and key policy-dependent alternative scenarios. Methods To estimate fertility indicators from 1950 to 2021, mixed-effects regression models and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression were used to synthesise data from 8709 country-years of vital and sample registrations, 1455 surveys and censuses, and 150 other sources, and to generate age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) for 5-year age groups from age 10 years to 54 years. ASFRs were summed across age groups to produce estimates of total fertility rate (TFR). Livebirths were calculated by multiplying ASFR and age-specific female population, then summing across ages 10–54 years. To forecast future fertility up to 2100, our Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) forecasting model was based on projections of completed cohort fertility at age 50 years (CCF50; the average number of children born over time to females from a specified birth cohort), which yields more stable and accurate measures of fertility than directly modelling TFR. CCF50 was modelled using an ensemble approach in which three sub-models (with two, three, and four covariates variously consisting of female educational attainment, contraceptive met need, population density in habitable areas, and under-5 mortality) were given equal weights, and analyses were conducted utilising the MR-BRT (meta-regression—Bayesian, regularised, trimmed) tool. To capture time-series trends in CCF50 not explained by these covariates, we used a first-order autoregressive model on the residual term. CCF50 as a proportion of each 5-year ASFR was predicted using a linear mixed-effects model with fixed-effects covariates (female educational attainment and contraceptive met need) and random intercepts for geographical regions. Projected TFRs were then computed for each calendar year as the sum of single-year ASFRs across age groups. The reference forecast is our estimate of the most likely fertility future given the model, past fertility, forecasts of covariates, and historical relationships between covariates and fertility. We additionally produced forecasts for multiple alternative scenarios in each location: the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for education is achieved by 2030; the contraceptive met need SDG is achieved by 2030; pro-natal policies are enacted to create supportive environments for those who give birth; and the previous three scenarios combined. Uncertainty from past data inputs and model estimation was propagated throughout analyses by taking 1000 draws for past and present fertility estimates and 500 draws for future forecasts from the estimated distribution for each metric, with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) given as the 2·5 and 97·5 percentiles of the draws. To evaluate the forecasting performance of our model and others, we computed skill values—a metric assessing gain in forecasting accuracy—by comparing predicted versus observed ASFRs from the past 15 years (2007–21). A positive skill metric indicates that the model being evaluated performs better than the baseline model (here, a simplified model holding 2007 values constant in the future), and a negative metric indicates that the evaluated model performs worse than baseline. Findings During the period from 1950 to 2021, global TFR more than halved, from 4·84 (95% UI 4·63–5·06) to 2·23 (2·09–2·38). Global annual livebirths peaked in 2016 at 142 million (95% UI 137–147), declining to 129 million (121–138) in 2021. Fertility rates declined in all countries and territories since 1950, with TFR remaining above 2·1—canonically considered replacement-level fertility—in 94 (46·1%) countries and territories in 2021. This included 44 of 46 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which was the super-region with the largest share of livebirths in 2021 (29·2% [28·7–29·6]). 47 countries and territories in which lowest estimated fertility between 1950 and 2021 was below replacement experienced one or more subsequent years with higher fertility; only three of these locations rebounded above replacement levels. Future fertility rates were projected to continue to decline worldwide, reaching a global TFR of 1·83 (1·59–2·08) in 2050 and 1·59 (1·25–1·96) in 2100 under the reference scenario. The number of countries and territories with fertility rates remaining above replacement was forecast to be 49 (24·0%) in 2050 and only six (2·9%) in 2100, with three of these six countries included in the 2021 World Bank-defined low-income group, all located in the GBD super-region of sub-Saharan Africa. The proportion of livebirths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa was forecast to increase to more than half of the world's livebirths in 2100, to 41·3% (39·6–43·1) in 2050 and 54·3% (47·1–59·5) in 2100. The share of livebirths was projected to decline between 2021 and 2100 in most of the six other super-regions—decreasing, for example, in south Asia from 24·8% (23·7–25·8) in 2021 to 16·7% (14·3–19·1) in 2050 and 7·1% (4·4–10·1) in 2100—but was forecast to increase modestly in the north Africa and Middle East and high-income super-regions. Forecast estimates for the alternative combined scenario suggest that meeting SDG targets for education and contraceptive met need, as well as implementing pro-natal policies, would result in global TFRs of 1·65 (1·40–1·92) in 2050 and 1·62 (1·35–1·95) in 2100. The forecasting skill metric values for the IHME model were positive across all age groups, indicating that the model is better than the constant prediction. Interpretation Fertility is declining globally, with rates in more than half of all countries and territories in 2021 below replacement level. Trends since 2000 show considerable heterogeneity in the steepness of declines, and only a small number of countries experienced even a slight fertility rebound after their lowest observed rate, with none reaching replacement level. Additionally, the distribution of livebirths across the globe is shifting, with a greater proportion occurring in the lowest-income countries. Future fertility rates will continue to decline worldwide and will remain low even under successful implementation of pro-natal policies. These changes will have far-reaching economic and societal consequences due to ageing populations and declining workforces in higher-income countries, combined with an increasing share of livebirths among the already poorest regions of the world

A Study of Emotional Intelligence of Teachers in Relation to Gender and Teaching Experience

The emotional intelligence of teachers has a very significant contribution to the educational field and helps to create a constructive teaching-learning ambiance. Emotionally intelligent persons are found successful in personal and professional life. Teachers’ high emotional intelligence directly or indirectly helps to all-around development and success of adolescent students. This article mainly attempted to explore the following objectives: to explore teachers' emotional intelligence concerning gender and to know teachers' emotional intelligence irrespective of different teaching experiences like less, medium, and highly experienced groups. Data were collected from 300 secondary school teachers of randomly selected 15 government-aided schools from five districts of West Bengal state in India. Data were collected using multistage sampling procedures. Data were analyzed using t-test and ANOVA. Major findings were female teachers were significantly more emotionally intelligent in relation to the male. Further, the medium-experienced teachers had more emotional intelligence than the low-experienced teachers. Finally, the robust findings indicated that emotional intelligence can be interrelated with other psychological variables and can be used in further studies in different research areas