Effectiveness of therapeutic nursing intervention on psychophysiological wellbeing among elderly residing in old age home Madurai

BACKGROUND: Ageing is a natural process. The older adult’s population is currently the fastest growing segment of the nation. As people age they tend to suffer from problems associated with physical, physiological, emotional and social aspects. These aspects determine the wellbeing of an aged person. Wellbeing is a multifaceted experience which consists of various interdependent factors. Since, the rates of institutionalization of elderly is increasing, it is essential to address the issues and problems faced by the elderly and take remedial measures to improve their wellbeing. Geriatric nurses can play a crucial role in enhancing psychophysiological wellbeing of the elderly in old age home through exercises and counseling. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the study was to assess the therapeutic nursing intervention on psychophysiological wellbeing among elderly residing in old age home. METHODOLOGY: Quasi experimental non equivalent pretest posttest control group design was used for the study. The study was conducted in selected four old age homes in Madurai. A total of 140 elderly were selected using simple random sampling technique, out of which 70 were in the experimental group and control group each. Tools used were structured interview schedule on physiological problems, general health questionnaire-12 and psychophysiological wellbeing assessment tool. The Therapeutic Nursing Intervention which includes exercise and geriatric counseling (life review and need based counseling) were administered over 4 days in a week for 4 consecutive weeks. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The therapeutic nursing intervention was effective in improving physiological wellbeing of the elderly residing in old age home (pre test post test comparison t = 22.01, P < 0.001) post test comparison t = 9.32, P < 0.001), psychological wellbeing (pre test post test comparison t = 46.58, P < 0.001, post test comparison t = 17.19, P < 0.001). The problems reported by the elderly were, physiological problems such as arthralgia, back pain, dyspnoea, insomnia, anorexia, fatigue and psychological problems like feeling of loneliness, sadness, problems with adjustment, lack of love and affection. There was a significant positive relationship found between physiological wellbeing and psychological wellbeing (r = 0.49). CONCLUSION: The problems of the aged vary from society to society, study findings concluded that, therapeutic nursing intervention such as exercise and counseling are effective intervention to improve psychophysiological wellbeing among the elderly in old age home. There is a real need for nurses to provide physical, mental and social support to treat the health problems and to heighten their spirit

Energy Resources And Its Present Use In India

Energy is an essential ingredient for human life on earth. It is used in all activities of society, for preparing meals, making cloth, building house, industries and other activities. Human beings require energy at an increasing rate for their sustenance and well-being. The present study is an attempt to understand the details with types of energy use in India. The largest energy source is coal, followed by petroleum and traditional biomass. According to the 2011 Census, the household-level data indicates that only 55.3 per cent of rural homes used electricity as the primary source for lighting. Energy access, with about one fourth of the population lacking access to electricity and energy security, with the country relying on imports for a considerable amount of its energy use, particularly for crude petroleum are key challenges that the country faces with respect to energy. Wide disparity in energy use pattern between the haves and have-nots, urban and rural are also a cause of concern

Comparison of Titanium bone plates and screws vs. stainless steel bone plates and screws in the management of mandibular fractures – A long term clinical study

Introduction: In the past inter-maxillary fixation has been the traditional method for supporting bone ends in close apposition to allow undisturbed bone healing of the fractures of mandible. The most recent as well as versatile method of management of mandibular fractures is the miniplate fixation, which uses the principle of monocortical osteosynthesis. Several metals have been tried since 1920&rsquo;s. Although gold, silver, copper and its alloys, lead and aluminium and its alloys were used and tested, stainless steel emerged through the era as the new corrosion resistant material. At about the same time or later on other metals or alloys like titanium were introduced with claims of lots of advantages over the classic stainless steel. These observations prompt a study to compare titanium bone plates and screws with stainless steel bone plates and screws used in the treatment of fractures of mandible. Objectives: The objectives of the present study was to study the versatile nature and the biocompatibility of the titanium&nbsp; material and to determine the usefulness of titanium mini plates over the stainless steel plates in the management of fractures of mandible. Materials and methods: The present study comprised of thirty four subjects with fractures of mandible at various anatomical sites. All patients included in this study were found to be of good health without any evidence of clinical infections. The procedure was done under general anesthesia. The fractures were exposed through appropriate incisions. Sixteen of the patients were treated with titanium bone plating system and eighteen with stainless steel plating system. The plates and screws used were of standard design, size and calibration. The patients were recalled for follow-up at 3 weeks, 3 months and 6 months and the data was recorded. Results:&nbsp; In a total of 34 patients the T-test revealed a significant difference in the average time taken for adaptation and plating of the 2 system of plates. The average time taken for stainless steel plate was 6.82min and for that of titanium was 3.64 min. The test for comparison of infection rate showed that 20% of the patient treated with stainless steel plates and screws had local infection while the success rate for titanium plates was 100%. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 20% of cases treated with titanium system encountered the complication of shearing and fracture of the titanium screw head while fitting the screw.&nbsp; Wound dehiscence in case of stainless steel bone plates was noted in one out of ten patients (10%) while in the group treated with titanium plates it was 0%. Conclusion: In this study of short duration, titanium plates were found to be very ideal in the management of mandibular fractures. Titanium plates were more biocompatible when compared to stainless steel plates as evidenced by the rate of infection. In all cases the plates were found to be rigid, stable and satisfactory for use in the facial skeleton. Titanium plates being more malleable were easily adapted to the varying contours of the mandible which clinically translated into reduced time required for plating

Molecular studies in children with fragile X syndrome

Background: Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the most common single gene cause of Learning (intellectual) Disability (LD). FMR1 gene mutation is the commonest cause for this syndrome. The present study aims to analyze the incidence of the syndrome in Kerala population.Methods: Study was conducted among 86 children belonging to different places of Kerala. Children were selected on the basis of IQ scores and typical features of FXS. Blood samples were taken and routine karyotype was performed. PCR analyses were also conducted.Results: Majority of the children showed typical features of FXS. Out of 86 samples, six showed chromosomal aberrations were excluded. PCR analyses in 55 samples, screened 35 samples with FMR1 mutation, in which 26 samples having pre- mutation and 9 samples with full mutation.Conclusions: Through this genetic study, differential diagnosis of LD children with FXS, LD children with constitutional chromosome abnormalities, and LD children without any apparent genetic abnormalities could be established

Stress induced alterations in pre-pubertal ovarian follicular development in rat

The objective of the study was to find out whether stress experienced during neo-natal period alters the timing of formation of pre-antral and antral follicles and if so, whether pre-treatment with CRH receptor antagonist prevents these effects in rats. New born rat pups (n= 15) were exposed to maternal separation (6 hours/ day) from post-natal day (PND) 1 to 7 and were killed on PND 8, 11 and 15. The time of exposure was randomly changed every day during light phase (7Am to 7Pm) of the day to avoid habituation. There was a significant increase in serum corticosterone levels on PND 8 and 11 in stress group rats compared to controls indicating stress response in these pups. The ovary of both control and stressed rats contained oocytes and primary follicles on PND 8 and 11 and in showed progress of follicular development upto to pre-antral and early antral follicle formation on PND 11 and 15. However, mean number of healthy oocytes and all categories of follicles at all ages studied were significantly lower in stressed rats compared to controls. Concomitant with these changes, number of atreatic follicles showed an increase over control values in stressed rats. The increase in atresia of follicles was due to apoptosis as shown by increase in the percentage of granulosa cells showing TUNEL positive staining and caspase 3 activity. On the other hand, pre-treatment with CRH- receptor antagonist (CRH 9-41) 2ng/ 0.1 ml/ rat prior to undergoing stress regime on PND 1 to 7, prevented alterations in pre- pubertal follicular development thereby indicating that the ovarian changes were due to effects of stress induced activation of HPA axis. The results indicate that, stress during neonatal phase, though does not affect timing of formation of pre-antral and antral follicles, it does enhance atresia of follicles of all categories, including follicular reserve, which may affect the reproductive potential of adults. The results, for the first time reveal that CRF receptor antagonist prevents pre-pubertal ovarian stress response

Intermittent Cold-Induced Hippocampal Oxidative Stress is Associated with Changes in the Plasma Lipid Composition and is Modifiable by Vitamins C and E in Old Rats

This study primarily investigated the effects of intermittent cold exposure (ICE) on oxidative stress (OS) in the hippocampus(HC) and plasma lipid profile of old male rats. Secondly, it evaluated structural changes in the hippocampus region of the rat’s brain. Thirdly, it attempted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the combined supplement of vitamins C and E in alleviating cold stress in terms of these biochemical parameters. Thirty male rats aged 24 months were divided into groups of five each: control (CON), cold-exposed at 10 °C (C10), cold-exposed at 5 °C (C5), supplemented control (CON+S), and supplemented cold-exposed at either 5 °C (C5+S) or 10 °C (C10+S). The rats were on a daily supplement of vitamin C and vitamin E. Cold exposure lasted 2 h/day for 4 weeks. Rats showed increased levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in the HC at 10 °C with further increase at 5 °C. Cold also induced neuronal loss in the hippocampus with concomitant elevations in total cholesterol (TCH), triglycerides (TG) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL-C) levels, and a depletion in high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C). A notable feature was the hyperglycaemic effects of ICE and depleted levels of vitamins C and E in the hippocampus and plasma while supplementation increased their levels. More importantly, a positive correlation was observed between plasmatic LDL-C, TCH and TG and hippocampal TBARS and H2O2 levels. Further, intensity of cold emerged as a significant factor impacting the responses to vitamin C and E supplementation. These results suggest that cold-induced changes in the plasma lipid profile correlate with OS in the hippocampus, and that vitamin C and E together are effective in protecting from metabolic and possible cognitive consequences in the old under cold exposures

P2DM-RGCD: PPDM Centric Classification Rule Generation Scheme

In present day applications the approach of data mining and associated privacy preservation plays a significant role for ensuring optimal mining function. The approach of privacy preserving data mining (PPDM) emphasizes on ensuring security of private information of the participants. On the contrary majority of present mining applications employ the vertically partitioned data for mining utilities. In such scenario when the overall rule is divided among participants, some of the parties remain with fewer rules sets and thus the classification accuracy achieved by them always remain questionable. On the other hand, the consideration of private information associated with any part will violate the approach of PPDM. Therefore, in order to eliminate such situations and to provide a facility of rule regeneration in this paper, a highly robust and efficient rule regeneration scheme has been proposed ensures optimal classification accuracy without using any critical user information for rule generation. The proposed system developed a rule generation function called cumulative dot product (P2DM-RGCD) rule regeneration scheme. The developed algorithm generates two possible optimal rule generation and update functions based on cumulative updates and dot product. The proposed system has exhibited optimal response in terms of higher classification accuracy, minimum information loss and optimal training efficiency