Rural Community Teachers’ Awareness and Attitude on Learning Challenges

In rural landscapes, teachers are unsung education heroes, facing challenges like limited professional growth, inadequate infrastructure, and the need to innovate teaching methods for diverse student needs. They shape their communities’ education through adaptability and evolution. A September 2022 study conducted in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu surveyed 149 rural primary school teachers, using self-developed questionnaires on background information, awareness of learning challenges, and attitudes toward them. Reliability, measured with Cronbach’s Alpha, showed scores of 0.829 for awareness and 0.854 for attitudes. Results revealed that most teachers had moderate awareness, with some displaying low awareness and manyholding neutral attitudes, which could turn unfavorable over time. Linear regression highlighted associations with age, experience, and class type. Experience emerged as the main predictor for both awareness and attitude, implying that more experience leads to improved awareness and attitude. These findings can guide stakeholders in supporting rural educators, benefitting students across geographical boundaries

Assessment of incidence of post-operative wound infection in women undergoing caesarean section: a retrospective study

Background: The surgical site infection is the second most common infectious complication occurring after caesarean section. Infections occurring after caesarean section represent a considerable burden to the healthcare systems and preventing these complications is a priority of healthcare systems especially in developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of SSI in patients undergoing a LSCS at a RIMS teaching hospital, Raichur, and to identify risk factors, common bacterial pathogens and antibiotic sensitivity.Methods: The present retrospective study was conducted in RIMS Institute, during a period of 3 years i.e. from 2013-2016. In this study a total of 50 cases were collected from MRD department. They were divided into two groups- cases and controls, each having 50 subjects each. Wound infection was defined as inflammation or sepsis with or without positive bacterial cultures. With SSI, there may be fever, redness, swelling and/or pain in the area around the incision site. Complete information regarding demographic data, the type and indication for caesarean section, duration of labour, duration of surgery and rupture of membrane were recorded. Wound infections occuring after 30 days of LSCS & other gynaecological surgeries were excluded. All the results were analyzed by SPSS software 16.0. Chi-square test and student t test were used for the assessment of level of significance. Probability value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.Results: A total of 100 subjects were included in the present study, out of which, 50 were cases and the remaining 50 were controls. The mean age of the subjects was 37.45 years. There were 7 cases and 13 controls who were aged between 20-24 years. There was no significant difference amongst cases and controls regarding age. There was a significant difference in the haemoglobin levels amongst cases and controls. The third criterion that was assessed was duration of labour. Majority of the cases had prolonged labour whereas in majority of the controls, the duration of labour of labour was less than 6 hours. There was a significant difference in duration of labour amongst cases and controls (p<0.05). Elective c section was done in 2 cases and 6 controls. C section was performed in an emergency in 48 cases and 44 controls. There was a significant difference in the operation time between cases and controls (p<0.05). E.coli infection occurred in 15 cases in the present study followed by Actinobacter species which occurred in 13 cases. Absence of growth was seen in 5 cases.Conclusions: The risk factors associated with SSI in our study were, haemoglobin levels, prolonged labour, duration of operation. The most common organisms isolated were E. coli and Actinobacter species

Developing banking habits through Financial Literacy

A sound banking system with a sound banking habits can accelerate the pace of development of an economy. It is rightly said that banking habits is the key factor that contribute to economic development. Thus it is very important for every country to cultivate the banking habits especially among unbanked. And this can be possible by providing right understanding of economic and financial literacy, apart from providing employment opportunities resulting into rising income and growing urbanization. In this paper the authors identify the reason behind low banking habits among people and suggest certain measure to overcome this problems

Effects of H-NS and potassium glutamate on &#963;<SUP>S</SUP>- and &#963;<SUP>70</SUP>-directed transcription in vitro from osmotically regulated P1 and P2 promoters of proU in Escherichia coli

We have used supercoiled DNA templates in this study to demonstrate that transcription in vitro from the P1 and P2 promoters of the osmoresponsive proU operon of Escherichia coli is preferentially mediated by the &#963;s and &#963;70-bearing RNA polymerase holoenzymes, respectively. Addition of potassium glutamate resulted in the activation of transcription from both P1 and P2 and also led to a pronounced enhancement of &#963;s selectivity at the P1 promoter. Transcription from P2, and to a lesser extent from P1, was inhibited by the nucleoid protein H-NS but only in the absence of potassium glutamate. This study validates the existence of dual promoters with dual specificities for proU transcription. Our results also support the proposals that potassium, which is known to accumulate in cells grown at high osmolarity, is at least partially responsible for effecting the in vivo induction of proU transcription and that it does so through two mechanisms, directly by the activation of RNA polymerase and indirectly by the relief of repression imposed by H-NS

Hepatoprotective effect of aqueous extract of Melothria perpusilla against carbon tetrachloride induced liver injury in albino rats

Background: In absence of reliable hepatoprotective drug in modern medicine, the traditional herbal medicines have been emphasized. Present study was designed to assess hepatoprotective effect of aqueous extract of Melothria perpusilla (AEMP) against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced liver injury.Methods: Five groups of animals with 6 rats in each were treated for 7 days.  Group I received 1% gum acacia in distilled water (1 ml/200 g p.o.) daily.  Group II, III, IV and V received CCl4 in liquid paraffin (1 ml/kg s.c.) on day 2, 4 and 6. Group III, IV and V were treated respectively with silymarin (100 mg/kg p.o.), AEMP- 200 and 400 mg/kg p.o. daily. On day 8, liver injury was assessed by measuring serum ALT, AST, ALP and bilirubin.Results: ALT, AST, ALP and bilirubin were significantly reduced in groups receiving both CCl4 and AEMP when compared with CCl4 treated group.Conclusions: AEMP produced hepatoprotective effect against CCl4 induced liver injury

Region Specific and Worldwide Distribution of Collagen-Binding M Proteins with PARF Motifs among Human Pathogenic Streptococcal Isolates

Some of the variety of Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus dysgalactiae ssp. equisimilis (SDSE) M proteins act as collagen-binding adhesins that facilitate acute infection. Moreover, their potential to trigger collagen autoimmunity has been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute rheumatic fever and attributed to a collagen-binding motif called PARF (peptide associated with rheumatic fever). For the first time we determine the rate of clinical isolates with collagen-binding M proteins that use a PARF motif (A/T/E)XYLXX(L/F)N in a defined geographic region, Vellore in South India. In this region both, incidence of streptococcal infections and prevalence of acute rheumatic fever are high. M proteins with PARF motif conferred collagen-binding activity to 3.9% of 153 S. pyogenes and 10.6% of 255 SDSE clinical isolates from Vellore. The PARF motif occurred in three S. pyogenes and 22 SDSE M protein types. In one of the S. pyogenes and five of the SDSE M proteins that contained the motif, collagen-binding was impaired, due to influences of other parts of the M protein molecule. The accumulated data on the collagen binding activity of certain M protein types allowed a reanalysis of published worldwide emm-typing data with the aim to estimate the rates of isolates that bind collagen via PARF. The results indicate that M proteins, which bind collagen via a PARF motif, are epidemiologically relevant in human infections, not only in Vellore. It is imperative to include the most relevant collagen-binding M types in vaccines. But when designing M protein based vaccines it should be considered that collagen binding motifs within the vaccine antigen remain potential risk factors

Contribution of Streptococcus anginosus to Infections Caused by Groups C and G Streptococci, Southern India

This neglected pathogen causes a large portion of these infections

Assessment of incidence of post-operative wound infection in women undergoing caesarean section: a retrospective study

Background: The surgical site infection is the second most common infectious complication occurring after caesarean section. Infections occurring after caesarean section represent a considerable burden to the healthcare systems and preventing these complications is a priority of healthcare systems especially in developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of SSI in patients undergoing a LSCS at a RIMS teaching hospital, Raichur, and to identify risk factors, common bacterial pathogens and antibiotic sensitivity.Methods: The present retrospective study was conducted in RIMS Institute, during a period of 3 years i.e. from 2013-2016. In this study a total of 50 cases were collected from MRD department. They were divided into two groups- cases and controls, each having 50 subjects each. Wound infection was defined as inflammation or sepsis with or without positive bacterial cultures. With SSI, there may be fever, redness, swelling and/or pain in the area around the incision site. Complete information regarding demographic data, the type and indication for caesarean section, duration of labour, duration of surgery and rupture of membrane were recorded. Wound infections occuring after 30 days of LSCS &amp; other gynaecological surgeries were excluded. All the results were analyzed by SPSS software 16.0. Chi-square test and student t test were used for the assessment of level of significance. Probability value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.Results: A total of 100 subjects were included in the present study, out of which, 50 were cases and the remaining 50 were controls. The mean age of the subjects was 37.45 years. There were 7 cases and 13 controls who were aged between 20-24 years. There was no significant difference amongst cases and controls regarding age. There was a significant difference in the haemoglobin levels amongst cases and controls. The third criterion that was assessed was duration of labour. Majority of the cases had prolonged labour whereas in majority of the controls, the duration of labour of labour was less than 6 hours. There was a significant difference in duration of labour amongst cases and controls (p&lt;0.05). Elective c section was done in 2 cases and 6 controls. C section was performed in an emergency in 48 cases and 44 controls. There was a significant difference in the operation time between cases and controls (p&lt;0.05). E.coli infection occurred in 15 cases in the present study followed by Actinobacter species which occurred in 13 cases. Absence of growth was seen in 5 cases.Conclusions: The risk factors associated with SSI in our study were, haemoglobin levels, prolonged labour, duration of operation. The most common organisms isolated were E. coli and Actinobacter species