Risk Factors of Diabetes Mellitus in Rural Puducherry

Purpose: Prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing in India. Rural area constitutes 80% of India. Hence it is essential to understand the epidemiology for appropriate interventions. Objectives: to identify risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus in rural Puducherry. Methodology: Cross sectional study in two villages of Puducherry, India. 1403 subjects above 25 years from 2 villages. Study measured demographic variables, Body Mass Index (BMI), physical activity, family history of Diabetes Mellitus, smoking and alcohol consumption. Fasting blood glucose was measured for study subjects. Further, those with >126 mg/dl were subjected for Oral Glucose Tolerance Test. Univariate and multivariate analysis was done. Receiver Operating characteristic Curve was plotted to find out cut off for Diabetic Risk Score. Findings: The prevalence of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) was 5.8%. The response rate was (88%). In univariate analysis age, occupation, Socio Economic Status, BMI, physical activity, family history were significant for DM. In multivariate analysis age, BMI, family history of diabetes and occupation were significant for type 2 DM. The ‘diabetes risk score’ generated by the study using age, BMI and family history of DM, had specificity, sensitivity and accuracy of 54%, 77% and 76.2% respectively. The area under curve for scoring system was 0.784 (<0.05). Conclusions: Identified risk factors are useful for early diagnosis by using ‘diabetes risk score’ – thus uncovering the iceberg of disease

Caesarean section in Eisenmenger’s syndrome: anaesthetic management with titrated epidural and nebulised alprostadil

Pregnancy in patients with Eisenmenger’s syndrome is associated with a high mortality. This article reports two cases of women with Eisenmenger’s syndrome (secondary to two different primary cardiac defects) who presented with near-term pregnancies. Both the patients underwent successful elective Caesarean section with slowly titrated epidural anaesthesia. Nebulised prostaglandin E1(PGE1) analogue, alprostadil, administered immediately post-delivery resulted in a significant drop in systolic pulmonary artery pressures as measured from tricuspid regurgitant jet by transthoracic echocardiography. The postoperative period was uneventful in both patients. A slow induction of epidural anaesthesia can be a safe mode of anaesthesia for Caesarean section in pregnant patients with Eisenmenger’s syndrome. Nebulised alprostadil intraoperatively or postoperatively in the intensive care unit (ICU) is readily available and a relatively cheap option as a selective pulmonary vasodilator in developing countries.Keywords: alprostadil, Caesarean section, Eisenmenger’s syndrome, epidura

EFFECT OF 12 WEEKS SAQ AND CIRCUIT TRAINING ON DRIBBLING AND SHOOTING ABILITY OF SOCCER PLAYER

The research aims to find out the effect of 12 weeks SAQ and Circuit Training on skill ability of soccer players. The subjects were 30 males under 19 national level players. The selected players were divided into two different groups of SAQ and circuit group, consisting of 15 players each. Proper consent was taken from all the players and baseline data were collected before starting the training program. After the baseline collection, the players underwent the treatment for 12 weeks SAQ and Circuit Training for one hour each day for four days a week. The significant changes were found from baseline to post treatment in each player on Skill ability. The significant increase in shooting and dribbling were observed. The results indicate SAQ and Circuit Training program is an effective training program for soccer players to enhance their shooting and dribbling ability.  Article visualizations

Ancestry Specific variation in neuropsychological disorders among the South Asian population

The enormous genetic diversity in South Asia resulting from a long and complex admixture history resulted in the emergence of variation in various traits and variations in disease susceptibility. Neuropsychological disorders are one such example that shows variation at the population level. In this study, we aimed at understanding the variation in neuropsychological disorders at the population level among South Asian populations by curating, comparing and contrasting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), known to be associated with the same. Whole-genome data comprising of 1662 South Asians, belonging to 241 distinct populations were obtained from the database of Dr. David Reich, Harvard Medical School, USA. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that the Ancestral Tibeto Burman (ATB) genomes form a distinct and distinguishable cluster for the SNPs known to be associated with neuropsychological disorders. Identical By Descent (IBD) analysis showed that out of the top seven populations in terms of IBD sharing, six are from Southern India indicating that these populations may have undergone a recent selective sweep for these SNPs. Further, out of the top ten genomes, according to the number of genomes fixed for the minor alleles, seven were from Southern India. Furthermore, several indigenous populations from South India depicted high F values (&gt;0.25) for SNPs associated with neuropsychological disorders, indicating higher susceptibility for neuropsychological disorders among these South Indian populations. Interestingly, we found that most of the SNPs, fixed for the alternative alleles, were also found to be fixed among the ancient genomes from Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), indicating that these SNPs likely got transmitted to various modern-day South Indian populations from IVC

Abnormal modulation of atmospheric parameters during the tsunami of 2004

This paper discusses the abnormal changes in weather elements observed at a tropical mountain location and a coastal station in India. Abnormal changes were noticed in the atmospheric parameters at a time close to the occurrence of tsunami on the Indian coasts due to high magnitude earthquakes in the Sumatra region on 26 December 2004. Close to the time of this earthquake occurrence, uncharacteristic and large magnitude changes in weather elements were recorded at Braemore (8o45â²N, 77o05â²E, 360 m amsl), a mountain field station at Western Ghats. Abnormal changes were also recorded at Minambakkam (13oN, 80o18â²E, 16 m SLP), close to eastern coastal belts. In the Braemore field station, simultaneous changes were observed in the atmospheric parameters; decrease in pressure by 0.6 hPa, increase in relative humidity by 30 and a prominent reduction in air temperature by more than 3oC on the day of tsunami. Also, unusually the relative humidity did not reach 100 on the previous night. However, in the Minambakkam station, the relative humidity increased by 10 associated with a sharp decrease in temperature by about 2.5oC. The changes in both the stations occurred almost at the same time and duration. Therefore, it may be concluded that these changes are associated with the high magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami

Correcting pervasive errors in RNA crystallography through enumerative structure prediction

Three-dimensional RNA models fitted into crystallographic density maps exhibit pervasive conformational ambiguities, geometric errors and steric clashes. To address these problems, we present enumerative real-space refinement assisted by electron density under Rosetta (ERRASER), coupled to Python-based hierarchical environment for integrated 'xtallography' (PHENIX) diffraction-based refinement. On 24 data sets, ERRASER automatically corrects the majority of MolProbity-assessed errors, improves the average Rfree factor, resolves functionally important discrepancies in noncanonical structure and refines low-resolution models to better match higher-resolution models

Effect of Speed Agility Quickness and Circuit Training on Lipid Profile of Soccer Players: An Observational Study

Study purpose. This observational study aims to investigate the impact of a Speed Agility Quickness (SAQ) and Circuit training program on the lipid profile of soccer players. The study focuses on analyzing changes in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol concentrations after the intervention. Materials and methods. The study involved a total of 30 elite soccer players with the mean (Sd) of age 16.93 (1.20) years; stature 5.66 (0.16) feet; weight 59.93 (5.47) kg. All the players selected for the study were registered players of Poloi Academy, Imphal, Manipur. The participants were divided into two groups, i.e., the SAQ and Circuit groups, and underwent a 12 weeks SAQ and Circuit training program respectively, which was conducted 3 days per weeks. Blood samples were collected before and after the intervention to measure HDL, LDL, and VLDL cholesterol levels. The participants’ lipid profiles were assessed using standard laboratory techniques. Results. The results of this study demonstrated significant changes in the lipid profiles of the elite soccer players following the SAQ and Circuit training program. The intervention resulted in a significant increase in HDL cholesterol levels. Simultaneously, there was a substantial decrease in LDL and VLDL cholesterol concentrations. Conclusions. The increase in HDL cholesterol and reduction in LDL and VLDL cholesterol levels indicate a potential decrease in the risk of cardiovascular diseases and related health issues. Considering the importance of lipid metabolism in athletic performance and overall well-being, this study provides valuable insights for coaches, athletes, and sports professionals in designing targeted training regimens to optimize cardiovascular health among soccer players. However, further research with larger sample sizes and long-term follow-ups is warranted to validate and generalize these findings across diverse populations and sports disciplines

Diabetes Mellitus and Mortality after Acute Coronary Syndrome as a First or Recurrent Cardiovascular Event

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is associated with adverse cardiovascular prognosis. However, the risk associated with DM may vary between individuals according to their overall cardiovascular risk burden. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether DM is associated with poor outcome in patients presenting with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) according to the index episode being a first or recurrent cardiovascular event.We conducted a retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort study involving 2499 consecutively admitted patients with confirmed ACS in 11 UK hospitals during 2003. Usual care was provided for all participants. Demographic factors, co-morbidity and treatment (during admission and at discharge) factors were recorded. The primary outcome was all cause mortality (median 2 year follow up), compared for cohorts with and without DM according to their prior cardiovascular disease (CVD) disease status. Adjusted analyses were performed with Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Within the entire cohort, DM was associated with an unadjusted 45% increase in mortality. However, in patients free of a history of CVD, mortality of those with and without DM was similar (18.8% and 19.7% respectively; p = 0.74). In the group with CVD, mortality of patients with DM was significantly higher than those without DM (46.7% and 33.2% respectively; p<0.001). The age and sex adjusted interaction between DM and CVD in predicting mortality was highly significant (p = 0.002) and persisted after accounting for comorbidities and treatment factors (p = 0.006). Of patients free of CVD, DM was associated with smaller elevation of Troponin I (p<0.001). However in patients with pre-existing CVD Troponin I was similar (p = 0.992).DM is only associated with worse outcome after ACS in patients with a pre-existing history of CVD. Differences in the severity of myocyte necrosis may account for this. Further investigation is required, though our findings suggest that aggressive primary prevention of CVD in patients with DM may have beneficially modified their first presentation with (and mortality after) ACS