Health information-seeking behavior among hypothyroid patients at Saveetha Medical College and Hospital

BACKGROUND: Hypothyroidism causes considerable morbidity. Low knowledge coupled with inadequate health literacy may lead to poor prevention and management. This study aimed to assess health information-seeking behavior and hypothyroid knowledge among South Indian hypothyroid patients.METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in October 2013 in Saveetha Medical College, Chennai, India. Hundred clinically diagnosed hypothyroid patients >18 years were interviewed in a hospital using a 57-item questionnaire to gather information on their socio-demographics, self-reported disease history, hypothyroid-related knowledge, health information sources, health literacy and health information-seeking behavior. Hypothyroidism was assessed by free T3 and T4 levels.RESULTS: Mean age of participants was 38 years (SD=12) with median age of 39.5 years, majority of the participants being females (77%) and living in urban setting (52%). Mean free T3 level was 0.0137ng/dl (SD= 0.003) and mean free T4 was 0.7ng/dl (SD= 0.06). Ninety three percent of the participants received initial hypothyroidism education from their physicians at the time of diagnosis. Half of the participants had incorrect hypothyroidism-related knowledge; similar between both genders. Participants with inadequate health literacy had poor knowledge about the hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism-related health information was sought almost exclusively from health professionals, predominantly regarding treatment, linked to their faith in qualified medical assistance. Economic status primarily determined healthcare-seeking behavior. Marital status, education level, annual household income and health literacy were significantly associated with knowledge.CONCLUSION: Participants having higher educational qualification, higher annual household income and adequate health literacy had considerable knowledge about hypothyroidism. Developing multi-factorial and tailored health education for patients with marginal or inadequate health literacy is needed. Exploring healthcare institutions as a medium for delivery of such education should be explored.KEYWORDS: Hypothyroidism, Health Information-seeking Behavior, Knowledge, Health Literac

Potential use of polyacrylamide (PAM) in Australian agriculture to improve off and on-site environmental impacts and infiltration management

Polyacrylamide (PAM) has been sold in the United States since 1995 for reducing irrigation-induced erosion and enhancing infiltration. PAM's soil stabilizing and flocculating properties have also substantially improved runoff water quality by reducing sediments, N, ortho and total P, COD, pesticides, weed seeds, and microorganisms in runoff. The first series of practical field tests of PAM was conducted in the U.S. in 1991. Chemical companies, working with "early adopter" farmers, began farm testing of PAM in 1997 in Australia. Australian farmer results have been mixed because of lack of familiarity with PAM chemical and physical attributes, lack of research focused on Australian conditions and a resulting lack of support capability from extension or other public conservation or water management infrastructure. PAM has chemical and physical properties that impart a steeper learning curve than most other typical agricultural chemicals. Nonetheless, in Australian tests of PAM, sediment, nutrients, and pesticide reductions exceeded levels achieved by traditional conservation farming' methods (Waters et al., 1999a,b)

Molecular Profiling of Major Indian Rice Cultivars Using a Set of Eight Hypervariable Microsatellite Markers

India bred high yielding rice varieties have enriched to a great extent the global rice germplasm since the mid-sixties. Systematic research efforts for development of cultivar-specific DNA fingerprints of major Indian rice cultivars, however, have not received due attention. The present investigation was aimed at development of DNA fingerprints for 90 high yielding rice varieties using hypervariable microsatellite (hvRM) markers. A panel of eight markers, viz. RM11313, RM13584, RM15004, RM5844, RM22250, RM22565, RM24260 and RM8207 was chosen from 52 polymorphic markers based on their highly polymorphic nature, SSR repeat type and number and ability to distinguish genotypes, in order to develop DNA fingerprints of 90 varieties. The remaining high polymorphic hvRM markers could be of immense value in future to distinguish new cultivars, in case they could not be distinguished by the 8 marker panel. Four of the 8 markers, viz. RM22250, RM13584, RM24260 and RM5844 were located in expressed genes and could be of value in DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability) testing. Thus we suggested, that this set of 8 loci could be used as standard for DNA fingerprinting of Indian rice cultivars

Biosolids application and soil organic carbon dynamics: a meta-analysis.

Soil carbon sequestration has been recognized as a potential “direct action” tool in mitigating climate change. Organic matter rich biosolids from wastewater industry has been applied to soils as one of the strategies to the carbon sequestration. However, most of the short- and long-term studies as influenced by land application of biosolids have been showed quite inconsistent results in carbon increments in soils. Therefore, soil carbon sequestration resulted by biosolids application is yet to be needed further studies to elucidate. This study presents a comprehensive MetaAnalysis (MA) on soil carbon sequestration as influenced by biosolids application. Datasets comprised with 175 independent paired-treatments across 25 countries were fed in to Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (version 3) programme and modelled. The MA compared Soil Organic Carbon (SOC as g/kg) changes as the functions of time after biosolids application and its rate over twelve groups under two categories: application age (time after application) as 11 year, and cumulative application rate as 251 tonnes/ha.The fixed model is applied to explicate overall effects of analysed data derived from the MA. The MA showed overall positive influences on soil carbon sequestration towards increasing SOC. For example, the highest effect on SOC was observed at 1-3 age group suggesting the need of short term biosolids application to develop carbon storage in soils. Overall, this study shows that land application of biosolids can be used to increase soil carbon storage and therefore has the potential to be a strategy for mitigating climate change towards carbon sequestration in soils

Role of Progesterone Receptor Polymorphisms in the Recurrent Spontaneous Abortions: Indian Case

Background: We attempt to ascertain if the 3 linked single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the Progesterone Recepto

Groovy and Gnarly: Surface Wrinkles as a Multifunctional Motif for Terrestrial and Marine Environments

From large ventral pleats of humpback whales to nanoscale ridges on flower petals, wrinkled structures are omnipresent, multifunctional, and found at hugely diverse scales. Depending on the particulars of the biological system—its environment, morphology, and mechanical properties—wrinkles may control adhesion, friction, wetting, or drag; promote interfacial exchange; act as flow channels; or contribute to stretching, mechanical integrity, or structural color. Undulations on natural surfaces primarily arise from stress-induced instabilities of surface layers (e.g., buckling) during growth or aging. Variation in the material properties of surface layers and in the magnitude and orientation of intrinsic stresses during growth lead to a variety of wrinkling morphologies and patterns which, in turn, reflect the wide range of biophysical challenges wrinkled surfaces can solve. Therefore, investigating how surface wrinkles vary and are implemented across biological systems is key to understanding their structure-function relationships. In this work, we synthesize the literature in a metadata analysis of surface wrinkling in various terrestrial and marine organisms to review important morphological parameters and classify functional aspects of surface wrinkles in relation to the size and ecology of organisms. Building on our previous and current experimental studies, we explore case studies on nano/micro-scale wrinkles in biofilms, plant surfaces, and basking shark filter structures to compare developmental and structure-vs-function aspects of wrinkles with vastly different size scales and environmental demands. In doing this and by contrasting wrinkle development in soft and hard biological systems, we provide a template of structure-function relationships of biological surface wrinkles and an outlook for functionalized wrinkled biomimetic surfaces

An Interactive Game with Virtual Reality Immersion to Improve Cultural Sensitivity in Healthcare

Purpose: Biased perceptions of individuals who are not part of one’s in-groups tend to be negative and habitual. Because health care professionals are no less susceptible to biases than are others, the adverse impact of biases on marginalized populations in health care warrants continued attention and amelioration. Method: Two characters, a Syrian refugee with limited English proficiency and a black pregnant woman with a history of opioid use disorder, were developed for an online training simulation that includes an interactive life course experience focused on social determinants of health, and a clinical encounter in a community health center utilizing virtual reality immersion. Pre- and post-survey data were obtained from 158 health professionals who completed the simulation. Results: Post-simulation data indicated increased feelings of compassion toward the patient and decreased expectations about how difficult future encounters with the patient would be. With respect to attribution, after the simulation participants were less inclined to view the patient as primarily responsible for their situation, suggesting less impact of the fundamental attribution error. Conclusion: This training simulation aimed to utilize components of evidence-based prejudice habit breaking interventions, such as learning more about an individual’s life experience to help minimize filling in gaps with stereotyped assumptions. Although training simulations cannot fully replicate or replace the advantages that come with real-world experience, they can heighten awareness in the increase of increasing the cultural sensitivity of clinicians in health care professions for improving health equity

Particulate matter and albuminuria, glomerular filtration rate, and incident ckd

Background and objectives Exposure to particulate matter (PM),2.5 mm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) has been linked to detrimental health effects. This study aimed to describe the relationship between long-term PM2.5 exposure and kidney disease, including eGFR, level of albuminuria, and incident CKD. Design, setting, participants, & measurements The study included 10,997 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohort who were followed from 1996–1998 through 2016. Monthly mean PM2.5 concentrations (mg/m3 ) were estimated at geocoded participant addresses using geographic information system–based, spatiotemporal generalized additive mixed models—including geospatial covariates such as land use—and then averaged over the 12-month period preceding participant examination. Covariate-adjusted, cross-sectional associations of PM2.5, baseline eGFR, and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) were estimated using linear regression. PM2.5 and incident CKD (defined as follow-up eGFR,60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 with $25% eGFR decline relative to baseline, CKD-related hospitalization or death based on International Classification of Diseases 9/10 codes, or development of ESKD) associations were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression. Modeling was stratified by study site, and stratum-specific estimates were combined using random-effects meta-analyses. Results Baseline mean participant age was 63 (66) years and eGFR was 86 (616) ml/min per 1.73 m2. There was no significant PM2.5-eGFR association at baseline. Each 1-mg/m3 higher annual average PM2.5 was associated with higher UACR after adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic status, and clinical covariates (percentage difference, 6.6%; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 2.6% to 10.7%). Each 1-mg/m3 higher annual average PM2.5 was associated with a significantly higher risk of incident CKD (hazard ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.10). Conclusions Exposure to higher annual average PM2.5 concentrations was associated with a higher level of albuminuria and higher risk for incident CKD in a community-based cohort