Limitations and Barriers Affecting Rural Married Women in Resorting to Modern Contraceptive Methods

Limitations and barriers affecting the use of modern contraceptive methods among rural married women in centering the research topic in an experimental space focused on identifying the limitations and barriers affecting the use of modern contraceptive methods among rural married women as the main research objective. In that way, by identifying the individual-centric factors, household-centric factors, sociological factors and socio-cultural factors that influence rural married women to resort to modern contraceptive methods, attention is paid to the policy requirement of inducing modern contraceptive methods to rural women and presenting positive solutions and proposals. A sample of 100 people was taken as purposive sampling under non-random purposive sampling method for the study. Primary data was collected through interviews under survey method. According to the results, identification of barriers and barriers affecting the use of modern contraceptive methods among rural married women. In the study, it was verified that the influence of husband, social support, family culture, social influence and lack of contraceptive education are barriers and restrictions affecting rural married women to refrain from using modern contraceptive methods. Modern deconstructive methods should be disseminated to the rural woman by understanding the wrong attitudes and knowledge centered in social knowledge. Also, it was evident through the study that policy makers and mediators should focus on providing formal education and emphasis on the reproductive rights of rural women. DOI: http://doi.org/10.31357/fhss/vjhss.v08i01.1

Depression rating scales in Parkinson's disease: A critical review updating recent literature

Depression is a prominent non-motor symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD). Assessing depression in PD remains a challenge due to the overlap of somatic symptoms between depression and PD. Other neuropsychiatric manifestations associated with PD, such as cognitive decline, also complicate assessment of depression. Therefore it is critical to investigate the validity of depression rating scales for use in PD. This will allow evaluation of observer- and self-report instruments to be administered in neurologically ill geriatric populations such as PD, and identification of appropriate scales to use in cognitively challenged PD patients. The present review includes all studies examining the validity of depression rating scales in PD. It discusses the usefulness of 13 depression rating scales in PD. The clinician-rated and widely used HAMD-17 and the self-report GDS scales are recommended for screening and measuring severity of depression in PD. The GDS-15 may be a preferred choice due to its brevity and ease of use design for older adults. Other valid and reliable instruments to use in PD include self-rated scales, such as the HADS-D, HDI, and the BDI, and the observer-report, MADRS. The CSDD displayed satisfactory validity and reliability for identification of PD patients with and without dementia. The PHQ-2, PHQ-10, SDS, CES-D, UPDRS-Depression item, IDS-SR, and IDS-C each showed some evidence of validity or reliability, however further research on the psychometric properties of these scales when used in a PD population are required. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Practices Followed to Manage Plastic Waste including Shopping Bags and Lunch Sheets in Sri Lanka: A Preliminary Study in Western Province

Although plastics have made the workings of our lives easier, it has created many different environmental and social problems due to poor management practices. The problem of plastic waste has been exacerbated due to various regulations that have been introduced from time to time for the sustainable management of plastic waste. However, those are not properly implemented. The main objective of this study is to examine the best practices in Sri Lanka for the management of plastic waste, including shopping bags and lunch sheets (PBLS). Further, the study illustrated the prevailing and possible alternatives for polythene products in Sri Lanka and weaknesses in the identification of alternatives. The study was conducted in the Western Province covering three districts: Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara. Data collection was conducted through different structured questionnaire surveys, key informant interviews and a major workshop from a sample of 1314 respondents. Results revealed that 59% of households in the survey confirm that they were discouraged from switching to alternatives as a result of freely available low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bags in the market. Also, 67% of the households and 74% of the supermarkets pointed out that, the current polythene bag usage was higher prior to the ban, due to the poor strength and quality of the bag. Further, the study reveals that ‘Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)’ has the potential to influence material management systems and prevent pollution and has been successfully tested in many countries around the world. DOI: http://doi.org/10.31357/fhss/vjhss.v07i01.0

A neurophysiological study of semantic processing in Parkinson’s disease

Objectives: Cognitive-linguistic impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD) have been well documented; however, few studies have explored the neurophysiological underpinnings of semantic deficits in PD. This study investigated semantic function in PD using event-related potentials. Methods: Eighteen people with PD and 18 healthy controls performed a semantic judgement task on written word pairs that were either congruent or incongruent. Results: The mean amplitude of the N400 for new incongruent word pairs was similar for both groups, however the onset latency was delayed in the PD group. Further analysis of the data revealed that both groups demonstrated attenuation of the N400 for repeated incongruent trials, as well as attenuation of the P600 component for repeated congruent trials. Conclusions: The presence of N400 congruity and N400 repetition effects in the PD group suggests that semantic processing is generally intact, but with a slower time course as evidenced by the delayed N400. Additional research will be required to determine whether N400 and P600 repetition effects are sensitive to further cognitive decline in PD

Anxiety is associated with cognitive impairment in newly-diagnosed Parkinson's disease.

INTRODUCTION: Anxiety and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are prevalent non-motor manifestations of Parkinson's disease (PD). While few studies have demonstrated a possible link between cognitive dysfunction and anxiety in PD, to our knowledge, no studies have directly examined the association between them. This study investigated the association between anxiety and cognitive deficits in newly diagnosed PD patients. METHODS: Patients with newly diagnosed PD (N = 185) were recruited from community and outpatient clinics. Anxiety was assessed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) clinician rated anxiety item, which has previously been validated against a standardized criteria for the diagnosis of anxiety disorders in PD. Participants scoring ≥2 were classified as anxious. A threshold of 1 SD below normative values (obtained from controls) was used to define cognitive impairment. Impairments in specific cognitive domains were identified as being >1 SD below controls in ≥1 test per domain. RESULTS: After controlling for age, education and motor severity, patients with anxiety were three times more likely to have cognitive impairment compared to those without anxiety (OR = 3.0, 95% CI = 1.2-7.3, p < 0.05). Patients with anxiety were more than twice as likely to be classified as having cognitive impairment due to impairment in the memory domain compared with PD without anxiety (OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.0-5.1, p < 0.05), whilst no associations were found between anxiety and performance on other cognitive domains. CONCLUSION: This study shows an association between anxiety and cognitive impairment (specifically memory impairment). Examining the neural basis of this association warrants future research in this developing field

Hard Tissue Engineering

Peer reviewe

Tissue Engineering in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery : From Lab to Clinics

Regenerative medicine aims at the functional restoration of tissue malfunction, damage or loss, and can be divided into three main approaches. Firstly, the cell-based therapies, where cells are administered to re-establish a tissue either directly or through paracrine functions. Secondly, the often referred to as classical tissue engineering, consisting of the combined use of cells and a bio-degradable scaffold to form tissue. Thirdly, there are material-based approaches, which have made significant advances which rely on biodegradable materials, often functionalized with cellular functions (De Jong et al. 2014). In 1993, Langer and Vacanti, determined tissue engineering as an “interdisciplinary field that applies the principles of engineering and the life sciences toward the development of biological substitutes that restore, maintain, or improve tissue function”. They published this definition in Science in 1993. Tissue engineering has been classically thought to consist of three elements: supporting scaffold, cells and regulating factors such as growth factors (Fig. 1). Depending on the tissue to be regenerated, all three vary. Currently, it is known, that many other factors may have an effect on the outcome of the regenerate. These include factors enabling angiogenesis, physical stimulation, culture media, gene delivery and methods to deliver patient specific implants (PSI) (Fig. 2). During the past two decades, major obstacles have been tackled and tissue engineering is currently being used clinically in some applications while in others it is just taking its first baby steps.Peer reviewe

Progressive Neurological Conditions and Their Impact on Psychological Well-Being in Later Life

Progressive neurological disorders are incurable disorders with gradual deterioration and impacting patients for life. Two common progressive neurological disorders found in late life are Parkinson’s disease (PD) and motor neuron disease (MND). Psychological complications such as depression and anxiety are prevalent in people living with PD and MND, yet they are underdiagnosed and poorly treated. PD is classified a Movement Disorder and predominantly characterized by motor symptoms such as tremor, bradykinesia, gait problems and postural instability; however, neuropsychiatric complications such as anxiety and depression are common and contribute poorly to quality of life, even more so than motor disability. The average prevalence of depression in PD suggest 35% and anxiety in PD reports 31%. Depression and anxiety often coexist. Symptoms of depression and anxiety overlap with symptoms of PD, making it difficult to recognize. In PD, daily fluctuations in anxiety and mood disturbances are observed with clear synchronized relationships to wearing off of PD medication in some individuals. Such unique characteristics must be addressed when treating PD depression and anxiety. There is an increase in the evidence base for psychotherapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavior therapy to treat depression and anxiety in PD. Motor neuron disease (MND) is classified a neuromuscular disease and is characterized by progressive degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons is the primary characteristic of MND. The most common form of MND is Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the terms ALS and MND are simultaneously used in the literature. Given the short life expectancy (average 4 years), rapid deterioration, paralysis, nonmotor dysfunctions, and resulting incapacity, psychological factors clearly play a major role in MND. Depression and suicide are common psychological concerns in persons with MND. While there is an ALS-specific instrument to assess depression, evaluation of anxiety is poorly studied; although emerging studies suggesting that anxiety is highly prevalent in MND. Unfortunately, there is no substantial evidence-base for the treatment of anxiety and depression in MND. Caregivers play a major role in the management of progressive neurological diseases. Therefore, evaluating caregiver burden and caregiver psychological health are essential to improve quality of care provided to the patient, as well as to improve quality of life for carers. In progressive neurological diseases, caregiving is often provided by family members and spouses, with professional care at advanced disease. Psychological interventions for PD carers addressing unique characteristics of PD and care needs is required. Heterogeneous clinical features, rapid functional decline, and short trajectory of MND suggest a multidisciplinary framework of carer services including psychological interventions to mitigate MND. A Supportive Care Needs Framework has been recently proposed encompassing practical, informational, social, psychological, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of both MND patients and carers