Do interpersonal problems catalyse experimentation of substance use among adolescents?

BackgroundThe upbringing and sociocultural factors determine the initial stages of habit formation in a child. Type of family, peer company, environment at school, and surroundings tend to influence adolescent’s tendency for substance experimentation and use.AimOur aim was to identify the extent of experimental substance use and catalytic effect of interpersonal relational problems among adolescents.MethodsA self-administered health risk screening questionnaire was used. The questionnaire focused on problems related to substance use; type of substances experimented with; and interpersonal problems with parents, peers, at school, and in the neighbourhood. A cross-sectional study design was adopted (n=1770, age 16–19 years). Data obtained was entered and analysed using SPSS 15.ResultsThe proportion of experimentation with substance was found out to be more in boys as compared to girls. Alcohol was mostly consumed by them followed by cigarettes, pan masala and other substances. Interpersonal issues with mothers, fathers, at home, school and residing town were found to be significant factors that influenced adolescents for substance experimentation and use. Higher age group among adolescents sex (male) were strong socio demographic predictors of adolescent substance use.ConclusionCordial environment at home especially with parents, age, sex (male), residing town/neighbourhood were found to be very significant predictors of substance use by adolescents

Preserving traditional child health care practices followed in Udupi district- a qualitative study

Though modern medicine is practised across India, traditional systems of medicine along with folklore systems still continue to assist a large section of the population, especially in rural areas. This indigenous practice and knowledge should be recorded before it disappears. Therefore, we aim to collect information regarding the knowledge of health care practices in Udupi district. A prospective qualitative study was carried out for a period of six months in rural and tribal areas of Udupi district, South India, using a pre-tested structured questionnaire and an in-depth interview method. Leaves are the most frequently used plant parts and most medicines are formulated into a paste and administered orally or topically. A paste of traditional roots and herbs (like Brahmi, baje [Acorus calamus] and pinaari) is advised for newborn babies with the belief that it will improve memory and enhance speech development. Other herbs from the kitchen garden (sambarballi and tulsi/basil leaves) are primarily used in a decoction to remove phlegm from the body. Gathering information from the tribal population of the society may prove to be constructive in preserving the ancient knowledge before it becomes extinct

What predicts mental health literacy among school teachers?

Objectives: The present study aimed at assessing high school teachers’ mental health literacy (MHL) and predictors related to study outcomes.Design: Cross-sectional studyMethods: We employed 460 high school teachers who engaged with adolescents for at least six hours per week with a minimum of five years of teaching experience in southern India. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to assess their MHL. Descriptive analysis and backward logistic regression analysis were performed. A p-value < 0.05 was set as significant.Results: Teachers’ MHL on depression was less than desirable; however, they identified 288 (62.6%) adolescents with mental health problems during their career, and 172(59.72%) were referred to mental health professionals. On logistic regression analysis, teachers’ educational status, their marital status, teaching a class with an average strength of 31-60 students per class, previous mental health training and having self-efficacy concerning seeking informationon mental health, perceived ability to spread awareness and to provide referrals were found to predict MHL among teachers.Conclusion: Sociodemographic factors including teachers’ educational status, average class strength and having had previous mental health training were predictors for MHL among high school teachers. Establishing training programs and referral networks may be key in early intervention among adolescents

HIV and cancer registry linkage identifies a substantial burden of cancers in persons with HIV in India.

We utilized computerized record-linkage methods to link HIV and cancer databases with limited unique identifiers in Pune, India, to determine feasibility of linkage and obtain preliminary estimates of cancer risk in persons living with HIV (PLHIV) as compared with the general population.Records of 32,575 PLHIV were linked to 31,754 Pune Cancer Registry records (1996-2008) using a probabilistic-matching algorithm. Cancer risk was estimated by calculating standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) in the early (4-27 months after HIV registration), late (28-60 months), and overall (4-60 months) incidence periods. Cancers diagnosed prior to or within 3 months of HIV registration were considered prevalent.Of 613 linked cancers to PLHIV, 188 were prevalent, 106 early incident, and 319 late incident. Incident cancers comprised 11.5% AIDS-defining cancers (ADCs), including cervical cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), but not Kaposi sarcoma (KS), and 88.5% non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADCs). Risk for any incident cancer diagnosis in early, late, and combined periods was significantly elevated among PLHIV (SIRs: 5.6 [95% CI 4.6-6.8], 17.7 [95% CI 15.8-19.8], and 11.5 [95% CI 10-12.6], respectively). Cervical cancer risk was elevated in both incidence periods (SIRs: 9.6 [95% CI 4.8-17.2] and 22.6 [95% CI 14.3-33.9], respectively), while NHL risk was elevated only in the late incidence period (SIR: 18.0 [95% CI 9.8-30.20]). Risks for NADCs were dramatically elevated (SIR > 100) for eye-orbit, substantially (SIR > 20) for all-mouth, esophagus, breast, unspecified-leukemia, colon-rectum-anus, and other/unspecified cancers; moderately elevated (SIR > 10) for salivary gland, penis, nasopharynx, and brain-nervous system, and mildly elevated (SIR > 5) for stomach. Risks for 6 NADCs (small intestine, testis, lymphocytic leukemia, prostate, ovary, and melanoma) were not elevated and 5 cancers, including multiple myeloma not seen.Our study demonstrates the feasibility of using probabilistic record-linkage to study cancer/other comorbidities among PLHIV in India and provides preliminary population-based estimates of cancer risks in PLHIV in India. Our results, suggesting a potentially substantial burden and slightly different spectrum of cancers among PLHIV in India, support efforts to conduct multicenter linkage studies to obtain precise estimates and to monitor cancer risk in PLHIV in India

Initiation and Adequacy of Complementary Feeding

BackgroundInfants and young children are at an increased risk of malnutrition from six months of age onwards, when breast milk alone is no longer sufficient to meet all their nutritional requirements and complementary feeding should be started. Hence this study was undertaken to assess the practices of complementary feeding.Method  This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at two private hospitals – Dr TMA Pai Hospital Udupi and Dr TMA Pai Hospital Karkala and a public hospital, Regional Advanced Paediatric Care Centre, Mangalore, of coastal south India for a two-month period from August 2010 to October 2010. Two-hundred mothers of children between six months and two years attending the paediatric outpatient departments of the above-mentioned hospitals for growth monitoring, immunisation and minor illnesses such as upper respiratory tract infections were selected for the study. The subjects were selected for the study by the order of their arrival to the outpatient department during the study period. ResultsIn the present study 77.5% mothers had started complementary feeding at the recommended time of six months. Only 32% of mothers were giving an adequate quantity of complementary feeds. The association of initiation of complementary feeding with socio-economic status, birth order, place of delivery and maternal education was found to be statistically significant. However the practice of giving an adequate quantity of complementary feeds was significantly associated only with the place of delivery.ConclusionIn the present study, initiation of complementary feeding at the recommended time of six months was seen in the majority of children. However the quantity of complementary feeding was insufficient. Advice about breast feeding and complementary feeding during antenatal check-ups and postnatal visits might improve feeding practices

Ce0.78Sn0.2Pt0.02O2-delta: A new non-deactivating catalyst for hydrogen production via water-gas shift reaction

We demonstrate the activity of Ce0.78Sn0.2Pt0.02O2-delta, a new catalyst, towards water-gas shift (WGS) reaction. Over 99.5% CO conversion to H-2 is observed at 300 +/- 25 degrees C. Based on different characterization techniques we found that the present catalyst is resistant to deactivation due to carbonate formation and sintering of Pt on the surface when subjected to longer duration of reaction conditions. The catalyst does not require any pre-treatment or activation between start-up/shut-down reaction operations. Formation of side products such as methane, methanol, formaldehyde, coke etc. was not observed under the WGS reaction conditions indicating the high selectivity of the catalyst for H-2. Temperature programmed reduction of the catalyst in hydrogen (H-2-TPR) shows reversible reduction of Ce4+ to Ce3+, Sn4+ to Sn2+ and Pt4+ to Pt-0 oxidation state with oxygen storage capacity (OSC) of 3500 mu mol g(-1) at 80 degrees C. Such high value of OSC indicates the presence of highly activated lattice oxygen. CO oxidation in presence of stoichiometric O-2 shows 100% conversion to CO2 at room temperature. The catalyst also exhibits 100% selectivity for CO2 at room temperature towards preferential oxidation (PROX) of residual CO in presence of excess hydrogen in the feed. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Correlation of Oxygen Storage Capacity and Structural Distortion in Transition-Metal-, Noble-Metal-, and Rare-Earth-Ion-Substituted CeO2 from First Principles Calculation

Oxygen storage/release (OSC) capacity is an important feature common to all three-way catalysts to combat harmful exhaust emissions. To understand the mechanism of improved OSC for doped CeO2, we undertook the structural investigation by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), H-2-TPR (temperature-programmed hydrogen reduction) and density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations of transition-metal-, noble-metal-, and rare-earth (RE)-ion-substituted ceria. In this report, we present the relationship between the OSC and structural changes induced by the dopant ion in CeO2. Transition metal and noble metal ion substitution in ceria greatly enhances the reducibility of Ce1-xMxO2-delta (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Pd, Pt, Ru), whereas rare-earth-ion-substituted Ce(1-x)A(x)O(2-delta) (A = La, Y) have very little effect in improving the OSC. Our simulated optimized structure shows deviation in cation oxygen bond length from ideal bond length of 2.34 angstrom (for CeO2). For example, our theoretical calculation for Ce28Mn4O62 structure shows that Mn-O bonds are in 4 + 2 coordination with average bond lengths of 2.0 and 3.06 angstrom respectively. Although the four short Mn-O bond lengths spans the bond distance region of Mn2O3, the other two Mn-O bonds are moved to longer distances. The dopant transition and noble metal ions also affects Ce coordination shell and results in the formation of longer Ce-O bonds as well. Thus longer cation oxygen bonds for both dopant and host ions results in enhanced synergistic reduction of the solid solution. With Pd ion substitution in Ce1-xMxO2-delta (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) further enhancement in OSC is observed in H-2-TPR. This effect is reflected in our model calculations by the presence of still longer bonds compared to the model without Pd ion doping. The synergistic effect is therefore due to enhanced reducibility of both dopant and host ion induced due to structural distortion of fluorite lattice in presence of dopant ion. For RE ions (RE = Y, La), our calculations show very little deviation of bonds lengths from ideal fluorite structure. The absence of longer Y-O/La-O and Ce-O bonds make the structure much less susceptible to reduction

Perceptions of Adolescent Boys regarding Adolescent Friendly Health Services-A Qualitative Approach in India

Adolescence is a transitory period between childhood and adulthood marked by mental and physical changes. It is essential to furnish them with proper information during this phase, in absence of which they can easily be misled and engage in unhealthy activities. Our aim was to assess perceptions of adolescent boys on reproductive health and to comprehend their unmet needs on Adolescent Friendly Health Services.Study Design: This qualitative study was conducted using Focus Group Discussions (FGD) in a rural-urban setting in Udupi. A convenient sample of 41 adolescent boys aged 13-15 years participated in four FGD. A pre-tested interviewer guide was used for data collection. All tape-recorded data was fully transcribed and thematic analysis was done.Results: Awareness, Knowledge and Perceptions were the outcome measures of our study. Media, gadgets and peers played a pivotal role in their life. Negative influences like “accessing pornographic content”, “substance use”, “social networking”, “wrong ideas about girls”, “fall in love” were mainly highlighted by participants. Wet dreams and masturbation were considered as problems. They were totally unaware of Reproductive Health services. A demand was made for adolescent friendly services through medical practitioners.Conclusions: Reproductive health services are inadequate for adolescent boys. Proper training of health care providers on youth friendly service provision is essential