Prevalence and Factors Associated with Depression in School-Going Adolescents of India

Background: Various studies on the prevalence and the factors associated with depression among the adolescents have indicated that the individuals known to suffer from depression in any form have increased suicidal tendencies and are also associated with poor academic performance. In this article, a review of literature has been done to provide evidence regarding the magnitude and factors of depression among school-going adolescents.Methods: The review of literature was done using various sites online such as PubMed and Google Scholar, and various papers from different journals have been searched to find the relevant articles that provide information on magnitude of depression and its associated factors. Various scales such as Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Beck’s Depression Inventory-21 (BDI-21) were used to measure depression and identify its contributing factors including the socio-demographic factors.Results: Depression has been found to range between 18 and 50% among various study populations. The prevalence was high among those study groups who were having both parents working, poor relationship with family members and poor academic performance.Conclusion: A large proportion of the adolescent population who suffers from depression goes unrecognized either due to poor understanding of the various factors associated with it or due to less efficient screening and treatment opportunities. Therefore, a clear understanding of the various factors is must to identify depression in its earlier course and suitable treatment options to be provided along with the follow-up care

Population Dynamics of Helminth Parasites in Fresh Water Fishes Channa punctatus and Heteropneustes fossilis in Moradabad, U.P., India

In the present report two types of fish Channa punctatus (Bloch) and Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch) were examined to explore the status of helminthic infection in fishes from various water bodies of Moradabad district. The Acanthocephalans, Nematodes and Trematode parasites were detected from gastrointestinal tract and body cavity of host during the study period from January 2017 to March 2017. Intestine was found to be highly infected site in the host fish Channa punctatus while in Heteropneustes fossilis, trematodes were localized in skin muscles only and the highest prevalence (70%) of all the parasites was observed in the month of February 2017, however highest abundance (0.89), highest intensity (1.34) and highest index of infection (0.61) was recorded in the month of March 2017 along with the highest loss in body weight (0.153kg.) along with highest mortality

Seropositivity of Toxoplasmosis in Antenatal Women with Bad Obstetric History in a Tertiary-care Hospital of Andhra Pradesh, India

Toxoplasmosis is a well-documented cause of bad obstetric history (BOH) and a major reason of congenitally-acquired infection. The study was conducted to determine the seropositivity of toxoplasmosis in women with BOH, attending the antenatal clinic of the Mamata General Hospital, Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, India. The study subjects included 105 antenatal women with BOH and 105 antenatal women who had previous normal deliveries. A serological evaluation was carried out to determine the presence of Toxoplasma gondii-specific IgG and IgM antibodies, using commercial diagnostic kits, by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The seropositivity for Toxoplasma was 49.52% in the study group compared to 12.38% in the control group. The difference in seropositivity was significant (p=0.00). The seroprevalence gradually increased with advancing age. Abortion (51.92%) was the commonest form of pregnancy wastage, followed by stillbirths (36.53%) and premature deliveries (7.69%). The seropositivity of toxoplasmosis was significantly higher in the study group than that in the control group, and the seropositivity played an important role in determining the foetal outcome. Considering the subclinical pattern of infection, routine serological test is recommended for all pregnant women for both IgG and IgM antibodies

Psychosocial Maladjustments among Adolescent School Students in Delhi, India

Background: Accumulating evidences are showing that strengthening protective psychosocial factors in adolescents make important contributions in improving developmental outcomes. Hence the present study was conducted to study the psychosocial maladjustments and their determinants among adolescent school students in Delhi, India.Materials and methods: Questionnaire based cross sectional study was conducted from February 2013 to September 2013 in four schools in South Delhi. All students studying in class 11 and 12 were included. Complete enumeration of the study subjects was done. Pareek’s Pre Adolescent Adjustment Scale (PAAS) was used to find psychosocial maladjustments among adolescent school students in five psychosocial domains (Home, School, Teachers, Peers and General). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.Results: The prevalence of home, school, teacher, peer and general psychosocial maladjustment were found to be 12.6%, 13.2%, 13.4%, 18.9% and 31.5% respectively. The risk of psychosocial maladjustment in all psychosocial domains was found to be higher among males, students studying in class twelve and belonging to lower socio-economic class. Conclusion: The study has revealed that psychosocial maladjustment in different psychosocial domains is present among adolescent school students in Delhi. This demands behavioral interventions in several psychosocial environments like home, school, peers and public places

Evidence of a Sub-Saturn around EPIC~211945201

We report here strong evidence for a sub-Saturn around EPIC~211945201 and confirm its planetary nature. EPIC~211945201b was found to be a planetary candidate from {\it K2} photometry in Campaigns 5 \& 16, transiting a bright star ($V_{\rm mag}=10.15$, G0 spectral type) in a 19.492 day orbit. However, the photometric data combined with false positive probability calculations using VESPA was not sufficient to confirm the planetary scenario. Here we present high-resolution spectroscopic follow-up of the target using the PARAS spectrograph (19 radial velocity observations) over a time-baseline of 420 days. We conclusively rule out the possibility of an eclipsing binary system and confirm the 2-$\sigma$ detection of a sub-Saturn planet. The confirmed planet has a radius of 6.12$\pm0.1$$~R_{\oplus}$, and a mass of $27_{-12.6}^{+14}$~$M_{\oplus}$. We also place an upper limit on the mass (within the 3-$\sigma$ confidence interval) at 42~$M_{\oplus}$ above the nominal value. This results in the Saturn-like density of $0.65_{-0.30}^{+0.34}$ g~cm$^{-3}$. Based on the mass and radius, we provide a preliminary model-dependent estimate that the heavy element content is 60-70 \% of the total mass. This detection is important as it adds to a sparse catalog of confirmed exoplanets with masses between 10-70 $M_{\oplus}$ and radii between 4-8 $R_{\oplus}$, whose masses and radii are measured to a precision of 50\% or better (only 23 including this work).Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal, 17 pages, 8 figure

PARAS-2 precision radial velocimeter: optical and mechanical design of a fiber-fed high resolution spectrograph under vacuum and temperature control

We present here the optical and mechanical design of a fiber-fed High-resolution spectrograph at resolution (R) = 100,000 which will be under vacuum (0.001 to 0.005 mbar) and temperature controlled environment at 25C ± 0.001C. The spectrograph will be attached to our upcoming new PRL 2.5m aperture telescope at Gurushikar, Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India. The spectrograph is named PARAS-2 after the successful operation of PARAS (PARAS-1) with our existing 1.2m aperture telescope at Gurushikar, Mount Abu since 2012 summer. The spectrograph (PARAS-2) will be operating in the range of 380nm to 690nm wavelength in a single shot using Grism as a Cross Disperser, R4 Echelle at blaze angle of 76degrees, and pupil diameter of 200 mm. We will use a combination of octagonal and circular fibers along with double scrambler and simultaneous calibration for getting down to the RV precision of 50cm/s or better (< 50cm/s). Minimum 30% time will be reserved for exoplanet work with the spectrograph on the 2.5m telescope when it becomes operational in early 2020. The overall efficiency of the whole spectrograph (Echelle, M1, M2, FM, Grism, Camera lens system, Dewar window) excluding fiber is expected to be 22.5% - 28% and 4% - 8% including optical fiber, telescope and fibertelescope interface losses

Alteration in haematological and biochemical parameters of Catla catla exposed to sub-lethal concentration of cypermethrin

A 60-day experiment was carried out to study the effect of sub-lethal concentration of cypermethrin (1/10th of LC50) exposure on haematological and biochemical parameters of the Indian major carp, Catla catla fingerlings. Under exposure, the total erythrocyte count, total leucocyte count, haemoglobin content and haematocrit were decreased. All the studied serum parameters viz. total serum protein, albumin, globulin contents and albumin–globulin ratio were significantly decreased in cypermethrin-exposed fishes. A marked increase was recorded in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities in liver, whereas lactate dehydrogenase activity of muscle and acetylcholine esterase activity in brain were inhibited in cypermethrin-exposed fish. The membrane transport enzymes (total adenosine triphosphatase, sodium–potassium adenosine triphosphatase and magnesium adenosine triphosphatase) activities were decreased significantly in the gills of C. catla exposed to sub-lethal concentration of cypermethrin. The present study indicates that sub-lethal exposure of C. catla fingerlings to cypermethrin alters the haematological and biochemical parameters

Seropositivity of Toxoplasmosis in Antenatal Women with Bad Obstetric History in a Tertiary-care Hospital of Andhra Pradesh, India

Toxoplasmosis is a well-documented cause of bad obstetric history (BOH) and a major reason of congenitally-acquired infection. The study was conducted to determine the seropositivity of toxoplasmosis in women with BOH, attending the antenatal clinic of the Mamata General Hospital, Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, India. The study subjects included 105 antenatal women with BOH and 105 antenatal women who had previous normal deliveries. A serological evaluation was carried out to determine the presence of Toxoplasma gondii -specific IgG and IgM antibodies, using commercial diagnostic kits, by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The seropositivity for Toxoplasma was 49.52% in the study group compared to 12.38% in the control group. The difference in seropositivity was significant (p=0.00). The seroprevalence gradually increased with advancing age. Abortion (51.92%) was the commonest form of pregnancy wastage, followed by stillbirths (36.53%) and premature deliveries (7.69%). The seropositivity of toxoplasmosis was significantly higher in the study group than that in the control group, and the seropositivity played an important role in determining the foetal outcome. Considering the subclinical pattern of infection, routine serological test is recommended for all pregnant women for both IgG and IgM antibodies