Demographic and Behavioural Risk factors for Cervical Cancer among Urban Women in Coastal Karnataka.

Background: Cervical cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. India accounts for 27% of the total cervical cancer deaths. Objectives: 1.To assess the risk factors associated with cancer cervix among the study population. 2. To study socio de-mographic profile of the study population. Materials and Methods: A community based, cross sectional study was conducted by the department of Community Medicine, A J Institute of Medical Sciences, in the urban field practice area, Kavoor among married women in the reproductive age group of 15-49years from April 2011 to September 2011. Socio demographic details and risk factors for cervical cancer were assessed. Results: A total of 357 women in the reproductive age group participated in the study. More than two third (87.2%) of the study population belonged to the age group of 30 – 49 years. 52.7% of the respondents be-longed to class IV socio economic status and 22.1% of the respondents were married before the age of 18 years. In this study 14% had their first child before the age of 18 years and43.2% respondents had 3 or more than 3 children. Cervical erosion was found in 38.4% of the respondents. Conclusion: Various risk factors like early age at marriage, low socioeconomic status, and multi parity are present in the study population. Screening and early detection efforts can be directed to the group at risk.

Antimicrobial activity of bauhinia purpuria linn.

The antimicrobial activity of the various extracts of the root bark of Bauhinia purpuria has been studied by agar cup plate diffusion method. Significant antibacterial and antifungal activity was shown by petroleum ether, chloroform and acetone extracts.

Increase in Drosophila melanogaster longevity due to rasayana diet: Preliminary results.

We report preliminary results from an ongoing series of experiments on lifespan extension by appropriately modified Ayurvedic rasayanas in animal models. Here data are presented indicating lifespan extensions of 51–55% (up to 70–95% in the pilot experiment) in a standard strain of Drosophila melanogaster (Oregon-K) using a standard rasayana (Ayurvedic herbal formulation for life-extension) suitably adapted for insects. In a first experiment, two groups of 20 unmated D. melanogaster strain Oregon-K kept at 22ºC received either rasayana or standard yeast diet; days of death were recorded. Another experiment investigated possible sex differences; equal sized (N = 30) groups of similar males, females, and controls were compared. Life lengths of all controls were in the strain’s usual range: in Experiment 1, control life lengths were minimum 40 to maximum 53 days; experimental group figures were 81–91 days; groups were completely separated, experimental group minimum life length being 28 days more than control group maximum life length, i.e., about 2.5 full distribution widths – a sign test for the null hypothesis yields p < 2–20, i.e., 10–6 as maximum p. Experiment 2 found no differences between life lengths of males and females; but the maximum life length of 30 controls (60 days in males and 66 days in females) was once again far shorter than the minimum life length of the 60 in the two experimental groups, strengthening the findings of Experiment 1. Despite group sizes being relatively small, results are conclusive: the rasayanas in question increase D. melanogaster strain Oregon-K life length. The complexity of the formulation suggests that multiple mechanisms are involved – worth further investigation.

Acute respiratory infections in children: a community based longitudinal study in south India.

A community based longitudinal study was conducted in Malpe, a coastal village of Udupi district, Karnataka state, to investigate acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children. A cohort of 91 children under 3 years of age were followed up for 1 year, leading to 2047 fortnightly observation. On an average every child had 11.3 months of follow up. The overall incidence of ARI was 6.42 episodes per child per year. On an average each episode lasted for 5.06 days. Mean duration of ARI during one year was 32.5 days per child. Most of the ARI episodes in children (91.3%) were of simple Cough & Cold (no pneumonia). However, 8.2% developed pneumonia and only 0.51% had severe pneumonia. Incidence of ARI was almost same in male and female children. There was no significant difference in incidence among various age groups. But the incidence of pneumonia was significantly higher among infants (p<0.00002). Children of poor housing with smoke producing conditions suffered more frequently (p,002).