Epidemiology of overweight and obesity in school going children: 11-15 years in the urban area of Cuttack city

Background: The world health organization has described obesity as one of today’s most neglected public health problems, affecting developed and developing countries in the world. A dramatic increase in overweight and obesity among children and adolescent has raised the concern of various public health physicians especially in developing country like India. This study was conducted with an objective to study the prevalence of overweight and obesity and its associated risk factors among school going children of Cuttack city.Methods: School based cross sectional study was done among the children of 6th to 10th class. To calculate the maximum sample size prevalence of obesity was assumed to be 10%, taking absolute error of 2% and 10% non-response rate the sample was calculated to be 1000. By multistage sampling method the children were selected. Data was collected using a pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire and analyzed by using SPSS version 16.Results: The combined prevalence of overweight and obesity was 20.2% and it was higher among boys (20.6%) than girls (19.8%). Overweight and obesity was found to be significantly associated with type of school, parent’s occupation, hours of using TV/computer, eating habit, family history of obesity, type of family and mode of transport to school.Conclusions: Prevalence of overweight and obesity was found to be high in school going children, which indicates an urgent need to increase awareness via education and motivation of all stakeholders to prevent the complications in future.

Ethanol fermentation of sugarcane molasses by Zymomonas mobilis MTCC 92 immobilized in Luffa cylindrica L. sponge discs and Ca-alginate matrices

Bio-ethanol production from cane molasses (diluted to 15 % sugar w/v) was studied using the bacterium, Zymomonas mobilis MTCC 92 entrapped in luffa (Luffa cylindrica L.) sponge discs and Ca-alginate gel beads as the immobilizing matrices. At the end of 96 h fermentation, the final ethanol concentrations were 58.7 ± 0.09 and 59.1 ± 0.08 g/l molasses with luffa and Ca-alginate entrapped Z. mobilis cells, respectively exhibiting 83.25 ± 0.03 and 84.6 ± 0.02 % sugar conversion. There was no statistical significant difference (Fischer's LSD) in sugar utilization (t = 0.254, p <0.801) and ethanol production (t =-0.663, p <0.513) between the two immobilization matrices used. Further, the immobilized cells in both the matrices were physiologically active for three more cycles of operation with less than 15 % decrease in ethanol yield in the 4th cycle, which was due to some leakage of cells. In conclusion, luffa sponge was found to be equally good as Ca-alginate as a carrier material for bacterial (Z. mobilis. cell immobilization for ethanol production. Further, it has added advantages such as it is cheap, non-corrosive and has no environmental hazard.

Rastreamento anterior para câncer de colo uterino em mulheres com alterações citológicas ou histológicas / Previous screening for cervical cancer among women with cytological and histological abnormalities

OBJETIVO: Analisar a história de rastreamento citológico anterior em mulheres que apresentaram alterações citológicas e confirmação histológica para câncer cervical. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com 5.485 mulheres (15-65 anos) que se submeteram a rastreamento para o câncer cervical entre fevereiro de 2002 a março de 2003, em São Paulo e Campinas, SP. Aplicou-se questionário comportamental e foi feita a coleta da citologia oncológica convencional ou em base líquida. Para as participantes com alterações citológicas indicou-se colposcopia e, nos casos anormais, procedeu-se à biópsia cervical. Para investigar a associação entre as variáveis qualitativas e o resultado da citologia, utilizou-se o teste de qui-quadrado de Pearson com nível de significância de 5 por cento. RESULTADOS: Dentre os resultados citológicos, 354 (6,4 por cento) foram anormais, detectando-se 41 lesões intra-epitelial escamosa de alto grau e três carcinomas; em 92,6 por cento revelaram-se normais. De 289 colposcopias realizadas, 145 (50,2 por cento) apresentaram alterações. Dentre as biópsias cervicais foram encontrados 14 casos de neoplasia intra-epitelial cervical grau 3 e quatro carcinomas. Referiram ter realizado exame citológico prévio: 100 por cento das mulheres com citologia compatível com carcinoma, 97,6 por cento das que apresentaram lesões intra-epiteliais de alto grau, 100 por cento daquelas com confirmação histológica de carcinoma cervical, e 92,9 por cento das mulheres com neoplasia intra-epitelial cervical grau 3. A realização de citologia anterior em período inferior a três anos foi referida, respectivamente, por 86,5 por cento e 92,8 por cento dessas participantes com alterações citológicas e histológicas. CONCLUSÕES: Entre as mulheres que apresentaram confirmação histológica de neoplasia intra-epitelial cervical grau 3 ou carcinoma e aquelas que não apresentaram alterações histológicas não houve diferença estatisticamente significante do número de exames...

OBJECTIVE: To examine previous Pap smear history in women screened for cervical cancer with cytological or histological abnormalities. METHODS: Cross-sectional study in a sample of 5,485 women (15-65 years old) who self-referred to cervical cancer screening in Sao Paulo and Campinas, Southeastern Brazil, between February 2002 and March 2003. A behavioral questionnaire was applied and cervical specimens were obtained for testing by Pap smears or liquid-based cytology. Women who had abnormal cytology were referred for colposcopic examination and, if abnormal, for cervical punch biopsy. To explore factors associated to cervical abnormalities Pearson's chi-was conduted square test at a 5 percent significance level. RESULTS: Cytological abnormalities were found in 354 women (6.4 percent) and included 41 high-grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions and 3 carcinomas; 92.7 percent were normal results. Colposcopy was performed in 289 women, and 145 (50.2 percent) showed abnormal results. Punch biopsies showed 14 cervical intraepithelial neoplasias grade 3 and 4 carcinomas. Previous Pap smears were reported in all women who had cytology suspected of carcinoma, 97.6 percent of those with high-grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions, all women with histological diagnosis of carcinoma and 92.9 percent of those who had cervical intraepithelial neoplasias grade 3 histologically. Previous Pap smear in the last tree years was reported by 86.5 percent and 92.8 percent of women with abnormal cytology and biopsy, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There was no statistically significant difference regarding the number of Pap tests and time since their last test between women with histologically diagnosed carcinoma and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 compared with those with normal cytology.

Treatment outcome and cost-effectiveness analysis of two chemotherapeutic regimens (BEP vs. VIP) for poor-prognosis metastatic germ cell tumors.

BACKGROUND: In patients with small-volume disseminated disease of germ cell tumors, cure can be achieved with four cycles of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP). However, around 20% of these cases are not curable. Strategies to improve cure rates have shown that none of the currently available modalities were superior to the others. Among the most used ones, BEP and VIP (etoposide, cisplatin, and ifosfamide) have been the most studied. However, there are no reports comparing the two, except for a few in abstract forms from southern India. Therefore, we did a treatment outcome and cost-effectiveness analysis of two chemotherapeutic regimens (BEP vs VIP) that are used in poor-prognosis metastatic germ cell tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All male patients with germ cell tumors, diagnosed as having poor risk by IGCCCG, between January 2002 and December 2004 were included in the study. Clinical, laboratory, and other data were recorded. The patients were stratified into two categories on the basis of the type of chemotherapeutic regimen they received. RESULTS: In all, 46 patients were analyzed, with a median follow up of 26.6 months. The baseline characteristics (age, stage, PS, histology, and serum markers) were not different in the two treatment arms. There is no significant difference in the outcome with either of the chemotherapeutic modalities. VIP is less cost effective and more toxic compared to BEP. CONCLUSION: In view of the greater toxicity and cost of therapy, as well as lack of either overall or disease free survival advantage, VIP is not a preferred option for patients with high-risk germ cell tumors in the Indian setting and it is still advisable to treat patients with BEP.

Systemic and gastrointestinal candidiasis of infant mice as model for antifungal therapy.

Systemic and gastrointestinal infection was established in infant (15-19 days old) mice after oral-intragastric challenge with Candida albicans. All survivors retained high levels of organisms in the liver, kidney, spleen, stomach and intestine up to the 24th post infection day. These animals with persistent infections were used to study the efficacy of short term antifungal therapy. Drug treatment was initiated on 13th day for a two week period, treatment with fluconazole was compared with amphotericin B, and 5 fluorocytosine. The results suggest that fluconazole is a useful drug in the treatment of gastrointestinal candidiasis.