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Background: Sexual behavior is an important determinant of sexually transmitted diseases transmission. It is essential to understand the HIV-related high-risk behavior among high-risk groups like migrants to design evidence-based intervention. Objectives: This study was undertaken to assess HIV-related high-risk behavior and awareness among male construction workers. Materials and Methods: A total of 404 male workers were enrolled in a cross-sectional study at a construction area in Karnataka. Behavioral Surveillance Survey questionnaire was used to collect information regarding sexual behavior and their knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS. Results: The mean age of workers was 25.6 ± 7.3 years. Among workers, 82.2% of them heard about AIDS and 66.8% (270) could tell at least two correct mode of transmission of HIV. Mean age of first sexual intercourse was 22 ± 9.4 years among married and 18.9 ± 2.8 years among unmarried. Nearly 25% and 56% had their first sexual intercourse <18 years among married and unmarried, respectively. Among married workers, 21.9% used condoms during last sexual intercourse with spouse and 10.8% used condoms with other partners. About 15.7% of them had multiple sexual partners. Among unmarried workers, 27.9% of them ever had sex and 22.2% of them used condom during last sexual intercourse. Nearly 30% of them had multiple sexual partners. Higher age, educational status, and high-income associated with better awareness. Conclusion: Knowledge regarding AIDS and sexual transmission was good. However, condom usage was found to be poor among the workers. In addition to that, multiple sexual partners which included commercial sex workers among both married and unmarried workers are an important risk factor for HIV. Adequate interventions should be done in this group to address this issue.
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Background: Aim: To estimate microalbuminuria in non-diabetic patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome And assess the relationship between the two. Methodology: All patients age >18yrs, both sexes diagnosed as acute coronary syndrome based on history and relevant investigations and admitted in BLDEU’S Shri B.M PATIL Medical college hospital and research centre Vijayapur. microalbuminuria was measured at admission and compared with standard normal mean value. Results: This study was conducted on 60 patients, of the study group 70.0% were male and30.0% were female. The age ranged from 30 to 85 years of age. The mean age of thegroup was 55.5 ±13.19 SD. The known risk factors of ACS were studied and correlated,37.2 % of all patients were smokers, 31% were tobacco chewers, 24.7 % had diabetesmellitus, 31.8% were hypertensive and 8 % had family history of ACS. The meanmicroalbuminuria value in mg/dl for STEMI was 35 ± 0.30 SD, for NSTEMI it was 21±1.6 and for unstable angina it was 22 ± 1.0 SD. The mean microalbuminuria in patientswith ACS was 44.6 ± 3.2 SD mg/dl incompared to microalbuminuria levels of 30mg/l innormal population (p<0.0001). Conclusion:This study showed an correlation of microalbuminuria with ACS. This reinforcesthe fact that microalbuminuria acts as emerging potential risk factor marker.
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Melioidosis is a disease with protean clinical manifestations caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is endemic in countries surrounding the newly independent East Timor, but has yet to be isolated or demonstrated serologically in that country. One illness that can be clinically indistinguishable from melioidosis is pulmonary tuberculosis, a condition with a very high prevalence in East Timor. We used an indirect hemagglutination test (IHA) to measure antibodies to B. pseudomallei in 407 East Timorese evacuated to Darwin, Australia, in September 1999. Assuming a positive IHA titer as > or = 1:40, the overall seroprevalence rate was 17.0%, in keeping with other seroprevalence studies from the region. The IHA titres ranged up to 1:320. After adjusting for age, females were 2.5 times more likely to be seropositive than males (p = 0.0001). There was an inverse relationship between seropositivity and age. This study shows that exposure to B. pseudomallei occurs in East Timor melioidosis is also likely to occur. Due to the lack of laboratory facilities at present, it may be some time before a laboratory-confirmed case proves that melioidosis occurs. In the meantime, clinicians in East Timor should include melioidosis in the differential diagnosis of the many conditions that it may mimic.